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September 1, 1999
(The Çortlanh (©baeruer
I A L
E D IT O R IA L A
B y D aryl
G reen
|3ortlaub
USPS 959 680
Established 1970
S T A F F
B L I S H E R
Charles Washington
d it o r
Larry J. Jackson, Sr.
C
E
opy
d it o r
Jov Ramos
B
M
u s in e s s
A
d m in is t r a t iv e
ir e c t o r
of
A
s s is t a n t
d v e r t is in g
Tony Washington
G
r a p h ic
D
e s ig n e r
Heather Fairchild
D
is t r ib u t io n
M
anager
M ark Washington
C
o n t r ib u t in g
W
r it e r
Richard Luccetti
4747 NE Martin Luther
King, Jr. Blvd.
Portland, OR 97211
503-288-0033
Fax 503 288-0015
e-mail pdxobserv@aol.com
P ostmaster :
Send address changes to
PO Box 3 1 3 7
Portland, OR 9 7 2 0 8
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D E A D L IN E S
FOR ALL SUBMITTED MATERIALS:
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The Portland Observer welcomes
freelance submissions Manuscripts and
photographs should he clearly labeled
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design display ads become the sole
property o f the newspaper and cannot
be used in other publications or per­
sonal usage without the written consent
o f the general manager, unless the c li­
ent has purchased the composition o f
such ad © 1996 TH E PO R TLA N D
A L L R IG H T S R E ­
S E R V E D . R E P R O D l'C T IO N
IN
W H O L E O R IN P A R T W IT H O U T
P E R M IS S IO N IS P R O H IB IT E D .
The Portland Observer--Oregon's
Oldest Multicultural Publication-is a
member o f the National Newspaper As­
sociation-Founded in 1885. and The
National Advertising Representative
A m algam at'd Publishers. Inc. New
York. N Y . and The West Coast Black
Publishers Association • Serving Port­
land and Vancouver
and fam ily life. Can we really
have it all? A m ericans have
become very busy people. Be­
cause society teach es us we
can have it a ll, we becom e
frenzied trying to fu lfill the
A m erican D ream H o w ev er,
life is re a lly a b o u t tr a d e ­
offs.A fter many sch ed u le co n ­
flicts and m isu n d erstan d in g s,
our family came to the con­
clusion that we co uld not co n ­
tinue to segm ent o ur life as if
the other parts did not exist.
M anaging a fam ily is d ifficu lt.
It is an ev e r-c o m p ro m isin g ,
c o lla b o r a tin g , c o n f r o n tin g ,
avoiding, and n eg o tiatin g p ro ­
cess. Below are som e helpful
tips to increase your success
in m anaging your fam ily:
1. Fam ily focus. C reate a
w ritten fam ily plan to balance
your work and fam ily life .2.
P rio ritiz e . D eterm in e w h a t’s
really im portant to your fam ­
ily. This w ill allow you to b e t­
te r s c h e d u le y o u r t i m e . 3.
C om m itm ent. D o n 't ov erco m ­
m it y o u rse lf to too m any o r­
g an izatio n s or p eo p le.4. L is­
ten. Set asid e tim e for your
c h ild re n . A c c o rd in g to one
s tu d y , th e a v e ra g e p a re n ts
spends only 15 m inutes a day
per c h ild .5. P lanning. Allow
your ch ild ren to pick one m a­
jo r ac tiv ity for the sem ester.
M any p a re n ts try to do too
m uch ( b a ll e t, s o c c e r, G irl
S couts, etc.) and get stressed.
6. Fam ily calendar.
E stablish a fam ily calendar
to b e t t e r s c h e d u le e v e n ts
around your fa m ily .7. R efo ­
cus. Lim it the am ount o f TV/
com puter gam e tim e th at you
and your ch ildren h av e.8. Fam ­
ily tim e. Set aside at least one
day a w eek w ith your fam ily
(q u iet tim e) w here you focus
on its n e e d s.9. School time.
S ch ed u le p la n n e d /u n p la n n e d
t r i p s to y o u r c h i l d r e n ’s
sch o o ls. It show s them you
c a r e . 10. P h y s ic a l tim e. Set
aside perso n al tim e for ex e r­
c i s e . 11. M en tal tim e. Know
w hen you are stressed and take
action.
R em em ber, the home is the
basic foundation for our so ci­
ety and strong com m unities are
b u ilt by strong fam ilies who
can p roperly balance work and
fa m ily .D a ry l and E s tra le tta
G reen, T h irtysom ethings with
ch ildren, are national speakers
and fam ily advisors. They ap ­
ply a lo g ical fam ily process
sprinkled w ith common sense
and sp iritu ality .
unending cycle.
critical acceptance o f duplic­
The only people who benefit
ity and deceit it beams at us 24/
are the dope p u sh ers, retail
7
/3
6
5
.
We
are
d
is
c
o
u
ra
g
e
d
You can’t hide from yourself.
stores, charlatans and con art­
from thinking for ourselves,
Everywhere you go, there you
ists o f all stripes and sizes.If life
m aking decisions, or shaping
a r e .” L y ric s from a T eddy
is designed to be lived from the
our lives in integrity with our
Pendergrass song.M any people
inside out and you desire a better
best interests and our highest
m istakenly believe that chang­
life, where is the obvious place to
good. Becoming self-actualized
ing where they live will m agi­
make changes and improvements?
whole people is not prom oted.
cally transform their lives. Not
On the inside, of course! Stop and
Too many o f us are frustrated,
so. Yes, a different environm ent
think about your life. What it
fearful and dissatisfied with our­
may inspire you to have a differ­
would take to make you really
selves and the quality and tenor
ent perspective on life, for a
happy? Is it a new house, a new
o f our lives. We have listened to
while.
car. Big Willie lifestyle, “power”
an
d
b
ee
n
s
e
d
u
c
e
d
by
the
However, as the song “You
and status in the eyes of the com­
eurocentric
siren
song
that
says,
C an’t Hide From Y o u rse lf’ so
munity? Guess what, there are
conform
,
buy,
seek
life
in
the
aptly says, “everyw here you go,
countless people who have all
external,
ignore
your
authentic
there you are.” M eaning, you
that and they are still miserable.
self
and
your
soul.
Escapism
is
can run, but you can ’t escape
Why? Because they haven’t real­
the order of the day.
from yourself.Life is designed to
ized that the genesis for happi­
We seek escape from the frus­
be lived from the inside out. We
ness lies within. If you hate your­
tra tio n s , d is s a tis fa c tio n and
are souls with great creative po­
self, moving into a stately man­
alienation that characterizes our
te n tia l. We have p o w ers o f
oppression. We defect from san­
im agination, visualization, will,
ity and liberation retreating into
discernm ent, the ability to gen­
consum
erism , shallow relation­
erate em o tio n al force field s
ships
and
mood altering sub­
within ourselves and create ob­
stances.
However,
when we ex­
jects, circum stances that we en­
perience
a
glim
pse
o f sobriety
vision in our m ind’s eye.
and
reality,
we
realize
that our
We are powerful beings en­
lives
haven’t
changed
or im ­
dowed with skills and talents to
proved, so we take more drugs,
dominate our personal space and
enter into yet another debilitat­
to a large degree our lives. This
ing relationship, or we purchase
is how the C reator envisioned
additional gizm os and gadgets
and planned it for us. However,
thinking they will bring us joy
we live in a society that pro­
and happiness. It becomes an
motes blind conform ity and un­
sion will not keep you happy tor
long. Nor will having five or six
cars, a fat bank account, fine
women or handsome men depend­
ing upon you.
It all boils down to you. You
could travel to paradise, but if you
have self-negating b e lie f and
value systems, low self-esteem
and hate anyone who remotely
resembles you, you will not enjoy
it. You see everywhere you go
there you are.If you desire true
happiness and peace o f mind it
can only be found on the inside.
First you need to change your fo­
cus. The universe is mental. En­
ergy follows thought. Does that
mean what we see doesn’t exist or
is an illusion? No. It just means
that m e n ta l/sp iritu a l energy
undergirds all matter. If you re-
ally desire change in your life,
you must first initiate lasting
change in your inner mental world.
Life is what you say it is and what
you make it. Do you have absolute
control over everything in your
life?
No. But you do over how you
define and respond to everything
in your life. You don’t have to be
a puppet dangling on the stings of
outward circumstances or con­
vention. Redefine yourself to/for
yourself. You are far greater than
you realize, you are immensely
more talented and resourceful
than you imagine. Get to know the
real you. Discover and actualize
your hidden potential. Love, honor
and respect yourself. This way ev­
erywhere you go, you’ll find bring
real love, respect and honor.
Get The Lead Out
Now Conference
September 9 th
Portland Observer
OBSERVER
front o f the school. Y our son
d o e sn ’t want to get out o f the
c a r .F i n a l l y , y o u a r r iv e at
w ork. late. You try to unw ind
and make the best o f the day.
Y our boss com es by your o f­
fice and asks w h a t's w rong.
You tell him i t ’s the first day
o f school. He says he u n d er­
s ta n d s . s m ile s at y o u , and
shuts the door.D oes this sound
fam iliar? As m uch as we hate
to adm it it, going “ B ack-T o-
S ch o o l” can be very stressfu l
for m ost fam ilies. C hildren are
expected to be nervous. They
are m oving into new areas o f
learn in g and being exposed to
d iffe re n t th in g s. Som e w ill
need to n u rtu re new frie n d ­
ships. And m any parents m ust
also cope w ith changes. The
q u estio n that m any fa m ilies
face is how to balance work
B> J lniols R icardo S tanton
Talunaka Washington
D
E straletta
You Can’t Escape From Yourself
anager
Gary Ann Taylor
A
&
Sum m er is over. These days
the alarm rings at 5:30 am You
get out o f bed. You w ake the
kids. No one w ants to get up
You lay back dow n. A fter you
hit the snooze b utton for the
fourth tim e, you n o tice that
everyone is up. The kids are
arguing about who gets in the
bathroom . You need to get to
work by 8:30. One ch ild c a n ’t
fin d h er s h o e s . T he o th e r
d o e sn ’t want to eat cold c e ­
real. You push them out o f the
house into the car. I t ’s the first
day o f school. You ca refu lly
m aneuver through the heavy
tra f fic o f s tre s s e d p a r e n ts .
Some try to cut in line. T here
d o esn ’t seem to be m uch c o n ­
trol. You edge your way to the
© b s e ru e r
E
Æljc ^ o r lh tn b (Jibaerucr
‘Back To School’: How To Gain More Control
< T l|e
P l
R T IC L E S DO NO T NEC E S S A R IL Y R E F L E C T OR R E P R E S E N T T H E V IE W S OE
Because o f advances in treat­
ment and media attention focused
on the health risks of lead, there is
a new, more pubi ic awareness of the
dangers of lead poisoning in hous­
ing. This awareness has resulted in
a coalition to provide information
and resources to landlords as a cru­
cial player in lead abatement solu­
tions.
The coalition is planning a com­
prehensive seminar on lead abate­
ment strategies for landlords and
property managers to be held Sep­
tember 9,h at the Oregon Conven­
tion Center. This seminar is further
proving that Portland is an innova­
tor and model for the rest o f the
country. It is rare that regulators
and the regulated can come together
to work to address a common con­
cern!
This coalition is comprised of
the Housing Authority o f Portland,
landlord associations such as
Metro Multifamily Housing Asso­
ciation and the Oregon Rental Hous­
ing Association, the Multnomah
County Health Department, the City
of Portland through various bureaus,
and my involvement representing
the Portland Housing Center.
To register landlords or property
managers for the Conference, call
either Metro Multifamily Housing
Association at 503/226-4533 or the
Oregon Rental Housing Associa­
tion at 503/249-1728. Renters or
homeowners who have questions
about lead abatement can call the
Multnomah County Lead Poisoning
Reduction Unit at 503/248-3842, ext.
245. •
Please help get the word out so
that we can get the Lead Out Now!
Victoria Anderson
Landlord Tenant Fair Housing
Specialist
Portland Housing Center
503/282-1964
ATTENTION READERS!
Please take a minute to send us your comments We re
always trying to give you a better paper and we can t do that
without your help. Tell us what you like and what you think
needs improving... suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
We can take constructive criticism Get your powerful pens out
and address letters to:
Editor, Reader Reaponae The Portland Observer
P.O.Box 3137Portland, OR 9 7 2 0 8
Thank you for taking the time to give us some feedback.
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