M A Y 5,1998
Page A4
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When Reality Is Real, Not Virtual, II
1
ment and tools, electronics, optics,
astronomy and the like, i am goingto
use the same successful approach I
used in The Dalles, Oregon in sup­
port to kid’s science club (1966).
At the tim e I had transferred
from the accounting and data pro­
cessing division to the electronics
departm ent. I had ju st won a N a­
tional Science
F o u n d a tio n
aw ard for The
D alles Junior
B$ P rof .
High School-
M c K ini ,EY my m athem at­
ic s-c o m m u n i­
Bl Rl
cations project
w as the first
tim e in th e
country “on-line com puter term i­
nals w ere placed in a ju n io r high
classroom and data interchanged
with Portland and other cities." Un­
fortunately I was never able to see
the Portland School D istrict on the
concept, though I was able to get
the m anager o f the A ssociated Press
to aid me in developing the struc­
ture.
So here are some sources for many
types o f the equipment and instru­
ments that would be relevant to the
operation o f youth science clubs o f
various ages. Just one o f the reasons
been an inspiration to some curious
students. An interest in inventors as
people working to improve condi­
tions for humanity and not necessar­
ily personal gain, speaks well ofyour
influence on these young people.
As a side effect ofy o u r visit, “si­
lent” Norman has become more com­
municative and has caught up on all
his w ork, he
even ran for Stu­
dent Body Presi­
den t and a l­
though hed id n ’t
m ake it, he
tried.”
T h a t is the
kind o f stuff that
enables your to
“keep on, keepin’ on” through the
years. Especially when you accumu­
late them from diverse and sundry
locales; Oakland, Atlanta, Brooklyn,
Chicago, Klamath Falls, W ashing­
ton D.C., etc. There is one thing
wrong, however, those were the ‘salad
days,’ but now we read depressing
headlines indicating that the inner
city education situation has retro­
gressed. We will have some rather
pointed commentary in later issues.
Right now, it seems that there is a
significant problem in identifying and
procurring relevant science equip-
You are quite right, those o f you
who said this 'reality’ series is an
excellent and necessary follow up to
that “Identity and Motivation” se­
ries. A number o f parents say you are
“right on, for there is nothing like
emphasizing a ‘connection’ to the
resulting economic gain.” D on’t let
your kids move from adolescent to
obsolescence.
A parent who was a teacher at
Madison High when I was on their
career program, February 1987, now
has two teenagers o th e r own who are-
involved in our Black Inventors
Motivation Program. She still has
several o f the hand-outs I distrib­
uted.. One in particular is o f special
significance to her; “ I used the ap­
proach to revitalize a flagging inter­
est in school work among my own
kids
The reference was to several hun­
dred copies o f a testimonial I had
received form eighth grade teacher,
(Mrs.) Fern Morey at Kellog School.
It was written October 13, 1970.
“ I want to thank you for
coming to Kellogg and talking to our
240 seventh and eighth grade stu­
dents. Character shows from within,
and your message about self disci­
pline and attitudes was most timely.
Yourbook, “Black Inventors,” has
sPrtta ‘(Po Uir (PUP/Mr
ing together to find a resolu­
tion to Garlington’s current
financial situation. On April
3,1998 Garlington received $108,393
to pay staff salaries through April 30,
1998. The mutual agreement and con­
ditions imposed were to fulfill receipt
of the $108,393 and not intended as a
part o f a “bridge grant option.” The
most recent financial projections re-
ceived from Garlington continue to
show a deficit. As a result o f this
situation, Garlington lacks sufficient
funds to pay their May 5,1998 payroll.
Therefore, on April 23, 1998, the
County terminated their contractual
agreement with Garlington Center.
Ensuring that clients in North/
Northeast Portland continue to re­
ceive culturally competent services is
Send your 'cuci* lo ih« Fd.'u» Io:
Fd.ü< f’û R«<» I I 17. Portbrul OR 972IW
Dear Editor,
I wish to respond to the Portland
Observer’s April 22nd articled on the
Garlington Center. It is critically im­
portant that the community know' that
Multnomah County and the Depart­
ment o f Community and Family Ser­
vices (DCFS) are committed to main­
taining a stable, culturally competent
service delivery system to the clients
who are in need o f critical mental
health services in North/Northeast
Portland.
For the past several weeks the
Garlington Center, DCFS and the State
o f Oregon’s Mental Health and De­
velopmental Disabilities Services Di­
vision (MHDDSD) have been work­
JM /M B01PPU$H
C O A L IT IO N
I
C a ro lin a , T e n n e sse e , W est V ir­
g in ia , V irginia.
* A pp ro x im ately 22 m illion
people live in A ppalachia.
“ D istressed" A reas
For FY 1998, 97 A ppalachian
co u n ties (eight in southeastern
O hio) were “distressed" according
to the A ppalachian Regional C om ­
m ission. To qualify as a distressed
area, a county must have all three
o f the follow ing conditions:
* 8.6% o f more unem ploym ent
from 1994-96. U.S. unem ploym ent
from 94-96 was 5.7%
* 67% or less ($ 12.934) o f U.S.
1995 per capita market income (ex­
cludes transfer paym ents).
* 150% or more 1990 U.S. pov­
erty level (19.7% or More).
* O r two tim es the U.S. poverty
rate (26.2% ) and either 8.6% un­
em ploym ent or 67% per capita
m arket income.
Health Care in A ppalachia
T w e n ty -fiv e o f tw e n ty -n in e
counties in Appalachian Ohio have
been designated as health profes­
sional Shortage A reas (H PSA ),
defined as a com m unity with inad­
equate access to prim ary care phy­
sicians.
* A dam s C ounty, OH has a resi­
dent to physician ratio o f 4,555 to
I.
* Vinton C ounty, OH, with a
total population o f 11,951 people,
has only one physician.
Education In A ppalachia
R eseg reg atio n o f schools and
r e d u c tio n o f o p p o r tu n ity a re
b ased on a real e sta te tax base -
class. So w h eth er A ppalachian
or urban C h icag o , our ch ild re n
and
a re
u n d e rse rv e d
u n d e ru tiliz e d .
* V inton C ounty (O H ) High
School does not have a lunch­
room. If a student does not have
any m oney to buy lunch at a
nearby restaurant, that teenager
m ust get his or her subsidized
lunch at the elem entary school,
and sit dow n and eat with the
little kids. Many students choose
hunger over shame.
D o e sn ’t A p p alach ia A ttract
C haritable G iving?
O ne m ight think that because
the needs are so great, A ppala­
chia w ould receive a dispropor­
tionately high share o f charity.
The sad truth is it does not.
The D onors Forum o fO h io re­
cently analyzed the rate o f growth
o f new private foundations and
found:
* Betw een 1989 and 1992,
foundations in A ppalachian Ohio
accounted for only I percent o f
all new grants.
* A p p a la c h ia n O hio re p re ­
sents 13% o f the s ta te ’s p o p u la ­
tion and a m uch h ig h e r sh a re o f
the s ta te 's p oor. Rev. Jackson
co m m itte d to help e sta b lish a
F o u n d a tio n fo r A p p a la c h ia n
O hio to sp u r c o n trib u tio n s and
d e v elo p m en t.
Rev. Ja c k so n stre sse d that in
a tim e o f such g ro w th , w ealth,
p ro sp e rity , and w ith the stock
m ark et b re a k in g re c o rd s d aily ,
“ W e a re le a v in g far too m any
A m e ric a n s b e h in d and in the
m a rg in s .” He u rg e d th a t we
adopt the M arine creed - “ Leave
no A m erican B e h in d ."
a top priority o f the County and
State. It is my hope that the
Garlington Board will focus its en­
ergy on assisting the County and the
State in developing a transition plan
to assure that these services remain
viable in North/Northeast Portland.
Sincerely, Lolenzo T. Poe, Di­
rector Department o f Community
and Family Services
To
Leave No American Behind
This past w eekend. Rev. Jesse
Jackson traveled to O hio U niver­
sity in A thens, OH in an attem pt
to refram e the national debate
and focus attention on the class
gap: the gap betw een the stock
w ealthy and the sw eat poor.
H orizontal gaps o f race and
gender are based upon laws and
custom s that can be closed if the
present laws are enforced. Includ­
ing race and gender is not a zero-
sum gam e. Inelusion invariably
leads to grow th.
But it is the vertical class gap
that is leaving too m any A m eri­
cans behind. W ith deregulation,
the ro o f is o f f for the w ealthy.
T he floor has been rem oved for
the poor. The m iddle class is anx­
io u s
f a c in g
d o w n s iz in g ,
o utsourcing, and loss o f benefits.
T he m iddle class feels the giant
sucking sound o f g rav ity 's dow n­
w ard pull.
The very issues that seem ra­
cial in content when viewed from
the lens o f a place like Chicago
turn out to be class when view ed
from the lens o f A ppalachia. As
Rev. Jackson said, “ If I w ere to
give the sam e speech in Harlem ,
A m erica w ould miss the point.
Race w ould have been used as a
d eco y .”
W here Is A ppalachia? W ho Is
A ppalachian?
A ppalachia extends from New
Y ork to G eorgia and includes all
o r part o f 13 states:
* A la b a m a , G e o rg ia . K en ­
tu c k y . M a ry la n d , M ississip p i,
N ew Y o rk , N o rth C a ro lin a ,
O h io , P e n n s y lv a n ia , S o u th
(just one) 1 joined the "Association
o f Oregon Industries (AOI)” was to
meet those in the science and tech­
nology field who could provide real
time advice and assistance in this
field. I found out how valuable that
was when working at the Aluminum
plant in The Dalles, Oregon.
Write for the following catalogs”
The best supplier for beginners
through college Junior:
Pelescopes-Mircroscopes-Optics-
Biology-Physics-Motors-Magnets
Edmund Scientifics 1998 catalog
for Science and Engineering Enthu-
siasts-C'onsumer Division, 800-728-
6999, 101 East Glaueester Pike.
Barrington NJ 08007-1380 (much
unobtainable in Portland).
Micro Mark, The Small Tool Spe­
cialist (for metal working-also have
many model kits) 1-800-225-1066,
340 Snyder Ave.. Berkeley Heights,
NJ 07922-1595.
The Woodworkers Store, 1-800-
279-4441. 4365 W illow D rive,
Medina, MN. 55340.
Every type of equipment for metal
and woodworking Harbor Freight
Tools, 1-800-423-2657, 3491 Mis­
sion Oaks Blvd. Cam arillo, CA.
93011-6010
The rest o f this story will be con­
tinued next week.
P ro g ra m s
F o r tu n a te ly ,
th e re still re­
th a t
m ains a safe
yo u r fam ily’s val­
haven
ues.
on
television.
OPB,
W e're
th in k any b u d -
and w e ’ve got
B a rn e y
We d o n ’t
■ d in g y o u n g a rtist
fun, nonviolent shows
lik e
r e in f o r c e
should be inspired by
& i
v io le n c e . D o y o u ?
Friends, T h e Puzzle
O P B . Part o f a happy
Place and now A rthur,
c h ild h o o d for
all part o f the R ead y to
over a q u a rte r
L earn Service on O PB .
o f a century.
PBS
T his I s W hy T here ’ s OPB.
OPB
I h r Ready to I earn Service on PBS is brought to voti
m P',r’
Its Where You Belong
uww.opb.org
( " l P” r-U|,’ n fnr PuMn Hmadcasting