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Articles by Jody Benson
Free Palestine Film Series ‘Seeds Of Liberation’ To Be Presented 6:30 PM Today At SALA
By JODY BENSON, Los Alamos Saturday is the No Kings Protest at Ashley Pond Park and across the nation. It’s all connected. All struggles for justice — across geography, race, and history, from the American Civil Rights Movement to the struggle for justice in Gaza — grow from the same seed. It is in this vein of working against totalitarianism that the Free Palestine Movie Series is presenting “Seeds of Liberation” at 6:30 p.m. today, Oct. 13 at SALA.
At our 9/11 climb, I carried Tom Haskell's name
About: 9/11 2025 Memorial Hike Subject: At our 9/11 hill climb, I carried Tom Haskell's name Date: Sept. 13, 2025 Dear Seaford 9/11 Memorial Committee, Years ago, an Iraq War veteran who, as so many veterans do, continued to serve and protect the nation as a firefighter in Los Alamos. Here in New Mexico, he wanted to honor the men who inspired him with their sacrifice. To those ends, he helped organize the Los Alamos 9/11 Memorial Hill Climb.
Benson: And Then They Came For Me…
Interfaith leaders hold a prayer vigil for justice at the Roundhouse on Monday as hundreds march from the Santa Fe Farmers Market to the Capitol in support of immigrants’ rights.
Women help keep holy days humming along
“I’m sick of Christmas,” my friend said. “Every year shopping baking, writing cards, addressing envelopes, more shopping, decorating, entertaining, cooking the Christmas dinner. … The kids and grandkids always come to Mom’s house. I have to do everything. It’s not like I’m the only one here — after all, I’m married. But does he ever help? He thinks he’s done enough if he pulls out his credit card.” “It’s been the same since the first Christmas,” I agreed theologically. “Mary did everything then, too.
Benson: Meditation For Women Too Busy For Christmas
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos I’m sick of Christmas,” my friend said. “Every year it’s the same thing. Shopping, baking, writing cards, addressing envelopes, more shopping, decorating, entertaining, cooking the Christmas dinner…. The kids and grandkids always come to mom’s or grandma’s house for their Christmases. I have to do everything. It’s not like I’m the only one there—after all, I’m married. But does HE ever help? No. All he does is come home and enjoy the place.
Benson: Dia De Los Votas Tuesday Nov. 4
Chalk art frog at LAHS. Courtesy image By JODY BENSON Los Alamos League of Women Voters This morning when a friend and I were decrying the (what else) seeming dissolution of American democracy, I asked him, “Have you already voted?” He shrugged and with a dismissive shake of the head said, “Nah, I don’t vote in local elections. They don’t really matter. I leave it to people who really care about those issues.” Uh, “Brad”, that’s a NO. Our Constitution set up a system that is Bottom Up, not Top Down.
Letter To The Editor: David Hampton For UNM-LA Advisory Board
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos We have some good candidates running for the UNM-LA Advisory Board, and top among them is David Hampton. David Hampton is committed to community service. He has served on multiple Boards. Those that I remember without googling include the P&Z, County Transportation, Arts Council, Parks and Rec, the Coop—and most importantly for this endorsement, the UNM-LA Advisory Board.
Letter To The Editor: Whose Side Am I On?
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos Andi Kron sent a heartfelt letter to the world’s population asking: “Whose Side are You On.” She asks why people protest against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the Israeli settlers’ takeover of ancestral Palestinian land in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. As a girl, I read Ann Frank.
Free Film: ‘Where Olive Trees Weep’ At SALA July 22
Courtesy image By JODY BENSON Los Alamos How was the European Holocaust possible? How could a Christian Europe that originated the ideal of the rights of man and the value of individual citizens—how could Europe decide that certain populations weren’t human enough to be afforded these rights? And more, for humans alive in the world today who are surely cognizant of the Nazi Holocaust after which the world declared, “Never Again!”—why are we doing it again now in Gaza?
Letter To The Editor: Response To Rabbi Shlacter
By First, thanks to Jack Shlachter for bringing attention to the Palestinian Summer Series and for advocating for free speech and discussion (link). The Series will be Free at SALA at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays: July 22, Aug. 5, and 19, and Sept. 9,10, and 11. And in fact, education and discussion are the purpose of this series. Rabbi Shlacter is correct that peace requires discernment and an unwavering rejection of hate.
Letter To The Editor: Vietnam Veterans Day
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos I invited a friend to dinner for Vietnam Veterans Day—he, a Vietnam Vet in the 8th Infantry who got “in country” right after TET, and I, ARC SRAO (Donut Dollie) attached to the US military in Korea. Later I was thinking about that half century between our service and now.
Benson: ‘No Other Land’ Is About The Struggle To Be Recognized As Human Beings…
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos The Los Alamos Unitarian Church presented on March 25 the Academy Award winning documentary, No Other Land, directed by two Palestinians and two Israelis, about the systematic destruction of the villages in Masafer Yatta in the southern Occupied West Bank of Palestine. This film is not about Gaza or Hamas. It is about the West Bank. There is no Hamas in the West Bank. People of the West Bank did not commit the 10-7 terror attack on the Nova Music Festival.
Here’s Where I’ve Found Leisure and Joy in Motherhood
Berthe Morisot’s 1883 painting Young Woman Knitting has been my desktop background for a few years now. Morisot’s scattered and sweeping strokes are balanced by the stillness of a woman at her task. To depict such a mundane moment was somewhat controversial in nineteenth-century France, as those subjects were not seen as valuable or of academic interest. Morisot reminds us that beauty and joy exist in our ordinary lives.
Here’s Where I’ve Found Leisure and Joy in Motherhood
Berthe Morisot’s 1883 painting Young Woman Knitting has been my desktop background for a few years now. Morisot’s scattered and sweeping strokes are balanced by the stillness of a woman at her task. To depict such a mundane moment was somewhat controversial in nineteenth-century France, as those subjects were not seen as valuable or of academic interest. Morisot reminds us that beauty and joy exist in our ordinary lives.
Benson: Be A Hero
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos What if you were offered a quick, easy, inexpensive way to clean up litter, lower chemical pollution, and reduce endocrine disruption affecting sexual development and obesity? What if I told you that this action contributes to a healthier, cleaner future for you and your kids? Would you think about it, or dismiss the offer out of hand? (Remember, it’s quick, cheap, easy.) What is this tiny little action? Just bring your own shopping bags wherever you go.
Los Alamos Vote Center Details For Election Day Nov. 5
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos Los Alamos County has numerous Vote Centers to be open on Election Day, Nov. 5. If you are registered in Los Alamos County, you can vote from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at any Vote Centers. In Los Alamos: County Municipal Building at 1000 Central Ave.; UNM-LA at 4000 University Drive; Betty Eart Senior Center at 1101 Bathtub Row accessible from Rose Street; and Golf Course Multi-Purpose Room at 4244 Diamond Drive. In White Rock: White Rock Town Hall at 139 Longview Drive.
Mobile Voting Unit Available For Convenience
Poll workers set up the Mobile Voting Unit at Sullivan Field on Wednesday morning. Los Alamos County Clerk Naomi Maestas, her staff, and Emergency Services Commander Beverley Simpson worked for grants to buy this Mobile Voting Unit. Courtesy photo Poll workers set up the Mobile Voting Unit at Sullivan Field on Wednesday morning. Courtesy photo By JODY BENSON Los Alamos If you’ve lived in the region for a while, you know that frequent wildfires rage through the state to disrupt our lives.
Benson: Remember To Vote!
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos Have you voted yet? If yes, thank you for voting your values to make your voice heard in how you want to be represented to continue the functioning of our representative democracy. If no, then here’s some information to help the undecided voter, or the who-cares voter, understand the issues and choose the candidates and positions that reflect your values.
A Day in the Life of a Seminarian: Finding Joy in Community
As the sun begins to rise over Seton Hall’s quiet campus in South Orange, New Jersey, Deacon Andrew Rubinich begins his day at Immaculate Conception Seminary. He puts on his Roman collar and heads to chapel for Morning Prayer and Holy Mass. A seminarian’s day pulses with prayer. "We pray the Liturgy of the Hours at several points throughout the day, and that’s core to our prayer life," says Rubinich, a New Jersey native.
Benson: You, Too, Can Vote Tuesday, June 4
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos People ignore the Primaries because they believe that there aren’t candidates with any opposition so why bother. Or maybe they didn’t get around to registering. Or they registered Declined to State and in NM, because we have “closed primaries” you must be a registered Republican or Democrat to be able to vote. Or hey (and this seems pretty popular)—who cares. Let’s start with the first excuse.
Profiles in Faith: The Stories That Shape Seton Hall’s ICSST Community
The responsibilities of those in ministry are considerable and widely known, but what often is not realized is the prayer, discernment and academic formation that form the foundation of ministry. Seton Hall’s Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology (ICSST) now highlights both the ministerial and spiritual lives of students and alumni in its Pathways 4:12 "Profiles in Faith" series.
Discovering the Beauty of Quiet Leadership — Catholic Women in Business
One of my first managers, during an internship I had as an undergraduate, was an introvert. However, I wonder how many people would have known that fact about her if she hadn’t told us. One brisk winter day, she took our team out to dinner. I noticed how she connected well with everyone and attended to the needs of each person she met—needs that were probably foreign to the average person. To put it simply, she didn’t just get along with people; rather, she knew them deeply.
Tu B’Shevat, The Birthday Of All The Trees
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos Wednesday’s full moon brilliant enough to wake a hibernating bear and energize the rest of us to do all kinds of moon-crazy things—Wednesday’s brilliant full moon began Tu B’Shevat: the Birthday of all the Trees. Why do we need a tree birthday? According to the Law, Leviticus 19:23-25, we need to honor the tree and let it grow strong like a child into an adult before we demand it serves us.
Seeking Moral Vision in a Digital Age
In suburban America, we like our bumper stickers, yard signs, and graphic t-shirts. In the online world, we love our memes. But what happens when slogans become the basis for our conversations and influencers become the authority on which the conclusions of our moral debate rest? When I was in graduate school studying bioethics, I learned that moral dialogue is an art. The frameworks that guide this dialogue rely not just on medicine and law but also on philosophy and literature.
Creativity and Slow Work — Catholic Women in Business
Several years ago, I practiced long-distance running with a friend who was also a strong pacer. Pacing is essential to runners, because it helps them conserve the energy they need to complete long races. One of the strategies of pacing is to avoid going too quickly. In other words, runners are encouraged to go more slowly than they feel is necessary. The idea is that it’s easier to speed up than be forced by fatigue to slow down.
In Bethlehem, no Christmas celebrations this year
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Benson: Bethlehem Is Canceling Christmas
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos Christmas celebrates new birth that brings the hope of life renewed. Each of us is born to bring our own individual gifts to a world that, without every single us, is incomplete. In the Christian tradition, Jesus represents that helpless, marginalized infant whose survival depends on his family and the grace and generosity of a community of strangers.
Benson: Recap On Why We Have Kroger And The Giant Parking Lot
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos Thank you, Jim Rickman, for your excellent article about choosing a County Manager (“A Reality Check on County Manager Hiring” link). We have two good candidates: Tracey Jerome from El Paso, possibly one of the “outsider(s) and vagabond interjector(s) to get us across the rough seas of change” and our own Anne Laurent, both of whom will do a fine job.
Called to Kindness: Why Being Nice Isn’t Enough — Catholic Women in Business
While “be kind” may seem like nothing more than a bumper slogan, the command might carry more meaning than we think. At both home and work, we have the power to transform culture in both small and large ways, because we are invited to be the face of Christ in every moment. What does that look like, and how do we live that belief out? In “The Hidden Power of Kindness: A Practical Handbook for Souls Who Dare to Transform the World, One Deed at a Time,” Father Lawrence G.
Finding Peace While Working From Home With Children — Catholic Women in Business
For the past few years, I’ve wondered about the secret to balancing the work-from-home life with motherhood. But I’ve begun to realize that the reality of life as a working mother is much more nuanced than what the language of “balance” can offer. The word “balancing” suggests that we strive to invest an equal amount of time or energy into our work and our motherhood. But our motherhood doesn’t stop when our work begins, and sometimes, our work is carried into our domestic life.
Finding Patience and Gentleness With St. Jane Frances de Chantal — Catholic Women in Business
One of the first books on the lives of the saints I can recall reading as a young girl featured very general backgrounds of various saints. The pictures of the saints were tinted with a computer-generated glow, and the stories of their lives were so broad that they failed to show how these heavenly friends had to overcome struggles much like our own. I was left with the impression that saints were born perfect and destined for holiness.
Benson: Jobs For Northern New Mexico … Los Alamos Isn’t The Place For A Pit Factory
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos Hey! It’s Oppie month celebrating the geniuses who built the bomb. Los Alamos is still building bombs. Maybe we could rethink what requires genius. On Tuesday at the County Council Work Session, Kelly Beierschmitt, LANL Deputy Director of Operations, will present TRIAD’s Growth and Mission Support report.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha: A Holy Friend for Businesswomen — Catholic Women in Business
A common lament we hear of working life in America is “workism”—the idea that our career should offer us all the meaning and purpose we need. In an article for “The Atlantic,” Derek Thompson makes the case that work in today’s culture is becoming a religion for some, leading them to conflate their career with their sense of purpose and identity.
The Value of Keeping a Commonplace Book — Catholic Women in Business
You might be familiar with a diary or journal, but what about a commonplace book? Imagine a journal filled with meaningful thoughts, ideas, and quotations that you have collected through what you’ve read, heard, or studied. It complements any journaling habit you might already have in place. As a writer, I’ve kept this practice for many years, but it’s becoming more popular with creatives and business leaders. What Is a Commonplace Book? Commonplace books have been used throughout history.
Counteracting the Demands of Productivity by Seeing the Gift of Time — Catholic Women in Business
When our lives start feeling too busy, we often turn to books on time management. Rather than identifying something in our life that needs to change, we focus on productivity and efficiency. Thinking about productivity can be helpful when it helps us live a good life—to flourish and see our priorities and goals in the right way. For instance, I clean my house just enough to keep it healthy and sanitary, but I don’t want cleaning tasks to absorb the time I devote to prayer or leisure.
Reflections From High School Career Day: Integrating Career and Vocation
When I was invited recently to speak to a high school classroom of young women for their career day, I wanted to deliver a message that would resonate, encourage, and stand the test of time—a message I needed to hear as a young woman and a message I need to remind myself of each day. As I reflected on the structure of my talk, I realized that what was lacking for me in any discussion of career was how it would serve or be integrated into my vocation.
What Gus the Gopher can tell us about the future
Feb. 2 demarcates the point in the calendar halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox, which blew in like a lion last Monday in New Mexico. In simpler times, (prior to anthropogenic greenhouse gases causing climate change with the resulting predictability of drought, fires, floods and species extinction, but the rarely predictable weather) on that day — Groundhog Day — it would be up to the groundhog to partner with his shadow to determine the weather for the next six weeks.
Learning Prudence to Overcome Perfectionism — Catholic Women in Business
Editor’s note: This Lent, the Catholic Women in Business team is exploring the theme “Cultivating Virtue in the Desert.” Learn more here. I spent hours perfecting my first book. It might not seem like a bad thing, but it was problematic for two reasons. First, I believed that I could make the book flawless. Second, this belief took my time away from other work in my vocation. Perfectionism distorted my vision through hypercriticism, leading to pride.
Discernment and the Gift of Surprise — Catholic Women in Business
Managing a business is never easy. As a writer and editor, I find myself in a strange space where in order to do what I love (write and edit), I need to learn and use marketing, graphic design, website design, and social media skills. (I’m still learning and still haven’t made an Instagram reel!) The parts of my work I don’t love as much have always been a source of struggle for me in my discernment process: Do I continue pursuing this goal, even though some of it feels too challenging?
Benson: Gus, The Glow-In-The-Dark Gopher
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos Today demarcates the point in the calendar halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox. In simpler times, (prior to anthropogenic green-house gases causing climate change with the resulting predictability of drought, fires, floods, and species extinction, but the rarely predictable weather) on this day—Groundhog Day—it would be up to the groundhog to partner with his shadow to determine the weather for the next six weeks.
3 Lessons From Dorothy Day on Work — Catholic Women in Business
Dorothy Day is well known for living Catholic social teaching through her solidarity with the poor. She had profound views on everything from faith, prayer, and discipleship to beauty, love, and community. As I’ve read and learned more about her, I’ve also discovered the value of her insights on work, giving me yet another reason to study her life. I was specifically interested in what strengthened her each day to follow Christ.
On a frigid Friday, Los Alamos remembers
This frigid Friday morning at Guaje Pines Cemetery, members of the community put evergreen wreaths on the graves of veterans. Each veteran was marked with a little survey flag to make the slope of our beautiful cemetery bloom with flags erect in the frozen ground. Here in Los Alamos, many of these veterans were the parents who boomed the babies who were my classmates, as well as the teachers who taught us. Many served here with “Project Y” or came home from war in Europe, the Pacific, Korea.
On Veterans Day, Remember The Veterans Of COVID
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos Thank you for not forgetting the horrors of COVID! With the decision that SARS-CoV-2 is just an endemic killing only about 500 Americans a day; as we no longer mask while shopping or gathering as friends and family in enclosed spaces despite the onset of the “triple threat” of COVID, flu and RSV, let us not forget the horrible isolation and lost months (and lives) suffered by those living in care facilities.
Benson: My 102-Year-Old Mother Voted On Tuesday
Helen Benson, 102, was ‘treated like a queen’ Tuesday when poll workers ensured she was able to cast her ballot at the Los Alamos County Municipal Building. The machine counted her vote as #924. Courtesy photo By JODY BENSON Los Alamos Helen Benson voted Tuesday just as she has voted in every election—local, state, national—since she voted for FDR in 1942. In her long life, she has seen all flavors of government, in the US and around the world. She knows how important every individual vote is.
Letter To The Editor: I Voted For Randy Ryti, You Should Too And Here’s Why
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos As an elder of Los Alamos, I’ve sat through many (many many) County Council meetings since way back in the day when Council members and the two or three attendees would yell at each other like at a Texas school board meeting—way back before the Council decided to train to become an actually governing body guided by Robert’s Rules of Order that listened to constituents as a representative democracy.
Helen Benson Thanks Los Alamos County Clerk’s Office
Los Alamos resident and Republican Helen Benson thanks the Los Alamos County Clerk’s Office for helping her complete her vote. Photo by Jody Benson Today, Tuesday, June 7, is Election Day in the New Mexico Primary. Helen Benson, a registered Republican, has never—ever—missed an election since she cast her first ballot in 1942. This primary election, however, she missed the signature box on the interior privacy envelope. The Los Alamos Clerk’s Office called her; Helen retrieved her ballot.
Letter To The Editor: Tonight - Tell County Council To Initiate Long-Studied County-Wide Food-Waste Composting System
By JODY BENSON Los Alamos At tonight’s Council Meeting, the County will decide whether to approve what has been a years-long study to establish community food-waste composting.
Honoring Veterans: Wreaths Across America At Guaje Pines
The grave of Veteran and longtime Los Alamos physician John S. Benson at Guaje Pines. Courtesy photo By JODY BENSON Los Alamos This frigid Saturday morning at Guaje Pines Cemetery in Los Alamos, members of the community put evergreen wreaths on the graves of veterans (during the Wreaths Across America event). Each veteran was marked with a little orange survey flag that some organization had taken hours to locate and place.
Benson: Tell Los Alamos County Council That You Support ESB Pesticide Reduction Recommendation
Copyright © 2012-2021 Los Alamos Daily Post is the Official Newspaper of Record in Los Alamos County. This Site and all information contained here including, but not limited to news stories, photographs, videos, charts, graphs and graphics is the property of the Los Alamos Daily Post, unless otherwise noted. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the Los Alamos Daily Post and the author/photographer are properly cited.
Benson: ‘I Voted … I Made Freedom Count In Los Alamos’
Copyright © 2012-2021 Los Alamos Daily Post is the Official Newspaper of Record in Los Alamos County. This Site and all information contained here including, but not limited to news stories, photographs, videos, charts, graphs and graphics is the property of the Los Alamos Daily Post, unless otherwise noted. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the Los Alamos Daily Post and the author/photographer are properly cited.
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