Doris O'Brien is a retired college Speech teacher and banker. She has published two books of humor (Up or Down With Women's Liberation and Humor Me a Little) and for many years contributed light verse to the Pepper 'n Salt column of the Wall Street Journal. She is an avid writer of letters to the editors.
Doris celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary in the same year she welcomed her first grandchild. She now lives in Pasadena with a great view of the San Gabriel mountains — and the annual Tournament of Roses Parade.
She can be reached by e-mail: witsendob at (@) gmail.com
Finding a Dog at a Shelter: Berkeley Study Confirms That Identifying a Dog's Breed is Harder Than It Appears
The idea is to begin training potential adopters to think in terms of behavior and expectations of their pets, rather than a specific look. For example, an adopter might come in hoping to find a so-called Poodle or Doberman — and leave the building with an American Sofa Dog or a Sierra Stair Stepper. Whimsical, yes, but these new names will be rooted in observation, designed to conjure a distinct personality trait or two. more »
Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park Celebrating 75 Years, Renowned for Tiffany Works and The Bride Elect
The Morse is not simply a Tiffany museum; it is a community museum with an underlying educational mission. This was the core of the McKeans' vision for the Morse. Objects in the Museum's new exhibition — from paintings to prints, art glass to art pottery — are being selected to show not only the varied nature of the collection but its philosophical underpinnings. more »
How Has the Prescription Opioid Epidemic Affected Pediatric Hospitalization Rates in the United States?
Using a nationally representative sample of pediatric hospital discharge records, we found that the incidence of hospitalizations for prescription opioid poisonings among children and adolescents 1 to 19 years of age increased nearly 2-fold from 1997 to 2012. Although rates increased across all age groups, the largest percentage increase occurred among the youngest children aged 1 to 4 years. The second largest increase occurred among adolescents 15 to 19 years of age, among whom hospitalizations for prescription opioid and heroin poisoning increased. Adolescents in this age group had the highest incidence overall for each of the 6 years examined. more »
Goodbye Clutch – Hello Tote, Preferably One with Wheels to Carry All My Essentials
Rose Madeline Mula writes: I have the greatest collection of cute clutch bags — sparkly ones festooned with sequins or rhinestones for festive evenings; leather ones in rainbow hues to match various outfits for outings to the movies, the grocery store, or a restaurant; and even a couple of little canvas ones for the beach. I just used to throw in a lipstick, a credit card, some tissues, and a couple of bucks, and I was set to go anywhere. I now need a roomy tote bag, preferably one with wheels, to carry all my essentials. more »
