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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Under Cost-Containment, Nurses Are Having To Do More

He thought he knew what sort of tasks make up the job description for licensed practical nurses.

So Dennis Bergstrom was surprised by the classified ad in Sunday’s Swell Paper seeking a “caring, neutering LPN.”

Take a whiff of this: After a reader asked if salesmen who smoke realize that smelling like an ash tray might not help them with potential customers, we heard from Teresa Keene. She pointed out that cigarettes aren’t the only things that cause unpleasant odors.

“Listen, people stink sometimes, for a variety of reasons,” she wrote. “Mind your own business, sniff your own breath from time to time and get over it.”

Where’s Vanna White when you need her: You’ve probably noticed that some businesses appear to be in no hurry to replace letters that have fallen off message signs. Well, a friend noted that his favorite example is a sign outside a North Side restaurant. For months, it has read, “Where you always get (m)ore.”

His comment? “For people who need more iron in their diets, I suppose.”

Word of the day: “schmoozocracy.” It appeared in Harper’s magazine and describes a workplace culture where one advances mostly by getting along with others at the office.

Reality check: A survey printed in Seattle magazine indicates that city’s favorite restaurants are Denny’s, Pizza Hut, Red Robin, Azteca and Godfather’s Pizza.

Four key questions: 1. If more women were involved in designing kitchens, would appliances such as automatic dishwashers no longer be located in back-bendingly low locations?

2. If you don’t make a habit of checking out the ‘90s baby names in the newspaper’s birth announcements, do you have any idea what you’re missing?

3. Does every neighborhood have a dog that likes to sit in the middle of the street?

4. Do you remember a gift you gave a grade-school teacher or a gift a teacher gave you?

Slice answer: Coeur d’Alene’s Jack Rogers reported that he has indeed encountered alarming sneezing in stores.

“The most egregious recent event occurred in the checkout line at our favorite grocery, when the bagger sneezed liquidly into his right hand, examined it, wiped it on his jeans and continued to bag our groceries.”

Today’s Slice question: What is your motto?

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: Slice appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098. What’s your policy about leaving the porch light on all night?

Slice appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098. What’s your policy about leaving the porch light on all night?