Say I saw it in The Shopper
June 17, 2020
Heart Smart RICHARD ZEKVELD Friday, June 19 is Juneteenth. A contradiction cuts through America and her history. On the one hand, America was founded upon the idea that God created all people in his image with equal dignity and inalienable rights. This idea has borne fruit in our history, including emancipation and civil rights legislation. To this idea Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr. and others strove and strive to hold America accountable. For this idea, many fought and died. But America was also built on violence and oppression. Our path from sea to shining sea is strewn with broken treaties and the blood of peoples. It was, in part, made great on the backs of slaves. The seeds of oppression and violence bear bitter fruit into the present. We have sown the wind and are reaping the whirlwind. We need to know our history to move forward justly and apply America’s idea consistently. Faithful citizenship means
nothing less. However, we cannot save America. Our plans, platforms, protests and policies alone will not heal our land. America’s evils lurk in all our hearts. With unrestrained power, we could all do what Derek Chauvin did to George Floyd. With unrestrained rage, we could all do what some rioters did to innocent bystanders. The gospel of Jesus is our only hope. When he hung on his cross, he did so in our place to absorb the sum of our hatred, evil, oppression, pride, selfishness and all their bitter fruit. Then he rose from the dead to liberate us from their guilt and power. Let us take a knee at the cross. There we find forgiveness and power to forgive. There we experience reconciliation with God and one another, liberty to love across the lines and power to pursue justice. Richard Zekveld, Pastor, Covenant Fellowship Church (cfcsh.org)
Real Estate Specialists
Real Estate Questions & Answers CATHY & JIM HIGGINS Question: I need some sound advice about the current market because I think I’m going crazy. Just when I already thought housing prices in my area were already double what the average income qualifies for in mortgage payments, I’m now even more shocked to see new listings that are $50,000 —or more— overpriced in desirable areas according to online [real estate website] valuations. Why are seller’s agents overpricing the houses, compared to fair market values of recently sold homes? How do they justify such prices? Why do brokers encourage buyers to invest at these prices, when common sense tells me if rates go up, and people are shut out of the market, there will be even fewer qualified buyers—so prices have to go down! Do brokers have any code of ethics for the crisis they’re creating in this market? Please tell me something to ease my misery about the current market! Answer: You’re not crazy. There are several answers. First, why do you think online valuations are accurate? Do online sites have appraisers in your neighborhood who reported to them recently, or do they work by statistics which may be out-of-date, inaccurate and not reflective of individual properties? The fact is, online sites work on averages that assume all homes are alike. They even compare
regular homes to foreclosed homes, which is ridiculous. Second, imagine if you were a seller. Would you hire a broker to sell the property for less than market value? If brokers are over-pricing properties, then buyers won’t buy. Asking prices will soon fall when buyers just say no. Third, home values are not based on a multiple of average incomes. They are based on what the market will bear. In effect, buyers are self-selected by their willingness to purchase at a given price and their financial ability to do so. Seen another way, homes are not universally affordable. As a buyer you must use your own judgment. If prices make no sense to you, vote with your dollars and don’t buy now. Use the services of a Realtor, someone obligated to work in your best interest as a purchaser, to better understand local trends and to spot properties that meet your requirements. E-mail us your Real estate questions at: Cathyah@aol.com. Thinking of Selling your Home? Call Cathy & Jim Higgins IN: 219-865-4361 IL: 708-828-3304. Licensed Broker/Realtors in Indiana & Illinois. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. Website: www.Cathyhiggins.com. Personal Real Journal: www.Higginshousechat. blogspot.com
New Contact Tracing Course South Suburban College’s Office of Continuing Education is offering a new noncredit course this summer titled COVID–19 Contact Tracing: Changing the Face of the Public Health Workforce. With the pandemicdriven need for contact tracing, this course provides an overview of contact tracing investigations to meet the demand of the growing public health workforce of Contact Tracing Investigators. COVID–19 Contact Tracing: Changing the Face of the Public Health Workforce is an online 4-week course with 24 contact hours. The course is self-paced and each student will be responsible for completing the course independently rather than following a structure set by an instructor. The course will provide training on the basics of disease transmission, the principles behind case isolation and quarantine of contacts as a public health measure, the ethics around public health data collection and use, risk communication, cultural sensitivity, and the basics of data collection. It will also provide an overview on how to assess relevant symptoms; investigate and follow up with contacts. Students will become knowledgeable about cultural sensitivity and humility as well as how to help contacts navigate the public health and healthcare systems in the jurisdictions in which they are working.
This is a partnership among Governor’s State University, Project Brotherhood and South Suburban College. Project Brotherhood is a health clinic focused on using community outreach and preventive education to meet the needs and improve the health of African American men in the Woodlawn area on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. The clinic is operated by a combination of staff, volunteers, and interns and hosts a variety of free services for members of the community. “South Suburban College is pleased to announce this brand-new course to meet the demands of our workforce and provide a well-timed educational opportunity to our community professionals,” said Dr. Lynette Stokes, SSC President. “We see great value in collaborations like COVID–19 Contact Tracing, and I would like to thank GSU and Project Brotherhood for their partnership on this project.” Course instructors include the following experts: Dr. Linda Rae Murray, MD, MPH, FACP Dr. Tonya Roberson, PhD, MPH, DTR Mr. Marcus Murray, MPH The first course begins on July 13th at a cost of $270.00. For more information please contact the Office of Continuing Education at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2231 or email noncredit@ ssc.edu.
page
11
