Small size doesn't hurt steer roping horse Woody Woody is one little steer roping horse with a lot of determination. The quarter horse gelding, whose registered name is Larneds Ricoche Doc, is 14.1 hands tall and weighs 1,185 pounds. Most competitive steer roping horses are about 15 hands and closer to 1,300 pounds. "He's just got a lot of athletic ability to be as small as he is," said Dan Fisher of Andrews, Woody's owner and rider. "He's got a lot of heart. He's smaller than any other steer roping horse I've ever had before. But I kind of like short horses because I'm only 5-foot-9, and I can get off of them quicker" to tie the steer. Those factors helped Woody win the American Quarter Horse Association/Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association 2008 Steer Roping Horse of the Year honors. Fisher is also on the card at the Nov. 14-15 National Finals Steer Roping in Hobbs, N.M....

The Roswell Legacy In early July 1947, something crashed in the high desert outside of Roswell, New Mexico. Sheep rancher Mac Brazel discovered some strange metallic debris on his land. Not knowing what it was he eventually took some of this debris into Roswell and reported it to the Sheriff´s Office. They in turn contacted Roswell Army Air Force who housed the 509th Bomb Wing, the only atomic bomb wing in the world at that time. RAAF despatched two men to Roswell to look at his strange debris. One of these was base intelligence officer Major Jesse Marcel. Major Marcel drove out to the ranch in question and recovered some of this material. On his way back to base he stopped at his home in the early hours of the morning. He awake his wife and his son, 11 year-old Jesse Marcel jnr. Major Marcel spread some of the recovered material on the kitchen floor of his house and Jesse jnr was most intrigued by it. Little did either of them know then that they were to become involved in what has become known as the Roswell Incident. Major Marcel passed away in the l980´s, but not before he had told his story....

JAMES SAMUEL CURETON

December 5, 1920 - October 18, 2008

Jim Cureton was born in Lordsburg, New Mexico to George H. and Edith S. Cureton. He was a third generation cattle rancher in southwestern New Mexico on land homesteaded by his grandfather, James W. Cureton. He attended Lordsburg Public Schools and played on the Lordsburg High School basketball team that won the 1939 New Mexico State Basketball Championship. He received a bachelor of science degree from New Mexico State University in animal science. He was in ROTC and served in the armed services during WWII. He married Nan Elton and was widowed in 1948.

Jim was an active member of the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau and the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association. He was an employee of the New Mexico Public Health Department for 15 years. In 1951, Jim married Jane L. (Turner) Hart, who had a daughter, Mary Edith. He and Jane had two children, J. Samuel (Sam) Cureton, Jr. and J. Alice Bundrant. He is survived by his wife, children, brother, Robert H. Cureton (Helen) and sister, Dorothy (George H.) Jackson. He has seven grandchildren: Eda Jane Egashira, James Canniff, Chance Cureton, Erin Meng (Tyler), Paige Cureton, Brittany Bundrant, Logan Bundrant and five great grandchildren: Saundra, Tyler, Anthony and Robert Egashira and Ethan Ross Meng

He had been living in Bainbridge Island, Washington near his two daughters for the past year. He was a prior member of the Lordsburg First Baptist Church and a member and deacon of the Silver City First Baptist Church.

Funeral services will be held at the Silver City First Baptist Church on Tuesday, October 28 at 2:00 p.m. followed by burial at the Masonic Cemetery in Silver City. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the New Mexico Boys’ or Girls’ Ranch. Their address is:
The Ranches
6209 Hendrix Rd NE 2FL
Albuquerque, NM 87110
or donations can be made on-line at www.theranches.org

Closing Arguments in Stevens Trial Government prosecutors and a defense lawyer for Senator Ted Stevens gave starkly different accounts to a jury Tuesday over whether Mr. Stevens violated ethics laws by not disclosing tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and services that he received. Joseph Bottini, a federal prosecutor, told the jurors that Mr. Stevens, Republican of Alaska, was well aware that he received an array of gifts, including a sled dog, a sculpture and a massage chair, as well as the more valuable services of a longtime friend, Bill Allen, who used his company, Veco, to oversee a vast remodeling of the Stevens home. “This is a simple case of an elected public official who received hundreds of thousands of dollars in free benefits and concealed those facts,” Mr. Bottini said. Mr. Stevens’s chief defense lawyer, Brendan Sullivan, responded that the government had offered “a very twisted interpretation of the evidence” to prosecute a prominent lawmaker who had served in the Senate honorably for 40 years. In his telling, Mr. Stevens was the unwilling recipient of many gifts that Mr. Allen provided without his knowledge. And it was Catherine Stevens, the senator’s wife, who was in charge of the renovation project and paid some $160,000 in bills believing they accounted for the entire project....

Judges hear cases on hatchery vs wild salmon A panel of federal appellate judges is being asked to decide whether the government should count hatchery-raised salmon and steelhead when considering the fish populations for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Lawyers for the building industry, farm and property rights groups asked Monday that the judges undo the listings of 16 West Coast salmon and steelhead populations under the act, arguing that thanks to abundant hatchery fish, the stocks are nowhere near extinction. In its lawsuit, the Alsea Valley Alliance of Oregon challenged the listing of 16 salmon and steelhead populations as endangered in Washington, Oregon and California, claiming the government was lowballing its estimates of salmon and steelhead populations by counting only wild fish. The listing unnecessarily harms the economy by restricting development and agriculture to protect salmon habitat, the alliance argued. U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan rejected the group's claims last year, finding that federal officials were not required to treat wild and hatchery fish identically....

Judge declines to reduce pumping of delta water for salmon A federal judge on Tuesday denied a request by environmental groups to reduce delta pumping and take other measures at two major California reservoirs to help the state's endangered salmon population. In an 11-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger didn't outright reject the requests, but said a hearing would be necessary if environmental groups wanted to pursue the proposals. Environmentalists aren't sure whether they will seek a hearing because an updated opinion on how to manage the salmon is due in March, said Michael Sherwood, an attorney for the environmental group Earthjustice. The litigation over winter-run Chinook salmon, spring-run Chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead is part of a long-running battle between the government and environmentalists dealing with the massive Central Valley Project's effect on the fish, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Wanger already has issued a written opinion that the three fish species are at risk of extinction, and the state and federal water project operations are further jeopardizing them. But in Tuesday's ruling, the judge was reluctant to issue a further ruling without hearing more evidence....

Court appointee takes on states' water fight The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday assigned a California lawyer as special master to sort out the facts in a dispute between Montana and Wyoming over waters in the Tongue and Powder rivers. Both rivers rise in the mountains of Wyoming and flow across the state line into Montana. In a lawsuit filed before the court in January 2007, Montana alleged that Wyoming is taking more than its share of water under terms of the 1951 Yellowstone River Compact. Montana Attorney Mike McGrath said Monday that he felt good about the Supreme Court's decision. "It demonstrates that the court is moving forward with the process," he said. "They could have ordered it dismissed." Wyoming had filed a motion with the court to dismiss the case. That motion will now be taken up by the special master. Named special master was Barton H. Thompson. He is a professor of natural resources law at Stanford University and serves as director of the law school's Woods Institute for the Environment....

Decision upheld to keep elk feedgrounds going A regional forester has upheld a decision by the supervisor of Bridger-Teton National Forest to allow the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to continue operating elk feedgrounds in the forest for at least 20 years. Five environmental groups had appealed the supervisor's decision, saying feedgrounds can promote the spread of chronic wasting disease. The deadly disease affects the nervous systems of deer, elk and moose. The groups also were concerned about damage to the soil and water in the forest. Wyoming operates 22 feedgrounds that provide winter feed to 16,000 elk. Several of the feedgrounds are on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Sublette and Teton counties....

State of Oregon tells feds to put the brakes on LNG The state of Oregon has joined a chorus of legal challenges to the federal approval of the Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas project. On Monday, Gov. Ted Kulongoski asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a rehearing of the Bradwood decision, promising to take the feds to court if his environmental and procedural concerns aren't addressed. Kulongoski says FERC overlooked environmental impacts of the Bradwood project and violated several federal laws when it conditionally approved the $650 million LNG terminal and pipeline last month. Located 20 miles east of Astoria on the Columbia River, Bradwood Landing is the first LNG proposal on the West Coast to receive FERC approval. But since FERC's 4-1 approval Sept. 18, several tribal, conservation and citizen groups, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Washington Department of Ecology have filed protests insisting that FERC's ruling on the Bradwood project was premature and illegal and pressuring the federal energy board to reconsider....

HISTORY OF WISCONSIN'S WOLF POLICY FILLED WITH COMPROMISE, MEDDLING To some, last month's federal decision that put the gray wolf back on the endangered species list in the Great Lakes region was an unmitigated triumph. Siding with the Humane Society of the United States and other groups, the court ruling placed the wolf once again under federal protection after it was removed from the list last March. But in doing so, the decision also took away critical tools from the states, such as the ability to kill wolves that have attacked livestock. And, in that sense, it's not a victory but a blow to Wisconsin's hard-won compromise on how best to manage the iconic animals, says University of Wisconsin-Madison environmental studies professor Adrian Treves. "The irony in the current situation is that the state has found a constructive middle ground ( on wolves )," says Treves, who has just published an analysis of 30 years of Wisconsin wolf policy. "But it's consistently having that middle ground undermined by the federal government and through lawsuits by outside groups, usually wolf preservationist groups." Writing in the current issue of the journal Human Dimension of Wildlife, Treves argues that the history of wolf recovery in Wisconsin is one of "interest groups vying for control" of wolf policy and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ( DNR ) balancing those interests. Over the past 26 years, for example, the agency has promoted coexistence with wolves by compensating people for lost livestock and pets with funds paid for by wildlife enthusiasts. In recent years, the DNR also began exploring the idea of a hunt to control Wisconsin's wolf population, numbered now at more than 550 animals. Hunters have lobbied strongly for this management strategy, but Treves' public opinion research also shows that a hunt carefully designed to reduce attacks on domestic animals might also be broadly acceptable....

$100,000 reward offered in mink-release cases A fur industry group is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for releasing mink this year from six ranches in Oregon, Utah and British Columbia. The latest mink release came Friday, when someone broke into the Ylipelto's Fur Farm in Astoria, opening 1,500 mink pens. About 400 animals remained missing during the weekend. Thirty-five mink were found dead. Some were run over by cars, but most -- about 20 -- were killed by large dogs, according to Teresa Platt, executive director of Fur Commission USA. Platt's organization renewed a standing reward offer of up to $100,000 for information leading to conviction of the culprits in any of the string of crimes. Animal-rights extremists, including the Animal Liberation Front, or ALF, have claimed responsibility for the vandalism by writing anonymous communiques to the North American Animal Liberation Press Office....

USDA Announces More Than Two Million Acres enrolled in Wetlands Reserve Program Agriculture Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment Mark Rey announced October 21 landowners have enrolled more than 2 million acres in U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wetlands Reserve Program, a significant contribution toward increasing the Nation's wetlands. "We have gained wetland acreage, thanks to the stewardship ethic of the Nation's farmers and ranchers," Rey said. "Because of this achievement, USDA was able to help President Bush exceed his goal of improving, restoring, and protecting at least 3 million acres of wetlands in less than five years.".…

Red, Green or GMO? This time of year, the state is nothing short of chile crazed. The smell of roasting chile permeates grocery store parking lots and wafts through neighborhoods. After peeling pounds and pounds of the spicy varieties, people all across the state are carefully avoiding touching their eyes—and freezers everywhere are stuffed with gallon bags of chile. But while the cultural importance of chile remains unshaken, the actual crop has seen better days. Between the shaky agricultural market and the influx of various diseases, commercial chile farmers say they are struggling to survive. Scientists believe genetically modified chile seeds could be the answer to the crop’s woes. But farmers like Brascoupe fear the changes could affect traditional communities, family farms and the future of the chile itself. In fact, two years ago, the New Mexico Acequia Association and the Traditional Native American Farmers Association drafted “A Declaration of Seed Sovereignty: A living document for New Mexico.” Based on that document, in 2007, the Legislature passed Senate Joint Memorial 38, which recognizes the significance of native seeds to both cultural heritage and food security in the state. In it, the state agrees to support the New Mexico Food & Seed Sovereignty Alliance to prevent the genetic contamination of seeds, strengthen small-scale agriculture and increase the cultivation of native crops within communities....

Rendering Crisis Hits Oregon Livestock Industry You might be forgiven for not knowing this, but Oregon is in the middle of a ‘rendering’ crisis. Rendering is the process by which dead farm animals like cows and horses are turned into products like dog food and leather. As it stands now, there are no such processing plants in the entire state. And as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, about 100 cows a week are going straight into Oregon's landfills. For a state with a glowing reputation for environmental policies, Oregon has a dirty little secret. Old and sick farm animals are being tossed into landfills after they die or are killed -- instead of being used to make leather, animal feed, fertilizers and other products. The problem started a couple of years ago, when Carl Cacho closed the state's last rendering plant -- Redmond Tallow. The main problem was Mad Cow disease. New regulations banned animals from being used in cattle feed --- so the disease wouldn't spread. Already low bone meal prices dropped through the floor....

Rare black-footed ferrets released in Kansas prairie dog colony A dozen black-footed ferrets — one of North America’s most endangered mammals — were released last week in a restoration effort at a prairie dog colony in western Kansas. The release was on 10,000 acres where three ranch owners in Logan County are cooperating because they want the natural prairie ecosystem preserved, said Ron Klataske, executive director for Audubon of Kansas. Seven more black-footed ferrets were released on a ranch in the region owned by the Nature Conservancy, a private conservation group. Black-footed ferrets almost vanished from the West because they live exclusively in large prairie dog colonies and feed on them, Klataske said. But prairie dogs have been poisoned or their habitat has been destroyed throughout the West....

Straw from the sky: Effort will fight erosion Rice straw drifted down slowly in heaps onto sloped hillsides Monday in areas near Concow Reservoir that burned this summer. The straw will help control erosion and lead to new vegetation on 793 acres. Weedless straw is taken from bales, "fluffed up" and put into nets that are hauled by helicopter and dropped onto burned areas. Most of the areas where straw landed Monday have 30 percent to 40 percent slopes, explained Herman Wendell, road maintenance team leader for the U.S. Forest Service, Feather River Ranger district. Two nets filled with about 500 pounds of rice straw were taken on each helicopter drop maneuvered by pilot Clint Burke. The goal of the pilot is to spread the straw one inch thick....

Conservation group targets Colo. roadless plan A group of hunters and anglers says Colorado's plan for managing 4 million acres of roadless forest land could open backcountry important to big game and trout to logging and other development. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership released a report Monday to warn of potential loopholes and call on state and federal officials to strengthen protections for the areas. The state and the U.S. Forest Service are writing rules to enact a management plan for more than 300 sites scattered through national forests in Colorado. Thursday is the deadline for public comments on the draft rules and proposal. The land is among roughly 58 million acres of land nationwide declared off-limits to new roads and development by the Clinton administration in 2001. Critics, including environmental and hunting and fishing groups, argue Colorado's proposal is weaker than the 2001 rule and would leave the state's roadless areas less protected than comparable sites in every other state. The plan would allow temporary roads to reach livestock grazing areas, for wildfire prevention, expansion of existing coal mining and some utility infrastructure. It would also remove some ski area terrain from the inventory of roadless areas....

U.S. Forest Service Turns to Cow Power The U.S. Forest Service, seeking to reduce its environmental impact, has enrolled its Rutland headquarters in CVPS Cow Power(TM) the nation's first manure-based farm-to-consumer energy program. "We work hard to improve the environment every day, so it's natural that we'd want to lessen our environmental impact through Cow Power," said Forest Supervisor Meg Mitchell. "As we looked at ways to reduce the impact of our energy usage, enrolling in CVPS Cow Power(TM) had a great impact. We are supporting a working landscape, helping to improve water quality and removing methane from the atmosphere." Central Vermont Public Service President Bob Young praised the Forest Service, which will pay approximately $2,100 more for electricity per year due to its enrollment. The funds, paid through a 4-cent premium on 25 percent of the Forest Service's electrical usage, will go to farm-producers who supply renewable energy, other renewable products, or incentives to help more farms get into the energy business....

Easing rules could put more bikers on national park trails A new federal proposal will give national parks managers more power to permit mountain bikers on trails. Mountain bikers are banned from riding anywhere but on roads in most of the country's 391 national park units, said Jeffrey Olson, a spokesman for the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. In the 40 where riders are permitted to use trails, permission was required from the NPS' central headquarters. But the change being pushed by mountain biker President George Bush would let local park mangers approve off-road riding in "non-controversial" situations, Olson said. Olson said the current restrictions were enacted in 1987, and represented the best thinking at the time. Now, the park service is willing to give superintendents more flexibility in letting riders use trails, he said. The proposal is being pushed by Bush and by the Boulder-based International Mountain Bicycling Association, and could be published for formal public comment within a few weeks, Olson said....It still amazes me that the Bushies have offered more flexibility and regulatory relief to all kinds of users of Forest Service land, but not to ranchers. Has the NCBA requested such relief or reform? Have they requested that all the vacant allotments be returned to grazing?

Sen. Craig skeptical of grazing report Years ago, Larry Craig was among a group of ranchers who regularly improvised putting out fires that overtook their land. "The moment a fire struck we went to put it out. Very often we had the fires out before the BLM ever got there," Idaho's U.S. Senator said. "That doesn't happen today. It's almost against the law." Such first-hand experiences have remained etched in Craig's mind - and reinforce his skepticism of grazing restrictions, critics who say ranchers destroy land and the diminished role of ranchers in firefighting. During a recent interview in his Wash-ington, D.C office, Craig questioned the conclusions of a new report that found restrictions on cattle grazing in the Jarbidge area didn't really contribute to the massive, 600,000-acre Murphy Com-plex Fire in 2007. The report was compiled by a team from the Bureau of Land Management, University of Idaho and other state and federal researchers. He agrees the liability issues with having ranchers participating need to be heeded. But he notedadvantages to having those ranchers and expanded grazing. He said grazing could have decreased the extent of burning of riparian areas - often an eco-friendly interface between land and streams that provides wildlife habitat. "Would grazing have helped that? Changed that scenario? More than likely it would've helped it some," Craig said, noting the lands take much longer than open space to recover. "If you use it responsibly, grazing is a substantial component in controlling the fuel loads in upland grazing lands that the state of Idaho is so well known for."....

Federal judge will not dismiss petition by SUWA and others U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell ruled Monday that she will not dismiss a petition filed by two environmental groups seeking to get Arch Canyon in San Juan County closed to motorized vehicle use. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Great Old Broads for Wilderness (both referred to by the acronym SUWA) challenged a decision by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to deny the environmentalists' request to have the area closed to motor vehicles. SUWA contends such vehicles damage the ecosystem and archaeological sites. The BLM responded with a letter from its acting field manager stating that SUWA's information and the BLM's own field assessments showed that "no undue or unnecessary damage is occurring," according to the ruling. SUWA then challenged that decision, contending it was a final agency action that was arbitrary, capricious and contrary to law. The BLM's position is that the environmental groups were not entitled to court review because the agency has "broad discretionary authority" to decide whether to exercise its authority, the ruling states. Campbell said in her 10-page decision that judicial review of the BLM's decision is permitted under federal law in this instance and the court will not dismiss SUWA's action.

Coburn says land grab bill laden with earmarks and anti-energy U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released the following statement regarding the Senate Democrat Majority’s plan to devote a week or more of the Senate’s post-election special session debating a 1,082 page, $3 billion earmark-laden omnibus bill that expands federal land control over millions of acres of U.S. property, and restricts energy exploration over millions of acres of U.S. territory. “Congress’ approval ratings are at an all-time low because the American people understand that never before in our nation’s history have the priorities of the United States Congress been more at odds with the priorities of the American people. The majority’s willingness to spend a week or more debating a lands bill loaded with frivolous projects and radical environmental provisions when we are facing our greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression is a case study in Congress’ misplaced priorities,” Dr. Coburn said. “While the Senate would prefer to pass this omnibus package after the election, the American people have a right to understand the Senate’s post-election agenda before they go to the polls,” Dr. Coburn said....

Huge Field of Dinosaur Tracks Found More than 1,000 dinosaur footprints along with tail-drag marks have been discovered along the Arizona-Utah border. The incredibly rare concentration of beastly tracks likely belonged to at least four different species of dinosaurs, ranging from youngsters to adults. The tracks range in length from 1 to 20 inches (2.5 to 51 centimeters). "The different size tracks may tell us that we are seeing mothers walking around with babies," said researcher Winston Seiler, a geologist at the University of Utah. The tracks were laid about 190 million years ago in what is now the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. "There must have been more than one kind of dinosaur there," said researcher Marjorie Chan, professor and chair of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah. "It was a place that attracted a crowd, kind of like a dance floor." While the site is covered in sand dunes now, the researchers say the tracks are within what was a network of wet, low watering holes between the dunes. In fact, the tracks provide more evidence of wet intervals during the Early Jurassic Period, when the U.S. Southwest was covered with a field of sand dunes larger than the Sahara Desert....

Guilty Plea Entered In 2001 Eco-Terrorism Attempt Ian Jacob Wallace, 27, of East Setauket, New York, pled guilty today to the November 5, 2001, attempted fire-bombing of U.S. Forest Service property located on the campus of Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. Wallace, a resident of Minnesota at the time of the offense, entered the plea as part of a plea-agreement with the United States that called for his cooperation in ongoing investigations of similar acts committed on behalf of the “Earth Liberation Front (ELF).” In exchange for his guilty plea and for his assistance in investigating other similar acts, Wallace was charged with attempted destruction of U.S. Government property, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1361, instead of more serious Federal arson charges. The plea agreement also provides that he will not be federally prosecuted for similar acts in Wisconsin and Minnesota....

Landowners see potential profit in land stewardship Scientists, farmers, ranchers, policy wonks and local government officials came together Monday to discuss how Montana landowners can manage their soil to absorb greenhouse gases and, in doing so, reap financial rewards. Land-management techniques like no-till production, improved crop rotation and even the use of native plants help soil absorb carbon from the atmosphere and store it. Some say landowners willing to sign on and practice such techniques are poised to profit. “NCOC is sending checks now,” said Neil Sampson, technical advisor for the National Carbon Offset Coalition, which aims to take advantage of economic opportunities arising from curbing climate change. “There’s real money out there now.” While there’s some money available for landowners practicing this type of good stewardship, known as “terrestrial land sequestration” demand has yet to pick up in the carbon-offset market. And it likely won’t until greenhouse-gas emissions are regulated....

Suit Against Packer Acquisition Draws Praise for Justice Department The action of the U.S. Department of Justice to file an antitrust lawsuit against Brazil-based JBS acquiring the National Beef Packing Company is drawing positive responses from many different sectors. On Monday, DOJ filed a civil antitrust suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. According to DOJ, if not blocked, JBS's acquisition of Kansas City, Mo.-based National would make it the largest U.S. beef packer, with an ability to slaughter more than 40,000 head of cattle per day, or more than one third of U.S. fed cattle packing capacity. "The combination of JBS and National will likely lead to grocers, food service companies and ultimately American consumers paying higher prices for beef," said Thomas O. Barnett, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department's Antitrust Division. "It will also lessen the competition among packers in the purchase of cattle that has been critical to ensuring competitive prices to the nation's thousands of producers, ranchers and feedlots."....

Around New Mexico

Animas-La Plata water project moves to NM The Animas-La Plata Project in Colorado is opening its floodgates. The progress means the Navajo Nation can begin building a 29-mile pipeline that will more than quadruple the water supply for residents. Gil Arviso is vice chairman of the Navajo Nation's Water Rights Commission. He says the project's completion in Durango means funding is now available for the Navajo Nation Municipal Pipeline project. The pipeline is expected to be finished in 2012. It will run from Farmington and Shiprock to Navajo chapters in Upper Fruitland, San Juan, Nenahnezad, Hogback, Shiprock and Beclabito. Three tanks that can store 5.5 million gallons of water also will be built. Arviso says the pipeline project will lead to more housing and employment for the Navajo Nation.
State proposes fine for Hobbs dairy The state Environment Department issued a compliance order that includes a proposed $10,500 fine to Rockview Dairy for failing to meet a deadline to install monitoring wells. Environment Department officials said Friday the wells, which detect groundwater conditions, are required under the dairy's permit. The dairy is located near several residences with drinking water wells that could be affected by discharges. In a news release, state officials said dairy owner Rick Schaap failed to install the wells within the mandatory timeframe after detailed discussions and meetings.
Clovis resident is 'Ed the Dairyman' Clovis resident Eddie Schaap is "Ed the Dairyman." Schaap caught the attention of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as she spoke to a crowd of about 10,000 supporters Sunday in a Roswell airplane hangar. Palin alluded several times during her speech to "Ed the Dairyman" after seeing someone in the crowd holding a sign identifying Schaap that way. Schaap has been in the dairy business in eastern New Mexico for more than two decades. He owns Northpoint Dairy in Clovis. He says his 18-year-old daughter Kayla made the sign that caught Palin's attention. One side read "Ed the Dairyman" and the other side read "Kayla the Bookkeeper."....
Nambé: Acequia group files suit against ditch neighbor among neighbors and a civil lawsuit. Commissioners of the Acequia de la Comunidad in Nambé filed a civil lawsuit against Mark and Monique Rochester in Santa Fe Magistrate Court claiming the couple's solid wood fence was constructed too close to the ditch and interferes with the annual cleaning of the acequia. Moreover, the lawsuit claims the fence blocks the acequia association's easement. "My clients have not blocked that easement," said the Rochesters' attorney, Will Waggoner. "In fact they've been the ones that cleaned that (section of the) ditch for years and years." Acequia mayordomo Narciso Quintana said in December 2002 he was walking the ditch as he usually does before the annual cleaning. He found the wood fence newly constructed on the Rochesters' property, which is part of Rancho de Nambé. Quintana said the fence is built right along the bank of the acequia. "We have to have a certain clearance on either side of the ditch so we can walk or to bring in equipment," Quintana said. "We used to burn off weeds along the ditch, but we can't there now because of the fence."....
City land chosen for racino site It may cost $50 million to build a horseracing track and casino in south Raton, but the investors will save a little cash by getting the land for $1 from the city. For its buck, Horse Racing at Raton will get 400 acres that the city values at $400,000. The city hopes to get jobs for local residents and a new events center that would be Raton's largest such facility and a key element if city officials are to fulfill their desire to attract larger events that bring significant numbers of visitors to town. At Tuesday night's city commission meeting, the project director for Horse Racing at Raton confirmed the group intends to build its racino on land in what the city calls its Technology and Development Park on the east side of Interstate 25 just south of Hereford Avenue. The slot-machine casino is expected to open next year while live horseracing on a one-mile oval is scheduled to start in the summer of 2010....
Apple fest feeds plenty Two young boys walked together each eating an apple and swinging their bags of goodies after spending an afternoon at the 43rd High Rolls Apple Festival on Saturday. Jumping balloons, art and boxes of red, green and yellow apples were just a few of the attractions of the day. Local folks and visitors lined up to purchase the sweet fruit by the pound. Free samples were available to taste before purchasing from the boxes of locally grown and other apples. "This one is really red," said Ceci Porras, of El Paso as she handed an apple to her grandson, Joshua Medina, 6, of El Paso. Rows of apple pies, jugs of apple cider and jars of apple butter were also available for purchase inside the community center. Local charitable organizations were raising money through these sales. "We are raising money to remodel our bathrooms," said Mary Marrujo of Tularosa Community Church. Visitors listened to live music while visiting artists selling lavender, herbs, spices, hand-made necklaces, bracelets, rocking chairs, scarves, key rings, unique walking canes, horseshoe art and framed art....
Residents turn out for annual Peanut Valley Festival Dozens of booths filled with everything from purses and jewelry to pottery and artwork line the lobby and ballroom of Eastern New Mexico University’s Campus Union Building. Outside, vendors cooked up kettle corn, barbecue, bratwurst and funnel cakes, and served up shaved ice and cotton candy. It’s all part of the annual Peanut Valley Festival, and yes, you can get peanuts, as well as peanut butter and peanut brittle, at a booth operated by the Portales Woman’s Club....

Supreme Court

Carcieri v. Kempthorne (07-526)

Oral argument: Nov. 3, 2008

Appealed from: United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit (Jul. 20, 2007)

BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, STATUTORY INTERPRETATION, INDIAN LAND, INDIAN CASINO, INDIAN REORGANIZATION ACT

In 1978, Rhode Island and the Narragansett Indian Tribe settled a dispute concerning land ownership. In exchange for 1,800 acres of land, the Narragansett surrendered other claims to title and agreed that Rhode Island law would apply to the 1,800 acres. This settlement became federal law. The Narragansett later purchased a thirty-one acre parcel from a private developer. At the Narragansetts’ request, the Secretary of the Interior took the land into federal trust under the Indian Reorganization Act (“IRA”), thereby removing it from Rhode Island’s jurisdiction. Concerned over their loss of sovereignty, Rhode Island fought the Secretary’s actions, ultimately leading to the present case between Rhode Island, the Governor, and the town of Charleston, against the Secretary of the Interior and the Regional Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The IRA applies to “tribe[s] now under Federal jurisdiction,” (emphasis added) (25 U.S.C. 479). Interpreting “now” to mean 1934, the time of the IRA’s passage, Rhode Island argues that the IRA would not apply to the Narragansett Indian Tribe, who were recognized later. The Secretary argues that “now” means when the statute is used and therefore the Narragansett do fall within the IRA’s scope. Rhode Island also argues that the settlement with the Narragansett precludes the Secretary from taking the land into federal trust. This case will affect state sovereignty and the power of the IRA. Rhode Island and other states are concerned over the potential loss of local control and jurisdiction over land within their borders. An interpretation of the scope of the IRA could also affect access to the IRA, potentially resulting in a loss of its benefits and protection from state law....

Conclusion

This case will define the extent of the federal government’s authority under the IRA to remove land from state jurisdiction. In so doing, the Court will address the appropriate interpretation of the IRA’s definition of “Indian,” therein settling whether the act applies in full force and effect to all tribes now federally recognized, or to only the tribes that were recognized at the time of the IRA’s passage in 1934. As such, Indian tribes are concerned about how this decision will affect the ease with which they will be able to bring land into federal trust in the future. A ruling restricting the interpretation of “Indian” to tribes recognized in 1934 could also result in depriving some post-1934 tribes of the ability to acquire Tribal sovereignty over their lands and receive federal benefits. The Court will also settle the dispute between the State and the Secretary’s disparate interpretations of Rhode Island’s Settlement Act — whether the agreement gave lands to the Narragansett in exchange for a relinquishment of any future claim to territory in the state, or whether the Act has the effect of actually guaranteeing the State’s sovereignty only within the Settlement Lands. The case draws the interests of over twenty-two states with significant Indian populations who are concerned about a potential loss of jurisdiction and local control over considerable amounts of land within their borders.

Conservationists, Forest Service buy Idaho mines Hundreds of mining claims deep in Idaho's Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness are now in public hands, a move officials say will protect drainages where salmon return annually while keeping a winding dirt road open for the curious to explore ramshackle cabins and other mining artifacts brought in by prospectors a century ago. Thunder Mountain, as the area is known, is the latest example of private property owners, conservation groups and the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho, Colorado and Montana inking million-dollar compacts to preserve Rocky Mountain backcountry. Sometimes, the transactions halt further mining, as with Thunder Mountain; elsewhere, they keep developers from turning old claims into mountaintop trophy homes. "There are all these mining communities that came and went," said Alan Front, senior vice president for the Trust For Public Lands, which helped negotiate the Thunder Mountain deal. "Now, they're only digging deep enough to put in foundations for McMansions."....

Wolf proposal well-received State Rep. Keith Gingery said he was cautiously pleased with how legislators and the public responded to changes he has proposed to how wolves would be managed in Wyoming. Gingery (R-Jackson) in September unveiled significant changes to the state’s wolf plan, which he said he will propose during the next legislative session. He testified Friday in front of a meeting of the Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee in Riverton. “If I took anything away from the meeting, it was that there are just a lot of people who are tired of the issue and want it resolved once and for all,” he said. “If that is a true sentiment, then let’s stop fighting in court and find a solution similar to Montana and Idaho. I think most people are getting to recognize fighting in court doesn’t get you anywhere.” Gingery’s bill allows for all wolves to be classified as trophy game, meaning they could be shot only during regulated hunts, and it rewrites the state’s depredation control law to be similar to laws in Idaho and Montana. In Wyoming’s current plan, wolves are classified as trophy game in the northwest corner of the state. In the rest of the state, wolves can be killed at will by any means. Gingery said the changes address criticism leveled at Wyoming’s plan from U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Montana....

Wolves issue comes full circle
On a mild fall day, with the Wind River Range glittering in sunlight to the southwest, more than a dozen state and local lawmakers and some 50 members of the public spent several hours inside a windowless conference room Friday talking about wolves. "We are right now, in effect, right where we were before that rule was published," Wyoming Attorney General Bruce Salzburg told the panel. "The plan going forward, as I understand it, is they will re-open the comment period for another 30 days, the Fish and Wildlife Service will look at those comments and publish a revised delisting rule." Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, urged lawmakers not to rush into anything until the legal issues shake out a bit more, and until they see what happens with wolves in Idaho and Montana. It's possible the animals could be delisted in those two states and remain endangered in Wyoming. "We'd like to put this to rest, but I don"t think we have a playing field where we can put this thing to rest today," Magagna told the panel. David Noble, a rancher, agreed with Magagna, and he urged legislators "not to waste any more energy trying to accommodate" the judge. The delisting process, Noble believes, is "set up to fail." Rancher Charles Price urged the panel to stick to its guns and sue the federal government to accept the Wyoming plan and make them "do as was promised."....Nice comments, but Wyoming is gonna cave. They're thinking about who Obama will appoint as head of the Fish & Wildlife Service.

The secret's out: Tons of water in Oregon's Cascades The most valuable resource in the national forests atop the Oregon Cascades may not be the timber and recreation spots they're known for, but something else that's largely invisible: water. Scientists from the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon State University have in recent years quietly realized that the high Cascades in Oregon and far Northern California contain an immense subterranean reservoir about as large as the biggest man-made reservoirs in the country. The secret stockpile stores close to seven years' worth of Oregon rain and snow and is likely to become increasingly precious, even priceless, as population and climate add pressure to water supplies. The reservoir hides within young volcanic rock -- less than 1 million years old -- in the highest reaches of the Cascades. The rock is so full of cracks and fissures it forms a kind of vast geological sponge. Heavy rain and snow falling on the rock percolate into the sponge, like a river filling a reservoir....

Tucson environmentalist wields political muscle in land exchange battle For three decades, Bill Roe has worked to protect some of southern Arizona's great places. Now the 66-year-old Tucson resident and former lawyer is waging the biggest battle of his environmentalist life: a confrontation over federal land-exchange legislation that would clear the way for a huge new copper mine near Superior, 60 miles east of Phoenix. At stake are the thousands of jobs and billions of dollars the mine would generate for decades, with an estimated economic and fiscal impact to the state of almost $800 million a year for more than 60 years. Along with some Indian tribes and other environmentalist groups, Roe opposes the legislation sponsored by Sen. Jon Kyl and backed by the Resolution Copper Mining Co. Kyl proposes to swap 3,025 acres of Forest Service land to the company in return for private parcels around the state totaling 5,539 acres. At a Senate hearing in July, Kyl said the exchange would "preserve lands that advance the important public objectives of protecting wildlife habitat, cultural resources, the watershed and aesthetic values, while generating economic, recreation and employment opportunities for state and local residents." Roe said the deal isn't good enough....

Palin hometown a window into her environmentalism Long before John McCain made Gov. Sarah Palin his running mate and before her views on global warming became a campaign issue, Palin's environmental priorities were crystallized in a city where she was mayor and where development long has trumped conservation. Palin declared Wasilla "open for business," and business rushed in: Dozens of strip malls sprung up along the city's two glacial lakes. The costs of such fast — and sometimes haphazard — growth can be seen even from Palin's lakefront home. Once-pristine Lake Lucille is plagued by high levels of phosphorous, which chokes off oxygen from the salmon and trout. Scientists put the blame on nearby development. Palin refined her pro-business attitudes after becoming governor in 2006. Faced with choosing between development and the environment, she has sided more often than not with business interests. In a state where oil, gas, mining and fishing are among the biggest industries, her pro-business mind-set often puts her at odds with environmentalists. Yet when thinking green did not jeopardize jobs or growth, she has been a leader. She pushed for $250 million in renewable energy research and an additional $60 million in rebates for Alaskans to make their homes energy efficient. In Wasilla, being pro-business was necessary. When Palin took office as mayor in 1996, the region's 10.3 percent unemployment rate was one-third higher than the state's and twice that of Anchorage. Palin gave people what they wanted: jobs that did not require an hourlong commute to Anchorage, 44 miles to the south, or monthlong stints on the frigid North Slope oil fields....

Dorgan critical of Forest Service official's plan Senator Byron Dorgan says a Forest Service official appears to be violating an agreement on how a badlands ranch should be managed. Dorgan accuses Dakota Prairie Grasslands supervisor Dave Pieper of acting like a "one-man band," and he's asked Pieper's boss, Interior Undersecretary Mark Rey, to intervene. At issue is a proposed 22,000-acre grass bank on the former Eberts ranch near where Theodore Roosevelt once ran cattle. Pieper says the grass bank proposal would be a first for the state and would be open to members of the Medora Grazing Association. Dorgan says the agreement when the ranch was purchased was for the association to allocate leases as it has traditionally done. He says the grass bank would violate that agreement....Under a grass bank, the land would be held in reserve and only grazed when needed. Grazing permits would only be issued for a season at the sole discretion of the Forest Service. In a traditional grazing model, 10 year permits would be issued, range improvements could be constructed, etc. Now, if your goal was to eliminate grazing over time, which model would you pick?

New bison-management plan fails to impress The plan, which could be set up as early as this winter, would put down fencing in the Royal Teton Ranch, located directly north of the Park in Paradise Valley, allowing 25 Yellowstone National Park bison to head to grazing land within the Gallatin National Forest – after the bison tested negative for brucellosis. This seems like a drop in the bucket; after all, last winter National Park Service officials killed 1,600 bison who failed to recognize the arbitrary boundaries set by humans. So, if this plan had been in place last winter, only 1,575 bison would have been killed. The absurdity of the situation is magnified when you tally the costs of this project. Right now the minimum estimated cost of allowing this grazing for the next 30 years is more than $3.6 million: $1.87 million upfront to the owners of Royal Teton Ranch, $76,500 annually for the next 19 years, and $300,000 to build fencing to guide the bison on the straight and narrow to the holy Gallatin National Forest grazing land. Add in the cost of testing the bison for brucellosis before they’re allowed out of Yellowstone National Park, and you’ve got the makings of what some might call a boondoggle. That had better be some damn fine grazing land....

1919 farm crisis shows some bailouts hard to undo Asset prices plunge and a panic sweeps through international markets. The crisis threatens the livelihood and savings of millions of Americans. Congress enacts sweeping government intervention, putting aside faith in free markets to heal themselves. Sound familiar? So went the farm crisis of 1919. When the U.S. bailed out the agriculture sector in the early 1930s, it forever changed the business of farming. While today's banking industry interventions are different in many ways, economists say it is worth noting that "emergency" Depression-era measures meant to protect farming families from short-term market swings have become near-permanent support at taxpayer expense. "Probably no one at the time expected that almost 80 years later, very similar programs would still be on the books," said Scott Irwin, chair of agricultural marketing department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The interventions of the 1930s succeeded in their goal of smoothing out the farm sector's booms and busts, said Neil Harl, an agricultural economics professor at Iowa State University. But once government ensured stability, it wasn't easy to step back and let the market find equilibrium on its own, he said. Farm programs have such a strong political backing that last year's farm bill passed with veto-proof support and U.S. support for farm subsidies caused international trade talks to collapse this summer....I've been watching gov't, from within and from the outside, for 35 years and I've yet to see a significant program permanently halted. Once a group starts suckling at the gov't tit, no politician has the cojones to jerk it out of their mouths and tell them to get their own damn nourishment.

Horse Trafficking Bill Sidelined But Reveals Congressional Climate H.R. 6598, the bill that could turn ranchers, farmers and horse owners into felons for selling their horses to the wrong person, has been sidelined for now by a parliamentary maneuver. But a careful study of the comments from members during the Judiciary Committee session that approved the bill and sent it to the House floor is revealing and disturbing. The favorable vote split along party lines. With encouragement from apparently only one livestock group - NCBA -- House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and Ranking Minority member Rep. Goodlatte and their staffs managed "sequential referral" of the bill to the House Agriculture Committee before going to the floor. That effectively puts the bill in limbo for now, since the Agriculture Committee has little interest in strenuously looking for ways to turn ranchers and horse owners into felons. But the bill is likely to reappear next year. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) gave an impassioned plea for the bill to open the hearing. Other members stressed their repugnance regarding horse slaughter, totally oblivious to the fact they were trying to affect business in someone else's country. The most disturbing realization in observing the behavior of the bill's committee proponents was that no reasonable, common sense argument fazed them. Even noting that the bill would force very inhumane conditions on thousands of horses that would be added to those already being abandoned fell on deaf ears....

Oprah focuses on California’s Proposition 2 Oprah Winfrey told her viewers this week what she thinks about they way we treat animals. The Oprah Winfrey Show on Tuesday shined a spotlight on Proposition 2, the California ballot initiative that will determine how animals are raised. "I believe how we treat the least of being among us determines our own humanity," Oprah said in opening remarks on the show. Reporter Lisa Ling visited both free-range farms and “factory” farms to show viewers the differences in how animals are raised. On the set of the program, Oprah stood next to replicas of cages and crates to show the size of some animals’ quarters in large-scale farm operations. Those who support California’s Proposition 2 say these animals have a right to more space during their lives. Opponents claim the new law would drive up costs, put farmers out of business and end the egg industry in California, and deny consumers the right to choose less-expensive food. Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, told Oprah’s audience that he supports Proposition 2. The show, however, was not one-sided. Opponents of Proposition 2 also had their say. Ryan Armstrong, a third-generation egg farmer from California, told the audience that if Proposition 2 passes, it will make eggs produced in California too expensive for most consumers, creating the possibility that eggs will be imported from places without these animal housing laws....

Austin exhibit shows how U.S. presidents have embraced cowboy aura The image of "man on a horse" has long carried with it the idea of courage, strength, honor and ability – all the traits a presidential candidate wants to convey to voters. Today, John McCain uses the label of "maverick" as his calling card. One of the more popular pictures of his opponent, Barack Obama, features him in a black Stetson in Austin. And just as the reputation and popularity of the presidency rises and falls through the years, so, too, does that of the cowboy, a lively cultural mix explored in an exhibit that opened Saturday at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. From campaign posters to personal mementos, it includes Benjamin Harrison's Longhorn chair; Calvin Coolidge's electric exercise horse; Franklin D. Roosevelt's spurs – a gift from Roy Rogers; Lyndon B. Johnson's branding iron; Ronald Reagan's cowboy boots decorated with a map of Texas; and the Saddle of Independence, given to George W. Bush in memory of the 9/11 attacks. Presidents often have embraced the aura of the Wild West to promote themselves and their policies. Still, it's a balancing act....

Presidio tour led to early map of Santa Fe Few New Mexicans today are familiar with the Marqués de Rubí. A member of the Spanish nobility, he carried royal orders in 1766 to conduct a major inspection of all 21 presidios guarding the frontier of northern New Spain (Mexico). Those presidios, or forts, had been intended to hold in check Indian raiders, especially Apaches who terrorized Spanish settlements from Texas to the Gulf of California. But they had been largely ineffective. Rubí's instructions required him to find out why and then to submit proposals for reforming the military system. His fact-finding tour ended up covering several thousand miles over a two-year period. A large cavalcade of assistants, servants and a soldier escort accompanying the marqués reached El Paso on July 19, 1766. Because a 50-man presidio was located there, he inspected the troops as well as the condition of the town. El Paso, with its satellite villages, was found to have population of over 5,000, the largest in New Mexico. From that point, Rubí followed the Camino Real into the upper province. He traveled in a posh carriage, while his soldiers rode horseback and an assortment of helpers such as blacksmiths, stock tenders, cooks and laundresses made their way on foot....

Legend of buffalo hunter Causey lives on No story of the High Plains would be complete without mentioning T.L. “George” Causey, for whom Causey, New Mexico was named. Causey was a rancher, freighter, and most famously, a buffalo hunter. It was his heavy wagons and ox teams hauling hides to market that made the Portales Road more easily followed by travelers on the Llano Estacado. In the 1860s, Causey hauled supplies to the army outposts in Kansas with a mule team. He soon formed a buffalo hunting outfit and began following the herds as they moved southward into Texas on their annual migration. In 1877, Causey bought the water rights at Yellow House near the present site of Littlefield, Texas, and established a permanent buffalo hunting camp there. “George Causey did most of the killing with a .45-90-caliber buffalo gun that was so heavy he had to use a rest stick to hold it up,” according the Causey’s nephew, V.H. Whitlock, He also quotes Causey’s partner, Jeff Jefferson, as saying, “Causey killed more buffaloes in one winter on the Yellow Houses than Buffalo Bill Cody killed in his entire lifetime. But Causey didn’t have Ned Buntline for a publicity agent.” Causey sold his rights at Yellow House to Jim Newman in 1882 and established a ranch at Ranger Lake, where he dug some of the first shallow wells on the High Plains. After selling this place, he moved on to a location between the present cities of Hobbs and Lovington, where he ran cattle under the JHB brand....

It's All Trew - Necktie: Torture device of men's fashion The necktie, one of the few men's fashions to survive 400 years of change, will be presented to 4.5 million dads on Father's Day each year. Since there were four kinds of ties used down through the ages, the words "neck," "waist," "head" and "knee" must be used in conjunction with the word "tie" in order to properly identify the object. Strangely, the industrial revolution, which brought the rural masses to work in the factories in the cities, contributed greatly to the use of neckties as factory overseers and company officers wore the item to emphasize their position and authority. This also began the establishment of "white-collar, and blue-collar" levels of employees. The modern look of the necktie was designed and patented in 1924 by Jesse Langsdorf. The unique design of bias-cut and three-piece construction allowed the invention to be patented....

Cowboy multitasking
Cowgirl Sass & Savvy

Julie Carter

Multitasking is a buzzword used to describe the art of doing several things simultaneously.

Cowboys are frequent multitaskers, especially when combining a little fun with their work.

Jess routinely worked at his brand of multitasking. This particular day, he was doctoring fresh yearlings and riding a green colt - always a recipe for a little excitement.

The big blue colt had kind eyes, a solid-built frame, long legs and a good heart. What he didn't have was any experience with cattle, a rope or a cowboy.

Jess was riding a brush pasture that bordered the Canadian River. The Panhandle has plenty of good grass under the mesquites and, in summer, the mesquite will yield a good crop of mesquite beans that pack the fat and sass on cattle and horses.

Once the yearlings were past the shipping fever stage, they'd be on the road to making a 300-pound gain. Money in the bank.

The colt, bought in early spring, would be a finished cow horse by first frost. That, too, would put a little more jingle in Jess' pockets. The plan was coming together.

Jess plow-reined the blue colt around mesquites and over downed cedars, teaching him how to place his feet. While the training was in progress, he watched for sick cattle lying out from the bunch.

The sick ones were roped easy and slow and then doctored. All the while, the colt was learning those skills under quiet hands. Jess got to feeling quite confident in his new horse about the same time he got tired of roping sick yearlings around the neck.

His thoughts wandered to the upcoming team roping in town and his need for practice roping horns.

Coincidentally, about that same time, a big, coming 3-year-old heifer showed up on his radar. She either had been missed on previous pasture gathers or had walked the river and taken up residence with the yearlings.

She had a nice spread of horns and would, to Jess' way of thinking, put the finishing touch on a good day for the colt.

Touching a spur to the colt, Jess built a loop, rode up on the heifer and roped her handily. He set the colt, stopped the heifer, dropped his rope down her right side, rode around her and let her front feet step over the loop and then pulled up the rope.

This was an easy way to put a half hitch on the back feet and lay her down. Jess rode the colt up to her, holding her back feet tight, reached down and took his rope off her horns. About that time, in rapid succession, the heifer came straight up, the colt went straight to the left, and Jess found himself standing on the ground with a heifer on the fight and a scared colt.

The heifer had never been roped and the colt had never seen a rope lying on the ground. The heifer's genetic make-up included plenty of old Mexican fighting-bull blood. She chased Jess around a mesquite while the colt eyed the rope like it was a monster. He didn't run, but he thought about it.

Eventually, the heifer got tired of the chase and walked off a little ways to catch her breath. Jess tried to ease up to the colt so as not to scare him into running. Headquarters was a long walk back.

About the time Jess got close to the colt, the heifer got a new spurt of mad and charged him around the mesquite a few more times. She repeated this for two hours. Finally, she walked off far enough for Jess to catch his colt, coil up the rope and get mounted.

Jess decided his next multitasking would include riding quietly back to headquarters and doing his roping practice in the arena.

It was obvious the lesson for the day was his.

Julie, an Olympic multitasker, can be reached for comment at www.julie-carter.com. New book on pre-sale now!.

TSA agent steals $200K worth of gear, resells it on eBay The TSA reached a mind-boggling new low in customer service this week when it was revealed that one agent had single-handedly absconded with over $200,000 worth of travelers' belongings, primarily cameras and laptops, and proceeded to unload his booty on eBay. His latest haul: A near-$50,000 camera that an HBO employee had been traveling with. The culprit is one Pythias Brown, a New Jersey resident who worked in the TSA department at Newark Liberty Airport. Finally busted, police discovered an inventory of 66 cameras, 31 laptops, assorted jewelry, and more when they searched his home. How'd he finally get caught? Brown snagged a camera belonging to CNN, and they found it for sale on eBay, where Brown had been converting the gear into cash. Brown's been doing a great job of it too, with a near-perfect feedback rating on eBay. Of note: Brown appears to have been taking items from checked luggage in the back rooms of the airport, not carry-ons. (One has to imagine you'd notice your $50,000 camera was missing after it came off the x-ray line.) But since consumers are no longer allowed to lock their luggage (or, at least, the TSA is allowed to break those locks as it sees fit), travelers have no real means of protection when it comes to guarding against inside job thievery like this....

Study: Airport screener badges need close tracking The government has not been able to keep track of all the airport security uniforms and badges it issues, which makes secure areas in airports vulnerable to terrorists posing as authorized officials, according to an internal review released Friday. The Homeland Security Department's inspector general looked at five airports across the country from October 2006 through June 2007. The IG found major deficiencies in the Transportation Security Administration's ability to keep track of uniforms, particularly after an employee leaves the job. Many details in the report were redacted for security reasons, such as which five airports the inspector general audited. The IG found there were four instances where TSA did not report to the badge office that a screener had been fired from the agency. These former screeners had active badges for up to 212 days until the inspector general notified officials about the problem. Five other screeners had active badges from 97 to 827 days after they no longer needed to access secure areas, the report found. In 63 other instances reviewed by the inspector general, TSA had not immediately told badge offices to deactivate the badges when the employees left the agency....

Telecom Spying Amnesty Unconstitutional, EFF Tells Court The government's attempt to give retroactive immunity to the companies that helped the Bush administration's warrantless spying program violates the Constitution by ripping from the courts the power to hear citizens' grievances against the government, a rights group told a federal court Thursday. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is also challenging the government's assertion to the court that the program wasn't a "dragnet" that pulled in the contents of millions of Americans, arguing that the government is playing word games. The filing late Thursday night comes three months after the Democratically-controlled Congress gave in to political pressure and gave the Attorney General the power to tell a court to dismiss lawsuits against the nation's phone and internet companies.,,,

Can Private Companies Helping the NSA Be Watchdogs, Too? Companies that secretly helped the government's secret anti-terrorism surveillance operations without requiring valid legal orders have found their reputations sullied, their billboards re-decorated and their lawyers busy fending off suits seeking billions in damages. Just ask AT&T. But given that the government's spooks will continue to rely on private companies -- especially telecoms -- to help with their secret intelligence efforts, could these companies actually serve as a watchdog protecting the country from intrusive, lawbreaking spying? Jon Michaels, an acting professor at UCLA Law School, thinks they could. The key, according to Michaels' article in the California Law Review, is making such companies tell the appropriate Congressional committees and inspectors general in regular reports when they transfer information about Americans to the government's spy agencies. Congress also much find a clear way to punish companies which cooperate informally and immunize those who follow legal orders. That should make telecoms resist the kind of handshake agreements like the ones that led the nation's largest telecoms to give the government billions of phone call records and to let the nation's spooks wiretap the internet inside the United States, Michaels argues....

Obama Supporters Decry New Mexico Gun Store Ad Lora Bradford got angry when she saw a sign saying, "Pre-Osama bin Biden sale" advertising a sale at a local gun store. The sign outside Southwest Shooting Authority has offended Bradford and other Sen. Barack Obama supporters who complain that the Democratic presidential candidate and his running mate should not be linked with Osama bin Laden, the terrorist behind the Sept. 11 attacks. "If this sign offended people, I am damn proud of it," said Cope Reynolds, owner of the gun store. Kent Salazar, a hunter and former president of New Mexico Wildlife Federation, a hunting and fishing lobby, called Reynolds' comments "a bunch of hooey." Reynolds also bought an Obama mask on which he put a turban. He displays the mask in his store. Reynolds said he supports Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, but only because "he's the lesser of two evils."....