C ommitted to cultural diversity. http://\v\vvv.portlaiidobserver.net
Volume XXVII, Number 98
The Hot Shot
Dancers
Lewis & Clark to
feature John
Scofield
The Portland siblings are
tapping thier way to the top
and into the hearts o f
many.
See Entertainment, page B3.
BULK RATE
I S. POSTAGE
PAID
PORTLAND, OR
PERMIT NO.
1610
Jazz artist John Scofield
has been voted in many
critics’ polls as # / electric
guitarist fo r five years.
University o f Oregon
knight Library
Newspaper Section
Eugene OR 97403
Ö" lie
T I n i l C E WEEK
IN
Street of Green Tree Planting Project Helps
Revitalize M.L.K. Jr. Boulevard
REVIEW
and the King neighborhood togetlrerplanted trees
along the median o f N.E. MLK Jr. Boulevard
between N.E. Fremont and Shaver. The planting
crew inc luded local dignitaries such as City Com-
missioner Charlie Hales and MetroCouncilor Ed
Washington.
"This tree planting is symbolic o f tire City’s
strong commitment to revitalize businesses and
neighborhoods along N.E. Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard," said Portland CommissionerCharlie
Hales, whooversees theOfficeofTransportation.
"We are planting more than trees along the boule-
vaid. We are planting hope and prosperity."
Lew insky Tapes
R evealed
4
November IX. 1998
T h ir ty s e v e n ta p e s o f M o n ic a
L e w in s k y ’ s c o n v e r s a ti o n s w ith
L in d a T rip p a b o u t h e r a f f a ir w ith
P re s id e n t C lin to n w e re re le a s e d .
M rs. T rip p s e c r e tly re c o rd e d
L e w in s k y d u rin g th e ir p h o n e s e s ­
s i o n s a n d h a n d e d th e t a p e s o v e r
to I n d e p e n d e n t C o u n s e l K e n n e t h
S ta r r . C a b le n e w s c h a n n e ls lik e
F o x an d C N N w ill p r e s e n t e x ­
c e r p ts o f th e r e v e a lin g ta p e s fo r
te le v is io n .
The MLK Action Committee initiated the
revitalization project in the spring o f 1997. Tree
funding was provided by Pacific Power's "Green
Street" program and by the Portland Develop­
ment Commission and Oregon Department o f
Transportation.
This is the fourth year Pacific Power has
teamed up with Friends o ffices for a Green Street
project. The electric utility’s Green Street program
funds and administers in cooperation with Ftrends
ofTrees tree planting projects in business districts
showing an economic need and a strong commit­
ment to bettering the community.
Lower In te re s t R ates
S h o r t- te r m in te r e s t r a te s w ill
be re d u c e d by o n e -q u a rte r p e r­
c e n ta g e p o in t b y th e m o n e ta r y
p o lic y p a n e l o f th e F e d e r a l R e ­
se rv e B o a rd . T h e fe d e ra l fu n d s
r a t e d i o p is f r o m 5 p e r c e n t to
4 .7 5 p e r c e n t . T h i s r e c e n t r a t e c u t
is d u e to c o n t r o l s o n i n f l a t i o n
a n d th e n a t i o n ’ s s h a r p l y i n c r e a s ­
in g t r a d e d e f i c i t .
M e te o rs In Asia
T h e b i g g e s t m e t e o r s to r m in d e ­
c a d e s s t r e a k e d th e s k i e s f o r s p e c ­
ta to r s th r o u g h o u t A s ia . T h e m e ­
t e o r s w e r e f r o m th e l o n g t a i l o f
th e C o m e t T e m p e l - T u t t l e . E v e r y
33 y e a r s , th is c o m e t s p e e d s
th r o u g h th e in n e r s o la r s y s te m
a n d s h e d s s w a rm s o f p a r ti c le s as
it n e a r s t h e s u n . T h e h i s t o r i c a l
e v e n t g av e s c ie n tis ts an o p p o r tu ­
n i t y to g a t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n o n th e
c o m p o s i t i o n o f th e m e t e o r s h o w e r
and
l e a r n s o m e t h i n g a b o u t th e
o rig in o f life .
Asian S um m it
A n A s ia n S u m m it w ill b e h e ld
n e x t w ee k th a t in v o lv e s le a d e rs
o f 2 0 P a c i f i c c o u n t r i e s a n d th e
U n ite d S ta te s . A m a jo r to p ic o f
c o n c e r n w i l l b e a b o u t th e w o r l d
f i n a n c i a l c r i s i s . U .S . o f f i c i a l s a r e
o f f e r i n g s u p p o r t in t h e w a y o f
p r o p o s a ls th a t w o u ld h e lp d e b t-
rid d e n b a n k s a n d c o m p a n ie s .
B re a s t C an cer
U p date
A n ew s tu d y r e v e a ls th a t
w om en w ho eat b e e f and bacon
w e ll d o n e h a v e a fo u r tim e s
g r e a te r ris k o f d e v e lo p in g b r e a s t
c a n c e r th a n th o s e w h o e a t r a r e o r
m e d iu m r a r e m e a t . T h e b o d y p r o ­
d u c e s h e te r o c y c lic a m in e s a f te r
d ig e s tin g b u r n t m e a t w h ic h
c a u se s c a n c e r.
S m aller, C heaper
PCs
H a n d h e ld c o m p u te r s w ill be
o n e o f th e h o t t e s t o f f i c e p r o d ­
u c t s to c o m e . T h e s e d e v i c e s a r e
b u ilt fo r n o te - ta k in g , s e n d in g an d
r e c e iv in g e -m a il an d b ro w s in g
th e W e b . M o s t v e r s i o n s w ill
w e ig h l e s s th a n 3 p o u n d s a n d c o s t
l e s s th a n $ 1 ,0 0 0 .
Tobacco L aw su it
O r e g o n is c l o s e to a n n o u n c i n g
th e ir d e c is io n on w h e th e r o r n o t
to j o i n th e t w e l v e o t h e r s t a t e s in
a $ 2 0 6 b illio n s e ttle m e n t a g a in s t
th e t o b a c c o i n d u s t r y .
P r e s id e n t C lin to n p la n s o n e n d ­
in g to b a c c o a d v e r t i s e m e n t on
b illb o a r d s , p u b lic tr a n s p o r ta tio n
an d a p p a r e l. A n y c o m p e n s a tio n
m o n e y r e c e iv e d th r o u g h th e
s e ttle m e n t m ay n o t f in a n c ia lly
c o v e r h e a l t h c o s t s r e l a t e d to
sm o k in g .
I
Left to Right: Laura Tegman, George and Brooke Wagerblast, of Dirtworx
Company, join in the festivities of the Tree planting on MLK. Dirtworx built the new
median in which the trees will grow.
(Photo by M. Washington)
This project represents tl e beginning o f Phase
ublic, private and nonprofit partners
2 fortheM LKRevitalizatieieffortf a three phase
planted 27 trees in the median strip o f
project). It is also Pacific Power's "Green Street"
NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
on Saturday,November 14,1998. Pacific Power,
program designed to improvenusinessdistnets by
planting trees in partnership with Friends o f l tees.
Friends o f Trees, Portland Office o f Transporta­
The end result will be easier access to local
tion, Oregon Department o f Transportation and
Metro organized this planting which involved
businesses and beautification o f the King neigh­
volunteers from the Urban League, Tualatin High
borhood.
More than 50 volunteers from Tualatin High
School Key Club and the MLK Action Commit­
School Key Club, Pacific Power, Friends ofT rees
tee.
P
Shelia Holden, Community Business Manager for Pacific Power, Confers with
Andre' Baugh, Project Director, for the City of Portland Dept. of Transportation,
during the tree planting ceremony for the MLK revitalization effort.
(Photo by M. Washington)
Islam and Farrakhan: Two Differing Muslim Paths
pow erful body o f O rthodox M uslim s the
w orld over. W ithin the United States, “ Islam
any people m istakenly equate
is the fastest grow ing religion in A m erica,”
Islam orthodoxy w ith the N a­
says
First Lady, H illary Clinton.To date,
tion o flslam (headed by M inis­
there
are
ter Louis F arrakhan). As a com m on rel igious about 5 1/2 m illion M uslim s in the
U nited States.
phenom ena, there are follow ers who adhere
O rthodox M uslim life is grounded in the
strictly to their spiritual teachings and others
‘Five P illars’ o fls la m that includes a testi­
w ho take from it and digress. This is the case
m ony o f faith to one G od and one prophet
betw een the tw o M uslim factions. They
being M uham m ad, prayer, giving zakat (sup­
openly acknow ledge each o th er’s spiritual
port o f the needy), fasting during the m onth
differences w hile m aintaining that each has
o f R am adan in D ecem ber and taking a p il­
their place in w aking the consciousness o f the
grim age to M ecca once in a lifetim e for those
m asses to A llah (God) and his teachings
w ho are able.
through the Prophet M uhammad.
A nother leading M uslim group w ithin this
T h o seo f the Islamic faith are the singlemost
by J oy
R amos
M
country is the N ation o f Islam w hich has
w idespread appeal to A frican A m ericans.
T hrough M inister Louis Farrakhan as a
charism atic, controversial leader and m aster
tactician o f the m edia, he has and still contin­
ues to w in converts to his N ation o f Islam.
Their ideologies are a w ayw ard digression
from Islam ic Orthodoxy.
M inister Louis Farrakhan (bom Louis
Eugene W olcott) com bines the practices and
beliefs o f Islam with a philosophy o f Black
separatism , a m istrust o f W hite society and
anti-Sem itic thought. His extrem ist views
stem from passages in the Q u r’an (M uslim
Holy Book) and Bible that clearly defines the
historical struggle o f Pharoah’ s opposition to
M oses and A aron in the delivery o f Israel
from bondage in Egypt.
Criticism o f F arrakhan’s ideologies com e
from fellow M uslims as w ell. M any query his
personal b elief that Allah (God) appeared in
the person o f M aster W. Fard M uham m ad as
the long aw aited ‘M essiah’ o f the C hristians
and the M ahdi’ o f the M uslims. As for his
a lle g ia n c e to th e H o n o ra b le E lija h
M uham m ad as the ‘M essenger o f A llah’, it
challenges the traditional Islamic b elief in
M uham m ad ibnu A bdillah (bom in the year
569 C.E.) as the last prophet o f God.
C ontinued T o P age A2
Muslim Community To uild A New Mosque
by
Y ema M easho
A new building com plex is about to grace
the ever-grow ing Northeast Portland neigh­
borhood. The Portland M uslim C om m unity
C enter purchased a property at the com er o f
Bryant and M artin Luther King Jr. to build
a M asjid for its m em bers and a com m unity
center for the general public. The building
w ill include a child developm ent center,
housing units w ith underground parking lots
and a com m unity space for m eetings and
classes as well as a retail com plex.
"T his is an extension plan o f people w ho
have gone to their graves,” said M ikhail
H am m ed Shabazz, the Spiritual leader o f
the com m unity. “W e are here to fulfill our
p aren t’s dream .”
Both the apartm ent units and the child
care developm ent center will be open to
m em bers and non-m em bers. Hie housing
project is a fam ily-friendly effort with spa­
cious units intended to accom m odate ten­
ants w ith children The child developm ent
center will have a day care facility for after
school activities and a place for social func­
tions. The com m unity will also hold events
specifically geared for M uslim children.
Functions will be held for m em bers and
separate ones exclusively for non-m em bers.
T he com prehensive plan is also designed to
provide facilities for com m unity m eetings
and other activities. A ccording to Shabazz,
the center will be a boost to com m unity
businesses and neighborhood developm ents
as long as they are constructive to the com ­
m unity as a w hole.
“W hat w e are trying to do w ith o u r prop­
erty is to set up a m odel," said Shabazz, “a
model that ’ s not ju st an isolated m odel w here
M uslim s are all in their herds together and
everybody else outside. The idea is to have
C ontinued T o P age A2
A