Jill Norgren

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…
*GAO Report: Commercial Aviation: Information on Passenger Assaults against Airline Customer Service Agents at Airports; Communications Workers of America Study

When travel plans go awry, airline passengers may take out their frustrations on customer service agents. We surveyed 104 customer service agents. About half said passengers had verbally threatened them and 10% said passengers had physically assaulted them in the past year. One prosecutor told GAO the transitory nature of airports makes it difficult to…
States Flubbed the Rollout of Their Health Insurance Exchanges. Now They’re Ready to Try Again

Notable Republicans also are supporting the shift to a state-based model. The previous governor in Nevada, Republican Brian Sandoval, initiated the effort in his state. And the Republican House majority leader in Pennsylvania, Bryan Cutler, has been a strong supporter of the move there. The final Pennsylvania bill passed both chambers this year without a…
Weekly Legislative Update and Meetings: “Taking Military Domestic Violence Out of the Shadows;” A Bill to Require Federal Law Enforcement Agencies to Report On Cases of Missing or Murdered American Indians

A bill to improve obstetric care in rural areas; a bill to establish a National Commission on Fibrotic Diseases; A bill to ensure the safe use of cosmetics, and for other purposes; A bill to amend the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 relating to determinations with respect to efforts of foreign countries to reduce…
Swedish Design, Color and Comfort: Furniture, Glass, Textiles and Ceramics by Swedish Designers From the Late 1920s to the Early 1960s

In Sweden the push toward simple, economical living attracted young artisans eager to revolutionize the home furnishings industry. In the early 1930s one such émigré was architect and designer Josef Frank, who left Austria as the persecution of Jews mounted. Typical of industrial designers of that era, Frank worked in several sectors of the furnishings…
Living Longer, Too? Native-born Californians Who Live Near Large Immigrant Populations Eat Healthier Foods

The authors analyzed data from the Los Angeles County Health Survey with a focus on two specific health behaviors — eating at fast-food restaurants more than once a week and eating five or more servings of fruit and vegetables daily. For the purposes of the survey, an apple is used as a reference point for…
Lisa Bronner: Five Life Habits for Healthy Skin – The Foundation of Healthy Skin Begins with Habits That May Appear Unconnected

There’s a kind of desperation that surfaces in the skincare aisle, when you’re looking for that for that one product which will perfect tired, dreary, misanthropic skin. However, if you don’t have these skincare basics in place, you’ll be disappointed — no matter how much money or magic you spend in the beauty aisle. You…
Fraud Alert: Genetic Testing Scam Issued by US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General

The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General is alerting the public about a fraud scheme involving genetic testing. Genetic testing fraud occurs when Medicare is billed for a test or screening that was not medically necessary and/or was not ordered by a Medicare beneficiary’s treating physician. Scammers are offering Medicare…
Data Note: A Look At Swing Voters Leading Up To The 2020 Election

The latest analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation, in collaboration with the Cook Political Report, finds that while a large share of voters are already firm about how they plan to vote in the 2020 presidential election (63%), there is a still a substantial share (30%) who say they have not made their minds up.…
A Comprehensive Outreach on Monetary Policy At a Fed Listens Event: “How can we help you better understand our work so you can hold us accountable?”

Fed Governor Michelle W. Bowman asks: “For many years, inflation has run modestly below our 2 percent objective. Given that, it would be helpful to hear from you whether you think the Federal Open Market Committee should consider strategies that aim to have inflation exceed our target for a time, to make up for the…
Legislators and Community Leaders Debating Ways to Boost the Number of Children Who Are Up to Date on School-Mandated Vaccinations

Amid a surge in measles cases nationwide this year, legislators and community leaders are debating ways to boost the number of kids who are up to date on their school-mandated shots. Many have focused on restricting or eliminating vaccination exemptions based on religion or personal opinions, which are common and have been offered by school…