Columns

Yang: Final Summer-Lite On: Bird Brain

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Final Summer-Lite On: Bird Brain
By ELENA YANG

Pretend that I am tweeting in this space. 

For those “supposedly smart people” who get in trouble for the content of their tweets, my reaction is: Why do it? I am less puzzled by the offensive content than I am by their urge to tweet it … especially for some who actually have thousands of followers.

A professor of psychology was recently censured for tweeting that obese people lack the commitment to get their graduate degrees (because they cannot lose weight). Prof of psych?! Bad content is bad enough, but tweeting it is simply colossal, monumental, Read More

Solo Traveler: Travel Apps

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Solo Traveler: Travel Apps
Column by SHERRY HARDAGE

With all the wonderful devices available today, which ones do you take on a solo trip?

Last year, I purchased an iPad. I thought about an iPhone, but with my over-60 eyes I could never read that tiny screen. The iPad has a built-in GPS that works with Google Maps, a feature I didn’t discover until a recent trip to Silver City.

I found my destination on a map and then turned off the cellular connection. As I drove, a voice came from the iPad telling me where to turn. For a long trip to Europe, I wanted to have access to language translators, which I thought Read More

Sydney’s Corner: Birds of Florence, Italy

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Sydney Frazier in Florence, Italy. Photo by Jason Frazier

SYDNEY’S CORNER: Birds of Florence, Italy
 
Introduction by Teralene Foxx
Los Alamos

I am an ecologist by training and interests; I love the out-of-doors. But with all the gadgets we have now (ipads, cellphones, computers), how do our children and grandchildren learn and become passionate about the natural and cultural world around them? How do we teach them earth-care and tolerance?

I passionately believe that the only way we come to appreciate the world around us is to be out exploring and experiencing the world. Climbing trees, Read More

Column: Playing it Safe in the Sun

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Skincare Column
By JUNE ENGLISH
 
Playing it Safe in the Sun

Tans look great, but looks can be deceiving. That beautiful golden brown really means you’ve burned your skin. Keep that up repeatedly and you wind up with wrinkled, spotted, leathery skin or worse – skin cancer. Here’s how to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays.

  • Limit your time in the sun. Avoid the sun when it’s at its strongest, between mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Be aware that ultraviolet (UV) sunlight reflected from water, sand,snow, and cement can be as intense as direct sunlight. Clouds

Read More

How the Hen House Turns: Weeds

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

My cloudy Sunday morning started with a sudden pink display that gradually turned peach, a lovely time with even light. I decided to take pictures of what the rains have produced in our back yard.

I took a walk through our New Mexico jungle, following Kiebler and Ms. Ritz back to their pen and letting Lucy and the big birds out for a swim in the stock tank before the noon thunder announced the daily summer sprinkle.

Today I am taking a break from Hen House history to share with you the miracle of what last years’ bare dirt has brought Read More

Money IQ: Storage in the Cloud

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Money IQ

Storage in the Cloud
By Devaun Crane

Have you ever wondered what the “cloud” was or where it lived? Everyone is talking about saving their files in the “cloud.”

The cloud is a reference to storing a person’s files (e.g. documents, pictures, movies, music, etc.) in a remote location. A remote location is typically many servers set up by a company with the intent to have large amounts of storage available to customers. (More about Cloud Storage can be found on https:////en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_storage) This storage is useful because of the convenience, cost and comfort it provides. Read More

Performance Enhancing Drugs: It’s All About Money

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Fitness Column
Performance Enhancing Drugs: It’s All About Money
By KENT PEGG

Once again, recent events have brought the use and abuse of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) and steroids to the forefront of sports news. So, I guess it’s time to revisit the issue. Despite the attention, most people don’t understand the scope or consequences of this problem.

We know that steroids are bad for you and taking them, even for a short period of time, can lead to a host of illnesses, diseases and undesirable side effects. We’ve seen athletes like Ken Caminiti and Lyle Alzado die, with their deaths Read More

Food on the Hill: Focaccia

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The Week’s Recipe:
 
Focaccia
 
Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.com

Ingredients

2 packets fast-rising yeast
2 cups of tepid water (90 degrees)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt (or kosher)
5 cups unbleached bread flour
5 cloves of garlic, pressed
6 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup flour- maybe more
Toppings
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon, chopped FRESH rosemary
1 tablespoon sea salt or kosher
1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
 
Directions

Proof yeast: dissolve yeast in tepid water and 1 teaspoon of the sugar, mix and let stand about five minutes

Read More

Yang: Another Summer Fantasy: A Pager-cide

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Another Summer Fantasy: A Pager-cide
By ELENA YANG

There are obvious ways to murder a pager. A big hammer, for instance, is immensely satisfying. Running over it with a car a couple of times, forward and backward, or backward then forward, is less satisfying. I want to hear that crunchy sound up close. 

(During recuperation from knee surgery in June, I tried to lighten my foggy mind and wrote this piece. I can walk and bike fine now, but in reviewing this writing, I think some readers of this paper may appreciate my frustration. So, I decided to haul it out to share with you today.) 

I don’t Read More

Solo Traveler: Why Wait?

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Solo Traveler: Why Wait?
Column by SHERRY HARDAGE

Why wait to retire before you start traveling? Why not retire now? Why not travel now and figure out a different way to make money?

I had the advantage of working for a big company that, in a cost-saving move, kicked me out before I planned to retire. Hiring someone very young with no experience was a sound financial decision for them.  

But let’s back up. I wasn’t “kicked out.” I was given a very powerful disincentive to stay in my job.

If I would retire by their deadline, I could keep my health insurance. If not, I would be on my own purchasing health Read More