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