Columns

Column: The Versatile Guitar

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The Versatile Guitar
Column by Richard Hannemann
 
I play music on the guitar. I write music for the guitar. I teach the guitar. I’ve been doing this for a while now.
 
So before you go out and buy a guitar, either for yourself or your child, here are a few things you should know.
 
Andres Segovia once said the guitar is like a small orchestra in the hand. Yep. You’ve got six strings, each an octave and half; that means you essentially have six instruments.
 
You have a total range of 3 and a half octaves, and you can stretch this to a little over 4 by using harmonics. The sounding
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Money IQ: Avoiding Overdraft Fees

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Money IQ
By Fidel Gutierrez

Avoiding Overdraft Fees

Whether you have had a checking account for years or you just recently opened one, a fee that should have been discussed with you is the overdraft fee. 

This fee can also be called non-sufficient funds or bounced check fee. Your financial institution may even have a fee for both, one for the non-sufficient funds item and another for overdrawing your account.

How does one avoid overdraft fees? Don’t allow your account to become overdrawn. This is easier said than done as a person’s cash flow might be tighter in these tough economic times. 

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Food on the Hill: Cooking for Valentine’s Day

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This week’s recipe: 

Cherry Chocolate Cake

For Valentine’s Day (next two weeks) I am going to have recipes in that ANYONE can cook. I feel it is very important that you show the people that you love (Sweethearts, Family, and Friends) that you think they are important. Surprise your loved ones with a great dinner.

 

Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.com

Ingrediants…

Cake

  • Devil’s food cake mix

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

  • 1 pound 5 oz cherry pie filling (strawberry can also be used)

Frosting

  • 1/3 cup milk

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 5 Tablespoons butter

  • 6 – 7 oz chocolate chips

Cake

Photo
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Column: A Sensible Organization Is Not A Perfect Organization – Part I

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A Sensible Organization Is Not A Perfect Organization: Drawing Boundary, Yes; Generating Unlimited Rules, Not So Much – Part I

Column by Elena Yang

Plenty of organizations are not sensible but work very hard trying to generate perfect rules to make them look sensible.

The more rules they make, the more innovation they choke off, but the safer they feel within the comfort of all the known rules.

As usual, when dealing with complicated topics, I try to break them into two or more entries, as in today’s topic. 

One way of understanding the third law of thermodynamics: To drive all imperfections Read More

Column: Great Year for Recycling in Los Alamos County

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By Tom Nagawiecki
Environmental Services Specialist
Los Alamos County

Most people do not get very pumped-up over trash, but 2012 was an exciting year for waste and recycling in Los Alamos County!  

After many years of hard work, the County was able to successfully launch the glass drop-off recycling program, bringing back an important recycling option for our citizens. 

The County lowered recycling rates for commercial services giving restaurants, churches, businesses, and apartment complexes an affordable option to help keep recyclables out of the landfill. 

The Los Read More

Column: A Moral Tale for Groundhog Day

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By Jody Benson
Los Alamos

Saturday, Feb. 2, demarcates the point in the calendar halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox.

In simpler times, (prior to anthropogenic green-house gases causing climate change with the resulting unpredictability of atmospheric conditions) on this day—Groundhog Day—it would be up to the groundhog to partner with his shadow to determine the weather for the next six weeks.

Here in New Mexico, as many of you already know, we do not have groundhogs. Rather we have gophers. Los Alamos’s own rodent celebrity, the glow-in-the-dark gopher, Gus,

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Column: Simply the Los Alamos County Municipal Building

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Column by Greg Kendall

There is no question that Jeannette Wallace was an outstanding woman who represented Los Alamos well at the state legislature for many years.  

Wallace was elected 11 times to represent District 43 in the State House. She served 22 years there, which is quite amazing.  

Wallace served our citizens several terms on the Los Alamos County Council. She was very active with the schools, Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts and served as a Sunday school teacher and did so much more for our community.

The plaque that now hangs at the “Jeannette O. Wallace” hall on the
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Money IQ: SBA 504 Loans

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Money IQ
By AL HERNANDEZ

SBA 504 Loans

The U.S. Government offers a number of business assistance programs through various entities, the most well-known of which is the Small Business Administration (SBA.)

The SBA offers direct, indirect, sponsored and guaranteed loan programs largely through existing lending institutions in your community and throughout the country.

This column is going to focus on just one of the many SBA products, the SBA 504 Loan program. 

For small businesses that are currently paying rent, outgrowing their current space or even needing to downsize, the SBA’s Read More

Food on the Hill: Parmesan and Black Pepper Crackers

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This week’s recipe:
 
Parmesan and Black Pepper Crackers

Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.com

 
Ingredients….
 
1 1/2 cups flour
3 cups (8 oz) shredded Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup Kraft Parmesan- Romano cheese
1 tablespoon fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
5-7 tablespoons water

Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.com

 
In a large bowl mix together, flour, cheese, pepper and salt until well blended.

  Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.com

 

Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or two knives. Cut in until the mixture looks like coarse
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Column: Some Reflections on Conflicts

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Some Reflections on Conflicts
 
Column by Elena Yang

There are functions of conflicts that aren’t necessarily destructive. This notion really jarred me when I was reading for my PhD courses. 

And I am still not sure that I am terribly fond of this notion. I accept that differences can serve us beneficially: diversity of thinking, logic, styles, and ideas.   

And I can imagine that certain conflicts may bring about positive changes, as the case in the “parallel process” discussed in the last two column’s entries clearly demonstrated. 

What disturbs me about Read More