Archive for Uncategorized
White Wings Across America Event To Be Held On September 11 At Wildlife West
Tom Smylie of The Peregrine Fund releases doves at last year's event.
Public service announcement from Wildlife West Nature Park:
The second annual White Wings across America event will be held at Wildlife West Nature Park on September 11, 2010 in honor and memory of the police and fire rescue personnel that sacrificed their lives and/or service to our nation in time of great disaster. White doves will be released simultaneously all over America. Please join us for this event.
Thanks,
Roger Alink
Founder and Executive Director
AGENDA- Saturday September 11, 2010
- 9-11 ceremony at Wildlife West Nature Park- Free admission all day
- Ceremony at the Falcon Theater
- 9AM to 9:50 AM -Patriotic Music and police and fire units set up at falcon field –
- 10AM -Simultaneous Nationwide Dove release
- 10:05 AM –Comments by Mark Chavez- Fireman on Site at 911 aftermath
- 10:15 AM –Comments by Edgewood Police Chief James T. Daniels
- 10:25 AM- Prayer by Police Chaplain
- Snacks, social time and free park visitation all day
No Mosque At Ground Zero – For Starters, Because Nobody’s Proposing One
by John Weckerle
We had initially thought not to address the construction of a Muslim community center in downtown Manhattan (the Park51 Project, or Cordova House, commonly but mistakenly called the “Ground Zero Mosque), but since the East Mountain Tea Party has apparently decided to make this an election issue, we’ve decided to add some thoughts to the debate.
We’d like to begin, though, with a caution regarding a particular set of practices of discussion that seem to have become popular in certain quarters. The first is the device by which those who disagree with a particular position attempt to turn the argument back on the originator as some sort of personal critique. In spoken conversation, we often refer to this as the “I know you are, but what am I?” method, and have little use for it. The second is to just outright attack the person originating the position or those who agree with it in general. We’re not big on that one, either. We invite our readers to post whatever comments they like, but be aware that we will probably ignore these two literary devices where responding to comments is concerned.
We also have something to say to the nebulous “teapartynm” who posted the article: We don’t think you should have to put your money where your mouth is, but you should certainly put your name there if you truly believe in what you’re saying. To twist a line from the movie “Beetlejuice:” “Never trust the unidentified.”
»» No Mosque At Ground Zero – For Starters, Because Nobody’s Proposing One
Mesalands Announces Graduates of Moriarty Pilot Project
Press release from Mesalands Community College: Mesalands Community College is pleased to announce that eight students from the Estancia Valley have recently completed a short course of customized training in wind energy technology. This pilot project was developed by Mesalands Community College, the Estancia Valley Economic Development Association, the New Mexico Workforce Connection of Central New Mexico, and the City of Moriarty, to provide qualified wind energy technicians for this growing industry.
“This was a fast pace and intense program!” John Hail, Jr., Director and Instructor of the Wind Energy Technology Program at Mesalands said. “I believe this course will open up many doors for these students that were unemployed and seeking employment opportunities in an exciting new field.”
The classes took place in Moriarty and in Tucumcari, NM. The last week of classes entailed training at the North American Wind Research and Training Center (NAWRTC), where students had the opportunity to climb the College’s 1.5 megawatt wind turbine located on campus.
Students involved in this short course learned the basics of electricity, mechanics, hydraulics, and turbine safety in addition to safety climbing and working on an industrial wind turbine. The classes were comprised of the first year’s technical courses and included two climbs of the wind turbine.
The graduates of this course: David “Brooks” Dempsey, Paul Garcia, Jacky Harris, Eric Padilla, Tom Padilla, Sheila Pettingill, Brian Phillips and Joe Torres, all obtained an Occupational Certificate in Basic Wind Energy Technology.
Additional information about Mesalands and NAWRTC can be obtained at 911 South Tenth Street in Tucumcari, or at (575) 461-4413, or on the Web at www.mesalands.edu/wind.
Crank It, Baby!
by John Weckerle
Just a little over a month ago we published an article written by Margarita Mercure Hibbs on the subject of cancer and the upcoming Estancia Valley Relay for Life. This is a cause that your editor and his business have supported in the past, and will continue to support in the future.
Rather surprisingly, we got a nasty response from somebody who signed on as “Abe” and made some particularly inflammatory statements. Our response was to inform Ms. Hibbs immediately – and to essentially accuse Abe of not being who he said he was and challenge him to back his allegations up. We thought our response was, frankly, more snide than any response that has ever come out of this operation. Even with a guarantee of anonymity, Abe was unAble (or unwilling) to respond. Armed with what information we had on Abe, we we did a little digging, but did not obtain anything that would be worth publishing. Ms. Hibbs did a very good job in putting the intrepid Abester in his place, and we agreed with everything Ms. Hibbs said. Now, we want to be clear: having essentially come to the conclusion on the basis of our perfunctory investigation and Abe’s writing style that Abe was nothing more than a crank – and having essentially called him a liar and issued a clear taunt on the opportunity to elaborate anonymously – we considered the matter closed. We have had some communication to the effect that there are those who do not consider it so, and that we should have taken the matter further. With nothing to follow up on, and with Abe’s nonsense definitively refuted, there seemed – and still seems – that there was little left to do.
We can see how people would be angry about what Abe had to say. Toning down our own response frankly took a heck of a lot of doing. We try, but do not always entirely succeed, to avoid too much angry expression here. We try to be at least a little courteous to those with whom we disagree – and we do tend to write off those who just rant without any logical argument. We have done that in Abe’s case, and would like to suggest that we all stop giving him the attention he was seeking.
Them Are Coming
by John Weckerle
Today was a day of great activity – yard work, errands, grocery shopping, harvesting (well, just one zucchini today), cooking wyngette stew for dinner… It was an up-with-the-sun-and-get-to-it kind of day, and one that brought some insight into life and how it works.
During the errands, I found myself headed down an aisle in one of the Edgewood grocery stores, and almost ran into one of our local citizens. This is a person with whom I have at times disagreed, here and elsewhere, but with whom I have always had a congenial relationship. At least, so I thought. I greeted him with a friendly “Hey, <insert name here>, how’s it going?” and was surprised when he simply looked away, grunted, “Hey,” and pushed his cart very pointedly past and off into the middle distance – and ultimately into the rest of it. It took a second for me to process the situation and realize: to him, I have apparently become one of Them.
Now, the subject of Them is of particular interest to me at this time for a number of reasons. I recently listened to a recording of an old radio show from the 1960s, one of the many nightly broadcasts of an author and commentator by the name of Jean Shepherd. Shep, as he was known to his fans, was the author of (among other works) a book titled In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash (the movie A Christmas Story, narrated by the author, is based on part of this book). In this particular recording, Shepherd (who never really discussed politics, but commented on life in general) expounds upon a syndrome we see throughout history – as he puts it (more or less), the belief that all the bad things in the world come from somebody else’s rottenness, or stupidity, and if we could just get rid of Them, everything would be wonderful – “Peace and beauty, through us.” »» Them Are Coming
Au Revoir, Helen Thomas
by John Weckerle
By now, most of the furor over Helen Thomas’s recent comments on the State of Israel has died down. We’ve reviewed the video and also the transcript of the conversation – which, as is often the case, contains more than the video. The transcript is as follows:
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Any advice for these young people over here for starting out in the press corps?
HELEN THOMAS: Go for it. You’ll never be unhappy. You’ll always keep people informed. And you’ll always keep learning. The greatest thing of the profession is never stop learning.
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Today they’re covering the Jewish Heritage Month. Any—
HELEN THOMAS: Are they going to meet the President?
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Yeah, and any comments on Israel? We’re asking everybody today. Any comments on Israel?
HELEN THOMAS: Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Ooh, any better comments than that?
UNIDENTIFIED: Helen is blunt.
HELEN THOMAS: Remember, these people are occupied, and it’s their land. It’s not Germany, and it’s not Poland.
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: So where should they go? What should they do?
HELEN THOMAS: They could go home.
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Where is their home?
HELEN THOMAS: Poland, Germany—
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: So the Jews—you’re saying Jews should go back to Poland and Germany?
HELEN THOMAS: —and America and everywhere else. Why push people out of there who have lived there for centuries? See?
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Now, are you familiar with the history of that region and what took place?
HELEN THOMAS: Very much. I’m of Arab background.
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: I see.
Leaving aside for now the appropriateness (or lack thereof) of Ms. Thomas’s comments, there are one or two ancillary issues we wish to examine.
Concert Tonight In Mountainair
by John Weckerle
Checking in on our friends at Mountainair Announcements, we find that the Double D Wranglers, a cowboy music and entertainment group from Nebraska, will be playing tonight starting at 7 p.m. at the Brazil Auditorium in Mountainair. For more information, see the Mountainair Announcements article and the group’s web site.
Evil Spotted In Edgewood Again This Afternoon
by John Weckerle
The forces of evil were encountered again today in Edgewood – not far from the intersection of NM-344 and Old Route 66. That’s right, the Security Tool malware program cropped up on yet another Edgewood computer. This makes two this year of which your editor is aware, and I’m sure the other nerds like myself computer enthusiasts in the area have been running into it as well. We’ll refer our readers to our previous story on the issue, and suggest that everybody download a copy of the removal software and the directions. This is one sneaky, stubborn piece of malice, and you’re looking at a couple of hours minimum to remove it. Be extra careful with those e-mail attachments, folks!
Public Service Announcement: Garden Series At Edgewood Soil and Water Conservation District
by John Weckerle
Beginning tonight, the Torrance, Santa Fe, and Bernalillo County Extension Offices will sponsor a New Mexico State University Garden Series. The series will be held on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to approximately 8:00 p.m. at the Edgewood Soil and Water Conservation District building on Old Route 66, a mile west of Moriarty. Tonight’s subject is Soils and Irrigation. For more information, including a schedule of sessions, see the series flier.
Enough, Already…
by John Weckerle
We find ourselves shaking our heads yet again at the Mountain View Telegraph’s relentless publication of climate contrarian rants by Scott Brooks. Last week, Mr. Brooks provided yet another reference-free critique of little bits and pieces of an BBC interview with University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit director Phil Jones and a related BBC story. We’ll let our readers read the articles and come to their own conclusions, but from here it looks as if Mr. Brooks’s points on the Jones statements are 180 degrees off top dead center. Mr. Brooks’s interminable insistence that the lack of statistically significant warming during a statistically insignificant period of 15 years proves something about climate change is beginning to bore us, and his recounting of the comparison of warming periods is characteristically wide of the mark. Of course, we see similarly characteristic unqualified statements that those who believe that anthropogenic global climate change is occurring point to the winter storms as proof of global warming. That is typical hogwash; in fact, the only references to those storms proving anything that we’ve seen have been from the other side, claiming that they show that global warming is a farce. Mr. Brooks does as much in the current diatribe.
Mr. Brooks will continue to write his letters, and the Telegraph will continue to print them – and will likely continue not to provide any meaningful independent examination of the issues in question – in what appears to be a perpetual “he-said/he-said” treatment of the subject. Perhaps one sells more papers by inflaming than informing, but in this case we again wish to state that we believe the Telegraph owes its readers a little more of the latter.
Holy Landslide, Batman…2010 Election: Early Edgewood Results
by John Weckerle
We have received some reports on election results for the Town of Edgewood Council elections from former candidate (and, apparently, Councilor-elect) Chuck Ring. According to Mr. Ring, the count stands as follows:
- Chuck Ring – 365 votes
- Rita Loy Simmons – 350 votes
- Glenn Felton – 273 votes
Mr. Ring also reports that votes for the bond issues went as follows:
- Roads: 147 for, and 474 against
- Facilities: 110 for, and 431 against
Issues associated with Wildlife West Nature Park have been part of the debate. We contacted the Park’s founder and current director, Roger Alink, who stated, “We’re delighted. Chuck and Rita have been consistent supporters of the Park in all its endeavors.”
New Mexico Central Moves To The Dark Side
by John Weckerle
There is nothing like the smell of a 5/8 inch masonry bit being driven – at slow rotation and slow advancement – through bone using a large drill press in an unheated garage just after lunch. »» New Mexico Central Moves To The Dark Side
Dear Edgewood Voters From Chuck Ring
Dear Edgewood Voter:
On March 2nd Edgewood will hold an election for two vacant council seats. Edgewood does not have council districts, therefore each candidate runs at-large. Presently, all council seats are fill by councilors who reside at least two miles north of I40. I believe such a situation can become problematic as Edgewood grows and there is no direct representation of the citizens who reside in the area south of I40. This reason is one reason, among many, I have decided to seek one of the vacant seats.
Many of you are well acquainted with me and my accomplishments from my previous tenure as a councilor from 1999 until 2008. If you are unaware of my accomplishments, almost all of which were achieved with the help of community volunteers and fellow councilors, please allow me to list some of them below:
- served nine productive years as a councilor
- responsible with volunteers for Mountain and Valley Regional clinic for Edgewood and Estancia Valley
- negotiated with New Mexico State Police for first police services for Edgewood
- active in establishing Edgewood’s Police Department (on interview panel for chief selection)
- served on board of directors for New Mexico Municipal League (NMML)
- graduate of NMML Local Government Leadership Program
- Certified Municipal Official certificate
- active proponent at county and state level for Edgewood’s financial interests
- fought against state and county tax increases which do not serve interests of Edgewood citizens
- volunteer board member for First Choice Community Healthcare (nine clinics)
- served with PTO members to help secure funds to have Edgewood Elementary remain open
- leader of volunteers (Valley View Christian Church) for Edgewood Elementary playground and classroom maintenance projects
- serving as member of Edgewood’s renewable energy committees
- participant in Roadrunner/Edgewood Food Bank activities
- graduate of FBI National Academy & DEA Academy
- retired as a Captain of New Mexico State Police Criminal Investigations Division
- since I am retired, I have many hours to devote to the community
- last, but certainly not least, my wife Carol and I will celebrate 49 years of marriage in 2010
When elected to the Edgewood Town Council, I will work to see that we build our own facilities and discontinue renting facilities which costs the citizens over $100,000 a year in lease fees and taxes. There are two bond issues on the upcoming ballot. One for road improvements and one for town facilities. If one or both of the issues pass, I will make sure that the governing body spends the money appropriately. It is my intent to help attract new viable businesses to Edgewood while ensuring the best for our present businesses.
You can reach me at 505-263-3268 or via e-mail at cring@comcast.net
Thank you for taking the time to read my qualifications.
Respectfully,
Charles (Chuck) Ring
Related articles by Zemanta
- Edgewood’s White Wings Over America (gadabout-blogalot.com)
- Edgewood Now In Renewable Energy Finance District (gadabout-blogalot.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=172d628e-a587-4b1b-80aa-c7a7f18c31e8)
Malware Alert
by John Weckerle
Yesterday, your editor spent a couple of hours removing a particularly nasty piece of malware from somebody else’s computer. The program, Security Tool, represents itself as a malware checker, but is in fact a vicious attack that attempts to coerce the user into purchasing the program using a credit card. Once installed, it essentially seizes control of the computer, stopping the use of any program other than itself on the basis of programs being “infected” with malware, and won’t turn the computer loose until you log on and pay for the program. Obviously, DO NOT input your credit card information.
Here’s how I cleaned the machine: »» Malware Alert
Stepping Into The Past, In Miniature
by John Weckerle
It’s not often that we extend our focus out into the “just nifty” realm, but given the local enthusiasm for antique cars, and in light of the fact that we have a good bit of Old Route 66 running through the New Mexico Central area, we figured we’d share a link to photos of the Models of Michael Paul Smith, as well as an interview with the photographer/model maker.