Greg In The Desert

KOAT wants experience.

KOAT, New Mexico’s News Leader, is looking for two experienced reporters to aggressively cover breaking news.

Responsibilities:
Live reporting in field and on set required.

Requirements:
Excellent writing and communication skills required.

Experience:
Minimum 2 years experience reporting in a commercial broadcast newsroom.

To apply:
Resume, including references, writing samples & a DVD along with a cover letter stating where you found out about this job to: Sue Stephens, News Director, KOAT-TV, 3801 Carlisle Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107

Wired writes at roundabouts in the US and even links to the Rio Rancho Observer.

Opposition is much more widespread in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, where an admittedly unscientific poll by Loma Colorado Library found most in town want to roundabout to go. A big reason for the disdain is people don’t understand how roundabouts work or how drivers are supposed to use them. According to The Rio Rancho Observer, people have seen trucks almost roll over barreling through the roundabouts too fast, and some have even seen tire tracks suggesting people are going straight through them. And some people think roundabouts make driving more complicated because, as one man said, “you’re not quite sure what the other guy’s going to do.” Despite the mounting frustration, the town plans to build more roundabouts.

Wired says “most in town want to roundabout to go” based on a poorly thought out article that doesn’t prove anything.

• Intel earnings surprise: we have lift-off – epending on how you look at it, Intel either turned in a monster of an earnings report for the fourth quarter of 2009, or it's finally pulled back up to 2007 levels—the former view gives you a whopping 875 percent jump in year-over-year net income, while the latter gives you essentially three "lost years," in which the company's revenues topped out (2007), then tanked (2008), then ramped right back up (2009). Either way, Intel has posted a "V-shaped recovery" that is gunning its stock up in after-hours trading.
• MediaPost Publications AMC Mobile Tour Promotes ‘Breaking Bad’ 01/15/2010 – The lead character in AMC's "Breaking Bad" runs his drug-dealing enterprise from a revolting RV. To promote the third season, the network is going with a much plusher vehicle. Next month, a truck with a 90-seat theater — replete with stadium seating and high-def screen — will begin a coast-to-coast journey to plug the series.
• Phoenix officer, blogger indicted on felony counts – Officer David Barnes, 42, is accused of being a primary tipster to the Web site badphoenixcops.com and with harassing two members of the department through an anonymous letter and emails.
• Proof of Martians ‘to come this year’: Scientific American – David McKay, chief of astrobiology at NASA's Johnson Space Centre in Houston, says powerful new microscopes and other instruments will establish whether features in martian meteorites are alien fossils.
• Tobey Maguire, Sam Raimi out of ‘Spider-Man’ – Entertainment News, Film News, Media – Variety – The new untitled Spider Man film will center on the webslinging teen as he grapples with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises. Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin are producing.
• Updated Dish, EchStar, Nagrastar To Receive $51 Million In Anti-Piracy Case – 2010-01-11 17:35:15 | Multichannel News – The decision, rendered by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, took aim at piracy software marketed as "Thedssguy and Veracity" that allowed viewers to bypass NagraStar's conditional access security and receive premium as well as regular channels that meant lost potential revenue of over $70 per month per viewer that did not have to pay to get its programming.
• Why the US and much of Europe are shivering in the cold – The folks who run the National Center for Atmospheric Research have a great rundown of the details of the AO Oscillation. In short, high pressure in the Arctic forces the jet stream south, and it drags cold air with it, chilling North American and northern Eurasia. In its opposite mode, those same regions tend to be much warmer. Right now, we're in such an extreme high-pressure event that the readings have run off the scale of NOAA's AO index. Fortunately for those hoping to warm up a bit, the AO is a weather event—it often changes states multiple times within a single season, and there's no clear evidence linking its behavior to climate trends.
• From behind bars, hard-core ski bum defies authorities – The Denver Post – Since 1976, the 63-year-old has skied 120 days a season, shoveling snow and doing other odd jobs for a few bucks and skiing every day. What affirms his title as ski bum supreme is the fact that at night he retired to his car, parked close to the lifts.
  But now Toups' brawny 6-foot frame is wedged in a jail cell in Georgetown, imprisoned for the past 57 days on misdemeanor federal charges of camping on public land, possessing marijuana and assaulting a Forest Service officer.
• Suspect caught after high-speed chase | KRQE News 13 New Mexico – Police started chasing the suspect on Highway 528 through Rio Rancho and then continue their pursuit on Highway 550. At the time, the suspect was reportedly driving more than 100 miles per hour.
• Goldman sued by pension fund over bonus plans| Reuters – Such sums, and Goldman's practice of continuing to pay out nearly 50 percent of net revenue as compensation, show "scant regard" for the interests of shareholders, it said.

In-N-Out Burger hates Albuquerque. They refuse to build any restaurants in the State of New Mexico. (ok ok, perhaps they are trying not to go out of business by over expanding like Krispy Kreams. whatever). What happens where there’s unfulfilled demand? Knock offs, like Stop-N-Go that was found by KOB in southwest Albuquerque.

While In-N-Out Burger only serves burgers, Stop-N-Go serves wings. This isn’t a bad idea from my perspective. KOB fails to indicate if Stop-N-Go serves non-frozen meat, non-frozen french fries made right from the potato in the store and real ice cream shakes. So far the reviews on Yelp are not favorable.

It’s a bit far from Rio Rancho and doubt I will make it to that side of town unless I hear rave reviews. My waist line is better off in either case.

You can tell some people driving in Rio Rancho aren’t familiar with roundabouts by the skid marks running through the middle of them. Roundabouts were not common when I was growing up in Arizona and haven’t seen them much in New Mexico until recently.

However, I’m a little confused by the Rio Rancho Observer’s article that suggests residents don’t like them.

According to the results of a small, unscientific survey conducted recently at the Loma Colorado Library, most people don’t like roundabouts.

A small, unscientific survey = most people don’t like? I’m not sure how that works (admitting you don’t have enough data and coming to a conclusion) but I think it’s giving me a headache trying to figure it out. The article is filled with plenty of quotes from people (maybe residents) to back up the unscientific survey results.

I have a solution to the local populations trepidation of something new. When one renews their drivers license, they must successfully demonstrate they can navigate a roundabout. If they are unable to do so they are required to have a texas license plate. That should be incentive enough to get good at driving in a circle.

I considered not writing about HGTV’s 2010 Dream Home giveaway because I don’t want it to get any attention. The home is located in San Pedro Overlook, New Mexico near Sandia Park. It’s on the other side of the Sandia Mountains from Albuquerque. I really want to win this house so I don’t want anyone knowing about it. I came to the realization that I’m unlikely to have any impact on it’s promotion.

The custom-designed 3,900-square-foot HGTV Dream Home 2010 will mix southwestern architecture with modern design. Created with the bold, innovative ideas, architecture, art and design that make HGTV Dream Homes so exciting and unique, it includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a home office, gourmet kitchen, home theater and a guest casita. The amazing home site is nestled in the gaze of the majestic San Pedro Mountains with breathtaking scenery and a plethora of outdoor activities. Nearby, the historic towns of Santa Fe and Albuquerque offer an international art scene, amazing cuisine and a rich, multicultural heritage.

I could totally dump nearly everything I own and move into the house as it is. I would be happy to commute to Albuquerque. The only thing I would need to do wire it for my home automation system. And figure out how to pay for the taxes.

Please do not enter the contest.

Howard sent me a message and wanted to know where are the best hikes in New Mexico. I’ve been on plenty of hikes in NM but I’m terrible at remembering where they are. A few of my favorites has been from the top of the tram, along the East side of the Sandia’s and the Pecos.

Trails.com has a list of New Mexico hikes. So does Explore New Mexico.

Can any New Mexico readers suggest others?

I have a feeling there will be some last minute changes that will still allow all states driver license. If not the situation could get ugly.

The Bush administration passed the law, designed to stop terrorists from entering the country, after Sept. 11, 2001. All 50 states have to comply with its regulations by Jan. 1, 2010.
Sec. Rick Homans said the clock is ticking and New Mexico is nowhere near close.
“The way it is right now, come Jan. 1st, residents of New Mexico and residents of about 25 other states wouldn’t be allowed to board airplanes unless they had a valid passport.”

This is not looking good.

Sen. Udall: Yeah. Well, as you are probably aware, the situation that we’re in now — we have health care on the floor — where if tried to move to anything else I think it would make it much more difficult procedurally. So I think if — I don’t see us getting to Pass ID on the Senate floor between now and the end of the year. So I think it would be very helpful for you to issue a statement — you might use this as an opportunity to do it — to assure people that after December 31st they will be able to travel with something other than a passport. I don’t know if you want to do that at this point but if you decline that’s fine.

Sec. Napolitano: I think I will not accept that invitation at this point in time.

AMD isn’t the only one that dislikes Intel. Some Jewish persons don’t like Intel too..

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews have demonstrated at Intel Corp’s new electronic chip plant in Israel in protest against work taking place at the site on the Jewish sabbath.

The protesters said on Saturday it was a desecration of the Sabbath, which runs from Friday night to Saturday night.

They were dispersed by police and a company spokesman said the plant was operating within the law and would continue to do so.

Intel, the world’s biggest chip manufacturer, opened the west Jerusalem plant for installation work before its inauguration on Sunday.

Where these people don’t like Intel for religious reasons, some in Coralles, New Mexico think Intel is poisoning them.

Please understand that the new chemicals that are being used up there are causing illnesses as serious as we had in the 1990s. Vison is blurred, eyes are burning and skin is peeling off the eylids. One breath of the toxic air causes choking, coughing and in Patricia’s case gasping for air. The toxins collect in her west side patio and in her house. With me it settles all around my property and comes in the house. This morning my eyes were swollen shut and inflamed I could hardly see. Each day my vision seems to be getting worse

I should note that the State of New Mexico cleared Intel of making people sick in 2004 but that decision was very controversial.

There is a YouTube video making it’s way around the internet titled “How To Eat A Chicken Wing” by foodwishes.com.

I have been a chicken wing connoisseur since I used to eat 10 cent wings at the Native New Yorker in Arizona (which was supposed to come to Rio Rancho). I now prefer the Wing Basket in New Mexico, specifically the mild original and lemon pepper.

The video describes a way to remove bones from wing without wasting meat. I have used the method for many years and actually prefer wings over drumsticks thanks to this method. Some of the other websites, such as Lifehacker, suggest this can be done with “little to no mess”. Sorry, wings are messy. Plan accordingly.