April 14, 1999
(Tlie Portland (ßbseruer
1 9 9 9
EARTH
DAY
C E L E B R A T IO N
Community Connections To The Environment
Event date: April 24. 1999, from
10:00am-1:00pm at Matt Dishman
Com m unity Center, 77 NE Knott St.
Performances:
10 :45 a m -1 1:30 a m NW African
American Ballet Theater, Bruce Smith
11:30 AM-12:1 5 pm W isdom o f the
elders. Rose Dryer High Bear
A Few S tu d en t and A gency
Projects: Beaum ont Liz Jensvold
V ermaculture and com position bins
• Portsm outh M iddle School Doug
Saulter, Street Tree Inventory • Grant
High School Brick Street, Bio Swale
• Portland Parks, Com m unity G ar
dens Leslie Pohl-Kosbau, transplant
ing o f M angolds • Saturday A cad
em y S tacey R enfro, resto ratio n
project • Clear Corps Larry Ehrbar,
lead reduction.
Earth Day at Man Dishman Com
munity C enter is a student focused eco
logical forum. The students from local
schoob will present their en\ ironmen-
tal projects beuig completed during the
1998-1999 school year, lhese projects
reflect the environmental concerns of
the students and the solutions they hav e
developed for a greener tomorrow. The
projects vary from mapping where you
live in the local w atershed, to building
compost bias with vermaculture tech
niques. Portland Parks and Recreation
along withotherlocalcommunity agen
cies will also present environmental
projects.
The Earth Day celebration will
include performances by W isdom of
the Elders and The North West Afri
can American Ballet. 1 hese perform
ers are sensational professionals who
have volunteered their time to this
event. After the forum is over come
and enjoy a free swim for the entire
family in the Dishman pool! Oh. and
as always, refreshments will be served
for your enjoyment during this fun
filled day.
Also taking place during the cel
ebration is a w orkshop for the Pro
cession o f the Species Parade The
Parade starts at 1 p.m from the North
Park blocks at NW Davis and Broad
way and will make it's w ay to Pio
neer Courthouse Square. Now until
April 24, local artists, dancers and
musicians are holding free workshops
for construction o f masks. The Pro
cession workshops take place at the
Com munity Art Studio (the former
N ature’s) at 5909 SW Corbett. Call
Earth and spirit council for more
information 503-452-4483. I f you
have any questions abut the Earth
Day celebration call Portland Parks
and Recreation at 823-PLAY.
Ethnicity Linked To Energy
Output Of Teenage Girls
E thnicity m ay be the latest ad
d itio n to the list o f risk factors for
w eight gain am ong teenage girls,
according to a study published in
the M arch issue o f the Journal o f
C linical E ndocrinology and M e
tabolism .
"Low er energy output might help
explain the greater tendency o f A f
rican-A m erican girls and w omen
to becom e overw eight," said Dr.
W illiam W ong, a scientist w ith the
U SD A ARS C hildren’s N utrition
R esearch C enter and a professor o f
p ed iatrics at B aylor C ollege o f
M edicine in H ouston. A ccording
to governm ent data, 44 percent o f
A frican-A m erican adolescent girls
are considered overw eight, com
pared to 29 percent o f C aucasians.
T he stu d y in v o lv ed 81 norm al-
w e ig h t A fric a n - A m e r ic a n an d
C a u c a sia n girls b etw e en the ages
o f 12 and 17, w ho w ere m atched
fo r h e ig h t, w eig h t and p erc en t
b o d y fat. E ach girl co m p le te d a
fo o d d ia ry w h ile sp e n d in g 24
r, a a sp
sp ecial
e cia l
hou rs in a ca lo rim e te r,
room d esig n ed to m easu re the
nu m b er o f ca lo ries they b u rn ed
d u rin g v ario u s ac tiv itie s, such as
restin g and sleep in g .
The girls also received a dose o f
"lab eled w ater," w ater containing
special "tracers" o f oxygen and hy
drogen, before they returned to their
hom es and daily routines. A t the
end o f the 10-day period, the girls
turned in their food diaries and daily
sam ples o f saliva or urine they had
collected. The sam ples enabled re
searchers to determ ine the rates at
w hich the tracers disappeared from
their bodies. The difference in these
tw o rates provides an accurate m ea
sure o f the num ber o f calories that
had been burned.
F indings from the study show ed
that the av erag e daily calo ric in
take o f the girls in the tw o groups
w as n ot sig n ific an tly d iffe ren t.
H ow ever, the A frican -A m erican
girls b u rn ed an average o f 410
few er calo ries w hile d o in g their
n o rm al d aily a c tiv itie s an d 80
few
their
ie
w e er r a during
u n n g rest per
p e r day
u a y than
num m
en
C a u casian co u n terp arts.
A ccording to W ong, the large
d ifferen ce in energy use to r daily
activity betw een the tw o groups is
a concern. Fat accum ulation ac ce l
erates during puberty, w hich is also
the tim e that m ost girls tend to
d ecrease their ph y sical activity.
“ T his low er level o f energy use
m ight be putting A frican -A m eri
can adolescent girls at g reater risk
for excessive w eight g ain ," said
W ong. O verw eight teens often b e
com e overw eight adults w ho face
an increased risk to r diabetes, ca r
diovascular disease, jo in t problem s,
and som e types o f cancer.
“W hether the A frican-A m erican
g irls’ low er energy use is related to
less ph y sical activity or som e oth er
factor is not clear. But, if w e can
identify the factors causing the d e
crease in energy use, w e m ight be
able to b etter design intervention
program s to help children at risk
for w eig h t gain and related m edical
p ro b lem s,” said W ong.
Girls to Expand Horizons
at Career Conference
tio n so u rc e s o n th e W eb, th e
Multnomah Com m issiononChildren
and Families will share the surprising
results o f its survey o f student assets,
pediatrician Kathy Masarie will tell
how to build healthy self-esteem in
girls, Thresa Levy o f the Oregon De
partment o f Education will discuss
the luture o f education, and historian
Jane Burch-Pesses will discuss women
scientist and mathematicians ignored
in traditional history classes.
Cost is $4 for girls. A dm ission is
free for adults accom panied by a
student. To register, call Bonnie
Randolph, Expanding Your H ori
zons, at (503)916-5840, Ext. 328, or
N ancy Huppertz, (503) 691-1166.
Lewis & Clark C ollege and Ex
panding Y our H orizons will host a
career conference for parents and
their daughters in grades 6 through
12, Saturday, April 17, 8 a m. to 1
p.m , at Lewis & Clark College, 0615
S.W Palatine Hill Road.
The career conference will offer
girls, parents, teachers and counse
lors an opportunity to learn about a
variety o f careers; to talk to women
in non-traditional occupations such
as engineering aviation and autom o
tive repair; and to m eet positive fe
m ale role m odels. The conference
also aims to boost young girls’ inter
est in m athem atics and science.
N ancy W ilgenbusch, president o f
M arylhurst U niversity, will present
the keynote address "M ake the fu
ture Work: Pursue Y our Passion," at
8:45 a.m. in Agnes FlanaganC hapel.
Following W ilgenbusch’s address,
girls may attend a series o f w ork
shops, and parents and teachers may
attend adult sessions.
The Saturday conference will in
clude more than a dozen concurrent
w orkshops hosted by w om en in dif
ferent professions. M em bers o f the
Association o f W om en in A utom o
tive will talk about their different
professions. M em bers o t the A sso
ciation ofW om en in Automotive will
talk about their careers and offer car-
care tips. Electricians will dem on
strate O hm ’s law w hile w iring a low-
voltage light switch. A n agent with
the F B I’s Drug Squad w ill talk about
fingerprinting, bullet-proof vests, and
her career as a special agent.
A firefighter, a pipefitter and a sheet
metal worker will talk about their jobs.
A team o f women in geology will talk
about earthquake and topographic map
ping. A veterinarian will talk about
keeping pets healthy and happy. Other
presenters include a graphic artist, a
software engineer, a financial planner
and women from sports related careers.
The conference will feature sev
eral adult sessions; Joy W allace o f the
Columbia Education Center will show
parents how to find college prepara
Expanding Your Horizons, a na
tional, nonprofit, volunteer organiza
tion, hosts the annual career confer
ence. S ponsors are M ultnom ah
County G irls’ Initiative Network at
Lewis & Clark College, American
Association o f University Women,
Association o f W omen in Automo
tive, Clackamas Gender Equity Team,
Colum bia Education Center, Intel
Foundation, Colum bia W illamette
Area Health Education Center, North
west Regional Educational Labora
tory, Oregon T rades women Network,
Oregon Department o f Education,
Portland Regional G ender Equity
Team, Portland Public Schools and
Tektronix Inc.
Senior Property Tax
Deferral Deadline
Approaching
The deadline for filing for the
senior property tax deferral program
is fast approaching. T he O regon
Department o f Revenue rem inds tax
payers that April 15 is the date to get
applications in to county assessors.
A pplications and inform ation are
available by calling The local county
assessor's office.
"The senior deferral program al
lows qualified senior citizens to de
fer paym ent o f their property taxes
on their hom e,” explained Shirley
L e ip e r,
s u p e rv is o r
of
th e
departm ent's Senior Deferral Unit.
“ State governm ent pays the taxes to
the county, m aintains the account,
and charges only 6% sim ple interest,
w hich is also deferred."
To qualify for the p rogram , se
n io r citizens m ust m eet the fo llo w
ing criteria:
•They mast be 62 years o f age or
older by April 15 ofthe year they apply;
•It must be for the principal resi
dence only, they m ust live on the
property, and have a deed or re
corded sales contract;
•They only have to file once un-
less they rem arry or are a surviving
spouse;
Their household income must be
less than $24,500 for the year before
they apply. Once on the program they
must meet an annual test o f a federal
adjusted gross income o f $29,000 or
less to participate for that year.
•Taxes are owed when the taxpayer
receiving the deferral dies, sells the
property, changes ownership, orceases
to live permanently on the property.
A surviving spouse can continue to
defer past and future taxes ifhe/she is at
least 59 '/; and files a new application.
For additional inform ation, tax
payers may contact the departm ent's
Tax Help representatives at 503-378-
4988. From January through April
the toll-free num ber within Oregon
is 1-800-356-4222. Spanish speak
ers may call 503-945-8618 to leave a
message. For TTY (hearing or speech
impaired only), the year-round toll-
free num ber within Oregon is 1-800-
886-7204. In Salem the num ber is
503-945-8617. These numbers are
answered by m achine only and are
not for voice use.
REMINDER: April 15th is Tax Day!
e done or file an extension!
Crv For Kosovo
E T H N IC
C L E A N S IN G
IS A L I V E
IN
EUROPE
Today 700,000 Kosovar refugees face hunger, disease and death in the
w orst humanitarian disaster on the continent since W orld W ar II.
The majority are women, children and the elderly driven from their
homes at gunpoint. By the hundreds of thousands, the refugees are
arriving this week in Albania, Montenegro and Macedonia with no food
or shelter - but with terrifying sto
ries of burning villages and mass
executions. Chillingly, the men
are largely absent.
Mercy Corps is there
helping right now.
Mercy Corps International, based
here in Oregon, is providing food,
water, blankets and medical aid to
m o re than
refugees
100,000 K osovar
rig h t now.
W e've
"(M ercy Corps) has more experience in
Kosovo than any other such group.”
worked in Kosovo since 1993, led
- T h e W ashington Post
by Terry Heselius, a businessman
from Albany, Oregon. Today we re on the front lines, helping people
More than 92 percent of Mercy Corps’ resources go directly to help people in need, like this young refuge^ m D u b o v a c ^ ^ ............
YES! !
I want to send a Mercy Corps Family Food Pack to a Kosovar
family fleeing the fighting and bloodshed. Enclosed is my gift of:
who have lost everything - homes, farms, jobs and loved ones. But
we desperately need your help.
"I $35 to send one Family Food Pack
(feeds a family of six for one month!)
Pack with enough wheat, pasta, rice, cooking oil, meat and other
food to sustain a refugee family of six fo r one month. Please help
save lives and send a message of hope to the people of Kosovo.
o
’ J
MERCY
CORPS
IN T E R N A T IO N A L
“ 1 $70 to send 2 Family Food Packs
Z 'P -
"I $105 to send 3 Family Food Packs
Phone (
"1 $ 2 10 to send 6 Family Food Packs
“ I $490 to send 14 Family Food Packs
"M ercy Corps’ efficient humanitarian programs are transforming the lives o f poor fami
lies overseas and here in the Pacific Northwest. Mercy Corps is a shining example o f
64IO/AQK-PO
- Senator Mark O. Hatfield, Honorary Chairman, Mercy Corps International
State
City___
“ 1$
as possible
the role all o f us con play in lessening suffering and oppression
Apt.,
Address,
Your gift can save lives today.
Your gift today of just $35 can send a Mercy Corps Family Food
Name
to send as much aid
).
Send your check with this coupon to:
Mercy Corps International
Kosovo Relief Fund, Dept. A
P. O. Box 9
Portland, OR, USA 97207
Gifts are tax-deductible to the
full extent allowed by law
Kosovo updates: www.mercycorps.org
Pledge your support today by calling
I -80Q-852-2 I 00
a.
O
X