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J anuary 17, 1996 • T he P ortland O bserver
Good Credit Builds Future
Credit, computerized transac
tions, and other movements towards
advanced financ ial technologies are
not as exotic as they once were. As
the young adults o f this nation be
gin to inevitably make their mark in
our country’s economic system,
they must awaken to a keen sense o f
financial consciousness that will
be in their best interest as well as
the country’s. Good credit is be
coming more and more important
in recent days and w e’ll tell you
why.
Economic experts are generally
predictingcreditcards and transac
tion technologies eventually elimi
nating the need for carrying around
cash. People are depending on cred
it, and credit alone, in doing their
everyday financial transactions.
Gone are the days when lugging a
wallet, ripping at their unauthentic
leather seams, was fashionable
Today, it’s the shiny plastic with
the raised gold-lettering that gets
the attention. It’s modem, it’s con
venient, and the rapid expansion o f
this concept spells out the tone o f
the technological future and the
upcoming generation must be pre
pared for it and not lost in the
whirlwind o f it with a tarnished
credit history.
Credit allows us to fully employ
our resources and puts property to
«HUM
F ile
BY
S abrina
S akata
use that would otherwise lie idle and
abandoned. It gives possibility and
potential to things normally unat
tainable to the average person. This
also occurs on a grand scale o f na
tions. Africa. Asia, and South Amer
ica by various institutions such as the
International Bank for Reconstruc
tion and Development. However,
borrowing money and credit to fi
nance overambitious development
plans was also fundamental factor in
leaving a large number o f nations
with a the burden o f a heavy debt. In
many cases, these debts would be
come insupportable when interest
rates went up and many country's
commodity export prices took sharp
declines. Thus, the economies suf
fered Likewise, we must know our I
limits.
The banking population and their
methods o f controlling plays a sig
nificant role in the credit system,
hereby controlling the economic
destiny o f not only our nations, but
the world. A fluctuation in credit
affects the level o f prices. Where j
credit may expand, money supply
will increase, lending cause for ris
en prices. The state o f personal and
business activity within a country
can any given moment be gauged
from the condition o f the credit
system, where expanding credit re
flects a period o f business prosper
ity and contracting credit reflects a
decline in economic activity, other
wise known as ‘depression’’. Some
economists believe the credit infla
tion just before the 1929 crisis was
the principal cause o f the Depres
sion itself.
I here are many companies that
are willing to give debtors a second
(or tenth) chance. American Fair
Credit Association issues ninety-
eight percent o f their members un
se c u re d
V ISA
card
from
BANKFIRST. However, you must
gain AFCA membership status, be
employ ed for the last three months |
at nine-hundred dollars per month,
and have had no “derogatory cred
it” in the last six months.
COALITION OF B U C K MEN SPONSOR HOUSING SESSION AT DISHMAN
A Horneo wnership Opportunity Fo
rum will he held Saturday, from 10am. to
11:30 am at Mall Dishman Community
Center. 77 NE Knott - Room B.
Refreshments will he provided. RSVP
to 282-7744.
The session is sponsored by: Coalition
ot Black Men. Portland Housing Center,
and Partners or Project Downpayment
Education In The Next
Millennium: Part II
B y P rof . M c K inley lurt
"Ask The Man Who Owns One”;
that was a key phrase in the early
advertising campaigns o f the Buick
Company. And last week we high
lighted a key executive from a local
computer land” who was using just
this approach in developing h is ’Hu
man Resource Department’ — bring
ing in performance-tested profession
als with supporting data bases. He
was a veteran of several community
colleges.
The selection o f this particular
baby-boomer is an example of the
interactive nature of the innovative
profile I was bringing to education as
early as 1971 (He was a student of
mine at PSU) — and of where educa
tors and-industry must be today and
tomorrow, just to survive into the
coming new century. At the time, the
firms and public agencies in the Tri-
County area with whom I structured
both academic and placement for
mats read like a Whos W ho’ of
Oregon industry and prime movers.
Our Beaverton executive, while
still in my Urban Economics class on
campus, also monitored’ several of
the U.S. Forest Service workshops
that I conducted around the North
west Region for agency personnel
and supervisory people. These uni
versity-accredited’ sessions achieved
very favorable recognition for their
dual success in both the social and
economic areas. Indeed, my stated
design and the description in the
school catalogue addressed govern
mental and industry concern with
compliance with civil rights and af
firmative action laws - and being
unique in the Oregon system, brought
increased enrollment in the ‘on-cam
pus' versions (State-County-city).
The net result was an exponential
increase in the interaction between
diverse social and economic groups
and, automatically, a process was
developing where there was an ex
panded recognition o f both worth
and capabilities. Also a prospective
workforce was provided first-hand
direction to opportunities and rel
evant strategies for career develop
ment and the improvement of current
economic status. There was seldom
need for any heavy-handed direc
tives, “you will hire or else!”
In the Sunday Oregonian for Janu
ary 7 (Business Section), there is a
lead article by staff writer, Richard
Read; “Learning To Compete: A tri
partite approach involving govern
ment, schools and business prepares
Europe’s workforces." Obviously,
the writer got my very focused atten
tion with (he following quite relevant
comments.
“While Europe hammers its train
ing systems into competitive eco
nomic weapons, the U.S. still lacks a
systematic mechanism for moving
young people into the work force....
In the U.S., half of all high school
graduates have not found a steady
job by age 30, the American Federa
tion o f Teachers found in a recent
study .’’Previously, I havecommented
on the growing number of high school
dropouts; what miserable prognosis
must there be for them? There doesn ’ t
have to be.
W hile 1 am aware that many
Americans are enamored of the Eu
ropean emphasis on vocational train
ing (In Germany a teacher may deter
mine whether a 9-year-old will pro
ceed vocationally or toward a uni
versity education. Possessed o f a fun
damental conviction that, indeed, “A
mind is a terrible thing to waste,” and
very early on a high school dropout,
I never imposed such restrictinents
on my ow n career development, nor
permitted any outside force or insti
tution to do so.
As we continue this report next
week, we will examine experience-
based procedures that can develop
this into a general rule for success.
"Read. Work And Do!” Accounting
. Abto Finance Company, successful
transfer from payroll department to elec
tronic technology servicing in the huge
self-contained city of a major aluminum
plant, Designingawanl-winningcomputer/
communication projects three de
cades ago. You and/or your kids can
too — if not brain-washed!
Cowboys, Steelers
Set For Super Bowl
Pittsburgh Will Try To End NFC Domination; Dallas
Enters Big Game For Third Time In Four Years
An A FC team that has never
lost a S uper Bowl w ill try to end
the N F C ’s re c e n t d o m in a tio n
when the P ittsburgh S teelers and
D allas C ow boys m eet on Jan.
28th at T em pe, A riz.
The S teelers, w inners o f four
S uper B ow ls in the 1970s, are
back in the N ational F o o tb all
L eag u e’s ultim ate gam e for the
first tim e in 16 years. T h eir op
ponent is the team o f the 90s, a
C ow boys team that is in the S u
per Bowl for the third tim e in
four years.
The NFC has won the last I I
Super Bow ls, w ith the Los A n g e
les R aiders the last A FC team to
win in 1984. Tw o o f the NFC
w ins w ere by the C ow boys, w ho
defeated B uffalo each tim e.
Super B ow ls have a re p u tatio n
for lopsided scores. T w enty-one
o f the previous 29 S uper B ow ls
have been decided by 10 points
or m ore. But tw o o f the best
gam es involved the C ow boys and
S teelers. The S teelers defeated
Benson's Vernon Cropper drives in for the winning basket as Benson defeated Wilson. 71-70, in a
pivotal game last week in the Portland Interscholastic League.
(Photo By Michael G Halle)
GRAND OPENING: NIKETOWN FIELD HOUSE
The o ffic ia l grand o p en in g o f
N IK E ’s first new, to p -o f-th e-lin e
sp o rts and fitn ess re ta il sto re
since 1993 is set for Friday, Ja n
uary 19, 1996, during the Blaz-
ers-S uns basketball gam e in P o rt
land, O regon at the new Rose
G arden arena It will be the hom e
grow n O regon sports and fitness
c o m p a n y ’s fourth store cu rren tly
open in P ortland.
T he N IK E T O W N F ield H ouse
is a new venture for N IK E , its
first-e v e r re ta il sto re inside a
m ajor U nited States sp o rts a re
na. T he sto re is d esig n ed a fte r a
real field house that m ight be
located near a court, rink o r field
b efo re the days o f the great
arenas - w here visito rs m ight find
m em orabilia from past team s and
locker, ball and tow el room s. The
2,000 sq u are-fo o t store w ill sp o t
light ap p arel in N IK E ’s b a sk e t
ball, w o m en’s T otal C o n d itio n
ing, Organized Team Sports collec
tions, as well as selections o f some of
N IK E’s top men’s, w om en's and
children's athletic footwear As part
o f the opening events, on Wednes
day, January 17. from 6-8 p.m . NIKE
will host a special preview reception
at the store for northeast Portland
business and community leaders.
On Friday, grand opening day, the
NIKETOWN Field House will be
open from 11 a m. - 12 midnight. At
5 p.m. Friday, before the Blazers-
Suns game begins, the NIKE Hum
mer will be outside the store, and the
public is invited to shoot a basket to
try and win tickets to the upcoming
Blazers-Cavaliers game on January
21 After the game, Portland Trail
Blazers Buck Williams, Chris Dudley
and Gary Trent are scheduled to drop
by and tour the store and greet shop
pers.
the C ow boys, 35-31, in S uper
Bowl 13 and 2 1 - 17 in S uper Bowl
10.
It w ill m ark the first th re e
tim e m eeting in S uper Bowl h is
tory.
The only o th e r re m atch es in
S uper Bowl history w ere M iam i
against W ashington, B uffalo v e r
sus D allas and C in cin n ati ag ain st
San F rancisco.
The C ow boys w ill m ake th eir
record eighth Super Bowl a p p e a r
ance. They are 4-3 in th e ir p re v i
ous app earan ces. N o o th e r team
has m ade m ore than five trips to
the S uper Bow l.
T he C o w b o y s d e fe a te d the
G reen Bay P ackers, 38-27, in the
N ational C o n feren ce title gam e
Sunday after the S te e le rs edged
the In d ian ap o lis C o lts, 20-16, in
the A m erican C o n feren ce c h a m
pionship gam e.
T h e C o w b o y s u s e d th r e e
touchdow n runs by E m m itt Sm ith
and tw o scoring passes by T roy
A ikm an to defeat the Packers.
E rnie M ills to the C o lts ' one w ith
1:51 rem ain in g , se ttin g up the
w inning score by Bam M orris.
The key m atchup at Sun D ev
ils S tadium w ill have Sm ith and
the N F L ’s se c o n d -ran k ed ru sh
in g o f f e n s e g o in g a g a in s t a
S teeler team that led the league
in ru sh in g defense.
T he C o w b o y s and S te e le rs
have not m et since the opening
gam e o f the 1994 season. Sm ith
rushed for 171 yards as the C o w
boys c o a ste d to a 26-9 win in
th e ir first gam e under new head
coach Barry Sw itzer. The all-tim e
series betw een the team s is tied
13-13.
S w itz e r can jo in p re d e c e sso r
J im m y J o h n s o n as th e o n ly
c o a c h e s to win a S uper Bowl and
a co lleg e national ch am p io n sh ip .
S w itz e r led the U n iv e rsity o f
O klahom a to three national titles.
O ne L as V egas odd sm ak er has
in sta lle d the C ow boys as 12 and
a h a lf p o in t favorites.
Grants Available
Self Enhancement, Inc. has a limited amount of funds available for
projects involving African American youth between the ages of 14-
17, within Multnomah County. Youth eligible for services through
these funds should be medium-risk youth; not involved with the
juvenile justice system or CSD. Projects should be one time events
or activities or a series of distinct activities. Individuals, groups,
social clubs, and other organizations are eligible for funding. Grants
will range from $200-$2,000. Deadline for applications are February
1, 1996; April 1, 1996. For an application or further information,
please contact Self Enhancement, Inc., 1730 N. Flint Avenue
Portland, OR 97227, (503) 249-1721.