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Dr. King’s dream, Obama’s reality
Is a “victim mentality” keeping you from living life to the fullest?
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A Word from the Editor
Happy New Year! It is such a blessing to live to see another year. For 2009, I’ve adopted a new philosophy for my life and it is “I believe”. I believe in a lot of things but I want to share a few of my beliefs with you and I hope it will encourage you to define what you believe in. I believe that 2009 is going to be great! I believe that President Barack Obama is going to move our country in a positive and productive direction. I believe that no matter how difficult life may seem, it is worth living, therefore we mustn't give up or give in. I believe in the power of prayer and faith. I believe there is good in everyone but sometimes we have to look beyond the surface to see it. I believe we all have a purpose and a mission to fulfill. I believe that our children deserve our best so that they can be their best. Lastly, I believe that this magazine will enhance the lives of our readers and improve the businesses of our advertisers, therefore I encourage you to continue to support our efforts so that we may continue to improve and foster positive growth in our communities.
Pacific Northwest
Orthodontics C. Neil Nicholson, D.D.S. 2815 S. McClellan Street Seattle, WA 98144 (206) 722-5000
Because of our growth, we’ve changed our name from Central Area Monthly to URBAN Life NORTHWEST. We believe that this is a name that will grow with us as we continue to expand and reach new communities in the Pacific Northwest. This is a name that encompasses what we’re all about - enhancing life for people of color in the northwest. We believe that this is a name that will help us build a common thread of communication among the different communities and cities where there are people of color.
Urban Life Northwest January 2009 Volume II, Issue 1 Publisher/Editor
Starla L. Fitch
I sincerely extend my gratitude and appreciation for your support and encouragement. Without you - my writers, readers and especially my advertisers, this magazine would not be possible. Our motto:
Graphic Design Starla L. Fitch
Miklos L. Fitch
“Living Life to the Fullest!”
Contributing Writers
Pastor Kenneth J. Ransfer
Contents What People are Saying (WPAS)
3
Indoor Décor
10
Letters to the Editor
From Head 2 Toe
3 Nutrition and Hair
Our Health & Fitness
4
Yes, You Can...Get Fit!
Marriage & Family
Change is good!
Inspirational Thoughts
11
Dr. King’s dream, Obama’s reality
Subscription Form
11
Just for Seniors
12
4
Free Spirit, a poem Family Values The Red Hat Ladies Social Club support SOLO
Politically Inclined
5
Making a Difference
Advertise with Us!
5
Money Matters
14
11 Ways to Save Money & Get Ahead in 2009
The Green Revolution
6
10 Tips to Save Energy (and money) in Your Home
About Business
6 Advertise or Die!
Cover Story
Community Voice
14
KIP Quiz (Knowledge is Power)
15
Presidential Inaugurations
7
8 9 9
The Sweet Smell of Success Page 2
Tobi Ellison Monique Jong Tina Austin Urban Life Northwest is published monthly. Direct all editorial and subscription inquiries to P.O. Box 94057, Seattle, WA 98124-9457, visit our website or call (425) 533-7802. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without consent. Query in advance of article submission; unsolicited materials may not be returned.
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8 Health Benefits of Drinking Wine
The Funny Side
Djuna Basconcelo
www.UrbanLifeNW.com
The Reverse Mortgage
Eat, Drink & Enjoy!
Patrycia L. Taylor
Subscriptions: $10 per year US; Canada $14 p/year; all other countries $20 p/year (US currency only)
Is a “Victim Mentality” keeping you from living life to the fullest?
Real Estate Corner
David White, RN
13 DuShawna Angelou
What Democracy Requires
Dr. Lora-Ellen McKinney
*All Glasbergen cartoons are printed with permission.
Inspirational Thoughts (December 2008) ‘What Kid of Noise are You Making?’
Regarding our name change from Central Area Monthly to Urban Life Northwest
Dear Editor,
Thank you for the update! I agree with you, this name encompasses a broader geographical area, versus “Central Area” which clearly means Central Seattle.
With my heart wide open, I hear your “noise” Pastor Taylor! As the years swiftly pass, my faith seeks and is constantly blessed by the solid sounds of construction as the foundation of “The Word” is maintained in the name of Jesus - S.O.L.O. (The Spirit of Life & Oneness) is a freedom call to Rejoice and my constant prayer that we (the Seattle Community) can be “one” in order to better understand and serve one another. Restore - Reclaim - Rebuild - Rest - Remember and always - Rejoice!
Way to go!!! Received via email from Aundre H. on December 15, 2008
Head 2 Toe (December 2008) “A Touch of Xazz” Dear Editor,
What People are saying...
Letters and comments we’ve received from our readers…..
After reading the article from Evelyn Brown in the December issue, I was truly impressed to see all of the services offered. Considering the busy schedule of today’s families, Xazz services provide an opportunity for the Regarding our name change from Central Area Monthly to Urban family to be together as they get “beautiful”. As an educator, I am truly Life Northwest impressed with the school partnership. Our youth need the self-esteem building to be successful in today’s society. Love the new name! I liked Central Area Monthly too but I see where you’re going with this. Wishing you much success! Hattie Marshall, a Central Area Monthly (now Urban Life NW) subscriber Tobi Ellison - Happy New Year - 2009
Received via email from Kaye G. on December 19, 2008 Oops! The Zion Preparatory Ad in the December 2008 of Central Area Monthly, was printed with an incorrect phone number. We sincerely apologize for this error. *Please send your comments, suggestions and compliments to us via email (wpas@urbanlifenw.com) or snail mail to our mailing address. We look forward to hearing from you!
By Tina Austin After 18+ years in the beauty industry I’ve found that a healthy head of hair is still elusive for some. We are bombarded with products and fancy styling techniques which have resulted in a bad crop of damaged hair and hair loss. Fortunately hair is a very resilient fiber and its’ ability to survive the abuse to which it has been subject, even at the hands of some hair care professionals is amazing. I hope that the tips and suggestions in this article will provide information that you can use to begin a new hair care regiment. I want you to be better informed about the curly crown of fiber that adorns your head so that you can provide better care for it in 2009.
From Head 2 Toe
Nutrition and Hair
Protein is essential to hair growth but can be over consumed so you must be careful. Essentially, fatty acids such as vitamin F are believed to assist the sebaceous gland. The sebaceous gland produces sebum, which moisturizes the skin, scalp and hair. Vitamin F can be found in nuts, raw seeds and unsaturated vegetables oils. Vitamin A also can be used to combat dry, itchy and flaky scalp and skin. Codliver oil contains the richest source of natural vitamin A, and it should be apart of your daily diet. Lecithin and B vitamins, including chorine and dinositol, protect the arteries from hardening. When the arteries are hardened, the blood supply to the scalp is restricted and hair growth is diminished. Smoking, overeating and high blood pressure may also impair blood circulation to the scalp. If we wish to optimize the growth, texture and beauty of our hair, we should supplement our diet daily with the foods and supplements that will nourish hair from the inside out. *Tina Austin is a dynamic hair stylist who has been doing hair in Seattle for over 18 years. To contact her, please view her ad on page 8.
Page 3
Our Health & Fitness
Yes, You Can… Get Fit! By David White, RN Many people resolve in the New Year to start an exercise program but don't know how to get motivated. Here are some ideas that will help you begin and continue to get more physically fit. Moderate aerobic exercise has been shown to be beneficial to almost every system in your body. It tones and conditions your heart, lowers blood pressure, and reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease. The endorphins produced when you get a good workout can even out your moods, make you feel better, and reduce the effects of emotional stress on your body. And out of the hundreds of supplements and routines that have been studied as possibly helping to improve your memory, there is only one that has been proven to have any benefit: regular aerobic exercise.
Walking is something that almost everyone can do and it confers all the positive benefits of other forms of exercise. Start out with a brisk 20 minute walk and work up to 40 minutes. If you want to do something more vigorous and are over age 30, it is best to get your doctor's approval. As for motivation, most people find that the first 2-3 weeks are most difficult. After that, the enjoyment obtained from exercising is motivation in itself. The usual recommendation about how much exercise is optimal is 30 minutes three times per week, with a five minute warm-up and cool-down period, but research is showing that the same benefits can be obtained with what is called interval training. This involves 10 to 15 minute sessions three times a week in which you alternate moderate activity with short periods of strenuous activity. For instance, jogging at a moderate pace for 90 seconds and then sprinting for thirty seconds. For those who want a more structured program, almost every gym or health club offers personal trainers who can help you with an individualized program. Low-impact activities include stair climbing, stationary cycling, and elliptical trainers. One thing that is not likely to help you: purchasing a treadmill or other such device for use at home. About 75% of the time, the machine sits idle, and so does the person who bought it.
Marriage & Family
*David White has been a critical care/emergency RN at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for 12 years.
Family Values By Starla L. Fitch A new year has arrived, hence another chance to start developing and/or strengthening your “family values”. What are “family values” you ask? Well, “family values” can be different things to different people but most people consider “family values” as traditional values that promote a healthy family and strengthen society. For example, hard work, responsibility, honesty, respect and love are a few typical family values. Many families operate from an unspoken set of values that have been passed down from generation to generation. Progressive families attempt to define and hone their values so that their children will internalize these concepts and pass them down to future generations.
It is important to exemplify patterns of positive behavior so that your children will have realistic examples to live by. Too many of us seem to think that our children will learn morals and ethics in school or at church thus placing that burden of responsibility onto someone else’s shoulders. I’m here to tell you that you are your children’s primary role model. They look up to you first and foremost and they will pattern their lives, behaviors and habits from what they see in you. Therefore it is important that you take the time to teach values to your children. Put together a set of values that you believe will enhance your life and the lives of your children and begin to introduce these values verbally and through your actions.
It is a simple task to incorporate healthy family values into the lives of your children. You can make this a fun experience by turning each lesson into a game. For example, you can assign a value to each month of the year and during that month, look for examples of that value in each other and in society. Let’s say that you assign respect to the month of February. Every time you or your children exemplify respect, put a dime in a jar and see how much money you can save at the end of each month just by practicing healthy family values. With this method, you’re not only teaching respect but you are also teaching a new way to save money which is a value in and of itself. Family values, promote cohesion, structure and productive communication within families. Every family should define the values that are important to them and teach those values to their children. Page 4
By Dr. Lora-Ellen McKinney Frank Capra directed a 1941 film about Mr. Willoughby, a man who believed that his life had been ruined by the Great Depression. Tricked by an unscrupulous newswoman into impersonating John Doe, a fictional character who threatened suicide to protest society’s ills, Willoughby, ashamed of this sham and horrified to lose another job himself threatens to jump from the Empire State Building. Upon reading Willoughby’s plight people around the country responded in remarkable ways, forging an unanticipated grassroots political movement. Strengthening their formerly torn bonds, neighbors start fragility of democracy.
Politically Inclined
What Democracy Requires
America was founded as an experiment in democracy: our Founding Fathers were concerned that their new country provide for its people pathways to have a persuasive voice in governance. Having been ruled by England’s system of hereditary peerage, this new land allowed them to craft a government with the potential to be equitable. They defined democracy as a system in which formal political power is equally shared by all of society’s members. This experiment has been imperfect, taking overlong to understand the definition of “all”, failing to embody Lincoln’s admonition that “…no man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent”. Despite our misconceptions of fairness, democracy’s laudable goals give voice to our personal, regional, national, international and systemic concerns. These possibilities for voice embolden our citizenry and draw people to American shores. While American democracy represents a unique form of founding government, the institution itself is credited to Athens circa 508 B.C., though evidence exists of 5th century tribal democracies. Quite possibly these early democracies experienced difficulties similar to ours: unfairness in democracy’s execution and, increasingly, complacency. Even when American systems are broken, their vast size and intricacy hides inefficiencies for generations. Because democracy takes considerable work, we often don’t speak up as we should. With wars in two destabilized countries, constant terrorist threats, outrageous corporate greed and the worst economic situation since 1931, we can no longer let democracy’s engine erect or maintain its structures on our silence.
Barack Obama’s special genius has been to move us from complacency to vigorous voice. He has consistently intoned that he can only govern with our help, providing public forums and electronic methods to enroll voters, campaign, and forward our ideas to his transition team. As he is the right person for this historical time, we are becoming a renewed people, hopefully encouraged that our democratic participation is truly meaningful. Obama’s election represents America’s acknowledgement that real democracy is finally possible for many previously disenfranchised groups – people of African descent, women, immigrant citizens, political and social outsiders and people whose ideas challenge the status quo. Obama’s presidency has likewise excited global imaginations who can now fill the gap between WE’RE GROWING their dreams and their potential.
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To maintain this new vision of democracy, what is required of us? Democracy is an opportunity to reevaluate who we are and to determine how best to use our particular gifts and talents in service to each other and our nation. Democracy further requires that we become a nation of good-hearted John Does, helping one another, healing through the process, and understanding that sustained progress only occurs when we care more about outcomes than taking credit for our contributions. *Dr. Lora-Ellen McKinney is an expert in community health, social services, social justice and education. She heads her own consulting firm and is a published author.
We can be found in multiple locations in the Pacific Northwest. For specific locations, contact our Publisher. Our circulation and distribution grows monthly! We also have an extensive city-wide mailing list of over 375 & email list of over 600 to help promote your business! In this tough economy, no advertising dollars should be wasted on faded, unclear or black & white advertising! Let us give your business the quality advertising it deserves and we’ll do it in
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The Green Revolution
10 Tips to Save Energy (and Money) in Your Home Being green can be easy after all! A whopping 46 percent of home energy use is, umm, energy loss! In other words, no productive energy use at all! Here are simple ways of reversing this, mostly by changes of habit. Thanks to climatecrisis.net and The Home Energy Diet (New Society Publishers, 2005), for many of the carbon savings figures. Browse through this list of simple solutions designed to save energy and reduce carbon emissions for the planet, and at the same time save you money. 1. Each degree you turn down the heat saves 3 percent of heating costs, while each degree you raise the temperature of your air conditioner saves 3-4 percent of cooling costs. By changing the temperature by 2 degrees all year, you can save about 2,000 pounds of C02 a year.
2. Cook with a slow cooker or a toaster oven (or even a solar oven!) to reduce electrical use from kitchen appliances. For a meal that requires one hour to cook in an electric oven, and which uses 2.7 pounds of C02, a crockpot uses 0.9 pounds of C02 for seven hours, a toaster oven takes 1.3 pounds of C02 for 50 minutes, and a microwave only 0.5 pounds of C02 for 15 minutes of cooking. A solar cooker requires NO C02! 3. Switch to a laptop instead of using a desktop computer and cut three-quarters off your electrical use. Turn off the laptop at the end of the day. 4. Switch to cold water washing and save 80 percent on energy used for laundry and save an estimated $60 a year. Hang dry your clothes instead of using the dryer and save 700 pounds of C02 a year. 5. Plug anything that can be powered by a remote control or that has a power cube transformer (little black box) into a power strip, and turn it off, and/or unplug, when not in use. (Power cubes are 60-80 percent inefficient.) 6. Turn off the lights when you aren’t using them and reduce your direct lighting energy use by 45 percent. Stop using heat-producing halogen lamps (they can also be fire hazards). Install occupancy or motion sensors on outdoor lights. 7. Switch to compact fluorescent from regular incandescent bulbs and use 60 percent less energy per bulb and save 300 pounds of C02 a year. 8. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket and save 1,000 pounds of C02 a year. Insulate your hot water pipes. 9. Use public transportation whenever possible, carpool, shop locally, and ideally switch to a hybrid or energy-efficient car (if you haven’t already). 10. Keep your tires inflated to improve gas mileage by 3 percent. Every gallon you save also saves 20 pounds of C02 emissions.
About Business
Source - www.care2.com/greenliving/10-simple-and-cheap-green-ideas.html, by Annie B. Bond
Advertise or Die! NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS OR SERVICES!! The economy is in bad shape; people are losing their jobs; companies and industries are teetering on the brink! No, this is not a pitch to get you to use my services or some joke. I am totally serious. Now IS the best time to advertise hard. Customers are getting more cautious with their money, times are hard, doubt and fear are the flavor of the day. But you and I are small businesses. We don't have a strong presence in the market. If we're going to survive this downturn or whatever you want to call it, we've got to be smarter about doing business. We need to maintain a presence in the mind of our customers! We need to call attention to the fact that we are still here. We need to advertise like there is no tomorrow, because if we don't - there may not be a tomorrow. No one is busting down your door to get what you are selling. Large companies and corporations can pull back on their advertising spending because they have built up momentum over the years through frequent and consistent advertising - we have not. I am not talking about throwing money at people, I am talking about carefully and thoughtfully crafting a strong advertising message and reaching out to present and potential customers. Switch from a passive effort to an aggressive approach - get your name out there.
Source - smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com, by Iwrite
Page 6
By Starla L. Fitch
Cover Story
Is a “victim mentality” keeping you from living life to the fullest?
It’s a new year and we should make it our goal to turn over a new leaf on life. Let’s change our thought process and maybe, just maybe, we can change our lives for the better. Now, if you’re the type of person who thinks that everyone is doing you wrong. You’re always giving and never receiving anything in return. You go above and beyond but never get appreciated for all that you do. Your family has done you wrong. Your boyfriend/husband has done your wrong. Your friends have done you wrong. Life in general, has done you wrong. If this is how you think, then you’ve been living life with a victim mentality. Maybe you should take an introspective look at yourself. Maybe the problem does not lie elsewhere. Maybe the problem lies with you.
There’s an old saying that goes, “when you point the finger at others, there are four more fingers pointing back at you”. Let’s face fact! You’re not a victim. Whatever is happening in your life is more than likely the result of choices you’ve made. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are true victims in this world. There are people, who have been hurt, maligned, taken advantage of and/or just “victims of circumstance” but those people are not the ones I’m speaking to or about, unless they are continuing to wallow in their misfortune. The people I’m speaking about are those who never take responsibility for anything; people who think that anything that happens to them is someone else’s fault. The people I’m talking about are those who, drive their cars on empty and then blame the car when it stops from a lack of fuel. The people I’m talking about are the one’s who rob a bank and then scream “injustice” when they are arrested for the crime. The people I’m talking about are the one’s who failed to take the steps necessary to have a bright future then blame the “system” when their lives are “jacked-up”, as the saying goes. It’s time to stop the insanity! The definition of insanity is expecting a different result when you keep doing the same thing. Too many of us are living insane lives. Too many of us, do the same things day after day, year after year and then wonder why things haven’t changed in our lives. Think about this, if life is not giving you, all that you need and/or think you deserve, then, as my Pastor said in a sermon a few weeks ago, “flip the script”! If what you’ve been doing in the past is not working for you, change it! Do something different, but most importantly, stop blaming everyone else for your problems. It’s not their fault. There is no invisible, all powerful “man” holding you back. It’s not the devil’s fault. It’s not God’s fault. It’s nobody’s fault! You must remember, life is what you make it, no more, no less. We only have one life to live and it is our responsibility to live it to the fullest. Make a promise to yourself, that if you’ve been living your life with a victim mentality, in 2009, you’re going to stop that practice of negativity. If education is what you need to get your life on track, then make a call to a college, a university or trade school and start making the necessary adjustments to your life. If family is holding you back, move away and/or let go. I’m not saying divorce yourself completely from your family but maybe you need to take a temporary break so that you can live life on your own terms. If friends are holding you back, get new friends. Don’t continue to associate with people who are leading you down a negative path and/or don’t understand who you are or what you want to become. These people will constantly remind you of your short comings and failures. Because they think that they are helping you “keep it real” but what they are really doing is trying to keep you down so that you will be afraid to do better or be more than you were in the past. Remember, people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. So if you’ve figured out the reason or you’ve come to the end of a season - move on. You’ll find another Serving Seattle’s Children for 26 years friend who will help you travel the next leg of life’s journey. Here's the botPreschool through 8th grade. tom line, you can continue to live your life with a “victim mentality” and wallow in your misfortune or you can “flip the script” and reinvent yourself – Expanded capacity in preschool. the choice is yours.
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Real Estate Corner
The Reverse Mortgage By Djuna Basconcelo There are a lot of questions about reverse mortgages. Good, bad, trap or useful tool? How do they work? Should I get one? As with any mortgage it depends on the borrower’s circumstances. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of having a reverse mortgage.
PROS • • • • • • • •
The reverse mortgage can be set up as a monthly disbursement, line of credit, or lump sum—whichever works best. The home owner does not make monthly payments. No payments are due from the home owner, when he or she dies, moves, or sells the home the loan is due in full, plus interest and fees. The home owner can receive disbursements from a reverse mortgage as long as he or she lives in the home as a primary residence. A home owner could potentially continue to receive monthly disbursements even after the loan balance is higher than the amount that the house is worth. Neither the home owner nor his or her heirs will ever owe more than the home is worth, no matter how many payments are received or how high interest rates become. It’s fairly easy to qualify for this loan since credit scores and income are not part of the qualification process. Disbursements received are not counted as income by the IRS.
CONS • • • •
The closing costs are high. The senior must pay origination fees that are about double those of conventional mortgages and mortgage insurance. The interest rates are adjustable. For seniors who depend on Medicaid or other state or federal programs, it’s important to consider if reverse mortgage payments will affect their eligibility. The senior is required to attend counseling by an independent HUD counselor prior to receiving a reverse mortgage. These are complex loans and this is a measure of consumer protection.
Sounds great, why wouldn’t everyone get one? To be eligible, one must be over sixty-two years of age, own the home, and be living in it as a primary residence. The amount one is eligible for depends on age, interest rates, and the value of the home. Most reverse mortgages are set up so the home owner can receive monthly disbursements. For a senior who has other income, some savings, and assets in addition to the primary residence, a reverse mortgage can be a great supplement. For a senior whose only asset is the house and who would rely on the monthly disbursements for basic necessities, a reverse mortgage should be considered very carefully. What worse situation is there than to exhaust the equity in the home and still need the monthly disbursements to survive. In the final analysis the reverse mortgage is a useful tool when used appropriately. When considering obtaining a reverse mortgage make sure to discuss it with a loan officer who is certified to offer and sell them. *Djuna Basconcelo has worked for Keller Williams Realty for 10 years and has lived in the Central Area since 1995.
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Every year, there is a flurry of headlines about the health benefits of wine. But can drinking wine really make a difference? Here’s the news - very good news, indeed - from the latest studies. Note: The health benefits come from moderate wine consumption, defined by the American Heart Association as one to two four-ounce glasses a day. The Benefit: Promotes Longevity The Evidence: Wine drinkers have a 34 percent lower mortality rate than beer or spirits drinkers. Source: a Finnish study of 2,468 men over a 29-year period, published in the Journals of Gerontology, 2007. The Benefit: Reduces Heart-Attack Risk The Evidence: Moderate drinkers suffering from high blood pressure are 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack than nondrinkers. Source: a 16-year Harvard School of Public Health study of 11,711 men, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 2007.
Eat, Drink, & Enjoy!
8 Health Benefits of Drinking Wine
The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Heart Disease The Evidence: Red-wine tannins contain procyanidins, which protect against heart disease. Wines from Sardinia and southwest France have more procyanidins than other wines. Source: a study at Queen Mary University in London, published in Nature, 2006. The Benefit: Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes The Evidence: Moderate drinkers have 30 percent less risk than nondrinkers of developing type 2 diabetes. Source: research on 369,862 individuals studied over an average of 12 years each, at Amsterdam's VU University Medical Center, published in Diabetes Care, 2005. The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Stroke The Evidence: The possibility of suffering a blood clot–related stroke drops by about 50 percent in people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol. Source: a Columbia University study of 3,176 individuals over an eight-year period, published in Stroke, 2006. The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Cataracts The Evidence: Moderate drinkers are 32 percent less likely to get cataracts than nondrinkers; those who consume wine are 43 percent less likely to develop cataracts than those drinking mainly beer. Source: a study of 1,379 individuals in Iceland, published in Nature, 2003. The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Colon Cancer The Evidence: Moderate consumption of wine (especially red) cuts the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent. Source: a Stony Brook University study of 2,291 individuals over a four-year period, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2005.
*Source - www.foodandwine.com, written by Christine Quinlan
The Sweet Smell of Success By Glasbergen
THE FUNNY SIDE
The Benefit: Slows Brain Decline The Evidence: Brain function declines at a markedly faster rate in nondrinkers than in moderate drinkers. Source: a Columbia University study of 1,416 people, published in Neuroepidemiology, 2006.
Page 9
Indoor Décor
Change is Good! By Monique Jong As we launch into the new year with the new buzzword for 2009 being “CHANGE”, this not only brings up new opportunities for homeowners and they way they interact with their home environment but it also brings up new ways to add value to our homes. As human beings, we crave change. We attempt to always improve on situations and this was most evident with the “Change is good” focus of the 2008 presidential election.
Remodeling magazine's annual report shows that maintenance-related projects and moderately priced upgrades provide stable paybacks, even in a slow market. (G.M. Filisko | December 2008) Seattle is on the list of cities with a cost recovery of more than 100 percent on deck and kitchen remodels. Pacific Coast cities recorded the best payback on remodeling by a wide margin, as they did in 2007. Although construction costs on the Pacific Coast are about 17 percent higher than the national average, the value of renovations at resale more than compensate up for the higher prices. The result is an average cost-recouped percentage that is 14.8 points higher than in the rest of the country. Despite home price drops in many cities this past year, remodeling projects are holding their own as a way for owners to add value to their homes. So instead of waiting for the perfect time, now is the time to make changes in our homes as evidence of our “nesting” tendencies during difficult times so we can create a positive impact as we interact with the build environment.
Kitchen A - Before
Kitchen A - After
Given the current weather conditions, a kitchen is a perfect room to bring about change. This is a room where families congregate, create and celebrate. One can for instance create an open concept of a kitchen/dining room which is more conducive to contemporary living versus the old fashioned kitchens that are separate from our formal dining room. Most end up mostly for “show” and are seldom used. One can also create a gourmet kitchen for the gourmet cook of the house. A recent kitchen addition resulted in modifications to the space to include a family member newly confined to the use of a wheelchair. No matter which way you go, planning a kitchen remodel involves evaluating the current space to form a new space that is going to “fulfill” your needs for storage or the amount of activity stations one wants to create. Perhaps the addition of a small desk space is needed or an area to include growing children and their art. Today’s new appliances and plumbing accessories also require that we update and evaluate current wiring and plumbing innards that may not be functioning properly or efficiently.
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One needs to find a team to design and execute ideas or visions. Interior Designers transform ideas into workable drawings to be executed by skilled tradesmen. It would take a General Contractor that has a team of subcontractors like plumbers, electricians, tile setters and carpenters to get a project done. As we experience growing economic pains consumers are turning towards preservation. To spend money wisely means to invest in ways that will eventually end up in returns greater then we might expect. A boost to our immediate surroundings with the help of qualified professionals will give the resulting harmony we are looking for that will pay of in the long run. *Monique Jong is a professional designer with a degree in Interior Design. She is also a Certified Project Manager. You may contact her design group Guild 2001 @ (206)760-2530 or visit her website www.geocities.com/niquej2
www.LovelyCapitolHillHomes.com Kitchen B - Before Page 10
Kitchen B - After
by Pastor Kenneth J. Ransfer The oracular oratory of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial continues to inspire millions on the globe: "I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal . . .' I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."
Pastor Kenneth J. Ransfer
Inspirational Thoughts
Dr. King’s Dream, Obama’s Reality
Forty-five years later, a major part of the dream became a majestic reality: the former U.S. Senator Barack Obama has been elected the first AfricanAmerican President of the United States of America! His win fulfills the prophetic voice of a man of God, servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, Dr. King. His win culminates an American history from plantation slavery to Pennsylvania Avenue, from Jim Crow to Camp David, from sitting on the back of the bus to flying in Air Force One. His win shatters 200 years of "No, we can't" to "Yes, we can," and "Yes, we did!" His win inspires a hallelujah chorus in recognition of the refreshing fact that our country has grown up--some. You can kill the dreamer, but you cannot kill the dream. Many tried to kill the dream in Obama. They called Obama everything but a child of God. They called him inexperienced, a terrorist, a Muslim, and a community organizer (as if something was wrong with that). They called him an elitist and "that one." Roseanne Barr called him "a half-breed n****r puppet in the White House." Even some Blacks called him, "Not Black enough." But come Tuesday, January 20, 2009, they will call him the President of the United States of America, President Barack Obama! It's not an accident but rather Providence that one day after we celebrate and honor Dr. King's life's work, President-Elect Barack Obama will be inaugurated our 44th President. A day for the dreamer, a day the dream came true. God moves in mysterious ways. Let us remember that the Dream has had times of great fulfillment, but it is not complete insofar as civil rights is concerned. We still have housing discrimination, hate crimes, police brutality, the over-representation of African-Americans in prison, and the iniquitous inequities in education. The U.S. Constitution once counted Black slaves as worth three-fifths of Whites. Today, Black per capita income is three-fifths of that of Whites. The Black unemployment rate is still more than twice that of Whites, and we still must get rid of all the effects of racism and the tragedies of racial injustice. One election does not make all that go away, the same as Dr. King understood one great, prophetic speech could not make all that go away. May we support, work, and pray for our new president and his beautiful family towards this dream's completion.
*Pastor Kenneth J. Ransfer is the Senior Pastor of Greater Mount Baker Baptist Church, 2425 S. Jackson, St., Seattle, WA
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Just 4 Seniors
Free Spirit Freedom is that constant thought, that lives within my mind, People cannot deaden it, neither can the rain or shine. It’s loving all with all my might, regardless of the return. It’s wanting love to understand, but wanting more to learn. It’s not having much to boast about, except what’s deep inside. Just being free and independent, is enough to feed my pride. You see, nothing is too complex, within my fellow man. That I won’t stop and listen LISTEN, and if need be, lend a hand. Yes - everything is everything, for you - for me - for others. From the moment of the wombs release, we’re automatically each other. So with all this deep awareness, only one thing I claim as mine;
The Red Hat Ladies Social Club support SOLO! The Spirit of Life and Oneness On Thursday, January 9th, 2009, Jessie Dawson, Top Hat, of the fun-loving, Red Hat Ladies Social Club, along with other members of this renown group of ladies, met at the Central Area Senior Center in support of the SOLO program. Tobi Ellison was overjoyed to know that she will have their help and support to help make her dreams for SOLO come true. Some of the ladies are members of CASC and those who are not, have pledged to join. At its’ conception, SOLO was put on hold in 2008 until the coordinator - Tobi Ellison was able to solicit a working committee and establish a solid program. Since that time, SOLO has been working hard to help seniors enjoy living. Karyll Henry, founder of the Swinging Seniors at McKinney Manor is a good friend of Seattle’s artists and musicians and has pledged support so that SOLO can bring live entertainment to its’ social events. SOLO wishes to extend sincere thanks to Cynthia Andrews, director of CASC, the board of directors, the membership and all of the senior services staff.
Therefore - I sell my services, because I cannot sell my time! T. Ellison - Expressionist Seattle, WA 2009
Tobi Ellison
Let’s bring back the good times and put some “gold” in the golden years!
*Tobi Ellison, SOLO Coordinator at CASC, 30th Ave S., Seattle, WA To contact her call (206) 325-7663, or leave a message at (206) 726-4926
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In his newest book, Outliers: The Story of Success, author Malcolm Gladwell examines the factors that contribute to exceptional success. He debunks the myth of innate genius with numerous examples of people who excelled through trial and error learning and life experience. While an excellent book, Outliers -has been criticized for focusing on men. It must be for this reason that Dushawna Angelou’s wonderful creation of African American celebratory gardens was overlooked. Shawna has been a Community Service Advisor for Renton’s Greenwood Memorial Park for one year with responsibility for selling pre-need funeral and cemetery packages. She helps people plan for death so that they can be fiscally and emotionally prepared for its familial and community impacts. Trained as a commercial artist and audio engineer, this was not work that Shawna planned to do. She has learned, however, that she loves it, not just because it shepherds people through difficult processes, but for the industry’s potential to reclaim its role as well-used secular and sacred space.
Making a Difference
Healing Hearts and Holding Histor y - DuShawna Angelou
Our views of death are generational, shifting within the contexts of social and religious beliefs. Early Christianity’s focus on suffering in life and atonement in the afterlife resulted in stark and unadorned burial plots. The term ‘”cemetery” gained usage in the 1830’s, its Greek roots meaning “a sleeping place.” As a result, Victorian-era cemeteries were beautiful gardens serving as public parks and, most importantly, as places where the spirits of the deceased could wander in eternal peace.
The American funeral industry emerged following the Civil War, bringing with it embalming practices. Despite this service, until approximately sixty years ago, many of our dearly departed were displayed in the front parlors of American homes. Positioned on the “cooling boards” now primarily referenced in African American prayers, families and friends said their goodbyes at home. When WWII made it too expensive to build porches, the deceased were increasingly prepared for burial by professionals. The term “funeral parlor” represents the parlor’s movement from homes to an external space. This movement increased our unfamiliarity with and fear of death. More recently, as a result of racial and ethnic fears, funeral parlors were often segregated. In the first half of the 20th century, African American community funeral parlors were the site of social organization and church functions. Their limousines were often rented for use by wedding parties. Shawna was hired into this relatively unknown and fascinating history. She was aware that entry into some cemeteries provides a rich sense of regional, cultural, racial and ethnic history. She wanted to revive the civic traditions of African American mortuaries. Shawna was also saddened that black communities had no special gardens where the living could celebrate life and acknowledge death in a manner relevant to each city. These challenges to accessibility and celebratory structure led to her “aha” moment. Shawna proposed to Service Corporation International, Evergreen’s parent company, the creation of African American Gardens in cities around the country. Every garden will feature a person important to the history of that community. Zion Garden, named to honor the community contributions and more than forty year tenure of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Berry McKinney as 24th pastor of Seattle’s Mount Zion Baptist Church, will be the nation’s first African American celebration garden. It is Shawna’s hope that “people throughout the country (will) come to visit not only to experience the community he created, but also because of…his love, faith, teaching, and his deep sense of spirituality. He is a local hero who embodies all the intentions of the garden.” Designed in the shape of the cross, Zion Garden will be adorned with dogwood trees whose blossoms are, surprisingly, cross-shaped. The garden name was also carefully chosen. Shawna noted that, “Zion symbolizes a longing by wandering peoples for a safe homeland. This (might) be a literal place… (or) a safe spiritual homeland.” Africa’s Mount Zion is a noted holy place believed by people of different faiths to hold communal memories. As a woman trained by her family for a life of community service, Dushawna Angelou is providing for the nation’s African American communities a way to celebrate communal memory. She is teaching that death need not be feared if carefully planned for and changing our view of how to use mortuary space. And Shawna has created a new way to honor the living and commune, in the beauty of a garden, with those we have laid to rest. These are thoughtful and special gifts from an exceptional and creative woman.
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Money Matters
11 Ways to Save Money and Get Ahead in 2009 By Patrycia L. Taylor Well, it is official – the U.S. economy is in a recession, and has been for a year. Many of us are already aware of this, because the recession has stress-tested our paychecks, portfolios, home prices and equity, and jobs to determine just how bad things could get before we really started to feel it.
As 2008 comes to an end, there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that there is still much that is out of our control. A recurrent theme is that this downturn is expected to be longer and deeper than any the U.S. has seen since 1981. The good news is two-fold. Even though recession is the worst of the four economic stages, we know it won’t last forever. The other good news is that some of the uncertainties have been taken out of the market: we know that the government is protecting failing companies. We know who our next President is and we know his initial plans to get the economy stabilized once more. Think about starting your financial new year off right. The following are some areas which you can work on, which over time, can translate into financial improvement for you and your family:
1. Goals - Revisit your short and long term goals. Which ones will be carried into 2009? 2. Knowledge - Sit with a financial adviser to make sure you are fully informed before taking action. 3. Financial game plan - Make it. Write it down. Stick to it. Review it every payday to see if you are still on track. 4. Emergency fund - Save money from every paycheck, no matter how small the amount. 5. Savings interest - Open a higher earning money market account instead of a regular passbook savings account. 6. Spending - Track every dollar for one to three months. Stop spending on things that don’t contribute to your future. 7. Debt - Get rid of it all. Get a debt snowballing schedule from your financial adviser. Stick to it until your debt is gone. 8. Investment portfolio - Don’t rush to sell and don’t rely on your emotions. Have your portfolio rebalanced automatically. 9. 401K - Contribute enough to receive the full match from your employer. This is free money. 10. FDIC - Is only for deposits. Make sure you don’t have other assets with your bank that aren’t covered by FDIC. 11. Net Worth - Tally up at least once a year. Watch it increase as you save money, pay off debt and gradually build wealth. REMEMBER: Most people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.
Community Voice
*Patrycia L. Taylor, MBA is a Financial Service Advisor living in the South Seattle area. You may contact her at www.primerica.com/patryciataylor.
January 6th - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Harborview, 2:00pm, 325 9th Ave, Seattle, WA January 15th - Lynnwood Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, civil right activist Myrlie Evers-Williams – first woman to chair the NAACP will speak. Lynnwood Convention Center, 7pm. January 15th - Seattle Repertory Theatre presents The Road to Mecca by Athol Fugard, directed by Leigh Silverman. Previews begin January 15th to February 14th, with opening night set for January 21st. For more information and/or tickets call (206) 443-2222 or go online at www.seattlerep.org. January 19th - Seattle Center presents the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration, starting at 12 noon in the Center House. This is part of the Safeco Insurance Festal 2009 Cultural Events Series. This event is filled with music, readings and The Martin Luther King Jr. peace award presentations. For more info, contact the Seattle Center.
January 19th - The Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas (CD Forum) and the Seattle Center present a staged reading of excerpts of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches, at 2:30 PM at Seattle Center/ Center House Pavilion, 305 Harrison St., Seattle, WA 98109. January 19th – “Yes, we can: Change begins now” @ Garfield High School, this is an all day event which includes several workshops, poetry, music and an 11:00 am march to the Federal Bldg, 400 23rd Ave., Seattle, WA (206) 252-2270 January 28th – Paramount Theater presents – Etta James, 911 Pine St., Seattle, WA, 7:30 pm, tickets $35 - $65.
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