Princess Diana would have turned 50 this month. Newsweek published a story by Tina Brown speculating on Diana's life in 2011, had she lived. She was a young, unsuspecting bride, when she married Charles in 1981. And for all the royal pageantry, her life was…
My 90-year-old mother's friend, also 90, recently lost her sister-in-law. Her name was Maxine. I've been watching for Maxine's obituary in our newspaper this past week. I've spotted two or three Maxines in that time, but not the Maxine I was searching for. I soon…
Our column today is about what to say in condolence cards for co-workers in your workplace. What I didn't say in the column was this: When you have the chance to sign a communal card for a co-worker, be it condolence, birthday or retirement, always…
Spinal fluid tests can now "see" what are possible telltale signs of impending Alzheimer's disease. In a Reuters story about a report in the journal Neurology, the writer explained: Current spinal fluid tests for Alzheimer's look for an imbalance in two proteins: beta amyloid, which…
Our blog was filled this morning with spam posted as comments. Here's what it read: shoes 、 T-shirt 、 Sunglass、 Caps&hats 、 Handbags、Jersey The network shopping from the start Please look: tradetrusting One of the editors here said these ads are likely generated by workers…
I can't seem to forget about Frances Swan, the 106-year-old woman discovered by Stevens County sheriff's deputies last month. She was hungry and neglected by her "caregiver." She asked for food and wanted to be taken to a hospital where people would feed her and…
Actor Peter Falk died Thursday at 83. Everyone knew him as Detective Columbo in the crime series, but I loved him best in the foreign film Wings of Desire in which he plays an angel who had opted to fall from angelic status and live…
The day after my Sunday story about Spokane's "first" real adult soccer team (from the 1950s), a 93-year-old woman called me to tell me that there had, indeed, been an adult team in the early 1900s in Spokane. Indeed, she was right, and even though…
In the decades that I have worked in healthcare, there has been a hit parade of buzz words and phrases: “paradigm shift,” “at-the-end-of-the-day,” “thrown under the bus,”“low-hanging fruit” and…”are we complete?” That last one was from a consultant who brought his own hanger to meetings…
The Associated Press reported today that Ryan Dunn of reality show Jackass fame was really drink when he died in a car accident last week. Accoring to AP: Dunn's blood-alcohol level was 0.196 at the time of the crash early Monday morning. The report was…
Just finished Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, author of the bestselling "Seabiscuit" made into a well-loved movie. Here's a summary of Unbroken, from a New York Times review: In late May 1943, the B-24 carrying the…
Lake Washington Technical College offers a unique program for people looking for work outside the box: funeral service education. This program is the first one of its kind in Washington state. Seven people graduated last week with nine more scheduled to finish their program in…
All last week, I worked on a Sunday story about the Spokane Spokes, a Spokane soccer team started in the late 1950s. My brother-in-law, Adam Deutsch, played on the team in 1959. Word got out in Spokane's German-American community that I was working on the…
Mental illness plagues many of our homeless neighbors. Their behavior is often interpreted as threatening or at least confusing and bothersome. The Seattle Police Department now has a mental health expert who rides with them, often as the initial contact for a person deemed experiencing…
CathNews USA posted a story today about a Catholic group that has demanded an apology from the Vatican for an offense that happened in 1314. Here's their illustration and an excerpt from the story: The heirs to the Knights Templar have demanded an apology from…
When people complain about air travel. they often include this fear: The chance of picking up a life-threatening illness. It does happen. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released information about how close you have to be sitting to an infected passenger to…
In this week's EndNotes column in The Spokesman-Review, Cathy did a great job of looking at what's important at the end of a person's life. Relationships matter more than anything else. So, at first read, it seemed a little shallow when Marie Osmond's mom, on…
In the New Yorker this week, there’s a heartbreaking piece called “The Aquarium” by Aleksander Hemon. His baby, Isabel, was diagnosed with a rare, fast-growing brain tumor at 9 months and died within a year. It is profound, honest and raw. Here are two excerpts:…
This week we look forward to Father's Day - next Sunday. The commercials are filled with images of gleeful children scurrying towards dad with Hallmark cards in hand. Many people do not have the dad of television commercials; some people may not even know their…
As a left-hander, I was often scolded by my elementary school teachers to hold my hand so that my cursive letters would slant correctly. Each report card came home with "N" for my handwriting grade (N= Needs Improvement). For many of today's elementary school students,…
“He who conceals his disease cannot expect to be cured.” ~ Ethiopian Proverb I love this proverb; we conceal our illness, our weakness and often suffer in silence. However, when we make ourselves vulnerable, often answers, healing and support may show up – and offer…
It's a little embarrassing, perhaps, but one dangerous place in your house is the bathroom. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today that "In one year, an estimated 234,000 people ages 15 and older were treated in U.S. emergency departments for bathroom-related injuries—an…
Just finished my Sunday story on how low long distance charges have resulted in a ho-hum attitude toward those calls. I interviewed a telecommunications expert from South Carolina, Gene Retske, who said within five years phone calls won't be nearly as popular as they have…
Therese Marszalek, a Christian writer from Deer Park has written several books on miracles in everday life. I wrote a story about her in October when her latest book came out. She emailed several people yesterday with this request which I said I'd pass on…
The Catholic Jedi Academy, a creative group, has put out a nine-minute video titled Doomsday for Dummies. It's a fun and well-done look at the May 21 end-of-the-world prophecy that didn't happen. The video makers, a group that describes itself as "cyber-artificial-pretend-reality called The Catholic…
Spokesman-Review features writer Rebecca Nappi, along with writer Catherine Johnston of Olympia, Wash., discuss here issues facing aging boomers, seniors and those experiencing serious illness, dying, death and other forms of loss.
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