Columns

Cinema Cindy Reviews ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’

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By CYNTHIA BIDDLECOMB
Los Alamos

“The Battle of the Five Armies” is the third in a trilogy of Peter Jackson films based on “The Hobbit,” a children’s novel by J. R. R. Tolkien. In the edition I have on my shelf, “The Hobbit” is just 287 pages long. For fans of Tolkien, using three chapters to tell the tale has prolonged the pleasure. For other less fanatic moviegoers, this film will at least be found entertaining.

It takes 144 minutes to tell the last 50 pages of the novel with this film. The producers wanted this last installment of the series to bridge the gap between the Hobbit and the Lord Read More

Smart Design With Suzette: Flooring

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Smart Design with Suzette
Flooring
By SUZETTE FOX

Let me count the ways … tile, bamboo (technically a grass), cork, wood, linoleum (not vinyl), terrazzo, stained concrete and carpet to name a few.

I need new floors desperately! My husband and I moved into our house more than 12 years ago and the floors were worn then. There are six, yes I said SIX, different floors in my house. I know, I know, you are taken aback. Yet, I am just like you when it comes to deciding on flooring that will work for the entire family that everyone disagrees on.

I grew up with wood floors. They have great appeal to buyers when Read More

Cinema Cindy Reviews ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’

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By CYNTHIA BIDDLECOMB
Los Alamos

“Exodus: Gods and Kings,” Director Ridley Scott’s take on the epic Bible story of the Exodus, will not be replacing “The Ten Commandments” anytime soon. Or as my husband said, exiting the theater, “Cecil B. DeMille’s legacy is safe.”

Exodus: Gods and Kings is shot in dark tones and features a great many poorly lit scenes. The visuals are as ominous as the score. Some of the lines are mumbled. The finer details are lost in the murkiness on the screen. Perhaps that is all intentional. We never quite know what is going on in these shadows. And Moses never quite knows what Read More

Fitness Column: Safe Snow Shoveling

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Safe Snow Shoveling
By KENT PEGG

It happens every year at this time. People injure themselves while shoveling snow.

The most common injuries while shoveling snow are back and shoulder injuries. While these injuries are most often moderate injuries that can be resolved, the best way to treat the injury is to prevent it in the first place.

Shoveling snow places a large amount of stress on the lower back because of the forward flexion position most of us assume while shoveling. For your safety, avoid a forward lean when you shovel and maintain the natural curve in your spine. Keep the shovel close to Read More

This Week at the Reel Deal

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By JIM O’DONNELL
Reel Deal Theater

Today, we are opening The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. On Friday, we will open Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

 We will hold The Theory of Everything and Exodus until Christmas Eve and open Wild and The Interview on Christmas Day.

The buzz in Hollywood is whether or not Sony Pictures will actually open The Interview due to the fallout and Internet hacking with and by the North Koreans. The film plot follows two journalists played by Seth Rogen and James Franco whom the CIA recruits to assassinate Kim Jong-un. The North Koreans have Read More

Food on the Hill: Bourbon-Drenched Salmon

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Food on the Hill
By FELICIA ORTH

Salmon is delicious to a lot of hungry creatures: humans, bears, eagles, dogs, cats and raccoons. Other predators at different stages of a salmon’s life include large ducks like goosanders and red-breasted mergansers, cormorants, gulls, fish, otters, seals and sharks. 

Salmon filets poached or baked in a flavorful sauce make an excellent contribution to a meal for a crowd. The dish does not take extensive preparation, cooks fairly quickly and makes a nice counterpoint to holiday hams and other meats.

I’ve taken this salmon dish to a few large events recently,

Read More

How the Hen House Turns: Oscar the Cat

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How the Hen House Turns:
Oscar the Cat
Column by Carolyn A. (Cary) Neeper, Ph. D.

A short time after we moved from San Leandro, California to Hayward, my brother Harold and friends found a litter of kittens under the Fairview schoolhouse. He brought one yellow and tan fluffball home and introduced him to our dog Boots. Somehow the calico cat grew into the handsome feline I knew as Oscar.

I wish I could remember him as a kitten, but I will never forget him as an adult. Though loving and friendly, as evidenced by rubbing against our jeans, he preferred not to be cuddled. His relationship to Boots, our brown Read More

Cinema Cindy Reviews ‘The Theory of Everything’

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By CYNTHIA BIDDLECOMB
Los Alamos

“The Theory of Everything” tells the story of Steven Hawking and his first wife, Jane, who met while they were students at Cambridge. The movie is based on Jane Hawking’s memoir, Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Steven. With the help of the memoir, we gain insight into a more human and emotional side of the famous physicist.

Movie poster for ‘The Theory of Everything.’ Courtesy/Reel Deal Theater

Hawking was diagnosed with a form of ALS in 1963 while working on his doctorate. He and Jane had, by then, fallen in love. The diagnosis came with the news Read More

Yang: Artist-Entrepreneur Nexus

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Artist-Entrepreneur Nexus

By ELENA YANG
Los Alamos

The knowing-doing gap infects the majority of us, at least occasionally if not frequently. Sometimes, it’s a matter of exercising our will to push ourselves into action, but more often than not, the stumbling block transcends willpower.

Recently, I came across a short article in a small town, advising artists to treat their artwork as a business enterprise. Self-promotion, learning different 21st century tools to market the art, attending to tax issues, hiring an accountant or bookkeeper, and so on. How can you refute such good-intentioned Read More

Smart Design With Suzette: Interior Finishes – Paint & Wallcoverings

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Smart Design with Suzette
Interior Finishes – Paint and Wallcoverings
By SUZETTE FOX

In an eco-friendly world interior finishes should be earth-sensitive, meaning they should be safe for people and the environment.

We have come a long way in the last few years. There are many eco-friendly choices to make.

Wallcoverings – What to look for:

This photo demonstrates an inspiration piece (pillow) in choosing paint color and spreading accent colors around the room. Courtesy/www.digsdigs.com

Today’s wallcoverings come in modern, eye-catching designs made from green materials that are perfect Read More