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
CultureWatch: Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste
Jill Norgren Reviews: Luke Barr gives readers a thoughtful contemplation of post-World War II cooking history along with a delicious slice of foodie gossip ... Just below the surface of its telling lurk fundamental social and moral issues well worth contemplating when the last page is read. Who gets to eat? What is the relationship between food and economic status? Why did middle class Americans fall so hard for classic French food in the 1960s? And what makes a cuisine "ethnic? more »
Five Things To Know About The Supreme Court Case Challenging The Health Law
Today, the justices have heard oral arguments in King v. Burwell, a case challenging the validity of tax subsidies helping millions of Americans buy health insurance if they don’t get it through an employer or the government. If the court rules against the Obama administration, those subsidies could be cut off for everyone in the three dozen states using healthcare.gov, the federal exchange website. A decision is expected by the end of June. more »
Gemeente Museum in The Hague: Romantic Fashions: Mr. Darcy Meets Eline Vere
Rustling silk, breathtaking embroidery, frills and flounces, vast crinolines... Sharply tailored suits for dandies and elegant ball gowns for ladies… This autumn's 19th-century fashion exhibition at the Gemeente Museum in The Hague features costumes from the time of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Eline Vere and Downton Abbey. more »
The Most Unique Job in Each State, in One Map
The analysis takes the overall prevalence of certain professions nationwide and compares the expected concentration — relative to a state's population — with how many people are actually working in those jobs in a given state. The state of Hawaii has almost 13 times as many professional dancers than would be expected based on the national average. Florida has five times more professional athletes. Indiana, home to the Purdue University Boilermakers, has more than six times as many actual, working boilermakers. more »
