Simon McCormack

Peace group cited for dishing up meals for the homeless without a permit

A short line of young adults forms in front of a table covered with platters of cake, fruit salad, soup and bread. A few folks sit on the steps near the UNM Bookstore, noshing on their midday snacks while a man shouts, “Come have some free food.”

What was found in a Westgate Heights yard? What’s the good news for people without a job? Who gave up his top spot? Why should APD be pleased?

Bailout Upskirts

The usual bread and butter of trash media is the nip slips of pop tartlets. Lately these ferocious attack cameras have shifted their focus to looking up the metaphorical skirts of crooked companies.

Dropping Death Row

Something finally passed this session. Gov. Bill Richardson signed Rep. Gail Chasey’s controversial death penalty repeal into law on Wednesday, March 18, calling it the "most difficult decision" of his political career. According to the ACLU, 130 inmates on death row were proven innocent and released in the last 30 years. New Mexico is now the 15th state with no death penalty. (CC)

Mike Smith

If city councilors were not aware before their short Monday, March 16 meeting that Albuquerque residents love their neighborhood parks, they know now.

Dateline: Indonesia—Fundamentalist anti-porn protesters are threatening to ban a traditional Indonesian folk dance because it allows female dancers to expose their “erotic” underarms. West Java Governor Ahman Heryawan has warned practitioners of the jaipong dance—performed at official ceremonies and cultural festivals—to tone down their sexy moves and hide their underarms. Islamic parties in the multi-island nation are targeting the dance ahead of April general elections, after Parliament passed a controversial anti-porn law in December. “The worry is that once the anti-porn bill is fully implemented, the dance may be banned because it’s too erotic,” a senior leader of the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party told Agence France-Presse. Outraged professional dance groups have called on Indonesians to teach the protesters a lesson at the ballot box come April. “What are they talking about?” Mas Nanu Muda of the Jaipong Care Community said. “The dancers are all covered up in long-sleeved traditional kebayas, not sexy tubes.” Bandung Tourism and Culture Office Chief M. Askary Wirantaatmadja admits, “Without shaking or gyrating, you can’t call it jaipong. I don’t consider it erotic, titillating or lustful. That’s all in the mind.”

Letters

It has been a surprising week with Councilors Debbie O’Malley and Michael Cadigan dropping out of the mayoral race. Both said it would be impossible to collect the more than 3,280 petition signatures and $5 donations required by the end of the month to qualify for public election financing. Those who qualify will get about $328,000 to run their campaigns.