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
What Color Are Your Socks?
Misti owns a mind-boggling wardrobe of the wildest socks I’ve ever seen. Neon zebra stripes, bright patterns and designs scream her individuality against the rest of her black attire. Wearing those socks puts a spring in Misti’s step and a broad smile on her face. I’m not the only customer who breaks into a wide grin, anticipating the This wasn’t really about argyle socks vs. knee-highs, or silk stockings compared to tube socks. Color, style, length, function are merely categories. The issue went beyond being sock-deep. It was about taking charge of something everyone has the power to control: oneself. Call it attitude adjustment, self improvement, or whatever you prefer. It’s the coping mechanism to deal with the areas of life we can’t change and to recognize our ability as survivors to change our world by the way we view it. more »
'Unretiring' and Social Security Myths from the Urban Institute
As women's earnings and retirement wealth have increased, they appear more likely now than in the past to make retirement decisions appropriate to their own careers and financial security, instead of following their husbands out of the labor force. more »
Anne Morgan’s War: Rebuilding Devastated France, 1917–1924
This exhibit highlights the small team of American women who left the United States to devote themselves to relief work in France during and after World War I. Their leader was Anne Morgan (1873–1952), a daughter of the financier Pierpont Morgan who stated, “We do not want sightseers who would like to go over for half a year to view France’s battlefields” more »
More Children Being Raised by Grandparents Since the Start of the 'Great Recession'
Just as the number of children being cared for by their grandparents has increased from 2000 to 2008, the corresponding number of grandparents serving as primary caregivers to their grandchildren increased 8%, from 2.4 million in 2000 to 2.6 million in 2008. more »
