Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 270, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 30, 2009 Page: 4 of 10
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Page 4 ■ Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED ’It) PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
t-n Sweetwater.
Reporter
PO. Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
325/236-6677
Fax: 325/2354967
Website:
www.sweetwaterreporter.com
E-mail addresses:
publisher@sweetwaterreporter.com
business@sweetwaterreporter com
advertising@sweetwaterreporter.com
circulation@sweetwaterreporter.com
editor@sweetwaterreporter.com
composing@sweetwaterreporter.com
Sharon L Friedlander
nubKsher/ad director
Danica Hickson
business mgr.
Michelle Ashford
circulation mgr.
Tatiana Rodriguez
managing editor
Pablo Rodriguez
composing mgr.
Rleu Reyes
production mgr.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
those labeled “Editorials” reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
YOUR HEALTH
National 4-H Week is Oct. 4-10
Linda
Chavez
GUEST COLUMN
Immigrant values
For the first time in decades, the number of foreign- 1
born individuals living in the United States declined last
year, according to new numbers released bv the Census
Bureau's American Community Survey. The drop was
small, from 12.6 percent of the U.S. popu-
lation to 12.5 percent of the population,
but it is significant nonetheless. It sug-
gests that not only are fewer people com-
ing here but also some who are already
here have decided to leave. But the rea- j
son for the decline may be nothing to
cheer about. It may have less to do with
tougher border enforcement effectively
keeping out illegal immigrants than it
does with a shrinking economy making
the country a less enticing destination.
Immigrants always have been the
canaries in the mine shaft — an early i
warning system about the health of the
U.S. economy. By mid-decade, informal
networks of immigrants in the U.S. had
already begun to send word-of-mouth messages back
home that job opportunities in the U.S. were drying up. As
a result, immigration from Mexico -- the country responsi-
ble for about a third of all immigration to the U.S. — began
a steep decline and is now down overall by about 40 per-
cent. And according to estimates from Mexico's National
Survey of Employment and Occupation, Mexicans have
been returning home at a rate of more than 400,000 a
year since 2006, at the very time that fewer Mexicans have
been choosing to leave Mexico for the U.S.
But what about those who remain? The greatest pas-
sion generated during immigration debates over the past
few years has concerned illegal immigration, hut many
people also have voiced fears that Hispanic immigrants,
even those who came legally, arc somehow different from
all previous immigrants and never will move into the
American mainstream. The Heritage Foundation's Robert
Rector, for example, warned in one study that the descen-
dants of Mexican immigrants will constitute a permanent
underclass, dependent on welfare and unable to carry
their fair share of the tax burden, discouraging lawmakers
from considering changes to immigration law that would
allow more Mexicans to immigrate, even if they were to
do so legally.
A recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center, however,
suggests that many of these fears are overblown and that
children of Latino immigrants are doing well on most
measures. They fare better on most health indicators
(except obesity) than native-born Americans, for example,
despite being less likely to be covered by health insurance.
Most importantly, they are about as likely to grow up in
two-parent households as whites - 73 percent, compared
with 77 percent for whites. They graduate high school at
rates slightly less than non-Hispanic whites (80 percent,
compared with 92 percent of whites), but almost half go
on to attend college. And those who graduate from col-
lege actually earn slightly more than their native-born
counterparts.
The overwhelming majority of Hispanics born in the
U.S. to immigrant parents are able to speak English well,
which is key to their successful integration into American
society. While the Census Bureau counts many Hispanic
immigrants as linguistically isolated - unable to speak
English well enough to function in daily life - they aren't
unique in that respect. In fact, Asian immigrants are
slightly more linguistically isolated than Latinos. Yet few
people seem to fret that Asians never will assimilate.
Contrary to the impression that Hispanics remain poor
no matter how long they've lived in the U.S., upward
mobility is still the rule, not the exception. Twice as
many third-generation Hispanics live in households with
incomes more than $75,000 a year (nearly one-third of all
third-generation Hispanics do so) than live in households
with incomes less than $25,000 a year.
The one worrisome trend among American-born
Hispanics is the same demographic trend that plagues
African-Americans and growing numbers of poor whites:
rising out-of-wedlock births and an increasing number
of children who grow up in female-headed households.
"Third-generation" (which means third-generation or
higher) Hispanics are far more likely than those of the
first or second generation to grow up in households head-
ed by unmarried mothers, with a majority, 52 percent, of
such children growing up in homes without their fathers
present. Assimilation, unfortunately, includes adopting
more lax attitudes toward sex and childhearing outside
marriage, and the surest way to remain poor is to have a
baby before you're married.
But it's difficult to blame this trend on immigration.
Most of those we call "third-generation" Hispanics aren't
even the grandchildren of immigrants but are made up
mostly of Mexicun-Americans whose families have been
here for generations. Indeed, immigrant family values
may be exactly what all Americans — Hispanic and non-
llispanic alike - need more of, not less.
Linda t 'have/is the author oj "An Unlikely Conservative:
The ’Transformation of an Ex-lAberal." In find out mare
about Undo Chore/, visit the Creators Syndicate well
pope at www.creators.com.
Everyone is surely back
into their fall routines with
school, football, work, and
cooler weather.
September brings
the beginning of so
many things - 4-H
included! The new
4-H years started
September 1st.
What better
way to kick off the
year, than to cele-
brate National 4-H
Week. There will
be many activities
happening in the
4-H program next
week. So, if ever
there was a time
that von were interested
in joining us as a member
or volunteer leader, now is
that time!
To join 4-H, you must
be 8 years old and in the
3rd grade or 9 before
September 1,2009. All you
have to do is come by our
office located on the third
floor of the courthouse
and fill out an enrollment
form. It’s free!
Even is you aren’t sure
about what you might like
to do in 4-H, filling out
an enrollment form will
nit you on our mailing
ist. You will begin to get
our monthly newslet-
ter that will discuss all of
our upcoming activities.
When you see one that you
are interested in, give us
a call.
We are always look-
ing for a few good lead-
ers as well. If you think
you might be interested in
assisting with club meet-
ings, projects, or anything
- we have a job for you!
Again, all you have to do is
come by the office and fill
out a volunteer form.
One activity we have
going on next week is
our annual County Foods
Workshop. This year we
will be learning about a
new 4-H contest called the
Food Challenge. It takes
the concepts presented in
several of the latest tele-
YOUR HEALTH
fry
* k 1
LynnAnn
Duniven
people. We will also be
acceptingdonationsforour
district-wide community
service project - Pennies
for the Pool. Funds raised
will assist the Texas 4-H
Center with much needed
pool repairs. So, our ser-
vice during National 4-H
Week will be two-fold!
In Nolan County, more
than 70 4-H members and
35 volunteers are involved
celebrating..... in 4-H.
ONE DAY 4-H! The fundamental 4-H
ideal of practical, “learn
by doing" experiences
vision food competitions
and brings them to life in
our 4-H members. We
will also be dis-
cussing nutrition
information and
other contests
available to those
interested in foods
and nutrition.
Also during
National 4-H
Week we will be
One Day 4-H is a
state-wide com-
munity service
initiative. All over
the state of Texas,
4-H members will be serv-
ing their communities
through many different
activities.
On Saturday, October 10,
2009, at the Sweetwater
WalMart, Nolan County
4-H youth will connect
with the community by
carrying out groceries for
encourage youth to experi-
ment, innovate and think
independently. 4-H pro-
grams are offered through
school-based, after-school
and camp settings and
within community clubs.
vate sector, non-profit
partner of National 4-H
Headquarters (USDA).
The 4-H programs are
implemented by the 106
Land Grant Universities
and the Cooperative
Extension System through
their 3,100 local Extension
offices across the country.
In Texas we are under
the Texas A&M University
System umbrella and are
implemented by Texas
Agri 1 .ife Extension Service.
You can learn more about
4-H by going to http://
texas4-h.tamu.edu/ . You
may also come by our
office or call me at 235-
3184.
LynnAnn Duniven is the
County Extension Agent
4-H is a community of for Family and Consumer
six million young people Sciences in Nolan County.
?> ■ i
across America learning
leadership, citizenship,
and life skills. National
4-H Council is the pri-
WF
Comments about this col-
umn may be e-mailed to
editor @ sweetwaterre-
porter.com.
'3-; a twBBfw
OM....YOU MEAN
TMOSE
COOKIES/
Exercise beneficial at any age
No matter what your
age, it's never too late to
start exercising. In fact,
if you're a senior citizen,
physical activity is an
excellent way to improve
your overall health.
In older adults,
regular exercise
reduces the risk of
illness, injury and
even death. The
results of a recent
Harvard study
demonstrated that
physical activity
can increase life
expectancy, even
in folks who don't
begin exercising
until the age of 75.
In spite of the
proven health-pro-
moting benefits of exercise,
most senior citizens aren't
active enough. According
to data published by
the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention,
only about a third of older
Americans engage in regu-
lar physical activity.
There's no doubt that
the physical changes
that typically occur with
aging can make certain
types of exercise challeng-
ing for older individuals.
With age, joints tend to
lose their mobility, liga-
ments become less flex-
ible, and muscle strength
and endurance steadily
decline.
Because we often have
slower reaction times and
aren't able to balance our-
selves as well as we could
when we were younger,
we're more prone to falls
as we age.
The most noticeable
changes observed with
aging involve the muscu-
loskeletal system. Without
regular physical activity,
lean muscle mass gradu-
ally dwindles away, while
tile percentage of body fat
steadily increases.
Muscle strength is nor-
mally well maintained
until about the fifth decade
of life. It's not uncommon
to experience a 15 percent
drop in muscle strength
from the tilth to seventh
I
Dr. Rallie
McAllister
decades, and up to a 30
percent drop each decade
after the age of 70.
Progressive bone loss
and osteoporosis com-
monly accompany aging.
Women typic ally maintain
their bone density
rather easily until
the age of 35, while
men do so until
about the age of
55; but by the age
of 70, most men
and women will
have experienced
significant losses
in bone mass and
strength.
In the cardio-
vascular system,
blood vessel walls
can harden and
the heart muscle can grow
thicker, resulting in nigh
blood pressure and heart
disease. As our lungs
become less elastic, they
take up oxygen less effi-
ciently.
The good news is that
regular exercise can help
onset many of the chang-
es that accompany aging.
While physical activity
won't completely stop the
hands of time, it can dra-
matically improve muscle
strength, endurance, flex-
ibility and overall health.
Regular exercise helps
lower blood pressure and
improves the body's ability
to regulate blood sugar. II
boosts levels of heart-pro-
tecting high-density lipo-
proteins, while it reduces
levels of harmful low-den-
sity lipoproteins.
Physical activity helps
improve symptoms of
osteoarthritis. In the
Fitness and Arthritis
m Seniors Trial (FAST),
exercise proved beneficial
to more than 400 elderly
adults with osteoarthritis.
The exercising seniors not
only suffered less pain;
they showed significant
improvements in mobility
and strength.
Incorporating strength
exercises anil balance
training into a work-
out program can reduce
(lie likelihood ol falling.
Weight-hearing exercise
helps improve bone den-
sity, lowering the risk of
osteoporosis. Combined,
these benefits significantly
reduce the risk of sustain-
ing debilitating bone frac-
tures.
If you're an older adult,
you may not have any
desire to become a world-
class athlete. But if you're
interested in improv-
ing your overall health,
strength, and endurance,
exercise is your best bet.
Since no single fitness
program works for every-
one, you should choose
one that you can perform
comfortably. Most experts
agree that the program
should focus on improv-
ing aerobic fitness, muscle
strength, flexibility and
balance.
Swimming, walking,
dancing, stationary cycling
and weight training are
excellent choices. The key
is to choose an activity
that is not only safe and
effective, but also enjoy-
able.
Before you start your
exercise program, it's a
good idea to talk it over
with your physician. Most
older adults can engage in
some type of fitness pro-
gram without endangering
life or limb.
If you have serious
health issues, or if you're
planning to take up an
especially strenuous activ-
ity, such as mountain bik-
ing or cross-country snow
skiing, your doctor may
want to perform a few tests
to make sure your body is
up to the challenge.
If it's been a while since
you've exercised, it's a
good idea to start with
low-intensity activities
and gradually advance to
a more vigorous workout.
Begin with five- to 10-min-
ute sessions, and progres-
sively increase the inten-
sity and duration of the
activity until you're able
to exercise at least for 30
minutes on most days of
the week.
If you stick with it, your
efforts will pay off. You'll
feel stronger, and have
greater endurance and
flexibility, and you may
even live longer.
Rallie McAllister is a
hoard-certified family
physician, speaker and
the author of several
books, inclndiny "Healthy
Lunchbox: The Working
Mom's Guide to Keeping
You and Your Kids Trim."
Her Website is www.ral
lieonhealth.com. To find
out more about Rallie
McAllister. M.D., and
read features bg other
Creators Syndicate writ-
ers and cartoonists, visit
the Creators Syndicate
Web page at www.cre-
utors.com.
The SWEETWATER RlilH )RTER
(USPS 5MK)*KftO) is published daily
except Saturdays and holidays by UPC
ol Texas Ini (Periodical Postage Paid)
112 W hd. Sweetwater. Texas 7955ft
Postmaster: Send address chunges to:
SWmWATLiR RLI*IRI I.R
PO BOX 750
SWLiin WAI liK. I X 7955ft
City Delivery $9.00 per month. $90 00
pei year, ft-monlhs $50 00. < months
$2ft(IO By mail In County Rates
' months $<MM), ft months $ft5 00.
12-monlhs $11500 Out OI L.'ounty
Rates t months $50 00. ft months
$HH (HI, 12 months $140.00
Correction Policy
Editorial:
As a matter of policy, the
Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
ir- fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
The corrections will be
made as soon as possible
after the error has been
brought to the attention ol
the newspaper’s editor al
236-6677.
Advertising:
Publisher reserves the righl
to reject, edit or cancel any
advertising at any time with-
out liability. Publisher’s liabil-
ity lor error is limited to the
amount paid (or advertising.
Reporter
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View three places within this issue that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Rodriguez, Tatiana. Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 270, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 30, 2009, newspaper, September 30, 2009; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth561038/m1/4/?q=%22~1~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.