NEWSBRIEFS

You cannot do a kindness too soon,because you never know how soon itwill be too late.

— Quips & Quotes

DECEMBER 10, 2009VOL. 36, No. 50 SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO

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Anthony paradeThe Town of Anthony is having its annualmusic and light parade on Dec. 19 at 5:30p.m. The parade will start on Wildcat Drivein Anthony, Texas north on Main Street toAcosta Road in Anthony, NM and thensouth on Fourth Street back to WildcatDrive. They parade will have light andmusical floats and various local police andfire units. Anyone wanting to join maycontact the Town of Anthony at 886-3944or Mayor Franco at 726-6788.

Be cautiousThe El Paso Police Department, after re-viewing sexual assault cases, noticed thatthere has been an increase of nineteen per-cent as of Nov. 21 of this year in compari-son to last year. In addition the majorityof the cases involved acquaintances. A por-tion of these cases involved victims thatmay have become too intoxicated or werepossibly drugged. None of these caseswere related and involved different loca-tions to include house parties and differ-ent parts of the city. For this reason the ElPaso Police Department wants to remindthe public of some important safety tipsto stay safe while going out.• Never leave a drink unattended.• Never accept drinks from strangers.• Never go out alone.• Tell someone where you are going andwho you are going with.• Stay aware of your surroundings.• Always know where you are going orbeing taken.• Stay sober.If you start feeling that you may have beendrugged call 911 immediately. In additiondon’t be afraid to speak up. If you feeluncomfortable with a person or a situa-tion, remember you have control walkaway, don’t be afraid to make a scene andimmediately notify security personnel orpolice.

— Javier Sambrano

Club meetingThe Junior Woman’s Club of El Paso willbe holding a meeting on Saturday Dec. 12at the Woman’s Club clubhouse at 1400North Mesa (parking is located across thestreet). Provisional (new) members willmeet at 9:30 a.m. followed by the generalmeeting at 10:30 a.m. During the generalmeeting a representative from the SpecialOlympics will speak. The club will alsobe discussing plans for it’s upcoming Dia-mond Jubilee celebration in February. Forinformation contact Ruth 525-8380 orDenise (704) 957-5202. Cost for nonmembers is $10.

— Beth Podol

Cut offThe West Texas County Courier was with-out phones, faxes, internet and computersintermittently from last Wednesday untilmid-morning on Tuesday. If attempts to con-tact us during that time failed, please tryagain. Our apologies for any inconvenience.

More than 2,000 disadvantaged children willreceive a toy for Christmas this year, thanks toEl Paso adult probationers who will help SantaClaus with his wish list.

The West Texas Community Supervision andCorrections Department (WTCSCD), a.k.a.Adult Probation, with the support of El Paso’sCouncil of Judges, is kicking off its 5th annualToy Drive to benefit children in need this week.

“Probationers are individuals who havemade a mistake in their lives,” said Stephen L.Enders, WTCSCD director, explaining that partof their rehabilitation requires them to atonefor their behavior by giving back to their com-munity. “By allowing them to help the needi-

Adult probationers kick off 5th annual toy driveGroup seeks to collect over 2,000 toys this year

Special to the CourierBy Guadalupe Silva

est, they are reminded of the valued place theystill hold as members of this community.”

The Toy Drive calls on probation to donatea toy worth a minimum of $20 value in ex-change for 10 hours of their required commu-nity service. Last year, more than 1,500 toyswere collected during the drive, which weredistributed among schools, churches and non-profit organizations dedicated to helping low-income families.

Enders added that probationers gladly par-ticipate in the department’s community en-deavor, whether it’s by donating toys, turkeys,backpacks or their time and efforts. Their com-mitment to the community service they pro-vide is evident in the work they have done atConcordia Cemetery, in removing graffitithroughout the city and helping keep the cityclean, he said.

Ray Valdez, manager of Adult Probation’scommunity service program, described the do-nations of toys and turkeys by probationers asmade with heart.

“They (probationers) know their donations aregoing to families very much in need,” he said.“Just as they know the work they do at Concordiaand other sites shows off their talents. They re-ally are proud of the work they do.”

The toys are being collected at the Commu-nity Service offices on 1015 N. Campbell, fromwhere they will be distributed to such schoolsand agencies as Pasodale and Vilas Elemen-tary Schools, Cesar Chavez Head Start,Aliviane, the University Medical Center,Iglesia Cristiana Manantial del Desierto andothers.

For more information on the Adult Proba-tion Toy Drive call 771-8510.

CANUTILLO — The Canutillo High SchoolMath Team captured first place in the NumberSense category, after competing recently in aninvitational math meet held at Jefferson HighSchool. The meet consisted of three events in-cluding Number Sense, Calculator Applica-tions, and overall Math. This is the first timeCanutillo High School has placed first in a cityevent, competing against contestants from di-vision 3A, 4A, 5A, and private schools.

Team members who placed include ChrisAbdul- who earned first place in Math as wellas first place in Number Sense; Omar Garcia,

who took third in Number Sense; and ClaudiaRamirez, who finished fourth in Calculator Ap-plications. Other competing members includeAlan Lara, Gerardo Garcia, Jeanette Ramirez,and Jorge Mena.

“This program, which was started just twoyears ago from virtually nothing, has reachedquick success through the hard work of a fewquality students and their advisor. Programslike this can make a significant difference inthe success of our students,” said Jim Fry, CHSprincipal.

“Through hard work, team members havelearned various math strategies and skills, aswell as developed great study and practice hab-its,” said Rudy Medina, CHS teacher and MathTeam advisor. “We also have seniors on the

team who want to pursue careers in the math-ematics field,” added Medina.

Medina explains that his team continues itsrigorous practice, as it now prepares to com-pete in several upcoming math meets acrossthe city. One of their biggest challenges willbe the state competitionóor the Texas Math andScience Coaches Association (TMSCA) statemeet, which will be held in San Antonio nextMarch.

Medina’s goal is to continue building theprogram in the District by organizing a MathClub at the elementary school level, continu-ing through middle school, and culminating atthe high school level. Medina says that engag-ing kids at the elementary school level in Mathis key to boosting the program.

— Photo courtesy Canutillo ISD

IT ALL ADDED UP — Canutillo High School’s Math Team displays their trophy for placing first in the Number Sense category during acity invitational math meet. Team members included, front row from left, Victor Maldonado, Claudia Ivette Ramirez, and JeannetteRamirez. Behind them, from left, are Rudy Medina (coach), Omar Garcia, Chris Abdul, Gerardo Garcia, and Alan Lara.

Canutillo high school math students place first in competitionBy Kim Guzman

Special to the Courier

Page 2 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 10, 2009

Por la Gente By State Rep. Chente Quintanilla

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SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO

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View from here By David Bozeman

Sometime-conservative colum-nist Kathleen Parker recently wrotethat “growing concern about inci-vility is one of America’s more ap-pealing trends.” Her column, en-titled ‘Minding Our Political Man-ners’ cites the examples of “rowdytown-hall meetings… sideshowrants on television [and] the out-burst of South Carolina representa-tive Joe Wilson.”

Whenever the chattering classesstart lecturing us about civility, youcan bet those boorish conservativesare exercising their Constitutionalrights again. Funny how Parkerfailed to mention Florida congress-man Alan Grayson, who says theRepublican health care plan is forpeople to die and who referred toblood dripping from Dick Cheney’smouth.

Nonetheless, couldn’t the state ofour national discourse use a little soft-ening? Of course it could, but thereinlies the banality of the current civil-ity movement. There’s nothing newin that proposition — it’s like argu-ing with a greeting card.

Jimmy Carter recently hurled ac-cusations of racism at PresidentObama’s detractors. Al Gore andothers stated that President Bushlied to drum up support for invad-ing Iraq. While conservatives con-sider both instances rude and un-

Is civility overrated?civil, the right is not overly con-cerned with the din in the politicalarena. We just want our turn at themicrophone. Hashing out minorgrievances such as name-callingand speaking out of turn, while oc-casionally necessary, does not fos-ter spirited debate, it reduces it toendless my-side-your side nitpick-ing and detracts from more press-ing matters, such as fending off anever-encroaching bureaucracy anddefending national security.

But you best mind your manners.Parker profiles the Civility Project,a bi-partisan coalition formed by anAtlanta public-relations executiveto “promote a grassroots, voluntaryeffort toward renewed civility.”Those still not motivated might con-sider the Bipartisan Policy Center’sInaugural Political Summit, dedi-cated to ending the political strifein Washington and organized bysuch capable but uninspiring pub-lic figures as Tom Daschle, HowardBaker and Bob Dole. Just the eventour perilous times are crying outfor!

In truth, American political lifeis mostly civil, sometimes nauseat-ingly so. State of the Union ad-dresses typically overflow with bi-partisan goodwill, however con-trived, thus the Joe Wilson outburststood out. The ever-congenial John

McCain chose the moral ‘high road’in 2008, refusing to highlightBarack Obama’s ties to radicals.Was America better off knowingless and not more about those whohelped shape the worldview of itsnext president?

Civility warriors might want totalk about an overall electronics-ob-sessed, de-personalized culture,provided they are not interruptedwith always more-pressing cell-phone calls. They might want torevive such out-dated notions asdecorum and respect for elders.Streaming insults set off sitcomlaugh tracks, and young people,who once yelled ‘Hi, Mom!’ whencaught by a TV camera, are todayas likely to be heard spewing pro-fanity on music channel realityshows.

Revive our sagging culture andbear in mind that politics, by nature,is a passionate pursuit. Ordinarypeople without a voice often getloud when given their moment. Sobe it. Righteous, often angry, indi-viduals built this country and foughtits gravest injustices. In tryingtimes, the bold and decisive mayhave to kick the pre-programmed,sound bite-spewing Miss MannersInstitute graduates off the stage. Butwe are a good people, and we willforgive each other afterward.______________________________________________________

David Bozeman is a LibertyFeatures Syndicate writer.

Hola, migente. One ofthe laws thatpassed theleg is la ture

and was signed by Governor Perrydealt with the use of cell phones inschool zones. Out of all of the billsaddressing the use of cell phoneswhile driving, including my legisla-tion, only the bill addressing the useof cell phones in school zones passed;and with enough loopholes to weakenthe law.

While driving should mandate allof a driver’s attention, school zonesin particular warrant intense focus.Students tend to be less attentive tothe traffic around them as they cross

streets to school. Add to that mix par-ents who skirt certain motor vehiclerestrictions (stopping and standing atcertain points, u-turns) and there isalready a potential for accidents.

The bill that was passed prohibitedthe use of cell phones in a school zonebut with certain limitations. First ofall, it was not illegal unless a munici-pality or county posted a sign inform-ing drivers of the prohibition. Sec-ond, drivers who use a hands freedevice would be allowed to talk on acell phone.

Many studies have confirmed theassertion that drivers are distractedby the phone conversation whetherthey use the phone or a hands freedevice. It is very likely that a cell

No cell phones in school zonesphone user is a potential threat to stu-dents with or without a hands freedevice.

Only one municipality took thesteps to enforce this law. The Hori-zon City Municipal government hadthe required signs made and postedshortly after the September 1st effec-tive date. As a matter of fact, cita-tions were issued to several violators.With enough tickets, one aspect ofunsafe driving could possibly be re-duced significantly.

I would like to congratulate Hori-zon City for enacting the law withintheir municipal code. For any of youwho live in Horizon City, please beaware and do not use your cell phonewithin the Socorro and Clint ISDschool zones.

Perhaps the majority of lawmak-ers will sign onto a bill, perhaps evenmine, that imposes restrictions ofsome sort on the act of using a cellphone while driving. Many tragic sto-ries have been reported by the newsmedia about accidents involving cellphone use.

I just read a typical, albeit tragic,story involving the deaths of youngpeople as a result of texting and driv-ing. You can read the story by BrandiGrissom on the Texas Tribune

website (www.texastribune.org). Ba-sically it is about a young man whofails to pay attention to traffic in frontof him. Because he lost control ofhis vehicle to avoid hitting thestopped traffic in front, the youngman, a passenger in his car and aninnocent young lady in another carwere killed. At some point, all ofus must come to the realization thatour focus when driving needs to becompletely on the road and trafficabout us.

Writing a new law may help, butthe best solution to this major prob-lem is each person behind the wheeldriving safely.

Gracias, mi gente, and I remainyour friend and public servant,Chente por la gente.

December 10, 2009 Page 3WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

Veterans Post By Freddy Groves

I’ve written in the past about OperationHomefront, but it wasn’t until today that Imet someone who works with them. I’m nowmore impressed than ever.

Its mission statement says it best: Opera-tion Homefront provides emergency assis-tance and morale to our troops, to the fami-lies they leave behind and to wounded war-riors when they return home.

Here is a sample of some of the programsit offers:

• Car repair — fixing the car of deployedservice members when it’s the only trans-portation available to the family.

• Computers — When the service memberis away, communication is important. Opera-tion Homefront takes donated laptop comput-ers and fixes them up so families can stay intouch during deployment. Wounded Warriorsget laptops too, sometimes with specializedequipment such as voice activation.

• Financial assistance — Rent, utilities andcar payments can be tough if VA compensa-tion hasn’t kicked in. Baby needs, emergencyairfare, rent-free housing near Brooke and

Operation HomefrontWalter Reed for wounded warriors — it’sall important, and all payments are made di-rectly to the creditor.

Check its Web site[www.operationhomefront.net] for more in-formation. Click on How We Operate, andthen click on Needs. You’ll see a long list ofspecifics that are needed. Are you a roofer,mechanic, electrician or other trade? Sign upto volunteer your services. Look at the mapof chapter sites. Click on one close to youand see how you can help.

If there’s no chapter near you, considersending money. The national office willmake sure it goes to a good cause. You cancall them at (800) 722-6098. OperationHomefront rates an impressive four starsfrom Charity Navigator, the organization thatassesses the way charities use their dollars.______________________________________________________

Write to Freddy Groves in care of KingFeatures Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475,Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail

to columnreply@gmail.com. (c) 2009 KingFeatures Synd., Inc.

CANUTILLO — Studentsat Deanna Davenport Elemen-tary School (DDE), in theCanutillo Independent SchoolDistrict, aren’t only learningabout reading, writing, andarithmetic; they are also learn-ing about dental health. Stu-dents recently received a les-son about teeth from localdentist, C. Shivaram and hisstaff from Doniphan FamilyDental, who visited DDE toprovide a free presentationand dental screening for all thestudents.

The program provided stu-dents a dental health lessonand a brief screening whichwill improve the students’overall dental health. Throughthe program, the dental needsof DDE students were identi-fied and provided in a writtenreferral to parents. Parentswere encouraged to follow upwith additional dental examsas needed to address any den-

— Photo courtesy Canutillo ISD

BRUSH THIS WAY — Fifth grade students Jose Ochoa, left,and Miguel Soto demonstrate the correct way to brushteeth.

Students learn about having pearly whites

tal problems.“Some kids have never been

to a dentist, so providing thisopportunity to receive dentalhealth education from com-munity dental experts, while

By Kim GuzmanSpecial to the Courier

archives: www.wtxcc.com

kids are in school is an addededucational benefit for bothparents and students,” saidMargarita Alvarez, physicaleducation and health teacherat DDE.

Page 4 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 10, 2009

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Mariel Duarte ( left), a junior at Horizon High School, won First Placefor her entry in the El Paso Community College Salute to the Arts K-12Art Exhibit. Duarte, shown with her artwork, was presented a trophyand a certificate during a reception held at the EPCC AdministrativeServices Building. Also recognized at the reception were Mountain ViewHigh School’s Jessica Perez and Nydia Perez (above). Jessica, left, asophomore, won a third place trophy for her entry. Nydia, a senior,received an honorable mention plaque for her entry.

— Laura Cade

— Photos courtesy Clint ISD

Clint students noted at art exhibit

December 10, 2009 Page 5WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

STRANGEBUT TRUEBy Samantha Weaver

• It was French author, phi-losopher and journalist AlbertCamus who made the follow-ing sage observation: “No-body realizes that somepeople expend tremendousenergy merely to be normal.”

• According to records kept bythe Social Security Adminis-tration, the name “Barack”was ranked 2,409th in 2008,up more than 10,000 spotsfrom 12,535th in 2007.

• Large cities often use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV)lanes in order to encouragecarpooling and help reducetraffic congestion. As soon asthe lanes appear, however,people start getting creativeabout ways to get around therestriction. Pregnant womenhave claimed to be carryingan extra passenger evenwhen all the other seats areempty, and more than oneperson has placed a manne-quin or inflatable doll in thefront seat in an effort to foolauthorities. Recently, an un-dertaker in Los Angeles wentto court to appeal a judgmentagainst him, claiming that thebody in a coffin in the backshould count as a passenger.

• Are you a hypergelast? Ifyou are, it’s nothing to beashamed of; in fact, it mightmean you’re the life of theparty. A hypergelast is some-one who laughs a lot.

• Moore’s Law is not goodnews to those of us whomight be a bit technologicallychallenged; it states that com-puter technology doubles incomplexity every 18 to 24months.

• Those who study suchthings claim that, when itcomes to accidents involvinghousehold appliances, you’remore likely to be injured by awashing machine, but if youare injured by a clothes dryer,it’s more likely to be fatal.

Thought for the Day: “Happi-ness is an imaginary condi-tion, formerly attributed by theliving to the dead, now usu-ally attributed by adults tochildren, and by children toadults.” — Thomas Szasz

(c) 2009 King FeaturesSynd., Inc.

Students at Sambrano ElementarySchool received special science les-sons directly from the experts atNASA during the month of Decem-ber. Through the technology of videoconferencing first through fifth gradeclasses were able to participate in liveinstructional sessions featuring dif-ferent NASA professionals and edu-cation specialists.

According to Sambrano Librarian,Nancy Williams, students atSambrano Elementary have been ex-cited to get to actually visit with

Science lessons at San Elizario blast offNASA through videoconferencingsince about October when they be-gan reading the book of the monthselection “G Is for Galaxy: An Outof this World Alphabet” by JanisCampbell and Cathy Collison. Will-iams and other Sambrano facultyapproached Kathrin Salazar, com-puter lab teacher, about finding videoconferencing opportunities for stu-dents that would compliment activi-ties for the book of the month. Withthe help of the district’s technologydepartment, Salazar was able to con-nect with NASA’s Digital LearningNetwork (DLN) which offers free,interactive programs to schools.

“The sessions each last about 50

minutes and they give us pre-confer-ence lessons and a quiz, as well aspost-activities and the quiz to see ifthe students learned something fromthe sessions,” Salazar stated.

Sambrano Elementary chose topicsappropriate for each grade level thatwould also match the correspondingscience Texas Essential Knowledgeand Skills (TEKS) curriculum stan-dard. On separate days, each gradelevel took part in the following sciencelessons: Dec. 2 third grade studentsparticipated in “Our Solar Neighbor-hood”; Dec. 3 first grade studentslearned about “Our Magnificent Sun”;and on Dec. 4 and 5 both the fourthand second grades discovered “The

Moon.” The final NASA interactiveprogram to be offered will be “ApolloRevisited” scheduled for January 21for the fifth grade.

Assistant Principal Jose Zavala,emphasizes the significance thatcollaborative activities such as thevideo conferences offered throughNASA have on promoting lessonretention, technology integrationand encouraging students to learnfrom multiple media.

“With this opportunity and the sup-port of technology we are bringing inother resources so students understandthe importance of studying, askingquestions, and being curious about theworld around them,” Zavala said.

Special to the CourierBy Cynthia P. Marentes

— Photo courtesy San Elizario ISD

HIGH TECH SCIENCE LESSONS — Sambrano Elementary students learn about their galaxy via vidio conference. The program is offeredNASA’s Digital Learning Network (DLN) which offers free, interactive programs to schools.

Page 6 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 10, 2009

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CryptoQuipAnswer

If clockmakers getinto a heated argument,

I suppose they getreally ticked off.

A sporting view By Mark Vasto

Burgundy carpet, beige couchesand reheated pepperoni pizza fromthe night before, television tuned toWABC to watch the Wide World of

Ali hurt more than himselfSports… that was a typical Saturdayspent with my father during the late’70s and early ’80s.

It’s hard to understand now, in the

SportsCenter and Yahoo Sportsworld, but for the sports fan of theJimmy Carter era, it was Sports Il-lustrated, the back of your localevening tabloid newspaper if youlived in a town lucky enough to haveone, and the Howard Cosell hovelthat was ABC’s Wide World ofSports. And there could be no Cosellwithout a peculiarly great heavy-weight boxer by the name ofMuhammad Ali.

The interviews were often betterthan the fights. Most of the great onesI saw had been tapes of old shows,and those were even better than theones I was watching live on thosesuburban Saturday mornings.

By this time, Ali — the one shownon our Sylvania cabinet television —was not “the Greatest,” at least notin the way my father used to speakof him. I watched him lose threeout of four fights. I saw a lumber-ing, slurring man that people

cheered on relentlessly eventhough he was clearly losing, andlaughed at all of his jokes eventhough they weren’t funny. Maybeonly a child could see the truth —that there was something wrong —but I don’t think so. My mothercalled what they were doing to himas “barbaric.”

Ali was warned after his third fightwith Ken Norton to hang up thegloves. The Mayo Clinic said hismuscles weren’t in sync with hisbrains, resulting in slurred speech.His own doctor, Ferdie Pacheco, senthim medical exam results and warnedAli that if he continued fighting, he“would have no shot at a normal life”after his career.

But Ali promised easy fights.Pacheco stayed on for one last bout— a brutal mess of a war with ErnieShavers, a fighter with 54 wins and52 knockouts, and somehow won thedecision. Pacheco jumped ship. “He

was about the strongest guy in box-ing,” Pacheco said at the time. “Thatwas easy?”

I watched Ali get pummeled byLarry Holmes and just hang on longenough to lose a decision to TrevorBerbick. Before the Berbick fight,which took place 28 years ago thisweek, it was all too clear that we weresending the guy to the gallows for ourown amusement. Unable to talk atpress conferences, he used to performmagic tricks.

My dad would just shake his head.Ali, he explained to me, used to per-form magic in the ring. “He’s onlyhurting himself,” he would say. ButI could see, sitting on that rug nextto his chair, that Ali was hurting ev-eryone else, too.______________________________________________________

Mark Vasto is a veteran sports-writer and publisher of The Kansas

City Luminary. (c) 2009 KingFeatures Synd., Inc.

When he first appeared on the Mike Dou-glas Show at the age of two, with Bob Hopeand Jimmy Stewart looking on, nobody had aclue how large that little boy would eventuallyget.

I mean how many times do you watch someprodigy make his way on to a national TV show— and then they are never heard from again.

But Tiger Woods has soared far beyond anyexpectations his proud father had of him. Andhe’s achieved more than most of the publicthought he ever would — and everyone fig-ured he’d do well.

In fact, almost everyone agrees he is the bestgolfer to ever pick up a club.

Now, as it turns out, it appears that his wifecan also handle a golf club.

The events of the last two weeks havechanged Tiger’s persona forever.

By now everyone has heard about Tiger’sfamous early morning car crash that ended witha busted tree, a broken hire hydrant, and morequestions than answers.

Tiger becomes the prey for tabloid journalismAnd every news outlet around the world is

having a field day digging deeper and deeperinto the Tigergate phenomenon for more dirtthan the other guys can dig up.

Though he may be nearly flawless on thegolf course, it turns out that Tiger is not a per-fect human being.

Gee, who saw that coming? I guess MotherTeresa still stands alone.

Though Tiger has never actually used thewords, “affair,” his website statement talkedabout “transgressions” and “letting down myfamily.”

Translation: I have been as unfaithful to mywife as a former president was with his intern.

Well, it’s finally happened. The squeakyclean Tiger Woods has proven that he is prettymuch like the rest of us, totally capable ofmaking dumb decisions and succumbing totemptation.

Though no one will ever look at Tiger Woodsthe same way again — some are wondering ifthis news will turn the famous golfer into an-other sports “bad guy?”

I think certainly not.Tiger made a big mistake. But Tiger has done

too many good things and given too much to

charity and thrilled too many people to totallyfall from grace.

It never ceases to amaze me how the mediain this country just loves to tear down peoplewho have achieved great things. No matter howgood a person has been and no matter howmany people he has helped, the media livesfor the opportunity to destroy a life.

There are still a few sports personalities outthere who have escaped the scrutiny Tiger isgoing through right now.

Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, Albert Pujols,Tim Duncan and coaches like Joe Torre andTony Dungy are among a few sports dudes whostill have impeccable reputations, but the num-bers continue to shrink every day.

No one ever said it was easy being a super-star. Famous guys with money tend to attractbeautiful women looking to get “close” tothem.

Now women see the chance for a big pay-day and are coming out of the woodwork toclaim they’ve also had an affair with Tiger.

The big debate has to do with whether Tigerhas handled this well. Some people feel it’stime for celebrities to take a stand and keeptheir private lives away from the media.

Still, others feel that if Tiger had only comeout in front of the cameras from the very be-ginning and admitted his affair(s) — all thiswould have died down quickly.

Personally, I think there is no substitute for thetruth — of course that’s easy for me to say sit-ting in my warm office in front of my computer.

Do I think the media would have backed offif Tiger had spoken early on — no way. Themedia is only concerned with whatever sells,and they would be on this story for weeks.

Now everyone is wondering what Tiger willdo next. I think he’ll remain in hibernation untilhis first golf tournament of the season in lateJanuary or in February.

Of course all the questions will come upagain but they will subside soon.

Take a look at Andy Pettitte for the Yankees.All the talk surrounding him in the World Se-ries was about his pitching and not his steroiduse.

This story will eventually die down.Tiger’s eventual golfing achievements will

overshadow his marital misgivings, but it’s hisclean-cut all-American image that will neverfully recover.

And that’s a shame for all of us.

LEGALS

SAN ELIZARIOINDEPENDENT

SCHOOLDISTRICT

SURPLUS SALE

San Elizario ISDwill conduct a sur-plus sale of inven-tory including com-puter and audio vi-sual equipment.The sale will beginon December 19,

2009 at 8:00 a.m.(while quantitieslast). All transac-tions will be cash.No one individualwill be allowed topurchase morethan two (2) of any

items. Ticket for en-try required. Distri-bution of tickets willbegin at 6:30 a.m.outside the L.G.Alarcon ElementaryCafeteria (1349 FMRd 1110). All sales

are final – no re-funds, returns orexchanges.

WTCC: 12-10-09 12-17-09_______________________

DRIVERSWANTED

CDL TEAMDRIVERSNEEDED

Why work only forthe Holiday Rush?We can have youon the Road ALLYEAR LONG!!! 2years min. exp.OTR.

915-542-1495Call today and beworking In 3 to 4days.________________________

HOMES

12748 Quijano,$87,600 reducedto $84,000. CarlosAguilar, (915) 269-

1251. Broker.________________________

SELF-HELP

Persons who have aproblem with alcoholare offered a freesource of help locally.Alcoholics Anony-mous - call 562-4081for information.Tiene problemascon el alcohol? Hayuna solucíon.Informacion: 838-6264.________________________

STORAGE

National SelfStorage

BRAND NEWUNITS

Specials - ClimateControl Units: 5x5and 5x10 just $1first month. Regular5x10 and 12x30units just $1 firstmonth. Call Blanca- 852-8300.

December 10, 2009 Page 7WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

King Super Crossword

ComixOUT ON A LIMB By Gary Kopervas

AMBER WAVES By Dave T. Phipps

THE SPATS By Jeff Pickering

R.F.D. By Mike Marland

Your good health By Paul G. Donahue, M.D.

BIG CHEESESACROSS

1 Scrabble piece 5 Colt color 9 Chore 13 Marine leader? 17 “Tosca” tune 18 Woody’s boy 19 Synagogue singer 21 Columbo orTamblyn 22 Cheesy footballplayer? 25 Decree 26 Incorporate, asterritory 27 Madame Tussaud 28 English trio? 29 Self-esteem 30 Scientific site 32 Cheesy TVcharacter? 37 _-de-sac 40 Throng 42 Robotic rockgroup 43 Bit of hardware 44 Perched on 46 Beppu brew 49 Miscalculate 51 Award 55 Cheesy late-nighthost? 60 Binge 61 Gossamer 62 They just want tohave fun 63 Close as can be 65 “_ Believer” (’66

hit) 66 TV’s “My Two _” 69 Toyshop initials 70 Stocking stuffer? 71 Deface 72 Old Testamentbook 75 Cheesyclarinetist? 80 Sheridan orSothern 81 Copy 82 Singer Tex 83 Tallahassee sch. 84 Baal or Elvis 86 Actress Tilly 87 Find fault 88 George Hamilton’sex 90 Chula _, CA 94 A Muse 96 Cheesytelevangelist?100 Swift stuff102 Where flocks frolic103 Go it alone104 Green land105 Mississippisenator107 Hellenic letters110 Red cap112 Actress Zadora113 Cheesy basketballplayer?119 Massage121 Tempest _ teapot122 Mineral suffix123 Throws down thegauntlet

125 Soprano Tetrazzini129 Brink131 Cheesy aviator?135 Is inexact136 Sporting dog137 Toast topper138 “_ Came Running”(’58 film)139 Pub missile140 Director Nicolas141 Request142 Baseball’sSpeaker

DOWN 1 Reid of “JustVisiting” 2 Nutritional need 3 Pride papa 4 Blackboardsupport 5 _4 (Toyota model) 6 38 Down city 7 Islamic deity 8 _ Dame 9 Kind of cross 10 “_ Day Now” (’62hit) 11 Word with bath orshovel 12 Agile Olga 13 Pound sound 14 Peace’s partner 15 Custom 16 Mary of “TheMaltese Falcon” 19 _ de menthe 20 Just out 23 Final

24 Encircle 31 Comice kin 33 Maintains 34 Comic Crosby 35 _ shark 36 Defeat by aknockout 37 No gentlemen 38 A Four Cornersstate 39 A many-splendored thing 41 “Pshaw!” 45 The _ Piper 47 Beer barrel 48 Uplift 50 Jamaican cultist 52 _ ballerina 53 Macho type 54 Long for 56 Olive _ 57 Lug 58 With detachment 59 Campbell or Judd 64 Knight’s quaff 67 _ vu 68 Stallion sound 72 Maestro Levine 73 Wagner work 74 Biblical repetition 76 Katmandu’scountry 77 Lofty initials? 78 Sahara sights 79 _ Scotia 85 Relish 87 French painter 88 Cremonacraftsman

89 From _ Z 91 Omit 92 Hatcher of “Lois &Clark” 93 Geometrycalculation 95 Joust 97 Encounter 98 Landon or Kjellin 99 Johannesburgresident101 Standards106 Restrict Rover108 Furniture wood109 Railroad deps.111 ’64 Michael Cainefilm113 Brandish114 Where to eatbiryani115 Light beer116 Cold-war assn.117 Certain deck118 Sam of “JurassicPark”120 Pop124 Hook’s right hand?126 Oistrakh orStravinsky127 Word form for“somewhat”128 PugnaciousOlympian130 Cornerstone abbr.132 AAA offering133 Poultry serving134 Stole

Answer Page 6

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 42and have an anemia. My doctorthinks it results from my menstrualbleeding, which is quite heavy. Ihave been taking iron pills, but Iam still anemic. The doctor says Ishould have my fibroids removed,and that will stop the excessivebleeding. I have no other symptoms— no pain. Will you explain whatfibroids are? They aren’t cancer,are they? — E.B.

Fibroids are not cancer. They’regrowths of the uterine muscle. Theuterus is mostly muscle, with aninner lining designed to nourish afertilized egg. Quite often, fibroidsdon’t cause any problems. Largeones can lead to heavy menstrualbleeding, which, in turn, gives riseto an anemia. They also can putpressure on the adjacent urinarybladder and bring on the need tourinate frequently. Sometimes theyproduce pelvic discomfort, and theymight be involved with infertility.

About two-thirds of women intheir 40s have one or more fibroids.What causes them is still a matterof speculation. Female hormonesmake them grow. That’s whymenopause, with its drop in hor-mone production, usually shrinksfibroids. They also run in families,so there is a gene influence.

The best treatment for fibroidsdepends on their location in theuterus and their size. Sometimesremoval is achieved with instru-ments introduced into the uterusthrough the vagina — no skin in-cision. Recovery from this proce-dure is fast. Laparoscopic surgery— surgery done with a scope andinstruments inserted through smallincisions — is another techniquethat permits quick recuperation. Attimes, the entire uterus has to beremoved.

A newer and popular treatmentis uterine artery embolization. Herea slender, pliable tube is threadedfrom a surface artery to the arterythat supplies the fibroid with blood.When the tube arrives at that ar-tery, the doctor releases tiny pel-

lets that promote the formation ofa clot (embolus). Without nourish-ment, the fibroid shrinks and iseventually shed.

The booklet on fibroids givesgreater details on this commoncondition. Readers can obtain acopy by writing: Dr. Donohue —No. 1106W, Box 536475, Orlando,FL 32853-6475. Enclose a checkor money order (no cash) for $4.75U.S./$6 Canada with therecipient’s printed name and ad-dress. Please allow four weeks fordelivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My doc-tor told me that I havecostochondritis. I have had it forfive days, and my chest is sore tothe touch. It makes me short ofbreath. I am on ibuprofen, but itdoesn’t seem to help. Is there any-thing else I can take? — D.H.

The “costo” of costochondritisis “ribs”; the “chondr,” is “carti-lage”; the “itis,” inflammation. It’san inflammation of the cartilageattaching ribs to the breastbone.

Costochronditis is especiallypainful when taking in a breath orwhen twisting the chest. No one issure what the cause is.

Your medicine and similar onesare the standard treatment for thiscondition. Heat, in the form ofwarm compresses or heating pads,eases the pain. Some find that coldworks better. If the pain persists,the doctor can inject the area withcortisone. That usually bringsquick relief.

Most are well in weeks tomonths.______________________________________________________

Dr. Donohue regrets that he isunable to answer individual

letters, but he will incorporatethem in his column whenever

possible. Readers may write himor request an order form of

available health newsletters atP.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL

32853-6475. (c) 2009 NorthAmerica Synd., Inc. All Rights

Reserved.

Page 8 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER December 10, 2009

Social Security Q&A By Ray Vigil

It’s been said that the true spirit ofthe holiday season is in giving, notreceiving. With this in mind, it’slikely that you will be spending a bitof time shopping for presents, yourcredit card flying out of your walletor purse like wind-blown snow.

But as you shop in stores andonline, be sure you’re not giving asurprise gift to an identity thief. Be-cause the surprise will be on you óand it won’t be a good one.

Sometimes when you do business,you may be asked for your Social Se-curity number. In many cases, thoseasking don’t really need it. If anyoneasks for your Social Security num-ber or other identifying information,ask them why they want it andwhether they absolutely need it. Theycan refuse you service if you don’tprovide it, but consider whether theservice is worth the risk.

Identity theft is one of the fastestgrowing crimes in America. Some-one who steals your Social Securitynumber can use it to get other per-sonal information about you. Iden-tity thieves can use your number toapply for more credit in your name.Then, they use the credit cards butleave the bills for you. Falling vic-tim to identity theft can ruin yourcredit rating and make things diffi-cult for months or years to come.

Identity thieves can obtain yourSocial Security number, credit cardnumbers, and personal information ina number of ways, including:

• Stealing wallets, purses, and mail;• Intercepting personal information

you provide on an unsecured website,from business or personnel recordsat work, and personal information inyour home;

• Rummaging through your trash,and public trash dumps, for personalinformation;

• Posing as someone who needsyour information, such as a govern-ment agency, employer, bank, orlandlord; and

• Buying personal information from

Don’t give to thievesstore clerks, employees, or other indi-viduals who have the information.

There are things you can do to pro-tect your identity. Don’t give out yourSocial Security number to just any-one. Don’t carry your card in your

wallet or purse; keep your SocialSecurity card locked away in a safeplace with your other important pa-pers. Check your credit reports oncea year, which you can do for free atwww.annualcreditreport.com.

Want to learn more? Read ouronline fact sheet, Identity Theft AndYour Social Security Number, atwww.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html.

If you think someone is using yournumber or identity, contact the Federal

Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft, or call 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338) (TTY 1-866-653-4261.)

Protect your information thisholiday season, and you’ll enjoy alittle more “peace on earth” in theyear to come.