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Residents angry over new adult bookstore, bar By ZACH LINDSEY THE ZAPATA TIMES
Legal complexities left an ordinance regarding sexually oriented businesses in Zapata undecided after a special meeting of the Zapata Commissioners Court earlier this week. The meeting room was full of Zapata residents who had come to protest the opening of an adult bookstore and bar with exotic dancers. But the court was careful to remind Zapatans that its powers were limited in reference to restricting the business. “The court’s going to do our best,” said County Attorney Said Alfonso Figueroa. “We need to be prudent in the way we act. The court is dedicated to acting in a manner that is most beneficial to the community.”
Amara Garza, a counselor who owns lots near the business, presented the court with almost 900 signatures of a petition “to defeat any opening or establishment of any sexually oriented business in the county.” Michael Adelman, owner of Zapata Fantasy Ranch, described it as a First Amendment issue. “These people have exercised their rights to congregate without fear of prosecution,” Adelman said, referring to the crowd protesting his business. “Then they want to tell me that I don’t have the right to display my material? That’s a double standard. They met and assembled under their First Amendment rights to take away someone else’s First Amendment rights.”
See RESIDENTS | PAGE 13A
Board mulls new school By TARYN WHITE THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata Independent School District is considering adding an elementary school. The Board of Trustees on Tuesday night voted to start seeking bids for an outside agency to conduct a demographic study on whether there is a need in the community for another school.
Superintendent Romeo Rodriguez has been charged with finding the most inexpensive agency to conduct this RODRIGUEZ study. In previous years the school district has conducted demographic studies inhouse, but Rodriguez said using
an outside agency will save already existing district employees from wearing themselves too thin. “We don’t want instructional employees who are already busy to get tied up in a demographic study,” Rodriguez said. He estimates the study to cost anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000. “I gave the board an estimation on the high side. I am hoping that we can find someone to do
the study for somewhere between $5,000 and $6,000,” Rodriguez later said. Rodriguez said he hopes to have the bids ready for the board to see by their next meeting on Jan. 13. Also, on Tuesday night the Board of Trustees briefly discussed the possibility of introducing performance-based pay to the district.
See BOARD | PAGE 13A
CHILDREN GET A ‘GREEN’ CHRISTMAS By JASON BUCH THE ZAPATA TIMES
he U.S. CBP Border Patrol brought Green Santa to the Zapata station this week, as agents donated toys for Monday’s toy giveaway at the county courthouse. The agents donated toys that will join those donated by other agencies and corporate sponsors as well as local residents and will be given away from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday by Justice of the Peace Anna Guerra, who will dress as law enforcement’s Blue Santa. Green Santa is Border Patrol’s take on the annual Blue Santa toy collections, said Sandra Reyes, mission support for Border Patrol at the Zapata station. Agents were asked to donate toys costing $5 to $10 for infants to 12-year-olds, Reyes said. “Of course, some of our agents are very generous and gave a little more,” she said. Guerra and her brother, Justice of the Peace Fernando Muñoz, were on hand to recognize Border Patrol’s efforts and add the presents to those Santa will be giving away Monday. The tradition was begun by Justice of the Peace Juan Antonio Guevara, Guerra said. “He’s the one who started this program,” she said. “I’m just keeping it on.” Green Santa is a way for the Border Patrol to get involved in the community, said Juan B. Galindo III, supervisory agent for the Zapata station. Anyone is welcome to Monday’s festivities, Guerra said. “We’re hoping lots of needy children will be there,” she said. (Jason Buch may be reached at 728-2547 or jbuch@lmtonline.com)
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Photo by Ulysses S. Romero | Laredo Morning Times
Katie Simms, left, helps Halie Nickell paint a mask during the day camp held at the Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas Council office last summer.
Stains represent helping others (Editor’s note: United Way is funding 25 agencies in Laredo and Zapata with its 2008-09 campaign. This is one in a series about the agencies and the people they help.)
By CHRISTINA ROSALES THE ZAPATA TIMES
The Simms girls show up to Girl Scout camp dressed in their vests. Their appearance is neat and tidy like the mild-mannered girls who show up at your front step to sell you cookies. These girls, however, have a few stains from paint and grass that won’t wash out. The red, blue and green
blotches are representative of all their work and adventures as Girl Scouts. “I’ve tried to wash it out so they’ll look a little nicer,” said Sara Simms, the girls’ mother and troop leader. “They tell me to leave it so that people know that they work hard and serve their community.” The Simms girls, Madie and Katie, along with their fellow troop member, Isis Hernandez, earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award, the highest award for Junior Girl Scouts (a rank in the organization for girls ages 8-11).
Photos by Jason Buch | The Zapata Times
Law enforcement is combining efforts to bring Christmas joy to local children. Justice of the Peace Anna Guerra carries toys to her SUV from the Border Patrol station in Zapata. Guerra will be Blue Santa Monday at the Zapata County Courthouse.
See HELPING | PAGE 13A
Tamalada includes county workers By JASON BUCH THE ZAPATA TIMES
Mariachi music rang through the Zapata County Courthouse Wednesday for 49th District Judge Joe Lopez’s annual tamalada. Holiday parties were a tradition for the nine years he was county attorney, Lopez said, so when he took office as 49th District Court judge two years ago, he and County Judge Rosalva Guerra began hosting a holiday party. This year, Zapata County commissioners took part in the festivities as well, Lopez said.
“Basically, it’s just a time to thank people for what they do,” Lopez said of the county employees invited to attend. Lopez’s staff served tamales, menudo and rice, and the Zapata High School mariachi band serenaded the courthouse staff and local attorneys. The band played a birthday song for Lopez, who celebrated his on Thursday. Lopez also asked those gathered in the Christmas spirit for prayer on behalf of an employee at the district clerk’s office who recently lost a young child. (Jason Buch may be reached at 728-2547 or jbuch@lmtonline.com)
Members of the awardwinning Zapata High School Mariachi Band play for 49th District Judge Joe Lopez’s holiday tamalada Wednesday at the Zapata County Courthouse.
Photo by Jason Buch | The Zapata Times
Zin brief
SATURDAY,DECEMBER 20,2008
AROUND THE NATION | IN BRIEF
WHAT’S GOING ON
Judge grants bond to former sheriff
The Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium, 5201 University Blvd.,at Texas A&M International Universityin Laredo,will show“Season of Light”at 6 p.m.,“Holiday Music Magic”at 7 p.m. and “U2 Fulldome Experience” at 8 p.m.For more information,call 326-2463 or visit www.tamiu.edu/coas/planetarium. Aretrospective exhibit showcasing the history of the Ursuline Sisters in Laredo continues on display at the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum,810 Zaragoza St.in Laredo, throughout December. Museum hours are Tuesdaythrough Saturday,9 a.m.to 4 p.m.Admission is free Tuesdays and $5 other days. The museum will be closed Christmas Day.For more information,call the Webb CountyHeritage Foundation at (956) 727-0977.
SUNDAY,DEC.21
MONDAY,DEC.22 Blue Santa, organized by the Zapata County Justices of the Peace with the help of other agencies and local residents, will be distributing toys at the Zapata County Courthouse from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
THURSDAY,DEC.25 Christmas Day. County, state and federal offices are closed for the holiday.
THURSDAY,JAN.1 New Year’s Day. County, state and federal offices are closed for the holiday.
MONDAY,JAN.5 Zapata County Independent School District students return to class today.
WEDNESDAY,JAN.14 This is the final day to enter the FLW Outdoors Forrest Wood Cup Tournament at the Zapata County Boat Ramp.
THURSDAY,JAN.15 First day of the FLWOutdoors Forrest Wood Cup Tournament on Falcon Lake. Weigh-in is at the Zapata County Boat Ramp.
FRIDAY,JAN.16 FLW Outdoors Forrest Wood Cup Tournament continues at Falcon Lake.
SATURDAY,JAN.17 FLW Outdoors Forrest Wood Cup Tournament continues at Falcon Lake.
SUNDAY,JAN.17 Last day of the FLWOutdoors Forrest Wood Cup Tournament on Falcon Lake. A local expo is scheduled at the Zapata County Community Center as part of the FLW Outdoors tournament. To have a booth at the expo, call the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce at 765-4871.There is no fee for the booth.
THURSDAY,JAN.22 The Washington’s Birthday Celebration will kickoff today,and continues through Feb. 22. For more information about events and schedules,visit www.wbcalaredo.org
SATURDAY,JAN.24 UETA Jamboozie is today, 4 p.m. – midnight.
SATURDAY,JAN.31 U.S.Air Force Band of the West performs at 7 p.m. at the Texas A&M International University Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. Sponsored by TAMIU and Laredo Morning Times. Admission is free, but tickets are required.
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SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of Laredo Morning Times and those who buy LMT at newstands.The Zapata Times is inserted inside. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, PO Box 2129, Laredo,Texas 78044. Phone (956)728-2500 The Zapata office is at 1309 N. US Highway 83 at 14th Avenue,Suite 2; Zapata,TX,78076.Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes@att.net
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Photo by Ron Edmonds | AP
President George W. Bush talks Friday in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington about the $17.4 billion bailout plan for emergency loans to beleaguered U.S. automakers.
Bailout approved: Automakers to get $17.4B By DEB RIECHMANN and TOM KRISHER ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Citing imminent danger to the national economy, President Bush ordered an emergency bailout of the U.S. auto industry Friday, offering $17.4 billion in rescue loans and demanding tough concessions from the deeply troubled carmakers and their workers. Detroit’s Big Three cheered the action and vowed to rebuild their once-mighty industry, though they acknowledged the road would be anything but smooth as they fight their way back from the brink of bankruptcy. The autoworkers union complained the deal was too harsh on its members, while Bush’s fellow Republicans in Congress said it was bad business to bail out yet another big industry. Bush, who signed the massive $700 billion rescue for financial institutions only this fall, said he was reluctant to approve yet another government bailout of private business. But he said that allowing
the massive auto industry to collapse in the middle of what is already a severe downturn “could send our suffering economy into a deeper and longer recession.” Speaking at the White House, he also said he didn’t want to “leave the next president to confront the demise of a major American industry in his first days of office.” President-elect Barack Obama, who takes office a month from Saturday, praised the administration action but warned, “The auto companies must not squander this chance to reform bad management practices and begin the longterm restructuring that is absolutely necessary to save this critical industry and the millions of American jobs that depend on it.” Obama will be free to reopen the arrangement from the government’s side if he chooses, and the head of the United Auto Workers said the union would be appealing to the new president and the strongly Democratic new Congress on that subject.
Ill.Gov.Blagojevich pledges to fight,won’t quit
Obama fills econ team, says business will revive
DNA tests confirm remains are Caylee Anthony
CHICAGO — In an unwavering statement of innocence, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Friday he will be vindicated of federal corruption charges and has no intention of letting what he called a “political lynch mob” force him from his job. “I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath. I have done nothing wrong,” Blagojevich said, speaking for about three minutes in his first official public comments since his arrest last week. The Democrat is accused, among other things, of plotting to sell or trade President-elect Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat.
CHICAGO — Completing his Cabinet a month before taking office, President-elect Barack Obama named officials to oversee transportation, labor, trade and small business policy Friday but warned that economic recovery won’t be nearly as swift. “It will take longer than any of us would like — years, not months. It will get worse before it gets better. But it will get better if we are willing to act boldly and swiftly,” Obama said — and he promised to do just that. Obama declined to put a price tag on an economic stimulus plan he will propose, though his economic advisers have suggested a package of as much as $850 billion over two years.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Skeletal remains found in the woods are those of the Florida 3-year-old who has been missing since June, but they don’t reveal any clues about how she was killed, a county medical examiner said Friday. A utility worker stumbled upon the remains last week, less than a half-mile from where the girl lived. DNA tests confirm that the remains match Caylee Anthony’s genetic profile, said the medical examiner, Dr. Jan Garavaglia. Caylee’s mother, 22-year-old Casey Anthony, was indicted in October on first-degree murder and other charges, even though no body was found. —Compiled from AP reports
TODAY IN HISTORY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Today is Saturday, Dec. 20, the 355th day of 2008. There are 11 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Dec. 20, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was completed, as ownership of the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States during ceremonies in New Orleans. On this date: In 1790, the first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating at Pawtucket, R.I. In 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. In 1945, the Office of Price Administration announced the end of tire rationing, effective Jan. 1, 1946. In 1963, the Berlin Wall was opened for the first time to West Berliners, who were allowed one-day visits to relatives in the Eastern sector for the holidays. In 1968, author John Steinbeck died in New York at age 66. In 1976, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley died at age 74. In 1978, former White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman was released from prison after serv-
ing 18 months for his role in the Watergate cover-up. In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that gay couples were entitled to the same benefits and protections as wedded couples. Ten years ago: Nkem Chukwu gave birth in Houston to five girls and two boys, 12 days after giving birth to another child, a girl. (However, the tiniest of the octuplets died a week later.) Five years ago: Spain’s prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, paid a surprise visit to Spanish soldiers in Iraq. Friends and relatives of Michael Jackson descended on his Neverland Ranch to show their support for the entertainer as he fought child molestation charges (Jackson was later acquitted). O n e y e a r a g o : Police used chemical spray and stun guns on protesters outside a New Orleans City Council meeting where members unanimously supported demolition of 4,500 public housing units for redevelopment. Thieves broke into the Sao Paulo Museum of Art in Brazil and made off with paintings by Pablo Picasso and Candido Portinari. A British judge acquitted the only man charged with murder in
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AROUND TEXAS | IN BRIEF
SATURDAY,DEC.20
The eighth annual Jingle Bell 5K Run is today. Registration is from 7:30 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. at the IBC at 2442 San Isidro Parkway and costs $10.The run/walk starts at 8:30 a.m. There will be seven divisions, and awards for the first three running finishers in each division. The event is sponsored by IBC and the City of Laredo Parks and Leisure Services Department.
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Northern Ireland’s deadliest terror attack: the 1998 car bombing that killed 29 people in the town of Omagh. Utah opened the bowl season with a wild 35-32 victory over the Navy Midshipmen in the Poinsettia Bowl. Today’s Birthdays: Actress Audrey Totter is 91. Comedian Charlie Callas is 81. Actor John Hillerman is 76. Actress Kathryn Joosten is 69. Rock musicianmusic producer Bobby Colomby is 64. Rock musician Peter Criss is 63. Psychic/illusionist Uri Geller is 62. Producer Dick Wolf (“Law & Order”) is 62. Actor Michael Badalucco is 54. Actress Blanche Baker is 52. Rock singer Billy Bragg is 51. Rock singermusician Mike Watt (The Secondmen, Minutemen, fIREHOSE) is 51. Country singer Kris Tyler is 44. Rock singer Chris Robinson is 42. Thought for Today: “There are two days in the week about which and upon which I never worry. Two carefree days, kept sacredly free from fear and apprehension. One of these days is Yesterday. ... And the other ... is Tomorrow.” — Robert Jones Burdette, American clergyman and author (1844-1914).
McALLEN — A former South Texas sheriff was granted bond after two months in custody on drug smuggling charges, but was still working through the conditions of his release Friday. Former Starr County Sheriff Reymundo Guerra was granted $100,000 bond by U.S. District Judge Randy Crane Thursday in spite of prosecutors’ objections that he posed a threat to the community. Guerra’s attorney, Philip Hilder, said Friday that while Guerra’s position of authority seemed to be a major factor in a federal magistrate denying him bond in October, his departure from office made him a more likely candidate for bond this time.
Recycling company to pay $21M in immigration case ALBANY, N.Y. — A wood pallet recycling company caught in a national crackdown on hiring illegal immigrants has agreed to pay almost $21 million to settle charges lodged by federal prosecutors in upstate New York. Several senior managers of IFCO Systems North America
had previously pleaded guilty to misdemeanor and felony immigration charges since authorities conducted a 26-state roundup of nearly 1,200 foreign workers two years ago. Now prosecutors say they’ll drop charges against the company as part of the settlement announced Friday, which includes IFCO taking responsibility for the illegal hiring.
Slave’s daughter Amanda Jones,110,dies AUSTIN — Amanda Roberts Jones, a slave’s daughter who lived to be 110 and vote for the country’s first African-American president, has died, her family said. Jones, who died Thursday, became a local celebrity after she mailed in her ballot for President-elect Barack Obama in late October. When word of her vote spread, Jones was profiled on National Public Radio and ABC News. More than 200 people signed an online petition to send her to Obama’s inauguration. Her granddaughter, Brenda Baker, said Jones had recently been hospitalized, but she was still preparing for a standingroom only birthday party Sunday afternoon. —Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE WORLD | IN BRIEF
Photo by Bela Szandelszky | AP
Riot police officers pass burning barricades during clashes on the sidelines of a demonstration in central Athens, Greece, on Thursday, Dec. 11. Some 2,000 people took part in the protest against the police killing of a teenager last week.
Bodies of Israel accident victims flow to Russia
Hamas declares Gaza truce with Israel is at an end
JERUSALEM — A Russian plane is flying the bodies of victims killed in a bus accident in Israel back home. Two dozen Russian tour operators were killed when their bus overturned and rolled into a ravine near the Red Sea resort of Eilat. Dozens more were wounded in one of the worst accidents in Israel’s history. Coffins draped in Russian flags were loaded into a cargo plane Thursday at Israel’s international airport. The coffins were brought to the airport in a convoy of ambulances. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says a special team is investigating the accident Tuesday. He says initial reports indicate human error was to blame, but police need to gather more testimony.
JERUSALEM — Hamas formally announced the end of its unwritten, often-breached truce with Israel on Friday as Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired four rockets into southern Israel. The Israeli military said two rockets were fired Friday morning and two more after sunset. It said troops guarding Israeli farmers in fields adjoining Gaza also came under sniper fire from across the border. No injuries were reported in any of the incidents. In a statement posted on its Web site, the Islamic militant group Hamas said Israel had breached agreements by imposing a painful economic blockade on Gaza, staging military strikes into the densely populated coastal strip. —Compiled from AP reports
FIRST LADIES’ FASHIONS
Photo by Jacquelyn Martin | AP
Dresses worn by, left to right,Jacqueline Kennedy, Mamie Eisenhower and Eleanor Roosevelt are displayed in the ‘First Ladies at the Smithsonian’ exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington on Friday.
Zlocal
SATURDAY,DECEMBER 20,2008
Food bank serves 10,000-plus families in October SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The South Texas Food Bank served 10,140 families in Zapata during October, according to figures presented at the monthly STFB board meeting in Laredo on Dec. 10. South Texas Food Bank Executive Director Alfredo Castillo told the board the need continues to rise “because of the tough economic times.” Zapata County treasurer Romeo Salinas is on the South Texas Food Bank Board. Past board members were Judge Rosalva Guerra and Zapata County ISD Superintendent Romeo Rodriguez. The South Texas Food Bank is mailing out donor solicitation
cards to residents of Zapata and San Ygnacio. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to P.O. Box 2007; Laredo, TX 78044. The food bank telephone number in Laredo is 726-3120 and the Web site is www.southtexasfoodbank.org. The food bank distributes supplemental food to the needy at the opportune time. Its programs include Adopt-A-Family, the elderly CSFP and food stamp outreach.
The clients served included 1,062 children and 1,857 adults. A total of 35,541 pounds were distributed via five pantries in Zapata. The five distribution sites are: Helping Hands at Del Mar and Eighth Street; Norma Mendoza, coordinator Shepherd’s Pantry, 305 Hawk; Mary Pulido Concilio el Buen Pastor, Hawk and Falcon Meza; Maria Hernandez Iglesia Penticostes Emmanuel, 302 E. Highway 16; Enedina Morales The Boys and Girls Club, Sixth and Lincoln; Viola Torres. San Ygnacio native Elia Solis is in charge of the South Texas Food Bank pantries.
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
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STRUMMIN’A SONG
Courtesy photo/Villarreal Elementary | Special to the Times
Domingo Castañeda, left, enjoys teaching guitar at Villarreal Elementary to these students to reward their good behavior. Students pictured are Emilio Sanchez, Roberto Piedra and Seferino Garza.
Still time to help, at Whataburger
GRAND OPENING
THE ZAPATA TIMES
While the deadline has passed providing gifts for children at Sacred Heart Children’s Home through the Whataburger and What-AChristmas Foundation drive, there is still time to make monetary donations. Kelly Andrews, founder of What-A-Christmas Foundation, said Whataburger’s Merrier Christmas project provides children at the home with Christmas gifts and donations to be used toward purchasing basic necessities such as sheets, towels, clothing, shoes, toiletries, etc. “I know the economy is diffi-
Courtesy photo/Zapata C of C | Special to the Times
Friends and family gather for a photo after last week’s grand opening of Norma’s Crystal & Silver Jewelry, 1706 Fresno St.The public was invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony and treated to refreshments. For more information about the store, call 765-8324.
“I know the economy is difficult, but any donation will help. It all adds up.” FOUNDER OF WHAT-A-CHRISTMAS FOUNDATION KELLY ANDREWS
cult, but any donation will help. It all adds up,” Andrews said. “We’re thankful for the donations we get.” Andrews noted that one of the advantages of the What-AChristmas Foundation’s drive is that there are no administrative costs. “Every penny we collect goes to the children,” she added. “I’m
a volunteer; we’re all volunteers. None of us get paid for this. It all goes to the kids.” Those who still wish to participate can donate money. To donate money, buy an ornament for $1 or more. Your name will be put on the ornament and it will be displayed in every Whataburger in the Laredo area.
Live a healthy life read Salud only in The Zapata Times
Zopinion
SATURDAY,DECEMBER 20,2008
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
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OTHER VIEWS
EDITORIAL
Regulators asleep at the wheel over scheme NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
arren Buffett once noted that “you only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.” The collapse of what prosecutors say was the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, orchestrated by the New York money manager Bernard Madoff, has left a large number of powerful and smart people shivering on that beach. Madoff’s suspected multibillion-dollar fraud, discovered as falling markets exposed the fiction of its 10 percent annual profits, provided a stark reminder of how greed impairs judgment, duping some of the world’s supposedly savviest investors for decades. It raises once more a fundamental question of these times: Where were the regulators when all of this was happening? Christopher Cox, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, acknowledged this week that the agency had received “credible and specific” allegations about the scheme at least a decade ago. He promised an internal inquiry to figure out why the agency did not thoroughly investigate. Two years ago, the commission’s enforcement arm in New York opened an investigation into whether Madoff’s business was a Ponzi scheme but closed it after finding only mild violations that “were not so serious as to warrant an enforcement action.” The SEC’s failings go much farther than missing this one outrageous scheme. The agency urgently needs new leadership, more resources and high-level political backing to recover its role as Wall Street’s top cop. Though many details remain
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unknown, Madoff ’s activities should have set off plenty of alarms. His firm posted improbably constant returns, regardless of market volatility. It claimed to employ strategies that at such a large scale should have produced highly visible movements in options markets, yet passed undetected. Its auditor was a tiny, unknown outfit. While it is particularly embarrassing to have overlooked what appears to be a low-tech fraud invented 100 years ago, the SEC’s failure to pursue the case aggressively exemplifies its lackadaisical approach to enforcing the law on Wall Street. Like other agencies, the SEC has suffered from this administration’s fierce aversion to government regulation. Under Cox, the enforcement division has been hampered by budget cuts and rule changes that have made it more difficult to impose penalties on companies found guilty of wrongdoing. In a series of recent reports, the office of the SEC’s inspector general, H. David Kotz, detailed the commission’s repeated failure to pursue investigations. It criticized the agency for not exercising any oversight over Bear Stearns in the months preceding its collapse, among other criticisms. The SEC’s inability, or unwillingness, to catch Madoff is extremely troubling. Mary Schapiro, the head of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority and President-elect Barack Obama’s choice to be chairwoman of the commission, has a reputation for diligence. The SEC will need that, as well as financing and strong political backing. All of us, not just Madoff’s clients, are paying the price for the regulators’ failure to do their job.
COLUMN
You gotta like each other to stay married By ROBERT KELLY-GOSS COX NEWS SERVICE
LIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Marriage is a partnership, a commitment, and sometimes it’s easy to lose your way. Especially when you have four kids who need your constant attention. In my world of marriage things are pretty good, yet there are times when my head spins and I pine for those days when it was just the two of us. As I was contemplating this I saw that I had a voice mail. A lady I know had left me a message, telling me that two people I am lucky to know will celebrate 56 years of marriage this Saturday. So I figured I would call Josh and Betty MacKenzie and ask them to tell me what it takes to stay married so long. Josh and Betty came to Elizabeth City in 1986 to take over as parish priest at Christ Episcopal Church. They retired from fulltime service to the church in 1995, just a few weeks shy of 10 years here. Josh, an amiable man, always has a smile and a handshake or even a hug. His manner is calming, and likewise Betty lights up a room. So how have they managed it all these years? “I told somebody one time that I’ve been married to a serviceman, a businessman, a student and a priest,” joked Betty. She said, “Oh, Betty, I didn’t know you’d been married so many times. Of course I told her they were all the same man.” A sense of humor, it appears, is one of the earmarks of long marriages. Josh, on a more serious note, drawing perhaps from his days of counsel as a parish priest, says you should make certain it is someone you will be with forever. “I think the first thing is to be
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real sure you got the right person,” he says. Get to know one another, he adds. “Just spend as much time together as you can and enjoy it,” he says. “If you don’t enjoy it, you better find out now.” Betty recalls that when the couple met they were teenagers. Their parents, she says, were sure it wouldn’t last. Of course, the marriage has lasted and it has done so based upon love, mutual respect and a likability they clearly share for one another. “I think the one thing I can say is we like each other,” she says. “But there are days that I don’t like him at all. And there are days when I know he doesn’t like me, but I know he loves me.” And don’t confuse those off days with a permanent dislike, she says. Liking someone, and disliking something about them on a particular day, or at that moment, is a completely different matter. And there’s one more thing. Both husband and wife made it clear they love the years they’ve spent getting to know people. They cherish, they both agree, the friendships and the adventures they have built along the way. “It’s been a wonderful adventure for both of us,” says Betty. As I listened to the words they shared with me, a sense of gratitude rose up inside me. Sometimes, even at 43, I need a good role model. Where marriage has been concerned, that hasn’t been easy in my family, where divorce has been far too common. But as I listened to Josh and Betty MacKenzie share with me their thoughts on marriage, I could nod my head and say, yeah, I get that. Yeah, I understand that. I can be grateful for the partnership, the commitment, the likability and the love I share with my wife.
COLUMN
Cheney believes waterboarding is alright By DERRICK Z. JACKSON THE BOSTON GLOBE
ice president Dick Cheney said this week that he directly approved waterboarding to torture terror suspects. “I was aware of the program, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared,” Cheney told “ABC News.” Asked if he believes the simulating of drowning is an appropriate technique, he said, “I do.” Last week, a bipartisan Senate Armed Services Committee report concluded that the 2003 Abu Ghraib detainee abuse was not just the result of a few rogue soldiers. It said: “Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s authorization of aggressive interrogation techniques and subsequent interrogation policies and plans approved by senior military and civilian officials conveyed the message that physical pressures and degradation were appropriate treatment for detainees in US military custody. What followed was an erosion in standards dictating that detainees be treated humanely.” Those items help cement this White House as among the most cancerous in American history. Cheney told us after 9/11 that the
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administration would protect us by working on “the dark side ... in the shadows in the intelligence world.” Cheney, Rumsfeld, and President Bush turned the dark side into a blind eye, the shadows into a shroud, and obliterated intelligent discourse on terrorism with raw fear. That was only the warm-up for twisting intelligence to invade Iraq for weapons of mass destruction that did not exist. For eight years the administration never feared trampling truth and justice, even as Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2004 about Abu Ghraib, “Anyone who recommended that kind of behavior that I have seen depicted in those photos needs to be brought to justice.” At the moment, the administration faces no serious repercussions for decisions that resulted in many times more deaths in Iraq than here on Sept. 11, 2001. Rumsfeld went from disgrace to a visiting fellowship at the Hoover Institution. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz went from miscalculating the need for hundreds of thousands of troops in Iraq as “wildly off the mark” to counting the plan-
et’s dollars at the World Bank until corruption ended his presidency there. Bush is sure to regale us about compassionate conservatism in his sugar-coated presidential library and Cheney will mumble from some undisclosed bunker about being the great liberator. All they currently face is the judgment of history. It was something of a consolation for history that Presidentelect Barack Obama named Eric Shinseki to be the next secretary of Veterans Affairs. Shinseki was the general who made the Iraq troop estimate that Wolfowitz criticized. And at least we have some facts to go with the fiction. The Senate report released jointly by Democrat Carl Levin of Michigan and John McCain of Arizona said Rumsfeld’s authorization of techniques “was a direct cause of detainee abuse.” It also said that Bush’s presidential order saying the Geneva Convention for humane treatment of prisoners of war did not apply to al Qaeda “impacted the treatment of detainees.” Cheney and the report give us fresh clarity on their obfuscations. For instance, two years ago, Cheney was asked on a conservative radio talk show, “Would
you agree a dunk in water is a nobrainer if it can save lives?” Cheney responded, “Well it’s a nobrainer for me.” The White House immediately trotted out the late White House spokesman Tony Snow and vice-presidential spokeswoman Lee Anne McBride to convince the press that Cheney was not referring to waterboarding. McBride said, “The vice president does not discuss any techniques or methods that may or may not have been used in questioning.” Snow was challenged by reporters that it defied common sense to deny that a “dunk in water” was waterboarding. Snow still asserted, “he wasn’t referring to waterboarding. He was referring to using a program of questioning, not talking about waterboarding.” Pummeled by the press over this parsing, an exasperated Snow said, “I’m telling you what the vice president’s view is, which is it wasn’t about waterboarding. Period.” The not-so-funny thing is that Cheney’s “no-brainer” remark was an honest window into his brain. True to the eight years of this administration, even the truth must be covered with a lie.
YOUR OPINION Obama’s leadership is welcome; U.S.should return to its role as champion of human rights and dignity To the editor: This country can learn to live with history-making inaugurations. Too bad that a change in administration does not change the bigotry and hatred in this country, not to mention ignorance. I take Barack Obama, this young, inspirational, intelligent and sensitive man, to take the helm of the country’s direction
gladly. I hope he will take the “high road” to many of the disparaging remarks made about him, his family and his heritage. Our country needs to heal and recover from the disastrous outcome of skewed philosophies by those whose views of power came to serve this country’s riches to only me, mine, and ours. Take a look at where we are and where we want to be. Shoes
being thrown at an American president is unprecedented. The lack of respect and mutual misunderstanding is evident. I want to go back to where the U.S. is viewed as a true champion of ideals, human rights and human dignity with respect to others’ right to be exactly where they are inspired to be. I want us to reach out in human kindness where people all over the world
recognize that we stand as a beacon of hope and benevolence towards all. To those who wish us harm in violent acts, let the rule of international law be respected and actively sought. Let there be trust in the knowledge that we are true to our word, our history and our heritage. Signed, Olga Olivia Piña Austin
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT
published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No
name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. This space encourages public debate of the issues of the day. We do publish “thank you” letters, but due to limited space, we ask writers to list no more than
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10 names in such letters. Letters with more than 10 names will not be published. Mail letters to Letters to the Editor; 111 Esperanza Drive; Laredo, TX 78041. Or e-mail to editorial@lmtonline.com
LOCAL
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008
Christmas is the favorite of all the holidays in the year
STAR PRIZES
Photo by Annabel Alvarez/Villarreal Elementary | Special to the Times
Students from Fidel & Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary with the most Accelerated Reader points at the end of the school year will benefit from the generousity and kind hearts of Conoco/Phillips Co. The Star students will have a chance to select from a BMX Bike, portable DVD player, Nintendo DS and 8g I-Pod. Shown left to right, displaying the prizes, are Joe King; student Mario Mendoza, Principal Gracie Zavala; student Eddie Winkler; Marvin Winkler; student Lynette Winkler and Connie Winkler.
Conservation district recognizes several people at awards banquet SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The Zapata Soil and Water Conservation District recently honored several individuals who have dedicated their efforts and talents to making wise use of natural resources in the county. Honors were presented at the district’s annual Christmas Awards Banquet, held Dec. 11, at the Holiday Inn Express in Zapata. Adolfo and Christina Peña and family of Rio Grande City were honored as Non-Resident Conservation Rancher of the Year for outstanding accomplishments in the conservation of soil, water and related natural resources on their ranch in Zapata. The Peña Family was recognized for making improvements on their ranch such as root plowing, disking and range seeding through their Water Quality Management Plan and Conservation Plan. Mr. and Mrs. Norberto Lopez
and family were honored as Resident Conservation Rancher of the Year for making improvements to protect and improve the natural resources on their land through a WQMP under the Section 319 Program and the Environmental Quality Incentive Program. The Lopez Family also has a Conservation Plan on their property through the SWCD and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service for making conservation improvements on their land. The Zapata SWCD honored Jorge A. Uribe with a distinguished service award for six years of service on the Zapata SWCD Board of Directors. Uribe was recognized for his exceptional leadership and devoted service to the district. The Zapata SWCD works in partnership with the USDA-NRCS to provide landowners and land managers with technical and financial assistance to develop and
THE ZAPATA TIMES | 5A
implement conservation practices to protect and conserve the natural resources of soil, water, air, plants and animals on their property. Conservation practices that can be included in a conservation plan include prescribed grazing, fencing, brush control, prescribed burning, pasture and hayland planting, upland wildlife habitat management, pest and nutrient management, and water developments including ponds, water storage facility, and livestock pipelines. The Board of Directors for the Zapata SWCD are Jose O. Dodier, Jr., chairman; Javier J. Muñoz, vice-chairman; Juan A. Medina, secretary; Horacio A. Gonzalez, member and Andres Guerra, member. For more information on conservation planning or obtaining a conservation plan on your property, contact the Zapata Soil and Water Conservation District at (956) 765-4344 ext. 3.
By DORA MARTINEZ
COLUMN
Everyone’s favorite time of year has to be none other then Christmas, and to me Texas is my favorite place to spend the holidays. It’s the time when families gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus. That’s when we all get our holiday recipes, Christmas songs and of course our money to purchase items for our loved ones. First we go to select a fresh Christmas tree and then go on with our shopping. The weather forecasters are predicting a cold winter holiday so I am ready for some cooler weather! Ready to make soup and big crusty loaves of bread and pumpkin pie! It’s also the time for poinsettias to play the part by creating small gifts like earrings, bracelets, clothing, and most of all Christmas tree ornaments. The Lone Star State has a number of events during the holidays that have become a tradition; for
example Austin had its annual Victorian Christmas on Sixth Street, a major celebration with holiday revelers in the 19th century costumes, plus other street entertainment including choral singing, the last weekend in November. Despite extensive damage from Hurricane Ike, Galveston continued with its own more than 30-year-old holiday Victorian tradition, Dickens on the Strand, the first weekend in December. It included reenacted scenes from the Charles Dickens’ famous “A Christmas Carol.” Houston had its annual holiday spectacle, the tree lighting ceremony at the Wortham Theater Center, with the help of costumed characters from Nutcracker. Performances of the Houston Ballet’s Nutcracker continue through Dec. 28. See www.houstonballet.org Dallas has one of the nation’s biggest Christmas pageants, fea-
turing spectacular onstage performances and gala holiday buffets. San Antonio had its traditional Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony, and the thousands of twinkling lights continue to illuminate the River Walk through the holiday season. Last but not least, we have the Zapata holiday parade, which was held last week with all the most beautiful and colorful floats and lights. In the meantime, happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa and a joyful Yule to those who celebrate these holy days. If I missed your particular holy day please let me know. Blessings to all — and whatever else you do, appreciate one another and have a safe and happy holiday with your family. (Dora Martinez is a native of Zapata who was publisher of Hispanic News in San Antonio for 21 years. She can be reached at thezapatatimes@att.net)
6A | THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008
CHRISTMAS
Agents finding drugs, Wildlife experts ponder gender of Santa’s reindeer guns — and poinsettias By BETSY BLANEY
By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — While border agents continue to be watchful for smugglers of guns, drugs and the usual dangerous contraband, their work this time of year takes on a decidedly holiday flavor as they also nab forbidden Mexican sausage, tamales and poinsettias. Border traffic is thick with families on the move for holidays, but the car packed to the gills with gifts and coolers draws customs agents to check for the items many don’t think of as illegal. “They want to take some of the flavor of the home country to friends or relatives they may be visiting,” said Roger Maier, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in El Paso, where a Mexican-style bologna is a favorite yet impermissible holiday item. The holiday trafficking usually starts after Thanksgiving and typically includes raw pork to fill tamales, guavas, hawthorn fruit and sugar cane for a hot rumspiked Christmas punch known as ponche navideno, potted poinsettias and even miniature nativity scenes where dried grass in the manger could be harboring pests. “It’s usually the same items over and over again,” said Felix Garza, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the upper Rio Grande Valley. Most of the time a family smuggling a cooler of tamales home isn’t trying to conceal them, said Jared Franklin, the agency’s
ASSOCIATED PRESS
“If you try to smuggle and conceal it, obviously we’re going to come down hard on you.” CBP SPOKEWOMAN ANGELICA DE CIMA
supervisory agricultural specialist in Brownsville. They are blissfully or perhaps, purposely, ignorant of the rules. Sometimes though, the smuggling effort is obvious, like when a South Texas woman stuffed chorizo in baby diapers in October. She lost her pork sausage and was fined $300. Or another woman who stuffed a bird down her blouse. “It’s really hard to be surprised after you’ve worked here awhile,” Franklin said. Much of the food that customs agents confiscate is available legally in the U.S., but in travelers’ minds, “it’s better than what you get at H-E-B,” Franklin said. And sometimes they just don’t realize what they are carrying is an agricultural product, as in the case of the nativity scenes. The safe bet, customs agents say, is declare everything. The agents will decide what can pass and will confiscate what can’t, but at least by declaring travelers can avoid fines for smuggling. “c,” said Angelica de Cima, Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman in San Diego. For four days after Thanksgiving, Customs and Border Protection agents ran Operation Wishbone in Eagle Pass.
Their take would have made a nice stand at a farmer’s market — a variety of fruits, vegetables, sugar cane, sausages and other meats. In all, the cornucopia comprised 57 plant products, 13 seizures of cut flowers, 23 seizures of prohibited animal products and 81 pest interceptions. Agents issued 13 fines totaling $2,775. Most people are not happy about losing a favorite delicacy, but Franklin swears that a traveler’s chorizo does not become a customs agent’s breakfast. “It all gets destroyed, 100 percent of it,” Franklin said. So why is your sack of guavas a matter of national security? The Mediterranean fruit fly outbreak of the 1980s is one of the agency’s examples. It cost California and the federal government $100 million to get rid of the fruit fly after one traveler carried in one contaminated piece of fruit. But there are exceptions. For example, while apples, chicken and pork are a no go, bananas, beef and goat meat will probably make it. Customs agents recommend checking their Web site at cbp.gov in advance to find out how specific items will be treated.
LUBBOCK, Texas — There may be a perfectly good reason why Santa doesn’t get lost on his annual Christmas globetrot: His flying reindeer just might be female and don’t mind stopping for directions. The gender of Rudolph and his or her sleigh-hauling friends — the subject of goofy Internet chatter every year around this time — is now being pondered by renowned wildlife experts at Texas A&M University. “Santa’s reindeers were really females, most likely,” said Alice Blue-McLendon, a veterinary medicine professor specializing in deer who cites the depictions of Santa’s helpers with antlers as the primary evidence. It turns out reindeer grow antlers regardless of gender, and most bulls typically shed their fuzzy protrusions before Christmas. But Santa’s sleigh helpers might also be castrated males, known as steers, said Greg Finstad, who manages the Reindeer Research Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Young steers finish shedding their antlers in February and March, just as non-expecting females do. Bulls generally lose theirs before Christmas, while expectant mothers retain their antlers until calves are birthed in the spring. This allows them to protect food resources through harsh weather and to have enough for developing fetuses, he said. Sledders most often use steers because they maintain their body condition throughout the winter,
Photo by Paul Vernon | AP
In this Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007, file photo, the original Santa Claus and Rudolph puppets from the TV special “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” are seen on display at the Time and Space Toys booth during the Mid-Ohio-Con comic book convention in Columbus, Ohio. he said. Bulls are tuckered out from rutting season when they mate with as many as a dozen females in the months leading up to December. That leaves them depleted and too lean to pull a sleigh or sled through heavy snows, Finstad said. Many females are pregnant after rutting season, which lasts from summer and into the fall. That would mean long hours of backbreaking work for an expecting Rudolph, as well as Donner, Blitzen, Cupid, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comet and Vixen. “You don’t hook up your pregnant females to a sled,” Finstad said. “That is not good an-
imal husbandry.” But other aaspects of the Christmas story support the allgirl sleigh team theory, BlueMcLendon said. For example, would a boy reindeer really sport a shiny red nose that almost glows? “Females like accessories,” said Blue-McLendon, who in 2003 led the school’s cloning of a white-tailed deer. “I think that fits because females like bling. We like shiny stuff.” As for the reindeer games, forget the rough antler-smashing stuff. Blue-McLendon suggests a female Rudolph would be more up for “games of wit.”
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008
THE ZAPATA TIMES | 7A
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
Photo by Lionel Cironneau | AP
Christmas lights are seen in front of the Monte Carlo Casino on Friday in Monaco.
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SATURDAY,DECEMBER 20,2008
Hanukkah: shining a light By TARYN WHITE THE ZAPATA TIMES
s people all over Laredo prepare for Christmas day, for more than 200 Laredoans, December means something different. This is the time when the Jewish community celebrates the Festival of Lights, more commonly known as Hanukkah. In a predominately Catholic city, Hanukkah can become a forgotten holiday that remains a mystery to many. But the tradition of Hanukkah and how it is celebrated is rich in history. And in Laredo, it’s a holiday that is slowly gaining more attention. For example, this year marks the first time Texas A&M International University is displaying a 7-foot menorah alongside its traditional Christmas tree. “It promotes other cultures and beliefs,” said Miguel Treviño, associate director of student activities at TAMIU. “It is important for children and adults to see a positive display of others’ beliefs.” The menorah, a candelabrum, is traditionally lit during the eight days of Hanukkah. It represents the miracle of the oil, when a small jug of pure olive oil kept a menorah in ancient Judea burning for eight days — long enough for more oil to be pressed as the Jews rededicated the Great Temple of Jerusalem. According to Rabbi Elliot Rosenbaum, the lighting of the menorah is the second miracle remembered by Hanukkah. The first is a rebellion.
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The miracle of Hanukkah In 167 B.C., Judea — what is now called Israel — was under the control of King Antiochus, who in an effort to unite all of his kingdoms allowed only the religion of Hellenism, a polytheistic Greek
Photo by Ricardo Segovia | The Zapata Times
Aaron Kleiman plays with a dreidel during a Hanukkah party on Tuesday afternoon. religion, to be practiced. Antiochus persecuted and eventually put to death anyone caught practicing Judaism. In one of Antiochus’ last actions in Judea, he ordered the construction of an altar to Zeus, a place where pigs were ritualistically sacrificed, to be constructed in the Jewish temple. It was after this offense — pigs are forbidden in the Jewish faith — that the Maccabees, a group of rebels, began fighting for their religious freedom. The fight lasted for three years and ended in the withdrawal of Antiochus and his troops from Judea. According to Rosenbaum, this was the first miracle of Hanukkah, a word translated from Hebrew to mean dedication. Soon after Antiochus left Judea, the Jews rededicated the temple by cleaning up the pig’s blood and lighting the menorah.
Hanukkah traditions According to Rosenbaum, although Hanukkah is recognized by Jews all across the world, only in America does it get so much attention. “In the scheme of things, this is a very recently celebrated holiday in the Jewish faith,” Rosenbaum said. “We have other holidays that are considered more important.” Hanukkah begins Sunday this year and will last for eight days. The start of Hanukkah changes every year because it is determined by the Jewish calendar, which follows a lunar cycle. Rosenbaum said Hanukkah can fall anywhere from the beginning of December to January. “Sometimes stores will put up Hanukkah decorations and Hanukkah has already passed,” Rosenbaum said. As with the lighting of the menorah, it is a tradition for chil-
dren to get gifts for every night of Hanukkah and for families to eat jelly doughnuts, called sufganiyot, and potato pancakes, called latkes. Both dishes are made with oil, commemorating the miracle.
Jewish presence in Laredo Although the Jewish presence in Laredo is not as large as it is in many other cities, Rosenbaum said Laredo has been a very accepting community of their faith. “I have not seen any anti-Semitism in the community,” Rosenbaum said. “Laredo has been very inclusive of people with other beliefs.” Laredo has had a Jewish presence since 1917, when a group of 15 Jewish families immigrated here. Since then Laredo, has seen two other Jewish immigrations. Today there are a little more than 200 Jews living in Laredo.
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MISS MANNERS | BYJUDITH MARTIN
Keep the table simple as a good example DEAR MISS MANNERS — Over the holidays, we will host several good friends for dinner and two acquaintances whom we would like to get to know better. While my dining table comfortably seats eight with regular place settings, it may be a little cramped with the extended tableware and stemware for MARTIN the fivecourse dinner I am planning. In addition to a regular fivepiece place setting, the guests will each have an iced tea spoon, a cocktail fork, a steak knife, and dessert fork and spoon, plus accompanying extra china and stemware. Rather than cram the table with everything at once, would it be appropriate to present each guest with the china, silverware and stemware for the appetizer and dessert courses just prior to service, clearing away these items as each guest finishes? Alternatively, I could serve the appetizer and dessert courses from my buffet sideboard. The two acquaintances are a delightful young couple who admire our social group. This is an opportunity for us to serve as a good example for them in their future entertaining. GENTLE READER — That is a reason for making sure that you do not overwhelm them. Miss Manners is all for big, festive, formal meals, but hopes that you will not be sending them away reeling from too much all at once and the challenge of “OK, top this!” Therefore, etiquette has a rule that forbids issuing more
than three forks and three knives to each diner at a time, with other tools supplied as needed. So much for people who claim to be bewildered by a vast choice of forks. They are just showing off. As far as Miss Manners can puzzle out, your menu is: seafood cocktail, then (because you wouldn’t follow that with a fish course) soup, a main course of steak, salad and dessert. All well and good. To the left of the plate would be (from outside in) the forks for the meat course and the salad course; to the right (outside in) the seafood fork nestling in the soup spoon, then the steak knife, with the dessert fork and spoon horizontally at the top of the place setting. Not an outlandish setting, but you could pare it down by bringing the seafood fork on that plate and the dessert service on each dessert plate. You are probably not serving five wines, not if you value your dining room carpet. Yet taking glasses off the table is oddly off-putting, even if not directly associated with a bartender’s saying, “OK, you’ve had enough.” Two wines would seem reasonable with your menu, a red with the steak and a white with the seafood, which those who get headaches from red could continue to drink if their glasses weren’t snatched. So unless you are having a dessert wine, that is only three glasses, the third being for water. Oh, yes, the iced tea. Miss Manners doesn’t quite get that at a formal winter holiday dinner, but you know your guests. Couldn’t you just have that ready to hand to anyone who asks, and let that person figure out where to put it?
Courtesy photo
This promotional image for Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush] portrays the exhibit’s emphasis on found objects as art.
Keep on crushin’: Hasta La Basura Se Separa extends its stay SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush], an art exhibit with an emphasis on reused objects, will extend its stay at Galleria del Espacio Cultural de la Antigua Aduana from Dec. 31 to Jan. 16. Co-curated by “Los Outsiders” Salvador Castillo and Michael Anthony García, the exhibit displays the work of 15 contemporary artists from Texas, New York and Utah. The artists in this exhibition include: Robert Boland, Teruko Nimura, Eduardo Muñoz, Jaime Castillo, Jade Walker, Hunter Cross, William Hundley, Eric Zimmerman, Hector Hernandez and Michael Anthony García, of Austin; Katy Heinlein and Kathy Kelley, of Houston; Michelle Mayer and Mike Womack, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Jared Steffensen, of Salt Lake City, Utah. These artists consist mostly of sculptural and installation practices. With a special emphasis on found objects and recycled materials, these artists relate the identity of objects, whether in their present states, altered or how they are represented in images, to their
individual connotations as well as their shared meanings. As this exhibition was conceived specifically for Nuevo Laredo, the artists mix their personal memories with greater cultural histories creating different levels of site specificity to their sculptures and installations. Hector Hernandez, a native of both Laredos, presents an annotated narrative of a local parkturned-playground-turned-parking lot using one of the actual felled basketball goalposts. Jared Steffensen and Eric Zimmerman continue their previous investigations of landscape and architecture respectively, but also take into account their placement within the gallery. Jade Walker and Mike Womack created new work reacting to the architecture and in response to physically observing the Antigua Aduana. Eduardo Muñoz’s photographs are layered with personal, family photographs that double as Cuban/Communist political documentation, but it’s the architectural elements within the collaged images that relate to the Antigua Aduana’s recent restoration/renovations. Robert Boland’s sculp-
ture and videos are not site-specific, but the proximity to the Rio Grande warrants contemplation. Hunter Cross includes a nuanced effort that touches on the seasonal timing of the exhibition, the Aduana’s history as a warehouse, U.S.-Mexico immigration relations and U.S. military “mass detention centers.” Consolidating the histories of the materials, the artists, the gallery and the city itself, Hasta La Basura Se Separa [artcrush] pushes the viewer beyond what has already transpired. Waste is no longer a discarded, remnant memories have not faded into obscurity, architecture has not been forgotten and life has not ended. Instead of lamenting shifting realities, this group takes the products of transition and rebuilds looking toward tomorrow. New objects, new structures and new relationships take form and renewed hope becomes possible. The Antigua Aduana Cultural Space in Nuevo Laredo is a historical building that originally served as the warehouses of the Custom House. The complex also contains the Sergio Peña concert Hall.
Photo by Lionel | AP
This undated photo provided by Lionel shows a Lionel train display at the Transit Museum in Grand Central Terminal in New York.
Christmas tree trains keep on chugging By MEGAN K. SCOTT ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Chris Forsyth’s best Christmas was when he woke up to a train chugging around the tree, a conductor’s hat and a little pair of overalls. So he makes sure to put a train around his Christmas tree each year. “It brings back those good memories,” said Forsyth, 43, of Wheat Ridge, Colo., adding that he is reminded of the excitement of that Christmas morning when he was 6. “It conveys the magic of childhood.” Memories are what often bring out Christmas tree trains this time of the year, as people purchase new sets or dig out their old ones for repairs. Electric trains under the Christmas tree date back to at least the early 1900s, according to Paul D. Race, editor of BigChristmasTrains.com. But
before electric, there were windup and push trains. In the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s, a good train set could cost as much as a washing machine, said Race. “It was the biggest present you could possibly get, and as a result, it was reserved for Christmas,” he said. “Once the presents were opened, usually the only place you could set up the track was around the tree.” Trains also had a special significance because they brought people home for the holidays, according to Ron Hollander’s “All Aboard!: The Story of Joshua Lionel Cowen & His Lionel Train Company.” “So for many people, Christmas seemed to involve trains,” Race said. By 1960, Christmas trains were as ubiquitous as gaming systems are today, said Jerry Calabrese, CEO of Lionel, the leading model train manufacturer. Even today, when the most-
hyped electronics tend to be music players or communication devices, and old-fashioned electric train chugging around the Christmas tree is popular. Lionel is expecting a 50 percent increase in sales of starter sets, including licensed ones such as a Harry Potter “Hogwarts Express,” over 2007 based on holiday pre-orders from major retailers. Lionel sold 200,000 model train sets in 2007 compared with 80,000 in 2004, and the bulk of those were the readyto-run sets, according to the company. Lionel says it has run a marketing campaign to appeal to consumers beyond the hardcore hobbyists, creating new lines of train sets and putting them in places like Target, FAO Schwarz and Toys “R” Us, Calabrese said. When people see them, they think about being a kid and connecting with their fathers, he said.
Zentertainment
SATURDAY,DECEMBER 20,2008
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Down to the wire: Last-minute, low-ticket gifts
ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Winter wonderland
By KIRSTEN CROW THE ZAPATA TIMES
Attention all chronic procrastinators: Put it off no more, this is the time to put your nose to the grindstone and produce the best of your last-minute work — and be sure to top it off with a bow. Christmas is a mere six days away, and it’s doubtful anyone wants to spend the last of the time battling it out at the stores. If you’re still stumped on what to give to that special someone in your life, be it a relative, friend or sweetheart, never underestimate the gift of entertainment, whether it’s a concert, a beautiful painting, music or movies, to find that gift that keeps on giving.
Photo by Sony Pictures | AP
In this image released by Sony Pictures,Will Smith, right, and Rosario Dawson are shown in a scene from “Seven Pounds.”
Will Smith’s ‘Seven Pounds’ piles on the twists
Under the arena There’s just nothing like sharing in the experience of a dynamite concert or a special show to make a gift truly memorable, said Sonya Sanchez, Laredo Entertainment Center director of marketing. “We’re definitely making (shows) a suggestion, especially because we have so many coming up,” she said. “It’s something people can experience; it’s something you will never forget — not like a pair of gloves that you may never wear.” This year, in particular, touts some standout shows on the horizon. Two that have generated some big buzz are, of course, the T.I. performance Jan. 4 and Cheech and Chong’s “Light Up America” tour, coming to the LEC on Jan. 11. Ticket prices for T.I. are $75, $55 and $35, while tickets for Cheech and Chong are $25, $38.50, $48.50 and $58.50. For families, there are also some child-friendly shows, such as “Playhouse Disney Live!” with two performances Dec. 28, and Freestyle Motocross — which boasts some big-kid appeal, too — on Jan. 23 and 24. Tickets for “Playhouse” are $44, $38, $26 and $18. Children’s tickets for the motocross show, however, are only $7. As for that person who has show tunes committed to memo-
By CHRISTY LEMIRE Courtesy photo
This performer with Freestyle Motocross performs a stunt known as the “one-handed Superman.” ry, there’s the continuing Broadway series making stops at the LEC: First there’s “Cats,” on Feb. 9, then “Hairspray,” on Feb. 27. Tickets range from $42 to $57. “You can make memories, and they’ll have that experience that they will take with them forever,” Sanchez said. “It (won’t) take up room in their closets, and it’s something people can share.” For more information about show times and ticket prices, visit www.laredoarena.com.
Arts alive For something really unique — and very lasting — an original piece of artwork can fit the bill. “Art is an investment,” said Gayle Aker Rodriguez, owner of Gallery 201 and an organizer of El Bazar de San Agustin. “It’s more than something that you go out and buy. It’s something you’ll have forever, hopefully … and it usually goes up in price, unlike the stock market nowadays.” There are plenty of places to purchase an original piece of artwork in the Gateway City, one of
which is Gallery 201, 513 San Bernardo Ave. Buying original artwork is also a gift to the city and the artistic community, she added. “When you buy original art, you’re supporting artists and you’re supporting a culture and education of art,” Rodriguez said.
Television OK, so maybe buying the enormous flat-screen plasma TV isn’t in the cards this year. But that doesn’t mean you can’t give the gift of television. The impending switch to digital television Feb. 17 is upon us, and for everyone you know who is still sporting the rabbit ears atop their analog set, it’s time to get them a digital converter, which can be purchased — with a government coupon — for about $19.99, plus tax. Digital converters are sold at electronics stores — think Best Buy and Radio Shack — but they can also be found at discount retailers and grocers, such as WalMart and H-E-B plus!.
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“Seven Pounds” is a clever one, all right, but it might actually be too clever for its own good. It stars Will Smith as the mysterious Ben Thomas, an IRS agent who drops in on random Los Angeles residents with financial trouble and analyzes whether they’re good or bad. If they’re good, they get the gift of his infinite generosity: a break on their debts, a little extra time to get their affairs in order and perhaps something even more life-altering if he deems them especially fit. (Giving away much more would deplete the film of its supposed poignancy.) But Smith’s demeanor is so eerily detached and even robotic at times, he makes you wonder whether Ben is functioning as a force of benevolence or evil — for all of two seconds, that is. Come on, this is Will Smith we’re talking about here. Although he has acting chops that transcend his leading-man good looks and superstar charisma, he’s never
played anyone truly, deeply flawed — not even as a misanthropic superhero in “Hancock.” Nevertheless, Gabriele Muccino (who directed Smith in the 2006 underdog tale “The Pursuit of Happyness”) and writer Grant Nieporte jump all over the place in time, trying to keep us on our toes. With its many twists and revelations, “Seven Pounds” does make you work, which is vaguely refreshing when so much is so mindless. For a long time, it leaves you wondering, for example, why Ben dresses unspectacularly and drives a junker car but lives in a rambling beachfront mansion in Malibu. At other points throughout the scattershot narrative, Ben emerges from the ocean with water dripping from his perfect sixpack abs, but he also makes a 911 call at the film’s start to report his own imminent suicide. There are allusions to a violent car accident and a deadly jellyfish Ben keeps in a tank in his house, and later in the shabby motel room he calls his new home.
Laredo Entertainment Center will be transformed into a “winter wonderland” on Monday, Dec. 22, Monday, Dec. 29, and Tuesday, Dec. 30, as the venue opens its doors to the public to ice skate on the Bucks’ rink. Skate rental is $5 per hour, and the concession stands will be open for business. The winter wonderland will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22, and from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29, and Tuesday, Dec. 30.
Library fun Looking for something for the kids to do when they get bored of sleeping late, watching TV and complain that “there’s nothing to do!?” Then let the Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Road, entertain them with lots of activities and fun that will keep them smiling and give you a moment of peace and quiet. All the activities are free. Starting Monday, bring your child by to have some fun with a Christmas theme, listening to story books and working on crafts, starting at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Keep Laredo Beautiful’s Green Santa, the environmentally-friendly Kris Kringle will stop by at 2:30 p.m. to help teach kids learn to “go green” by taking care of the Earth. He’ll read from the book “How Santa Turned Green,” and everyone will get a goody bag. The Laredo Public Library will be closed from Dec. 24 – 28, but will reopen on Monday, Dec. 29, and have a special activity at 2:30 p.m. for the kiddos in preparation for New Year’s. On Wednesday, Dec. 31, children will be able to watch a Christmas movie, starting at 2 p.m.
ZFrontera AGENDAEN BREVE DEPORTES LAREDO — Los Bucks de Laredo recibirán en el hielo del Laredo Entertainment Center a los IceRays de Corpus Christi a las 7:30 p.m. el sábado 20 de diciembre. Adquiera sus boletos en la taquilla de LEC. LAREDO — El equipo varonil de fútbol soccer de Texas A&M International University tendrá un campamento juvenil a partir del sábado 20 de diciembre y hasta el 23 de diciembre en la cancha de Dustdevil,de 9 a.m.al mediodía,a excepción del domingo que será de 2 p.m. a 5 p.m.El curo está abierto a alumnos de 4 a 13 años de edad y tiene costo de 80 dólares por persona. Más información llamando al Entrenador Arias al 3262893 en horario de oficina. LAREDO — La 18va carrera annual de 5K Jingle Bell se realizará el domingo 21 de diciembre a las 8:30 a.m. Los participantes pueden correr ó caminar en la carrera de 3.1 millas. Las inscripciones se realizan en la sucursal de IBC San Isidro (2442 San Isidro Parkway) de 7:30 a.m. a 8:20 a.m. el día de la carrera. La cuota de entrada es de 10 dólares y habrá premios para el primero,segundo y tercer lugar en cada división (varonil/femenil: 14 y menores, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 y mayores). Más información llamando al Departamento de Parques y Entretenimiento en el 795-2350. LAREDO — El equipo femenil de golf de Texas A&M International University busca interesadas en la temporada Primavera 2009. Estudiantes en buen promedio académico y con previa experiencia en golf pueden contactar a la entrenadora Wendy McManus en el 326-2894.
SÁBADO 20 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2008
ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
CIUDAD JUÁREZ — El proyecto del Relleno Sanitario de la Frontera Ribereña recibió luz verde por parte de la Comisión de Cooperación Ecológica Fronteriza (COCEF). Fue el Titular de la Agencia Ambiental para el Desarrollo Sustentable, Salvador Treviño Garza quien hizo entrega de la certificación del proyecto de residuos sólidos. El proyecto podrá ser financiado por el NADBank, según anunció Treviño Garza.
Este relleno sanitario está considerado para tener una vida útil de 30 años con las especificaciones y lineamientos técnicos, para el desarrollo de las obras civiles y de control ambiental, necesarias para la adecuada disposición final de los residuos sólidos municipales generados en esa región norte del Estado. Treviño Garza confirmó que se logró contar con tres estaciones de transferencia, que permitan el mejoramiento del servicio de limpia, así como la disminución de los
costos globales de transporte y de horas improductivas de los vehículos recolectores y de la mano de obra asociada. Además como parte de las estructuras medulares de dicho proyecto se contarán con 25 pozos de venteo de biogás con una altura promedio de 13 metros lo cual permitirá que los gases emitidos por los desechos sean ventilados de una manera segura y sin dañar el ambiente. Así mismo se cuenta con 2 lagunas de evaporación de los líquidos generados
Para informar acerca de eventos y actividades envíe el nombre, fecha, hora y dirección, y un número de contacto a tiempo@lmtonline.com
por la descomposición de los desechos, que tienen una capacidad de 3000 y hasta 5600 metros cúbicos respectivamente, informó Treviño Garza. En cada estación de recolección y transferencia se encontrará una caja de transferencia abierta sin compactación, con volumen de 75 metros cúbicos que equivale a una capacidad de 18.75 toneladas por viaje, tomando como referencia una densidad de los residuos de 250 kilos por metro cubico sin compactar.
Reconocen a 27 negocios ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Foto por Miguel Timoshenkov | The Zapata Times
Samanta Valadez y Carlos Rodríguez, al centro, interpretan una melodía, mientras el resto de los integrantes del Mariachia Halcón visitaron San Ygnacio a inicios de diciembre.
MIGUEL ALEMÁN — Un grupo compuesto por 27 empresarios, comerciantes y prestadores de servicios de Miguel Alemán, Ciudad Mier y Nueva Ciudad Guererro, recibieron a inicios de esta semana el denominado “Distintivo M”. Este reconocimiento avala que los 27 negocios ofrecen un servicio de calidad que cumple con la normatividad en materia de turismo. La Sala Audiovisual de la Presidencia Municipal de Miguel Alemán fue el marco donde los jefes de gobierno, Olga Juliana Elizondo Guerra (Guerrero), José Iván Mancias Hinojosa (Mier) y Servando López Moreno (Miguel Alemán) se reunieron y encabezaron el evento con el Director de Servicios Turísticos en Tamaulipas, Herbey Ramos Ramos. López Moreno, al hablar a nombre de los alcaldes de la frontera chica, dijo que es de suma importancia capacitar a los empresarios, comerciantes y prestadores de servicios, a fin de aprovechar las grandes bondades que tiene la Zona Ribereña. El Distintivo M es un documento que se otorga por el programa Moderniza y del esquema de Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas.
Mariachis son orgullo de Zapata Por MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOV TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
APATA — El Mariachi Halcón de la Secundaria y Preparatoria del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Zapata, han mantenido el cuadro de honor en la Extravaganza Anual del Mariachi Vargas en San Antonio. Los dos grupos reafirman vigorosamente la cultura con un fuerte sentido del folcklór y las raíces originadas en el siglo antepasado en el formato que actualmente conocemos. Es resultado del toque indígena de los instrumentos y sonidos españoles de la música nacional de México. Oscar Martínez, director del Mariachi Juvenil, dijo haber cosechado el segundo lugar de la competencia del viernes 5 y sábado 6 de diciembre. “El más antiguo y renombrado grupo musical de México, el Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, condujo seminarios de música y talleres”, dijo Martínez. “Cientos de estudiantes tejanos participaron”. Enfundados en sus trajes el mariachi juvenil acompañaron a Samanta
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Valadez y Carlos Rodríguez con la melodía “Donde estas. Donde te fuiste”. Los jueces del Mariachi Vargas, declararon el segundo lugar, dijo Martínez. Nos estamos preparando para las diversas competencias que tenemos en puerta, en febrero del 2009, marzo y abril cuatro más. “Estoy muy orgullosos de los jóvenes porque han mostrado su corazón en la competencia”, dijo Martínez. “Estoy orgulloso de ellos, sus padres los acompañaron y están muy alegres del talento de sus hijos”. Adrián Padilla, director del Mariachi Halcón, de la Escuela preparatoria de Zapata, mantuvo el honor al situarse en segundo lugar de su categoría. En los pasados tres años habría alcanzado los primeros lugares. El Mariachi Hermosura, de Houston, alcanzó el primer lugar en esta cruzada. Padilla, dijo que los jóvenes estudiantes no están insatisfechos por el según lugar, conocen, saben y entienden que se trata de competencia donde los 14 grupos participantes tienen la misma
oportunidad de sobresalir. “Es un reto abierto y honesto donde las técnicas se aplican en sus diferentes expresiones”, dijo Padilla. “Ellos, mis alumnos consideran un reto para darle continuidad a sus conocimientos en la actividad”. La interpretación del Mariachi Halcón, fueron “Que bonita es esta vida” y “Ojalá que llueva café “. El mariachi reúne violinistas, trompetas, guitarras, con sonidos agudos y melodiosos de la vihuela y el guitarrón. Son diferentes estilos que interpretan, desde huapangos, sones jaliscienses, sones jarochos, el jarabe, la polka, las rancheras y el bolero. También puede incluir ritmos de rock, de country y clásicos. Los dos grupos de mariachi son el orgullo de Zapata y la región y el pasado fin de semana asistieron al programa anual de “Casa abierta” en San Ygnacio, donde también deleteitaron con sus melodias. (Puede localizar a Miguel Timoshenkov llamando al (956) 728-2583 o escribiendo a timo1@lmtonline.com)
ENTRETENIMIENTO LAREDO — El sábado 20 de diciembre es el último Bazar de la Plaza San Agustin.Es de 10 a.m.a 6 p.m.con la entrada libre al público.Habrá entretenimiento, comida, bebidas y pintura de cara en los niños.Se presentarán artistas del área y estudiantes de arte de TAMIU. LAREDO — Pase la tarde del sábado 20 de diciembre en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de Texas A&M International University para disfrutar “Season of Light”a las 6 p.m.,“HolidayMusic Magic” a las 7 p.m.,y“U2 Fulldome Experience”a las 8 p.m. La entrada general es de 5 dólares; niños,estudiantes,personal yexalumnos de TAMIU pagan 4 dólares. Más información llamando al 326-2444. PUERTO ISABEL— El sábado 20 de diciembre a las 5 p.m.es la primera ceremonia annual de “Iluminación del árbol de navidad”enCAel Rio Grande Railroad Park (317 Railroad Avenue), frente al edificio “Champion Building”.Santa Claus estará repartiendo dulces a todos los niños.Más información llamando al (956) 943-2682. LAREDO — Pase la tarde del lunes 22 de diciembre en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de Texas A&M International University para disfrutar “Star Signs”a las 3 p.m.,y“HolidayMusic Magic”a las 4 p.m. El martes 23 de diciembre las funciones son las siguientes: “Destination Saturn”a la 1 p.m.,y“HolidayMusic Magic”a las 2 p.m.La entrada general es de 5 dólares; niños,estudiantes,personal yexalumnos de TAMIU pagan 4 dólares. Más información llamando al 326-2444.
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Dan visto bueno a Relleno Sanitario
SERVICIO SOCIAL LAREDO — A partir de las 5 a.m. del sábado 20 de diciembre, Obras Públicas de la Ciudad de Laredo cerrará South Ejido, entre Chacota y Potomac Loop, para colocar concreto en el área. Los trabajos continuarán hasta el mediodía del domingo. Se solicita al público encontrar rutas alternativas, seguir los señales de desviación, y manejar con precaución. Más información llamando al 795-2510. LAREDO — El Internal Revenue Service y la Laredo Family Economic Success Coalition buscan voluntarios para ser parte del programa VITA 2009 (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program). El programa provee asistencia gratuita en el reporte de impuestos a personas con incapacidades, bajo ingreso, deficiencia en inglés ó adultos mayores. Los voluntariso aprenderán a preparar los reportes a través de un curso de orientación hoy en la Biblioteca Pública de laredo de 10 a.m. a 11 a.m. Más información llamando al (956) 7952675 ó (956) 795-2400 ext. 2225. LAREDO — El martes 23 de diciembre es la fecha límite para que Usted comparta el calor de esta temporada y done nuevas ó poco usadas,pero limpias, cobijas, sábanas y toallas para ayudar a mantener a los animales cálidos en la Sociedad Protectora de Animales de Laredo. Las donaciones se están aceptando en la oficina de Relaciones Públicas,Mercadotécnia y Servicios Informativos de Texas A&M International University (en la biblioteca Sue and Radcliffe Killam, aula 268).
EN INTERNET: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Firmarían pacto para proteger fuentes de empleo y dar seguro de desempleo ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
CD. VICTORIA,, México — Convocado por el gobierno de Tamaulipas, el gobernador Eugenio Hernández Flores anunció un pacto entre obreros, empresarios y Federación para proteger las fuentes de ocupación en el Estado y auxiliar con un seguro de desempleo a los trabajadores de la industria maquiladora despedidos por la crisis económica, con posibilidades de ampliar este beneficio a otros sectores. El mandatario hizo hincapié en que los problemas financieros que se registran a nivel mundial afectan con mayor impacto a la frontera HERNÁNDEZ norte y aún cuando todavía Tamaulipas conserva números negros en generación de empleo con 7 mil 200 plazas creadas a octubre de este año, se deben redoblar esfuerzos para cuidar los espacios laborales ya existentes. “Estamos formulando las diferentes corridas y las propuestas que queremos llevar a los trabajadores y a los empresarios”, dijo Hernández Flores. El mandatario añadió que de esta forma la administración a su cargo apoya a la industria maquiladora de
“El 2009 es un año que va a estar complicado en el tema económico, por lo que se debe estar preparado a través de estos pactos y de esta unidad entre todos los sectores de la economía”. GOBERNADOR, EUGENIO HERNÁNDEZ FLORES
exportación “la más afectada en este momento” a través de diferentes gestiones con el gobierno federal, como la baja de la tarifa eléctrica para que en lugar de que se reduzcan costos sacando gente que lo hagan pagando menos energía o tributación. El titular del Ejecutivo Estatal precisó que otra parte importante del pacto que se quiere signar es que además del seguro, también se les apoye con parte de su alimentación y becas. En este contexto, subrayó que el 2009 es un año que va a estar complicado en el tema económico, por lo que se debe estar preparado a través de estos pactos y de esta unidad entre todos los sectores de la economía. De igual forma, el titular del Ejecutivo Estatal precisó que hasta ahora, el seguro de desempleo está orientado a beneficiar a los trabajadores de la in-
dustria maquiladora, aunque se están analizando los techos financieros y los diferentes escenarios que se puedan presentar, a fin de que otros sectores puedan beneficiarse con este apoyo. “Tenemos que medir nuestros recursos y el apoyo que pueda brindar el gobierno federal; se tiene la confianza de que con las Secretarías del Trabajo y de Economía podamos llegar a un pacto fuerte, que realmente ayude a los tamaulipecos que pierdan su empleo, dijo Hernández Flores. “Tenemos fortaleza y si es necesario hacer uso de algún crédito lo vamos a hacer, porque estos son los momentos que nuestro Estado y nuestra gente requiere que inyectemos más recursos y no tendremos objeción en recurrir a un financiamiento para librar esta situación económica difícil y sacar adelante el reto de que los tamaulipecos sigan conservando su empleo”.
Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Miguel Alemán
El jefe de gobierno Servando López Moreno y la primera dama, Sandra Isela Garza de López, entregan cobijas que han recolectado para familias de escasos recursos económicos.
Familias reciben ayuda por el frío TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
El frío se deja sentir en toda la región y autoridades de Protección Civil han reforzado los patrullajes en las periferias de las ciudades para albergar a la comunidad de escasos recursos en un lugar seguro. En Nuevo Laredo además se intensificó los operativos en las plazas públicas para proteger a connacionales e indigentes. Entre las colonias más frecuentadas por su condición precaria destacan Blanca Navidad, Insurgentes, Artistas I y II, Francisco Villa II, 150 Aniversario, ITAVU (Kilómetro 13) y Toboganes en Nuevo Laredo. En Miguel Alemán, el jefe de gobierno Servando López Moreno y la primera dama, Sandra Isela Garza de López, pusieron en marcha una campaña para recolectar colchas y cobertores entre la población. Estos artículos serán entregados a las familias más necesitadas y que en esta temporada invernal sufren por las inclemencias del tiempo al vivir en hogares con techos de lámina o cartón. “El año pasado pudimos actuar en cuestión de horas, logrando llevar colchas y cobertores a familias que sufrieron por las bajas temperaturas; por eso hoy lo haremos con tiempo para tener suficientes artículos y el apoyo llegue más pronto a los hogares”, dijo Garza de López. Todos los interesados en sumarse a esta noble causa, pueden llevar sus colchas y cobertores, ya sean nuevos o usados, a las instalaciones del Sistema DIF. Las colchas y cobertores que se recolecten serán entregados personalmente por las autoridades municipales en los hogares, gracias a que ya se tiene un censo de las familias que más requieren de este apoyo.
Prevención En tanto, el Dr. José Guadalupe Rendón Macías, director de Prevención y Salud Municipal, recomendó no exponerse a cambios bruscos. Reportó que bronquitis, ataques de asma y gripe, infecciones, dolores fuertes, estrés o nerviosismo y las alteraciones en la digestión son las de mayor manifestación, en niños menores de cinco años y adultos.
Zbusiness
Stocks vacillate after WH auto bailout By MADLEN READ and SARA LEPRO ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Stock prices fluctuated Friday, as investors cheered the government’s pledge to lend as much as $17.4 billion to U.S. automakers but remained dubious that the money will make a lasting difference for the beleaguered industry. The Dow Jones industrial average rose by as much as 182 points in the early going, turned lower at midday, recovered in the afternoon but was losing ground again in the last hour of trading. The decision to provide emergency help to carry the struggling industry into the new year comes after a $14 billion bailout for Detroit automakers failed to make it out of the Senate last week. The companies’ cash flows have been dwindling to a slow trickle due to the weak economy, slumping sales and the credit crunch.
The White House said it will let General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC draw $13.4 billion in shortterm financing, and another $4 billion will be added later. But it attached conditions that must be quickly met — GM and Chrysler must prove viability, defined as positive cash flow and the ability to pay back government loans, by March 31. Ford Motor Co., meanwhile, is not asking for short-term assistance, but its CEO predicted the aid will stabilize the broader industry. General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner said the company had much work ahead, but he was confident it could reinvent itself with the government help. Some analysts expressed doubts, however. “I think that there’s a lot of skepticism about how much real reform we’re likely to see, particularly at GM, given the parameters under which the loans have been made,” said Alan Gayle, senior investment strategist at RidgeWorth Investments.
SATURDAY,DECEMBER 20,2008
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
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Oil rises on dollar power, news of auto bailout By DIRK LAMMERS ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oil prices stabilized Friday as the White House’s $17.4 billion auto industry rescue package gave Wall Street a boost and the dollar strengthened against the euro. Light, sweet crude for February delivery rose 69 cents to settle at $42.36 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, February Brent crude rose 64 cents to settle at $44 a barrel on the ICE. Volatility in energy markets this year has seen crude pushed from $100 in January to nearly $150 Carmen Ramirez - Rathmell, D.D.S.
“Let your smile be a sign of happiness & good health”
1520 Corpus Christi Street Telephone (956) 726-0160
in July, and back down to the $30 to $40 this month. Peter Beutel, an analyst with Cameron Hanover in New Canaan, Conn., said he sees a lot of factors that should be leading to a bullish market, but they’re not getting any traction because of the weak economy and falling demand. “Until people can just take their eyes off of the demand for five seconds, it doesn’t seem like this market is going to have an easy time moving higher right away,” Beutel said. The January contract, which expired Friday, fell $2.35 cents to settle at $33.87, its lowest close in nearly five years.
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008
NATIONAL
Ponzi scheme hinges on new investores
CDC: Tamiflu may not help fight flu much By MIKE STOBBE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SOURCE: FBI/AP
Ponzi scam artists are charming, respectable By DENISE LAVOIE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOSTON — They’re smart and charming. They have an aura of success about them and exude respectability. Above all, they instill confidence. That is, after all, why they are called con men. Bernard Madoff, the Wall Street trader accused of running the biggest Ponzi scheme in history — $50 billion — dealt in more astounding numbers than others but shares many of the basic qualities of Ponzi swindlers through history, according to law enforcement authorities and others who have studied such scams. “They seem trustworthy because of their charm, their command of finance and the unshakable confidence that they portray,” said Jacob Frenkel, a former Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement lawyer. “The Bernie Madoffs of the world are the people you want to sit next to
on an airplane.” Much like the original Ponzi schemer, Charles Ponzi. He was an Italian immigrant to Boston who worked as a waiter, bank teller and nurse before he talked investors into sinking their money into a complex — and, it turned out, bogus — scheme involving postal currency. His short-lived swindle in 191920 cheated thousands of people out of $10 million but was so wildly lucrative for some early investors that he was hailed as a hero in the Italian community. He was convicted of mail fraud and sent to prison before being deported in 1934. A Ponzi scheme, or pyramid scheme, is a scam in which people are persuaded to invest in a fraudulent operation that promises unusually high returns. The early investors are paid their returns out of money put in by later investors. “It used to be called ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul,”’ said Mitchell Zuckoff, a Boston University jour-
nalism professor who wrote a biography of Ponzi in 2005. Ponzi’s scheme became one of the most famous con games of his time, and his name has been attached to similar frauds ever since. People who run Ponzis generally fall into two categories: hucksters like Ponzi who plan to cheat investors and get out quickly, often fleeing the country, and people who start a legitimate investment venture but lose money, then try desperately to cover it up and dig themselves into a deeper and deeper hole. Ultimately, it all comes crashing down. Some have speculated that Madoff — once a highly respected figure on Wall Street and a former Nasdaq chairman — falls into the latter category. Bookish and bespectacled with a wise smile, Madoff had multiple homes, fancy cars and memberships at exclusive country clubs. He gave millions to charity from his own fortune.
ATLANTA — The medical arsenal against the flu just got weaker. Government health officials said Friday that a leading flu medicine, Tamiflu, might not work against all cases of the flu this year. The most common flu bug right now is overwhelmingly resistant to Tamiflu, they said. The alert is “an early headsup” for doctors. If current trends continue, they may need to change how they treat patients this flu season, said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health officials say they aren’t too worried, for several reasons. First, it’s early in the flu season, and it’s not clear this strain will dominate through the next several months. Second, not many people take antiviral medications for the flu. Third, the flu vaccine — the primary weapon against flu — seems well matched against the circulating bugs. But doctors need to take it seriously, said William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert. “Each influenza seasons provides a bit of a surprise and we
got our (surprise) a little early this year,” he added. The flu causes 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths annually, according to official estimates. The elderly, young children and people with chronic illnesses are considered at greatest risk. For the public, the best course of action is vaccination, health officials said. Only about 30 percent of U.S. adults had gotten a flu vaccination this flu season, according to an online survey conducted by the RAND Corporation in November. A flu shot is recommended for those 50 and older, children from 6 months to 18 years, pregnant women, nursing home patients and those with certain medical conditions or who care for people with those conditions. For people who get the flu, the two most commonly used antivirals are Tamiflu, a pill also known as oseltamivir, and Relenza, an inhaled drug also called zanamivir. The drugs are most effective if taken within two days of getting sick but most people don’t see a doctor that quickly. Early tests indicate that 49 of 50 samples of the main flu virus circulating this year — H1N1 — were resistant to Tamiflu. The samples came mainly from
Hawaii, Texas and ten other states. Widespread flu has not yet been reported in most of the country. “It could fizzle out,” or H1N1 could become the dominant strain, Gerberding said. A spokesman for Tamiflu’s manufacturer — Roche, a Swiss company — said it’s too early to draw strong conclusions about the drug’s usefulness this flu season. The basis of the CDC’s alert “is a small sample in a limited number of states, and Tamiflu is showing good activity against other circulating viruses,” said spokesman Terry Hurley. For those sick with the flu, doctors cannot simply choose Relenza instead of Tamiflu. That treatment is not approved for children younger than 7 or people who have asthma or certain other breathing problems. GlaxoSmithKline PLC, which makes Relenza, said Friday it has enough to meet the demands of the current flu season. An option for some patients, Gerberding said, may be a combination of Tamiflu and rimantadine, another antiviral medication that works against H1N1 but lost effectiveness against another kind of flu virus. However, it’s not clear how well that combination will work, Schaffner said.
Watergate’s ‘Deep Throat’ dies By LOUISE CHU ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO — W. Mark Felt, the former FBI second-in-command who revealed himself as “Deep Throat” 30 years after he helped The Washington Post unravel the Watergate scandal, has died. He was 95. Felt died Thursday at his home in Santa Rosa under hospice care after suffering from congestive heart failure for several months, said family friend John D. O’Connor, who wrote a Vanity Fair article disclosing Felt’s secret in 2005. The shadowy central figure in one of the most
gripping political dramas of the 20th century, Felt insisted his alter ego be kept secret when he leaked damaging information to Post reporter Bob Woodward. The scandal led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974, two years after the break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate office building in Washington. While some — including Nixon and his aides — speculated that Felt was Deep Throat, he steadfastly denied the accusations until finally coming forward in May 2005. “I’m the guy they used to call ‘Deep Throat,’ ” Felt told O’Connor for the Vanity Fair article, creating a whirlwind of attention.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008
THE ZAPATA TIMES | 13A
HELPING | Continued from Page 1A
Photo by Damian Dovarganes | AP
Memorabilia dealer Alfred Beardsley, 48, left, testifies as judge Gerald Rosenberg, right, listens during a hearing in Santa Monica Superior Court, on Friday, after he was ordered by Rosenberg to turn over OJ Simpson’s Hall of Fame ring, in Santa Monica, Calif.
OJ victim denies ever having Hall of Fame ring By JOHN ROGERS ASSOCIATED PRESS
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Fred Goldman failed to grab O.J. Simpson’s Hall of Fame ring in a California courtroom Friday but he hit the jackpot in Las Vegas, where a judge ordered that most of the items Simpson robbed from a pair of sports memorabilia dealers last year be returned to California. The judge in Las Vegas ordered the items commemorating Simpson’s glory days as a college and pro football player be sold to satisfy part of a $33.5 million civil wrongful-death judgment awarded to the families of Goldman’s son, Ronald, and Nicole Brown Simpson after the disgraced football star was acquitted of their 1994 murders. “The irony is that this is pre-
cisely what Mr. Simpson sought to avoid, having the stuff end up in the hands of Fred Goldman,” Goldman’s lawyer, David Cook, said after leaving a Santa Monica courtroom where he had hoped to collect Simpson’s ring. The man Cook believes has the ring, Alfred Beardsley, testified that he had no idea where it is. Beardsley, one of the memorabilia dealers Simpson was convicted of robbing last year in Las Vegas, told a Santa Monica court that he heard the former football player lost the ring on a golf course years ago. He also denied ever telling a district attorney investigator in Las Vegas that Simpson had given it to him. “It is absolutely, 100 percent not true,” Beardsley testified. Meanwhile in Las Vegas,
Judge Jackie Glass ruled that dozens of items seized after Simpson’s arrest on robbery and kidnapping charges be returned to California to be sold by the Los Angeles County sheriff and the money handed over to families of the 1994 slaying victims. Glass also ordered that Simpson, Clarence “C.J.” Stewart and four others who took part in the 2007 robbery pay a combined $3,560 in restitution to collectibles dealer Bruce Fromong, another victim in the robbery. Simpson and Stewart were convicted in October of kidnapping, armed robbery, conspiracy and other charges for the bungled heist aimed at retrieving Simpson’s memorabilia. The other four men who took part struck plea deals and testified against Simpson and Stewart.
BOARD | Continued from Page 1A “This is a very new and controversial thing,” Rodriguez said. “We will have to do a lot of research and discussion before any decisions are made.” The board asked Rodriguez to put together a committee to do more research on the subject. “The committee will be made up of parents, teachers, faculty members and probably principals,”
Rodriguez said. Rodriguez added the issue of performance-based pay is complex because of the required objectivity that is needed. The board also recognized the girls and boys high school cross-country teams, which both went to the state competition in Austin for the first time, according to Rodriguez.
To receive the award, girls must complete a series of merit badges and complete dozens of hours of community service. For the three girls from troop 9113, their service project was titled “Project Help Our Community.” The girls collected non-perishable food and dog food to donate to the South Texas Food Bank. “We probably won’t forget about the friends we made while doing the project and the people we met,” said Madie Simms. “The activities we did were fun since we were helping the community and having a good time with friends at the same time.” In addition to their food drive, girls also collected bikes for Sacred Heart Children’s Home and stuffed animals for Casa de Misericordia, served food at H-E-B’s Feast of Sharing and visited the elderly at Regent Care Center. “Our project was a lot of fun,” Katie Simms said. “We got to do a lot of things and learn a lot.”
The mission of Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas is to build courage, confidence and character in girls ages 5-17. The GSGST council serves 26 counties and has offices in Harlingen, McAllen, Corpus Christi and Laredo. Sara Simms said her girls never stop learning and that their troop is always active in the community. “They’ve learned about so many things like recycling,” she said. “Now they recycle just about everything. They’ve learned about the arts downtown; one time they came across this school that was doing Christmas carols and they got involved with it too.” Due to many other troops’ involvement in the community and exposure in schools, membership in the Laredo area has tripled, said membership coordinator Alicia Luevano. Last year from August to July, there was a total of 300 girls registered with
the council. This year, there are 1,000 girls. The council has also had a new Girl Scout house to accommodate the projected growth. “There’s more awareness” Luevano said. “There are a lot of new leaders and the girls have gone into schools and done the rally. It’s basically being out there and this new building is going to help as well.” the girls also learn that they can change the world with their actions and the choices they make, Sara Simms added. “They went to see (ex-mayor) Betty Flores who told them about all her experiences as a Girl Scout,” the troop leader said. “They found out they can be the first female mayor, president or whatever. They learn not to wait for the world to change. They can start with their own little piece, take action and do their part.” For more information about the Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas, call 723-7251.
RESIDENTS | Continued from Page 1A He also noted the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. “It’s … equal protection under the law,” Adelman said. “They can’t deny your liberty — your income — or your use of your property.” The line between protecting the community and violating free speech is a thin one, officials said. Figueroa and Hector Uribe, an attorney from Austin who assists the court, reminded the people at the meeting of that line. “We do live in a country where the government has limited powers, what government does is limited by the United States Constitution and the Texas constitution,” Uribe said. “Further, counties are limited to exercising the powers that the state legislature has given counties. We live in a country of limited government, where certain powers are delegated to different levels.” The power to completely ban sexually oriented businesses remains in the hands of the federal government. At the local level, Uribe said, “location may be restricted to a certain area or prohibited in an area.”
“We want to make sure that we comply with the law because we’re going to ask them to comply with the law, and it’s only fair,” Uribe said. “We don’t want this type of establishment in our community, and we’re doing what we can to prevent it, but there’s certain procedures we have to follow,” said County Judge Rosalva Guerra. No matter what the decision is, some people in Zapata made their opinion about the business very clear. “Your voices have been heard,” Guerra said. “I hope the owners hear them.” Counselor Garza listed various reasons for her concern about Fantasy Ranch. “I am aware of the different disorders that exist, and the serious psychological consequences it can have on innocent bystanders, or victims who are trying to deal with those disorders,” Garza said. “Having the availability of an adult novelty and or exotic club in our county will definitely arouse sexual excitement and instigate sexual predators.”
Garza asked anyone who was at the meeting as a representative of the church to stand. Nearly the entire room stood. “These people are very offended by this,” Garza said. “We’re here to protest this, and this is just the beginning.” Fantasy Ranch owner Adelman, who owns other sexually oriented businesses around the country, said his clubs are clean. To the claims that his business will endanger the minds of children, Adelman responded with criticism of his own. “I believe you will find no case where any person has been convicted of molesting children at a SOB (Sexually Oriented Business),” said Adelman. “Unfortunately statistics, not to mention the press, attest to the fact that the church itself, if only indirectly, has contributed to many factors prompting their members to sexually abuse others.” Adelman sued the City of Laredo over free speech violations in regard to a sexually oriented business in 2001. (Zach Lindsey may be reached at 728-2538 or zach@lmtonline.com)
14A | THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008
CHRISTMAS FLOAT
Photos by Ulysses S. Romero | Laredo Morning Times
LEFT: A lighted artificial Christmas tree and children ride on a float down Highway 83 during the Zapata Christmas Parade last week. RIGHT: A re-enactment of the birth of Jesus winds its way down Highway 83 during the Zapata Christmas Parade.
Not spending on Christmas gifts is hard By MICHAEL LEVENSON THE BOSTON GLOBE
NATICK, Mass. — Like many people this economically uncertain holiday season, Melissa O’Toole and her husband decided to cut back on spending and forgo presents for one another. They agreed the money should be spent on household projects instead, and that it would be refreshing to get back to the essential spirit of Christmas. And yet there she was one day this week, strolling the wreath-and-Christmas-light-decorated corridors of the Natick Collection mall, shopping bags in hand. In one of them was a $250 iPod speaker tower for her husband. “I saw something that he would really like,” she confessed. But doesn’t that mean, come Christmas morning, she’ll be expecting him to have broken the vow, too? “I’m pretty reasonable,” she said. “Sometimes. Maybe.” Then, as her friends burst out laughing: “Hopefully, he knows better.”
Trying to scrimp Such is the quandary being faced by husbands and wives, lovers and loved ones of all kinds this year. Shocked by the fallout in the financial markets, many are trying to scrimp on the holidays by vowing to limit gift-giving. More than a few, however, are finding the bargain tough to uphold. The powerful holiday expectation of something — or many things — under the tree is forcing some of the would-be budget-cutters into store aisles, credit cards in hand. “Everybody goes over the limit,” said Ray Crowley, a 31-year-old chimney mason from Marlborough. He made a pact with his girlfriend, Sheila Marlowe, to spend no more than $300 each on their pres ents. But as he roamed Shopper’s World in Framingham last week, he was already thinking of the limit as more of a guideline, especially if spending less risked disappointing her. “I don’t think she’d mind if I went over,” he laughed. “Santa Claus is
good sometimes.” George Kemp, a retired office park maintenance worker from Framingham, resolved with his girlfriend of 19 years, Theresa, not to spend more than $50 to $75 on gifts for their children. So how was that working out? “You put your limit on things, but it doesn’t hold,” he said, as he headed into a Bob’s Store at Shopper’s World. “It’s started going overboard.”
Good intentions The bult-tightening pacts start with the noblest of intentions. For Crowley, it meant resolving with his girlfriend not to spend the $500 they usually spend on each other’s Christmas presents. “‘Everything is tight this year,”’ he said, recalling the negotiations that led to the agreement. “‘Don’t embarrass me. I don’t want you going out spending $350 when all I can afford is $250 to $300.”’ But then Christmas draws near, and even the best of intentions can crumble. No one, of course, wants to appear to be shortchanging a loved one.
Photo by Scott Sady | AP
An Amazon.com employee grabs boxes off the conveyor belt to load in a truck at their Fernley, Nev.,warehouse on Monday, Dec., 1.Amazon.com spokeswoman Sally Fouts said the company couldn’t comment on sales traffic or predict how much business would come at the last minute for holiday online shopping.
The Zapata Times SATURDAY,DECEMBER 20,2008
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors Lady Hawks fall in district opener By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
The Lady Hawks knew their new district (32-3A) was going to test them at every corner, and no game would be a cakewalk. La Feria and Hidalgo are the clear frontrunners to battle for the district title as they have been part of the playoff scene for the past few years and return a wealth of experience. The Lady Hawks hope to fly under the radar and sneak into the third playoff spot. Zapata faced its first test Tuesday night as it traveled to Rio Hondo to face the Lady Bobcats in their district opener. The Lady Hawks struggled on offense and had a difficult time containing Rio Hondo’s inside game as they fell to the Lady Bobcats, 37-32. “We struggled in the second and third quarters. It was a very physical game. They had a big post and we could not box her out. She controlled the boards,”
Zapata coach Clyde Guerra Jr. said. The Lady Hawks played well on defense as they were constantly keeping the Lady Bobcats from crossing the halfcourt line. Zapata’s (7-8 overall, 0-1 32-3A) full court press gave headaches to Rio Hondo all night long, but it failed to capitalize at the other end of the basket on uncontested layups. “We played good defense and our press worked, but we did not score on the turnovers we created off the press. We just missed too many open layups,” Guerra said. Zapata’s lack of transition offense off the fast break kept the Lady Hawks from taking the lead in the game. “We are panicking too much and forcing passes instead of taking our time to take that extra pass,” Guerra said. “We have to be able to score in transition.” The Lady Hawks came out on
Injuries take toll on boys By NINO CARDENAS LAREDO MORNING TIMES
The Zapata Hawks played at home for the first time in a month Friday when they took on the alumni in a contest at the Zapata gym. Any minutes that the team gets are valuable before opening District 32-3A play Jan. 2. Head coach Juan Villarreal is hoping to get some consistency from his team, something it
lacked Tuesday when the Hawks were doubled up by Laredo Martin in a non-district affair, 82-41. “We are back to square one; this is how we started,” Villarreal said after the Martin loss. “We need to stay at a consistent level.” The Hawks knew they had their hands full by
taking on the Martin Tigers. What they didn’t expect was they would be a few hands short in taking on the task, as two of their starters – Rene Garcia and Raul Serna – sat out because of the flu. Without the ballhandling skills of Serna and
the shooting threat of Garcia, the Hawks were overmatched on both sides of the court. The team is already shorthanded with the loss of Jerry Buentello for the season, and needs to get used to playing with a short bench. “I love playing these tough teams; it shows us the type of teams we are going to play during district,” Villarreal said.
See BOYS | PAGE 2B
See LADY | PAGE 2B
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Hunters, fishers are easy to shop for Y ears ago I got into the habit of buying myself a Christmas present. I found that year after year I was never disappointed and I enjoyed the experience so much that to this day I continue the practice. It all started out quite innocently. No matter how good I was throughout the year there were never any shotguns or high-dollar fishing equipment under the tree in spite of my leaving countless magazine articles, outdoor catalogs and other suggestive material lying around the house in plain sight. Men who enjoy the lifetime recreational activities of hunting and fishing are really quite easy to shop for at Christmas time. Take clothing for instance. Men don’t like colors that range too far from tan or brown. When it comes to our outdoor passions, we all want to look alike. That’s why camouflage is so popular now-a-days. When we show up at the gun club for a round or two of trap, skeet or sporting clays, we are not going to be caught wearing something that is not even a color like mauve, citron or magenta. That being said, we also don’t particularly like the starched look either. Any new shooting shirt I ever bought was immediately washed several times, allowed to collect a few dog hairs and in general, look a little on the shabby side. All men’s sizes are large or larger. If the pants or shirts are too big, that’s okay. If a clothing item is too small it will never get out of the closet. Men will never take anything
AP Photo
The pregame ceremony with a giant American flag is presented at Texas Stadium under its famed roof with a hole before an NFL football game last Sunday, in Irving.The final regular season NFL game in the stadium is scheduled for today, with 7:15 p.m. kickoff.The Cowboys plan to play in a new stadium next season.
MARTY MALIN back to a store and exchange it. It’s not in our make up and besides, we don’t even know how that works. We don’t talk to sales people in stores around the holidays even if we are purchasing something for ourselves. That would be like asking someone for directions. We particularly don’t like to (sorry guys, I didn’t want to use the S word) shop with women because women always want us to try things on and make sure they fit. We really don’t care if anything fits, perfectly; we just want things big enough. One year my sister-in-law, Jackie, asked me what I thought my brother Art would want for Christmas. Without hesitation I said, “A new 12 gauge over and under shotgun.” Her reply was, “He already has a shotgun.” I told her that didn’t make any difference, the key word is “new” and new shotguns are better than old shotguns. Actually, I knew for a fact that Art had a gun cabinet full of shotguns. Why is this logic so difficult for women to understand? They have a closet full of black shoes. My Christmas wish list doesn’t
See MALIN | PAGE 2B
’Boys hope to burrow to playoffs in hole-in-the-roof finale By JAIME ARON ASSOCIATED PRESS
RVING — The Dallas Cowboys sure would like to close Texas Stadium the way they opened it in 1971. Not just by winning the last game. By winning the Super Bowl, too. The Cowboys began playing under the hole in the roof in October 1971 and won their first championship at the end of that season. Four more Super Bowl titles and 37 seasons later, Dallas will play its 313th and final game there Satur-
I
day night, taking on the only team that’s never visited, the Baltimore Ravens. “I know the fans will be excited, I know the players are excited,” quarterback Tony Romo said. “We’d like to send it out on the right note.” The Cowboys (9-5) also need a win to get closer to the playoffs. There are even three scenarios in which Dallas could lock up a wild card this weekend, but all require a victory over the Ravens, who are among three 9-5 teams fighting for the AFC’s lone remaining wild card. While players and coaches will
be focused on what’s at stake, the farewell act of this pro sports landmark will be the theme of the evening for everyone else. In fact, the game is merely the opening act for Saturday night’s farewell show. Soon after players head to the locker rooms, a postgame ceremony will commence featuring some of the guys who turned the Cowboys into “America’s Team” and evoked the notion the roof was left open so God could watch his team play. Although the exact guest list is
See COWBOYS | PAGE 2B
Rookie runners highlight Raiders vs.Texans By JOSH DUBOW ASSOCIATED PRESS
OAKLAND, Calif. — Steve Slaton had to wait an entire day after Darren McFadden was drafted before he heard his own name called, missing out on all the hype and the riches from being a first-round pick. When it comes to making an impact in the NFL as a rookie, McFadden has been the one who
has had to wait, while Slaton has become one of the surprises from the latest draft class. “Everybody wants to be in the first round,” said Slaton, who was picked by Houston in the third round. “So, I was a little disappointed. But I just strived to make up ground and to
show the reason why I should have been in the first round.” Slaton has done just that, leading the Texans (7-7) with 1,124 yards rushing heading into Sunday’s game against McFadden and the Oakland Raiders (3-11). Slaton needs just 64 yards in his final two games to break
Domanick Williams’ single-season franchise record for rushing in a season. “The whole time during the draft they were saying that you would get a running back late that would be a real good player,” receiver Andre Johnson said. “Sometimes things just turn out that way. We were very fortunate that he came to our team. I
See TEXANS | PAGE 2B
Zscores CHL NORTHERN CONFERENCE Northeast Division W LOTL Pts GF GA Oklahoma City 17 4 2 36 73 43 Mississippi 14 9 0 28 76 65 Bossier-Shreveport137 2 28 68 58 Tulsa 7 12 2 16 59 94 Northwest Division W LOTL Pts GF GA Colorado 18 4 1 37 104 69 Rapid City 7 9 7 21 71 89 Rocky Mountain 9 12 2 20 64 86 Wichita 6 15 2 14 55 78 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE Southeast Division W LOTL Pts GF GA Laredo 16 6 1 33 81 56 Texas 13 8 3 29 74 66 Rio Grande Valley11 9 2 24 78 75 Corpus Christi 9 10 3 21 75 75 Southwest Division W LOTL Pts GF GA Odessa 18 5 2 38 104 67 Arizona 11 15 1 23 104 115 New Mexico 9 14 1 19 88 105 Amarillo 7 15 0 14 61 93 Wednesday’s Games Arizona 3, Texas 2 Oklahoma City 3, Colorado 2 SO Thursday’s Games Rio Grande Valley 6, Corpus Christi 4 Rocky Mountain 3, Rapid City 2 Friday’s Games Rapid City at Amarillo Tulsa at Bossier-Shreveport Odessa at Corpus Christi Mississippi at Wichita Rio Grande Valley at Laredo Texas at Arizona Colorado at New Mexico
NFL All Times EST AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF PA N.Y. Jets 9 5 0 .643 385 319 New England 9 5 0 .643 350 302 Miami 9 5 0 .643 283 269 Buffalo 6 8 0 .429 306 306 South W L T Pct PF PA x-Tennessee 12 2 0 .857 344 197 y-Indianapolis 11 4 0 .733 354 298 Houston 7 7 0 .500 319 343 Jacksonville 5 10 0 .333 295 340 North W L T Pct PF PA x-Pittsburgh 11 3 0 .786 302 192 Baltimore 9 5 0 .643 325 213 Cleveland 4 10 0 .286 232 305 Cincinnati 2 11 1 .179 174 358 West W L T Pct PF PA Denver 8 6 0 .571 326 366 San Diego 6 8 0 .429 346 302 Oakland 3 11 0 .214 205 348 Kansas City 2 12 0 .143 254 386 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF PA x-N.Y. Giants 11 3 0 .786 374 246 Dallas 9 5 0 .643 332 288 Philadelphia 8 5 1 .607 369 273 Washington 7 7 0 .500 231 266 South W L T Pct PF PA Carolina 11 3 0 .786 353 264 Tampa Bay 9 5 0 .643 313 251 Atlanta 9 5 0 .643 336 281 New Orleans 7 7 0 .500 390 353 North W L T Pct PF PA Minnesota 9 5 0 .643 342 290 Chicago 8 6 0 .571 331 302 Green Bay 5 9 0 .357 371 339 Detroit 0 14 0 .000 240 444 West W L T Pct PF PA x-Arizona 8 6 0 .571 386 358 San Francisco 5 9 0 .357 295 341 Seattle 3 11 0 .214 260 355 St. Louis 2 12 0 .143 189 417 x-clinched division y-clinched playoff spot Saturday’s Games Baltimore at Dallas, 8:15 p.m. Sunday’s Games New Orleans at Detroit, 1 p.m. Pittsburgh at Tennessee, 1 p.m. Miami at Kansas City, 1 p.m. Arizona at New England, 1 p.m. San Francisco at St. Louis, 1 p.m. San Diego at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. Cincinnati at Cleveland, 1 p.m. N.Y. Jets at Seattle, 4:05 p.m. Houston at Oakland, 4:05 p.m. Buffalo at Denver, 4:05 p.m. Atlanta at Minnesota, 4:15 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 4:15 p.m. Carolina at N.Y. Giants, 8:15 p.m. Monday’s Game Green Bay at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28 Miami at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. St. Louis at Atlanta, 1 p.m. Chicago at Houston, 1 p.m. Detroit at Green Bay, 1 p.m. N.Y. Giants at Minnesota, 1 p.m. Carolina at New Orleans, 1 p.m. Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m. New England at Buffalo, 1 p.m. Oakland at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1 p.m. Dallas at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Jacksonville at Baltimore, 1 p.m. Kansas City at Cincinnati, 1 p.m. Denver at San Diego, 4:15 p.m. Seattle at Arizona, 4:15 p.m. Washington at San Francisco, 4:15 p.m.
NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic W L Pct GB Boston 24 2 .923 — New Jersey 12 12 .500 11 New York 11 14 .440 12½ Philadelphia 11 14 .440 12½ Toronto 10 15 .400 13½ Southeast W L Pct GB Orlando 20 6 .769 — Atlanta 15 10 .600 4½ Miami 12 12 .500 7 Charlotte 8 18 .308 12 Washington 4 19 .174 14½ Central W L Pct GB Cleveland 21 4 .840 — Detroit 14 9 .609 6 Chicago 12 13 .480 9 Milwaukee 11 16 .407 11 Indiana 9 16 .360 12 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest W L Pct GB New Orleans 15 7 .682 — Houston 16 9 .640 ½ San Antonio 15 10 .600 1½
Dallas Memphis
14 10 .583 2 9 16 .360 7½ Northwest W L Pct GB Denver 17 8 .680 — Portland 17 10 .630 1 Utah 16 11 .593 2 Minnesota 4 21 .160 13 Oklahoma City 2 24 .077 15½ Pacific W L Pct GB L.A. Lakers 21 3 .875 — Phoenix 15 11 .577 7 L.A. Clippers 7 18 .280 14½ Golden State 7 19 .269 15 Sacramento 7 19 .269 15 Saturday’s Games L.A. Lakers at Orlando, 7 p.m. Golden State at Charlotte, 7 p.m. Indiana at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Miami at New Jersey, 8 p.m. Houston at Minnesota, 8 p.m. Sacramento at New Orleans, 8 p.m. Utah at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Toronto at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Milwaukee, 8:30 p.m. Denver at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Sunday’s Games Detroit at Atlanta, 2 p.m. New York at Boston, 6 p.m. Dallas at Washington, 6 p.m. Cleveland at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
NHL All Times EST EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L OT Pts GF GA N.Y. Rangers 22 11 2 46 94 91 Philadelphia 17 8 6 40 107 96 Pittsburgh 17 10 4 38 106 90 New Jersey 17 9 3 37 91 79 N.Y. Islanders 10 18 3 23 80 115 Northeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Boston 22 5 4 48 114 72 Montreal 17 9 5 39 92 80 Buffalo 15 13 3 33 86 90 Toronto 12 13 6 30 94 109 Ottawa 11 13 5 27 67 74 Southeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Washington 20 10 3 43 107 95 Carolina 15 12 5 35 83 95 Florida 14 13 4 32 76 85 Atlanta 10 17 4 24 91 114 Tampa Bay 7 15 9 23 69 97 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division W L OT Pts GF GA Detroit 21 6 4 46 113 93 Chicago 16 6 7 39 108 79 Nashville 15 13 3 33 83 92 Columbus 14 14 4 32 89 98 St. Louis 12 16 3 27 89 106 Northwest Division W L OT Pts GF GA Calgary 18 11 3 39 95 96 Vancouver 18 11 3 39 98 83 Colorado 16 15 1 33 88 93 Minnesota 15 13 2 32 78 69 Edmonton 14 14 2 30 81 93 Pacific Division W L OT Pts GF GA San Jose 25 4 3 53 113 78 Anaheim 17 12 3 37 91 88 Phoenix 15 13 4 34 84 91 Los Angeles 13 12 6 32 83 87 Dallas 13 14 4 30 86 108 Wednesday’s Games New Jersey 5, Buffalo 3 Columbus 2, San Jose 1, OT Calgary 3, Minnesota 2, OT N.Y. Rangers 3, Los Angeles 2, OT Vancouver 4, Edmonton 2 Thursday’s Games Carolina 2, Florida 1, OT Boston 8, Toronto 5 Washington 4, St. Louis 2 Pittsburgh 6, Atlanta 3 Montreal 5, Philadelphia 2 Detroit 6, San Jose 0 Colorado 2, Tampa Bay 1, SO Phoenix 2, Nashville 1 Dallas 6, Columbus 5, SO Friday’s Games Ottawa at New Jersey, 7 p.m. Los Angeles at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Minnesota, 8 p.m. Anaheim at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Chicago at Calgary, 9 p.m. Saturday’s Games Carolina at Boston, 1 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Dallas at Ottawa, 7 p.m. Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m. Los Angeles at Detroit, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 7 p.m. Toronto at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Nashville, 8 p.m. Minnesota at St. Louis, 8:30 p.m. Columbus at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Chicago at Vancouver, 10 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Sunday’s Games Philadelphia at New Jersey, 1 p.m. Colorado at Florida, 5 p.m. Boston at St. Louis, 6 p.m. Carolina at Montreal, 7 p.m.
MLB Free Agent Signings NEW YORK — The 32 free agents who have signed, with name, position, former club if different, and contract. The contract information was obtained by The Associated Press from player and management sources: AMERICAN LEAGUE BALTIMORE (1) — Signed Cesar Izturis, ss, Baltimore, to a $5 million, two-year contract. CLEVELAND (1) — Signed Kerry Wood, rhp, Chicago Cubs, to a $20.5 million, two-year contract. DETROIT (1) — Signed Adam Everett, ss, Minnesota, to a $1 million, one-year contract. KANSAS CITY (1) — Signed Kyle Farnsworth, rhp, Detroit, to a $9.25 million, two-year contract. LOS ANGELES (1) — Announced Darren Oliver, lhp, had accepted salary arbitration. MINNESOTA (1) — Re-signed Nick Punto, ss, to an $8.5 million, two-year contact. NEW YORK (2) — Signed CC Sabathia, lhp, Milwaukee, to a $161 million, seven-year contract; signed A.J. Burnett, rhp, Toronto, to an $82.5 million, five-year contract. SEATTLE (1) — Signed Russell Branyan, 3b, Milwaukee, to a $1.4 million, one-year contract. NATIONAL LEAGUE ARIZONA (1) — Signed Felipe Lopez, inf, St. Louis, to a $3.5 million, one-year contract. CHICAGO (1) — Re-signed Ryan Dempster, rhp, to a $52 million, four-year contract. CINCINNATI (3) — Re-signed Mike Lincoln, rhp, to a $4 million, two-year contract; announced David Weathers, rhp, had accepted salary arbitration; signed Arthur Rhodes, lhp, Florida, to a $4 million, two-year contract.
SATURDAY,DECEMBER 20,2008
COLORADO (1) — Signed Alan Embree, rhp, Oakland, to a $2.25 million, one-year contact. HOUSTON (4) — Re-signed Doug Brocail, rhp, to a $2.75 million, one-year contract; signed Mike Hampton, lhp, Atlanta, to a $2 million, one-year contract; signed Jason Michaels, of, Pittsburgh, to a $750,000, oneyear contract; signed Aaron Boone, inf, Houston, to a $750,000, one-year contract. LOS ANGELES (2) — Re-signed Casey Blake, to a $17.5 million, three-year contract; signed Mark Loretta, 2b, Houston, to a $1.25 million, one-year contract. MILWAUKEE (3) — Signed Jorge Julio, rhp, Atlanta, to a $950,000, one-year contract; re-signed Mike Lamb, 3b, to a $400,000, oneyear contract; signed Trot Nixon, of, New York Mets, to a minor league contract. NEW YORK (1) — Signed Francisco Rodriguez, rhp, Los Angeles Angels, to a $37 million, three-year contract. PHILADELPHIA (2) — Re-signed Jamie Moyer, lhp, to a $13 million, two-year contract; signed Raul Ibanez, of, Seattle, to a $31.5 million, three-year contract. PITTSBURGH (1) — Signed Ramon Vazquez, 3b, Texas, to a $4 million, two-year contract. ST. LOUIS (1) — Signed Trever Miller, lhp, Tampa Bay, to a $500,000, one-year contract. SAN FRANCISCO (3) — Signed Jeremy Affeldt, lhp, Cincinnati, to an $8 million, twoyear contract; signed Bobby Howry, rhp, Chicago Cubs, to a $2.75 million, one-year contract; signed Edgar Renteria, ss, Detroit, to an $18.5 million, two-year contract. Remaining Free Agents NEW YORK (— The 139 remaining free agents: AMERICAN LEAGUE BALTIMORE (4) — Juan Castro, ss; Alex Cintron, ss; Kevin Millar, 1b; Jay Payton, of. BOSTON (9) — Paul Byrd, rhp; Sean Casey, 1b; Bartolo Colon, rhp; Alex Cora, ss; Mark Kotsay, of; David Ross, c; Curt Schilling, rhp; Mike Timlin, rhp; Jason Varitek, c. CHICAGO (6) — Orlando Cabrera, ss; Joe Crede, 3b; Ken Griffey Jr., of; Toby Hall, c; Horacio Ramirez, lhp; Juan Uribe, 3b. CLEVELAND (4) — Brendan Donnelly, rhp; Scott Elarton, rhp; Sal Fasano, c; Juan Rincon, rhp. DETROIT (5) — Casey Fossum, lhp; Freddy Garcia, rhp; Todd Jones, rhp; Kenny Rogers, lhp; Vance Wilson, c. KANSAS CITY (1) — Mark Grudzielanek, 2b. LOS ANGELES (4) — Garret Anderson, of; Jon Garland, rhp; Juan Rivera, of; Mark Teixeira, 1b. MINNESOTA (2) — Eddie Guardado, lhp; Dennys Reyes, lhp. NEW YORK (8) — Bobby Abreu, of; Jason Giambi, 1b; Chad Moeller, c; Mike Mussina, rhp; Carl Pavano, rhp; Andy Pettitte, lhp; Sidney Ponson, rhp; Ivan Rodriguez, c. OAKLAND (3) — Emil Brown, of; Keith Foulke, rhp; Frank Thomas, dh. SEATTLE (2) — Willie Bloomquist, of; Miguel Cairo, inf. TAMPA BAY (3) — Rocco Baldelli, dh; Cliff Floyd, dh; Eric Hinske, of. TEXAS (3) — Milton Bradley, dh; Jason Jennings, rhp; Jamey Wright, rhp. TORONTO (3) — John Parrish, lhp; Brad Wilkerson, of; Gregg Zaun, c. NATIONAL LEAGUE ARIZONA (7) — Tony Clark, 1b; Juan Cruz, rhp; Adam Dunn, of; David Eckstein, ss; Orlando Hudson, 2b; Randy Johnson, lhp; Brandon Lyon, rhp. ATLANTA (6) — Elmer Dessens, rhp; Tom Glavine, lhp; Greg Norton, of; Will Ohman, lhp; John Smoltz, rhp; Julian Tavarez, rhp. CHICAGO (5) — Henry Blanco, c; Jim Edmonds, of; Chad Fox, rhp; Jon Lieber, rhp; Daryle Ward, 1b. CINCINNATI (6) — Paul Bako, c; Josh Fogg, rhp; Jerry Hairston Jr., of; Kent Mercker, lhp; Corey Patterson, of; Javier Valentin, c. COLORADO (6) — Brian Fuentes, lhp; Matt Herges, rhp; Livan Hernandez, rhp; Adam Melhuse, c; Scott Podsednik, of; Glendon Rusch, lhp. FLORIDA (3) — Luis Gonzalez, of; Mark Hendrickson, lhp; Paul Lo Duca, c. HOUSTON (2) — Brad Ausmus, c; Randy Wolf, lhp. LOS ANGELES (13) — Joe Beimel, lhp; Gary Bennett, c; Rafael Furcal, ss; Nomar Garciaparra, ss; Jason Johnson, rhp; Jeff Kent, 2b; Derek Lowe, rhp; Greg Maddux, rhp; Pablo Ozuna; Chan Ho Park, rhp; Brad Penny, rhp; Manny Ramirez, of; Mark Sweeney, 1b. MILWAUKEE (7) — Craig Counsell, 3b; Ray Durham, 2b; Eric Gagne, rhp; Gabe Kapler, of; Guillermo Mota, rhp; Ben Sheets, rhp; Brian Shouse, lhp. NEW YORK (10) — Moises Alou, of; Tony Armas Jr., rhp; Luis Ayala, rhp; Damion Easley, 2b; Orlando Hernandez, rhp; Pedro Martinez, rhp; Ramon Martinez, 2b; Oliver Perez, lhp; Ricardo Rincon, lhp; Matt Wise, rhp. PHILADELPHIA (3) — Pat Burrell, of; Tom Gordon, rhp; Rudy Seanez, rhp. PITTSBURGH (3) — Chris Gomez, 3b; Doug Mientkiewicz, 1b; Luis Rivas, ss.. ST. LOUIS (6) — Juan Encarnacion, of; Jason Isringhausen, rhp; Braden Looper, rhp; Mark Mulder, lhp; Russ Springer, rhp; Ron Villone, lhp. SAN DIEGO (2) — Trevor Hoffman, rhp; Mark Prior, rhp. SAN FRANCISCO (2) — Rich Aurilia, 1b; Omar Vizquel, ss. WASHINGTON (1) — Odalis Perez, lhp.
NCAA Football Bowl Glance All Times EST (Subject to change) Saturday, Dec. 20 EagleBank Bowl At Washington Payout: $750,000 Navy (8-4) vs. Wake Forest (7-5), 11 a.m. (ESPN) New Mexico Bowl At Albuquerque Payout: $750,000 Colorado State (6-6) vs. Fresno State (7-5), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) St. Petersburg (Fla.) Bowl Payout: $1 million South Florida (7-5) vs. Memphis (6-6), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2) Las Vegas Bowl Payout: $1 million BYU (10-2) vs. Arizona (7-5), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Sunday, Dec. 21 New Orleans Bowl Payout: $325,000 Troy (8-4) vs. Southern Mississippi (6-6), 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
Tuesday, Dec. 23 Poinsettia Bowl At San Diego Payout: $750,000 Boise State (12-0) vs. TCU (10-2), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Wednesday, Dec. 24 Hawaii Bowl At Honolulu Payout: $750,000 Hawaii (7-6) vs. Notre Dame (6-6), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Friday, Dec. 26 Motor City Bowl At Detroit Payout: $750,000 Florida Atlantic (6-6) vs. Central Michigan (8-4), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2) Saturday, Dec. 27 Meineke Bowl At Charlotte, N.C. Payout: $1 million North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (84), 1 p.m. (ESPN) Champs Sports Bowl At Orlando, Fla. Payout: $2.125 million Florida State (8-4) vs. Wisconsin (7-5), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN) Emerald Bowl At San Francisco Payout: ACC: $750,000 Pac-10: $850,000 California (8-4) vs. Miami (7-5), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Sunday, Dec. 28 Independence Bowl At Shreveport, La. Payout: $1.1 million Louisiana Tech (7-5) vs. Northern Illinois (6-6), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Dec. 29 PapaJohns.com Bowl At Birmingham, Ala. Payout: $300,000 Rutgers (7-5) vs. North Carolina State (66), 3 p.m. (ESPN) Alamo Bowl At San Antonio Payout: $2.25 million Northwestern (9-3) vs. Missouri (9-4), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Tuesday, Dec. 30 Humanitarian Bowl At Boise, Idaho Payout: $750,000 Nevada (7-5) vs. Maryland (7-5), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN) Holiday Bowl At San Diego Payout: $2.3 million Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Texas Bowl At Houston Payout: $750,000 Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3), 8 p.m. (NFLN) Wednesday, Dec. 31 Armed Forces Bowl At Fort Worth, Texas Payout: $750,000 Houston (7-5) vs. Air Force (8-4), Noon (ESPN) Sun Bowl At El Paso, Texas Payout: $1.9 million Oregon State (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (9-3), 2 p.m. (CBS) Music City Bowl At Nashville, Tenn. Payout: $1.7 million Vanderbilt (6-6) vs. Boston College (9-4), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN) Insight Bowl At Tempe, Ariz. Payout: $1.2 million Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5), 5:30 p.m. (NFLN) Chick-fil-A Bowl At Atlanta Payout: $3 million LSU (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (9-3), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) Thursday, Jan. 1 Outback Bowl At Tampa, Fla. Payout: $3.2 million Iowa (8-4) vs. South Carolina (7-5), 11 a.m. (ESPN) Capital One Bowl At Orlando, Fla. Payout: $4.25 million Georgia (9-3) vs. Michigan State (9-3), 1 p.m. (ABC) Gator Bowl At Jacksonville, Fla. Payout: $2.5 million Nebraska (8-4) vs. Clemson (7-5), 1 p.m. (CBS) Rose Bowl At Pasadena, Calif. Payout: $17 million Southern Cal (11-1) vs. Penn State (11-1), 5 p.m. (ABC) Orange Bowl At Miami Payout: $17 million Cincinnati (11-2) vs. Virginia Tech (9-4), 8 p.m. (FOX) Friday, Jan. 2 Cotton Bowl At Dallas Payout: $3 million Texas Tech (11-1) vs. Mississippi (8-4), 2 p.m. (FOX) Liberty Bowl At Memphis, Tenn. Payout: $1.8 million Kentucky (6-6) vs. East Carolina (9-4), 5 p.m. (ESPN) Sugar Bowl At New Orleans Payout: $17 million Utah (12-0) vs. Alabama (12-1), 8 p.m. (FOX) Saturday, Jan. 3 International Bowl At Toronto Payout: $750,000 Connecticut (7-5) vs. Buffalo (8-5), Noon (ESPN2) Monday, Jan. 5 Fiesta Bowl At Glendale, Ariz. Payout: $17 million Texas (11-1) vs. Ohio State (10-2), 8:30 p.m. (FOX) Tuesday, Jan. 6 GMAC Bowl Mobile, Ala. Payout: $750,000 Tulsa (10-3) vs. Ball State (12-1), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Thursday, Jan. 8 BCS National Championship At Miami Payout: $17 million Florida (12-1) vs. Oklahoma (12-1), 8 p.m. (FOX) Saturday, Jan. 17 East-West Shrine Classic
At Houston West vs. East, TBD (ESPN2) Saturday, Jan. 24 Senior Bowl At Mobile, Ala. South vs. North, 7 p.m. (NFLN) Saturday, Jan. 31 Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Challenge At El Paso, Texas Texas vs. Nation, 1 p.m.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Schedule All Times EST Saturday, Dec. 20 EAST Miami (Ohio) at West Virginia, Noon Princeton at Cent. Connecticut St., 1 p.m. Rice at Duquesne, 1 p.m. Mount St. Mary’s, Md. at Georgetown, 1 p.m. Manhattan at Binghamton, 2 p.m. Navy at Canisius, 2 p.m. La Salle at Cornell, 2 p.m. Bryant at Rutgers, 2 p.m. Duke vs. Xavier at the Izod Center, East Rutherford, N.J., 2 p.m. N.J. Tech at Rider, 3 p.m. Providence at Boston College, 4 p.m. UNC Asheville at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Hofstra at Massachusetts, 4 p.m. Drexel at Bucknell, 5 p.m. IUPUI at Seton Hall, 7 p.m. American U. at UMBC, 7 p.m. SOUTH Appalachian St. at Kentucky, Noon Haverford at William & Mary, 1 p.m. Wofford at Georgia, 2 p.m. Va. Intermont at Longwood, 2 p.m. Lipscomb at N.C. State, 2 p.m. Troy at UAB, 2 p.m. South Florida vs. Murray St. at Mario Morales Coliseum, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, 3 p.m. S. Carolina St. at Savannah St., 3 p.m. Belmont at Tennessee, 3 p.m. Xavier, NO at Alcorn St., 3:05 p.m. UNC Pembroke at Campbell, 3:15 p.m. Ferrum at Gardner-Webb, 4 p.m. Coastal Carolina at Georgia St., 4 p.m. Jackson St. at SE Louisiana, 4 p.m. Auburn at Virginia, 4 p.m. Averett at Winston-Salem, 4 p.m. Palm Beach Atlantic at North Florida, 5 p.m. The Citadel at South Carolina, 5 p.m. Oral Roberts vs. Wright St. at Mario Morales Coliseum, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, 5:30 p.m. Syracuse at Memphis, 6 p.m. Tennessee Tech at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m. Florida at UCF, 6:30 p.m. Cumberlands at Marshall, 7 p.m. Winthrop at Old Dominion, 7 p.m. South Alabama at Fla. International, 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga at MVSU, 8:30 p.m. MIDWEST Iona at Ohio St., Noon Robert Morris vs. Cent. Michigan at The Palace of Auburn Hills, 1 p.m. Florida Gulf Coast at Butler, 2 p.m. DePauw at Indiana St., 2 p.m. Centenary at Kansas St., 2 p.m. North Carolina vs. Valparaiso at the United Center, 2 p.m. Temple at Kansas, 2:30 p.m. North Dakota at Wis.-Green Bay, 3 p.m. Iowa at Drake, 4 p.m. St. Bonaventure at E. Michigan, 4 p.m. Michigan vs. Oakland, Mich. at The Palace of Auburn Hills, 4 p.m. Davidson vs. Purdue at Conseco Fieldhouse, 4 p.m. Loyola of Chicago at N. Illinois, 6 p.m. Saint Mary’s, Calif. at S. Illinois, 6 p.m. Coppin St. at Wisconsin, 6 p.m. E. Kentucky at Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m. UC Irvine vs. Middle Tennessee at JQH Arena, Springfield, Mo., 6:35 p.m. Stetson at Missouri, 7 p.m. Delaware St. at Notre Dame, 7 p.m. Houston at Toledo, 7 p.m. Samford at Chicago St., 8 p.m. UNC Greensboro at Dayton, 8 p.m. Detroit at Illinois, 8 p.m. IPFW at Nebraska, 8 p.m. Bradley at Wis.-Milwaukee, 8 p.m. N. Carolina A&T at Evansville, 8:05 p.m. Ill.-Chicago at Illinois St., 8:05 p.m. N. Arizona at Wichita St., 8:05 p.m. Jacksonville St. at Iowa St., 9 p.m. Norfolk St. at Missouri St., 9:05 p.m. SOUTHWEST New Mexico at Texas Tech, 1 p.m. Michigan St. vs. Texas at the Toyota Center, Houston, 2 p.m. Northwestern St. at Houston Baptist, 3:05 p.m. LSU vs. Texas A&M at the Toyota Center, Houston, 4:30 p.m. Bowling Green at Cent. Arkansas, 7 p.m. Rhode Island vs. Oklahoma St. at the Ford Center, Oklahoma City, 7:30 p.m. Arkansas St. at Ark.-Little Rock, 8 p.m. Stephen F.Austin at Arkansas, 8:05 p.m. Huston-Tillotson at Lamar, 8:05 p.m. New Mexico St. at UTEP, 9:05 p.m. Texas-Arlington at Baylor, 9:30 p.m. Va. Commonwealth vs. Oklahoma at the Ford Center, Oklahoma City, 10 p.m. FAR WEST Louisville vs. Minnesota at University of Phoenix Stadium, 2 p.m. N. Dakota St. at Southern Cal, 3 p.m. Arizona at UNLV, 3 p.m. Connecticut vs. Gonzaga at Key Arena, 4 p.m. UC Santa Barbara at San Diego St., 4 p.m. Sacramento St. at Wyoming, 4 p.m. BYU vs. Arizona St. at University of Phoenix Stadium, 4:30 p.m. Georgia Tech at Pepperdine, 5 p.m. Nevada at California, 6 p.m. Texas Southern at Idaho, 6 p.m. N. Colorado at San Jose St., 6 p.m. Weber St. at Utah, 6 p.m. Montana St. at Long Beach St., 6:05 p.m. Colorado St. at Denver, 6:30 p.m. Howard at Oregon St., 8 p.m. Portland at Oregon, 9 p.m. S. Utah at Utah Valley St., 9 p.m. Utah St. at Idaho St., 9:05 p.m. Boise St. at CS Bakersfield, 10 p.m. S.C.-Upstate at Fresno St., 10 p.m. Santa Clara at Pacific, 10 p.m. Northwestern at Stanford, 10 p.m. E. Washington at Washington, 10 p.m. Tulsa at Loyola Marymount, 10:05 p.m. Montana at Portland St., 10:05 p.m. Mercer at UCLA, 10:30 p.m. TOURNAMENTS Aeropostale Holiday Festival At New York First Round Virginia Tech vs. Columbia, 2 p.m. Marist vs. St. John’s, 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21 EAST Delaware at Boston U., Noon Vermont at Quinnipiac, Noon VMI at Army, 1 p.m.
Harvard at Maine, 1 p.m. Lehigh at Monmouth, N.J., 1 p.m. Lafayette at Penn St., 4 p.m. Brown at Wagner, 4 p.m. SOUTH Youngstown St. at Charlotte, 2 p.m. Murray St. vs. Oral Roberts at Mario Morales Coliseum, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, 3 p.m. Alabama A&M at W. Kentucky, 5 p.m. South Florida vs. Wright St. at Mario Morales Coliseum, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, 5:15 p.m. Pittsburgh at Florida St., 5:30 p.m. Sam Houston St. at Louisiana-Lafayette, 6:15 p.m. Clemson at Miami, 7:45 p.m. MIDWEST Presbyterian at Ball St., 1 p.m. S. Dakota St. at N. Iowa, 2:05 p.m. W. Illinois at SE Missouri, 4 p.m. Middle Tennessee vs. Norfolk St. at JQH Arena, Springfield, Mo., 6:30 p.m. UC Irvine at Missouri St., 9:05 p.m. SOUTHWEST Prairie View at Texas St., 3 p.m. FAR WEST Loyola, Md. at UC Davis, 5 p.m. Washington St. at Idaho, 10 p.m.
Fight Schedule National TV in parentheses Dec. 20 At Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland, Nikolai Valuev, Russia, vs. Evander Holyfield, Atlanta, 12, for Valuev’s WBA heavyweight title. At Cozumel, Mexico, Humberto Soto, Mexico, vs. Francisco Lorenzo, Dominican Republic, 12, for the vacant WBC super featherweight title. Dec. 23 At Tokyo, Daisuke Naito, Japan, vs. Shingo Yamaguchi, Japan, 12, for Naito’s WBC flyweight title. Dec. 31 At Hiroshima, Japan, Takefumi Sakata, Japan, vs. Denkaosan Kaovichit, Thailand, 12, for Sakata’s WBA flyweight title. Jan. 3 At Kanagawa, Japan, Yusuke Kobori, Japan, vs. Paulus Moses, Nambia, 12, for Kobori’s WBA lightweight title; Toshiaki Nishioka, Japan, vs. Genaro Garcia, Mexico, 12, for the interim WBC super bantamweight title. Jan. 9 At Primm Valley Resort Casino, Primm, Nev. (ESPN), Yuriorkis Gamboa, Miami, vs. Roger Gonzalez, Chino, Calif., 10, junior lightweights. Jan. 23 At Vancouver, B.C. (HBO), Andre Berto, Winterhaven, Fla., vs. Luis Collazo, New York, 12, for Berto’s WBC welterweight title; Sergio Gabriel Martinez, Spain, vs. Joe Greene, Jamaica, N.Y., 12, for Martinez’s interim WBC light middleweight title. Jan. 24 At Staples Center, Los Angeles (HBO), Antonio Margarito, Mexico, vs. Shane Mosley, Pomona, Calif., for Margarito’s WBA welterweight title. Jan. 30 At Montreal, Herman Ngoudjo, Canada, vs. Juan Urango, Miami, 12, for the vacant IBF light welterweight title. Feb. 7 At Rostock, Germany, Andriy Kotelnik, Germany, vs. Marcos Rene Maidana, Argentina, 12, for Kotelnik’s WBA light welterweight title. At The Pond, Anaheim, Calif. (SHO), Vic Darchinyan, Australia, vs. Jorge Arce, Mexico, 12, for Darchinyan’s IBF-WBC-WBA junior bantamweight title.
Transactions BASEBALL American League LOS ANGELES ANGELS—Agreed to terms with OF Juan Rivera on a three-year contract. National League PITTSBURGH PIRATES—Named Matt Walbeck manager, Dean Treanor pitching coach and Ryan Long hitting coach for Altoona (EL); Gary Robinson manager, Mike Steele pitching coach, Brandon Moore hitting coach and Mike Zalno trainer for State College (NYP); PJ Forbes manager for Lynchburg (Carolina) and Gary Green manager for West Virginia (SAL). International League INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS—Named Frank Kremblas manager. FOOTBALL National Football League TENNESSEE TITANS—Placed CB Cary Williams on injured reserve. Signed DT Amon Gordon. HOCKEY National Hockey League COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS—Called up C Mike York from Syracuse (AHL). Assigned D Clay Wilson to Syracuse. DALLAS STARS—Assigned F Tyler Shelast to Idaho (ECHL). MINNESOTA WILD—Placed RW Owen Nolan on injured reserve. Recalled C Krys Kolanos from Houston (AHL). PHILADELPHIA FLYERS—Recalled F Josh Gratton from Philadelphia (AHL). Assigned G Scott Munroe to Philadelphia. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS—Signed F Maxime Talbot to a two-year contract through the 2010-11 season. ST. LOUIS BLUES—Acquired F Jonathan Filewich from Pittsburgh for a 2010 conditional sixth-round draft pick. Assigned C Cam Paddock to Peoria (AHL). TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING—Assigned G Karri Ramo to Norfolk (AHL). American Hockey League ALBANY RIVER RATS—Announced Carolina (NHL) assigned D Brett Carson to the team. SYRACUSE CRUNCH—Announced Columbus (NHL) recalled LW Mike York and returned D Clay Wilson. ECHL ECHL—Suspended Phoenix LW James McEwan for one game for his actions in a game against Utah on Dec. 18. CHARLOTTE CHECKERS—Placed F Joe Zappala on the suspended list. ELMIRA JACKALS—Announced Binghamton (AHL) assigned F Derek Couture and D Nathan Lutz to the team. COLLEGE ALABAMA STATE—Named Monique Holland athletic director. GEORGIA SOUTHERN—Named Elizabeth Ryan assistant director of athletics/media relations. SYRACUSE—Named Rob Spence offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
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BOYS | Continued from Page 1B The Hawks had no answer for the Tigers defensively, as Martin finished the contest with five players in double figures. They surrendered outside shots as often as they did inside buckets. The Tigers connected on 11 3-pointers, with five coming in the opening quarter in which the Tigers took a commanding 25-12 lead and dictated the rest of the contest. The Hawks were rattled on offense by a Tiger man-on-man defense that led to multiple steals and errant Hawk passes. The silver lining for Zapata was the play of a couple of sophomores in Luis Gonzalez, who led the team with 15 points, and Andrew Magee, who added 12. “Gonzalez played a great game; he is coming off a great tournament,” Villarreal said. As for Magee, “He’s been aggressive constantly,” Villarreal said. “He was all-tourney in San Diego (tournament). He did his usual.” Time is running out for the Hawks, as they have to roll with what they have with district approaching. Whether it’s going to be enough remains to be seen.
MALIN | Continued from Page 1B change much from year to year and thankfully, almost everything has arrived this year. My old yellow Labrador retriever “Tug” doesn’t even bother getting up and barking anymore when the UPS and FedEx driver rings the doorbell and drops something off at the front door. If the average man born before the advent of television was asked what he wanted for Christmas he would say, “Nothing” and most women would take that answer literally. It’s hard to blame them because we all seem to be outfitted to go on a safari. One gift I gave myself this year was a five day West Texas mule deer hunt that ended last weekend. Perhaps while I was away from home the previous week, the new reel I ordered from Bass Pro Shops arrived. I’m sure the lady of the house will wrap it and put it under the tree like she did last year. Some habits are so hard to break.
LADY | Continued from Page 1B fire in the first quarter as they countered Rio Hondo’s offense to end the quarter with a tie. In the second quarter, the wheels started to come off for Zapata’s offense as it struggled to find the basket from the perimeter. The Lady Hawks scored four points in the second quarter, and added four more in the third quarter to let the game slip away. Zapata also struggled from the charity stripe, as it missed 12 of 22 free throws. Guerra, however, was pleased with the play of Lynda Leyva, Adriana Peña, Brandi King and Myra Alaniz. San Diego Tournament Prior to opening district play, the Lady Hawks captured the runner-up trophy at the San Diego Tournament last weekend. Alaniz and King were named to the all tournament team. Zapata’s road to the championship went through three schools. The Lady Hawks faced Bishop in the opening game of the tournament. They defeated the Lady Badgers to move into the quarterfinals to face the Hebbronville Lady Longhorns. After disposing of Hebbronville they played the host, San Diego, to earn the right to the championship game. The Lady Hawks faced Falfurrias, a team they had beaten earlier in the season, 49-38. Luck ran out for the Lady Hawks as they fell to the Lady Jerseys in the championship game, 40-35. “We just got outplayed in the championship game. We made too many turnovers,” Guerra said.
COWBOYS | Continued from Page 1B being kept secret, expect Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly, Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin to be among the headliners. Probably Deion Sanders, too, since he’ll be analyzing the game for the NFL Network. (Programming note for Cowboys lovers — or haters — who get the NFL Network: Cowboysoriented programming will run from 6 a.m. ET all the way to kickoff.) During the postgame ceremony, roughly 100 former Cowboys players and coaches who spent at least five years at Texas Stadium will make one last stroll across the midfield star. Current players are expected to take part, too. It’s only logical that the team’s world-famous cheer-
leaders also will be involved. It’s worth noting that George Teague was with the Cowboys for exactly five seasons, so he and Terrell Owens could once again meet at the star — like they did in 2000, when T.O., then playing for San Francisco, celebrated two touchdowns on the logo and Teague made him pay for the second one. During breaks in the Ravens game, the Cowboys will reveal the five most memorable moments at Texas Stadium based on an online vote by fans. Clint Longley’s Thanksgiving 1974 performance against the Washington Redskins has to be among them; will Teague “defending the star” make it, too?
The Cowboys are 213-99 at home, counting the playoffs, since moving from the Cotton Bowl into this state-of-the-art building in the suburb of Irving in October 1971. Most of the $35 million cost was paid for through seat option bonds, a first of its kind concept that’s evolved into seat licenses. The building also featured 176 luxury suites, more — and fancier — than any stadium up to that point. Next season, Dallas is moving into another sports Taj Mahal, a $1.1 billion, 100,000-seat stadium. Just this week, builders installed the support for the video boards; billed as the biggest highdef screens ever made, they’re high above each sideline and stretch between the 20-
yard-lines. As nice as the new place in Arlington will be, Texas Stadium will retain special memories, from the Super Bowl teams to Smith passing Walter Payton for the NFL’s career rushing lead in 2002. Millions of Americans who aren’t Cowboys fans, maybe not even football fans, can’t remember a Thanksgiving that didn’t include a game from Texas Stadium as part of their family gathering. “It’s kind of neat to sit back and think about and reflect on some of the things you were able to watch, how many big games, or how many great players have been in a situation in there,” Romo said. “It makes you proud of the organization.”
As for the game itself, Dallas comes in on a 4-1 roll since Romo returned from a broken pinkie on his passing hand. The only loss was in the final minutes of a tight game in Pittsburgh. The Steelers bashed Romo pretty good that day and the New York Giants nearly finished him off Sunday night. He went down wincing with a back injury late in the first quarter and probably will still be feeling it when Ray Lewis and the hardhitting Ravens take the field. Fans ache just thinking about that. “He has a lot of playmakers on his side of the ball, so (we can’t) let him sit back there and pick and choose,” Lewis said.
TEXANS | Continued from Page 1B watched Steve play a lot when he was in college. I’ve always been a fan of his and he’s helped us out a whole lot.” McFadden hasn’t had nearly the success as a rookie despite being the first running back taken in the draft when Oakland selected him fourth overall. He is seventh among all rookie backs in yards rushing this season, having been slowed by a pair of turf toe injuries that forced him to miss three games. But even when McFadden has been healthy in recent weeks, the Raiders have struggled to find ways to get their most explosive
offensive player the ball. McFadden has taken the lack of work in stride, always smiling when asked about it and never complaining about his use. “You really want the ball, but at the same time you know the coach is going to make his decisions and you’ve got to go with it,” McFadden said. “With me, it’s just like I go out there, work hard and run the ball when I’m called on. I’ve just got to do what I can.” McFadden has 100 carries for 451 yards and four touchdowns this season. He has also caught 22 passes for 234 yards, leaving
him second on the team in yards from scrimmage. But he has also gone long stretches without getting the ball. In one seven-quarter span beginning with the second half against Kansas City on Nov. 30, McFadden had just four touches. That included the entire first quarter of last week’s 49-26 loss to New England, when McFadden was wearing a jacket on the sideline while the Raiders quickly fell behind 21 points. “If we weren’t going three-andout, he would have been involved,” interim coach Tom Cable said, not addressing whether using Mc-
Fadden would have avoided any of those three-and-outs on the first three drives. By the time McFadden did enter the game, he ended up with 114 yards from scrimmage, turning some short passes into long gains that took some pressure off quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Russell said he planned to lobby to get McFadden even more involved this week against the Texans, and Cable has seemed amenable to it. “That’s on coach. He’s seen that,” Russell said. “A lot of people have probably been talking about it. When the ball is in No. 20’s
hands, it is fun to watch. I’m pretty sure he might work on getting him some touches early in the game and go from there. Because once he got the ball in his hands last week you saw some turning points in the game.” While McFadden has been unable to displace Justin Fargas as Oakland’s primary back, Slaton has benefited from injuries to take the job in Houston. He was originally penciled in to be a thirddown back, but veterans Chris Brown and Ahman Green are both out for the season with injuries. Slaton has made the most of
his opportunity, shifting easily from the spread offense at West Virginia to a more conventional one in the NFL. “It’s been a dream of a first season,” Slaton said. “You set your goals as high as you can, but the way everything panned out this year for me is truly a blessing.” Slaton’s success has been a big part of Houston’s turnaround this season. After starting the year 04, the Texans have a chance to finish with a winning record for the first time in franchise history if they beat Oakland and then win the season finale at home against Chicago.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008
THE ZAPATA TIMES | 3B
HINTS BY HELOISE Dear Heloise: Our beautiful golden retriever has a full life on our farm, taking care of horses, helping with all the chores and generally enjoying life. However, she comes in with her coat full of BURRS. I’ve found that if I keep handy a bottle of aftershampoo conditioner and rub HELOISE it into the burrs, they practically dissolve. Then a good bath, and she is ready for her next adventure. The burrs are much easier to remove this way, even if I have to use the comb, and I’m sure it hurts her less. — Alice, via e-mail Burrs can really be a pain for
dog and owner! I’m going to use your hint on Cabbie, our mini schnauzer, who comes in with them stuck in her beard. — Heloise HANDY PHOTOS Dear Heloise: If your pet is prone to skin growths, try to measure them and watch to see if they get any bigger, change color, etc. Digital photos help track if they grow and can be e-mailed to your vet, if necessary. — C.B. from Ontario, Canada DOG WASTE BAGS Dear Heloise: I use plastic newspaper sleeves for dog waste bags. Because they are long and narrow, I can tie them around the handle of the leash so I don’t forget to bring one. It’s a good way to recycle something that would otherwise be thrown out! — Nancy Smith, via e-mail
Also, in many places, it’s the law that owners pick up after their pets. This is an easy way to do it. — Heloise PUMPKIN SEEDS Dear Heloise: After the season, you can buy pumpkins at a discount price, remove the seeds, dry them on a cookie sheet in a 250-degree oven for an hour and add them to regular birdseed. The wild birds will thank you for this extra treat. — Jane in Maine PET PHOTO Dear Readers: Mary E. Cooper of Augusta, Maine, sent a cute photo of a backyard squirrel that perched on top of a large pumpkin, underneath a large scarecrow. The scarecrow doesn’t seem to have any effect on him! If you would like to see the photo, please visit www.Heloise.com. — Heloise
HOROSCOPES | BY FRANCIS DRAKE ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Discussions with partners and close friends are friendly today. It’s a good day to patch up quarrels. It’s also a good day to deal with important clients and the public in general. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Co-workers are cooperative today. You might dream up ways to make where you work look more attractive or function better. Others might want your creative input on something. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) This is a lovely day for playful activities with children. It’s also a good day to enjoy sports, romantic interludes and social fun. You don’t feel like working today because you want to play! CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Domestic discussions are significant today; fortunately, they’ll be smooth. Discussions with a female relative in particular might improve something at home. LEO (July 23 to Aug. 22) You can dream up new ways of making money through writing, promoting or communicating something today. Enjoy the beauty of your everyday surroundings.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 to Feb. 18)Do something different today! Shake it up a little. Visit ethnic restaurants, different stores and parks, or try to learn something new. If you can travel anywhere, do so! PISCES (Feb. 19 to March 20) Make friends with your bank account today. Get on top of your money scene, especially debts, bills and taxes. Just knowing what you need to do is a good beginning, because information is empowering.
VIRGO (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22) There’s money in them thar hills! Trust your moneymaking ideas. If shopping, you’ll enjoy buying pretty things or gifts for loved ones. LIBRA (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22) Today the Moon is in your sign, bringing you a bit of good luck. You feel unusually warm toward others, especially romantic partners and children. Enjoy your day! SCORPIO (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21) Quiet business taking place behind the scenes could yield future profits. At the very least, you might join forces with someone in a profitable venture. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21) Creative, artistic types might cross your path today. Group a c t iv i t i e s , m e e t i n gs , conventions and conferences will be friendly and productive. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19) You create a good impression on important people today. Quite likely, they’ll learn something about your private life that they didn’t know before.
YOU BORN TODAY You love to explore and discover the unknown. In fact, many of you are very psychic and are drawn to metaphysical subjects. Because of this, you explore many things, and you do it swiftly! Once something interests you, you give it everything you have. This has been a social year; however, next year, you might seek out more solitude to study or learn something important. Birthdate of: Dick Wolf, TV series producer; Nalo Hopkinson, writer; Billy Bragg, singer/activist.
Zclassified HOMES FOR SALE
REAL ESTATE
HOMES FOR SALE
61
61
2 NEW SUBDIVISION IN NORTH LAREDO FROM THE $150’S & UP. RESERVE YOUR HOMESITE TODAY WITH ONLY $500.00 IN HOUSE FINANCING AVAILABLE. FOR MORE INFO. CALL ANTHONY CARABALLO @ 333-3844
HOMES FOR SALE
61
LOTS FOR SALE
BY PHONE: (956) 728-2527 70
2 Lots for Sale South Laredo, Financing Available, Call 744-3299 607 Mier, R3, $39,500 obo, some financing available. Call:(956)236-9459; 723-6540
4 bedroom 2 bath approx. 1,500 sq.ft. home on a 10,000 sq.ft. lot for only $117,990 I will also help you with your closing costs let me worry about your credit. Call Luis Calderon @956-725-1965 or @ my cell 956-645-8977
Corner Lot, B4, 139 Murcia Dr. (Near LCC South) Great for apts. $35,000 OBO 235-6744; 725-7152 R-3, Lot & 1/3, corner, 120 W Locust and McDonell, 12,860 sq ft., $80,000.(956)725-6641.
ACREAGE FOR SALE 76 Norte, Central y Sur de Laredo Casas Disponibles de 3 a 5 recamaras para mudarse el dia de HOY. Facil de Calificar. Financiamiento Disponible. Llame HOY, al 956-237-2041 O a 956-717-0958 Con Adriana Moya Tijeriana
Has your family outgrown your home? Good news! Your dream home is just a trade away! Call me, Eddie Rendon (956) 763-8207
Let me help you by putting you in your new home like if you are paying rent. You can choose a home from 3, 4 & 5 bedrooms. You can even choose the area where you want your family to grow up. Call Javier Garcia today @ 956-235-4641
5 acre tract, frontage on Casa Verde Rd. $200,000 per acre. Contact (956)725-6641
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 82 $ Great Opportunity$ Franchise La Paletera $95,000OBO Been operating for 3yrs. Fully Equip 1212 International Blvd. Call 251-3797
Make over $150,000 per year! Sign Co. for sale w/all NEW equipment, including printer/cutter, plotter, laminator, computers, customer base & etc. Call (956)237-8310
122
ZAPATA Centro, 1 1/2 blk. off hwy. 83, 3 blks. from lake. 900 sqft. remodeled 2bdrm./2 ba. M.H., 900 sqft. garage, fenced. $39,000.00 OWNER CARRY w/ 15% down. $402.20mo.
Call:(956)763-1110
Sell personalized children’s books. Start up cost $1,550 Call:(956)726-8982
HELP WANTED
122
HELP WANTED
122
HELP WANTED
122
128
Basset Hound Puppies, 5 Weeks, 1st shots & de wormed, parents on site. $225.645-5467
PETS & SUPPLIES
Beagle AKC Champion Bloodline Male, 6mths old, $300 Call 791-8582 or 337-8981
Beautiful Chihuahuas 6wks, 2M, 4F $150 229-3900 after 5pm.
* Waterfront,1/4 acre, in San Ygnacio,(land locked)/use of boat ramp.$12,000. 763-1320
HELP WANTED
PETS & SUPPLIES
Seeking a mature line in house keeper, with a vaild driver’s license. Please call 220-5009
OUT OF TOWN PROPERTY 88
1.8ac App $345p/m $0 down, Owner Finance 35mi. So. Laredo Call 849-5471
MOBILE HOMES FOR SALE 67
Great Location-New Spacious Homes 3 Bedroom 2 bath 2 car garage approx. 1400 sq.ft. paying closing cost. Monthly payment $1100.00 Call Jesus @ cell 956-740-2542 office 956-724-9756
HELP WANTED
PORQUE RENTAR cuando puede tener casa propia y al mismo tiempo calificar para un prestamo de hast $7,500.00 dlls, casas al norte y sur de laredo hableme para mas informacion, De Hoyos 956-635-6702
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 82
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
PETS & SUPPLIES
128
Adorable Poodle Puppies $75 with first shots 324-4736
* Mesquite Firewood leña, Full pick up load (apx cord)San Ygnacio $125 Call 763-1320
*Dell Desktop, Windows XP Pro PC, internet ready $135 Call: 220-9654
TOY CHIHUAHUA Puppies, $150 & up 956-319-5029
3 pc. sofa, white leather, like new, $499 obo. Call:(956)286-4735
LIVESTOCK & SUPPLIES 130
Australian Cattle Dogs Red Heelers for Sale $75. Parent on sight 956-324-5743
Becerritas For Sale, $275 and Up. Call: 645-7419 or 286-2760
Licensed Customs Broker – part time, flexible hours. Consulting work for extra cash. Current License. Call 956-723-0396 or send resume to LicensedCustomsBroker@gmail.com
“MARIACHI POPULAR”. All Occasions. Starting @ $400 Hector Caballero 236-8905 * Dell Laptop, Windows XP, wireless internet ready $325 Call: 220-9654
Cocker Spanials, 2.5 months, tail clipped, dewormed, M/F, $130, 635-5123
AKC pups for sale, 10 weeks, $500 , Fawn, healthy & vaccinated. Call 324-7183
Ad for opening in Laredo, Texas for LCB
ARTICLES FOR SALE 136
FARM & RANCH SUPPLIES 132 Hay For Sale,large net wrapped,Round Bales,located in Alice, $40 and up.Delivery available.(361)219-4545
MISCELLANEOUS
Antiques & Collectibles. Coke Machines, Signs, Radios, Toys, Dishes, Albums, Dallas Cowboys, Spurs & Coca-Cola Collectibles. Starting @ $3. Call 337-7699
Beautiful Christmas Wreaths for sale. Different Sizes and Prices. Starting at $20 & up Call 285-2582 20% off this week only!! Dell Computer Windows XP Pro, CD Burner/DVD ROM, recovery DVD, Word, power point, Excel, Publisher, English & Spanish dictionary, games, 2 Month Warranty, $225 Call (956)722-2711 Repair Service Available. Display Video Stands $50. Call 645-3499 DVD projector with 100” electric screen. $1,500. Call Rob 333-8282
GARAGE SALES
134
1011 Faldo, Saturday Dec. 13, 6-9am, Toys, Clothes, Household item. Moving Sale
Frigidaire Fridge 25 1cu, Black, Ice Maker $275 4yr. Call 251-0652 Go-Kart, great for seater, blue, Call:(956)645-3499
kids, 2 $700.
Massage by Licensed Therapists. $45, Call 285-4286 or 286-2760 Nordic Track C2255 w/IFIT, like new, $699 Call 753-3332 after 5pm.
SERENATAS $30 for 3 songs, by guitarist singer. Also hourly.(956)728-8481.
Zapata County Chamber of Commerce Is accepting applications for the position of:
Administrative Assistant Applicants must be bi-lingual and computer literate. Skills in office operations are required. Individual must be professional and courteous. Individual will work directly with the public so strong people skills are necessary. Individual must be willing to work after hours and be present at all Chamber events. Please apply in person at: Zapata County Chamber of Commerce 601 U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas 78076
Sony T.V., 52IN., $750 obo. Call:(956)319-8148 Stamina Aero-Pilates machine like new, $249 Call 753-3332 after 5pm. Urban Rebounder, like new, $49 Call 753-3332 after 5pm. Used bars for sale, windows & doors. Starting at $30 & up. Call:723-7711 after 5pm.
SPORTING GOODS 142 Amateur, VHF, HF, CB Radios, Antena Rotor Power supply, radio antenas & more. $20 & up. Call:(956)220-4693.
TRANSPORTATION
HEAVY EQUIPMENT 192
Deadline to submit applications will be on January 08, 2009 Interviews will be conducted by: Paco Mendoza, Executive Director Salary Based Upon Experience Voice (956) 765-4871 Fax (956) 765-5434 www.zapatausa.com Zapata County Chamber of Commerce is an Equal Opportunity Employer
18ft Gooseneck Utility Trailer, $3,995. Call 722-0169 Home made utility trailer, 6x8, $900. Call:(956)220-4693
AUTOMOTIVE PARTS 194 Like New! Set of 4 Bridgestone tires & 17” wheels, for ‘07 Chevy Tahoe LT, 265/70R17 $700 OBO Call 645-3391 or 645-7301
MOTORCYCLES
196
2008 Harley Davidson Sportster, Nightster Edition, 1200cc, 366 miles, color Olive green w/black $13,000 obo. Call:9956)728-8150
‘07 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Low Miles, Good Cond. New tires MUST SELL $2,400 Call 337-0509 Polaris 50 ‘05, 2wd, auto, great condition. $1,000. Call:(956)645-3499 Polaris 500 ‘98, 4wd, auto, good condition. $2,600. Call:(956)645-3499
TRUCKS FOR SALE 198 *2 Antique Chev. ‘1936 PU’s Need restoration. Bill of Sale $7,200 for both (956)763-1320 03 Chevy Tahoe LT, Black, Loaded, DVD & LTHR, 1 owner Never Wrecked, 70K MI, Exc Cond, $12,900. 725-1007
1989 Dodge Dakota Runs good, new brakes $800. Call 802-309-0510 2005 Hummer H2. Luxury, sunroof, GPS, excellent condition. $24,000 OBO Call 956-763-5777
Chevy Tahoe ‘03, 49k mi., white ext., grey int., w/custom wood trim, $10,500 obo. Call: (956)236-4312 Ford pick up 1983, supercab, $1,500. Could see at 1803 Gates. Ford Windstar ‘00, 6cyl., auto, 4dr., $3,300. Call:(956)231-9838 Ford Windstar ‘99, silver, 5drs., dble a/c, am/fm cd player, 120 k mi. $3,850 obo. Call:(956)754-7563; 754-1449 GMC Yukon ‘00, $7,900 obo. Call:(956)319-8148 Jeep Cherokee Sport ‘99, 6cyl., a/c, auto, 44k mi., $4,150. Call:(956)236-6650. Jeep Liberty ‘04, v6, cd, PW, 80K MI., $6,500. (956)771-7047.
CARS FOR SALE
200
1996 Jaguar Vandem Plas. 4 sale retail value $8,000 asking $4,900. Good running condition. Price as is. Call 763-6844
‘51 Chevy 12,800mil., Perfect body & engine. $14,500 Call 728-1565 Black 1974 Caprice Classic, 2 dr. coupe, original 454 engine. Excellent condition, $9,995 Call:(956)286-5073 Cadillac Catera ‘01, excellent condition, clean, current lic. plate, 6cyl. $5,600 obo. Call:(956)693-7070.
Chevrolet MG 1972, Convertible, original classic condition, fully functional, blue title, $11,000 Call: (956)771-3961; 52*15*14476 Mazda 3 ‘06, excellent condition, $11,750 obo. Call:(956)722-5940; 206-4255 Mitsubishi Eclipse ‘96, 4cyl., 94,000 mi., a/c, sunroof, cd player, good tires, good paint, runs well. $3,000.724-7316 Pontiac Firebird ‘99, a/c, auto, 6 cyl., all pwr., good condition, $2,800 obo. Call(956)324-6783
Windstar 2000 77K miles , $3500 OBO Call 722-1457
4B | THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008
<DATE>
LAREDO MORNING TIMES | 1B
Zapta Classified
HOMES FOR SALE
REAL ESTATE
HOMES FOR SALE
61
61
2 NEW SUBDIVISION IN NORTH LAREDO FROM THE $150’S & UP. RESERVE YOUR HOMESITE TODAY WITH ONLY $500.00 IN HOUSE FINANCING AVAILABLE. FOR MORE INFO. CALL ANTHONY CARABALLO @ 333-3844
HOMES FOR SALE
61
LOTS FOR SALE
70
2 Lots for Sale South Laredo, Financing Available, Call 744-3299 607 Mier, R3, $39,500 obo, some financing available. Call:(956)236-9459; 723-6540
4 bedroom 2 bath approx. 1,500 sq.ft. home on a 10,000 sq.ft. lot for only $117,990 I will also help you with your closing costs let me worry about your credit. Call Luis Calderon @956-725-1965 or @ my cell 956-645-8977
Corner Lot, B4, 139 Murcia Dr. (Near LCC South) Great for apts. $35,000 OBO 235-6744; 725-7152 R-3, Lot & 1/3, corner, 120 W Locust and McDonell, 12,860 sq ft., $80,000.(956)725-6641.
ACREAGE FOR SALE 76 Norte, Central y Sur de Laredo Casas Disponibles de 3 a 5 recamaras para mudarse el dia de HOY. Facil de Calificar. Financiamiento Disponible. Llame HOY, al 956-237-2041 O a 956-717-0958 Con Adriana Moya Tijeriana
Has your family outgrown your home? Good news! Your dream home is just a trade away! Call me, Eddie Rendon (956) 763-8207
Let me help you by putting you in your new home like if you are paying rent. You can choose a home from 3, 4 & 5 bedrooms. You can even choose the area where you want your family to grow up. Call Javier Garcia today @ 956-235-4641
5 acre tract, frontage on Casa Verde Rd. $200,000 per acre. Contact (956)725-6641
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 82 $ Great Opportunity$ Franchise La Paletera $95,000OBO Been operating for 3yrs. Fully Equip 1212 International Blvd. Call 251-3797
Make over $150,000 per year! Sign Co. for sale w/all NEW equipment, including printer/cutter, plotter, laminator, computers, customer base & etc. Call (956)237-8310
122
ZAPATA Centro, 1 1/2 blk. off hwy. 83, 3 blks. from lake. 900 sqft. remodeled 2bdrm./2 ba. M.H., 900 sqft. garage, fenced. $39,000.00 OWNER CARRY w/ 15% down. $402.20mo.
Call:(956)763-1110
Sell personalized children’s books. Start up cost $1,550 Call:(956)726-8982
HELP WANTED
122
HELP WANTED
122
HELP WANTED
122
128
Seeking a mature line in house keeper, with a vaild driver’s license. Please call 220-5009
PETS & SUPPLIES
Beagle AKC Champion Bloodline Male, 6mths old, $300 Call 791-8582 or 337-8981
Beautiful Chihuahuas 6wks, 2M, 4F $150 229-3900 after 5pm.
* Waterfront,1/4 acre, in San Ygnacio,(land locked)/use of boat ramp.$12,000. 763-1320
HELP WANTED
PETS & SUPPLIES
Basset Hound Puppies, 5 Weeks, 1st shots & de wormed, parents on site. $225.645-5467
OUT OF TOWN PROPERTY 88
1.8ac App $345p/m $0 down, Owner Finance 35mi. So. Laredo Call 849-5471
MOBILE HOMES FOR SALE 67
Great Location-New Spacious Homes 3 Bedroom 2 bath 2 car garage approx. 1400 sq.ft. paying closing cost. Monthly payment $1100.00 Call Jesus @ cell 956-740-2542 office 956-724-9756
HELP WANTED
PORQUE RENTAR cuando puede tener casa propia y al mismo tiempo calificar para un prestamo de hast $7,500.00 dlls, casas al norte y sur de laredo hableme para mas informacion, De Hoyos 956-635-6702
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 82
PETS & SUPPLIES
128
Adorable Poodle Puppies $75 with first shots 324-4736
* Mesquite Firewood leña, Full pick up load (apx cord)San Ygnacio $125 Call 763-1320
*Dell Desktop, Windows XP Pro PC, internet ready $135 Call: 220-9654
TOY CHIHUAHUA Puppies, $150 & up 956-319-5029
3 pc. sofa, white leather, like new, $499 obo. Call:(956)286-4735
LIVESTOCK & SUPPLIES 130
Australian Cattle Dogs Red Heelers for Sale $75. Parent on sight 956-324-5743
Becerritas For Sale, $275 and Up. Call: 645-7419 or 286-2760
Licensed Customs Broker – part time, flexible hours. Consulting work for extra cash. Current License. Call 956-723-0396 or send resume to LicensedCustomsBroker@gmail.com
“MARIACHI POPULAR”. All Occasions. Starting @ $400 Hector Caballero 236-8905 * Dell Laptop, Windows XP, wireless internet ready $325 Call: 220-9654
Cocker Spanials, 2.5 months, tail clipped, dewormed, M/F, $130, 635-5123
AKC pups for sale, 10 weeks, $500 , Fawn, healthy & vaccinated. Call 324-7183
Ad for opening in Laredo, Texas for LCB
ARTICLES FOR SALE 136
FARM & RANCH SUPPLIES 132 Hay For Sale,large net wrapped,Round Bales,located in Alice, $40 and up.Delivery available.(361)219-4545
MISCELLANEOUS
Antiques & Collectibles. Coke Machines, Signs, Radios, Toys, Dishes, Albums, Dallas Cowboys, Spurs & Coca-Cola Collectibles. Starting @ $3. Call 337-7699
Beautiful Christmas Wreaths for sale. Different Sizes and Prices. Starting at $20 & up Call 285-2582 20% off this week only!! Dell Computer Windows XP Pro, CD Burner/DVD ROM, recovery DVD, Word, power point, Excel, Publisher, English & Spanish dictionary, games, 2 Month Warranty, $225 Call (956)722-2711 Repair Service Available. Display Video Stands $50. Call 645-3499 DVD projector with 100” electric screen. $1,500. Call Rob 333-8282
GARAGE SALES
134
1011 Faldo, Saturday Dec. 13, 6-9am, Toys, Clothes, Household item. Moving Sale
Frigidaire Fridge 25 1cu, Black, Ice Maker $275 4yr. Call 251-0652 Go-Kart, great for seater, blue, Call:(956)645-3499
kids, 2 $700.
Massage by Licensed Therapists. $45, Call 285-4286 or 286-2760 Nordic Track C2255 w/IFIT, like new, $699 Call 753-3332 after 5pm.
SERENATAS $30 for 3 songs, by guitarist singer. Also hourly.(956)728-8481.
Zapata County Chamber of Commerce Is accepting applications for the position of:
Administrative Assistant Applicants must be bi-lingual and computer literate. Skills in office operations are required. Individual must be professional and courteous. Individual will work directly with the public so strong people skills are necessary. Individual must be willing to work after hours and be present at all Chamber events. Please apply in person at: Zapata County Chamber of Commerce 601 U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas 78076
Sony T.V., 52IN., $750 obo. Call:(956)319-8148 Stamina Aero-Pilates machine like new, $249 Call 753-3332 after 5pm. Urban Rebounder, like new, $49 Call 753-3332 after 5pm. Used bars for sale, windows & doors. Starting at $30 & up. Call:723-7711 after 5pm.
SPORTING GOODS 142 Amateur, VHF, HF, CB Radios, Antena Rotor Power supply, radio antenas & more. $20 & up. Call:(956)220-4693.
TRANSPORTATION
HEAVY EQUIPMENT 192
Deadline to submit applications will be on January 08, 2009 Interviews will be conducted by: Paco Mendoza, Executive Director Salary Based Upon Experience Voice (956) 765-4871 Fax (956) 765-5434 www.zapatausa.com Zapata County Chamber of Commerce is an Equal Opportunity Employer
18ft Gooseneck Utility Trailer, $3,995. Call 722-0169 Home made utility trailer, 6x8, $900. Call:(956)220-4693
AUTOMOTIVE PARTS 194 Like New! Set of 4 Bridgestone tires & 17” wheels, for ‘07 Chevy Tahoe LT, 265/70R17 $700 OBO Call 645-3391 or 645-7301
MOTORCYCLES
196
2008 Harley Davidson Sportster, Nightster Edition, 1200cc, 366 miles, color Olive green w/black $13,000 obo. Call:9956)728-8150
‘07 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Low Miles, Good Cond. New tires MUST SELL $2,400 Call 337-0509 Polaris 50 ‘05, 2wd, auto, great condition. $1,000. Call:(956)645-3499 Polaris 500 ‘98, 4wd, auto, good condition. $2,600. Call:(956)645-3499
TRUCKS FOR SALE 198 *2 Antique Chev. ‘1936 PU’s Need restoration. Bill of Sale $7,200 for both (956)763-1320 03 Chevy Tahoe LT, Black, Loaded, DVD & LTHR, 1 owner Never Wrecked, 70K MI, Exc Cond, $12,900. 725-1007
1989 Dodge Dakota Runs good, new brakes $800. Call 802-309-0510 2005 Hummer H2. Luxury, sunroof, GPS, excellent condition. $24,000 OBO Call 956-763-5777
Chevy Tahoe ‘03, 49k mi., white ext., grey int., w/custom wood trim, $10,500 obo. Call: (956)236-4312 Ford pick up 1983, supercab, $1,500. Could see at 1803 Gates. Ford Windstar ‘00, 6cyl., auto, 4dr., $3,300. Call:(956)231-9838 Ford Windstar ‘99, silver, 5drs., dble a/c, am/fm cd player, 120 k mi. $3,850 obo. Call:(956)754-7563; 754-1449 GMC Yukon ‘00, $7,900 obo. Call:(956)319-8148 Jeep Cherokee Sport ‘99, 6cyl., a/c, auto, 44k mi., $4,150. Call:(956)236-6650. Jeep Liberty ‘04, v6, cd, PW, 80K MI., $6,500. (956)771-7047.
CARS FOR SALE
200
1996 Jaguar Vandem Plas. 4 sale retail value $8,000 asking $4,900. Good running condition. Price as is. Call 763-6844
‘51 Chevy 12,800mil., Perfect body & engine. $14,500 Call 728-1565 Black 1974 Caprice Classic, 2 dr. coupe, original 454 engine. Excellent condition, $9,995 Call:(956)286-5073 Cadillac Catera ‘01, excellent condition, clean, current lic. plate, 6cyl. $5,600 obo. Call:(956)693-7070.
Chevrolet MG 1972, Convertible, original classic condition, fully functional, blue title, $11,000 Call: (956)771-3961; 52*15*14476 Mazda 3 ‘06, excellent condition, $11,750 obo. Call:(956)722-5940; 206-4255 Mitsubishi Eclipse ‘96, 4cyl., 94,000 mi., a/c, sunroof, cd player, good tires, good paint, runs well. $3,000.724-7316 Pontiac Firebird ‘99, a/c, auto, 6 cyl., all pwr., good condition, $2,800 obo. Call(956)324-6783
Windstar 2000 77K miles , $3500 OBO Call 722-1457