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
Flaming June: A Woman As Hard to Look Away From As Is Her Creator's London House
Frederic Leighton conveys the weight of Flaming June's body and suggests the pulse of living flesh beneath gauzy veils of fabric. The vibrant colors of gown, scarves, and hair blaze against cool white stone, and the reflection of the bright midday sun on the shimmering sea in the background evokes a sultry atmosphere brimming with sensuality. more »
More States Lean Toward Medicaid Expansion; Florida and Texas Are Long Shots
Governors in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming have asked lawmakers to approve detailed proposals for expanding the federal-state health plan for low-income adults, in some cases restarting previous efforts to seek approval for expansion. Alabama, North Carolina and Texas governors said for the first time they were open to the idea of expanding Medicaid. Other than Arkansas, no Southern state has expanded Medicaid. more »
Beyond Current TV Programs on Marijuana Farms, the Academy of Pediatrics Issue a Impact On Youth Statement
The parents of a 17-year-old ask you to recommend medical marijuana for their daughter, who was injured in an auto accident six months ago and still has back pain. Hydrocodone and acetaminophen initially helped, but the patient stopped taking the medication because of unpleasant side effects. She told her parents she smokes marijuana "for fun" on weekends and believes it improves the pain. Her parents say they also think medical marijuana would be helpful for their daughter's back pain. They smoke legal marijuana recreationally and feel like it’s a benign drug. This scenario is becoming more common. more »
Elaine Soloway's Rookie Widow Series: Carless in Chicago, Un-couching The Potato & The Sign
With Tommy gone, without my head wrapped around his caregiving, my nights on the couch are starting to fray. I'm getting lonely. I admit that evenings out to theatre, to dinner, to the event I just ordered tickets for, are becoming more appealing. I'm managing my dislike for nighttime driving by using taxicabs. I'm adjusting to getting gussied up as the sky darkens. To prevent head- and eye-droops as the evening wears on, I take catnaps. Slowly, I’m peeling this small and stubborn body off the couch. more »
