.....Advertisement.....
.....Advertisement.....

Columns

  • How towns promoted themselves back in the day

    When a friend gave me a stack of old New Mexico Magazines, I dove in.
    The articles were entertaining enough, but the ads were the real attention grabbers. After World War II, communities didn’t have many ways to promote themselves, so they touted their charms in the pages of the state’s magazine.
    Some wanted tourists: “Ruidoso, where outdoor fun follows the seasons around the year.”
    Others wanted residents: “Roswell, New Mexico, A Good Place to Visit – A Better Place to Live” and “Hobbs, The City with an Assured Future.”

    Click here to read more...
  • Kids today: Idongedit

    Idongedit. It’s my students’ favorite word. You have to let it drip out of your mouth when you say it. Idongedit. And when you say it, it helps if you slowly tilt your head sideways, then look upwards and stare at the ceiling.  
    Anyway, that seems to be the correct protocol.
    It’s been a while since I’ve spewed out a tirade about the declining math skills in our country.  
    With the school year behind us, I thought now would be as good as time as any to rant (as if I need a special time to do that?).
    Okay, so now here’s one of my standard “somewhat related” stories.  

    Click here to read more...
  • Developing the economy is more than recruiting

    We whine about being a federal colony, but, by God, protect those federal laboratories.
    Such ideas are what masquerades for deep thinking about the New Mexico economy.
    Recent presentations from Gov. Susana Martinez and Jon Barela, secretary of the Economic Development Department, have considered economic development.
    From both, the only specific was recruiting companies to the state.
    Recruiting is good and necessary, but for that to be the only topic massively misses the point.
    Recruiting companies, which is what “economic development” is about, is just part of developing the economy.
    Further, recruiting companies only matters at the margin for New Mexico’s 870,000 (or so) employees.

    Click here to read more...
  • Time for realistic Middle East policy

    Last week I participated in a joint meeting of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to receive Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  
    This should have been a positive meeting with America’s strongest ally in the Middle East.  
    Instead, the tension in the room was palpable, because everyone there was conscious of President Obama’s speech on Israel last week.
    I was shocked to hear the President make the unprecedented suggestion that Israel should revert to its 1967 borders.  

    Click here to read more...
  • 2011 - So far so good

    This year continues on the path of solid gains, but it has certainly not been a smooth ride.
    Stocks and bonds have had to steer clear of geopolitical risks, budget issues, natural disasters and the ongoing debt crisis in Europe.
    In spite of these issues we have been able to generate positive returns.
    Stocks enjoyed their best first quarter in 15 years, but, the question is, will we be able to continue on this pace the rest of the year?
    Bonds hit some speed bumps in the first quarter, but low to middle single digit gains still looks possible. In any market, there are always opportunities, you just need to know where to look for them.

    Click here to read more...
  • Let's think about putting an overpass above Trinity Drive

    I’ve been reading the letters about the proposed changes to Trinity Drive; listened to people talking on the street; listened to county council meetings and agree there is a load of 11th hour people coming out; offering mostly complaints and not solutions.
    My question: Has anyone looked at instead of making Trinity smaller by adding  roundabouts that potentially cause emergency vehicles inability to get to their destinations timely, to put in overpasses that will allow even those with physical handicaps access?  I’ve seen them in several places in Albuquerque so they must work. After all the ones on Diamond Drive seem to work pretty good and we aren’t putting roundabouts there.

    Click here to read more...
  • Try tolerating reality

    Talking about infrastructure planning for the future of New Mexico energy is a serious exercise in testing your ability to tolerate reality.
    There is no pie in the sky. This is about how you and I will be able to turn the lights on, 20 years from now.
    PNM is currently undergoing such an exercise, with a full complement of public participation. The participants are not a hand-picked group. Everybody who showed up got a place at the table.
    Wherever  you are in New Mexico, this affects you. You are part of the region and face similar cost issues and environmental trade-offs. You also breathe the same air.
    The trade-offs look like this:

    Click here to read more...
  • All states observe Memorial Day

    Did you know that Memorial Day is commemorated in different ways and on different dates throughout our nation?
    The observance had its beginnings during the Civil War, which is a good hint that there would not be uniformity.
    More than two dozen cities and towns lay claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day, and each had its own customs.
    There is evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War.
    Following the war, towns in the North decided it would be a good idea to honor their military dead also.
    In 1868, “Decoration Day” was officially proclaimed. It was so named because the emphasis was on decorating graves of fallen soldiers.

    Click here to read more...
  • Economic stimulus outcome not dramatic but measurable

    New Mexico’s economic stimulus money will begin to peter out in July. From the numbers, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act didn’t live up to our biggest expectations, which were very big, but it defied predictions by pessimists.
    In a nutshell, stimulus funding didn’t jumpstart our economy, but it kept the bottom from falling out and bought us some time. If you were one of the people who got or kept a job supported by stimulus money, and you’re now about to be unemployed, it’s at least a better time to be job hunting than it was in the depths of the downturn.

    Click here to read more...
  • It’s getting APPalling out there

    My wife and I broke down the other day and got ourselves some smart phones.  But it turns out that the phones really aren’t all that smart.  
    My phone couldn’t learn even the simplest of dog tricks like roll over, beg or fetch.  It does however stay with amazing non-agility.
    It didn’t take long for us to find ourselves downloading apps. Reading apps.  Game apps.  Navigation apps.  Productivity apps.  
    I suddenly knew what it felt like for Columbus, opening your eyes one morning and discovering a new world.  
    Well, almost exactly like that, except that I didn’t get to destroy civilizations, steal riches or brutalize and enslave any Indians.

    Click here to read more...