Month: August 2010

Discover the enchantment of hot air ballooning

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — For 39 years adventure seekers have been flocking to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the world’s largest hot air balloon festival. You can experience the adventure of a lifetime witnessing more than 500 hot air balloons in the air during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®, October 2-10, 2010.

Wrap up your summer by planning a fall getaway to the amazing Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® in the hot air ballooning capital of the world. Better yet, enter to win a trip for two October 4-6, 2010. The getaway is valued at more than $1,500 including:

  --  Two nights at Nativo Lodge, a Heritage Hotels & Resorts property
  --  Two days admission to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®
      including VIP access to the Gondola Club Hospitality Suite
  --  A balloon ride for two with Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Company
  --  Admission to the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon
      Museum
  --  A $200 Visa card to be used for airfare, gas or shopping

Visit www.ItsATrip.org/balloon-festival to enter the sweepstakes by September 6th.

For nine days every October, the New Mexico skies are filled with color as 500+ balloons float over Albuquerque’s high desert landscape. There is excitement and adventure to be found both in the air and on the ground. Hundreds of balloons launch at Balloon Fiesta Park each morning. Visitors walk amongst the balloons as they inflate and are welcome to ask questions and meet the pilots – you may even be asked to help out a crew member with the inflation process!

Besides enjoying the spectacle of Mass Ascensions, Balloon Glows, Special Shapes, and exciting hot air and gas balloon competitions, hundreds of booths offer a taste of local cuisine, arts and crafts from across the country.

Albuquerque offers many other affordable adventures from above including the world’s longest aerial tramway, year-round ballooning, soaring in a glider, skiing and amazing views from the 10,000-foot Sandia Peak.

For more information on Balloon Fiesta, visit www.BalloonFiesta.com and for information on Albuquerque, visit www.ItsATrip.org.

The mission of the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau is to stimulate economic growth by marketing Albuquerque as a visitor and convention destination. For more information, please call 505.842.9918 or visit our web site at www.itsatrip.org.

Labor Day travel expected to recover from last year’s declines, all modes of transportation experience increases

AAA today projected the number of Americans traveling this Labor Day holiday weekend will increase 9.9 percent from 2009, with approximately 34.4 million travelers taking a trip at least 50 miles away from home. Last year, 31.3 million Americans traveled during the Labor Day holiday. The 2010 Labor Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, September 2 to Monday, September 6.

“While media reports on the state of the U.S. economy are mixed, many Americans are still interested in taking one more trip as the summer travel season comes to a close,” said Glen MacDonell, director, AAA Travel Services. “It is encouraging to see more Americans planning to travel to visit family, friends and exciting vacation destinations.”

MacDonell added, “AAA travel agents are continuing to report strong increases in the number of travelers making advanced reservations. Hotel, car and vacation package reservations for the upcoming Labor Day weekend are up over ten percent compared to last year. ”

The increase in travel for Labor Day appears to be the result of economic improvement over the past year. While job growth has been disappointing, gross domestic product, household net worth and consumer confidence have increased, while consumer debt has decreased. The U.S. travel industry began to gain traction in the fourth quarter of 2009 and that momentum has continued this year.

In addition to economic data, the date of the Labor Day holiday is another variable considered in the forecast. The earlier the holiday falls in September, the more travel tends to occur. Although the growth in Labor Day travel is predicted to be strong at 9.9 percent, had the holiday fallen earlier in the month the forecasted number of travelers would likely be even higher.

AAA’s projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Global Insight. The Boston-based economic research and consulting firm teamed with AAA in 2009 to jointly analyze travel trends during the major holidays. AAA has been reporting on holiday travel trends for more than two decades. The complete AAA / IHS Global Insight 2010 Labor Day holiday forecast can be found at AAA.com/news.

Air and car trips to increase

Trips by automobile are expected to increase in popularity with 91 percent of travelers, or 31.4 million people, reaching their destination by driving. This is an increase of 10.3 percent from last Labor Day when 28.5 million travelers went by motor vehicle. Barring any major tropical storm activity in the Gulf Coast region, AAA expects the national average price of self-serve regular gasoline to be between $2.65 and $2.75 per gallon during this holiday weekend. Leisure air travel is expected to account for just five percent of overall travel with 1.62 million holiday flyers. This is an increase of 4.6 percent from one year ago when 1.54 million flew. Trips by other modes, including rail, bus and watercraft, will be the dominant means of travel used by four percent of all travelers.

Median spending increases; average distance traveled decreases

Based on a survey of traveler intentions, the average distance traveled by Americans this Labor Day holiday weekend is expected to be 635 miles, slightly less than one year ago (645 miles). Median spending is expected to be $697 this Labor Day, nearly $50 more than last year when median spending was estimated at $650. Dining (63 percent); shopping (47 percent) and visiting with friends and relatives (43 percent) were named as the three top primary activities by travelers this Labor Day weekend.

Airfares, hotel and rental car rates increase over holiday compared to last year

According to AAA’s Leisure Travel Index, airfares over the Labor Day holiday weekend are expected to increase nine percent from last year with the lowest round-trip rates moving up to $179 for the top 40 U.S. air routes. Weekend daily car rental rates will increase seven percent to an average of $46. Hotel rates for AAA Three Diamond lodgings are expected to increase six percent from a year ago with travelers spending an average of $139 per night compared to $132 last year. Travelers planning to stay at AAA Two Diamond hotels can expect to pay two percent more at an average cost of $102 per night.

AAA offers a variety of travel planning tools including free TourBook travel guides and maps for members and the TripTik^® Travel Planner, available free to all travelers at AAA.com. Three iPhone apps offer access to AAA products and services on the go. The AAA TripTik Mobile app provides gas prices, directions and information on hotels, restaurants and attractions. The AAA Discounts app, which has been downloaded more than 880,000 times, uses GPS technology to acquire a user’s location and displays nearby AAA Show Your Card & Save^® locations. With AAA Roadside, AAA members requiring emergency service can quickly send their location, vehicle description and specific breakdown details directly to AAA. The free apps are available for download at the iTunes Store.

As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides nearly 52 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.

McLean, VA – Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), and for yet another week, fixed-rate mortgages reached record lows, while the 5-year adjustable rate remained tied at its low for this survey. (The 30-year fixed-rate survey began in 1971, the 15-year began in 1991, and the 5-year adjustable in 2005.)

News Facts

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.36 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending August 26, 2010, down from last week when it averaged 4.42 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.14 percent.
• 15-year FRM this week averaged a record low of 3.86 percent with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.90 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 4.58 percent.
• 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.56 percent this week, with an average 0.6 point, unchanged from last week when it also averaged 3.56 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 4.67 percent.
• 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.52 percent this week with an average 0.7 point, down slightly from last week when it also averaged 3.53 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 4.69 percent.

Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total cost of obtaining the mortgage.

Quotes

Attributed to Amy Crews Cutts, deputy chief economist, Freddie Mac.

• “Existing home sales plunged 27 percent in July, while new homes fell 12 percent to a new all-time record low, which led to some market concerns that the housing market may slow the economic recovery. As a result, long-term bond yields fell to the lowest levels since January 2009, allowing fixed mortgage rates to ease to new record lows this week.
• “Much of the slowdown in sales, however, was expected due to the recently expired homebuyer tax programs, which pulled through future home purchases into the first half of the year. For instance, average existing home sales over the first seven months of 2010 were nearly 8 percent higher than over the same period a year ago.
• “Moreover, house prices still appear to be stabilizing. Nationally, house prices rose 0.9 percent on a seasonally-adjusted basis during the second quarter of this year this year after 11 consecutive quarterly declines, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s purchase only index. Eight of the nine census regions experienced positive gains, compared to none in the first quarter.”

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Over the years, Freddie Mac has made home possible for one in six homebuyers and more than five million renters.

Catron County, New Mexico has more than its fair share of sunny days: over 350 a year! Build your dream home on the cabin-ready sites of Spring Canyon Ranch or the gorgeous acreage at Ponderosa Views, and harness your own solar energy. Help the planet, help America, and help yourself to a better lifestyle in New Mexico!

LIVERMORE, Calif. — Americans are using less energy overall and making more use of renewable energy resources.

The United States used significantly less coal and petroleum in 2009 than in 2008, and significantly more wind power. There also was a decline in natural gas use and increases in solar, hydro and geothermal power according to the most recent energy flow charts released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

The chart and accompanying annotations are available at:
https://publicaffairs-dev.llnl.gov/news/news_releases/2010/images/energy-flow-annotated.pdf

“Energy use tends to follow the level of economic activity, and that level declined last year. At the same time, higher efficiency appliances and vehicles reduced energy use even further,” said A.J. Simon, an LLNL energy systems analyst who develops the energy flow charts using data provided by the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration.

“As a result, people and businesses are using less energy in general.”

The estimated U.S. energy use in 2009 equaled 94.6 quadrillion BTUs (“quads”), down from 99.2 quadrillion BTUs in 2008. (A BTU or British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy, and is equivalent to about 1.055 kilojoules).

Energy use in the residential, commercial, industrial and transportation arenas all declined by .22, .09, 2.16 and .88 quads, respectively.

Wind power increased dramatically in 2009 to.70 quads of primary energy compared to .51 in 2008. Most of that energy is tied directly to electricity generation and thus helps decrease the use of coal for electricity production.

“The increase in renewables is a really good story, especially in the wind arena,” Simon said. “It’s a result of very good incentives and technological advancements. In 2009, the technology got better and the incentives remained relatively stable. The investments put in place for wind in previous years came online in 2009. Even better, there are more projects in the pipeline for 2010 and beyond.”

The significant decrease in coal used to produce electricity can be attributed to three factors: overall lower electricity demand, a fuel shift to natural gas, and an offset created by more wind power production, according to Simon.

Nuclear energy use remained relatively flat in 2009. No new plants were added or taken offline in this interval, and the existing fleet operated slightly less than in 2008.

Of the 94.6 quads consumed, only 39.97 ended up as energy services. Energy services, such as lighting and machinery output, are harder to estimate than fuel consumption, Simon said.

The ratio of energy services to the total amount of energy used is a measure of the country’s energy efficiency.

Carbon emissions data are expected to be released later this year, but Simon suspects they will tell a similar story.

“The reduction in the use of natural gas, coal and petroleum is commensurate with a reduction in carbon emissions,” he said. “Simply said, people are doing less stuff. Therefore, they’re burning less fuel.”

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has helped to visualize the Energy Information Administration’s U.S. energy data since the early 1970s.

Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a national security laboratory, with a mission to ensure national security and apply science and technology to the important issues of our time. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

More Information:

• LLNL’s Public Affairs Office (https://publicaffairs.llnl.gov/)
• LLNL Energy Flow Charts   (https://publicaffairs.llnl.gov/news/energy/energy.html)
• Energy goes with the flow, Science & Technology Review, Sept. 2009
  (https://str.llnl.gov/Sep09/simon.html)
• U.S. energy use drops in 2008, LLNL news release, July 20, 2009
  (https://publicaffairs.llnl.gov/news/news_releases/2009/NR-09-07-02.html)
• Lab team helps utilities use climate models to forecast future energy supply and demand
  LLNL news release, March 17, 2008
  (https://publicaffairs.llnl.gov/news/news_releases/2008/NR-08-03-05.html)
• U.S. Energy Information Administration Annual Energy Review
  (http://www.eia.gov/aer/contents.html)

Take a step back through time to those wonderful days of yesteryear to the mythical town of Bonita City, a place that knows no zip code and is still a long way off from cellphone reception. Bonita City is generally a quiet, tranquil place during the heat of the day. Nothing much is going on except for the sounds coming from the Flying J chuck wagon where Cookie is working on the biscuit dough, getting that barbecue  chicken and beef ready… and the ever-present sound of the bubbling, boiling, cheapest pinto beans they could find. Starting at 5:30 p.m. (Monday through Saturday) Bonita City comes alive with the hustle and bustle of merchants opening up the sweet shop, gift shops and, of course…the Flying J Ranch Box Office. There’s a flurry of activity along Main Street between 5:30 and 6:50 p.m. That’s when everybody comes to Bonita City. The kids are lining up for two-dollar pony rides. From babes to big boys, the cowpokes (and pokettes) mount up for a supervised stroll through the wilderness surrounding Bonita City.

If you hear gunfire… Don’t worry! It’s coming from the Bonita City pistol range where kids of all ages are trying out their skills. Nearby is gold panning for the “49-er” in all of us making for a pleasant evening… Located on Highway 48, North of Ruidoso.  Open Monday through Saturday through Labor Day and on Saturdays in September.  For info call  James & Cindy Hobbs (575) 336-4330 or toll free (888) 458-3595 or visit www.flyingjranch.com

Award Will Help Veterans With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder;
Establishes Veterans Wellness Treatment Program

SANTA FE – Governor Bill Richardson announced that $350,000 in federal stimulus funds will help veterans and their families cope with post-traumatic stress disorder and transition from combat to civilian life.

The discretionary award from the Government Services Fund will support intensive treatment for veterans, including counseling, peer support and extensive family involvement.

“New Mexico’s veterans need our support not only when they’re overseas, but when they return
from combat as well,” Governor Richardson said. “Many of our veterans have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and other health issues that can be devastating to families if left untreated. I am pleased that this award will help New Mexico veterans reestablish themselves in their communities.”

The first-ever Veterans Wellness Treatment Program will be managed by the state Department of Veterans Services. The department will issue a request for proposals to identify the services to be provided under the grant and to seek a qualified vendor to provide those services.

“There are growing concerns around the country that veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are too often suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other health problems,” said Secretary John M. Garcia of the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services. “It is important to do all that we can to help veterans restore their sense of well-being, and sense of inclusion with their families and communities. The New Mexico Department of Veterans Services is
proud to lead this effort.”

About 30,000 of New Mexico’s 178,000 veterans have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, up to 25 percent of veterans nationwide from these wars may have signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.

McLean, VA – Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), with the 30-year and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages reaching record lows for this survey. (The 30-year fixed-rate survey began in 1971, and the 15-year began in 1991.) The 5-year adjustable rate mortgage also reached its lowest level since Freddie Mac began tracking it in 2005.

News Facts

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.49 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending August 5, 2010, down from last week when it averaged 4.54 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.22 percent.
• 15-year FRM this week averaged a record low of 3.95 percent with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 4.00 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 4.63 percent.
• 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.63 percent this week, with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.76 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 4.73 percent.
• 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.55 percent this week with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.64 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 4.78 percent .

Quotes

Attributed to Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac.

• “And yet again, interest rates for fixed-rate mortgages and now the hybrid 5-year ARM fell to all-time record lows this week following the second quarter GDP release . Annual revisions cut the cumulative GDP growth in half over the past three years ending in the first quarter of 2010 from 1.4 percent to 0.6 percent. This reduces inflationary pressures and allows longer-term rates room to ease.

• “More recently, housing investment picked up in the second quarter of this year as the homebuyer tax credit spurred new and existing sales and low mortgage rates encouraged remodeling. Fixed residential investment added 0.6 percentage points to second quarter real GDP growth following two quarters of decline.”

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Over the years, Freddie Mac has made home possible for one in six homebuyers and more than five million renters.

For additional details, click here.