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
Is 'Going Green' Unmanly? How Can Men Be Encouraged to Recycle?
Aaron Brough and James E.B. Wilkie led a study that examines why men are less likely than women to engage in so-called green behaviors. Brough, Wilkie hypothesize that men are more likely to avoid green behavior "in order to safeguard their gender identity." They designed seven experiments to gauge whether male behaviors can be changed. Women's greater concerns about the environment — an effect that has been documented across age groups and countries — may be because women have been associated with more concern with the future and health. more »
Joint Statement from the Department of Justice, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Interior Regarding Standing Rock Sioux Tribe v. US Army Corps of Engineers
The Army will not authorize constructing the Dakota Access pipeline on Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe until it can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions regarding the Lake Oahe site under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other federal laws. Therefore, construction of the pipeline on Army Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe will not go forward at this time. The Army will move expeditiously to make this determination, as everyone involved — including the pipeline company and its workers — deserves a clear and timely resolution. more »
Boosting Sales Targets: CFPB Fines Wells Fargo $100 Million For Widespread Illegal Practice of Secretly Opening Unauthorized Accounts
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) fined Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. $100 million for the widespread illegal practice of secretly opening unauthorized deposit and credit card accounts. Spurred by sales targets and compensation incentives, employees boosted sales figures by covertly opening accounts and funding them by transferring funds from consumers' authorized accounts without their knowledge or consent, often racking up fees or other charges. more »
Strengthening Public Television ... The Tide Has Turned: More About Nova and Downton Abbey
State legislators’ support for public television is strengthening after nearly a decade of deep spending cuts and sharp ideological opposition from some lawmakers to the very idea of taxpayer-supported TV. In winning the additional money, boosters have successfully argued that public television is about more than NOVA and Downton Abbey. more »
