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
My Wish List: Where is Aladdin When I Need Him? More Specifically, Where is His Fabled Magic Lamp?
Rose Madeline Mula writes: Where is Aladdin when I need him? More specifically, where is his fabled magic lamp? Unfortunately, it’s been missing for so long that if I ever do find it, probably it won’t work because it will be coated with tarnish. So polish it, you say. Not very likely ... Have you seen my silverware drawer? Of course, the prospect of having all my wishes granted would be a powerful incentive. If and when I ever do find — and polish — the lamp, I’ll be ready. My wish list is on the launch pad and ready to blast off. more »
British Medical Journal: State Gun Laws, Gun Ownership, and Mass Shootings in the US
"Our analyses show that US state gun laws have become more permissive in recent decades, and that a growing divide in rates of mass shootings appears to be emerging between restrictive and permissive states... A 10% increase in gun ownership was associated with an approximately 35% higher rate of mass shootings after adjusting for key factors. On the absolute scale, this means that a state like California, which has approximately two mass shootings per year, will have an extra mass shooting for every 10 unit increase in permissiveness over five years. more »
Dream Center Closure: Chairman Scott Asks Department of Education to Clarify Role in Collapse of For-Profit School
The letter details newly obtained documents suggesting that the Department of Education enabled Dream Center to mislead students regarding the accreditation status of two Dream Center-owned schools. The documents also reveal that despite knowledge of Dream Center’s false claims of accreditation, the Department did not immediately require the for-profit company to take corrective action. Instead, the Department supported efforts to retroactively accredit the institutions in question by rewriting Department policy. more »
Exclusion: The Presidio's Role in World War II Japanese American Incarceration
Exclusion explores the San Francisco Presidio's role in Japanese American incarceration as informed by government findings, current historical and curatorial scholarship, and the Japanese American community. The exhibition invites visitors to explore how and why the past matters and inspires civic engagement by fostering an understanding of the ways in which the Presidio's heritage is relevant today. The Presidio is operated by the National Park Service, the Presidio Trust, and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. more »
