(Tbc PageA2 Dear Deanna! tations are different. Thanks for sharing and continued success to the both of you. When does an ex-boyfriend have (he right to disrespect an old flame? My boyfriend and I split because we weren't compatible. I thought we were on the same page until he started putting my business in the street. H e's talking about my credit problems, f amily drama and he hurt me the most by telling his friends about my medical hygiene problems. I feel I'm di>ing the right thing by ignoring him. —Elaine; Los Angeles Dear Deanna! You know what bothers me? When I’m in public spending my money somewhere, it annoys me when there’s a loudmouth argu­ ing on acell phone. To make matters worse, managers at restaurants and stores are too scared to address the problem and the rest of the customers have to suffer. Other than assault, what is a conservative way to deal with this problem? —Rebecca; Houston; Texas Dear Elaine: Any man, whether married, single, dating or divorced that puts his woman on blast and tells her business after a break-up is a punk. It’s worse if they have children because he’s disrespecting the woman and his kids. You're doing the right thing by giving him a deaf ear. Now you" re able to see more about his character that led you to break up in the first place. Keep holding your head high because in the end, he’ll still look like a fool. Dear Deanna! I want to share with the readers my secret to a good relationship. My husband and I get along just tine because I stay in my place, respect him as a man, and provide my womanly duties of coo king and cleaning. I don’t have to worry about him cheating ^ lo rtla n ò (Ob s e ru ex* Real People, Real Advice Dear Rebecca: Ail advice column known fo r its fearless approach Io reality based subjects! Sounds like you’re just as scared as the managers to address the problem because you didn’t do anything either. Anyway, why not say excuse me and ask the annoy­ ing person to leave. If you’re not that bold and it bothers you so much, contact the manager. Then again, two can play that game and you can become a nuisance too by picking up your phone and talk just as loud. You know, this is not rocket science, look over them and keep it moving. and we settle our problems by talking. Hopefully some of your readers can benefit from this tidbit. -T erri Thomas; Dover, Del. Dear Terri: Congratulations MissCleaveron your relationship that' s perfectly in order. Indeed, two people in a relationship have roles that must be fulfilled. However, what works for you may not work for others because people and their expec­ Ask Deanna is written by Deanna M. Write Ask D eanna! Email: askdeannal @yahoo.com or 264 S. LaCienega Blvd. Suite 1283 Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Website: k h vc . askdeanna. com October 15, 2008 E lection B allots on W ay Voters in W ashington and Oregon are scheduled to receive vote-by-m ail G eneral Election ballots on Saturday or next Monday. In W ashington, the ballots must be postm arked by Nov. 4 in o rd e r to count. But in O regon, postm arks do not count. T he ballots m ust be re­ ceived at any county election office by 8 p.m. on Nov. 4. O regon voters are encouraged to mail their ballots at least two or three days before the elec­ tion in order to reach their destina­ tion. Election officials in W ashington are predicting an 83 percent voter turn­ out, the best show ing for a general election in more than six decades. Secretary o f State Sam Reed said Monday that the turnout num ber is based on the high level of interest in the presidential and governor's races and ballot m easures, as well as the recent surge in voter registrations. Jobless Claims up 46 Percent (A P) — Oregon claim s for unem ­ tional 13 weeks of benefits for those ploym ent insurance benefits rose 46 w ho qualify. T he program ends in percent in third quarter o f 2008 from March. the third quarter of 2007. From July to • Should O regon e x p erien ce three September in 2008, more than 103,000 consecutive months of unemployment initial claim s for unem ploym ent ben­ rates averaging 6.5 percent, the state would trigger the Extended Benefits efits were filed. More than 54,000 O regonians get program , which also provides up to unem ploym ent insurance benefits but 13 weeks o f benefits for those who more than 1,000 are exhausting their have exhausted their original claim. The unem ploym ent rate was 6.5 per­ initial 26-week claim each week. The Federal governm ent initiated a cent in A ugust and 6.4 percent in Sep­ program in July to provide an addi­ tember. IM M N a M N M B N N H M M i Church Leaders Oppose Measures WOULD YOU LIKE TO BUILD YOUR SMALL CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS? The City of Portland is Re-opening the application period for the Construction Sheltered Market Program. Certified Minority, Women and Emerging Small Businesses (M/W/ESB) in business fo r tw o years or more may apply for the program. Program participants will have opportunities to bid on City of Portland construction projects, and can receive free technical assistance to improve their business management skills. The following areas of work w ill be open for applications from Wednesday, October 1 to Friday, October 17 Street Improvements Sewerage treatm ent lines Concrete flat work Building construction Reinforced concrete construction Structural Demolition Excavation Plumbing shows that children of incarcer­ ated women are five times as likely to be incarcerated as their peers. ased. The children of drug offend­ Families against Mandatory Minimums reports that African ers would benefit much more Americans account for 13 percent from their mothers' receiving drug of the general population, yet in counseling than they would hav­ 2003 they comprised 27 percent ing their mothers imprisoned, ar­ o f those receiving federal man­ gue opponents o f the measures. Karen Nibler of the League of datory drug sentences. Hispan­ ics constituted 12.5 percent of Women Voters of Oregon says the general population but re­ they favor Measure 57 because ceived 43 percent of the drug of its drug treatment program and lower cost. mandatory sentences. N ib le r say s M easure 61 In a city such as Portland, with documented racial-profiling prob­ “would add 4,000 to 6,000 non­ lems, it is likely that the additional violent inmates to the prison sys­ m a n d a to ry -se n te n c in g law s tem by 2012. “It would require millions of would only further the imbalance. Measures 57 and 61 add length dollars in added prison operation to existing sentences and add costs and take funds from other new (nonviolent) crimes to the state program s,” she said. “It list, so will tax the system further. w ould not req u ire substance As females are more likely to abuse treatm ent and does not commit the nonviolent crimes to estimate the costs of additional be added to the mandatory-sen­ priscwi construction.” . Studies show that lowering tencing list, these measures will also impact the state’s foster care unemployment rates and increas­ system— and the prison system ing wages and numbers of law- again down the road, as research enforcement officers affect crime continued from Front Couple Makes a Difference continued from Front school youth at Northeast Com­ munity Fellowship Foursquare Church and for the Portland Res­ cue Mission Life Change Pro­ gram. Thomas has 18 years experi- For more information, contact: Gene Jackson, Program Coordinator (503) 823-9166, Eugene.jackson@ci.portland.or.us Io- Cdxintk, y o u r n e w ly r e m o d e le d C o n c o r d ia N ew S easons rates much more than incarcera­ tion does. When it comes to non­ violent criminals, systems such as electronic monitoring, commu­ nity supervision and mandatory drug counseling have also been proven cheaper and more effec­ tive. Alternative punishments also enable inmates to return to their communities sooner and make contributions such as taxes and child-support payments. Measures 57 and 61 both elimi­ nate the p o ssib ility o f using cheaper, better systems to reha­ bilitate criminals, and do not pro­ vide a way to pay for the impris­ onment of more people. The measures are estimated to cost between $411 million to $797 million in prison operations over the next four years, plus another $314 million to $ 1.3 billion dollars in prison construction debt. O p p o n en ts say the m o p ey „ would do nothing to correct ra­ cial bias in the justice system, fix broken families or lower long-term crime rates, but instead add to M a rk e t! S a tu rd a y , O c to b e r 1 8 11 a m - 4 p m ence working in education, so­ cial services and non-profit and corporate management. She has developed programs for minor­ ity youth and encouraged minor­ ity students to pursue careers in health care at Oregon Health Sci­ ences University. New Decision’s primary focus is providing social support for at- risk children and their families to break the cycle of chronic re-of­ fending. The agency offers cul­ turally-based services that are ef­ fective and efficient for getting kids on the right track. Mental health and drug and alcohol assessm ents and the therapy needed to improve be­ havior are coordinated into a youth’s treatment program when needed. Advocacy for special education needs and academic tutoring are other services avail­ able. The mission is to provide a safe and positive en v iro n m en t in which children of color are em­ powered to make healthy, life­ changing decisions. T h o m as and Jo h n so n are proud o f th e ir record. T heir ag en cy has c o n tra c te d w ith M ultnomah County, prim arily working with high risk, difficult to place African - American males. It has provided both short and long-term care, receiving referrals through the Gang Resource and Intervention Team in northeast Portland. Prior to licensing, Johnson and Thomas maintained an exclusive home for adjudicated males where they served over 40 youth over the course of three years. Today one of the primary goals is to recruit and train new foster parents of color. “We need more good families, Johnson said. A faith-based grounding also gives the couple strength to suc­ ceed. The “Kids are our ministry,” Thomas said. For information about New De­ cision Treatm ent Foster Care, email Cynthia@newdecisiontfc.com or visit newdecisiontfc.com. Ibr ^Inrtlanb (©bseruer Established 1970 USPS 959-680 ____________________________ _____ 4 7 4 7 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 E ditor - in - c h ie f . P ublisher : E ditor Charles H. Washington M ich a e l L eig h to n D is tr ib u tio n M anager : C reative D irecto r : M ark W a sh in g to n P aul N e u fe ld t The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and w ill be returned, if accompanied by a self addressed envelope A ll created design display ads become the sole property o f the newspaper and CMUKN be used in either publications or personal usage without the written consent o f the general manager, unless the client has purchased the D e lic io u s fo o d s to s a m p le , g iv e -a w a y ’s, g re a t d e a ls , c a k e a n d m u c h m o re ! EA SY & FU N TO S H O P • LOCALLY O W N ED & O PER A TE D C O N C O R D I A : N E 3 3 r d & K i l l in g s w o r t h P o r t la n d O R 9 7 2 1 1 • 5 0 3 . 2 8 8 3 8 3 8 V is it u s o n lin e a t w w w . N e w S e a s o n s M a r k e t c o m composition o f such ad © 2