CFjadotte ^osit
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 1996
9A
LIFESTYLES
Daughter
spends too
much cash
GWENDOLYN BAINES
Ask
Gwendolyn
Dear Gwendolyn:
My daughter puts a lot of
interest into her appear
ance. Instead of spending a
fortune in clothes, I am
trying to get her to realize
the value of an education.
She is presently living
with me, pays no rent, and
has the use of my car.
Many times I have to take
a bus from work because
she says she forgets to pick
me up. She goes shopping
every other day. She only
works 20 hours per week
making minimal wages at a
fast food restaurant. All of
her paycheck is spent on
shoes and dresses. About a
month ago she bought
three suits costing $350
each.
My daughter thinks
appearance is the answer
to it all. She has the looks,
but her language is poor.
She needs to upgrade her
education. I told her if she
gets her GED, I will save in
order to help her go to col
lege. Making minimal
wages, she will always be
with me unless she mar
ries. What should I do?
Katie
Dear Katie:
First of all, you need to stop
concentrating on education.
There seems to be a bigger
problem here. You need to
find out where all this money
is coming from. A part-time
minimum wage income is not
enough to afford these expen
sive items, even if she worked
a lot of overtime.
Stop allowing her the use of
your car. Drive her to work. If
there is a conflict of working
i shifts, allow her to use your
car providing she is back in
time for you to go to work. If
she works these part-time
hours during the day, let her
ride the bus.
I don't know what you are
thinking, but it is apparent
she does not have enough con
cern for you. How is it she can
forget to pick you up in your
own car? As long as you pro
vide free shelter, the use of
your car, and free food, your
daughter will never experi
ence the struggles of life.
Making it easy for her now
could result in disaster later.
Every adult needs to know
survival.
Katie, you are correct in try
ing to get her to focus on more
than clothes. If she thinks her
appearance will find Mr.
Right, she’s wrong. Any man
of quality will become turned
off when she opens her mouth.
Keep your money until she
shows an interest in self-suffi
ciency. Once you have allowed
her to fully manage on 20
hours per week, minimal
wages, I do believe she will
take another look at her
future, set higher goals and
turn out just fine.
Features
Around Charlotte 10A
Church News 13A
Sunday School 12A
(5^
Dedication and persistence pay off
Denise Dory
opens up
By Andrea R. Richards
THE CHARLOTTE POST
B y the time Denise
Dory was in grade
school, she knew
broadcasting was her
destiny.
Lots of hard work and
decades later, the 5-foot-4-
inch mother of one - and soon
to be two in May - turned her
childhood dream into reality.
"I can remember very early
on Michelle Clark (now
deceased), and I kind of
latched on to her," said Dory,
who was selected to be
WBTV’s evening news anchor
last February. "She was the
first person I remember who I
could watch and say, 'Wow,
she's really great.'
"I just remember getting up
for school and dressing with
my mother. She (Clark)
would come on and do news
breaks. Then, my mother
would say, 'Michelle is on!
Michelle is on!' and I would
run and watch her do the
news. I was just fascinated."
Now, Dory fascinates oth
ers.
She describes herself as a
wife and mother. She juggles
being a career mom, being
supportive of her husband of
10 years, Michael, and rearing
her 8-year-old son, Kyle.
Dory faces a unique challenge.
Denise Dory, WBTV news anchor, has adjusted to Charlotte, but Is still puzzled by street names.
PHOTO/ JAMES BROWN
She must inform the public on
robberies, murders and vio
lence, yet explain to her child
he shouldn't be afraid of all
people.
"My son will watch the news,
and he'll ask a lot of ques
tions," she said. "I try to
explain to him when he hears
something negative or some
thing tragic. He wonders could
that happen.
"What sticks out is the
Oklahoma City bombings. He
asked could that happen here.
I try to let my child know that
there are bad things and bad
people but not everyone is
bad. I also want him to have
a realistic view of the world
without terrifying him."
When Dory is not on the air
or doing household chores,
you'll probably find her doing
what she really enjoys - read
ing, cooking or watching a
basketball or football game.
"I'm a frustrated Hornets
fan," she said, while smiling.
Who will she support on
Super Bowl Sunday?
"I root for Pittsburgh. That's
it," she said. "I think it would
be nice to see a change. Dallas
has been there, and they've
done that. It would be nice to
see somebody new."
Dory encourages young peo
ple who are interested in
broadcasting to get as much
work experience in the field as
possible.
"Know that this is what you
really want," she said. "Try to
expose yourself to it as early
See DORY page 11A
Downsizing blamed for middle-income blues
By Mike Robinson
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO - Middle man
agers and workers at the top
of the blue-collar pay scale put
off purchases of homes last
year, according to a new sur
vey that blames job insecurity
arising from the wave of cor
porate downsizing.
Concern that a fresh round
of corporate layoffs could cost
them their jobs caused many
with family income from
$41,000 to $60,000 to pass up
homes they otherwise might
have purchased, the survey
concluded.
Home buyers in that income
range represented 27.2 per-
"This is the segment that has been affected most
by corporate downsizing ... cutting back on middle
management and high end blue collar,"
-John Pfister
$ -U dL -r. .rr,
# # # ^
cent of all home buyers last
year, lower than at any time
in more than a decade, accord
ing to Chicago Title and
Trust, which sponsored the
survey. As recently as 1993
that income group represent
ed 31.4 percent of all home
sales, it said.
The survey measured home
buying activity among
Americans in 18 real estate
markets across the country. It
did not include interviews
with non-buyers who might
have tied the dip in demand
directly to job insecurity.
John Pfister, Chicago Title
and Trust vice president of
market research, said, howev
er, that the downsizing that
has swept over much of corpo
rate America has primarily
affected those in the $41,000
to $60,000 income group.
“This is the segment that
has been affected most by cor
porate downsizing ... cutting
back on middle management
and high end blue collar," he
said. He said well documented
job anxieties among such
employees and an absence of
any other plausible explana
tions pointed to downsizing as
the probable cause.
But it appeared unlikely
that such a conclusion would
be immediately accepted by
all students of the housing
market. Assuming that the
statistics are correct, “there
may be a number of hypothe
ses that might s.eem plausi
ble," said Peter Coldwell,
director of the Real Estate
Research Office at the
University of Illinois Business
School.
Pfister said overall home
buying among Americans
totaled 5,574,000 in 1994,
with those in the $41,000- to
$60,000-income bracket repre
senting 1,795,000 of those
sales. He said overall purchas
es in 1995 totaled 5,330,000,
with those in the bracket
accounting for 1,450,000.
Your weekly horoscope
ARIES:(March 21-April
20)Use all of the resources
available to you. A family
argument may take some
extra attention to straighten
out, with no serious fallouts.
You may need to make some
choices - between spending
more quality time with family
and friends, or advancing at
work.
A
TAURUS:(April 21 - May
21)There seems to be some
apparent conflict, but it is of a
healthy variety, and may yield
some unexpected benefits in
the form of totally new
approaches to routine situa
tions. Don't make hasty deci
sions regarding financial mat
ters until you know the whole
story.
GEMINI:(May 22 - June
21)You and your significant
other may make a wonderful
connection and the sense that
you are growing closer will
bring both of you joy. Success
will be yours, even if it is of a
low-key nature. You know
you've made great strides, and
soon the right people will
notice.
CANCER:(June 22 - July
23)Try to take it easy this
week. You have been going at
a frantic pace, and it will start
to catch up with you.
Decisions made hastily may
be flawed, so put off action
until you have all the facts.
Treat yourself to something
special, and maybe something
a little frivolous.
LEO:(July 24- August
23)You will get ahead by
working hard. Nothing less
than your reputation is at
stake, but no need to worry
since your work is usually
above reproach. Expect a little
bit of a delay, because soon
you'll be riding on the crest of
success. The spotlight is
yours, you deserve it.
VIRGO:(August 24
September 23)Prosperity is
an issue, so instead of whin
ing, take action. Work a little
harder and you'll be surprised
at the financial results. A
surge of inspiration will
enable you to get through any
potentially rough situations -
clear all avenues of communi
cation.
LIBRA:(September 24 -
October 23)Use your clout to
get some new and different
changes off the ground at
work. Friends and co-workers
can really come in handy now.
You're working for no less
than the greater good of all
involved - remember this.
Don't be taken in by careless
flirting vidth someone new.
SCORPIO:(October 24 -
November 22)Keeping your
nose to the grindstone is
admirable to a point, but you
might make a better impres
sion with superiors if your
approach is more balanced.
Learn to give some responsi
bilities to others if you are
interested in a management
position.
SAGITTARIUS:
(November 23 - December
21)You tend to keep your emo
tional distress to yourself, and
this might not be for the best.
Allow someone close to pene
trate your defenses. Your
beauty comes from within,
and creates a glow that is
obvious to others around you.
Make plans carefully to
assure a positive outcome.
CAPRICORN:
(December 22 - January
20)A little contemplation will
get your week off on a calm
and clear path. You are
pleased with the results up
until now, but do want to
improve your work. Allow
troublesome obstacles to dis
solve themself. You can’t has
ten this process by hovering
and worrying needlessly.
AQUARIUS: (January 21 -
February 19)Is your current
relationship a little unbal
anced? If so, playing the role
too faithfully can bring resent
ment and boredom. Maybe a
planned weekend pleasure
trip is just what the doctor
ordered. One or both of you
may need to learn something
new. Make peace with
inevitable changes.
PISCES:(February 20 -
March 20) When working on
your financial plan for the
future, avoid putting all your
eggs in one basket. An}d;hing
which looks definite may not
be beneficial in the end.
Diversify investments and
n
don't expect to get rich
overnight. Any health prob
lems are probably from
neglect.
IF THIS WEEK IS
YOUR BIRTHDAY:
Catch up on correspon
dence with friends. Be
wary though, encounters
with others may end in
emotional outbursts,
which may leave you a
bit bewildered. You may
feel that you are con
stantly at battle with
your significant other,
which leads you nowhere.