Spotlight EP News Dec 10, 2010 No. 356

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Published by E.P. MASS MEDIA ADVERTISING INC.Published by E.P. MASS MEDIA ADVERTISING INC. Vol. X No. 356 December 10th, 2010 Vol. X No. 356 December 10th, 2010



SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS DECEMBER 10, 2010 PAGE 2

On behalf of the Board of Di-

rectors, Management, Staff

and Membership of El Paso

Employees Federal Credit

Union, we are honored to be

the corporate sponsor for the

75th Anniversary of the

Christmas Light Parade and

the 13th annual lighting of the

tree at San Jacinto Plaza. El

Paso Employees Federal

Credit Union is the first ever to sponsor this event and we

are proud to be a part of this

annual celebration for the

next five years. This year’s

theme, “Celebration of

Lights” will truly be the Cele-

bration of Lights as part of

the festivities that includes a

firework and laser light show

that will light up the down-

town skies.

El Paso Employees Federal

Credit Union would like to

thank everyone at the Parks

and Recreation Department

with the City of El Paso. The

number of man hours it takes

to bring all of the festivities

together is astonishing and

couldn’t be done with out

them. In conjunction we

would also like to extend a

sincere thank you to the City

of El Paso Environmental

Services, Fire, General Serv-

ices, Police and Street De-

partments. Thank you for

everything YOU do to help

bring such a wonderful eventto the citizens of El Paso. And

of course, a heartfelt THANK

YOU to Corrine Boyce for

donating the 54ft Afghan Pine

twelve years ago, the center

piece for the entire event,

in memory of her late hus-

band Charles Boyce. The

magic this beautiful tree

brings to the Celebration of

Lights is not only seen, but

can also be felt, by everyone

who attends. In addition, El

Paso Employees Federal

Credit Union would like to

extend a warm welcome to

our Sister City of Juarez

inviting everyone to come

and enjoy the wonderful

friendship and spectacular

events at this years Celebra-

tion of Lights.


Credit Union has been part of

the El Paso community for 74

years, providing El

Pasoan’s with financial prod-

ucts and services, financial

education and of course the

“Best” in member service.

With eight branches located

throughout the great city of El

Paso, convenient and secure

online and mobile banking,and 130 surcharge free

ATM’s, banking with El Paso

Employees Federal Credit

Union has never been easier.

Plan on bringing the entire

family out on December 11th

to San Jacinto Plaza and

enjoy the lighting of the

Christmas Tree, the amazing

lights of the Christmas Light

Parade and the grand finale of

the evening, the fireworks

and laser light show. What awonderful way to enjoy the

Holiday Season. The evening

begins at 4:30 pm so come

early. El Paso Employees

Federal Credit Union wishes

everyone a Happy Holiday

Season. Merry Christmas and

Feliz Navidad!

Ken Walters

President/CEO


Credit Union

Ken Walters

President/CEO


Credit Union

What: El Paso Firefighter Combat Challenge Team cal-endars are now available

When: Calendars have beenavailable since early Novem- ber and now can be pur-chased at your local

Walgreens Stores

Who: El Paso firefightershave come together to showoff what they have in a 2011Calendar

Where: All El Paso Wal-greens Store locations havecalendars on the shelves andare ready for purchase

Why: The El Paso CombatChallenge Team is raisingfunds to assist the team withgrueling competitions worldwide in efforts to compete asrepresentatives of El Paso.Proceeds of the Calendars goto help out numerous localcharities and medical re-search/treatment agencies aswell as the Combat Challengeteam. Muscular DystrophyAssociation (MDA), Bras for

a Cause, Miracle League,Susan B Komen, ProvidenceHearts of Courage, and manyother local programs areamong the many that we helpout with throughout the year.

Firefighter CombatChallenge Team2011 calendars




U.S. Marine Corps Lance

Cpl. Carlos E. Ornelas:

Misses El Paso

By Joe Olvera ©, 2010

Lance Corporal

Carlos E. Ornelas, a proud

member of the U.S. MarineCorps, said in an interview

from his duty station in

Cherry Point, N.C., that he

misses El Paso and, espe-

cially misses it during the

Christmas Holidays. “What I

miss the most is not being

with my family and celebrat-

ing with them.

“This year is spe-

cial because my sister, TeresaEscudero, just had a baby girl

and I won’t be able to see the

newest member of our fam-

ily,” Ornelas said. “I miss not

being able to joke around,

open Christmas gifts, and, es-

pecially, seeing children’s

eyes open wide when they

open their gifts. I love that El

Paso is a big city, whereas,

here where I’m stationed, it’sa really small town.”

Ornelas, who said

he was born in Ciudad Juarez

in 1990, but, grew up in El

Paso, said he tries not to think

about what’s going on in that

city. Juarez, Mexico has be-

come a killing field in which

close to 3,000 people have

died at the hands of gangs

fighting over drug corridorsand drug turf. “It’s not okay,”

Ornelas said. “People being

killed over drug profits

shouldn’t be happening, but,

it is.”

Ornelas joined the

Marines straight out of high

school, when he graduated

from Amarillo High School in

2008. He attended Clarke

Middle School and Americas

High School in El Paso be-

fore he moved with his family

to Amarillo, Texas. That’s

where his mom and dad cur-

rently lived, although he still

has family in El Paso.

His job is to support

all squadrons on Cherry Point

by maintaining and servicing

aircraft support equipment.

He takes pride in maintaining

aircraft so that they can keep

flying to accomplish their

missions. “The most chal-

lenging aspect of my job is

supporting current squadronsand preparing equipment for

deployments. I’m especially

proud to know that there is no

air support without our

ground support. Our aircraft

can’t fly without proper main-

tenance. That’s where I come

in. “

Ornelas said he

hasn‘t been deployed over-

seas, but, that he might go

late next year. He is not yet a

U.S. citizen, but, is a legal

resident. “I wanted to join the

Marines because I wanted to

give back to the country that

has made me and my family

welcome. I would see how

my family received every op-

portunity to succeed, and I

decided that I wanted to do

something about helping what

is now my country.”

He will spend this

Christmas very far from El

Paso, in Camp Lejuene,

where he will join friends sta-tioned there. Camp LeJuene

is about 45 minutes from

where Ornelas is stationed.

Currently, his fiancé, Mayra,

is with him at Cherry Point.

They plan to get married next

June. “I love my job and I

love being with my fellow

Marines. These are guys with

whom I went through basic

training and even Tech

School. We know each other and we’re all good friends.

“But, what I miss

the most about El Paso is my

heritage,” Ornelas said. “I

miss the traditions, the

tamales, Cinco de Mayo,

every other Mexican-oriented

holiday. But, especially, I

miss Christmas in the Sun

City. I just want to wish

everyone in El Paso a very

Merry Christmas. Here, it

hasn’t snowed yet, it’s just

chilly. But, you can bet on it –

we will have a White Christ-

mas. I do wish, however, that

I could be in El Paso.”

Lance Corporal Carlos E. Ornelas

“I love my job and I love

being with my fellow

Marines”Ornelas said



SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS DECEMBER 10 2010 PAGE 5




Weather Trivia:When the outside temperature is at freezing (32°

Fahrenheit or 0° Celsius) or above, indoor air shouldbe kept at humidity (amount of moisture in the air) to

what percent?

A n s w e r : B – 3 0 – 4 0 %

I received an email from a local reader and she was

wondering about Static Electricity. This is the time of year

that we all get “zapped” flipping the light switch in the house.

Rosa is wondering what causes this.

Everything we see is made up of tiny little parts called

atoms. The atoms are made of even smaller parts. These are

called protons, electrons and neutrons. They are very different

from each other in many ways. One way they are different is their "charge." Protons have a

positive (+) charge. Electrons have a negative (-) charge. Neutrons have no charge.

Usually, atoms have the same number of electrons and protons. Then the atom has no

charge, it is "neutral." But if you rub things together, electrons can move from one atom to an-other. Some atoms get extra electrons. They have a negative charge. Other atoms lose elec-

trons. They have a positive charge. When charges are separated like this, it is called static

electricity.

If two things have different charges, they attract, or pull towards each other. If two things

have the same charge, they repel, or push away from each other.

So, why does your hair stand

up after you take your hat off?

When you pull your hat off, it

rubs against your hair. Elec-

trons move from your hair to

the hat. Now each of the hairs

has the same positive charge.

Things with the same charge repel each other. So the hairs try to move away from each other.

The farthest they can get is to stand up and away from all the other hairs.

If you walk across a carpet, electrons move from the rug to you. Now you have extra elec-

trons. Touch a door knob and ZAP! The electrons move from you to the knob. You get a

shock.

Here is an experiment you can do: Light a light bulb with a balloon

You Need:

-hard rubber comb or balloon-a dark room

-fluorescent light bulb (not an incandescent bulb)

What to do:

Take the light bulb and comb into the dark room.

Charge the comb on your hair or sweater. Make sure to build up a lot of charge for this experi-

ment.

Touch the charged part of the comb to the light bulb and watch very carefully. You should be

able to see small sparks. Experiment with touching different parts of the bulb.

What happened: When the charged comb touched the bulb, electrons moved from it to the

bulb, causing the small sparks of light inside. In normal operation, the electrons to light the

bulb come from the electrical power lines through a wire in the end of the tube.

By: “Doppler” Dave Speelman

WEATHER 101

“ Doppler" Dave Speelman is the chief meteorologist at KVIA-TV in El Paso. You can watchhis forecasts at 4, 5, 6 and 10 pm on ABC-7 (channel 6 cable). If you would like Doppler Dave to address (explain) any weather issues you can email him at [email protected].

Ouch! Static

Electricity

A. 10 – 20%

B. 30 – 40%

To determine if the humidity in your home is adequate, place three ice cubes in aglass of water and allow them to stand for five minutes. If the room has adequate

moisture in the air, then plenty of condensation—beads of water—will form on the

outside of the glass. If condensation does not occur within 5 to 15 minutes, the room

is too dry.

C. 50 – 60%

D. 70 – 80%



DEAR ABBY by Abigail Van Buren

DEAR ABBY: My husband

"Zak" and I have been mar-

ried five years. His brother

"Tom" has never liked me. In

fact, he went out of his wayto ruin our wedding. Just be-

fore the ceremony he feigned

a dramatic illness, yelled ob-

scenities at my aunt for tak-

ing pictures and refused to

wear his dress shirt or tie.

Abby, he was a groomsman.

Tom is being mar-

ried this spring to a woman

who likes me even less than

he does. I want no part of their wedding, nor do I even

want to attend. Zak insists

that I go and be "civil." Is my

husband right? Should I swal-

low my feelings and go to the

wedding, or am I justified in

sitting this one out? -- THE

"BLACK SHEEP" IN-LAW

DEAR B.S.I.L: While I

understand your feelings, myadvice is to go to the wedding

and be civil. Don't do it for

Tom and his fiancee. Do it for

your husband. Considering

the way your brother- and sis-

ter-in-law-to-be appear to feel

about you, you won't have to

tolerate their company often,

so count your blessings.

**

DEAR ABBY: I had an af-fair with a married man for

about nine months. I broke it

off after finally realizing it

wasn't going anywhere and

he was lying to me about his

intentions. Part of me wants

him to feel pain for his ac-

tions. I want to contact his

spouse anonymously and tell

him not to trust him.

Most of my friends

advise against this,

while a few tell me

to goahead.

What do

you

think? -- JOHN IN SAN

FRANCISCO

DEAR JOHN: Please do

not represent yourself as an

example of injured and out-

raged virtue "done wrong" by

a married man. You knew hewas married and you were a

willing participant. If you in-

sist on contacting your lover's

spouse and causing pain,

have the testicular fortitude to

identify yourself. To do so

anonymously would be cow-

ardly.

**

DEAR ABBY: A couple of

years ago my son went awayto school and met a girl from

another state who had no

family or friends here.

"Celia" was adopted as a

baby and didn't get along well

with her adoptive family.

When my son returned home,

Celia came with him -- en-

gaged. Our family accepted

her into our home and our

hearts.When their engage-

ment was called off, because

Celia had nowhere to go, she

moved in with me and my

husband. She continued to

live with us until she met

someone and they were mar-

ried. She is close to my other

kids, especially my two

daughters.

Celia recently gave

birth to a baby boy. She

refers to me as his grandma,

which pleases me greatly. Ihave two other grandchildren

whom I adore. My question

is, how do I explain to people

who ask, when I have the

baby, who he is? When I say

"my grandson," they ask me

from which of my kids. That

leads to a long, drawn-out ex-

planation I don't always feel

like making. -- FULL OF

LOVE IN MISSOURI

DEAR FULL OF LOVE:

Why not say, "My honorary

grandson"? And if you are

questioned further, add, "His

mother is like a daughter to

me."

**

Dear Abby is written by Abi-

gail Van Buren, also known

as Jeanne Phillips, and wasfounded by her mother,

Pauline Phillips. Write Dear

Abby at www.DearAbby.com

or P.O. Box 69440, Los An-

geles, CA 90069.

**

To order "How to Write Let-

ters for All Occasions," send

a business-sized, self-ad-

dressed envelope, plus check

or money order for $6 (U.S.funds) to: Dear Abby -- Letter

Booklet, P.O. Box 447,

Mount Morris, IL 61054-

0447. (Postage is included in

the price.)

COPYRIGHT 2010 UNIVERSAL UCLICK

HUSBAND PROTESTS AGAINSTWOMAN'S WEDDING BOYCOTT

DearAbby

,

Energy Express

Marilynn Preston

The Ghost of Hanukkah Past

paid me a surprise visit last

night, just in time to make her

mark on my annual December

holiday gift-giving column.

She interrupted a terrible

nightmare I was having about

shopping. I was in a store the

size of Rhode Island, naked

except for my yoga pants,

running through the aisles in a

panic, filling the bottomless

pit of my cart with broken

toys, ugly sweaters, empty

picture frames, more

bracelets, more ties, cameras,

TVs, boots, bathrobes, gloves

... in other words, endless

piles of Stuff.

"Less is more," the Ghost

whispered, eyeing my long

list of loved ones next to me

on the bed, all of them worthy

of something wonderful this

holiday season. "Crass con-

sumerism is so '70s."

Before she left, we settled on

Three Golden Rules of Con-

scious Gift-giving, which I

am happy to pass on to you because they are so liberating,

so wise, so important to keep

in mind if you want to stay in

the groove of living a health-

ier, happier lifestyle:

1. DON'T ADD TO

YOUR DEBT. The eco-

nomic downturn has us all

stressed out, so

don't add to your

anxiety or your

unpaid credit

card balance

by over-

spending this

holiday season.

Set a budget and

stick to it, and if

your kids whine for more,

smile and endure.

2. THINK CONSUM-

ABLES. Many of us havetoo much Stuff in our lives al-

ready. It's a waste of your

money and your time to loadup your loved ones with an-

other reindeer mug, a 10th

scarf, a 51st keychain. This

year, use your imagination to

think outside the box. Reduce

your clutter footprint. Give

consumables or personal serv-

ices or memorable experi-

ences. (Details to follow.)

3. GIFT YOURSELF.

This holiday season, treatyourself to an item or experi-

ence that contributes to your

own personal well-being. A

treadmill? Ten sessions with a

trainer? Don't think of it as

selfish. See it as a well-earned

reward for being the best per-

son you can be all year round.

And now for my list of

Holiday Gift ideas, all

of them inspired by

one profound and

well-researched

truth: The acquisi-

tion of material

goods does not make

us happy. Want to buy

happiness? Spend your

money on experiences!

1. A MASSAGE. This tops

my list every year. Who does-

n't love a stress-busting,

heart-opening massage? Even

a mediocre massage beats the

best fruitcake.

2. OTHER BODYWORK

SERVICES. There's a whole

world of feel-good, Botox-

free possibilities. Pedicure?

Manicure? Herbal body

scrub? Reflexology?

3. TIME WITH A TRAINER

OR COACH. This is a fabu-

lous gift, especially for kids.

Anyone on your list whoworks out, swims, runs or

bikes will flip for an hour or

two of expert advice.

Continues on next page

for Glorious Green Giving




Continued from page 7

Some other great books for

the fashionistas on your

gift list:

— "The Style Checklist:

The Ultimate Wardrobe

Essentials for You" by

Lloyd Boston.

— "Oh No She Didn't: The

Top 100 Style MistakesWomen Make and How to

Avoid Them" by Clinton

Kelly.

— "Work It!: Visual Ther-

apy's Guide to Your Ulti-

mate Career Wardrobe"

by Jessie Garza.

— "Gentleman: A Time

Guide to Fashion" by

Bernhard Roetzel.

— "What to Wear for the

Rest of Your Life: Ageless

Secrets of Style" by Kim

Johnson Gross.

— "How to Never Look

Fat Again: Over 1,000

Ways to Dress Thinner —

Without Dieting" by Charla

Krupp.

— "Gunn's Golden Rules:

Life's Little Lessons For

Making It Work" by Tim

Gunn.

— "Nina Garcia's Look

Book" by Nina Garcia.

— "Blow by Blow: The

Story of Isabella Blow" by

Detmar Blow and Tom

Sykes.

Sharon Mosley is a former

fashion editor of the

Arkansas Gazette in Little

Rock and executive director of the Fashion Editors and

Reporters Association.

COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM

Book Marks...


4. NOT YOUR

MOTHER'S FRUIT

BASKET. Recycle a basket,

and fill it with real food and

organic goodies: divine

cheeses, chewy breads, bio-

dynamic wines, fruits, nuts ...

you get the

picture.

(Thank

Santa that dark chocolate is

actually good for you.)

5. YOGA! We all have

friends and family interested

in yoga, but still they remain

on the sidelines. Gift them

with some time with a great

teacher or a series of sessions

for beginner's. This, more

than most, is the gift that

keeps on giving.

6. COOKING LES-

SONS. The perfect gift for

foodie friends who want to

cook lighter, smarter meals. If

not a lesson, a new cookbook.

A

variation on this tasty

theme is a session

with a savvy nutrition-

ist.

7. WELLNESS MAGA-ZINES. There are so manyterrific magazines promoting

sports, fitness and smart eat-

ing. Some favorites include

Nutrition Action Newsletter,

Yoga Journal, Men's Health,

Outside and a zillion others,

all under $25 a year.

8. THE GIFT OF TIME.

Make your own gift certifi-

cate that entitles the recipient

to something active and fun

you can do together. A skat-

ing lesson? A kayaking ad-

venture? Midnight bowling?

9. GIVE TO CHARITY. I

saved the best for last. Honor

your loved ones by giving to

a nonprofit in their name. At

Heifer International(www.heifer.org), an out-

standing choice in my book,

you can give cows, honey

bees, half a water buffalo —

whatever your budget allows

— to needy families around

the world. Be bold. Start a

new family tradition. In my

experience, people love this

gift. Better to give a sheep

than one more wool sweater!

ENERGY EXPRESS-O!

SOME WORDS TO SPEND

BY

"We make a living by what

we get; we make a life by

what we give." —Winston

Churchill

Marilynn Preston — fitness

expert, personal trainer and

speaker on healthy lifestyle

issues — is the creator of En-

ergy Express, the longest-run-

ning syndicated fitness

column in the country. She

has a website, http://marilyn-

npreston.com and welcomes

reader questions, which can

be sent to MyEnergyEx-

[email protected] 2010 ENERGY EXPRESS, LTD.

* New retailers added weekly.

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Visit zip2save.com for full contest details.Contest Ends December 15th.




Home Owners - Renters INSURANCE AVAILABLE

FREE QUOTES • 6560 Montana Ave., Suite 6. El Paso 915-779-2489

Rose Bennett Gilbert

: My partner and I bought a 1970s ranch-

style house last year, but we are not at all clear on

how we want to decorate it. At first, we thought we

wanted traditional, but that can be pretty boring.

We both lived with traditional furniture growing up

and would like to do something more contempo-

rary.

But how do you balance a contemporary look with

mid-century architecture?

: One solution: Go boldly where not many have

dared to go before — which is the approach de-

signer John Lyle took when he conjured the pic-

tured pop-art sitting room.

Actually, it's now a sunroom — a closed-in outdoor

porch that is "out there" in more ways than one!According to Michael Lassell, author of "Metropol-

itan Home's 100 Design," Lyle "released the inner

diva" of an ordinary '70s ranch house, making it ex-

traordinary with a black-painted floor and "super-

graphic zebra stripes in homage to the 1970s."

The aluminum chairs are also retro: Russell

Woodard designed them in the 1960s. Lyle updated

them smashingly with those new polka-dot cush-

ions.

And don't you like the surprise touches of the bril-

liant chrome andirons? And look at those classic

porcelain jars on the mantel, with their unclassic

black-and-white glaze.

Lots more inspiration and unorthodox ideas wait in

the pages of "100 Design" (Filipacchi Publishing).

As you may remember, Metropolitan Home, the

magazine, carried the torch for modernism for

some 20 years before its much-lamented demise a

year or so ago. This book is the posthumous cele-

bration of the editors' quest for what was new andexciting around the turn of the 21st century. You'll

be titivated!

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Manhat-

tan Style" and six other books on interior design.

COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM.

Black-and-white and

exciting allover, a

1970s sun porch cele-

brates modernism in

stripes and polka dots.

Photo courtesy of Jack

Thompson, Filipacchi

Publishing.




FOCUS ON THE FAMILY with Jim Daly and Dr. Juli Slattery

FIRST CHRISTMAS AFTER

DIVORCE NOT VERY MERRY

FOR CHILDRENQ: My ex-wife and I have had

a lot of rough holidays to-

gether, but this is our first one

since our divorce. Now, we're

negotiating who gets the kids

when, and it's terrible -- espe-

cially for our kids. How can

we help them have a "merry

Christmas"?

Juli: Some expertson divorce have described it

as a death -- the death of a

family, a marriage and a

dream of happily ever after.

As with any death, there is

gut-wrenching grief associ-

ated with the loss, and learn-

ing to adapt to a "new

normal." At no time is this

more poignant than at the hol-

idays. Your kids are grieving

the loss of their family as

much as you are. It's OK to

let them express that and ac-

knowledge that this Christmas

will be difficult for everyone.

Although everyone

gets hurt in a divorce, the

children are the most obvious

victims. They had no say in

what happened, yet have to

live with the painful after-

math. Research indicates that

one of the top predictors of a

child's stability after divorce

is the health of the relation-

ship between his parents.

Whatever conflicts, woundsand feelings you have toward

each other, put them aside for

the holidays and give your

children a conflict-free

Christmas. I'd encourage your

former wife and you to do

whatever you can to work to-

gether to make the holidays

smooth for your kids.

If possible, share Christmas

morning, celebrating together,

or pitch in together to buy

your kids gifts from both of

you, instead of competing for

who bought more gifts. I

know these suggestions may

sound far-fetched given the

hostility that often accompa-

nies divorce, but your kids

deserve your effort toward

peace. More than any shiny

package under the Christmas

tree, your children most want

and need to know that Mom

and Dad love them and are

not going to fight over them.

**Jim Daly is president of

Focus on the Family, host of

the Focus on the Family radio

program, and a husband and

father of two.

Dr. Juli Slattery is a licensed

psychologist, co-host of

Focus on the Family, author

of several books, and a wife

and mother of three.

Submit your questions to:

[email protected]

mCopyright 2010 Focus on the Family, Colorado

Springs, CO 80995

International Copyright Secured. All Rights reserved.




ADOPT A HOLIDAY PETBy Marty

Becker

Universal Uclick

You know the usual warnings:

“Don’t give pets as gifts”;

“The holidays are the worsttime to get a new pet”; “Pets

are for life, not just for Christ-

mas”; “The only good pet to

give as a gift is a stuffed ani-

mal.”

Lately, though, I’ve

found myself swimming

against that tide — a little.

When it comes to giving pets

as gifts, it’s not always a goodidea, but it’s also not always a

bad idea. If you add just one

word to the word “gift,” it

pretty much fixes the prob-

lem. That word is “thought-

ful.” And getting a pet should

always be done thoughtfully,

whether the pet is a gift or

not.First and foremost,

being thoughtful means never

buying a puppy or kitten from

a pet store or Internet site that

ships with no questions asked.

You don’t want to support

puppy mills, after all.

With that out of the

way, what about the other

common cautions? Sure, theholidays can be a busy time,

with lots of activities, travel

and guests. But parents often

have time off from work dur-

ing the holidays, and the chil-

dren aren’t in school. The

greater flexibility of a holiday

schedule can make both pets’

and people’s adjustments eas-ier, not harder.

Then there’s the

idea that other gifts will be so

much more exciting to chil-

dren that they’ll be distracted

from a new pet. I’m a parent

and a grandparent, and I’ll tell

you one thing about children:

They’re expert multitaskers.

And they don’t suddenly be-come less so on Jan. 2.

Puppies and kittens are just

like little kids, and they getinto things. But that’s not

true just at the holidays. If

they aren’t getting into

your Christmas decora-

tions, they’ll be getting

into your laundry basket.

Part of acquiring a new

pet is making sure that the

environment is safe for

him, and that the treasured

family heirloom you in-

herited from your great-grandmother is locked

away until the new furry

family member learns the

ropes. And that principle

applies year-round, not

just between Thanksgiving

and New Year’s Day.

If the family is pre-

pared for the new addition,

then all will be well. If not, it

won’t — but that’s true

whether you get the pet for

yourself or for your spouse.

And if the parents have unre-alistic expectations about how

much of the pet’s care will be

handled by the kids, does that

change if the pet isn’t given

as a gift? Of course not.

It can be hard to

adopt a shelter pet, since

many shelters have tradition-

ally discouraged holiday-sea-

son adoptions. That’s a trendthat’s changing, in part thanks

to pet food maker Iams’ note-

worthy “Home for the Holi-

days” pet adoption campaign.

Shelter pets would love noth-

ing more than to move from

the cage or run at the shelter

to the couch at your home.

Why make them wait?

So while springing

an unwanted and unexpected pet on someone as a gift is al-

ways a bad idea, and buying

from a pet store or click-and-

ship puppy website is never a

good idea, the careful and

well-planned gift of an appro-

priate pet can be just what

this veterinarian ordered for

making your family happier

and healthier, now and at any

time of the year.

It’s a great thing to

have strong ideas about how

pets should be cared for — I

know I do. But let’s not let

those ideas get so set in stone

that we don’t question and

qualify them from time to

time. The “Healing Power of

Pets” is a prescription I’m

comfortable giving 365 days

a year, and what better gift

could there be than the love

and companionship of a pet?

If you’re ready,

don’t wait until the New Year.

Ready, set ... adopt!

Shelter pets need homes year-round, so if everything else is

planned for, don’t let the holiday stop you from adopting.

Seasonal warnings shouldn’t stop a thoughtful addition



George Varga

"Life" by Keith Richards with James Fox(Little, Brown; 654 pages; $29.99)

Few rock 'n' roll icons are as fascinating, or as flawed, as Keith Richards, the grizzled,seemingly indestructible guitarist in theRolling Stones for the past 48 of his 66

years. Likewise, few autobiographies byany rock 'n' roll icon in memory are as fas-cinating, or as flawed, as Richards' "Life" (atitle that could accurately be prefaced withthe words "Bigger Than...").

The best-selling book's opening chapter vividly recounts his arrest in Arkansas for drug possession in 1975. This episode, likethe farcical court hearing that quickly fol-lows, perfectly captures the zeitgeist of thetimes — and of a tumultuous, intensely po-larized era that began a decade or so earlier in the 1960s.

"(Long) hair ... the little things that youwouldn't think about that changed wholecultures," Richard muses. "When you look back, it was relentless confrontation, butyou're not thinking about it at the time."

The Stones of the mid-1970s were anath-ema to the powers that be in this country,Richards recalls. He then wryly invokes afew of the charges leveled at the group heand singer Mick Jagger co-founded near

London in 1962: "We had been incitingyouth to rebellion, we were corruptingAmerica." The Stones "officially, were themost dangerous rock 'n' roll band in Amer-ica."

Accordingly, the band's "outlaw celebrity"status confounded the straight-laced soci-ety that confronted them. "The choice wasalways a tricky one for the authorities whoarrested us," Richards observes. "Do youwant to lock them up, or have your photo-graph taken with them and give them a mo-

torcade to see them on their way?"

As a humorous aside, he notes that he waseventually pardoned in 2006 by then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. But theguitarist insists, "there was nothing to par-don," even though he readily acknowledgesthe car he was arrested in with fellowStones guitarist Ronnie Wood was "loadedwith dope."

Such are the contradictions of Richards'life, and of "Life" itself, a book whose mes-merizing beginning sets expectations skyhigh. Sadly, few of the dozen chaptersthat follow are as inspired, al-though a few comeclose.

At 547 pages (plus15 more for the index andacknowledg-ments), "Life" is

an alternately riv-eting and frustrat-ing read.Co-written withJames Fox, a sea-soned journalist andRichards' confidante,the book somehowmanages to give readers too much and toolittle information about its legendary sub- ject, the church choirboy turned cocky rock rebel — sometimes within the same chap-ter.

Some might argue that anyone who con-sumed as many deadly drugs for as long asRichards did, before he finally cleaned up,will invariably have major memory lapses.

Notso, he insists, claim-ing: "Believe it or not, I haven 't forgottenany of it." Except the parts he has forgotten.He acknowledges as much when pointing

out that the book's reminiscences by Mari-anne Faithfull, Jagger's former girlfriend,are "not almost a total blank, unlike mine."Either way, Richards has a very selectivememory.

The riotous 1964 show in San Bernardino,Calif., that opened the Stones' debut U.S.tour is accorded just one sentence. That'smore, though, than the four-word referenceto "Rock and Roll Circus," the 1968 all-star gig the Stones filmed but waited decades torelease, apparently because The Who turned

in a far superior set. (Somehow, anaive reader might think, the factthis "Circus" marked the firstand only time that Richards per-formed as part of an ad-hoc band called the Dirty Mac —

with, among others, EricClapton, John Lennon andJimi Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell — mightmerit a mention, if not a page or two, but no.)

Conversely, Richardsrepeatedly recounts

his endless drug exploits,in vivid but ultimately stultifying

detail. He constantly reminds us that, un-like common addicts, he only took the"purest" heroin and the "highest grade" co-caine, and that he always took the "right"amount, never too much.

To his credit, he warns readers not to dowhat he did. At the same time, Richards re-

peatedly stresses how much "smarter" hewas than other drug-abusers, who collapsedaround him in droves or died. He also seesno irony in the fact that he takes every opportunity...Continues on page 19

Keith Richards discusses his life from a choirboy to a rock 'n' roll rebel as guitarist for the Rolling Stones in his autobiography, "Life."

SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS DECEMBER 10, 2010 PAGE 16-17




CINEMARK CIELO VISTA Now Showing



Gateway West Blvd/Cielo Vista Mall

CINEMARK 14 - EL PASOWest side of El Paso at Mesa & I-10

*NO PASSES-NO SUPERSAVERS

Las Palmas i-10 @ Zaragosa

*NO PASSES-NO SUPERSAVERS

*127 HOURS - DIGITAL (R)12:05pm 2:40pm 5:30pm 8:10pm10:50pmBURLESQUE (PG-13) 10:50am

1:30pm 4:25pm 7:30pm 10:30pm*CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: VOYAGEOF THE DAWN (PG) 11:30am12:50pm 2:25pm 3:40pm5:20pm 6:40pm 8:15pm 9:35pm11:10pm*CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: VOYAGEOF THE DAWN 3D (PG)12:15pm 3:10pm 6:05pm 9:00pm11:55pm*CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: VOYAGEOF THE DAWN - REAL D 3D XD10:45am 1:35pm 4:30pm 7:25pm10:20pmDUE DATE (R) 11:05am 1:45pm4:20pm 7:45pm 10:35pmFASTER (R) 11:45am 2:30pm 5:10pm7:50pm 10:40pmHARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLYHALLOWS PART 1 (PG-13)11:35am

3:30pm 7:10pm 10:45pm

LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS (R)12:30pm 3:25pm 6:50pm 9:45pmMEGAMIND(PG) 10:55am 1:20pm3:55pm 6:35pm 9:15pm

MEGAMIND - 3D (PG) 12:20pm3:00pm 5:40pm 8:20pm 11:00pmSKYLINE (PG-13) 11:00am 4:35pm9:55pmTANGLED (PG) 12:25pm 2:55pm5:35pm 8:25pm 10:55pmTANGLED - 3D (PG) 11:10am 1:05pm1:50pm 3:45pm 4:40pm 6:25pm7:20pm 9:05pm 10:00pm 11:40pmTHE NEXT THREE DAYS (PG-13)1:25pm 7:05pm*THE TOURIST (PG-13) 11:15am12:40pm 2:00pm 3:35pm4:45pm 6:20pm 7:35pm 9:10pm10:15pm 11:50pm*THE WARRIOR'S WAY (R)11:40am 2:20pm 5:00pm 7:40pm10:25pmUNSTOPPABLE (PG-13)12:45pm3:20pm 5:55pm 8:30pm 11:05pm

Schedule good for Friday December 10th

Tinseltown

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: VOYAGE OFTHE DAWN*(PG)11:20am 2:10pm 5:00pm7:55pm 10:40pmCHRONICLES OF NARNIA: VOYAGE OFTHE DAWN* - REAL D 3D (PG)10:50am1:40pm 4:30pm 7:20pm 10:10pmTHE TOURIST*(PG-13)11:45am 2:25pm5:05pm 7:50pm 10:30pm

127 HOURS*- CinéArts (R) 11:40am2:15pm 4:45pm 7:30pm 10:05pmBURLESQUE (PG-13)11:00am 1:55pm4:40pm 7:35pm 10:35pmDUE DATE (R) 9:50am 12:05pm 2:40pm5:25pm 7:40pm 10:15pmFASTER (R) 9:30am 2:55pm 8:20pmHARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLYHALLOWS PART 1 (PG-13)12:15pm

3:35pm 7:00pm 10:25pmLOVE AND OTHER DRUGS (R) 11:30am2:30pm 5:15pm 8:05pm 10:50pmMEGAMIND - REAL D 3D (PG)11:50am2:05pm 4:55pm 7:15pm 9:40pmRED (PG-13)10:55pmTANGLED (PG)9:35am 12:10pm 2:50pm5:20pm 8:00pm

TANGLED - REAL D 3D (PG)11:35am2:20pm 4:50pm 7:25pm 10:00pmTHE NEXT THREE DAYS (PG-13)11:55am 5:15pm 10:45pmTHE WARRIOR'S WAY*(R) 9:25am12:00pm 2:35pm 5:10pm 7:45pm 10:40pmUNSTOPPABLE - DIGITAL (PG-13)9:40am 11:55am 2:45pm 5:05pm7:50pm 10:20pm

*3D CHRONICLES OF NARNIA:VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREAD (PG)10:30a 11:30a 12:30p 1:30p 2:30p3:30p 4:30p 5:30p 6:30p 7:30p 8:30p9:30p 10:15p*3D MEGAMIND- DIGITAL (PG)11:10a 11:40a 12:10p 1:40p 2:10p2:40p 4:30p 5:00p 5:30p 7:05p 7:45p8:15p 9:40p 10:15p*CHRONICLES OF NARNIA:VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER-(PG)10:35a 1:20p 4:15p 7:05p 9:50p*DBOX HARRY POTTER 7 (PG-13)

11:00a 2:30p 6:05p 9:30p127 HOURS- DIGITAL (R)11:00a 1:40p4:10p 7:15p 9:45pCONVICTION- DIGITAL (R)

10:35a 1:15p 4:10p 7:05p 9:45pHARRY POTTER 7 PART 1 –DIGITAL (PG-13)10:30a 11:00a 12:40p2:00p 2:30p 4:30p 5:30p 6:05p 7:55p9:00p 9:30pHEREAFTER- DIGITAL (PG-13)12:15p 3:30p 6:40p 9:50pMEGAMIND- DIGITAL (PG)11:25a 1:50p 4:15p 6:50p 9:25pRED- DIGITAL (PG13)10:40a 1:25p4:15p 7:05p 10:00pTHE NEXT THREE DAYS-DIGITAL(PG-13)11:15a 2:20p 5:30p 9:00p

UNSTOPPABLE- DIGITAL (PG-13)10:30a 11:00a 1:05p 1:35p 3:35p 4:15p6:20p 6:50p 9:00p 9:25p* -- denotes Pass Restricted features

Premiere Cinemas 6101 Gateway West S.15

ALPHA AND OMEGA 2D (PG)11:00AM 1:15 4:30BURIED (R)11:25AM | 1:45 | 5:05 | 7:25 | 9:45DESPICABLE ME 2D(PG) 12:20 2:50 5:10 7:309:50DESPICABLE ME 3D (PG)11:10AM | 1:30 | 3:50 |6:10 | 8:30DEVIL (PG-13)11:40AM | 1:55 | 5:00 | 7:20 | 9:25EASY A (PG-13)11:55AM | 2:20 | 4:50 | 7:15 | 9:35GROWN UPS (PG-13) 6:35 | 9:10LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: OWLS OFGA'HOOLE 3D(PG)11:35AM 2:10 4:35 | 7:00 |

9:30LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OFGA'HOOLE 2D(PG)10:45AM 1:10 3:45 6:15 8:40RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE 2D (R)11:50AM |2:15 | 4:45 | 7:10 | 10:00TAKERS (PG-13) 6:55 | 9:40THE LAST EXORCISM (PG-13) 2:05 9:20THE TOWN (R)10:35AM | 1:25 | 4:15 | 7:05 | 9:55TOY STORY 3 (G)10:50AM | 1:20 | 4:05

YOU AGAIN (G)11:30AM | 4:20 | 6:50

EAST POINTE MOVIES 12

I-10 & Lee Trevino Schedule good for 12/10 - 12/16

Schedule good for Friday Dec 10 thru Sunday Dec 12

Schedule good for 12-10-10

THE TOURIST*(PG-13) 10:05am11:35am 1:05pm 2:35pm 4:05pm5:35pm 7:05pm 8:35pm 10:05pmBURLESQUE (PG-13) 10:30am12:00pm 1:30pm 3:00pm 4:30pm6:00pm 7:30pm 9:00pm 10:30pmDUE DATE (R) 10:25am 1:25pm4:25pm 7:25pm 10:25pmFAIR GAME - CinéArts (PG-13)1:35pm7:35pmFASTER (R) 12:10pm 3:10pm 6:10pm

9:10pmFASTER - DIGITAL (R) 10:40am1:40pm 4:40pm 7:40pm 10:40pm

LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS (R)10:10am 11:40am 1:10pm 2:40pm4:10pm 5:40pm 7:10pm 8:40pm10:10pmMORNING GLORY (PG-13)10:15am4:15pm 10:15pmTANGLED (PG)10:20am 1:20pm4:20pm 7:20pm 10:20pmTANGLED- REAL D 3D (PG) 10:00am11:30am 1:00pm 2:30pm 4:00pm5:30pm 7:00pm 8:30pm 10:00pm

THE WARRIOR'S WAY*- DIGITAL(R) 10:45am 1:45pm 4:45pm 7:45pm10:45pm

Schedule good for Friday December 10th

The Tourist12/10/2010

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Drama and Thriller

"The Tourist" revolves around

Frank, an American tourist vis-iting Italy to mend a broken

heart. Elise is an extraordinary

woman who deliberately

crosses his path. Against the

breathtaking backdrop of

Venice, Frank pursues a poten-

tial romance but soon finds

himself the pursued as he and Elise are caught in a whirl-

wind of intrigue and danger.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Rufus

Sewell, Timothy Dalton, Ralf Moeller, Raoul Bova, StevenBerkoff, Clement Sibony, Igor Jijikine

The Warrior's Way12/03/2010

Rated: R

Genre: Action/Adventure

An Asian warrior assassin is

forced to hide in a small town

in the American Badlands.

Starring: Kate Bosworth, Ge-

offrey Rush, Danny Huston,

Birol Tarkan Yildiz, Tony Cox

Tangled11/24/2010

Rated: PG

Genre: Animated/Comedy

When the kingdom's most

wanted -- and most charming --

bandit Flynn Rider hides out in a

mysterious tower, he's taken

hostage by Rapunzel, a beautiful

and feisty tower-bound teen with

70 feet of magical, golden hair.

Flynn's curious captor, who's

looking for her ticket out of the

tower where she's been locked away for years, strikes a deal

with the handsome thief and the unlikely duo sets off on an

action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an

over-protective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs.

'Tangled' is a story of adventure, heart, humor and hair -- lotsof hair.

Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron

Perlman, Jeffrey Tambor

PREMIERE MONTWOOD 7 2200 N. YarbroughSchedule good for Dec 9, 10 & 11

ALPHA & OMEGA (PG) 12:35p 2:45p 4:55p7:00p 9:05pBURIED (R) 12:25p 2:40p 4:50p 7:05p 9:20pDESPICABLE ME (PG) 12:15p 2:20p 4:35p6:55p 9:10pDEVIL (PG-13) 7:20p 9:35p

EASY A (PG13) 7:05p 9:25pLEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS (PG) 12:00p2:10p 4:30pTOY STORY 3 (G) 12:05p 2:25p 4:45p

YOU AGAIN (PG) 12:15p 2:35p 4:55p 7:15p9:35p

Faster (2010)

11/24/2010

Rated: R

Genre: Action/Adventure

After 10 years in prison, Driver has

a singular focus - to avenge the

murder of his brother during the

botched bank robbery that led to

his imprisonment. Now a free man

with a deadly to-do list in hand,

he's finally on his mission...but

with two men on his trail - a veteran cop just days from re-

tirement, and a young egocentric hitman with a flair for the

art of killing and a newfound worthy opponent. The hunter is

also the hunted. It's a do or die race to the list's finish as the

mystery surrounding his brother's murder deepens, and newdetails emerge along the way hinting that Driver's list may be

incomplete.

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Tom

Berenger, Carla Gugino, Micaela Johnson

Love andOtherDrugs11/24/2010

Rated: R

Genre: Drama

Maggie is an alluring free

spirit who won't let anyone

- or anything - tie her

down. But she meets her

match in Jamie, whose re-

lentless and nearly infalli-

ble charm serve him well with the ladies and in the

cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and

Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise,as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate

drug: love. Based on Jamie Reidy's memoir 'Hard Sell: The

Evolution of a Viagra Salesman.'

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal, Oliver Platt,

Hank Azaria, Judy Greer

The Chroni-cles ofNarnia: The

Voyage ofthe DawnTreader12/10/10

Return to the magic and

wonder of C.S. Lewis' beloved world -- via the fantastic

Narnian ship, the Dawn Treader. In this new installment of

the blockbuster "The Chronicles of Narnia" motion picture

franchise, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their

cousin Eustace, their royal friend King Caspian and a war-

rior mouse named Reepicheep, find themselves swallowed

into a painting and onto the Dawn Treader. Their mission --

on which rests the fate of Narnia itself -- takes the coura-

geous voyagers to mysterious islands and a river that turns

to gold, to fateful confrontations with magical creatures

and sinister enemies and to a reunion with their friend and

protector, the "Great Lion" Aslan.

Starring: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley,

William Moseley, Anna Popplewell




Schedule good for 12/10- 12/16

SUPER STIMULUS

TUESDAY: $1 DRINK,$1 POPCORN or $5.00 OFF ANY REGULAR

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GUARANTEE TICKETS @ FANDANGO.COM ASK ABOUT OUR REWARDS CARD!

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“TRON 3D”

DIE WALKURE ENCORE6:30 PM DECEMBER 15TH CHRONICLES OF NAR-NIA: VOYAGE OF THEDAWN TREADER 3D (PG)*3D SURCHARGE AP-PLIES 11:45 12:152:20 2:50 4:55 5:25 7:308:00 10:05 (10:35 12:00FRI/SAT)CHRONICLES OF NAR-NIA: VOYAGE OF THEDAWN TREADER 2D (PG)11:45 2:20 4:55 7:30 10:05(12:00 FRI/SAT)

THE TOURIST (PG-13)12:00 2:25 4:50 7:20 9:50(12:15 FRI/SAT)

WARRIOR'S WAY (R)12:15 2:40 5:05 7:30 9:55(12:10 FRI/SAT)TANGLED 3D *3D SUR-CHARGE APPLIES (PG)10:50 1:00 3:20 5:408:00 10:20TANGLED 2D (PG) 12:002:20 4:40 7:00 9:30 (12:00FRI/SAT)BURLESQUE (PG-13)12:45 3:55 7:05 9:50 (12:20FRI/SAT)FASTER (R) 12:15 2:405:05 7:30 9:55 (12:10FRI/SAT)HARRY POTTER & THE

DEATHLY HALLOWS (PG-13) 11:00 11:45 1:152:15 3:00 4:30 5:30 6:108:00 8:45 9:15 (11:1512:00 FRI/SAT)UNSTOPPABLE (PG-13)12:20 2:45 5:10 7:35 10:00(12:15 FRI/SAT)MEGAMIND 3D (PG) *3DSURCHARGE APPLIES*11:00 1:15 3:456:15 8:45 (NO 6:15 & 8:45

12/15)MEGAMIND 2D (PG) 12:152:35 4:55 7:15 9:40

DUE DATE (R) 12:30 2:505:10 7:30 9:50 (FRI/SAT12:10)

Continued from page 15... to carp about how unreli-able deceased Stones gui-tarist Brian Jones was, in part

because of Jones' substanceabuse. Never mind thatRichards' own drug use all but derailed at least one tour by his band and caused un-told headaches for Jagger,who Richards complainsabout on seemingly everyother page as a control freak.

Reading so much about theillicit substances Richardsconsumed on his road to full-

fledged junkiedom may makeyou feel numb faster than he became from taking them.

Ditto his endlesssniping at Jag-ger (it's amaz-ing they haven'tkilled eachother), ex-Stones members BillWyman (who,Richardscharges,

made "insipid tea") and thelate Jones (too many barbs tolist here).

Tellingly, while Richards letsWood, longtime Stones' tour-

ing saxophonist Bobby Keysand various associates andfamily members to contributefirst-person anecdotes, Jagger is accorded no such courtesy.Devoted Stones fans may re-call that, some years ago,Jagger returned the major publishing advance he re-ceived for his autobiography,which he abandoned in large part because he contended he just couldn't remember

enough to make the book in-teresting.

That said, Richards' reputa-tion as one of rock's greatraconteurs is well-earned.During my several interviewswith him, he has always beenthoughtful and eloquent,whether discussing his lovefor the Stones, his friendshipwith jazz icon Miles Davis or how technological advancescan drive people apart rather than bring them together. Thegeneral consensus amongveteran rock-music criticswho have spoken with him isthat Richards is one of thesharpest, and most candid,

interview subjects around — in contrast with the far morecautious and cagey Jagger.

But in "Life," Richardsspends far too much time de-tailing too many familiar vi-gnettes about his alreadywell-documented youth andrise to fame, then dispenseswith the past 21 years in just58 pages. The book runs outof steam long before he im-

probably trots out his recipefor bangers and mash on page 525.

Yet, while there is room for his recipe, Richards makesno mention of the fact that hehas an African-American sis-ter-in-law, author and singer Marsha Hansen, with whomhe has twice recorded tradi-tional spirituals. Consideringhow much dirt he dishesabout other people, past and present, his decision to notsay a word about somethingas genuinely interesting anddirt-free as this (and likelyunknown to most readers) isa mystery. A more astute edi-

tor would surely have beenan asset.

But when Richards discusseshis greatest passions — song-writing, guitars (he calls theTelecaster he uses to play"Satisfaction" in concert"Dwight"), the blues, rock 'n'roll and the magic of record-ing and performing — his"Life" is impossible to putdown.

COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM




If you want your upcoming event listed in SPOTLIGHT’S Out & About section, please send all your relevant data by e-mail to:[email protected]

Calendar of upcoming events for

El Paso/ Southern New Mexico

are from December 10th

thru December 16th. 2010

NORTHEAST-

CENTRAL

Railroad and Trans-

portation Museum of

El Paso — More than 150

years of El Paso railroad his-tory are on display at Union

Depot Transit Terminal, 400

W. San Antonio, at Durango.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesday through Friday, 10

a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1

to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission

is free. Information: 422-3420

or elpasorails.org.

A special reading of the

“Polar Express” is at 1:30

p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12. Chil-dren can also meet with the

conductor and other Victo-

rian-era passengers. Admis-

sion: $1 donation per child.

Titovets School of

Art Student Art

Show & Sale — The

school will host its 10th an-

niversary celebration Thurs-

day through Saturday, Dec.

9-11, at 5446 N. Mesa (near

Sheldon’ Jewelers), featuring

works by students of both

Aleksander and Lyuba

Titovets. Admission is free.

Information: 585-3043.

‘It’s A Wonderful

Life’ — The live radio play

by Joe Landry is Dec. 10-19

at El Paso Playhouse, 2501

Montana. Directed by Ron

Szatkowski. The beloved

American Christmas classic

comes to life as a 1940s radio

broadcast. Showtime is 8 p.m.

Friday and Saturday and 2

p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12 and 19.

Tickets: $10 ($8 seniors; $7

students and military): 532-

1317, elpasoplayhouse.com.

‘Celebrations!’ - Kids-

N-Co. presents a musical trib-

ute to the holidays of winter

at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and

2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11-

12, at the Chamizal National

Memorial, 800 S. San Mar-

cial. Hanukkah, the Winter

Solstice, Christmas, Boxing

Day, Three Kings Day and

Kwanzaa are all included.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Fri-

days and Saturdays and 2:30

p.m. Sundays. Directed byKevin P. Mullin. Tickets: $7

($5 children, seniors, students

and active military); available

at the door one hour before

show. Advance reservations

accepted for groups of 10 or

more. Information: 351-1455

or kidsnco.org.

‘Living Christmas

Tree’ — The 46th annual

Christmas concerts at First

Baptist Church, 805 Montana,

are 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Satur-

day and Sunday, Dec. 11-12,

805 Montana, featuring more

than 125 participants per-

forming familiar holiday

songs, both old and new.

Tickets: $4, available in the

church office Monday

through Friday on a first

come, first served basis.Doors open one hour prior to

each performance. The event

usually sells out early. Free

child care available for ages 4

and younger. Information:

533-1465 or fbcep.com.

A Christmas Family

Gathering — First Chris-

tian Church (Disciples of

Christ), 901 Arizona hosts itsChristmas celebration benefit-

ing their Christmas basket

outreach for area families in

need 10 a.m. to noon Satur-

day, Dec. 11, featuring Christ-

mas crafts for ages 2 to 10, a

story moment, carols and

more. Children should be ac-

companied by an adult. Ad-

mission is free; canned food

item donation requested. In-

formation: 533-6819 or elpa-sofirstchristian.org.

‘The Message of the

Holly’ — El Paso Youth

Choir will host a holiday con-

cert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec.

12, at St. Paul’s Lutheran

Church, 1000 Montana. Ad-

mission is free; free-will of-

fering taken. Information:

422-8793.

El Paso Youth Choir at St.

Paul’s offers weekly freetraining from September

through May for youth

singers, ages 6-18.

North Pole at the

Museum — International

Museum of Art, 1211 Mon-

tana, will host its 4th annual

afternoon of holiday enter-

tainment 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday,

Dec. 11, featuring Christmas

carols, storytelling, pictureswith Santa and Mrs. Claus,

entertainment, holiday treats

and more. Admission is free.

Nominal fee for photos with

Santa (proceeds benefit the

museum). Information: 543-

6747 or internationalmuseu-

mofart.net.

MISSION

VALLEY

‘Happy Holidays on

Ice’ — Sun City Blades fig-

ure skating team host a winter

skating spectacular 5:30 to 7

p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, at Sierra

Providence Event Center be-

hind the County Coliseum,

4100 Paisano, featuring figure

skating from El Paso area

skaters. Admission: $5. Infor-

mation: 757-0412 or elpa-

soicemonitor.com.

Oñate Trail Dog

Fanciers Dog Shows — The AKC licensed club

hosts its all-breed dog show is

9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and

Sunday, Dec. 11-12, at El

Paso County Coliseum, open

to the more than 150 breeds

and varieties of dogs recog-

nized by the American Ken-nel Club. This year’s event

will also feature mixed-breed

dogs in obedience and rally

events. Spectator admission is

free. Information: 626-9975

or otdfa.org.

EASTSIDE

Ysleta Mission Cul-

tural Arts Market —

The Ysleta Mission, 131

Zaragosa, will host its market

featuring traditional art works

11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday,

Dec. 11, on the historic mis-

sion’s grounds.

The event features South-

west Artists, colchas, retablos,

weaving and Native Ameri-

can pottery and Jewelry. En-

tertainment includes a performance by the Viva El

Paso Special Edition Com-

pany, plus Tigua Social

Dances, matachines, folk-

lorico dances and mariachis.

Traditional foods and bever-

ages will be sold. Informa-

tion: 859-9848 or

ysletamission.org.

‘The Deliverer’ - The

annual large-scale holiday

pageant of music and drama

celebrating the Christmas sea-

son is Dec. 10-12 and Dec.

17-19 at Cielo Vista Church,

3585 Lee Trevino. Tickets

available at the church ticket

window. Information: 595-

0288 or cielovista.org.

A Coffeehouse

Christmas — CrossPoint

Church, 11995 Montwood,

presents “Christmas Special,”

its annual holiday gift to the

community Dec. 10-12, fea-

turing vignettes of drama,

dance and music, homemade

treats and specialty coffee.

Performances are at 7 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, and at

the 10 a.m. Sunday service.

Admission is free. Informa-

tion: 857-7492 or cross-

pointelpaso.com.

Applejack Band —

The El Paso folk band per-

forms its annual Christmas

dinner show Saturday, Dec.

11, at 8 p.m. La Tierra Cafe,

1731 Montana, with singer

Cleo Bell. Doors open at 6

p.m., dinner served at 6:45

p.m. Cost: $32 (tip not in-

cluded, BYOB), reservations

required. Information: 592-

5122 or (575) 541-1992.

WESTSIDE/

DOWNTOWN

UTEP Men’s Basket-

ball - Home games are at

the Don Haskins Center.

Game time is 7:05 p.m., un-

less otherwise listed. Individ-

ual tickets: $14-$50, plus

service charge. Information:

747-5234 or

utepathletics.com.

• Sunday, Dec. 12 —

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Jingle Bell Run — Up

and Running, 3233 N. Mesa,

will host its 4th annual holi-

day 5K run/walk at 8:30 a.m.

Saturday, Dec. 11, departingfrom the store (Rudolph

Plaza). All runners receive

long-sleeved t-shirts and jin-

gle bells. Refreshments of-

fered at finish line. Race day

registration and packet pick

up is 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. Pro-

ceeds benefit El Paso High

School Girls Track. Cost: $20

per event. Information: 478-

5663 or raceadventuresunlim-

ited.com.

Trophy offered to top three

male and female winners; $50

Up and Running Gift Card to

best-dressed Santa and elf.

Sunland Park Race-

track & Casino — The

2010-2011 live horse racing

season runs Dec. 10-April 19.

Race days are Tuesdays, Fri-

days, Saturdays and Sundays.

First post is 12:25 p.m. each

race day. General admission

is free to the track and casino.

First post time is 12:25 p.m.

Turf Club seating is $7. Infor-

mation: (575) 874-5200 or

sunland-park.com

‘Yes, We Are Still

Dancing’ — A poetry

reading and book signing

with artists Susan Amstater

and Connie Dillman and poet

Jacquelyn Stroud Spier is 1 to

4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11,

at El Paso Museum of Art,

One Arts Festival Plaza,

downtown El Paso.

‘A Christmas Carol’- The UTEP Department of

Theatre and Dance presents

its annual telling of Charles

Dickens’ work Dec. 12-18 in

the Fox Fine Arts Wise Fam-ily Theatre, adapted by Chuck

Gordon and directed by Ross

Fleming. Showtime is 8 p.m.

Friday and Saturday and 2:30

p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $12

($10 UTEP faculty/staff, sen-

iors and military, non-UTEP

students and per ticket for

groups of 10 or more; $9

UTEP students and ages 4-

12). Information: 747-5118 or

theatredance.utep.edu.

‘The Wonder of

Christmas’ — Coronado

Baptist Church, 501 Thunder-

bird, will host its annual

Christmas Cantata perform-

ance at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec.

10, and Sunday, Dec. 12, fea-

turing the church’s Christmas

Choir and Orchestra. The

cantata-style program com- bines music with drama.

Nursery provided. Admission

is free. Information: 584-3912

or coronadobaptist.org.


San Jacinto Plaza ceeds benefit the guitar pro-

tree at 6 p.m. Christmas 11, down 10th Street. Hosted silvercityartists.org. real.org.



Christmas Tree

Lighting — El Paso Em-

ployees Federal Credit Union

hosts the 75th annual “Cele-

bration of Lights” holiday tra-

dition of the plaza’s

spectacular Christmas tree

and displays Saturday, Dec.11, at San Jacinto Plaza

downtown. The ceremony be-

gins at 5:30 p.m. with live en-

tertainment. The lighting of

the 55-foot Christmas tree by

Mayor John Cook and a child

from Candlelighters Child-

hood Cancer Foundation at

5:50 p.m. followed by the

13th annual lighted Christmas

parade at 6 p.m. Information:

541-4331 or 544-5436.

‘The Holidays’ – El

Paso Wind Symphony begins

its “Something Extra” season

with a night of holiday music

7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10 at

UTEP’s Fox Fine Arts Recital

Hall. Tickets: $12.50 ($7.50

students). Information: 760-

5599.

The El Paso Wind Sym-phony, directed by Dr. Ron

Hufstader, includes wood-

wind, brass and percussion.

‘A Holiday After-

noon Concert’ — El

Paso Symphony Orchestra

hosts its family concert of tra-

ditional holiday music at 2

p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at the

Plaza Theatre. Tickets:$26.40, including service

charge. (Ticketmaster) Infor-

mation: 532-3776 or 566-

4066.

Franklin High Gui-

tar Concert — The an-

nual winter concert is 7:30

p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, at the

Franklin High School Fine

Arts Theater, 900 N. Resler.Led by instructor Stefan

Schyga, one of El Paso’s best-

known guitarists, Franklin

guitar students perform a va-

riety of music styles. Pro-

gram and its students. Admis-

sion: $5. Information:

832-6600 or

franklinguitar.com.

SOUTHERN

NEW MExICO

Inn of the Mountain

Gods Resort and

Casino — Mescalero,

N.M. Age 21 and older admit-

ted. (Ticketmaster) Informa-

tion: 1-877-277-5677 or

innofthemountaingods.com.

• George Thorogood

and The Destroyers

_ The “Bad to the

Bone” blues rock legend

performs Thursday, Dec. 9.

Tickets: $46.75-$106.75, in-cludes service charges.

• Big Bad Voodoo

Daddy — The contempo-

rary swing band best know

for hits like “Big and Bad”

and “You and Me (and the

Bottle Makes Three)” per-

forms Saturday, Dec. 11.

Tickets: $30-$60, plus service

charge.

NM Farm & Ranch

Heritage Museum —

4100 Dripping Springs, Las

Cruces. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5

p.m. Monday through Satur-

day, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Admission: $5 for adults, $3

seniors 60 and older, $2 for

children 5-17; free for age 4

and under. Information: (575)

522-4100 or nmfarman-dranchmuseum.org.

Living history perform-

ances, “Stories of Holidays

Past,” are 7 p.m. Thursday,

Dec. 9, in the theater. Histori-

cal characters bring to life

past holiday traditions in New

Mexico. Admission: $2 sug-

gested donation.

Mesilla Plaza Christ-mas Tree Lighting —

The community tree lighting

is Friday, Dec. 10, in the

plaza. Mesilla Mayor Michael

Cadena will switch on the

music continues until 6:30

p.m. Shops will be open late

for holiday shopping that day,

refreshments and some loca-

tions. The tree will be deco-

rated with ornaments created

by students from an area

school. Admission is free. In-

formation: (575) 524-3262,ext. 116

Mesilla is southwest of Las

Cruces. Take I-10 West to the

Avenida de Mesilla exit. The

plaza is off NM Highway 28

(Avenida de Mesilla) south of

I-10.

Luminarias and Christmas

music will be featured Christ-

mas Eve on the Plaza 5:30 to

7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 24.

The Mesilla Singers choir will lead in the singing of

Christmas carols, and lumi-

narias will be lit around dusk.

Old-Fashioned

Christmas — MainStreet

Truth or Consequences pres-

ents the traditional holiday

event 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec.

10. Festivities begin with the

tree lighting 6 p.m. at EvelynRenfro Park, followed by car-

olers and other performers,

holiday refreshments and

businesses open late for holi-

day shopping. Wagon rides

available. Information: (575)

740-3902 or

torcmainstreet.org.

One thousand luminaria will

be set up throughout down-

town to add to the festive at-

mosphere. Fire pits will be set

up in the middle of Broad-

way. The Sierra County Arts

Council will be serving up s'-

mores for $1 as a fundraiser

for public art in Sierra

County.

Alamogordo Christ-

mas Parade — The an-

nual lighted parade begins

around 5 p.m., Saturday, Dec.

by the Alamogordo Chamber

of Commerce, the parade in-

cludes colorful floats, ban-

ners, marching bands and a

visit from Santa Claus. Infor-

mation: (575) 437-6120.

Christmas Art Fair

— The San Vicente Artistsgroup hosts the fair 9 a.m. to

5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.

to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11,

in the Silco Theater in Silver

City N.M. Information: (575)

534-4401 or

Christmas Celebra-

tion at El Camino

Real — The City

of Socorro, N.M.

will host a winter

celebration 11 a.m.

to 4 p.m. Saturday,Dec. 11, at the

Camino Real Interna-

tional Heritage Center fea-

turing activities for all ages.

Admission: $5 (Free for ages

15 and younger). Information:

(575) 854-3600 or elcamino-

A presentation of the tradi-

tional New Mexico Christmas

play “La Gran Pastorela” is 1

p.m. The play is a version of

the shepherds’ plays per-

formed in New Mexico

for centuries in vil-

lages all along the

Camino Real. The citywill provide transporta-

tion for the play departing

at noon from Socorro Plaza

and returning by 3 p.m. Shut-

tle fee is $1 each way. Reser-

vations: (575) 835-1501.




Christmas Celebration at

ruins of the 19th century fort,

is open 8:30 a m to 5 p m



COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Creative people allow them-selves to make mistakes, and this week you're about as cre-ative as they come. It's not necessary or possible to makeevery move in good taste. In fact, that would only make youa boring person. If you mess up, chalk it up to your inherentneed to keep things lively and entertaining.

There are three weeks left in the year, and they are the kindthat will whiz by at warp speed unless one harnesses themoments to slow them down — an act that will take one'sfull body weight, mental attention and spiritual force. ThePisces moon helps in this regard, and Mercury's retrogradetransit through Capricorn gives further assistance. Whenthings don't go right the first time, slow down and recon-sider the plan.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Someone who is trying to helpyou may hurt you in the process. Healing is like this. We goto the dentist and withstand the pain of a filling in order toavoid the even worse pain that would come from losing thewhole tooth. You'll bear a degree of discomfort and be happyand healthy because you did.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You will be particularly quick on the uptake this week, especially verbally, and this will im-

press people and make them laugh — sometimes at the sametime. But this speedy timing comes at a price. You are not al-ways in control of what rolls off your tongue, and once it'sout, you can't take it back.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You will dream of somethinglong before you have the means or the ability to make it hap-

pen. Believe in those dreams, and don't let anyone tell youwhat is possible or impossible. That determination will al-ways be a relative one, and therefore, no person can accu-rately assess it for another person.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). It's difficult to accept that youdon't always know what is in your best interest. Though youare one of the better judges in the matter, there is still toomuch that is not in your control. You simply can't knoweverything! The best you can do is trust that things are work-ing in your favor, and then act and react in kind.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You can choose your reaction tolife's events, though sometimes it doesn't feel that way at all.There are moments when you feel so compelled to behave ina certain way that it seems as though you don't have a choice.Try to stay calm. It's simply easier to see your choices whenyou're in a peaceful state of mind.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). There are benevolent spirits inthe world. You don't always encounter them when you wantthem, so it's a good idea to get in touch with your higher self.Once you make this connection, you will depend less on the

advice of well-meaning mentors, teachers, parents and lead-ers, who sometimes fall down on the job.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You have patient peoplearound you. Someone in particular has been a real gem lately

— there for your every need and the service comes with asmile. Cherish this person, and do not take him or her for granted. You should also keep in mind that the patient peopleare also the most prone to random fury.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Here's a difficult tacticto stick to: Refuse to accept anything but the best. You will

be challenged to the point that you will wonder if you arecrazy for wanting what you want. You're not. It is possible.Stick to the tactic. Hold out for your preference, and youwill get it by the end of the week.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Some people find it easyto ask for what they want. Others make a hobby of it. Thenthere are those, like you, who would rather do every singlelittle thing themselves than ask for the smallest bit of help.You should really break yourself of that habit. Now is asgood a time as ever.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You wouldn't want to hire amean coach or sign up for a task that's completely out of your league — but in some ways that's just what you've done.Leave it to you to make this kind of difficult/brilliant move.It's amazing how productive you can be when you don't think there's any other choice.

ACROSS1 Hook

5 ___ soi: at home

9 Dress to the nines14 ___ vincit omnia

15 Sun: prefix16 RSVP

17 Love to excess

18 Algerian port19 Silas Marner’s child

20 Carol character23 Family member24 Athena, for one: Gr.

25 Tijuana wraps: var.

29 College in Athens,W.Va.

33 Resident: suffix

34 Carry on36 Felt sun hat

37 New Hampshire’s

state flower40 Jordan’s org.

41 Members of the mil.

42 Wagon drivers43 Journey

45 NRC predecessor46 Greek wine

48 Some helpings

51 ___ Darya52 Kind of head

53 See 28 Down

60 Room, in Rouen61 Yours, in Burgundy

62 New Rochelle college64 Common cat65 Madonna’s ex

66 Author Charles Percy

67 Clues68 Visited Davy

Jones’s locker

69 “Such as hang on___’s cheek”

DOWN1 Spoiled

2 In a frenzy3 Bistro offering

4 Vaccaro or Jagger

5 Fish soup6 Command to Fido

7 Joyousness

8 Galvanize

9 Load for 53 Across10 Supplants

11 Baseball Hall-of-Famer

Rixey12 Wallach and Whitney

13 Entertainer Louis21 Place for a bridge

22 Conductor de Waart

25 Type of heat26 “___ for labour”

27 Switched on again

28 With 29 Down, a famil-iar Christmas figure

29 See 28 Down

30 Keyboard instrument31 Was worthy of notice

32 Parts of brakes

35 Native of Nigeria38 Attacked

39 Means of access for

28 Down44 Consider anew

47 Litchi

49 Bill’s mate50 Goggle-eyed

53 Place for serendipities54 Ms. Nazimova

55 Emulates Rip van Win-

kle56 Virginia willow

57 NE state

58 Tops59 Standoffish person

60 ___ volatile

63 Wonder

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You may gain control of a situationfor the moment, but you'll find that this control is elusive. Andneeding to have it all the time will only make you miserable,

since that just isn't possible. When you realize that wantingcontrol leads to suffering, you will wisely go the opposite way,improvising with the hand that you're dealt.

...Christmas Celebration at

El Camino Real...The center

is about 30 miles south of

Socorro, N.M. on I-25, half-

way between Socorro and

Truth or Consequences. It is

a 5-minute drive east of I-25

at Exit 115.

Flickinger Center

for Performing Arts — 1110 New York Ave.

Alamogordo. Performances

at 7:30 p.m. unless listed oth-

erwise. Ticket information:

(575) 437-2202 or flickinger-

center.com.

• Christmas Benefit Concert

for the Opportunity Center

with the Flying J Wranglers

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11.The Wranglers, who perform

throughout the summer at the

Flying J Ranch Chuckwagon,

are comprised of National

Champion Yodeler Cindy

Hobbs, James Hobbs, Randy

Jones, Roy Black and

Corinna Ripple. Tickets to be

announced.

Elephant Beachwalk and Floating Lights

parade — Elephant Butte

State Park’s 15th annual lu-

minaria walk and parade ben-

efiting Make-A-Wish

Foundation is 6:30 p.m. Sat-

urday, Dec. 11. The parade

begins at 6:30 p.m. The event

features more than 3,500 lu-

minarias, a boat and RV pa-

rade, 25 host campfires,Santa Claus, hayrides, carol-

ing, and lots of hot chocolate,

cider and posole for every-

one. Cost: $5 per car. Infor-

mation: (575) 740-1777.

Party and awards ceremony

follow at the Elephant Butte

Inn.

Fort Selden Lumi-

naria Tours — The 12thannual holiday event at Fort

Selden State Monument is 5

to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11.

The trails and ruins of the

19th-century fort will be lit

by more than 1,000 luminar-

ias, and visitors will be

treated to hot chocolate,

cookies and living history

military re-enactments. Ad-

mission is free during the

evening. Information: (575)526-8911 or

nmmonuments.org.

From Las Cruces, take I-25

North to Exit 19. The monu-

ment, which preserves the

is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

daily. Admission is $3 (age

16 and under free).

New Horizons Sym-

phony — The Orchestra

hosts its holiday concert “In-

stant Classics” 3 p.m. Satur-

day, Dec. 11, at NMSU’sAtkinson Recital Hall in Las

Cruces, featuring “ Dreams

of Flight” by Las Crucen

Justin Raines. Also on the

program is “L’italiana in Al-

geri” by Gioachino Rossini,

“March Miniature” by Pyotr

Ilyich Tchaikovsky, “Sleigh

Ride” by Leroy Anderson

and the “Hallelujah Chorus”

by George Frederic Handel.

The High Velocity Sax Quar-tet will be featured during the

performance of “Stephen

Foster Revisited.” Admission

is free. Information: Shawn

Robinson, (270) 320-8340 or

[email protected], or Rose

Hoffman, (575) 523-9101.

New Horizons Symphony

Orchestra currently has open-

ings for additional string

players. Potential membersare welcome to visit the

group’s weekly rehearsals at

6 p.m. Thursdays in the

NMSU Music Department

Band Room.

‘Believe’ — Mesilla Val-

ley Chorale choral group per-

forms its annual holiday

concert at 3 p.m. Sunday,

Dec. 12, at Rio Grande The-

atre, 211 N. Downtown Mallin Las Cruces. The theme

this year is based on the pop-

ular song from “The Polar

Express.” Music includes the

“Shepherd’s Pipe Carol,” by

Rutter and “Velvet Shoes” by

Wagner, along with several

spirituals and carol sing-

alongs. Doors open at 2:30

p.m. Tickets: $10; proceeds

benefit the theatre. Informa-

tion: (575) 647-2560.

Byron Stripling and

NMSU Jazz Band —

Trumpet player and vocalist

Byron Stripling joins

NMSU’s Jazz Ensemble in a

musical tribute to Louis Arm-

strong at 7:30 p.m. Sunday,

Dec. 12, to kick off the

Branigan Cultural Center’s

exhibit “Jam Session.” Doors

open at 7 p.m. Ticket infor-

mation: (575) 541-2155 or

LCJazz.org.




By T.J. TOMASITEEING OFF

Remember the fairy tale where villagers trying to steal the

feathers of the Golden Goose became stuck to the goose andto each other, forcing them to trail behind the goose wherev-

er it went in a conga line of the greedy?

You can imagine the length of the conga line behind the

first billion-dollar athlete. So it’s not surprising that after the

fall, Tiger Woods’ management firm, IMG, set to work to re-

invent their Golden Tiger. His handlers’ work will be a blue-

print for marketers current and future, especially those that

specialize in fallen angels. Just as the battle plans of

Alexander the Great are studied at West Point, so IMG’s

plan, which I have named “Back From Perdition,” will be

taught at Wharton.

In my estimation, the plan is as follows:Step 1: Know

the history of your

public.

“We are a society

of second chances,”

said Mark Steinberg,

Tiger’s IMG agent.

“That’s been proven

over the years.”

Step 2: Take

the current tempera-

ture of your public.

Steinberg took a

poll of Tiger’s mar-

ket appeal that he

says shows “very

powerful, positive, positive results.”

Step 3: Pound away at the concept of redemption to appeal to the religious population, and emphasize “rehabilita-

tion” to those who either know someone who has problems

or themselves have problems. These two cover about every-

one in the world — a good place to start if you need to mar-

ket your man.Steinberg again: “We want to be part of the redemption,

rehabilitation. … And (Tiger) knows that. He’s comfortable

with it. And he’s going to do that.”

Step 4: Exploit the element of transformation.Change everything about Tiger so he’s not the same man

who did the bad things. He’s been to therapy; he’s changed

his swing. His personal life has radically changed with his

divorce. He’s now friendly and open, he tweets, he has a new

kid-coach his own age, he smiles. He even dresses different-

ly, giving him a new, trendy, more “in” look. With this make-

up team, Shaq O’Neal could be an undercover cop.

Still, the logic is forcing. The general public was againstthe old Tiger, but here is the new Tiger. The ironic part is

that, in the midst of all this newness, Tiger has to find a way

to play like the old Tiger. And this, of course, is the hairpin

turn on the road back from perdition.

Tiger’s longroad back

“The biggest problem has been my putting because I’ve got nowhere to put my elbows.I used to be able to put my elbows on my love handles and putt pretty good.

Now they’re all over the place.” — John Daly, who has lost more than 100 pounds and finished 193rd on the PGA Tour money list for 2010

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


BIRDIES AND BOGEYS

W l i lf



Worst rule in golf Robert Karlsson beat Ian Poulter in a playoff in the

Dubai World Championship on Nov. 28 to win $1.25 mil-

lion. Poulter violated what I consider to be the worst rule in

golf. Putting for a birdie on the last playoff hole, he inad-

vertently dropped his golf ball and it hit his marker for a

one-shot penalty.If you move your marker by mistake

while marking your ball, there is no penal-

ty, but drop it by mistake and it’s a stroke.

Go figure.

It cost Poulter $400,000 to drop the

ball 36 inches, which is about $11,000 per

inch. KARLSSON

C a r y n L e v y / U S P G A T O U R

A golf course worker in Florida was killed recently when hit in

the head by a golfer ’s tee shot. He was pulling weeds near a tee

box when he was struck in the temple from about 30 yards away.

Ball speeds over 100 mph are not uncommon, even for amateur

golfers. Tour pros average about 165 mph.

The police say the golfer will not be charged, but that doesn’tmean the golf club won’t be sued. It’s surprising something terri-

ble like this hasn’t happened sooner, considering the lax safety

precautions taken for course workers. Raking bunkers, mowing

and trimming hedges during play exposes workers to errant shots,

and since being hit in the head can be lethal, it should be a law

that all workers wear hard hats.

THE GOLF DOCTOR

There is a big difference

between fast- and slow-twitch

muscle fibers, and to build a

swing with explosive power,

you must grow fast-twitch

square footage through exer-

cise. This is why Tiger Woods

is lifting heavy — he’s look-

ing for explosive power.

When called upon, fast-

twitch muscle fibers contract

almost 10 times more fre-

quently than slow-twitch, so

they provide a quick burst of

power. An Olympic sprinter

may have 80 percent fast-

twitch fibers, whereas a

marathoner can have 90 per-

cent slow-twitch muscle. An

average person has approxi-

mately equal amounts of

both. Thus for golfers not

born with a sprinter’s profile,

bursting power doesn’t come

naturally. For the majority of

us, power depends on how we

train our muscle fibers.

Training technique

According to Tudor

Bompa, coach to 11 Olympic

medal winners, you can train

for strength and quickness by

lifting weights correctly. He

recommends a low number of

repetitions (one to three), but

with very heavy loads in ex-

cess of 90 percent of your

maximum, with a recovery of

six minutes between sets.

“Here’s the main differ-

ence between bodybuilding

and strength training for

sports,” says Bompa. “For

bodybuilding, the scope of

increased tension is de-

signed to induce hypertro-

phy. In strength training for sports, using heavy loads,

the scope is not to increase

the duration of tension, but

rather to apply the force

against resistance as quick-

ly and dynamically as pos-

sible so that the highest

number of fast-twitch mus-

cle fibers are recruited in

the action.

“Therefore, a major rea-son we use heavy loads in

training athletes in different

sports is to stimulate the re-

cruitment of fast-twitch

muscle fibers, and as a re-

sult, to use them during the

performance of athletic ac-

tion. The more fast-twitch

muscle fibers are used dur-

ing the performance of a

technical skill, the higher

the application of force and

the benefit for an increased

performance.”

And this is why Tiger

lifts heavy.




IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR GAME



We are planted in a field of force called gravity, and all of our body systems, such as balance, touch and move-ment, have evolved to accommodate the challengesof living in a force field that presses us to the earth.

But balance is not automat-ic. Like language, it is alearned skill. Humans do nothit the ground running from

day one. A baby totters andfalls until balance is learned.It is not until about 7 years of age that a child can run and jump as efficiently as anadult.

Running is learned — so is jumping. And so, of course,are the unique balance re-quirements necessary to hit agolf ball, which I call “golf balance.”

Street balanceYour brain receives a con-

tinuous flow of informationabout..Continues on next page

in

No comment is necessary in this swing sequence. Even in stop action, this player is perfectly in golf balance at every position. Startyour quest for golf balance with your weight distribution at address. Bad balance often begins with the weight forward on the toes. Itshould be distributed from the balls of the feet backward to the heels. Thus, your center of gravity is straight down through the middle ofyour body.


DON’T MISS IT

Practice while



Continued from page 26..the position of your body and gives orders to your muscles

to regain your balance whenever your body is in danger of taking a tumble. This unconscious self-preservation system iswhat I call “street balance,” and while it can save your life, itcan also ruin your golf swing.

The point is that because of the importance of remaining upright, your brain attaches a great deal of significance to anymessage that says, “This container is falling over.” When it receives such a message, your brain automatically acts torecover, and there’s nothing you can do about it. This reflex-ive action is called the “righting instinct,” and its power tocontrol your golf swing is supreme.

Golf balanceThe contorted arrangement (tilted spine, body bowed, left

side straight, right side flexed, etc.) involved in hitting a golf ball is a very unnatural position. The trick is to undergo thesedistortions from the norm without triggering the righting in-stinct because if you do, street balance will override golf bal-ance every time. And when itdoes, it will prevent you fromarriving at the impact configu-

ration necessary for good shot-making. You won’t fall down, but you’ll ruin your shot.

The key concept: Your golf swing is in balance when your street balance = your golf balance.

Dr. T.J.Tomasi is ateaching

professional in Port St.Lucie, Fla.Visit hisWeb site attjtomasi.com.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Practice whileyou play

The Grip Solid is a thinrubber strap with a raised,flexible bar, the “FLEX-BAR,” which positions

your club correctly in your hand. Its rubber fins con-form to the taper of your club to let you know if you are gripping your clubs correctly. It fits rightover your glove, and iseasy to carry in your pock-et. The Grip Solid is soldthrough www.gripsolid.com for $20.

ASK THE PRO

Here is an e-mail I receivedfrom a professional club fitter,who is none too happy aboutthe new groove regulationsfrom the USGA:

“It appears that the USGAhad absolutely NO concept of the degree of confusion, lack

of desired results, or cost tothe golf manufacturers of their ill-conceived attempt too in-fluence the game. Fromeverything I have been able toglean from studying the issue,the USGA unilaterally madethe decision (changing thegrooves) against the advice of

the manufacturers, players andcommon sense.

“At the start of the year,speculation was the newgroove regulations wouldcause distance to go downand accuracy to go up (theydid — if you count a drop of 0.6 yards and one more fair-

way hit every 13.5 rounds).Bottom line: The groove ruleturned out to be a non-eventfrom a competitive stand- point.“

(To Ask the Pro a questionabout golf, e-mail him at:[email protected].)

GOLF SPOKEN HERE

A blocked shot occurs when a ball goes directly to the right (for a right-hander) of the intended target. It is usually caused by failure to rotate the forearms correctly.




By RICK MINTER / Cox NewspapersBy RICK MINTER / Cox Newspapers

In 2010, drivers Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya(seen here during February’s Auto Club 500) both delivered

high profile victories in cars owned by Chip Ganassi. Last week

in Indianapolis, Ganassi was awarded the first IMIS Achieve-

ment Award. (NASCAR photo)

In a week in which five-time SprintCup champion Jimmie Johnson andhis fellow competitors in NASCAR’s

Chase for the Sprint Cup were front andcenter in NASCAR’s awards banquet inLas Vegas, a team owner who wasn’t a part of the Chase earned some deservedrecognition in a ceremony in Indianapo-lis.

Chip Ganassi, whose fleet of race cars

includes the Sprint Cup entries driven byJamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Mon-toya, received the first-ever InternationalMotorsports Industry Show (IMIS)Achievement Award last Tuesday nightduring the IMIS welcome reception.

Chris Paulsen, the owner of C&R Rac-ing and one of the founders of IMIS, pre-sented the award to Ganassi, whoenjoyed great success in not only NASCAR but also the Indy Car Seriesand the Grand-Am Sports Car Series.Ganassi’s driver McMurray won

NASCAR’s two biggest races, the Day-tona 500 and the Brickyard 400 as wellas a 500-miler at Charlotte Motor Speed-way. Montoya won a Sprint Cup race atWatkins Glen. On the Indy Car front,Ganassi’s driver Dario Franchitti won the

Indianapolis 500 and the series champi-onship, and in the Grand-Am Series hisdrivers Scott Pruett and Memo Rojaswon the championship.

On the weekend of Aug. 7-8, Ganassiwon in all three series, with Montoyawinning the Sprint Cup race at WatkinsGlen, while Pruett and Rojas won thecompanion Grand-Am race and Fran-chitti was victorious at Mid-Ohio.

“What Chip was able to accomplish asa car owner this season was incredible,”Paulsen said in presenting the honor. “Tohave the amount of success he did across

three completely different racing serieswas amazing, and it will be tough for anyowner to repeat what he did in 2010. Itwas a no-brainer for us to award him thefirst-ever International Motorsports In-dustry Show Achievement Award. Our show is for hard-core racers and no oneis a better example of a hard-core racer than Chip Ganassi.”

Ganassi now has 134 total wins, 80 inCART or Indy CAR, 33 in Grand-Am, 10in Sprint Cup, and six apiece in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series and the

ARCA racing series.But in his acceptance remarks, what

Ganassi, a former driver, was most proudof was the fact that all of his driversmade it to Victory Lane in 2010.

Continues on page 31

Owner recognized for achievement in

NASCAR, other series

Chip Ganassi and Jamie McMurray at Day-

tona in February. (NASCAR photo)


NASCAR recognizes top achievers of 2010 at Las Vegas banquet



Jimmie Johnson and his No.48 team at Hendrick Motor-sports were the focus of NASCAR’s Awards Banquetfestivities at Las Vegas lastweek, but there were others

who picked up trophies duringthe week.Team owner Richard Chil-

dress was named the SportingNews 2010 Owner of the Year,an honor he also earned in 2001and 2006.

All three of Richard Chil-dress Racing’s Sprint Cupteams – the No. 29 of KevinHarvick, the No. 31 of Jeff Burton and the No. 33 of ClintBowyer – made the cut for the

Chase for the Sprint Cup. Har-vick won three races and wasin contention for the champi-onship up through the seasonfinale. Bowyer won twice andfinished 10th in the standings,while Burton was 12th.

“We reached a number of our goals, but not our ultimateone of winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champi-onship,” Childress said in astatement announcing thehonor. “We will continue towork hard during the off-sea-son to improve our overall pro-gram and return to Daytona inFebruary with the single goalof winning the 2011 champi-onship.”

RCR was also successful inother racing series in 2010. Inthe Camping World Truck Se-ries, Childress’ oldest grand-son, Austin Dillon, won two

races and was rookie of theyear. His younger grandson,Ty Dillon, scored two victoriesin just a partial first season in

the ARCA Racing Series, andDale Earnhardt Jr. won the Na-tionwide Series race at Day-tona in July in aChildress-owned No. 3Chevrolet.

Earnhardt was a winner inhis own right, picking up yet

another Most Popular Driver award, his eighth straight.

Earnhardt told reporters thathis goal for next season is to re-turn to Las Vegas in another capacity – as one of the drivers inthe top 10 in the final pointsstandings.

“The only person that cantruly help me get where I needto go starts with me, then itgoes to [car owner] Rick [Hen-

drick], [crew chief] Steve[Letarte] and those guys inyour inner circle every week and in your corner everyweek,” said Earnhardt, whofinished 21st in the standingsthis year after finishing 25th in2009. “My biggest problem, Ithink, is my confidence,” hesaid.

Denny Hamlin and his No.11 crew, with crew chief MikeFord, picked up several honors

including the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award.

Hamlin led the Sprint CupSeries in race victories with

eight and finished second toJimmie Johnson in the final points standings.

His crew includes Gas Man:Scott Wood; Jack Man: NateBolling; Catch Can: John

Eicher; Front Tire Changer:Mike Hicks; Front Tire Car-rier: Brandon Pegram; Rear Tire Changer: Jonathan Sher-man; and Rear Tire Carrier:Heath Cherry.

Hamlin told reporters thatthere’s still room for improve-ment all around, and that’swhat it’ll take to end JimmieJohnson’s string of consecutivechampionships.

“You’ve got to get better at

all aspects, and I feel likethat’s where [Jimmie John-son’s] team has been strongover the last few years,” hesaid. “They really have noweak spots.

“There are several parts of our car – there are several parts of our team – that wecan improve on, and that’s agood thing, because as competitive as we are right now, Iknow I need to get better inqualifying.”

The late Jim Hunter, theformer track president and NASCAR vice president, washonored with the NationalMotorsports Press Associa-tion’s Myers Brothers Award.

The ceremony’s host, MikeJoy, said of Hunter, who diedof cancer in October: “BeforeJim found such great successwith NASCAR and [Interna-

tional Speedway Corp.], hewas a very talented writer. Hewas one of us. And he alwayswill be.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (NASCAR

photo)

2010 at Las Vegas banquet


Honda’s Element goes to thedogs with a special package



dogs with a special packageThe Honda Element has been

around since 2003, and it still

gets weird looks from those

that glance at it. Maybe it’s

the Element’s tall, yet short,cube distinctive shape that

makes people stare. Or maybe

it’s because this boxy looking

SUV is made from the same

company that gives us the

rather conservative Accord

and Civic. Whatever the rea-

son, the Honda Element re-

mains an eye-catcher, and for

2010, it will catch even more

looks when seen with dog

emblems on it.

That’s right – dog, as in ca-

nine, ruff-ruff, bow-wow.

And that’s because the 2010

Honda Element brings in a

new option called the Dog

Friendly package. Designed

to transport man’s best friend

safely and comfortably, the

package includes a fully en-

closed kennel in the cargo

bed. The kennel, which ismade of high-strength netting,

features a cushioned bed,

water bowl, and even an elec-

tric fan to keep Rover from

getting too hot. Also included

in the package is an extend-

able ramp which stores under

the kennel. And for the

human race, there are rubber

all-season floor mats and seat

covers – both with dog-bones

all over them so as to not for-

get who the Element is really

for. Not to go unnoticed to

the outside world, paw print

emblems can be found on the

front fenders.

Pooch package aside, the Ele-

ment is a car-based SUV with

available four-wheel drive -

making it the ultimate niche

vehicle for active “Gen-Y”

buyers. It’s a four-door SUV,

but rather than having a con-

ventional four-door setup, its

rear doors open backwards a

full 90 degrees. Because of

this, there are no B-pillars(the post between the front

and back seats), so opening

the doors creates a very large

portal – great for loading pas-

sengers, bulky cargo or four-

legged creatures.

Only one engine is available

for the Element – Honda’s 2.4

liter inline-4 cylinder. Rated

at 166 hp buyers can choose

the standard five-speed man-

ual transmission or an op-

tional five-speed automatic

transmission.

Inside the Element, thestrangeness continues. The

shifter sits high up on the

dash and when equipped with

the manual transmission can

be odd to use since your right

hand is constantly raised up

high to change gears (be

ready for a tired right arm).

When equipped with an auto-

matic gearbox, as was my

tester, this is no big deal.

Everything else inside the El-

ement is nicely placed,

though. Up front seating is

generous, and those seated in

back will appreciate the sta-

dium-style seating. One thing

to be aware of is that the Ele-

ment has a maximum seating

capacity of four – not five.



Team Ganassi...



www.spotlightepnews.com

Continued from page 30...

The back seat is made only

for two. Also, exiting the ve-hicle from the backseat re-

quires the front doors being

open, which can be an incon-

venience, especially when

dropping someone off. Head

room in the Element is ridicu-

lously large.

Driving the Element is a

pleasing experience. The 166

horsepower engine provides

plenty of power, yet still

manages to bring in a decent

19 mpg in town and 24 mpg

on the open road.

The Honda Element may not

be everyone’s cup of tea (it

isn’t mine – I still don’t get

the box design). But there

are young people that really

dig this type of styling, as

well as its fellow box-mate -

the Scion xB. And there is nodebate over the functionality

of the Element. As a people

mover, it can move four pas-

sengers in comfort, or as a

utility vehicle, with the back

seats removed, can

transport 75 cubic feet

of cargo space.

Although I am a dog

person, no dog was

available at the time of

my test, so I can’t re-

port on any of the dog

friendly features. I can

say, though, that those

features, especially the

fan, should keep any

canine happy and com-

fortable. But your dog

may be the more reliable and

credible judge, so you may

need to bring Rover along on

that test drive to see if it’sworth the extra $1000.

-- Christopher A.

Randazzo


“Everybody wants to talk about how we won the Day-tona 500, the Indy 500, theBrickyard 400, the sports car championship and the Indy-

Car championship,” Ganassisaid. “What’s most gratifyingto me, and you’re going tothink I’m nuts, is that everyone of our drivers won races.

“You’ve got all your differ-ent personalities and cars and people. Yet somehow, everyone of our guys found Vic-tory Lane. That’s the best barometer of success for me.Granted, if we did all that anddidn’t win the Daytona 500,Indy 500 and Brickyard 400,it wouldn’t have been asgreat a year. You wouldn’tdare dream about the kind of year we’ve had.”

Ganassi also made the ar-gument that just making thecut for the Chase in NASCAR, which neither Mc-Murray nor Montoya man-aged to do, isn’t all it’s often billed as being.

“I sit there and look at howmany great teams and driversin the Chase that barely have been mentioned all year,” hesaid. “The last time they got amention is when they got in

the Chase.“I’d much rather have the

races we won. I’m not bad-mouthing NASCAR or theChase, but I’ll take the Day-tona 500 win any day over not winning the Chase. It’s

also rewarding to get themonkey off our back about,‘You guys should be winningin NASCAR like you do inall these other series.’”

By The Numbers:

2010 Honda Element 4WD

EX NAV

Base Price: $25,585.00

Price as Tested: $27,360.00 (estimated)

Layout: front-engine / four-wheel drive

Engine: 2.4 liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder

Transmission: five-speed automatic

Horsepower: 166 hp

Torque: 261 ft-lbs

EPA Fuel Economy:19 city /24 highway mpg

[Questions/Comments/Feedback can be sent via

email to [email protected]]

2010 Honda Element ....

Spotlight EP News Dec 10, 2010 No. 356

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Transcript of Spotlight EP News Dec 10, 2010 No. 356