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
FactCheck's Analysis of Orlando Debate; Fanciful Facts and Fiction
Nine Republican presidential candidates debated for two hours in Orlando, Fla., and they served up more exaggerations and falsehoods — about Obama, each other, and even Thomas Jefferson more »
Urban Institute Finds Surveillance Cameras Are Cost-Effective Tools for Cutting Crime
With state and municipal budgets shrinking and public safety resources diminishing, public surveillance camera systems offer local law enforcement agencies a cost-effective way to deter, document, and reduce crime more »
CultureWatch Review of 1493 by Charles Mann: Pause and batten down the hatches before you plunge in!
Julia Sneden reviews 1493 by Charles Mann and wonders whether it would come up to the standard Mann had set so high with 1491. She writes, "The answer, dear reader, is a resounding 'Yes!' That answer does not, however, come without a few caveats." more »
TechNOlogy ...To E or Not To E, That Is the Question
Julia Sneden writes: Just leave me alone with my books, my real, physical, weighty books. Just try entering “e-book” into Google, if you want a lesson in technological confusion. Our public libraries are struggling with the parameters of e-book usage as are the publishers more »
