Columns

Column: Pikas – Icons of the High Country

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PEEC Amateur Naturalist: Pikas – Icons of the High Country
Column by Robert Dryja

Winter has come to the ski slopes above Los Alamos. A walk through the area shows all of the slopes now covered by snow – the silence is profound except when the ski lifts are running. 

As people ride the lifts to the top of the mountain, they pass over a mass of broken rock without realizing that small creatures, icons of the high country, are just a few feet below them.

Pikas are the icons who rest quietly in their rocky dens, waiting for spring. A talus slope of snow-covered broken rock forms a roof above them Read More

Column: Just Trust Me on This, Go to a Poetry Reading

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Just Trust Me on This, Go to a Poetry Reading
By Bonnie Gordon
 
Last night I went to a poetry reading. The poet was Jon Davis, Santa Fe’s newest poet laureate.

Jon was reading at Mesa Public Library as part of Authors Speak series. I love poetry readings but I hadn’t made it to one for a couple of years.

Santa Fe Poet Laureate Jon Davis. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon

I should go to more poetry readings and you should too. Here’s why.

Poetry reveals the inner workings of another person’s mind and how they perceive the world as no other medium can.  

Most people process things through language. Even if Read More

Movie Review: ‘Les Miserables’ – a Story that Stands the Test of Time

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Anne Hathaway in ‘Les Miserables.’ Courtesy/Universal
 
Les Miserables – a Story that Stands the Test of Time
Review by Kirsten Laskey

A truly great story contains a special quality. It can be revisited again and again and never become dull or tired. Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables” is one of these stories.

The French writer wrote the story in 1862. It transferred from paper to stage in 1985 and became the second longest-running musical in the world.

Then in 2013, “Les Miz” transformed again, this time as a movie. And that special quality has never faded.

The musical, which Read More

Column: Knee Injuries and Alignment

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By Jessica Kisiel M.S.

Contrary to popular belief your knee is not a fragile joint. It is designed to run, jump, ski and perform all the activities you ask of it. The knee is actually a simple joint with a complex job.

Acting as a hinge joint, the knee flexes and extends the lower leg. The complexity of the joint lies in its role in coordinating and synchronizing the movement between the hip and ankle.

Your body is linked together in a kinetic chain and works as a unit. No joint or muscle works in isolation. Just try to bend or extend your knee without involvement from the hip, ankle or pelvis. It’s Read More

Money IQ: 2013 Estate Tax and Annual Gift Tax Exemption Limits

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Money IQ
By Dara L. McKinney

2013 Estate Tax and Annual Gift Tax Exemption Limits

Although Congress temporarily avoided the “fiscal cliff”, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (“Act”), enacted Jan. 2, 2013, made some permanent changes with respect to the lifetime estate and gift tax exemptions that may affect your estate plan.

This column outlines two key changes and also discusses how the annual gift tax exemption may be used as an estate planning tool.

Lifetime Estate and Gift Tax Exemptions: 

Legislators permanently approved the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption (also referred Read More

How to Make Those New Years Resolutions STICK!

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How to Make Those New Years Resolutions STICK!
By Kelly McLoughlin

It’s my favorite time of year again, the beginning! Out with the old and in with the new!

I have a little ritual I do every January. I make a vision board of all the things I want to attract to myself in the upcoming year.

I gather pictures and affirmations from old magazines and paste them onto a piece of poster board. For example: I cut out a picture of a bicycle and a really fit looking woman and find the letters “I now have a fit, healthy body” or, “I happily exercise 5x a week”. I may add some great pictures of a vacation spot I Read More

Food on the Hill: Jager-Sahne Schitznel

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This week’s recipe:

Jager-Sahne Schitznel

Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.com

Ingredients...

1 pound of pork tenderloin, sliced on a diagonal
2 eggs, beaten  2 cup bread crumbs
2/3 cup oil
4 strips of bacon (diced)
1/2 onion -chopped fine
1/2 carrot- chopped fine
2/3 cup pearl onions
1 teaspoon worcestshire sauce
12-16 oz of fresh mushrooms ( i use a mix of what I can find), sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon veal stock concentrate(can get it from whole foods)
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup of cream                  
Read More

Column: Part II – Parallel Process of Intergroup Dynamics

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Parallel Process of Intergroup Dynamics: How Men’s Covert Conflicts Got Expressed in Overt Conflicts Between Women – Part II, Intervention and Outcomes

By Elena Yang

The principle of parallel process can be applied to intervention. A small group of representatives chosen from the larger system can grapple with pertinent issues, unpack the layering of conflicts, understand their emotions and the sources, and imperatively, reflect back their lessons to the larger system.  

In this case of “Fixing the Women,” Smith and his colleagues created a “microcosm group” to identify issues, Read More

Letter to the Editor: Name Building for Values

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By John Bartlit
Los Alamos
 I offer a different idea for naming the new municipal building.
 
The idea is to use the opportunity to honor and publicize a precious concept of governance and citizenship rather than for any individual in the process.
I suggest the name “Los Alamos Community Town Hall.”
 
“Community” emphasizes that Los Alamos is uniquely a county-town, yet is one community.
 
“Municipal Building” and “Town Hall” are historical synonyms. “Town Hall” is a fresh, yet old and powerful concept of democracy.
“Town Hall” brings to mind the historic American values
Read More

Money IQ: What’s In Store For 2013

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Money IQ
By Eric Loucks

What’s In Store For 2013

As we start the New Year there are many forces in play that can have an influence on the stock markets, not only in the United States but around the world

All eyes continue to be on Washington as the Fiscal Cliff issues continue to dominate the airwaves.

Taxes and tax rates have been established, however, the debt issues will remain in the headlines as Washington gears up for another round of budget talks and budget battles in February.

Everyone is hoping for a permanent solution that makes the government’s finances sustainable. The key decision makers Read More