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EndNotes archive for Jan. 2013

THURSDAY, JAN. 31, 2013

Patty Andrews...RIP

If you ever listened to your grandparents’ music, chances are you heard the Andrews Sisters. Their music marks the World War II era with songs like Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B). They performed with Bing Crosby and Glenn Miller and traveled overseas to…

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Dr. Gary Kunkel arrives at the Utah State Capitol wearing a breathing mask Wednesday. (Associated Press)

Pneumonia shot: Yay or nay?

In our family, infections and viruses seem to like our lungs, and we've had more than most cases of pneumonia, from the littlest ones to the oldest ones. (An 8-month-old in my extended family is now recovering from pneumonia.) So I didn't hesitate getting a…

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TUESDAY, JAN. 29, 2013

A sign marks an entrance to Saint Thomas Hospital medical campus in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012. An outbreak of a rare and deadly form of meningitis that has sickened more than two dozen people was first detected among patients treated at the Saint Thomas Outpatient Neurosurgery Center in the complex. (Erik Schelzig / Associated Press)

Is it just me? 

Right now in my life, I am worried about several people. My close friend, Chris, is going through chemotherapy. Another family friend, in her 80s, is now in Hospice care and will pass soon. Another friend had sudden, unexpected abdominal surgery and is recovering. These…

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MONDAY, JAN. 28, 2013

Community of chemotherapy, part II

Last Monday in a blog post about the conversations that come up during chemotherapy (my friend Chris faces a year's worth for breast cancer) I mentioned how quilts made by Methodists make their way around the country, church by church. We knew this because a…

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SUNDAY, JAN. 27, 2013

Parsnips and carrots are root crops that can be started in the garden now and harvested in the fall. Special to  (SUSAN MULVIHILL Special to)

Last call..."the usual?"

As I left work last week, my friend sent me a text: “Sorry to read your grocery store is closing.” WHAT??!! She knows that store is where we meet (Starbucks at the entrance), where I shop, where we run in to get cheap treats before…

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FRIDAY, JAN. 25, 2013

The sun and nearby clouds of smoke turn a brilliant red where a wildfire burns past the paved section of Number 1 Canyon Road Monday, Sept. 10, 2012, near Wenatchee, Wash. Crews in central Washington and Wyoming worked Monday to protect homes from two of the many wildfires burning throughout the West as a destructive fire season stretches into September with no relief expected from the weather anytime soon. The National Weather service issued red-flag warnings for wide swaths of eastern Washington and Oregon, Idaho, Montana and all of Wyoming, meaning conditions could exacerbate blazes. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)

Alarming lesson: read the fine print 

Earlier this week our family was awakened when the hallway smoke detector went off at 2:34 a.m. My husband and I jumped up, stumbled around, our son came into our room with his hands over his ears yelling our names, I tripped over Bella, our…

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THURSDAY, JAN. 24, 2013

For Becky Nappi blog

Will snow be the new sun?

In our society now, we idolize the sun. Good days for weathercasters are sunny days. Bad days are filled with snow. We escape from Spokane in the winter in search of sun. With climate change, however, will we someday idolize snow the way we now…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 23, 2013

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the deadly September attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. (Pablo Monsivais / Associated Press)

Power through: Hillary's example  

As baby boomers glide into their 60s and remain in their jobs a lot longer than their parents did, I predict a fairly macho attitude toward sick days. Older workers are more prone to the ailments that can afflict older people in general. Back troubles,…

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Frank Bach never strayed from his calling. “I wanted to be a priest from the time I was in grade school,” he said. (Colin Mulvany)

The Holy Spirit and Frank Bach

Today at noon, rich and poor alike will gather near downtown Spokane to dedicate a housing complex for the chronically homeless, named after Father Frank Bach. I wrote a profile of him Sunday. I've known Father Bach about 15 years, and I had no idea…

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TUESDAY, JAN. 22, 2013

For Becky Nappi blog

The community of chemotherapy

Yesterday, while sitting with my friend Chris at her chemotherapy treatment, she wrapped herself in a prayer quilt made by her sorority sister Kass and Kass' Marysville United Methodist Church group. The quilt has pieces of thread throughout, representing prayers said for the person snuggled…

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MONDAY, JAN. 21, 2013

President Barack Obama waves after his speech at the ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (Pablo Monsivais / Associated Press)

We do it so well…and peacefully

Yes, it was simply a second inauguration for President Obama. And still, remarkable. Remarkable because our country transfers – or in this case sustains – power peacefully. No violence, no uncertainty. Today was a festive and poignant day with President Obama sworn in on Martin…

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SUNDAY, JAN. 20, 2013

Trader Thomas Donato looks at a screen as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. Stocks are falling sharply at the opening of trading on Wall Street after 3M and DuPont slashed their earnings forecasts. (Richard Drew / Associated Press)

Plan B? What’s yours?

As Boomers age, employment challenges increase. Many of us are losing jobs, or are being replaced by young, eager – and more inexpensive – employees. Our magical thinking may have taken us to a place where we believed we would live out our first or…

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FRIDAY, JAN. 18, 2013

FILE - In this July 19, 2009, file photo, Lance Armstrong crosses the finish line during the 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race in Verbier, Switzerland. Armstrong confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France during a taped interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, reversing more than a decade of denial. (Laurent Rebours / Associated Press)

The secret to not lying 

Some "big fat liars" (to use a term we did in childhood) have been exposed this week. First, the Notre Dame scandal where many people likely are lying, not just footballl player Manti Te'o. And now Lance Armstrong finally admitting to what everyone knew. He…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16, 2013

Gov. Chris Gregoire stands next to her official portrait by artist Michele Rushworth after it was unveiled Jan. 11, 2013, in the Capitol Reception Room. It will hang in the lobby of the governor's office. (Jim Camden)

Thank you, Governor Gregoire! 

On election night, 2004, my young son went to bed saying, “Wake me up when Chris wins!” referring to Chris Gregoire. As friends of Mike Gregoire’s family, my son felt connected to her given our paths had crossed a few times at weddings, funerals and…

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TUESDAY, JAN. 15, 2013

Who will be your voice? 

Who would you trust to make end-of-life decisions for you if you could no longer speak? A family member might not be best, as we discussed in our EndNotes column today. Here's an excerpt: The person you choose to be your agent doesn’t need to…

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MONDAY, JAN. 14, 2013

Southbound Interstate 15 traffic comes to a near stand still near Oak Hill Road on Thursday Jan. 10, 2013,  after a winter storm brought snow and freezing rain to the Cajon Pass, Calif.  Forecasters say an inch or two of snow is possible in the mountains, with the level dropping to 2,000 feet. There will be overnight frosts and freezes in colder valleys through the weekend. (James Quigg / The Victor Valley Daily Press)

Bumper sticker wisdom

Sometimes wisdom is all around us, in unlikely placed. I spotted a wisdom bit this morning on the license plate frame on a care in front of me on Francis Avenue. Get in. Sit down. Shut up. Hold on. (S-R archives photo)

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SATURDAY, JAN. 12, 2013

A man is silhouetted as he walks on a road during a sunset near the town of Khoiniki, 300 kilometers (187 miles) south-east of the capital Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, March 23, 2011. (Sergei Grits / Associated Press)

Aaron Swartz 

I have never heard of him, but his death feels profoundly sad: Aaron Swartz, 26, who co-founded Reddit – a social news website - was also an activist who fought to make online content free to the public, has hanged himself in his Brooklyn home.…

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FRIDAY, JAN. 11, 2013

For Becky Nappi blog

Missing the river

When I lived in Chicago for three months this fall, I often took walks from the loft where I lived toward the river, toward downtown. The scenery was tall Chicago buildings, stunning at night. The river is wide and fast moving but you have to…

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THURSDAY, JAN. 10, 2013


Panhandle Health District nurse Donna Marshall-Holden prepares Gary George, of Hayden Lake, for a flu shot Friday at Silver Lake Mall in Coeur d'Alene. 
 (Tom Davenport/ / The Spokesman-Review)

Feel sick? Stay home! 

In the workplace we often find martyrs: “I feel so crappy, but – sneeze, sneeze, cough, cough – I have so much to do, I just came in anyway…” With the flu season almost epidemic in our country, many hospital emergency departments exceed their capacity…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 9, 2013

For Becky Nappi blog

RIP: Sister Mary Garvin

Mary Garvin, Holy Names sister and Gonzaga University religious studies professor, died Saturday. When I worked on my master's degree in pastoral ministry in the early 2000s, Mary was my advisor and mentor. I loved her style of firm-but-kind. When I would wring my hands…

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TUESDAY, JAN. 8, 2013

Rebecca Nappi poses in the chaplain’s on-call room in the 644-bed Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

What I learned in chaplain school 

My story ran today about my three-month sabbatical in Chicago at Rush University Medical Center in its chaplaincy internship program. Here's what I'd like to highlight here. The importance of understanding your vocation (or vocations) in life. From the article: People are not their roles…

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MONDAY, JAN. 7, 2013

For Becky Nappi blog

Basket of knitted grace

This morning I accompanied my friend Chris to her chemotherapy appointment, and we noticed a basket of knitted hats and scarves. They are free for patients undergoing chemo. They were beautiful, handmade items. They filled their corner of the room with color. At least some…

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SUNDAY, JAN. 6, 2013

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., speaks at a field hearing of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which she chairs, on April 4 in Tacoma. (Associated Press)

At home on the hill 

ABC’s Diane Sawyer recently sat with the 20 women elected to the US Senate. She asked them what advice they have for children. People of any age can benefit from their wisdom: “Read, read, read” advises Senator Kay Hagan from North Carolina and “Once you’ve…

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THURSDAY, JAN. 3, 2013

Pope John Paul II

Obits are hot news 

Jim Romenesko, author of a popular media matters blog, reported yesterday that "there were 30 front page New York Times obituaries in 2012 versus 14 the year before. Why? One reason is that managing editor Dean Baquet believes that a well-written obituary belongs on Page…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 2, 2013

For Becky Nappi blog

10 items a day for 1,000 days 

I have a New Year's resolution that I started in December and have had no trouble sticking to. I am throwing away -- or giving away -- 10 items each day from my house. Last summer, I did a story on a woman who helps…

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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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