Author: Manny Kagan

Where To Find The Light

Where To Find The Light


“We are surrounded by light–sometimes we just need to open our eyes.”

In the Torah, the manifestation of light was the first act of the creation of our world.

“God said, ‘Let there be light and there was light. And God saw the light and it was good, and God separated between the light and between the darkness” (Genesis 1:3-4).

What is the meaning of this primordial light? After all, the sun and the moon were created only on the fourth day.

“And God said, “Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to separate between the day and between the night, and they shall be for signs and for appointed seasons and for days and years” (Genesis 1:14).

Today December 19th, Jews and their friends are celebrating the third day of the holiday, Chanukah, which is known as “The Festival of Light”. It is connected with events that happened over 2000 years ago. A small group of Jews started a revolt against the Syrian Greek Seleucid Empire and in 166 BC, released the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. During the rededication of the temple, the large menorah had to be lit every day, but there was only one container with the purified oil. Miraculously, it lasted for eight days until new oil was produced. The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of the nine-branched menorah or Chanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday professing to the eighth on the final night. The additional (ninth) light is called a shamash or attendant, and is used to light the rest of the lights.

There are a number of traditions associated with this holiday.  Since the original light in the Temple was lit with oil, there are “oily” foods associated with the holiday, such as doughnuts and latkes (potato pancakes). Though latkes are not necessarily good for those who are concerned about their waistlines, they can make a delicious meal (especially prepared by my wife, Elfa).

But what does this story have to do with the primordial light? As we’ve seen before, the good, the light, and the darkness were the basic elements of the creation of the world. And it is man’s and woman’s (who were created on the sixth day) task to always strive to find the good by separating the light from the darkness.

Happy Chanukah! Enjoy the latkes and stay dry.

P.S.

The word “photography” comes from the Greek word phos, photos—light and graphos—writing. It literally translates to writing with the light—or to be more accurate, drawing or painting with light. To support this story, I’ve used Chanukah candles, which replaced the oil for the menorah. Light, my camera, and software on my computer were used to create the painting of my vision. Enjoy!

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Mortgage Solutions For You!

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equity

Clients had an adjustable loan and were paying about $6,300 a month. Since the interest rates dropped, we could get them a 30 year fixed rate and drop their monthly payments to $4,774.

However, there was a catch.They also had a line of credit (L/C) of $450,000. Thus to refinance the first loan (or combine the 1st and L/C), the appraisal value had to be $2,165,000.

Currently, it is not quite there yet. We had no choice but to wait.

Perhaps with the property’s increase value, the client will be able to save about $1,500 every month.

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Are You Ready?

 

 

Are You Ready?

“Being ready is a state of mind. Be ready.”

 
When I grew up in Latvia, we belonged to the Pioneer organization at school, similar to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Our organization was co-ed and our greeting was “Are you ready?” The answer, which was accompanied by a salute, was “Always ready!” This came to memory after reading an article in the SF Chronicle, “In time of drought, Bay Area gets ready for a deluge”.  The article describes how for the preparation for “the biggest storm in five years”, the Department of Public Works in San Francisco ran out of sandbags after distributing 3,500 bags for free. We were one of the recipients.
After the heavy rain last week, we encountered a strange smell in our basement. Upon investigating where it was coming from, we discovered a wet carpet, which covered part of the basement floor. Upon further detective work, we realized that the water penetrated from a damaged window. The next day, I called my great contractor Michael Wolfe, who has taken care of our house for years, fixing problems big and small. While deciding which type of new window to order, I also needed to get us ready for “the next storm”. Thankfully my wife Elfa, found out where to get the sand bags and it seems that got there just in time.

Being ready doesn’t only relate to the rain storm. We all have different kinds storms in our lives—or good tidings. Let’s say you have a gifted child who wants to study in an expensive school, or there is a medical emergency or forthcoming wedding, or law suit, or the purchase of a new home, or sudden unemployment, or a car accident, or old age, or a trip around the world. Are you ready?

Recently, we met with Harry Kamataris at his “Financial Survival Workshop”. He helped us review our retirement annuities, and insurance policies, and gave us advice on how to financially prepare for the future. (Something I’ve procrastinated for a long time about.)

I can also talk about being ready for mortgage refinancing. Many of my clients, whose loans I’ve helped to refinance have low interest rates. Nevertheless, since interest rates came down, it makes sense to consolidate debts, or to extend low interest rate adjustable loans for another seven years. Do not wait until “the storm”—high rates will return. Make yourself ready.

P.S.

On a rainy night last week, I photographed the wet street in front of our house and created some of the abstract images above. Enjoy.

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What Not To Do When You Are Unhappy

What Not To Do When You Are Unhappy

“Happiness or unhappiness often does not depend on the actions of others, but on your own.”

 

Lately a lot of print space, social media, and tv has been devoted to the events in Ferguson, MO. I knew about it in passing and read about the protestors  in Oakland and the resulting damage and looting in the stores. But when I read Debra J. Saunders’ article in the Sunday’s SF Chronicle, “Don’t shoot (your mouth off) before all the facts are known”, I got a much clearer picture about what has been going on.

There is so much going on in the world where different groups are trying to make their point by killing each other. I don’t usually follow these stories, since there is little I can do to prevent these things from happening, other than listening or reading about them in the news.

For me, Ferguson is far away and even problems in Oakland are not exactly my problems. (I have a handful of my own.) But, what happened in San Francisco was closer to home. Especially since I was on the Union Square before peaceful protests turned violent. And again, I found out about what happened only on Sunday in the SF Chronicle.

I do not like crowds, but on Black Friday afternoon, I went to downtown to photograph shoppers for my online photo book, “Encounters in San Francisco”.

There were mobs of people in front of Macys and other stores. A long line standing to get to The Cheesecake Factory restaurant. A small group of policeman was peacefully chatting.  I went into Macys where from the 5th floor, I photographed the crowded Union Square. (Images coming soon in my Christmas newsletter.) Afterwards, I went to the square where a crowd had formed. In the middle was a group of people with place cards, mostly white folks. One yelled some slogans into a megaphone, which others would echo. Then there was another white guy who would whistle and the crowd would respond in return. People were expressing their opinion against “police brutality” in peaceful democratic form. I took some of the images and left, pursuing other photo-opportunities.

Apparently after I left, a group of hooligans, whose purpose was to distract the joyful crowd, attacked the police, broke windows, and looted, perhaps to get attention made all of the noise. Will their looting and violence bring justice to those who deserve it or change anything? In my view, true peace and justice be accomplished only through good intentions, never through intimidation or violence.

P.S.

My images only tell part of the story, but I have others, more joyful ones which I will share with you later.

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Mortgage Solutions For You!

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I received an email from a client, whose loan we refinanced last time in 2011. It was a mortgage fixed for 7 years and the rate would become adjustable in 2018.
Since then, she accumulated credit card debts, which cost her about $600/month. Being on a fixed income, this situation was challenging. After checking the rates, I saw that we can get her the same rate, extend her fixed loan until 2022, add $30,000 of the credit cards to the mortgage, and her monthly payment would go up only $20/month.
Huge Savings!

 

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Cheers,

Manny<br /> Signature

Can We Be Or Not Be Meat Eaters?

Can We Be Or Not Be Meat Eaters?

“You do not have to be a vegetarian, just eat less meat.”

 

My wife Elfa and I are pescatarians. This is not a rare disease or a religious cult. This word defines those whose diet includes fish and seafood, but not the meat of other animals.

We became vegetarians while living in Israel at the time when our youngest daughter Tamar (who remained a vegetarian throughout her life) was born.

Some people, who discover that I have not eaten meat for many years, ask me if I can feel the difference. My answer is always “No”, since I cannot compare myself today to who I was many years ago. But in general, at the age of 67, I feel good most of the time, and do not have any cravings or desire to eat meat.

When we lived in Riga, Latvia where I was born, my father managed a government meat store. Despite the scarcity of many products in the stores, we always had meat in our household.

There are many reasons why people decide not to eat meat. Shortly after moving to San Francisco in 1980, we met a nutritionist who advised us to start adding fish to our diet in order to get the protein that we might have been lacking as vegetarians.

We know some people who after trying to be vegetarians, went back to eating meat.

According to the Bible, when humans were vegetarians when they were created. Only after the flood did God allow generations after Noah to start eating meat. Since meat was always expensive, only in our generation and in richer countries, have people consumed more meat.

Certainly consuming too much fish and seafood products can have their own health concerns, such as the health effects of mercury ingestion. But, according to the article in the National Geographic, “How to Farm a Better Fish”, the “world produces more farmed fish than beef-and that’s just the beginning”. According to the article, to produce one pound of body mass of cattle requires 6.8 pounds of feed, while fish requires only 1.1 pounds!

But what about chickens and turkeys? After all, you are reading this article after Thanksgiving night. Well, apparently, there are new ideas on how to have the festive dinner (possibly any day of the year) without overstuffing yourself. According to theSan Francisco Chronicle Sunday article, “For Thanksgiving 2014, turkey takes a backseat”, “vegetables are the new meat”.

P.S.

In our affluent society we can choose what to eat. We can choose any kind of diet and develop a taste for different foods. In my view, we do not have to kill animals, like those creatures I met and photographed in the natural environment of The Sea Ranch, just to satisfy our cravings.

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A Client was a self-employed contractor. In 2013, he reported income significantly higher than a year before. If we would apply for a jumbo loan, the lender would have to average two years and his income would not be enough to qualify. By dividing his loan into two, we were able to eliminate this issue by applying for the lender whose program allows one year of tax returns to qualify for the agency Jumbo loan plus a line of credit.

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How To Appreciate Art

 

How To Appreciate Art

“Appreciation of art is like an appreciation of beauty–it is in the eye of the beholder.”

 

There are many opportunities to appreciate art in the San Francisco and the Bay Area. We have great art museums, art galleries, and exhibitions. Those who have the means collect art; others buy copies or works of less known artists. Recently, we visited a new museum at Stanford University dedicated to the Anderson collection. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson started buying the works of up and coming American artists in the 1960’s. It is remarkable what an appreciation for art, education, and financial means can accomplish.

 

Next door in the Cantor Arts Center, there is an exhibition of a great photographer, Robert Frank’s “In America”. There is also a photo exhibition of the works of Arnold Newman, who created an amazing art gallery of portraits of famous people of the 20th century that is being exhibited at the Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco. Last week, I wrote about an exhibition of Ai Weiwei’s work in Alcatraz. Additionally, Lucien LaBaudt’s Coit Tower mural “Powell Street” was recently released. Perhaps the highest point of the art scene was the opening of the collection of works by Keith Haring’s “The Political Line” at the De Young Museum in the Golden Gate Park. The exhibit will be open through February 16, 2015. It is a must-see.

 

Keith Haring’s images, which were created during his short-lived and very prolific artistic life (he died from AIDS in 1990), reflect the political climate of the 1980’s, which still affect our lives today. For years, his sexually explicit art-work was not welcomed in museums. Today, collectors are paying millions for his “running man” images. Through his graffiti-inspired drawings, paintings, sculptures, and murals, Keith Haring created an immediately recognizable iconography that speaks to a diverse population.

One of his sculptures, which for years was located on the corner of Mission and 3rd street in San Francisco, has recently relocated to the front of the De Young Museum. Throughout his life, the artist wanted to bring his message of the political and social unbalance in life to the people. The irony is that while The Keith Haring Foundation leases his images and sells his works to raise money for AIDS research and other good causes, only very rich collectors can afford his artistic creations.

“An artist is a spokesman for a society at any given point in history. His language is determined by his perception of the world we all live in. He is a medium between ‘what is’ and ‘what could be’.”—Keith Haring

P.S.

As a photographer, when I visit museums I am not only interested in art, but also in the people who come to see it.  Enjoy.

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notqualified

A client, from Los Angeles, lived in a rent controlled apartment that was recently sold. As a result, he was offered $19,000 to move out. The client agreed and decided he wanted to buy a condo. Unfortunately with an income of $3,000/month, his qualifying ratio was too high.
The solution was to have someone (possibly his parents) act as cosigners, but not every cosigner can help improve the ration because of their own liabilities.

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