Articles

Rose Madeline Mula: If You Can’t Stand the Heat

Rose Madeline Mula Writes: “It was with considerable trepidation, therefore, that I entered the kitchen of my hostess, the legendary actress, Joan Fontaine, one long-ago Thanksgiving morning, to offer my assistance. Acting was not Miss Fontaine’s only talent. Not by a long shot. She was also a hole-in-one golfer, a prize-winning fisherwoman, a hot air…
An Undocumented Childhood by Rose Madeline Mula

Rose Mula Writes: Some people never leave home without their American Express card; I never leave home without a camera. Digitized pictures of the twenty-five countries and forty-plus states of America that I’ve visited since my first tour of exotic New Hampshire constantly flash on my computer monitors and digital frames throughout my home, helping…
Julia Sneden Wrote: Love Your Library

Julia Sneden Wrote: My mind’s eye can still see the face of the Children’s Librarian, although I have long since forgotten her name. We will be wise to continue to back up our knowledge of history and literature and art and science with hard copy. She kept up with my reading level, suggesting writers and…
Julia Sneden Wrote: If The Shoe Fits … You Can Bet It’s Not Fashionable

Julia Sneden Wrote: My mother was a mini Imelda Marcos. She kept upwards of 40 pairs of shoes well into her 80’s, and was crushed when she had to give up high heels following a heart attack at the age of 89. Her sole criterion in buying shoes was style, not comfort, and she was…
Joan L.Cannon Wrote: A Family Inheritance: More Than ‘Things’ … Emblems of Our Lives

Joan Cannon wrote: As one advances in years, one accumulates possessions the way a caddis fly larva accumulates grit. The glue that makes us carry it all along with us is in a way self-secreted as well. However, it’s psychic rather than physical — emotional rather than material. Perhaps the most obvious example is a…
Julia Sneden Wrote: Old Dogs, New Tricks

Julia Sneden wrote: At the age of 37, I started a new career as a kindergarten teacher. My first day on the job, the lead teacher, who was in her 70’s and scared me every bit as much as she scared the children, watched me writing a note. “You’ll have to change the way you…
Joan Cannon Writes: Finding the Right Excuse; Committing Words to Paper Because …

Joan Cannon Writes: Think of the poets and novelists and playwrights whose words sink into the consciousness of thousands and even millions and remain there, as emblems, guides, beacons of hope or warnings of disasters, and the excuse (as if one is needed) presents itself. Maybe there’s information or a revelation for some unknown viewer…
Joan Cannon Asked: What is a Book Club? An Old-Fashioned Book Report? A Program Given By an Author? What Is the Accepted Practice?

Joan L. Cannnon wrote: A year or so ago, I was invited to attend a tea given by the combined membership of all the book clubs in the town where I now live. A presentation was scheduled for the proprietor of the much-loved local independent book store cum gift shop. She is a legend in…
Ferida Wolff Writes: Our Senses

“I am delighted by the gentle feel of the buds on the plants starting to open their flowers. And I can almost taste the mint that grows automatically in my tiny vegetable garden. But I discovered that we might have more senses than we know. We are attuned to our world in many ways. We…
National Institutes of Health: Adopting Pediatric Readiness Standards Improves Survival in Hospital Emergency Departments

“Researchers found that more than 1,400 children’s deaths may have been prevented if hospital emergency departments had adopted national pediatric care readiness standards as laid out by the National Pediatric Readiness Project(link is external). The six-year study of 983 emergency departments in 11 states followed nearly 800,000 children.”
Women’s Congressional Policy Institute: Bill to Assist States in Carrying Out Projects To Expand Child Workforce; Joint Resolution Removing Deadline For Ratification of Equal Rights Amendment; Bill to Reserve Access to Abortion

Women’s Congressional Policy Institute: “A resolution supporting the observation of National Trafficking and Modern Slavery Prevention Month to raise awareness of, and opposition to, human trafficking and modern slavery; A bill to amend Family and Medical Leave Act to expand employees eligible for leave and employers subject to leave requirements; A bill to assist states in…
Rose Madeline Mula Writes: Van Gogh and Me

Rose Madeline Mula Writes, Van Gogh and Me: I knew about Van Gogh’s demons. That should have given me a clue that trying to paint will drive you crazy. As we all know, despite Vinny’s amazing talent, he became so deranged that he lopped off an ear. I once took a course titled, Watercolor Without…
GAO-23-106556: Emergency Relief Funds: Significant Improvements Are Needed to Address Fraud and Improper Payments

“Three programs — SBA’s PPP and COVID-19 EIDL program, and DOL’s UI program—account for a large portion of COVID-19 relief funding. Based on GAO’s findings and other audits, GAO added SBA’s emergency loans for small businesses issued under PPP and COVID-19 EIDL, and the UI system to its High-Risk List in March 2021 and June…
A Berkeley Study: With Rapidly Increasing Heat and Drought, Can Plants Adapt?

“An intensive study of a group of plants that first invaded emerging deserts millions of years ago concludes that these pioneers — rock daisies — did not come unequipped to deal with heat, scorching sun and lack of water. They had developed adaptations to such stresses while living on dry, exposed rock outcroppings within older,…
Justice Department Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco Delivers Remarks on Charges and New Arrest in Connection with Assassination Plot Directed from Iran

“This case also highlights the evolving threat and increasingly brazen conduct emanating from Iran. I have spoken before about the threat Iran poses to our homeland through its networks and proxies. In the last year, we have charged members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with a plot to murder the former U.S. National…
Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine January 25, 2023

“Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine January 25, 2023 In total, the United States has more than $27.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration…” Thousands of night vision devices, surveillance systems, thermal imagery systems, optics, and laser rangefinders;  Commercial satellite imagery services;  Explosive ordnance…
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Seeks Public Feedback On How the Consumer Credit Market is Functioning

The CFPB is interested in hearing about people’s overall experiences with credit card products. In particular, the request is seeking information on: Terms of credit card agreements and the practices of credit card issuers; Effectiveness of disclosure of terms, fees, and other expenses of credit card plans; Adequacy of protections against unfair or deceptive acts…
Women’s Congressional Policy Institute; Bills Introduced: January 9-13, 2023: Recognizing the Importance of Access to Comprehensive, High-quality, Life-affirming Medical Care for Women of All Ages.

H. Con. Res. 7: A concurrent resolution commending the bravery, courage, and resolve of the women and men of Iran demonstrating in more than 133 cities and risking their safety to speak out against the Iranian regime; A bill to increase the punishment for certain offenses involving children; A resolution condemning the Supreme Court’s decision…