Just prior to the judge's ruling I discussed in the post just previous to this, a Judicial Standards Commission, made up of Commissioners (I guess - I can't find any names), ruled that a different NM judge who spent over 3 years fixing tickets (hundreds) for family and friends by having his secretary delete court files should be suspended for 3 months. Nothing more, just suspended w/o pay.
If I were a court clerk and had done this, I would be summarily fired and be prosecuted one count for every ticket.
It is clear that it depends who you know. Maybe the judge showed remorse so he didn't get two years.
Update: It is rumored that Governor and FPC (former presidential candidate) Bill Richardson is considering executive clemency for the imprisoned decorated marine. Seems Bill is tired of his henchmen pissing people off. It's ruining his chances to get a good appointment from Hillarobama.
Please do something about (Albuquerque) Mayor Marty Chavez now, huh?
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
How Many Years If He Had Been Trying to Steal Your Wife?
Proving again that Justice in New Mexico is A Bit Off, a judge sentenced a decorated marine to two years in prison for killing a man he found in his garage trying to steal his car. The marine had no prior criminal record and is a married, family man with young children. The family of the desert scum that got killed will get $500 a month in restitution. They are contemplating a civil suit to get more.
The judge went on radio the following week and said he wouldn't have given the marine any prison time if he had just begged for mercy. Instead, in true Semper Fi fashion (God bless him) the marine made it clear he thought the scum got what was coming to him.
Many folks agree. Just don't agree too loudly or you fine, upstanding residents of NM will be begging for mercy, too.
The judge went on radio the following week and said he wouldn't have given the marine any prison time if he had just begged for mercy. Instead, in true Semper Fi fashion (God bless him) the marine made it clear he thought the scum got what was coming to him.
Many folks agree. Just don't agree too loudly or you fine, upstanding residents of NM will be begging for mercy, too.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Plug It In Your Can
Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez has been running a "green" ad on TV and radio. It goes something like, "If you recycle just one aluminum can you can power your TV set for 3 hours." Huh? I tried plugging the TV into an old Coors can but only got the plug smelling like fermented feet.
Then I did a little research and came up with the following: 1 US gallon of gas contains 115,000 btu
1 watt = 3.413 btu/hr
1000 watt hrs is 3413 btu
My TV is rated at 160 watts so in three hours it uses 160 x 3.413 btu x 3 so that is 1638 btus.
My recycle center is 10 miles away and I get 20 miles per gallon - so I burn about 115,000 btus to get there and back.
I can carry about 1000 cans, so each can requires 115 btus to get to the recycle. I am now negative 115 btus per can.
From another research source: It takes roughly 6200 watt/hrs to produce 1 lb of aluminum from ore. That is 21,160 btu per pound. Recycling saves 95% of this energy, so we get a pound of aluminum by saving 20,102 btu. The question is, does the 95% include the energy it takes for transportation. Those who juggle statistics don't tell us. Anywhere. If you can find the statistic with an explanation, point me to it.
There are 32 cans per pound of aluminum, but with waste only 80% of them make it to the final product, so we need 20% more or about 38.4 cans which cost me 38.4 x 115 to get to recycle or 4,416 so I have saved the planet only 20,102 - 4,416 but per pound of aluminum or 15,686 btu.
I have recycled 38.4 cans to get this, so I get 15,686/38.4 or only 408.5 btu which only powers my set for about 15 minutes.
Hey, wait! I didn't figure for the bulldozer that pushes the cans around the recycle center, the cost to operate the shredder or the truck that has to carry it to the aluminum plant. From where I live, that's about 1300 miles. Even if that only uses ten percent of what my inefficent Buick uses to get to the recycle center, that starts me 126.5 btu to the negative. The cost to get to the aluminum plant is now 38.4 x 126.5 or 4,856 btu. Now I only get 20,102 - 4,856 or 15,246btu divided by 38.4 cans is 397. Divided by 1638 that is under a quarter hour.
Marty - get your facts right. Much gasoline has a higher heat content. And depending on how far you have to move the cans, how much waste, and where you are located, it is entirely possible that the savings could go negative.
Have a happy recycling!
Then I did a little research and came up with the following: 1 US gallon of gas contains 115,000 btu
1 watt = 3.413 btu/hr
1000 watt hrs is 3413 btu
My TV is rated at 160 watts so in three hours it uses 160 x 3.413 btu x 3 so that is 1638 btus.
My recycle center is 10 miles away and I get 20 miles per gallon - so I burn about 115,000 btus to get there and back.
I can carry about 1000 cans, so each can requires 115 btus to get to the recycle. I am now negative 115 btus per can.
From another research source: It takes roughly 6200 watt/hrs to produce 1 lb of aluminum from ore. That is 21,160 btu per pound. Recycling saves 95% of this energy, so we get a pound of aluminum by saving 20,102 btu. The question is, does the 95% include the energy it takes for transportation. Those who juggle statistics don't tell us. Anywhere. If you can find the statistic with an explanation, point me to it.
There are 32 cans per pound of aluminum, but with waste only 80% of them make it to the final product, so we need 20% more or about 38.4 cans which cost me 38.4 x 115 to get to recycle or 4,416 so I have saved the planet only 20,102 - 4,416 but per pound of aluminum or 15,686 btu.
I have recycled 38.4 cans to get this, so I get 15,686/38.4 or only 408.5 btu which only powers my set for about 15 minutes.
Hey, wait! I didn't figure for the bulldozer that pushes the cans around the recycle center, the cost to operate the shredder or the truck that has to carry it to the aluminum plant. From where I live, that's about 1300 miles. Even if that only uses ten percent of what my inefficent Buick uses to get to the recycle center, that starts me 126.5 btu to the negative. The cost to get to the aluminum plant is now 38.4 x 126.5 or 4,856 btu. Now I only get 20,102 - 4,856 or 15,246btu divided by 38.4 cans is 397. Divided by 1638 that is under a quarter hour.
Marty - get your facts right. Much gasoline has a higher heat content. And depending on how far you have to move the cans, how much waste, and where you are located, it is entirely possible that the savings could go negative.
Have a happy recycling!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Chunky Water
One day in this blog, we will explain why we sometimes refer to the City of Albuquerque, NM, as the C of Q. For now, please forgive us when we lapse into this sarcastic shorthand.
For years, C of Q has paid dearly and had the rights to water that is piped over the continental divide from the Colorado watershed to the Rio Grande watershed. More recently, C of Q had begun a project to actually make that water, now flowing down the Rio Grande, the source of part of its drinking water.
As an adjunct to getting that water into the system, a pilot plant has been built to suck it out of the sandy river and process it. Somewhere during the project, the city was forced by circumstances to turn the water utility over to a City-County authority - the ABCWUA.
To get residents used to drinking the crap from the river, the ABCWUA started bottling it and giving it away for free. Here, drink this!
So far, so good, except there is chunky stuff in the bottled water.
One of our local investigative news channels thinks it's not OK. But the attitude of ABCWUA so far has been, hey you have probably consumed worse. Swallow hard and enjoy.
When pressed, it was decided that ABCWUA would do its own independent testing. If the chunks ain't toxic or disease-causing, . . . well, Here, drink this!
The jury is still out on whether the pilot plant will work or leak once it's on line anyway. The Mayor of Q has threatened to shut off any river water that gets into the city and pump through the wells, most of which are within city limits but now belong to ABCWUA.
For years, C of Q has paid dearly and had the rights to water that is piped over the continental divide from the Colorado watershed to the Rio Grande watershed. More recently, C of Q had begun a project to actually make that water, now flowing down the Rio Grande, the source of part of its drinking water.
As an adjunct to getting that water into the system, a pilot plant has been built to suck it out of the sandy river and process it. Somewhere during the project, the city was forced by circumstances to turn the water utility over to a City-County authority - the ABCWUA.
To get residents used to drinking the crap from the river, the ABCWUA started bottling it and giving it away for free. Here, drink this!
So far, so good, except there is chunky stuff in the bottled water.
One of our local investigative news channels thinks it's not OK. But the attitude of ABCWUA so far has been, hey you have probably consumed worse. Swallow hard and enjoy.
When pressed, it was decided that ABCWUA would do its own independent testing. If the chunks ain't toxic or disease-causing, . . . well, Here, drink this!
The jury is still out on whether the pilot plant will work or leak once it's on line anyway. The Mayor of Q has threatened to shut off any river water that gets into the city and pump through the wells, most of which are within city limits but now belong to ABCWUA.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
The Legislature Finishes Work for 2008
Or not. One never quite knows in New Mexico. Governor Bill "My Way or The Highway" Richardson thinks not and called it a do-nothing legislature. That could only be good for the taxpayer. Although State Government operates year around, the legislative branch only meets for one month or two as prescribed by the state constitution. Nobody is every sure which year it is until mid-February rolls around. If they stay in session, either it's a two-month session or everybody fell asleep listening to the Governor's speeches.
The legislature made one last grab for money by taking away all funds from the City of Albuquerque's red-light camera program. Because it was all about safety, Mayor Martin "Hugo" Chavez immediately suspended the program. It was never about the money though, right?
The legislature made one last grab for money by taking away all funds from the City of Albuquerque's red-light camera program. Because it was all about safety, Mayor Martin "Hugo" Chavez immediately suspended the program. It was never about the money though, right?
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