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
States Try More Tax Breaks for Seniors: 36 States With An Income Tax Allow Some Exemptions For Pension Benefits
For some of the states looking to cut taxes, it’s an effort to stop older folks from decamping to more tax-friendly places when they retire. For others, it's a way for lawmakers to curry favor with one of the most politically plugged-in demographic groups, which also is the wealthiest. "They are worth more, dollar-wise, than young people," said US Census Bureau spokesman Robert Bernstein.
About a half dozen states are considering giving new tax breaks to seniors over 65, although they already enjoy favorable treatment by the federal government and by most states on their income and property taxes.
For some of the st… more »
The Critique of Reason — Challenging the traditional notion of the Romantic artist as a brooding genius given to introversion and fantasy
The Critique of Reason: Romantic Art, 1760 –1860 comprises more than 300 paintings, sculptures, medals, watercolors, drawings, prints, and photographs by such iconic artists as William Blake, John Constable, Honoré Daumier, David d'Angers, Eugène Delacroix, Henri Fuseli, Théodore Géricault, Francisco de Goya, John Martin, and J. M. W. Turner that expanded the view of Romanticism as a movement opposed to reason and the scientific method. more »
Carrying and Swiping: Medicare and Potential Uses of Electronically Readable Cards
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) — the agency that administers Medicare — could use electronically readable cards in Medicare for a number of different purposes. Three key uses include authenticating beneficiary and provider presence at the point of care, electronically exchanging beneficiary medical information, and electronically conveying beneficiary identity and insurance information to providers. more »
Renewing Respect for Language: The Subjunctive Is a Governor of the Consciousness That Uses It
Joan L. Cannon writes: In my teens I came to the realization that without words we could not actually think. Feel, emote, react — of course, but it takes words to think. My father was a perfectionist. A musician and writer, he did his best to reorder his world to an ideal of regularity and esthetic standards. That included his growing daughter's handling of the English language. more »
