Category Archives: loco

As Tip O’Neill never said, “All politics is loco.”

Election, loco

Pearce took $19,525 flight to Egypt (fiscal hypocrite)

Our conservative.

» Pearce took $19,525 flight to Egypt | ABQ Journal

Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., booked a $19,525 flight to Egypt last November, paid for by taxpayers, to visit members of the New Mexico National Guard, according to U.S. House foreign travel reports. …

An online search for round-trip airfare between Hobbs – Pearce’s hometown, where staff said the trip originated – and Cairo, leaving in less than two weeks with travel on same days of the week as Pearce, found tickets starting at $2,477.

That short-notice fare totals less than 13 percent of what taxpayers paid for Pearce’s trip. Fares for travel to Egypt leaving from Washington, D.C., were less than half that price, starting at $1,056. …

Meanwhile, Pearce has repeatedly warned that he believes financial belt-tightening is needed to catch up with Washington’s “spending problem.”

“Get yourselves efficient,” Pearce advised New Mexico federal workers in January amid a congressional fight on sequestration budget cuts that have since taken effect. “… I encourage the people in New Mexico to lead by example. Tighten your own belt and you’ll find yourself a winner as these cuts happen.”

The trip to Egypt wasn’t Pearce’s only trip to a foreign country within the past year. Other travel included trips to Ghana, the United Arab Emirates and Germany, although those trips had the international travel provided by the military, an option available to members of Congress.

Other members of New Mexico’s House delegation did not report any official foreign travel in 2012, according to House foreign travel records.

» Pearce took $19,525 flight to Egypt | ABQ Journal

Health, loco

ABQ Uptown Growers’ Market · Farm Fresh Produce · Locally Grown

Eat well and support local businesses that exist to nourish you and our community.

ABQ Uptown Growers’ Market · Farm Fresh Produce · Locally Grown

Opening June, 2013 – 2 Locations!

Tuesday Market 1200 Block of Central NE, across from Presbyterian Hospital
7AM – 1PM Starting June 25 – October 29.

Saturday Market at ABQ Uptown [across for Trader Joe’s]
7AM – Noon Starting June 29 – October 26.

ABQ Uptown Growers’ Market · Farm Fresh Produce · Locally Grown

alBAHquerque, loco

Scoundrels at ABQ Journal insult and slander those not out to make a buck off bosque development #abqbosque

» Editorial: Bosque project deserves real input, not posturing | ABQ Journal

It is extremely easy to criticize a project when you come late to the party and are unencumbered by facts.

» Editorial: Bosque project deserves real input, not posturing | ABQ Journal

Can you tell the Albuquerque Journal is a conservative business booster? That single sentence is viciously insulting to the caring people who oppose developing the bosque, who oppose deviating from preservation into exploitation. But the Urinal, as Jas. Mullany calls it, sells advertising and would love to sell a spread to the good merchants of the New And Improved Bosque-land, now with 20% more fun, coupon attached. But, wait, the scurrilous insults continue…

» Editorial: Bosque project deserves real input, not posturing | ABQ Journal

Evaluation is needed. Politically motivated NIMBY-ism is not. Albuquerque is bisected by an amazing natural resource that is currently most enjoyed by homeless squatters, drug addicts and juvenile delinquents. Law-abiding, nature-loving residents and visitors should also get to enjoy it. And they must protect it.

» Editorial: Bosque project deserves real input, not posturing | ABQ Journal

That’s right: the bosque isn’t “enjoyed” by tax-paying citizens or mega-corps, by decent neighbors, by Aldo Leopold or Dave Parsons or V.B. Price. The bosque isn’t “enjoyed” by free-loading wildlife — coyotes, porcupines, myriad birds. Because it lacks amenities you must pay for, it is “most enjoyed by” [insert any group you fear or disdain — liberals, for example]. We are law-abiding, nature-loving residents who also get to enjoy it. [See A Walk in Albuquerque’s Bosque » mjh’s blog.] And we will protect it, especially from the scoundrels at the Journal. [spit on the ground] peace, mjh

loco

But it’s a dry heat … a hellishly dry heat

Check out these headlines from today’s Albuquerque Journal, scattered among the day’s trivialities and ads:

and, paradoxically,

  • Snowstorm closes I-70 west of Denver (444 miles north of Abq)

And we end with gallows humor:

» Drought watch: quotes of the month | ABQ Journal

“I’m worried that the dirt’s gonna catch fire.”

– Adrian Oglesby, Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District board member

update: No sooner posted than we have a second contender:

“It’s forgotten how to rain down here.” Phil King, New Mexico State University/Elephant Butte Irrigation District hydrologist

» Drought watch: quotes of the month | ABQ Journal

Election, loco, NADA - New American Dark Ages

Are liberals crazy? Keep reading by Leslie Linthicum

I could kiss Leslie. That said, I’m leery of “biology is destiny.” I don’t want to believe that our views are hard-wired. However, we clearly have difficulty changing our views. Of course, we don’t know if brain differences are the result of attitude-views or vice versa.

» Are liberals crazy? Keep reading | ABQ Journal By Leslie Linthicum / Of the Journal on Thu, May 2, 2013

From a study published in “Biology,” MRIs of self-reported liberals found more volume in the anterior cingulate cortex of the brain, which provides tolerance to uncertainty, whereas self-reported conservatives had more volume in the right amygdala, where fear is processed.

From another study published in “Current Biology”: “In general, liberals are more open-minded, creative, curious, and novelty seeking, whereas conservatives are more orderly, conventional, and better organized.” And another study in the journal “Dreaming” that is even less responsive to your question but still interesting found conservatives slept more soundly and had mundane dreams while liberals were more restless sleepers with bizarre dreams.

» Are liberals crazy? Keep reading | ABQ Journal

I resisted linking to a study that showed that when packaging compared energy efficient bulbs to wasteful bulbs without comment, conservatives and liberals both bought energy efficiency. But when packaging added environmental messages, conservatives shunned those bulbs. peace, mjh

loco

Wind Makes Crazy

The official weather forecast for the next 3 days: “PM Blowing Dust.” Not until Wednesday does it rise to the level of “windy” by Abq standards.

“Weather Fact: April is Albuquerque’s windiest month, with an average speed of 10.2 mph. May is the next windiest, with an average of 9.9 mph, while June comes in third with an average of 9.2 mph. (Albuquerque National Weather Service)” [via abqjournal / Joe Diaz]

If you can sense the difference between 10.2 mph and 9.9 mph, more power to you. The three windiest months are in a row and we’re not a third through them. But what that leaves out are all those windy days in the months prior. And those are averages. A gust of 30mph is hardly noteworthy in Albuquerque. Sustained gusts of 60mph are not rare.

Yes, Wind Makes Crazy and all the trees are Whispering, “Rain!”