Winter fun in Albuquerque includes indoor and outdoor activities. Find something to take the chill off.

The FBI publishes an annual Crime in the United States report, and although the numbers are still being compiled for 2011, the 2010 numbers are in. Albuquerque is often cited for being a city with a high crime rate, but what does that mean? The Albuquerque crime statistics for 2010 note there were less homicides than in 2009. There were several categories where the city fared better than the previous year.

How does Albuquerque fare when matched against other cities of the same size? Tucson is comparable in population and for 2010, they had more homicides, robberies, auto thefts and arsons. Denver is slightly larger than Albuquerque, but had less crime overall.

Corrales, Bosque Farms, Edgewood, Estancia and Rio Rancho are a few nearby towns with low crime rates.

Today marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, and 2012 is the Year of the Dragon. This dragon is special, as it is a Water Dragon, and occurs only once every 60 years, making it more auspicious than usual. The year is expected to bring prosperity and transformational change.

The celebration of the lunar year began this past weekend, and continues today and into Saturday. Visit Talin Market today at 4 p.m. to see traditional Chinese dragon dances, which help chase away the bad. And be sure to see the celebration at the Chinese Culture Center this Saturday.