OK so I'll admit it, I didn't get very far with my idea of this site being a media hub. It was a good idea, but I never quite got the time and the motivation in one place (two coins to click together) to really make it happen.
But another thing has happened: because of the pandemic, we have been spending more time at home in Sixteen Springs. And because I have come to see them (our canyon, and Cloudcroft) as two different places, I have renamed my original journal for the Springs and am deciding to make this one a place to rant at the village about village issues.
Cloudcroft is a place of 800 people and maybe 20 covid cases. It's like anyplace else in that it has a wide variety of perspectives and political leanings. I tend to be non-political in a situation like this; I still have the mind to be a media-type guy who presents the news and lets people make up their own mind. But now, I have to admit, this didn't go anywhere as a media site. It was because I never developed it that way.
I have fifteen writing projects on the table, so I'm not making this a media site today anyway. So we'll just carry on, as is, and you will see it develop slowly. I am grateful to be in Cloudcroft, and Sixteen Springs. These places have been good to me. It is not my intent to stir up trouble or cause division in our community. Rather, I want to just put forward things that will educated and inform, possibly record a little of what I've learned, for my own benefit. I hope you enjoy it!
Monday, December 7, 2020
Monday, September 14, 2020
Local News/September
Dead Birds
Growing number of dead birds in southern New Mexico raise alarm for wildlife experts, KOB
'Hundreds of thousands, if not millions': New Mexico sees massive migratory bird deaths, LC Sun
Covid
Most New Mexico voters approve of Gov. Lujan Grisham's COVID-19 response, ABQ Journal, LC Sun
Lincoln Nat'l Forest
30,000 visitors leave tons of trash in Lincoln National Forest, Ruidoso News
Growing number of dead birds in southern New Mexico raise alarm for wildlife experts, KOB
'Hundreds of thousands, if not millions': New Mexico sees massive migratory bird deaths, LC Sun
Covid
Most New Mexico voters approve of Gov. Lujan Grisham's COVID-19 response, ABQ Journal, LC Sun
Lincoln Nat'l Forest
30,000 visitors leave tons of trash in Lincoln National Forest, Ruidoso News
Saturday, September 5, 2020
Media black hole
I get agitated about the media situation up here (see posts below). I huff around and threaten to start my own online media outlet. (that would be here, if it were to happen). I am dragging my feet though. I'll explain why.
First, I have teenagers who find it their biological imperative to get out and be with other teens. One will pressure us every minute she's home just to go uptown and be with her friends. This is very stressful for us as we are older and vulnerable. I have half a mind to just go into town, run a media outlet and keep my eye on them, but instead, I have other projects going and I end up back here building and doing stuff. Rents are expensive in the village. I'm not about to plunk down that kind of cash just to be there, and to make their life less interesting. I figure if they think Cloudcroft is an urban center with great excitement and the kind of people they love, then more power to them.
It's partly because covid hasn't made it here yet. Yes I know, the minute it shows up they'll spread it around, because they really aren't that careful, but for the time being we seem to be safe. They are an isolated bunch with limited exposure to the outside world. And they do most of their relating outside.
No really the reason is that it would be a serious job. I would not do it if I wasn't willing to check the sources every day. And if I even have a few days where I don't check, I'd be blowing it. I don't want to blow it. I want, that if it's here, it looks good. It has sources for people to use. It is a site worth visiting.
To that end I haven't even begun developing it. What is stopping me? Not sure. I'm not sure I want to relate to my neighbors as a media star. Of any kind. I don't hardly know them as it is.
That's enough. The project is on stall, because I just haven't developed it. That's not to say we don't need it. That's to say, I'm not ready to do it myself. Just too busy, is all.
First, I have teenagers who find it their biological imperative to get out and be with other teens. One will pressure us every minute she's home just to go uptown and be with her friends. This is very stressful for us as we are older and vulnerable. I have half a mind to just go into town, run a media outlet and keep my eye on them, but instead, I have other projects going and I end up back here building and doing stuff. Rents are expensive in the village. I'm not about to plunk down that kind of cash just to be there, and to make their life less interesting. I figure if they think Cloudcroft is an urban center with great excitement and the kind of people they love, then more power to them.
It's partly because covid hasn't made it here yet. Yes I know, the minute it shows up they'll spread it around, because they really aren't that careful, but for the time being we seem to be safe. They are an isolated bunch with limited exposure to the outside world. And they do most of their relating outside.
No really the reason is that it would be a serious job. I would not do it if I wasn't willing to check the sources every day. And if I even have a few days where I don't check, I'd be blowing it. I don't want to blow it. I want, that if it's here, it looks good. It has sources for people to use. It is a site worth visiting.
To that end I haven't even begun developing it. What is stopping me? Not sure. I'm not sure I want to relate to my neighbors as a media star. Of any kind. I don't hardly know them as it is.
That's enough. The project is on stall, because I just haven't developed it. That's not to say we don't need it. That's to say, I'm not ready to do it myself. Just too busy, is all.
Thursday, August 20, 2020
covid comes to town
Another media disaster is that the covid hit Cloudcroft, and nobody knew. Now in this kind of media disaster I think we can call it a disaster, since human lives could be at stake. Everyone knows covid kills, everyone knows how it works, nobody doubted it would get here someday - but when it did, what happened?
Actually the I LOVE CLOUDCROFT facebook site had it and handled it pretty well. It's the third site, after the Community site and the 700 site. On the Community site, which I would say is the main one (most followers), a post about it was simply deleted. Too controversial? It could be that everything even mentioning the coronavirus was drawing blood at this particular site.
But that left us with almost nobody. The fact is, we don't really have a media outlet on the mountain. And I'm not sure I want to start one, though I could possibly save lives.
People need to know this stuff. They don't need to know who brought it, or any of those details - but to be left totally in the dark, that's not right.
Actually the I LOVE CLOUDCROFT facebook site had it and handled it pretty well. It's the third site, after the Community site and the 700 site. On the Community site, which I would say is the main one (most followers), a post about it was simply deleted. Too controversial? It could be that everything even mentioning the coronavirus was drawing blood at this particular site.
But that left us with almost nobody. The fact is, we don't really have a media outlet on the mountain. And I'm not sure I want to start one, though I could possibly save lives.
People need to know this stuff. They don't need to know who brought it, or any of those details - but to be left totally in the dark, that's not right.
Saturday, August 15, 2020
Dark Canyon Media Disaster
An article has been on top of my local news feed for about a week, about a fire in Dark Canyon. It identifies Dark Canyon as being 8 miles from Cloudcroft.
KTSM Staff. (2020, Aug. 10). Firefighters battling Dark Canyon fire near Cloudcroft. KTSM.
There are two problems with this article that make it a media disaster. First is that it is the only article there is out there, about the fire, and has been for five days. So this is not KTSM's fault; they at least got a story no one else got.
But the problem that irks me is that it identifies two different Dark Canyons; one is north of Capitan, and the other one is eight miles from Cloudcroft. I could tell by reading the article that the fire could not be in both places, as you can't be eight miles from Cloudcroft and northwest of Capitan at the same time. But I didn't know where the fire was. The headline identified it as near Cloudcroft; the article mentioned both Cloudroft and Capitan as they were the same.
After a few days local people confirmed for me that the fire was near Capitan, not Cloudcroft. Facebook turned out to be a better source of information than local media, the writers of whom did not really know the difference between Cloudcroft and Capitan. We have no media here. Alamogordo didn't even pick up the story.
Maybe the fire was a nothing, and didn't really matter. It is, after all, rainy season, so most of us are taking a breath and enjoying the fact that one cigarette is not going to burn down the entire forest, at least not at the moment. But we're a very fire-wary culture, and a headline that says someone is battling a fire near Cloudcroft, most of us are going to read the article.
Too bad. We could use a media outlet around here.
KTSM Staff. (2020, Aug. 10). Firefighters battling Dark Canyon fire near Cloudcroft. KTSM.
There are two problems with this article that make it a media disaster. First is that it is the only article there is out there, about the fire, and has been for five days. So this is not KTSM's fault; they at least got a story no one else got.
But the problem that irks me is that it identifies two different Dark Canyons; one is north of Capitan, and the other one is eight miles from Cloudcroft. I could tell by reading the article that the fire could not be in both places, as you can't be eight miles from Cloudcroft and northwest of Capitan at the same time. But I didn't know where the fire was. The headline identified it as near Cloudcroft; the article mentioned both Cloudroft and Capitan as they were the same.
After a few days local people confirmed for me that the fire was near Capitan, not Cloudcroft. Facebook turned out to be a better source of information than local media, the writers of whom did not really know the difference between Cloudcroft and Capitan. We have no media here. Alamogordo didn't even pick up the story.
Maybe the fire was a nothing, and didn't really matter. It is, after all, rainy season, so most of us are taking a breath and enjoying the fact that one cigarette is not going to burn down the entire forest, at least not at the moment. But we're a very fire-wary culture, and a headline that says someone is battling a fire near Cloudcroft, most of us are going to read the article.
Too bad. We could use a media outlet around here.
Friday, July 10, 2020
Local News/July
Shutdown, Virus
New Mexico governor orders no indoor restaurant dining, no fall football or soccer due to virus, KVIA, El Paso
Virus spread rate highest in southwestern NM
Wildfire
Ojo de los Casos Fire burns 90 acres on north Manzano Mountains, KOB Albuquerque
NMSU
NMSU administrators address reopening, budget cuts, LC Sun News
New Mexico governor orders no indoor restaurant dining, no fall football or soccer due to virus, KVIA, El Paso
Virus spread rate highest in southwestern NM
Wildfire
Ojo de los Casos Fire burns 90 acres on north Manzano Mountains, KOB Albuquerque
NMSU
NMSU administrators address reopening, budget cuts, LC Sun News
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Local news links - May/June
I will keep these updated as possible:
east mountain fire
East Mountain Fire burning in the Capitan Mountains is 50% contained, Ruidoso News, 6-5
penney's (alamo) closing
JC Penney announces 154 stores set to close this summer. Here’s a map., CNBC 6-4
flags at half mast
New Mexico orders flags lowered to honor George Floyd, victims of racism and violence, Ruidoso News, 6-4
covid
Restaurants, hair salons, gyms back open, KOAT News ABQ
'
Otero County Lockdown
Otero County offices remain on lockdown due to threats following Commissioner Griffin comment,Ruidoso News, 6-1-20
Cuoy Griffin
He's king of the cowboys and self-promotion, Santa Fe New Mexican, 5-21
Cowboys for Trump founder, Couy Griffin: 'The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat', Ruidoso News, 5-20
east mountain fire
East Mountain Fire burning in the Capitan Mountains is 50% contained, Ruidoso News, 6-5
penney's (alamo) closing
JC Penney announces 154 stores set to close this summer. Here’s a map., CNBC 6-4
flags at half mast
New Mexico orders flags lowered to honor George Floyd, victims of racism and violence, Ruidoso News, 6-4
covid
Restaurants, hair salons, gyms back open, KOAT News ABQ
'
Otero County Lockdown
Otero County offices remain on lockdown due to threats following Commissioner Griffin comment,Ruidoso News, 6-1-20
Cuoy Griffin
He's king of the cowboys and self-promotion, Santa Fe New Mexican, 5-21
Cowboys for Trump founder, Couy Griffin: 'The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat', Ruidoso News, 5-20
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