SHOLEH PATRICK

Art makes you smart

Research increasingly confirms that for the human brain to function at its best, it needs a balanced approach. Exercise for maximized blood flow to power it, lifelong learning to keep it sharp, and opportunities for all its variant parts to cooperatively flex their “muscles” — the physical, analytical, linguistic, and creative uses of the brain all play a necessary part in intelligence and brain function.

Uncloaking the mystery of copyrights

In case you missed it in last week’s Press, you’re free to keep singing “Happy Birthday” without worrying about royalties. I know; you were on pins and needles wondering.

Banned books boost sales

It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year: Banned Books Week. If that sounds ironic coming from a journalist, it is; you’re no more likely to find a censorship advocate in a newsroom than in a publishing house. The thing is, banning books tends to boost sales; so thought police can do their worst. Ban on.

Volunteer is 90 years young

There's a palpable difference between living and merely existing. Ethel Sertich embraces life, all 90 years of it. Well, 90 years as of Friday, June 21.

That's 'spa' as in 'ahh'

Mrs. LP: Misused and abused

Some readers have shared their linguistic frustrations with Mrs. Language Person, asking her to spread the angst in print. Like the injured, winged creatures used as playthings by mischievous cats in our backyard, certain words repeatedlyendure abuse and misuse, shredded to bits like the slow-cooked brisket at Porky's (yum). Dear readers, Mrs. Language shares your distress.

Your Mrs. Language laments

Well (I'll get to the debatable use of "well" in a future Mrs. Language), let's (contracted form "let us") review. We've covered "it's" (contraction for "it is") and "its" (possessive), as well as the plural "s" (I like cats) vs. possessive "'s" (the dog's tail hit me). In the next installment of "Mrs. Language," look for redundancies. Don't like where it's at? These ones too much? Heard about the Sahara Desert? If you have other common redundant phrases to add to the mix, please send me an email.

Invisible drinkers: Seniors

September is Healthy Aging Month. Aging well means more than steady exercise, better eating habits with less fat and more veggies, and adequate sleep. Healthy aging also requires keeping the mind active with some form of lifelong learning (even if it's just fodder for crossword puzzles), and keeping it healthy with positive attitudes and rewarding interactions with others.

Walk to benefit Alzheimer's

It's like they say; all poodles may be dogs, but all dogs are not poodles. Put simply, dementia is a loss of brain function during aging, with many forms and degrees. It is not synonymous with Alzheimer's disease.

Study: U.S. education just so-so

Without perspective, statistics have little value. This is especially true in education. Minds are complex; learning even more so, as effective methods vary by individual, age, subject, and even culture.

Stars and stripes 'a living thing'

More than two centuries ago today, the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes. Until that day in 1777 the British Union Jack flew over the land; the new Americans needed a national symbol.

Words wield perilous power

Words. Despite writers' tenacious love affairs with them, we too must admit that sometimes they are ascribed too much authority. Sometimes the power of words is misplaced.

CDC: Everyone should get HIV tests

North Idaho's one-stop shop for the community's HIV concerns is finally growing, and they feel like celebrating.

Time for tigers to roar

The U.S. Census reports at least 3.6 million of the 14.9 million Asian-Americans are of Chinese descent. This week, they're celebrating.Unlike the West's Gregorian calendar created to correspond with religious events rather than astronomical time, the Chinese mark time's passage by lunar cycle. Each year begins on a different date in January or February and comes full circle in 60 years - five 12-year cycles.

Victims lost in legal tug-of-war

In this land of minimal-government philosophy there remain a few aspects of society no one disputes are properly left to the nation or state. Chief among these is law enforcement.

The dying are our teachers

From infancy through death comes a never-ending stream of opportunities to learn. The fewer missed, the fuller is life. Death - dying - can offer the most valuable lessons, yet it's the most ardently avoided. "The ancients used to say that those who considered their own death found insight and wisdom to enrich their living. Most will acknowledge that the dying need our help, but few can imagine that the dying can teach us." - Grant McLean, Spiritual Care Coordinator at Hospice of North Idaho. Many ancient cultures believed so. They revered the dying, creating a community around them not out of a sole sense of charity, but of opportunity. They saw the dying as having a special wisdom, one the living valued highly.Dying and living in synchronicity. It's hard to watch someone die, especially someone you love. When a life fortunate to be long and full nears its end, the body can be especially brutal. Organs fail. There is often constant discomfort, pain, nausea. A feeling of loss of dignity. Frustration at loss of control. Fears. Regrets.And review. Nothing is more emotionally humbling than the process of dying, so the dying become very honest with themselves. As they shift away from daily life they tend to frankly share what they learned from life, and are learning from death. These nuggets can be instructive, if one is fortunate to be nearby.Caring for dying relatives changed my life. Not just while consuming it - it was full-time job - but permanently. Yes, it was emotionally and physically draining. Every time I thought about that I felt guilty (who was I to complain? I wasn't the one dying), which added its own stress for me, and for the dying. Next time, I will be free of that. Fighting what's natural is unwise.What I thought at first was a gift to others, an act of love or charity, I learned was a gift to me. My quality of life is improved, my maturity increased, because I learned how to live better, more efficiently. I learned from their life reviews mistakes not to repeat, things not to leave unsaid, values not to lose sight of. I learned how to die, and how not to die. To maximize the experience by focusing on time left, instead of wasting it in stress, regret, or fear. I learned how little the opinions of others matter.The dying know it's the unmasked opinion of self that matters. Most of all, I became more determined to let go of so many things which commonly consume daily life, and got better at doing so. Rarely do these matter in the end.Life, and death, are too precious to waste. Sholeh Patrick, who borrowed this headline from Dr. Paul Weil of HONI, is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. E-mail [email protected].

Made in the USA has its limits

These days as much as ever manufacturers want to put "made in the USA" on products not only out of a sense of pride of country, but because it appeals to purchasers, potentially enhancing the product's value. But as any manufacturer knows, where a product is made is not as simple as it might seem.