Dear Helen: I have a dead father, a sick mother and a crazy sister. I promised my father on his deathbed to take care of my mother, who drinks and smokes too much and is now lying to her doctors after a severe medical event that landed her in ICU. My sister lives two hours…
We’ve all heard about inflammation, but what is this mysterious thing exactly? Underneath the surface, our bodies are working hard to protect us every day. Countless tiny battles are going on in which our immune systems ward off invaders, carry away irritants or clean up dead cells. This natural process is called inflammation, and it…
Adam and Eve did it. Why shouldn’t we? At least that’s the feeling among a growing crowd within Judaism who feel that a vegan lifestyle isn’t just a healthy choice for our bodies, it’s also an ethical choice that embodies the Jewish ideal of compassionately “healing the world” – tikkun olam. Rabbi Boris Dolin, associate…
Paddling on the Sea of Galilee in Israel is just one of the new experiences Norman Gerber, now 83, has had since he discovered dragon boats three years ago. He says the sport has a lot to offer including, as his team’s motto says, “fun, friendship and fitness all year long on the Willamette River.”…
This year, commit to changing one trait that impacts your life. Dear Helen: How can I make this year better than the last one? Mostly, I hate my job. But in general I feel: Stuck Dear Stuck: After the echoes of “Auld Lang Syne” have faded, any resolutions you may have made will sound a…
Tu B’Shevat, or the “New Year of the Trees,” comes early this year, arriving at sunset on Jan. 16. Reckoning by the Hebrew calendar however, it will be right on time as Tu B’Shevat literally means the 15th of (the Hebrew month of) Shevat. From the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil in the…
As the days grow colder, nothing satisfies quite like a hearty bowl of pasta. Accanto, a cozy trattoria on Southeast Belmont, pleases patrons with an assortment of handmade Italian noodle dishes. Although the menu changes according to the availability of seasonal and local ingredients, pasta is always served. This winter the restaurant offers a $10…
Solomon Olshin’s bar mitzvah project started in the kitchen almost a year ago. “SoupSac is something my dad and I made up,” Solomon explains. His personal project has turned into a series of Congregation Beth Israel events, beginning with serving more than 300 meals on Martin Luther King Day 2013. While he will become a…
As budget constraints force Oregon school districts to shorten school years, increase class sizes and reduce offerings, many families turn to private schools to meet their children’s needs, both scholastic and spiritual. From preschool through college, the teachers profiled here have found a home where they make a difference in students’ lives. Esther Fischer, Maayan…
Twenty years ago Michael Shapiro wanted to open a different kind of business that fit into the Portland culture. In the five years he had lived in Oregon, he noticed many people with dogs had do-it-yourself attitudes. So he created Beauty for the Beast, a pet launderette that had everything people needed to bathe and…
