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
OptoGenetics: Using Light to Control the Activity of the Brain
An idea that started as a long shot — using light to control the activity of the brain — has earned Karl Deisseroth the Keio prize in medicine. The technique, called optogenetics, is now widely used at Stanford and worldwide to understand the brain's wiring and to unravel behavior. Many researchers expect it will lead to medical discoveries. more »
Three By Ferida Wolff: Rose Hips and Acadia, Hibiscus Potential and Coneflower/Echinacea
It's interesting how nature has a balance in everything. Careful attention helps keep us healthy. We can appreciate the beauty of the cornflower and not necessarily ingest it. Sometimes that works for our emotional health, as well, appreciating and observing to find out what supports us; a balance of beauty and practicality is nature's way.
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Sexuality and Quality of Life in Aging from the Journal for Nurse Practioners
Among the survey respondents, all 50 years or older, 59% of men and 56% of women reported that their partners were not fulfilling their needs. More than a quarter of the men said they are not having enough sex, and a quarter of the women reported not having the lifestyle they had hoped for. [One researcher] contended that sex is still seen as men's territory, with women serving as silent partners and that women's perspectives and opinions are largely absent when it comes to the Viagra phenomenon as well. The dearth of population-based data about representations of the sexuality of older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender individuals is notably missing in the literature. more »
Fearing Nothing: Dreadnoughtus schrani, A Gigantic, Exceptionally Complete Sauropod Dinosaur
"Dreadnoughtus schrani was astoundingly huge. It weighed as much as a dozen African elephants or more than seven T. rex. Shockingly, skeletal evidence shows that when this 65-ton specimen died, it was not yet full grown. It is by far the best example we have of any of the most giant creatures to ever walk the planet. This is far more complete than all previously discovered giant titanosaurian dinosaurs. "Imagine a life-long obsession with eating." more »
