The two women I wrote about in my Sunday story are my exact age, 56. So when I saw the photo of Carol Willette's 8th birthday party, it brought back so many memories of home decor, circa 1960s, specifically the thick, flowered drapes. When I…
A trilogy of holidays is upon us. While the children are counting their trick-or-treat candy pieces, other folks will be preparing for the other holidays which are attached to Halloween (All Hallows' Eve). November 1 is All Saints' Day - a feast day in the…
Fifteen suicides an hour? That's the rate in India, according to an Associated Press story. Financial difficulties and debts led to most of the male suicides while women were driven to take their lives because of domestic pressures and demands for dowry. A report released…
Five years ago today, Laura Crooks, a writer and editor at The Spokesman-Review, died suddenly at home while working on her son's Halloween costume. She was just 37, mother of two young children and wife to Gary, an associate editor here still. A few of…
The leaves are turning and the weather is finally great for walks in crisp, cool, intoxicating air. The seasons give us lessons - dormant rest in winter, the eager new life of spring, full passion in summer and the brilliance of autumn. Autumn offers final…
So a New York man pleaded guilty today to brokering kidneys. Levy Izhak Rosenbaum found kidneys for New Jersey-based customers in exchange for "payments of $120,000 or more," according to the Associated Press. The man's lawyers claimed that their client actually did a good deed.…
CNN asked four experts whether the culture is turning Steve Jobs into a saint right now, despite the fact he was a Buddhist, not from a saint-making faith tradition. Theologian Gary M. Laderman of Emory University said: "Make no mistake about it, the veneration we…
Every week, I get a heads-up email from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its next day release of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Here are the headlines: Invasive Group A Streptococcus in a Skilled Nursing Facility — Pennsylvania, 2009–2010 This report…
One hundred folks 100 and older are part of a project to study their entire collection of DNA, called whole-genome sequencing, to uncover some secrets to longevity. According to the Associated Press story: By the time you reach, say, 105, "it's very hard to get…
The man gave us a superhighway to the e-world. Yet, his world was filled with self-imposed obstacles to healthy relationships. Did his disregard for women stem from his own abandonment? What price did Jobs pay for his amazing contribution to our lives and our future?…
When the human spirit is filled with hope, miracles occur. The story today out of Turkey is welcome news after reading about all the death that the earthquake has left. A baby is alive and deemed healthy; her mother and grandmother pulled out alive, too.…
Two women I'm writing about for a Sunday story were second-graders at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Spokane in 1962 when the Cuban Missile Crisis was upon us. It was going on exactly 49 years ago this week. Cuba, with Soviet Union backing,…
Washington state Sen. Scott White was found dead in his hotel room over the weekend while attending a conference and the first reports of the death were vague as to the reason he died. I felt guilty today -- when a Seattle PI story revealed…
More than a decade ago, I reached the age where my peers started losing their parents. When the parental deaths started happening it seemed like a major watershed. Indeed, we were all getting older. Now, most of my friends in their 50s have lost parents,…
In India unwanted girls know they are unwanted, because they are named "unwanted." Now, an effort to change a negative self-image begins with a new name. A central Indian district held a renaming ceremony Saturday that it hopes will give the girls new dignity and…
Watching the Libyans celebrate the death of Moammar Gadhafi Thursday by shooting their guns in the air made me cringe. I worried that innocent folks would be killed from those bullets raining down on the celebrants. Turns out others worry, too. A Google search showed…
Marie Pizelo, a woman who turned her childhood abuse into beautiful art and advocacy for women, died yesterday at Hospice House. In my October 9 story (and in Colin Mulvany's wonderful video) Marie passed on her words of wisdom to dozens of women who gathered…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a fascinating report today measuring suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adults older than 18 in the United States. Residents of Idaho and Washington have among the highest percentages of "suicidal thoughts" but don't rank as alarmingly high…
People in Zanesville, Ohio are locked up today, in fear of exotic animals on the loose after an exotic animal preserve owner killed himself and then let the animals free. Lions, bears, mountain lions and more. Kim Stanley Robinson, a science fiction writer, could tell…
Flu kills folks every year. From 3,000 in a "good" year to nearly 50,000 in a really bad year. Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its FluView -- a look at the season so far and the season ahead. Some interesting highlights:…
While watching the Prohibition series on PBS recently, I was struck with how passionate people were on the issue -- the wets and the drys. There were protests in the streets and people pouring out liquor on the streets and women doing sit-ins at bars.…
While walking the streets around the 9/11 memorial last week in New York, we had an appreciation of how tightly packed in the buildings are there. In the video footage of 9/11, it seems like people had wider streets and plenty of sidewalks to run…
My husband and I were lucky to reserve tickets for the 9/11 memorial site and we visited it last week while on vacation in New York City. You need to secure tickets in advance (no cost but donations encouraged) and I hear the site is…
Becky's story today reminds readers of what has endured in the Inland Northwest over the last several decades: marching bands as football teams rally for a field goal; men setting out in early morning to hunt for the prized deer and quiet lakes serving as…
My good friend would be 76 -years -old today; she died last year. Yet, we will remember and celebrate her life today. Her humor and grace remain. And, oh, those stories! When I brought my fiancé to meet her, she gushed over him with oozing…
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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