SERVING ANTHONY, VINTON, CANUTILLO, EAST MONTANA, HORIZON, SOCORRO, CLINT, FABENS, SAN ELIZARIO AND TORNILLO OCTOBER 4, 2007VOL. 34, No. 40

NEWSBRIEFS

A good salesman can talk you to debt.— Quips & Quotes

1973

2007YEARS34

ClosedThe West Texas County Courier is closed.It will open again on Monday, Oct. 8, 2007.

New clubAn Optimist Club is being organized inClint. More members are needed to meetchartering requirements. There are pres-ently 18 Optimist clubs in the El Paso area.They are affiliated with Optimist Interna-tional. These clubs have as their motto:“friend of youth.” Optimist clubs provideyouth-oriented activities such as oratori-cal and essay contests, baseball, footballand basketball leagues as well as a Respectfor Law program. If you are interested inworking with youth in the new Clint Op-timist Club, contact Police Chief AlexSanchez at 637-4020 or town clerk FabiolaOchoa at 851-3146.

Honor a VetTheir goal: 2,500 live wreaths. Their pur-pose: To honor veterans by placing awreath on their grave at Fort Bliss NationalCemetery. Time is short and they wouldlike your help. The El Paso CompositeSquadron, part of the Civil Air Patrol isasking El Pasoans to donate $15 perwreath — for as many as they care to spon-sor — by Nov. 1. The wreaths will beplaced on the graves in December but or-ders must be in by Nov. 1 to allow timefor production and delivery. All donationsare tax deductible. El Paso’s CompositeSquadron is also seeking volunteers to helpdistribute the wreaths on Dec. 14. A for-mal ceremony will take place Dec. 15 at10 a.m., coinciding with the national cer-emony at Arlington National Cemetery.For more information contactelpasowreaths@yahoo.com or call 595-1946 — press 1 at the prompt — and leaveyour contact information. For informationon the Civil Air Patrol you can visitwww.cap.com on the web.

A burning questionThe Texas Commission on Environmen-tal Quality (TCEQ) has released a revi-sion to Outdoor Burning in Texas, a guidewhich helps summarize and explain Title30, Texas Administrative Code, sections111.201-22, the state’s burning regula-tions. The Outdoor Burning Rule prohib-its outdoor burning anywhere in Texas,however it allows for exceptions in whichburning is necessary. The 19-page docu-ment provides answers to the most oftenasked questions, including:• Do I need a permit to burn my garbage?• Do I have to get my neighbor’s approvalbefore I can legally burn?• How do I report someone who is ille-gally burning outdoors?The document is available free of charge,on the publications page at http://www.tceq.state. tx.us/comm_exec/forms_pubs/pubs/rg/rg-049.html on theTCEQ Web site.

From the stage at Socorro High School tothe Kennedy Center in Washington DC, DiegoMaureira’s talent landed him in the nationalspotlight. Diego spent amonth working with fellowtheater students from theUS and Canada. This groupof aspiring thespians waspart of the Cappies Interna-tional Theater which stagedthree shows including“Senioritis” which was per-formed at the KennedyCenter in early August.

“It was a coming of ageexperience for me,” saysDiego who returned to ElPaso on August 14. “Theindependence I had when Iwas over there was incred-ible. From a theatrical pointof view, I learned so muchand grew in so many ways.I met some dedicated andwonderful people. I’venever seen talent like that before.”

The Socorro senior was chosen for this pro-gram after winning Lead Actor in a Musical atthis year’s El Paso Chapter “Cappies” AwardCeremony. The 17-year-old won for his per-formance of “Teyva” in Socorro High School’spresentation of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

“We knew that this award was his link to thenext step,” says his mother Magda Maureirawho works at the Freshman Center at Socorro

Diego Maureira

Socorro ISD student takesthe stage at Kennedy Center

By Irma FloresSpecial to the Courier

High School. “He is learning so much and theyare keeping him busy. This is expanding hisexperience.”

Diego has been involved in the Socorro the-ater program since he was a student at SocorroMiddle School. Teatristas (Theatre Production)director, Troy Herbort, remembers Diego as a

7th grader who filled in forroles.

“This is an incredibleopportunity for him towork with the cream of thecrop,” says Herbort. “Weare all excited for him andproud of our program. Weall are there with him whenhe’s on that stage. Diegoknows this is an honor forSocorro High School aswell.”

The Socorro senioralong with two dozen the-ater arts students spent fourweeks at the Cappies Inter-national Theater BootCamp in Virginia. Thesummer program bringsstudents from various highschools together to present

shows featuring works of teenage composers,lyricists and playwrights.

“For any aspiring actor still in high schooland willing to work up to this level, it is worthit. The journey to becoming an actor is pos-sible if you want it and work hard,” he says.

He and other Cappie winners for LeadActress and Actor in the Play and Musical

COLLEGE STATION — Disaster canstrike at any place, any time, to anybody. Onelook at television news coverage of any ofthe weather related emergencies over the pastfew months proves that, according to a TexasCooperative Extension expert.

That’s why Extension and the Texas De-partment of State Health Services have a newpublication, “Preparing for the Unexpected.”

Disasters can have natural causes, such asflooding during hurricanes. Then there aredisasters caused by accidents or terrorists.

Whatever the cause, being prepared canhelp lessen the effects of the crisis, said JanieHarris, Extension housing and environmentspecialist.

“Although we can’t prevent disasters, wecan reduce the risk of injury and even deathby becoming informed,” she said.

First, she said, each family should estab-lish its own plan, which includes:

• Escape routes: Know how to escape fromeach room of the house as well as from theneighborhood.

• Family communication: Know how tocontact each other in case of separation, andhave a designated contact out of state whomeverybody knows to call.

• Communication with emergency person-nel: Know who to call and keep their num-bers near each telephone and cell phone.

• Utility shutoff and safety: Know how todisconnect the home’s utilities in case of gasleak or fire.

• Insurance and other important records:Keep copies of valuable personal papers ina safe place and a remote location.

• Special needs: Know what extra steps totake for family members who are veryyoung, very old or ill.

• Safety skills: Learn how to administercardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid.

• Pet care: Have a plan for emergency petcare.

Second, each family member shouldkeep a disaster supply kit within easyreach, Harris said. Each kit should con-tain such items as:

• Water: enough for at least three daysand at least one gallon of water per per-son per day.

• Food: items that require no refrigera-tion or preparation, such as peanut butter,nuts, dried fruits and protein bars.

• Clean air items: nose and mouth protec-tion masks with N-95 rating, plastic sheetsand duct tape.

• Extra clothing: at least one change ofclothes per person, plus shoes and blanket.

• First aid kit: sterile gloves and gauze,soap, antibiotic ointment and towelettes,burn ointment, thermometer, and any re-quired prescription medications and supplies.

• Emergency items: flashlight and extrabatteries, battery-operated radio, whistle,shovel and basic tools, baby wipes, toiletpaper, plastic garbage bags and maps.

• Special needs items if necessary: babyfood and formula, diapers, powderedmilk, baby wipes, medications and dia-per rash ointment for babies; prescription

Preparing forthe unexpected

Special to the CourierBy Janie Harris

See PREPARE, Page 4

Who better to learn from than your peers?This is what students at W.D. Surratt Elemen-tary are doing. All students in the school weregiven lessons by their fellow classmates dur-ing the first few weeks on how to be respect-ful, responsible and safe while in the halls, li-brary, playground, cafeteria and offices.

As part of a new initiative, Positive Be-havior Support (PBS) Program, all facultyand staff attended trainings during the pastyear to learn how to correctly implement thisprogram. With the belief that students canbest serve as role models and trainers fortheir peers, Surratt held a two day trainingfor a select group of students to serve as thePBS trainers for the campus.

“Surratt’s PBS program is aimed at improv-ing the safety and social behavior of our stu-dents, and it will also have a positive effect oneducational services,” says Gloria Padilla,Surratt Counselor.

During the lessons, peer trainers modeled in-appropriate and appropriate behavior for the stu-dents and discussed the importance of being re-spectful, responsible and safe. The peer trainers

By Laura CadeSpecial to the Courier

Surratt students learn to berespectful, responsible and safe

See STAGE, Page 6

See STUDENTS, Page 5

— Photo courtesy Clint ISD

A REMINDER — Surratt students are urgedto be respectful, responsible and safe eachtime they pass by this, and other, large signsin their hallways.

Page 2 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER October 4, 2007

PUBLISHED:Published each Thursday byHomesteader News, Inc. Appreciationto our many contributors. Office openMonday through Thursday.

COPYRIGHT:Entire contents © 2007 HomesteaderNews, Inc. Individual authors retain allrights. Pictures, drawings and writtenmaterial appearing in the West TexasCounty Courier may not be used orreproduced without written permissionof Homesteader News, Inc.

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

1973

2007

YEARS34

One perspectiveBy Francis Shrum

Por la Gente By State Rep. Chente Quintanilla

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People col-lect stuff. I

don’t know what the attraction is butwe all seem to have an odd gather-ing instinct that causes us to pick up,buy or otherwise acquire, and waghome all kinds of the strangest things.

I know people who have kept itemsthat were surgically removed fromtheir bodies, like gall stones. In fact,the hospitals will sometimes save andoffer these things to post-operativepatients.

Parents will sometimes pay theirkids for their baby teeth when they

Ultimatesouvenir

fall out.I heard about one kid in Oregon

this spring who kept hearing poppingnoises in his ears. When they tookhim to the doctor, they flushed outhis ears and guess what? He had twospiders nesting in there. They didn’tsurvive their eviction and they be-came — what else? — souvenirs forhim and his mother to carry to schooland work to show off.

Go figure.For me, it’s rocks of various sizes

and colors, and other bits of nature.On one trip up to the coast of North-

ern California, we stopped beside ariver. There were trees with leaves onthem that were bigger than my head.So I got one and carefully pressed itusing two magazines. Of course,once it dried out it shrank down toabout the size of my hand — notnearly so impressive.

Other people collect guns andweaponry, cars, coins, art and an-tiques, memorabilia, toys, books,hats, jewelry and almost any othermentionable there is. In fact, our so-ciety dedicates huge buildings andsums of money to preserve souvenirs.

We call these places museums andpeople called curators actually go toschool to learn how to various kindsof souvenirs in tip top condition.They get paid quite well.

I’ve got friends who have boughtand stored toys associated with bigentertainment draws, including StarWars, Lord of the Rings, Barbiesthemed on Disney Classics and more.They keep them carefully preservedin their original packages in climatecontrolled condition. Seems like a bigwaste to have a toy you can’t playwith, but then I collect rocks, so whatdo I know?

Now, there is also a multi-billiondollar industry in the collection andmarketing of items that belonged tocelebrities. It doesn’t have to be any-thing spectacular either. A sweaty cap

or T-shirt worn by a rock musician, apurse or dress owned by a movie star,a pair of sunglasses or shoes that oncegraced the face or foot of a famousperson can fetch a tidy sum.

Especially big in the collectionbusiness is sports memorabilia,which rivals in dollars and popular-ity any other genre of collectable. Infact, some people are so obsessedwith sports memorabilia they will risklife in prison to obtain it — and, in onecase, the person risking it all happensto be the reason it is so valuable.

I’m talking, of course, about thearrest of O.J. Simpson this week —one more bizarre chapter in the lifeof a man who once had it all and isnow risking whatever was left to re-trieve a few material reminders of hisformer life.

The former football great was ar-rested in Las Vegas on Monday andformally charged on Tuesday with animpressive array of felonies includ-ing armed robbery and kidnapping.He allegedly went to the hotel roomof a sports memorabilia collector toretrieve items that once belonged tohim. He took along some really bigguys and, allegedly, at least one gun.

Not smart. Especially when thatact alone contributed to the mak-ing of an audio tape of the alterca-tion, recorded by yet anotherdealer, who subsequently sold it to

a gossip web site.Since the horrifying events of the

early 1990s when Simpson’s wifeand her friend were brutally slashedto death, and his subsequent acquit-tal, Simpson has served his countryas the man we all love to hate. Whatmakes his possessions so valuable isa mystery unless it involves some sortof macabre fascination.

I don’t know that there are manyfans left who idolize Simpson as mil-lions did during his early successes.Though he was acquitted of thedouble murder, he was subsequentlyfound liable in a wrongful death law-suit to the tune of $33 million-plus,and has been involved in a strugglewith his ex-wife’s family over anyassets he still retains.

Still, the market continues to growfor sports memorabilia — souvenirsof great moments by gifted playerswho did impressive things. Baseballsand footballs with signatures, bats,gloves, jersies and caps, trophies andautographed photos — it’s all avail-able if you have lots of money and awillingness to spend it on someoneelse’s used goods.

However, the arrest of Simpsonraises the possibility that there maybe one more collectable on the hori-zon, a rare and elusive creature safelypreserved in a cage.

O.J. in jail — the ultimate souvenir.

Hola, migente,

On No-vember 6th,

you will be voting on sixteen differ-ent amendments to the state consti-tution. As in past elections of thistype, there will be propositions au-thorizing the use of general obliga-tion bonds; five to be exact.

These bonds use the state’s full faithand credit to finance certain projectsand guarantee that the principal andinterest will be paid. Because the stateis prohibited from incurring mostforms of debt, it is necessary for thevoters to approve or disapprove ofthese general obligation bonds.

One of the bonds in this election isa self supporting bond; that is the prin-cipal and interest is paid for by the pro-gram itself. Proposition Two autho-rizes the Higher Education Coordinat-ing Board to issue a maximum of $500million to finance additional college

Pay attention to ballotand university student loans. Since thestudents are responsible for the loans,no general revenue appropriations; inshort, the taxpayers take very little riskin approving this type of bond.

Supporters of this propositionpoint out the need to accommodatethe growing number of new studentsin Texas. The proposition would alsoauthorize enhancement agreement(already used by other state agencies)to reduce the cost of the bonds.

Opponents point out that the statehas considerable debt in place nowand it makes no sense to add to it.Also, the loans generated by thebonds compete with private sectorloan institutions which is contrary toopen markets.

Proposition Fifteen, in contrast toProposition Two, is not a self sup-porting bond. It authorizes the estab-lishment of the Cancer Preventionand Research Institute of Texas(CPRI) which can issue up to $3 bil-

lion in bonds. These bonds would gofor cancer research grants.

Proponents of this proposition arecertain that Texas would become thepremier cancer research state. Thebonds available, up to $300 millionper year until depleted, would act asa magnet attracting additional privatefunds. Research from the CPRIwould enhance the survival rates forthe thousands of Texans afflictedwith cancer annually.

Opponents once again insist thatcancer research is the responsibilityof the private sector. The NationalCancer Institute is the ideal fundingmechanism for cancer research.

Other opponents want the state totake a more serious stand and fundthe research from the general appro-priations bill. In this manner, the fullintent of the state is behind the re-search and the funding is determinedby the elected members of the statelegislature.

Election day is Tuesday Novem-ber 6th. These are issues that call forall of the voters in El Paso County toconsider. I strongly encourage all ofyou to vote.

Gracias, mi gente, and I remainyour friend and public servant,

Chente for la gente.

archives:www.wtccourier.com

October 4, 2007 Page 3WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

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medications and supplies for denturesand/or contact lenses for adults.

“Maintain your kit,” Harriswarned. “Replace batteries every sixmonths and replace food items ac-cording to expiration dates.”

Some disasters mean evacuating toa safe place. Each family should pre-determine their options in that situa-tion, Harris said.

However, she warned, “If localofficials ask you to evacuate, do soimmediately. The authorities will notask you to leave unless they deter-mine that lives may be in danger.”

In Texas, help can be just a phonecall away. Harris advised keepingthese numbers close to each phone,including cell phones:

• Emergency 911, the universalemergency telephone number in theU.S.;

• 211 Texas First Call For Help, fornon-emergency information and re-ferrals;

• Texas Poison Control Center at800-222-1222.

In addition, the Texas Departmentof State Health Services providescurrent information on emergencypreparedness at its website:www.dshs.state.tx.us/comprep.

The publication, “Preparing for theUnexpected,” (B-6178) can be or-dered on Extension’s online Book-store at http://tcebookstore.org .

It’s never too early to start prepar-ing for unexpected events, Harris said,adding that these steps might mean thedifference between life and death.

PrepareFrom Page 1______________________

Counterfeit Colgate toothpastecontaining diethylene glycol, a poi-sonous chemical used in antifreeze,recently turned up in discount gro-cery stores all over the East Coast.

This dangerous chemical has longbeen used by chemical companies inChina as a substitute for more expen-sive glycerin, an ingredient necessaryfor toothpaste, soap, and other cos-metics and drugs. In 1997, for ex-ample, fever syrup laced with dieth-ylene glycol traced to China killeddozens of Haitian children. Afteryears of assurances that the Chinesegovernment had cracked down on thepractice, the same fate later befell 100young Panamanians. Mass poison-

Tainted toothpasteand dangerous drugs

View from here By Peter Pitts

ings from diethlyene glycol have alsobeen reported in Bangladesh, Argen-tina, Nigeria, and India.

Previously only a problem in thedeveloping world, the toxin nowthreatens U.S. consumers. If eventoothpaste is susceptible to contami-nation by unregulated foreign com-panies, imagine the potential for di-saster in something as lucrative asfake drugs.

Several members of Congress haveintroduced legislation to allow theimportation of pharmaceuticals fromabroad, promising that imports willbe closely scrutinized and only per-mitted from certain countries.

But the reality is not so simple.

First, obtaining drugs from nationslike Britain and France offers littleprotection, because chemicals, phar-maceuticals, and other goods movefreely among the 27 European Union(E.U.) member states through a sys-tem called “parallel trade.” And be-cause the E.U. does not require drugimporters to record product informa-tion like batch numbers, it’s quitecommon for goods to travel outsideofficial distribution channels. There-fore, drugs purchased from “safe”countries may well have originatedin Latvia, Cyprus, or elsewhere in theE.U., where there are ample oppor-tunities for counterfeits to enter thelegitimate supply chain.

Canada is no safer. Most large Ca-nadian internet pharmacies admit topurchasing many of their drugs fromthe European Union. So even Cana-dian drugs are exposed to the risksof European trade.

Indeed, the World Health Organi-zation estimates that up to 10 percentof globally traded drugs are counter-

feit. Most originate in Asia and LatinAmerica, where technology is mak-ing production cheaper and safetyregulations are poorly enforced —perfect conditions for manufacturingand distributing fake drugs.

Making matters even more worri-some, penalties for counterfeiters arerelatively slight. In South America,selling cocaine will land a person injail for 15 years, but making and sell-ing fake medicine gets the perpetra-tor six months. These small risks —especially when combined with thepotential financial rewards — havecontributed to the rapid growth ofcounterfeiting.

By 2010, it’s estimated that globalcounterfeit drug sales will total $75billion.

According to the federal JointTerrorism Task Force, terroristshave also proven adept at exploit-ing weakened chains of pharma-ceutical custody in North America.In a recent report, the task forcerevealed that a terrorist ring with

ties to Hezbollah has been import-ing counterfeit drugs into the U.S.through Canada.

In other words, contrary to whatadvocates of importation declare,simply mandating safety by legisla-tive fiat will not make imports safer.Without fundamental regulatory re-forms in the countries where coun-terfeits are produced, the FDA’s ef-forts will be futile.

Allowing the importation of phar-maceuticals with the ostensible pur-pose of saving consumers a fewbucks is a dangerous response to highdrug prices. Congress has a respon-sibility to protect Americans fromoverseas threats, not expose them tothose hazards.

Unfortunately, Congress seems notto have learned from America’s re-cent ordeal with tainted toothpaste.______________________________________________________Peter J. Pitts is President of the Cen-ter for Medicine in the Public Inter-est and a former Associate Commis-sioner of the FDA.

To AdvertiseCall 852-3235

October 4, 2007 Page 5WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

Notice of Public Meeting to DiscussAnthony Independent School District’sState Financial Accountability RatingThe Anthony Independent School District will hold apublic meeting at 6:30 P.M. on Tuesday, October 16, 2007in the Board Room, Anthony Middle School Cafeteria,610 Sixth Street, Anthony, Texas.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and distribute afinancial management report that explains the district’sperformance under each of the 21 indicators and theresultant District’s Financial Accountability Rating.WTCC: 09/27/07 and 10/04/07

Notice of Public Meeting to DiscussClint Independent School District’s

State Financial Accountability RatingClint Independent School District will hold a publicmeeting at 5:30 PM, Wednesday, October 17, 2007, inthe Board Room of the Clint Central AdministrationBuilding, 14521 Horizon Blvd., El Paso, Texas 79928.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss Clint IndependentSchool District’s rating on the state’s financialaccountability system.WTCC: 09/27/07 & 10/04/07

Notice of Public MeetingTo Discuss Fabens IndependentSchool District’s State Financial

Accountability RatingThe Fabens Independent School District will hold apublic hearing at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 17, 2007in the boardroom of the Fabens ISD AdministrationBuilding, 821 NE “G” Avenue, Fabens, Texas.

The purpose of this hearing is to discuss FabensIndependent School District’s rating on the state’sfinancial accountability system.WTCC: 09/27/07 & 10/04/07

COLLEGE STATION — Not allbreast cancers start with a lump, saidCourtney Schoessow, Texas Coop-erative Extension program specialistfor health education and develop-ment.

Inflammatory breast cancer “is anextremely rare, fast-growing and le-thal form of breast cancer,” she said.

Only about one to five percent ofbreast cancer cases in the U.S. are di-agnosed as inflammatory, Schoessowsaid, but this form of cancer tends tooccur more often in younger women,especially younger African-Ameri-can women.

According to the National CancerInstitute, inflammatory breast cancermay cause redness, warmth andswelling in the breast, or even theappearance of bruising. Other symp-toms may include heaviness, burn-ing, tenderness, pitted or ridged skin,and an inverted nipple. Lymph nodesunder the arm or above the collarbone— or both — may be swollen.

“It (inflammatory breast cancer) isnot usually detected by mammograms

or ultrasounds unless there is a definedlump,” Schoessow said.

Any of the symptoms listed requireprompt diagnosis and treatment, shesaid.

Even if you think you have a rashor infection, it is important for yourhealth care provider to determine thebest course of action.

If antibiotics are prescribed forsymptoms such as rash or infectionbut the condition doesn’t clear up ina week, Schoessow said, The SusanG. Komen Breast Cancer Foundationrecommends you insist that your doc-tor do a biopsy to see if cancer cellsare present.

Because this form of breast canceris rare, a second opinion might benecessary, she added.

Schoessow advised: “Rememberthat breast cancer can strike men andwomen at any time. Any change inyour breasts should be investigatedwithout delay.”

The good news is: Not everythingsaid to cause breast cancer actuallydoes, Schoessow said.

“Have you heard the rumor aboutantiperspirants or deodorants causingbreast cancer?” she said. “Don’tworry — it’s not true. Researchers

from both the National Cancer Insti-tute and the U.S. Food and Drug Ad-ministration say ‘there is no conclu-sive evidence linking the use of un-derarm antiperspirants or deodorantsand the subsequent development ofbreast cancer,’” she said.

Women are asked to remove theirantiperspirant or deodorant whenthey are having a mammogram. Butaccording to the American CancerSociety, that’s because these productsmight contain aluminum, which canaffect the results of the screening, sheadded.

If you are concerned about breastcancer, talk with your doctor, nurseor health care provider about yourrisk, Schoessow said.

You can reduce your risk of devel-oping or dying from breast cancer byavoiding or limiting the use of hor-mone replacement therapies, maintain-ing a healthy weight, exercising regu-larly, avoiding excessive alcohol con-sumption, and getting regularmammograms and clinical breast ex-ams. For more information on this andother health issues, visit Extension’sFamily and Consumer Sciences Website at http://fcs.tamu.edu/ and click onthe link to Health.

Inflammatory breast cancer requires additional vigilance

Special to the CourierBy Linda Anderson

were aided by school staff duringthe lessons.

Students are rewarded for theirbehavior throughout the year withtickets. Each teacher is given a cer-tain amount of tickets to distribute

to praise students for good behav-ior instead of harping on the badbehavior. As the students accumu-late these tickets they can exchangethem for prizes.

“Our school personnel will be ableto make meaningful changes inschool practices in a one to three yearperiod with a relative inexpensiveinvestment in time and expense,”adds Padilla.

StudentsFrom Page 1______________________

— Photo courtesy Clint ISD

COACHES — Surratt students, from left, Cesar Garcia, Marcus Valverdeand Rod Chavez gave students lessons on how to be respectful,responsible and safe while on the playground.

Page 6 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER October 4, 2007

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REPAIR

AUSTIN — Millions of family caregiversprovide billions of dollars worth of care toloved ones each year according to a new AARPstudy released today. AARP estimates the eco-nomic value of family caregiving at $350 bil-lion in 2006. In Texas, the estimated value ofthis care is $24 billion.

“Family caregivers play a vital role and arethe backbone of long-term care in our state,”said Robert A. Jackson, AARP-Texas state di-rector. “While the care they provide often goesunnoticed, their contributions often delay orprevent more costly nursing home care, andthat can have a positive impact on our stateMedicaid budget.”

Most family caregivers are women who areemployed full or part-time and nearly one-fifthof all U.S. workers are caregivers (19%). Asfamily caregivers are forced to take time offand work partial days to care for their lovedones, they face lower wages, reduced job se-curity, and loss of employment benefits likehealth insurance, retirement savings and So-cial Security. Since the responsibilities fall dis-proportionately on women, it leads to less cer-tain futures for women with less savings andincome, and with their time away from theworkforce resulting in reduced retirement ben-efits. These losses come at a difficult time when

Value of family caregiving inTexas estimated at $24 billion

AARP: Nationwidecaregiving valued at

$350 billion

Special to the CourierBy Rafael Ayuso

income and benefits are critical for thecaregiver and their family. U.S. businesses alsofeel the impact; productivity losses associatedwith caregiving are estimated as high as $33billion a year.

The AARP Public Policy Institute study,“Valuing the Invaluable: A New Look at theEconomic Value of Family Caregiving,” showsthat of those with the most intense level ofcaregiving responsibility, 92% report majorchanges in their working patterns — 83% ar-rive late, leave early or take time off duringthe day; 41% report taking a leave of absence;and 37% report going from full-time to part-time to adjust for their caregiving responsibili-ties. Additionally, the caregivers’ own healthis often at risk as they are more likely to sufferchronic health conditions and incur medicaldebt than non-caregivers.

In Texas, AARP is working to ensure thatmore people can receive the care in the settingof their choice. With leadership of SenatorJudith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) and in partnershipwith advocates for the disabled community,AARP-Texas succeeded during the 2007 Texaslegislative session in getting an additional $107million in general revenue added to the state’sbudget to reduce the waiting list for home andcommunity-based services by 10%. This wasviewed as a significant victory because goinginto budget conference negotiations, the Sen-ate had budgeted for a 10% reduction whilethe House had not budgeted any funds for theCBA waiting list reduction,” concluded Jack-son.

Visit http://www.aarp.org/research/housing-mobility/caregiving/ib82_caregiving.html forthe complete study.

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The UTEP basketball Miners released theirschedule a couple weeks ago and I have to saythat I am excited about the improvement in thequality of their opponents.

Oh the Miners will still have a number ofcupcakes on the schedule, especially during thepre-conference campaign. UTEP fans, and usmedia types, will have to endure the gamesagainst the likes of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, South-east Louisiana and Texas Southern twice.

But that’s about it, the rest of the schedule isloaded with upper-level teams, rivals and na-tional powers.

In fact, the Miners may have as many asseven games against teams that competed inlast year’s NCAA Tournament.

UTEP will kick the season off with a coupleof exhibition games on Nov. 1 and 5 againstWestern New Mexico and Sul Ross State re-spectively. Then it’s a season-opener againstArkansas-Pine Bluff.

This is when the Miners go on their wild rideof games against teams that can easily makethe postseason tournaments at season’s end.

Tony Barbee and his troops start the fun in

College Station for the opening round of thepreseason NIT Tournament. UTEP opens thetourney against Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Now before you stamp this one an instantwin for the Miners, don’t forget that A&MCorpus Christi advanced to the NCAA Tour-nament a year ago.

This game will be a tough one for the inex-perienced Miners. Let’s not forget that UTEPwill field seven new players this season, in-cluding six freshmen.

If the Miners can get by Corpus Christithere’s a good chance they’ll have Texas A&Mwaiting for them. We all know how far BillyGillispie took the Aggies last season, beforebolting for Kentucky.

By the way, I wonder how long it will takeGillispie to leave Kentucky for the NBA?

Any way, UTEP’s next opponents will de-pend on how well they do in the tournament.

After the grueling tournament, the Minerstangle with another set of Aggies, the dreadedNew Mexico State Aggies at the Don HaskinsCenter on Nov. 27.

Again, we all know how far Reggie Theustook the Aggies a year ago, before bolting forthe NBA. NMSU has enough talent back towin the WAC and maybe surprise a team orteam in the NCAA Tournament.

Things don’t get any easier for the Miners,in fact, they get considerably tougher.

UTEP then travels to Las Vegas to take onUNLV on Dec. 1. The Runnin’ Rebels may notplay that helter skelter Jerry Tarkanian-kind ofbasketball anymore, but they participated in theBig Dance last year and are loaded again thisseason.

Will the Miners get a chance to rest now?No way. UTEP will then travel to Las Crucesfor their return engagement with NMSU onDec. 8.

After some much-needed days off and ahome game against Southeast Louisiana onDec. 19, the Miners are back at it in the StateFarm Sun Bowl Basketball Tournament.Though the schedule was still open at the timeof this writing, the Miners can expect a couplenights of tough competition against qualityopponents.

Now usually the Sun Bowl Tournament isUTEP’s final big test before entering confer-ence after the start of the new year. But theMiners aren’t even close to being finished.

Barbee and the boys then have a home gameagainst another tough rival, the New MexicoLobos on Jan. 2. You know the “Don” will berocking that night. Having the Lobos in here isas exciting as any conference game the Min-ers will play.

Then just when you thought things couldn’tget any more difficult for the Miners, three dayslater the team will be in Lubbock to challengeBobby Knight and his Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Of course, the Red Raiders were in theNCAA Tournament last season and are a fix-ture in the tourney every season.

After all that, the Miners start conferenceplay on Jan. 9, at home against SMU. It’s as ifthe conference schedule will be a much-neededbreak from that monster pre-conference sched-ule.

Barbee said upon arriving in El Paso that hewould take on all comers and that his teamcould only be the best if it played the best.

And looking at the schedule, the one thingI’ll say is that, Barbee is certainly a man ofhis word.

Barbee, UTEP Miners have tough basketball schedule ahead

categories made up the cast of Cappies” Inter-national Theater which presented three shows:“Starz!”, “Playz!”, and the brand new student-written musical “Senioritis”.

“We had good direction and I’m extremelysurprised on what we pulled off in the limitedtime we had. Everything went smoothly be-cause of the commitment and hard work put inby all of us,” says Diego, who plans on usingthis experience for his future pursuits.

“Acting was a thought in the back of mymind, now I want to learn more. I want to goto Roosevelt University in Chicago because it’s

a great place to start.”“Senioritis” is a high school musical about

the stresses of senior year, the college admis-sion process, and the anxieties of teenage am-bition. A CD will be recorded, and a feature-length movie will be filmed. This is the sec-ond year the Cappies have produced a student-written musical.

El Paso “Cappies” is the second oldest chap-ter in the organization in the world after theWashington DC chapter. El Paso Cappies wasfounded by Socorro High School and EastwoodHigh School. To learn more about the CappiesInternational Theater, please log ontowww.cappies.com/cit/.

A complete list of El Paso area “Cappie”winners can be found at http://www.cappies.com/elp/.

StageFrom Page 1______________________

archives: www.wtccourier.com

October 4, 2007 Page 7WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER

King Super Crossword

ComixOUT ON A LIMB By Gary Kopervas

AMBER WAVES By Dave T. Phipps

THE SPATS By Jeff Pickering

R.F.D. By Mike Marland

STROKES OFGENIUSACROSS

1 In addition 5 Throw out 10 Spoil 13 Deadly 18 Soprano Mitchell 20 Country home 21 _ trip 22 Actress Eleniak 23 Start of a remarkby Kirk Kirkpatrick 25 Of interest to Byrd 27 “The Woman _”(’84 film) 28 Football’sLuckman 29 Beg 30 Can’t stand 31 Like salemerchandise 33 Bath, e.g. 35 Sunflower support 37 Aye opponent 38 _ year 41 Close 44 Baseball’s Mel 46 Marge in the fridge 48 Every last bit 49 Singer McKee 50 Part 2 of remark 55 Taco topping 57 Makeup removers 59 Braga or Sanchez 60 That’s no bull! 61 Petite pie

By Don FloodIt’s become of those times in

your life when you’ll always re-member what you were doing andwhere you were when you firstheard the news: Britney Spearslooked fat while performing in bi-kini underwear on MTV.

Surfing through various Websites, I noticed story after storywith words like “fat” and “lard”and “paunch.”

The tone of the articles sug-gested MTV might have been bet-ter served opening its show with aperformance by Marjorie theGrossly Overweight Manatee —except, of course, the manateewould have been a better dancer.

How bad was it?According to one story, “Britney

performed like she was sloshingblindfolded through mud at MTV’sVideo Music Awards.”

That article — with the headline“Was Media Unfair to Call BritneyFat?” — was actually defendingBritney.

But here are some other signifi-cant assessments you may havemissed:

• Pope Benedict XVI calledBritney’s performance “shameful,”drawing particular attention to her“poorly toned abs.”

“If this is the caliber of entertain-ment to be expected at the VMAs,”the pontiff said in a prepared state-ment, “you better believe that nextyear I won’t be watching.”

• Speaking before the SenateForeign Relations Committee,Gen. David Petreaus, U.S. com-mander in Iraq, said, “Britney’sappearance at the Video MusicAwards program was clearly a stepbackward for our troops. In addi-tion, if Spears is unable to bringstability to her lip synching perfor-mances, then we will be forced tobegin drawing troops out of the

bases around the world out of sheerembarrassment.”

• Newt Gingrich, the formerSpeaker of the House, added hisusual historical perspective, citingBritney’s appearance as the “mostsignificant event to rock the West-ern World since the Black Death,”which during the 14th century is be-lieved to have killed as much as twothirds of the population of Europe.

Health experts, however, weremore optimistic, saying the bodycount from Britney’s performanceis expected to be “far lower.”

• Fred Thompson, the candidatefor president that people were moreexcited about before he became acandidate, announced that as dis-trict attorney Arthur Branch, thecharacter he played on TV’s “Law& Order,” he would “personally”investigate Britney’s VMA appear-ance.

(His aides later corrected thatstatement, saying that Mr. Thomp-son “almost never” confuses hispolitical and acting roles and thathe would be appointing “the CIA,the FBI or whoever” to do the in-vestigation.)

• Rudy Giuliani, speaking beforea crowd of supporters, vowed thatif Britney were to schedule a per-formance at next year’s awardsshow, he would launch a pre-emptive strike to “blow the MTVstudio to smithereens — otherwisethe terrorists will have won.” (Hedeclined afterward, however, toexplain what “smithereens” were.)

Americans now face two burn-ing questions that may or may notbe addressed in next year’s elec-tion: 1) Can Britney rediscover heronce-fabulous abs and revive herfailing career? and 2) Will Ameri-cans ever regain their sanity?______________________________________________________(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.

dflood287@comcast.net.

Important issue weighsdown Americans

62 Wages 65 Menuhin’s teacher 67 Rounded roof 70 Language suffix 71 Boy king 72 Part 3 of remark 77 Heifer or hen 80 Ipanema’s locale 81 Warty one 82 Porthos’ pal 85 Faraway place 88 Director Reitman 90 Detection device 92 Violinist Mischa 93 Arizona town 97 Northernhemisphere? 98 Part 4 of remark101 ’39 Wimbledonwinner104 Santa _, CA105 Sojourn106 “Ben- _” (’59 film)107 Neighbor of Java108 Rock’s Stefani109 Brit. fliers112 Jazzman Zoot114 Female elephant116 Mythologicalmeany118 Pennsylvania port120 Bite122 Charles S. Duttonsitcom125 Spanish dramatist128 A Dead End Kid130 End of remark133 Subside

134 Jack of “FlowerDrum Song”135 CosmeticianLauder136 New Archangel,now137 Made a bundle?138 Big bang letters139 Yarn140 For fear that

DOWN 1 Urban transport 2 Utah city 3 Any time now 4 Swaddle 5 Little rocker? 6 Lively dances 7 Morlocks’ prey 8 Oafs 9 Smidgen 10 It should besquare 11 Bronte’s “_ Grey” 12 Type of muscle 13 _ -de-lance 14 Shoe part 15 Big guy 16 Japanese dog 17 Cagney’s partner 19 Leon of “MisterEd” 24 Minnesota city 26 Writer Rogers St.Johns 29 Couturier Jean 32 Round Table title 34 Handshakers

36 The BrainyBunch? 38 Glasgow girl 39 Gladden 40 Writer Drury 42 “Bhagavad-_” 43 Beehive orbouffant 45 Poetic monogram 47 Smell 49 Jean of “Upstairs,Downstairs” 51 Ruhr Valley city 52 “What’s _ for me?” 53 Place 54 Queue tip? 56 Takes in 58 Portly 61 Namely 63 City on the Nile 64 Annealing oven 66 Irish county 68 Hua’s predecessor 69 Monitor message 73 Mormon leader 74 Infinitive splitter,often 75 Desert refuge 76 Downtownmiasma 77 Dance maneuver 78 Boot - 79 Poet Lazarus 83 Dowry downside? 84 French river 86 Salutes the moon? 87 Components 89 - Minor

91 Colt color 94 Fireworks reaction 95 “Alceste”composer 96 Curly coif 99 Chan portrayer100 She’ll flip for you102 Day- _103 Tenor Beniamino108 Little pet109 Change for thebetter110 Oranjestad’slocale111 Ultimate113 Drawing room115 Pulse place117 “Friends” role119 Ending for leather121 Thicken123 Nobelist Stern124 “Dark Lady” singer126 Sheep shed127 Interrogates129 Oxford omega130 Craven or Unseld131 “_ Paula” (’63song)132 Tended a tot

Answer Page 8

Page 8 WEST TEXAS COUNTY COURIER October 4, 2007

Social Security Q&A By Ray Vigil

PUBLIC NOTICE

Texas Gas Service Company (the “Company”) hereby gives notice that on August31, 2007 it filed a Statement of Intent to Increase Rates in the Cities of El Paso, Anthony,Clint, Horizon City, Socorro and Vinton, which together with the environs areas comprise theCompany’s El Paso Service Area (“EPSA”). The Company seeks to implement a new sched-ule of natural gas service rates and terms and conditions of service for all classes of cus-tomers. If approved, the proposed changes will affect approximately 183,494 residential,11,872 commercial, 47 industrial, 764 public authority, 34 transportation and 2 stand by cus-tomers within these Cities.

The Company’s proposed rate schedules will increase base rate revenues by$4,724,571 for the EPSA. Additionally, the Company requests recovery of revenue-relatedtaxes as a line-item on the bill rather than recovering these taxes as part of base rates as pre-viously done. This change will produce additional revenue of $725,689, for a total annualrevenue increase for the entire EPSA of $5,450,250. The proposed change in rates does notconstitute a “major change” as that term is defined by Section 104.101 of the Texas UtilitiesCode. In addition, the Company requests reimbursement of all Company and City rate caseexpenses as allowed by law. The exact amount will not be known until the case is com-pleted.

Based on the proposed rate design, the system-wide average monthly bill for each customerclass will increase by the amount and percent shown in the table below:

The following tables show the number of customers by class located within each of the Citiesand the environs that together comprise the EPSA, along with each City’s allocated portionof the requested revenue increase (allocation based on bills).

Other proposed tariff changes include revisions to the Rules of Service, includingnew or increased service charges. Also, the Company proposes changes to the Cost of GasClause to provide for recovery of uncollectible gas costs through the Cost of Gas rather thanthrough base rates. The Company also proposes a new Transportation Schedule, T-1, and re-visions to the Transportation General Charges and Provisions. This change addresses com-modity imbalance provisions and upstream pipeline balancing service costs. In addition,the Company proposes a new Cost of Service adjustment clause, Rate Schedule COSA, toprovide for an annual review by the Cities of the Company’s expenses, revenues and plantinvestment and a corresponding adjustment to the Company’s rates to reflect annual changes(increases or decreases) in these categories. Finally, TGS proposes a gas conservation pro-gram and tariff to authorize the program.

Complete copies of the filed Statement of Intent, including all proposed rates andschedule changes, are available for inspection at the Company’s business office located at4600 Pollard Street, El Paso, Texas, 79930. Persons with specific questions or desiring ad-ditional information about this filing may contact the Company at 915-680-7204.

Do you sometimes wonderwhether you’ll be able to afford re-tirement? It’s a common concern

Can you afford retirement?among workers, especially membersof the baby-boom generation. Theoldest of the boomers will be 62 in

just a few months — in January 2008.But even the most anxious of thisgroup should be able to relieve atleast some concerns about retirementincome by understanding just howmuch money is needed, and thenplanning a way to reach that goal.

Most financial advisors say thatyou will need at least 70 to 80 per-cent of your pre-retirement incometo enjoy a comfortable retirement.Other advisors say that you may needan even higher percentage of pre-re-tirement income. So where will itcome from?

The truth is that today Social Secu-rity is the largest source of income formost older Americans. For the aver-age wage-earner, Social Security willreplace about 40 percent of pre-retire-ment earnings. But Social Security was

never intended to be your only sourceof income when you retire, and toreach the 70-80 percent replacementincome goal you also will need othersavings, investments or pension in-come, or part-time work.

As Michael J. Astrue, Commis-sioner of Social Security, has noted,“Saving and investing wisely areimportant not only for you and yourfamily, but for the entire country. Ifyou want to learn more about howand why to save, you should visitwww.mymoney.gov, a federal gov-ernment website dedicated to teach-ing all Americans the basics of finan-cial management.”

The topics discussed at this websiteinclude paying for an education,starting a small business and, ofcourse, retirement planning.

The retirement planning link takesyou to more than a dozen other linkswith valuable financial information.There is, for example, “A SpecialGuide for Seniors and Families” fromthe FDIC; “Top 10 Ways To PrepareFor Retirement” from the Depart-ment of Labor; “Tax Information forRetirement Plan Participants” fromthe IRS; and several links to SocialSecurity sites, including Social Se-curity retirement benefit calculators,special guides for women and retire-ment planners.

So if you are concerned about be-ing able to afford retirement, just re-member that knowledge is power.Get valuable information from SocialSecurity at www.socialsecurity.gov,or from the federal website for finan-cial literacy at www.mymoney.gov.