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
Stateline's Q&A: What Are States Doing to Prepare for an Ebola Outbreak?
As fears of an Ebola outbreak rise, federal agencies are taking steps to protect and inform the public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta is taking the lead on most aspects of the effort — issuing containment guidelines to hospitals and other health workers, training airport personnel on screening methods, and creating uniform lab tests to diagnose the deadly disease. But as in all public health emergencies, state and local public health departments are the nation’s first line of defense. more »
A National Treasure, the Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Studio
Built in 1877, the Whitney Studio originally served as a carriage house until its conversion in 1907 to a studio and private salon for sculptor and arts patron, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. As the eldest daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, Whitney was well-known for stepping out of her society role to create art and advocate for fellow American artists, including John Sloan, Edward Hopper, Stuart Davis, and Joseph Stella, to name a few. more »
Ferida Wolff's Backyard: Hidden Treasure & Hummingbird on the Feeder
It was the kind of day that helps a person breathe deeper, to set aside whatever might be on your mind, if only for a brief time. But that respite is truly a treasure in our frenetic world. And all it took was a short ride and the willingness to look deeper into what seemed like nothing special. I hadn't realized that hummingbirds were so territorial, chasing away other birds, even hummers, with their aggressiveness. These little beings were not easily intimidated. more »
Women's Unemployment Rate Higher Than Men's For First Time in Nearly Two Years; Microsoft CEO's 'Karma' Remark
Women's unemployment rate was higher than men’s for first time since December 2012, according to new analysis by the National Women's Law Center of data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women's largest gains in September were in professional & business (+29,000), private education & health services (+24,000), retail (+16,600) and leisure & hospitality (+16,000). more »
