Opinion

Wallace: Nuclear Weapons Testing

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By TERRY WALLACE
Colorado
(Former LANL Director)

On December 18, 1970, a nuclear weapons test was conducted in an underground shaft at the Nevada Test Site. The test, code-named Baneberry, was detonated at a depth of about 900 feet. Baneberry was a relatively small weapons test and was conducted at Yucca Flats (a large playa) in alluvial soil derived from surrounding deposits of volcanic tuff. Within the alluvium, there were intermittent seams of montmorillonite clay that were saturated with water. The drill hole was filled with a concrete plug and sorted materials; the procedure for plugging Read More

Neeper: About Those Medical Measurements Pertaining To Political Choices

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By DONALD NEEPER
Los Alamos resident 1968-2014

John Bartlit’s column of Oct. 26 (link) reviewed medical measurements which showed that political choices are set more by brain history than by logical choice. The measurements could support the idea that the desire for group acceptance is an inherited feature that enhanced the survival of early Homo sapiens.

In my recent book on our societal polarization, I reviewed numerical models based on the shifting internal rules of behavior that we each carry. The models, published in 2021, predicted irreversible polarization in America.

On a continental Read More

Op-Ed: Former Los Alamos County Councilors Express Support For GRT Proposal

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By Former Los Alamos County Councilors:

We write to express our support for the nominal increase in Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) to be considered this evening by our County Councilors.

We are County residents and former Councilors whose service to Los Alamos and LANL spans decades and whose perspectives cover the spectrum of political positions.

Key responsibilities of our County government are the maintenance of basic governmental services and support for an enhanced quality of life, including public safety, housing, infrastructure, the local business community, and schools. Our property Read More

Op-Ed: Support For Española Pathways Shelter

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By Pastor Russ Hall
Valley View United Methodist

We all know that the pain of addiction, grief, and homelessness runs deeply within this community. We see the symptoms of decades of systems, structures, and neglect that is tearing families apart. We do not have to bring in outsiders to fill the Española Pathways Shelter because it is full with our sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, friends and community members who would otherwise be bereft.

The Española Pathways Shelter is a presence of hope in this community to those who have lost hope. We cannot imagine, nor do we want our community to endure Read More

Orth: LWV’s Stance On Voter Photo ID Laws 

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By FELICIA ORTH
President
Los Alamos League of Women Voters

Delia Cruz-Murphy posed two valid and timely questions to the League of Women Voters: What is the League’s position regarding any requirement that a voter show proof of citizenship before casting a vote, and why does the League feel that such a requirement would be problematic (link)?

The League of Women Voters supports free, fair, and accessible elections for all eligible Americans, and we oppose efforts to create barriers that block citizens from fully participating in our democracy. We believe it is wrong to pass laws that deny Read More

Tales Of Our Times: Hi-Tech Probes Show Partisans’ Minds ‘Thinking’ In A Democracy

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Tales Of Our Times
By JOHN BARTLIT
Los Alamos

Hi-Tech Probes Show Partisans’ Minds ‘Thinking’ In A Democracy 
Political rivals have endless reasons why today’s political “claptrap” is a “logical” outcome of how their “evil” rival thinks and acts. But when did you last see these fiery rivals turn a spotlight on functional magnetic resonance imaging (aka fMRI)? The tool is a modern marvel that dates from 1990. See “fMRI” on the Internet.

Such wonders! The tool’s first wonder is how we can “see” a brain at work by detecting tiny magnetic differences outside the skull due to blood inside the

Read More

Op-Ed: A Bike Park Is A Smart, Community-Inspired Investment In Los Alamos’s Future

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By JAMES WERNICKE 
Bike Park Working Group Member

Outdoor, all-ages, all-abilities recreation that fosters physical health and social connection is as much a part of Los Alamos’s identity as its scientific legacy.

We are a community that plans and deliberates carefully—perhaps to a fault—and consistently expresses that we value our natural assets, quality of life, fiscal responsibility, and operational excellence.

While some may view it as “excessive”, the proposed North Mesa Bike Park represents a fiscally prudent, environmentally responsible, and community-supported Read More

Mason: Raising Gross Receipts Tax Could Hinder LANL’s Growth–And The Region’s Prosperity

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By Director Thom Mason
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Next week, the Los Alamos County Council will consider two measures to increase the gross receipts tax rate paid by residents and businesses located within the county’s boundaries. I am writing to express my concern about this proposed increase because, as the budget at Los Alamos National Laboratory has begun to stabilize after several years of growth, we did not anticipate this additional cost.

The projected increase to LANL is expected to be roughly $13.5 million a year, or $135 million over 10 years. This proposed increase will have Read More

Op-Ed: No Kings Protest 2.0 Showcases Unity

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By KELLY DOLEJSI
Los Alamos

Saturday’s No Kings events across the U.S. likely included some Marxists and anti-fascists, but the overwhelming majority of those peacefully protesting were there because we don’t want one branch of government to rule unchecked by the other two. Such a government is unconstitutional and anti-American.

The protest included the expected Progressives and Democrats, but also Centrists and former Republicans, united in our strong disapproval of how the president insults, indicts, lies about, fires, or otherwise ruins those who publicly disagree with him.

We Read More

Review: The Internet Is Distra – Oh Look A Kitten!

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Catch the LAHS Olions’ production of ‘The Internet is Distra — Oh Look a Kitten!’ at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday at Los Alamos High School’s Black Box Theater. Photo by Zach Sestric

By KELLY DOLEJSI
Los Alamos

Hey, excuse me.

Yes, you!

Can I have your attention? I know it’s hard with the whole Internet going on and all the pesky things happening IRL (In Real Life), but I saw a show this weekend at Los Alamos High School that you’ve got to see.

The LAHS Olions’ one-act play, “The Internet is Distra — Oh Look a Kitten!” by Ian McWethy and directed by LAHS student Zachary Sestric, is one of Read More