• Our Monthly Tip: Create Handmade Invitations for Your Loved One’s MemorialPersonalized, unique invitations are easy to make

    Our Monthly Tip: Create Handmade Invitations for Your Loved One’s Memorial
    Personalized, unique invitations are easy to make

    Our Tip of the Month If you’re planning a memorial service or celebration of life, you can add a personal touch to the invitations in a number of ways. If you use a professional printer, you can generally choose from a wide array of templates and add any photograph of your loved one you choose.…

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  • A Diet High in Dark, Leafy Greens Tied to Better Cognitive FunctionNew study shows that eating leafy greens may help reduce cognitive decline

    A Diet High in Dark, Leafy Greens Tied to Better Cognitive Function
    New study shows that eating leafy greens may help reduce cognitive decline

    By now, we all know that in order to be healthy, we should eat well. A new study has shown yet another reason for a healthy diet — improved cognitive health. This most recent study, published in the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that individuals who consumed at least one serving of leafy…

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  • “If any of you cry at my funeral, I’ll never speak to you again!”- Stan Laurel

    “If any of you cry at my funeral, I’ll never speak to you again!”
    – Stan Laurel

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  • How Do You Use Healing Harp Music with a Seriously Ill Loved One? (Interview)An interview with harp therapist Portia Diwa, Part One

    How Do You Use Healing Harp Music with a Seriously Ill Loved One? (Interview)
    An interview with harp therapist Portia Diwa, Part One

    This month I had the pleasure of speaking with Portia Diwa, Healing Harp Clinical Faculty at California Pacific Medical Center. She plays healing music for patients and teaches the Healing Harp Certification program for harpists who want to learn how to play at the bedside. Portia also directs the Harmony Harp Ensemble for children and the Healing…

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  • “Lightning Over Water”Wim Wenders' documentary about filmmaker Nicholas Ray's final days

    “Lightning Over Water”
    Wim Wenders’ documentary about filmmaker Nicholas Ray’s final days

    “Lightning Over Water” is a moving documentary about the final two months of cult film director Nicholas Ray’s life as he loses his battle to cancer. In April of 1979, Ray’s longtime friend and fan, much younger German director Wim Wenders, took a few weeks off pre-production of his own 1983 film, “Hammett,” to fly…

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  • Study Suggests Restricting Calories May Slow Aging ProcessStudy participants who ate severe calorie-restricted diets showed overall health improvement over two-year period

    Study Suggests Restricting Calories May Slow Aging Process
    Study participants who ate severe calorie-restricted diets showed overall health improvement over two-year period

    Recent research suggests that calorie restriction can slow metabolism and minimize oxidative cell damage, two key factors related to the aging process. The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism. The authors write that calorie restriction “is a dietary intervention with potential benefits for healthspan improvement and lifespan extension.” They mention that this practice…

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  • “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most”A reminder of how beautiful the blues can be

    “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most”
    A reminder of how beautiful the blues can be

    No lyricist has better captured how fickle the purported season of rebirth, flowering trees and, oh yes, love can be, than Fran Landesman in the jazz classic “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most.” Once I was a sentimental thing,Threw my heart away each spring,Now a spring romance hasn’t got a chancePromised my first…

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  • New 23andMe Cancer Screening Test ApprovedThe FDA has just given its approval to the company's genetic testing kit

    New 23andMe Cancer Screening Test Approved
    The FDA has just given its approval to the company’s genetic testing kit

    In a move that’s already stirring controversy, the FDA has given its approval to a home testing kit that lets users screen themselves for certain breast cancer genes without a doctor’s prescription. The test is marketed by the genetic testing firm 23andMe, which offers DNA testing on saliva samples that customers collect at home. The company…

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  • “Suppose”

    “Suppose”

    E.E. Cummings, a prolific and pioneering poet from the early 20th century, is a master of image, and his lyric, witty style paints thoughtful, compelling landscapes. He is known for his unusual and sometimes bizarre way of handling language and punctuation. He uses cadence and unique structure combined with beautiful metaphors to evoke powerful emotional responses.…

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