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THIS YEAR MARKS THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY of the U.S. bombing in Japan of Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9. Every year, Peace Action of Michigan coordinates a remembrance of these tragedies. This year about 25 people demonstrated at the corner of 11 Mile/Woodward in Royal Oak to remember the anniversaries, in support of “Wave Good-Bye to Nuclear Weapons,” as well as supporting the nuclear disarmament deal with Iran.

A program followed inside, attended by well over a 100 people, at St. John Episcopal Church. Speaking on the history of the nuclear disarmament movement was historian Fran Shor, accompanied by a discussion of the Iran Nuclear Accord by physicist Prasad Venugopal and Citizens for Peace leader Colleen Mills who stressed calling on our US Senators (Debbie Stabenow 313.961.4330 and Gary Peters 313.226.6020) to support and vote YES on the Iran Nuclear Deal.

In addition 20 peace advocates traveled afterwards from Michigan to Oak Ridge, TN. There they protested at the Y- 12 Plant that produced the highly enriched uranium that fueled the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. Their presence was also a protest to the U.S. spending hundreds of millions of dollars to design a new multi-billion dollar plant – the Uranium Processing Facility – to continue producing components for decades to come.

If something 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 emasculation and other states connected to erectile disfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What folk talk about “viagra stories“? The most essential 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 soundness problem such as heart 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 dysfunction. 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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THIS LOVELY LADY WAS SPOTTED on a Sunday afternoon outside the Rustbelt Market where she works as a manager for Lady Lazarus, one of the Rustbelt’s many fine shops.

OCCUPATION: Freelance graphic designer, prop stylist, professional model and manager at Lady Lazarus.

FASHION ADVICE: “Find what makes you feel good, and roll with it”.

FAVORITE PLACE TO SHOP: Estate sales and secondhand shops. “You never know what treasures you can find”.

STYLE ICON: I don’t have one particular person. I draw inspiration from Hollywood starlets of times past, retro pinups, and classical ballet costuming, fine art of all varieties, and also the strong, stylish working woman of today and yester year. Inspiration is everywhere.

WHAT SHE’S WEARING:

• Vintage head scarf: Estate sale, $2.00
• Sunglasses: Borrowed from my mother
• Faux pearls: Target, $10.00 • Pink floral dress: My mother made it, it’s a 1930’s reproduction
• Wicker basket purse: El Dorado, $35.00
• White canvas cork wedges: Second-hand shop, $10.00

www.madalynnebel.com

If some 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 impotency and other states united to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What men talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial 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 health problem such as heart 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 medication passes into breast milk.

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Story by Derek Lindamood | Photos by adam layne

In June of this year, Adam Owen Layne, along with co-curator Diane Irby, put on a show called INK.2 at the Tangent Gallery in Detroit. Tattoo- inspired artwork of all mediums were on display from more than 100 local, national and international artists, with special performances throughout the weekend by Metro Times’ “Best of” entertainers Satori Circus and Lushes LaMoan, extreme hoola-hooper Holly Linton, and intense fire dancing by Wingless Feuer.

INK serves to examine and celebrate the art, culture, lifestyle, history, anthropology and sociology of tattoos, tattooing, and being tattooed. The practice of permanently inking the body spans all cultures, religions and lifestyles throughout history. Adam is a photographer and Diane is a photographer/multi-media artist, and both of them act in the Metro Detroit art scene by bringing together gallery fine artists with industry tattoo artists.

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Ferndale Friends: In your opinion, what can tattooing of the body represent in our culture, today?

Adam Layne: People today get tattooed for a number of reasons: To remember someone they love or lost, to share a symbolic bond between friends, to cover up unwanted scars, and to decorate their body like a canvas of designs that represent their personality. I find that people are getting more creative with what they choose, the more I meet with tattooists and the people that get ink.

FF: What is INK2, and how did you come up with the idea?

AL: Diane is very much tattooed all over and has a story throughout her body. She broached the idea of doing a themed show on tattoos, and the more we met on it, the more we found interesting ways to appeal to those who knew little about tattoos, or had misconceptions about who has them, and why they have them. Adding so many talented fine artists and tattooists to incorporate the theme into their work opened up a lot of creativity and finished pieces that made the show better than we expected. By the time we finished the first show, many new people were asking when the next one would be so they could participate.

FF: What types of improvements or additions to INK.2 would you like to make next year?

AL: The show has grown substantially since the first event in 2013. This time around we got over 700 art submissions from around the world, which means we had to eliminate over 500 to fit the gallery. We had to choose the best that tied the rest of the event together. Next time we have discussed expanding the space to have more space for interactive demonstrations and performances, and perhaps even a “Mister INK” contest to even things up.

FF: I saw the pictures of a sort of model competition by Sergio Mazzotta. Red carpet, tattooed ladies strutting, it looked like there were judges…was this some sort of tattoo beauty pageant?

AL: Early in 2015, we decided to add a Miss INK Detroit 2015 competition to our upcoming event. We advertised and asked all over social networking sites and publications for nominations on who best represented the persona of Miss INK Detroit, and we got a lot of nominations. What we liked the most about it was that all of these women were different. No two looked alike or had the same backstory.

We took the top 14 and did a two-month online voting campaign to vote for the semi-finalists. It was amazing how many people participated and, after tabulating a few thousand votes, we brought the top six finalists to the INK.2 exhibition last June 6 for a pageant-style finals and crowning ceremony. We had guest judges from around the tattoo and art industry, and crowned pinup model Gabbey Music the winner of Miss Ink Detroit 2015.

FF: What can someone expect to see, learn, or experience when they walk into INK.2 for the first time?

AL: Creativity and a multitude of talent surrounding the venue. Painters, sculptors, illustrators, photographers, and multi-media conceptualists, along with top industry tattoo artists using years of experience to help design the INK venue. A lot of people from all walks of life came together to participate in this event.

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 impotency and other states connected to erectile malfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What humanity 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 health problem such as heart trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction turn 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 therapy passes into breast milk.

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Often overlooked in this Age of Information is the sheer amount of data children are exposed to before they’ve developed the means to mediate mass-messaging. Evolving communication technologies and the Internet have given kids keys to an endless field of information, without the compass or map necessary to navigate them. Creating art is organic and cathartic therapy that enables people to process and purge experience.

As the world keeps changing, creat- ivity is such an important aspect to be able to keep up with that, and under- stand it all. You can jump in to the technical side, or you can jump into the aesthetic side, but if you just let it go by, you’re not going to keep up” says Ferndale Funky Art Fair creator, Mark Loeb.

Art enables people to transform suf- fering into beauty; disorder into a tangible medium to be appreciated, and utilized for the well-being of others.

“An interesting statistic I took a look at: Artists tend to make less money than the general public; and artists tend to be happier than the general public. Interesting mix. So I will extrapolate that people who buy art are probably happier as well because they are surrounding themselves with that happiness.”

Happiness, like positive energy, is contagious. The miserable love company because they dare not look their unhappiness in the eyes. By osmosis, happiness is shared between the creator of an artistic rendering, and he or she who intercepts its message.

“I’ve been an art guy for most of my life. My mother was a painter and I’ve been doing events since ‘82. There seemed to be a good opportunity in Ferndale. There was a really nice art fair that existed but it was more of a plain-vanilla affair. It was a great art fair but it was just like everyone else’s art fair, and it didn’t seem to me that it fit the community. So I met some different stakeholders like the DDA and said, ‘Maybe there should be something else, something a little bit more interesting, edgier, or whatever.’ So we came up

with the concept for the Ferndale Funky Art Fair, with the tagline ‘Twice as Funky as the Average Fine Art Show,’ and started doing really well with it right away.”

In it’s 12th year, the Ferndale Funky Art Fair will take place September 25-27. Located on Nine Mile Road, west of Woodward, Funky offers art with a little more edge.

“Our emphasis is away from the calmer art, if you’re looking for something to match a sofa, unless your sofa is really intriguing, then this is not the place for it.”

Attendees are encouraged to visit local shops and eateries, many of which offer specials during the event.

“One of the things that we take pride in is that a lot of the businesses tell us that it’s like Christmas during Art Fair Week and that’s another reason to go to Funky because the things we are doing compliment the businesses.”

Art inspires a sensation that could be likened to the Christmas Spirit. It can tickle your soul and release an ineffable goodness which is best shared with others.

“We’re trying to find art that helps people think; that starts conversations; pushes some of the edges but we’re not as extreme as some people might expect because we still want to be accessible to most any group. There are certainly art shows out there that are much more extreme, and that’s great, but that doesn’t cover all the bases.”

Simultaneously happening across the street is the DIY Street Fair which features local creatives.

“Chris, of Woodward Avenue Brewery, about ten years in said, ‘Mark, we need to add music, we need to have this and that,’ and I said ‘Chris, you need to add your own show,” with a laugh. “It’s all pretty cool but it doesn’t really fit the vibe of what we’re doing, so the DIY show came along and we kind of just co- habitated ever since. It’s worked out really well.”

Use 200 West Nine Mile, Ferndale, MI for GPS. There are parking lots throughout the city. After Funky closes, cross the street and enjoy a craft beer along with some quality local music.

Friday, September 25: 3:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. • Saturday, September 26: 10:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M. • Sunday, September 27: 11:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.

If something 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 impotency and other states coupled 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 health problem such as heart trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction 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 treatment passes into breast milk.

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By Jeff Lilly

LOOKING AT THE YEARS OF FUROR over same-sex marriage, it’s interesting to study the history of other marriages that the moral scolds of society have found troublesome.

Anti-miscegenation laws have an interesting, and eerily parallel, history to same-sex marriage struggle. Masako, my wife, is Asian. I’m white. Not too uncommon a pairing these days, so it’s easy to forget that as recently as 1967, our own marriage would have been illegal in several states… and for many of the same silly reasons people found to keep same-sex partners apart until now.

The first anti-miscegenation laws in the United States were enforced right after independence, though New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Vermont and New Hampshire (and later Wisconsin and Minnesota) never had any on the books. Other states adopted such laws as they were admitted to the union. Mainly, the purpose of these laws was to keep black and white Americans from marrying or procreating, though they were also enforced against whites marrying Native Americans, East Indians, Chinese, and others. The infamous “One Drop” rule was used; if you had any provable non-white ancestry, no matter how distant, then you were automatically considered black for the purposes of this and other discriminatory laws.

This led to a couple of cases where persons destroyed a rivals’s marriage by digging through their family history and finding that they or their wife had a great-grandfather, for example, who was not white. The law often made it so the couple had no choice but to divorce. It was especially bad in states like Arizona, where the laws, as written, kept anyone of mixed race from marrying anyone, even another person of mixed race!

The first wave of repeal happened after the Civil War, with ten states (including Michigan) dropping the laws before 1887. After that, there was a lull until 1948, when California became the first of many to clean up their act. As of 1967, though, fifteen southern states (plus, oddly, Delaware) still restricted marriage along racial lines. The breakthrough case was Loving vs. Virginia.

In 1958, Mildred Jeter (an African American / Native American woman) and Richard Loving (a white man) married in Washington, D.C. and moved to Virginia, where mixed-race marriage was still illegal. Their house was raided late one night by police and they were arrested and charged with “cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth.” Found guilty of the felony, their prison sentence was commuted on the condition they leave the state. The judge in the case used a religious argument, a tactic which should be all too familiar to the LGBT community:

“Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents… The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”

The Lovings moved to Washington, D.C. and spent years appealing the decision. Their appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court was rejected on the grounds that the law applied to both white and “colored” people equally, so there was no discrimination. With the help of the ACLU, the Lovings appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Richard Loving sent the following message to the court via his lawyer: “Mr. Cohen, tell the Court I love my wife, and it is just unfair that I can’t live with her in Virginia.”

On June 12, 1967, The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the law was unconstitutional. With those strokes of the pen, all remaining anti- miscegenation laws in the United States were swept into the dustbin of history. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote:

“Marriage is one of the ‘basic civil rights of man,’ fundamental to our very existence and survival…. To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes… is surely to deprive all the State’s citizens of liberty without due process of law.”

June 12 has since been celebrated as “Loving Day.” Here’s hoping that June 26, 2015 will be similarly remembered!

If something happened with our heartiness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotency and other states coupled to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What folk 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 dysfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as soul 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 dysfunction. 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 Sherrad Glosson | Photos by J. Capella

“Would you like something to drink?” said Jason McIntosh as I sat on the couch, visiting he and Jim Shaffer’s home in Ferndale. As I took my first sip, a baby started to cry. I’m puzzled, because I had no idea that there was a third person in the house. Jason ran to the back and Jim followed behind just seconds later. A dog started barking and within minutes they came to the front room holding a beautiful baby.

Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes

Norah McIntosh-Shaffer is her name. She’s a twenty-month-old African American baby who was adopted by the two men when she was only three days old. “It took a couple of days for us to name her because we wanted to get to know her first.” said Jason. “We are finally, legally, her fathers,” said Jim, referring to the Supreme Court ruling legalizing marriage for all couples across the country.

Jim and Jason met online about thirteen years ago and the only things that separated them from one another was a river and a border. Jason, who at that time lived in Canada just on the other side of the bridge, worked as a marching band teacher in the Ferndale school system and Jim was on the brink of selling houses in the area.

Once they made contact, their love grew and the rest became history.

“When Oakland County made it legal to marry in the spring of 2014, people were texting me all day. I woke Jason up and told him, “WAKE UP, WE ARE GETTING MARRIED TODAY!” Jim recalls. They were one of the 300 couples who got married on that day, before the law changed again the very next day. They were indeed married, but they weren’t accepted by the State of Michigan, only by the federal government.

When the Supreme Court ruling was handed down early this summer, Jim said it was painstakingly exciting. They didn’t go out and celebrate like everyone else because they had already been married for a year. But still, it was blissful because now they can say they are legitimately both fathers for their beautiful daughter.

Nowadays, Jim still sells houses to the wonderful people in Ferndale, and Jason is now the Dean of Admissions in Birmingham at the Roeper School. As for Norah, well, she’s enjoying childhood riding on the back of the family dog like a horse, and receiving love from two lucky parents!

If slightly 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 connected to erectile malfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most essential 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 dysfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. 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 by David Wesley

Same-sex weddings took place all across the country the weekend after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled all 50 states must now permit same-sex couples the “fundamental right to marry.” The ruling on June 26 put an end to the unconstitutional same-sex marriage bans that remained in 14 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, most of Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas. The court’s decision could impact some 70,000 couples living in these states, out of an estimated one million same-sex couples nationwide.

The Michigan couple at the forefront of last month’s watershed U.S. Supreme Court ruling are finalizing invitations to their August 22 ceremony in Southfield. Hazel Park nurses Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer will be married by Judge Bernard Friedman, who overturned Michigan’s gay marriage ban in 2014, paving the way for the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling declaring marriage a right of all Americans.

Now that the Supreme Court has made marriage equality the law of the land, the effects are going to be felt everywhere, including the economy. According to a report from the Williams Institute issued last year, all the additional dollars spent on weddings and everything that goes along with them will produce a big economic bump. In New York, $228.6 million has been pumped back into the economy since they legalized same-sex marriage in 2011. California is on track to see even greater gains. Obviously less populated states will see less revenue, but there are still potential economic gains for everyone, according to the report. In fact, they predicted that nationwide marriage equality would net $2.6 billion in spending, including $184.7 million in tax revenue, and help create over 13,000 jobs in the first three years overall. Ferndale Friends spoke to local Judge Rudy Serra about the semantics behind the ruling, his role in its development, and its direct impact on the local and state level.

“Michigan’s overtly anti-gay state constitutional amendment was probably a contributing event. It forced the Federal Courts to realize that LGBT people in Michigan had no hope of a state remedy. Here we have an electorate that argues that, first ‘marriage is a sacrament’ but, secondly, we should regulate that sacrament by law! We do not regulate baptism or ordination in the Constitution, so why would any reasonable person of faith want to regulate marriage there? The recognition of a distinction between the religious sacrament of matrimony and the civil contract of marriage is an important concept.

“Our Republican state leaders have been frank and honest about how much they hate us and want to oppress, injure, ignore and eliminate us. The Republican Attorney General’s decision to tear insurance coverage away from the innocent children of LGBT state employees was probably also a factor. You could point to Loving v. Virginia (the case that struck down laws against inter-racial marriage) as an important precedent.”

I asked him his concerns with the legal aftermath of this ruling and what will pro-marriage equality voters need to do to ensure its standing?

“As a former judge, I am always concerned when extremists suggest things like ‘term limitations’ on federal judges and other ways to try to make the court vulnerable to bribery and improper influence. When the Republicans stole the 2000 presidential election with overtly partisan Supreme Court assistance, they didn’t complain about ‘judicial activism.’ But whenever the court expands civil rights the fat cats howl. There may be litigation in case-by- case situations where individual religious bigots who hold government office get told that religious people have to obey the same laws as others. Such ‘after shock’ litigation happened in desegregation cases. Inflammatory rhetoric is just part of the free expression we enjoy.”

He went further, relating how this has impacted the Ferndale community both personally and professionally.

“My next door neighbors, who have been together 32 years, plan to get married in September. DeBoer and Rowse plan to do the same. Most of the impact is yet to come. LGBTQ people will deal with divorces, property divisions, and support and parenting time disputes, just as straight couples have. Perhaps the most important real-world impact will be the ‘normalization’ of LGBTQ couples. There should be increased understanding and recognition than a woman can be the medical decision maker and next of kin for another woman and that a man can do the same for another man. As LGBTQ relationships become more ordinary, anti-LGBTQ violence and policy should become more and more extraordinary.

“Like many others, I had a very small part in this particular victory. I attended events to support the litigation, and expressed my personal support and encouragement to DeBoer and Rowse. In a more general way, I’ve been working for this change since 1980. I helped get ‘sexual orientation’ into Ferndale’s Public School policies back in the 1980s. I worked on Ferndale’s first civil rights ordinance. I was counsel for The Triangle Foundation for years and helped to litigate cases to stop the pogroms in Michigan against LGBTQ people. Each effort to raise visibility, protest oppression and fight back against injustice was a small step toward this event. Ironically, on the day there was a Marriage Equality demonstration outside the Federal Court, I was inside finalizing $150,000 settlement against Wayne County and Westland for their anti-gay harassment and arrest of a man in a park in a shameless and illegal ‘bag-a-fag’ bust. Michigan still has a law making unpaid oral sex a felony. Michigan still has an ‘Abominable and Detestable Crime Against Nature’ law. These laws MUST be repealed. There is a great deal more work to be done.”

Indeed there is, for it is still legal to fire someone for being gay in Michigan. Despite polls showing public support for statewide anti-discrimination protections, legislative action this session remains a long shot.

While the Supreme Court ruling was a big victory for members of the LGBT community, there is still a lot to be done in Michigan in order to make our state a truly accepting place, but lawmakers differ on what direction Michigan should go.

Former Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey lent his highly qualified commentary. His personal journey fighting for LGBTQ rights his entire life has finally culminated in an intimate victory that has vindicated his private and personal aspirations therein. His pragmatic view on its coming about differs slightly from Judge Serra’s.

“I started working on gay rights back in 1976 at the age of 19 and we were working on just being respected and not being called fags and getting beat up. Back then it was illegal to have gay sex and we couldn’t be protected in jobs, housing, the military, or anywhere else. But I knew we would make progress and it has been steady and continual. From the end of sodomy laws in the 90’s to civil rights state by state and then having stars on TV like Ellen Degeneres and others to the recent ending of the military ban. Gay marriage was always coming. But it didn’t come from elected politicians and established gay rights organizations. It came from grass roots activists and individuals fighting door to door and neighborhood to neighborhood, and by young people of the millennial generation saying that discrimination was over.”

While 39 cities throughout Michigan, including East Lansing, already have some form of nondiscrimination ordinance in place that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in either housing, employment, public accommodations/services or some combination of those, Michigan as a whole has not made these adaptations yet. Michigan is one of 28 states without a law prohibiting discrimination in housing based on sexual orientation, and one of 29 states without a law prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, according to the Humans Rights Campaign. And while the fight for equality throughout Michigan and the country continue, it feels less of a struggle than an optimistic battle given the landmark decision. The future looks bright for human equality now and the rights and laws will follow suit in the wake of the good fight.

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 impotency and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial 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 health problem such as core trouble. Causes of sexual disfunction include 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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Story and photos by Kevin Alan Lamb

“The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.”

― Gordon B. Hinckley

Life is a beautiful phenomenon that helps us discover that helping hands can relieve the burden hung upon heavy hearts. We learn that our time is valuable, and with it comes the choice of just who and what we will be present for. A house is not a home; a home is built with love, positive energy, and a willingness to serve a collective best interest.

Since the 1920s the Willcock Family has made their home in Ferndale, and spent their time serving their community.

‘Volunteering gives you a sense of community. You meet people and have fun. It’s not work. It’s a pleasure. And as a bonus, you get to go to some of these events for free!” says Joann Willcock.

Joann first volunteered at her children’s schools, attending most every field trip and frequent to help in the first Open Classrooms. Over the years Joann and her husband Dick have served on a plethora of commissions and volunteered for community events and political campaigns including: Beautification Commission, Memorial Association, Arts and Cultural Commission, and the Ferndale Community Foundation.

“We’ve volunteered for the Woodward Dream Cruise since the first one, missing few years along the way. Also the Ferndale Pub Crawl, which we missed this year for the first time! We also participated in Clean the Ferndale Up! several times.”

You get what you give in this life. When you invest your love, time, and energy into helping others, you discover an abundance of goodness and quality through mean- ingful relationships.

“I have been in the Ferndale school district all my life, my husband and I rented a house on the East side of Ferndale starting in January, 1966 and had our first child there (Cindy). Then we bought our ‘starter’ home on the Southwest side in November, 1967. In fact, we signed closing papers on Dick’s birthday! When our family grew, Donna in 1968 and Bill in 1971, we thought about moving, but we liked our home and neighbors. So, we added on. Since we have been here, we’ve added a garage, three additions, new windows twice, remodeled the kitchen, added a bathroom, and Dick built a gazebo.”

Building breeds strong hearts and hands: Strong hearts and hands continue to build our better world by lifting others. When we help others we discover that we are really helping ourselves in ways beyond our imagination.

“I’m proud of how far we have come, from ‘Oh, you live in Ferndale?’ to ‘Oh! Wow! You live in Ferndale?’ I love Ferndale! I’m proud of my city. I love the Downtown Development and the city involvement, the residents; just all of it.”

Ferndale is a community ripe with righteousness. Within its streets, homes, and eccentric celebrations, the Will- cock’s benevolence resides, interwoven with their realization that the meaning of life – is each other. They are a family that has never spent their time waiting on the world to change itself.

“As teens, we hung out at one of the coffee shops downtown and at Como’s. A lot more retail at that time. My mother, who grew up on West Woodland, always said , ‘If you can’t get it in Ferndale, you don’t need it.’”

Some of their favorite Ferndale family events include Fido does Ferndale!, Ice Fest, Dream Cruise, and the Ferndale Memorial Day Parade.

“This year was the 97th parade, making it the oldest continuous parade in Michigan. Also, art fairs, music
in the park, Salon Sunday, Ferndale Pride, garage sales, block parties and my neighbors.”

In a community wealthy with good humans and culture, there is no reason to be bored. When you find yourself flipping through the channels, complacent with how your time is being spent, then get off the couch, go outside, and start building!

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 impotency and other states united to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What folk talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial aspect you have to look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong heartiness 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 dysfunction. 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 by Julia Sultes | Photos courtesy of Go Comedy!

Go Comedy! Improv Theater has been an important part of the Ferndale community for the past seven years. The theater company was started by four friends, PJ Jacokes, Gerald Knight, Chris DiAngelo and Tommy LeRoy. Jacokes and LeRoy sat down with Ferndale Friends to talk about their ties to the community and what Go Comedy! offers to our neighborhood.

“We turned our pipe dream into reality when we opened Go Comedy!” LeRoy says. The group had looked into other surrounding cities and decided that Ferndale was where they wanted to be. “We live here and it has nice heart,” Jacokes explains.

According to their website, the company is “based on three principles: integrity, inspiration and innovation” and they “execute these principles for the benefit of the audience, the community…” The theater company applies these principles in many ways, and Ferndale Friends set out to discover just how they do it!

Integrity “helps them grow into a respected community in improv, in theater, in Detroit and nationally.”

Inspiration aims to “instill in (the community) the passion that got us started in the first place and the love of the craft that grew from that. Help them grow as individuals and as a community. Energize them.”

And innovation allows them to grow; “challenge them to raise the bar. Challenge them to challenge us. Demand imagination.”

Introducing people to improv is something the theater group takes to heart. When talking about the difference between stand-up comedy and improv, LeRoy explained that improv is simply “more scenic than stand up.” The team at Go Comedy! even created the Detroit Improv Festival, which takes place at the end of summer and attracts over 250 participants.

Go Comedy! offers classes, summer camps and workshops. Classes have already started; however, they will be available again for upcoming terms. This summer, the improv company is hosting Kid’s Improv Camps; they are divided by age range and run June through August. Looking for a workshop? Try their “Last Saturday Workshop.” Each workshop features a different improv skill; June’s was “Improv as Chess.”

Innovation is something that the cast and advanced students showcase on a regular basis at the theater. Wednesday evenings feature newer Improv participants and includes “Bits,” the popular, head-to-head, improv competition. Thursday and Friday evening boast a great date night atmosphere with tons of laughs and improv fun! The GoBar! is also open after each show, giving the audience a chance to rub elbows with the cast.

Go Comedy! Improv Theater is an exciting place to experience improv at its best. Make sure to visit them Wednesday through Sunday when hilarity ensues.

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For ticket and show information, visit their website at gocomedy.net or call 248-327-0575. The theater is located three blocks East of Woodward on East 9 Mile Road.

Go Comedy! just won Best Live Comedy
in the Click on Detroit Vote 4 the Best contest!

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