By Joe Olvera ©, 2012

The race for Commissioner of El Paso County’s Pct, 3 has some interesting characteristics, twists and turns in that almost every candidate has political experience in one way or another. Take, for instance, the campaign of Dora Oaxaca. She has been largely instrumental in helping several candidates win their political campaigns, including Chente Quintanilla. The former Texas State Rep. for District 75, Quintanilla opted not to run for a sixth term but chose, instead, to become a candidate for County Commissioner and is now competing for the seat against Oaxaca.

She also helped Willie Gandara Jr. win election for County Commissioner of Pct. 3 four years ago, a seat which Gandara Jr. still maintains. However, he chose not to run for reelection, but, opted to run for State Rep. in District 75, leaving vacant and up for grabs the County Commissioner’s slot. Confused? So are we. Another candidate for Pct. 3 is Vince Perez, a former director of communications for U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-El Paso), who hopes to bring Washington D.C.-type issues to El Paso’ Mission Valley. With all three candidates very capable of winning Pct. 3, the race is proving to be most interesting and captivating.

Oaxaca, a single-mom, is a Socorro born and raised product with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She has garnered a huge role in El Paso, not only politically, but as a social activist. She has served on the board of Project Bravo, the Cesar Chavez Foundation, received the Si Se Puede Award, among other accolades and honors. She has also been largely responsible for helping get   elected a wide variety of candidates, such as Manny Najera for State Rep., and Chente Quintanilla for State Rep. In fact, she helped Quintanilla defeat Najera in their race for the House seat, even though she had once helped Najera to that same post. She also worked hard to get Gandara Jr. elected County Commissioner for Pct. 3, and, now, she finally took the plunge herself and has tossed her sombrero in the political ring.

“My main concern is to provide an equality of services to the people in the Mission Valley and East El Paso,” Oaxaca said. “There are still colonias in the Valley that need water, although that’s almost done. However, we still need sewage, gas and electric service in some areas. That’s my goal, to bring everything up to par, to help make life easier and more comfortable for the people who live in colonias.” She said she has already been endorsed by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Assn., and by C.L.E.A.T.

Quintanilla, on the other hand, has vast experience as a legislator. He said he wants to bring that experience to bear in the Mission Valley. While he acknowledges that Oaxaca helped him get elected to the Texas House, he’s glad to see her in a political campaign herself. Although he has been criticized by Perez for leaving his House seat to run for County Commissioner, Quintanilla said he has earned his stripes. “He’s a retired superintendent for the Socorro ISD,” Perez said. “He gets a hefty retirement benefit from there. Now, he’s retired from State office, so that means even more retirement benefits, and now he wants to run for an office that pays more than $60,000 a year? To me, that’s triple dipping.” But, Quintanilla says, he served the Socorro ISD for 38 years, so he deserves and earned his pension. He also served for 10 years at the State, for which he was being paid a mere $600 per month. “I feel that I’ve earned my pay in all my endeavors. It’s not a windfall. Retirement is a payback for all my years of public service. The money just wasn’t given to me, I earned it.”

But, Perez isn’t having it. To him, Quintanilla and Oaxaca are from the old school of politics and, he said, voters are looking for a new face, for a new voice. He feels that his years of experience working for Reyes have equipped him for serving the Mission Valley, an area which he said he knows best. “At the rate Quintanilla is going, he stands to earn some $140,000 a year,” Perez said. “His main concern is using his political office for personal gain. In his ten years as a legislator, he hasn’t contributed much except to make the sopaipilla the official bread of Texas.”

Perez said his experience working in Washington gave him a unique perspective on the needs of the Mission Valley. He has a Master’s Degree in International Law from Georgetown University. “We need to move beyond the same type of politics, the same type of politics that have made Quintanilla and Oaxaca have some success in El Paso County. I’m about doing something for the common good, about working hard. Working for Reyes was perfect training for my work in the future. It gave me invaluable experience in understanding the issues. That’s why I’m running for this seat. And, I expect to win the election.”

A fourth candidate, Rudy Loya, was not available for comment.

By T.J. TOMASI

Sticking the finish

The gymnasts call it “sticking the finish,” and when you stick your finish in golf, good things will happen. Here is the anatomy of your Kodak Moment:

1. Your weight is balanced on the front foot, with the back foot acting as a rudder.

2. Your hips are perpendicular to the target line.

3. Your shoulders have rotated past perpendicular with your right shoulder in advance of the left.

4. Everything you own — your nose, your belt buckle, your right knee — is pointing at the target.

But while this template is the same for all Kodak Moments, there are variations caused by your body type — how you’re built, your strength, and most important, your flexibility.

Three variations of thefinish position are illustratedin the accompanying photos. But no matter which finish your body dictates, you can memorize it by repeating the “posing drill”:

Close your eyes, swing the club, and pose in your finish for a slow count of three. Open your eyes and make certain you match your prototype. This is your swing’s Kodak Moment, and it should be your goal to nail this position for every swing.

To find out more about which swing you should use, take the LAWs test at www.tjtomasi.com.

By Joe Olvera ©, 2012

State Representatives from El Paso’s District 75, an area that covers most of the Mission Valley and parts of the East Side, have always been enigmatic or mysterious in that they have been, sometimes, leaders with dubious reputations and/or distinctions. Not to cast aspersions or to throw stones upon the waters, but, some of those elected to this post have brought some embarrassment to those who elected them.

Take the case of Nick Perez, who was often investigated by Austin, Texas police on charges of domestic violence; or the case of so-called “one-term” Tony Parra, who brought attention to his campaign by carrying a wooden cross through this heavily Catholic district. Considered mere furniture in the Texas House, he lost re-election in the 1994 Democratic primary. To that effect, he dropped the Democratic Party and became a Republican. Tragically, he lost as a Republican too, and suffered an even worse situation when he died from AIDS complications.

But, perhaps the most nefarious malefactor in District 75 was the infamous Gilbert Serna – a most colorful character who:

*Was accused of sexually harassing a male employee with requests for oral sex;

*Offered pay raises to some of his employees on the condition that they share the extra money with him;

*Encouraged his employees to work on political and campaign matters in state offices and on state time.

Lest we think that such matters only occur in El Paso’s District 75, we must consider that other Texas communities have also had a troubled history. For example, in the 1970s, the City of Amarillo had a district that elected one felon to another felon and to another felon. According to the late columnist Molly Ivins, the first Rep from this district murdered his wife; the second bought a truck with state food stamps, and the third took to writing bad checks. This leads us to wonder if the current slate of candidates for District 75, a seat vacated by the scandal-free Chente Quintanilla – who opted to run for County Commissioner of Pct. 3 – contains some problematic candidates who, of course, have not been charged or accused of any wrong doing. Yet, one must wonder if it’s in the offing and if any of them are carrying extra baggage.

Nobody’s making accusations, of course, but consider one of those running for this post. His name is Peter Arthur Fierro, aka Art Fierrro. In his application for a place on the Democratic Party Primary Election Ballot, he lists his address as 12709 Tierra Mona Court, but he actually lives at 11612 Tony Tejada. Fierro says that his address on Tierra Mona Court is a home which his current wife, El Paso County Commissioner Anna Perez, and he were thinking of renting, but that the problem of re-districting has put that plan on hold. Republicans in the State of Texas are fighting for a re-districting plan which would favor them with more elective positions.  “No matter, though,” Fierro says, “both addresses are in District 75. We don’t know where the lines will be drawn, that’s still to be decided. So, for the moment, we do live at the Tony Tejada address.”

Fierro says that he is the best candidate among the people running – which also includes Hector Enriquez, Willie Gandara Jr., and newcomer Mary Edna Gonzalez. As a former president of the EPCC Board of Trustees, Fierrro has made some dubious moves. For example, there have been two judgments against him by such diverse groups as the Union Fashion Company for $725, and another in the amount of $1,241 from the Week Day Education Center in Travis County, Texas. Fierro said that the Union Fashion judgment was written off, and he doesn’t recall the other. But, perhaps the most problematic is that voters will wonder why it took him two years to pay a traffic ticket for speeding. Fierro gave as an excuse that he didn’t realize that there was a warrant out for his arrest. “I did not realize it was outstanding and that there was a warrant out for my arrest,” Fierro said. “Once it was brought to my attention, I paid it.”

Hector Enriquez., the son of former El Paso County Clerk Hector Enriquez, said there are no such skeletons in his closet. “I will never compromise my good name for a few paltry dollars,” Enriquez said. “The people elect us, we don’t place ourselves in those positions. Thus, we can’t compromise the public who vote for us. We need to do the right thing and not think of personal gain because what will the people remember? They will remember that you made promises and you broke them.”

One of the candidates who did break a promise is Willie Gandara Jr. In his campaign for County Commissioner of Pct. 3, Gandara promised publicly that he would donate 90 percent of his salary to the Mission Valley. However, as far as anyone knows, he did not fulfill that promise. There are also rumors, however, that Gandara Jr. plans to drop out of this race. Gandara was not available for comment on either matter.

Mary Edna Gonzalez, although a virtual unknown to electoral politics, is a highly educated 28 year old who was born and raised in Clint, Texas and is one of the few women to ever have run for District 75. “I  think it’s important for young Latinas to become involved politically. If they see a woman like me, it’s a strong symbol for them to become active,” Gonzalez said. “After all the corruption that has been uncovered, a strong legislator can develop trust. I feel that I can be that strong person who can create an awareness of such issues as education and public service.”

Thus far, Gonzalez’ claim to fame is that she has received more contributions for her campaign than any of the other candidates. The graduate student at U.T. Austin has amassed a total of more than $20,000 for her war chest; Enriquez has a total of $490, while Fierro counts $470 towards his run. Gandara has said that he has no money in the bank, but that’s hardly a problem for him because in his race for County Commissioner, he financed his campaign out of his own pocket. At that time he accepted no contributions. Chances are, he might do the very same thing this time around – that is, if he decides to stay in the race.

Lara Jackson will be in El Paso this Saturday to Speak. The event will be at Noon at the Tigua Wellness Center

El Paso, Texas -Lara Jackson, Chapin High School Graduate, Texas State Swimming Champion and most recently an NCAA Swimming All-American for the University of Arizona and a 2012 Olympic Team hopeful will be in El Paso this Saturday, January 21st for a speaking engagement.

Jackson one of the youngest members ever inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame has her mind set on representing the United State in the upcoming Summer Olympics in August. Jackson will be at the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo Recreation and Wellness Center, 11200 Santos Sanchez Way at 12:00 p.m. to discuss her illustrious career to the participants at the Del Norte Swim Meet. The event however is open to the public and she will also be available for autographs and photos.

Information – Stacy Wright

(915) 240-3318

By: Sharon Mosley

You may be all wrapped up in faux fur jackets and knee-high boots right now, but chances are you can’t wait until you can shed the puffy parka and slip into something a little more on the “lighter” side of fashion. Say, like a colorful new drop-waist dress a la Daisy Buchanan in “The Great Gatsby.”

On your next shopping trip, when you’re browsing the winter sales, keep an eye out for one of these 12 trendy items to brighten and lighten up your wardrobe.

1) Graphic Prints. Whether it’s a new floral blouse, a striped skirt or a batik dress, the prints this spring are big, bright and bold. This is not a fashion trend for the wallflowers out there. Look for pieces that stand out, and don’t be afraid to mix and match them from head to toe.

2) Saturated Colors. Delicate pastels were all over the runways, but there were also plenty of deeper shades designers used for inspiration. And white seems to be one of the most popular neutrals, showing up in soft suits. Or take the best of it all and do a bold, color-blocked look. Pops of neon also shake up spring clothes. So take your pick, but the one to watch? Pantone, the color authority, names “Tangerine Tango” as thecolor for spring. Mint green and lemon yellow are other hues to check out.

3) Ladylike Luxe. Think pin-up style — the hourglass shapes of Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page. The focus is on the waist. The peplum silhouette makes a huge comeback in jackets and dresses. Look for the matching skirt suit to make a return, too.

4) Drop Waist Dresses. Get the Gatsby vibe of the 1920s this spring with the new drop waist dresses that shimmied down the runway. Note the details of these new drop-dead chemises: pleated hemlines, sequined fringe, feathered accents and metallic insets.

5) Dots and Spots. You’ll be seeing dots a lot this spring — polka dots in all shapes and sizes. Try mixing small and large polka dots together for a modern twist on this spring classic.

6) Stripe It. Another pattern that is a warm-weather favorite. This spring, the stripes are also bolder in nautical designs as well as graphic interpretations that make them contemporary in a digitalized fashion world.

7) Sporty Chic. The athletic look has gone high fashion. Remember the tracksuit? Hmmm. Yes, designer track pants with drawstrings are back, but mixed with razor-sharp jackets and crisp white shirts. A new look for the office, perhaps?

Tribal Motifs. Fashion designers come out of Africa this spring with more inspiration than ever before. Animal prints are still a favorite: leopards, zebras and pythons, oh my! From basket-weave handbags to raffia sandals to crafty necklaces and earrings, this trend is best in bold accessories.

9) Cropped Tops. This spring, it’s time to keep it on the short side. Cropped tops and jackets, especially the ones in bold colors, can make any of your fashion basics look new. Pair with a longer T-shirt or silky blouse if you want to cover up any lumps and bumps still hanging around from the holidays.

10) Go Long. The maxi dress and skirt is flowing into fashionistas’ wardrobes everywhere. In light fabrics — knits and chiffons — these long looks are great for the beach and spring and summer cocktail parties.

11) Get Transparent. Spring and summer is the perfect time to get naked…well, not totally. But it is a good time to experiment with some of the new sheer tops and skirts. There are lots of ways to mix opaque layers under or over the sheer, tissue-thin fabrics, so you’re not walking out in an X-rated outfit.

12) Embellish It. When times are tough, we girls like a little sparkle, right? So why not add some bling to your daytime wardrobe this spring. Shine with a pair of metallic platform sandals or a swingy pair of jeweled chandelier earrings. You’ll be surprised at how much your mood will brighten!

Sharon Mosley is a former fashion editor of the Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock and executive director of the Fashion Editors and Reporters Association. To find out more about Sharon Mosley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2012 CREATORS.COM

Unlike freshman, sophomore classes, new Hall of Fame list greeted with wide approval

There was considerable second-guessing about ­­the picks for the first two classes of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, but the consensus is that the voting panel got it right in determining the third group of five that will be inducted in Charlotte, N.C., on Jan. 20.

In the group are Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip, both of whom have three championships in the division now known as Sprint Cup and are among the all-time Cup win leaders (Yarborough has 83, and Waltrip 84).

Crew chief Dale Inman, who leads all his peers with 193 race wins and eight championships, is going in along with team owner and driver Glen Wood. Also being inducted is the late Richie Evans, the undisputed king of NASCAR’s Modified Division and the first driver not affiliated with the Cup series to be inducted in the Hall.

Here’s a look at the five inductees.

Glen Wood grew up in the Virginia mountain community of Buffalo Ridge, just outside Stuart, where his race teams were based for decades and where he still runs the Wood Brothers Museum.

Throughout his 86 years, Wood has been known for his strong work ethic. As a boy, he hoed corn and picked apples for his grandfathers. By the time he was a teenager he was doing heavy lifting at local sawmills.

It was during his time as a sawmiller that he became a fan of the then-fledgling sport of stock car racing and of one of its early stars, fellow Virginian Curtis Turner.

Wood and a group of friends built a race car, and Wood drove his first race at Morris Speedway, a dirt track near Martinsville, Va., back in 1950.

Soon he was winning short-track races across Virginia and the Carolinas. He was at his best at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., the track known then and now as “The Madhouse” for its rough-and-tumble style of racing.

Wood, labeled the “Master of the Madhouse” in his driving days, scored 29 wins in the Modified, Sportsman Convertible and Cup divisions at the Stadium, more than any other driver up to that point.

He also was among the best on the old beach-road course at Daytona, where he dominated the Sportsman division from 1956-58, winning the pole and the race all three years.

As the sport grew and moved on to big new superspeedways, Wood began turning his cars over to other drivers, and he and his brothers Leonard, Ray Lee, Delano and Clay focused on preparing the cars and pitting them on race days.

The Woods are credited with perfecting the modern pit stop, and their pit prowess earned them international recognition in 1965, when they stunned the racing world with their work on Jim Clark’s winning Lotus in the Indianapolis 500. Clark’s total time in the pits for that race was just 41.9 seconds.

With his brother Leonard working as crew chief and fielding only Fords and Mercuries, the Woods focused on the better-paying superspeedway races and employed many of the sport’s all-time best drivers, including David Pearson, a member of the second NASCAR Hall of Fame class, and current inductee Cale Yarborough.

Wood’s team still fields cars in the Cup Series and is now approaching its 63rd season, making it the longest-tenured team in the sport. It is also among the most successful. The Woods’ win in last year’s Daytona 500 was its 98th in the Sprint Cup Series.

Dale Inman grew up Level Cross, N.C., along with his cousins Richard and Maurice Petty, who were the sons of NASCAR pioneering driver Lee Petty.

The three youngsters soon gravitated to the Petty race shop, where they helped with the preparation of the cars and often traveled to the race tracks.

Eventually Richard took up driving, Maurice concentrated on building engines, and Inman became a crew chief.

In 1967, the team had one of the most dominating seasons in NASCAR history, winning 27 races, including a NASCAR-record 10 straight, all with the same race car.

Inman was crew chief for all of Petty’s seven Cup titles and for 192 of Petty’s 200 victories. He left the team after winning the 1981 Daytona 500 and went to work as Dale Earnhardt’s crew chief at Rod Osterlund’s team.

But Osterlund sold the team to J.D. Stacy, and Earnhardt left the team. Inman eventually signed on with team owner Billy Hagan and driver Terry Labonte, and the combo won the 1984 Cup title.

Inman returned to Petty Enterprises in 1986 and continues to serve as a consultant to Richard Petty Motorsports.

In a relatively brief 13-year career, Richie Evans of Rome, N.Y., came to dominate one of NASCAR’s toughest divisions, the Modifieds. Historians have documented at least 478 feature wins, and there’s no doubt about his title runs. He won nine national titles in all, including eight in a row from 1978-1985. He won that final title even though he was killed while practicing for the October race at Martinsville Speedway.

That year, 1985, was the first under the current format for the Whelen Modified Tour, and Evans won 12 of the 29 events.

He also won 28 track championships at 11 venues in four states. All were in the Modified division.

His car number, 61, is the only one that has been retired from a major NASCAR series.

Darrell Waltrip is one that many felt should have been included in one of the first two classes of the Hall of Fame because of his contributions as a driver and a broadcaster.

His racing credentials certainly are Hall-worthy, as he won 84 Cup races and three championships. His contributions to the sport continued after his driving days as he’s become one of the main faces of the sport for TV viewers around the world.

For Waltrip, it’s been a long trek from the days when he was racing short tracks around his hometown of Owensboro, Ky.

His career began its upward spiral when he and his wife Stevie moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he soon became one of the stars at Fairgrounds Speedway, where he was the 1970 track champion.

He started his first Cup race in 1972, at Talladega, where he ran just 69 laps before the engine blew in his No. 95 Mercury, leaving him with a 38th-place finish and a $680 payday.

But his timing was good, as he joined the Cup circuit at a time when top drivers like Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty and David Pearson were much older than him.

His brash, outspoken ways soon led Yarborough to refer to him as “Jaws.” But Waltrip wasn’t just a talker, he could drive with the best of them. His best years came while driving for Junior Johnson, the team owner who taught him how to win championships.

Waltrip still maintains a large presence in the sport, as an analyst for the FOX and SPEED networks.

Cale Yarborough, from Sardis, S.C., is considered one of the toughest drivers to ever sit behind the wheel of a race car. Legend has it that, among other things, he flew an airplane without taking lessons, wrestled an alligator and lived through being struck by lightning.

His introduction to big-time auto racing also is the stuff of legend as he lied about his age, saying he was 21 instead of 18, and started the 1957 Southern 500 at Darlington.

He was black-flagged when officials discovered that he was behind the wheel of the No. 30 Ford, not car owner Bobby Weatherly, who was supposed to be driving the car after officials determined that Yarborough had falsified his license application.

He won his first Cup race, at Valdosta, Ga., in 1965 and before he was through won 82 more, including four Daytona 500s.  He also won 69 poles, fourth on the all-time list, and a record 12 at Daytona.

By: Jeb Haught

DEVELOPER: Frozenbyte

PUBLISHER: Atlus

SYSTEM: Microsoft XBL download (PC, PSN)

PRICE: $15.00

ESRB RATING: E10+

REVIEW RATING: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

“Trine” was a surprise hit in 2009 due to its unique blend of various genres that offered addictive 2-D game play set against stunning 3-D backgrounds. Thankfully, the sequel features an even more robust adventure, and the addition of online co-op for up to three players makes up for the lack of new features.

The story takes a backseat to game-play in “Trine 2,” so all that really needs to be said is that the three heroes from the first game have been called upon by the ancient Trine artifact to once again save the day! This means they’ll have to navigate tricky levels, solve countless puzzles and defeat hordes of goblins, but that’s all in a day’s work for a hero, now isn’t it?

Players control one character at a time and can switch among them at will with the press of a button. Switching heroes is necessary since each sports unique abilities that are necessary to advance. For example, Pontius, the knight, hacks enemies to bits with his sword, and Amadeus, the wizard, conjures items out of thin air, while Zoya, the thief, can swing around using her handy grappling hook. It’s also possible to upgrade abilities and even gain new ones by collecting orbs.

What really sets this game apart are the physics-based puzzles, most of which can be solved in more than one way. Early puzzles are easy, but some of the later ones can be tough to figure out (especially if you play solo). Teaming up with others online opens up new possibilities, such as levitating a cube that a teammate is standing on or blocking fireballs with the knight’s shield so that others can safely pass by.

Despite some minor flaws, “Trine 2″ is a fantastic game that’s fun to play alone and even more enjoyable with others!

‘Pixeljunk SideScroller’

DEVELOPER: Q-Games

PUBLISHER: Sony

SYSTEM: Sony PSN download

PRICE: $9.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 3.0 stars (out of 5)

Sony has seen much success in its Pixeljunk game series for the PSN, so they decided to make a spinoff of a mini-game found in “Pixeljunk Shooter 2.” Although “Pixeljunk SideScroller” isn’t nearly as bad as “Happy Days” TV show spinoff “Joanie Loves Chachi,” it’s still the least engaging of the Pixeljunk bunch.

Retro gaming is definitely in style, and the idea behind this game seems sound: Create a 2-D side-scrolling shooter with vector-like graphics and add a modern electronic soundtrack. So why isn’t “Pixeljunk SideScroller” as popular as the old-school games it’s based on? Simply put, it offers repetitive game-play that’s frustratingly difficult!

Sixteen levels are available to challenge players’ skills and patience as they’re assaulted from all sides by weapons fire, lava and various other hazards. This title definitely replicates some of the more frustrating aspects of older shooters, like having to dodge hundreds of bullets while memorizing every level and then attempting them over and over …

Instead of earning new weapons, players have access to all three from the start and can fire off more powerful versions by charging them up first. I found the basic machine gun to be my favorite when compared to the slow-firing laser and ineffective bombs. Weapons can be upgraded by collecting power-ups, but even when upgraded to the maximum level, I still felt like they weren’t anything special.

Another player can join in on the side-scrolling action, but unlike most co-op games, this title is best enjoyed alone. For starters, both players share the same pool of extra lives. In addition, when one player’s ship is destroyed, the other player is forced to continue alone until he or she finally hits a checkpoint.

In the end, “Pixeljunk SideScroller” doesn’t provide enough fun to make the frustration worthwhile.

REVIEW SCORING SYSTEM

5 stars = Must-Have

4 stars = Very Good

3 stars = Above Average

2 stars = Bargain Bin

1 star = Don’t Bother

RATINGS KEY

Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)

E: Everyone

E10-plus: (Everyone 10 and older)

T: Teen (13 and older)

M: Mature (17 and older)

To find out more about Jeb Haught and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2011 CREATORS.COM

By T.J. TOMASI

Mental images, the pictures you draw in your mind, let your muscles know what needs to be done when you make a golf swing. What you see on your mental screen helps you understand what you’re trying to do.

An image I often use is of a horse and rider moving away from a wall with one end of a 60-foot coil of rope tied to the saddle and the other end anchored securely to the wall. The horse gains speed and the rope ­rapidly uncoils until, in a bone-jarring tug, the rope goes taut and the horse stops dead in its tracks. As you can imagine, the rider is flung (released) from the saddle, continuing alone in the direction he and his horse were traveling only a fraction of a second before.

Now reverse the situation so that the horse and rider are approaching the wall at full gallop, and just as they get to the wall, the horse stops dead. Once again, our helpless rider continues on alone as he’s thrown over the wall.

In the first image, the wall represents your right leg, in the second, the wall is your left leg. The rider is your clubhead andhis separation from the horse causes the release of your clubhead through the hitting zone.

To get the feel for this two-wall swing, at first exaggerate the move by taking some swings where it feels like your right heel stays on the ground until it’s pulled off by your body turning up and into your follow-through. Feel as if, for a fraction of a second, you’re sitting on your right knee to start the downswing.

But there are two things to watch out for: Take care to keep both knees flexed, and make sure you transfer your weight to your left hip. What you want is to let your weight empty into your left hip joint while keeping your right heel down.

By Joe Olvera ©, 2011

Removing concrete barriers from busy city streets, tearing down fences that had provided protection in tough neighborhoods, undertakers upset because the murders in Juarez have dissipated somewhat, Mexican President Felipe Calderon prancing about proclaiming that his war on the drug cartels is taking fruit because the violence is slowly ebbing and coming to a halt. But, is it true? Has the violence in Mexico been moderated to the extent that Juarenses feel safer? While Calderon was claiming credit for the drop in killings, however, one woman held up a sign indicating not that he had won his so-called War on Drugs, but, that there were no more people worth killing in Mexico.

The theories on what’s happening in Mexico are long and confusing. Some people do believe that the violence has been curtailed, but, not totally stopped. Although there seems to be a drop in the violence that has permeated the city and has resulted in more than 9,000 deaths, the murders continue, albeit, in smaller numbers. With Juarez city officials tearing down protective barriers – barriers that gave the people a false sense of security – it now seems as if it’s a new day in Juarez. Or not!

“Just wait until after the presidential elections,” says one doubting Tomas. “The Partido Accion Nacional (PAN) is currently in power and it wants to maintain that power,” the man who did not want to be identified, said. “The party is worried that it might not win the next election, thus, perhaps some sort of deal has been made with the cartels to stop the killings so that the population will think that it’s their doing. The fact is that the Mexican military is no longer being used in the war, thus, the murders have gone down. Just to give you an example, eight people were murdered just yesterday. So, have the killings stopped? I would say no. Also, the media has been asked to not report on any new violence that might occur. I don’t think anything has changed at all. It’s just a lull.”

To put things in perspective, the murders in Juarez have dropped to150 last month. This figure is down from a year earlier. In October 2010, 350 people were killed in that one month. Since then, however, the violence has slowly declined to 183 murders in March and 168 in April. This contrasts to the 150 killed only recently. The fact is the killings have dropped and one cannot discount the fact that some people do feel safer, but, perhaps not because of Calderon’s claims that it’s his strategy that has worked.

Analyst Patrick Corcoran attributes the drop in murders to other factors. “One likely factor is attrition among the gangs in Juarez,” he writes in an Internet article. “In what might be a sign of the shifting dynamics in the regional underworld, two larger gangs that operate in Chihuahua – the Zetas and La Linea – recently announced an alliance in the city of Hidalgo del Parral, a few miles south of Juarez.”

What many experts agree on, however, is that there does seem to be some sort of dynamic happening that has seen a drop in the Juarez murders. However, one element on which most experts don’t agree, is whether the lull will last, or whether the violence will pick up once again after the Mexican elections in July. Much remains to be seen.

By Joe Olvera ©, 2011

Mexicans are lucky, especially the children. They get to celebrate Christmas twice. Not only do they wait with anticipation to see the fat man – Santa Claus – climb down that ole chimney, but, on January 6 they get to celebrate again. Only this time, it’s not ole Saint Nick that delivers presents. This time it’s Los Tres Reyes (The Three Kings). Of course, not every Mexican child experiences this phenomenon, but, those who do are the lucky ones.

January 6 culminates the Twelve Days of Christmas, and it honors the three wise men who traveled, ostensibly, from the Orient to deliver gifts of frankincense, myrrh and gold to the newly born Christ child in Bethlehem. Either they were skilled astronomers, or just plain lucky. But, of a sudden, a star appeared in the heavens that signaled to them that a new king had been born. They followed the traveling star until it stopped, pointing out the manger where the Christ child lay with his mother Mary and his father, Joseph – well, adoptive father, should we say.

In El Paso, and in other Hispanic communities, the three kings or three wise men have almost replaced December 25^th as Christmas Day. Some Mexican kids are lucky, however, because their parents don’t want them to be without on Christmas Day, and, at the same time, they don’t want their kids to forget or to forego January 6 – El Dia de los Tres Reyes. Thus, these children get to open gifts wrapped in colorful paper twice in one year. In addition to the Christmas ham on the 25^th, these youngsters also get to eat a   favorite treat known as the Rosca de Reyes. Shaped in the round to represent a king’s crown, the Rosca de Reyes also contains a secret surprise – a plastic effigy of the baby Jesus. Whoever finds the baby Jesus must commit to having a party for all those present  on Feb. 2, known as the Day of the Candlemas.

But, you see, there is a rhyme and a reason for hiding the baby Jesus in the pan de

Rosca. It is symbolic of the time when the Three Kings arrived at the land of King Herod – Jerusalem. The omens had warned Herod that a baby was born who would become the

King of the Jews. Jealous of the Christ child’s birth, Herod asked the Three Kings to let him know when and where they found Jesus. Herod told them that he wanted to honor the Christ child. This was a ruse, however. Herod wanted to murder Jesus to eliminate this new king. When the three Kings did not relay this information to Herod, he took a terrible revenge. He ordered his thugs to murder every newborn child, hoping that by so doing, the baby Jesus would be among them. As we all know, however, it didn’t happen that way and Jesus went on to found a powerful religion that lives to this day. Thus, for Mexicans and other Hispanics around the world, January 6 is as important a day as is Christmas. Therefore, allow us to wish everyone a Happy January 6^th. El Dia de los Tres Reyes.