Christine Otten

Kids who don’t come back

Growing older and the information that comes with it is not always something I relish.  Along the same lines, I’m in a position where I’ve gotten to know families, served…

Graham A. Colditz, MD, Deputy Director, Institute for Public Health, is photographed at FLTC on March 15, 2022. MATT MILLER/WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Looking after heart health reduces cancer risk, too | For Your Health

By Dr. Graham A. Colditz Siteman Cancer Center The month of Valentine’s Day, February is also American Heart Month – both highlighting matters of the heart.  And while Heart Month…

bill ott

What a wonderful world | Ott Observations

As we turn the page to a new year, our federal and state legislatures are returning to work.  Old and new laws are being debated regarding our ongoing culture wars.…

The smells of shame of memories | Mark’s Remarks

I was walking into a business on a crisp, cool morning not long ago. As I approached the building, I walked through a cloud of fresh cigarette smoke – most…

Bad kids | Mark’s Remarks

We were in a craft store with my daughter the other day, and a tiny little girl had run away from her mother. The mother was reprimanding the little one,…

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Reason vs. Rationalization | Ott Observations

The words “reason” and “rationalization” appear to be very similar in their meaning. In fact, they are names for thought processes that are total opposites. The process of “reason” starts…

Making light | Mark’s Remarks

kesters and general practitioners of hijinks and frivolity. Much of my life has been spent around people who have an easier time being silly than being serious. And I’m not…

Hand it over | Mark’s Remarks

It’s funny how we tend to reflect at this time of year, and I was thinking about all the people I know who struggle with anxiety and depression or claim…

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When God winks | Ott Observations

I got married late in life.   It was a package deal: one wife, two stepkids and two cats.  Within a couple of weeks of my marriage, my stepson brought…

Top hits of 1979 | Mark’s Remarks

For Christmas 1979, one of my gifts was a transistor radio. I’d never had a radio before, so I wasn’t sure about it. I remember thinking that surely this was…