How do you measur
our quality o f life?
Bv P rof . M c K inley B i rt
We have heard so much about the
Quality o f Life” this past decade
and at least a dozen ways to measure
such an auspicious su te of affairs. So
as a matter o f interest, what can we say
about the “hood in this respect?” You
know, the near-Northeast neighbor
hood and North Portland.
If you live within these environs
and so many o f our readers do, then
without doubt you often have been
distressed by media accounts o f the
style and substance o f our lives here.
Not always, o f course, bu, frequently
enough for a pretty strong convic
tion o f bias to emerge.
A neighbor o f mine calls it “selec
tive imaging,” where urban areas
with a black population o f any size
are handled’ with a standard format
o f “ feature this-ignore that.”
Conversations with individuals
and groups in the Northeast reveal
that except for the case o f occasional
sp e c ia l a ssig n m e n t re p o rte rs ,
Portland’s 'print m edia’ is a far cry
from the exploitive big-city daily
newspapers in much o f America.
Most residents o f the neighbor
hoods say that it is television with its
“breathless, breaking-news, crisis-
oriented, super-competitive evening
news wars for viewers that has re
duced Northeast and North Portland
into metaphors and icons for the
deterioration o f th e ' quality o f life.
Now, you have to admit that there
is something very special about liv
ing in an inner-city neighborhood
when you finally realize that your
junk mail is substantially different
from that received by your outlying
fellow citizen’s, primarily o f another
culture.
A household visit or a less infor
mal encounter with E uro-culture
could reveal an eye-opening vista o f
the over-priced exotica and erotica
to be purchased via the Direct Mail
postal mall. O f course, there is some
good, functional stuff as well - but
why haven’t you known about this
shopper paradise? Must you move to
Lake Oswego?
Well, let’s look at it this way.
Marketing studies conducted for the
benefit o f the "catalog houses" tend
to express the same ethnic biases that
we described several paragraphs ear
lier; in America race is inextricably
bundled with income and it costs a
"bundle" alright to design, print and
mail those beautiful multi-color cata
logs by the millions.
FDA chief
scriber lists available to the Direct
Mail people either by direct pur
chase or through huge mailing list
brokers who deal in classified lists in
the thousands or in the millions.
No matter ‘w here’ you live, some
subscriptions will get you in this
netw ork: N atio n al G eo g rap h ic,
Smithsonian, Natural History. Sci
entific American, Harpers, etc., and
o f course subscriptions to any o f the
journals o f the professions, science,
medicine, education, etc.
But not to worry, I believe we all
know that it is quality people who
Television's crisis-oriented, super-com
petitive news wars for viewers...reduces
northeast and north Portland into meta
phors and icons for the deterioration of the
quality of life.
Consequently, certain areas never
are even rem otely considered in
m arket developm ent; they do n ’t
think that ’you’ have either the money
or the culture to appreciate their ex
pensive wares.
And lfyou are noteliminated from
the Direct Mail Mall in that fashion,
then consider this. U.S. Government
census tract information pretty well,
categorizing most o f us by income,
tastes; habit and habitat. This infor
mation is compiled and classified
accordingly and no catalog will reach
your hot little hands unless you live
in the right neighborhood (and, sup
posedly, have the proper “Quality o f
Life”).
Now, there are some exceptions
to this marketing logic. For instance,
magazine publishers make their sub-
make a quality neighborhood with
their quality way o f life; a little re
dundant perhaps, but you get the
meaning. Every week I look through
the Portland Observer newspaper to
learn o f all the beautiful people do
ing things to enrich our lives and
give m eaning to our less-than-
wealthy existence.
In our neighborhoods we are vol
unteering without being asked, we
are mentoring, teaching, interven
ing with a threatened youth, caring
for our ill, our elderly, our deprived.
Our neighborhood watches and
other efforts to secure our security,
health and welfare, all speaks to a
"Quality o f Life” tha,'<annot be ex
trapolated from the U.S. Census or
any marketing surveys. It lies in the
reality and goodness o f the people.
from The Portland Observer
Federal health officials have in
Washington Research The search
m akers have signaled they want
terviewed scientists including a Se
is for someone who “will be less
someone outside government who
attle geneticist and a New York car
confrontational with the Congress,
will be open to a congressional over
diologist in the quest for a chief o f
more deferential" than the contro
haul o f the FDA.
the powerful Food and Drug Ad
versial Kessler, he added.
The nation’sc h ie f consumer pro
ministration, and the White House
Sti II, any decision is months away.
tection agency, the FDA is criticized
should see the first list o f serious
Shalala spokesman Victor Zonana
by some for not approving I ifesav ing
contenders in a month
would say only that "the process is
new m edical th e ra p ie s quickly
I he Clinton adm inistration is
moving forward," and a commis
enough
struggling with how to replace fiery
sioner is expected to be in place by
Weisfeidt said Clinton officials
form er C o m m issio n e r D avid
told him Shalala could begin her
Kessler, who gave the FDA new
Ihe Senate must approve Presi
ow n interviews to pare down candi
prominence - and a number o f en
dent Clinton’s nominee, and law
dates within six weeks.
emies- by cracking down on tobacco
and pushing a host o f consumer-
protection issues.
I op candidates so far appear to
be strong public health advocates
as well, I he A ssociated Press has
learned. Considered high on the
list:
Dr Myron Weisfeidt. a former
American Heart Association presi
dent w ho h ead s C o lu m b ia
University’s medical departm ent.
Well-liked bv consumer groups for
pushing the FDA to require better
November 13,1996
food labels, he is a scientific adviser
through
June 14,1997
P lay M E G A B U C K S D O U G H
to drug giant Merck Inc. and several
S eco n d -C h an ce D ra w in g !
medical device firms.
Just send in four nonwinning
fino brochure
Dr. G ilbert O m enn, dean o f the
Megabucks tickets from four
available a, Oreqon
drawings in a row for a chance
University o f W ashington's School
Loiter i, Servire
to win these prizes each month:
Centers for details.
of Public Health, an expert in g e
1 st prize - $ 1,000 plus jacket
netics and environm ental health
(I prize awarded)
who made headlines with a study
2nd prize - $500 plus jacket
1
declaring popular beta-carotene
(1 prize awarded,
supplem ents a waste o f m oney. He
3rd prize - $ 100 plus jacket
W
|5 prizes awarded,
~
served on President C a rte r's sci
ence staff.
4th prize - Megabucks Dough
w
denim baseball jacket
Randy Juhl, dean o f the Univer
(25 prizes awarded,
sity of Pittsburgh's School o f Phar
macy who is well-known by medical
manufacturers as a former chairman
of the FDA's advisory comm ittee on
nonprescription drugs.
I he three confirm they were in
terviewed this month by Health and
Send four consecutive nonwinning Megabucks tickets for drawings dated
N ovem ber 13, 1996, through June 14, 1997. w ith this entry for a chance to win!
Human Services officials, a first
Enter as many times as you like. This entry is good for one drawing only.
move for HHS Secretary Donna
Shalala to narrow the candidate field
for the White House.
Also recently interviewed were
FDA drug evaluation chief Janet
Woodcock and Iowa heart surgeon
Dr. Steven Phillips, the candidate
favored by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-
lowa.
“ In die last few weeks, there seems
Name & location of store where you bought your ticket(s):
to have been some significant m ove
ment” in selecting candidates, said j
ENTER
TO
WIN
§ 1 0 0 0 and other
great prizes!
M E G A B U C K S DOUGH
S e c o n d -C h a n c e D r a w in g
Ira Loss, an FDA analyst with HSBC
Send entry in a plain white envelope no larger than 4 'h" x 9 h " to :
MEGABUCKS /DOUGH Second-Chance Drawing, PO Box 14280, Salem, OR 97309
THE LARGEST, MOST COMPLETE RETAIL FABRIC STORE IN THE WEST
______ April 29th through May 13,1997
ALL HOME DECOR
Includes all prints and jacquards, curtain
lace, npliolsten. Mini, awning canvas,
headliner, vellex. table pail. Graber X D ril/
drapery hardware, hmne dec trims
Our ancestors would be proud
the connection is still strong.
BRIDAL
& SPECIAL
OCCASION
The roots o f African Americans in
this country are deep. They have
toiled for hundreds o f years for their
rightful place in American society.
Throughout the times o f struggle, it
was by maintaining family connections
that they persevered.
Their endurance was strengthened
by the determination inherited from
Includes bridal
fabric, silk, laces,
tulle, trims and more
SPECIAL
PURCHASE
DEPARTMENT
Reg. Prices $1.99 yd.
$2.99 yd.
$3.99 vd.
CHRISTMAS
FABRIC
BE SURE TO CHECK 01IR STORE FOR "MANAGER'S SPECIALS"
•Discounts do not apply to previously discounted or marked down items 4/29 thru 5/1L97
- wholesale
1 m_1 L ’IBBEB
1 I H m H retail
’ <M) S E-
J I KI w MWMB b B
Ä
f
1
N 7
’ BfflMI
252-9530
/sS
,S . M
H
1-800,592-5576
l84
i L
f
I
Vil IX-I Rl 91M t.int-M i » tpin
''M l Kl>U 9 <H»,im-“ pm
M \i> \> luoo.m v’ pm
A ve
P o rtla n d . OR
WHOILSU L MOI RS:
/
At U S WEST* we recognize the
importance o f learning and sharing the
history o f African Americans. We help
families share their history by providing
the best telecommunications products
and s e rvice s a v a ila b le a n y w h e re .
That way, your family connections are
always maintained - across the miles,
over the years - throughout history.
Rl IM I Iitti Rs
J
--------- 1 — i
/
parents, grandparents and great-
grandparents and is a testimony to
their heritage. They understood
injustice and overcame countless
obstacles to build a solid foundation
fo r to d a y 's y o u th .
A link to history is nurtured by a
connectio n to fa m ily roots.
STARK
STREET * ■
Ml t \ - l Kl “ AHjini-Â 9 »pm
''M l Kl > W ) UH.un-Spm
si \l> M II uH,mi-tpm
Visit our website at
www. fabriedepot. eom
m /i/E s r ®
life’s better here