Alternative ways of getting around Albuquerque

A 2000 study conducted by the Mid-Region Council of Governments found that 81 percent of Albuquerque commuters drive alone. You can witness it yourself—just walk out to any busy street and count the number of vehicles you see with only one person riding in them. Or make it easier by just counting the number of vehicles with more than one person.

Asshat Wins

You may recall that Staff Writer Marisa Demarco bequeathed that nickname to Rupert Murdoch not that long ago [Re: Thin Line, “Protest Asshat,” July 5-11]. If ever there were a time when the appropriateness of that moniker fit like a caterpillar in a cocoon, it is now, with the shattering news that Murdoch is to buy the Wall Street Journaland its parent company, Dow Jones.

The news just keeps on coming. Some days you pay attention. Some days you don't. Look here in every Alibi to refresh your memory about what's going on in your community. Don't worry if you don't know all the answers—there's a cheat sheet at the end.

My excitement about reaching the age at which one qualifies for Social Security benefits has been tempered drastically by a couple of demographic time bombs that wake me up in the wee hours of the morning and won’t let me go back to sleep.

Eric J. Garcia

Dateline: England—A woman who ripped off her ex-boyfriend’s left testicle and then tried to swallow it has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison. The Liverpool Crown Court heard that 37-year-old Geoffrey Jones had ended his long-term but “open relationship” with Amanda Monti, 24, toward the end of May last year. The pair remained on good terms, however. On May 30, she picked him up from a party and the pair gathered for drinks with friends at Mr. Jones’ house. An argument broke out after Jones allegedly refused Monti’s sexual advances. A physical struggle followed. In his statement, Mr. Jones said Monti grabbed his genitals and “pulled hard.” He added: “That caused my underpants to come off and I found I was completely naked and in excruciating pain.” The court heard that a friend saw Monti put Mr. Jones’ testicle into her mouth and try to swallow it. She choked and spat it back into her hand before the friend grabbed it and gave it back to Jones, saying, “That’s yours.” Doctors were unable to reattach the organ. In a letter to the court, Monti said she was sorry for what she had done. “It was never my intention to cause harm to Geoff and the fact that I have caused him injury will live with me forever,” she wrote, adding, “I am in no way a violent person.”

Letters