We remember the images of rain, wind, storm surge and massive destruction brought by Superstorm Sandy along the East Coast one year ago. The re-building continues with drywall and insulation as well as courage. Lots and lots of courage. Perhaps most poignant were images of…
A person raised in extreme poverty may suffer long-lasting consequences – showing up on one’s brain. Chronic stress caused by poverty actually shows up on the brain and may be the cause of physical and mental ailments later in life. Social workers include childhood poverty…
She is back! That lovable, fallible character created by Helen Fielding: Bridget Jones. She is “of a certain age” now. A boomer? Bridget lives in a world of email, tweets and twitter, a life well-lived. Perhaps. Is Daniel still hanging around? Her hunky man, Mark…
Today, Rebecca Nappi writes words of good-bye as she leaves the Spokesman-Review. I will miss my friend on these pages. We met in college 40 years ago - 40 years! As college freshmen, we were clueless about almost everything as we innocently explored the world,…
So this, my farewell story, ran in today's Spokesman-Review. After 28 years here, I'm trading journalism for an encore career in health care. And this blog officially now belongs to my co-writer Catherine Johnston. Thanks for reading EndNotes. Please continue reading. And thanks for reading…
Have you ever wondered what has happened inside your home before you lived in it? Ever wonder if someone died in your home? Now there is a website (of course) where you can seek that information. www.DiedInHouse.com reportedly will give you that information. One search…
Earlier this week a Western Washington family opened the casket of their loved one to say a last good-bye and found – another man’s body (story). Somehow the bodies were mixed up and the body of the man people thought was in the casket had…
Many of us have prescription medications we needed after surgery or for a specific illness – and many of us have those leftover or outdated medications still in the cabinet. Keeping them can be dangerous: we can inadvertently grab those unneeded meds when groping in…
Another study just released suggests the oldest child in a family may be smarter and more successful in life than the younger siblings. Hmmm. We all know people for whom this theory seems correct. And we all know families where it does not fit -…
A recent study by The Opportunity Nation coalition claims that 15 percent of Americans from 16-24 years old are not in school or working. Concluding that the rest of the young adults are up to no good or floundering. Rob Denson, president of Des Moines…
Scientists at UCLA have discovered a new “biological clock” that measures the age of human tissue. If future testing proves the research valid, the work has strong implications for anti-aging-research. Note: the goal is not to seek a fountain of youth, but to assist with…
One’s spirituality is unique and private. From the public’s vantage, President Obama maintains an extremely private and protected expression of his faith life. However, according to Obama’s advisors, our president begins his morning by reading a devotional written just for him. The texts include scripture…
“It’s not really cool to not have anybody,” said 15-year-old Davion Only, the teen who went before a Florida church congregation asking for a family. No child – anywhere, at any time, for any reason - should have to ask for a family, to ask…
Character actor Ed Lauter, 74, died earlier this week. His name may leave one thinking, “Who?” But his face is familiar. My nephew, Dan, however, is a huge fan of Lauter’s work and knows his face, his name and his work. Last year Dan was…
Army Capt. William Swenson received the Medal of Honor this week from President Obama for heroic actions performed in Afghanistan in 2009. Swenson, who now lives in Seattle, risked his life to save other troops, as well as Afghan allies, and he stayed in the…
The pink ribbons are everywhere: on yogurt containers as well as pro football players' armbands. The message: breast cancer awareness month is here. Pay attention. My story: a routine mammogram (get one, please!) detected my stage zero (wildly aggressive cells, no tumor), breast cancer nine…
Finally got around to watching the Glee episode in which they addressed the death of Finn Hudson, played by Cory Monteith, a talented young actor who sadly overdosed in July. The episode was excellent. And you could tell the tears were quite real. My weird…
With all the Washington D.C. rhetoric making the news, it is difficult to focus on any other drama. Thank you, Boston. Game two of the American League Championship Series between Boston and Detroit offered baseball fans a wonderful diversion from politics. The tension from Detroit’s…
The United Nations General Assembly declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child. The theme for the 2013 day is: educate girls and you change the world. Seems simple, but in many cultures girls are denied this basic human right. Learn more…
While Washington prattles on and on about what they cannot do, some of us are taking comfort in the season: October baseball. Settling in to see who dodges the pitch at the plate offers more peace than watching who dodges responsibility in D.C. And it…
My mother's 92-year-old friend, Magaret, showed me her lovely, covered patio the other day. There are four chairs among flower pots and other garden decorations. She said she used to sit in the chairs with her husband, sister-in-law and brother-in-law and they'd talk and laugh…
In Monday's Boomer U, we ran an excerpt of the book Rain Delayed by Linda Merkel Walline. Her father Paul Merkel led a Whitworth College baseball team to a national championship in 1960, against great odds and on a shoestring budget. Walline researched and wrote…
Elizabeth Smart, now a young woman, was only 14 years old when she was snatched from her bed in the night and held prisoner, victim of a bizarre kidnapping, ten years ago. Her memoir, “My Story,” is released today. Smart’s tale of terror chronicling her…
“Francis, repair my Church which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.” Words heard by St. Francis of Assisi October 4 is a day Christians celebrate St. Francis of Assisi, the namesake of Pope Francis I. Who was Francis? And how is Pope Francis…
The news is unusually heavy today with pieces of our government closed, immigrants drowning and politicians on their worst behavior. Sometimes it helps to simply escape for a moment. Poetry, please. Not Here There's courage involved if you want to become truth. There is a…
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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