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
FDA Has Requested Endo Pharmaceuticals Voluntarily Remove Reformulated Opana ER From the Market
The FDA's decision is based on a review of all available postmarketing data, which demonstrated a significant shift in the route of abuse of Opana ER from nasal to injection following the product’s reformulation. Injection abuse of reformulated Opana ER has been associated with a serious outbreak of HIV and hepatitis C, as well as cases of a serious blood disorder (thrombotic microangiopathy). This decision follows a March 2017 FDA advisory committee meeting where a group of independent experts voted 18-8 that the benefits of reformulated Opana ER no longer outweigh its risks. more »
Degas and the Millinery Trade, High-fashion Hats and the Women Who Created Them; My Aunt's Creation
The exhibition is the first to examine the height of the millinery trade in Paris, from around 1875 to 1914, as reflected in the art of the Impressionists and French milliners. From the start of the Third Republic until the outbreak of World War I, there were around 1,000 milliners working in what was then considered the fashion capital of the world. Degas and the Impressionists' representations of millinery became a central theme within the broader avant-garde ambition to showcase the diversity of Parisian modern life. more »
Updated: Senate Intel Committee Held FISA Hearing Wednesday; James Comey's Prepared Senate Testimony for June 8th
The witnesses on Wednesday will provide a comprehensive overview of FISA's authorities, current oversight mechanisms, and examples of the value this court-authorized collection provides to the United States Intelligence Community in testimony at the Senate Intelligence Committee. The hearing will move into closed session following the open session. On Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey will testify in Senate open session. more »
Scientists Fear US Is ‘Losing Its Edge’ In Government-Funded Cancer Research: "I fear we are losing a generation of young, talented biomedical scientists"
President Donald Trump has proposed cutting the NIH budget for 2018 from $31.8 billion to $26 billion, a decline that many worry would jeopardize the fight against cancer and other diseases. Those cuts include $1 billion less for the National Cancer Institute. The NCI notes that its purchasing power already has declined by 25 percent since 2003, because its budget — while growing — hasn't kept up with inflation. Congress gave the NCI nearly $5.4 billion in fiscal year 2017, an increase of $174.6 million over last year. more »
