By the time I arrived at Gloria Maldonado's house, the rain had almost stopped. Yet evidence still remained in side-street puddles and muddy ditches, making it easy to imagine what 2.3 inches of rain could do.

Stephen Fox can be a real pest. The Santa Fe gallery owner is a familiar presence in legislative hallways, at public hearings of regulatory bodies and in letters to the editor sections in newspapers around the state. It is a safe bet that if New Mexico's top dozen corporate lobbyists sat down and ranked their 10 least favorite citizens in the state, Fox would make all 12 lists. We owe him big time.

Memo to supporters of raising the minimum wage: Instead of condemning the opposition for winning, get real about why you lost and at least learn something from defeat.

Given that only 31 percent of eligible voters came out to the polls for the recent election, it's probably safe to assume that most of you—yeah, I'm lookin' at you, smarty butt—have been living under a rock. With this in mind, we thought we'd fill in the clueless regarding the outcome of the citywide races, and maybe dish up a few half-baked predictions along the way. Hey, at least that way you can seem to be an involved, civically minded person next time you find yourself in a room full of people who give a crap about such things.

On the heels of a leadership rearrangement at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), last month two Republican activists were appointed as chair and vice-chair. On the board of eight, charged with managing America's public television and radio, only two Democrats remain.

Dateline: Belgium—A woman is finally being allowed to take the physical portion of her driver's license test after failing the written portion 37 times in a row. The 38^th time was the charm for the woman, who finally passed the exam last month. The woman, unnamed due to Belgian privacy laws, had paid approximately $15 in fees for each of her previous attempts. She told Belgian newspaper Het Laatse Niews that she blames her string of failures on “nerves,” but says she believes she will pass the driving test with flying colors. That remains to be determined.

Upon reading Don's letter ("Don Schrader v. Jimmy Carter," Oct 6-12), I realized what an ignoramus Don really is. He forces himself to live in a country that he detests, complains constantly about Americans and how we live, yet refuses to do anything to help change the country! "Now I vote for no one for president or Congress." Blatantly disregarding the process which allows him to live the way he does. Don, freedom isn't free. How can Mr. Schrader even consider himself to be an American citizen? By not voting and not paying taxes you are not contributing to the society in which you reside. You have no right to bitch about anything that anyone does in this country. You don't even vote.