LOCAL
Roswell Daily Record
TODAY IN HISTORY
Assistance League receives donation
Assistance League of Chaves County recently received a donation from the Robert Solis Memorial Run held Oct. 19. The money received will be used for Assistance League's Operation School Bell program, which helps clothe schoolchildren in kindergarten through eighth grades in Roswell, Dexter and Hagerman. Here, Jean Maley of Assistance League accepts the donation from Bobbie Solis, Robert's mother.
Seniors celebrate birthdays Wednesday
Sunday Fun Days
The Historical Society of Southeast New Mexico will present its next Sunday Fun Days program at 3 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 9, at the Historical Museum annex building, 200 N. Lea Ave. The program, “Ghost Towns of Chaves County,” will be presented by John LeMay, local author and historian. Admission is free to the public. Take some time to learn more about New Mexico, and be entertained at the same time. For more information, call Roger K. Burnett at 622-8333.
Chapter Z, P.E.O.
Chapter Z, P.E.O., will meet at 1 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 13, in the home of Sally Plett; Dean Day will be the co-hostess. The program, on the history of the Blackdom community, will be presented by historian Elvis Fleming. For more information, call Sally at 622-3778, or Dean at 623-2415.
Beta Sigma Phi
The Alpha Iota chapter of Beta Sigma Phi will meet in the home of Marlayne Ribbach at 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 13. For more information, call 6241415.
Master Gardner course
The Chaves County Cooperative
Roberts
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point to the Republican filibuster that derailed Abe Fortas, President Lyndon Johnson’s choice as chief justice in 1968. Republicans still resent the rejection of Robert Bork, President Ronald Reagan’s nominee to the High Court in 1987. Just to show how tangled this gets, consider Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee and the chief antagonist of many Obama nominees. In 1986, Sessions was chosen for a federal judgeship by President Reagan and rejected by the same Senate committee on which he now sits (he won a Senate seat 10 years later). Does Sessions hold a grudge? Is he more likely to oppose Democratic nominees because of his own experience? To quote
be purchased at the venue. The keynote speaker will be Roswell Mayor Del Jur ney; live entertainment will be provided by Michael Francis’ Spice of Life Band. For more information, call Justus Bowe at 623-6621 or Landjur Abukusumo at 622-3306.
Extension Service is offering a 13week master gardener course every Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 14 through April 15. The classes will cover topics pertinent to gardening in New Mexico and Chaves County and will be presented by specialists in horticulture and agronomy from New Mexico State University. Classes will be held at the Chaves County Extension Office Auditorium, 200 E. Chisum St. Cost for the course and materials is $80. Participants attending all 13 classes and donating a minimum of 20 hours of volunteer service to the Chaves County Master Gardener Program within the year of training will become Certified Master Gardeners. Those attending but not volunteering time will receive a Master Gardeners Certificate of Completion. Applications may be picked up at the Chaves County Extension Office, 200 E. Chisum St., Door 4 or by logging onto http://chavesextension.nmsu.edu. Space is limited. For more information, call 6223210.
MLK commemorative breakfast
The 12th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Breakfast, presented by Blackdom Memorial Inc., and the Roswell Parks and Recreation Department, will be held at 9 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 15, at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center, 912 N. Main St. Cost is $12 per person; tickets may
another noteworthy Republican: “You betcha.” Or take Goodwin Liu, a California law professor nominated to the Ninth Circuit by President Obama. Democrats charge that opposition to Liu was fueled by Republican fears that be could become the first Asian American on the Supreme Court. They’re right, but Democrats conveniently forget that when George W. Bush was president, they buried one of his nominees, Miguel Estrada, for a similar reason. They were afraid Bush would make him the first Latino justice. This “persistent problem” of endless recrimination is not just about bruised feelings. Federal judges matter. The power to appoint them is one of the most tangible results of any presidential election. Just look at the last year. Federal judges have struck down four major policy initiatives: Califor-
AWA spay/neuter clinic
The Animal Welfare Alliance is holding its first spay/neuter clinic of the year on Jan. 21, 22 and 23. Start the new year off by spaying or neutering your pet to avoid unwanted litters of puppies and kittens. The AWA has a small amount of financial assistance available for large dogs and grant funds from the Community Foundation of Chaves County to assist financially in paying to spay or neuter cats and kittens owned by any senior citizen. To make an appointment, call 317-7439; prior to the clinic, a volunteer will call you back.
Senior Olympics
Registration for local games in the 2011 Senior Olympics is under way now through February at the Roswell Adult and Senior Center, 807 N. Missouri Ave. To be eligible for the Senior Olympics, you must be at least 50 years old by Dec. 31, 2011. Some of the activities and sports included in Senior Olympics are air gun, archery, badminton, basketball free throw, basketball 3-point shot, bowling, cycling, dance, 8-ball pool, field events, horseshoes, pickle ball, race walk, racquetball, recreational events, Huachas, road race run, shuffleboard, swimming, table tennis, talent show, tennis, track and triathlon. Athletes must register for the local games at the RASC to qualify for the state games, which will be held in Las Cruces in July at the campus of New Mexico State University. For more information, call Sara at 624-6718.
nia’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state; the prohibition against gays serving openly in the military; a federal law limiting marriage to straight couples; and key provisions of the health-care bill signed by the president. None of these rulings are final, the Supreme Court has the last word, but all of them affect the public debate. The decision favoring gays in the military helped accelerate a congressional vote to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The opinion against Obama’s healthcare bill has emboldened his opponents to dismantle the measure through legislative action. Elections have consequences, and presidents should have the right to pick their own judges, except in extraordinary circumstances. Senators certainly have a role to play and should reject nominees who are clearly
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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Courtesy Photo
The ENMMC Senior Circle birthday party for January is set for 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at the facility in the Wilshire Center, 2801 N. Main St., next door to Family Dollar. All members are invited, regardless of when their birthdays are, and nonmembers interested in learning more about Senior Circle are welcome. Refreshments are served, including birthday cake, of course! Door prizes are given out. For more information, call the office at 623-2311.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
unqualified or too extreme in their views. But when Republicans block one out of four Obama nominees, that’s an unabashed abuse of power for crassly political goals. History provides ample precedent for a more bipartisan approach to judicial selection. In 1986, the Senate unanimously approved Justice Antonin Scalia, the longtime leader of the High Court’s conservative block. Liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg received only three negative votes in 1993. Roberts is asking senators to remember those examples and return to a standard of reasonableness. They should pay attention and show better judgment in evaluating judges. Steve and Cokie Roberts can be contacted by e-mail at stevecokie@gmail.com. ©2011, United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
Today is Saturday, Jan. 8, the eighth day of 2011. There are 357 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight On Jan. 8, 1811, Charles Deslondes (some sources say “Deslandes”) led an uprising by hundreds of slaves in the Territory of Orleans in present-day Louisiana. (The revolt, which claimed the lives of two whites, failed on its third day, and Deslondes and many of his followers were killed by federal and local troops.) On this date In 1798, the 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was declared in effect by President John Adams nearly three years after its ratification by the states; it prohibited a citizen of one state from suing another state in federal court. In 1815, U.S. forces led by Gen. Andrew Jackson defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans — the closing engagement of the War of 1812. In 1861, President James Buchanan’s pro-Southern Secretary of the Interior, Jacob Thompson, resigned. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson outlined his “Fourteen Points” for lasting peace after World War I. Mississippi became the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which established Prohibition. In 1935, rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Miss. In 1959, Charles de Gaulle was inaugurated as president of France’s Fifth Republic. In Cuba, Fidel Castro and his army arrived in Havana in triumph following the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a “War on Poverty” in his State of the Union address. In 1973, the Paris peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam resumed. In 1989, 47 people were killed when a British Midland Boeing 737-400 carrying 126 people crashed in central England. In 2003, a US Airways Express commuter plane crashed at the Charlotte, N.C., airport, killing all 21 people on board. A Turkish Airlines jet crashed in Turkey, killing 75 people. Ten years ago: Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined a quarter of a million dollars for extorting payoffs from businessmen applying for riverboat casino licenses. Pope John Paul II was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Five years ago: The first funerals were held in West Virginia for the 12 miners who’d died in the Sago (SAY’-goh) Mine disaster six days earlier. One year ago: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (OO’-mahr fah-ROOK’ ahb-DOOL’-moo-TAH’-lahb), accused of trying to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas, appeared in federal court in Detroit; the judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Vice President Joe Biden’s mother, Jean Biden, died in Wilmington, Del., at age 92. Today’s Birthdays: Actor-comedian Larry Storch is 88. Actor Ron Moody is 87. Broadcast journalist Sander Vanocur is 83. CBS newsman Charles Osgood is 78. Singer Shirley Bassey is 74. Game show host Bob Eubanks is 73. Country-gospel singer Cristy Lane is 71. Rhythm-and-blues singer Anthony Gourdine (Little Anthony and the Imperials) is 70. Actress Yvette Mimieux is 69. Physicist Stephen Hawking is 69. Rock musician Robby Krieger (The Doors) is 65. Rock singer David Bowie is 64. Movie director John McTiernan is 60. Actress Harriet Sansom Harris is 56. Singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith is 47. Actress Maria Pitillo (pih-TIHL’-loh) is 46. Actress Michelle Forbes is 46. Singer R. Kelly is 44.
Gott
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you take a look at your environment to determine if there is something that may be causing this. Did you get a new pet or move? Did you start wearing a new perfume or using a new scented soap or shampoo? Did you begin using a new laundry detergent or fabric softener? You may want to talk to your physician about a trial course of an allergy medication. Over-thecounter options include Claritin, Zyrtec, Benadryl and various store brands with the same active ingredients. Prescription options include Nasonex, Flonase, Clarinex and more. These should dry up the drip and, if it is the cause, the cough as well. I am hesitant to believe that you have acid reflux or asthma because treatment failed to improve your cough; however, they may still be the culprits. Acid reflux can be helped through changes in diet as well as physical activity. Limit your intake of fatty, greasy foods, highacid foods and spicy foods. You may not have typical symptoms. Asthma may require daily preventive therapy such as a steroid inhaler in addition to a rescue inhaler for emergencies. Your new symptom of heartburn may be related to acid reflux, but it may also simply be the result of your constant coughing. Other possible, yet unlikely, causes include
infection, lung disorders or cancers, and various medications. I urge you to undergo another chest X-ray, since it has been more than a year since your last. Your pulmonologist can then compare the two films side by side to deter mine whether there are changes that might indicate a more insidious cause. If you are uncomfortable with your current physicians and their assistants, start fresh with another lung specialist or primary-care physician. Express your concer ns about the cough, and be sure to bring all your medical records with you. The new physician can offer a new perspective and insight into your situation and may find something that the others missed. To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Pulmonary Disease.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a selfaddressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order payable to Newsletter and mailed to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com. Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of several books, including “Live Longer, Live Better,” “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” which are available at most bookstores or online. His website is www.AskDrGottMD.com.