P age B4
D ecember 20, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
H e a lth
Science
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Clinton Promises To Increase AIDS Fight
President Bill Clinton has vowed
to redouble his administration’s ef
forts to find a cure for AIDS and
warned against any moves in Con
gress to cut related governm ent
spending.
At the first-ever White House
conference on AIDS and HIV, the
virus that causes the fatal disease,
Clinton said he had ordered the prep
aration o f a government-wide re
search plan, including a coordinated
research budget, within 90 days.
He also said he had asked Vice
President Al Gore to convene a meet
ing o f scientists and pharmaceutical
industry leaders to study ways o f
speeding up the development o f vac
cines, therapeutics and other ways o f
protecting people from HIV and the
infections it causes.
“There are no guarantees in sci
ence, o f course, but the collective
will o f government and industry can
overcome huge obstacles, as we have
seen just in the last few years,” the
president said.
AIDS is now the leading killer
o f Americans between the ages o f 25
and 44, with new infections growing
fastest among young people, women
and ethnic minorities. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) reported recently that the
500,000th American had been diag
nosed with AIDS and more than
300,000 have died.
Worldwide, the World Health
Organization estimates there have
been 4.5 million AIDS cases and 18
million adults and 1.5 million chil
dren are infected with HIV.
After Clinton’s opening remarks
to the conference he took part for
more than an hour in a discussion o f
needle-sharing among addicts, man
datory AIDS testing and pediatric
AIDS.
M ore than 250 people a tte n d
ed the daylong co nference, w hich
drew a co u p le o f dozen p ro te s t
ers to the W hite H ouse g ates to
push for g re a te r funding o f A ID S
research . As C linton p re p a re d to
leave the T reasu ry D epartm ent,
w here the session was h eld , a
h eck ler in the room sh o u ted his
d isap p ro v al o f what the a d m in is
tra tio n had done so far.
“ I am very sorry that there is not
Restaurants Tested For Healthy Eats
The nutrition group known for
finding the fat in some o f A m erica's
favorite foods finally found some
thing it can swallow.
“ We ate it all,” said nutritionist
Jayne Hurley as the Center for Sci
ence in the Public Interest disclosed
it had finally found some restaurant
fare it approved o f - more or less.
The nutrition group, known for
exposes o f popular foods ranging
from movie popcorn to fettucine
Alfredo, surveyed 50 o f the nation’s
largest sit-down restaurant chains and
found that seven had devoted sec
tions o f their menus to “guiltless,”
“lite” or “fit fare.”
Independent laboratory analy
ses o f those foods found they were
indeed lower in fat and healthier than
“regular” options. And the center’s
subjective taste tests found they were
“delicious” and more interesting than
a plain slab o f grilled chicken that
some eateries offer as healthful fare.
The chains are Big Boy’s, Chi-
C hi’s, C hili’s, Denny’s, El Torito,
Olive Garden and T.G.I. Friday’s.
“These meals are far better than
similar items offered off the regular
menu,” Hurley said. “ In general, you
get fewer calories, less fat and satu
rated fat, and more vegetables.”
Not that they were perfect. The
meals tended to be high in sodium,
and some had higher fat than the
menu advertised, perhaps because
cooks and servers at individual res
taurants around the country were not
following corporate headquarters’
guidelines about how to keep “lite”
alternatives healthy.
Healthy options are important
in restaurants since Americans eat
out so much. Typically people spend
almost as much eating out as they do
on groceries, said Michael Jacobson,
the center’s director.
The group singled out a few
entrees as particularly good, such as
T.G.I. Friday’s “Lite Pacific Coast
Tuna,” a meal o f fresh-grilled tuna,
sauce and vegetables heaped on
linguine, or Olive G arden’s "Gar
den Fare Capellini Primavera.”
But it faulted “ lite” chicken
quesadillas at C h i-C h i’s and El
Torito.
“ I t’s still b e tte r than a re g u
lar ch eese q u e sa d illa but th a t’s
not saying m uch. In term s o f fat,
it’s the d iffe re n c e betw een tw o
M c D o n a ld ’s .Q u a rte r P o u n d ers
and th re e .”
Overall, though, the nutrition
watchdogs were impressed.
“The bottom line on this story is
good news,” Jacobson said. “Some
o f the major restaurant chains in
America are taking their customers
health to heart and we applaud them
for doing so.”
a cure. 1 am very sorry that there is
not a vaccine,” Clinton replied, add
ing: We will never be happy until
we have solved the problem.”
He seized the opportunity to urge
the Republican-led Congress to main
tain the Medicaid safety net, one o f
the programs threatened by efforts to
balance the federal budget.
Medicaid pays for the care o f
nearly half o f all Americans with
AIDS, including more than 90 per
cent o f the children.
“ M edicaid is the life lin e o f
su p p o rt,” C lin to n said. “ It is the
one th ing that we have done that
has help ed us to d riv e dow n in
fant m o rtality am ong po o r p e o
ple w ho o th erw ise w ould never
see a d o c to r.”
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Humane Society Seeks
Food And Litter Donations
Dog food supplies are running
low and the cats are begging for
more kitty litter at the Oregon Hu
mane Society. “W e’re looking for
help from anyone who can donate
high quality dry dog food and any
type o f clay litter for the cats,” said
Karen Brittain
The needed food will be used
by the animals in residence at the
Society as well as provided, on a
short-term basis, to families who
temporarily cannot afford to feed
their pets. The pet food outreach
program ensures that more than 500
animals each year are able to stay
with their owners instead o f being
relinquished to the Society. “This
not only helps out the families, it
helps to keep our animal population
down. The last thing we want is for
someone w ho’s having a hard time
to have to give up their animal be
cause they can't afford to buy them
food. A situation like that only plac
es someone in that situation under
more stress,” said Brittain.
Donationsof quality dry dog food
and kitty litter will be gratefully ac
cepted at the Oregon Human Society
at 1067 NE Columbia Blvd. in Port
land. Donations can be dropped off in
the receiving room form 11 a.m. to 7
p.m. Monday through Friday and 10
a m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sun
day. Telephone 503-285-7722.
Phoenix Rising and the Partnership project are
sponsoring a support group fo r Men o f color who
are HIV+. The group meets Bi-Weekly and is sup
ported by the Title I Ryan White Act. The group is
client-motivated and is charged with empowering
participants to take charge o f their lives.
Through camaraderie and professional inter
vention, participants realize their own strength to
stay in control o f their lives. It is a place where
people learn about resources within their communi
ty and how to access them.
To fin d out more please call Theo Harper at
Phoenix Rising: 223-8299. or Andre Pruitt at the
Partnership project: 295-0211.
SS
E d u c a t io n
IUC
Books With African American Values
Thomas Brown and Ricky Jack
wanted to find books for their chil
dren that portrayed African Ameri
cans positively and that stressed
moral values.
Instead, what they found were
predominantly white characters who
d id n 't resem ble their kids. The
books they found aimed at black
children w eren't much better. One
was the story o f Hansel and Gretel -
the only difference was that the chi I-
dren were black instead o f white.
Some books depicted black
children stereotypically, with bug
eyes, huge lips and messy hair.
“We d idn ’ t th ink what we found
was as good as it could be,” Jack
said W hat’s more, “a lot o f the
books didn’t have moral themes to
them,” Brown said.
Brown and Jack realized what
they were looking for could be found
in the treasure trove o f stories their
families told them when they were
young boys.
Brown has fond memories o f
those stories, especially those told
by his great-grandmother, who sat
him on her knee in her rocking chair,
read the Bible to him and told him
stories she had learned during her
childhood.
When Brown wrote down the
many childhood stories he remem
bered, he and Jack realized that they
had a marketable product that could
benefit other African American fam
ilies and their kids.
Brown and Jack each chipped in
$5,000 last March to start Jack Brown
Enterprises, which publishes chil
d ren ’s books with moral themes
aimed at blacks.
There’s a great need for African
American kids to have books they
can identify w ith, said Phyllis
Fogelman, publisher o f Dial Books
for Young Readers in New York.
Among other things, the company
specializes in publishing books aimed
at blacks.
“ I think you get a sense o f your
self as a child and your place in the
world by a lot o f things,” she said. “ If
you're black and you see only white
faces, it leaves a very left-out feel
ing, particularly in minority chil
dren, who come up against preju
dice all the time.”
It’s equally important for wh ite
children to see African American
families leading successful, normal
lives, Fogelman said.
Brown, vice president o f the
company, is the creative arm, writ
ing the stories and handling product
development. Brown’s wife, Bar
bara Tompkins-Brown, is the mar
keting director.
Brown adopted the pen name
“Zachary X. King.” He likes the
name Zachary and took on the initial
X and the surname King in honor o f
black leaders Malcolm X and Mar
tin Luther King.
Jack is com pany p re sid e n t,
handling m ost o f the business
aspects o f the com pany and his
w ife, G erm aine, is cu sto m er re
lations m anager.
They knew that their inexperi
ence at publi^iing made it crucial
that they learn about the industry.
Holiday Event Draws 600 Area Kids
Continued from front
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choices and decisions,” and that “uti
lizing their listening skills" was far
more important than any o f his pro
fessional tools.
'«‘Using your mind in far more
important than using a gun in a cri
sis,” Foxworth said
The long lines continued, as the
guests waited patiently for the gifts,
donated by the local community at
“giving trees” from area malls and
other programs.
California Pizza Kitchen also
donated free pizzas. Mounds o f dec
orated Christmas packages had the
youngsters in awe and rows o f volun
teers stood at attention delivering
presents to the happy rambunctious
children. Nearly 1,500 gifts were col
lected for the event.
In other holiday activities, O re
gon State Defense and Salvation
Army volunteers, will deliver food
boxes containing traditional Christ
mas foods to needy residents. A
Christmas day dinner will also be
served at the Moore Street Center,
with nearly 500 dinners expected to
be served.
“ Katherine” from Lynden Farms
in north Portland is spearheading the
dinner and asks for further donations
o f turkeys, hams and food products.
V u lu n lc c is aic also icqucsted.
The Salvation Army Moore
Street Center can be reached at 239-
1241.
State Literature Scholarship
G ertrude Fogetson Cultural an d
C reative A rts P rogram : American
through the use o f literature in the
home.
Mothers, Inc. encourages mothers to
develop their talents in the creative
arts. The Cultural and Creative Arts
program can be a positive force in
helping young mothers learn more ef
fective ways o f teaching children
$10 entry fee includes a 1 year mem
bership to American Mothers, Inc.
C ontact: Audrey Kocamik, State
Chairman, at 13630 SW Fielding Rd.,
Lake Oswego, OR 97034. For entry
1
Eligibility & Requirements: A
form with a list o f eligibility and qual
ifications. All entry forms Must be in
by February I, 1996.
Categories: # I . Poetry; #2. Short
Stories; #3. Essays; #4. Articles.
Announcement o f winners will
take place on February 24th 1996, at
the 1996 Banquet
Parents Rank Jobs Skills Important
In a national study, more than
two-th irds o f parents bel ieve their chi I-
dren need to start taking specialized
courses and making career decisions
as early as middle school and definite
ly by the first two years of high school.
Similarly, parents overwhelm
ingly prefer an education that in
cludes occupational skills and struc
tured work experiences to a purely
academic education.
In fact, a majority o f parents
ranked work skills as the single most
important preparation for earning a
living, not only above technical skills
and course work like science and
history, but even above basic skills
like reading and math.
Parents also want to adopt new
ways o f assessing and motivating
students by holding them more ac
countable for the skills it takes to get
and keep a job. By an almost four-to-
one margin, parents said that schools
should develop a “certificate o f com
pletion” that would contain grades,
teacher recommendations and rat
ings for work habits, such as punctu
ality, attendance, ability to work with
others and a record o f completing
assignments.
Support for this kind o f substi
tute for the traditional diploma ex
tends across the socioeconomic spec
trum with non-whites being most
supportive.
The 1995 “Chrysler Learning
Connection Report: Transition from
School to W ork” found that parents
are very concerned about their chil
dren making the transition from
school to work.
Overall, 44 percent o f parents
say they have talked to their children
“ lots o f times” and another 27 per
cent “fairly often” about possible
jobs and careers and what it takes to
succeed in the workplace.
Additionally, the study found
parents are just as likely to talk to
their daughters about careers as their
sons. Even though some parents are
beginning to question the jo b market
for young college graduates, 60 per
cent o f all parents believe that young
people with a college degree have a
better chance than young people who
have graduated from technical or
vocational school to buy a house and
save money for retirement.
Just 36 percent o f parents say
their schools are doing a good je b
with vocational and technical educa
tion; only 30 percent say their school
is doing a good job o f work and «
career counseling.
“The sea-change in the world o f
work occurring in the global market 1
place is the driving force behind the
school-to-work movement,” said Dr.
Valerie Becker, Chrysler’s National
Education Programs Administrator.
“W orking together, the business and
education community can develop
experiences that strengthen personal
responsibility, team work and prob
lem solving.”
The 1995 report is the fourth
annual report conducted for the
Chrysler Learning Connection, a
partnership o f Chrysler Corp., the
A ssociation for Supervision and
Curriculum Development and the
American Federation o f Teachers.
Plant To uild In Northeast
Wholesome and Hearty Foods
Inc., the maker o f the Gardenburger,
has announced the purchase o f a site
for its new production plant and cor-
porate.headquarters.
The parcel, approximately 10
acres, is located three miles east o f
P ortland’s International A irport.
Groundbreaking is planned as soon
as March with construction expected
to take at least a year The new facil
ity is intended to accommodate the
company’s rapid sales growth, which
has demanded production gains o f
more than 70 percent a year for the
last five years. In the meantime, the
company will meet production de
mands through its existing plant and
established co-production alliances.
“We expect the new plant to
lower production costs and improve
our com petitive p o sitio n ,” said
Michael P. Rubic, vice president o f
o p eratio n s for W holesom e and
Hearty. “Now is the time to make the
investment if we are to keep pace
with the demand for our products.”
Representing W holesome and
Hearty in the purchase was real es
tate b ro k e r C h a rle s C o ta w ith
Cushman & Wakefield o f Oregon.
Triangle Development Co. will man
age the construction project with Jeff
Sackett assigned as developm ent
project manager. The facility will be
designed by Sienna Architecture Co.,
formerly JKS Architects, and built
by Anderson Construction.
“ In siting the plant, the company
fielded a number o f proposals from
across the country,” said Matthew J.
Palmer, Wholesome and H earty’s
executive vice president and corpo
rate counsel. “We were pleased that
a Portland site turned out to be the
best business choice.”
Preliminary plans for the facili
ty cal, for a number o f environmen
tally sensitive practices, some o f
which are expected to lower operat
ing costs.
Among them are lighting de
signs, including special glazing and
daylight techniques, to boost the fa
cility’s energy efficiency. Also slat
ed is the use o f recycled and re
source-efficient building materials,
as well as rigorous construction site
recycling efforts. Founded in 1985,
P ortland-based W holesom e and
Hearty Foods Inc. is an innovator in
the manufacturing o f frozen, meat
less, soy-free food products.
The company distributes its flag
ship Gardenburger and other Garden
Products.