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
Trafficking at Major Sporting Events, Part Two, Congressional Bills Introduced
"How are law enforcement personnel and partners in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry being trained to identify potential trafficking situations – not just child sex trafficking, but that of adults as well? These are questions governments should be grappling with every day, and especially when a major gathering is on the horizon. And these are some of the specifics we’re watching for as we approach additional major sporting events." more »
Seasonal Infective Disorder; Confessions of an Eternal Optimist
Julia Sneden writes: We love to watch falling snow, or, on a clear night, the moonlight and shadows in our whitened yard. Bright winter sun in the morning reveals that the birdfeeder wears a toboggan cap of snow, which doesn’t bother the voracious finches and cardinals and chickadees perched on nearby branches, taking turns driving one another away from the feeding ports. But winter comes with a fine balance of plusses and minuses. I have a friend who has recently begun treatment for a condition called "Seasonal Affective Disorder," sometimes referred to as SAD. more »
Janet Yellen: A Quiet Swearing In for First Woman Fed Chairwoman and a Women's College Graduate
Janet Yellen took office as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on February 3, 2014. She and her Nobel Prize-winning husband, wrote a paper on the fair wage-effort hypothesis, in that workers proportionately withdraw effort as their actual wage falls short of their fair wage. Such behavior causes unemployment and is also consistent with observed cross-section wage differentials and unemployment patterns. more »
Monuments Men (and Women): National Gallery of Art's The Inside Story, Smithsonian's On the Frontline to Save Europe's Art
"These men — and women — worked to protect Europe's cultural heritage at the height of World War II, ensuring its safety in the aftermath and returning works, when possible, to their rightful owners once peace and security were restored." Edith Standen dug up an antique bronze cannon with her own bare hands. ""It had been taken from the Musée de l'Armée. It went back to the Musée de l'Armée."
David Finley in his office at the National Gallery of Art. Finley was director of the Gallery from 1938-1956, and vice chairman of the Roberts Commission. National Gallery of Art,… more »
