Englewood Voices
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The effects of obesity on arthritis
Carolyn Schoner
By Carolyn Schoner
Doctor of Oriental Medicine
The effects of obesity on arthritis can be devastating.
Lets talk about this. Have you ever carried a gallon of milk? Remember how heavy it felt as you carried the milk from the grocery store to your car and then from the car into the house. Your arm felt like it was going to fall off and maybe you were out of breadth. It gets heavy. A gallon of milk weights eight pounds.
Continue reading this story…Questions to answer before refinancing
Dane Hahn
By Dane Hahn
The Realty Column
My Doctor used to tell me that even when he was in the gym, people who knew him would come over to the machine he was using and ask medical questions. He felt he was never away from giving advice, and so it is with real estate and me. This week I had a chance to visit an old friend in Maryland. The conversation came around to real estate, and her question was, “ is this a good time to refinance?”
As my readers already know, we are at a 50-year low in the rates available for mortgages. And now is the time to refinance — unless you are planning to sell in the next year or so or are already at last year’s very low rate. As I write this, the rates are in the mid 4’s and are likely to be steady or go up slightly as we come to the end of summer. But, as a caveat, my crystal ball has been a little cloudy recently.
Bushes and beauty
Herb “Padre” Agee
By Herb “Padre” Agee
Englewood United Methodist Church
Last week, when I talked about exercising by working in the yard, a friend responded to my story by asking, “Pick-ax, huh. .. How tough is your yard?” I sent her a newsletter article I had written on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. It explains a little bit about my yard. Here it is:
We have gotten the house unpacked and together enough that Candy wants to start on the yard. She loves beauty and needs to have it around her. Evidently I don’t quite fulfill that beauty need enough myself, so the only solution is to create some. I, personally, don’t seem to have the same need for beautiful bushes and shrubs.
Confusion aside, ‘Inception’ lives up to the hype
Jenna Lonsdale
By Jenna Lonsdale
Film and TV
Christopher Nolan has proven that he can dominate the box office without the help of the Caped Crusader. Not only is his latest film, “Inception” currently No. 1 with an opening weekend gross of over $62 million, but it’s also the highest opener of star Leonardo DiCaprio’s career.
When I first saw the teaser for “Inception” I was beyond confused.
People were fighting in zero-gravity and the tagline was “Your mind is the scene of the crime.” I sat there thinking to myself, “What just happened?”
How do you pick a good real estate investment?
Dane Hahn
By Dane Hahn
The Realty Column
Question: I’m thinking of making a real estate investment. What is the magic formula investors use to determine if a property would be a good investment?
Answer: This is a good question and you might not even find the answer at a four-year college offering a real estate diploma — so I’ll try to keep my answer simple. Always remember common sense should rule the day. Investment properties take your time and money, so be sure to get your spouse’s approval.
Arthritis is one of the most common ailments
Carolyn Schoner
By Carolyn Schoner
Doctor of Oriental Medicine
The definition of arthritis is any inflammation of the joint. But arthritis is more than just inflammation. It is bone spurs, degeneration of the joint or bone, repetitive movements, loss of synovial fluid, tight muscles, osteoporosis, depletion of calcium or magnesium, obesity, side effect of medication, lack of exercise, sprain, strain, misalignment, incorrect diet and shortening of the tendons.
More than 55 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and related conditions including fibromyalgia, gout, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, bursitis, scleroderma, Reiter’s syndrome, Sjogren’s syndrome and ankylosing spondylitis. There may be audible cracking or grating noises when the joint move, called crepitus.
Working out again
Herb “Padre” Agee
By Herb “Padre” Agee
Englewood United Methodist Church
I started working out again. I’ve done that something like once or twice a year for the past 40 years. It goes back to the article on not having developed my gifts and talents. Working out and exercising takes discipline and consistency. These are two attributes that have been pretty foreign to me.
I used to be a runner. While in seminary in Kansas City, Mo., I took a Youth Ministry class one summer that focused on activities rather than any kind of theology or theory. I took it because I thought it would be an easy credit.
Not!
Don’t walk away from equity
Dane Hahn
By Dane Hahn
The Realty Column
Question: We are trying to decide whether we should struggle to keep our home or deed the house back to the bank. The value is currently $180,000, but, because we lost so much value, we only have about $10,000 equity. I heard home values were going to drop again.
Answer: Everything we know about real estate is all turned around. Expensive homes are cheap, mortgage rates are in the 4.5 percent range, and now, according to the New York Times this week, the “well-to-do” have stopped paying their home loans in greater numbers, and apparently with less guilt. I am also noticing that certain financial planners are beginning to take what I would consider to be a less-than-ethical approach by suggesting to their clients that default is a financial planning option.
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