Ear to the ground

“I’m just looking forward to sports where I can hold one beer in hand.”

– A local hockey player looking forward to the summer horseshoes/washers/bocce season

Destination Aztec

“They’re Here!”

Xenophiles and UFO buffs from around the country will descend on the Four Corners this weekend. The 12th annual Aztec UFO Symposium blasts off on March 27-28.

“Prepare for Contact – They’re Here!” is the theme of the upcoming symposium, sited in the New Mexico town where a UFO allegedly crashed in 1948. According to accounts, “16 humanoid bodies” were recovered along with an undamaged craft north of Aztec in Hart Canyon in March of that year.

The symposium marks this event, and this year organizers are asking, “How are we, as a society, going to handle it if and when disclosure becomes public?”

The symposium opens on Friday from 5-9 with a meet-and-greet dinner. The following day, a panel of speakers will cover everything from ancient archeological findings of UFOs to contactee/abductee stories. There will also be free guided tours of the crash site.

All events benefit the Friends of the Aztec Library.

In an interesting twist, the Aztec Public Library recently worked with Disney Productions on the new release, “Race to Witch Mountain.” Set designers approached the library about replicating the annual UFO Symposium for the movie. Disney eventually purchased T-shirts, bags, caps and other memorabilia that were used to create the film’s UFO Conference Vendor Room.

For information, call (505) 330-4616.

The pepper patch

A vegetable known and loved by Four Corners residents has been tapped as a wonder cure. University of Wisconsin researchers have discovered that the green chile is of remarkable help to those dealing with the agonies of shingles.

The doctors revealed that the chemical responsible for the heat in hot peppers can relieve the pain associated with shingles. A clinical trial of a high-dose capsaicin dermal patch provided pain relief for as long as 12 weeks for 40 percent of patients in the trial.

Dr. Miroslav Backonja, the study’s lead author, was shocked by the results, saying, “My first concern was that nobody would be able to tolerate it, but I was flabbergasted how well they did tolerate it.”

NeurogesX, a California company, is currently seeking FDA approval for the pepper patch.