JAN. 6, 1999 Œlje IJnrtkuifc ©Iwrtter Page A8 What To Do When Gold Threatens Water Pipes More Stores Selling Tobacco To Minors Weather forecast predict very cold temperatures, well below freezing ai rtight, for next week. Prop­ erty owners can take some simple precautions to keep water pipes from freezing. Officials say retailers must be more responsible in training their clerks T h e la te s t r e s u lts fro m s ta te ­ w id e in s p e c tio n s sh o w th e n u m ­ b e r o f r e ta il s to r e s s e llin g to ­ b a c c o to m in o rs h a s in c re a s e d , c a u s in g c o n c e rn fo r s ta te o f f i­ c ia ls w o rk in g to r e d u c e y o u th s m o k in g in O re g o n . A m o n ito rin g p r o g ra m a d m in ­ is te re d b y th e O re g o n O ff ic e o f A lc o h o l an d D ru g A b u se P ro ­ g ram s sh o w s th a t m in o rs w ere a b le to b u y to b a c c o 29 p e rc e n t o f th e tim e in 1 9 98, c o m p a re d w ith a p u r c h a s e r a te o f 2 3 .6 p e r ­ c e n t in 1 9 9 7 . R a te s o f s a le s r a n g e d f r o m 1 1 p e r c e n t in M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty to an a v e r ­ ag e 48,1 p e rc e n t in c e n tr a l an d e a s te rn O re g o n c o u n tie s . F o r the la te s t su rv e y , 6 8 9 s to re s s ta te ­ w id e w e re in s p e c te d . “ I t ’s d is m a y in g ,” sa y s B a rb a ra C im a g lio , O A D A P d ir e c to r in S ale m . “ E ac h d a y th e e q u iv a le n t o f a c la s s ro o m fu ll o f O re g o n k id s s ta rts u s in g to b a c c o . I ’m c o n fid e n t th a t r e ta ile r s a re as c o n c e rn e d as w e a re a b o u t th is p ro b le m , b u t s to re s n e e d to be d o in g a b e tte r jo b c h e c k in g id e n ­ tif ic a tio n to m ak e su re th a t to ­ b a c c o p ro d u c ts a r e n 't b e in g so ld to m in o r s .” O n ly p e rs o n s 18 a n d o ld e r can le g a lly UUlVuaov p u rc h a s e v c ig a r e tte s — an --- d o th e r to b a c c o p ro d u c ts in O r ­ egon. E lin o r H a ll, a d m in is tra to r o f th e O re g o n H e a lth D iv is io n in P o rtla n d , w as a la rm e d by th e r e ­ su lts . “ W e n e e d th e s u p p o rt o f th e r e ta il c o m m u n ity to tu rn th is d is m a l s itu a tio n a r o u n d ,” sh e sa y s. " I ’m s u re m a n a g e rs an d o w n e rs w ill a g re e th a t a 3 0 -p e r- c e n t fa ilu re ra te is b o th u n a c ­ c e p ta b le an d f ix a b le .” F o r th e in s p e c tio n s , y o u th s 14 to 16 y e a rs o ld , a c c o m p a n ie d by sta te p o lic e o f fic e r s , a tte m p t to b u y c ig a r e tte s o r s m o k e le ss to ­ b a c c o . O ff ic ia ls k e e p tra c k o f w h e th e r c le rk s ask fo r an d ch e c k id e n tif ic a tio n , th e ty p e o f sto re an d o th e r s ta tis tic s . C le rk s w h o se ll to m in o rs c a n b e fin e d up to $500. N e a rly 66 p e rc e n t o f th e sa le s to m in o rs in th e la te s t in s p e c ­ tio n s r e s u lte d a f te r th e c le rk h ad a s k e d f o r a n d r e c e i v e d th e m in o r 's id e n tif ic a tio n sh o w in g th e b u y e r ’s d a te o f b irth . S o m e s t o r e s u s e s c a n n e r s to h e lp c le rk s c o m p u te th e c o rre c t age. A re c e n t H e a lth D iv is io n s u r­ v ey sh o w e d th a t th e in s p e c tio n s m ig h t u n d e r e s tim a te th e p r o b ­ lem o f ille g a l to b a c c o sa le s. T h a t su rv e y o f O re g o n n in th - th ro u g h * — 1 2 th -g ra d e rs r e v e a le d th a t 42 p e rc e n t o f th o se w h o sm o k e r e ­ p o rte d th e y b o u g h t c i g a r e tt e s from a sto re o r s e rv ic e s ta tio n in th e p re v io u s m o n th , a n d th a t 58 p e rc e n t w ere a b le to b u y c ig a ­ re tte s ev e ry tim e th e y trie d . At th e sam e tim e , h o w e v e r, e ffo rts by th e O re g o n D e p a rt­ m e n t o f H u m an R e s o u r c e s to r e d u c e to b a c c o c o n s u m p t i o n h av e b ee n su c c e ssfu l. C o n s u m p ­ tio n o v e ra ll has d ro p p e d in th e sta te b y 10 p e rc e n t sin c e v o te rs ap p ro v e d a to b a c c o p r e v e n tio n a n d e d u c a tio n p ro g ra m in 1996. In th e fu tu re , th e r e d u c tio n w ill sa v e 6 0 0 liv e s an d $ 1 5 0 m illio n e a c h y e a r th at u se sta y s d o w n . A ccording to a H ealth D iv isio n survey, 97 percent o f O reg o n ian s feel it’s im portant to keep stores from sellin g tobacco to m inors. S ta te s th a t a r e n ’t s h o w in g c o n ­ tin u e d d e c re a se s in sa le s to m i­ n o rs are re v ie w in g re s u lts from o th e r sta te s. S e v e ra l sta te s , in ­ clu d in g W a sh in g to n , th a t h av e sa les ra te s o f 20 p e rc e n t o r lo w er h av e lic e n sin g re q u ire m e n ts w ith e s c a la tin g m o n e ta r y f in e s fo r sto re o w n ers fo u n d to b e v io la t­ ing th e to b a c c o sa le s law s. O r­ eg o n d o es n o t h av e lic e n s in g r e ­ q u ire m e n ts for re ta ile rs. Inform ation about preventing and thaw ing freezing pipes is also available at the W ater B ureau’s w eb site: http:/ /w w w . w a ter.ci.p o rtla n d .o r.u s/4 d .h tm W h e n 'f a e m g tem peratures threaten w ater pipes, property ow ners can lake som e sim ple precautions to P^ -r- .‘. J ‘A * ; ■■■ 2 'f * • X is the largest p rivate p rovider o f shelter care in O regon. N etw ork B ehavioral H ealthcare, a nonprofit m ental health and addiction treat­ m ent agency, op erates Roots and B ranches, a co unseling program o f com prehensive treatm ent and case m an ag em en t serv ices for sexual m in o r ity y o u th . R o o ts a n d B ranches recently received a grant from the E quity F oundation to su p ­ port shelter care for this p o p u la­ tion and is collaborating w ith the B oys and G irls A id Society to cre­ ate and m aintain culturally-appro- To repair the broken pipe, you may want to call a plumber. — Man Lives Not By Technology Alone By Prof. McKinley Burt The original maxim, ‘ ‘Man lives not by bread’ alone” is quite familiar to most o f us. And a recent session with a group o f parents and their youth indicated concern that, in die great rush to m eet' Year 2000’ with all o f its technical challenges, there could be an eminent danger that certain basic and necessary elements o f the human condition might be neglected. That is not going to happen here and I appreciate a parent’s suggestion that we introduce this New \ ear with an article that deepens our understanding o f file black m an’s well-earned place in the scheme o f things - and o f his stellar performance on the world’s stage. I can think o f no better vehicle to accomplish this purpose than a re­ prise o f a wide-ranging article o f mine that was published in the Observer, July 20, 1989. This piece received widespread favorable comment and surfaced in many a classroom. Though quite aware o f die pres­ sures upon all o f us in this mechanistic world, I will strive to achieve a human­ istic balance in my contributions. That article follows. Have a Happy New Year! In 1803 the size o f the United States was doubled by tens o f millions ofacres when Napoleon startled presi­ dent Thomas Jefferson by suddenly offering him the entire Louisiana Ter­ ritory at a bargain basement price. This acquisition was quickly followed on by the Lewis and Clark expedition which soon verified the importance o f the prize. We further disclosed-documented by the S t Helena correspondence o f Napoleon-that his (Napoleon’s) deci­ sion to get out o f the Americas was precipitated by file ever present threat o f file African freedom fighters in the Western Hemisphere. He rightly con­ cluded that there was no way he could handle the Black problem o f continu­ ous slave revolts in the West Indies, and at the same time defend this over­ seas empire against the challenge o f the British the Spanish and the Ameri­ cans who were empire-minded them­ selves. Napoleon s correspondence pointedly cites the Black hero o f the H aitian slave revolt. T o u ssain t Louverature, as the turning point in his decision: My foUy was the w ay I handled T oussaint..! lost my army and then 1 lost Haiti”. Now, what does current commen­ tary have to say about all the African interaction in the affairs of the French nation? My July 6th pronouncement that American history is white neigh­ borhood turf is v alidated by the current issue o f the national Geographic Maga­ zine. The entire issue allegedly devoted to the history o f France, “France Cel­ ebrates Its Bicentennial” . What is not celebrated here is the key role o f many African individuals and importations. The American authors limit us to a few photos o f half-naked entertainers and models, and a discourse on a Muslim ghetto o f “African immigrants". In­ cluded is a ridiculous and demeaning photo o f my mothers cousin. Josephine Baker. There is, o f course, no mention o f any o f the Black mov ers and shakers I have described here in these past three weeks: No General Alexander Dumas (or the other eleven Black generals who made the Napoleonic reputation); Noth­ ing on his son and grandson, novelists and playwrights who-like the African Pushkin in Russia-pushed the nation’s belle letters to international acclaim, creating the modem French theatre; and nothing at all on Napoleon’s African expedition which brought back culture and technology tliat sparked a new Re­ naissance-new modalities in mathemat­ ics, furniture and dress, not to mention getting the Louvre museum o ff to a flying start We would note also that there was no mention o f a later and most important “import” from France’s African colo­ nies. This was the Impressionist style o f painting and sculpture (Modem Art) which fundamentally changed the ap­ proach to art, and to philosophy as well. Especially, the African sculpture from Nigeria and Dahomey demonstrated through abstractions that there was another wav to reveal the core of real­ ity. Applying these new concepts to their brushes, painters like Picasso, Kloe, Cezanne, Van Gogh and others now learned that there was a way. other than literal representation, to abstract and render the very soul and essence o f existence. Much in the way that Afri­ can Americans did with Jazz. Before 1 close this senes on “Afri­ can Interaction in France ”, allow m e to add some relevant errata Napoleon’s playgirl sister, Pauline Bonaparte, was j sent to Haiti to save him further em­ barrassment. Here, according to news­ papers o f the time, she successively became lover to two o f Toussaint I Louverture’s generals, Petion, later president o f Haiti, and Christophe. I later Henry I, Placide, the son o f Toussaint, married a French Noble­ woman. Marie Josephine, daughter o f the Marquis de LaCazo, bodyguard o f Louis IVI (see I.A. Rogers,“YourHis- tory”_. The heir to the throne Napoleon built. Prince Napoleon, ironically was killed by Africans in the Zulu War o f 1869 (Rogers. “World’s Great Men o f Color Vol.Il.p.239). In her column in I “TheOregonian,”July 12,CorettaScott King, comments on the French Bicen­ tennial, citing file black author Barbara Chase Riboud. This is the woman who has written the most definitive book, "SallyHemings"onThomasJefterson’s I rom antic hypocrisies w ith Black women, while holding African slaves. And did you notice the Arch de Triumph, that striking structure fre- j quently featured during the television coverage o f the French Bicentennial. It is an exact replica o f a principal gate o f the ancient African city, Thebes- described by the Greek oral poet, Homer, as “one o f the sev en wonders o f fiie world.” Can we not rise again with this type o f motivation? W ho indeed was it who said. “He who does not know his his­ tory is doomed to repeat it ? Let s j hold the fort this time! Start the New Year off Right! K M III) • S iU K M Mt. Hood Com m unity College Gresham priate host hom es. For m ore inform ation on the Shel­ ter C are program , call E lizabeth C h am b ers at 50 3 /2 2 2 -9 6 6 1 , ext. 258. H K ,'s A Z .f 5