Career tducation
November II, 2009
S P E C IA L
Page A3
E D IT IO N
H ealth
F ood Stam ps Show C hildren at R isk
Economy could push numbers higher
(A P , -- Nearly half o f all U S .
children and 90 percent o f black
y o u n g ste rs w ill be on food
stam ps at som e point during
childhood, and fallout from the
cu rren t recession could push
those num bers even higher, re­
searchers say.
The estim ate com es from an
analysis o f 30 years o f national
data, and it bolsters other re­
cent evidence on the pervasive­
ness o f youngsters at econom ic
risk . It su g g e sts that alm ost
everyone know s a fam ily who
has received food stam ps, or
will in the future, said lead au­
thor M ark Rank, a sociologist
at W ashington U niversity in St.
Louis.
"Your neighbor may be us­
ing some o f these program s but
it's not the kind o f thing people
w ant to talk about," Rank said.
T he an a ly sis w as released
Nov. 2 in the N ovem ber issue
o f A rchives o f Pediatrics and
A dolescent M edicine. The au ­
thors say it's a m edical issue
pediatricians need tQ be aw are
o f because ch ild ren on food
stam ps are at risk for m alnutri­
tion and other ills linked with
poverty.
"This is a real d an g er sign
that we as a society need to do
People wait to apply for food stamps in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
a lot more to protect children,"
Rank said.
Food stam ps are a D epart-
ment of Agriculture program for
lo w -in co m e in d iv id u als and
families, covering most foods
a lth o u g h n o t p r e p a re d h o t
foods or alcohol. For a family
o f four to be eligible, their an ­
nual take-home pay can't exceed
about $22,000.
According to a U SDA report
released last month, 28.4 million
A m e ric a n s r e c e iv e d fo o d
stamps in an average month in
2 0 0 8 , an d a b o u t h a lf w ere
younger than age 18. The aver­
age monthly benefit per house­
hold totaled $222.
Rank and Cornell University
sociologist Thomas Hirschl stud­
ied data from a nationally repre­
sentative survey o f 4,8(X) Ameri­
can households interviewed an­
nually from 1968 through 1997
by the University of Michigan.
Rihanna Talks Domestic Violence
Pop star victim
opens up to women
R ihanna says d ealing with
the m edia attention after being
assaulted in F ebruary by ex­
boyfriend Chris Brown was hu­
m iliating. But she now hopes
to speak for young w om en who
are afraid to talk openly about
dom estic violence.
The 21 -year-old pop star told
G lam our m agazine in an inter­
v iew p o ste d o n lin e T uesd ay
th a t the p o lic e p h o to o f her
bruised face that w as leaked to
reporters added insult to injury.
A fter the assault, she aw oke
to find helicopters circling her
house and reporters sw arm ing
her street. "I felt like I w ent to
Rihanna
sleep as Rihanna and woke up
as Britney Spears," she said.
Rihanna said she felt disap­
pointed and taken advantage of,
especially when she heard that
the tw o officers under investi­
g atio n for leak in g her photo
were women.
"1 felt like people were m ak­
ing it into a fun topic on the
Internet, and it's my life," she
said.
Rihanna said she didn’t real­
ize how much her decisions af­
fected people she didn't know,
like her many fans. She feels
stronger, w iser and more aware
now, she added.
"D om estic violence is a big
se cret," R ih an n a said. "T he
po sitiv e thing that has com e
o u t o f m y s itu a tio n is th a t
people can learn from that. I
w ant to give as much insight as
I can to young w om en, because
I feel like I represent a voice that
really isn't heard. N ow I can
help speak for those women."
Asian Perspective on
Gambling, Addictions
Clark College
hosts mental
health series
A ccording to the Los A nge­
les Tim es, in a 1999 survey in
San Francisco's C hinatow n, 70
p erc en t o f th o se resp o n d in g
cited gam bling as the top prob­
lem in their community.
A n o th e r r e p o r t fro m th e
U CLA G am bling Studies P ro­
gram noted how “In Chinese,
V ietnam ese, Filipino, K orean
and C am bodian com m unities,
social w orkers and leaders are
pressuring gam ing officials and
state legislators to recognize a
hidden epidem ic.”
O n M o n d a y , N ov. 16, an
A sian perspective on gam bling
Bounsang Khamkeo
and addictions will be the fo­
cus o f Clark C olleg e's “ Mental
H ea lth M o n d a y s” p r e s e n ta ­
tion.
The discussion will be led by
Bounsang K ham keo, a behav­
ioral health counselor and hu­
m an rig h ts a d v o c a te at th e
O H SU Avel G ordly C enter for
Healing.
K h am k eo is an ad d ictio n s
treatm ent expert who grew up
in Laos but left at the age o f 17
to study in F rance. T h irteen
years later, in 1973, he returned
to his homeland and was impris­
oned.
“ I Little Slave” is an account
o f his sev en -y ear struggle in
prison to stay alive and keep
sane in spite o f harsh physical
privation and endless psycho­
logical abuse.
T he event, w hich is free and
o pen to the p u b lic, will take
place from noon to I p.m . in
the P en g u in S tu d en t L ounge,
lo cated in the c o lle g e ’s P en ­
g uin U nion B u ild in g . C lark
C o lle g e ’s m ain cam p u s is lo ­
ca te d at 1933 F ort V ancouver
Way in V ancouver.
Brown, 20, pleaded guilty to
felony assault in June. He was
sen ten ced to five years' p ro ­
bation, six m onths o f co m m u ­
nity lab o r and a y ear o f d o ­
m e stic v io le n c e c o u n s e lin g
for the attack, in w hich he w as
a c c u se d o f h ittin g , ch o k in g
and biting R ihanna in a rented
sp o rts car.
T M Z published the photo o f
Rihanna's bruised face less than
tw o w eeks after the beating,
and the L A P D im m ed ia te ly
launched an internal investiga­
tion of the leak.
About 18,(MM ) adults and children
were involved.
O verall, about 49 percent of
all children were on food stamps
at some point by the age o f 20,
the an a ly sis found. T h at in ­
cludes 90 percent o f black ch il­
dren and 37 percent o f whites.
T h e a n a ly s is d id n 't in c lu d e
other ethnic groups.
The tim e span included typi­
cal econom ic ups and dow ns,
including the early 1980s reces­
sion. That m eans sim ilar por­
tions o f children now and in the
future will live in families receiv­
ing food stam ps, although o n ­
going econom ic turm oil may
in c re ase th e n u m b ers, Rank
said.
Fiber Diet Boosts Immunity
An apple a day m ay keep the d o cto r aw ay but a fiber-
filled diet co u ld also h old the key to keep in g asth m a,
d iab etes an d arth ritis at bay, acco rd in g to A u stralian re ­
search released T hursday.
S cien tists at S yd n ey 's G arvan In stitu te o f M edical R e­
search say that fib er not only helps keep people regular,
it bo o sts the im m une system so it can b etter co m b at in ­
flam m atory diseases.
W hen foods high in fiber, such as d ried fruit and beans,
re a c h th e g u t, b a c te ria c o n v e rt th e m to c o m p o u n d s
know n as sh o rt chain fatty acids. T h ese acid s are know n
to allev iate som e inflam m atory disease in the bow el.
R esearch er C h arles M ackay said that the team , w hich
w ork ed w ith scien tists in A ustralia, the US and B razil,
w as able to draw a clearer picture o f th is relatio n sh ip ,
w ork w hich has im p licatio n s for oth er diseases.
The African American Men’s Club, Inc. (AAMC)
Presents a
Pre-Holiday Dance
Saturday, November 2 8 ,2(M)9
Billy Webb Elk's Lodge, 6 North Tillamook St., Portland, Oregon
?
9 PM - 2 AM
Donation: $15.00 per person • Music by DJ
Let's Kick o ff the holiday season with friends, food, and fu n
Raffle & 50/50 split: Tickets - $1 .(X) each
Menu: Roast Beef, Chicken, Mac & Cheese,
Green Beans, Salad & Dinner Rolls
Tickets Available at:
AAMC Club Members • Elk’s Lodge (503) 284-4853
Cannon’s Rib Express (503) 288-3836 • One Stop Records (503) 284-8103
Geneva’s Shear Perfection (503) 285-1159
James & Johnnie Mayfield - Vancouver (360) 576-8519
•
fl
Proceeds to benefit the AAMC Scholarship Program
The African American Men’s Club is a non-profit organization
Our
New
Location!
J.
THE
iz 5 3
SPINACOLUMN
An ongoing series of questions and answers about America's natural healing profession
Dr. Billy R. Flowers
P art 10. F atigue: A cu re fo r p eo p le sick
and tired o f b eing o f b ein g sick and tired.
: I seem to be tired a lot detail. A nother cause, how ever
lately. D oes that m ean I is often stress. M any o f you
have pro b ab ly heard o f the
need iron?
“Fight
O r Flight” syndrom e.
: The m ost com m on rea
W
hen
the
body is stressed, it
son patients com e intoour
responds
with
a com bat-ready
office is because o f som e type
posture.
In
analyzing
many such
o f pain. But m any o f these
patients'
x-rays,
we
find
the head
people are also suffering from
angled
forw
ard
and
the
back
fatigue. Fatigue that m akes the
arched
in
this
highly-stressed
eyes bum slows dow n the heal­
ing process and m akes you position. A fter C hiropractic ad ­
w onder w hy you d o n 't feel as justm ent. this condition is often
well as you used to. Obviously,
there can be m any causes o f
fatigue. D iet is certainly one of
them. It's a subject w e'd be
happy to discuss with you in
Flowers' Chiropractic Office
\ i i \ c n i s e w ith d iv e rs ity
1
vastly improved. Patients come
back well-rested, telling us they
just had their best n ig h t's sleep
in ages. If you think the stress
o f everyday I ife might be w ear­
ing you dow n and preventing
your body from w arding off
illnesses, call us for an appoint­
ment. O r if there are any other
q u e s tio n s you m ig h t have
about your health, ju st call us
at the phone num ber below.
Pastors
Jerry & Annie
Gutierrez
Would like to
invite you
for Service every
F r id a y N ig h t a t 7 : 0 0 p m
Services will be held a t
New Song Community Comer
2511NE MLK Blvd.
Comer of NE MLK Blvd and Russell Street
2124 NE Hancock,
Portland Oregon 97212
Infant and Toddler care will be provided • Doors open at 6pm for every service
Phone: (5 0 3 ) 2S7-35O 4
for directions or more information, call
in îhe Portland; Observer
0033 ads («'port ktndob ser»'cr.com
503-488-5481
www.mfhmportland.com