http://www.newwest.net/topic/main/C564/L/ New West Network: The Voice of the Rocky Mountains en info@newwest.net Copyright 2008 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:50:54 MDT Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:50:54 MDT http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/a_report_on_recent_important_events/C564/C564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/a_report_on_recent_important_events/C564/C564/ Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:50:54 MDT The phrasing of the sign struck me as imprecise and perhaps even a little sinister, kind of like the announcements we keep hearing from the federal government about the financial crisis. Either you are closed today, or you are closed until you can get your oven fixed, but ovens are complex devices and it could conceivably take more than a day to fix one. Likewise, either we need to spend $700 billion buying distressed mortgage securities, or we need to nationalize the banks, but maybe next time you could make up your mind before giving the first panicky press conferences? http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/is_there_room_for_everyone_on_public_land/C564/C564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/is_there_room_for_everyone_on_public_land/C564/C564/ Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:17:16 MDT Pulling my Subaru into the dusty parking area from where I planned to begin pedaling, I instinctively flinched at the sound of gunfire. The senior citizen taking target practice with a high-powered rifle glanced in my direction only briefly before letting off another few rounds. Removing his earplugs, he either smiled or grimaced in my direction. "Two more rounds and I'll be done." This was a first for me. I'd never had to dodge gunfire prior to starting a mountain bike ride. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/physical_therapy_hurts_but_at_least_its_painful/C564/C564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/physical_therapy_hurts_but_at_least_its_painful/C564/C564/ Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:22:55 MDT People have been stopping me on the street, saying hey, Bob, when are you going to write more blogs about your shoulder surgery? I mean, culture and music and politics are interesting and all, but that shoulder stuff…fascinating! I will assume that these people aren’t being ironic, so here’s the dish on physical therapy: it’s tedious, enforced masochism with a little guilt mixed in if I don’t do it right, or often enough. Kind of like oral sex. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/detour_ahead_i_hope/C564/C564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/detour_ahead_i_hope/C564/C564/ Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:47:48 MDT An automobile traveling at 70 miles per hour along a winding two-lane blacktop seems as good a place as any to think about inertia. The "bodies in motion staying in motion" part feels most obvious, particularly when a tight inside curve is tugging the car close to an oncoming dump truck and I remember that the odds of our continued survival are at least slightly decreased by the blown rear struts we are planning to get fixed as soon as we can find a spare $500. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/open_letter_to_the_presidential_candidates_you_missed_it/C564/C564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/open_letter_to_the_presidential_candidates_you_missed_it/C564/C564/ Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:01:41 MDT Dear Presidential Candidates: You were asked a serious question -- what sacrifice individuals could make to restore the American dream and one of you answered we need to cut earmarks and the other that we need to switch off the lights and drive less. You missed it. You missed a defining moment. See, we think the times are pretty serious, that the problems are pretty big, bigger than slashing a few budgets and skipping a trip or two for ice cream. We think the problems will require the effort and sacrifice of the individual, not just the maneuverings of government. When you had a chance to cast a grand vision, a vision that strikes at what it means to be in a democracy, of what it means to value the contributions of the individual, you both balked, as if you are not sure our individual actions matter in the face of large problems. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/ski_town_real_estate_projects_face_reality/C564/C564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/ski_town_real_estate_projects_face_reality/C564/C564/ Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:27:15 MDT There isn't much that I have in common with a 72-year-old Republican candidate for president, but there is one common trait we share: economic policy isn't a strength for either of us. With the current economic crisis the only subject on people's lips these days, my insight into the problem is centered on what I've read about locally and seen out my front door. For resort communities, the writing is on the wall that the real estate development gold rush is grinding to a halt. Developers who relied on a steady supply of wealthy transplants and vacationers with super-deep pockets eager to buy trophy homes and snap up condo-hotel rooms are finding these people a tougher sell. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/thanks_for_the_bailout_america/C564/C564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/thanks_for_the_bailout_america/C564/C564/ Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:50:42 MDT In my last blog I wrote, “It seems to me that the real lesson of 9/11, besides that terrible things can happen to innocent people, is not to depend too much on law enforcement agencies for your safety, or for rescue.” That’s law enforcement agencies. But as for the government itself—well, who knows? The government bails out and bestows privileges on special interest groups, which includes everyone but working folks. But somehow we got in! We put some money down on a reasonably priced house in rural Utah at the height of the boom and our loan was approved by a major mortgage company which then cratered spectacularly. Seemed like bad timing, especially with the interest rate we had to pay, but that we were approved at all may have been because of Bill Clinton's and George Bush III’s push for more housing of the indigent. The “push” that resulted in looser standards for lenders and ultimately, bizarre financial instruments that couldn’t possibly have worked, except in theory. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/good_time_lives_up_to_its_name_just/C564/C564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/good_time_lives_up_to_its_name_just/C564/C564/ Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:46:50 MDT Alan Jackson’s latest album, Good Time, is just that- a good time. But, mind you, not a great time. Some tracks on this album that have the feel that they were just churned out to fill up some space on the disc. Granted, Jackson writes all of this stuff himself, so after so many albums and so many years of music making, there’s bound to be some filler material. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/toby_keith_for_president/C564/C564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/toby_keith_for_president/C564/C564/ Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:21:26 MDT Last night Barb and I watched the most thought-provoking, inspiring movie I’ve seen in years. It’s not often that a film comes along that can challenge your way of thinking, and shake up your preconceived notions of how things work in our dirty little world. Our individual perceptions are constantly being manipulated by the media, and sometimes we’re exposed to something that just shocks our belief system right down to our core. I mean, TWO Spidermen? Whoa! Then, after the kids went to bed, we slid “Shut Up and Sing” into the DVD player, on the recommendation of my friend Chris. He’s not necessarily a big country music fan, but he’s turned me on to some pretty fine stuff. From Ryan Bingham, to that heavy metal band You Will Know Us By The Tabouli In Our Beards, he’s batting a thousand. So when Chris gave the Dixie Chicks documentary a glowing review, I put it at the top of my list. “Shut Up and Sing” is an account of the controversy from The Comment, and the ordeal the trio went through on their journey back to the top of the charts. While playing a show in London during the run-up to the Iraq War, Maines mentioned to the crowd that she was “ashamed that President Bush is from Texas,” the home state of all three Dixie Chicks. The crowd cheered, but as soon as The Comment was reported in the world press, rednecks everywhere lost their shit. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/desperate_housewife_supports_obama/C564/C564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/desperate_housewife_supports_obama/C564/C564/ Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:47:54 MDT We gathered with fellow Las Crucens and students to see, hear, and ogle Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives fame and Adam Rodriguez of CSI: Miami as they expressed their support for Barack Obama outside New Mexico State University's Corbett Center. Braving a rare New Mexico rain, we listened to Obamified music as we waited for the rally to begin. Strains of Bob Marley and Queen became vehicles for Obama chants. The husband danced the boy because, well, how else do you entertain a two-year-old at a political rally?