Page A4
APRIL 15, 1998
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e c t i
v e
Identity, Motivation And Innovation
A very perceptive reader says those
three processes fit together like parts
o f a well-designed machine. There
follows here some o f those ‘well-
designed’ supporting materials I’ve
promised: For student, teacher and/
or parent.
First in relationship to David
Crosthwaite whose scores o f ther­
modynamic (heat transfer) inventions
made ‘Skyscrapers’ a livable and
comfortable domain, I recommend
the following materials. All have
proven more than successful for the
purposes w e’ve indicated.
“Skyscrapers: a History o f the
Worlds Most Famous and Important
Skyscrapers”, J udith Dupre. Y ou may
obtain this beautiful, oversize (8 X 14
1 /2) book with photographs and clear,
informative commentary o f over 25
o f the W orld’s tallest buildings ...
from “Barnes & Noble, Books By
M ail” (only) Item No. B I 39716,
$ 19.98plusS. & H. $3.95(800)242-
6657 by Credit Card or, One Pound
Road, Rockleigh, N. J. 07647 formail
order, check enclosed.
The book has a fantastic introduc­
tion and foreword - The Pyramids
and The Washington Monument (The
“African Obelisks” article I presented
during Black History Month). There
also is a list o f the w orld’s “ 100
Tallest Buildings”, and there is an
excellent bibliography, 25 “ Sug­
gested Readings.”
In te re s tin g ly ,
w h en
my
“Crosthwaite Neighborhood Science
Club” was downtown touring two o f
Portland’s tallest buildings - 11 kids,
two mothers - this book was almost
snatched away from them by marvel­
ing people; even
abuildingsuper-
intendent who
insisted, “ I ’ve
just got to have
one to show visi­
tors”. In fact, the
book
w ould
make a heck o f a
coffee table item
even if you had no real interest in
Croswh waite or thermodynamics.
I wish to cite here another very
relevant book which also may be
obtained at a publisher’s closeout
price from the same “Barnes & Noble,
Books By Mail” (only). This is the
ultimate physics’ reference book,
“Understanding Physics”, by the
famed Isaac Asimov (1 do not have
the order number so call (800) 242-
66 5 7 ). R em em b er th a t D avid
Crosthwaite made skyscraper occu­
C O A L IT IO N
Another Member of Our
Family Goes to Congress
In northern C alifornia, State
Senator and Rainbow /PU SH C oa­
lition California Chairperson, Bar­
bara Lee was elected in a landslide
to com plete the unexpired term o f
retired Rep. Ron Dellums.
C ongressw om en-elect Lee is a
shining exam ple o f w hat determ i­
nation and enlightened governm ent
can produce. Her rise from young,
s in g le m o th e r on w e lf a r e to
congressperson is prim arily the
result o f trem endous individual
drive and com m itm ent and faith.
But let there be no m istake. N ot
even th ese lau d ab le in dividual
qualities could overcom e o v e r­
w helm ing odds w ithout go v ern ­
m ental support. L ee’s rise, like a
Phoenix from the ashes, was only
pancy possible and comfortable, but
he was not an architect. He was a
mechanical engineer whose special-
tie s w ere h e a tin g , p lu m b in g ,
airconditioning, ventilation.
Asimov’s book, “Understanding
Physics”, makes difficult concepts
quite clear and has proven to be o f
invaluable assistance to junior and
senior high school students as well
as
c o lle g e
y o u th s. T he
very first ofthe
't h r e e - v o l -
um es-in-one’
is “ M o tio n ,
Sound
and
Heat.” That is
“ th e r m o d y -
n a m i c s ” ,
Crosthw aite’s specialty. A local
African American mechanical en­
gineer with his own shop will de­
velop this group.
It is to be seen here that what
might have begun simply as a single
citation of a reference book on Sky­
scrapers is fast evolving into a broad
area o f scientific disciplines which
support an apparently independent
concept. And that is the way this
science field is; ever new, ever chal­
lenging, ever expanding and reward­
possible in a state that was once
com m itted to providing a social
safety net and a ladder to climb be­
yond one’s circumstances.
U nless C alifo rn ian s overturn
Proposition 209 and other initiatives
that close doors to opportunity, there
will not be any Barbara Lees ten to
twenty years from now. Because o f
these shortsighted initiatives, Cali­
fornians will be deprived o f good,
capable, committed people to lead
the state into the tw enty-first cen­
tury. Every other state in the union
should heed C alifornia’s warning.
Rev. Jackson Answers Plea
In T exas Rev. Jackson m et and
prayed w ith Erica Sheppard, a 24-
ing - and connected.
Several years ago I wrote here of
a brilliant young African American
student at Grant High School who
won first prize in the “ Daughters of
the American Revolution (DAR) es­
say contest. Para Stroud Johnson
chose as her subject, the black inven­
tor o f the “Sugar Refiner, Norman
Rillieux. The very same Rillieux,
American pioneer in Thermodynam­
ics, whom David Crosthwaite told
me was his model and hero.
It was gratifying that this young
lady cited my book, “ Black Inven­
tors o f America” as one source of
documentation for her essay. I still
work at assembling in an organized
manner, reams upon reams o f mate­
rial on the technical contributions o f
Africans and African Americans -
for distribution by book, video, docu­
mentary, World Wide Web, w hat­
ever. It takes longer than one would
think hundreds o f correspondents.
Obviously our youth needs this.
Interestingly, “Kelva Johnson”,
the sister o f Para Johnson the D A R’
essay winner, and a senior at Grant
High School isa finalist in thisyear’s
Coca Cola Scholarship Foundation
competition, congratulations to you
and your wonderful mother.
year-old m other o f three, on death
row.
T he m eetin g o c c u rre d at the
req u est o f A m nesty In tern atio n al
an d M s. S h e p p a r d ’s m o th e r,
M a d e ly n M c N e il. A f te r M s.
S h ep p ard took the e x tra o rd in a ry
step o f a sk in g the sta te to end her
ap p e a ls, both A m nesty In te rn a ­
tio n al and Ms. M cN eil ap p e a le d
to Rev. Ja c k so n for help.
Rev. Ja c k so n sp o k e w ith M s.
S hep p ard and c o n v in c e d h er to
re in sta te her ap p eals. T he e x e c u ­
tio n , set for A p ril 20, w as s u b se ­
q u en tly p o stp o n ed in d e fin ite ly
pen d in g the ou tco m e o f the a p ­
p e lla te p ro cess.
Name:__________________________________________________
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Letter to the Editor:
I agree and applaud the real point
o f the editorial in the Oregonian: that
libraries are an essential public ser­
vice, and that every effort should be
made to provide access to Multnomah
County libraries throughout the up­
com ing multi-year branch library
renovation process.
The information you conveyed to
your readers, however, contained a
significant inaccuracy.
We are NOT planning to have North
Portland and Albina branch libraries
closed at the same time. Work on the
North Portland branch is scheduled to
begin in 1999; the Albina Branch Li­
brary renovation is scheduled to be
finished before the end o f 1998.
(A lbina’s renovation will take place
as part ofN ature’s Fresh Northwest’s
renovation o f the shopping center on
NE Fifteenth and Fremont; N ature's
owns the building that houses the
Albina Branch Library.)
something like communications
O f greater concern to us is a pos­
sible overlap o f work to be done on
the North Portland and St. Johns
branch libraries. Both North and St.
Johns will require extensive work:
new roofs, plumbing, mechanical
systems and wiring. North Portland,
an unreinforced masonry building,
will also require major seismic work
and St. Johns will be adding addi­
tional space for a community meet­
ing room. Each building will need to
be closed for approximately one year.
We are working to coordinate these
projects so that the construction
schedule avoids or minimizes any
overlap in these closures.
I’d also like to point out that since
the middle o f March we have been
conducting a series o f public meet­
ings - one at each branch library - to
talk about renovation plans. Upcom­
ing meetings include one at St. Johns
(June 9 at 7 p.m.) and one at North
Portland (June 17 at 7 p.m.).
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