S eptember 21, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age A 8
Alternatives
To Ballot
Measure 15
On Sunday. September 25th at
7:00 PM. a public forum will be held
to discuss the topic: Winning Tax
Payer Support for Public Education
and Human Services Alternatives to
Ballot Measure 15. The forum will
take place at the Lutheran Inner-City
Ministries Community Center. 4219
NE M L.K . Jr Blvd. in Portland and
will open with brief statements by the
following speakers:
Jan Haaken, P.S.U. professor
and member of Portland Solidarity
Cecil Prescod, Pastor of Highland
United Church of Christ, Ivonne
Rivero, Editor of El Hispanic News,
DyLynn Robertson, member of the
Portland Metro Worthy Wage Cam
paign. Joel Shapiro, Portland school
teacher and member of Organizing
for Education.
The purpose of this forum will
be to discuss the importance of de
veloping long-term stable funding
for human resources, public educa
tion, and public safety in the state of
Oregon. The discussion will not be
limited to the merits and shortcom
ings of Ballot Measure 15. We will
focus on coalition building among
all state-funded programs for the
purpose of working together toward
lasting solutions.
This event is sponsored by the
Portland-Metro Worthy Wage Cam
paign, Organizing for Education, and
the Portland State Association of
American University Professors.
For more information, please
contact John Grueschow at 282-41 15
or Jan Haaken at 284-4414.
Oregon Ballet
Theatre Offers
“Magic Of
Dance” To
Portland-Area
Students
7 • «
* . 1
I
» ■ «
• J
Oregon Ballet Theatre has an
nounced the fifth annual series of
free performances for Portland-area
students entitled “Magic of Dance."
The first performance is sched
uled for Friday, October 14, at 10:45
am, in Portland Civic Auditorium.
This date is also teacher in-service
day for Oregon and Washington, so
home schools, private schools and
social service agencies are encour
aged to sign up.
Reservations can be made by
contacting Sandy Baldwin at 227-
0977.
“Magic of Dance" provides an
opportunity for school-age children
to become exposed to all aspects of
the world of dance: performance,
lighting, staging and music.
The first “Magic of Dance” of
fering, Act II of Coppelia. is part of
Oregon Ballet Theatre’s season open
ing performance of Coppelia which
runs October 13 through 16, at Port
land Civic Auditorium. Other “Magic
of Dance" performances include
Graduation Ball. Friday. March 10,
and “American C horeographers
Showcase," Tuesday, May 16 and
Wednesday, May 17.
Oregon BalletTheatrespurpose
is to offer the highest quality profes
sional ballet to the people of Oregon,
the Pacific Northwest, and the United
States, to both entertain and educate
audiences, and to encourage the cre
ative talents of dancers, choreogra
phers. composers, and musicians.
T ow n H a ll
Sept. 18 A Burning Issue -
Fire in Our Forests
Wildfires have ravaged the west
this summer. The destruction of more
than 500,000 thousand acres of for
ests, and the deaths of nine NW
firefighters, call into question the
way we fight fires. Should we put
lives in the line of fire to save prop
erty and forests? Or should we let
nature run its course and allow fires
to burn ?
Sept. 25 One Size Fits All?
Requiring School Uniforms
Seattle’ s school board has urged
its schools to require uniforms or
adopt dress codes. Schools strug
gling to combat gang violence be
lieve uniforms could help Propo
nents see added benefits: curbing
offensive attire, cutting clothing costs
for families, and reducing the ten
dency to judge kids on appearances.
Are imposed dress codes an innova
tive solution or an unfair intrusion?
Town Hall airs Sundays at 6 pm
on KATU Channel 2.
Call 231-4620
fi
oim ojir m a n c a i/ happent
u/kerv w e m ove into- ou nei#hborhood/.
The ne¿#Tiborhood/ be#úny to- chctn#e.
W hen/we b u d t on/Seattley M.L Kin#/,
Jr. BL vc L yectry a#o- i t way "otter o f tk e
w o n t sections o f town/“. In/ j o i t a
sh ort ttmcz everyone way baildin#/ a
new basinesy. t h e m ajor stores
join ed/ ay an d/ th e streety filled/ with
people,.
South African President Nelson Mandela (center) joins Anti-Defamation League representatives David
Strassler and Abraham Foxman to condemn racism and anti-Semitism. A delegation from the Jewish
organization visited South Africa recently to examine the changing political situation and to offer
programs in combatting bigotry and promoting tolerance.
We in v ite othery Itke B arger Kin#/,
mom/ n/ pop storey, grocery, mosce
ytorey, & restau ran ty to- join/ ay to
becom e ou p e u t o f th e new
neighborhood/.. iV y g o o d basinesy.
YodU / b e g l a d y o a d id .
YcfuuU/ Love/ I t!
National Pride Self-Service CarWash
5733 N.E. M.L. King, Jr. Blvd.
Class Structure In Africa
Sydney Izuagie stoo
balcony of his house,
in his Africa regalia -
e have-nots. There is re-
o m iddle class. I t’s either
- a free flowing garment made from
guinea brocades -a smile runs care
fully in his mouth as he savors the
compliments and the attention he re
ceives from passer-bys as a result of
his Africa-made outfit. To these folks,
Mr. Izuagie exudes class and rich
ness. But in some Africa societies
class is much more than flowing
robes. It’s about taking responsibili
ties. And surprisingly many Ameri
cans who drive around in financed
automobiles and live in financed
houses, would not qualify in the class
of haves in most African settings. It’s
because there is no credit system.
Every transaction is on the basis of
cash and carry.
Before the Europeans banged
on the doors o f A frica, the royal
kings reigned in the upper class,
along-side with their chiefs and
m inisters, a tradition that has held
on to date. And from the influx of
By
Promis»
King
foreign pow ers and policies, a
new upper class was carved out
from the ordinary, for those who
profited from the new bu rgeon
ing political system put in place
by the colonial lords.
In to d ay ’s A frica, capitalism
has added few upper class fe l
lows who brake through the ranks
and files o f the free m arket e n ter
prise to make it on their own. The
com bination o f royalties, b u si
nessm en and politicians reign in
m afia-like kingdom s to sustain
their treasures.T he upper class
structure has becom e som ewhat
hereditary.
This has fragm ented the so
ciety into two dastardly classes -
the rich and the poor. The haves
¡>se in upper-class can be
non-profit organizations
fom America, like Rotary,
Lions d U b and Soroptomist, having
timedn elitist rendezvous. They are
not always clad in robes, except on
special occasions. They are often the
employers, publishers, lobbyists or
king makers. They are the educated.
The majority of the poor are
always found in the countryside and
others in city slums. The pre-occupa
tion with them is always how to get
the next meal.
To some, class is measured in
beads and bear pelts and to others it’s
measured in cattle. To others it’s
land and number of children.
But which ever way you looks
at it, A frica has class.
are living at the subsistence level will
not choose to pay for housing unless
other basic needs, such as steady
employment and food, have already
been met. Further, the housing will
not be used unless it suits the cultural
needs of the intended residents. This
approach often conflicts with the at
titude of housing bureaucracies.
David says housing bureaucra
cies in the Third World are often
committed to projects that keep poor
people in their place. As a result,
according to Davis, government of
ficials resist developments like the
Tamil Nadu Project that allow the
residents to own their homes and to
"profit” from the government “gift”
of decent housing.
Team members talked to the
people who will live in the rickshaw
drivers housing project and, with the
residents’ help, designed homes that
would fit their families’ needs. The
residents chose where to place the
homes on their lots and where to
locate the two doors and two win
dows in each structure.
The researchers found that the
rickshaw drivers and their families
needed houses with two rooms and a
porch. The families also needed small
plots of land for gardens or to raise
chickens and other domestic fowl.
The final design allows the families
to operate businesses from the houses,
using the porches as shops or renting
out one of the rooms.
The project began in 1991 when
one of Davis’ thesis students sug
gested Davis get in touch with the
center in Madras. The student, Paul
Moses, is from Madras and knew
that the Indian center was working to
build housing for the families of the
rickshaw drivers Moses is now work
ing on the project in India.
The houses will cost about $460
apiece and will have electricity and
sanitary facilities. An Indian bank
has agreed to finance the project
because the rickshaw drivers who
are buying the homes have already
established a credit record by paying
off loans that allowed them to buy
their rickshaws.
Once the project is completed,
110 families will live at the Tamil
Nadu site. The researchers will use
what they learn there to build similar
projects in other Third World na
tions.
Checks Cashed Anv Kind • No ID Required
Fax Service • N otan • P .0, Boxes
Ctilitv Payments • 2 Day I ax Refund
Loans • Lie» ironic Filing
WESTERN
UNION
Tbe f a s te s t w ay
Io sen d m oney
Six locations Ta S a n e Ta
2 NW 3 r d / 2 4 1 -7 7 7 7
2 9 2 9 SE Powell Blvd / 2 3 3 -2 2 7 4
9 6 0 0 NE MLK Jr. Blvd / 2 8 7 -6 6 6 9
11902 SE Stark / 2 S 5-2274
S30 SE 10th Ave. Hillsboro
640-1111
*2611 E 4th Plain Blvd., Vane
(206) 699-2121
‘ P ayday a d v a n c e n o t a v a tta tte in V ancouver.
Pinancial Services for America 's Local Communities
tHatfs ( n o o ß a
V ^Jeee5WffO3
n eftcan ( a uif rf fßoolü
r
n im icati
■Hen/aye ■ 'ftiife
J : 0 0 -7 :0 0 fw n
f W a fu ld a y
JO: OOawi - fi: OOfwi
2808
r
rA/pu/fn Ju/itel i/tiny iSMud.
f / t e 7' - ditti ia y j/a ck n n (503 ) 288-5246'
BEST PRICE
COMPUTERS
S ales O e A F ull L ine
O f IBM C omputers
• Service
• Consultation
Textbook Budget
A D V E R T I S E UN
(NU) - First-year college students
may experience “sticker shock" this
fall when they find that textbooks
aren’t "free" the way they were in
high school. Buying books is a
change that challenges students' bud
gets. But the hurdles can be over
come.
College bookstores are working
closely with students and faculty to
enhance the value of course materi
als, instead of simply taking money
and ringing up sales.
The decision on what course ma
terials to buy — or what not to buy
— is strictly yours. For more infor
mation. contact your local college
store or N ACS. 500 East Lorain St.,
Oberlin. OH 44074.
¿Tlie I J ‘1l* tln iih ( O lis r r u c r
I
“When you can't ask your boss "
(Promise King was born in
Nigeria. He has worked for local
and foreign Media, and is a staff
writter for the Portland Ob
server.)
University Researcher Designs Housing
For Indian Rickshaw Drivers
University of Oregon architec
ture professor Howard Davis says
the poorest people in India — who
live on the sidewalks because they
can’t afford housing - need more
than shelter. For the last two years,
Davis has been working on an inter
national project to build houses for
the families of bicycle rickshaw driv
ers in southern India, in the state of
Tamil Nadu.
The project is a cooperative ef
fort between the UOCenter for Hous
ing Innovation, the Centre for Devel
opment Madras, a private volunteer
organization in Madras; and Pacific
Architecture, an Australian architec
ture firm.
The rickshaw drivers are recent
migrants to the city of Vellore. They
are members of the lowest caste,
known as the untouchables. Davis
says without help, the only shelter
most of them will find is in a mud
hovel or some other structure that
washes away in next year's mon
soons.
“We need to build houses in
Third World nations that allow people
to live and work in dignity,” Davis
says. He contends that people who
r n t S H ---------
C p r fft E C T i^
PAYDAY ADVANCES
c a ll 5 0 3 - 2 8 8 - 0 0 3 3
TROPICANA RESTAURANT
Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Specializing in Barbeque Ribs & Beef
• Installation
• Free Delivery
• Free Setup
- We Sell Internet Access Accounts -
24 H our
E mergency V oice M ah .
Tues. - Thurs. 10:00
A M. to 6:00 P.M.
LUE PARKER
(503) 281-8696
Fri. & Sat. 10:00 A M.
to 7:00 P.M.
3217 N Williams Ave
Portland, OR 97212
503-948-7034
Internet Address: lucasa@postes.dev.com