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 Seven Ages of Women
Julia Sneden writes: Age brings changes of body and points of view, but the self, the essential me-ness, doesn't change, just as it doesn’t when a fine actor takes on a role in a play or movie. In the interests of parity, and with profound apologies to William Shakespeare, here’s my take on the seven ages of women, 21st century. more »
Dramatic, contemplative, violent, beautiful, dangerous and sublime: Turner and the Sea
The Battle of Trafalgar is his most complex tribute to Lord Horatio Nelson, of whom he was a great admirer. The falling mast bears Nelson's white vice-admiral's flag, while the code flags spelling d-u-t-y – both the last word of his famous Trafalgar signal and the last coherent thought he spoke ('Thank God I have done my duty') – are coming down from the mainmast. Men try to save friends and foes alike from a darkly heaving sea, in which a tangle of floating rigging resembles a monster’s head. more »
Killer Fashions
Rose Madeline Mula writes: At some point we have to decide whether we want to be fashionable or healthy. It should be an easy choice. Of course my health is more important. On the other hand, those stilettos do make my legs look fantastic. And if I end up in a wheel chair unable to walk, I can wear those gorgeous shoes all the time! more »
Finally: Nearly A Million Consumers Have Completed The Health Insurance Sign Up Process; 106,185 Have Selected Plans
"Despite the low numbers, Sebelius touted the overall level of interest in buying health insurance. We expect enrollment will grow substantially throughout the next five months, mirroring the pattern that Massachusetts experienced," she said in a release before the official announcement of the enrollment figures. The states with their own exchanges outperformed those in the federal exchange: 3,736 signed up in Colorado; 4,418 in Connecticut; 5,586 in Kentucky; 16,404 in New York; and 7,091 in Washington (Kennedy, 11/13)." more »
