Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 1995)
* ' ■ • iA¡£ - • . < . / . . > •?-.>; r '•• ¿ v r • >n li 11 à yfra d d ib i T he P ortland O bserver • O ctober 11, 1995 P age A3 <TI|e J J n r t l a t t b (O b se rtie v Family Platters “I Hear The Man’ Coming, Mama” P a r a g o n C o n te s t P r o m o te s e O f R e a d in g Area teens are being challenged this school year to test their creative instincts and expand their reading in a contest sponsored by Paragon Cable. The Find Y ourself in a Book contest w ill see students compete for prizes and an ap pearance in a nationally-aired public service announcement. “ This teen reading campaign motivates BY P rofessor M c K inley B urt Last week, I introduced the readers to a contemporary nontraditional fam ily that functioned very w ell in our neighbor hood: the “ Van lady” whose very being and purpose here seemed to be that o f nurturing her extended fam ily o f little ones who had needlessly suffered the sling sand arrows o f current socio-economics. I think that it is quite alright to extend the meaning o f “ fam ily” beyond that con veyed by conventional words and phrases such as “ kinship, bloodlines, paternity, consaguinity and so forth - this comes from observation (and mother w it). But, in any case, even Webster’ allows us to avoid those constraints and seek a more humanistic viewpoint as follows. For today’s presention o f an extend ed fam ily o f a sort from yesteryear, I call on ’ Webster’ for the fo llo w in g ancillary definitions o f fam ily: “ D eriving from a common stock - A group related by com mon characteristics” . Or, how about, “ A ll God’ s children” ; that concept’ s been around awhile. I m ove on to describe a special extended fa m ily that I knew as a c h ild ; lets take the 19 3 0 ’ s fo r instance and choose a ty p ic a l c ity w ith a ty p ic a l ghetto — St. L o u is, M is s o u ri. The “ fa m ily ” in question w o u ld be co m posed o f the m ost o u tra g e o u sly fla m boyant group o f vendors that ever traversed the mean streets o f urban Am erica. A fascina ting breed o f m ost- ly -in d e p e n d e n t b u s in e s s p e o p le , sm a ll-tim e m erchants and artisans, cooks and bakers. Nathan Stoven doesn’t even give his But these people o f a more warm, mother a second glance before scooting I caring age were so firm ly integrated into through the multicolored, child-sized door o f | the neighborhoods that’ they and their Freddie’s Playland. “ Bye Nathan!” Linda customers were all on a first name basis Stoven cal Is out as she departs for an hourlong and parents away at w ork would leave all shopping trip at Fred Meyer. The 3-year-old sorts o f notes, directions and monies for boy flashes her a quick smile, then turns his these vendors; Sometimes w ith small chil attention to a “ Tiny Toons” cartoon on the dren and sometimes in special ‘ hiding television. “ Now I can shop in peace,” Stoven places which were really nothing o f the says. “ And the other customers probably kind. Some got notes telling them to be appreciate not having Nathan running up and sure the children were alright and who to down the aisles.” Retailers such as Portland, call in an emergency. -based Fred Meyer, Fort Worth-based In Now, lets see; traipsing through the credible Universe and Smith’s Food & Drug neighborhood at all times o f day were o f Salt Lake City are discovering the value o f these tradesmen w ith their loud sing-song providing short-term care and support for description o f their wares; some in good parents with small children. voice w ith a melodious chant, and others Fred Meyer first tested its drop-in baby screaming out a hoarse description o f sitting areas in 1988 at four Utah stores. A fter their wares. It was, “ get your red hot rave reviews by parents and employees, the tamales here” in a liltin g com position—or chain expanded the concept to Oregon, Wash it was brusque “ rag man, rag man, I buy ington and 10 o f 12 stores in Utah. Now, all old rags” , some pushed converted baby new and renovated outlets include play areas. buggies with butane burners. Others drove Parents can drop o ff children ages 2 to 6 at horse and wagons. Just a few had the new “ Freddie’s Playland” for up to an hour There fangled step vans’ . is one attendant — trained in CPR — for But, in any case, you could hear them every eight children. There often is a waiting coming from a long way o f f and loud and list to get a child in because the service is so clear. As we said in the title o f this article, popular, says Tate. “ Kids have fits i f they kids would shout, “ I hear the man coming, students to discover ways reading can en hance their lives and stimulate learning,” said Kevin G. Kidd, president o f Paragon Cable. Students in grades 7 through 12 are asked to write a 50-75 word script tied to the contest theme. Entries must be submitted by June 30. One national grand prize winner w ill receive a $2,000 educational merchandise certificate and the winning school wins a $1,000 certificate. Paragon Cable w ill also provide local prizes to teens whose entries are picked during a random drawing in July Entry forms are available at Paragon Cable walk-in centers and participating school libraries. For more inform ation, contact Jonene Zinne at Paragon Cable at 230-2099, extension 362. President Les Swanson (left) and Chancellor Joseph Cox of the Oregon Board of Higher Education cut the red tape, to symbolize new legislation that allows the board to develop its own purchasing and contracting methods. By moving to a more entrepreneurial approach to doing business, the board expects to save $5 million annually to support educational programs. Stores Watch Kids, While Parents Shop mama!” and a mighty host o f them there was. There was the “ peanut man, the fish man, the skin man, the ju n k man, the rag man, the ice man, the coal man the bread man, the co ffe e man, the m ilk man, the egg man the popcorn man, the ice cream man, the tamale man, and the flo w e r la d y” . B u t, d o n ’ t fo rg e t the la m p lig h te r w ho came by every evening at dusk to lig h t the gas street lamps. D roves o f c h ild re n and dogs w o u ld fo llo w h im fo r b lo cks. In later years I ’ ve th ou gh t o f that fa iry tale, “ The Pied P iper o f H a m e lin ” (he s p irite d a ll the c h ild re n away when the greedy tow ns people refused to pay him fo r g e ttin g r id o f the rats). Well, that’ sthis week’ s ‘ fam ily’, from an age o f warm interpersonal relation ships, trust and sincerity. I have a thought. In these times o f traumatic layoffs and economic dislocation some sharp folks w ill see an opportunity in renewing not only these type o f commercial relation ships, but some new ‘to-your-home ser vices. A fter all, we now have big modem vans with every type ofconvenience. Hey, why not go fo r it? can’t come in here,” says Playland attendant Lucy Jones, who works at the same store. “ I ’ ve had parents call on the phone and ask to reserve time for their children.” Incredible Universe customers w ill be able to drop their young ones o ff at “ Kids View ” when the electronics and appliance chain opens its first Utah store this winter. “ Kids V iew ” is a glass-walled area capable o f holding up to 30 children ages 3 to 9 for an hour. Children can play the latest videogames, tacklr educational computer programs or snuggle into a beanbag chair to watch a movie on a big-screen television. Those less interested in technology can color or create their own art at a crafts table. “ It is easier to make that important decision about the re frigerator you need without wondering i f your kid is getting lost,” says Incredible Universe spokesman Doran Davidson. “ The area exposes kids to our products and lets them take a test drive.” Fred Meyer and Incredible Universe officials stress their play areas are not day care centers. Employees do not change dia pers or provide meals. And ifchildren misbe have, parents are paged to immediately pick up their child. In addition, parents are not allowed to leave the stores to do other errands Attention Called To Child Abuse According to government and p ri vate sources nearly 2,000 children a year, or five children a day, die at the hands o f their parents or caretakers in the United States. October is domestic violence aware ness month and the fol lowing chi Id abuse facts were provided by the U.S. Depart ment o f Health and Human Services, OregonChildren’s Services D ivision and Children First and the National V ictim Center. • In 1993, there were 10,948 inci dents o f child abuse and 11 deaths in Oregon. • Most victims o f child abuse are infants. • Abuse and neglect in the home is a leading cause o f death for children age 5 and under. • Some 18,000 children are perma nently disabled and about 142,000 are seriously injured from abuse each year in America. • The rate o f American children re ported for child abuse or neglect increased 50 percent from 1985 to 1993. • Mothers and fathers are the two most prevalent perpetrators ofch i Id abuse. • Head trauma is the leading cause o f child abuse fatalities. • Shaken Baby Syndrome k ills 20 to 25 percent o f its victims. • An estimated 50 percent o f homes with adult violence also involve child abuse or neglect. • O nly 2 1 states have laws that al low parents to be prosecuted for murder ing their children under “ felony murder” or “ homicide by child abuse.” Charges o f homicide are routinely reduced to lesser crimes. • Twenty-nine percent o f all forc ible rapes in America occur when the victim is less than 11 years old. without picking up their children. “ We had one couple that dropped o ff their child and went over for lunch at M cDonald’s,” says Jones. “ The child had to go to the bathroom so bad he was crying. One o f our managers finally took him. I read the parents the riot act when they got hack.” In exchange for paren tal compliance, Fred Meyer and Incredible Universe say they provide safe, secure, and free play areas for children. Doors are locked at all times and no one other than the children and attendants are allowed inside. Store in surance covers any child who might get hurt. Children left at “ Freddie’s Playland” wear a bright pink hospital-type wristband with an identification number. The parent who drops the child o ff wears a matching band and must O cto b er 16 kicks o f f L . I F.E. C en show the number upon their return. “ I f the te r’ s m o n th -lo n g d riv e to c o lle c t 300 parent removes the bracelet before coming blankets fo r P o rtla n d ’ s im poverished back for the child,” says Fred Meyer spokes in d iv id u a ls . man Rob Boley, “ then they go through an W in te r w ill be here soon, and elaborate process to prove who they are.” At hundreds o f single parents w ill need Incredible Universe, parents must show ID blankets fo r th e ir c h ild r e n ,’ said C h a ir — usually the store’s membership card — R ichard R ic k e l. when dropping o ff their child. A computer B lankets should be clean and in prints out matching stickers for the child and u s e a b le c o n d it io n . T h e y can be parent. To get the youngster out, the same dropped o f f at L .I.F .E . C enter, 2746 parent who checked him or her in must show N. E. M L K B lv d , P ortland, weekdays the sticker and ID. from 10:00 an to 4 :30 pm., or dona tio n p ic k -u p can be arranged by c a ll ing 284-6878. The blankets w ill be given out b e g in nin g N ovem ber 13. pre-school programming block Nick Jr., L .I.F .E . C enter has been serving which includes“ Allegra’s Window,” “ Gullah the fo od , c lo th in g and household item Gullah Island” and “ Eureeka’s Castle” ; and needs o f P o rtla n d ’ s im poverished fo r Sony Wonder’s m ore than 28 years. own original, direct to video “ Enchanted F o r m ore in fo rm a tio n , c o n ta c t Tales” series, which includes the platinum C harles C arte r at 284-6878. selling “ Jungle King,” “ The Night Before L.I.F.E. Center Collects Blankets For Portland’s Children Sony Releases Videos To Day Cares Responding to the M otion Picture Li censing Corp.’s recent announcement that it w ill stop day care centers from showing home videos to children unless the operators pay a public performance fee, Sony Wonder has announced that it w ill allow and encour age day care facilities to screen its videos free o f charge. Sony Wonder is currently developing and establishing national outreach programs tc work with day care centers on an on-going basis. Details on the program are expected to be announced shortly. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D -Calif., has expressed concern about the fees and has stated that unless an exemption is granted to day care centers, she w ill begin proceedings to legislate an exemption. Sony Wonder’s pre-school releases include new Sesame Street” titles, which w ill be instores beginning January 1996, as well as existing titles. Also included in the program are Sony Wonder’s pre-school videos from the c riti cally acclaimed new PBS pre-school series The Puzzle Place : the new Nickelodeon Christmas,” “ Snow White,” “ Peter Rabbit,” “ Noah's A rk,” “ The Christmas Elves” and others. Sony Wonder is the children’s and fam ily division o f Epic Records and Sony Music. TIME TESTED PHONICS HELPS CHILDREN READ an e ffo rt t0 halt the d ecline o f c h ild re n s reading s k ills , C a lifo rn ia ’ s top educators are recom m ending a c o r- rective course fo r schools, the re in tro - duction o f phonics, a tim e-tested approach, to e a rly ed ucation reading c u rric u lu m s . A u g m e n t ing this trend, L ea p F ro g ’ s new Phonics Desk and Phonics T ra ve le r, learning aids w hich a llo w parents to teach phonics and reading s k ills to th e ir c h ild re n at home, are m aking a tim e ly appearance in the m arketplace. P u blic and professional reaction to L e a p F ro g ’ s new teaching toys has been n o th in g short o f enthusiastic. Am ong .the c o u n try ’ s forem ost educators . Dr. R obert C alfee, o f S tanford U n iv e rs ity ’ s G raduate School o f E d uca tio n, said, “ L e a rn ing to read and w rite is the d oo r to success in school. To ensure success in reading parents should read stories dren and introduce them to p rin t - le tte rs , so un ds, “ L e a p F ro g ’ s Phonics Desk and w ritin g , to th e ir c h il the basics o f and w o rd s . uses modern te chn olo gy to help parents introduce the basics to th e ir c h ild re n in a p la y fu l way, w h ile ensuring that learning is e ffe ctive . Based on 50 years o f research, the Phon ics Desk teaches le tte r names (the best p re d ic to r o f re a din g success), le tte r sounds (the second best p re d ic to r o f reading success), and w ord fa m ilie s . C h ild re n learn to read and to spell at the same tim e - and i t ’ s fun. The Phonics Desk is a va ila b le at s p e cia lty re ta ile r stores and Toys ‘ R Us stores n atio nw ide . Family Classes Offered At Dishman D ishm an C o m m u n ity C enter is now o ffe rin g classes that w ill g ive young and o ld new insights and w iden th e ir h orizo n s. Basics fo r M usic is a in tro d u c tio n to the elem ents o f m usic class. I f you p lay by ear and w o u ld lik e to learn how to read m usic, th is course is fo r you. Otherclasses include HomeworkClub, Chess Club, Gospel Choir, The Joy o f Color, Fall Frolic, Lady Hoops, G irls V o l leyball, Sewing for Kids and Jump Rope. For course schedules and more infor mation, or to volunteer your expertise, cal I Todd at 823-3163 or 823-3165. I