The Life Magazine

SERVING THE COMMUNITY is Medicine for the Soul

Dear Life Lovers

Happy New Year Life Lovers! I bet you did a ton of reflecting this year, maybe even prepared for the “end of the world” LOL, and I know we all spent some quality time with loved ones. This time of year we tend to take into account what is important in life, where we have been and where we are going. The New Year’s resolutions start and sometimes finish pretty rapidly. What I love most about the New Year is the feeling of a great NEW START! I truly wish for every single person who sets eyes on this is for all of your resolutions to take a firm hold, for all your reflecting to have helped map out a plan of the exciting new journey your life takes now, and that all of you have peace in your heart.

When thinking of the January 2013 cover and story I wanted to truly tell a story of triumph, compassion, and pure heart! Dr. Daria Babineaux, most know her as “Dr. B”, came to mind. Please know that there is a list of truly

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exceptional giving and selfless people in Starr County that you will see POP up on a cover but when doing some reflecting of my own Dr. B is who I wanted you to know personally.

If you follow THE LIFE Magazine (formally SOCIALIFE STARR) you know I am a newbie in Starr County. I fell head over heels with the uniqueness of this small and quaint community and then fell head over heels in love with someone who embodies all the amazing qualities I love so much.

God set a path for me to make Starr County my home and a passion to share through my eyes what I see so beautiful about it every month.

Dr. B fell in love with Starr County too and since she made her way to nurturing our community’s children she has made a lasting mark in everyone she meets life.

I wanted you to know why. Why Starr County? Why give so much to our community? I have the ability to answer that through the pages

of your community’s publication; THE LIFE Magazine.

If you have not stopped by the Lopez-Tijerina Courtyard next to the Rio Grande City Police Department you are missing out!

The entire historical courtyard and the spaces surrounding it have been completely converted into gorgeous retail shops. This Christmas was filled with “Keepin’ It Rio” and shopping local. It has already had several special events for the community children and there is more to come.

Special DATES to put in your calendar: January 3rd is the 2nd annual Rio Grande City Greater Chamber of Commerce’s “Keepin’ It Rio Art Walk by WalMart” plus Main Street will be adding “A Passport to Keepin’ it Rio” on the same day. This will be a local “passport” to travel to all the local Historical Downtown businesses and get stamped for a raffle entry to a local prize from one of the many amazing businesses.

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The RGC Greater Chamber is excited to invite all local artists to showcase their work. It is never too late because they are the 1st Thursday of every month until April!

Call me for more information at 956-393-1692.

Are you a businessman? Do you own a restaurant or retail store?

How about a service you would like to share with the community?

Lean on us to increase awareness of your business! We work with all budgets and really want to help you increase your bottom line. We know how hard it is to allocate extra monies for promotion and advertising but without it you’re not attracting more business inturn more money in your bank account. Call one of our account executives to find out how we can help you with getting the most out of your advertising budget. Our ad is in the “THE LIFE Magazine CREW” section.

Again, every month the entire team at THE LIFE Magazine puts so much heart into delivering you a positive perspective on all the great things going on in Starr County. Help us continue to do this by letting us know what you think the community should see and know about! We know the incredible talent and community service that lives here, so let’s begin to let everyone know!

Working towards a United Community,

Giselle Villarreal

CREW facebook.com

issuu.com

/thelife956

/thelifemagazine

www.thelifemagazine.weebly.com President / Editor in Chief

Vice President

Creative Director

Cover Photographer

Account Executive

Events Photographer

Giselle Villarreal

Mayor Ruben O. Villarreal

Roy Bazan

Roel Reyes

Ruby Perez

Aracely Vasquez

Health & Fitness Editor

Renea Perez

Fashion Editor

Yirla Nolan

Sales Associate

Kassandra Ramos

Historian

Modesto Ramirez

Administrative Assistant

Jason Solis

THE LIFE Magazine is published in Rio Grande City, TX. THE LIFE Magazine and its employees do not assume liability for products or services offered herein.

Permission to use or reproduce material herein must be with express written consent of the publisher. 2012 THE LIFE Magazine is Printed in the U.S.

601 Main Street Rio Grande City, TX 78582 socialifestarr@gmail.com 956.393.1692 6,000 issues monthly and 500+ distribution points Starr County, Zapata County, Winter Texan parks across the valley and growing.

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Health

Lifestyle Changes By: Renea Perez Your consumption of fatty foods, high-sugar drinks, smoking, drinking excessive alcoholic beverages or not exercising regularly is contributing to your unhealthy lifestyle. Freedom of choice comes with the responsibility to choose wisely.

When you choose to take care of yourself you reduce your chances of getting sick, reduce doctor visits and you get a much better chance of preventing future diseases. To be successful it must start with YOU! These suggestions may seem simple but did you know that only 3% of Americans maintain a healthy lifestyle? The research is published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine and the 4 criteria that define a healthy lifestyle are: not smoking, maintaining a healthy weigh, eating healthy-minimum 5 vegetables and fruit per day, and exercising 30 minutes a day 5 times per week.

So step up! Take responsibility for your choices and those of your children! Take appropriate action by leading a healthy lifestyle. This should be a necessary expectation

“Do not think of resolutions because most of the time our resolutions are so far out there that we fail by the second day� of a much larger percentage of our society. There are huge benefits to turning your unhealthy lifestyle to a healthier one such as increased life expectancy, reduced disease risk, reduced medical costs and improved quality of life. The New Year is upon us now, so try and really think of ways to change your lifestyle.

Do not think of resolutions because most of the time our resolutions are so far out there that we fail by the second day. Be realistic. Start with putting a plan in place. Invest in a trainer; join a gym or an aerobic style class to make your change one of baby steps. Try changing your grocery habits by making a list of food that is good for you before going grocery shopping. Understand that loading up your cart with tons of processed food in combination with a NO exercise regimen is a lethal combination. Simple rule of healthy food shopping; eat things that grow from the earth (pretty

simple right?).

Another simple rule to being healthy; BE ACTIVE! Do something every single day to be active like taking the stairs, parking at the end of the parking lot, taking your dog for a 30 minute walk a few times a week, or play one of the many

dance games with your kids.

I hope you choose wisely this coming year! Write it down, announce it to the world (we have Facebook you know) and hold yourself accountable. YOU can do this! You CAN change your life one step at a time.

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History

The Beginning of the Mexican Revolution “He changed the Mexican Constitution in a manner that allowed him to stay in power for 35 years”

By: Modesto Ramirez Jr There is no secret—I am a historian, I am proud to call myself that more than anything else in the world. I share with those who are willing to listen to the stories that shaped our lives. Often times, those stories are filled with glory, passion, love and above all human emotion. With human emotions comes pain, fear, anger and jealousy; these emotions you take them with a grain of salt. To truly understand history, I have often said you cannot have a cavalier attitude; you have to accept it for what happened and pray to God we do not fall in those footsteps.

The story I want to share with you today is one contains everything that was mentioned.

It was romantic, patriotic, and above all violent; it was the Mexican Revolution. What began as an idealist revolution soon became a blood filled conflict between nations.

The year was 1876 Porfirio Diaz had been appointed president after long time President Benito Juarez passed away in 1872.

Though both men were allies in the war against France, they had been fierce political rivals up until the death of Juarez. Not

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-Porfirio Diaz long after Porfirio Diaz began his presidency he soon showed signs of a dictator. He changed the Mexican Constitution in a manner that allowed him to stay in power for 35 years.

The people grew tired of the dictatorship and soon turned to the up and coming Francisco Madero who had vowed to run against Diaz. Fearing that Madero would threaten his reign he had him thrown in jail and declared himself the victor.

On October 5, 1910, Madero, who was still imprisoned, wrote the “plan de San Luis Potosí”; calling Diaz’s rule over Mexico illegal and openly called for revolution. To the wealthy aristocrats of Mexico it would have made no sense to join him, although, to the poor and destitute Paisanos who were forced

to work on gigantic haciendas they saw this plan as a chance to escape a life of seemingly endless poverty. For them this war would become about reform both socio and economic.

During Diaz’s reign over Mexico, many of The Hacenderos (land owners) prospered like never before. However, for the average peasant life was not as pleasant for them. In many of the ranches, the hacenderos owned the store, the hardware and controlled the price often times raising the price on commodities that the average worker could not afford even the basic necessities. They would soon turn to credit. Promising the Hacenderos a large portion (often times the whole harvest) of their harvest in order to pay off their debts. This became a never-

ending cycle of debt that was often passed down through the family, thus reducing the likelihood that their children could escape this life.

These peasants living the certain lifestyle grew tired and angry; their frustration led them to take up arms under a man whose name will forever change the course of Mexican history. His name was Emiliano Zapata.

Emiliano Zapata was a tall and slender man who was well known for his love of women and fine horses. He became the leader of the army of the south or simply put “Los Zapatistas”. He fought for Agrarian reform and better treatment of the campesino working class.

Join me in next month’s issue as I dig into the next chapter of the revolution. What is Emiliano Zapata going to do? Will he prove to be well equipped to win the war? All of this and more in next month’s issue.

Follow me on Facebook and email any questions or story ideas to

modestoramirez14@yahoo.com

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Happy Tick Tock of the Clock

By: Roy Chubasco “We got here with none to spare”…“I lost track of it”…“Where does it go!?”…“It ran out!”…and the dreaded “You are late!” All these phrases deal with the one element in our world that has no bounds, respects no one and is has more rank than a rodeo bull.

You might have caught on by now, but these comments are commonly associated with time and its deliberate, cantankerous and undiscriminating nature. Some may think it sneaks up on you, but it does the exact opposite.

Everywhere you look there is some kind of clock, schedule, or time keeping display. Add to that the sound of ringing bells, coocoo clocks, tick tocks, and that bugle like rooster that announces a new day with as much authority as the rising sun. Yes, time for all its

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so called subtlety steam rolls the unsuspecting person like a young Earl Campbell with a football. With the New Year upon us, Ol’ Roy couldn’t help but stroke his chin to give some thought on the way time keeping has developed over the centuries to be precise, fluid, reliable, and downright annoying when you are on a deadline much like the deadline I am facing now as I write this segment.

As history goes, time keeping relatively new at only 5000 years.

I guess using standards like these make Betty White look like a young Shirley Temple. The origins of “Hey, what time is it?” are found in the Middle East and Europe.

The Egyptians and perhaps the Sumerians were some of the first cultures to attempt to count the tick tocks of a clock. Around 3500 BC obelisks were built in Egypt to keep track of time on a grand

scale. To find a moderate example of this structure look no further than Washington DC tall and pointy Washington monument. This kind of time keeping structure makes you wonder why those politicians are always running late in passing Federal budgets.

The next step for the Egyptians came in 1500 BC with the more accurate shadow forming sun dial. By this point, time keeping seems to be a priority among other cultures like the Romans and Greeks. From 100 BC to 1088 AD these cultures along with the Far East makes strides in developing clepsydras or water clocks. These liquid driven time pieces were an improvement but still lacked much refinement.

If you think about it, some smarty pants could possibly cause a few spills and throw off everybody’s day. The 15th century saw the next innovation in time measurement with the introduction of gears, wheels, and weights of mechanical clocks.

First with internal springs and later with Galileo’s pendulum, clocks had the making of something that would fit nicely in homes.

Unfortunately, to afford a clock for your house required wealth similar to that of a modern day Bill Gates.

By 1670, grandfather clocks were accurate enough to measure seconds. Hence, now feeling like your late was replaced with knowing you are late. By the late 16th century watches were small enough to be carried in the pocket of your jacket or vest. These devices of course became known

as pocket watches. Their popularity lasted about two centuries. First used as an accessory by women in the latter part of the 19th century, wrist watches became common for men during World War I. The wrist watch was handy, useful, and effective for telling time. I think a similar girl to guy movement is currently happening with the slim enhancing Spanx. Oh well, if something works… it works. Today wrist watches and time keeping devices are staples for men, ladies, banks, and the rabbit from “Alice and Wonderland”. Wrist watches come in a multitude of variety with all sorts of high tech features.

However, I am still waiting on the Dick Tracey wrist watch with a built in TV. Maybe that way Ol’ Roy can catch up on some old episodes of “The Walking Dead” on Netflix.

In our modern society we are obsessed with time. It guides us, notifies us, gets us going, slows us down, and you better believe it usually drives us up a wall. Asking “What time do you have?” is quite common but the answer usually includes the phrase “Not enough!”

Never the less, we march forward knowing that time also holds many happy moments. One occasion that comes to mind right about now is the moment when the clock struck 12 midnight on January 1st 2013. At that point you experienced the opportunity to hug, kiss and wish the special people in your life a very happy and prosperous New Year!

That is how I see it under these Starry skies… the ONE and ONLY Roy Chubasco

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Fashion

High top Wedge Sneakers By: Yirla Rubi Gonzalez Nolan High Top” wedge sneaker at a low price of 29.99! I love this style in black because they can really be matched up with anything. This pair comes with adjustable straps and a cushioned insole for more comfort. Because of the large and clunky look of these shoes, you should pair with classic skinny jeans tucked into the sneakers.

Layer your top with a cardigan and scarf that will give you the balance needed for this outfit.

Want a pair for a night out?

Opt for these Victoria Secret “Highlite Wedge Sneaker” that will sure put you in everyone’s VIP list. This throwback high top in an unexpected metallic gold will make sure to make you center stage at any event. Pair them up with a maxi skirt that will create

“Because of the large and clunky look of these shoes, you should pair with classic skinny jeans tucked into the sneakers”

a flirty contrast or match them up with denim and a structured blazer that will mute down its crazy appeal.

My absolute favorite are from Aldo called “Chism” wedge sneakers. Easy to put on and easy to match, these wedge sneakers

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Chism

will be your favorite wear-withanything shoes this season. The camel color on is perfect for any outfit. You can master a chic look with a button down shirt and leggings.

Now tell me ladies, will you be falling for this fun trend?

Tick Tock Wedge Sneaker

Your POW Sister and Fashionista, Editor & Stylist For tough fashion questions contact me at

Highlite Wedge Sneaker

Myfashgasm.com • yirlarubi@gmail.com

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Feast of Sharing 2012

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Una Familia THE PEDIATRIC CARE CENTER

Our main focus at The Pediatric Care Center, TPCC,is quality patient care. Aside from a regular visit to see the Doctor or Physician Assistant, we offer additional services to benefit our patients and residents of the community which are known as our Special Programs. These programs have been designed to tailor to the needs of these individuals because

services, known as Project TEAM. TEAM is an acronym for Together Encouraging Awareness of Mental Health Services. We have some highly trained and experienced Counselors that are qualified to work with many individuals at many different levels. Our Counselors work with all individuals and also do screenings. Some of the screenings they do are:

age, Learning Delay for 4 years to 8 years of age, Depression and Anxiety, Behavioral Disorder, Anger Management, Speech Delay, and Autism and Asperger screenings to name a few.

Our Counselors work with all patients and families in a manner to which they all feel comfortable.

They believe in allowing their patients to express themselves

creative approach to therapy sessions is also a key factor in assisting with the reinforcement of one’s self esteem. Many times people think that counseling services are just to sit on a couch and talk. Not necessarily. Our way of working with individuals is an individualistic approach that fits their needs so that a flow of ideas is continuous and not repetitive.

we are all “Una Familia.” We like to consider the services we provide as a growing tree. The trunk of the tree is our medical services that we provide and our branches are extensions of services offered for individuals in our communities to better service them.

A branch of our Special Programs is our counseling

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Developmental Delay for ages 48 months to 4 years of

through creative, hands on activities that allow them to better express themselves. Allowing the

The approaches taken have proven to be favorable and have adapted well for many.

At TPCC, health and fitness are areas that we stress and encourage for all. Through our Health and Fitness Programs, we focus on the individual’s physical and mental wellbeing. The Pediatric Care Center was built with an integrated health care model

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in mind. With obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke affecting our patient population the hardest, we wanted to be a

These plans that are developed for each patient is done so after sitting with the patient and their family we get to know them, and

creativity, fun, and hands on courses. This allows the children to learn while participating in courses that promote social activity that

looking for enthusiastic students who want to learn to speak out clearly and relate confidently with others to develop the inside

part of the solution. Preventative health care with a physician monitored, nutrition assisted and exercise driven program was our attempt at protecting our patients’ health. We offer a program that attempts to focus on all facets of the problem at hand.

Some of the services offered to better assist with our health care model are healthy eating educational courses and having a Nutritionist on site. Our Nutritionist comes to us with great experience and individually personalizes a plan for each patient that suits their likes and covers all of the food groups.

are able to get a feel for what assuages their taste buds. We also offer free ZUMBA classes on a daily basis. The classes are taught by a very highly motivated individual who teaches by keeping the feet moving, hips swaying, and by implementing some the latest dance moves. ZUMBA is broken down into two classes, one for adults and another for children.

Each summer we offer something a little different than one might expect to come from a Pediatric Office. We offer a “Kids College” which encourages children and adolescents to continue learning through

fall into the core areas of their content required school courses plus it is done in a challenging environment.

The Pediatric Care Center is always looking for positive ways to stimulate and contribute to healthy children’s development.

“The Butterfly Project” is our newest program geared at tapping into the artistic side of Starr County’s kids. Our goal is to create a completely new way to develop children and create a children’s drama program using various fun and fast paced drama activities to build children’s speaking, acting and social skills. This project is

track to lifetime success. We’re a program where all children, from the shy to the outgoing can develop at their own pace, with plenty of positive encouragement.

Our specialty is using a wide range of unique drama activities to focus the bold, outspoken child and to draw out the quiet child or the inarticulate child and help them reach into themselves to discover their full potential.

Underneath all of the branches that grow on The Pediatric Care Center’s tree, our top branch that covers us all will always remain as “Una Familia.”

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Serving the Community is Medicine for the Soul Everyone always asks me what motivates me to do so much for my patients and my community?

I was born and raised in south, south Louisiana, the product of a single parent household. I grew up in “the projects” with my greatgrandmother and I never realized that I was really poor. Everyone around me had the same life, so for me I always felt that I had the best life could offer. As I grew up I began to realize that I didn’t have what most other kids had, but my mother always worked hard to make sure that I had the best that she could offer. Like a lot of other families we had a hard time making ends meet. In fact, I remember wrapping pennies just so I could have lunch money. I also remember when I was 10 years old being put in the back of a police car because my mother had been caught shoplifting so that we could have food for dinner.

Taking care of a household alone meant that my mother had to work several jobs and long hours. What that meant for a little girl was a lot of alone time with my imagination to keep me company.

I knew that it was MY responsibility to be a good kid, stay out of trouble, take care of our home and get good grades to show my mom how much I appreciated her sacrifice. Unfortunately, her work kept her away from a lot of rehearsals, games, plays, concerts and performances that I had, but she always made sure that somehow or someway I was allowed to participate in whatever I was interested in. As an adult I realize that my mother was trying to make sure that I was exposed to

as much as possible even though we had limited resources. And if it weren’t for all the family members, friends, neighbors, friend’s parents,Girl Scout instructors, and band mates I never would have had to opportunity to become me; Dr. B. So, to answer the question most asked; why do I do it? I do it because somebody did it for me. Somebody sacrificed so that I could have nice things.

Someone took the time to make sure I was taught my responsibilities to my community. Someone made certain to encourage my imaginative character. Someone told me that I was smart. Someone took the time to listen to my fears. Someone explained that there was a world outside of my home town and that I shouldn’t be afraid to explore. Someone helped me fill out my scholarship applications. Someone showed me that anything is possible.

Someone showed me how to eat healthy. Someone showed me what it meant to be humble. But most importantly a lot of people have showed me that we are all responsible for the lessons that our children learn, the examples that we set for them and that their path is set by how much love, support and education we supply them.

My life’s goal is to give back to as many children and families that which was given to me. That is why I created The Pediatric Care Center and filled it with great people so that children will always have a home away from home where SOMEONE will always be waiting to help them.

-Daria E. Babineaux, M.D.

Daria E. Babineaux

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Dr. B’s 1st Annual Candy Cane Christmas Play Housing Authority Ribbon Cutting

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Smile and Criminal Shine pictures Justice with Santa Association

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Starr County’s Got Talent 2

STC Psychology Club:

Story Book Justice Christmas at Association the RGC Library

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Bounce Back Softball Tournament

RGC Boys & Girls Club Chocolate Christmas at Lopez-Tijerina Courtyard Shops

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