Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, September 29, 1999, Image 1

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    Volume W I N , Number 3S
Superstar creates
signature CD
See B5
Sección
en
Español
ITU E WEEK
I HE I M
REVIEW
Moscow Building
Explosion
At least 23 people had died
and dozens m ore feared dead
in a bom b explosion that p u l­
verized an e ig h t-sto ry a p a rt­
ment b u ild in g in M oscow . Lo­
cal o ffic ia ls said that the blast
was a te rro ris t act and was
caused by a gas leak or e x p lo ­
sives p o ssib ly stored in the
b u ild in g . M ore th a n 200
people have died in explosions
in R ussia during the past two
w eeks.
East Timor
Evacuation
The U n ited N atio n s post
poned the w ithdraw al o f local
and in te rn a tio n a l U.N. s ta ff
from D ili despite an e sc a la ­
tion o f vio len ce in the area.
A bout 2 ,000 E ast T im o rese
had taken refuge on the com ­
pound. The U nited S tates has
no plans to c o n trib u te to any
peacekeeping force for In d o ­
nesia.
Earthquake in
Greece
127 people w ere killed in
the d e ad liest earthquake to hit
G reece in m ore than 40 years.
The death toll from the dam ­
age is expected to clim b to 140
with 13 people m issing and
presum ed dead.
Rwandan Bishop
Goes on Trial
A ugustin M isago w ill be the
first C atholic bishop to go on
tria l for genocide. He was a c ­
cused o f p a rtic ip a tin g in the
m urder o f h a lf a m illion T utsis
in R w anda that was led by an
extrem ist Hutu governm ent be­
tw een A pril and July 1994.
Gun Buyback Offer
A $15 m illion federal gun
b u y b ack p lan by P re s id e n t
C linton w ill get guns o ff the
streets by giving local police
d epartm ents up to $500,000 to
buy guns in and around public
housing p ro jects for a “ sug­
gested p ric e ” o f $50. The guns
w ill be d estro y ed , the W hite
H ouse said.
Global Y2K
Readiness
T h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l C iv i
aviation O rganization, a U.N.
iased group th at sets interna-
ional flig h t stan d ard s, deter-
nined th at 53 c o u n tries had
till not responded to a survey
if th e ir a irp o rt and a irlin e
ead in ess for the Y ear 2000
¡om puter problem . The orga-
liz a tio n had a sk e d its 185
nem bers to respond by July 1.
Bulk Rate
Multnomah County
unite with PPS for
Latino Summit
See Page B6_________
50>
September 29, 1999
Committed to Cultural Diversity
U.S. Postage
Look for Popeye
Special Inside!
_
PAID
Portland, OR
Permit No. 1610
Portland And Oregon Welcome
First-Ever Class Trip From Japan
O n Septem ber 22nd and 23rd 540 students
traveled w ith their teachers from the Tokyo-
area Shukutoku Yono High School to pursue
a w eek-long educational adventure in O r­
egon. In Japan, ju n io r and senior high schools
plan an annual school trip for all m em bers o f
a grade level. T raditional destinations for
these class trips w ere historical and cultural
sites w ithin Japan. In recent years, how ever,
schools have sought to reflect the growing
importance o f international education by plan­
ning trips to nearby countries such as Korea.
China, or A ustralia. For the first time ever, a
school has decided to send students all the
w ay to Oregon.
R everend M onjo W ajim a, a priestess o f
the Jodo-Shu sect o f Buddhism , founded
Shukutoku H igh School, in 1892. R ecogniz­
ing the need to educate young w om en in the
m odem era. R everend W ajim a w orked tire­
lessly to achieve her goal. The school began
w ith only five students and five teachers, an
din the last hundred years it has expanded to
include co-ed elem entary schools, junior high
schools, a ju n io r college, and a university,
becom ing a bastion o f Buddhist education in
the T okyo area.
Shukutoku Y ono W om en’s High School
was established in 1946 in Saitama, Japan.
C ontinuing R everend W ajim a’s legacy, the
school advocates an expanding curriculum
that adapts to m odem challenges. Fostering
international education through exchange pro­
gram s to O regon has been a strong part o f this
com mitm ent.
12 classes traveled from Saitama, Japan,
to O regon. 6 classes arrived on the 22nd; 6
classes arrived on the 23rd. (The group was
too big for one plane.) A ll classes flew into
Seattle airport and took charter buses to
Portland.
Each class spent their first day visiting
Pittock M ansion and then shopping dow n­
town. A fter shopping they w ent to one o f
three restaurants: TheC hart house, Stanford’s
and A tw aters. Each class is staying at the
D oubleT ree Hotel.
O n the 23rd, the 6 classes that arrived on
the 22nd w ent on a m orning cruise on the
Portland S pirit.” T hen they traveled the Mt.
H ood loop. 3 classes ate at Tim berline; 3
classes ate at The Hood River Inn. (O n the
27lh, the day before returning, the second 6
classes w ill follow the sam e schedule.)
On the 2 4 '\ they broke up into five groups,
2 or 3 classes per group. Each group visited
a different location in the morning: O M SI,
The O regon Trail M useum , a police and a
fire departm ent, the state Capitol in Salem,
and B onneville Dam. In the A fternoon, each
group toured a different high school: C entral
C atholic, V alley C atholic, Portland C hris­
tian, D avid D ouglas, and Blanchet A cadem y
(Salem ). At each school they held an assem ­
bly w here a Shukutoku Y ono High School
representative presented the principal with a
flow ering cherry tree, a sym bol o f the grow ­
ing relationship betw een the two schools.
T hen the students m et their host families
(fam ilies w ho have students at the school
visited). 270 host fam ilies were found in the
area. Each fam ily w ill host 2 or 3 students.
T he students w ill spend Friday night, Satur­
day day and night and Sunday day w ith their
host families.
O n the 26 the students and fam ilies get
together for a farew ell banquet. T hen they
return to the D oubleT ree Hotel. The students
return to Japan on the 27lh and the 28th.
Speakers: M essage from Mr. John
K itzhaber. O regon G overnor read by Mr.
Phil K iesling. Secretary o f State, Mr. Todd
D avidson, O regon M edalist at Tokyo
O lym pics in 1964. Ms. Jean Lam pi, Host
Fam ily R epresentative. Mr. C huck Lee,
Principal o f B lanchet H igh School. Mr.
Sho D ozono, A zum ano P resident & CEO.
Mr. K unio K araki, V ice Principal o f
S hukutoku Y ono H igh School. Shukutoku
Y ono Student P erform ance and Speech
N ot o nly does this trip m ark the b egin­
ning o fa new type o f international exchange
betw een Japan and the State o f O regon; it is
also a groundbreaking effort for tourism .
B ecause schools schedule travel during o ff
peak tim es, a group o f this size can be
consid ered quit a boon to O reg o n ’s ev er­
grow ing travel industry. All aspects consid­
ered. the group is expected to contribute a
notable half-m illion dollars to the local
econom y.
Canda takes helm at H.E
eirfhhorhood Office
him a g re a t a s s e t .”
John C anda w ants to reco n ­ tio n th a t c o n tra c ts w ith th e
Y o u th -re la te d is s u e s w ill
nect the N o rth east C o alitio n of c ity to p ro v id e a s s is ta n c e to
c o n tin u e to be a p rim e in te r ­
N eig h b o rh o o d s, and its n e ig h ­ v o lu n te e r com m unity g ro u p s in
e s t, C an d a s a y s, bu t he also
borhood o ffic e , w ith the com ­ in n e r n o rth and n o rth e a st P o r t­ w an ts to re fle c t th e p r io r itie s
lan d .
m unity it was in te n d e d to serv e.
o f th e la rg e r c o m m u n ity . He
It a lso ru n s p ro g ram s such
C an d a w as h ire d as e x e c u ­
say s he w an ts to “ re c o n n e c t
as Y o u th G ang O u tre a c h and
tiv e d ire c to r o f th e o ffic e la st
w ith c o m m u n ity -b a s e d g ro u p s
m o n th . He had se rv e d as in ­ T ri-M e t R id e r A d v o c ate s p r o ­ in in n e r n o rth and n o rth e a s t
te rim d ire c to r sin c e th e r e s ig ­ g ra m s. P o lic y is set by a b o ard
P o rtla n d . “ If p e o p le d o n 't feel
n a tio n o f Ben P rie s tle y in F e b ­ c o m p o se d o f r e p r e s e n ta tiv e s
c
o m fo rta b le c o m in g in to th is
o f 13 n e ig h b o rh o o d a s s o c ia ­
r u a ry . P r io r to th is he h ad
o
ff ic e , and c a n ’t get th e help
tio n s , p lu s o th e r c o m m u n ity
w o r k e d in th e c o a l i t i o n 's
th
ey need h ere, we have no re a ­
re p r e s e n ta tiv e s .
Y ou th G ang O u tre a c h p ro g ram
son
to be h e r e ,” he say s.
D av id L ane, d ire c to r o f
sin c e 1989, and had se rv e d as
C
a n d a g re w up in th e
th e O ffic e o f N e ig h b o rh o o d In ­
its p ro g r a m m a n a g e r s in c e
H
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m
b
o ld t n e ig h b o rh o o d and
v o lv e m e n t, the city b u reau th at
1997.
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tte
n
d
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o v e rs e e s and d is p e n s e s fu n d s
" I 'm v ery e x c ite d ,” he to ld
s
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h
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o
ls a n d B e n s o n H ig h
the O b se rv e r. “ T h is is so m e ­ to n e ig h b o rh o o d o ff ic e s , say s,
S
c
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“ I ’ve see n a lo t o f
th in g I ’ve b een p o in tin g t o ­ “ W e ’re h o n o re d to hav e John
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s
in th is c o m m u n ity ,
w ard fo r som e tim e . The c o a ­ on b o a rd . H is co m m itm e n t, e x ­ b o th good and b a d ,” he say s.
p e rie n c e and e x p e rtis e m akes
litio n is a n o n -p ro fit c o rp o ra -
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