By Erika Weisensee “Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” – Henry David Thoreau About a year ago, when I had emerged from the haze of my son’s infancy, I was ready and rested enough to reclaim a genuine love […]

By Olivia C. Rossi, RN, MSN, ACSM Your Personal Trainer: If you have recently started an exercise program you may be feeling muscles you’d forgotten you had or never even knew were there in the first place!  Exercise should not be painful.  No pain, no gain is indeed the wrong […]

By Cathy Rae Smith Co-Founder of Culture Magazine When making a presentation last month on “The Importance of Beauty, Nature, & High Art,” the question arose, “How do you define beauty?” In the context of that presentation, the question posed related to the distinction of natural splendor, decorative art, and […]

Weekend national health focus: Offering hard, cold cash to smokers to spur them to stop their unhealthy habit helps more people give up cigarettes, new research finds. The study, published in the Feb. 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, included a large group of General Electric Co. […]

On Valentine’s Day we think about Those matchless people who Give extra meaning to our lives– The very special few. Without them, skies would turn to gray; Things wouldn’t be the same; Life wouldn’t be as colorful; It would be a duller game. And when I contemplate that group– Friends […]

Submitted by: Gienie Assink, Springfield Oregon Every March, we pick a day to celebrate our own family holiday.  This holiday (Assink Day as it has become known), we exchange home made cards, eat yummy food and enjoy some lively, friendly family competitions.  Our festivities liven up an other wise slow […]

Submitted by Kay Helbling With gratitude to Joanne Balkovic, who was the inspiration for this article. In this month of love, her story can inspire all women to be strong in mind, body, and spirit, so that we can all measure up to the true tests of love. You’re walking […]

By Erika Weisensee Americans are expected to spend 14.7 billion dollars on Valentine’s Day this year. At least that’s what candy, flower, greeting card and jewelry retailers are hoping for, according to the National Retail Federation. I hear that number and wonder, is there really a financial crisis? Since New […]

Your Personal Trainer By Olivia Rossi, RN, MSN, ACSM Last Tuesday, I attended a cooking demonstration at Providence Hospital called “Cooking From the Heart, For the Heart.”  It was presented by a team of three:  a registered dietitian, a cardiologist who loves to cook, and the hospital’s own professional chef.  […]

By Sharon Lacey, Portland Comedian I’m a comedian.  When I was given the opportunity to go to Iraq to entertain the troops, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to be able to put it on my resume’. I wanted to travel. I wanted adventure.  I was going for all […]