Columns

This Week at the Reel Deal

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Column By JIM O’DONNELL
Reel Deal Theater

At 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21 the Reel Deal Theater will open “Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” Tickets are now on sale at the Box Office. There will be limited seating so get your tickets early.

I saw “Enough Said” last night, starring Julia Louis Dreyfuss, and the late James Gandolfini in his last film. It’s a thoughtful, funny, and endearing film. The dialogue is quick and smart, the acting is stellar, and by the end you’ll understand the title. You better hurry though, as it ends Nov. 21. The reviews for this film are 9 out of 10. To sweeten the deal, just Read More

Food on the Hill: Clam Chowder

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This Week’s Recipe: Clam Chowder
 
Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.com
 
Ingredients:
 
5 slices bacon fried crisp, save the fat to sauté the onions and celery in
1 medium onion diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 potatoes (diced and steamed for 10 minutes)
4 cups heavy cream
3 cans chopped clams, plus the juice
1/2 cup flour
4 oz. butter
4 clam juice jars
Garlic/ pepper/ cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 teaspoons chopped (must be FRESH)  basil
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/8 cup chopped parsley,
Read More

Solo Traveler: When Romance Dies

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Beds in stowed position on a Thai train. Photo by Sherry Hardage
 
Beds come down for the night. Photo by Sherry Hardage
 
Solo Traveler: When Romance Dies
By SHERRY HARDAGE

Train travel ─ is there anything more romantic? Well, Paris maybe. Better yet, train travel to and from Paris!

There is a website, The Man in Seat 61 created by a fellow whose love affair with trains goes back to his childhood. His site features descriptions, schedules, fares, and even videos of just about every passenger train in the world.

I read about the trains in Thailand and wanted to ride the one from Bangkok to Chiang Read More

Education Funding 101: How New Mexico and Los Alamos Compare …

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Education Funding 101:
How New Mexico and Los Alamos Compare to Other States in K-12 Public Education Funding
By Save Our Schools Los Alamos

This week, we’ll review how New Mexico and Los Alamos compare to other states in funding for K-12 public education. 

This review is particularly relevant for Los Alamos families who moved here because of work opportunities with the Lab, combined with the reputation Los Alamos has for excellent K-12 public schools and a family-friendly environment. Many of these families have the opportunity to live and work elsewhere; and attracting and retaining Read More

PEEC Amateur Naturalist: Taking Flight

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Jorge Ayarza from Colombia is teaching students about catching and handling birds with mist nets. Here the students are having a hands-on experience with the soft bags that are used to safely transport birds from the nets to the data collection area. Photo by Stephen Fettig
 
Maria del Pilar González Barroso from Mexico and Diego Alejandro Cueva from Colombia view a Townsend’s Warbler just before releasing it back into the wild. Photo by Stephen Fettig
 
PEEC Amateur Naturalist: Taking Flight
By ROBERT DRYLA

Particular thanks to Bandelier National Monument, Stephen Fettig, and Read More

Fitness Column: Body Mass Index-Helpful or Useless?

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Fitness Column
Body Mass Index: Helpful or Useless
By KENT PEGG

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a commonly used tool to estimate the amount of fat on a person’s body. For decades the term has been used by health professionals and trainers when assessing an individual’s fitness level. A person’s BMI depends on two things: their height and their weight.

Is the measurement an accurate evaluation of someone’s health? Often, it is not. While BMI can give you an estimation of your level of health and fitness, since BMI takes into account only height and weight, many will not get a true assessment from this number. Read More

How the Hen House Turns: Awareness and Sympathy

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Toffee the hen had a brush with death recently – luckily, the story has a happy ending. Courtesy photo
 
How the Hen House Turns: Awareness and Sympathy
Column by Carolyn A. (Cary) Neeper, Ph. D.

They crowded around the stock tank as I lifted Toffee out, a patch of feathers missing from her neck. All of them were there ─ turkey; Lucy and Bobbi, the geese; DeeDee and Scooter, the dogs; the fours ducks; and the two remaining chickens.

They had gathered in response to my cries of protest. Toffee was the victim of another hawk attack, probably, and she was too heavy for the predator to carry off. Read More

Food on the Hill: Mint Fudge

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This week’s recipe: Mint Fudge
 
Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.com
 
Ingredients:
 
4 1/2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
2-12oz pkgs. Andes mint pieces chocolate (green)
1 pint marshmallow cream
2 tablespoon butter
1 2/3 cup evaporated milk (that’s 12oz)
6oz to 12 oz. of Andes Peppermint crunch (red) 

Directions:

Combine sugar, salt, butter, milk and boil 6-8 minutes.

Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.com

 

Pour boiling syrup over green mint chocolate and marshmallow cream in a large bowl, beat until chocolate is all melted.

 

Photo by Sue
Read More

Yang: The Marshmallow Problem & The Candle Problem

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The Marshmallow Problem & The Candle Problem
By ELENA YANG

Being part of a team-building exercise or being tested … both exercises drive me bonkers. However, a well-designed test/problem, with a convincing structure and valuable conclusions, intrigues me. When I learned about the Marshmallow Problem (link below), I was immediately reminded of the Candle Problem (link below). I learned both from TED talks. 

In Tom Wuject’s presentation on the Marshmallow Problem (MP), he emphasizes the context of collaboration in solving the MP, and in Dan Pink’s illustration of the Candle Problem Read More

Holiday Success Tips and Tricks – Part 6

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Holiday Success Tips and Tricks – Part 6
By KATIE STAVERT
Los Alamos Business Assistance Services

Holiday Money Management

Cash is king, especially during the holidays. It is important to remember that sales do not equal cash in the bank. There is often a timing difference between expenses being paid and income coming in; like when merchandise arrives in October but customers don’t purchase it till December. Luckily there are some tricks to help you sell sooner, get paid faster, reduce expenses and defer payments. It is important to remember that cash flow is money coming in instead of going out. Read More