Page A3
JUNE 24, 1998
(Tljc jjortlattò (Observer
Good Summer Readings
for 1998, 11
by
P r o f . M c K in l e y B i
hi
T h is y e a r , y o u ’ll p ro b a b ly
n o tic e a s o rt o f c h a n g e o f p e r
s p e c t i v e . r e f l e c t i n g my a p
p r a is a l o f ta s te s a n d in te r e s ts
as I v is ite d th e c o f f e e h o u s e s
a n d o th e r ‘ta lk in g p l a c e s ’ in a
v is ib ly
c h a n g in g
n e ig h b o r h o o d ( s ) .
In th is f ir s t g r o u p in g w h ic h
m ig h t b e e n title d , ‘ M an h is
m y t h s ,’ w e le a d o f f w ith th a t
b e s t s e lle r b y th e la te , g re a t
J o s e p h C a m p b e ll, “ T h e H e ro
W ith A T h o u s a n d F a c e s ,” M JF
B o o k s , N Y , p u b lis h e d by a r
ra n g e m e n t w ith P rin c e to n U n i
v e r s ity P re s s .
T h is b o o k c a p tu r e s a lo t o f
th e s to r y so a b ly to ld by th e
la te a u th o r o n P u b lic TV an d
on th e ‘ L e a r n in g C h a n n e l . ’
“ T h is c la s s ic s tu d y tr a c e s th e
s to r y o f th e ‘ h e r o e s ’ jo u r n e y
a n d t r a n s f o r m a t i o n th r o u g h
m y th o lo g ie s fro m a c r o s s he
w o r ld , r e v e a lin g th e o n e
a r c h e ty p a lh e r o in th e m a l l . ”
A n d w h ile y o u a re a t y o u r
f a v o r ite b o o k s to r e , an d i f yo u
a re r e a lly in to th e s u b je c t;
p u r c h a s e o r o r d e r th e s e tw o
c l a s s ic s , “ T h e G o ld e n B o u g h ”
by S ir J a m e s G e o r g e F r a z ie r ,
f ir s t p u b lis h e d by M a c m illa n
a n d , “ H a m l e t ’ s M i l l ” by
G io r g io d e S a n tilla n a . T h e se
tw o h a v e s e r v e d m e w e ll fo r
s e ttin g u p a f ra m e o f r e f e r
e n c e to e v a lu a te th e e x is te n c e
o f ‘ r e a l ’ a c to r s o r e v e n ts on
th e s e a n c ie n t s ta g e s in G re e c e ,
A f r ic a a n d A s ia .
In th e sa m e v e in , o n e m ay
w ish to d e lv e in to e ith e r o f
tw o o ld e r c la s s ic w o rk s ( a t l i
b r a r y , i f o u t o f p r in t) ; “ T h e
G re e k s and T h e ir G o d s ,”
W .K .C . G u t h r i e , 1 9 4 9 - o r
“ M an A n d H is G o d s ,” H o m e r
W. S m ith , L ittle B ro w n & C o .,
1952.
A n d , o f c o u r s e , th e r e
is th a t g r e a t, h a n d y r e f e r e n c e
to o l, “ W h o ’s W h o in G re e k
and R om an M y th o lo g y ,” D avid
K r a v itz , C r o w n P u b l i s h e r s ,
19 7 5 .
B ut r e tu r n in g to a th e m e in
c r e a s in g ly a r tic u la te d to d a y ,
w e c ite th e w o rk s o f an i n te r
n a tio n a lly r e c o g n iz e d s c h o la r-
ju s t th e r e p rin t o f se v e ra l p a r a
g r a p h s fro m a new b o o k se t
o f f h e a te d c o n tr o v e r s ie s in th e
p a g e s o f th e P o rtla n d O r e g o
n ia n n e w s p a p e r an d h is to r y
c ir c le s a c r o s s th e n a tio n .
" B la c k
A th e n a :
The
A f r o a s ia tic R o o ts o f C la s s ic a l
C iv iliz a tio n . V o l. I, T h e F a b
r ic a tio n o f A n c ie n t G r e e c e
1 7 8 5 - 1 9 8 5 ," R u tg e rs U n iv e r
s ity
P re ss
1987.
“ The
A f r o a s ia tic r o o ts h a v e b e e n
s y s te m a tic a lly ig n o re d , d e n ie d
o r s u p p r e s s e d s in c e th e 18th
c e n tu r y - c h ie f ly fo r r a c is t r e a
s o n s ” ( o r a s c o m e d ia n B ill
C o s b y p u t it in th a t fa m o u s
1 9 6 0 ’s film , “ B la c k H is to r y ,
L o s t, S tr a y e d , o r S t o l e n ” ).
“ B la c k A th e n a II, T h e D o c u
m e n ta r y a n d A r c h a e o lo g ic a l
E v id e n c e ” w a s p u b lis h e d in
1991 by R u tg e r s U.
S in c e th e s e p u b lic a tio n s , o r
b e f o r e , a n u m b e r o f us h a v e
d is c o v e r e d c o r o lla r y an d s u b
s t a n t i a t i n g i n f o r m a t i o n in
s o m e o f th e m o s t u n lik e ly
p la c e s , a n d by so m e o f th e
m o s t u n lik e ly , b u t c r e d ib le
a u th o r s a n d r e s e a r c h e r s . E ven
m o re f a b r ic a tio n , h id in g !
R e a d , “ Is a a c N e w to n , H is
t o r i a n , ” F ra n k E. M a n u e l, T h e
B e lk n a p P re ss o f H a rv a rd U n i
v e r s ity P r e s s , 1963.
M a n u e l, P r o f e s s o r o f M o d
e rn H is to r y a t B ra n d e is U n i
v e r s ity , is to be c o n g r a tu la te d
fo r r e v e a lin g th a t N e w to n (th e
th e o r y o f U n iv e r s a l G r a v i t a
tio n ) s p e n t m a n y y e a r s r e
s e a r c h in g he m a th e m a tic s , s c i
e n c e an d r e lig io n s o f th e N o rth
A f r ic a n s .
B et th e y d i d n ’t te ll y o u th a t
in s c h o o l! A b o u t th e ir d e v e l-
o p m e n t o f c o n ic s e c tio n s ,
a b o u t th e te c h n o lo g y tr a n s f e r
to th e H e b re s in E g y p t.
A p r in c ip a l s u p p o r tin g o r
c o r o lla r y r e f e r e n c e is “ S e c r e ts
o f th e G r e a t P y r a m id ,” P e te r
T h o m p k in s , G a la h a d B o o k s
,1 9 9 7 ( F ir s t p u b lis h e d in 1971,
H a rp e r C o llin s ) . T h is c o m
p r e h e n s iv e b o o k w as th e f irs t
to p r e s e n t a m o d e rn in - d e p th
s tu d y o f th e m a th e m a tic a l a n d
a s tr o n o m ic a l c o m p o n e n ts o f
th e G re a t P y ra m id at G iz e n ,
E g y p t.
T h e r o le o f " I s a a c
N e w t o n ” in t h e s c i e n t i f i c
e v a lu a tio n s is fu lly d e s c r ib e d -
in c lu d in g h is n e e d fo r th o s e
p y ra m id g e o d e s ic s to s u p p o r t
his th e o ry o f “ U n iv e rs a l G r a v i
t a t i o n .” ( J u s t as th e R u s s ia n s
n e e d e d th e m c e n tu r ie s la te r
b e f o r e la u n c h in g “ S p u tn ik ” ).
M y n e x t r e c o m m e n d a tio n
w a s d e s c r i b e d by th e N ew
Y o rk T im e s as an " e n th r a llin g
b o o k o f s o c ia l h is to r y ” -a n d by
c r itic s o f th e A f r ic a n A m e r i
can “ M illio n M an M a rc h " as
th e “ k in d o f m o d e l fo r e c o
n o m ic
d e v e lo p m e n t
th a t
s h o u ld h a v e b e e n th e g o a l fo r
m en c a p a b le o f su c h a ‘v e r
b a l ’ o u tp o u r in g o f c o m m it
m e n t.”
T h e b o o k is, “ A n E m p ire O f
T h e ir O w n : H ow T h e J e w s
B u ild
H o lly w o o d ,"
N eal
G a b le r,
A nchor
B ooks
D o u b le d a y , 1988.
I ’ve h e a rd s c o r e s o f h e a te d
a r g u m e n ts a n d d is c u s s io n s by
b o th b la c k s an d w h ite s , m o stly
a d d r e s s e d to “ a f a ilu r e to d e
v e lo p a p la n - a f a ilu r e to c o n
c e n tra te a ll th a t e n e rg y a n d o b
v io u s r e s o u r c e s r e v e a le d by
th e ‘ M illio n M an M a r c h ’ in to
a s im ila r e c o n o m ic m a c h in e .
T h e re h a v e b e e n r e p e a te d r e f
e r e n c e s to B a rry G o rd y an d
M o to w n , th e g r e a t b la c k
o w n e d e n te r ta in m e n t a n d r e
c o rd in g co n g lo m e ra te -n o w
g o n e!
Simple Simon met a lineman
high up in the air.
Said. . . . . . . . . . . . . Simple Simon,
when up near lines BEWARE.
03332839
■SGKffc l í t e i
Never remove
branches or debris
tangled in lines
Duy. age II
Never install
antennas or
satellite dishes
near power lines
Lena, age 10
5 ^
Z yíf
ex
Question: In the cases surrounding Anthony Nnoli’s death and its aftermath
(involving his friends), what corrective measures are needed to resolve the problems?
Gregory Montagu,
Civil Rights Advocate from Northeast Portland
"When there is a situation that comes up in the community likeayouth being killed or some issues surrounding race
in terms o f how decisions are being administered and made, then we have to have the ability' to quickly mobilize and
address the issues and assert pressure on the powers at hand.
The NAACP has the historical base and the know-how to properly represent us (people of color) and address these
jSîï Gffeff
14'
• h fin
«-'Ai-,
Treat all lines as
energized lines
Avoid power lines
when cleaning out
gutters
issues when they come up.
In this instance, that realty didn t happen. We as a community (o f color) had to scramble and come together. Even
though we had a measure o f success, it would have been a lot better and easier i f we were able to call a centralized
telephone number and say, "Hey, we've got a situation. "
Samuel, age 6
Marjorie Sandoz,
School Counselor from Hillsboro
"The people o f Portland need control o f their own community. A practical solution would be to have a Civilian
Review Board that could review a case like this, review the behaviors of the authorities and have the means to challenge
Don't trim trees
near power lines
the decisions made.
This Civilian Review Board needs to be independent o f City Hall completely, separate by the autonomists, funded
by the city, but not under the City's control. "
Adrienne Weller,
Socialist, Feminist independent candidate on the ballot for State Representative
' 'Measure 11 needs to repealed. It is a measure that does not permit the judges to have any discretion over whether
or not someone is a first time offender or not. It tries children as adults.
Measure I I is used disproportionately against poor youth and youth o f color
Repealing Measure 1! is what needs to happen in our institutionalized, racist justice system. "
Eric Ward,
Regional Coordinator o f NW. Coalition Against Malicious Harassment based in Seattle, Washington
"In regards to police harassment, what we need to understand is that it is a larger problem o f racism and bigotry
in communities. And it is often reflected back through individuals and sometimes whole law enforcement agencies.
The # / solution is better training for law enforcement officers. I think that means training about rules o f force,
learning to interact with different individuals and about training that allows them to see that they are not.separate from
the community but actually part o f the community. ”
JohnCanda,
Program Mgr. for the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods
Representative of Gangs Outreach Program and Tri-Met Advocacy Program
“Allowing kids to wear whatever they want to express themselves lends itself to poor communication. It says that
you no longer have to walk up to me, engage me in a conversation about what my beliefs are, and what I understand
to be right or wrong. But you can-merely look at me from a distance and just by that look, the color o f my clothes and
the way that I’m wearing them, say what I believe in. It’s a safety issue. It speaks to the self-esteem issue.
¡think the move by the Portland Public Schools to get kids in uniforms this Fall is important. In doing this, the School
Board is making a statement: We not only care about the livelihood and the health o f our children, we want them to
come into our.schools and have as fair o f a chance as the next voting person. Once this uniform standard kicks in. it
will level the playing field. "
David, age 6
utdoor electric safety is important to all of us —
O
especially this time of year when we’re outside more.
With the help of some of last year’s winners in Pacific
Power’s Electric Safety Contest, we wanted to make you
aware of some of the potentially hazardous situations you
and your kids can get into while working or playing outdoors.
Jessie Clay,
Close friend of the late Anthony Nnoli
" You don't have to be responsible about how you dress. You can wear whatever you want to wear. You shouldn t
have to wear a STIGMA!
Gang members didn t start the fashion. They ju st enhance it. Styles come from the pop culture.
People should get stereotypical thinking out of their mind because someone looks a certain way and dresses a
certain way. It doesn't mean that they re a gang member. People need to be responsible by not having pre
judgments. "
it's no a c c id e n ti
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