Columns

McQuiston: Working At Home? Get Home Business Insurance

February 18, 2018 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

By ALLEN MCQUISTON

The Jemez Agency

I was talking with a client recently about how well her business was doing selling widgets on Amazon. She gets an order, boxes it up and sends it on its way. Simple. Until I had to deliver some news she was unaware of.

If her inventory catches fire in the garage, forget about it. Unless you have home insurance that specifically covers your home-based business, you’re on your own.

If you run a small business from your spare bedroom, chances are your homeowners insurance policy won’t cover a claim if your customer comes to your home to pick up some

Smart Design With Suzette: A Design Trend That’s Ruining Your Sleep Quality

February 16, 2018 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Surveys have found that people with blue-painted bedrooms get the most sleep. Courtesy photo

By SUZETTE FOX
Los Alamos

A good night’s sleep is incredibly important for health. In fact, just as important as eating right and exercising.

Your bedroom should be a healthy environment for getting rest. You might think that just having comfortable bedding is enough, but there are other factors in bedroom design that influence how well you’re able to sleep at night.

One design trend that’s incredibly popular, but a big problem for sleep, is light and bright bedrooms. Airy, sun-filled bedrooms Read More

Chandler: My Gig At The Legislature

February 15, 2018 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

By CHRISTINE CHANDLER

Los Alamos

I have been privileged to work for the New Mexico Legislature over the last several sessions. I was a legislative analyst for the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Los Alamos’ Sen. Richard Martinez.

This committee comprises some of the most experienced Senators and is known for its critical consideration of bills based on sound policy, consistency with existing statutes, and constitutionality.

What does an analyst do? Not all are attorneys, some are subject matter experts. Each legislative committee and the two parties have analysts during Read More

World Futures: Lying, Cheating And Stealing: Part 3

February 15, 2018 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

By ANDY ANDREWS
Los Alamos World Futures Institute

Cheating refers to gaining an unfair advantage in a competitive situation. Generally it refers to an individual, keeping in mind that a company is usually viewed as an individual entity.

Cheating is an act consciously taken to gain the unfair advantage. Wikipedia, defines three classes of cheating:

academic;
sports, video and gambling; and
business.

Accordingly, one can conclude that the government(s) does not cheat. Or does it?

Starting with academic cheating, if more than 50 percent of high school students do it, should we be concerned? Read More

Just One Thing To Do This Week: Go For Your Gold

February 15, 2018 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

By MARY BETH MAASSEN
Los Alamos

Meeting day-to-day expectations can be challenging. The sense of accomplishment in doing what needs to be done to successfully manage home and work and family is demanding enough for most of us. And then, there are the Olympians.

Many of us are enthralled by the Olympics. We watch the athletes twirl, skate, glide, and spin as they reach for Olympic gold. I come from a large family—meaning a family of very large people—and we consider the act of walking without falling to be an accomplishment. We are not coordinated. And yes, I am speaking on behalf of about 40 of us, brother Read More

This Week At The Reel Deal

February 15, 2018 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Home Country: Clumsy Life

February 12, 2018 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Home Country

By SLIM RANDLES

Dewey reached up to straighten his tie and stuck a finger up a nostril by mistake. Here he was, on the most momentous evening of his life and he couldn’t do one little thing right. Tie a tie. Every 9-year-old boy getting ready for church could do it, but not Dewey.

He cussed his awkwardness and inability to do anything short of causing a disaster. How many guys are there who could actually put a black baldy cow in a treetop? Just him. No … Dewey, our pharaoh of fertilizer because he could shovel it into a pickup without killing himself, was uniquely qualified in

Fr. Glenn: Dust And Ashes

February 11, 2018 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

By Rev. Glenn Jones

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church

Los Alamos

Durn.

While visiting my old parish briefly last week, I was informed that cancer—which she had valiantly defeated a few years ago—had returned in a wonderful 30-something young mother. But that ol’ cancer: no respecter of age or person, power or position is it. Prince or pauper, pope or private … life-threatening misfortune can hit any of us at any time, whether it be by sickness, accident or some other calamity. This only highlights one of Jesus’ most obvious, and yet most poignant, statements: “Watch, for you know neither Read More

Just One Thing To Do This Week: Find Another Way To Suck

February 10, 2018 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

By MARY BETH MAASSEN
Los Alamos

The other day I ran into my sister Laurie at Smith’s. As we are chatting I notice the clip display of flexible drinking straws. I reach over, grab a bag of straws, and drop them in my cart.

“No, no! We can’t use plastic straws,” my sister chided me. “It’s bad for marine life and birds and the environment. Over 500 million straws are thrown away every day.”

Sometimes my sister makes stuff up to get me do what she wants. Sometimes I make stuff up to get her to do what I want. We both know this. But this time, I knew she was right. But I looked it up anyway, just to check.

According the Read More

Community Playdate Draws 150 Children And Adults

February 10, 2018 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Enjoying the shredded paper pool. Courtesy photo

COMMUNITY News:

The Community Playdate event organized by Mesa Public Library and Los Alamos Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, Saturday, Feb. 3, was an enormous success with an estimated 150 adults and children in attendance.

This free, drop‐in event provided families the ability to peruse the Library’s new board book collection and sign up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library offered through JJAB.

Children also had the opportunity to sign up or check in for the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program offered at the library. Read More