New Mexico Independent: Stories by Gwyneth Doland

Women at one local gym donate four tons of food

Gwyneth Doland — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:05:20 GMT

Women at the Los Ranchos de Albuquerque location of Curves donated four tons of goods to the Roadrunner Food Bank. That means women at this one exercise club are keeping pace with much larger corporations in food donation.

Fear and hoarding at the supermarket

Gwyneth Doland — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:00:00 GMT

The rising cost of rice has been in the news a lot lately, and in the U.S. several retail stores have put limits on the amount of rice customers can buy, leading to headlines about food rationing. So what’s really going on? Prices are high for many reasons (scroll down), but shoppers appear to be reacting to a lot of media hype about high prices by buying and hoarding rice before the prices go higher—thereby increasing both demand and hype.

Behind the Food Crisis: Free Trade?

Gwyneth Doland — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE – A policy brief recently released by the Oakland Institute, a California-based progressive think tank, claims that increased free trade has contributed to the food crisis. In answer to the question “Who stands to gain from high food prices?”, Institute founder Anuradha Mittal answers: In fact, it is traders and middlemen who stand to gain most. Speculation in world commodities is driving prices upward, from global futures commodity trading to traders and hoarders in West Africa, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Don't just blame rising food prices on ethanol

Gwyneth Doland — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Despite what many are saying, corn-based ethanol isn't the major contributor to rising food prices, say Sen. Jeff Bingaman and a new study.

TODAY'S TOP STORIES

Gwyneth Doland — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:04:04 GMT

Here's a round up of top stories around New Mexico.

The Albuquerque Journal has a story about the two candidates who have triggered the "millionaire's amendment.".

Meanwhile blogger Joe Monahan mulls over the fact that while Senate candidate Pearce has been airing statewide TV ads hammering foes Heather Wilson and Tom Udall.

KOB.com has a story about Albuquerque City Councilors who are upset about the cost of the new fire academy.

The federal farm bill confuses left and right

Gwyneth Doland — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:01:01 GMT

All the recent wrasslin’ over the farm bill has had at least one curious result: It’s put left-leaning reform activists in the novel position of agreeing with President Bush. Both want Congress to do more to change the farm subsidy structure. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported on May4:
It is the rarest of moments: President Bush and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are on a collision course over a giant farm bill, but it is Bush who is broadly aligned with liberal Bay Area activists pushing for reform, while the San Francisco Democrat is protecting billions of dollars in subsidies to the richest farmers.

Farm bill makes for bizarro politics

Gwyneth Doland — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:28:19 GMT

With yesterday’s House vote of 318-106 and today’s Senate vote of 81-15, Congress has the bipartisan, veto-proof majority it needs to ensure that the much-delayed farm bill will become law.

But looking closely at the votes of New Mexico’s congressional delegation revealed two surprises.

Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson both voted against passage of the Farm Bill, citing problems with provisions of the bill dealing with milk price supports. But conservative Rep. Steve Pearce, whose southern New Mexico district includes many of the state’s dairies, voted for the farm bill, along with his liberal colleagues, Reps. Tom Udall and Sen. Jeff Bingaman.

Wilson milks the dairy industry?

Gwyneth Doland — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

The politics of the federal farm is being cultivated in the hotly-contested U.S. Senate Republican primary pitting Wilson against Pearce. In a May 17 debate between the two candidates, Wilson assailed Pearce's recent vote for the farm bill over language affecting dairy producer subsidies.

Today's Top Stories: Hot legislative races

Gwyneth Doland — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:01:57 GMT

Blogger Joe Monahan posted a rundown of his takes on the hottest state legislature races.

According to Sean Olson’s story in the Journal, the groups—Conservation Voters New Mexico and Environment New Mexico—say fliers for state Sen. Shannon Robinson imply they’ve endorsed him, which they haven’t.

Also in the Journal today, APD admits that Sgt. Andrew Gallegos was the driver of a truck that ran over a woman in the parking lot of Sidewinders.

Meanwhile, in Santa Fe on Monday afternoon, the city council’s finance committee approved a new budget that would add more police officers to the department, using funds from a proposed red light camera program, among other sources. A story in the New Mexican reports that the budget will be debated at a council meeting next week; because of state regulations, a budget must be approved by the end of this month.

Still wondering about that large animal attack in the Sandias? Was it a mountain lion, a bobcat or something else? Here's a link where you can study the differences between mountain lions and bobcats.

Iglesias Interview in Sunday's NYT

Gwyneth Doland — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:45:07 GMT

It won't be in print until Sunday, but Deborah Solomon's interview in the New York Times with former NM attorney general David Iglesias is already online.

It's short, but here's a taste:

After serving as senator for 36 years, he has said he won’t be seeking re-election this year because of his health, in particular degenerative brain disease. He would have found a way to work around his illness. I think he’s stepping down in part because his legacy was tarnished.
And Heather Wilson, the U.S. congresswoman who also called you about that same case, is now running for his Senate seat. Do you think she can win? No. She’s damaged goods.

TODAY'S TOP STORIES

Trip Jennings, Gwyneth Doland — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:26:16 GMT

1st Congressional District frontrunner Martin Heinrich is outspending his three opponents in the race for the Democratic nomination while Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White has outspent his GOP primary opponent 5 to 1, the Associated Press reports in the Albuquerque Journal.

The Clovis News-Journal reported last night that although it wasn't a topic on the school board meeting agenda, they expected some discussion of the high school yearbook issue. (Last week several Clovis community groups—and former Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley—were outraged to find profiles of two lesbian couples included in the Clovis High School yearbook's profiles of student couples.) As of this morning the paper had not posted a follow-up on the school board meeting.

Taking a cue from the recent California court decision upholding the state's gay marriage law, the Albuquerque Journal asked the candidates in the 1st District Congressional District race about their views on gay marriage. It's no surprise that both Republicans, Joe Carraro and Darren White, strongly oppose gay marriage. But did you know that Martin Heinrich, the Democrat front-runner, also opposes gay marriage? See the details here.

Dunn wins endorsement of man some call toughest sheriff in U.S.

Gwyneth Doland — Fri, 30 May 2008 19:19:38 GMT

Albuquerque — You've probably heard of America's Toughest Sheriff, Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz.

The man the Arizona Republic calls "a powder keg of public bravado" has garnered heaps of publicity for his unusual techniques. He moved 2,000 inmates into a tent city in the Arizona desert and re-instituted chain gangs for men, women and juveniles. He feeds his inmates the cheapest food in the country: two meals per day that cost an average of 15 cents each. He has the inmates' sheets, towels, socks and underwear dyed pink.

On Thursday Arpaio endorsed rancher Aubrey Dunn in the Republican primary race in the second congressional district.

TODAY'S TOP STORIES: Clinton to concede

Gwyneth Doland — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:47:30 GMT

Here’s what we’re reading today:

First, the AP is reporting that Hillary Clinton will concede the democratic presidential primary today. Link (via the Chicago Sun Times)

Locally, the big news, of course, is that it’s election day, and the Albuquerque Journal is predicting high turnout. Polls will be open until 7 p.m. Don’t know where to vote? Your county clerk’s office can tell you. For example, if you live in Albuquerque, click here.

For Santa Fe County, click here.

For Doña Ana County, click here.

Political Bias at NASA Confirmed

Gwyneth Doland — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:55:04 GMT

An internal investigation at the nation's space agency found evidence that political appointees tried to muzzle scientists and stem the flow of scientific information about global warming. “Our investigation found that during the fall of 2004 through early 2006, the NASA Headquarters Office of Public Affairs managed the topic of climate change in a manner that reduced, marginalized or mischaracterized climate change science made available to the general public,” the New York Times quotes the report as saying.

According to the Times:

The report found credence in allegations that National Public Radio was denied access to top global warming scientist James Hansen. It also found evidence that NASA headquarters press officials canceled a press conference on a mission monitoring ozone pollution and global warming because it was too close to the 2004 presidential election.

In addition, the report detailed more than a dozen other actions in which it said the NASA public affairs office unilaterally edited or downgraded press releases having to do with global warming or denied access to scientists.

No foie gras on the menu this time

Gwyneth Doland — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:07:39 GMT

Eager to avoid charges of hypocrisy, leaders at a UN summit on the world food crisis, meeting this week in Rome, have banned foie gras and lobster in favor of a more modest menu.

As the London Times Online reported today:

"It does not look good if leaders discussing global starvation are seen to be dining lavishly," an official of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said. "At the last summit in 2002 we did not give enough thought to the menu and were open - unfairly, in our view - to the charge of hypocrisy."

The 2002 menu, published by The Times, began with foie gras on toast with kiwi fruit and lobster in vinaigrette, followed by fillet of goose with olives and seasonal vegetables and ending with a compote of fruit with vanilla, all accompanied by an array of fine wines. This time the catering was scaled down. Leaders first ate vol au vent stuffed with sweetcorn and mozzarella, followed by a pasta dish with a sauce of pumpkin and shrimps, and then veal meatballs and cherry tomatoes, with a fruit salad and vanilla ice-cream for dessert.