Republican-American

Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Castaldi of Waterbury celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a party given by their children at D'Amelio's Restaurant in Waterbury. Mr. and Mrs. Castaldi were married Nov. 22, 1952, at St. Patrick's Church in Farmington. They have two children, Jeffrey Castaldi of Danbury and Steven Castaldi of Torrington, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Mrs. Castaldi is the former Marie Fasolo. Contributed

The Food and Drug Administration and the American Pediatrics Association want to make the so-called morning-after pill available to girls younger than 17 via advance prescriptions. This would simply add to the disaster that resulted in the cultural lie that there is no price to pay for fornication in America that a pill or condom can't fix. AIDS, venereal diseases, hepatitis and herpes are rampant. Parents would be left out of the equation. Our youth need sex education with a strong moral foundation; that needs to happen at home, not in our failed public schools. These drugs are poisons to the body with potentially serious side effects, and are abortificants. Pregnancy is not a disease. It is a gift of new life. No matter where or how it happens, it calls for serious reflection from the parents as well.

Politically, we have become a nation of Yankees and Red Sox fans. My daughter, a Red Sox enthusiast, owns a shirt that states proudly: "I like two teams, the Red Sox and any team playing the Yankees." This statement aptly describes what we have become as an electorate. For us to win, someone else has to lose, and in this case it's the other political party. Winning is great, but we should not seek to win at any cost because it creates lasting impressions on an electorate that eventually stifles public-sector creativity. Republicans are demonized by Democrats as the "anti" party. This includes being anti-civil rights, gay rights, women's rights, poor and middle class, etc. Democrats have been vilified as the party that redistributes wealth to maintain power by taxing the rich to the give to poor. This perceived and rigid ideological framework has become self-fulfilling public imagery that has squeezed out the art of compromise and eliminated creativity, leading us to the largest financial crisis in our nation's history, appropriately named the "fiscal cliff." The one great engine of any economy is spending, and the two fuel lines to that engine are consumer and government spending. Spending keeps manufacturing machines humming, whether they produce automobiles for consumers or tanks for the military. If you slow the habits of one spending group, the other helps cushion the blow to the economy, but slowing both and at the same time means nothing more than recession in the future, hence the need for putting out this fire. As a nation, we continually procrastinate on tackling serious problems, allowing a small brush fire eventually to burn out of control. Adding to the flame is 24-hour news and social media platforms allowing each party to define the other so narrowly that when a creative idea is actually floated, such as the Ryan Medicare Choice plan, it is dismissed by the other party out of hand rather than becoming a basis for serious discussion. The compromise that may keep us from going over the cliff, at least in the short term, undoubtedly will result in a tax-and-slash solution. But what about long-term solutions for long-term problems, such as Medicaid and Medicare funding? When asked if he would be conciliatory toward the Demo-crats, Rep. Mike Burgess, R-Texas, said he was willing as long as the Democrats were willing to discuss "real" entitlement reform. Regardless of who is saying it, when I hear "entitlement reform" I grow concerned because the usual Washington, D.C., definition of hurried Medicaid reforms consists mostly of pushing out the look-back period for gifting, and freezing or cutting reimbursements to doctors, nursing homes and hospitals. No matter how you cut it, hurried "reform" always squeezes the middle class. For real Medicaid as well as Medicare reform to happen, both parties need to put down the rhetorical flamethrowers and step away from the heat. They need to sit down and discuss real reforms that will result in more choices in Medicaid for the sake of the middle class. They need to recreate and rethink the program rather than just patch over its many holes. It requires talking about new ideas. Most importantly, we as an electorate can't be so quick to label such ideas as "Mediscare," for example, without actually understanding the problems and considering real, not political, solutions. Just because you don't like the Yankees doesn't mean you can't respect the players and what they bring to the field. Compromise is not good enough! Creativity is the path to a secure future. Creativity brought us the automobile and telephones in the past, and iPads and iPhones today. This creativity must be allowed to flourish in the public sector so we may have real and lasting solutions. Joseph Stango of Southbury is the founder of Dora's Hope (www.dorashope.org).

If you want gloom-and-doom, keep your eyes glued on that fiscal cliff. If you want to feel on a stronger financial footing, watch the house for sale across the street or the new home that just sold. This year, housing is expected to make the first positive contribution to the nation's gross domestic product after six consecutive years of dragging down the U.S. economy. More gains from housing are expected in 2013, 2014 and 2015, economists say. So if you're underwater on your mortgage, maybe things aren't as bad as they looked just a year ago. If you want to refinance to tap into lower interest rates, now could be your chance. Some families might even discover they can afford to move. "We bought a bigger, better house with a great interest rate — and we sold our second home, making money," said Marisol Jendrusik, 32. Jendrusik and her husband, Joe Jendrusik, bought a 2,200-square-foot house in north Livonia, Mich., at the end of September. "It looks like a mini-mansion," she said proudly. "The backyard backs up to the park." The housing industry — a poster child of the Great Recession — is experiencing a budding recovery that's being driven by 30-year mortgage rates in the 3.5 percent range, more reasonable home prices, less supply and more jobs. "Home building has come back from a near-death experience," said David Sowerby, a Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based portfolio manager for Loomis Sayles. FOR CONSUMERS, the somewhat happier trend for housing prices isn't a one-size-fits-all story. How much better you feel now depends on when you bought that house and the risks you took during the downturn. Some individual situations are a bit of a mixed bag, too. The Jendrusiks, who have two sons ages 4 and 2, moved out of a 1,400-square-foot ranch house in Westland, Mich., that they bought in a foreclosure sale about three years ago. Joe Jendrusik was able to do the painting, remodel the basement and handle other fixing-up tasks. They sold that bargain-basement home at a profit, even after their costs, in October, within about two months after putting the house up for sale. But the young couple still owns another 1,000-square-foot house in Westland, a house they bought in 2006 at the peak. They're renting that house because they owe more on that mortgage than the house would sell for now. The unexpected job of being a landlord is a sign of the times for Marisol Jendrusik's crowd. "I have a group of six girlfriends, and five of them have rentals," said Jendrusik, who works in human resources at GreenPath Debt Solutions in Farmington Hills. Even so, the overall, ongoing gains in home prices could set the stage for a stronger U.S. economy next year, some economists say. Rising home values can plug the fiscal hole in many household budgets. Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics, estimates the positive shift in home sales and prices could add 0.4 percentage points to the nation's gross domestic product this year, and about 0.7 percentage points in 2013. He is forecasting 2.2 percent real GDP growth in 2012, 2.1 percent in 2013. Housing often is a leading indicator of overall U.S. economic activity. Gary Thayer, chief macro strategist for Wells Fargo Advisors, said consumers could be more willing to spend if they feel better about their home's situation. That's "assuming that Congress does not allow the country to go off the fiscal cliff," Thayer wrote in a report. We're still well below what many would consider normal. But Moody's estimates that housing numbers look likely to gain traction through 2015. Prices after the recession are more attractive, too. LOWER INTEREST RATES don't hurt, either. With a 30-year fixed rate of 3.5 percent, a borrower would pay $1,347.13 a month on a $300,000 mortgage, according to Bankrate.com. Many economists expect that interest rates will remain low. "We think housing will be one of the bright spots in the economy over the next couple of years," said Christopher Ruth, chief market strategist for Comerica Asset Management Group. Ruth said younger consumers may contribute to the recovery, too. The Great Recession dramatically cut into the rate that younger consumers moved out of their parents' home and set up households. But Census Bureau data show the nation added 1.15 million households, including rental apartments, in the 12 months that ended in September. That's up from an average of 650,000 a year during the slump for the past four years. The rate is lower than the 1.25 million households that sprung up each year during strong economic times. But experts say the latest figures indicate that major life events aren't being delayed as often, and younger consumers are more willing to rent with roommates — and possibly be ready to buy a home down the line. Much, of course, will depend on how well the jobs picture improves. Richard Dugas Jr., chairman, president and CEO for the Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based PulteGroup, a home-building company, noted the move-up buyer — the 35- to 45-year-old consumer buying the next bigger home — is the best category for Pulte sales now. The entry-level buyer, served by the Pulte's Centex brand, remains a concern, Dugas said. The economy and lending standards would need to improve to help first-time buyers overcome the challenges of buying a home, he said. Right now, Pulte executives and others see more reason to be optimistic about the strengthening housing market. "There's an awful lot of room to grow from here," Dugas said. "But given where we've been, it sure feels good."

Ms. Nancy Addessio and Nicholas Addessio of Wolcott announce the engagement of their daughter, Deanna Addessio to Christopher Tessier, son of Mrs. Jacqueline Russo of Torrington and Gary Tessier Sr. of Wolcott. A May 24, 2013, wedding is planned. Miss Addessio is the granddaughter of the late Frederick and Alice Fercodini and Salvatore and Louise Addessio. She graduated from Wolcott High School and holds a real estate license with Showcase Realty. She is an administrative assistant for Tidelands Ford Lincoln in Pawleys Island, S.C. Mr. Tessier is the grandson of the late Roland and Helen Tessier and of Salvatore and Frances Terenzo. He graduated from Kaynor Technical School in Waterbury. He is an office manager for RJM Plumbing in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Airen Miller Photography

In recent weeks, there have been many news reports of problems associated with voting in the Nov. 6 election. The word "archaic" has been bandied about, along with accounts of ong lines in West Hartford, Hartford and Manchester. In many stories, registrars of voters are taking the brunt of the criticism. The "other side" of the story is not being told. In the vast majority of polling places in the vast majority of towns, the election went smoothly, with fast-moving lines, cheerful service by poll workers, and swift reporting of results at the end of the night. Large cities such as Bridgeport, Stamford and Norwalk handled the high voter turnout with no major problems. It is also unfortunate that the "archaic" system is being blamed on the registrars and their poll workers. The Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut (ROVAC) educates registrars at statewide conferences held twice a year, and in county meetings held three to four times a year. Consider some of the improvements registrars are using and developing in their towns: the use of Skype to communicate with various polling places in the cities, leaving phone lines open for the public; the use and development of electronic check-in books, where a voter is checked in not on a paper list of many pages, but with several clicks of a mouse on a laptop, or the scanning of a bar code next to a voter's name; and a post-election audit system that uses high-speed scanners rather than teams of people hand-inspecting and counting ballots. ROVAC also supports the use of technology that is already available for the current tabulator system to report results: using either the ports on the backs of our tabulators to send results to the secretary of the state's office instantly, or placing the memory cards each tabulator houses into an "ender machine" that will read the information on the card and send it electronically to the secretary of the state. Such use of this technology, which is used in other states without problems, would speed up the reporting of the election results tremendously, while virtually eliminating the mistakes that come from bleary-eyed election workers attempting to read and accurately record numbers by hand onto a head moderator's return, which then gets faxed to the secretary of the state's office. You may wonder why you haven't seen these innovations implemented statewide. Part of it is that state statutes have not caught up with technology, and part of it is a lack of priority within the secretary of the state's office. ROVAC brings forward legislative initiatives every year, many of them dealing with reforming statutes to allow for technology to improve our system, but often, our bills are not a high priority for lawmakers. Most registrars are eager to embrace new technologies and new educational opportunities. We eagerly await the certification program the secretary of the state's office is by statute required to implement, and look forward to the continual improvement of our elections system statewide. Melissa J. Russell of Bethlehem is president of the Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut.

Being a right-wing conservative, I am not often in agreement with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. However, I think expanding natural-gas lines in Connecticut would be an excellent idea. It would give residents a choice of heating fuels and create competition between whatever they are using now and natural gas. Competition is one of the most important ingredients of the economy. The fuel-oil dealers would have to be more competitive with gas companies to keep their customers. Also, there is a push on for vehicles fueled with compressed natural gas with tanks that can be filled right at home with a special pump. This would make local driving less expensive, with fill-ups right at home and overnight. CNG vehicles run 98 percent cleaner than gasoline-powered vehicles, but as of now do not have the necessary filling stations. Honda is one of the car companies that is investing heavily in CNG technology. I'm not saying this would happen overnight, but the expansion of natural-gas lines is a great place to start.

Is your teenager ready for a credit card? If so, how can you keep the spending from spiraling out of control? Take this advice from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling: Consider giving your child a credit card linked to yours. "Not only will your teen inherit your good credit rating, but it will also allow you to see how much they are spending," the foundation said. A good plan is to tell teens at first to use the card only for emergencies. If they show they can handle that limitation, allow spending that they can fully pay off with the first bill. Review spending each month. "When the bill arrives, sit down and review your statement with them so that you can make sure they understand how to read them," the foundation said. Point out how interest can accrue if the bill is not paid off every month. Explain the importance of building and maintaining good credit. Use an online payoff calculator to show your child how long it will take to pay off a credit card debt. "Since credit cards have very high interest rates, teach your teen that paying the minimum payment will keep the debt growing - even if no other purchases are made," the foundation said. Teach your child about the dangers of credit card fraud and identity theft. Be sure to tell teenagers never to lend their credit cards to someone else, leave receipts lying out in the open or give their card number over the phone to questionable callers. Resist the urge to bail out teenagers who spend too much. Go over their options with them - getting a job, working more hours, cutting back on spending. Consider setting up an appointment with a credit counselor. You can find counselors through the NFCC by calling 800-388-2227.

According to a 2005 PBS NewsHour report, more than 40 percent of Hispanics drop out of school. Recently, Heather Mac Donald of National Review magazine reported about 53 percent of Hispanics are born out of wedlock. Neither reality bodes well for self-reliance. The Democratic Party is perfectly fine with people having children under any circumstances, and allowing people to rid themselves of the children any time after conception and support them if the decision is made to have the child. The Democrats provide governmental largess in virtually every area. These socialist, collectivist elected officials are vigilant for opportunities to give "free stuff." In essence, they are buying votes for future elections and securing their comfortable place in life. Victimhood has become popular. It excuses personal responsibility and as government expands, it costs taxpayers more and dwindles the liberties of all. Conservatism is not an easy concept to internalize. It requires a certain degree of study and more importantly, an acceptance of one's vulnerabilities. The former takes effort and the latter takes humility. Liberalism does not require such introspection and admittance of responsibility for one's shortcomings. Better stated, it exempts one from said responsibility and places the blame on something else. Hispanics have a strong affinity for the Democratic Party. They have an easier time identifying with it because it is viewed as the party of tolerance, inclusiveness and understanding. A lesson taught early on and reinforced throughout life. The Republican Party is looked upon as a bunch of racist white old men who are indifferent to the needs of others and out to make themselves richer. The public-school system, with its secular progressive agenda, plays a major role in establishing this mind set. The job is finished in college by Marxist professors. The ideals of socialism are intriguing to many. However, socialism renders a false illusion of a strengthened society. Historically, Hispanics have voted solidly Democratic. This past election was no different, as President Obama received more than 70 percent of the Hispanic vote. Republicans are now engaged in a national discussion of how to "reach out" to Hispanics. If "reaching out" means mimicking the Democratic Party's philosophy, the GOP should be forewarned: it will not be able to "outgift" the Democratic Party, and will still come up short with the Hispanic vote.

In a recent interview, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., effectively the Republican front-runner for 2016, was asked, "How old do you think the earth is?" It's a question of utter irrelevance to the country's status and whether Marco Rubio would be a good president. Rubio's answer was excellent: "I'm not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that's a dispute among theologians and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States. I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. I'm not a scientist. I don't think I'm qualified to answer a question like that." To any sensible person, this was a perfect response. Who could object? Well, an editor for The New York Times — that flagship of faith and reason — judged Rubio's response "ludicrous." A writer at the liberal Slate, who no doubt googled first, claimed authoritatively: "Our planet was formed 4.54 billion years ago. If Rubio suggested otherwise, it's because he's uninformed or stupid." Ah, yes. I'm sure everyone at Slate knows the Earth is 4.54 billion years old. As for myself, if someone asked me that question out of the blue, I couldn't answer. I've been a scientist, an agnostic/borderline atheist, and ultimately a Christian. I've taught Sunday school, lectured at colleges, collected data at top research labs, and everything in between. I've published in scientific and political journals. I know, as Marco Rubio does, that theologians dispute this. In fact, anyone with a serious, sincere interest in this question knows this. But, of course, the question wasn't asked to Rubio out of serious, sincere interest; it never is when posed to a Republican. Marco Rubio needs to understand two things at play here: 1) these types of questions will only get worse as he continues to campaign for president; and 2) these are not earnest questions. No, these are political booby-traps set by political partisans who work as journalists. They are used to try to caricature conservatives as extremists. I recall a painful example when George W. Bush first became Texas governor. Bush was known as a committed Christian who had a midlife conversion. For the secular liberal media, this meant Bush was a "fundamentalist." For liberal journalists, it also meant an opportunity. And so, one journalist asked the governor if Jews get into heaven. Taken by complete surprise, Bush fumbled his answer. Afterward, he thought long and hard about it, and consulted Billy Graham. The next time Bush got the question, he was ready. It was December 1999, when he was running for president, and when his opponent, Al Gore, wasn't (of course) getting asked any such questions by the liberal media. Bush's answer was a good one: "(I) understand that people communicate with God and reach God in different ways. ... Obviously, there's the big issue between the Christian and the Jew, the Jewish person. And I am mindful of the rich traditions and history of the Jewish faith. And I am mindful of what Billy Graham one time told me: for me not to try to figure out — try to pick and choose who gets to go to heaven. ... Billy Graham said, "Don't play God." I don't get to determine who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. That's not me. Governors don't do that. That's a really good response: "Governors don't do that." They "don't play God." They don't decide who goes to heaven. Marco Rubio wasn't asked that same question, at least not yet, but his answer might be the same: "Sorry, man, I'm not playing God." In fact, here's a further response Rubio might consider more generally: "Look, let's be honest: We both know what you're trying to do. You're trying to trip me up. I'm not a theologian. I'm not a minister. I don't want to be one, and the American public doesn't want me to be one. Let's stick to issues that concern people. And one more thing: Are you asking these same questions to any Democrats? Are you?" Rubio should say it calmly, gently, and with a smile — but emphatically. He wants to be President Rubio, not Reverend Rubio. Unfortunately, for Rubio, like all conservative Republicans who seek the presidency, it will be open season on his beliefs. Republicans are badgered on their faith in ways liberal Democrats plainly are not. For the media, it's the same old double standard. I hope Marco Rubio refuses to tolerate it. Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College, Pa., and executive director of The Center for Vision & Values. A longer version of this article appeared in the American Spectator.

Donald and Lisa Murphy of Wolcott announce the engagement of their daughter, Jacqueline Ann Murphy to Michael Mancini, son of John and Janet Mancini of Wolcott. A July 5 wedding is planned. Miss Murphy is the granddaughter of the late Mario Varrone Sr. and Rita Varrone and of Carroll and Mary Murphy. She graduated from Kennedy High School in Waterbury, from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, with a bachelor's degree in elementary and special education and from St. Joseph's College in West Hartford, with a master's degree in special education. She is a first grade teacher for Maloney Magnet School in Waterbury. Mr. Mancini is the grandson of Rita and Donato Mancini and of Nicholas Fasano and the late Louise Fasano. He graduated from Wolcott High School and from Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education and is currently pursuing his master's degree in athletic administration. He is a physical education teacher for Discovery Academy in Hartford. Contributed

It's the season of giving, and for givers and receivers there are few words more terrifying than these three: "Some Assembly Required." Now, I'm not just talking about the put-it-together-out-of-the-box experience. We saw plenty of that when the kids were young, but we thought we were well beyond that phase. We were wrong. We haven't outgrown some-assembly-required. If anything, it's outgrown us. It's morphed from a morning spent over an assembly manual into a day or two of project management. Nowadays, "Some Assembly Required" means more than just putting together the pieces of a present. It also involves the strategies of acquiring and assembling the present and its related components, then disposing of the leftovers. Take the television set. Actually, take the old one. Please. That's part of the problem. Those of you out there who are thinking about giving or getting a big-screen television might want to pay attention. My mother recently moved to a new, slightly larger, apartment, and as a housewarming gift we decided to replace her console TV with a larger, easier-to-see flat screen model. This, it turns out, is easier said than done. It required the skills of a researcher and a project manager. Fortunately, my wife is both. She compared models, found one that had high ratings, compared prices and ordered it from a company that provided delivery and installation. Then, realizing that the new HD television would require upgraded cable service, she scheduled the cable guy in a time block just after the TV delivery. Finally, realizing that replacing a floor-model console TV with a pedestal model would require another piece of furniture to lift it to viewing level, she visited a local Ubiquitous Furniture Store, found a suitable television cabinet, and ordered delivery that included assembly. Unfortunately, delivery couldn't be scheduled until after the TV and cable had arrived, so we decided to keep the old TV as a base until the new unit arrived. Thus we scheduled the mover to return the next day to remove the old TV console and put it in my car, from which it would go to charity. So far, so good, except that this simple project was now taking on dimensions that would require a Gantt chart. Still, it made sense: 1) Deliver and set up TV, 2) Deliver and set up cable upgrade, 3) Test overnight using old TV as base and as an emergency backup, 4) Deliver new cabinet, 5) Remove old TV. This required more project management than actual assembly, which in every case would be done by people who knew what they were doing. But that's OK, isn't it? That's what project management is all about. If you've ever managed a project, you probably have an idea what happened next. The cable delivery came early and the TV came late. That meant the cable HD box was hooked up to the old TV, where of course it made no difference and couldn't be tested. The TV came so late, in fact, that the delivery guys said it was too cold from the truck and would need time to warm to room temperature or risk exploding when it was turned on. That left us to do the assembly, setup and installation. The cabinet? It didn't come at all. That day it snowed, and the truck from Ubiquitous Furniture Stores slid off the road and into a tree. We had the choice of waiting while they offloaded onto another truck, or rescheduling. We rescheduled. There we were, with a cable hookup that did little or nothing, a new HDTV that was still in the box, and some assembly still required. It was a good thing that we had kept the old TV, which was still in operation a few days more. On the day of delivery, the mover came in the morning to offload the old TV into my minivan so I could take it to the charity. That afternoon, the Ubiquitous Furniture Store guys came and set up the new cabinet. We were left to assemble and set up the new TV, which did not explode after all (no thanks to me). Setting up a TV today is different from setting up a TV in my parents' day, but that's another story for another time. Meanwhile, there's still one little problem. Our favorite charity isn't interested in old-fashioned console TVs, so we're still looking for one that is. Meanwhile, it's rattling around in the wayback of the minivan. If it rattles around long enough, it will be on the way to the recycle center, and that may be a whole new project to manage. Howard Fielding (hfielding@rep-am.com) lives in Southbury.

The holiday TV blizzard is already brewing. And from here on through Christmas, expect your TV set to be overrun by familiar gems, as well as several new movies, cartoons and variety specials. To help you get with the program, we've compiled this list of prime-time yuletide offerings, beginning with the roster of new shows. That's followed by a rundown of airdates for the perennials. Keep in mind that dates and times are subject to change and that many shows will have re-airings not indicated here. ABC Family, for example, again is running its "25 Days of Christmas" schedule, which features holiday-themed programming throughout the day and night hours. -Music, comedy and holiday cheer "Blake Shelton's Not-So-Family Christmas" - "The Voice" coach celebrates with Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert, Larry the Cable Guy, Jay Leno and Reba. (10 p.m. Dec. 3, NBC; Re-airs 9 p.m. Dec. 14). "Michael Buble: Home for the Holidays" - The Grammy winner sings seasonal standards with guests Rod Stewart, Blake Shelton and Carly Rae Jepsen. (10 p.m. Dec. 10, NBC; Re-airs 8 p.m., Dec. 21). "Christmas in the White House" - A peak behind the scenes at holiday preparations in the Obama household. (8 p.m. Dec. 13, NBC; re-airs 9 p.m. Dec. 21). "Ramsay's Christmas Cookalong" - Chef Gordon Ramsay invites viewers into his home as he shares tips on how to create a fun, festive and a stress-free Christmas morning in the kitchen. (9 p.m. Dec. 18, BBC America). "CMA Country Christmas" - Jennifer Nettles hosts a festive night of music that includes appearances by Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Keith Urban and others. (9 p.m. Dec. 20, ABC; re-airs 9 p.m. Dec. 22). "The Doctor Who Christmas Special" - The Doctor's holiday adventure sees him once again crossing paths with the homo-reptilian Silurian Madame Vastra. (9 p.m. Dec. 25, BBC America). -Holiday movie comfort food "The Christmas Consultant" - A workaholic couple hires a consultant (David Hasselhoff) to help them get through the holidays. (7 p.m. Dec. 2, Lifetime). "The Mistle-Tones" - Tori Spelling and Tia Mowry star as the leaders of rival singing groups. (8 and 10 p.m. Dec. 9, ABC Family). "Hallmark Hall of Fame: Christmas with Holly" - Sean Faris and Eloise Mumford star in this tale about an uncle struggling to raise his 6-year-old niece. (9 p.m. Dec. 9, ABC). --- Here's a rundown of returning programs, including the classic keepsakes: -Dec. 3 "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (8 & 10 p.m., ABC Family) -Dec. 4 "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (8 p.m., CBS) -Dec. 5 "The Polar Express" (9 p.m., ABC Family) -Dec. 6 "Disney's A Christmas Carol" (8 p.m., ABC Family) -Dec. 7 "The Santa Claus" (7 p.m., ABC Family) -Dec. 8 "The Flight Before Christmas" (9 p.m., CBS) -Dec. 9 "Disney Prep & Landing" (8 p.m., ABC; re-airs 8 p.m. Dec. 24) "Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice" (8:30 p.m., ABC; re-airs 8 p.m. Dec. 22) -Dec. 10 "The Year Without a Santa Claus" (8 p.m., ABC Family) "Home Alone' (9 p.m., ABC Family) -Dec. 11 "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" (8 p.m., ABC) "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa" (9 p.m., The CW) -Dec. 14 "Prancer Returns" (8 p.m., The CW) "Yes, Virginia" (9 p.m., CBS) "Elf on the Shelf" (9:30 p.m., CBS) -Dec. 15 "Elf" (8 p.m., CBS) -Dec. 18 "It's a Very Muppet Christmas Movie" (8 p.m., The CW) "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (8 p.m., ABC) -Dec. 19 "Noel" (8 p.m., The CW) -Dec. 20 "I Want a Dog for Christmas Charlie Brown" (8 p.m., ABC) -Dec. 22 "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" (8 p.m., NBC) "The Santa Claus 2" (8 p.m., ABC family) "A Chipmunk Christmas" (8:30 p.m., ABC) -Dec. 24 "The Santa Claus 3" (7 p.m., ABC Family) "Christmas Is Here Again" (8 p.m., The CW) "It's a Wonderful Life" (8 p.m., NBC) "A Christmas Story" (24-hour marathon, 8 p.m., TBS) "Second Star to the Right" (9:30 p.m., The CW) -Dec. 25 "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (8 p.m., ABC) "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" - live-action version. (8:30 p.m., ABC)

The good news for the nuns at the Abbey of Regina Laudis is that they have had at least five women who want to enter the cloistered monastery. The bad news? There is no place to put them. Additionally, many of the 36 nuns living in Bethlehem are elderly or have mobility problems and must navigate a staircase to access their rooms. That, plus a need for more fire exits and handicapped-accessible bathrooms, has made renovating the 60-year-old building an urgent necessity, nuns say. "We outgrew our buildings and we have a steady influx of new vocations," Sister Angele Arbib said. "We need a place to nurture and encourage these vocations." Earlier this year, the abbey began what it called a "New Horizons" campaign to raise $4 million to address its inadequate and deteriorating housing. After some initial success raising funds, the abbey made two bathrooms handicapped-accessible and added a fire exit and stairwell, among other improvements. But it is still struggling to raise the funds to enable it to complete the renovation. "None of this is done with any extravagance," Arbib said. "It's done really to keep pace with development." Mother Dolores Hart, prioress at the abbey, said the nuns have long made do with 50-year-old bathrooms and tubs so small a proper shower is impossible. "That's not fair," she said. "Saint Benedict never wanted people to live in poverty. He wanted you to be chaste. The real sign of poverty is not penury, where you can't function." The nuns at the abbey, the only cloistered monastery for women in the country, follow the Rule of St. Benedict, precepts written by St. Benedict of Nursia, a 6th century Roman Catholic saint. Although Catholic religious vocations across the country are declining — from 180,000 sisters in 1965 to an estimated 56,000 today — the abbey has seen increasing interest from women eager to join its community. "It's always been so," said Hart, a former actress who entered the abbey in 1963. "I always go back to the fact that Lady Abbess (the abbey's founder) had such a brilliant concept of the monastic life as a real community of persons who come with gifts to celebrate as part of the monastic life. The concept was never 'Leave everything outside the gate, empty your pockets and come in and pray to God alone.' It was always 'What can you come with and what can you give?'" The abbey includes women who are sculptors, microbiologists, horticulturists and licensed arborists, among other professions. Since the beginning of the year, the abbey has also had the foundation for an elevator poured. Construction workers have finished a frame for the elevator shaft and begun the process of a future cloister walk and library extension. The abbey grows its own food and livestock on a 400-acre farm off Flanders Road. Although it had considered reconstructing an entirely new building on that land, it discovered the foundation of its current building, a former brass polish factory, was so strong, it would be impossible to replicate it. The building was purchased in 1948 from Waterbury industrialist Robert Leather. It contains the chapel, dormitories, kitchen, refectory and laundry. An adjoining former barn houses the bakery, sewing room, print shop and visitor rooms. Renovations will mean all the individual rooms — which the nuns call "cells" — will have two means of egress in case of fire. The roof will be raised slightly and rooms and a firesafe corridor will be added. Renovations also call for the chapel and kitchen to be enlarged. Neither of the two areas currently provide enough places for the community to sit. "It really allows us to maximize our space," Arbib said. "Right now there are sisters who are elderly or infirm and who can't get to the third floor. So this will open up whole new areas for us." Arbib is hopeful the abbey will be able to build on its past success, which included a tag sale and Sha Na Na concert, to raise the additional revenue it needs. She would not provide figures on how much the abbey has already raised. "People have been incredibly generous, but it's a relentless mission," she said. "It's a really big project and we can't let up. We really are doing everything to economize." For details about the abbey's New Horizons project, visit www.abbeyofreginalaudis.org or call 203-266-7727.

Karen Williams doesn't need to read the statistics about a crisis in care-giving for older adults that is sweeping the nation. She lives it every day. Williams, a sales manager for IBM, sometimes feels like a circus juggler trying to balance her family, a high-stress job, conference calls and caring for her 87-year-old mother, who suffers from diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other health problems. "I'm learning a lot about the health of the elderly, and I'm learning new things every day," said Williams, who is thankful she can often work from her Stone Mountain, Ga., home, which she and her husband expanded to make room when her mother came to live with them a few years ago. "Every day is a challenge." Williams is far from alone. The nation is experiencing a caregiver crisis that is going to get worse, said Leisa Easom, executive director of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus. The crisis will be further fueled by an older population that is growing and living longer with chronic illnesses, combined with shortages in some areas of health care. Williams' mother requires constant care. Williams says she's lucky because her mother had long-term care insurance, which pays part of the tab for assistance. But some of the care benefits are ending soon, which will force more responsibility on Williams, her family and a sister who lives in another state. Taking care of her mother requires a tremendous amount of organization. "I'm trying to cover all of my mother's requirements, but no matter how well I try to anticipate and cover them, things pop up," she said. For example, Williams said she has been out of town for work and had to suddenly return home when an issue arose. The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP estimated in a 2009 report that there were more than 65 million unpaid family caregivers to an adult or child. And much of the responsibility falls on women. The average caregiver is female, in her mid- to late-40s, married and working outside the home, experts say. Female caregivers may spend as much as 50 percent more time providing care than male caregivers. Caring for an elderly parent or sick relative is perhaps one of the most difficult and stressful times for an individual, said Clarice W. Dowdle, the chief operating officer of Atlanta-based Senior Caregiving Today and author of "Time for the Talk: The Ten Step Plan for Effective Senior Caregiving Today." When many people are placed in the role of caregiver, they have no idea about the emotional and financial commitment it involves. Easom said the caregiver is the one often most overlooked. She said caregivers have a 63 percent higher mortality rate than noncaregivers and twice the rate of chronic illnesses. The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, in partnership with Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, operates a caregiver support center. One caller said she made sure her relative went to the doctor all the time but realized she had not made an appointment with her own doctor in three years. Caregivers sometimes suffer from depression and other health issues. "In their desperation, sometimes the caregiver becomes the casualty because they have cared for their loved one at the cost of themselves," Easom said. "That's not an option. Care giving can be very rewarding, but it can also be exhausting, and we need to prevent that exhaustion though evidence-based support programs." Jazma Wise, 26, a mother of two young children, voluntarily took on the main role of helping care for her paternal grandmother, "Big Mama," who resides in a skilled nursing facility. Her grandmother, who raised her, has cancer and has opted not to have further treatment after chemotherapy made her sick. "You don't think anybody can take care of them the way you do," said Wise, who said she has been written up at work for being late. She said she gets help from her children's father and other relatives, but she said the bulk of handling her grandmother's business affairs and making sure she's all right falls on her. At the same time she deals with the stress of watching a loved one's health deteriorate. "I don't sleep a lot. I guess it hasn't hit me yet," Wise said. "I just do it because she's my last grandparent and she's my favorite." Caregiving is not for everybody, said Williams of Stone Mountain, Ga. It requires patience, understanding, a willingness to do what's needed and "a thick skin at times," she said. But every caregiver interviewed said while it was stressful and hard work, there was also the reward of being able to help their parents and spend more time with them. Ellen Weaver Hartman, a public relations executive, said she found a silver lining in being able to care for her mother, who moved to Atlanta when she got older. Her mom died in 2010 at age 89. "You get incredibly close to the person that you are taking care of," she said. "While it is stressful, I also treasured every day with my mom and knew that if she had not had gotten sick, I would not have strengthened my bonds with her. She was my best friend and she knew it." —- CARE GIVING ADVICE -Have "the talk" early. Don't wait until your parents or spouse are older or ill to know their wishes about care. -If a qualified, reliable friend or relatives offer to help in some way, don't be too proud to accept. Sometimes an hour break can be a great stress reliever. -Know where all important financial and personal documents are kept and make sure they're current. -Divide responsibility among siblings. -Understand it's emotionally taxing. Therefore, try to make logical decisions. Reach out to your company's human resources department, friends and others to help you navigate insurance, Medicare, veterans benefits and leave policies. -Be compassionate and patient. -Keep good records. It is a huge task juggling doctors, insurance, medications and agency help. -Do not sign contracts with a home care agency without numerous discussions about what you're signing and your financial obligations. Check with consumer agencies, friends and family, and always ask for references. -Review the medical care and medications your family member receives so you can make the best possible medical decisions on his or her behalf. -Create an ongoing maintenance plan, including hygiene, exercise, socialization and nutrition. Source: Caregivers and sources interviewed for this article, "Time for the Talk: The Ten Step Plan for Effective Senior Caregiving Today", staff —- ©2012 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) Visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) at www.ajc.com Distributed by MCT Information Services ——- PHOTO (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): CAREGIVER

One thing guitarist Frank "Poncho" Sampedro has learned from nearly four decades of playing with Neil Young and Crazy Horse is to trust the musically unpredictable Young whenever the time comes to make new music. "Over the years, I've learned if you just follow, just stick with Neil, he's going to put out a big ball of energy and a light that you can follow," Sampedro said in a recent phone interview. "If you just get on board and follow it, it's going to be good. It might not be what you were thinking, but let's just have at it." The pair of 2012 albums from Neil Young and Crazy Horse — "Americana" and "Psychedelic Pill" — provide a good example of how Sampedro and his bandmates, drummer Ralph Molina and bassist Billy Talbot, put that outlook into practice. When Sampedro arrived at Young's studio in California to begin working, he knew very little about what Young had in mind for the recording session. It was pretty much, plug in and play. "I was kind of wondering what we were going to do," Sampedro said. "Then the next thing I knew when I got there, we were playing 'Clementine,' and it was rocking pretty hard. I was wondering if I was still going to have the same kind of energy I'd had in the past. And I didn't know, and all of a sudden I was jumping up and down and screaming and having a lot of fun. Then it was another one, another one and another one." In fact, it wasn't until the band had jammed out some of the songs that Young told Sampedro about the concept behind "Americana." The CD is made up of old American songs — many of them folk standards — refashioned into the familiar full-on electric thundering sound that has typified past albums by the foursome. "He told us a lot of the songs, or some of the songs, were songs he used to do in coffeehouses when he was younger, like 15 or 16 and just traveling around," Sampedro said. "I really don't know how or why he thought about doing it now, but he was on that path and he was deep into it. And it was fun. He was sitting there even while we were doing it and researching the lyrics." That Sampedro, Molina and Talbot could show up at Young's studio — and this was seven years since they last recorded a CD and toured together — jump right in and start playing illustrates the unique musical chemistry that they enjoy together. "One of the first things I said to Neil, we were listening to the first couple of songs (from "Americana") playing back, I was so excited," Sampedro said. "I just turned to him and said 'You know, man, we don't even have to try to have this sound. This is the only way we sound. We just start playing and we sound like us, as if we couldn't do anything else. It's so cool." The purity and individuality of Neil Young and Crazy Horse has at times caused some friction between Sampedro and Molina and Talbot. According to Sampedro, the other two band members have periodically suggested playing with other artists and perhaps even bringing in another singer/guitarist to record new music as Crazy Horse. But ever since their early years together, Sampedro has steadfastly refused to do projects with Molina and Talbot outside of their work with Young. "At first I was into that, but as I looked at it, I said we really have something special with Neil," Sampedro said. "It doesn't sound like Neil when we play with anybody else. I think it diminishes what we have with Neil if we try to do other things. So I've kind of been adamant about not doing other projects with them so we can keep what we have." Indeed, there was a time when Crazy Horse could be heard outside of the group's albums and tours with Young. The original group (with Danny Whitten on guitar) released three albums of its own between 1971 and 1973, and a fourth CD, "Crazy Moon," in 1978 with Sampedro. But aside from a 1989 Crazy Horse album, "Left For Dead," which was done without Sampedro during a brief period when the guitarist was not in the band, the only Crazy Horse music has been done with Young. The group (with Whitten) came together with Young in late 1968 to back Young on his second album, "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere." Whitten's substance abuse problems, though, became a big issue, and he died from an overdose in fall 1972. Although Molina and Talbot continued to record with Young, it wasn't until 1975, when Sampedro joined, that another full-on Young and Crazy Horse album, "Zuma," got made. Since then Young and Crazy Horse have reconvened for albums and tours periodically, teaming up on such notable Young albums as "Rust Never Sleeps," "Ragged Glory" and "Sleeps With Angels." The last project before "Americana," though, was "Greendale," Young's 2003 album. This made it the longest gap ever between Young and Crazy Horse albums, and Sampedro, Molina and Talbot were ready to get back to working together before Young was. "We always had our hopes that when Neil finished the next project, we would be coming up right after that," he said. "(But) years and years just kept clicking by and it wasn't us. And even Neil came to Ralph's house and played with us a couple of times. We thought at that point, OK it's us, but it wasn't. He's been a busy man, but now he's got the Horse back out of the barn and we're ready to romp." Indeed, Young and Crazy Horse have been making quite an impact over the past few months. Immediately after finishing "Americana," which was released in June, the four musicians jumped right into make a new Neil Young and Crazy Horse CD of original music, which became the newly released two-CD set, "Psychedelic Pill." "We were just about finished (with "Americana"), and I said 'It's great that we did all of these songs, but it would be nice if we could do the one thing we're really known for, which is jam,'" Sampedro recalled. "And Neil said 'Well, Ponch, maybe we should have a jam tune on this record, I don't know. I just don't have any songs with a jam.' I said, 'Just pick two chords and let's go.' And so when we were finished with 'Americana,' that's what he did basically. He had a song, I guess he had a sketch for a song, and we started playing it, and the next thing we knew, it was like close to 30 minutes later, 26, 27 minutes, and it turned into a song." "Psychedelic Pill" is a sprawling work that indeed opens with the 27-minute opus, "Driftin' Back," which has an off-the-cuff quality, but is more hypnotic than meandering. Two other tracks, "Ramada Inn" and "Walk Like A Giant," clock in at more than 16 minutes, while tracks like the autobiographical "Born In Ontario" and "Twisted Road" offer more succinct examples of the burly sound of Young and Crazy Horse. A tour of the U.S. and Canada has begun and continues through Tuesday's stop in Bridgeport. Sampedro said he's excited to be getting back on tour. "We've all been having a good time. It's good to get back together and the guitars sound good," he said. " "I'm excited about it."

On the eve of his wife's ordination to the Episcopal Church, Ron Dukenski was moved to celebrate through music. He knew his wife, Carolyn, admired the writings of the 14th century mystic Julian of Norwich, especially her signature refrain, "All shall be well." Dukenski, a management consultant from Goshen who has long played and sung choral and liturgical music, found musicality in the phrase. To celebrate his wife's achievement, he set Julian's words to music as a special gift during the ordination service. A choir of 30 voices from various groups performed his composition at a New Britain church in the mid-1990s. "It was absolutely chilling," Dukenski said of hearing "All Shall Be Well" performed live. Not long after this debut, the Connecticut Choral Society's board enlisted Dukenski to help in devising its long-range plan. "I became very captivated by the group," said Dukenski, who signed on as a member of its bass section. Eventually, Dukenski showed the composition he wrote for his wife's ordination to the group's artistic director and conductor, Eric Dale Knapp. Knapp was impressed with what he called Dukenski's gift for creating "a musical expression that really embodies the core sentiment of a text." The group performed "All Shall Be Well." And each of the past four years, the group has performed a new work by Dukenski, to whom they gave the honorary title composer-in-residence. The 75-voice choir will again debut an original work by Dukenski dubbed "Take Joy!" at its annual Candlelight and Carols concerts this week. So popular have the programs of traditional and contemporary pieces interspersed with audience-involved caroling become, the group added a third concert this year (see box). Knapp called it uncommon for an organization such as the choral society to have a composer-in-residence writing new works with that group in mind — at least stateside. "They rally at the opportunity and look forward to the possibility of a new piece," Knapp said of the singers. "They find an excitement in creating something that is truly written for them, by somebody that is part of the choral society family." Dukenski's tendencies to use warm harmonic language fits well with the abilities and natural inclinations of the signers, he added. The prospect of annually premiering new works is equally thrilling to Dukenski, 65. He still gets the same feeling he did the first time he heard a choral group sing one of his works. "Four weeks ago, I heard the group first perform 'Take Joy,'" he said, of this year's selection, which features the text of a holiday letter penned by 16th century Fra Giovanni Giocondo and has been compared to an aural Christmas card. "When it gets manifested and brought to life by 60 voices, it really is just thrilling to hear your stuff come back at you." Dukenski traces the composing he returned to only recently to infancy. He recalled banging on his grandmother's piano starting around 14 months old, consistently eliciting supportive applause. Formal piano instruction commenced at age 7, and at age 8 Dukenski composed his first piece in earnest. It was an elegy for his grandmother, whom he called "my first muse." Later, he wrote the alma matter for his high school. Hearing it performed at a graduation by the school band, he said, "just knocked my socks off." "For me, it's both exhilarating and humbling," said Dukenski, who has also appeared in musicals with the Goshen Players and has served as organ master for various churches over the years. "I do feel very deeply that what I have is a gift to be cherished, and cherished in a sense of not keeping it to myself." ————————- If You Go: The Connecticut Choral Society presents its Candlelight & Carols concerts Friday at 8 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 36 Main St., Newtown and Saturday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at North Congregational Church, 11 Main Street North, Woodbury. Information and tickets, $25 for adults and $15 for children, available at ctchoralsociety.org or by calling 203-206-7186.

I'm fond of people who have regrets. I know that's an unpopular predilection in this era of intractable certitude, but I admire people who can look across their wreckage-strewn lives and say, "Whoops." Regretting a blunder — whether a moral lapse or the color of the den carpet — speaks to a pliancy of temperament, a recognition of one's own fallibility. All of which brings me to Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. You remember the California native with the queer name? He's the shady character behind the much-maligned film "Innocence of Muslims." That's the YouTube video the Obama administration impetuously blamed for the Sept. 11 attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador. It now appears that something far more slippery was afoot in Benghazi, but the video undeniably led to protests in Yemen, Morocco, Iran, Tunisia, Sudan, Lebanon, Indonesia and Malaysia. It was crudely produced, deliberately inflammatory, fanatical and hateful, "a bigoted piece of poison calculated to inflame the Muslim world," in the words of the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw. The mayhem that it provoked might lead a more reflective man to lament his decision to broadcast his beliefs that the Prophet Muhammad was a brutish, bloodthirsty sex-fiend. Not Nakoula. In an interview with The New York Times published Monday, Nakoula not only said he would not back down from the video, but that his invectives against Islam hadn't gone far enough. "I thought, before I wrote this script that I should burn myself in a public square to let the American people and the people of the world know this message that I believe in." Well, there was a missed opportunity. Nakoula has spent two months in prison for violating his supervised release on a fraud conviction, one of a number of freakishly inventive crimes that have sent this Egyptian-born sham artist to the slammer. On Wednesday, a Cairo court sentenced Nakoula and six others to death for "insulting the Islamic religion," a measure of how seriously the Islamic world takes slurs of its faith. Outside of his abortive film career, Nakoula also has a knack for drug-dealing, name-changing and claiming membership on the 1984 Olympic Egyptian soccer team, which, surprisingly, has no record of him. What is clear is that Nakoula, a Coptic Christian, has a higher-than-average helping of venom in his veins, which he is delighted to decant all over the Internet. Within the web of fantasy Nakoula has woven in his 55 years, one indisputable constant emerges. He has loathed Muslims almost since he could utter the word. The 2009 massacre at Fort Hood, Texas, he said, sent him over the edge. "I became even more upset and enraged," he told the newspaper. Well, so did plenty of others. Hate metastasizes, particularly when its target is so intimately felt. I thought about Nakoula in the context of the decision of a friend to leave the Christian faith. Religion, he decided, had done nothing but instigate centuries-worth of violence, pitting intransigence against intransigence. He was certainly not the first to jettison religion because of its association with violence, but his apostasy disappointed me. As a Catholic I'm certainly well aware of the carnage wrought by religion, from the Crusades, through the Inquisition, to the more recent strife in Northern Ireland. "We forgive and we ask forgiveness," Pope John Paul II said in 2000. "We are asking pardon for the divisions among Christians, for the use of violence that some have committed in the service of truth, and for attitudes of mistrust and hostility assumed toward followers of other religions." It was welcome penitence for many, but 1,000 years too late for some. Does it take that long to regret so blatant a crime? What hope does that leave Nakoula and those like him? Can we really afford to indulge so long a germination period for remorse? Is it an ability to express remorse that we need to learn, or more tolerance for views that differ from ours? Clearly, it is the latter. Two years ago, I used this space to criticize the building of an Islamic center at ground zero. Fearful of the center's potential to spark violence, I maintained that it belonged elsewhere. In the wake of Nakoula's ugly obduracy, I regret that position. I now believe we need such a presence. We will never get anywhere pretending away serious differences of faith. It is only by understanding our distinctions that we can hope to recognize that an assault against one faith wounds us all. Email: Tosh@Rep-Am.com.

A new action movie featuring a poor delivery boy whose life depends on the mysterious cargo in his wheelbarrow has Paraguayans excited and proud to see their gritty reality on the big screen for the first time. While audiences have been delighted by "7 Cajas," the movie shot in a chaotic market in this South American capital has nevertheless jarred many with its focus on the darker angles it shows: a suffocating mix of official negligence, societal indifference, police corruption and organized crime that keeps most of the population mired in poverty. "I loved the movie," said 30-year old architect Antonella Cantero. "It is just that for some of us it becomes hard to watch, something that is so tough and so common at the same time, and we prefer to hide." It's an odd mix of emotions for people unaccustomed to seeing any cinematic depiction at all of their country. The nation's movie industry is virtually nonexistent, and U.S. films dominate the country's fewer than 15 theaters, most of them in the capital of Asuncion. "Fast and Furious on Wheelbarrows" is how one critic described "7 Cajas," referring to the action series about heists and street races. It has wowed festival audiences, filled Paraguay's theaters since August and will soon be distributed around the world. The film is drawing comparisons to India's "Slumdog Millionaire" in how it gets audiences rooting for a poor slum kid, Victor, a wheelbarrow delivery boy summoned by a small-time crook to carry a mysterious load of boxes across the market for $100 — a huge fortune for a slum kid in a country where the extremely poor don't make $2.50 a day. "Listen up, little one. You must protect these seven boxes with your life. Understand? And when the boxes show up again, I'll give you the other half," the crook says, tearing the $100 greenback in two. Things quickly get complicated along the slum's dark corridors, where Victor runs for his life from criminals and police. The fast-paced film has cinematic touches straight from Hollywood, but also an authenticity that comes from being shot on location with a relatively inexpensive camera on a budget of just $650,000. Except for the central characters, nearly everyone who appears in the film lives or works in Municipal Market No. 4, a sprawling collection of tents, shacks and building corridors in downtown Asuncion. There, practically anything can be bought or sold, from legal products to smuggled fruit, stolen cellphones and fake DVDs. Even illegal drugs can be purchased clandestinely by buyers who know where to look for them. The characters speak jopara, a street language that mixes Paraguay's two official languages, Spanish and the native Guarani. Paraguayan directors Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori told The Associated Press they aimed to make a fun film, not a social statement. "Maybe it was a very unconscious objective," Maneglia conceded. "It really wasn't my intention to depict our reality faithfully, but for it to be entertaining, and to have an interesting message." Celso Franco, the 23-year-old first-time actor who stars as Victor, said he sees the film as a protest. "We are so tired of some things; we want people to see our reality," said Franco, who was raised by his grandmother in Paraguay's countryside after his parents left for Spain to work and send money home to support him and his brothers. "This is a demonstration of how we are living in Paraguay and we know that it reaches people in power, and at least they'll feel a little bit guilty, the ones in power now who can change some things," Franco said. The evident poverty of the characters is a reality for most of Paraguay's 6.5 million people. While booming soy prices have raised the country's gross domestic product for three straight years, a tiny upper class has held onto nearly all the wealth. Democratic governments have failed to budge the 55 percent poverty rate since a 35-year dictatorship ended in a coup in 1989. Of the nation's impoverished, 31 percent live in extreme poverty, according to U.N. statistics. International distributor Shoreline Entertainment is expected to bring "7 Cajas" to audiences around the world next year, shaping first and lasting impressions about Paraguay. "I don't understand why people come out laughing from the movie theaters like it was a comedy," said Silvia Mongelos, 31, who works in an environmental foundation. "The movie is a social protest, from beginning to end, of our terrible reality." Maneglia, the director, emphatically denies trying to send that message. "It's too big of a responsibility," Maneglia said. "I don't think it encompasses all we are." Shoreline Vice President Sam Eigen agreed. "Before it focuses on any kind of social issues or relates to a particular situation in Paraguay, the feeling after watching the film is that its first priority is to be fun and entertaining," Eigen said. The filmmakers got funding from Paraguay's government, cultural foundations and a private bank, but still came up short until they won a 100,000-euro ($128,000) "Films In Progress" award at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain last year, allowing them to finish the low-budget project. The finished film won San Sebastian's Youth Award this year, along with Best Dramatic Feature at Sydney's Cockatoo Island Film Festival. Showings then sold out at the Toronto Film Festival in September, where Shoreline outbid other distributors for the international rights. "People couldn't stop clapping, some had tears in their eyes," Schembori said of the Toronto event. "7 Cajas" isn't among this year's record 71 submissions for best Foreign Language Film. Without any experience in such matters, the producers and the government's culture secretary missed the Academy Awards' submission deadline. The film has sold a national record 300,000 tickets at about $5.50 apiece since "7 Cajas" premiered in August. Its producers now plan to travel the country showing the movie in churches and gathering halls, sometimes to people who have never seen films on a big screen before. They're also organizing a free showing inside Municipal Market No. 4, keeping a promise they made to the workers there. "They feel like this is their movie," said Schembori. "It is their movie."

It's the most widely performed oratorio this time of year, or any month, really — a composition known to even the classically unfamiliar. Next weekend, the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra alongside the Naugatuck Valley Community Choir and Yale Opera soloists will sing the ubiquitous "Hallelujah" chorus in its holiday presentation of Handel's "Messiah." It marks the third time in as many years the Brass City-based symphony orchestra will bring its show on the road to Litchfield County, where the organization has found a warm reception. The first foray into the Northwest Corner for the WSO resulted in a sold-out performance of "Messiah" in Litchfield. Last year, the group returned to Litchfield and spread its seasonal cheer further into Northwest Connecticut, adding a concert in Washington in addition to its traditional Waterbury one. This year, the Waterbury Symphony returns to all three locales, with performances at 8 p.m. Friday at First Congregational Church in Washington, followed by an 8 p.m. Saturday concert in Litchfield at St. Michael's Church and a 3 p.m. show on Dec. 9 at the Naugatuck Valley Community College's Fine Arts Center. A free, pre-concert lecture by Dr. Vincent DeLuise dubbed "How to 'Handel' Messiah: A Users Guide" starts at 2 p.m. before Sunday's show and explains the widely performed work. For those unable to attend, the WSO offered a brief primer on the work composed in an astonishing 24 days: So overcome with awe after reading the Old and New Testaments' scriptures that were compiled by literary scholar Charles Jennens, Handel has said he often felt close to seeing the face of God in the vocal and orchestral music. The Messiah recounts Jesus' story, from his birth to his crucifixion to resurrection. Among the soloists slated to perform alongside the orchestra under the baton of Maestro Leif Bjaland are Yale Opera's soprano Cat Affleck; mezzo Aleksandra Romano; tenor Nikhil Navkal and bass Nathan Milholin. ——— If you go Tickets, $20 to $50 and $5 for rush seats with a student ID, are available by calling 203-574-4283 or visiting waterburysymphony.org.

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