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
Ferida Wolff's Backyard - Autumn at Last; Hippos, Sparrows on the Birdbath; Awareness of the Natural Connection Can Beautifully Enhance Our Lives
Ferida Wolff writes: This Fall, though, has been slow in offering up its charms. The summer heat seemed to last longer than usual. I wonder if our winter weather will be different as well. Certainly different from my childhood memories of autumn. Weather-wise there are more storms, more drought, more floods all across our nation and the world. There is more political animosity, more anger, more active hatred. I try to look at people in a universal way, hoping to see what connects us rather than tears us apart. I look for the joy in life even though I know there are times for grief. more »
Updated: The 2018 Election Season Saw the Highest Number of Women in American History Run For, and Elected To, Federal Office: Who Are They?
The 2018 election season saw the highest number of women in American history run for, and elected to, federal office. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, nearly 260 women candidates were successful in their primary elections. As of press time, a record-breaking 102 women were elected to serve in the 116th Congress, with several races remaining undecided. An additional ten women Senators were not up for reelection this cycle, which would bring the total number of women who will serve in the House and Senate next year to 123 to date. more »
Justice Department: Miami Pain Management Clinic Co-Owners and Patient Recruiter Sentenced to Prison for Scheme to Distribute Medically Unnecessary Opioid Prescriptions
“The three defendants sentenced today ran a pill mill masquerading as a cash-only ‘pain clinic’ that issued medically unnecessary prescriptions for thousands of tablets of oxycodone,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “The Department of Justice will use every tool at its disposal to aggressively pursue the pill mills—and their owners and operators—flooding our communities with illicit opioids that kill tens of thousands of Americans every year.” more »
How Health Affects Voter Turnout: There’s An Important Polarization of the Electorate to Consider - The Health Divide
People with cancer were 2.6 percentage points more likely to vote in the 2008 election than people with any of the four other conditions. People with heart disease were 2.4 percentage points less likely to vote.
Socioeconomic status and race played into these “chronic condition effects.” The authors found that among respondents who had cancer, African Americans and people without a college education were more likely to vote than their white and well-educated peers. People with poor self-rated health, no insurance, disabilities, and less emotional support were also less likely to vote than the general population. more »
