Life, food, events, and community in Albuquerque, NM

Morning Fix: Wonder of Flight

4 Comments

Comment by Michelle Meaders on November 21, 2008 at 12:45pm: I noticed that the Schott Solar AP article is on the Albuquerque Journal's website, but missing from the printed edition yesterday. Then I saw the AP article "NM Freshman class learns about Congress" linked from Democracy for New Mexico, and noticed the same thing. (They are in the Santa Fe New Mexican and other NM papers.) What else won't they have room for as advertising revenue declines? They always have room for crimes and scandals.

I wish the Albuquerque Journal would have a contest for columnists like they do for comic strips.

Comment by shotsie on November 21, 2008 at 1:18pm: "While drip irrigation can require half the water that flood irrigation does, plants absorb more water with drip, crop yield increases and more water is lost to evapotranspiration. Because drip is more efficient, there is also less overflow to seep back into aquifers or wash into nearby streams or rivers.

That means less water for downstream users and future generations dependent on the aquifers. "Higher consumption comes from someplace -- someone else's use," Ward said. Drip, he added, has its benefits. "It's just not a water conserving thing."

So, I don't get it - drip irrigation yields bigger plants and increased crops, while using half the water, but it's not water conserving because it doesn't create waste water for the surrounding aquifer. So the downstream users won't be receiving the excess fertilizers and pesticides that leach out of the upstream fields, and that's bad??? Bigger plants perspire more, and that's bad??? Bigger crops -bad??? Something's wrong here..... I can't put my finger on it..... Oh yeah - the model.....

Comment by Khan on November 22, 2008 at 9:47am: I agree, Brother Shots. More robust plants will also have pulled more nutrients from the soil, thus unfairly denuding it of agricultural potential for later generations. The larger plant conspiracy must be stopped!!! Well...yeah...but...

It reminds me of the old gag, where students get hundreds of signatures on a petition to combat the presence of Di-hydrogen Oxide, a deadly substance that has seeped into every corner of our lives and is responsible for hundreds of deaths each year. It's been found in 100% of samples taken Albuquerque's drinking water. Help!

Comment by shotsie on November 22, 2008 at 2:21pm: Yeah, Khan - the article reads like something from the Onion... Maybe he's aiming for an IG Nobel award - NMSU has gotta be famous for something other than the hottest known pepper.....

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