N o ve m b e r 19. 2 0 0 3 (Ebe JJortkm ò (fibsemer Page A 3 C’O M f l ï f ’ tC Â Sierra Leone » F A f »•»*•/> C ountry to lo oks for past return peaceful by R on W eber T he P ortland O bserver econom ic pursuits. H owever this all began to change during the 15th Century when the A lth o u g h the capitol is named Freetown, Portuguese started inhabiting the country. those w ho founded Sierra Leone had th e ir O ver the next several centuries, Europeans roots grounded in slavery. The co u n try from several countries, including Portugal, touches the A tla n tic Ocean and is b o r England, France, and Spain, w ould fig h t dered on its sides by L ib e ria and Guinea. over the new ly discovered lands in N o rth It was form ed in 1787 as a home fo r freed west A frica . In 1808, the British declared the slaves, firs t fro m England and later fro m area part o f the C row n C olonies. They the A m ericas. abolished slave trade and settled free English W h ile Sierra Leone provides much o f one o f the w o rld ’ s most valuable treasures, that slaves there, between o f diamonds, a great deal o f became the center fo r trade the people live in dire pov throughout the entire region. erty and a state o f war. D u rin g the 1950s, re s i U n lik e the large dents began to rise up, m id d le class d e m a n d in g fre e d o m population o f the fro m B ritis h rule. F i U n ite d S tates, n a lly on A p r il 27, most residents o f 1961, Sierra Leone Sierra Leone are was granted fre e either rich o r very dom. A lth o u g h it poor. English is the has seen p o litic a l u n o ffic ia l language, but rest, tr ib a l w ars, e c o most resident also speak local tribal dialects. This country is one o f the smallest on the A frica n continent w ith 4 m illio n people. Sierra Leone has seen better times. H u mans began inhabiting the area more than Photo by Mark Washington/The Portland Observer Roseway Vision Planted Friends o f Trees board member Elizabeth Skorohodov, plants a tree Saturday on the city park blocks dividing Northeast 72nd Avenue in the Roseway neighborhood. Skorohodov's efforts are part of a large-scale Roseway Vision tree beautification project, planting 80 tall shade trees in the midway green space that stretches along four blocks. nom ic devastation, a g ric u l tural collapse and c iv il w ar, its inhabitants remain true to th e ir m o th erland. In Ju ly o f 1999, Sierra L e o n e ’ s President Kabbah signed a plan c a llin g fo r an end to warfare. tw o and one h a lf centuries before the birth M uch is being done to fig h t poverty, o f Christ. Livestock such as cattle were economic difficu ltie s and A ID S . The United reared and plants were grown across the States, along w ith several European coun region, including vegetables, rice, m illet, tries is sending financial aid and contribu and yams. S killed laborers worked w ith iron tions o f food. Not surprising are life expect as far back as 600 BC. G old, diamonds, and ancy figures o f both men and women in the silver were mined to make expensive rings, m id to high 40s. As the country continues to necklaces, ornaments, and trinkets. receive aid and repair itse lf p o litica lly, there The people o f Sierra Leone prospered fo r are high hopes that Sierra Leone can one day centuries. T heir only real d iffic u ltie s were return to the peaceful and prosperous nation fig h tin g w ith other tribes over territory and it once was. Thanksgiving, a Cultural Exchange Celebration is nation’s first multicultural holiday Thanksgiving is the first great multicultural holiday for Americans, thanks to Native Americans who taught the Puritans how to adapt to a strange new world, says a Uni ver- sity o f California at Davis historian. "This was a new environment for the English because o f the d if fering nature o f American w ilder ness," says Clarence Walker, an authority on the history o f A m eri can race relations. “ England had been farmed for centuries, and the land was not heavily forested," Walker adds. "In the New W orld, because o f the Indian slash-and-bum agriculture, land had reforested itself, and it would have to be cleared.” In a spirit o f cooperation, Native Americans taught their English neighbors in the Plymouth settle- ment — mostly artisans and not farmers — to raise crops in the unfam iliar soils and how to trap animals for food and build nets and baskets to catch fish. The Indians also helped the En glish survive by helping them con struct homes and by serving as cultural mediators. Squanto, for instance, forestalled initial hostil ity between the English and native tribes that could have driven the Puritans away, Walker says. A lthough the Puritans faced being starved out as other early English settlements w ould be in the 1600s along the American coast. W alker says Thanksgiv ing became a story o f American success. It was celebrated as a New England holiday long be fore President Lincoln declared it a national holiday in 1863. Automation Kills 60 Airport Jobs Piirking cashiers to be replaced by machines Almost all o f the 60 cashiers at Portland International Airport who handle parking payments w ill be replaced by machines next fall, un der a plan approved by the Port o f Portland commission. The $7.9 m illio n retrofit is ex pected to make it quicker for dri vers to leave the airport's parking area, said Dan Brame. Port parking sys tem manager. Officials say the workers targeted for jo b losses are contract laborers employed by Ace Parking. "The cashiers w ill most likely movo into other positions i f they're interested or able," said airport spokesman Steve Johnson. "They probably w ill not see layoffs, but it ’ s a little d iffic u lt to say at this point in time.” A irport officials said they don't expect parking rates to change as a result o f the new system. Parking revenue w ill pay for the remodel ing. which is expected tocost about $32million. T raffic at the payment stations backs up in the evenings, the airport's busiest hours. Brame said. •it Under the new system, motor i i! ists w ill pay for parking at self- « u serve machines in the airport park ing garage or the long-term parking lo t— before they reach their parked cars. W aiting times at the 20 ma chines that are planned should be minimal compared with the wait at the current eight exit lanes, Brame said. The machines w ill electronically stamp motorists' parking tickets, validating that parking fees were paid. A final automated station w ill check the ticket before raising an exit-gatearm. Associated Press contributed to this report. 1808 and 1860, Freetown continued to grow rapidly and The game is just a game... it ’s how you play that makes it fun, or frustrating, or dangerous. It’s true for all types of games - including gam bling. Less than three percent of Oregonians may have a gam bling problem - but when they play, it ’s more than a game. The way they play puts them and their fam ilies at financial and emotional risk. If playing isn’t fun anymore, call: 1-877-2-ST0P-N0W Licensed treatm ent providers are there to listen, help and make referrals to local treatm ent centers 24 hours a day. Or visit www.oregonlotteryhelp.org for: • • • • Warning Signs Treatment Centers How to Get Help Reaching Out ► When gambling is more than a game, no one wins.