Greg In The Desert

• Ford Ranger sales are up for June – New Mexico Business Weekly: – The Ford Motor Co. sold 8.8 percent more Ford Ranger pickup trucks in June than in the same month a year ago, according to data released by the automobile manufacturer Wednesday.
• ‘Asteroids’ lands at Universal – Universal has won a four-studio bidding war to pick up the film rights to the classic Atari video game "Asteroids." Matthew Lopez will write the script for the feature adaptation, which will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura.
• www.KOB.com – Naked man diverts flight to Sunport – ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A US Airways flight to Los Angeles was diverted to Albuquerque after a passenger removed all of his clothing mid-flight, forcing flight attendants to cover him with a blanket before he was arrested.
• Revenge of the Fallen is messy, unfunny, and way too long – Ars Technica – The story makes very little sense, and introduces so many strands and subplots that by the end it's nearly impossible to care about anything. The humans pepper everyone with machine gun rounds for very little reason, as it never seems to do anything to anyone. The human characters have very little to do, and no reason to be near each other; there isn't a single relationship that is used for dramatic purposes in a believable way. Megan Fox reprises her role so she can stand around and look hot, jiggling in the appropriate ways when she runs endlessly in slow motion. During one scene, her new pet Decepticon humps her leg as she smiles at him. I guess we know where those egg sacs come from now.
• Intel China fab to use 65nm process, produce notebook chips – Ars Technica – Now, Intel has announced that by a rule change, it will be allowed to produce 65nm silicon at Fab 68, and will abandon the 90nm process. This makes a qualitative difference in the meaning of the new fab, since 65nm will be only two nodes behind the cutting edge in 2010. Current chipsets are produced at the 65nm node, and 65nm processors included the first generation of Core 2 processors, Merom, Conroe, and Kentsfield. If Intel continues to be allowed to produce 2-nodes-behind silicon in China, Santa Clara may drastically expand fab activity in China. Earlier this month, the Taiwanese government announced it was considering allowing TSMC and UMC to operate more sophisticated fabs in mainland China.
• Meltdown 101: Where are the renewable energy jobs? – The Denver Post – Everywhere you turn there is talk of a shift to renewable energy, of building wind farms and solar plants, of making buildings more efficient, of developing biofuels. And of billions in federal funding to help make it all happen. This should mean a whole lot of new energy jobs. So where are they—and how do I get one?
• NM woman hoards 334 hopping bunnies – Rio Rancho Police Officer and Spokesperson John Francis said Monday the county's animal control division discovered 334 hopping bunnies in one woman's backyard.

  Nancy Haseman has been cited for violating a city ordinance that allows five pets per household, and for failing to restrain her animals.

• ABQNews: Some Bad Apples Have Impact on N.M. Film Industry – Film crews are jerks, and small towns are saying, "Enough already, go back to L.A. – we don't want you here anymore."First, it was a moratorium on filming in the village of Los Ranchos that's been going on for a year. Then later this week, the Las Vegas, N.M. City Council passed new restrictions on filming that could seriously impact movies there.
• The Official Site of Rio Rancho, NM – Stimulus Funding for Rio Rancho – Via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the city of Rio Rancho has received confirmation that it will receive the following either directly from the federal government or other government agencies that have received stimulus funding.
• News : Scorpions still looking for owner – Rio Rancho Observer – Will the New Mexico Scorpions play at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho next season? That question still hasn’t been answered. The hockey club is still searching for a new owner, after claiming a $1 million loss in its first three seasons of playing in Rio Rancho. The Central Hockey League gave the New Mexico Scorpions until Friday to find a new owner, but as of press time the team hadn’t been sold.

At first I thought this was spam. It’s not however, and it looks like it could be a good thing. egeltje.org has some more information and contact info such.

From: mr2302@columbia.edu
Subject: Urgent Appeal – New Mexico and Nuclear Testing
Date: January 12, 2005 3:28:04 PM MST
Hi,

My name is Michael Roston. I found your blog because I was looking for bloggers from New Mexico, and I wanted to write and ask for your assistance.

I produce an email newsletter, also posted at my blog, called Nuclear Test Watch. Over the last four years, Americans of conscience may not have prevented President Bush from pursuing his ill-conceived war in Iraq. But we have prevented him from starting a nuclear war. 

Even in the aftermath of the election, a bipartisan collection of members of Congress successfully blocked White House-sponsored efforts to build new nuclear weapons and accelerate the ability of the United States to test nuclear weapons. In the current international climate, Congress recognized that taking such a step would be reckless and endanger more than it would protect America.

The next four years are here, and President Bush has nominated a new Energy Secretary whose position on issues of nuclear weapons is uncertain. Worryingly, here are indications in the press that an intellectual case is now being built to resume nuclear testing. 

So what does this have to do with New Mexico?

More than you think. On Wednesday, January 19, one week from now, your Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman will lead a hearing of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. This hearing will be to confirm the nomination of Samuel Bodman to be the next Energy Secretary. The Senators will have the opportunity to say to Bodman Do you see any need to test nuclear weapons in the next four years, even if it imperils international security? Such a line of questioning will have a powerful effect as it will force Bodman to publicly stake out a position that can be debated and discussed.

The agenda for the hearing will be crowded, and the Senators may concentrate on other issues. But if they believe their constituents are concerned with the dangers of a return to nuclear testing, they are likely to bring this issue to the fore. Therefore, a telephone lobbying effort, with New Mexicans contacting the DC offices of Mr.s Domenici and Bingaman can help ensure that these issues are on the agenda. 

I am certain that bloggers have the power to bring about political change. So what I am asking you to do is post a message on your blog relating to this issue. I encourage one of these two steps:

1. Link to this posting at my blog, with a brief introductory message of your own: http://nucleartestwatch.blogspot.com/2005/01/action-alert-for-citizens-of-new.html
2. Or, post your own message, using mine as a template from which you can draw facts and contact information for the Senators offices.

Just to provide you with a little background about me, as I am writing from out of the blue I am a graduate student in international affairs at Columbia University in New York. Prior to moving up here for school, I worked in Washington, DC, as an analyst for a small non-profit organization on US-Russia nuclear nonproliferation cooperation. Nuclear Test Watch is voluntary, spare-time activism on my part to make sure someone in the world is directly concentrated on whether or not the disastrous decision might be made to resume nuclear testing. I receive no pay for the work I do. 

In the week to come, I may have an op-ed published on this subject in the Albuquerque Tribune fingers-crossed. I will also be contacting newspapers throughout New Mexico and asking them to concentrate some reporting on this issue. But I think starting with bloggers like you is most important as you have so much power to get New Mexicans thinking about this important issue.

Please feel free to write back here or call me at 212-XXX-XXXX if you have any questions.