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
CultureWatch Reviews: Carthage Must Be Destroyed and The City of God
The author of Carthage Must Be Destroyed takes a close look at our preconceived notions of Carthage and Carthaginians, colored as they are by the accounts of Greek and Roman writers who had a vested interest in presenting Carthaginians as cruel and duplicitous. The City of God is as rich in lofty thinking, baroque writing, sympathetic characters, vivid settings, and suspense as anything you are likely to see more than once or twice in a lifetime. Take your time, but read it. more »
Seniors, Smartphones and the Pew Report on Adoption and Usage
In its first stand alone measure of smartphone ownership, the Pew Internet Project finds that one third of American adults – 35% – own smartphones. The Project’s May survey found that 83% of US adults have a cell phone of some kind, and that 42% of them o… more »
Two Book Arts Exhibits: The Art of the Book in California and Illustrated Title Pages: 1500 – 1900
"During the last 50 years, the conception and production of the book has evolved into an art form that exceeds all former standards for the book as object" By the end of the 19th century, artists such as Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, Odilon Redon, and Morris had created personal and innovative title pages. more »
Put That Laundry Basket Down; There's a Robot That Folds
Who wouldn’t want a robot that could make your bed or do the laundry? A team of Berkeley researchers has brought us one step closer by enabling an autonomous robot to reliably fold piles of previously unseen towels. more »
