Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 2018)
Page 12 January 24, 2018 New Prices Effective April 1, 2017 O PINION Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $50.00 A small distance/travel charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $50.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) : $30.00 Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) : $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $109 - $139 Chair or Recliner: $25.00 - $49.00 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) : $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 Our Common Humanity Makes Each Culture Great America loses by shunning rest of the world J ill r iCharDson We recently learned that Don- ald Trump referred to African nations and Haiti using a derogatory and pro- fane term. (Accounts differ, but all seem to agree it ended with “hole.”) Writing off an enormous per- centage of the world’s landmass and population as inferior isn’t just nasty, it’s incorrect. It’s true that some nations have oppressive, despotic, or corrupt governments. Some have high rates of poverty. I don’t envy the citizens of North Korea, as they have both. But human nature is uni- versal. Human beings in every country demonstrate the same levels of courage and bravery, compassion and kindness, and intelligence and ingenuity as we by do here in the United States. I’ve traveled to five conti- nents (all but Australia and Ant- arctica) and I’ve met people in each place who excel in ways Americans value — such as by attaining college educations or succeeding in high paying ca- reers. But I’ve also encoun- tered incredible people proving their greatness in other ways. In Mexico, I visited boarding schools in which the children, some as young as seventh grade, grew, harvested, and cooked their own food every single day, in addition to attend- ing class and completing home- work. They did this without tractors, refrigerators, or stoves. Making breakfast meant waking up be- fore dawn to light a fire (with wood they chopped themselves) and cooking beans and tortillas from scratch. In the Philippines, I visited a community that was being ex- ploited by a multinational corpo- ration. The community called in an international non-profit orga- nization to investigate and publi- cize what was happening. Then they bravely gave their names and told their stories publicly, risking retaliation as they at- tempted to fight for their rights. In Kenya, children spend far more time in school than Amer- icans do. I stayed with a family whose two kids arrived at school earlier and stayed later than I ever had to — and they went back for more on Saturdays. In Kenya, such dedication to school work is normal. In Cuba, I found people who could invent just about anything from simple materials. One man created a hydraulic irrigation device out of a few soda bottles and some plastic tubing. With no electricity, the device turned the water on and off at regular inter- vals, providing the right amount of irrigation to the man’s guava seedlings. These were not unusually ex- traordinary people. Just as many Americans exhibit brilliance, creativity, and hard work, so do people everywhere. However, there is value in di- versity. By traveling and meet- ing people from five continents, I not only encountered diversity in skin colors, languages, and cuisines — I also encountered diversity in ideas. Americans can only lose if we shun people from the rest of the world. When we meet and work with people from each dif- ferent culture on earth, whether here in the U.S. or outside it, we gain from their unique per- spectives just as they gain from ours. Some of the most exciting developments I’ve witnessed have come from two or more cultures working together, com- bining the ideas of each to cre- ate something more than the sum of its parts. A nation’s poverty isn’t a mark of its people’s intelligence — or their value. By all means, criticize oppressive govern- ments. Hate poverty, war, and disease. But remember that peo- ple everywhere possess the same common humanity that makes each culture on earth great. OtherWords columnist Jill Richardson is the author of Rec- ipe for America: Why Our Food System Is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It. Distributed by OtherWords.org.
