World

Los Alamos Rotarian Recounts Safaris In South Africa

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A giraffe encountered during a safari in 2017 in South Africa. Photo by Alison Pannell

By LINDA HULL
Vice President
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

“Game viewing and bird watching are two of the most fascinating and rewarding experiences one can ever have,” Rotarian Alison Pannell said as she described parts of her many safari travels in South Africa to the Rotary Club of Los Alamos during its first meeting of the year, Jan. 4 via Zoom.

Enhancing her presentation with photos she took in 2017, Pannell explained that her travels with a Los Alamos friend included touring Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, northeast Read More

Albuquerque FBI: Man From Saudi Arabia Sentenced To 30 Months In Federal Prison For Illegal Possession Of Firearm And Ammunition

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE – Hassan Alqahtani, 29, of Saudi Arabia, was sentenced Jan. 6 in federal court to two years and six months in prison for being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

A jury convicted Alqahtani May 14, 2021.

According to a criminal complaint and other court records, the FBI received a tip Aug. 8, 2019, about Alqahtani, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, illegally possessing a firearm and making threats. Law enforcement executed a search warrant Dec. 12, 2019, at Alqahtani’s residence and discovered a loaded firearm and ammunition.

As an international student on a F1 student Read More

Military Order Of The World Wars Features Presentation By Bob Hull On Havana Syndrome Tuesday Jan. 18

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Bob Hull

MOWW News:

The Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) will feature a talk by Bob Hull of Los Alamos on the Havana Syndrome – “Anomalous Health Incident” or Government Personnel Under Attack at its monthly meeting Tuesday, Jan. 18.

In his talk, Hull will present background information on what the U.S. government initially referred to as “an anomalous health incident” in 2016 that has since become known as the “Havana Syndrome”.

Hull will discuss similar incidents reported by CIA, State Department and military personnel across six continents and the reported health symptoms, results Read More

AGU: North Pole Solar Eclipse Excites Auroras On The Other Side Of The World

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Energy and particles from the sun interact with gases in the atmosphere to create stunning light shows called auroras, like this instance of the Southern Lights seen from the International Space Station in 2012. Courtesy/AGU

AGU News:

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A solar eclipse over the Arctic created changes in auroras in both of Earth’s hemispheres due to connections through the planet’s magnetic field, according to a new study.

The new work could help scientists predict changes in the near-Earth environment that can interfere with satellite communication.

June 10, 2021, the moon’s shadow darkened Read More

New Mexico District 5520 Rotarians Travel To Tulsa For 2022 South Central Youth Exchange Conference

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From left, New Mexico Rotarians from District 5520 attended a youth exchange conference in Tulsa, Okla., last weekend, from left, District Governor-nominee Richard Haas of Las Cruces, Los Alamos Rotarians Melissa and Rob Metcalf and Laura Gonzales, Cassidy Gardner of Albuquerque, Rotex (Rotary Youth Exchange intermediaries between Rotarians and exchange students), and District 5520 Country Coordinators Bianca and JP Cheney of Roswell. Courtesy photo

By LINDA HULL
Vice President
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

Los Alamos Rotarians Rob and Melissa Metcalf and Laura Gonzales have just returned Read More

Scientists Build Atlas Of Ocean’s Oxygen-Starved Waters

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Courtesy/MIT

MIT News:

Life is teeming nearly everywhere in the oceans, except in certain pockets where oxygen naturally plummets and waters become unlivable for most aerobic organisms.

These desolate pools are “oxygen-deficient zones,” or ODZs. And though they make up less than 1 percent of the ocean’s total volume, they are a significant source of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Their boundaries can also limit the extent of fisheries and marine ecosystems.

Now MIT scientists have generated the most detailed, three-dimensional “atlas” of the largest ODZs in the world. The new Read More

Animal Of The Day: Water Vole

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A water vole nibbles on a berry somewhere in Europe. Courtesy/animalresourcefoundation.com

Animal Resource Foundation News:

Today’s animal is the water vole. Here is everything you need to know about these small creatures. 

Appearance

  • The European water vole can grow up to nine inches in length, not including the tail.
  • Their tails can reach up to half their body length.
  • Water voles have dark brown fur with slightly lighter underbellies. Their coloring evolved to blend in with their environment.
  • They average 2 to 5 oz. 

Range

You can find water voles in the following countries: 

  • Europe
  • Russia
Read More

Fr. Glenn: Cause To Endure

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By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Well, here we are in the new year and we’re still stuck with the same problem—that ol’ COVID just keeps on lingering. Many are exasperated and cry out: “I’m tired of this!” Well, yes … but like gravity, it doesn’t care whether you’re tired or not; it just keeps acting according to its nature. And, as with adverse weather, we have to deal with it, like it or not.

As with many natural tragedies—or even with notable events like unusual eclipses and celestial events—the doomsayers come out of the woodwork, and we certainly have no shortage of them in our present challenges. As tragic and Read More

Rotary: Heather McClenahan Presentation On 80th Anniversary Of Bombing Of Pearl Harbor

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Heather McClenahan

By LINDA HULL
Vice President
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

Dec. 7, in recognition of the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Heather McClenahan, former executive director of the Los Alamos Historical Society, spoke to members of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos via Zoom from her home in Las Cruces.

McClenahan began with a thought-provoking quote by Robert Citino, senior historian of the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, “No moment in the history of the United States casts a longer shadow than Pearl Harbor.”

Her presentation explained why.

In 1941 World War Read More

Air Force Research Laboratory Detects Moon Around Asteroid With Smallest Telescope Yet

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AFRL’s 3.5 meter telescope on Kirtland AFB, N.M. uses its laser to produce a guide star for a reference for adaptive optics, and previously held the record for the smallest telescope to image an asteroid’s satellite. The larger of the two domes to its left houses the 1.5 meter telescope, which now holds the record, without using a laser. Photo by Robert Fugate

By Dr. JACK DRUMMOND 
AFRL

Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Starfire Optical Range (SOR)* telescope on Kirtland Air Force Base near Albuquerque, recorded an image Nov. 29, 2021, of an of asteroid (22) Kalliope and its natural satellite Read More