Grandparenting

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…
Tracy K. Smith, the New Poet Laureate: “Her work travels the world and takes on its voices; brings history and memory to life”

“As someone who has been sustained by poems and poets, I understand the powerful and necessary role poetry can play in sustaining a rich inner life and fostering a mindful, empathic and resourceful culture. I am eager to share the good news of poetry with readers and future readers across this marvelously diverse country.”
California’s Aid-In-Dying Law Turns One Year Old, But Not All Doctors Have Adopted It

Complying with the law is not easy; doctors must ensure that the patient is likely to die within six months, mentally competent to make an informed decision and physically able to take the medicine. A second doctor has to agree. Patients must make two oral requests at least 15 days apart and a written request.…
Message from the Fed: The Labor Market Has Continued to Strengthen and Economic Activity Has Been Rising Moderately So Far This Year

“Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in May indicates that the labor market has continued to strengthen and that economic activity has been rising moderately so far this year. Job gains have moderated but have been solid, on average, since the beginning of the year, and the unemployment rate has declined. Household…
The ‘Stereoscopic’ Vision of Dressmakers; Are Dressmakers Drawn to the Trade Because of Their Visual Stereo-acuity?

Stereoscopic vision is the brain’s ability to decode the flat 2D optical information received by both eyes to give us the depth of perception needed to thread a needle, catch a ball, park a car and generally navigate a 3D world. Using computerized perceptual tasks, researchers from UC Berkeley and the University of Geneva, Switzerland,…
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: Attorney General Jeff Sessions Appears Tuesday To Testify; Jared Kushner Agrees to Be Interviewed

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions will appear Tuesday [June 13th] at a public hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to testify in the investigation into Russian tampering in the 2016 presidential election. WASHINGTON –Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of…
New York State Raises the Minimum Age for Marriage to 17 Years of Age; The Rate of Child Marriage Varies Widely by State

“This common sense legislation will help bring an end to forced child marriage in New York State,” said Amy Paulin, New York State Assemblymember. “This practice is a violation of human rights that has consistently had a disproportionately discriminatory effect on young girls, inflicting physical and mental health issues, robbing them of educational opportunities, and…
A New Era for French Art: Poussin, Claude, and French Drawing in the Classical Age

“The Grand Siècle saw artistic development unlike any before it in France,” said Colin B. Bailey, director of the Morgan Library & Museum. “The visual arts, literature, music, drama, and architecture all prospered. Poussin, Claude, and French Drawing in the Classical Age explore the extraordinary advances in the field of drawing by some of the…
FDA Has Requested Endo Pharmaceuticals Voluntarily Remove Reformulated Opana ER From the Market

The FDA’s decision is based on a review of all available postmarketing data, which demonstrated a significant shift in the route of abuse of Opana ER from nasal to injection following the product’s reformulation. Injection abuse of reformulated Opana ER has been associated with a serious outbreak of HIV and hepatitis C, as well as…
Sleep Attack: A Cautionary Tale

Naomi Cavalier wrote: The curtain of sleep dropped of its own volition and the world vanished (even as I write this, I gasp). No more than a second or two later I was jolted awake by the impact of my car, a Honda Accord, slamming into a fire hydrant alongside the road. A geyser of…
Updated: Senate Intel Committee Held FISA Hearing Wednesday; James Comey’s Prepared Senate Testimony for June 8th

The witnesses on Wednesday will provide a comprehensive overview of FISA’s authorities, current oversight mechanisms, and examples of the value this court-authorized collection provides to the United States Intelligence Community in testimony at the Senate Intelligence Committee. The hearing will move into closed session following the open session. On Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey…