F o r tia n i» (f)b se ru e r
Page A2
Black History Month
lanuaiy 28, 2009
Obama Reaches Out to Muslims
Tells Arabic network
US is ‘not your enemy’
(AP) - President Barack Obama
chose an Arabic satellite TV net­
work for his first formal television
interview as president, part of a
concerted effort to repair rela­
tions with the Muslim world that
were damaged under the previ­
ous administration.
Obama cited his Muslim back­
ground and relatives, practically
a taboo issue during the U .S. presi­
dential campaign, and said in the
interview, which aired Tuesday,
that one of his main tasks was to
communicate to Muslims “that
the Americans are not your en­
emy.”
The interview on the Dubai-
based Al-Arabiya news channel
aired as Obama's new envoy to
the region, former Sen. George J.
Mitchell, arrived in Egypt onTues-
day for a visit that will also take
him to Israel, the West Bank, Jor­
dan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Obama said the U.S. had made
mistakes in the past but "that the
same respect and partnership that
America had with the Muslim
world as recently as 20 or 30 years
ago, there's no reason why we
can't restore that.”
Obama also emphasized the
importance of engaging with Iran,
a country the Bush administra­
tion often singled out as the most
dangerous in the region.
O bam a co n dem ned Iran's
threats against Israel, pursuit
of nuclear weapons and sup­
port of terrorist organizations,
but said “it is important for us to
be willing to talk to Iran, to ex­
press very clearly where our
differences are, but where there
are p o te n tia l a v e n u e s fo r
p ro g ress.”
Obama's predecessor, former
P resid en t G eorge W. Bush,
launched wars in Iraq and Af­
ghanistan which prompted a mas­
sive backlash against the U.S. in
he said. “If that's his objective. I'd
say he's been hitting home run
after home run.”
In the interview, Obama called
for a new partnership with the
Muslim world “based on mutual
respect and mutual interest.” He
talked about growing up in Indo­
nesia, the Muslim world's most
populous nation, and noted that
he has Muslim relatives.
O bam a's Kenyan father was
born Muslim, though a self-de­
scribed atheist, and many of his
relatives in Kenya are practicing
Muslims. As achild, Obama lived
for a number of years in Indonesia
while his mother was doing re­
search there.
This appeal does seem to have
struck a chord among many M us­
lims.
“He ’ s different from the previ­
ous presidents, perhaps because
of his color or his Islamic back­
President Barack Obama is interviewed in Washington, D.C., Monday, by the Dubai-based Al-
ground. My views of America are
Arabiya cable network.
different now than they were dur­
ing the Bush administration,” said
capital,
described
decision
to
“President
Obama
has
made
it
the Muslim world.
Youssef Ali, 45, who works for
make
the
first
presidential
inter-
absolutely
clear
...
that
a
central
Hady Amr, director of the
the
Iraqi Electricity Ministry in
view
with
an
Arabic
news
net-
priority
will
be
repairing
America's
Brookings Doha Center, an arm
Baghdad.
work
as
“stunning.”
relations
with
the
Muslim
world,”
of the U.S. think-tank in the Qatari
MMMMNOTMMMMM
L e g a l
N o t ic e s
Emergency Declared in Tïirndown
Oregon braces
for more
assistance,
food stamps
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The Portland Observer
As Oregon unemployment fig­
ures rise and the demand for tem­
porary economic help such as
cash assistance and food stamps
hit record levels, the Oregon De­
partment of Human Services is
calling the situation an emergency.
New figures show the jobless
rate rose to 9 percent in Decem­
ber, with the deepest declines in
the leisure and hospitality and
construction sectors.
Erinn Kelly-Siel
Over the same period, requests
for Tem porary A ssistance to
Needy Families, which provides
emergency cash and job training
to low income parents, have in­
creased 16.4 percent from a year
ago for a total number of 21,633
families. The number of people
receiving food stamps benefits
also continued to climb, increas­
ing 15.5 percent statewide for a
total of 520,650 people.
“We're treating this huge in­
crease in client need as an emer­
gency. That means we are rede­
ploying staff to the areas of the
state with the greatest need so
we can take care of the new cli­
ents coming through the door,”
says Erinn Kelley-Siel, interim
director of the Children, Adults
and Families division of the De­
partment of Human Services.
To better serve the new cli­
ents, the division is also hiring 60
additional staff to help cover ris­
ing need.
Also starting next week, the
division will roll out an improved
intake process for food stamps
and other benefits designed to
provide same-day service, in­
stead of wait times of a week or
more for intake appointments.
R e g io n a lly , W ash in g to n
County residents were hit hard in
December, with 30.6 percent more
people receiving emergency cash
assistance over last year and 16.5
percent more requesting food
stamps. Clackamas County had a
23.1 percent increase in cash as­
sistance recipients and 18.1 per­
cent for food stamps.
“W e have incredibly dedi­
cated staff working really hard,
and we’re doing everything we
can to find better ways to meet
demand and get people the ser­
vices they need right now,” says
Kelley-Siel.
One thing clients can do to
speed the process of receiving
assistance is to make sure to bring
all necessary identification and
paperwork. For most services a
photo ID, Social Security number
and proof of recent income are
enough to start the process.
DHS also partners with SafeNet
to help people to find local re­
sources such as local food pan-
tries or other assistance. The num­
ber is 800-SAFENET (800-723-
3638).
Extensive Layoffs at OHSU
“Memories o f our
lives, o f our works
and our deeds will
continue in others.”
— Rosa Parks
Oregon Health & Science Uni­ slowly than expected.
He says the cuts would reduce
versity says it is cutting at least
500 and as many as 1 ,(XX) more costs by $30 million to $35 million
in the current financial year.
jobs.
In December, the Portland hos­
OHSU President Joe Robertson
told employees Thursday that in­ pital and medical school complex
vestment earnings have dropped announced hiring and salary
and revenue is growing more freezes, cuts and delays in capital
spending, and other measures to
deal w ith the d e terio ratin g
economy.
The institution describes it­
self as Portland's largest employer
and the fourth largest in Oregon,
excluding governm ent, w ith
12,400employees.
Town Hall on Economic Crisis
Economists, labor leaders and
community activists will share
their perspectives on the eco­
nomic crisis during a town hall
meeting, Saturday, Jan. 31 from 1
p.m. to5 p.m. at the First Unitarian
Church, 1011 S.W. 12th Ave.
The meeting is sponsored by a
coalition of individuals and orga­ come families behind,” said Greg
nizations, including Jobs with Margolis, a spokesperson for the
group.
Justice and Oregon Action.
Margolis said the Town Hall
“Community and worker ad­
will
serve as a forum to educate
vocates are fed up with an eco­
one
another
about the crisis and
nomic stimulus plan that has
to
create
alternatives
for a more
reaped benefits for billionaires
just
economy.
but has left workers and low in­
Police Officer Rescues Woman
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A Portland police officer went
into a burning home Monday and
pulled a 44-year-old woman to
safety.
G ed em y n as Ja k u b a u sk a s
spotted the fire near Southeast
Division and 113th Avenue while
on patrol.
After residents told the officer
someone remained inside, he
managed to crawl into the house
and find Jana Meyers lying at the
top of basement stairs.
Meyers was taken to a hospi­
tal, where she was treated for
smoke inhalation and possible
bums.
The officer was treated for
smoke inhalation at Portland
Adventist Hospital and released.
Gedemynas
Jakubauskas
rescued a local
woman from a
fire.
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