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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

EndNotes archive for Feb. 2013

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27, 2013

The MS Balmoral sets sail for the Titanic memorial cruise from Southampton, England, Sunday, April  8, 2012. Nearly 100 years after the Titanic went down, a cruise with the same number of passengers aboard is setting sail to retrace the ship's voyage, including a visit to the location where it sank. The Titanic Memorial Cruise is set to depart Sunday from Southampton, where the Titanic left on its maiden voyage. The 12-night cruise will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the White Star liner. With 1,309 passengers aboard, the MS Balmoral will follow the same route as the Titanic. Organizers are trying to recreate the onboard experience  minus the disaster  from the food to a band playing music from that era. Organizers said people from 28 countries have booked passage, including relatives of some of the more than 1,500 people who died when the Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912. (Alastair Grant / Associated Press)

Cruise ships as old age homes? 

My husband and I have never been on a cruise nor have we been tempted to try one. After seeing the photos and hearing the stories by passengers aboard the stranded Carnival Cruise in the Gulf of Mexico, we felt even more sure we'd never…

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MONDAY, FEB. 25, 2013

Feasting in heaven: Frank Cannata

Frank Cannata died last week at 88. He was a kind, gentle Spokane man I got to know well in the 1980s and 1990s because he was the manager of the Town and Country Restaurant, our family hangout. It is said that the first person…

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Elizabeth Roberts,  who received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Washington State University, smiles during graduation ceremonies on Saturday at Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum in Pullman. The Spokesman Review (Photos by TYLER TJOMSLAND The Spokesman Review / The Spokesman-Review)

Turning up - and out - the degrees

Many of us in the Boomer generation took the traditional route through education: graduate from high school and then off to college: maybe a two-year degree, maybe a four-year degree. But with education costs skyrocketing and the rest of life not always offering an easy…

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SATURDAY, FEB. 23, 2013

An unusual July rainbow appeared at dusk as rain showers arrived over the Spokane region on Tuesday night. (Mike Prager)

Poetic departure

As humorist Garrison Keillor says, “It is a shame to miss one’s own funeral...all those nice comments…and to come so close...to miss it by just a few days!” One man missed his funeral by minutes. A lovely story of husband and wife ~ united forever.…

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FRIDAY, FEB. 22, 2013

FILE-   This April 2, 1974 file photo shows actress Elizabeth Taylor standing by a statue of the Academy Award Oscar in Los Angeles.  Elizabeth Taylor had it all: the violet, almond-shaped eyes, the creamy skin, the pouty lips and raven hair. Of course, there were her Oscars, iconic roles and many husbands, too, but Taylor is indeed most renowned for her beauty. She died Wednesday at age 79 of congestive heart failure. (Associated Press)

Oscar and friends

Sunday the Oscars will be given (seems a bit passé to call them the “Academy Awards” – easier to tweet the “O” word). If you haven’t been to the theatre to see all the nominees on the BIG screen, sit back and view clips of...

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THURSDAY, FEB. 21, 2013

This undated publicity photo provided by PBS shows Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess, left, and Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson from the TV series, "Downton Abbey." The third season premiere airs in the U.S. on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013 on PBS. (Nick Briggs / Pbs)

"M'lady" and other English treats 

Everyone in my family, in my workspace and my friends are watching: Downton Abbey. I finally caved and watched season one AND season two in the last ten days. It is a nice break from my husband’s favorite channel, the History Channel (I call it…

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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20, 2013

FILE - This Aug. 20, 2012 file photo released by ABC shows co-host Robin Roberts during a broadcast of "Good Morning America," in New York. Roberts has thanked her viewers for their support as she faces a bone marrow transplant. The "Good Morning America" co-anchor sent a video message taped from her New York hospital bed for airing on the program Thursday, Sept. 20, which is the day she's set to have the transplant. (Donna Svennevik / American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.)

She's back!  

For ABC’s Good Morning, America viewers, today is a big deal…Robin Roberts, co-anchor of the show, has returned. Roberts was diagnosed with a rare blood disease last fall and needed a bone marrow transplant. She lost weight, lost her hair, but never lost her determination…

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TUESDAY, FEB. 19, 2013

Faithful gather to listen to pope Benedict XVI's Angelus prayer in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI blessed the faithful from his window overlooking St. Peter's Square for the first time since announcing his resignation, cheered by an emotional crowd of tens of thousands of well-wishers from around the world. (Gregorio Borgia / Associated Press)

The pope and his wisdom…or not 

Now that Pope Benedict XVI is leaving St. Peter’s center stage, so many “authorities” on papal topics are writing and writing and talking and talking, to say nothing about the papal hopefuls adjusting their beanies and walking a bit more confidently. Fun to watch. In…

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MONDAY, FEB. 18, 2013

FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2008 file photo, Country singer Mindy McCready performs, in Nashville, Tenn. McCready, who hit the top of the country charts before personal problems sidetracked her career, died Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013. She was 37. (Mark Humphrey / Associated Press)

Sad Song

In a country challenged with lack of adequate mental health care, a country singer has taken her own life. Mindy McCready, country singer and mother of two, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was 37. We do not know the demons and sadness…

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THURSDAY, FEB. 14, 2013

President Barack Obama proposed raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour. (Associated Press)

Non-political politics 

President Obama’s State of the Union speech addressed the topics on our minds and hearts. Op-ed columnist, Charles M. Blow, believes we heard the “real” President Obama on Tuesday night: the one who does not have to worry about re-election; the man we elected to…

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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13, 2013

TUESDAY, FEB. 12, 2013


The immeasurable beauty of the Olympic Peninsula makes La Push, Wash., a must-see for any nature lover. Top left, the view of the Pacific Ocean as seen from the deck of one of the rooms at the Quileute Oceanside Resort.
 (Photos by D.J. Bradley / The Spokesman-Review)

Lent resolution: No worries

Last year for Lent, I tried to give up worrying. It was only slightly successful. I'm going to try again this year. I believe at the end of my life, I will regret being anxious about things that turned out not to matter, things I…

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Cardinals participate in a ceremony during the 7th Concistory held in the Sistine Chapel in 1978, prior to the election of Pope John Paul II. 
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

A new pope - next steps

The process to elect a pope is different from any other election process in the world. Here is one piece of the process: "The conclave to elect the successor of Benedict XVI will be regulated by the 'Ordo Rituum Conclavis' established by John Paul II's…

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MONDAY, FEB. 11, 2013

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a mass for Latin America, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, Dec. 12, 2011.  Pope Benedict XVI says he hopes to travel to Cuba and Mexico sometime before Easter and wants to strengthen the faith and encourage Catholics there to seek love, justice and hope. During the Mass  honoring Mexico's patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe, in his homily, the 84-year-old pope said he hoped his trip would help build a society "rooted in the development of the common good, the triumph of love and the spread of justice." (Riccardo Luca / Associated Press)

Pope resigns

Pope Benedict XVI announced he will resign on February 28 due to his failing health. He is the first pope in 600 years to do so. A new pope will be elected in March and be in place by Easter (March 31). The process of…

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SUNDAY, FEB. 10, 2013

Donna Withers and her husband, George Withers, both 73, are active “volkssporters,” helping to organize many local walking tours. (Colin Mulvany)

Monday madness

Each week we begin our work by assessing tasks, catching up on what we may have missed since we left our workplace and anticipating all that must be done. The best way to accomplish those goals? Relax! Really. Science says so. (S-R archives photo)

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FRIDAY, FEB. 8, 2013

Meredith Dobrosielski, 36, right, exercises on a treadmill in a lab as part of a health study about pregnant women and the effects of exercise in Baltimore. Dobrosielski, an avid runner for several years, was in her 31st week of pregnancy. Dr. Linds Szymanski, maternal fetal medicine fellow, left, is running the tests.   (McClatchy-Tribune)

Hop on treadmill. Keep your mind.

An Annals of Internal Medicine report showed a strong link between exercise and a lower risk of dementia. From the Medline Plus press release: Who was studied? 19,458 healthy middle-aged people who had a treadmill exercise test as part of a preventive health clinic visit.…

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THURSDAY, FEB. 7, 2013

TUESDAY, FEB. 5, 2013

Fall leaf color has lingered as a result of mild days and cool nights for much of autumn. Any remaining leaves may freeze by this weekend, ending the color show.  (Mike Prager)

Wellness at mid-life 

Women were once mocked and dismissed as they moved through mid-life. No more. Health care knows that these physical and emotional transitions can be addressed and women can find relief, knowledge and support as they move through the aging process. Read what one innovative community…

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MONDAY, FEB. 4, 2013

For Becky Nappi blog

Community of chemotherapy, part 3 

Today to her chemotherapy session, my friend Chris wore a hat for the first time over her hair-less head. She has worn the shorn look with pride and even practicality. Her head gets very warm, she discovered, and so going hatless and wigless is actually…

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Boomer U and me

My husband once told me, years ago, that I would likely have a newspaper job to the grave, if I tracked the baby boomers to the grave. That's not the reason I'm happy to be a big part of Boomer U, our new Monday Today…

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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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