Jeanne Asher

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…
The Successor to Sweetie Pie: Meet ‘Gorgeous’

Why have I held onto Sweetie Pie so long? A valid question if you are the sort who does not believe automobiles have feelings. Cue the violins. Sweetie Pie was purchased one month after separating from my first husband.
Gone Grey and The Seven Senior Dwarves

When I was a very little girl, my mother took me to see Snow White. I was so traumatized by the wicked witch that I had nightmares for weeks. But oh, how I loved those dwarves. So, with apologies to the memory of Mr. Disney, here are our nominations for the Seven Senior Dwarves
The Health Effects of Airport Security Scanners

“In other words, people should only be exposed to ionizing radiation for security screening purposes when a threat exists that can be detected and for which appropriate actions can be taken. In addition, exposures must be justified and optimized.”
‘Reproductive Health’ Bills Introduced and the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Anniversary Recognized

” … from the ashes of this horrific event emerged the modern celebration of International Women’s Day, and the death of 129 women workers in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire demonstrated the need for workers’ rights and women’s rights
On the 8th Anniversary of the Iraq Invasion — Just Another Day in the Park

While small compared to past protests, the action was ideologically diverse. People came from all over the country representing a wide variety of left-wing parties. Their signs mixed with those of libertarians (“End the Fed, End the Wars), environmentalists (“Biofuel — no war required”) and a Korean drum corps.
Modern Life: Edward Hopper and His Time

Hopper was not interested in the lively social world depicted by many of his colleagues, but he shared their interest in capturing moments of solitude and in using bold, simplified forms to infuse his scenes with dramatic monumentality.
Memory Lane and Morality: How Childhood Memories Promote Prosocial Behavior

Throughout history, there are compelling stories of small and large acts of helping, honesty, and prosocial behavior. Four experiments demonstrated that recalling memories from one’s own childhood lead people to experience feelings of moral purity and to behave prosocially. Too often the news reports stories of injustice, dishonesty, and human violence
Risks to US from Japanese Power Plant Seen as Low

The survey of state departments of health indicated that those with a nuclear power plant were better prepared for a major nuclear emergency, but most still weren’t prepared enough … Fewer than half of the states surveyed had written plans for radiation exposure assessment, environmental sampling, human specimen collection and analysis, and human health assessment.
Center for American Progress, Japan and the Future of US Nuclear Power

“In the immediate future, the US government must do four things: Review the ability of every reactor to deal with threats to its safety, not cut funding for NOAA’s tsunami warning service, the permitting process must not be further weakened and the DOE must continue to run the nuclear loan guarantee program.”
Poster styles, Propaganda Messages and Advertising History: When Beans Were Bullets

What can war posters tell us about our nation’s attempts to modify food consumption habits? When Beans Were Bullets is an exhibit of posters from World War I & II currently online at the National Agricultural Library