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  • Buying Good (?) Health (Insurance)

    Mikaela says:
    So a little tidbit on the radio got me to thinking about how little we're hearing about who's most in the pockets of the health care industry. We hear a lot about this congressperson or that congressperson being for or against the bill and a lot about Republicans' [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 1:52pm EST

  • New Mexico compared to Chernobyl

    marjorie says...

    “Ground Zero. In some ways, New Mexico comes a close second to Chernobyl.”

    So begins a review, published this week in the Akron Beacon Journal, of an exhibit of photographs of Patrick Nagatani. The New Mexico photographer’s work is on display at the Akron Art [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 3:27pm EST

  • NPR, my beacon of sanity


    I can't remember a time I didn't listen to National Public Radio. My fierce fandom is nearly entirely due to my father, who is as hardcore an NPR listener as they come. When my dad is home alone, he'll either have NPR playing on every' [...]
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    Posted: October 22, 2009, 11:19am EDT

  • Pumping Horror 2: Traveling

    Mikaela says:
    What's worse than trying to pump at the workplace? Trying to pump on a business trip! Not only are you at the mercy of other people's schedules, you also have virtually no control over the spaces you inhabit, which means you're going to end up pumping in public' [...]
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    Posted: October 22, 2009, 10:34am EDT

  • What it comes down to


    Mikaela says:
    Oh to be a mom brave enough to order one of these for my new office door!

    Today is the first real day in an honest-to-god office, with a lock on the door and blinds on the windows. I can leave [...]
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    Posted: October 19, 2009, 10:27am EDT

  • Markets aren't everything...? (!)

    marjorie says...

    A fabulously straight delivery given to us on Forbes.com--with the insightful news that "Markets Aren't Everything"--, about the work of the duo who won the Nobel for Economics (parenthetical commentary belongs to me):

    The common theme underlying the prize this year is that markets do' [...]
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    Posted: October 13, 2009, 8:44am EDT

  • Marty Chavez: Mayorship isn't a football game, it's a relay race

    marjorie says...

    Mayor Martin Chavez said this last night as he was conceding the race.

    "I believe in my heart these races and the mayorship, it is not a football game, it’s not a baseball game, with a winner and a loser...It’...s a relay race. And each" [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 1:36am EDT

  • Note to Self: Do Your Research

    Mikaela says:
    Damn. I am a bad voter! I did not look at the sample ballot or read the League's guide, so I was unprepared to vote on the proposed amendments to the City Charter, all of which passed with or without my uneducated vote.

    (All the bonds passed,' [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 11:13pm EDT

  • ABQ to Mayor Marty: No to Unprecedented 3 Terms!

    Mikaela says:
    Well, this may be a disaster, but the people have spoken (at least those who cared enough to go the polls this election), and they've all said, "More Marty? Not again!"

    They couldn't quite go all the way to the left to vote for Romero, so it [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 10:32pm EDT

  • Go vote people

    marjorie says...

    It's October 5th, 7:30pm. Reed is playing his guitar. Kiki just had a bath, and is moping in his room because I won't let him go roll in the dirt until he's dry. I'm not going to check my email again tonight. If I do, there might [...]
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    Posted: October 05, 2009, 7:43pm EDT

  • Barb Wold at DfNM has endorsed Marty Chavez for Mayor

    marjorie says...

    I've read Barb's blog for a really long time, and I think it's notable that she endorsed Marty Chavez for mayor on her blog last night.

    She's pretty much sat out the mayor's race this year, which is a fact I've been paying attention to [...]
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    Posted: September 29, 2009, 9:11am EDT

  • Interesting day in the Duke City for the left

    marjorie says...

    My title speaks for itself. [...]
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    Posted: September 28, 2009, 9:22pm EDT

  • Van Jones: "Green jobs, not jails."

    marjorie says...

    Van on Van before he resigned from the Obama White House gig, from Politico in early August:

    “I didn’t start out as an environmentalist. I started out helping urban kids in trouble and I burned out, going to way too many funerals and court cases that [...]

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    Posted: September 12, 2009, 10:14am EDT

  • Congrats to the residents of Pajarito Mesa

    marjorie says...

    The many years of struggle and long hours of hard work between SWOP and the Pajarito Mesa Water Association to develop a safe, clean, dependable source of water for the residents of Pajarito Mesa is finally bearing fruit.

    This Wednesday morning we [...]
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    Posted: September 11, 2009, 10:24pm EDT

  • Marjorie on nmpolitics.net

    Did you see Marjorie over on nmpolitics.net?

    Marjorie: Dems should use health care reform

    Go read! [...]
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    Posted: September 08, 2009, 1:10pm EDT

  • Cancer and cannabis

    marjorie says...

    Here's a piece I wrote for the NMI last week, about the one medical marijuana non-profit in the state running out of its product. The person who've I've written about before here clued me into the fact that they had run out, and' [...]
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    Posted: September 08, 2009, 11:53pm EDT

  • Fouratt does a disservice to Richardson

    marjorie says...

    By now, many of you will have read or heard the news that Governor Bill Richardson will not being indicted by the grand jury that spent a year investigating whether an investment services company won a big state contract after making contributions to two of Richardson's political' [...]
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    Posted: August 31, 2009, 11:33am EDT

  • Ted Kennedy, 1932-2009


    Like so many Americans, I woke up completely heartbroken this morning to the news that Senator Ted Kennedy, standard-bearer for liberalism, Lion of the Senate, had passed away.

    It's overwhelming to take in all that Kennedy did to fight for justice over nearly fifty' [...]
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    Posted: August 26, 2009, 6:33am EDT

  • Why the rest of the bloggers shake their head at a certain blogger

    marjorie says...


    Ever wonder about the occasional upheaval among writers in the blogosphere? Well, the following example should clue you in.


    From Heath Haussamen's original story yesterday:

    "For example, according to the indictments, a $2 million voucher from the state treasury was deposited'" [...]
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    Posted: August 20, 2009, 8:16am EDT

  • The Swopistas make me happy

    Maggie says...

    You guys rock!

    [...]
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    Posted: July 28, 2009, 7:43pm EDT

  • Palin Poetry

    Mikaela says:
    Thanks to Maggie Mae, the Freckled Citizen, for posting this. It was too good not to throw on the old m-pyre.

    As a dabbler in poetry myself, I thought I could recognize a good poem when I heard one, but apparently not. Leave it to Conan [...]
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    Posted: July 28, 2009, 10:28am EDT

  • Friday Funny

    Mikaela says:
    I work at a Native-American owned company, and one of the things I love is the paradigm shift that occurs here, where white is NOT the norm and shouldn't be.

    My coworker, who happens to be part Navajo and part Cochiti, sent me' [...]
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    Posted: July 24, 2009, 9:08am EDT

  • ...watching the advent of medical marijuana...

    Normal false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Normal false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* [...]
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    Posted: July 21, 2009, 7:08am EDT

  • Women and our "temperament" problem

    Maggie says:
    Let's review yesterday's gems from everyone's favorite Southern gentleman, Lindsay Graham, in which he uses phrases such as "nasty," "fiery," "a bit of a bully," "a terror," and asks that very gendered question, "Do you think you have a temperament problem?" As you can see in the following' [...]
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    Posted: July 15, 2009, 8:46am EDT

  • Harry Time!

    Mikaela says:
    Oh my. Feels like I can hardly wait the 2 days until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is here! But I hate crowds. I hate crowds of fans even more, so my wait is even longer. Add to that wait the [...]
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    Posted: July 13, 2009, 1:47pm EDT

  • Memories of Palin

    marjorie says...

    I figured we needed to save the highights of the Sarah Palin comedy year here on m-pyre, those moments that have really sent us collectively over the edge into flabbergasty. Yes, that's a word. It may be a touch uncharitable (there goes my Christian upbringing again), but' [...]
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    Posted: July 06, 2009, 9:33pm EDT

  • Ira Goes to Moscow with a Clean Heart

    Mikaela says:
    A link on This American Life.org sends you to Yahoo's Babel Fish (Yay Douglas Adams fans!), which translates literally from Russian into English. The blurb describes Ira's upcoming trip to Moscow to speak about the power of radio. That's not the fabulous' [...]
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    Posted: June 30, 2009, 3:39pm EDT

  • Voces 2009

    Mikaela says:
    Another year, another successful wrap-up to Voces: Writing Institute at the NHCC. This year's challenges? Teaching with a baby on your hip while corralling 26 (!) creative minds to think past cliches in expressing your deepest feelings.

    Another change this month was the [...]
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    Posted: June 30, 2009, 9:06am EDT

  • 40-something in San Antonio

    marjorie says...

    Just got back from turning 40-something in San Antonio. Whenever I go there, I'm reminded what a great city it is--even if it is 106 degrees with 28 percent humidity.

    We stayed in this seriously retro hotel called El Tropicano, one of the originals on' [...]
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    Posted: June 29, 2009, 7:30am EDT

  • NM SOS website missing in action

    marjorie says...

    hmmm...

    How can the SOS website be down more than a day or two, at the most? What's wrong with it?

    I need to check some records... [...]
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    Posted: June 29, 2009, 7:27am EDT

  • Sophie's (Job) Choice

    Mikaela says:
    I don't know about you guys, but I find myself thrust into a decision between 1970 and 1990.*

    (*I admit I don't truly understand that choice, but I've heard two super-smart friends make that distinction, so if you'd like to quibble - take issue with them!)
    [...]
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    Posted: June 22, 2009, 5:02pm EDT

  • Musings by a reporter on Twitter

    marjorie says...

    Trip Jennings has a great commentary over on the Independent today about how Twitter is changing the face of journalism.

    In light of the remarkable use of Twitter and other new media, like YouTube, by the demonstrating hordes in Iran, Jennings gives an anecdote about a [...]
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    Posted: June 17, 2009, 7:38am EDT

  • Mommy Moment

    Mikaela says:
    A flash of understanding:

    Drive-throughs are not for lazy people, fat people, or shy people. They're for people with small children. I totally get this now.Drive-in grocery stores? I'm all over this, suddenly! I find myself avoiding stores with no drive-throughs and seeking out establishments that cater [...]
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    Posted: June 10, 2009, 3:38pm EDT

  • Segregation hurts white people too, sometimes

    marjorie says...

    A Wall Street Journal blog tells us that white fish shoppers at the Fulton Fish Market pay more than Asian fish shoppers.

    Brandeis University economists in a 22-week study of fish purchasing patterns found that white buyers pay on average 5 to 10 cents [...]
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    Posted: June 02, 2009, 9:23pm EDT

  • Tiller's assassination is a message to the rest of us

    marjorie says...

    Calling the killing of Dr. George Tiller by Scott Roeder a murder, many among the anti-abortion crowd seem to be trying to distance themselves from the act.

    For instance, Patrick J. Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition says that “…It would be a double tragedy [...]
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    Posted: June 02, 2009, 8:01am EDT

  • Adams Hanger

    marjorie says...

    Here are a few pictures I took at Maggie's wedding. For more you should seriously check out her wedding blog, Eat Drink Marry, where there are already some really gorgeous professional photos posted.


    [...]
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    Posted: June 01, 2009, 7:18pm EDT

  • The Velodrome is rotted & ABQ has spent the money approved for it

    marjorie says...

    In the ongoing saga of the Buena Vista street residents and the BMX stadium, the coverage by television news has generally been pretty poor if you ask me. Going back to 2007, when residents filed a suit against the city, television news never showed the actual [...]
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    Posted: May 29, 2009, 7:17am EDT

  • Eat Drink Marry

    marjorie says...

    There are all kinds of things I could comment on, but all I can really think about at the moment is the upcoming nuptials of m-pyre's own Maggie Mae this weekend in Duck, North Carolina. The Outer Banks, precisely.

    If after reading' [...]
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    Posted: May 20, 2009, 8:55am EDT

  • The value of a good editor

    marjorie says...

    "Must be good to never have to explain anything to an editor."

    That's the blurb describing the commentary by Alamogordo Mayor Steve Brockett published in the New Mexico Independent today, about how Joe Monahan got a few things wrong when it comes to his commentary about' [...]
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    Posted: May 11, 2009, 2:32pm EDT

  • Don't let yourself get played by the Alligators

    marjorie says...

    "people familiar with the matter"

    "sources say"

    "seasoned political players ponder"

    "they say"

    "insiders wonder"

    "we're getting this from a source close to..."

    These phrases are just a sampling of the stock in trade that litters the blog of Joe' [...]
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    Posted: May 04, 2009, 10:33am EDT

  • Feminists fall in love, too

    Maggie says:
    Feministing is one of my daily reads. As such, I've come to admire and respect founder Jessica Valenti, now a published author and fixture on the college speaking circuit. Valenti has been engaged for several months now, and has written in several places about the process' [...]
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    Posted: April 24, 2009, 12:00pm EDT

  • Federal land grabs in the name of border security

    marjorie says...

    I'm from an East Texas farm family, on both sides. My parents raised us in a larger town about 20 miles away from the small town they both grew up in. Growing up, we'd visit both sets of grandfolks every week, out in [...]
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    Posted: April 17, 2009, 7:26am EDT

  • Grassroots and the tea parties

    marjorie says...

    LP at FBI Hop has a couple really interesting commentaries about the nature of the "tea parties" happening this week to protest the Obama administration's deficit spending. The "tea parties"are being generated from the right, spurred by the rant of a FOX "newscaster."

    Since' [...]
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    Posted: April 13, 2009, 7:25am EDT

  • Radical: the death penalty itself, or getting rid of it?

    marjorie says...

    Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White has started a new political action committee intended to "repeal the repeal" of the death penalty. In addition to a petition drive to get enough signatures to put it on the ballot, White's Pac will conduct a public information campaign to:[...]
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    Posted: April 06, 2009, 7:44am EDT

  • A little cat and mouse to round out the session

    marjorie says...

    Political theater is how John Fleck termed Gov. Bill Richardson’s recent machinations regarding whether or not he’ll sign a bill to open legislative conference committees.

    I’d describe it more specifically as a Shakespearean game of cat and mouse.

    The opening of conference committees to the [...]

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    Posted: April 03, 2009, 1:57pm EDT

  • Joe...where's your blogroll?

    marjorie says...

    Joe Monahan let's the Journal have it today for alluding to the content of his site, and even using it to produce their own news stories, but not mentioning that he exists.

    ...the Alligators don't understand why the dead-tree editors refuse to mention in their [...]
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    Posted: April 02, 2009, 12:52am EDT

  • Matt, Barb...Stop it!

    marjorie says...

    I haven't had my coffee yet!

    hmmm...but could it be true?

    (scratching my head more)' [...]
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    Posted: April 01, 2009, 8:58am EDT

  • Oh no, Matt, er..LP, say it isn't so!

    marjorie says...

    Over the past year, I've watched in admiration as LP over at FBIHop pulled off blogging at the same time he fed his news bits to the NM Independent.

    Matt announced on his blog this morning that the gig is up over at FBIHop, that' [...]
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    Posted: April 01, 2009, 8:24am EDT

  • Juarez resident says violence is U.S. responsibility (duh)

    marjorie says...

    In addition to New Mexico’s congressional delegation, a Ciudad Juarez taco vendor is glad to see the U.S. government ramp up security on the border. Here’s what Andres Balderas told a reporter from Reuters:

    “This is what we have wanted for so long. People can leave [...]
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    Posted: March 25, 2009, 1:49pm EDT

  • Guv, say it isn't so! Conference Committees need to be open

    marjorie says...

    Heath Haussamen tells us that the Governor is actually considering veto'ing the conference committee bill that opens those meetings to the public--even though he previously promised to sign it:

    “The governor has concerns about what appear to be major loopholes in the
    bill,” Richardson spokesman' [...]
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    Posted: March 24, 2009, 8:02am EDT

  • TV for the Social Learners

    Mikaela says:
    Apropos of absolutely nothing, I cannot WAIT for the new TV series Parks and Recreation - with Amy Poehler as mid-level bureaucrat. Set to premiere April 9.

    The pool of potential humor about this pseudo-sister planning department is too good, too rich.
    [...]
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    Posted: March 20, 2009, 8:47am EDT

  • Our weak government and corporate blackmail

    marjorie says...

    Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich on the apparent thumbing of its nose by AIG Insurance to the federal government's demand that it not hand out at least a $100 million in executive bonuses:

    This sordid story of government helplessness in the face of massive taxpayer' [...]
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    Posted: March 16, 2009, 9:01am EDT

  • Governor Richardson solicts YOUR opinion about the death penalty

    marjorie says...

    Shortly after the repeal of the death penalty passed the Senate today, Governor Richardson issued this statement seeking input from New Mexicans:

    “This is an extremely difficult issue that deserved the serious and thoughtful debate it received in the Legislature,” said Governor Bill Richardson. “I have [...]
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    Posted: March 13, 2009, 3:17pm EDT

  • New Mexico Legislature repealed the death penalty today

    marjorie says...

    In a historic vote today, the New Mexico Senate repealed the death penalty on a vote of 24 to 18.

    The debate was at times emotional, but very good. You can see the live blog that New Mexico Independent and the Santa Fe Reporter hosted [...]
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    Posted: March 13, 2009, 3:07pm EDT

  • Showering Mikaela (with bonus rant)

    Maggie says:
    Confession: I don't really understand "bridal showers."

    Since no one I knowlike subscribes to the theory that it's necessary to have a gathering where women can talk appliances and congratulate the bride-to-be on getting a ring out of some hapless shmuck so that in a few months'' [...]
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    Posted: March 12, 2009, 11:45am EDT

  • Six-word love

    Maggie says:
    I was going to do a great post this morning on a book that everyone should go and buy: Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak: by Writers Famous and Obscure. I was going to ditch the usual favorite excerpts and reel you in [...]
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    Posted: March 11, 2009, 7:27am EDT

  • I heart Meghan McCain

    Maggie admits:
    I've gotta hand it to Cindy and John McCain. I may not be either of their biggest fans, but I am most definitely crushing on their independent-minded, free-thinking daughter Meghan.

    We all remember Meghan's blogging during the campaign, where she raised a few [...]
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    Posted: March 09, 2009, 10:38am EDT

  • fyi

    marjorie says...

    I just want to say, m-pyre is really playing second fiddle to a certain wedding blog.

    Sorry for outing you Maggie!

    In the meantime, anyone who's interested really should hit Mags up for the URL. Aside from my hurt that our lovely m-pyre has been' [...]
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    Posted: March 07, 2009, 2:57pm EST

  • Justice Ginsburg stickin' it to the Boys Club

    Maggie cites, from USA Today:

    When asked why, on her second day back on the bench, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg attended President Obama's televised speech to a joint session of Congress, she responded:

    "First, I wanted people to see that the Supreme Court isn't all male. I also" [...]
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    Posted: March 06, 2009, 11:30am EST

  • Tidd Wars

    marjorie says...

    On occasion, there are priceless moments in the blogosphere. One such moment came this morning when I cycled over to Monahan to see what fodder he was throwing up from the pool of anonymity he wades in. Lo and Behold, under a heading called "No Domestic Tranquility," [...]
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    Posted: March 04, 2009, 10:06am EST

  • Republican pseudopopulism

    marjorie says...

    Frank Rich's latest column in the NYT in which he takes the Republicans to task for "pseudopopulism" is, well, rich--and deserves a full read, but here are some choice excerpts [with a few areas put in bold by me]:

    The good news for Obama is' [...]

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    Posted: March 01, 2009, 8:27am EST

  • Our rural/urban divide on domestic partnerships

    marjorie says...

    The domestic partnerships bill failed on the Senate Floor yesterday. All Republicans opposed the bill, along with 10 Democrats.

    I realize the domestic partnership bill is largely spurred by the GLBT community, but I would like to see it happen for all of us. Marriage isn’t [...]

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    Posted: February 27, 2009, 8:37am EST

  • Watch the Senate debate Domestic Partnerships

    marjorie says...

    Our state Senators are debating the Domestic Partnership legislation on the floor today. You can see it live on a webcast on the New Mexico Independent website.

    Check it out. [...]
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    Posted: February 26, 2009, 9:35am EST

  • Puzzling over the State of the Nation

    Mikaela says:
    Did anyone else notice that every time a Republican was on camera at last night's speech, they were reading something in their laps? What's up with that? Consulting their playbooks AS the President spoke? Very strange.

    Didn't look like Blackberries, but maybe...

    Via RJ Matson[...]
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    Posted: February 25, 2009, 11:39am EST

  • Two faced GOP

    marjorie says...

    I thought this Huffington Post's headline about the GOP was pretty good:

    The Two Faces of the GOP

    The headline was a short spin on this New York Times article, which contrasts Republican Senators with Republican Governors in light of support for Obama's [...]
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    Posted: February 17, 2009, 7:22am EST

  • We should be thankful that Gregg came to his senses

    marjorie says...

    I don't think it should come as any surprise that a Republican would find that he didn't fit as Commerce Secretary, of all things, in the administration of a Democrat who is more liberal than we're used to seeing in such high places.

    I was somewhat' [...]
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    Posted: February 13, 2009, 10:29pm EST

  • Watch NM's legislators debate ethics from home!

    marjorie says...

    A number of ethics bills are being heard tomorrow morning--all together in the Senate Rules Committee.

    You can not only watch from home, you can participate also. The New Mexico Independent will be webcasting the committee meeting, and also conducting an open live blog which [...]
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    Posted: February 12, 2009, 3:13pm EST

  • Does Marijuana boost cereal sales? Kellogg v. Phelps

    marjorie says...

    Sorry faithful m-pyre readers. We are just seriously overwhelmed these days. However, I could not let this one past without a repost, from a blog I did on NMI:

    addthis_pub = 'nmindependent';

    Kellogg Co. ended its contract with Olympic gold medalist [...]

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    Posted: February 11, 2009, 8:05pm EST

  • Pay-to-play fall out: Tainting good people

    marjorie says...

    To wrap my head around a nascent story idea that may or not may not come to fruition, I've been having conversations with various people in government--both elected officials and bureaucrats--over the past couple of weeks that touch on the pay-to-play allegations, not to mention the scandal,' [...]
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    Posted: February 05, 2009, 12:24pm EST

  • Val Kilmer's flirtation

    marjorie says...

    Checking out the local news on the tele last night, lo and behold, I spied Val Kilmer actually speaking to the press--as in, the New Mexico press. Kilmer went to the Roundhouse yesterday and caused a big stir. How come that doesn't happen when I walk in' [...]
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    Posted: February 05, 2009, 7:32am EST

  • Pay to Play A to Z

    marjorie says...

    Are you slightly befuddled by all the scandals in New Mexico lately? If so, then you'll want to check out the Santa Fe Reporter's Pay to Play A to Z guide.

    It breaks down the alleged players, the structure, arcane things like CDO's, not' [...]
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    Posted: February 05, 2009, 7:22am EST

  • Roundhouse lobbyists and the Speaker

    marjorie says...

    Thomas J. Cole's Upfront column in the Abq. Journal this morning is about a Roundhouse lobbyist, Robert Rivera, who owes the state $210,000 in back taxes. Rivera's clients include Flicks on 66/The Studio New Mexico, New Mexico Industrial Energy Consumers, New Mexico Propane Gas Association, Ruidoso [...]
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    Posted: February 04, 2009, 7:46am EST

  • What Happened When I Got Pregnant

    Mikaela says:
    This picture illustrates better than I could explain: I got buried.


    My cat and dog sense that something's up, and they're desperate to deepen their bond with me before having to compete with an infant, especially our cat, who's just a baby' [...]
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    Posted: January 29, 2009, 12:38pm EST

  • Republican ideological rigidity is bankrupt

    marjorie says...

    When the Republican administration of George W. Bush appropriated $700 billion last fall to try to solve the economic crisis, it was money dedicated to bailing-out big banks and it has almost no oversight built into it. The banks basically were given carte blanche, and they still [...]
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    Posted: January 28, 2009, 5:34pm EST

  • Arnold-Jones and KUNM deserve props

    marjorie says...

    After writing an initial piece about the plans of Janice Arnold-Jones to webcast her committees at the New Mexico legislature, I was so snowed under the past couple of days that I haven't had much time to pay attention--beyond watching the inaugural webcasting run. But' [...]
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    Posted: January 28, 2009, 6:53am EST

  • there's a "question" about who CDR was advising

    marjorie says...

    You know those financial deals that CDR Financial put together for the New Mexico Finance Authority as an advisor on the GRIP project? They're called SWAPs? Well it seems that because the "complex contracts" were made with a variable interest rate the state is now at' [...]

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    Posted: January 26, 2009, 7:43am EST

  • Post-Bush Gigglefest

    Thanks, Keith.

    .msnbcLinks {font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 425px;} .msnbcLinks a {text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px;} .msnbcLinks a:link, .msnbcLinks a:visited {color: #5799db !important;} .msnbcLinks a:hover, .msnbcLinks a:active {color:#CC0000 !important;}

    Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, [...]

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    Posted: January 21, 2009, 9:32pm EST

  • And good riddance...

    Mikaela says:
    Former VP Dick Cheney really got a pass yesterday. As the chief architect of the most evil designs of Bush & Co., he really deserved some ire heaped on his head yesterday. Yes, Obama's speech was a smackdown of Bush personally as a leader, but much of the' [...]
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    Posted: January 21, 2009, 12:23pm EST

  • Heinrich on the inauguration

    marjorie says...

    I don't know about you, but politician's statements often sound the same to me. Probably because they're largely written by PR professionals. So it's refreshing to read the guest blog by Martin Heinrich with reflections about yesterday's inauguration--over on Heath Haussamen's blog today. I figure it was [...]
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    Posted: January 21, 2009, 9:33am EST

  • critically hopeful in the age of Obama...si se puede!

    marjorie says...

    In his inauguration speech, Obama right off the mark made clear his awareness that—unlike some of the others who’ve taken the oath of office before him—he assumes the role during troubled times:

    …every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. … So [...]
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    Posted: January 20, 2009, 3:32pm EST

  • Welcome, Mr. President and the New Era You Usher In...

    Mikaela says:
    Well, deed's done, and we've done it! I thought I'd have to watch online from work, but my boss came over and stole me away to his friend's house to watch the whole thing with a bunch of aging, white liberal strangers. Pretty great, [...]
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    Posted: January 20, 2009, 11:26am EST

  • Rev. Lowry's Benediction

    Mikaela posts her transcription:

    Given at Obama’s Inauguration, January 20, 2009

    God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
    Thou who has brought us thus far along the way,
    Thou who has by thy might led us into the light,
    Keep us forever in the path, [...]
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    Posted: January 20, 2009, 11:15am EST

  • Holy smokes...it's the Obama era

    marjorie says...





    photo by Jon Person/Flickr [...]
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    Posted: January 20, 2009, 11:00pm EST

  • MLK discusses the first black U.S. president

    marjorie says...

    The BBC brings this really amazing clip of Martin Luther King expressing surprise at the degree to which the United States had been able to make progress on racial justice, and in light of that he says he could see there being [...]
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    Posted: January 19, 2009, 5:26pm EST

  • Cloud cover

    Maggie says:
    It's been a quiet stretch for me on m-pyre... sorry about that. Post-election, I immersed myself in the bubble of it'll-be-okay-ness, and the cloud cover has been pretty thick. There has been some not-okayness, of course - some of those Cabinet picks, a dismaying center course strategy, Middle [...]
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    Posted: January 19, 2009, 8:37am EST

  • Goodbye Mr. President...it's time for you to go

    marjorie says...

    [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: January 18, 2009, 5:58pm EST

  • The play in GripGate

    marjorie says...

    (Here's a piece I posted at NMI last week about GripGate)

    The concept of “pay-to-play” has grabbed the attention of New Mexicans since Gov. Bill Richardson’s quest to be Commerce Secretary in the Obama administration was derailed by a federal investigation.

    [...]
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    Posted: January 17, 2009, 3:28pm EST

  • Bailouts and Nationalization

    marjorie says...

    The $825 billion federal stimulus proposal presented by House Democrats this week proposed $275 billion in tax cuts and $550 billion in spending.

    The summary, by the way, is excellent reading.

    The economy lost 2 million jobs in the last four months and is projected [...]

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    Posted: January 16, 2009, 3:52pm EST

  • Specialties

    marjorie says...

    Although Joe Monahan has an aversion to the local blogosphere (you'd think he was the only blogger in New Mexico if you only read his site), he seems to be faintly aware of the New Mexico Independent. But now, Gwyn has prodded him into full-on commentary about [...]
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    Posted: January 15, 2009, 7:27am EST

  • Who owns the word genocide?

    marjorie says...

    I think it's a very good question--does a certain group of people own the word "genocide"? Last time I checked, there are horrific things happening in the world all of the time, one of them currently being the massive bombardment of a densely populated city called Gaza.
    [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: January 13, 2009, 7:47am EST

  • The price of the gravy train at the top

    marjorie says...

    Buried in a Bloomberg piece today is a piece of the Richardson-CDR boondoggle that pretty much says it all about the culture of politics:

    ‘Hired Hand’

    Michael Stratton, a senior political adviser to Richardson, lobbied the authority on CDR’s behalf, Sisneros said.

    [...]
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    Posted: January 07, 2009, 11:42pm EST

  • Wringing in the New Year

    Mikaela says:
    I'm loving all the year-end wrap-up going on. Everyone's taking stock of the last year, and checking in with the last 8 while they're at it, in preparation for the next big change to prepare ourselves for.

    I can honestly say that I'd [...]
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    Posted: January 06, 2009, 10:38am EST

  • Sacrficial Lamb or Ascendent Messiah?

    marjorie says...



    I don’t want to let the day go by without pausing for a moment to reflect on this remarkable photograph by Heath Haussamen—which he quietly slipped into an analysis he wrote regarding the implications of Bill Richardson’s withdrawal as Obama's [...]

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    Posted: January 06, 2009, 11:31pm EST

  • Richardson's & the Feds: what do we know? Not much

    marjorie says...

    Now that the shock of yesterday's news that Bill Richardson isn't going to be Commerce Secretary has subsided, and now that I have finally digested the eating of my own words that the federal investigation of CDR Financial wouldn't derail his nomination, let's think about what we [...]
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    Posted: January 05, 2009, 8:29am EST

  • Heaven forbid we let Illinois outshine us

    marjorie says...

    Just yesterday, I got a little note in my inbox from an analyst who works for an advocacy group:

    "I guess i just don't get what the fuss is about in Illinois - Richardson is as bad or worse and it is just business as usual [...]
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    Posted: January 04, 2009, 3:32pm EST

  • 2008 reflections

    marjorie says...

    These past couple of weeks it’s been interesting to read all the 2008 Year in Review pieces. They’re everywhere: Top political stories, the biggest scandals, the best romances, the saddest tragedies, the fashion trends…

    Thinking about my own “year in review,” given the many lists out there [...]

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    Posted: December 31, 2008, 11:51pm EST

  • The Journal, Bill Hume, and interpreting the facts

    marjorie says...

    While generally just a touch checked out this past holiday week, I couldn't help but read with great interest a couple of pieces in the Albuquerque Journal over the past few days.

    First, there was this: Gov. Generous With Your Money ... Thomas J. Cole's [...]
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    Posted: December 29, 2008, 10:20pm EST

  • Happy Holidays

    marjorie says...

    Happy Holidays, m-pyre readers!


    Graphic from 1Sky--it's an E-Card. Hat Tip to DfNM!
    [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: December 24, 2008, 11:16am EST

  • Bush: we can get rid of the principles but keep the system

    marjorie says...

    George W. Bush on CNN:

    "I've abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system"

    Embedded video from CNN Video


    So what does a system look like if its principles are abandoned, i.e.--tossed to the side?

    It's somewhat amazing to me that [...]
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    Posted: December 17, 2008, 4:01pm EST

  • Auto Bailout Humor

    Mikaela says:
    You've probably already seen this in your junk mail folder. It's making the rounds. Still pretty funny! The fine print is particularly good. Click on it to get a bigger image.



    "You probably thought it was smart to buy a foreign [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: December 17, 2008, 8:44am EST
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