Fr. Theophan: Centering
Pottery. Courtesy/Fr. Theophan
By Fr. Theophan Mackey
Saint Job of Pochaiv Orthodox Church
Los Alamos
Over the past few weeks, I have been showing some people how to throw pottery, to form it on the pottery wheel. It is an ancient process, made much easier by electric motors and premixed, homogenized clay.
The hardest thing for beginners to get is centering the clay, getting the clay perfectly balanced in the middle of the spinning wheel. It takes experience and feel for pressing in on the clay while also pressing down, so that the clay has no other place to go than into the center of the wheel head. Read More
Cinema Cindy Reviews ‘Barbie’
By CYNTHIA BIDDLECOMB
Los Alamos
Get your pink on! Barbie has come to town. Greta Gerwig’s much-reviewed and highly rated film has been raking in ticket sales for a month, now, and it is finally showing in our town at SALA. Barbie is well worth your time. But be quick, as the film closes Thursday Aug. 31.
Across the nation and around many parts of the globe, people are coming to showings of Barbie dressed in pink or wearing outfits that Barbie might have worn. The first night at SALA, this was definitely the case in our audience. A party atmosphere pervaded the theater.
Ruth Handler, President of Mattel Read More
Denish: Biden Brings Relentless Optimism To New Mexico
By DIANE DENISH
Corner to Corner
© 2023 New Mexico News Services
President Biden returned to New Mexico recently for the third time since becoming president.
I was thrilled to support the president and attend a private event soon after his arrival in Albuquerque. As is usually the case, there was a wait for the president to arrive. The welcome downpour didn’t dampen our enthusiasm. Folks were looking forward to giving him a warm welcome unlike the recent “welcome” editorial in the Albuquerque Journal.
For context, the editorial consisted of a 1,000-word litany of complaints with specific Read More
Dannemann: Civics Helps Make Democracy Work
By Merilee Dannemann
Triple Spaced Again
© 2023 New Mexico News Services
If we want our country to continue to be a representative democracy that works – and I hope we all do – as citizens we need to know more than a little about how it functions. Some of us have worried in recent years that young people are not learning enough about civics in school.
The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has stepped up to contribute with a new program called the National Civics Bee.
The program, a contest for middle school students, is in the second year of its pilot phase, and New Mexico is one of the Read More
Travel: If There’s A Heaven On Earth, It’s Vermejo
One of the many lakes at Vermejo. Photo by Debbie Stone
Catskill Kilns. Photo by Debbie Stone
By DEBBIE STONE
Santa Fe
I finally hooked a big one! A six-foot, five-inch, 220 pounder! No, it wasn’t a fish, unfortunately, but rather my fly fishing guide, Aiden. Embarrassing to say the least, as my fly landed right in his chin. Thankfully, after some very dexterous “surgery” he was able to remove it. And he graciously told me it wasn’t the first time.
I had never tried fly fishing prior to this attempt but had always admired those I had seen participating in the sport. It looked like a beautifully choreographed Read More
McQuiston: Basic Home Maintenance Tips To Help Protect Against Water Damage
By ALLEN MCQUISTON
Jemez Insurance Agency
If you’re a homeowner, you may be surprised to learn that the bulk of water damage to a home isn’t due to natural disasters or flooding.
It’s actually due to unchecked plumbing issues that lurk on the property — things like slow leaks, corroded pipes, and degraded valves and supply lines. Even your water make-up can be a culprit.
Fortunately, many of these issues are preventable with some basic, proactive home maintenance.
Do you want to reduce the chances of water damage in your house?
Maintenance tips that risk control specialists recommend:
- Locate
Gessing: Time For All-Of-The-Above Approach To Education
By PAUL J. GESSING
President
Rio Grande Foundation
New Mexico should be in crisis mode. Our K-12 education system is certainly facing a crisis. Problems abound: recent reports highlight serious school attendance issues, the NAEP (known as the “Nation’s Report Card” test places New Mexico 52nd across ALL age groups and subjects studied, the Kids Count report shows New Mexico kids are losing ground, and no one seems to have a solution. Education spending has increased markedly in recent years with nothing to show for it.
With New Mexico already suffering from poor educational outcomes the COVID Read More
