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Another Toy Recall
Mattel Inc. issued recalls Tues­
day for about 9 million Chinese-
made toys that contain magnets
children can swallow or which
could have lead paint. Mean­
while, a group of Portland agen­
cies are pooling resources to
test toys for lead and test the
blood of children for signs of
the toxin. See stories, page
A2.
Hurricane to Brush Hawaii
Hurricane Flossie roared on
course to brush Hawaii's Big
Island on Tuesday hours after
guarded residents were rattled
by a 5.4 magnitude earthquake.
Forecasters said Flossie would
bring strong winds, up to 10
inches of rain and waves up to
20 feet. The earthquake 25 miles
south of Hilo on Monday night
caused a small landslide.
Extremists Wage Attacks
Four suicide bombers struck a
Kurdish sect in northwestern
Iraq Tuesday, killing at least
175 people and wounding 200
more as extremists across Iraq
staged other bold attacks: level­
ing a key bridge and abducting
five officials from an Oil Minis­
try compound.
ir»
1 0 7 0
o rn o
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • August 15. 2007
D iab etes:
C losert0 a Cure
Local African Americans
provide living proof
The dialysis center also serves
a m ajority-black clientele. Af­
Most people pass by the non­ ter a doctor referred him there a
descript building on Northeast few years ago. Levan Johnson
Seventh and Hancock dozens becam e another one o f the 3.2
o f times without ever knowing million African Americans (13.3
percent o f adults) who have
that it is a dialysis center.
But patients who receive its diabetes.
Cases like Johnson’s have
services must focus on it, spend­
ing three days a week there always been considered tragic,
having a m achine clean out their but only recently have health
blood because their kidney s have experts also deem ed them com ­
failed to rem ove bodily toxins. pletely p rev en tab le through
While theirfate is shrouded in lifestyle changes.
W earing a M cD onald’s hat
this obscure building, they are
not alone: Diabetes is the most that he won for being a loyal
com m on cause o f kidney failure fast-food customer, Johnson has
an attitude toward nutrition that
in the developed world.
by R aymond R endi . eman
T he P ortland O bserver
photo by
R aymond R endleman /T he P ortland O bserver
Levan Johnson's blood filters through a machine for four and a half hours three
times a week. Lucy Bentea, a technician at Northeast Dialysis Services, oversees
the procedure that is needed for kidney damage, a complication o f diabetes.
Peace Department Wanted
Portland’s City Council voted
last week to support the cre­
ation of a U.S. Department of
Peace. The cabinet-level depart­
ment would balance the De­
partment of Defense by actively
seeking nonviolent solutions to
international conflict and ad­
dressing arms control and hu­
man rights.
Deal on 0 J. Book
A literary agent for the family of
stabbing victim Ronald Goldman
has made a deal to repackage and
publish O J. Simpson’s canceled
“If I Did It" book about the
slayings of G oldm an and
Simpson's ex-wife, a spokesman
for the agent said Monday.
ta n a n a i n n r 1 I n n
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXVII, Number 32
.Week ¡n
Thc Review
I i c- ta
Established in 1970
New Seasons Market employee Jarod Sleet demonstrates healthy soul-food cooking at a North­
east Fremont Street apartment complex as part of the African-American Health Coalition 's efforts
to change eating habits in the community.
has long been seen as hopeless
when it com es to the onset of
diabetes.
“ I t ’s so easy not to eat
healthy,” says Johnson, who
kept up on his exercise as a Port
o f Portland longshoreman for
25 years. “You just stop by for
some ham burger and grease for
three dollars."
Many studies have gone so
far as to declare that overw eight
people could not be counted on
to control their diabetes with
diet and exercise.
As a result, rather than ag­
gressively counseling patients
to change their habits, resources
have poured into expensive
m edications with dangerous
side-effects.
But the tide may be turning as
two local agencies prepare to
fully release studies this sum ­
mer. T he A frican-A m erican
Health C oalition and Kaiser
Permanente have both indepen­
dently found that the best cure
for diabetes is the promotion of
healthy lifestyles.
These agencies are giving no­
tice to hardcore fast-food ad­
dicts like Johnson that a change
in eating patterns is vitally im­
portant when confronted with
the alternative.
“If I could start all over again.
I think I'd tighten up on a few
things," Johnson says.
An independent evaluation of
A A H C 's ex ercise program s
shows that participating Afri­
can Americans were much less
likely to contract diabetes. The
data, released in a report to the
national C enters for Disease
Control, details a quickly grow ­
ing group o f over a thousand
continued
on page AS
Clown-Faced Bandit
Portland police say an armed man
who was wearing a clown wig
robbed the Lombard branchofU.S.
Bank Tuesday morning. The sus­
pect was dressed in a multi-color
wig, an orange coat, purple latex
medical gloves and sunglasses.
Dinner and a Movie -
‘z ffaturafe
First outdoor
cinema targets
community
J ason F loyd
T he P ortland O bserver
by
years #
•^community service
North and northeast Portland
have seen many changes in re­
cent years, and on Friday, Aug.
24 a change for the better will
take place when University Park
hosts the first Park Theatre, an
outdoor cinem a celebration for
the local com m unity.
N ortheast P ortland native
Marquise Stoudamire, 29, an ex-
naval recruit and co-author o f a
p o e try c o m p ila tio n c a lle d
“ Round M idnight," and propri­
etor o f Abstract Vision/, prom o­
tions is the event’s mastermind. photo by M arr W asiiington /T he P o h ii and O bserver
Stoudam ire is attem pting to Attempting to initiate a new tradition of community in north and northeast Portland neighborhoods.
initiate a new tradition o f com ­ Marquise Stoudamire hopes to reverse trends of neglect.
munity for local neighborhoods
“The point o f the gathering is tim e in N ew C o lu m b ia at R ecreation for authorization,
and reverse trends o f neglect.
M cCoy Park. W asting no time, and also co n tacted a group
He feels that Portland parks are com m unity m orale," he said.
The
in s p ira tio n
h it he contacted Karen Birt. su­ know n as N IC H E to receive
under utilized as com m unity
S to u d am ire w hile spending pervisor o f Portland Parks and support from people who have
spaces.
I
been hosting concerts, sem i­
nars and m ovies in southeast
Portland and T ualatin parks.
After receiving permission
and b u ild in g p a rtn e rs h ip s ,
Stoudamire went about produc­
ing a power-point presentation
to shop around to possible spon­
sors.
He explained that most local
events in area parks do not re­
late to the com m unity the parks
are in, and this event is going to
rectify that.
If you aren 't a movie buff,
d o n 't fret; there will still be
something for you. The event
will be laden with vendors and
their wares and Point Z enter­
tainment is supply ing the DJ and
the spins.
Stoudamire is hoping for ac­
com m odations for the whole
family, from ice cream for the
kids to dom inos for the grown
folks.
S p ik e L e e ’ s 1 9 9 4 film
"Crooklyn" will top the evening
continued
on page AS