SeniorWomenWeb, an Uncommon site for Uncommon Women

Elizabeth and Her German Garden: I am always happy (out of doors be it understood, for indoors there are servants and furniture) but in quite different ways ... and there were days last winter when I danced for sheer joy out in my frost-bound garden, in spite of my years and children

The Banned Books Advent Calendar: The purpose of the project is to promote public debate. Viewers can have their say on whether the books were banned for a sensible reason. "Books are still being burned, but the focus now is on online censorship"

NYPL Digital Collection of Apartment Houses of the City; Shop Their Finds: From the Althorp to the Ansonia, the New York Public Library's Digital Collections holds image folios of the Classic 6; Apartment Building Living, 1880s - 1910s. Shop the Library's marvelous gift choices, even for yourself

Children's Books for Reading, Collecting, Enjoying: Reviewers Select Their Favorites: It's the time of year that reviewers make selections for holiday gifts. We've narrowed the field to children's books. Adults will order these books at times for themselves, relishing them once more or discovering new treasures. Curl up, like our friend, Mr. Rabbit, with a good children's book.

CultureWatch's Four Gift Book Suggestions That Involve Murder, Assassination, Racial Hatred and Ageism: Margolick has written a profile of Elizabeth and Hazel, who appeared in an iconic photograph at Little Rock. How they have handled both friendship and distancing is a long and complex tale. In Agewise: Fighting the New Ageism in America author Gullette explores the effects of a youth culture that makes growing old wrong. Assisted Dying, a mystery novel, provides a fast ride on the highways of Florida's Gold Coast. Millard's Destiny of a Republic is a sensitive, detailed account of President Garfield’s murder and on our reviewer's highly recommended list

Infinite Jest and Met Museum Gift Shopping: Drawings from Leonardo da Vinci, Eugène Delacroix, Francisco de Goya and Lautrec are displayed. Caricature can be combined with various kinds of satire to convey personal, social, or political meaning. And the Met Museum shop is a trove of gift ideas!

Twitter and The Campaign Examined by Pew: Gingrich has had the most unflattering narrative in news coverage of any GOP contender during the 7 months of the study — 17% positive, 33% negative and 50% neutral. The most discussed contender in the blogosphere has been Romney but Ron Paul the most favorably discussed

Public Opinion Snapshot: The American Public Still Backs Health Reform: On the one hand, more Americans are not in favor (44 percent) than in favor (37 percent) of the new law. But on the other by majorities ranging from 57 percent to 84 percent, they approve of almost all provisions included in the law

Jo Freeman reviews another account of the second freedom summer, My Summer Vacation 1965 by Mary Swope: Her family had taught her that "if you see an injustice and have a chance to right it, you should." Working in the Freedom House in Atlanta and going to jail in Alabama, she was bone tired by the time the summer was over

Roberta McReynolds, Expedition, The Coveted Bargain: The aisle is deserted except for a lone, middle-aged employee dusting a section of shelves filled with cartons of dog biscuits. I was about to move on when the employee began to sing as she worked. Happy notes floated around her like a sweet perfume

ProPublica Reports: US Government Glossed Over Cancer Concerns As It Rolled Out Airport X-Ray Scanners — The airport X-ray scanners have escaped the oversight required for X-ray machines used in doctors’ offices and hospitals. The reason is that the scanners do not have a medical purpose, so the FDA cannot subject them to the rigorous evaluation it applies to medical devices

Ferida Wolff, Plum Tree Epiphany: Here is a reminder of how everything we do has an extended effect. If it is so dramatic with plum and maple trees, how much more so with people? It gives me pause to realize that each of us has the power to change the world we live in one thought, one action, one child, one plant at a time

Rose Madene Mula, The Clutter Killer: I’ve always prided myself on keeping my home neat and clutter-free. But I’ve had a recurring nightmare: I leave home for an errand and never come back because I have a heart attack or stroke. I see my relatives coming into my home — and opening cabinets, drawers, closets ... At that point, I wake up in a cold sweat

Margaret Cullison, Holiday Desserts: Pumpkin and Pecan Pies, Gingerbread Men and Christmas Cookies — Pie almost always finished off our holiday meals. Except for one unfortunate year, when Mom steamed carrot pudding on the stove for hours and served it with hard sauce. I didn’t like the dense sticky pudding or the sweet sauce. This must have been the family consensus, because the carrot pudding never showed up again

Health & Science | Beauty, Style & Fashion | Sports & Fitness | Health Links | Dermatologist Cynthia Bailey

Stroke Risk Factors Linked to Cognitive Problems: A new study found that high blood pressure and other known risk factors for stroke may also raise the risk of developing cognitive problems. Each 10-year increment in age doubled the risk of cognitive impairment. LVH increased the risk by about 30%

Myths About the Brain: Is the Female Brain Innately Inferior? “We are not in a position to draw any conclusions regarding sex differences in the brain and their relationship to differential cognitive abilities as we have yet to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that there are indeed real differences in ability”

Living on the Edge in Brooklyn, New York: Sol and Marilyn Weltman live in Brighton Beach, New York and earn a yearly sum of just over $30,000 from Social Security. Like many senior citizens, they technically live above the poverty line, but they struggle to make ends meet

Copia — Retail, Thrift, and Dark Stores, 2001-11: The Cleveland Museum of Art presents the first major museum exhibition of contemporary photographer Brian Ulrich’s work from a decade-long examination of the American consumer psyche

The Rising Age Gap in Economic Well-Being; The Old Prospect Relative to the Young: Older adults have made dramatic gains relative to younger adults in their economic well-being during the past quarter century, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis. The current gap is unprecedented in the 25 years that the Census Bureau has been collecting wealth data