i= l ^ ^ n r t l a n b (Observer Page A2 r Subscribe 1 503-288-0033 Fill Out, Clip Out 8 l Send To: ** |Jortlani» (Ohscrurr Att/r Subscriptions, PO Box 3137, Portland OR 97208 s u b s c r i p t i o n s a re j u s t $ 6 0 p e r y e a r (please include check w ith this subscription fo rm ) N ame :____________________________ T elephone : _ A ddress :_______________________________________ o r e m a il subscriptions© portlandohserver.com n I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I k Ingredients for life A p ril 5. 2006 Red Cross Gives Up Control of Katrina Aid Makes new promises after botched disaster relief AP - Criticized for its Katrina response, the American Red Cross will overhaul the way it handles future disasters by relinquishing control over some aid dollars and cracking down internally on waste and abuse. The nation’s largest charity promised the changes in a state­ ment to a Senate panel Monday, follow ing its acknowledgment last year that its $2 billion response to the Gulf Coast storm fell short. Responding to allegations of SAFEWAY Ö Red Cross chairman Bonnie McElveen-Hunter Senate Finance Chairman Charles Grassley waste, the Red Cross said it was moving to standardize financial controls, hire more investigators to review whistleblower complaints and cede control to religious groups in some underserved areas. “Could the Red Cross and the entire nonprofit community have done better? Undoubtedly,” wrote Red C ro ss c h a irm a n B onnie McElveen-Hunter to Senate Fi­ nance Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, whose committee is lead­ ing a congressional inquiry. “There is no excuse for the in­ stances of improper conduct which impacted on our performance and response during Hurricane Katrina and on our continued relief and recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast,” McElveen-Hunter said. In a major shift, the Red Cross told the Senate committee that it will funnel money, training and re­ sources to other charitable groups so they can establish shelters in areas where Red Cross local chap­ ters have less presence. It acknowledged the potential difficulties in ceding this power, but the Red Cross said it was com­ mitted to change and had hired a new vice president for diversity to coordinate the effort. “These would be shelters the Red Cross would recognize and support financially but would not necessarily run,” according to McElveen-Hunter, who said the specifics had yet to be hammered out. “The Red Cross understands that partnership does not mean assisting the Red Cross in its mis­ sion, but helping others achieve the shared mission of serving the affected community.” . The Red Cross, however, would not release - at Grassley's request - the details of hundreds of internal complaints made by employees and charities that allege fraud, safety violations and employment dis­ putes. It cited the confidential na­ ture of its phone complaint line. The charity also disputed as un­ founded some whistleblower alle­ gations made public by the Finance Committee last month - including possible theft as well as charges the Red Cross had inflated thou­ sands of food orders from suppli­ ers at a New Orleans feeding site in mid-September, explaining that it had relied on estimates from city officials. Grassley said Monday that he appreciated the efforts but ex­ pressed concern that "their deeds match their good words.” He said that the Red Cross response reject­ ing some whistleblower complaints “seems to quibble over inconse­ quential details” and that several of the allegations did expose prob­ lems in Louisiana. “1 worry that the Red Cross man­ agem ent still d o e sn ’t get it,” Grassley said. Fast Food Ads Target Blacks Even preschoolers see too much So good, you can't stop thinking about them! M ade fresh to order with Primo Taglio M eat and Cheese on Artisan bread. W| 499 Coca-Cola BLAK 4-p»di 8-02 boltles Ltrrw» 4 U W a th M M chumo BUY ONI, C tr ONI FREE Doritos Tortilla Chips 13-02 Sited«) varieties SAW H I« $ 3 4 4 M 2 ciutwua e iu iM ic t A G re a t S e le c tio n Now available in the Meat Case! Beef Back Ribs SAVE a p I * S1 M It 79* onm n 2*5 ClUI m w Saleway SELECT Ice Cream t is-« Selected o n o t « Club Price $?5Cej SAVE m «*S2.*8 m 2 5*10 ClU8 MICE Marie Callender s Meals 24-Pack Budweiser. Miller or Coon 12 to 21-ot Selected veneti« Club Pn cr $2 00 «a S A W e * le $ 9 M o n i 12-02 cans Setected veriet« Pius deposit m Oceoon SAVE ue to M AP - There are far more ads for fast food and snacks on black-ori­ ented TV than on channels with more general programming, re­ searchers report in a provocative study that suggests a link to high obesity rates in black children. The results come from a study that lasted just one week in the summer. Commercials on Black E ntertainm ent T elevision, the nation’s first black-targeted cable channel, were compared with ads during afternoon and evening shows on the WB network and Disney Channel. O f the nearly 1,100 ads, more than half were for fast food and drinks, such as sodas. About 66 percent of the fast- food ads were on BET, compared with 34 percent on WB and none on Disney. Fordrinks. 82 percent were on BET, 11 percent on WB and 6 percent on Disney; and for snacks, 60 percent were on BET, none on WB and 40 percent on Disney. The study in a pediatric medical journal accompanies separate re­ search: a study indicating kids con­ sume an extra 167 calories, often from advertised foods, for every hourof TV they watch; and a report suggesting even preschoolers get fat from watching more than two hours of daily TV. The studies clearly illustrate “that the media have disturbing potential to negatively affect many aspects of children’s healthy de­ velopment,” Amy Jordan of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at University of Pennsylvania wrote in a journal editorial. “Such evidence offers increasing support for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation that children older than 2 years spend no more than two hours per day with screen media, preferably educational screen media," Jordan said. Obesity affects about 18 percent of black children, compared with about 14 percent of white young­ sters, according to 2001-02 data. The rate was almost 20 percent for Hispanics. BET spokesm an M ichael Lewellen said BET's target audi­ ence is blacks aged 18 to 34 and said its programming “does not target children.” Outley said black children are an attractive target for fast-food com­ panies because many live in neigh­ borhoods with easier access to fast food than healthier food. The goal is to “get kids hooked at a very early age" so they become lifelong customers, she said. M Sense of Community continued Jk, f rom Front residents have already moved to New Columbia, which is still in the scape,” Andrews said. The housing auth o rity has process o f opening blocks and started the relocation process early, housing units. According to a hous­ by talking with residents. In June ing authority timeline, the project they’ll begin relocating residents kicks off with a six-month reloca­ who have three options: transfer to tion process, followed by demoli­ another public housing unit, move tion of the units, then 18 months of to an apartment that takes Section construction. The new Humboldt 8 vouchers or move to New Colum­ Gardens will welcome back its resi­ bia, where they’re given priority on dents and greet newcomers, at 100 N. Sumner, around the Christmas the lengthy waitlist. Andrews said about 15 of the 85 season of 2008. 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