What makes Irish eyes smile

SPOW President Maureen O'Donnell once had a professor who told her: "There is an Irish obsession with knowing who died." And it's true! While looking into the nicknames for obits, O'Donnell discovered they were also called:

• The Irish Scratch Sheet
• The Irish Sports Pages
• The Irish Racing Form
• The Irish Comics

Inspired by these discoveries, Maureen wrote an article for the Chicago Sun-Times about the tradition. Click here to learn more.

Quote of the week

"I love reading the obituaries. On the weekend, hot coffee, feet up, I quietly read. I always finish with a deep contented sigh. One morning I told my husband I felt I had met many new friends. Too bad, said he, that they all died." --Bonnie Brown