Cache Magazine

Cache

Magazine Magazine

Cuddles from the Heart

A personal account of this year’s donation of more than 700 blankets

The Herald Journal

Dec. 25-31, 2009

Page 2 - The Herald Journal - Cache, Logan, Utah, Friday, December 25, 2009

Cache The Herald Journal’s

Arts & Entertainment Calendar

What’s inside this week Dennis goes high and low for Christmas

Magazine

(Page 4-5)

On the cover:

Stacks of blankets await donation to Logan Regional Hospital and Primary Children’s Medical Center. On Dec. 19, more than 700 blankets were donated as part of a program called Cuddles from the Heart.

Read about the history of the organization and Utah’s donation day on Page 8.

From the editor

T

HIS WEEK’S CACHE Magazine has a few extra things to make you smile after you open presents and sit down to read the newspaper on Christmas morning.

On pages 4 and 5 you’ll find a collection of holiday poems, photos and pets sent in by some of our faithful readers. Then, on Page 10 you can read a Christmas-themed column by Dennis Hinkamp and, on Page 11, you’ll find some “short and sweet” Christmas memories as told by the residents of Cache Valley Assisted Living & Memory Care and collected and sent in by life engagement assistant Vicki Larson.

This last feature is something we’ve never had in Cache Magazine before, and I loved reading about how our best generation spent their holidays in their younger days. Although my growing-up Christmases were much different, it still

Slow Wave

Don’t miss this collection of holiday poems, photos and pets!

(Page 10)

jbaer@hjnews.com

made me think about some of my favorite memories. For your reading enjoyment, here are just a very few of them: • The year my parents bought what turned out to be the best cat in the world.

We named him Lucky after he ended a streak of bad luck and distemper.

• The year my Grandma Baer spent the night with us; that was also the year I got my original Nintendo.

• The year my husband asked me to marry him after we’d opened all our presents on Christmas morning.

• The year my entire family was finally together again on Christmas morning after a seven-year hiatus.

• The year I got my sweet red scooter.

• And I’m going to cheat and throw in this year, even though it hasn’t happened yet: The first year ever that I woke up Christmas morning with my parents, husband, brother, sister, brother-in-law and niece. It’s going to be wonderful.

Have a happy holiday, everyone!

— Jamie Baer Nielson Cache Magazine editor

Film..........................p.6-7 Books........................p.12

Cache Valley Assisted Living residents share their Christmas memories

(Page 11)

Cute

(Page 13) What were they thinking? Let’s review ...

pet photo of the week

This cat is available for adoption!

Pet: Pepe From: Four Paws Rescue Why he’s so lovable: “If you are looking for a loving, accepting friend who will always be glad to see you, then Pepe is the pet for you!

Pepe is a very handsome 6-month-old tabby. He has lovely swirly stripes and big eyes. He was rescued from a pound and is looking for someone to show him just how great life can be outside of a cage. He is very sweet and mellow and he has lots of fun playing with his dear friend Ruby, who shares his quarters.” Adoption fee for Pepe is $75, which includes his neuter surgery and vaccinations. He needs an indoor-only home. If you would like to meet Pepe, stop by the Logan Petsmart or contact Sheri at 787-1751.

Slow Wave is created from real people’s dreams as drawn by Jesse Reklaw. Ask Jesse to draw your dream! Visit www.slowwave.com to find out how.

New exhibit displays ‘tribute to friendship’

P

ATRONS WILL feel they are walking into a sunset when they view the quilts in the exhibit “Tribute to Friendship: Quilting Round Robin” through Feb. 24 at the Brigham City Museum-Gallery, 24 N. 300 West. About 50 quilts in infinite colors have been fashioned by 100 women in eight-state round robins. For more information, call 435-723-6769.

Artists in Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming were involved in the group project.

Some are members of the Utah Quilt Guild Round Robin; others belong to local quilting chapters. The pieces are owned

by Kaye Evans of Ogden.

Evans selected the theme and fabric for all the quilts. A quilter works about a month on her portion (block) of the quilt.

It usually takes nine months to complete one round robin. All of Evans’ quilts were returned as blocks and she assembled, quilted, bound, added embellishments as needed and labeled them.

Clowns, monkeys, tigers, horses and a ringmaster perform under the big top in Evans’ lavishly colored “Circus, Circus” quilt. Twelve members of the Roy Pioneer Quilters contributed the blocks for the creation, which was quilted by Patsy Shelton of Pleasant View.

“San Blas Island Memories” “San Blas Island Memories” is defined by a cloth parrot with multi-colored plumage surrounded by sumptuous fabrics purchased by Evans during a vacation to the San Blas Islands in 2003. Sue McCarty of Roy quilted the piece.

Approximately 35 quilters shared in the creative process of “The Many Worlds of Sue.” They fabricated a Sue rowing a sampan in the middle of the Lee River in China, shouting a command to a dog-sled team in Alaska and sunning on the beach in front of a grass shack in Hawaii. One Sue is depicted in her own quilt store. Evans asked each artist to include a mailbox or similar item in their block with their name on it.

“When Wild Roses Wind Upon the Abby Wall”

This composition, which was quilted by Ranae Haddadin of Sandy, consists of jewel-tone material on a black background.

When Evans sent instructions for a snowman quilt, most of the round robin group did not return blocks with gigantic snowballs piled on top of each other — their responses included a snow mummy wrapped in torn muslin, a snowman putting a head on a little boy and another lounging on a beach drinking lemonade. Luminous green and orange colors harmonize with shades of blue in “It’s a Snowman’s World,” which was hand-quilted by members of the McKay Hospital Volunteers.

Evans is captivated by Cara Koolmees’ bold, saturated

tones in her watercolor paintings of Ogden’s 25th Street and asked the artist, who resides in Ogden, if she could interpret one of her images in fabric.

Evans was given permission and she and six friends conceived “Contemporary Ogden’s Past,” which was assembled

by Evans and also quilted by McCarty.

In “Friendships Verdant Arbor,” Evans asked three different groups to construct a tree using leaves she designed. This piece was hand-quilted by the McKay Hospital Volunteers.

There is a lot of emotional involvement in “There I’ve Said It Again,” adorned with memorable sayings written on muslin. Evans’ daughter, Tami

Schwab, appliquéd “I met him, I liked him, I liked him, I loved him, I loved him, I let him, I let him, I lost him” during a courtship. Evans’ niece, Amy Richards, who had two preschoolers at the time, sewed “Did you flush the toilet?” The work was hand-quilted by the McKay Hospital Volunteers.

The years of quilting in round robins also produced “A Flower Grows in Brooklyn,” “Duck With Lips,” “Evening Comes to Buttontree Lane,” “Boo to You, Too,” “Lost Socks,” “My Mountain Kinfolk” and “Fractured Hearts and Broken Dreams.” This quilt honors the men and women who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Page 3 - The Herald Journal - Cache, Logan, Utah, Friday, December 25, 2009

All mixed up

Up next at Crumb Bros.: Moors & McCumber

T Music Society will present a concert with the

HE BRIDGER FOLK

James Moors and Kort McCumber

harmonizing duo Moors and McCumber at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 23, at Crumb Brothers Bakery, 291 S. 300 West, Logan. Tickets are $10 and available at the door or by calling 757-3468. Seating is very limited, so advance purchase is recommended.

James Moors and Kort McCumber met at the Rocky

Mountain Folks Festival in 2005. Sitting around a campfire swapping songs, Moors and McCumber each heard something in the music of the other that just fit. The two have been performing and writing together since.

Moors is heralded by Steve Morse, longtime Boston Globe writer, as “sharing some of the same melodic gifts of Neil Finn, enhanced by a warm-hearted spirit

that makes you want to hear more.” Born and raised in Minneapolis, Moors lists the Replacements, Soul Asylum and Prince among his early musical guideposts but it was the songwriting of Shawn Colvin and Martin Sexton that set the artist on his current path.

A talented multi-instrumentalist, McCumber plays everything from guitar and banjo to mandolin, harmon-

ica and piano in his brand of Americana that’s one part rock and blues, two parts country-bluegrass and all parts McCumber. But it is his songwriting abilities that have made him a Colorado favorite, and garnered him national and international recognition.

For more information, visit www.bridgerfolk.org www.myspace.com/moors andmccumber.

“Christmas Is”

by Terri Barnes

ouse in h r u o er at e d f o ur own s o d r e e k h a we’d m e large v a t h h g u e o ogan h L “W t h t e r o w gan so ielsen, N o N L y h c a t r r No .” — T s t h g i l f herd o

Christmas is that time of year Filled with love filled with cheer As we celebrate our Savior’s birth And all the creations here on earth With all the excitement of what Christmas brings We tend to forget the important things He gave us his life so we would be free That’s what should be important to you and to me For those who don’t believe that he rules from above That choice is yours he still sends his love And if you don’t like Christmas and there are quite a few Please don’t spoil the blessing for those of us who do

hristm C y r r “Me l ey Ha00l4 l r i h S by yright 2 (Cop

Jack Greene, 5, and Santa Claus, December 2009.

tm f Chris think o I like to days so long k Of e’d thin dren w As chil lk through gli s wa ll of Perhap earts were fu a h tw r a u h O now w Didn’t k times and t od The go h it all I feel g u o r h T ecause It’s all b y we c And wh s time tma At Chris to love an d Learne reat to se g Now it’s ily and fri To fam dle tha To rekin hristm eC Of thos end bes s I w No ig me stra o c t a h s T a tm is Chr “Merry e we’ll n Hop

mas” lstrom

4)

e mas tim ago nta k of Sa snow. g istenin en, th f cheer e om as to c mes ti the sad on. w e ’v e w l sus e of Je te a r b le e c thday ir b e his hate. to nd not reetings tg end ou know e w s d n ie t spirit e e at sw o. long ag mases s to you e st wish my heart. m o fr t gh Year” py New s, Hap er part. ev never,

Cute

pet photo of the week (Bonus edition!)

Gingerbread man made

by Cole Juber, 4.

“Chris tmas”

by Wil Phillip Humph liam rey Christm as is

for kind Be goo ne d Enjoy th to Mom and ss, D e best Chris ad.

The fam ily ever tmas, had.

Be kind to frien ds and And Then y everyone you neighbors, ou will meet.

That is have a Christm hard to beat. as, Christm Be the as is a great bes tim And e t that you ca e, Benea njoy the pres n be. th the C e hristma nts, s tree.

Christm as com es to o On u It gives ly once a yea r home, r. hope a nd And go od will happiness, and ch eer.

To sho w our th an O We get n this great d ks, ay, on our kne And he shows es and pray, us the way.

Pet: Cleo From: Trudy and Jim Hess of Richmond Why she’s so lovable: “Cleo (short for Cleopatra) is an indoor/ outdoor cat. (She) loves to be outside and climb trees, but hates the cold weather. So by the time the tree goes up, it’s like having the outdoors indoors and she has to climb it. She goes up the middle and finds a resting spot to settle in and observe the world around her.”

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mas” t s i r h “C deland r. n i r G da yea ay this Day. y Glen iving D s

g a Thanks Christm e. you on be here for you were her res. e e s to tu ld t if u ic e , o p g e I didn’t for sure you w ted you to se laces to take e chimney. p n t th a e h it g w n r I thou laces I e of our favo the moose o go on it. were p There anyon was on nd funny with and wouldn’t ice. road ical a w and eld C Smithfi took is whims ne look at the drive on sno Canyon. eI ko ight. eld w to The on daughter too d to know ho ds in Smithfi hts lit up at n u g y e li M keep. the clo uppos tmas She’s s e pictures of s of the Chris nd no good to a I took th have picture out of focus, this week, to , g y u in n o n m y o fu d c on. d.

I wante pictures were Christmas is d doing goo holiday seas n t e a a th ll th e The w joy Now and en you are I hope get together an ar we c next ye e b y a M

Page 6 - The Herald Journal - Cache, Logan, Utah, Friday, December 25, 2009

Film New this week “Sherlock Holmes” Rated PG-13 ★★★ Robert Downey Jr. is so NOT Sherlock Holmes. That’s not a hindrance — in fact, it’s a big help — as he and Guy Ritchie bring Arthur Conan Doyle’s Victorian-age detective into the modern world. Enough of the trappings are left in their brawn-over-brain action romp to make Downey a reasonably faithful embodiment of Holmes.

And of course, this is Downey, whose career resurgence rests on his ability to make the most unlikely role his own. The movie’s big failing is the drab story, a bit of nonsense revolving around a secret society and potentially supernatural doings.

But Ritchie compensates with exhilarating action, and the movie offers engaging interplay among Downey and Jude Law as Holmes’ sidekick Watson, Rachel McAdams as the woman in the detective’s life, Eddie Marsan as Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade and Mark Strong as the bad guy. PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material. 129 min.

“Up in the Air” Rated R ★★★ For two-thirds of the journey, George Clooney’s traveling-man comedy flies even straighter and truer than director Jason Reitman’s teenpregnancy hit “Juno,” delivering snappy screwball dialogue with deep touches of pathos. The film strays off course in the final act, veering from an insightful portrait of willful disconnection in our age of portability and turning kind of mushy, kind of vague, kind of conventional. Clooney plays his character — a man who lives for his frequent-flyer life, traipsing the country firing people at downsizing companies — to perfection, presenting a lovably over-confident roadtrip warrior. He’s matched with great travel companions in Vera Farmiga as his frequent-flyer soul mate and Anna Kendrick as a young colleague whose innovations could ground him for good. Reitman’s production

is first-class, but the movie ends up landing on familiar turf rather than the bold, exotic location where it seemed bound early on. R for language and some sexual content. 109 min.

New this week!

R

Still playing “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” Rated PG ★ A movie that offers exactly two big laughs for its kiddo audience — one involving passing gas, the other a shot to the crotch. In the considerable gap between these two bits of comic invention, you have plenty of time to ponder why the movie turns on the idea of Dave (Jason Lee) sending Alvin, Simon and Theodore to high school. Do chipmunks, particularly world-famous rock star chipmunks, really need a diploma? Aren’t they already smarter than Dave? While there’s no story, the movie does double the number of rodents, introducing the girl group, The Chipettes.

Alvin and the boys compete against The Chipettes in a talent show, while that darned Ian (David Cross) tries to kidnap the ... oh, why bother going into detail? Just know there’s twice the chipmunks and about half the laughs of the 2007 holiday hit. PG for some mild rude humor. 89 min.

“The Princess and the Frog” Rated G ★★★ The spirit of Walt Disney lives on in this return to handdrawn animation by the studio that pioneered the art form.

Disney has gone back to its roots with a fresh, funny retelling of a classic fairy tale. This isn’t the second coming of “Beauty and the Beast” or “The Lion King.” It’s just plain pleasant, an old-fashioned charmer that’s not straining to be the next glib animated compendium of popculture flotsam. Updating the Brothers Grimm tale “The Frog Prince” to the Louisiana bayou in the 1920s, the film centers on a waitress (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) whose dream of opening her own restaurant is sidetracked when she encounters a smooth-talking prince (Bruno Campos) transformed

“It’s Complicated” Rated R ★★ Writer-director Nancy Meyers’ latest relationship comedy isn’t what the name promises at all. It’s simple, almost as simple about grownup romance and heartache as the average Hollywood teen comedy is about youthful love and sex. That said, a simpleminded story can benefit enormously with Meryl Streep on screen for almost an entire movie. Streep is charming as a divorced woman in an affair with her remarried ex-husband into a frog. Directors Ron Clements and John Musker (“The Little Mermaid”) deliver a satisfying gumbo of snappy dialogue, lovable characters, bright-hued images and toe-tapping tunes by Randy Newman, all of it spiced up with just the right touch of voodoo peril. G. 95 min.

“Did You Hear About the Morgans?”

Rated PG-13 ★★ Did you hear about the Morgans? If so, you might wish you hadn’t. This bland fish-out-ofwater comedy is unremarkable in every aspect, unless you’re one of them thar city slickers who thinks the idea that Sarah Jessica Parker trading in her Jimmy Choos for a pair of cow-

truly alive film. The plot is a little like the American frontier circa the 1800s, only transposed to the year 2154 on the faraway moon Pandora, the home of Native American-like, aqua blue, 10-foot tall creatures called the Na’vi. Arriving are imperialistic t humans to plunder, and scien- f tists to study. Dr. Grace Augus- b tine (Sigourney Weaver) leads a t team that explores in Na’vi bod- u ies, avatars, controlled remotely. r A sense of discovery — of v Cameron’s digital world of Pan- c dora, of the impressive techno- m filmmaking — makes “Avatar” t often thrilling. The environmen“ talist and anti-war messages t resonate with contemporary n troubles, but they also seem odd coming from such a swag- e c gering behemoth of a movie. a One senses Cameron’s zest lies in the battle, not in peace.

With Sam Worthington and Zoe y Saldana. PG-13 for intense epic c battle sequences and warfare, a sensuality, language and some i smoking. 161 min. r

(Alec Baldwin) and a flirtation with a new man (Steve Martin). Too bad Streep puts on this nice show for such a superficial story, and for that matter, too bad for Baldwin, Martin and the rest of an earnest supporting cast led by John Krasinski. Meyers serves up fluff as light as the pastries Streep’s character bakes for a living, a story to make divorced people wish their broken marriages and the ugly aftermath could be as fun and frolicsome as this. R for some drug content and sexuality. 118 min. boy boots amounts to an act of cultural treason. Parker and Hugh Grant play a high-powered Manhattan couple forced to relocate to Wyoming after witnessing a murder. The Morgans are on the outs, but a dose of small-town living puts them on the mend. Too bad the jokes aren’t as fresh as the air. PG-13 for some sexual references and momentary violence. 103 min.

“Avatar” Rated PG-13 ★★1⁄2 James Cameron’s 3-D epic has all the smack of a Film Not To Miss — a movie whose effects are clearly revolutionary, a spectacle that millions will find adventure in. But it nevertheless feels unsatisfying and somehow lacks the pulse of a

H

“Invictus” k Rated PG-13 t ★★★ Clint Eastwood’s latest is m a sports film less about what’s o on the playing field than what’s happening in the stands. It’s r the story of South Africa’s sea change under Nelson Mandela c (Morgan Freeman) told through w W the unlikely prism of sport. It comes off like a case study in o leadership, perhaps a bit clini- B cal and limited, but still deeply a revealing. When Mandela takes t h office in 1994, he embraces d the rugby national team, the Springboks, and seeks to turn a symbol of apartheid into a b beacon of hope. It feels like des-t tiny fulfilled hearing Freeman p — who has long sought to play t the role — speak Mandela’s s halting, humble speech. No h one could be better. “Invictus” t is dripping with inspiration, and g Eastwood’s extraordinary late period remains a good place a to find it. With a blond, beefedh up Matt Damon as the rugby team’s captain and one truly ter- t rible song from a South African r boy band. PG-13 for brief strong h i language. 132 min.

r

— All reviews byr The Associated Pressc

“Up in the Air”

R

YAN BINGHAM

(George Clooney) fires people for a job. In a time of economic recession, he finds himself busier than ever before. He traverses the country delivering the bad news to unsuspecting employees who react to losing their jobs in a variety of different ways. Some cry, others curse and some even mention suicide. Ryan is there to console them, to help them “transition” to the next step in their life. He’s hired by companies too chicken to fire their own employees. He’s there to sugarcoat their departure and to actually put a bright spin on it all.

Bingham spends most of the year on the road, flying from city to city. He’s at home in airports and hotels. His “home” in Omaha, Neb., is a one-bedroom dump he rarely stays at.

He loves traveling; it’s what keeps him going. He’s shooting to gather more flyer miles than most people could ever dream of acquiring. He’s happy.

Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) graduated at the top of her class and is ready to change the way Bingham’s company works.

When she proposes the idea of firing people by Web cam, Bingham feels his world slipping away from him. He’s at home in the air — what will he do if he has to sit in his Omaha office all day firing people electronically?

Firing people can be a tricky business. It requires a smoothtalking individual to calm the people being fired. Bingham takes Keener on a few trips to show her the ropes and to show her that firing people isn’t just telling them they’ve been “let go.” It takes a human touch.

As Bingham travels from airport to airport and hotel to hotel, only a few things matter to him. When he meets another road warrior named Alex, they hit it off and end up comparing rewards cards (rental car rewards, hotel rewards, flying rewards, etc.) like little kids counting their candy on Hallow-

The Reel Place

By Aaron Peck

★★★★

★★★

“Up in the Air”

“Sherlock Holmes”

Rated R

een. As you watch you can’t help but think how meaningless Bingham’s life is. He has no interest in marriage or children. His only goal in life is to reach that ever-elusive flyer mile account balance. He doesn’t want to use them, he just wants to have them.

Bingham has spent so much time in the air, he’s failed to create any lasting relationships on the ground. He’s estranged from his family and he occasionally meets Alex for a quick get-together. He fools himself into thinking the only things in life that matter are gold zone reward cards and memberships at the Admiral’s Club. He’s a sad man, and watching what he does for a living is even sadder.

That we live in a world where people’s sole job is to fire people is unbelievable.

“Up in the Air” never takes time to come out and explain what it’s trying to tell you; you just have to figure it out on your own. Director Jason Reitman, who also helmed the smash hit “Juno,” has a style of direction that gently leads you along the path of the story.

His quick and witty banter is matched by the heart and character development within.

“Up in the Air” is one of those films you don’t feel so

much that you’re watching as you are observing. Can we see our work taking over our lives? Do work-related activities obscure our view of what’s really important in life? Do we hide behind our cubicles instead of going out and seeing what the world has to offer?

“Sherlock Holmes”

S

HERLOCK HOLMES

stories have never been that impressive to me — they always seem to follow the

Rated PG-13

same formula where something sinisterly supernatural is afoot.

Holmes has always used logic to explain away the paranormal and always ended up exposing other-worldly happenings as par-

lor tricks and illusions. For better or worse, Holmes stories always ended exactly the same as “Scooby Doo” mysteries, only without all the wacky high jinks.

The Holmes I remember reading about as a kid in “Hound of the Baskervilles” was that of a reserved, softspoken man who hid his real thoughts about the case until the last possible moment. In the movie, Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. have created a Holmes that acts more like a high-functioning autistic. In this highly stylized and super-frantic version of “Sherlock Holmes,” Holmes suffers from over-stimulation, self-loathing and a dash of extra Downey Jr. cockiness to keep things entertaining.

Do you ever remember Holmes taking on attackers with karate moves? Well, after seeing this film you may never think of the legendary detective the same way again. Ritchie’s Holmes is a neurotic mess of a man See REEL on p.14

Page 7 - The Herald Journal - Cache, Logan, Utah, Friday, December 25, 2009

‘Up in the Air’ has heart, character

Cu

I

started followin

by Stefenie Jac over a year ago It was an accide her Care Page — offered by hospita try for parents wh keep others inform of their or their lo — but I was imme Her 3-year-old s diagnosed at 2 we complex congenit started reading he couldn’t stop. I do sonal connection t defects, but I was ing over the death knew, Finn Donal friend, Chris Mos I can’t really sa into Stefenie’s life the fact that we’re age and that, throu discovered we hav While I can’t say fear and sadness a for life Stefenie w a daily basis, but m

** Phot Kennie Baer and Ben Nielson unload blankets to be sorted and packed for donation.

Photos, from left: Ben Nielson packs up boxes for delivery; Jason Baer is surrounded by blankets on donation day; blankets are boxed and ready to go.

THANK YOU! I want to throw out a special thank you to my husband, Ben Nielson; my parents, Ken and Linda Baer; and my brother, Jason Baer, for all their hard work on donation day. I couldn’t have done it without them. Also, a special thanks to Landscape Expressions and Fox’s Pizza Den for graciously letting me use their equipment to sort, box and deliver more than 700 blankets. And of course a big thanks to Stefenie Jacks for the idea to start Cuddles from the Heart in Utah and for being such an inspiration to so many who need her.

she said I could re own experiences.

I so badly wante against congenital childhood cancer plainable childhoo I felt a little out of children of my ow no sick children — didn’t have the mo So one day Stefen about her endeavo called “Cuddles fr And that’s wher Stefenie started Heart in 2008 to “ ing items to child University of Iow pital,” where Log time as a baby.

“Having spent a myself with my so hand what it mean feel like they are h

uddles from the Heart

ng a blog written cks of Iowa a little o. ent I came across a blog-like service als around the counho want to easily med about the status oved ones’ health ediately drawn in. son, Logan, was eeks old with five tal heart defects. I er blog and I just on’t have any perto congenital heart in fresh mournh of a little boy I ldson, and my good ser. ay what drew me e — maybe it was e roughly the same ugh her writing, I ve a lot in common.

I “understood” the and passionate love was experiencing on many of the things

A personal account of this year’s donation of more than 700 blankets

hospital,” she wrote on her Care Page.

“I have been on the receiving end of many generous donations during our stays that included blankets, toys and books. I have to be honest and let you know just how good it makes you feel to have such caring people take a moment of their own time to think of you. It can allow those having a very dark day to see some rays of sunshine through the clouds.”

So she decided to give back, and that year she collected more than 350 blankets to give to children in the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric cancer unit, step-down unit and pediatric cancer unit.

When time came around in 2009

share my experiences in hopes of raising CHD awareness, but I just knew I could collect blankets and spread some of that sunshine Stefenie was sharing. I decided to donate these blankets to Logan Regional Hospital and Primary Children’s Medical Center.

So this summer we started our blanket drive — I told all my friends and family, I passed around fliers, I put ads in The Herald Journal, I wrote about it in my column. I could hardly contain my excitement when my first blanket came in (from HJ features editor Lance Frazier) and I watched with amazement as they started to pile up in the lobby of The Herald Journal. It was slow at first, and I started

tos and story by Jamie Baer Nielson **

elate to through my

ed to join the fights l heart defects and and other unexod illnesses, but f place having no wn — especially — and I certainly oney to contribute. nie started writing or, a program she rom the Heart.” re it all began. d Cuddles from the “provide comfortdren staying at the wa Children’s Hosgan spent a lot of

a lot of time there on ... I know first ns to these kids to home and not in a

to again start collecting donations, Stefenie wrote on her Care Page for anyone interested in starting the program in their state to contact her.

“This is my chance to help!” I thought. I couldn’t give money or

to wonder if I was doing something wrong — did I need to advertise more? Should I pass out more fliers?

What else can I do?

But then my December deadline got closer and closer and those

blankets started coming in by the dozens! Before I knew it, my spare room at home was full, my car was full, my garage was full and the people in the front office were complaining the blankets were “in the way.” My first goal was to match Stefenie’s first year — 350 blankets — then I got a little greedy and pushed my goal up to 500.

Cuddles from the Heart’s 2009 Utah Donation Day came around on Dec. 19. I woke up early and eager to get my blankets counted and sorted and to cart them off to LRH and PCMC. My husband, mom, dad and brother all showed up to help — my dad with a truck-load he had picked up from The Herald Journal — and we got started.

I had 150 blankets already boxed up for Logan Regional Hospital, so I headed there while my family stayed behind to count and sort. I met Doug Thompson, the hospital’s communications director and foundation executive director, in the lobby of the new Women and Newborn Center. He was amazed at what we had accomplished, and was so thankful to be receiving our donation (120 blankets went to pediatrics and about 30

adult-sized blankets went to the medical floor). Dropping off the blankets filled me with so many emotions — I was overwhelmed with happiness that a little work would cheer someone up who was stuck in the hospital over the holidays.

“I wish you could have seen the nurses and staff’s reactions,” Doug wrote in an e-mail about an hour after I left the hospital. “... The nurse I worked with on the medical floor was so excited to give one to one of her patients, she could hardly wait for me to open a box. The patient was a young woman with very little family support and even less money.

The nurse immediately gathered up a beautiful quilt and took to the patient. ... As several of the nurses said, what you did is what Christmas is all about.”

See CUDDLES on p.10

From left: A load of blankets arrives from The Herald Journal; our truck is packed and ready for Salt Lake City; Linda Baer carries in a pile of blankets.

Packed full of cuddles!

Page 10 - The Herald Journal - Cache, Logan, Utah, Friday, December 25, 2009

Cuddles Continued from p.9

I’m a journalist, and even I can’t find the words to explain how Doug’s e-mail made me feel.

After our drop-off to LRH, we stopped back home to get ready for our trek to Salt Lake.

Remember my goal of 350, and my greedy goal of 500?

My mom had a total waiting for me when I got back to the house — we had collected more than 700 blankets. As in doubled my first goal and exceeded my second goal by 200. Knowing that I live in such a wonderful, caring, generous community brought tears to my eyes. I may have physically collected all those blankets, but I couldn’t have done it without the people I am lucky enough to call neighbors.

So we packed up and loaded the truck with almost 400 blankets to take to Primary Children’s. When we got there, Marie Hendriksen of the Primary Children’s Medical Center Foundation was waiting in the lobby with a cart for us to haul in our blankets. To say she was surprised to see us bring in so many is an understatement — one of the first things she said was, “Wow, Jamie! You really exceeded your goal!”

So my brother, husband and I brought in the blankets, posed for a photo op and helped haul them upstairs. As we were heading back down to the main lobby Marie gave me hug — one of those hugs I will always cherish and remember.

“You can be on my team anytime!” she said. “Thank you.”

While I wasn’t able to physically help sort and pass out the blankets, Marie assured me the blankets would go to some very grateful children — in fact, many of them would be passed out as presents Christmas morning, she said.

We left Primary Children’s Medical Center with a sense of accomplishment — we had spent six months collecting blankets and now those blankets were going to those who need them most. Kids and adults stuck in the hospital over the holidays would now have a colorful, warm, snuggly blanket to call their own and a smile on their faces.

T

Blankets sit in a spare bedroom awaiting donation.

It’s funny about doing service: It seems those doing it often get just as much out of it, if not more, than those receiving it. This project brought my family together and gave us something positive to think about during the Christmas season. It made me realize just how generous our community is, and it gave me one of those happy feelings inside that I know will never go away.

The rest of the blankets — there are about 100 left — will go to Sunshine Terrace for Christmas. I am excited to deliver them later this week, and I hope again I will bring a little warmth to those who might need it.

Cuddles from the Heart has spread from Iowa to Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Utah; 2,113 blankets have been donated to date. For more information, visit cuddlesfromtheheart.blogspot.com.

High and low for Christmas HE CHRISTMAS SEASON

will drive you crazy if you stay in one place. The office and white elephant parties will engulf you.

That “one last gift” will drain you, your money and joy. It’s best to just try to outrun it like a predicted tornado.

The trouble is, you can’t even turn on the Weather Channel to escape Christmas commerce. In between East Coast blizzard video clips and stories of airports closing, there are reports of how bad this all will be for last-minute Christmas shopping. There are Black Friday, Cyber Monday and oh-my-gawd-this-isthe-last-weekend shopping checkpoints.

I suppose right up to Christmas Eve you’ll be reminded of convenient gift cards you can e-mail to loved ones who will then rush to their computers to log on to see if there is anything under the cyber Christmas tree-in-a-box.

This year I tried to escape Christmas by going from the geographical and social highs and lows of the western United States — from the south rim of the Grand Canyon to Bad Water in Death Valley and points in between, I followed the human highway of fellow escapees from the rattling chains of Christmas presents.

I started my journey with a re-enactment of most of the “National Lampoon Vacation” movies combined by heading out in an RV with three family members and a small dog, driving from Las Vegas heading for the Grand Canyon. Probably the most restful part of the adventure was staying in an RV park close to the famous Las Vegas strip. I quite enjoyed the juxtaposition of limos, strippers, booze and poker within sight of chemical toilets and a Winnebago wonderland. It turns out many people choose the RV lifestyle so they can travel with their dogs. Mornings and evenings were a parade of pampered pooches out for their walkies round the concrete RV park.

I highly recommend Las Vegas as a place to forget Christmas because all the lights, cheap drinks and noise pretty much drown out any Christmas music.

And who can think of shopping when there are so many other ways to throw away your money?

The Grand Canyon is another great place to escape Christmas. Though it is as white and wonderful as any $3 Christmas card could hope to be, it is

Slightly Off Center

By Dennis Hinkamp

filled with foreign tourists also escaping their home-country Christmases.

The mix of languages, expensive motel food and bad driving in rental vehicles makes it almost feel like you are in Europe.

From the 9,110-foot rim of the Grand Canyon, I’m wrapping up this sojourn at the lowest place in North America.

Though metaphorically Las Vegas should take that prize, geographically it is Death Valley. The Google Maps anomaly and the name “Death” made it seem a perfect place to get away from excessive holiday merriment. On the way here I was reminded of that insidious “Drummer Boy” song as we passed through the town of Pahrump, as in “Pahrump a pum pum”; this feeling quickly passed when I was reminded that Pahrump is one of the few towns in the U.S. that has legalized prostitution.

So here I sit in Death Valley in search of WiFi to send in this Christmas missive. If I am successful, I hope you all had a Christmas as carefree as ours.

Dennis Hinkamp only partially makes this stuff up. He is among a number of freelance writers whose columns appear in The Herald Journal as part of an effort to expose readers to a variety of community voices. He is not an employee of the newspaper. Feedback at dhinkamp@msn.com.

O

ne Christmas when I was 5 or 6, my sister and I were both sick in bed. We had the flu or something and were resting. Then all of a sudden we heard heavy footsteps and the sound of jingle bells coming up the stairs. Boy were we surprised to see Santa right there in our bedroom. I will never forget that Christmas. — M

The residents of Cache Valley Assisted Living & Memory Care compiled this list of short and sweet Christmas memories. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did recalling them.

— Submitted by Vicki Larson, life engagement assistant

I

always think of the year my dad cut down a beautiful blue spruce with his pocket knife!

He was working up middle canyon when he saw that perfect tree. He didn’t have an axe or anything so he used his pocket knife. — R

C

hristmas dinner had turkey and pumpkin pie. Mother always made a great holiday meal.

—J

W

e all brought something and had the big meal over home. — L

W

e found the usual orange, nuts and candy in our stockings, but one year we got a top-of-the-line Lionel train set.

It had an engine, four cars and a caboose. There were three rails on the track; one was for power. We put it up every year. — J

E

very year someone would make a bunch of noise up on the roof, and then we would hear jingle bells. But as soon as we would come out to investigate ... We would’ve just missed Santa. — L

D

W

A

S

udbry, England 1944 ... There were nine of us from the 486 bomb squad on Christmas leave looking for a church to celebrate Christmas. The enlisted men and officers alike wanted to find a service to go to. In those days not many of the buildings were marked — made them too much of a target.

Anyway, we stepped into this one

ur family didn’t like fruit cake so I always made a real good applesauce cake with cut-up gumdrops. My kids really like it that way. — V e would always eat on the “good” china. I think it had holly on it. — C

C

s a child we made most of our gifts. We would do extra chores for someone or handstitch a hanky, maybe a blanket.

Then we would listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, first on the radio and later on television. Sometimes we would go to Salt Lake City to listen to them and then look at all the beautiful lights. We would usually finish off the night with a cup of hot chocolate. — C

O

W

hristmas was always good at our house. We weren’t wealthy, but we always got an orange, banana and a book. Mother loved to read. — R

ay back then we would hitch up the horse and buggy or sometimes a bobsled to travel to my aunt’s house. It could get pretty chilly on those rides. We really had to bundle up. The horses had to be put up in the barn. We had a great time over the holidays. — L

caramels, most any goodie you could think of. My mother always made dates stuffed with black walnuts then rolled in powdered sugar, so of course we made them. What’s a holiday without pies and cakes and of course homemade rolls? — I

chapel ... It turned out to be a very friendly Catholic church. They welcomed us and I will never forget that Christmas. — R

D

uring Christmas dinner we would tell of our favorite things growing up. I never get tired of hearing those old stories. Just being all together made for a wonderful day. — C

O

ne year all five of us kids (four girls, one boy) wanted a bike for Christmas. Times being what they were, there was only money enough for one bike. We each got a day to ride. Since there were four girls and only one boy it was a girl’s bike. That lasted for a while until my brother found an old rusted frame and constructed his own boy’s bike! — R

I

remember having candles on our tree before they had electric lights. We could only have

them on for a short while, but it made the tree shine beautifully. I do remember one year that a limb caught on fire. We quickly doused it with a bucket of water we had standing by (just in case). — C

I

just love hearing the Christmas music. Having all the family and children gathered around home. — Z

T

he year I started working and making my own money, I bought everyone in the family a present. For my grandmother I picked a music box that played her favorite song, “Somewhere My Love.” She liked it so much that she started to cry. That’s when I really learned that it is better to give than receive! — V

M

other made mince meat pie and I was the official taste tester! She also makes all kinds of candy and fudge. Yum! — C

M

ama said there wouldn’t be much of a Christmas one year so she started talking about the real reason for Christmas and how it would be good without all the presents and big meal. We all took it to heart and were enjoying a lovely day. Later that day my older married sister came for a visit and brought me a little doll wrapped up in a blanket and just a diaper. Mama got out the fabric scraps and I was happy and busy all day making clothes for her. All my married brothers and sisters brought a little something for everyone so it wasn’t so terrible, just a little shrunk! — V

I

always loved the holidays.

We had a big meal with all the family there. The children would put on a Christmas program with singing and playing instruments, maybe a poem or two. The weeks before, my daughters and I were busy making candy, fudge,

ad would take us all up the canyon and chop down a beautiful tree, then we would have a winter picnic. After, we would bring the tree home to start decorating. It made the whole house smell so good. — C

E

very Christmas, I think of the year when my toddlers played more with the paper and shiny ribbons than they did with the presents. — K

I

worked at the post office so Christmas always made lots of extra work for me. It was always good to get home after those long days. — B

O

ne year I made a giant wooden Nativity scene for outside. I cut it out and painted it.

My neighbors would all come by to see it. — S

O

ur whole family would get together for Christmas Eve. We would have a big party and exchange gifts. We always had barbecue and orange slices. You could count on that every year. — C

Page 11 - The Herald Journal - Cache, Logan, Utah, Friday, December 25, 2009

Short and sweet Christmas memories

Page 12 - The Herald Journal - Cache, Logan, Utah, Friday, December 25, 2009

Books

‘Stones into Schools’ an inspiring sequel The Christian Science Monitor

U

NTIL THIS YEAR, children living in one of the remotest corners of eastern Afghanistan could only dream of getting an education. No schools existed to nourish hungry young minds.

But now, a simple wooden structure in the heart of a valley stands as a beacon of hope for a brighter future. Outside, its red door frame and windows extend a cheerful welcome. Inside, four classrooms with earthen floors can accommodate 200 students.

Many will be girls. Perched at an altitude of 12,480 feet, this schoolhouse sits on the “roof of the world,” where transporting construction materials is virtually impossible. It represents one of the proudest achievements of Greg Mortenson, an American mountaineer-turnedhumanitarian. His passion for educating girls has led to the building of 131 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, often against daunting odds and amid considerable danger.

Mortenson’s unexpected career change began in 1993.

After failing to scale K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, he became lost. Exhausted, he eventually stumbled into the impoverished village of Korphe.

There, residents shared their meager provisions and nursed him back to health. During his recovery, he watched as 82 children scratched their lessons with sticks in the dusty soil. In gratitude to the villagers for saving his life, Mortenson promised to return and build a school.

That pledge in Pakistan forms the heart of his runaway bestseller, “Three Cups of Tea,” which has sold 3 million copies around the world. Now his equally inspiring sequel, Stones into Schools, describes the challenge of building schools in Afghanistan. Calling young women “the single biggest potential agents of change in the developing world,” he

describes this phenomenon as “the Girl Effect.” It echoes an African proverb he often heard as a child growing up in Tanzania, the son of teachers: “If you educate a boy, you educate an individual; but if you educate a girl, you educate a community.”

He adds, “No other factor even comes close to matching the cascade of positive changes triggered by teaching a single girl how to read and write.”

In military parlance, girls’ education is a “force multiplier” — and in impoverished Muslim societies, the ripple effects of female literacy can be profound.” Statistics tell the story.

According to the World Bank, a single year of primary education can increase a woman’s income 10 to 20 percent later in life. Other studies find that when girls receive a fifth-grade education, infant mortality drops. They also marry later and have fewer children.

But as Mortenson has discovered, simply giving girls a primary education is not enough. Almost no jobs exist for rural women in these developing countries. Some of them need higher education so they can become teachers, doctors, and maternal health care workers. As one shining example, Mortenson points to 22-year-old Shakila Khan, one of the first to graduate from his school in Hushe, a village south of Korphe. She will be the first locally educated female physician in an area of 300,000 people.

Mortenson’s learning curve has also included the realization that education goes beyond book learning. As his young daughter reminded him, children need to play. Her plea resulted in shipments of 7,000 jump-ropes and the construction of playgrounds.

Mortenson himself is a fascinating study in contradictions.

He describes himself in selfeffacing terms as a “profoundly bewildered man,” as an “incorrigible introvert,” and as “awk-

ward, soft-spoken, ineloquent, and intensely shy.” Yet by the measure of his own accounts in his books, he ranks as incredibly brave. He thinks nothing of leaping into battered minivans and dilapidated jeeps, rattling along rutted, axle-breaking roads for 30 or 40 harrowing hours, dodging danger and going without sleep or food for extended periods — all in the interest of

building one more school.

He understands the importance of forging ties with American military personnel.

He also exhibits a talent for finding savvy locals who can wheel and deal on each project. Chief among them is the intrepid, tireless Sarfraz Khan, an ex-commando who serves as project director for the Central Asia Institute, Mortenson’s nongovernmental organization that oversees these schools. Mortenson calls Sarfraz “the perfect point man” and “the greatest friendship of my life.”

Sarfraz and others have set a brave goal to build a string of girls’ schools through the heart of Taliban country. They face a formidable opponent. Out of hatred for girls’ education, the Taliban have destroyed, damaged, or threatened many schools. Two of Mortenson’s own schools have been affected.

Undaunted, he soldiers on. For his humanitarian work, he has received the Star of Pakistan,

one of the country’s highest civil awards.

At 400 pages, the book sometimes feels long. Keeping places and people straight can be hard, although maps and a 56-person who’s who list help. Yet many of the stories he tells make for engaging reading.

As Americans face the sobering reality of sending 30,000 more troops to war-torn Afghanistan, Mortenson offers a cautionary note. Americans, he states, “have far more to learn from the people of Afghanistan than we could ever hope to teach them.”

Estimating the cost of one Tomahawk cruise missile tipped with a Raytheon guidance system at $840,000, he writes, “For that much money you could build dozens of schools that could provide tens of thousands of students with a balanced, nonextremist education over the course of a generation.” Then he poses a provocative question: “Which do you think will make us more secure?”

* This week’s New York Times Bestseller List * HARDCOVER FICTION 1. “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown 2. “U Is for Undertow” by Sue Grafton 3. “I, Alex Cross” by James Patterson 4. “Under the Dome” by Stephen King 5. “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett PAPERBACK (TRADE) FICTION 1. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson 2. “Push” by Sapphire 3. “The Shack” by William P. Young 4. “The Piano Teacher” by Janice Y.K. Lee 5. “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein PAPERBACK (MASS-MARKET) FICTION 1. “Dear John” by Nicholas Sparks 2. “The Associate” by John Grisham 3. “Arctic Drift” by Clive Cussler 4. “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy 5. “Cross Country” by James Patterson CHILDREN’S BOOKS 1. “Splendiferous Christmas” by Jane O’Connor 2. “The Christmas Sweater” by Chris Schoebinger 3. “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement C. Moore 4. “Lego Star Wars” by Simon Beecroft 5. “Nubs” by Brian Dennis

Keep your reading list updated at www.nytimes.com/pages/books/

By The Associated Press

E

very decade has its mistakes, of course, but one nice thing about the past 10 years’ foibles, foul-ups and flubs is that so often they came with neat, two-word monikers, almost like keepsakes: “Wardrobe malfunction.” “Mission Accomplished.” “Balloon boy.”

Here’s a review of 10 whatwere-they-thinking moments.

1.

Bernie Madoff has been called many names. For one federal regulatory sleuth, he was ... “a wonderful storyteller.” For years, the Securities and Exchange Commission received detailed complaints that Madoff’s investment operation was certainly fishy and probably criminal (“Nothing more than a Ponzi Scheme,” a tipster wrote in 2000, eight years before Madoff confessed).

SEC examiners found, instead, “a very captivating speaker” who assured them he was not “greedy” and all was OK. An SEC branch’s decision to shelve the probe turned out to be a mistake — one of, oh, several billion blamed on Madoff, who’s now charming fellow inmates in prison.

2.

White House flight of fancy, 2003: Advance folks had almost everything right: the golden sunset light, President George W. Bush’s dramatic landing on the carrier deck, the speech. But that giant “Mission Accomplished” sign, with years of mission still ahead, who came up with that? Reporters launched the “bannergate” investigation.

3.

White House flight of fancy, 2009: We always thought

Air Force One takes a good picture in any setting — but an aide to President Barack Obama thought a few snaps with lower Manhattan as a backdrop would be dramatic. How’s this for drama: panicked office workers, seeing the low-flying 747 shadowed by a fighter plane, streaming out of buildings, phrases like “stupid and alarming” coming from local officials, and pretty much everybody mad about the taxpayer-funded photo op’s price tag: $328,835.

The aide was, er, grounded.

4.

Aerial ambitiousness also gave us the balloon boy.

When a homemade foil-covered balloon supposedly slipped its tether with

6 a 6-yearold inside, we all held our breath — except some heavybreathing cable anchors. The balloon finally landed — empty — and the kid was found safe at home, hiding, his father said.

But why? “You had said that we did this for a show,” the tyke told Dad, a would-be reality TV star, live on CNN. Whoops.

Hoax charges followed.

5.

Publishing mistake of the decade, coming in 2006: “If I Did It,” O.J. Simpson’s book about how the murders of which he was acquitted might have been carried out. Amid furious protest, the project was

aborted, the book was ordered “pulped,” and the publisher acknowledged its “ill-considered project.” And that wasn’t the biggest faux pas of the decade for OJ. No. 1 was going to that Nevada hotel with weapon-toting friends to “reclaim” his sports memorabilia. “It was,” said the sentencing judge, “much more than stupidity.”

6.

In 2006, after former Vice President Dick Cheney shot an orange-clad hunting buddy who looked nothing like a quail, the pockmarked victim graciously allowed that accidents happen. How did others react? A Texas Monthly cover threatened: “If you don’t buy this magazine, Dick Cheney will shoot you in the face.”

A hockey team held a “Cheney Hunting Vest Night” — “Don’t Shoot, I’m Human,” the vests said. Even Bush joked about his veep’s middle initial: “B. stands for Bull’s Eye.”

7.

Looking for guv in all the wrong places. That’s how you might categorize a couple of high-profile statehouse mistakes. South Carolina’s family-values Gov. Mark Sanford missed the Appalachian Trail and ended up in Buenos Aires, with his Argentine “soul mate.”

New York’s crime-fighting Gov. Eliot Spitzer turned up far from Albany and as “Client-9” in a hooker’s black book.

8.

“So, we were watching the boob tube Sunday...”

So began an editorial in the

Lebanon (Pa.) Daily News, commenting on the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show during which Justin Timberlake tore away part of Janet Jackson’s costume, momentarily exposing her breast in what was later called a “wardrobe malfunction.”

Knowing the offense given to millions of live viewers (plus those offended again and again as they cued up the YouTube rerun), Federal Communications Commission smut-busters imposed a fine — but that, too, turned out to be a mistake.

Arbitrary and capricious, a federal appeals court ruled.

thing?” the worker offered. “I knew I could count on you,” his colleague replied on a tape revealed in a lawsuit. California’s grid eventually stabilized, but

4

9.

What caused California’s energy crisis back in 200001? Deregulation? Too many hands on the AC switch? What about “creativity” by Enron employees? On Jan. 17, 2001, amid rolling blackouts, a fellow at the energy-trading firm told a power plant worker to “get a little creative” and find a reason to shut down, tightening electricity supply.

“OK, so we’re just coming down for some maintenance, like a forced outage type

2

Enron itself blinked out — under hefty fines and criminal charges.

10.

Finally, it must be acknowledged there were a few mistakes in the entertainment world — and we’re not just talking about “American Idol” auditions. No, at least those didn’t cost $100 million, the amount investors plowed into the 2002 movie “The Adventures of Pluto Nash.” Basically, nobody showed up at the box office. Well, not quite nobody. “I know two or three people that liked this movie,” said the star, Eddie Murphy. Who knew there’d be no audience for a comedy about a nightclub arson on the moon?

Page 13 - The Herald Journal - Cache, Logan, Utah, Friday, December 25, 2009

What were they thinking? Let’s review

Page 14 - The Herald Journal - Cache, Logan, Utah, Friday, December 25, 2009

Crossword

www.ThemeCrosswords.com

“Oxymorons” by Myles Mellor and Sally York 1.

7.

10.

13.

19.

20.

22.

23.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

33.

35.

38.

39.

44.

45.

46.

47.

48.

54.

55.

56.

57.

58.

60.

61.

62.

65.

68.

71.

73.

77.

78.

79.

Across Land on Lake Victoria Kind of gun Special effects type, abbr.

Sacramental oil French existentialist Not using liquid Iridescent Souvenir, perhaps Bug out One with a list Garlicky mayonnaise Hard seed coat Quaint outburst Scrubs Cuckoo Endorsements Kind of review or drink Androgynes Some London teens, in the ‘60s Where Bill met Hillary Graph lines Label Deed section Mania starter Like some columns Competes, in a way Sister of Terpsichore Ashram Prayer type More natural Cattle feed Word Like thick smoke Sound of frustration Tights Rap Divert Evergreen shrub

Reel Continued from p.7 who revels in fighting. No worries, though, because even in the quick-cutting, fast-action scenes, we still get a heavy helping of Holmes’ deductive reasoning on exactly where and when to strike his opponent.

Holmes and Watson (Jude Law) find themselves embroiled in a dastardly masterpiece of crime when Lord Blackwood (Andy Garcia) goes on a killing spree. Holmes stops him before he kills his last victim and Blackwood is sent to jail to be hanged.

81. Polynesian paste 82. Type of reading 86. Flush 87. Skeleton part 88. One’s 89. Relish 90. Highway pull-off 92. Unit of heat 94. Sailor’s song, var.

96. Capture 97. Became an issue 98. Wild ox 99. Brace 103. Bow application 105. Prosodic foot 106. By means of 109. Required service 114. Fill in 115. Clairvoyant 116. Brooks Robinson, e.g.

117. Meter readers 118. Polo Grounds legend 119. Monsoonal 120. Hot 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

Down One of seven, abbr.

Celt Bohemian Mathematician’s ordinal Change channels?

Trojan hero It may be raised at a party Post-apartheid org.

In accordance with Replicated Money transferring systems Murti

After his execution, Blackwood rises from the grave to bring vengeance on those who have wronged him.

Again, if we know anything of the original Holmes detective tales, we know what must happen and how Holmes will put it all together with his observational techniques. Since we know what to expect, it’s how it’s portrayed that is the real treat here. Downey Jr.’s slightly off-center portrayal of Holmes is a fantastic little piece of acting and Holmes and Watson bicker like an old married couple instead of the well-put-together duo I remember.

Ritchie has definitely

13.

14.

15.

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21.

24.

25.

30.

31.

32.

34.

35.

36.

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38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

45.

46.

49.

50.

51.

52.

53.

59.

60.

63.

64.

66.

67.

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72.

PC “brain” Turbulent Clip Western blue flag, e.g.

Word with car or machine Talkative one Plunder Trifle Nappies Finnish river New Hampshire’s state flower Olympics jump Not yet final, at law Leftover bit Deep valley No-brainer?

Tribe of ancient Media Surpass Confide Certain nymph Chew the scenery Spanish honorific Buttinsky Computer acronym Baseball position Goldbrick Plain Third of nine Bower Attire Limestone topography Veneer Animals River in Bavaria Undiluted Less inept Novelist Barker Hotel posting Go right

given the legendary story a facelift for a new century and it works to a degree, although the Holmes story has always been encumbered by its own formula.

Even though this is a departure from Ritchie and his normal hip-gangster fare, you can still feel his directorial influence within. The action scenes are cut with nauseating speed, lingering on a shot no longer than a second. It’s a good thing we see slow motion how-to videos right before the actual beatings take place or we wouldn’t know what was going on at all. The dialogue here is just as fast-paced and, at times, just as hard to

74.

75.

76.

78.

79.

80.

83.

84.

85.

91.

92.

Like some swarms Night stick?

Pint-sized Brisk Fern-to-be Jack-in-the-pulpit, e.g.

Feel Bakery selections Structural member Erode Metal stand

93. Word with guard

or system 94. Brief roles 95. Spiro’s predecessor 97. To this point 98. Roscoe 99. Self-satisfied 100. Spanish appetizer 101. Some receivers 102. Cheese type 104. Around

understand. Downey Jr. and Law deliver their lines with such velocity and ferocity that it’s easy to miss lines here and there. The writing, though, contains that alltoo-familiar Ritchie wit that populates his other films.

This Sherlock Holmes isn’t the one you remember from your younger days.

It is a new (and, some may say, improved) Holmes with more of a penchant for fighting than for solving riddles.

It’s a fun ride, but ultimately doesn’t amount to much more than a hyper-stylized, ghostly “Scooby Doo” mystery.

Feedback at aaronpeck46@ gmail.com.

105. Acad.

106. Six-stringed instrument 107. Part of an archipelago 108. “So be it!”

110. X rating?

111. Wallace who wrote “Ben-Hur” 112. Wear and tear 113. ___ Rancho (suburb of Albuquerque)

Answers from last week

Ongoing events

Saturday

The Logan Downtown Alliance had 11 delicious homes on display in various downtown shops all month long and now it’s your last chance to participate.

Voting for the 10th annual gingerbread house displays comes to a close at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31; be sure to stop by any of the following locations to pick up a ballot: Edwards Furniture, The Book Table, Stork Landing, Avonlea Bridal, Coppin’s Hallmark, Poco Loco, The Kater Shop, U & I Furniture, Bernina’s Stylish Fabrics, The Sportsman and S.E. Needham Jewelers.

Jeremy Threlfall will perform at 3 p.m. Saturday at Pioneer Valley Lodge, 2351 N. 400 East, North Logan.

Everyone is invited.

Registration for Music for the Small and Tall winter session, “Playing with Snow!,” is now under way. Classes start Jan. 6. This is a music program for children ages 6 months to 6 years. All classes are held at The Book Table on Wednesdays and include a Family Class at 10:30 a.m., a Babies and Tots Class at 11:15 a.m. and a Preschool Class at noon. For more information, contact Ewa at 755-0853 or music4st@comcast.net or visit sites.google.com/site/music4st.

Cache Valley arts organizations will be collecting donations of canned and non-perishable food items at performances through December and delivering them to the local food pantry. Participating organizations and events: the American West Heritage Center, Pickleville Playhouse (at the Eccles Conference Center), Utah Festival Opera Company and performances at the Morgan Theatre, Caine Lyric Theatre, Kent Concert Hall, Kathryn Caine Wanlass-Manon Caine Russell Performance Hall, Logan LDS Tabernacle and Ellen Eccles Theatre.

Global Village Gifts is now open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays.

These hours will continue through December with the exception of holidays. For information, call 713-4347.

Friday

Merry Christmas!

Sunday DJ Pronto will perform during Sunday brunch, from noon to 2 p.m. at Caffe Ibis, 52 Federal Ave., Logan.

Everyone is invited. For more information, call 753-4777.

The Post-Mormon Community is a nonsectarian organization of individuals and families who have left Mormonism. The Cache Valley chapter meets for dinner and socializing every Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at a local restaurant. Newcomers welcome. For more information, visit www.PostMormon.org/ logan or call 770-4263.

Monday Beaver Mountain will sponsor a Food Pantry ski night from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday. Everyone who brings two unperishable food items to donate to the food pantry can ski/board for half price for the evening. Beginner lessons will be available for $5. Ski rentals will be $10; snowboard rentals $12. Also, the Beaver Mountain Cafe will be open.

All items collected will be donated to the local food pantry.

Tuesday Valince will perform with WOK! and Chucks (rock/experimental) at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Why Sound, 30 Federal Ave. Cover charge is $6. For more information, visit www.myspace. com/whysound.

Wednesday Scott Bradley will lead a “To Preserve the Nation” Constitution class at 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Book Table (upstairs). Participation is free. For more information, call 7532930 or 753-8844.

A Children’s Entertainment Show starring Mr. Music and the Earth Fairies will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Club New York, 339 N. Main, Logan. Admission is free for kids 5 and younger; $1 for kids 6 to 12; and $3 for ages 12 to adult.

Come dressed up in costume for the Televised Costume Contest; also, get

your child professionally photographed

by John Poppleton Artistic Portraiture for $5. For more information, visit www.

CacheValleyMusic.com or call 213-7944.

Water and Walls will perform with The O’Valleys and Julius Brown (acoustic/alternative) at 8 p.m.

Wednesday at Why Sound. Cover charge is $5.

Thursday The Westernairs will perform Thursday at Pioneer Valley Lodge, 2351 N. 400 East, North Logan. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is invited.

The LDS Church’s Cache Valley Singles 31 and Over group will host a New York New Year’s Eve Celebration from 6:30 to 10 p.m. (midnight N.Y. time) Thursday at 1850 N. 400 East in North Logan. Come enjoy a dinner of ham, potatoes and rolls; bring your favorite dessert or salad to share. Single-parent families are welcome. There will be movies, entertainment and games. LDS standards apply. Please RSVP to cache_ singles@yahoo.com.

Upcoming events Logan’s first televised Comedy Night will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 1, at Club New York, 339 N. Main, Logan. Come poke fun at any topic you find funny or just come watch. Admission is $3 for the comedy show and an additional $2 to stay for dancing. Jokes must conform with FCC PG-14 guidelines. For more information, visit www.

CacheValleyFilm.com.

The Alliance for the Varied Arts will start a new program of Rhythm and Percussion classes for children ages 2 to 10. Students will turn ordinary items (including parts of their bodies and the sounds they make with their mouths) into percussion instruments. Classes start the week of Jan. 4 and run for eight weeks. Register at the AVA (35 W. 100 South) or call 753-2970.

A new session of Learn-to-Skate classes will start Jan. 5 at the Eccles Ice Center, 2825 N. 200 East, North Logan.

Classes are for all ages and abilities and are offered Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Also, Hockey 101 classes will start Jan. 9. For information on specific times and prices, call 787-2288 or visit www.ecclesice.com.

Candi and Stacy with USU Food C will talk about how to enjoy healthy

meals with quick menu-planning ideas at a free cooking and community class from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, in the Providence Macey’s Little Theater.

Seating is limited; call 753-3301 to reserve your spot.

Dino Genco from The American Legion, Salt Lake City will be assisting individual veterans in understanding and applying for VA benefits at the Logan Department of Workforce Services Employment Center, 180 N. 100 West, from 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, and at the Brigham City Employment Center, 1050 S. 500 West, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please bring the following documents: DD form 214, marriage/divorce papers, birth/ adoption/death certificates and children’s Social Security numbers. For more information, call 800-827-1000.

USU and Cache County Extension’s annual Turf and Landscape Maintenance Workshop will be held Thursday, Jan. 7. This workshop offers training for landscape maintenance professionals, parks and recreation employees, groundskeepers and other interested parties. This year’s topics include insect common pests of fruit trees, common diseases of shade trees, new or potentially new plant pests and diseases to the area, bedbugs and weed control. Registration is $15. Lunch will be provided. For more information, call 752-6263.

Providence city and the American Red Cross will host a babysitting clinic from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16. Youth ages 11 to 15 are invited to become certified and be prepared while caring for others’ children. Cost is $30 plus $10 for a first-aid kit (optional). Space is limited; sign up at the Providence City Office Buiding, 15 S. Main, or call 752-9441 ext. 22.

The Big Fix Discount Mobile Spay/ Neuter Clinic will be at the Logan Petsmart (1050 N. Main) on Jan. 19; in the Brigham City Smith’s parking lot (156 S. Main) on Jan. 20; and at the Box Elder County Fairgrounds in Tremonton (320 N. 1000 West) on Jan. 21. Walk-up microchipping and vaccinations will be available to anyone from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For times, prices and more information, call 1-866-PETS FIX or visit www. utahpets.org.

Bridgerland Literacy’s fifth annual Scrabble Tournament and Fundraiser will be held Friday, Jan. 29, at USU’s Taggart Student Center. Teams can register at www.bridgerlandliteracy.org or call 716-9141 for more information.

Page 15 - The Herald Journal - Cache, Logan, Utah, Friday, December 25, 2009

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Page 16 - The Herald Journal - Cache, Logan, Utah, Friday, December 25, 2009