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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2011)
WWW . theSkaNNeR . COm a PRil 13 , 2011 S eattle , W aShiNgtON V Olume XXXiii, N O . 24 25 CeNtS i nSide Racial Bias page 5 Drug War Profits page 4 Softball Season C hallenging P eoPle to S haPe a B etter F uture n ow page 2 health Costs of Work Rad Cat After stroke, one woman learns to live with a lot less stress by natalie ellington, ed.d. I PHoto BY Julie keefe ken Jacobs holds mr. higgins, a 9- year-old tuxedo cat, that he and his wife ann adopted on april 9 at the Fabulous Feline adoption held by the Seattle animal Shelter at garfield Community Center. the Seattle animal Shelter will hold similar cat adoption events may 14 at the Senior Center of West Seattle and June 11 at the Phinney Ridge Neighborhood association. For more information about animal adoptions call (206)386-PetS. Red Cross Offers humanitarian law Course Survey finds most young Americans want more education F our of five American youth believe that that the U.S. should better educate young people before they can vote and enlist in the military, according to a new survey by the American Red Cross. The Red Cross will offer an International Humanitarian Law workshop on Friday, May 6th from noon to 4 p.m. that is open to the public. The workshop will be take place at the Red Cross chapter in Seattle located at 1900 25th Avenue South. The workshop is free of charge, but registration is required by emailing internationalser- vices@seattleredcross.org or calling 206-726-3554. For more information, please go to www.seattleredcross.org. The national survey, taken in February, also reveals that only one in five American youth is familiar with the Geneva Conventions, which set rules that protect civilians in conflict zones, allow safe passage for the sick and wounded and pro- mote humanitarian treatment of prisoners. indeX News .....................2,3,8 Calendar ....................2 Opinion ....................4,5 Bids/Classifieds.........6-7 The results of the survey come 150 years to the day after the start of the American Civil War, during which time the first cod- ified rules of international humanitarian law were adopt- ed. In 1863, President Lincoln commissioned a code of war (known as the Lieber Code) as part of a commitment to uphold American values and principles. With multiple conflicts around the world and civil wars in places like North Africa, these laws are just as relevant today as they were 150 years ago. The new Red Cross survey also demonstrates the need for fur- ther education, especially since nearly 7 in 10 youth say they have a relative or a close friend who is a veteran of the armed forces and these rules of con- duct protect their loved ones in time of war. Surprisingly, the survey shows that almost half of American youth have never even heard of the Geneva Conventions or international humanitarian law. “The Geneva Conventions are See red croSS on page 3 am a recovering workaholic. I started my first real job while a senior in high school. At the ripe old age of 17, I was hired as a file clerk by a major record com- pany. My first promotion, to a steno, came within a year and I eagerly grabbed hold of the business world mantra – do more, work harder, move up! By the time I left that organization, 12 years had passed. I had moved to a new city 1200 miles from home, had been married and divorced and become the sole provider for my 11-year old daugh- ter. More significantly, my working 12 – 15 hour days had become normal and my life was totally out of balance. Over the next several years in my career I crisscrossed the U.S.; Dean at a major uni- versity, Vice President at a private Christian college, and then principal at a K-12 school all the while grappling with the concept of a balanced lifestyle. (It had become an annual goal of mine to get a life!) Fast forward to November 2009. I’m working 12 hours a day and often six days a week at the K-12 school. I was on my way out of the office one afternoon when one of the teachers asked to meet with me. While we sat and talked, my heart began pounding – I could see my blouse reacting to the pounding in my chest. I got up to gather some papers and actually staggered. After the meeting I stopped by the local emergency room to see what was going on. Almost one out of two African American adults has some form of cardiovascular dis- ease, according to the American Heart Association. Black women are also more likely to have high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity and diabetes than Whites and I had been diagnosed years earlier with high blood pressure. I took my medication when I remembered but hadn’t taken it in quite some time nor had I had my blood pressure checked – after all, I was very busy. See StreSS on page 3 California-Based loan Company Closes Washington State regulators shut down Home Credit Law Center T he Washington State Department of Financial Institutions has taken swift action to stop an unlicensed mortgage loan modification company from continuing to harm Washington consumers. DFI issued a Temporary Cease and Desist Order against Home Credit Law Center, its President, attorney Brian R. Linnekens, and an employee, Derek Thomas http://dfi.wa.gov/CS%20Orders/C-11- 0633-11-TD01.pdf. The Department ordered the Respondents, all of Los Angeles, to immediately cease and desist unlicensed activity, misrepresenting that Mr. Linnekens was licensed to practice law in Washington, and taking advance fees for loan modification services. “A local consumer reporter brought this issue to our attention recently,” DFI’s Director of Consumer Services Deb Bortner said. “We offered Mr. Linnekens the oppor- tunity to voluntarily cease and desist, but he refused. After a quick but thorough investi- gation, we concluded that Home Credit Law Center posed a continuing threat to Washington consumers, and we have shut them down.” “DFI’s Consumer Services division is See loanS on page 3
