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
Volunteering: Does It Improve Your Employment Probability?
Volunteering may have signaled to prospective employers that the applicant possessed desirable qualities such as motivation, creativity and reliability. Thus, volunteering could be particularly useful for job applicants with little prior experience such as recent college graduates or persons attempting to re-enter the labor market after a period of joblessness. more »
Ferida Wolff's Backyard Series: Tomatoes For All
I know that everyone needs to eat and I don’t mind sharing but I would like some produce for myself, too. Next year I will plan differently, perhaps setting aside a small plot for the local scavengers; this year I will just enjoy what I can and at least take pleasure in knowing that my tomatoes are making a party for many mouths. more »
CultureWatch Reviews: Hilary Mantle's Bring Up the Bodies and Rowling's (a.k.a. Galbraith) The Cuckoo's Calling
Fraught with danger and intrigue, Ms. Mantel gives us a view into the complex, brilliant mind of Thomas Cromwell, and deftly enables us to follow his reasoning and machinations as he strives to do his master’s work, that of Henry VIII. If you have not read Ms. Mantel’s earlier book, Wolf Hall, you will benefit greatly from tackling it before moving on to Bring up the Bodies. When J. K. Rowling delivers the mystery series in the future based on The Cuckoo's Calling characters, it will provide readers with some very satisfying hours — or, as a friend says about her love of crime fiction, some delectable "comfort food of the mind." So, after selling more than half a billion volumes of Harry Potter, does Rowling deserve our attention in her new literary adventure? No question about it, she does. more »
Drug Giants Brawl Over Copycat Drugs: Which States Adopted Notification Requirements
Brand-name makers — led by the pharmaceutical giants Amgen and Genentech — have been unable to convince state legislatures to require pharmacists to notify doctors (and sometimes patients) when they substitute generics for brand-name biologic drugs. Notification measures died in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas and Washington. Oregon, Utah and Virginia adopted notification requirements, but with sunsetting provisions that will take effect before any of the knock-offs reach the market. more »
