New Mexico

Fade to ... almost dark? An annular solar eclipse will be visible in part of the West on Sunday hours before sunset when the moon will cover up all but a sliver of the sun. Inside what's called the annular path, a "ring of fire" will appear as the moon passes in front of the sun. Just about every national park in the West is hosting some type of viewing party or astronomy fest Sunday to mark the heavenly occasion. (Check out all the national park events .) The roughly 200-mile-wide path begins in southern China and sweeps east across southern Japan , the Pacific Ocean, touches land again roughly around Redding, Calif., then continues to central Nevada, southern Utah, northern Arizona, New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle, according to NASA's website . "We're just off the center line and will see about 81% coverage [of the sun]

Fade to ... almost dark? An annular solar eclipse will be visible in part of the West on Sunday hours before sunset when the moon will cover up all but a sliver of the sun. Inside what's called the annular path, a "ring of fire" will appear as the moon passes in front of the sun. Just about every national park in the West is hosting some type of viewing party or astronomy fest Sunday to mark the heavenly occasion. (Check out all the national park events .) The roughly 200-mile-wide path begins in southern China and sweeps east across southern Japan , the Pacific Ocean, touches land again roughly around Redding, Calif., then continues to central Nevada, southern Utah, northern Arizona, New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle, according to NASA's website . "We're just off the center line and will see about 81% coverage [of the sun]

CINCINNATI - The Rev. Chris Beard is a theological conservative, make no mistake about it. He believes the Bible is the word of God. He believes the Holy Spirit speaks to him directly. He believes, as an article of faith, that abortion and same-sex marriage are wrong. Still, when a group of religious leaders in Ohio held two days of meetings in Cincinnati recently to talk about economic and racial justice, issues usually associated with the political left, there was Beard, a fourth-generation Pentecostal preacher with a disarming smile, a shaved head and a set of convictions that knock holes in the stereotypes about white evangelical Protestants.

COLUMBUS, N.M. - From a small hill at a state park here, the border town of Palomas, Mexico, can be made out through the desert haze. It lies four miles to the south, but the corruption that roils Palomas and the rest of Northern Mexico may as well be a block away. Last year, black sedans and hatchbacks loaded with federal agents poured into Columbus, a town of 2,000 people, arresting the mayor, the police chief, a city trustee and nine others. They have all pleaded guilty in a gun-smuggling operation that sold about 100 firearms, mostly assault rifles, to Mexican drug cartels.

As a boy, Father William Sanchez sensed he was different. His Catholic family spun tops on Christmas, shunned pork and whispered of a past in medieval Spain. If anyone knew the secret, they weren't telling, and Sanchez stopped asking. Then three years ago, after watching a program on genealogy, Sanchez sent for a DNA kit that could help track a person's background through genetic footprinting. He soon got a call from Bennett Greenspan, owner of the Houston-based testing company.

I just got back from a week in New Mexico, and that usually means, by rough calculation, having consumed approximately 21 meals based on chile, most of it green. That's not including snacks. This time the number was far lower. And for the first time I can remember, I didn't have to smuggle hardly any home in my luggage, either. That's certainly not because I've lost my affection for the fiery stuff, but rather because it's becoming so readily available in Southern California. Green chile roasts are now regular fall events here, held at farmers markets and supermarkets alike.

This city in the foothills of the Rockies has scenery more diverse than most Hollywood back lots: A 19th century castle, a Spanish colonial plaza and miles of prairie and mountains. That landscape -- along with New Mexico's generous film incentives -- has lured more than a dozen movie productions here in the last decade. The filming has brought in a surge of money, but it has also brought tension.

This annual Santa Fe exhibition and sale features the work of nearly 100 Latino artists who specialize in the traditional art forms of New Mexico and southern Colorado. When, where: Dec. 1 and 2 at the Parish Hall at Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Community Church, 11 College Ave. Cost: Free. Info: (505) 982-2226, www.spanishmarket.org .

Antigua Inn in Santa Fe, N.M., has just four suites, each with hand-carved furniture, hand-painted tile work, tribal rugs and other artistic furnishings matched to each room's theme. Set in a 100-year-old adobe building, the hideaway has the most modern of amenities, such as 3-D TVs, house-roasted coffee beans and a jazzy espresso/cappuccino maker in every room. Continental breakfast. Antigua Inn, 622 Castillo Place, Santa Fe; (505) 954-1231, http://www.antiguainn.com. Rooms from $229.

Georgia O'Keeffe knew a good thing when she painted it, and paint she did -- a magical landscape called northern New Mexico. Today, strokes of a different form are in order, and for sun-bleached desert golfers accustomed to Vegas or Phoenix or La Quinta, a New Mexico getaway is the equivalent of having three guys surnamed Woods, Woods and, um, Woods filling out your best-ball foursome. The prices are astonishing, the golf is righteous and the weather is superb. And that altitude? Hitting a 9-iron 156 yards uphill to a back-left hole tucked behind enough bad stuff to make Odysseus flinch is never a bad thing.

No place on Earth demonstrates the resilience or inventiveness of life quite like Lechuguilla Cave, whose subterranean tunnels stretch for 130 miles through Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. Deep in the cave's most arid recesses, deprived of all sunlight and mostly starved of life-giving water, a lush garden of bacteria grows. Untouched by humans for all of their 4 million years, these strains of bacteria thrive on the harsh minerals of the geological formations to which they cling and fend off other life forms that would prey on them.

Long-distance runner Micah True had set out to run a few familiar trails in southwest New Mexico, just as he had done many times before. With his dog by his side, True initially headed for the rugged Gila National Forest outside Silver City, returning soon after because his four-legged companion seemed to be feeling sore. He reportedly told the owners of the Wilderness Lodge and Hot Springs that he was leaving the dog behind and that he'd return after his training. He hasn't been seen since.

New Mexico was planning to celebrate its statehood centennial by inviting tourists to come experience the state's rich culture, take in its extraordinary views and have epic outdoor adventures. But the Land of Enchantment's promotion hit a snag, raising questions about who exactly is being represented in the celebration -- and reviving  historical insecurities. It all started when the New Mexico Department of Tourism began planning  a $2-million marketing campaign to attract outsiders to the state, which  had observed its statehood centennial Jan. 6. The department had learned that the state ranked 38th in a poll ranking tourists' preferred destinations -- and wanted to do something about that.

Portland, Ore. -- All that is missing is the black top. Long Beach State and New Mexico played at a pace, and at times the efficiency, of a pick-up game during their NCAA tournament game at the Rose Garden on Thursday. All that was missing was five guys on the sideline calling, “Next.” New Mexico's late 10-3 spurt gave the Lobos a 33-29 halftime lead. Both teams looked skittish to start the game. Long Beach turned the ball over on its first five possessions, then missed two shots on its sixth possession.

Long Beach State guard Casper Ware has "celebrated" playing in the NCAA tournament, reenacting the road to the Final Four in his driveway many times. "I'd watch the tournament growing up, see the guys jumping around when they won," Ware said. "I'd go out and mimic that, pretend I was going to the Final Four. You have that in your head. " Dan Monson, Ware's coach, senses a reality check coming. Long Beach (25-8) has been blessed with the bliss of ignorance as it prepares to play New Mexico (27-6)

PORTLAND, Ore. -- New Mexico's Drew Gordon came to Portland to play in the NCAA tournament;  the Lobos face Long Beach State Thursday. Yet UCLA questions followed him to the Rose Garden. Gordon transferred from UCLA shortly after the 2009-10 season began, and the question why popped up again during Wednesday's press conference. “I just didn't get along with the coach,” said Gordon, who was clearly uncomfortable discussing the topic. “Sometimes people pick the wrong school for the wrong reasons.

Tribal thinking and tribal identity factor heavily in Richard Montoya's new play "Palestine, New Mexico," running through Jan. 24 at the Mark Taper Forum. There's the close-knit tribe otherwise known as the U.S. military. An American Indian tribe that must deal with the loss of one of its sons, Pfc. Ray Birdsong, killed in Afghanistan under mysterious circumstances. The tribal intrigues of the Taliban forces sowing mayhem throughout Central Asia. There's even an allusion to the lost tribes of Israel -- and to the diaspora that brought Jews from Europe to the American Southwest -- in Montoya's comedic drama, in which strands of Chicano, Jewish and Native American history are knotted together in one thick, complex braid.

New Mexico's film tax program, one of the most successful in the country, may not end up on the cutting-room floor after all. The state Senate voted Wednesday to approve a measure that would preserve the state's 25% film tax subsidy on qualified film and TV expenditures but cap the total amount of funds paid out annually at $50 million a year. The bill marks a compromise and partial victory for film-industry advocates, who reacted angrily to a recent proposal by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez to drastically scale back the tax rebate to 15% from 25%. Critics said that would devastate New Mexico's vibrant film industry, causing producers to take their business elsewhere.