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
Betting Decisions and Dopamine Regulating Genes in Your Brain
"We know from brain imaging studies that when people compete against one another, they actually engage in two distinct types of learning processes. One type involves learning purely from the consequences of your own actions, called reinforcement learning. The other is a bit more sophisticated, called belief learning, where people try to make a mental model of the other players, in order to anticipate and respond to their actions." more »
The Escape Artist: Characters in Horsehair Wigs and Intimations of Houdini in a New Masterpiece Mystery!
David Tennant stars as a defense lawyer with a perfect record of courtroom wins and a perfect family to go with it — until things go horribly wrong. Written by thriller master David Wolstencroft, The Escape Artist airs in two ... should we say ... nail-biting episodes. more »
Ferida Wolff's Backyard: The Lilac Presence, Blackberries and Raspberries and Useful Screening
Lilacs are just as famous for their scent as their color. There are dozens of varieties that can smell sweet or spicy, cloying or calming. Berries are full of antioxidants, fiber, and Vitamin C, among other beneficial properties. While these particular berries are not on The Dirty Dozen list of foods that are the most contaminated by pesticides, organic berries have been shown to have more of the health benefits than non-organic berries. more »
The GAO Looks At Airline Competition: Do You Know What 'Capacity Restraint' Means? Bet You Do
Since 2007, there have been four major airline mergers. Baggage and reservation change fees collected by US airlines increased from about $1.4 billion in 2007 to $6 billion in 2012. Unlike prior recoveries when airline capacity growth undermined the ability to charge profitable fares, airlines since 2009 have restrained capacity growth even though demand for air travel has risen with the economic recovery. more »
