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Thanking & Honoring Our First Responders!

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Please help me create a gigantic collage of THANK YOU NOTES & DRAWINGS that I will present to our local First Responders at Los Angeles Fire Dept. Station 78! Simply submit your/your child(ren)’s note and/or drawing to me at nicole@nicolenash.com and I will make sure it’s included.  Or text me at 323-428-6398 and let me know where I can pick it up!

All childrens’ submissions will also be entered into a company-wide contest.  There will be First Prize ($100), Second Prize ($50), and Third Prize ($25) winners chosen in each of these age groups: 2-5 year olds, 6-8 year olds, 9-12 year olds, 13-14 year olds and will be announced on October 1st. 

Good luck & thanks for supporting our local First Responders!!
Nic

Home Sales Hit a Record-Setting Rebound

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With a worldwide health crisis that drove a pause in the economy this year, the housing market was greatly impacted. Many have been eagerly awaiting some bright signs of a recovery. Based on the latest Existing Home Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), June hit a much-anticipated record-setting rebound to ignite that spark.

According to NARhome sales jumped 20.7% from May to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 4.72 million in June: 

“Existing-home sales rebounded at a record pace in June, showing strong signs of a market turnaround after three straight months of sales declines caused by the ongoing pandemic…Each of the four major regions achieved month-over-month growth.”

Home Sales Hit a Record-Setting Rebound | MyKCMThis significant rebound is a major boost for the housing market and the U.S. economy. According to Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for NAR, the momentum has the potential to continue on, too:

“The sales recovery is strong, as buyers were eager to purchase homes and properties that they had been eyeing during the shutdown…This revitalization looks to be sustainable for many months ahead as long as mortgage rates remain low and job gains continue.”

With mortgage rates hitting an all-time low, dropping below 3% for the first time last week, potential homebuyers are poised to continue taking advantage of this historic opportunity to buy. This fierce competition among buyers is contributing to home price increases as well, as more buyers are finding themselves in bidding wars in this environment. The report also notes:

“The median existing-home price for all housing types in June was $295,300, up 3.5% from June 2019 ($285,400), as prices rose in every region. June’s national price increase marks 100 straight months of year-over-year gains.”

The graph below shows home price increases by region, powered by low interest rates, pent-up demand, and a decline in inventory on the market:Home Sales Hit a Record-Setting Rebound | MyKCMYun also indicates:

“Home prices rose during the lockdown and could rise even further due to heavy buyer competition and a significant shortage of supply.”

Bottom Line

Buyers returning to the market is a great sign for the economy, as housing is still leading the way toward a recovery. If you’re ready to buy a home this year, let’s connect to make sure you have the best possible guide with you each step of the way.

5 Books to Read on Making Cities Anti-racist

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The conversation around how race impacts the structures of our cities has evolved over the years from an equity framework, to one focused on justice and inclusion, to, today, one that is actively anti-racist.

An anti-racist city is one that is repairing the damage from racism and remaking itself into a place that affirms the lives of all people and enables everyone to thrive—regardless of race or ability. What this looks like in specific communities will vary, and a lot of work—and reading—still needs to be done to imagine it. Creating anti-racist cities could start with identifying how our cities are racist, which policies and practices perpetuated racism, and exploring alternative systems. Urban planning has been complicit in racism for too long.

We asked architects who have been working at the intersection of cities and race to suggest required reading for anyone interested in defining the future of anti-racist cities. The titles below have helped these architects better understand the social, political, and spatial dynamics that have contributed to unequal cities. Reading these books is a foundation for the world-building on the horizon.


The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration (Random House, 2010)

By Isabel Wilkerson

“The story tells the migration of blacks in America from the South to the North for greater freedom, jobs, education, and hope for themselves and their children. They faced new forms of discrimination, disappointment, and harm, which continues today. The story provides grounding to understand the plight and struggle of African-Americans in this country that brings us to the present time. It’s not a North, South, black, or white problem; this describes our American problem.” —Kimberly Dowdell, president of the National Organization of Minority Architects (2019–2020)


Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design (MIT Press 2018)

By Kat Holmes

“This book is about inclusive design. The chapter titled ‘With and For,’ which I contributed to, touches on both injustices in urban design as well as the systematic barriers for more diversity in architecture, which is needed to create inclusive cities. A visual telling of this chapter is also shown in the 50-minute documentary just released on Hulu titled Design for All, which shows that kids of today, no matter the challenge or background, can grow up to change the world through design.” Tiffany D. Brown, project manager, educator, and founder of 400 Forward, an initiative to bring more black women into architecture


From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime (Harvard University Press, 2016)

By Elizabeth Hinton

“Elizabeth Hinton’s painstakingly historic look at the intersection of housing policy and policing black neighborhoods is indispensable in understanding where we are today. The substitution of ‘crime control’ as urban policy in the 1970s and beyond is just one example in the book of how the obsession with policing black communities impeded holistic economic development and imaginary urban design—missed opportunities that still haunt us today.” —Milton S.F. Curry, USC School of Architecture dean


The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation (Picador, 2017)

By Natalie Y. Moore

“Chicago invented modern-day segregation through textbook models of redlining and infrastructure violence that, to this day, create a palimpsest of inequities across the city. It will be difficult to get someone to read and research how their privilege was designed, but this book provides an introduction to place-based racism and segregation. Ms. Moore weaves her personal narrative of growing up on the South Side of Chicago with alternating chapters outlining the policies that impacted her childhood, education, employment, and housing opportunities. While these histories are based in Chicago, the tears are spread across the country, and Ms. Moore captures this just as equally in both photos and maps.” —Katherine Darnstadt, founder of Latent Design


The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America (Liveright, 2017)

By Richard Rothstein

“When we wonder how we got to where we are, we have to look at the local, state, and federal laws in place that allowed for segregation and discrimination to continue. Rothstein takes an in-depth look at how private organizations, groups, and courts were able to take advantage of laws that were actually in the public domain, promoting everything from redlining to disinvestment in neighborhoods of color. It underscores the need to understand law as a complement to architecture and planning, as well as for architects and planners to run for public office to advocate for justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.”—K. Dowdell.

Originally posted by la.curbed.com. Written by Diana Budds.

15 Social Justice Organizations to Support Right Now

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The death of George Floyd last week in Minneapolis has ignited widespread Black Lives Matter protests across the country and outrage around the world. As the demonstrations against police brutality and white supremacy continue, we’re sharing recommendations from our editors about where you can donate your resources to support social justice, to help community organizers in their fight against racial inequality, and to offer solidarity to the Black community.

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter was founded in the wake of Trayvon Martin’s murder back in 2013, and has been fighting for structural, community-based change ever since, advocating for an end to the violence and injustice inflicted on Black people in the US. It’s necessary, hard work, and I’m proud to support it.”

DONATE HERE

 

George Floyd Memorial Fund

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“I am supporting the fight for justice by donating to the George Floyd Memorial Fund. This fund raises money to directly support George’s family with costs related to his death, including funeral and burial expenses, counseling and travel expenses for court proceedings as they continue their fight. The money will also go towards care for his children and their education fund.”

DONATE HERE

 

The Loveland Foundation

Home | Loveland

The Loveland Foundation, started by Rachel Cargle, is a nonprofit that provides financial assistance for Black women and girls seeking mental health support. I also purchased Cargle’s lecture series Unpacking White Feminism to learn more about the history of feminism and race.”

DONATE HERE

 

Campaign Zero

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“This group, founded in 2015, is dedicated to police reform and works with a 10-point plan aimed at reducing violence. It’s always been an important cause but feels especially urgent now.”

DONATE HERE

 

The NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) | America's Charities

“The NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund uses litigation, advocacy, and public education to work towards racial justice and equality for all Americans. The organization is fighting to protect voting rights, reform the criminal justice system, and improve equal access to education, among other civil rights causes. In donating, you can pick where your money is directed (for example, towards police reform, education, or voting rights) or simply choose ‘Where it’s needed most.’ Right now, the organizationis specifically fighting for the arrests of the other three officers involved in George Floyd’s murder—as the nonprofit said in a recent Instagram post, ‘Partial justice is not justice at all.’”

DONATE HERE

Community Bail Funds

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“Donating through this secure platform is an easy way to support protestors nationwide. The site equally divides your donation between 38 community bail funds or allows you to allocate a desired amount to each fund.”

DONATE HERE

 

The ACLU

American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU) | America's Charities

“This might be more of a long-view approach to social justice, but I am a huge supporter of the ACLU and its efforts to ensure the rights and privileges provided by the Constitution are available to every single person in this country.”

DONATE HERE

 

Color of Change

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“I have donated to Color of Change, which is the largest online racial injustice organization. I can’t accept the discrimination that people of color face, including but not limited to the criminal justice system, income inequality, and disparities associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic.”

DONATE HERE

 

Reclaim the Block

Reclaim The Block - Home | Facebook

Reclaim the Block is a Minneapolis-based organization that is working to move money out of policing and into community-led safety. They organize around policies and strategies focused on reduced investment in police, diverting those resources to build a community that has real safety. Their goals: investment in affordable housing, accessible mental health services, community violence prevention, and youth services, the resources that will help communities stay safe.”

DONATE HERE

 

Communities United Against Police Brutality

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Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) operates a 24-hour hotline in Minneapolis for people to report instances of abuse in their area. If needed, CUAPB will send out a crisis team to investigate the report, offer immediate assistance, and provide legal, medical, and psychological resources into the future. CUAPB also provides educational programs to teach communities about the detriments of police brutality and justice system issues.”

24-Hour Hotline: 612-874-7867

DONATE HERE

 

The Equal Justice Initiative

EJI Shop

“I learned about the EJI through its founder, public interest lawyer Bryan Stevenson, and his book Just Mercy (an extremely educational read if you haven’t picked it up yet). EJI has been fighting racial and economic injustice in the prison system for 30 years and provides assistance to advocates and policymakers to prevent unfair incrimination.”

DONATE HERE

Fair Fight

fair fight

“There is so much to be done, but I keep coming back to the need for fair elections. Voter suppression is widespread and endemic in this country and an election year is yet another reminder that our government cannot make progress until people of color are not disenfranchised at an alarming rate. This organization, founded by Stacy Abrams, is working to ensure free and fair elections.”

DONATE HERE

 

The Brennan Center For Justice

Brennan Center for Justice

“One major long term strategy for achieving social justice is ensuring that we have a real democracy in which all voices are heard. The Brennan Center fights for voting rights, election security, campaign finance reform, electoral college reform, and an end to mass incarceration, among other avenues to achieving justice and fair representation.”

DONATE HERE

 

The Committee to Protect Journalists

where to donate

“The arrest of CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez is only the most prominent example of widespread attacks on journalists right now, not just those covering the protests that erupted in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing but those who’ve been tirelessly speaking truth to power for the last four years. The Committee to Protect Journalists is a lifeline for members of the media to continue pursuing their important reporting at a time when the freedom of the press is under siege.”

DONATE HERE

 

The Southern Poverty Law Center

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) | America's Charities

“From monitoring hate groups to seeking justice for vulnerable people and educating youth on the value of diversity, the Southern Poverty Law Center is doing the work to fight hate and systemic bigotry in this country.”

DONATE HERE.

Originally posted by Town&Country.

How do I balance keeping my home livable and getting work done?

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I know that, even while we’re stuck working at home (those of us who are fortunate enough to still have jobs and not to be facing down danger every day as front-line workers), it’s a good idea to have some sort of work-life balance; to keep a work space separate from an eating space or a relaxing space, if you possibly can; to keep things tidy and under control, so you don’t feel stressed out just by existing in a chaotic space. But I’m finding that my energy, motivation, and ability to focus are all really low now that I’m staying at home all the time, with the result that I’m running quite a bit behind on both paid work and housework. My apartment becomes more and more chaotic as I try to put my energy into my job, but if I put aside time to make my living space more habitable, I need a rest afterward and so get further behind on work duties.

How can I find a better balance between getting work done and keeping my space pleasant and livable when I’m constantly running on empty?

—CHAOTIC IN CONNECTICUT

When I started working from home, I expected that spending so much time in my apartment would inspire me to keep my space especially tidy and might even motivate me to get to long-deferred projects like organizing my closets or alphabetizing my books. Instead, the opposite happened: Having to mask up and sanitize every time I go outside caused me to procrastinate on taking out the trash and recycling, and eating all my meals at home caused the dishes to multiply faster than usual. Meanwhile, like you and so many others, I have less energy these days and am finding it harder to focus, so the last thing I want to do during or after a long workday is housework. For those who are sharing space with and/or taking care of kids, partners, or housemates, the challenges are multiplied.

Some things that might help:

DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO FACE HOUSEWORK ALONE. If you’re sharing a home with people who are old enough to help, the housework burden should be shared fairly. Some tasks, like making or cleaning up after a meal, naturally lend themselves to teamwork. Other tasks can be divided up for people to tackle on their own time. The general principles of concrete goals and tangible reward systems apply whether you’re living by yourself or with partners, children, or roommates, and, in my experience, people of all ages can be motivated by screen time and food.

If you live alone, you have to create your own company. I have a mental block about doing the dishes, so I’ve started FaceTiming a friend for company and moral support when I do them at the end of the day. Sometimes we even do dishes together. It can be strangely motivating to have someone to semi-sarcastically say “Wow, AMAZING!” when you hold the phone over the sink at the end of the night to demonstrate how impressively empty it is.

FOCUS ON SMALL, SPECIFIC TASKS (LIKE “SWEEP THE FLOOR”) RATHER THAN BIG, OVERWHELMING ONES (LIKE “CLEAN THE APARTMENT”). Set yourself up to succeed! Thinking small means that you can use housework as a way to periodically break up your workday and check something off your to-do list rather than as a daunting mountain of labor that you have to climb at the end of the day. Whenever your eyes are glazing over from staring at your computer, get up and put on some energizing music and pick a small domestic task to accomplish. Combat some mess for the length of two or three songs. (Recently, I first heard the song “Clean Up Woman” when singer Betty Wright passed away, and I’ve been sweeping along to its up-tempo cleaning double entendres.)

DESIGNATE A CHAOS AREA. Since cleaning up after kids—or trying to get them to clean up after themselves—can be a never-ending task, one way to battle exhaustion is to know when to surrender. Depending on the size of your space, you can simply accept that a certain corner or an entire room will be a permanent LEGO pile or blanket fort. Accepting and containing a certain level of constant mess can cut down on cleaning-related conflict and despair.

MAINTAIN AN OASIS. The flip side of the chaos area: If possible, make sure there’s one small part of your home that’s always orderly, no matter what. You and everyone else need to know that this particular corner of your home must be forever calm. That way, even on the most hectic days, you can retreat to the reading chair or the kitchen table, put on some noise-canceling headphones, and feel like you’re in a micro-environment that’s at least somewhat conducive to productivity and peace.

AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, THINK ABOUT CARING FOR YOUR LIVING SPACE AS A WAY OF CARING FOR YOURSELF RATHER THAN AS A SECOND JOB. Housework is serious physical work. At the same time, there is real joy in showering in a clean tub or falling into a bed with freshly washed sheets. There’s even a kind of pleasure in sitting down to work in a space devoid of yesterday’s junk mail and multiple cups of cold coffee. Often putting in just ten or 15 minutes of effort is enough to make at least part of your living space feel calmer and brighter, which in turn will make at least part of you feel calmer and brighter. And that is ultimately the goal.

GIVE YOURSELF CUES TO REST. A friend who found herself falling asleep on the couch too many times has set a daily alarm on her phone to remind her when to move from the living room to the bedroom. I have a copy of a book by Marjorie Hillis, Work Ends at Nightfall, and I keep it on a bookshelf at eye level with the cover facing out. It reminds me that, at a certain point, no matter how much I did or didn’t get done that day, work needs to be over. Pick a time that you’ll stop work and start to wind down every day, and hold yourself to it. Try to see rest as something you need and deserve, no matter what, rather than as something you have to earn or postpone.

FINALLY, KNOW WHEN TO BREAK THE RULES. Even though conventional wisdom recommends maintaining clear work-play distinctions when working from home, sometimes accepting some boundary blurring can be a good thing. One of my friends recommends answering work emails on your phone while reclining on the couch—she finds that it’s good for her body to get a break from sitting at her desk all day, and she writes faster and more efficient responses than she would if she were working on her laptop. Another friend recommends working in the bathtub for similar reasons. Several of my friends have embraced knitting during Zoom meetings. Meanwhile, ever since I was a teenager, I’ve done my best writing while wearing a bathrobe and sitting in bed, and I don’t see that changing. Instead of beating myself up about this and trying to make myself show up to my desk every morning in business casual, I’ve decided to think about living in loungewear as a privilege rather than as a moral failing.

Feel free to ignore the prevailing “working from home” advice if it’s guilt-tripping you more than it’s helping you. This world contains a handful of problems that can be solved by deciding they’re not problems. Maybe some of yours can be fixed this way, too.

Originally posted by curbed.com. Written by Briallen Hopper, Illustration by Caleb Boyles.