Sunday, August 29, 2010

Man fires pepper spray on protesters outside Marine's funeral - CNN.com

There is a proper time for protest, certainly not at a fallen soldiers funeral. Instead, as communities and as a nation, we should honor the service and sacrifice our service men, women, and their families freely give. May God bless Staff Sgt. Michael Block's family and give them peace and healing.

Man fires pepper spray on protesters outside Marines funeral - CNN.com

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Mountainair Chiropractor, Casey Little, Moving Away

Mountainair Chiropractor, Casey Little of Inner Glow Chiropractic, will be moving out of state at the end of August.  Doctor Little really loves Mountainair and all of her clients so she has contacted another practitioner that is considering assuming and continuing chiropractic services to Mountainair and the surrounding area.

If you would like to say goodbye to Dr. Little, and/or would like to meet the chiropractor considering servicing patients at the Mountainair location, please stop by and visit on Monday, August 23, 2010. 

The office is located at 106 West Broadway, Mountainair, NM (Whispering Range Realty, LLC's building located next to Clifford's Barber Shop).

NM univ. picked for commercial space research site - BusinessWeek

Way To Go UNM!

NM univ. picked for commercial space research site - BusinessWeek

New Mexico green chiles headed to Bay Area

How great is this - New Mexico Green Chilies are outstanding and it's nice to see that our state has such a desirable and exportable product!

New Mexico green chiles headed to Bay Area

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Would you buy a car to buy a cake?

Would you buy a car to buy a cake?  Seems like a silly question, but please humor me.  Lets say your boss ordered you to bring a cake to work tomorrow.  You have no transportation, no time to buy an oven or learn how to bake a cake so you decide to buy one from a bakery.  The nearest bakery is 100 miles away.  No one else in your area has transportation either so it looks like you will have to buy a car to get that cake.  If you are going to buy a car might as well go brand new and get the best car you can.  That car will come in real handy for other things so lets see, how much is all of this going to cost.  
Cake, that's cheap $20.00.  The car, taxes, insurance, licensing, Fuel etc.:  $40,000.00.  The company doesn't have enough money to pay for this and neither do you so of course, all of the customers are going to be required to pick up the tab.  Do you think the customers are ready to pay up?  Common sense and the simplicity of economics would stop the purchase of the cake and the car. 

A similar economic quandary exists today surrounding the distribution and application of renewable energy mandates.  Yes, the means of producing green energy is available, the dream and desire are in place, but we as a nation, as individual states, and as individuals do not have the thousands of miles of transmission lines in place to move that wonderful renewable energy from the production point to the consumer.  Those miles and miles of transmission lines have to be built and some one is going to have to pay for the location aquisition, materials, labor and construction. 

Federal and state legislation requiring green energy production have failed to consider who is going to pay the cost to put the transmission lines in place.  Noticeable and predictable, New Mexico's elected officials do not appear to be questioning a thing regarding the impact of federal green renewable mandates on our state.  Can New Mexico absorb the massive financial burden required to fund infrastructure improvement for renewable transmission?  I suggest not - New Mexico can barely make payroll.   So where is the money going to come from?  Ultimately, the working tax paying citizen and consumers will pay the price but given current economic conditions, can we as a nation, as states, as individual citizens afford this right now? 

Our government officials live in an insulated environment continuing to stumble blindly forward with no regard to the financial realities we as states and individuals face on a daily basis.  Our current state and federal representatives are failing to step up to the plate on our behalf, choosing instead to ride the party band wagon, positioning I believe will cost the dearly in this next round of elections. 

Green renewable energy is a viable technology, but a romantic notion at this point given the economic state of New Mexico and America as a nation.   As consumers we are forced to live within the realistic parameters of of economics every day but our government does not?  Wouldn't it be a better directive to stabilize our economy in order to have realistic financial capacity to fund green renewable energy generation and transmission. Would you buy a car to buy a cake? 

Denish & Marinez Debate Tonight

Guernatorial candidates Denish and Martinez will debate tonight at 6pm at the El Dorado High School performing arts center.  Please study these and all candidates very carefully.  Don't just follow spun new clips and candidate advertisements - our state and our country are in dire straights and all of the upcoming elections will play a significant role in our ability as citizens to survive and thrive.

How can you hear/see the debate?  Physical public access is limited however, if you would like to hear/see the debate try one of the following resources:

APS Web Site - KANW-FM (89.1) from Albuquerque will air the event via live stream on the APS website.  (http://www.aps.edu/) APS will also be posting videos from the debate on their web site too.

Bernalillo County Democratic Party is hosting a debate listening party at the Plumbers and Pipefittes Hall, 510 San Pedro in Albuquerque.

Santa Fe County Democratic Party is hosting a listening party at their headquarters located at 1420 Cerrillos Road, in Santa Fe.

Live blogging will be provided by the New Mexico Independent as will Steve Terrell of the Santa Fe New Mexican starting at 5:45pm. 

Candidate Denish has proposed additional debates to be held throughout the state some televised some not.

 

The Rural Grocery Crisis | Daily Yonder | Keep It Rural

An example of why we in rural New Mexico need to support our rural businesses. Keeping business local - you won't miss your local rural business until it is gone.

The Rural Grocery Crisis Daily Yonder Keep It Rural

Rural Job Picture Finally Better Than '09 | Daily Yonder | Keep It Rural

I found this great web/blog site that focuses on rural America and issues in agriculture. Check out the maps and charts here which give a graphic depiction of how we rural folks are fairing in the current economic environment.

Rural Job Picture Finally Better Than '09 Daily Yonder Keep It Rural

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Manzano Mountain Gun Club To Sign Gun Range Lease!

After two years of searching for a suitable location, the Manzano Mountain Gun Club (MMGC) is indicating that they have found a suitable location for greatly the anticipated gun range. MMGC is believes that the lease for the gun range location will be signed at the August 19, 2010 meeting being held at Ancient Cities Cafe 6pm.

"This is our first major accomplishment and the end of the beginning of our club -- the nearly two years that have gone first into finding other "gun nuts" and then into finding property suitable to lease for a gun range. Now we will be working hard for the next few months to bring about the reality of a functional, safe, and very enjoyable club shooting range. And of course, we'll be continuing the process of building and upgrading the range forever, most likely" said Kathleen Clute of MMGC.

News will be shared at the August meeting regarding funding opportunities for the development of the range. Anyone interested in Manzano Mountain Gun Club and is invited to attend the August meeting.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Dowsing - Frank R. Geisel

Need a dowser? Give Frank R. Geisel a call. Frank is an active, experienced dowser who also provides wonderful demonstations at the Natural History Museum. Give Frank a call at 575-382-1385 or 575-202-2025 or drop him an email at fgeisel@comcast.net

Local Business - 2 Sisters Concession & Catering

Support Local Business - Check out 2 Sisters - Concession & Catering. The have a full service portable facility, offer exceptional courteous service and create a warm welcoming atmosphere for the most intimate or grand occasion. Give Cindy Barela & Eva Miranda at 2 Sisters- Concession & Catering a call for your next wedding, event, or function at
505-384-2540 or 505-918-8509! Tell them George sent you!

Monday, August 9, 2010

What A Great Life, 50 & Counting

I sat on the front porch the afternoon of my 50th birthday this past May and reflected on what a great life I have had so far. I remembered with fondness my grade school years, milking cows before and after school each day, working for wages in the corn fields of Nebraska and being so very proud that I had earned enough money to not only buy my school cloths, but my first guitar too.

I remember working hard to pump that butter churn, taking turns cranking the ice cream maker at church socials, fishing, swimming, and imagining shapes in the warm summer clouds while lying on the velvet soft freshly mowed grass.

Shoveling snow in those cold mid-western winters and digging ice tunnels in the mounds of fresh plowed snow along the paths to school, building snow forts for our imaginary battles of honor, and the excitement of being able to make snow angles in fresh powder when school was called on account of winter weather. I recalled scrapped knees, tom boying around, becoming an awkward teen, going through my rowdy stage, entering the work force, getting married, and going to college.

I relished the memory of my grandfather preaching in church and treating us to Chocolate Soldiers at the local pharmacy. Thanked my departed mother for teaching me to cook, sew, and crocheting. I felt gratitude to my family for being living examples of honesty, integrity, faith, and for sharing wise counsel as I have grown through the years. Felt the sadness of loved ones lost tempered by the sweet memories of time they shared.

I considered how fortunate my life has been so far, blessed with so many good and loving people, blessed with health and a questioning mind, blessed with love both for and from others in my world. There have been set backs along the way, mistakes made, heartaches endured, but I wouldn't change a thing because good, bad, or mediocre all of those things have shaped who I am today.

I joke around a lot, poking fun at being a senior citizen now that I am 50, but I must say that I am pleased and thankful for my first 50 years. I look forward with great enthusiasm to as many more years as the good Lord chooses to bless me with, hopefully at least another 50 so I can share the blessings I have received!

Children's Only Personal Safety Course in October

High Desert Roots & Shoots invites you to attend a two-day, children's-only Personal Safety Course through Impact New Mexico of Santa Fe. Program information states that "This program teaches children ages 6 - 12 the basics of how to stay safe with strangers and with people they know.

The class empasizes concepts about:
  • Being Alone
  • How to keep a safe distance from strangers
  • How to strike and flee to safety, if necessary

Verbal strategies to set and to enforce healthy boundaries are practiced in role-playing scenarios covering a wide variety of situations including bullying, peer pressure and unwanted touch".

October's 6-Hour Safety Course will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico on October 10th and 17th from 1pm - 4pm. Boys & Girls 6 - 12 years old welcome. Pre-registration is required. Tuition Fee of $25.00 - $125.00 per child based on a sliding scale.

Sign up by calling 992-8833 to reserve a space for your child or to get more information. You can also visit their web site for a full course schedule.

CIBOLA NATIONAL FOREST WAIVES RECREATION FEES

CIBOLA NATIONAL FOREST WAIVES RECREATION FEES
AUGUST 14TH AND 15TH
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – August 9, 2010 – The Cibola National Forest and Grasslands will join other federal agencies in hosting a fee waiver weekend. Fees will be waived on the Sandia Ranger District August 14th and 15th Saturday and Sunday. Overnight camping fees will also be waived at all campgrounds on the Cibola National Forest and the Black Kettle and McClellan Creek National Grasslands for the night of August 14th only. Please note reservations that have been made and paid for through the national reservation system will NOT be waived.
Additional upcoming fee waiver dates for 2010:

September 25, 2010 – Saturday, National Public Lands Day
November 11, 2010 – Thursday, Veteran’s Day

The Cibola National Forests and Grasslands offer a tremendous diversity of landscapes with many recreation opportunities. The Cibola National Forest includes a collection of mountain ranges scattered east and south of Albuquerque and west to the state’s border with Arizona, including the Sandia, Manzano, Zuni Mountains and Mount Taylor, and the Magdalena, San Mateo, and Bear Mountains near Socorro.

For more information call the Cibola National Forest Supervisor's Office, 505-346-3900.

10th Annual Sunflower Festival, Mountainair, NM - August 28, 2010

Time approaches for the annual Sunflower Festival in Mountainair, NM. This years event will take place on August 28, 2010 and will centrally focused at the Mountainair Activity Center (MAC) located on US 60, in Mountainair and will run from 10am - 4pm.

Event sponsor, Manzano Mountain Art Council promises this years event to be bigger and better than ever. Fine arts and crafts screened from statewide and regiaonal applications will be showcased. Additional market place exhibotrs will be available as well. Other events:

  • Poets & Writers Picnic, Shaffer Hotel
  • Sunflower Hat Contest
  • Area Tours
  • Cibola Art Gallery Art Show
  • Silent Auction
  • Raffle
  • Vendors
  • Live Entertainment.

No fee for attendance. Applications for entrants are available on line at http://www.mountainairarts.org/ or call 505-847-2205 for more information.

This post has been created to correct a date error in the first posting on August 4, 2010.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Click to Give @ The Animal Rescue Site

We all know that our communities are suffering financially, and the animals in our society are pretty far down the list as far as funding and budgetary assistance. That's where The Animal Rescue Site comes in. The Animal Rescue Site is sponsoring the All Star Challenge - Local animal shelters can compete for local awards of $1,000.00 and nationally for the coveted $10,000.00 grand prize.

Tanisha Star, Town of Mountainair animal control officer and all round great gal has entered the Town of Mountainair Animal Shelter in the contest and folks, it is a heated race. How can we all help the Town of Mountainair Animal Shelter win this contest . . . easy log in and vote!

Facebook users can vote by visiting The Animal Rescue Site's Facebook link (Click Here), or by visiting their web site directly (http://www.TheAnimalRescueSite.com). Look for "Help your shelter win our All-Star Challenge - remember to vote after you click!" located a the top center of the web page.

Tanisha and the Town of Mountainair Animal Shelter could really use the local prize and the grand prize would be fantastic. Share the links with all of your friends and ask them to vote too. Thanks every one for helping out Tanisha and the Town of Mountainair Animal Shelter!

Town of Mountainair Animal Shelter on Facebook Click Here

Town of Mountainair, Animal Shelter on the web Click Here

Calendar

Torrance County New Mexico - Calendar

Meetings, agenda's, and Torrance County Fair information can be found here.

Bloggers Wanted

Central Mountain News & Information is seeking bloggers from our area to contribute
  • Meetings
  • Events
  • Personal Interest Stories
  • School Sports
  • Opinions
  • Other

If you would like to add things to this blog, please contact George@WhisperingRange.com

DRAFT AGENDA AVAILABLE - TORRANCE COUNTY COMMISSION

Torrance County Commission Draft Agenda is now available - I am continuing to post the draft agendas on my web space for those that are not on the mailing list. CLICK HERE FOR THE DRAFT AGENDA

Also - final agendas are being made available via the Torrance County Web site.
CLICK HERE FOR THE TORRANCE COUNTY WEB SITE - click into the calendar on the left hand side of the page (you have to drill down into the web site to get to the calendars).

Your government works best with public advocacy and input.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

10th Annual Sunflower Festival, Mountainair, NM

Time approaches for the annual Sunflower Festival in Mountainair, NM.  This years event will take place on August 22, 2010 and will centrally focused at the Mountainair Activity Center (MAC) located on US 60, in Mountainair and will run from 10am - 4pm.

Event sponsor, Manzano Mountain Art Council promises this years event to be bigger and better than ever.  Fin arts and crafts screened from statewide and regiaonal applications will be showcased.  Additional market place exhibotrs will be available as well.  Other events:

  • Poets & Writers Picnic, Shaffer Hotel
  • Sunflower Hat Contest
  • Area Tours
  • Cibola Art Gallery Art Show
  • Silent Auction
  • Raffle
  • Vendors
  • Live Entertainment.
No fee for attendance.  Applications for entrants are available on line at http://www.mountainairarts.org/ or call 505-847-2205 for more information.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Torrance County Fair Book

Get the 2010 Torrance County Fair Book on line. Click Here For the PDF

Old Timers Parade - Estancia A Thumbs Up

Tumbleweeds 4-H Club members Philip Warren and Segan Frazier give the Old Timers Parade thumbs up! The annual event sported numerous creative and inventive floats, hosted many of the upcoming candidates for the November elections and was nicely organized and presented. Following the parade, there was a BBQ at the Estancia Fairgrounds.





HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION?

HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION?

Interesting information from folks that lived through the Great Depresion and commentary too.