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Story by Ingrid Sjostrand | Photos by Jeff Lilly

IN A CITY WITH A POPULATION GROWING TO OVER 20,000, combined with the unpredictable nature of Michigan weather, it can be hard to ensure the safety of all Ferndale’s residents in an emergency situation.

Natural disasters, heat emergencies – even major city-wide events like the Woodward Dream Cruise – require first responders’ attention, and some- times more help is needed than those available to offer it. In an effort to increase safety, there’s no better way to protect the community than to involve its residents.

This need and desire resulted in the initiation of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) to further support Ferndale’s citizens. According to Ferndale’s government web site, “The Community Emergency Response Team is a program that educates people about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.”

Initiated in 2012, Ferndale’s CERT is organized through the city’s Fire Rescue team, and is always looking for new members. Anyone from the age of 16 to 60 can apply and no experience is required. All applicants receive training through various exercises and classes.

Since its creation in 2012, 45 of the original members are still involved and a variety of backgrounds and skills are encouraged. Some of the training CERT members receive include animal response, basic first aid, search and rescue and CPR. There is also the opportunity to help comfort individuals after disasters, documenting incidents, organizing trainings and other logistics tasks.

CERT is not limited to Ferndale, either. Over 1100 communities across the country have organized
teams, all of which receive funding from Congress and the Department of Homeland Security’s
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

A pivotal example of Ferndale’s CERT team playing a critical role was during the flood in August 2014. A state of emergency was declared and 4.57 inches of water poured into the streets and the homes of residents. An estimated 50 per cent of homes had some sort of damage. Catch basins collapsed, preventing
drainage, and roads experienced erosion. Along the way, however, CERT members were available
for assistance with cleanup and support for residents.

Ferndale Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan is heavily involved in the CERT team, and even conducts the trainings and classes for new members. According to Sullivan, the original concept for the CERT team was to help with emergencies that might not require as much training, so the fire rescue team is available for more serious issues.

“I don’t want firemen who are well-trained, well-equipped and very experienced sitting on a
wire,” Sullivan said in a 2012 Ferndale Patch article. “We can be free to handle bigger emergencies.”
Not only does CERT provide relief to emergency responders, it also increases the community’s knowledge and can prevent unnecessary damage from future emergencies.

The effects of this training extend past the community and into homes and the workplace. Even individuals who might not be interested in joining CERT should consider attending a disaster preparedness course.

For those looking to join Ferndale’s CERT team or to learn more can contact the Ferndale Fire Rescue team at ferndalecert@ferndalefirerescue.org

If something happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a cure. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What folk talk about “viagra stories“? The most essential aspect you must look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile malfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as core trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual disfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this medication passes into breast milk.

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Story & Photos by Jennifer Goeddeke

FOR ERIC BLAINE, CHOOSING A CAREER with Real Estate One was a total leap of faith!

Coming from a successful background in construction-related sales, involving extensive travel, Eric Blaine’s career switch to real estate entailed a complete lifestyle change. As it turns out — a welcome change!

In early October, I paid Blaine a visit at the luxurious Royal Oak location (26236 Woodward Ave) of the Real Estate One offices. Dressed to impress, in a crisp striped shirt and slim-fit suit pants, Blaine greeted me with a warm smile. From first handshake I could sense his strong focus and determination. After a brief office tour, we took our conversation ‘on the road’ and drove to a local coffee shop.

Blaine discussed with me how providence had intervened in 2012, when he was debating which real estate company to work for. At the time, he did not know much about the business, but felt a strong desire to learn more. Blaine was attending a charity event for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with his partner, Paul Beasley. The President of the Society stood uptomakea speech, and later, as he went to introduce himself, Blaine found out this was Stuart Elsea, co-owner of Real Estate One. Shortly afterwards, Blaine was taking classes at the Real Estate One Academy, to become an agent.

Having completed the training, Blaine started out in the back of the office, as he recalls: “…lost, and thinking, ‘now what do I do?’” Leaning on solid work ethics previously learned, he began working full days, from 5:30 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Encouraged by total home-front support and encouragement from partner, Beasley, Blaine quickly began to see the positive results of his hard work. He attributes much of his ability in getting ahead and developing a good team, to his passion for helping people. Blaine describes himself as, “…a fairly demanding boss,” but only because he believes in setting high standards for himself and others alike.

The enthusiasm to succeed, Blaine believes, starts at the top and should infuse the whole company. At Real Estate One, owners Dan and Stuart Elsea show genuine interest in the agents — even sending out personal letters of encouragement and congratulations. Blaine feels the training tools and support offered are excellent; the Southfield location is the ‘hub’ and provides various continuing education classes. In addition, Blaine describes himself as “very thankful” to be around top-notch office staff: Jan Britton (office manager) has at least 25 years of overall experience, and Suzanne O’Brien (social media/marketing) also offers valuable knowledge and feedback.

In a tough economy like the one we are experiencing in Michigan, the tough really need to get going! Blaine’s goal of $100 million in sales before retirement may seem lofty, but I would have to say after meeting him is definitely achievable. Clearly Blaine has found his niche at Real Estate One, and is forging ahead with his ambitions.

Eric Blaine can be reached at:eblaine64@gmail.com, or by phone: 248.548.9100. Also, check out his website: www.blaino.com!

 

If slightly happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states coupled to erectile disfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you must look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile malfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as core trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction include injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual malfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this curing passes into breast milk.

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Story by David Wesley | Photos by Jeff Lilly

IN 1895, THE HEBREW FREE LOAN OF Detroit had its beginnings in the back room of a shoe- maker’s store. Ten men, all from different vocations, pledged $50 each and began to lend out money, mostly to peddlers needing merchandise and to others for purchasing coal for heating.

These men anticipated the large wave of immi- gration that was on the horizon. The ten men who started HFL conducted the loan interviews, admini- stered the money, and were responsible for collect- ing what was owed. They incorporated with a state charter under the name Gmilith Chasudim (Acts of Loving Kindness.) They raised funds by accepting donations and receiving bequests.

By the turn of the century, HFL started to have formal meetings with handwritten minutes, which have been preserved. In addition to making loans for many domestic purposes, HFL was effective in every wave of immigration to come to Detroit: the German Jews during the late ’30s, the Displaced Persons after World War II, the Hungarian and Iranian Jews in the ’50s and ’60s, and the large waves of Russian Jews.

The first priorities for these newcomers were loans to retrieve their baggage. The second priority was transportation. Detroit had grown so large that it was impossible for people to look for work without a car. The third priority was for a security deposit for housing.

HFL instituted loan programs for all of these priorities. Thirty years ago, HFL Detroit was one of the founding members of the International Association of Jewish Free Loans (IAJFL) and brought together Free Loan Associations from the United States, Canada, Israel and Australia. About 10 years ago, HFL branched out to Michigan cities outside the tri-county area, providing services to those communities as well.

Today, of course, the issues are different and financial needs are much greater, as well as more diverse. Now they help first-generation Americans pay for college, couples afford an expensive adoption or fertility process, individuals who have recently been laid off to manage their bills, and the start of new business ventures. Executive Director David C. Contorer gave Ferndale Friends an interview.

Ferndale Friends: How does HFL operate?

David Contorer: Hebrew Free Loan (HFL) is a 501(c)(3) social impact, charitable organization to provide interest-free loans to help Jewish people across Michigan. There are about 50 HFLs across North America, in Israel, and in a handful of other countries, as well. The inspiration, which originally comes from the Mishpatim chapter of the Torah, isthat Jews are commanded to help each other when our people are in need by providing financial assistance without interest. Each loan borrower must have a repayment schedule and cosigners to back the loans, so that small increments are paid each week or month until the total amount is met. Loans are approved in a very confidential way where HFL Board members privately interview loan seekers; ensuring the borrower’s dignity is a paramount value for the agency.

FF: How has HFL and its influence grown since its inception?

DC: Over our 120 years of operation, HFL has maintained a 98.5 per cent repayment rate. Our entire loan portfolio has grown to more than $7.5 million in out- standing loans to more than 1,400 Jewish borrowers across Michigan. HFL loans can cover medical or dental expenses, used cars, repairs of property, crisis support, in-vitro fertilization/ adoption, higher education, professional fees and taxes, summer camp, care for older adult loved ones and a myriad of other costs that life throws when folks may not have the cash flow to pay. Our loans are provided with no interest, so it is our tradition, to date, that HFL loans cannot be used to pay interest-bearing debt.

HFL solicits and receives private donations, bequests and ongoing operational support from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit as well as from hundreds of other donors and foundation grants, which continue to allow HFL to increase our operational capacity and the types, sizes and numbers of loans provided. HFL has a 4-Star rating on Charity Navigator, as the agency is efficient, effective and is recognized for its outstanding ability to carry out our mission each day.

FF: How has Hebrew Free Loan impacted the Jewish community in Ferndale and surrounding cities?

DC: Ferndale is one of dozens of locations where Michigan’s Jewish community members live,
work, and own businesses. As I mentioned at a Ferndale Chamber of Commerce meeting earlier this year, HFL has a special program for small businesses across Michigan that are at least 51% owned by Jewish partners. The Marvin I. Danto Small Business Loan Program can provide an interest-free small business loan of up to $100,000 to a qualifying enterprise, either a start- up or an expanding business. Ferndale is a thriving business region, and HFL’s Danto Program can be a huge game-changer to help those qualifying, Ferndale-based small businesses that follow our application and interview process.

HFL’s goals are to help strengthen our community to keep people living and thriving in places like Ferndale, while we recycle our loan capital and operate in a lean and efficient manner.

FF: What are the future plans and aspirations for Hebrew Free Loan?

DC: HFL will continue to grow with programs such as the William Davidson Jewish College Loan Program and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Older Adult Care Loan Fund. These are partnerships with other community organizations to provide loans for specific, unmet needs, such as caring for older adult loved ones or paying for college and graduate school. HFL will build upon our 120-year legacy of keeping Michigan’s Jewish community thriving while perpetuating our resources and the involvement of good, caring volunteer leaders to help their neighbors to have better lives.

FF: Can add some background information about yourself, and maybe a success story or two?

DC: I have worked in charitable organizations and foundations in the Jewish and general communities of Metro Detroit and Philadelphia since 1995. I have an MSW with a Certificate in Judaic
Studies from the University of Michigan, and I am pursuing my MBA from Wayne State. Some success stories and statistics include the following:

• After the floods of August 2014, HFL provided interest-free loans to more than 40 families to help with home repair.

• Since 2012, HFL has provided more than $1.4 million in no-interest loans to more than 50 small businesses for start-up and expansion.

• In 2015 alone, HFL will provide more than $1.8 million in interest-free loans to more than 230 college and graduate students for their expenses.

Hebrew Free Loan
6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 300 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301
(248) 723-8184 www.hfldetroit.org

If some happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat emasculation and other states coupled to erectile disfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What folk talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you must look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as soul trouble. Causes of sexual disfunction include injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a status called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual malfunction. Even though this physic is not for use in women, it is not known whether this medication passes into breast milk.

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Story and photos by Rebecca Hammond

FRACKING: THERE IS A PETITION DRIVE to ban fracking that’s partly headquartered right here in Ferndale. One of two monthly meetings occurs at Renaissance Vineyard Church, a church with a focus on “Creation Care.” Former resident Todd Bazzett spoke to me about the issue. Todd found himself “horrified at the injustice of the DEQ not watching out for state land.” Land very near our rivers and lakes can end up being used as fracking sites. Fracking uses a huge amount of water, which ends up toxic and needing stored basically forever. It also requires large amounts of sand. Todd provided this statement:

“The Committee to Ban Fracking is working feverishly in the last few weeks of the campaign to collect signatures to get an initiative on the November 2016 ballot. The initiative will allow voters to ban hydraulic fracking, acidization of horizontal well bores and disposal of toxic frack wastes in the state. While Michigan has not been as heavily fracked as other states, oil and natural gas developers continue to seek mineral rights leases throughout the state and currently have enough leased land to install hundreds of wells. Michigan continues to receive shipments of frack waste from out of state and the application for a permit to expand the US Ecology frack waste storage and processing site in Hamtramck indicates that the trend is expected to continue. Signature gathering for the campaign ends November 11th 2015. Please go to letsbanfracking.org for more information about the campaign and local events in your area where you can sign the petition.”

RAPTORS: FOR THE LAST 14 YEARS OR SO, hawks have been a common sight in Ferndale. So when we hear a chorus of bluejays joined by a smaller, cuter chorus of nuthatches, chickadees, and titmice, we assume they’ve zeroed in on a hawk, attempting to annoy it into leaving. A month ago, though, I took a series of photos of a tall, dark shape in a tree across the street, and only when I zeroed in on the computer did I see the huge feet, eyes, and “horns” of a great horned owl, here in Ferndale. It’s my first sighting of one, but not my first encounter, which happened on a cold walk home from the WAB in January 2011. The 17 degree temps kept me focused and hurrying, vaguely thinking I kept hearing a train. At the moment when I finally stopped for a good listen, a woman taking out her garbage said, “You hear that owl?” Yes, I did.

FERNDALE MONARCH PROJECT: Want milkweed seeds? Look for our box in the atrium of the Ferndale Library (and thanks, FADL, for letting us put it there). Our project’s first summer is over, and with 283 milkweeds and 28 caterpillars handed out, and 244 butterflies released by page members, it’s a success. Some of what we learned:

• Milkweed seeds aren’t like radish seeds, sprouting quickly and mostly at once.
They’re like maple seeds,
sprouting all summer long,

usually after a rain.

• Maybe 10% of monarch eggs survive in the wild. Raising them indoors increases that to over 90%.

• When a caterpillar molts, it seems dead. It’s not. Wait.

• Each caterpillar forms a chrysalis at a different pace. Same with butterflies. Some hang motionless for a day, others are flapping around within hours.

There are plenty of places to scatter seeds besides your e own yard. I’ve tossed them along rail trails and dirt roads up north; along the Mason Tract Pathway and the Michi- gan Shore-to-Shore Trail.

“LEAVE YOUR LEAVES” was the title of my first column for Ferndale Friends years ago. A new reason to

leave leaves was brought to my attention at a native plants presentation at the Pleasant Ridge Community Center. If you want a healthy garden, begin with healthy soil, and provide the microbes in the soil the specific food they need to thrive. Mulch from Florida can’t feed them the way Michigan leaves or bark can. It would be nice to have immediate sources for Michigan mulch, but Eagle Landscaping & Supply, on Lahser in Southfield, has two types. We were told in PR that nature never strips down to bare soil. Better to leave it covered. In our small but tree-filled yard, we are well past ten years of raking leaves into flower beds. By June, they’re gone and the sandy soil continues to improve.

The Detroit Zoo has phased out the sale of bottled water. Go to their web site and read why, and you’ll wonder why we ever started buying it at all. For starters, it’s the number one con- a tributor to plastic waste in the US. I’ve often wondered what, had I been able to travel forward in time as a child, I’d be most surprised by. And although the variety of athletic shoes we each are pressured to “need” would certainly have been amazing, watching humans of the future pay as much for water as we do for pop would have been baffling. Maybe we just like having things to do with our hands. The caps alone provide a type of busy work akin to knit- ting (but with nothing use- ful at the end.)

More than 60 thousand plastic bottles will be kept out of the waste streameach year because of the Zoo’s effort. From their website:

“. . . it takes five liters of water to make one liter of bottled water, and . . .about a quarter of a water bottle of oil to produce, transport and dispose of a single bottle of water. Americans throw away 38 B billion water bottles each year.” Eighty percent of them end up in landfills. Follow the Zoo’s lead.

Becky Hammond oversees an urban milkweed e farm in Ferndale, MI.

If some happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a preparation. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states connected to erectile malfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What folk talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you should look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as heart trouble. Causes of sexual disfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a status called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this medication passes into breast milk.

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Screen Shot 2015-10-20 at 1.50.49 PMA COMMUNITY CAN ONLY GROW AND FLOURISH if residents are willing and enthusiastic about its success. Ferndale has no shortage of dedicated individuals contributing their talents and time to building a caring, tight-knit neighborhood, but sometimes matching those skills with organizations in need can be a challenge.
In an effort to bring those willing to help together with the nonprofits making a difference, the Ferndale Area Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) combined efforts to connect the two for a night.

On Tuesday, September 22, eleven nonprofits from the Ferndale area gathered at Blumz by JR Designs, located at 503 East 9 Mile Road, for a Volunteer Open House. About 50 people attended.

“Knowing that Ferndale is a very giving community, and many people have been inquiring on social media about volunteer opportunities, we thought it would be a good time to offer residents the opportunity to easily meet with a variety of organizations to find out where they fit,” Cindy Willcock, Interim Executive Director of the DDA, says of the event.

Screen Shot 2015-10-20 at 1.50.42 PMThe hardest part of building a volunteer relationship might be deciding what cause is right for you. For two hours, attendees had the chance to learn about the various groups making a difference in metro Detroit and how they could get involved.

Some of the participating organizations include Camp Casey, a 501C3 nonprofit horseback riding program for kids with cancer and their families, and Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County, where residents help build homes for their neighbors.

Modeled after a similar DDA event held in 2010, Willcock and Ferndale Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ashleigh Laabs decided to host the open house after the DDA and Chamber began collaborating on multiple events this year.

“We realized that we both sometimes struggle with not having enough volunteers to help us achieve our goals,” Willcock adds.Organizations chosen for the open house were a combination of those from the 2010 event and prominent organizations in the Ferndale community. Willcock says they strived to represent a diversity of nonprofits and cover a range of needs.

The DDA is actually one of the groups constantly in need of volunteers. According to their website, volunteers worked over 5000 hours in 2014 helping with events, engaging in committees and serving on their boards.

“I don’t think that many people realize that the Ferndale DDA is a grassroots, volunteer-driven organization that is overseen by staff,” Willcock says. “We couldn’t accomplish everything we do; events, programming, advocacy, promotion, business assistance, etc. without our outstanding group of volunteers.”

For those that missed the event this year, you can see the full list of participating nonprofits below and should expect this event to return next year, if not sooner.

“I think we’d definitely like to do it on a yearly basis, although based on the feedback from groups that want to participate, we might consider doing something more often,” Willcock anticipates.

Whether you attend the open house or not, volunteers are essential to a community and volunteering means much more than the efforts you put in. It builds community, creates new relationships and can make a lasting impression on those in need.

“One of my favorite quotes about volunteers is, ‘Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless’,” Willcock says.

More information about volunteering can be found here on the Chamber website: www.ferndaleareachamber.com/volunteer.html

The form for nonprofits submitting volunteer opportunities can be found here: http://bit.ly/FACnonprofitvolunteerform

If some happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most essential aspect you have to look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as core trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction switch on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a state called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this medication passes into breast milk.

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By: Ann Heler, President, Bd. of Directors

I LOVE STARTING THE COLUMN with a couple of great big thank-yous! The Garage Sale raised over $2,300! You bet we are all smiling. Hugs all around for the people who volunteered to work the sale. Kate Baker chaired and coordi- nated, Katie Hershberger, Linda Baker, Brian Wahl, Jaron Garza, Darren Bowls- by and Ryan, Esther Woodward, Linda McKenzie and her daughter, Rudy Serra and Amy Davisson. What a team!

And the very same thank you to everyone who worked the Pig & Whiskey Parking on Friday evening July 12 and all day July 13. We raised over $1,700. The people who volunteered Saturday in that 90 degree heat deserve an extra, really big shout out. Kate Baker again chaired and organized, Linda Baker, Rudy Serra and Aaron, Pam Bellaver, Bob Lenaway, Michael Kruger, Chris Popp, Geoff Blumenthal, Carla Phillips and her sister in law. Kate.

We celebrated our fifth anniversary as a working clinic on Friday, August 7. If anyone reading this was part of our first year at Kulick, we are thinking about you now.

Is there anything more I can say about all of our over 120 volunteers? If they did not want to be part of FernCare there would be no FernCare period. Every one of them squeezes FernCare into their already jammed and busy schedule and we and our patients are profoundly grateful.

Please come by the clinic and see the newly installed Little Free Library in our front lawn. It is cute as a button and just as useful. Pick up a book and leave a book or just pick up a book. Anyone can take a look and anyone can take a book.

HEALTHY MICHIGAN ENROLLMENT ASSISTANCE EXPANSION

Any Tuesday or Wednesday evening 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. This is open to anyone in the community. Call the appointment line and tell them you want a health insurance appointment. Even if all you have is questions, call 248-677-2273.

FOUR THINGS TO DO DAILY THAT WILL IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH!
• Floss
• Scrub between your toes
• Ten push ups
• Eat two vegetables

Clinic Appointments and Information: 248-677-2273

You will have an appointment definitely within the month. The only criteria we require is that you have no health insurance and no primary care provider to become a patient. CALL US if you do not have health care!

OTHER LOCAL FREE MEDICAL CLINICS

The Free Clinics of Michigan website is www.fcomi.org. It lists all of the free clinics in Michigan with phone numbers for information. The closest clinics to Ferndale:

• Burnstein Community Clinic in Pontiac 248-758-1690
• Mercy Primary Care Clinic in Detroit
313-692-8400 Open Monday thru Friday 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Every clinic offers different services and has different patient criteria. Make sure you call before you waste precious gas.

SLIDING FEE SCALE CLINIC

• Covenant Care Clinic: 27776 Woodward, Royal Oak, MI 48067 248-556-4900; Located across the street from the Westborn Market

If you work at all this is the clinic for you. This is a sliding fee clinic based on income. It is a full service clinic and open 40 hours a week. They also take Healthy Michigan insured patients.

If something happened with our soundness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a preparation. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states coupled to erectile disfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What folk talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you must look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong heartiness problem such as soul trouble. Causes of sexual disfunction switch on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual malfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this medication passes into breast milk.

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Story by Kevin Alan Lamb

Despite the abundance of technology, resources, and good humans in the world, something so seemingly simple as happiness continues to elude the masses. Langhorne Slim sings, “You have to learn to get a little happy along the way.”

When I walk the streets of our Ferndale community my eyes gaze into human beings of all shapes, sizes, colors, and sexual orientation, and I recognize the very happiness that soothes and satisfies my soul. No matter the waves made by bigots, bastards, and bureaucracy, people of this community fight the good fight to ensure that it is a safe, sacred, and protected place. People like Cindy Willcock, who has spent the last seven years growing her role from a volunteer to the interim Executive Director of the DDA.

“I wouldn’t consider the transition to Interim ED difficult as much as it is challenging. I’ve always held a more behind the scenes role, so being on the front line, more in the spotlight, is not something I’m used to. But I love a challenge, so I’m getting used to leading meetings, public speaking and answering interview questions. The scope of the position is wide, varied and enormous! Business support, economic development, recruitment, organization, planning, budgeting, grants and sponsorships… The support that has come during this time… from our Board of Directors, City officials and staff, business owners, residents and the most amazing group of volunteers anywhere… has been tremendous!” Willcock says.

The DDA is the economic redevelopment engine for Downtown Ferndale. Since 2014 it has registered more than $7.6 million in private and public sector investments and added 262 net new jobs to the downtown workforce. A graduate of Ferndale schools, Willcock’s grandparents moved here in the 1920’s and instilled in her a deeply- rooted sense of community and art.

“My grandfather was a coppersmith and I used to get to go to local art shows with my grandparents, which opened me up to all kinds of art and artists. Growing up, being part of your community, helping others and making a difference was just what you did. My parents coached our soccer teams, volunteered in our classrooms and were active in what happened in Ferndale. Politics, events, commissions, you name it, they did it! On my 18th birthday, my mom made me go to city hall and register to vote, because everybody counts and it’s your duty to be informed, engaged and help make your world a better place. Plus, I found out that you meet great people when volunteering, and there’s such great pride in making a difference and being involved.”

Wherever art resides, community will endure. Artists express themselves to connect with, and ultimately help themselves, by helping others. Great struggle transforms into intense beauty as it emerges from the soul into the world.

“The arts, and public art in particular, improves quality of life because it can make you experience the city in different ways, challenge you, start conversations (Belier Rouge, the Red Ram, is a great example of this!) strengthen community pride and the economy. It creates a sense of place, and a study by the Knight Foundation found it ranked higher than education, safety and the local economy as a ‘driver of attachment.’ Finally, much like Ferndale, public art is open to everyone.”

Ripe with a diversity of talent and perspective, Willcock and the DDA continue to ensure that programs, platforms, and potential be utilized to interconnect the Ferndale community with the strength and beauty in art and its many forms. From Art Town, the DDA’s public art initiative that features sculptures, murals, and art benches, to the collaboration with the Ferndale Area Chamber of Commerce and Ferndale Schools’ “Artists in You” project, there is an oasis of Ferndalians who have found happiness through expression along the way.

“The best thing about the Funky Ferndale Art Fair and DIY Street Fair is that they are two uniquely different art fairs that happen in the same weekend in our Downtown! Although considered a more “traditional” type of art fair, FFAF puts a decidedly Ferndale twist on it with the eclectic mix of art that challenges the mind, sparks the imagination and invites a reaction. Plus they always incorporate youth  arts, charity, public art and Downtown Ferndale into the mix. DIY is amazing for so many reasons, including that it was conceived for Downtown Ferndale by Ferndalians for Ferndalians! Local bands, brews and art. What’s not to love?!”

Let us all take a lesson from Cindy Willcock and engage our community, openly express ourselves, and discover happiness helping others.

If something happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial aspect you should look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as soul trouble. Causes of sexual malfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual malfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this medication passes into breast milk.

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Story by Jeff Milo

Radar will make you think twice about what you consider “noise.”

In fact, the Detroit native, otherwise known as Michael Markham, changed the way I thought about music over the course of our conversation. The question Markham asks me, at the start of our interview is: “Why limit yourself?”

“Everything, to me, is an influence. Every single thing I hear, even if it’s something shitty that I hate, it’s all getting into you somehow and somewhere it’s gonna pop out. I always asked, ‘why do you wanna’ do just metal with your music or just rock?’ Whereas, I listen from hip-hop to rock to metal to grindcore to noise to experimental lo-fi to techno to electronic…that’s my listening palette.” Thus, a diversified appreciation for sounds and styles is his natural inclination.

Radar has been making music in Michigan for decades. He started performing in bands when he was 14, just after he learned the drums and got his first kit. Raised on Sabbath and Pink Floyd, he merged their iconic heavy sounds and psychedelic sensibilities with the burgeoning hardcore punk rock scene that flourished in the 1980’s. Not that we could ever pare down Markham’s influences, as they are inherently kaleidoscopic.

As the head of Radar Media Services, he specializes in music production, printing and graphic design. His unique moniker, a nickname since high school, was permanently adopted in his professional life back in 2003.

Over the last twelve years he’s collaborated with (and fronted) several bands, each recording and releasing numerous albums and performing consistently between Detroit and Ann Arbor. The two most prolific bands include Alien Inquisition, a minimalist metal and experimental-lo-fi rock outfit that has an album coming out later this year called Paramagnetic. Another, Sweet Kelly, turned some heads in the underground realms with a minor self-titled masterpiece of murk and exquisite menace a.k.a. Tape Fed into the Garbage Disposal by Spaceman and Jake. But then there’s also his solo music project Moaning Dwarf, along with his artwork, graphic design, and photography.

As you might imagine, his creative outlook, multifaceted, open-minded, subversive as well as diverse creativity, made him clash with teachers and professors in art school.

“I wouldn’t stick to one theme or one subject or one style,” said Markham. He’d be doing surrealism one day, but realism the next, Marvel-esque comic art another day and the next it’d be some terrific and startling hybrid of H.R. Giger and Savlador Dali’s mad visions.

“There’s so much in the world, so much diversity, why limit what you want to do with your art? Art creates such an impact; it changes societies and changes lives. It can influence audiences… and to only influence one audience with it is probably one of the most limiting things you can do as an artist, because what else are you given this talent for?”

Radar acknowledges that the hardest aspect of sticking to one’s genre-defiant guns means a difficulty in attracting a substantial audience. “Somebody’s liking it out there somewhere so something’s working, but just finding the right people to get behind you and give you that push and get it out there further to find its audience, that’s just not what (Alien Inquisition/Sweet Kelly) ever had.”

But he staves off disenchantment not merely because there are crucial artists and bands like The Melvins and Faith No More who have sustained their eclectic styles and continue to evolve and inspire, but also because, frankly, he can’t stop; be it music, photography, art or working with more bands and musicians, he can’t stop. “I never could…” says Markham.

But more than anything, my approach has always been to not do anything anyone else has done. I don’t want to do ‘…just metal,’ just because I’ve grown up being so diverse in art, (that diversity) is something I can’t help.”

Meanwhile, Alien Inquisition’s “heaviest” album to date, Paramagnetic is coming out soon, along with a free covers album by Moaning Dwarf (spanning Lennon to Amy Winehouse to an opera song). Sweet Kelly, meanwhile, has “something of a surprise” coming up soon. Stay tuned.

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Let Radar Media Services help you with your next project. http://radarmediaservices.com

If something happened with our soundness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a preparation. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states coupled to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you must look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile malfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as heart trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction include injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual disfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this treatment passes into breast milk.

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Story by Derek Lindamood | Photo by Ed Abeska

GARDEN FRESH GOURMET, which makes the number one-selling salsa in the nation, as well as chips and hummus, is being acquired by Campbell Soup Co. for $231 million.

Jack and Annette Aronson founded Garden Fresh Gourmet in 1997 after they began making salsa at their restaurant and started to package it for a local grocer.

Production at Garden Fresh’s Nine Mile and Bonner facility is expected to continue, and could even be expanded, for the nearly 500 people that are working at the facility. And those people could even see their benefits expanded under Campbell. Campbell, headquartered in Camden, N.J., plans to also build a distribution center in Ferndale.

Campbell, as well as other large conglomerates, is in the market for healthier products to put on shelves. Campbell has made acquisitions in recent years to bolster its non-soup categories, including Bolthouse Farms, which puts out various healthy vegetable and fruit juice drinks.

Garden Fresh recorded sales of over $100 million last year, up from $4.6 million in 2002, and although they apparently were not for sale, Campbell made an offer that could not be refused. According to an article in The Detroit News by Daniel Howes, Dave Zilko, the Vice Chairman of Garden Fresh said, “Campbell’s reached out to us. They made an extremely strong offer. We were not for sale. Valuations on food companies are at historic highs right now.”

Garden Fresh produces an average of 75 tons of salsa every day in Ferndale. They produce 40 tons of hummus every day, using fresh chickpeas, not canned. As long as Campbell can maintain the quality of the product, following the distinct processes and formulas that Garden Fresh has established over the last 18 years, the Garden Fresh brand could keep its reputation as a solid local employer with a quality product worth purchasing.

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If some happened with our soundness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states united to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What humanity talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you should look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as core trouble. Causes of sexual disfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a state called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual disfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this treatment passes into breast milk.

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