With the amassing of great fortunes came the drive to document the wealthy in portraiture, echoing a cultural pattern reaching back to colonial times. A brilliant generation of American and European artists rose to meet that demand. The exhibit examines those portraits of famous society beauties and powerful titans of business and industry.

Doris O'Brien writes: So what really defines courage? In the case of those chosen by John F. Kennedy for their "acts of bravery and integrity," the common measure lay in the degree of risk to themselves for the bold actions they undertook. In times of crises — whether in war or peace — true heroes are those who put at risk all that they have striven to possess: their reputations, livelihoods, futures — even their very lives.

Tam Gray writes: The holidays may be absorbing our audience but there are readers who may not be gathering, shopping, cooking, conversing and socializing with others during most of these holidays. For you and all those who might be interested in an ancient art easily experimented with from MIT, here's a video and craft books we've selected that can enjoyed as well as considered as gifts.

In many circumstances, consumers also do not have the legal right to control the collection or sharing with third parties of sensitive personal information (such as their shopping habits and health interests) for marketing purposes. As a result, although some industry participants have stated that current privacy laws are adequate – particularly in light of self-regulatory measures under way – GAO found that gaps exist in the current statutory framework for privacy.

Julia Sneden writes: Age brings changes of body and points of view, but the self, the essential me-ness, doesn't change, just as it doesn’t when a fine actor takes on a role in a play or movie. In the interests of parity, and with profound apologies to William Shakespeare, here’s my take on the seven ages of women, 21st century.

The Battle of Trafalgar is his most complex tribute to Lord Horatio Nelson, of whom he was a great admirer. The falling mast bears Nelson's white vice-admiral's flag, while the code flags spelling d-u-t-y – both the last word of his famous Trafalgar signal and the last coherent thought he spoke ('Thank God I have done my duty') – are coming down from the mainmast. Men try to save friends and foes alike from a darkly heaving sea, in which a tangle of floating rigging resembles a monster’s head.

Rose Madeline Mula writes: At some point we have to decide whether we want to be fashionable or healthy. It should be an easy choice. Of course my health is more important. On the other hand, those stilettos do make my legs look fantastic. And if I end up in a wheel chair unable to walk, I can wear those gorgeous shoes all the time!

"Despite the low numbers, Sebelius touted the overall level of interest in buying health insurance. We expect enrollment will grow substantially throughout the next five months, mirroring the pattern that Massachusetts experienced," she said in a release before the official announcement of the enrollment figures. The states with their own exchanges outperformed those in the federal exchange: 3,736 signed up in Colorado; 4,418 in Connecticut; 5,586 in Kentucky; 16,404 in New York; and 7,091 in Washington (Kennedy, 11/13)."

We admit we couldn't wait any longer for the PBS presentation in early December to introduce Season 4 of Downton Abbey. The actual season debuts with eight new episodes January 5, 2014 on Masterpiece. Six new characters join the cast, a seducer returns, a lady's maid makes off and a new Lord, Gillingham by name, appears ... perhaps to pay suit to Lady Mary?

Jean Schnelle participated in all aspects of farming life — sorting cattle, driving tractors, and weeding — while also raising seven children. The 3,000 acre Schnelle farm has been owned by the family for five generations. Now almost 70 years old in 2005 and a grandmother of fifteen, Jean still helps out with farm work.

Tommy and I have just expanded our family: a boy and a girl. They arrived not as bundles from heaven, but in a Jeep and on a bicycle. In truth, they are young adult companions for my husband — miracles of referrals rather than biology or science — who I've hired to give me respite from 'round-the-clock caregiving.

Jill Norgren writes: Here is an opportunity for grandparents and special friends looking for children’s and young adult books to hear straight from the mouths of young readers. This year I asked about gift suggestions from my granddaughters, 17, 13, and 10, as well as young friends 4 to 15 who live in Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio, and New York City. I asked each of them, "which books did you most enjoy reading this past year that you think others your age would also enjoy?" Some of their favorites are new, but many are classics.

Val Castronovo writes: Girl's head, shoulder, garments and accessories stand out against a dark, solid background, which is blackened now but once was translucent green. The effect is rather like the effect of looking at this painting in an otherwise empty room — just as everything is stripped away in the Oval Room so that our attention is laser-focused on Girl, so everything is stripped away in the background of the painting itself so that we zero in on the figure’s physiognomy and accoutrements, which signal mercantile wealth and prosperity.

While consumers can go online and compare the track records of nursing homes on a government web site, few such resources exist for assisted living. Twenty-two states still don’t post inspection records online, requiring residents to visit state offices to view them on paper or file public records requests. ProPublica set out to compile the key rules and regulations governing assisted living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. See what they found.

Joan L. Cannon writes: John Galsworthy's descriptions of nature are ravishing, his limning of his characters clear enough for a crime sketch artist to draw them. This descriptive artistry and the revelatory dialogue show the reader within a hundred pages the contrasts and individuality of everyone who has anything to do with the advancing story of Soames and Irene, and also with the subplots enacted by other members of the Forsyte family. All are influenced by the motive principles of the Forsyte clan in general, Victorian society, and their admired Soames in particular.  

Neighbors had left a pumpkin outside to feed the rabbits that happened by. The seeds that weren’t eaten planted themselves and now were happily growing. The plot the pumpkins were growing in wasn’t ideal for the length of the vines but they were thriving nonetheless, a symbol of life’s determination to express itself. After Halloween, if you have a pumpkin you might want to use in a different way, one that nourishes and delights without the scary element to it, read on for more suggestions.  

Compared with eight years ago, online daters in 2013 are more likely to actually go out on dates with the people they meet on these sites. Some 66% of online daters have gone on a date with someone they met through an online dating site or app, up from 43% of online daters who had done so when we first asked this question in 2005. Moving beyond dates, one quarter of online daters (23%) say that they themselves have entered into a marriage or long-term relationship with someone they met through a dating site or app.

Amanda Ripley gives us a detailed, separate report on the experiences of each American child she followed who had studied abroad, including each one’s "take" on what made school in those countries so successful. The youngster’s comparisons are forthright and fascinating. So are Ms. Ripley’s conclusions and descriptions in The Smartest Kids in the World. Annie Choi’s wit is pointed but not savage. She uses humor in Shut Up You’re Welcome to underscore the essential, sustained importance of family, the collective umbilical cord that binds.

A UCLA study has uncovered a biological clock embedded in our genomes that may shed light on why our bodies age and how we can slow the process; the new research is the first to result in the development of an age-predictive tool that uses a previously unknown time-keeping mechanism in the body to accurately gauge the age of diverse human organs, tissues and cell types.

For teens, their parents and teachers, NIDA has upgraded its popular teen website to a responsive design model that automatically adjusts to fit the viewer’s screen for better viewing through smartphones and tablets. Through smartphones and tablets. Spanish language versions of easy to understand resources on drug abuse and addiction are now also available.

Roberta McReynolds writes: Since aging tends to go hand-in-hand with a gradually fading resistance to illness, it makes sense that the likelihood of getting shingles tends to strike people age 60 and over. In a cruel twist of fate, I developed the first symptoms of shingles just 23 days after my 60th birthday; merely weeks after I became old enough to obtain the shingles vaccine. Did my warranty just expire? Each day that passed the complex pain became more brutal and impossible to ignore; the ‘electric shock treatments’ intensified.  

Maggie Clark writes: A 2012 audit in St. Petersburg showed the number of dangerous side-impact collisions did decrease at intersections where the red-light cameras had been installed. However, rear-end collisions actually increased at those intersections, as more drivers stopped short to avoid violations. In addition to identifying drivers who run through a red light, the cameras tag those who fail to come to a full and complete stop before turning right on red.

As Swenson administered first aid and kept in radio contact with the helos he'd called for, Fabayo saw three insurgents moving from a house to within 50 meters of the Tactical Action Center. Fabayo made direct visual contact with one insurgent wearing fatigues, body armor and a helmet who began waving at him and demanding surrender. Fabayo called to Swenson about the insurgent's demands. The captain calmly put down his radio, halted the first aid and replied with a personal message by throwing a hand grenade.