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
The Beige Book Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions By Federal Reserve District Wednesday November 30, 2022
Overall Economic Activity: Economic activity was about flat or up slightly since the previous report, down from the modest average pace of growth in the prior Beige Book period...Interest rates and inflation continued to weigh on activity, and many contacts expressed greater uncertainty or increased pessimism concerning the outlook...Inflation pushed low-to-moderate income consumers to substitute increasingly to lower-priced goods. Travel and tourism contacts, by contrast, reported moderate gains in activity, as restaurants and high-end hospitality venues enjoyed robust demand. Higher interest rates further dented home sales, which declined at a moderate pace overall but fell steeply in some districts; apartment leasing started to slow, as well. more »
Continuous Challenges: Dr. Anthony Fauci Reflects On the Perpetual Challenge of Infectious Diseases
Dr. Anthony Fauci notes that the emergence of HIV/AIDS in 1981 led to a sharp increase in interest in infectious diseases among people entering the field of medicine. Since then, infectious disease specialists have faced numerous medical challenges, including the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, Ebola, Zika, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and COVID-19, he writes. Dr. Fauci notes that one success of the response was the rapid development, testing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines thanks to years of research and investment in new and highly adaptable vaccine platforms and structural biology tools to design vaccine immunogens. more »
Rose Madeline Mula Writes: Brad Pitt and Me
Rose Madeline Mula Writes: "Don’t be misled by the title. Brad Pitt is not my new boy toy.
Our connection is that I recently learned that he and I have something in common. Unfortunately, it’s not fame, fortune, talent or good looks. It’s a malady called Prosopagnosia. No, wait! You don’t have to move six feet away. It’s not contagious. And it’s not terminal. Unless one can actually die of embarrassment." more »
Women's Congressional Policy, Weekly Legislative Update November 21, 2022; Bills Introduced: November 14-18, 2022
A bill to establish a task force on child and family economic security and stability for economic growth; A concurrent resolution expressing support for the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family and urging that the United States be added as a signatory; A bill to extend, and provide additional support for the activities of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice Joint Commission on Reducing Violent Crime Against Indians; A bill to provide for the reissuance to households Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to replace benefits stolen by identity theft or typical skimming practices.
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