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T he P ortland O bserver • A rrie 30, 1997
Business not as usual
n
by .P ro ».
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n
M c K inley B i
hi
You are quite right, those enthu
siastic readers who kept me up Sun
day evening and started right in
again Monday morning: Indeed, I
have taken the business game a step
higher with the series appearing in
my ‘ Perspectives” column (p.2)
“ Business Information You Can
Trust.” See the Observer, April 16,
23, 30 & May 7.
Over the years I have learned that
no matter how excellent a particular
“How To” book may be in respect to
the formation or operation of a com-
mercial enterprise, there always
seems to be a critical step or para
digm that is missing. In this case,
most are not likely to notice the
absence of a planned correlation of
business basics with certain stan
dard information formats published
by federal and state governments.
Nor could a neophyte be expected
either to comprehend or effectively
integrate the parallel concepts. Af
ter all, one becomes aware of the
usefulness and ubiquitous, nonstand
ard applications of the governmen
tal materials only through years of
experience (And for some of us, that
never happens). This is the reason
for my introduction of standards. I
pioneered in university courses:
“Gales Encyclopedia of Associations
- Thomas’ Register of Manufactur
ers - Standard Industrial Classifica
tion Manual - Dictionary of Occupa
tional Titles.”
There are so many new business
persons on the scene - and not just
minorities and women - that I now
. . .
wish I had early on written a book
or manual on this integrative tech
nique However, I am well along in
achieving that goal. Interestingly, I
have heard from several government
employees who compile and/or use
these standard manuals in their origi
nal mode; they are absolutely flab
bergasted at the extended applica
tions, and to contemplate a business
enterprise.
Let me say something here that
may be surprising to those who
may consider me constantly to be
on the case of the establishment
media. The Oregonian newspaper
now publishes some excellent ar
ticles on small business operations,
the kind I began here over a de
cade ago — and would complain
that you could seldom find these
in the daily press. We may pre
sume that the climate for change
is generated at the very top, Fred
A. Stickel, publisher.
Let me com bine that happy
thought and a supporting example
with a particular model from one of
those governmental standard for
mats — see today’s “Perspectives”, p
2. The Sunday Oregonian, April 27,
1997 has just such a supportive ex
ample on page 4 of the business
section, “ Banking On The Store.”
Detailed is the small-business part
nership of two women in the first
year of a gift shop. Already, close
attention to detail and customer in
teraction is producing the “profit
able niche within’ a major industry
group.”
I hope the males are not getting
- somewhat
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vexed « or
even tumori-Cltf
turned-ofl
by some of my material that seems
heavily dedicated to the distaff do
main. Women are m oving up
strongly in this enterprise game and
it will be to all our advantage to
observe how swiftly they are learn
ing the game Inventions, innova
tions and profitable modifications of
the tried-and-true are surfacing ev
ery day. Don’t jump hostile, join
them; harmony is the song of com
merce.
Be sure to check out page 34 of the
May issue of National Geographic
magazine: “New Voices, New Vi
sions, New problems.” I was fasci
nated with the details of “The Self-
Employed Women’s Association”
of India. Recently I have written
articles here on innovative aids to
economic development (Small is
Beautiful-Small lending - Etc.) but
this regional self-organized service
for indigenous women bears some
intense study and evaluation. What
components could be transferred to
the hood with or without modifica
tion?
It is an impressive effort, provid
ing insurance, health care, legal aid,
shelter, childcare, job training and
other services to 220,000 members.
Got some ideas ladies? need some
help? Call! Which reminds me;
you’ve been reading here from time
to time about my success in working
with women inventors. I’d like to
see a full-scale organization with
industry support components. Can
we do it? My number is 284-7080,
Fax 284-0484.
Homicide/Arrest on N. Mississippi
On Monday, April 21, 1997, at
approximately 9:00 in the evening.
Northeast Precinct Uniform Offic
ers were contacted and directed by
people on the street to the area of
the 5600 block of N Mississippi
Avenue. There officers found 28-
year-oid Stanley Eugene Winston,
Jr., (MB, 112968) suffering from a
stab would to the chest. Winston was
transported by ambulance to a nearby
hospital where he died as a result of
his wounds.
Taken into custody, without inci
dent near by, was 4 1 -year-old David
James Kelly (MB, 032156). Kelly
was charged with Murder and
lodged without bail in the Justice
Center Jail.
According to investigators, the
incident stemmed from an argu
ment between Winston and Kelly,
who knew each other. The inves
tigation is continuing.
Growth Benefits Cited In Study
A new study on growth not only
uses inappropriate methodology to
reach its findings that growth does
not pay for itself, it also completely
ignores the taxes, revenues, fees, and
income generated by new home con
struction and paid by new home buy
ers.
“The claims made in this report
aboutthe costs o f grow th are sim-
ply not c re d ib le ,” said K ent
C olton, executive vice president
and ch ief executive officer o f the
N ational A ssociation o f Home
B uilders referring to the report
released by the Carrying Capacity
Network this week.
“The methodology used to deter
mine the cost of growth is flawed, and
the other side o f the equation, the
benefits ofgrowth, weren’t even taken
into consideration. This is a one
sided report designed to mislead the
public,” Coltan said.
The report extrapolates the public
costs of supplying services and in
frastructure resulting from the con
struction of a single-family home all
from one “representative” case in
Oregon. That number is divided by
an “assumed typical family size of
3.1.”
That methodology assumes that
every city in the country has the same
level of public services as cities in
Oregon, and that those levels of ser
vices increase and decrease propor
tionately with increases and de
creases in home prices.
“There is certainly no reason to
believe that the cost of supplying
public services in Oregon is repre
sentative of the entire country, and
there is certainly no reason to believe
that the cost changes dollar for dollar
with the cost of homes,” Colton said.
In addition to the flawed method
ology, the analysis does not recog
nize the hundreds of thousands of
dollars generated when a new home
is built.
Sentencing
Disparities
Are Unjust
A sentencingpanel recommended
narrow ing the wide disparity in fed
eral sentencing laws that treat traf
ficking in crack cocaine more harshly
than selling the powdered variety.
“Although research and public
policy may support somewhat higher
penalties for crack than for powder
cocaine, a 100-to-l quantity ratio can
not bejustified,” the U.S. Sentencing
Commission said in a report to Con
gress Tuesday.
Federal law requires a five-year
minimum sentence for people caught
selling 5 or more grams o f crack.
However, someone convicted of
trafficking powder cocaine would get
the same sentence only if 500 grams
or more were involved.
Noting that blacks make up almost
90 percent of those convicted in fed
eral court of distributing crack, the
commission said, “The current pen
alty structure results in a perception
of unfairness and inconsistency.”
In 1995, President Clinton and
Congress rejected the sentencing
commission’s recommendation to
equalize penalties for trafficking in
crack and powder cocaine.
But Clinton said Tuesday his ad
ministration will give the new recom
mendation “very serious consider
ation.”
“The sentencing laws must con
tinue to reflect that crack cocaine is a
more harmful form o f cocaine,” the
president said in a statem ent is
sued by the W hite House. “ H ow
ever, some adjustm ent to the co
caine penalty structure is w ar
ranted as a matter of sound criminal
justice policy.”
Clinton said federal prosecutors
should target mid- and high-level drug
traffickers instead of low-level deal
ers. He said he has asked Attorney
deneral Janet Reno and drug policy
adviser Barry McCaffrey to review
the proposal and report to him within
60 days.
Reno and McCaffrey said in a joint
statement the proposal “moves us in
the right direction.” They said the
current policy does not adequately
target federal prosecutions toward
mid- and high-level cocaine sellers
and also “appears to have a dispro
portionate racial impact.”
The sentencing commission rec
ommended that for crack cocaine.
Congress raise the 5-gram trigger for
a five-year mandatory sentence to
somewhere between 25 and 75 grams
For powder cocaine, the 500-gram
threshold for the same sentence
should be lowered to a level between
125 and 375 grams, the panel said.
Penalties fo,; selling other amounts
of crack and powder should be simi
larly adjusted, the panel said.
And, it recommended reducing the
penalty for simple possession of crack
to the level now in effect for powder
cocaine.
Currently, a five-year sentence is
required for possession of 5 or more
grams of crack, while possession of
powder in any amount is punishable
by no more than one year in prison.
“All of these drugs cause great
harm to individuals and to society at
large,” the commission said, but it
added that violent street crime and
addiction are more often associated
with crack distribution.
Raising the amount of crack re
quired for a five-year minimum
sentence will focus federal p ro s
ecutions more on mid- and high-
level sellers, the panel said. Sen
tences still can be increased for
dealers who use guns or are in
volved in violence, it added.
The commission said federal pros
ecutions should target "serious deal
ers” while leaving other prosecutions
to the states.
The vast majority of drug pros
ecutions now occur in state courts.
College
Names
Woman
The college that in 1840
awarded the first baccalaureate
degree to a woman named its first
woman president on Tuesday. In
WesleyanCollege’s 161-year his
tory, all of its prev ious presidents
have been men.
Nora Kizer Bell, Ph.D., dean of
the College o f Arts and Sciences
at the University of North Texas,
will become the 23rd president of
Wesleyan.
“I want, whatever I do, to serve
as a model of what young women
can accomplish in higher educa
tion and in their communities,"
Bell said.
She holds a doctorate from
the University ofNorth Carolina,
a master’s degree from the Uni
versity of South Carolina and a
bachelor’s degree in philosophy
from Randolph-Macon Woman’s
College.
Bell has extensive teaching and
research experience in philoso
phy andbioethics, fields in which
she is widely published. She is
the author o f one book and a
second in progress.
She has received the Order of
the Palmetto, the highest civilian
award presented by the governor
of South Carolina.
The college’s Board of Trust
ees elected Bell during a called
meeting on Tuesday.
Students, faculty, staff and
trustees of the college attended a
campuswide “town meeting” to
celebrate the announcement and
meet Bell.
Wesleyan’s Dec 23,1836char-
ter to grant degrees to women
preceded that o f any other
w om en’s college, including
Mount Holyoke College, which
was founded in 1837 as a female
seminary and years later revised
its charter to grant college de
grees.
Oberlin College, a coeduca
tional institution, awarded its first
bachelor’s degree to a woman in
1841, nearlyayearafterWesleyan.
Clk Cleaners
1014 N.E. Killingsworth
Portland, Oregon
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the connection is still strong.
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