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
Building Character; A Lesson From Six Children
Elizabeth Bernier writes: My oldest son had these reflections: "Parental praise has had a lasting impact. I don't mean general statements like 'good job' or 'I'm proud of you.' Those mattered, of course, but I'm talking about thoughtful praise; hearing an observation about me, coupled with specific examples that showed how closely my parent was paying attention to who I was. Another kind of real praise was expressions of deep pride and delight over who I was as a person." more »
As America Inhales, Scientists Raise Health Concerns; Drug Use Disorder At Some Point Reported by US Adults
23 states have legalized medical use of marijuana or effectively decriminalized it. Ohio recently voted against legalization, but another 17 states will consider the issue next year. A survey of American adults revealed that drug use disorder is common, co-occurs with a range of mental health disorders and often goes untreated. "Based on these findings, more than 23 million adults in the United States have struggled with problematic drug use," said George F. Koob, Ph.D., NIAAA director. more »
Floor Action, Hearings & Bills Introduced: Terrorist Financing; Terrorist Sanctuaries, Threat to US Homeland & Sexual Violence
This Week: The International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking (H.R. 515) and a resolution condemning the ongoing sexual violence against women and children perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants (S. Res. 310); Floor Action: Health - This week, the House is scheduled to consider S. 799, the Protecting Our Infants Act. Mark-Ups: Employment/Violence Against Women- On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. more »
Have You Heard the Term Daesh for ISIS, ISIL? Terrorist Designations of Groups Operating in Syria
"The Department will also add the following aliases to the ISIL listing: the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), ad-Dawla al-Islamiyya fi al-‘Iraq wa-sh-Sham, Daesh, Dawla al Islamiya, and Al-Furqan Establishment for Media Production. Furthermore, under the same authorities, the Department of State designated al-Nusrah Front as a standalone FTO and SDGT." more »
