N ovember P age 16, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver A4 Keys To The Kingdom, V, Conclusion Ten Tips For Fire Safety 1. Install And Maintain Smoke Detectors cushions for smoldering cigarettes. Smoke detectors warn y ou ot a fire in time for you to escape Install them on each level ot your home and outside of each sleeping area. Test them every month, following the manufacturer's directions. Replace batteries once a year or whenever a detector chirps to signal that the bat­ teries are low Don't ever borrow detector batteries for other use, a disabled smoke detector can’t save your life' For complete home protec­ tion, consider installing automatic fire sprinklers in addition to your smoke detectors. Never leave cooking unattend­ ed Keep cooking areas clear ofcom- bustibles, and wear short or tight- fitting sleeves when you cook. Keep the handles of your pots turned in­ ward so the pots can't be knocked or pulled over. If grease catches fire, carefully slide a lid over the pan to smother the flames, then turn off the burner. Never put foil or other metals in a microwave oven. 2. Plan And Practice To Escape If fire breaks out in your home, you have to get out tast. With your family, plan two ways out of every room. Fire escape routes must not use elevators, which might take you right to the fire. Choose a meeting place outside where everyone will gather. Once you are out. stay out. At least twice a year, have the whole family practice the escape plan. 3. Smokers Need Watchers Carelessly discarded cigarettes are the leading cause of tire deaths in North America. Never smoke in bed or when you are drowsy. Provide large, deep ashtrays for smokers and put water on butts before discarding them. Before going to bed or leaving home, check under and around sofa 4. Be Carefui While Cooking 5. Space Heaters Need Space Keep portable and space heaters at least 3 feet from anything tha can bum. Never leave heaters on when you leave home or go to bed and keep children and pets well away from them. 6. Matches And Lighters Are Tools In the hands of a child, matches or lighters are deadly. Use child- resistant lighters, and store all match­ es and lighters up high where kids can't reach them, preferably in a locked cabinet. Teach your children from the start that matches and light­ ers are tools for adults, not toys for kids. If children find matches or light­ ers, they should tell an adult immedi­ ately. 7. Cool A Burn If someone gets burned, imme­ diately place the wound in cool water for 10 to 15 minutes. If the burn blisters or chars, see a doctor imme­ diately. 8. Use Electricity Safely If an appliance smokes or has an unusual smell, unplug it immediately and have it repaired. Replace any electrical cord that is cracked or frayed. Don't overload extension cords or run them under rugs. Don't tamper with the fuse box or use fuses o f an improper size. 9. Crawl Low Under Smoke Smoke is dangerous! If you en­ counter smoke, use an alternate es­ cape route. If you must exit through smoke, the cleanest air will be 12 to 24 inches above the floor. Crawl on your hands and knees to the nearest safe exit. 10. Stop, Drop And Roll Everyone should know this rule. If your clothes catch fire, don't run. Stop where you are, drop to the ground, cover your face with your hands to protect your face and lungs and roll over and over to smother the flames. If you are unsure about a hazard or an unsafe practice, or have ques­ tions we can help you with, please call the Portland Bureau of Fire. Rescue & Emergency Services -823- 3700. Remember: You Can Have A Free Blood Pressure Screening At Your Local Fire Station Oregon HEAT’S Home Energy Assistance Program Power manager Carl Talton. “Fortunately, there is a way all Oregonians can help — Oregon HEAT.” Oregon HEAT is a state-wide fuel fund that provides those in need with emergency fuel assistance and offers energy counseling to help them manage their energy use more effi­ ciently. The program is available to all Pacific Power customers, regard­ less of how they heat their home. Each year. Pacific Power stock­ holders match the contributions made to the program by customers. Thou­ sands of families who have faced Envelops urging Pacific Power customers to lend a hand to help their neighbors stay warm this winter are now arriving in monthly electricity bills. Pacific Power is a participating member in Oregon HEAT’s home energy assistance program, which helps local low-income and unem­ ployed residents pay their heating bill. “This winter, there will be many individuals and families try ing to deal “ with sickness, unemployment or oth­ er crises, who won’t be able to pay their home heating bill,' said Pacific heating em ergencies have been helped in this way. Contributions are tax-deductible. “This is a community-based pro­ gram, which means that all donations collected from this community help local families pay their heating bills, explained Talton. “It’s neighbor help­ ing neighbor and it’s something our customers have supported enthusi­ astically.” All funds are dispersed by local social service agencies, which deter­ mine eligibility on a case by case basis and ensure that those io need receive assistance. P rof . M c K inlev B urt Many have wondered; it was this set of incredible business experi­ ences culminating in the Los Ange­ les exposures that got me on the Portland State University faculty without a degree in business — but sitting next to harvard and Stanford graduates at faculty meetings. Those business schools were seldom able to bring to bear the intensity and real­ ism of my experiences. They have began to change of late. In the Los Angeles Accounting practice l met scores ofbrilliant blacks who made lots of money but were given no real power in the scheme of things;’ a landlord of mine who un­ derwrote second, third and fourth deeds, financing them through over­ seas investors attracted by glowing ads in European newspapers (he owned a stable of race horses until the feds busted him on a currency technicality -- ‘they’ never let you get too big). His partner organized radio-dispatched teams of accoun­ tants with bags of money and com­ pleted paperwork the day before your foreclosure. A friend of mine adopt­ ed a Hebrew Surname and went on to dominate T. V. tube replacement busi­ ness on the west coast - still does. The whole thing was a seething maelstrom of commerce, lego and illegal. Most public scales were “owned” by certain corporations, scores of clubs and restaurants were financed by mobs who got the coin machine concessions in return. You believed blacks were going to achieve economic parity within a generation. I could go on for days, listing both the white and black companies for which bs l worked as part of a deliberate effort to gain the skills necessary to create large scale and diversified black- owned economic units. Other young African Americans had the same idea, so what happened? The world was bigger and meaner than we thought. There was the “Hartman Jewel­ ry Chain” where as the inventory accountant, I sat before a huge sate filled with millions of dollars in dia­ monds and other precious stones and metals, issuing them out to the "old- world craftsmen" who worked in the heavily-guarded backrooms creating stunning designs (white firm). Last week l described the “patriarch” method of business development, I found that the old man’ also owned the “Stanley Lawrence Catalog Dis­ count House” where I was trans­ ferred after a couple years, again in inventory control, and supervising 14, mostly female, clerks. Firm sold by mail order. After two years I could quote you from memory the price structure and shipping particulars for jewelry and watches, garden equipment, au­ tomotive accessories, boating and camping equipment, silverware, sporting equipment, cookware. Most goods are ordered the previous spring, mostly at merchandise shows back east and are paid for with "post-dated checks” in the hundreds ofthousands - the money is always in the bank by January 15th afterthe Christmas sales. Some firms are so big they have their own post office sub-branch and on­ site banking facilities. There is, ot course, much other “inside knowl­ edge” about business that is not known by the public or most faculty in the field. For instance, the thou­ sands o f watches in a current style which are not sold are not returned to the manufacturer for credit. 1 hey are made so c heap ly they can be smashed and stored in crates until after Christ­ mas at which time this sera is sold by the pound” to a dealer who also certifies that the store is indeed due credit for unsold merchandise. So you see that many of us youngsters were learning of fantastic threads ot commerce that reached across conti­ nents, nations and cultures. We blacks could work, but not own at this level. Interestingly, the discount house was owned by jews and the company received scores o f dirty, racist letters from small store owners in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Nevada. Lo­ cal residents were buying from the catalog at prices for name brands the store owners couldn t meet. They would end up buying from the cata­ log. Are you beginning to get the idea that the deck is stacked against all “little guys” who do not cooperate with each other to pool wealth, knowl­ edge and other resources. We hope this lesson is absorbed by a new generat ion o f African Amer­ icans who see careers in accounting or law as keys to the kingdom”. Cit­ ies like Chicago are filled with tens- of-thousands of skilled black work­ ers with generations o f experience- but after a hundred years you don’t see them “owning” these type manu­ facturing facilities. The answer is simple! Companies hire skilled, “loy­ al” blacks because they are not going to spin off and com pete-they know the banks wont finance them and Realtors wont lease. City Cuts Heating Bills For Local Families information provided on home secu­ Commissioner Mike Lindberg homes (either owners or renters) to rity, recycling, environmental prac­ announced the continuation o f the sign up for a free energy audit and tices for the home and financial top­ 1994-95 City of Portland Block-By- weatherization program that includes ics. Free ceiling, floor or wall insulation. Block Weatherization Program. Susan Anderson, Portland En­ There will be a Free Energy and “Families will save up to $ 100 a year ergy Office Director, indicated that, Environment Fair for the Humboldt,' and their homes will be warmer and “The first 250 families to attend the Boise and Woodlawn neighbor­ more comfortable, too,” said Com­ Fair and on-site Energy Workshop hoods, held at the Jefferson High missioner Lindberg. will receive freedo-it-yourselfwcath- Booths, displays and video pre­ School at 5210 N. Kerby from 9am erization kits worth $75, including sentations will highlight ways neigh­ to 2pm on Saturday, November 19. inside plastic storm windows, door The Energy and Environment borhood residents can improve their weatherstrip and sweep, thermome­ Fair is an opportunity for low income home comfort and save money on ter, clear tape and rope caulk.” households living in single family their energy bills. 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