Branson, NM officials dedicate spaceport terminal

From KOB-TV.com - By: Susan Montoya Bryan - UPHAM, N.M. (AP) - With his usual flare, British billionaire Richard Branson rapelled from a balcony, shook up a bottle of champagne and took a swig while christening the world's first built-from-scratch commercial spaceport.
In a remote patch of desert in southern New Mexico, Spaceport America is where Branson's Virgin Galactic will stage its commercial space tourism venture. Branson, Gov. Susana Martinez, and astronaut Buzz Aldrin were among the hundreds of people gathered at the spaceport terminal hangar facility for Monday's dedication. Branson describes the building as magnificent. He says he hopes enough powered test flights of Virgin Galactic's sleek spacecraft can be done by the end of 2012 to start commercial suborbital flights from the spaceport. Read more
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In New Mexico, the ’99 percent’ movement tries to ‘Unoccupy Albuquerque’

From the New Mexico Independent - By - In response to concerns over the term “Occupy Albuquerque”, the protest movement has renamed itself “(Un)occupy Albuquerque.” The decision was made in a general assembly meeting of protesters othe University of New Mexico campus. As the New Mexico Independent reported last week, some of the ’99 percenters’ objected to the association of the word ‘Occupy’ with what one Daily Kos contributor called “…five-hundred years of forced occupation of [Native American] lands, resources, cultures, power, and voices by the imperial powers of both Spain and the United States. A big chunk of the 99 percent has been served pretty well by that arrangement. A smaller chunk hasn’t.” The ‘Occupy’ movement has emphasized its opposition to those in the top 1 percent of the country’s income distribution, as well as the financial sector, which in recent decades has drastically increased its share of the total national income. But this emphasis has meant that many other societal tensions and grievances that have traditionally preoccupied left-wing and anti-establishment movements, such as those of the Native American community and other racial minorities, have not been a significant focus of the ’99 percenters.’ Read more
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Proactive and Reactive Messages

Dr. Stephen Covey
There’s a new catch phrase making the rounds on the political scene lately. It ties in with the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters. It is called the “99%.” The idea is based on an attitude of isolation and exclusion. “99%” refers to everyone except those who have risen into the top percentile of personal income in the U.S. As President Obama scrambles to repair his poll numbers, he has found it useful to adopt the 99% phrase and incorporate it into his rhetoric. Will this tactic of heaping scorn on the most effective people in society work? It all depends on what context the term “work” is used in. What is effective “politically” and what constitutes effective leadership is not the same thing. Some of the worst scoundrels in human history were effective at winning elections. Or put another way. Yes it might work.
For a more useful survey of effective leadership, it is always wise to seek the experts. The most learned expert in the area of leadership is Dr. Stephen Covey who penned the wildly successful book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” Covey's work is a must for any problem solving executive. Appropriately, Stephen Covey’s Habit # 1 frames the two alternative paths that America may well choose from in 2012. Covey suggests that the quintessential habit of every effective leader is the pattern of being “proactive.” Proactive is defined by Covey as resisting the temptation to transfer responsibility to others for one’s own actions. According to Covey, proactive people focus on what they can control, especially how they choose their responses to adversity. Covey offers many examples of the opposite approach to problems that is most common in “reactive” people. The reactive person, according to Covey prefers making excuses, blame shifting, and focusing on factors affecting their lives that are far beyond their control.
There is very good news for America. New GOP front runner Herman Cain has mastered the basic habit of being proactive. Born the son of a chauffeur and cleaning woman, Cain pursued a degree in mathematics as an undergraduate. Cain then moved on to the incredibly relevant field of computer science in the masters program at Purdue University. His professional career is a virtual highlight reel of having been dealt one serious challenge in problem-solving after another. Cain’s bosses at Pillsbury gave him the worst performing division in their Burger King chain. He turned it into their best performer. His application of leadership skills and taking the initiative led to a remarkable record of achievement. Cain’s calls for less dependence on government, an end to blame shifting aimed at the top percentile of income earners, and his repeated calls for more emphasis on personal responsibility, are all text book examples of Covey’s first and most important habit of highly effective people.
Barrack Obama’s approach to leadership provides an amazing contrast to Herman Cain's. Obama does not emphasize the adoption of an attitude by those dealt the same lot in life as Herman Cain, to take personal responsibility for upgrading their skills. Instead, Obama’s message encourages seeking government assistance while pointing an accusing finger at those who pay thirty-five or forty times "their  fair share” of the cost of running government. Unfortunately, Obama embraces a reactive approach to life and government. This requires an emphatic denial of the idea that people just like Herman Cain can climb the ladder of success in America. Obama's message requires Americans to believe their system is rigged against a Herman Cain. And the president's blame shifting targets are an easy ones. He questions the motives of the top 1% of all income earners and he encourages voters to do the same. Oolitical scientists might argue that Obama’s message of envy, rather than Cain’s calls for personal ambition and self reliance, will win. However, if Obama is successful in his efforts to demonize the top earners and blame shift, he will surely find himself in command of a nation that he has personally pre-conditioned to moan, whine, complain, and shift blame. And surely if he is successful in dumbing down America even further we will all be worse off.

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Protest movement crosses the border

From Rio Grande Digital - and - Frontera NorteSur - An unprecedented wave of protest against the international financial elite and prevailing economic policies swept the globe on Oct. 15. And New Mexico, Mexico and the greater US borderlands were no exceptions. Protests were chalked up in San Diego, Tijuana, Las Cruces, Ciudad Juárez and Mexico City, among many other places. In El Paso, an encampment was announced beginning Monday, Oct. 17, in the city’s downtown San Jacinto Plaza. In neighboring Ciudad Juárez, protesters from several groups began their action in the downtown plaza but culminated at the US Consulate, where they blasted US economic domination. The world economy, said activist Julian Contreras, was “leaving many people abandoned while privileging the banks and big businessman and not generating employment or letting the young people study …” Demonstrators also criticized proposals to legally allow soldiers the ability to search homes without a warrant issued by a judge. The Ciudad Juarez event was held at a time when the city is in the middle of a gala, two-week event organized by the government and private sector to improve the city’s image and attract more investment. In Mexico City, different protests involving hundreds of young people likewise linked issues of violence related the so-called drug war to economic inequities. Read more
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Change at the Top Creates Jobs at the Bottom

From Townhall.com - “When paperwork gets in the way of benefits, that’s a problem.” So said John Bemis, Secretary-designate of New Mexico’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, appointed by Governor Susana Martinez. What is significant about Bemis’ comment, made during a presentation in front of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association’s Annual meeting on October 3, is that it represents a total change in attitude from the previous administration and is indicative of the difference one person—at the top—can make. The change in attitude in NM presents a case study from which the rest of the US would be wise to learn. Governor Richardson’s approach was very much like President Obama’s. He added regulations and appointed people to positions of leadership who made doing business in the state difficult—especially in regard to natural resource management. As a result, businesses moved to other states and revenues suffered. While some people think one person can't make that much of a difference, NM is proving that couldn't be farther from the truth. A culture of growth and prosperity starts with attitudes at the top.Governor Martinez was elected in 2010. She appointed her people to head up the various agencies—including John Bemis at the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. The rules didn’t change; instead the new leadership reevaluated their application. Rather than dictating just because she can, Governor Martinez has chosen to focus where she can get the most bang for the buck. For example, the limited resources of the Oil Conservation Division can now be directed toward actual environmental issues, rather than enforcing paperwork. Read column
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NM a Major Focus of the Obama Campaign

From wsj.com -President Barack Obama starts a three-day bus trip Monday through North Carolina and Virginia that brings fresh attention to the kinds of voters he will rely on as he works to assemble a majority next year in the Electoral College. They are among a number of states that Obama campaign officials see as a major focus. Mr. Obama will visit another key region, the Mountain West, next week, where Hispanic voters helped put Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico in the president's column in 2008.  More News New Mexico

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NM Bears Released into the Wild

From kob.com -The drought has taken a heavy toll on bears this year.  Some bears have starved, some have been forced out of their habit by wildfires and others have been shot and killed while desperately trying to find a meal. However, others have been saved and are returning to the wild this week. Dr. Kathleen Ramsay, who rehabilitates bears in Espanola, expects to release five bears in the Cimarron area on Monday.  More News New Mexico
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Bingaman's Latest and "Greatest" Bill

Sen. Bingaman
From americanindependent.com -Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) is cosponsoring legislation with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would preserve existing funding support for counties containing National Forest System lands. The bill would maintain Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) given to counties in compensation for containing federal land, as well as funding for rural schools, forest management, and other county government initiatives.  More News New Mexico
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NM Rancher's Murder Still a Mystery

Larry Link
From alamogordonews.com -More than four months after he was fatally shot five times, the murder of a man who owned a ghost town near the New Mexico-Arizona line remains unsolved as the case continues to baffle police and the man's family. The body of 68-year-old Larry Link was found by his son in the morning of June 7 just outside his property in Steins in Hidalgo County, which borders Arizona. Link was the longtime owner of Steins Railroad Ghost Town.   More News New Mexico
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Occupy Wall Street "Movement" in NM

 From salem-news.com -An unprecedented wave of protest against the international financial elite and prevailing economic policies swept the globe on October 15. And New Mexico, Mexico and the greater US-borderlands were no exceptions. Protests were chalked up in San Diego, Tijuana, Las Cruces, Ciudad Juarez and Mexico City, among many other places. In El Paso, an encampment was announced beginning Monday, October 17, in the city’s downtown San Jacinto Plaza.  Two days prior to October 15, more than 100 students rallied at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces in a local manifestation of a new national student movement that’s grown out of the original New York City occupation of Zuccotti Park, now rechristened Liberty Square, on the edge of Wall Street.  More News New Mexico
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