Episode 134 - Race in New Mexico

Race is never an easy issue to tackle, at least not in an honest way. That said, we tried very hard this week to open up a dialogue on the topic, by looking back at the past. Our special guests, author and Law Professor Dr. Laura Gomez and state historian Dr. Estevan Rael-Galvez, did their part to tackle the issue of the history of race in New Mexico. You can see a picture of Dr. Gomez's latest book above. It's titled "Manifest Destinies" and deals with how race has been constructed in New Mexico.

THE LINE panelists picked up the issue by looking at how race issues are playing out in our state today. The prime example was the recent scandal over a proposed diversity training session at Sandia Labs. Another example is also playing out right now at New Mexico State University. You can read more about the racial and sexual harassment claims that are now being leveled against a top administrator there, by clicking here or here or here or here.

Now it's your turn to continue the conversation. Leave us a message under the comments section. Tell us what you think about race relations here in New Mexico. Are we a more integrated state, because of our history? Or, do you think race issues are reaching a boiling point here in the Land of Enchantment?

We once again ran out of time on this week's episode for the popular "On the Clock" segment of the show. But, not to worry! We let our panelists tackle the issues on camera after we signed off, for you to watch right here.

Green Building and Our Schools

On last week's show, we talked a great deal about "Green Building", as you can tell by my last two postings. In the show we took a tour of two new "Green" schools in Rio Rancho. They feature environmentally friendly products, site designs that take full advantage of the sun, as well as some innovative heating and cooling technologies. We didn't have time to talk about it in the show, but Rio Rancho is actually part of a national case study on "green building". You can find out more about that study, and what is going on in Rio Rancho, by clicking here. This is the full interview that we conducted with Rio Rancho's Superintendent V. Sue Cleveland.



And, click here if you want more information about how schools are helping to spark the "green buidling" movement.

More Green Building

I promised more "Green Building" fodder, and here it is! We have several special pieces that we just didn't have time to run in the show, but thanks to the internet we can always post them here! All of these pieces were produced, shot, and edited by Lillian Kelly. Our thanks to her for helping out with this important topic.

The first video focuses on another "Green Building" project in New Mexico, the new convention center in Santa Fe.



The second video looks at how you can still be "Green" even if you live in an existing home. There are a lot great tips here about how to use environmentally friendly products and techniques when renovating your house.



And lastly, here is the web version of the "American Clay" piece that we aired in the show. This pieces profiles a local business that is turning "Green Building" into a different kind of green. As Karen Cook mentioned on the show, these types of businesses may very well have the answer to some of our current economic troubles.

Episode 133 - Green Building

This has been an exciting week for us here at KNME. It's been amazing to document the energy and enthusiasm the "Green Building" movement is creating here in New Mexico. We owe a lot of people a lot of thanks for helping with this week's episode, starting with the New Mexico Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Energy Conservation Management Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, both of which helped to fund the program.

When we first started mulling over the idea of a "Green Building" show, we knew there were a lot of different elements and issues to cover. But, we never would have guessed just how deep this issue would go. We could easily do a series of shows on everything from local "Green Building" products, to the state's tax incentive program. We hope to do at least some follow-up in the future, but until then we would like to share some of the great resources that we uncovered while preparing for this show. Below are just a few of the great websites out that that can help you learn more about green building, whether you're considering new construction, existing home renovations, or commercial building. We will have another post up in just a minute as well with companion material, including several video pieces we did on other aspects of the "Green Building" movement.

State of New Mexico Clean Building Site
National website for the Green Building Council
Local Chapter of the Green Building Council
Local "Green Building" website for the Home Builders Association

You can also learn more about what the city of Albuquerque is doing in terms of "Green Building" here.

And, if you are curious about the upcoming "Green Built Home Tour", the event is May 17th and 18th. KNME is co-sponsoring the event, which is a great way to see how sustainable techniques are currently being utilized in new home construction and renovation, as well as get some ideas of your own!

This was a jampacked show, which means we didn't have time in the broadcast for our full segment of THE LINE. But not to worry, you can watch what you missed, right here!

Episode 132: Bataan Veterans Memorial

April 9th marks sixty-six years since one of the most harrowing periods of World War II. I'm talking of course about the surrender of thousands of U.S. troops in the Phillipines. Many of those troops were from right here in New Mexico... members of one of the most deocrated National Guard units in the country. Those troops became prisoners of war, and many of them took part in what is now known as the Bataan Death March.

This week, state leaders paid tribute to the Bataan Veterans, with a poignant ceremony at the Bataan Memorial near the state capital. It was the main subject of the show this week as well. It's always amazing to meet these veterans face to face and hear their amazing stories. They all had such courage and such dedication. As with all of the World War II vets, their numbers are dwindling quickly. I feel fortunate to be able to help tell their stories on the show, and I hope you enjoyed them as well. Click here if you would like to watch the piece on the Bataan Veterans. We thank them for their service, and for letting us take part in the ceremony honoring their efforts. There are also several great websites out there for those of you wanting to learn more about the Bataan Veterans. NMSU has a great website put together that includes oral histories from some of the local survivors.

We also mentioned in the show a national effort to award the Bataan Vets with the Congressional Gold Medal. Congressman Tom Udall is actually leading that charge, but things have been pretty quiet on that front since the measure was introduced. You can read more about the effort on Rep. Udall's website, and find out how you can get involved in helping these brave soldiers get the recognition they deserve.

There is also a memorial march held in honor of the Bataan Vets each year at White Sands Missile Range. The most recent march was held at the end of March, and you can learn all about it by clicking here. Here's a interesting video that shows you more about the event, and the people behind it.



We also talked a lot on THE LINE this week, about the latest status report on Iraq, the 1st Congressional District Race, and Spaceport America. Please leave us your comments about any of these topics. Or suggest a topic that we might cover on an upcoming show.

Episode 131: Behavioral Health in New Mexico

We barely had time to even scratch the surface on this week's show. Behavioral health encompasses so many health issues that we could spend a whole year dedicated to the topic. Our goal is to definitely take the issue up again in the future, but next time we will take smaller chunks that allow us to dig a little deeper into the subissues surrounding behavioral health in New Mexico.

Here is the overview, though, in case it wasn't clear in the show. Like other health issues, we have a long way to go in our state. According to Mental Health America, our state ranks 49th in suicides per capita, and 36th in depression rates. There are also an estimated 400,000+ New Mexicans that are dealing with substance abuse or mental health disorders on a daily basis.

There are many explanations for those statistics, and they are the usual suspects. First, it is hard to get resources and services out to every corner of our vast state. Funding is another big issue, which we also touched on during the show. State leaders are working hard to buck some of these trends, but it is a long, uphill road that will takes years, if not decades to fix. The Human Services Department has a list of goals for improving behavioral health care in our state. That list is:

1) Reduce suicides
2) Improve access and quality of mental health and substance abuse treatments
3) Provide enhanced services for high need and high risk individuals
4) Increased rural, frontier, and border access to behavioral health issues

All important goals for sure. It seems to me one of the other big keys to dealing with behavioral health issues is really through a teamwork approach. That message was definitely echoed by our panel this week. Solving these problems is never about choosing one program over another. We need all the help we can get. It truly does take a community to solve these critical problems, and luckily there is a lot of that collaboration starting to form in this state. Probably the best example of that is the Behavioral Health Purchasing Collaborative and the Consortium for Behavioral Health Training and Research. There is also a lot of exciting developments right now in the area of telepsychiatry. We hope to feature these programs in greater depth during later episodes of NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS.

Another big key to dealing with behavioral health, it seems to me, is battling the stereotypes that go along with many of mental health afflictions. That is why we wanted to start the discussion by looking at the Healthcare for the Homeless group's Art Street program. Programs like this one really help to empower people, while also destroying those stereotypes that other people may have, not only of mental health patients, but also homeless people. In the interview that aired on the show Tina Carlson mentioned that mental health and homelessness often go hand in hand. We, as a community, have to be willing to embrace these people and provide oppoortunities like Arts Street if we are ever really going to address the state of behavioral health in New Mexico.

We also spent some time with Tina talking about the issue of homeless teens in Albuquerque, and how Health Care for the Homeless helps those folks. It's an important conversation as well, but one we just didn't have time for in the show. Not to worry, though, you can watch the video by clicking on this link.

This week on NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS

The barrage of criticism continues for Governor Bill Richardson, over his endorsement of Barack Obama for the democratic nomination for President. The latest attacker? None other than former President Bill Clinton, who nominated Bill Richardson for both UN Ambassador and Secretary of Energy. Ahead this week on NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS, a closer look at Bill Richardson's impact on the presidential race long after his decision to exit the campaign.

Also on tap this week, the state of behavioral health in New Mexico. As a state, we face a lot of challenges in the area of mental health. For instance, we rank 49th for the number of suicides per capita. There are an estimated 400,000 New Mexicans that are dealing with a susbtance abuse problem. We'll take a closer look at the behavioral health care system in our state, and find out how it might be impacted by talk of massive health care reform.

There's a lot more in store as well, including the belt-tightening going on at the Albuquerque City Hall, word that Mayor Martin Chavez can run for a third consecutive term in office, and the water outlook for our state as we head into the hot summer months. All this and more, Friday night at 7pm, here on KNME.

The New Look of New Mexico in Focus

We are constantly looking for ways to improve our online presence, and what you are looking at right now is just the latest example.

Along with a new look, this new website also has some other extra touches. The biggest addition is the information and resources now available on the PBS Online tab which is at the top of your screen. Right now that page is primarily filled with election news from the PBS Newshour and other sources. But, in the future we also hope to provide resources and information related to other PBS public affairs shows, such as Frontline and NOW.

Our other goal was to make this blog a little more user friendly for you, the reader. You can now find a handy index of recent postings on the right hand side of the screen, along with a more user-friendly way to leave us your comments and thoughts.

And, don't forget, you can still watch all of your favorite past episodes of the show on the homepage, which can be found at knme.org/newmexicoinfocus.

We love to hear what you think, not only about this website, but also the program. Please don't hesitate to leave us your thoughts. If you are not comfortable doing so under the comments section, you can always email me directly. My email address is kmcdonald@knme.org. I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you in the coming weeks!