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FEATURE ARTICLES | |
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To fully serve the community, the Mid-county MEMO offers this section to showcase upcoming special events, celebrations of milestones in our readers’ lives, those seemingly small accomplishments that often do not receive the recognition they deserve, and everyday events that should be shared with friends and neighbors.
MEMO Pad submissions for the March issue are due Tuesday, Feb. 15. For best results, e-mail Darlene Vinson at editor@midcountymemo.com. Or mail editorial submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave, Portland, OR 97230. To leave a phone message, call 503-287-8904. The fax number is 503-249-7672.
Your help is needed
Portland Adventist Community Services operates a thrift store at 11020 N.E. Halsey St. The store is in need of volunteer help for several shifts. If you have time on Tuesday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or Tuesday or Thursday afternoons from 1 to 5 p.m., Portland Adventist Community Services would love to hear from you.
Call Rhonda Whitney at 503-252-8500 for more information.
Gateway Elks recognize student
David Douglas High School senior, martial arts student and community volunteer Kim Le has been selected as Gateway Elks Lodge teenager of the month for February. Le is a member of the National Honor Society and carries a GPA of 4.0.
As a student in creative writing, she has created beautiful greeting cards, illustrated a children’s book and penned memorable poetry.
This active teen spends a great deal of personal time volunteering. One important focus is the Dream Club, a group of teenagers who volunteer their time and service to those in need. She also volunteers at Mt. Hood Legacy Hospital.
Active and interested in the martial arts, Le has studied Aikido and Taekwondo. As with many disciplines of this nature, students work to train their minds along with their bodies. Kim also plays tennis, jogs and skis.
She has been accepted to study at Portland State University in the fall and plans to major in biology. Kim lives with her parents, Be Le and Dung Tran (Le).
Alice Ott Middle School produces awarding winning essayist
The Gateway Elks Lodge has announced the winners of their annual essay contest. Students were asked to explain the meaning of “Old Glory.”
Sixth grader Sarah Olson of Kraxberger Middle School in Gladstone and Chad Eckerman, an eighth grader at Alice Ott Middle School in the David Douglas School District, walked away with $50 US Savings Bonds for their efforts.
Their essays will be entered in a statewide competition.
Blumenauer nominates David Douglas student to military academy
Congressman Earl Blumenauer has nominated Richard R. Bossen to be considered for an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy.
Bossen, son of David Bossen and Laura Sakaguchi, attends David Douglas High School. He earned a 3.63 grade point average last school year, and excels in math and science. He participates in neighborhood cleanups, children’s programs and other activities his church youth group participates in at Wood Village Baptist Church.
Bossen is a black belt and an assistant instructor in Taekwondo. He also races bicycles and is the third best overall rider in the junior men 17- to 18-year-old age category.
Bossen was selected in a competitive application process based on scholastic and extracurricular records, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores and leadership experience.
Members of Congress are permitted to nominate 10 students for each vacancy at the military academies. Only five total students from each Congressional District may attend an academy at any one time. The students’ applications now go to the academies for further consideration. Final selected nominees will begin classes next fall.
Study may solve the low-carb/high-carb diet controversy
To resolve a controversy whether a low-carbohydrate or a high-carbohydrate diet is better for one’s health, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine - a branch of the National Institutes of Health - has awarded a $3,283,000 grant to Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research. With the grant, CHR researchers will conduct a five-year study to compare the safety and effectiveness of a low-carbohydrate Atkins-style diet with the more conventional high-carbohydrate DASH diet. Researchers at Oregon Health Sciences University will collaborate with CHR researchers on this study.
Low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets, such as the Atkins and South Beach diets, have become immensely popular among Americans who are trying to lose weight. Authors of books about these diets claim they result in rapid weight loss and improved disease risk without hunger and any need to pay attention to energy consumption. They also claim that more conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets (such as the DASH diet) are responsible for our obesity epidemic. On the other hand, detractors of the low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets argue that such diets increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases, and do not lead to long-term weight loss.
“At this point, there are no valid scientific data either to support or refute claims on both sides of the debate,” says Njeri Karanja, PhD, principal investigator for the study at CHR. “Several recent studies suggest that people lose more weight eating a low-carb, high-fat diet and that they had lower levels of triglyceride and higher levels of HDL, the so-called good cholesterol. The problem is that these studies have been short term, lasting either six months or a year at most. This is simply not enough time to answer questions about safety and effectiveness. Our new study will rectify this situation by comparing a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet and a more conventional weight loss diet for 30 months in a randomized clinical trial.”
Two hundred and forty overweight or obese people will be recruited for the study, randomized either to the Atkins-style diet or the more conventional DASH diet, receive an intensive six-month behavioral intervention to lose weight, and then receive long-term counseling to maintain weight loss for the next two years. Because obesity and its associated diseases disproportionately affect minority populations, the study will recruit 20 percent of the participants from racial and ethnic minorities.
Individuals who are interested in joining the study can call 503-528-3917 or e-mail insight@kpchr.org for more information about the study and the criteria for joining. Because there are potential safety issues with eating low-carb, high-fat diets, there is an extensive list of criteria for eligibility. However, there a few major criteria people should know. To join the study, people must be at least 21 years of age, be overweight or obsess, be able to modify their diet and other health behaviors, be willing to engage in regular exercise, be willing to be randomly assigned to either diet, and not be planning to move out of the area before the study ends. People who have diabetes or take cholesterol-lowering medications are not eligible to join this study.
TriMet proposes fare increase to cover high diesel prices
At a recent TriMet Board of Directors briefing, the agency proposed a 5-cent fare increase on most fare categories to help cover record high diesel prices. TriMet purchases more than 6 million gallons of diesel annually, and high prices have created a $3 million budget deficit.
To cover the deficit, TriMet has focused on:
• Operating buses more efficiently. TriMet has made transmission and axle adjustments, reduced engine idling and checking tire pressure more frequently, which is saving the agency $600,000 annually and making TriMet the most fuel efficient transit district in the country.
• A 5-cent fare increase on most cash fares will result in $1.5 million in revenue.
Resulting fares based on the board suggested increases are as follows: Two-Zone, All-Zone and Youth/Student cash and ticket sales would increase 5 cents: Two-Zone is currently $1.35; All-Zone is $1.65; Youth/Student fare is currently $1.05. Proposal would increase these fare categories to $1.40, $1.70 and $1.10, respectively.
Monthly passes for these fare categories would increase $2, to $62.
Fares for Honored Citizen and LIFT riders would not be increased; the Youth/Student monthly pass would also not change.
The Board of Directors will vote on the ordinance at its Feb. 23 meeting. If approved, the fare increase would take effect April 1, 2005.
To submit feedback or to find out about meeting time and location contact Kelly Runnion at 503-962-4831 or runnionk@trimet.org.
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