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
Envy: One Sin, Seven Stories On The Hudson, Fairfield and Westchester
Connivers for riches or for the love of someone promised to another are sure to be ruined by evil envy, just as the person envied will win out, get the prince, win the princess. As we read fairy tales we see ourselves as we are and as we should be. Envy is interpreted by multimedia artist Adrien Broom in photographs and life-sized scenes from fairy tales, the stories of passion, evil and redemption. At the Hudson River Museum, don't over look the Nybelwyck House or the Red Grooms Bookstore installation. more »
Shaming Tax Delinquents; A Rotating File of Scofflaws
Almost two-thirds of the states are punishing tax delinquents with a digital version of the Colonial practice of locking lawbreakers in stocks set up in the village square. It turns out publishing the names of tax scofflaws and the amounts they owe on the Internet works spectacularly well, bringing in millions to states eager for the revenue. "When you are talking about large debts, you do tend to get some people who just don’t care. It's just not worth playing off their $450,000 or $1.2 million debt. Down on the lower levels, you get more of the Average Joe who is concerned." more »
Congress Advances "Girls Count"; Senate Committee Examines Rape Kit Backlog; Examining Fraud in Nutrition Programs; Women Veterans' Bills
"Girls Count" Legislation: The bill finds lack of birth registration for girls can exacerbate women's and girls' vulnerability to trafficking, child marriage, lack of access to health and education services, reduced unemployment. House Appropriations urges DoJ to combat cyber-stalking and is concerned with ongoing sexual assault kit backlogs. House Veterans Affairs approved the Ruth Moore Act, and a bill to provide counseling services for women veterans. "GAO found that USDA had not specifically directed states to tell participants that selling WIC formula was a participant violation." more »
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The Revisit: Doesn't Everyone have a Bird in Their Earring?
Roberta McReynolds Updates: I rescued a fledging sparrow about a month ago. It had been attacked by a Scrub Jay and I literally snatched it away. Poor little thing was in shock and bleeding from her beak. I would have bet money that she was going to die within minutes. I wrapped her in a towel and warmed her up. After an hour she was still hanging in there. I found a box and lined it with more towels and tucked her inside, warming the outside of the box with one of those gizmos you heat in the microwave. She survived the night! more »
