Page B6 Medicare Drug Cards Tout Savings Which card is right fo r you? A new M edicare D rug D iscount can get additional help. If yo u r in C ard began this m onth and for many co m e is less than about $ 1 2 ,0 0 0 a local seniors, it represents both sav y ear for one person or $ 16,000 fo ra ings and confusion. m arried couple, you may get up to T his is the first phase o f a tem po $600 to h elp pay for prescription rary program that ends when the drugs this year and again in 2005. second stage o f assistance, a M edi A lso, you will not have to pay a fee care drug benefit, goes into effect on fo r your discount card. Jan. 1, 2(X)6. O nce this begins, the But w hile you have m oney on discount cards will no longer be used. yo u r card, you will have to pay a c o In the meantim e, starting in June, pay o f 5 to 10 percent each tim e you discount cards with a M edicare-ap use it. If you use up the $600, the proved seal will save you about 10- card can still be used for discounts. 15 percent on your total prescription F o r lo w -in co m e se n io rs and drug costs. M edicare will contract people with disabilities w ho already with private com panies tooffer these have prescription drug coverage COURAGEOUS A F R I C A N A M L 1(1 C A N S Pioneer black aviator proves women can fly Ron Weber The Portland Observer W i t h a giant toothy sm ile Remember, Medicare-approved discount drug cards will provide different discounts on different drugs. cards. The cost for a card will be no more than $30. This card is optional - you do not have to get a discount card if you don’t w ant one. W ith m any different cards avai I- able, and different discounts o f fered for different d rugs on each card, how do you decid e w hich card is the right one for you? The A A R P ito rm erly the A m eri can A ssociation o f R etried P er sons) recom m ends that you start by m aking a list o f the m edicines you currently take, and include how m uch you pay each m onth for each prescription drug. T hen, as you learn m ore about the different M edi care-approved discount dru g cards that are available, find out w hich cards offer the best d iscounts on the drugs you need. If you have a low incom e, you from M edicaid, you cannot get the d isco u n t card. If you have drug co v erag e from an em p lo y er or the federal governm ent, you cannot get the special low -incom e features o f the disco u n t card. Rem em ber, M edicare-approved discount drug cards will provide d if ferent discounts on different drugs. It’s im portant to figure out which discount card will provide the m ost savings for you. Shop around to see w hich card best m eets your needs. M ed icare has a W eb site (www.medicare.gov )andatoll-ftee tele phone number (800-MEDICARE or 800-633-4227) and A ARP also has a W eb site (www.aarp.org) and a phone number(888-OUR-AARPor888-687- 2277) to give you information to help you understand your Medicare and prescription dmg choices. Senior Culture O lder adults are show casing their creativity and culture this m onth and through the su m m er at P rovidence St. V incent M edical C en ter’s C en ter on A ging G allery. O ne o f the first artists to be fea tured is Phyllis M ey er w ho sw itched careers later in life to becom e an art ist. She often paints nature scenes featuring anim als in hues o f red and blue. Phyllis Meyer's abstract painting is from a collection that begins a special a series o f art and culture by area seniors. H ig h C a n c e r R a te s F o u n d African-Americans suffer more than others A fric a n -A m e ric a n s h av e the h ig h est c a n c e r rates in th e c o u n try and are a lso m o re p ro n e to d ie that could be seen from high up in the sky, the gorgeous Bessie C olem an raced, turned, flipped, and spiraled in circles. E xcited audiences below gazed up into the blinding sun in sheer aw e o f o ur n atio n 's first and only black w om an pilot. In a time when black m en and w om en w ere co n sid ered seco n d -class citizen s by much o f America, C olem an broke dow n the co lo r lines on several fronts. First there w ould be that o f a black pilot and then a w om en flyer as w ell. W hen she becam e fam ous throughout the w orld, C olem an broke an international barrier, becom ing the envy m en and w om en throughout the world regardless o f age, sex, o r color. W ith the invention o f the a ir plane only tw enty years in the past, this feisty young A frican- A m erican w om an now ruled the sky all by herself. C onfused and angered by her success, racist prom oters would bar African A mericans from at tending C olem an aerial shows. W hen she found this out, Colem an w ould refuse to take o ff until her people w ere treated as equals and allow ed in. A lthough her mother preached equality betw een the races, she taught young Colem an to “act w hite,” by refining her speaking skills and overall m an ners. She told C olem an that it w ould help her advance farther in society that way. A fter w orking tw o jo b s and saving enough m oney to go to F ra n c e f o r fly in g le s s o n s , C olem an got her p ilo t’s license and began flying in June o f 1921. A recent W orld Book E n cy clo pedia notes that A m elia E arhart "had received her flying license by 1922.” A s o th e r s o u rc e s a ls o m ention E arhart' s aviation d ay s b eginning in 1922, the possibility exists that she B essie C o lem an , a black w om an, m ay have been A m erica’s first fe m ale pilot. A s C olem an w as refu sed fly in g les sons here and had to get h e r lic e n se in E u ro p e, E a rh a rt w a s a c k n o w l edged as o u r first fem ale pilot. W hile the contro versy w as never form ally s e ttle d , it a p p e a r s as th o u g h C o lem an w as first. T his secret w as well hidden as m any early n ine teenth century A m ericans w ould not have w anted this to be the case. A lso noted in history books is a w h ite w o m an by th e nam e o f B lanche Scott w ho w as said to have p ossibly flow n as early as 1910. L ong before E arh art’s fam ous 1928 crossing the A tlantic, Bessie C o lem an w as stunning audiences o f all co lors w ith her aerial acrobat ics. U pon com pletion o f her train ing at F ran ce’s C ondrau S chool o f A viation, she w as given her Inter national P ilo t’s L icense in June o f 1921. She w as the first w om an o f any c o lo r to receive this honor from th e F e d e r a t io n A e r o n a tiq u e Internationale. O n S eptem ber 29, 1921, she sailed back to A m erica w here she w as m et by throngs o f rep o rters at the dock. Shortly after h er return, she sailed back to E u rope one m ore tim e, w here she then receiv ed her advanced training in G erm any, Holland, and Switzerland. In 1922, w hile A m elia Earhart P U B L IC # 5 3 D O W N !* P A Y M E N T S A S L O W A S # 7 3 P E R M O N T H !* C a n c e r I n s t i t u t e m i r r o r th e b r o a d e r c h a lle n g e s o f c a n c e r h e a lth d is p a ritie s th at p lace a h e a v ie r b u rd en fo r the d is e a se on so m e c o m m u n itie s o f co lo r. LEAVE YOUR MONEY AT HOME... YOU WON’T NEED IT! Only during this three day sale at Thrifty Auto Centers, you may finance your new vehicle with $59 DOWN and PAYMENTS AS LOW AS $79 PER MONTH!* This is made possible due to special arrangements with many national lending insti tutions which have been specifically retained for this event. Banks and lenders will be seeking new customers for this three day event. A m o n g m en, A fric a n -A m e ri c a n s h ad the h ig h e st rates fo r new c a n c e rs an d c a n c e r d eath s. IMMEDIATE DELIVERY! At these low prices, you MUST take immediate delivery of your vehicle Vehicles will not be able to be held on the lot because of consumer demand. You must choose your car, truck, van, or sport utility and take immediate delivery during this three day event! No exceptions will be made Vehicles will be available from the following manufacturers: Ford. Lincoln. Mercury, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Nissan, Kia, Mazda, Toyota, Chrysler. Dodge, Jeep, Volkswagen. Honda; along with many others too numerous to mention fo r all c a n c e r site s c o m b in ed . T h e a g e -a d ju s te d in c id e n c e rate o f p ro s ta te c a n c e r fo r A fri c a n -A m e ric a n m en w as 62 p e r cen t h ig h e r than fo r w h ite m en, and the d e a th rate w as m o re than tw ice th at o f w h ite m en. A frican - A m erican fe m a le b reast c a n c e r d e a th ra te s w ere ab o u t 34 p ercen t h ig h e r th an w h ite s, d e sp ite lo w er ra te s o f new c a se s am o n g A fri ca n -A m e ric a n w om en. “ I f w e a re g o in g to re d u ce o r e lim in a te the su ffe rin g an d d eath d ue to c a n c e r in o u r so c ie ty , then w e m u st e lim in a te c a n c e r h ealth d is p a ritie s . It is n o t a c c e p ta b le that the g re a te r n u m b er and m ore a d v a n c e d c a n c e rs are a ss o c ia te d w ith c o m m u n itie s o f c o lo r," said Dr. A n d rew C. von E sc h e n b a c h , in stitu te d ire c to r. “T h e fact th at any seg m en t o f th e p o p u la tio n b ears a la rg e r c a n c e r b u rd en is som ething w e m ust striv e to e lim i N O T IC E EVERY USED CAR, TRUCK, VAN, SPORT UTILITY, OVER 300 TO CHOOSE FROM, MUST RE DISPOSED OF IMMEDIATELY) There will be over $2 million dollars of used cars, trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles offered to the public with $59 DOWN!* There will be monthly payments as low as $79 per month* on many of these vehicles Additional vehicles will be arriving daily A m o n g w o m en , A fric a n -A m e ri ca n s h ad th e h ig h est d e a th rates w ay w ith her. W h ile su rv e y in g a field fo r a lan d in g sp o t to be used the n ex t m o rn in g at a M ay D ay p e rf o r m a n c e in J a c k s o n v ille , F lo rid a , an ac c id e n t to o k h e r life. A m e c h a n ic had left a w ren ch in th e g e a rb o x o f h e r p lan e and it c a u se d the p lain to sp iral o u t o f co n tro l, to ssin g C o le m a n out o f the back seat. C o le m a n fell five h u n d re d feet to the g ro u n d and w as k ille d in sta n tly . A m e ric a ’s first A fric a n -A m e ric a n p ilo t d is a p p e a re d from the sk ies. M any p eo p le o f the day c o m p lain ed that she w as fo rced to fly o u td a te d an d d a n g e ro u s e q u ip m e n t b e Bessie Coleman c a u se o f her co lo r. A m em orial w as ju s t le a rn in g how to fly , has b een set up at the site w here C olem an en tertain ed throngs o f C o le m a n d ied d o in g w hat she spectators at the C urtis A irfield in lo v ed b est, fly in g an airp la n e and G arden C ity, L ong Island. T his p ro v in g a w om an co u ld d o a n y w ould be the first o f her o f m any th in g a m an c o u ld . E ven in the perform ances tofollow . F orthenext tw e n ty -first c e n tu ry , p ilo ts from few years, she entertained crow ds aro u n d the w orld co m e to the site around the country, proving that a o f h er acc id e n t an d d ro p flo w ers black w om an could fly ju s t as well from the sky in h e r m em ory. D espite Bessie C olem an dying as any m ale pilot. A lthough she w as seriously injured in a crashed tragically and young, she inspired w hile m ore than ten thousand C ali A frican A m ericans across the coun fornians w atched her outside o f try to break dow n the color barriers Los A ngeles, should later recov and succeed in life. Proving that ered. W hile one o f her legs and piloting w as not for w hite m en only, other bones w ere broken, her spirit she opened up the doors for many w as not. D uring her year-long re w om en and black aviators to fol covery, C olem an toured the co u n low. C olem an’s long-term dream o f try, lecturing and show ing a film o f establishing a school for A frican- A m erican pilots w as taken on by a her flying in France. In 1925, s p o n s o re d by th e friend and supporter. T oday, Bessie B eem an C hew ing G um C om pany, C olem an is still regarded as a pio C o lem an re tu rn e d to the aerial neering w om an in the field o f avia ac ro b a tic c irc u it o n c e ag a in . F o r tion. T he fact that she accom plished a n o th e r y ear, th o u sa n d s w atch ed m ore in her few short years than h er p erfo rm d a n g e ro u s stu n ts no m ost people do in a lifetim e has o th e r p ilo t d a red try. S he w as given hope to all m inority popula tru ly the b est. S a d ly , on A p ril 30, tions th ro u g h o u t A m erica then, 1926, fate w o u ld fin a lly h a v e its now , and in the future. T O T A L V E H IC L E D IS B U R S E M E N T ! from c a n c e r than any o th e r racial o r e th n ic group . T h e fin d in g s by th e N atio n al n a te .” May 26. 2004 íl!f53nrtlanb © bseruer NO DEALERS ALLOWED! Because of disposal pricing, no dealers will be able to purchase or trade during this three day event. WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING: * Valid Driver's License * Current Pay Stub or 2003 W2 Form * Copy of Current Utility or Home Telephone Bill * Your Current Vehicle Payment Book «•09% APR For 77 MONTHS- *4 09% lor 72 months. On approved credit r p in c ia i » APpFPirni * Trade-ins will be accepted dunng this three day event. If you trade your existing vehicle during this three day event. Thrifty Auto Centers will pay off your trade, no matter what you owe! (A portion of negative trade equity may be applied to new loan.) No matter what your trade situation, $59 DOWN and as low as $79 MONTHLY PAYMENTS* will still be available to you! Please bnng current title, registration and/or payment book. Lenders will also require proof of insurance. OodQe Caiavan slfc#E0360A $59down $79/mo ,or 60 nws @ 419 APR plus ,i,le & iCense BAD CREDIT? BANKRUPTCY? NO CREDIT? Then this sale is for YOU! We have helped thousands of financially troubled customers In the past and we are looking to help you get the vehicle you want... at the price you want to pay To guarantee the success of this event, national lenders will be providing over 14 million dollars in funding for new loans. UPSIOE DOWN IN YOUR CURRENT VEHICLE? WANT A NEW VEHICLE WITH A LOWER PAYMENT? Don’t miss this three day disposal event at Thrifty Auto Centers We want to put you into the car of your dreams, no matter what your current vehicle situation. Let us get you out of your current ride and into the car. truck, van or sport utility you really want to drive ALL VEHICLES ON THE LOT QUALIFY! Every single new and used vehicle on the lot qualifies. You will not hear '“this vehicle does not qualify” at Thrifty Auto Centers. We absolutely must move inventory during this three day sale 'All deals on approved credit Special finance -ates, terms and payments will vary by individual vehicle and are on approved credit through dealer's lender Delivery must occur Offer may not be used with prior sales or any other advertised otter See dealer tor complete details 94 Ltooge Caravan stk#E0380A, $59 down. $79 /mo tor 60 mos 4 '9 APR, plus $50 administrative tee, title & license. On approved credit. 3 D a y E v e n t! THIS Your trade will never be worth more! A V A IL A B L E Thrifty Auto Centers 2400 NE 82nd Avenue Portland, OR 97220 1-866-887-4444 F R ID A Y SATURDAY & SUNDAY 9:00 am - 8:00 pm Nobody Beats a Thrifty Auto Centers Deal!