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