822-LancMter Farming, Saturday, January ft, 2000
Fro© Publication Offers Diversity Educational Activities
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) By the year 2056, people
of color including African
Americans. Hispanics, Asian and
Pacific Islanders, and American
Indians, Eskimos and Aleuts
are expected to be the majority
population in the United States,
says an expert in Penn State’s Col
lege of Agricultural Sciences.
“As our society becomes more
diverse, it’s important that we
learn to appreciate and understand
our differences and to work effec
tively with people who are unlike
ourselves,” says Palreese Ingram,
assistant professor of agricultural
and extension education. “We
may not see diversity in our parti
cular community, but our children
will experience it
“Because today’s world is
changing so fast, kids are chal
lenged to figure out where they fit
in and how they can feel good
about their contribution,” she
says. “After the Columbine High
School situation, for instance,
people focused on where the kids
got the guns and what the parents
were doing. Buy why were these
kids so distraught that they built
up enough resentment to want re
venge?
“lt seems to me it was because
they were different, and being dif
ferent automatically means unde
sirable. If we could get people to
accept and appreciate difference,
our communities—and our world
would be a lot more peaceful.
am
Good sources of
potassium abound
I thought bananas were
about the best source of
potassium, but someone
toid me that orange juice
has more. Who’s right?
Actually, both are good sources
and contain about the same amount
of potassium According to the U S
Department of Agriculture’s Nu
trient Database, one medium-sized
banana contains 467 milligrams of
potassium One cup of orangejuice
(frozen concentrate, diluted) has
473 milligrams Either will help you
toward the recommended mini
mum of 2,000 milhgiams of
potassium a day
By the way, that 2,000 figure
really is a “minimum " Some
guidelines recommend as much as
3,500 milligrams a day —that's
what’s used as the “Daily Value"
reference when potassium content
is listed on food labels
Either way, most people get
plenty of potassium because it’s in
such a wide variety of foods- A cup
of baked acom squash contains
895 milligrams of potassium A 7-
ounce baked potato contains 844
milligrams A cup of baked beans,
752 milligrams A cup of boiled
zucchini,4ssmilligrams A6-ounce
can of tuna, 407 milligrams A large
fast-food hamburger, 394
milligrams A 1 5-ounce box of
raisins, 323 milligrams A medium-
But that’s a huge challenge.”
To help address this issue, In
gram developed a publication,
“Diversity Activities for Youth
and Adults.” The publication can
be used by teachers, youth leaders,
child care professionals and
human service professionals.
While most of the activities are
geared toward middle school stu
dents, high school students and
adults, Ingram explains, some
may be adapted for younger chil
dren.
“Although people often think
diversity refers only to race, it in
cludes gender, ethnicity, age. in
come. family structure, the pail of
the country we’re from, physical
and mental abilities, religious be
liefs, marital status, parental sta
tus. sexual orientation, veteran
status, education, occupation and
language.” she says. “Diversity is
all of us, in our rich and infinite
variety.”
Currently:
• one in seven Americans
speaks a language other than Eng
lish in the home
• physically challenged indivi
duals are the largest minority
group
• an estimated 10 percent of the
population is gay or lesbian
• people 75 years and older con
stitute the fastest growing age
group
“Often, we don’t interact daily
with others who are different,’’ In
gram says. “So we have stereo-
sized tomato, 273 milligrams. Even
an 8-ounce cup of coffee isn’t a bad
source of potassium, with 128
milligrams
It's nice that potassium is so
prevalent in the diet It works within
cells to help muscles contract, help
nerves send messages, and
generally help cells do what they're
supposed to do. It also works with
other minerals —sodium, calcium
and magnesium—to help the body
maintain a proper balance of fluid,
which promotes normal blood
pressure and heartbeat. It does that
in a variety of ways. If your body
gets bloated, potassium is the hero
that sends excess fluid to the
bladder Reducing the body’s fluid
levels leads to a reduction in actual
blood volume. That, in turn,
decreases blood pressure. With the
fluid goes excess sodium, which,
in some people, is linked with high
blood pressure.
Also, some high-blood pressure
medications may cause potassium
levels to dip, so people taking them
are also often given a potassium
supplement and encouraged to eat
potassmm-nch foods Luckily, they
aren’t hard to find.
Chow Line is a service of The
Ohio State University Send
questions to Chow Line, c/o Martha
Fihpic, 2021 Coffey Road,
Columbus, OH 43210-1044, or
fiti pic 3@osu edu
types and beliefs about people we
don’t even know. We see things
about them that aren’t there. They
see things about us that aren’t
there. Stereotypes exist for every
group of people imaginable. Even
though we may not like to admit
it, we all do it Stereotyping makes
it easier to deal with a world filled
with massive amounts of informa
tion and uncertainty.”
Traditionally, America has
taken a melting pot approach to di
versity, she explains, where immi
grants were expected to adapt
their “old world” values for those
of the “new world.” “But this ap
proach equates difference with de
ficiency. Today, the melting pot
conceit is being replaced by such
terms as ‘mosaic society.’
“In a mosaic society, people
maintian their own cultures, silch
as language, lifestyle and religious
practices,” she says. “Differences
are valued and appreciated. As a
result, individuals can be proud of
their cultural heritage and unique
ness, instead of being ashamed.
“Already, it’s hard to identify a
single distinctive culture in this
country,” she adds. “It may be
At the Bustleton Sod Farm in Philadelphia, this display achieves lots of laughs with
the csption, “Every successful man has a good, safe, woman driver behind him or a
back aeat driver.” Harold Lovett eaid Bustleton is the last commercial farm in Philadel
phia. The 87-yesr-old Lovett grows pumpkins, Christmas trees, and sod on the farm.
4-H
Bucks County 4-H recognized
a volunteer commitment of 230
years of service from 27 adults
at the annual 4-H Achievement
Day recently.
Nancy Hottle, 4-H leader,
Coopersburg, was recognized for
30 years of volunteer service to
4-H. She is leader of the Spurs
N Burrs 4-H Horse and Pony
Club.
Recognized for 20 years of 4-
H volunteer service were Donald
Dickson, Perkasie, Seeing Eye 4-
H Puppy Raising Club; and
Chuck and Roberta Kroll, Bridle
Path Horse and Pony club,
Doylestown.
Ten years of 4-H service
awards were presented to Gail
Crooke, Perkasie, Danboro 4-H
Club; Maryellen Flinchbaugh,
Warrington, Bucks County 4-H
more appropriate to think of the
United States as having a giant
multiculture.”
Since the 1980 s, Fortune 500
companies, government agencies
and nonprofit organizations all
have been doing “diversity work.”
Ingram explains. Diversity units
are being added to school curri
cula, from elementary school to
college, and some college cam
puses require diversity-related
courses for graduation.
“Diversity has become an issue
because of the new, competitive
global market and the dramatic
change in the United States popu
lation,” she says. “Individuals also
have begun to celebrate their dif
ferences instead of compromising
their uniqueness to ‘fit in.’
“My goal is to help people ap
preciate differences, as well as
recognize the similarities we all
share, such as a desire for safety,
good health, education and well
being of our children, love and a
sense of belonging, self-esteem
and the ability to pursue and
achieve our potential.”
Such extension programs as
“Character Counts!” and “Talking
Development Fund Board;
Kathleen Parry, Newtown
Seeing Eye 4-H Puppy Raising
Club; Doris Shelly,
Fountainville, 4-H Shooting
Sports; and Jennifer Fisher
Keller, Richlandtown, Spurs N
Burrs and Bucks County 4-H
Development Fund Board presi
dent.
The following 4-H volunteers
received awards for five years of
Park History
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Through slides and discus
sion, view the history and natur
al history of all eight Lancaster
County Parks with a county
with TT help prepare kids to be
successful for life in the 21st cen
tury. “The kids learn important
life and employment skills, be
cause the workplace is going to be
different,” Ingram says. “They
also have fun learning about them
selves and other people.
“We all tend to gravitate to peo
ple who are most like us,” she
says. “Likewise, we tend to fed
less comfortable with people with
whom we have less in common.
But as our communities and work
places change, understanding di
versity —particularly for our chil
dren will be crucial.”
Single copies of “Diversity
Activities for Youth and Adults”
are available free of charge by
calling the College of Agricul
tural Sciences Publications Dis
tribution Center at (814) 865-
6713. The publication also is
available as a pdf file at http://
pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/ui33S.
html. For more information on
related publications or diversity
programs in your area, call your
county Penn State Cooperative
Extension office.
4-H service; Susan Allison,
Gardenville; Ivan Belac and
Deborah Dimick, Quakertown;
Deborah Dodge, New Hope;
Penny Ebinger, Morrisville;
Susanne Ellis, Langhome; Terry
Geake and Betsy Nilsen,
Hellertow'n; Carol Hopkins,
Warmipster; Bruce Linsky,
Philadelphia; Preston Miller
and Rebecca Harris, Perkasie;
Howard Moyer and Dave Hardy,
Sellersville; Alleen Naudascher,
Milford Square; Jim and
Jeannette Pitman, and Jane
Zezeck, Chalfont.
For more information on
Bucks County 4-H and how to
volunteer, contact Penn State
Cooperative Extension (215)
345-3283.
park naturalist. Meet in the
environmental center in
Lancaster County Central Park,
Tuesday, Jan. 11. 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Register at 717-295-2055.