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!