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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016

my stand on HIPPA...

My Tentative Declaration of Freedom Regarding HIPPA This voyage of my tiny boat will perhaps be one of the most difficult and simultaneously one of the most technically-demanding and difficult articles I have written. Nearly everyone has heard of or may even have a passing...

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SATURDAY, FEB. 13, 2016

The heart in retrospect

She did it again. Ruth Berning, that goddess of everything that is considered fit to be consumed by the humble masses at Adult Day Health, has once again unknowingly invaded my most private moments where few dare to tread, and it all began through the…

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TUESDAY, FEB. 9, 2016

The heaviest thoughts...

The media is filled with it. A legion of younger hungry single men all foam at the mouth upon command at the thought of it. Even that wonderfully-obscure male bastion of societal correctness, the Super Bowl, is filled to over-filled with only thinly vague references…

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THURSDAY, JAN. 14, 2016

THURSDAY, SEPT. 17, 2015

THURSDAY, FEB. 5, 2015

I'm back after a fashion

Good morning Netizens... Yes ,your eyes are not deceiving you. I am once more sitting at the keyboard with an evil gleam in my eye. I am not quite up to snuff, as I am still having trouble typing, but things are definitely looking up...

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MONDAY, DEC. 23, 2013

The Original Christmas Tale....

[One more story from Dave, while he is recuperating and recovering and healing ~ Jeanie] Good evening, Netizens and friends... As a writer and journalist, I strive each year to create vivid characters that reach out to your imagination, to indwell in your consciousness and…

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The Gift of Giving

[Another installment of one of Dave's Christmas stories. (He is recuperating very well, prayers for continued healing and recovery are very much appreciated.) ~ Jeanie] Good morning, Netizens... Like other Christmas stories I have written over the years, this is an excerpt from what I…

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SUNDAY, DEC. 15, 2013

The Christmas Present...

[Another entry of Dave Laird's Christmas stories, this one entitled "The Christmas Present." Dave is improving daily, but very slowly. He is in his second week at North Idaho Advanced Care Hospital in Post Falls. Visitors are welcome. Please send a card to Dave Laird,…

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THURSDAY, DEC. 12, 2013

The Blue China Doll...

[From co-blogmeister Jeanie: While Dave is recovering from a heart attack and bypass surgery and several other ailments, I am posting some of his Christmas Stories for your enjoyment. The following is from December 18, 2012.] The China Doll Written by Dave Laird November 22,…

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MONDAY, SEPT. 16, 2013

Weather forecast...,

Good morning, Netizens.... Depending upon where you live, last night's thunderstorm/severe thunderstorm may have been an anti-climax. Of course if you have ever lived in the Midwest or portions of the Deep South, perhaps you already have a good first-hand knowledge of what a severe…

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SUNDAY, SEPT. 8, 2013

Fix when ready

How I broke my back and survived to tell the tale, the short version .I slipped in the shower and fell on my patjunkus, and unbeknown to me, I had serious and advanced oteoporosis which how I came to shatter one of my lumbar vertebrae…

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SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2013

A Word A Day -- fungible

Good afternoon Netizens... July 13, 2013 Word of the Day fungible \FUN-juh-bul\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : being of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in the satisfaction of an obligation 2 : interchangeable 3…

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FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2013

A Word A Day -- thwart

Good morning Netizens... July 12, 2013 thwart \THWORT\ DEFINITION verb 1 a : to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle b : to oppose successfully : defeat the hopes or aspirations of 2 : to pass through or across EXAMPLES At…

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THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2013

Jumping tall buildings..,,

Good morning Netizens... I have been absent without leave for some time now, partially because my health hasn't been up to the standards set by Clark Kent during his brief sojourn as a journalist while leaping over tall buildings. In fact, I'm still trying to…

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

A Word A Day -- down

Good evening Netizens...] May 15, 2013 Word of the Day down \DOWN\ DEFINITION noun 1 : an undulating generally treeless upland with sparse soil — usually used in plural b plural and often capitalized : treeless chalk uplands along the south and southeast coast of…

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TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

A Word A Day -- lamia

Good evening, Netizens... April 23, 2013 Word of the Day lamia \LAY-mee-uh\ DEFINITION noun : a female demon EXAMPLES In this campy horror film, the men of a college campus are attacked and killed by a seductive lamia who slips into their dorm rooms at…

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MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013

Richie Havens in 2009. (Associated Press)

Richie Havens has passed away...

Good evening, Netizens.... It is with great sadness that I heard that singer/songwriter/poet Richie Havens died today of a heart attack at age 72, and suddenly my world drew a deep introspective breath and held it a long time before letting it go. My God,…

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A Word A Day -- transpire

Good evening Netizens... April 22, 2013 Word of the Day transpire \tran-SPYRE\ DEFINITION verb 1 : to give off vaporous material; specifically : to give off or exude watery vapor especially from the surfaces of leaves 2 : to become known or apparent : develop…

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SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2013

A Word A Day -- demulcent

Good evening Netizens... April 21, 2013 Word of the Day demulcent \dih-MULL-sunt\ DEFINITION adjective : soothing EXAMPLES Honey has a demulcent property that is thought to be effective in relieving sore throats and coughs. "Chickweed (Stellaria media) has a demulcent effect on the stomach, which…

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SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013

A Word A Day -- xenophobia

Good afternoon Netizens,,, April 20, 2013 Word of the Day xenophobia \zen-uh-FOH-bee-uh\ DEFINITION noun : fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign EXAMPLES "A Labour MP has been accused of xenophobia after complaining about the Polish staff…

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FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2013

A Word A Day -- admonish

Good Afternoon Netizens... April 19, 2013 Word of the Day admonish \ad-MAH-nish\ DEFINITION verb 1 a : to indicate duties or obligations to b : to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner 2 : to give friendly earnest…

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THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013

A Word A Day -- milieu

Good morning Netizens... April 18, 2013 Word of the Day milieu \meel-YOO\ DEFINITION noun : the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops : environment EXAMPLES The quiet suburban neighborhood was within walking distance of the elementary school and provided the perfect…

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

A Word A Day -- surd

Go0od morning, Netizens... April 17, 2013 Word of the Day surd \SERD\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : lacking sense : irrational 2 : voiceless — used of speech sounds EXAMPLES The artist is known for creating videos in which well-known speeches with surd utterances scattered throughout…

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TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2013

A Word A Day -- verbiage

Good morning, Netizens... April 16, 2013 Word of the Day verbiage \VER-bee-ij\ DEFINITION noun 1 : a profusion of words usually of little or obscure content 2 : manner of expressing oneself in words : diction EXAMPLES The newspaper editor said that he would have…

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Spokesman-Review readers blog about news and issues in Spokane written by Dave Laird.