Senior Women Web

Commercial synthesis of indigo dye replaced the plant source around 1900. Today, the jean industry uses about 40,000 tons of indigo a year. But there is a dark side. Industrial synthesis of indigo from petroleum is a "dirty" chemical process. Chemical production of indigo into an effective dye requires a chemical that becomes toxic to fish and some other aquatic life. And when sent to waste water treatment plants, it severely corrodes the piping. more »

Doris O'Brien writes: I never dreamed I'd be spending my retirement in a mall. Don’t get me wrong. I haven'’t become a shopaholic willing to squander my 401K distribution in the pursuit of materialism. To be more precise, I live above a mall, in a sixth floor, two-bedroom aerie with a panoramic view of Southern California’s San Gabriel mountains. more »

New Mexico is the only state with a 24/7 registered nurse call center that is free to all residents, whether insured or not. In operation since 2006, it has kept tens of thousands of New Mexicans out of emergency rooms and saved the state more than $68 million in health care expenses. In April, the CDC will recommend New Mexico's advice line as a national model that other states adopt during an Atlanta emergency preparedness summit. more »

"The exhibition reminds visitors that the key themes of Benton's mural — the heroic proletariat and modern industry — were greatly significant for artists in a contemporary international context, not only in the United States, but also in Mexico, and in France between the world wars." An array of pre-Depression types — flappers, farmers, steel workers, stock market tycoons, and others representing a cross section of American life surrounds visitors in the mural space. more »