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EndNotes archive for Jan. 2014

FRIDAY, JAN. 31, 2014

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly looks at some of the guns seized as part of gun smuggling between the Carolinas and New York, Monday, Aug. 19, 2013 in New York. Authorities say couriers smuggled 254 guns into New York City by stashing weapons in their luggage on discount buses. The men were caught in a police sting that netted 254 weapons in 45 transactions since last year. (Mark Lennihan / Associated Press)

Guns and children 

Friday night ABC airs a year-long look into what children do when they are taught not to touch guns when they find them. How do the children act when their curiosity encounters a firearm? What should parents do to protect their kids? One in three…

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THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2014

This image released by NBC shows Amanda Knox during an interview on the "Today" show, Friday, Sept. 20, 2013 in New York. Knox defended her decision not to return to Italy for a new appeals trial over the 2007 killing of her British roommate, even as she acknowledged that "everything is at stake," insisting she is innocent. In March, Italy's supreme court ordered a new trial for Knox and her former Italian boyfriend. An appeals court in 2011 had acquitted both, overturning convictions by a lower court. Italian law cannot compel Knox to return for the new legal proceeding. (Peter Kramer / Nbc)

Dalla Vedova and Dante 

As a jury deliberates, Amanda Knox awaits what theater will come from Florence. Her attorney, Carlo Dalla Vedova, cited ancient Florentine writer Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy when commenting about the Italian police who arrested Amanda. Police did not follow procedure and lied to her -…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29, 2014

Natalie Harrison, left, and Jasmine Barnett of Troop 2424 hold a promotional poster for the Girl Scouts in Charlotte, N.C. (Associated Press)

“On my honor I will…

…do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times and obey the Girl Scout laws.” That’s how I remember the pledge, anyway. And I sold Girl Scout cookies – for 50 cents a box. Thin mints, peanut butter, shortbread…

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MONDAY, JAN. 27, 2014

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords is helped as she arrives for a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 17, 2013, in Washington, about measures to reduce gun violence and the bill to expand background checks on guns that was defeated in the Senate. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

Guns and more guns 

More than 7,000 children are hospitalized or killed by guns each year. Almost daily we hear of shootings at a mall, a college, an elementary school and most often a family’s home. Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords will testify in Olympia on Tuesday in support of…

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SUNDAY, JAN. 26, 2014

A laser-cut paper model of the Eiffel Tower, from Artifacture Studios.

Real women are...real women

Mireille Guiliano has written an interesting book on attitudes toward getting older: “French Women Don’t Get Facelifts.” Author of “French Women Don’t Get Fat,” Guiliano asserts that our obsession with looking younger does not serve us well. Our obsession does serve the diet, cosmetic and…

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SATURDAY, JAN. 25, 2014

Help for addicted teens

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has released information on available resources to help addicted teens as well as identify those teens at risk for substance abuse. Teens present with unique circumstances and needs when it comes to treatment and recovery since they tend…

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FRIDAY, JAN. 24, 2014

FILE - In this May 2, 2013 file picture a  visitor looks at a crematory of the former Nazi concentration camp of Mauthausen during a press presentation of two new permanent exhibitions at the former camp in Mauthausen, Austria. The concentration camp was liberated by U.S. troops on May 5, 1945. Ensconced in the belfry of an ancient castle in Wolfpassing, Austria,  where it was mounted by fans of the Nazi dictator in 1939, a  bel with sawstika and Adolf Hitler's name  has tolled on for nearly 80 years. It survived the defeat of Hitler�s Germany, a decade of post-war Soviet occupation that saw Red Army soldiers bivouacked in the castle and more recent efforts by Austrian government to acknowledge the country�s complicity in crimes of that era and make amends. Some of those efforts have focused on identifying relics of that time and ensuring they're either removed or put in historical context. As an example, officials often cite government moral and material support for the restoration of the Mauthausen concentration camp, where a museum documents the atrocities committed on its inmates for school children and other visitors. (Ronald Zak / Associated Press)

Thank you ~ for saving me

Life offers profound moments and we wish to express gratitude to those who assist us. Sometimes the moments are simple gestures, but sometimes they are life-changing. For Marsha Kreuzman the moment was life-saving. Joe Barbella was part of the U.S. 11th Armored Division who liberated…

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THURSDAY, JAN. 23, 2014

Raffaele Sollecito, right, talks with his father father Francesco at the Florence court, Italy, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2013. The defense lawyer for the former boyfriend of U.S. exchange student Amanda Knox told an appeals court Thursday that the young lovers were blamed by authorities for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher to calm any fears that a monster was loose in their Italian university town. Defender Giulia Bongiorno said her client, Raffaele Sollecito, and Knox were identified as suspects in a "record" four days after the murder in the picturesque central town of Perugia because authorities "did not want to think that a stranger, a monster, could have entered a house and murdered a student." (Riccardo Sanesi / Presl)

Amanda Knox ~ double jeopardy? 37 

Amanda’s life must seem like an intermittent nightmare. Another round of decisions about her guilt or innocence awaits. Murder charges, again, and slander, too, will be reviewed. The prosecutor wants to increase time for the slander conviction from three years to six years. Amanda and…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22, 2014

American missionary Kenneth Bae speaks to reporters at Pyongyang Friendship Hospital in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Monday. Bae, 45, has been jailed in North Korea for more than a year. (Associated Press)

Argo ~ ergo?

In 1980, the United States (CIA) collaborated with Canadian officials to exit six Americans hiding in Iran. The six left the U.S. Embassy before the militant students who took over the building discovered them. The story was depicted in the film Argo. Kenneth Bae, a…

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MONDAY, JAN. 20, 2014

A day to remember ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

His life was characterized by vision and courage. We remember his legacy as one of non-violence and determination. While his life ended in violence, his legacy of peace continues to inspire generations. He told us, “I have a dream…” and so we continue to honor…

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SATURDAY, JAN. 18, 2014

Death by firing squad 

The shortage of drugs commonly used in executions has caught the attention of lawmakers. Two states – Wyoming and Missouri – are introducing legislation that suggest reviving firing squads as the method of capital punishment for their states. Missouri state Rep. Rick Brattin, a Republican,…

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FRIDAY, JAN. 17, 2014

Japanese soldier

A Japanese soldier who refused to surrender after WWII has died. Refusing to surrender is not that unusual, but refusing – and hiding in the Philippine jungle – for 29 years is. Hiroo Onada was not the only soldier to stay hidden. The several dozen…

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THURSDAY, JAN. 16, 2014

In this Sunday, March 22, 2009 photo, a man carries two beers back to his seat during a spring training baseball game in Kissimmee, Fla. Americans get too many calories from soda. But what about alcohol? It turns out adults get almost as many empty calories from booze as from soft drinks, a government study released Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 found. (Rob Carr / Associated Press)

Less drink to think?

Yet another study on alcohol and its effects on the brain: heavy drinking among men in mid-life accelerates the rate of memory loss. The journal Neurology reports that men during mid-life who drink more than 2.5 drinks daily may speed their rate of memory loss…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15, 2014


Upon completion, the easy-to- make cedar chest will be 48 inches wide.
 (U-BILD / The Spokesman-Review)

Check your furniture

A story so sad it must be told – to prevent a similar tragedy. Two children – brother and sister – died inside a hope chest. They could not get out. The chest, manufactured by Lane furniture, could not be opened from the inside. In…

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TUESDAY, JAN. 14, 2014

A box of McIntosh apples at Green Bluff picked during the Apple Festival. (FILE)

School daze

How do we get young people through school? Seems like the wrong question. How can we make learning authentic, interesting and meaningful? Instead of getting kids through school, we need to look at education and figure out how we teach those who learn differently, whose…

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MONDAY, JAN. 13, 2014

This image released by NBC shows hosts Tina Fey, left, and Amy Poehler during the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Paul Drinkwater / Nbc)

Golden at the Globes

Always fun to watch the Golden Globe awards. And this year a few golden-age people won awards. Jon Voight was acknowledged for his supporting role in “Ray Donovan” while Michael Douglas won the award for playing Liberace in “Behind the Candelabra.” Jacqueline Bissett took home…

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SATURDAY, JAN. 11, 2014

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson says he’s not worried about high expectations. “You have to believe, through hard work, success will come.” (Associated Press)

Russell Wilson

With all the football hype this weekend, we often forget these idolized men are just that – men. But one of the Seahawks, Russell Wilson, is an exceptional man of generous spirit. Wilson and his wife, Ashton, visit Seattle Children’s Hospital each Tuesday and spend…

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FRIDAY, JAN. 10, 2014

Robert Capron, right, explores the wonders of his belly button, as classmates Zachary Gordon, center, and Karan Brar, left, look on during a scene from “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” 20th Century Fox (20th Century Fox)

What does your gut tell you?

We often ask that question when others are baffled about decisions. And there may be more wisdom and influence living in that gut than we realize. As a college sophomore, Elaine Hsiao learned in microbiology class one’s gut holds almost twice our brain weight in…

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THURSDAY, JAN. 9, 2014

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8, 2014


Barista Salina Nickell prepares a coffee drink for a customer at the Starbucks store on the first floor of the Columbia Center, the tallest building in Seattle, which also has a Starbucks on the 40th floor.
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

Name calling – a good idea

When I enter my local coffee shop, the barista says, “Good morning, Cathy! What would you like to drink?” I realize knowing a customer’s name is good business practice - and it works. I like how I feel when someone addresses me by my name.…

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TUESDAY, JAN. 7, 2014

Romertopf clay pots are best known for cooking meats, but they also turn out delicious soups, like this butternut squash and apple soup pictured above. The pot also does an amazing job making bread and meat dishes. (Dan Pelle)

A modest proposal 

He asked me to marry him 34 years ago today. We were so young, but thought we were quite prepared: mature, responsible and ready. Ha! He did not arrange for a flash mob or jumbo tron or media presentation. I was not feeling well; he…

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MONDAY, JAN. 6, 2014

A Crow Wing County snowplow operator clears snow near Merrifield, Minn., Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. Schools were open as the storm reached into the second day in Central Minnesota. Snowfall totals could also approach 3 feet in northeastern Minnesota, where the weather has contributed to hundreds of traffic accidents around the state, including at least four fatal crashes since Monday. (Steve Kohls / The Brainerd Daily Dispatch)

Baby, it’s cold outside!

Well, if you are in Minnesota today – it is more than cold. Those citizens in my home state are in serious “weather lockdown” as the air hit 56 degrees below zero (windchill factored in). So they must stay inside, close curtains and drapes to…

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Nuns wave at and takes pictures of Pope Francis as he drives by in his popemobile as he leaves Aparecida, Brazil, Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Tens of thousands of faithful flocked to the tiny town of Aparecida, tucked into an agricultural region halfway between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, where he is celebrated the first public Mass of his trip in a massive basilica dedicated to the nation's patron saint. (Victor Caivano / Associated Press)

Screening calls? 

Seems even Roman Catholic sisters screen their calls occasionally – or are they otherwise engaged in spiritual reflection, chores, maybe watching Downton Abbey? I would have some method of caller identification, if I knew Pope Francis was prone to frequent dialing. After all, if the…

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SUNDAY, JAN. 5, 2014

“Downton Abbey”

Time for tea and Downton Abbey 

The show returns tonight! The long wait is over to see how Lady Mary fares as a new mother – and widow. What will Edith do about that married man pursuing her? And the property, always threatened by circumstance, will it remain with the family?…

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SATURDAY, JAN. 4, 2014

Snow blows across south bound US Route 131 in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. A multi-day storm dropped up to a foot of snow on parts of Michigan, causing crashes and spinouts on roadways. Snowfall began Tuesday and continued Thursday morning. (Mark Bugnaski / Kalamazoo Gazette-mlive Media Group)

Phil Everly 

We listened to their music as we drove home from school or cleaned our rooms or feigned finishing algebra homework – or kissed our first sweethearts. The Everly Brothers’ smooth voices eased some of our adolescent days with their cool crooning; music that remains imprinted…

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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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