
Thin Line
Saddam Who?--Saddam Hussein went to hell--or whatever afterlife awaits deposed dictators--on Dec. 30 in a widely publicized, and poorly conducted, execution.

Talking Points
Making it Through
Helen Fox helps Albuquerque's homeless kids find their way around our public schools
Fourteen years ago, Albuquerque Public Schools called Helen Fox and asked her to figure out what to do with a small grant they were receiving for homeless students. "Not a lot was going on with it," she says. "Basically, the reason why was that it was not a lot of money."

News Feature
Racing to the Moon for a Terrestrial Super Fuel?
Albuquerque resident and Apollo astronaut Harrison “Jack” Schmitt may have inspired an international race to unlock the possible power of lunar helium-3
An Albuquerque resident for more than 20 years, Harrison “Jack” Schmitt has one connection to the Moon that is his and only his. As an Apollo 17 astronaut, Schmitt was the last person to touch the lunar surface.

News Bite
Bush as Big Brother
The ACLU says Bush’s Real ID Act is really bad news
In Washington, George W. Bush wants to party like it’s 1984. Meanwhile, the ghost of George Orwell taunts us from the grave: I told you so, suckers!

Ortiz y Pino
Rubber Ducky
How plastic is contaminating our world
The single scariest thing I’ve read all year was the cover article in the January 2007 issue of Harper’s, "Moby Duck," by Donovan Hohn. What it lacks in gore and mayhem it more than makes up for with a breath-stealing, authentically weird scenario--one made more frightening by the realization that this is not fantasy, it is true. There will be no waking up from this nightmare.
The Real Side
Bush the Bloody
The Decider’s rising body count
Who would you say is responsible for killing more innocent people: George W. Bush or Osama Bin Laden? The question is objectionable only if you fear the answer.

Odds & Ends
Dateline: China--The People’s Republic of China is celebrating the Year of the Pig by releasing a stamp that tastes like sweet and sour pork. The stamps went on sale recently to mark the start of the New Year, designated by Chinese astrology as the Year of the Pig. When scratched, the stamps smell like the popular dish, and when licked, the back of the stamps taste like it as well. Chinese New Year officially begins Feb. 18.
Letters
[RE: Chewing the Fat, “Meet Joe Sausage,” Oct. 5-11, 2006, and Chowtown, “The Best New Food Finds of 2006,” Jan. 4-10, 2007] My years of sausage-eating experience had left me feeling like I don't need much more sausage. Sausage is usually made of low-quality meat without much taste, so it receives an overabundance of similarly low-quality spices, and it began to seem pointless to eat more.