Love and death visit Handel’s Acis and Galatea in a Bhutanese cremation field

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EL PASO –The German composer G.F. Handel took his genius to London in the 18th century and in the 21st century the University of Texas at El Paso transported him to Bhutan. Famous for its century-old campus of Bhutanese architecture, UTEP has always been a beacon of diversity in the Chihuahuan desert, so no eyebrows were raised when the melodies of Handel’s Acis and Galatea were performed before dancers in skull masks. Tshering Goen, a musician from Bhutan and one of the program coordinators, described the opera as incorporating elements that both cultures can relate to. “From the story we can learn the nature in death, the love, and we can see the eccentricity of transformation of one’s life,” he said. Goen also danced in the opera, bringing Bhutanese music and culture into the performance.

El Pasoans eat fast food more than nine times a month. (Jeraldine Ramos/Borderzine.com)

Can a fat and diabetic El Paso become an active and healthy Sun City?

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EL PASO – As Guadalupe Vasquez prepares dinner for her family the aroma of Mexican food fills her El Paso home. After the meal, her family is often glued to the television set not part taking in any physical activities. She is aware that her family’s and other El Paso families’ diet and lack of physical activity make for an unhealthy combination. Studies have shown that Hispanics are more likely to suffer from obesity and type 2-diabetes and the mostly Hispanic residents of El Paso residents pose a perfect example of these health problems. According, to an article written in 2010 by Men’s Health Magazine, the city of El Paso ranked 3rd in the list of 100 fattest cities in the United States. Five Texas cities with a high percentage of Hispanics were among the top 10.