TEJANO TRIBUNE
EL PASO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ASC . FORT BLISS . MISSION DEL PASO . NORTHWEST . RIO GRANDE . TRANSMOUNTAIN . VALLE VERDE
October 9, 2019
First Hispanic woman in space cites mentors Bryan Ponce Tejano Tribune The first Hispanic woman to go to space, Ellen Ochoa, visited EPCC speak to the community about the adversities she faced to get where she is. On Oct. 3, Ochoa first stopped at the Valle Verde campus to speak to directly with students, then attended the 18th annual Hispanic Heritage Mentors dinner as the keynote speaker. In a kind and gentle manner Ochoa praised the two mentors being honored at the dinner for their hard work in giving back to the El Paso community. She attributes her success to strong mentors and a strong emphasis on education. Ochoa first went to space in 1993; on a nine-day mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery. She is now a STEM advocate and is always encouraging students to go into these fields of study. At Valle Verde members of the community got the opportunity to hear Ochoa speak about her life, the challenges she faced and the benefits of a STEM major. Some even got the chance to ask questions and speak with her directly. The college’s annual Hispanic Heritage month celebration culminated with a special dinner in honor of Ochoa and two esteemed members of the El Paso community, Ouisa D. Davis, Attorney & Counselor at Law, and Ruben Garcia, director of Annunciation House. During the dinner five EPCC students were awarded the Hispanic Heritage Scholarship. Ochoa humbly keeps her feet firmly planted on the ground, despite achieving the renowned status of being the first Hispanic woman to go to space. She also received multiple other titles and awards, including NASA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal. “My dad was able to attend college tuition free by getting an appointment through the Naval Academy,” said Ochoa. “My mom actually didn’t even graduate from high school as a teenager because she had some
PHOTO COURTESY GOOGLE.COM
Dr. Ellen Ochoa is at the NASA mission control center.
CLAUDIA SILVA/ TEJANO TRIBUNE
The first Hispanic woman to go to space, Dr. Ellen Ochoa, visited the EPCC Valle Verde Campus and spoke to the students.
health issues that prevented her from going to school. It wasn’t until she was married where she actually got her high school equivalency.” “Education really was the key to my career in space exploration and my family’s emphasis on education and learning, really made a big impact on me, my brothers and my sisters,” added Ochoa. “My mom actually ended up graduating from San Diego State University two years after I did.” Going from the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, to the first Hispanic female in space was no easy task. Ochoa encountered many bumps along the road. “I had taken a lot of math and it was really the math that got me interested in looking at a career or taking classes in engineering or science. I went and spoke to one of the professors in the electrical engineering department and told him that I was interested in learning about his department,” explained Ochoa. “Well unfortunately, I clearly didn’t fit the picture that he had in his mind about what an electrical engineer
should looked like." He was not at all welcoming and he just told me that the course of study was really difficult.” Her life changed for the better thanks to strong mentors taking an interest and encouraging her. “Well, I got quite a different reaction when I went to talk to one of the professors in the physics department. First, he just seemed glad that I was interested in physics and happy to talk to me about it,” she added. Her personal story about persevering through adversity and achieving success in the scientific community really struck a chord with her audience. “To me it is critical to promote diversity because as our keynote speaker mentioned, that’s how we improve, that’s how we become better than we were before,” explained Rocio Fierro-Perez, a recipient of the Hispanic Heritage scholarship. That’s what people like Ochoa strive for, for students and the younger generation to use education, to make the world a better place.
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FRIVOLOUS FACTs
NW TIME CAPSULE PAGE 2
HELP HOMELESS CATS PAGE 7
JOKER PAGE 8
SUN CITY SLICE PAGE 8
Approximately two-thirds of all fire deaths happen in homes where there’s no working fire alarm.
CAMPUS NEWS Honoring Northwest with time capsule 2
Evan Hughes Tejano Tribune The office of Instructional Programs at the Northwest Campus is honoring EPCC’s history by saving the moments of today, for tomorrow. Over the month of September, the Dean’s office collected small mementos and the library recorded messages. These items are to be included in a time capsule that will be preserved for the next 25 years. “We were thinking of ways to commemorate our new building and 25th anniversary,” Dr. Lydia Tena Dean of Instructional Programs said. “Twenty-five years from now they’re going to open this thing and they’re going to know what we were about.” In 2019 EPCC is celebrating its 50 year anniversary while the Northwest campus is celebrating twenty-fifth of their building. “Our goal is in 25 years, the current students and staff will get to reflect on our messages and then seal up their own for another 25,” said Tena. The project is made possible by Aztec Contractors. The company that is winding down construction on Northwest’s newest building. Ironically this building will contain a state-of-the-art
biology labs and auditorium, but will also have the most primitive time machine somewhere in its grounds. Standing at about three-feettall the blank ivory shell needed to be decorated. Faculty and staff began signing it one department at a time. Students caught on and began signing themselves. At this point the time capsule looks like a giant orthopedic cast. Symbolically the time capsule is fitting. Students at Northwest have been inconvenienced by the construction of the new facilities. The company suggested the project as a way to pay back students for their patience. Adding his name to the side of the time capsule, second year student Damien Carranco said, “It’s just cool to be a part of this.” “Most students at this campus are under 25 so we’ll all be double our age when they open this up,” Carranco added. “A faculty member gave me a small statuette of a student with a book,” Tena explained. “I also will be including my ‘Letter to the Future’ which will be directed to the generation who open the capsule.” According to Tena some of the contents of the capsule
The Down Syndrome Coalition for El Paso partnered with EPCC to raise over $33,000 at the 10th annual Buddy Walk and 5k Run. Over 1,500 runners and walkers came together on Oct. 5 to raise funds for Down syndrome awareness and scholarships for students with disabilities. The DSCEP was pleased to announce that this was their biggest turn out to date, almost
TEJANO TRIBUNE Fall 2019 Claudia Silva STS student Editor Rebeca Alvidrez STS student Layout Editor Douglas Carr Faculty Adviser Steve Escajeda Advertising Sal Armas Photo Editor Jimena Fernandez Website
Staff EVAN HUGHES / TEJANO TRIBUNE
Time capsule is located at the North West campus to celebrate 25th anniversary of the building
include a photo of the original Northwest campus staff from 1994, a current photo of the student body and staff, videos of the grounds and recording devices with messages from staff (with operating instructions included). Other items that were added were small but full of sentimental value. Items like office supplies and school memorabilia.
“It’s too long to say if I’ll be there,” explained Tena about the opening of the capsule. “If God permits, and blesses me with a long life, I know I will.” As students signed the outside of this big plastic receptacle, it was difficult for them not to think about where they will be in the future, and what life will be like a quarter century from now.
Raising money to help out 'buddies' Claudia Silva Tejano Tribune
October 9, 2019 Tejano Tribune
reaching their goal of raising $35,000. The Buddy Walk happens every October, which just happens to be Down Syndrome Awareness Month. The event held at Valle Verde is one of over 250 Buddy Walks that are held all over the world. According to their website the program started in 1995 and was created by the National Down Syndrome Society “to promote acceptance and inclusion for people with Down syndrome.” The event was kicked off with a 5k run around the Valle Verde campus, followed by
PHOTO COURTESY DSCEP FACEBOOK PAGE
The Buddy Walk happens every October, which just happens to be the Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
the one-mile walk that went along the same route. Participants got the opportunity to form teams and try the raise the most money. More than 50 teams entered to raise money for the big day hoping to receive the honor of highest donor. Each team is created in honor of a child with Down syndrome by a parent or loved one. In the end Evelyn’s Entourage, who had been a part of the walk for the past eight years, took home the gold raising $6,000. Teams came together by wearing matching shirts, decorating wagons and holding signs to show their pride for their team. EPCC cheerleaders performed and danced as children joined enjoying the fun filled morning. At the event people got the opportunity to enjoy fun activities and grab a bite to eat, while spreading awareness. Attendees with Down syndrome, affectionately known and “buddies,” and children all got a medal for their participation at the event. EPCC marketing director Jim Heiney and Sarge Preston from 92.3 The Fox both received an award in recognition for the hard work they have put into the DSCEP over the past 10 years. Preston has been MC for the Buddy Walk since the very beginning. The 2019 Buddy walk held by the DSCEP was a huge success in the end. Though they did not reach the goal they had in mind, the group strives to continue holding a Buddy Walk every year and spread awareness about Down syndrome.
Andres Carrillo Bryan Ponce Cesar Salas Evan Hughes Jordan Ramirez Kevin Robles
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Valle Verde campus, Room A2710 P.O. Box 20500 El Paso, TX 79998 The El Paso County Community College District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
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FRONT PAGE BANNER: Fire prevention day october 9
OPINION
3 October 9, 2019 Tejano Tribune
Joker, challenging our perceptions
Bryan Ponce Guest Column
The most controversial film of the year award goes to Todd Phillips’s new cinematic adaptation of DC Comic most iconic and infamous supervillain, Joker. Call it a stroke of bad luck or a blessing in disguise but the weeks leading up to Joker, release date was met with considerable internet backlash, threats of violence and general concern for public safety. However, there was an equally important debate boiling under the surface of the controversy surrounding it. Can a film like Joker exist given the outbreak of mass shootings plaguing our country? The “Joker Controversy” initially came off as a convoluted narrative, but there is a definite point of origin. The film’s trailers released early April, depicts a nice guy who
is down on his luck. He is an average guy outcasted from society because he does not fit in with the world around him. He is a man that slowly descends into madness and chaos. He resorts to disturbing acts of violence to find himself. Survivors and family members of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado Theater shooting victims, sent a letter of concern to Warner Bros. about the film. The signed letter was sent a week before the film was released. To top things off, a military memo was issued around the same time warning about a possible attack to theaters during the film’s release week, no specific details were given. Joker, hit especially close to home because our loving community of El Paso is still recovering from the tragedy that occurred in August, in which 22 innocent people’s lives were taken at Walmart Supercenter in Cielo Vista by an armed man. The voices of those directly affected by gun violence must be heard and acknowledged. Still, despite the pain, sorrow and insecurity left behind by this despicable individuals and others like him, it is important to remember that arts true purpose transcends mere entertainment. There are certain qualities that make a great film stand out from a good one. A truly great film
makes its audience uncomfortable. It challenges our perceptions of the world and holds up a mirror to society. The 1927 film, The Jazz Singer, marked a huge step towards the technological advancement of modern cinema, but it highlights the blatant racism deeply embedded in our society. Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s, King Kong is celebrated as one of the first fully talking films, however the films depiction of women is beyond a doubt sexist. Unfortunately, the current reality reflected on film is much more dangerous. We live in a world shrouded in violence. Film makers, writers and other artists alike are tasked with an extremely difficult job. They must take delicate subject matter and portray it in a responsible way. The majority of the people up in arms about Phillip’s, Joker, had not even seen the film. It is our duty as media consumers to experience films for ourselves and then pass judgement. We absolutely cannot let social media influencers, critiques and an outraged Twitter community make decisions for us. Joker, indeed was able to overcome the overwhelming controversy by setting a record as the
went up again. The city raised them to make up for revenue loss caused by the banning of red-light cameras. On the other hand the county raised taxes to give themselves pay raises. When I told people in Austin about the situation, they were surprised it wasn’t a bigger story. Your average person doesn’t have time to keep up with everything the city council does. A journalist’s job is to keep themselves informed. They write about a subject so that the people can learn about it when they get a break from their busy schedules. Every news publication in El Paso should have been all over the property tax raises and informed the public, but they didn’t. So, what’s going to happen? When people find out how much they must pay next year, they’ll get angry, but it’ll be too late to protest it. The vote already happened. This is part of why people become more apathetic. The Travis County Judge, Sarah Eckhardt mentioned during the Civic Enragement panel that people become apathetic when their rage goes nowhere. That’s exactly what’s going on in El Paso. When people become apathetic, they don’t vote. When people don’t vote, people get elected officials that raise property taxes, give themselves pay raises and abuse their power. There is so much wrong with the
property tax increases. In the city, the government was going to lose revenue. Instead of having a budget that reflects this, they increased spending, and plan to make up for it with our tax dollars. If an El Paso family had less money coming in one year, would they go on vacation? No, they save, plan and cut their expenses to keep themselves afloat. As mentioned earlier, the county raised taxes, simply to give themselves a raise. These raises exceeded $10,000. Their excuse was that they were just putting their wages at the same level of officials in other urban centers. This goes back to my initial point. El Paso’s local government tries to do things like these bigger cities. At the same time, they fail to increase wages in El Paso like these bigger cities do. El Pasoans don’t make as much as people in Austin, but the city still tries to charge them taxes like they do. One solution I was able to come up with is that El Paso needs another news publication. The El Paso Times NEEDS competition. Right now, the people of El Paso don’t have a watchdog to look out for them. People need to be informed if local governments are going to be held accountable. Right now, there are no incentives for El Paso’s news to be those watchdogs.
See Joker page 4
El Paso's news is slacking it
Andres Carrillo Guest Column
El Paso is like the little brother of the rest of Texas’s urban centers. It wants to be like his big brothers, but just isn’t at the point in his life where he can do the same things. I attended the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, late September. I hoped to better understand El Paso’s short comings and to come up with solutions to address them. El Paso is plagued with two main issues, apathy and a lack of informative resources. These issues go hand in hand. It’s like the chicken or the egg argument. People in El Paso don’t vote in high numbers. They have very little knowledge of local politics. It means that problems like property taxes are not properly addressed. When I say lack of informative resources, I mean that the local news publications have been slacking it. El Paso has the highest property tax rates in the state, and they just
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Voices around campus Kevin Robles Tejano Tribune
What is making you excited for the fall? Weather’s a big one, we’re in El Paso, and it’s always hot. Looking forward to colder weather is a major one. All the holidays that come in with the fall season. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, that stuff. I really look forward to all of that
Mari Alexis Calduron Multidisciplinary
I guess the weather, is the best thing, and also the fact that I get to wear sweaters all the time. I look forward to pumpkin spice flavored everything; pumpkin spice lattes, bread, anything like that. October’s like, my favorite. Spooky season!”
I’m looking for this cold weather, because I’m more of a cold weather guy. It’ll be very interesting to try to show my outfits in school and everything, and also participate in some of our events in the Universal Cipher, the one that the hip hop program has.
Xol Lozoya Nursing
Aaron Zsako Dental Hygiene
Javier Sanmiguel Architecture
For the main part, I guess just sweater weather. I mean, we’re Mexican, we eat tamales, we drink champurrado, stuff like that. It’s that season. It was just such a long summer, it was hot for a long time, way too long. I’m not really a big fan of the cold, but I’m honestly looking forward to this winter.
What is making you excited for the fall?
4
SPORTS
October 9, 2019 Tejano Tribune
EPCC men's CC dominate South Plains event Staff Report Tejano Tribune The El Paso Community College men took the top four places, running away with the South Plains College Cross Country Invitational at Brashear Lake Park in Levelland, Texas last Saturday. The Tejanos, who are ranked fourth in the nation, finished well ahead of the field with 21 points. They were followed by New Mexico JC with 50 points, Angelo State 87, South Plains College 89, Odessa 141 and Lubbock Christian College 146. Leading the way individually for EPCC was Gideon Cheplak, who finished the 8K race in a time of 25:17.80. The next three Tejanos were Elias Loriposia (2nd place, 25:25.90), Dennis Kiptoo (3rd, 25:54.20) and Bradley Makuvire (4th, 26:15.90). Also competing for EPCC was Eduardo Gallegos (11th, 27:57.50), David Ceballos (13th, 28:28.70) and Matthew Lindsay (25th, 29:58.30). In a much closer race, the EPCC women, ranked second nationally, finished third at the same meet with 44
Joker
points. South Plains won the event with 39 points and New Mexico JC finished second with 41.Leading the Tejanas was Everlyn Kemboi, who finished the 5K race in third place with a time of 18:48.00. Francisca Jebor was fourth at 18:52.70, Faith Jemutai (6th, 19:01.00) and Jayleen Guerrero finished 12th with a time of 20:52.40. Also competing for the Tejanas was Lilian Breceda (21 st place, 22:07.60). New Mexico JC’s Flomena Asekol won the event with a time of 17:52.30. The EPCC cross-country teams will travel to Orange, California this weekend for the 29th annual Vanguard Invitational, hosted by Vanguard University. El Paso Community College Cross Country & Half Marathon 2019 Schedule for october October 18
University of the Southwest Invite Hobbs, NM October 26
Region V & WJCAC Cross Country Championship Snyder, TX
FILE PHOTO
EPCC's Gideon Cheplak won the individual competition, leading the fourth-ranked Tejanos to the South Plains Invitational title on Oct. 5 in Levelland, Texas.
from page 3
highest grossing October film. It surpassed expectations by earning $96 million in the domestic box office and $151 million overseas just in its opening weekend alone. Joker is a dark, gritty and violent film that portrays this in a realistic manner. This film will not be for
everybody and it is certainly not for extremely young and impressionable children. Phillips’s film has a place in this world as a reminder of the horrific violence currently infesting our country. I cannot sit here and tell you that Phillips’s, Joker,
should not exist, just as I cannot entice individuals to go see this film. It was a brilliant story nicely tied into a DC Comic universe to deliver a strong message. The people have passed judgment and the box office numbers speak for themselves.
ON THE SCENE
5 October 9, 2019 Tejano Tribune
FIRST HISPANIC WOMAN IN SPACE VISITS EPCC
October, 9 - 19 EPCC Alumna
CAMPUS LIFE Club seeks to make banking & economics 'sexy' 6
October 9, Tejano Tribune
Claudia Silva Tejano Tribune EPCC’s economics club held their first meeting on Oct. 4 where they discussed their upcoming plans. “The purpose of this club is to create a symposium for economic discussion and thought related to local, state, national perspectives so that members can gain further insight into the field of economics
and the application of principles and theories,” explains their description on the El Paso Community College website. While the club primarily focuses on economics, they look at all things money, such as banking, the stock market and more. One of the main jobs of the economics club is to plan and coordinate events for students to attend. This includes the upcoming Personal Finance Event where a certified financial
CESAR SALAS / TEJANO TRIBUNE
The economics professor Cynthia Gamez lecturing the club's purpose at the Economics meeting.
planner will speak directly with students. “A certified financial planner is someone who has gone through a lot of training on how to plan for a person’s financial needs at different stages of their life,” explained economics professor Cynthia Gamez. At the Personal Finance event students can get information on planning and saving for the future. They will be able to learn about things like the impact of a credit score, saving money and retirement plans. “The time to start is like, right now. Not when a crisis happens,” added Gamez. The following week, on Oct. 25, the club will be hosting another speaker, economics professor Dirk Mateer. He is well known among economics educators for his ability to make the subject fun and exciting for students. Mateer teaches at the University of Arizona and is traveling to EPCC to help the club “make economics sexy.” “When everything goes right, the classroom is magical place where faculty and students come together to gain a common understanding of the way things work,” explained Mateer in his online bio. Other events the club is looking into include a tour of the Federal Reserve and
presentations on the stock market. Ultimately the club will be gearing up for one big event in the spring, the Reality Fair. The fair is a part of Money Smart week which happens every April. During the fair, students get the opportunity to look at the expected income of their career choices and simulate how they must budget that throughout their lives. “We want as many students as we can at El Paso community college to go through this,” explained Gamez. “We feel that a lot of people don’t have a realistic understanding of what their finances are.” The economics club is always looking for new members to join their mission on spreading economic and financial awareness to EPCC. The club encourages all its current and potential members to follow their Facebook page in order to keep up with all the events they have planned. “The purpose we have for this club is to not only learn but also to have something to put on your resume,” explained Bill Gonzales, the president of the economics club. “This is a great platform to build experience, to network and those kind of things you don’t do by just going to class.” Gonzales added.
Valle Verde 919 Hunter Dr. 831-2887
Crossword ACROSS
1. Grasp 5. Quickly 10. Group of two 14. Operatic solo 15. Valleys 16. Ancient Peruvian 17. An impulse to travel 19. The products of human creativity
20. French for “Summer” 21. Lines of verse 22. Animal tissue 23. Resembling a tooth 25. Standoffish 27. Emote 28. Earaches 31. Bully 34. Rectangular block
of clay 35. Bite 36. Barley beards 37. Lure 38. Sandwich shop 39. Regulation (abbrev.) 40. Started 41. Center 42. Earthquake waves
44. Tall hill 45. Moses’ brother 46. Sidelong 50. Scour 52. Clamor 54. Conceit 55. Seedcases 56. Tableware 58. Away from the wind 59. Drop to one’s knees 60. Poems 61. Nil 62. Woe 63. Visual organs
DOWN
1. Hemmed and ____ 2. Give a speech 3. Flax fabric 4. Papa 5. Habile 6. Went white 7. Astringent 8. A stopping 9. Eastern Standard Time 10. Conversation 11. Crude The crossword puzzle answers are available on the TejanoTribune.com homepage
12. Does something 13. Jot 18. Historical period 22. Common people 24. Labels 26. Delicate 28. Killer whales 29. Afflicts 30. Expectoration 31. Sourish 32. Is endebted to 33. Vulnerable 34. Starting 37. Audition tape 38. Eat 40. Stinging remark 41. Gauge 43. Queasiness 44. In an ignoble manner 46. Energize 47. Prepared 48. Yield 49. Loamy deposit 50. Extent 51. Soft drink 53. Margarine 56. Calypso offshoot 57. Suffering
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Word Search
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FEATURE
7 October 9, 2019 Tejano Tribune
Community cats in need
EVAN HUGHES / TEJANO TRIBUNE
Animal Rescue of Community College (ARCC), for the third year in a row , is collecting food and looking for volunteers to care for the free-roaming cat populations.
Evan Hughes Tejano Tribune When you walk through the portable classrooms at Valle Verde it apparent we are sharing this campus with another group. The group in question is a cat colony that has made EPCC their home too. “We’re feeding several feral colonies between Valle Verde and ASC,” explained Margie Nelson Rodriguez, professor of English and coordinator of the Animal Rescue of Community College. “Every day we feed between 60-70 cats.” For the third year the ARCC is collecting cat food and looking for volunteers to care for the free-roaming cat populations. Donations of wet or dry cat food can be dropped off at Valle Verde B-227 or at the Administrative Services Center A702. “I noticed them about four or five years ago. It took me about a year to get this program together. Barbara Williams had recently set up ARCC and together we’ve begun to make an impact,” Rodriguez said. “We do volunteer hours and have been planning an adoption event,” said president of the ARCC’s club Jared Kays. “We’ve also been coordinating with student government to have donation bins for our cat food drive in various locations
around campus.” Prior to this opportunity cats of Valle Verde lived with little fresh water and survived off scraps. “We didn’t have an organized, concentrated, or efficient way to feed them. Before this program people would randomly put food for them once a week and nobody thought to provide fresh water and if they drink dirty water they will end up getting sick,” said Rodriguez. The ARCC works with the TrapNeuter-Release program to responsibly stop these free-roaming cats from breeding. Volunteers trap the new cats they’ve been feeding and return them after El Paso Animal Services spays or neuters the animal. Cats that have been sterilized and vaccinated are distinguished by a trimming of one of their ears. In a study done at the University of Florida after a TNR program was implemented the population of community cats decreased by 66 percent over the 10-year study.“The other part of the program that we don’t get a ton of assistance with, that we would love is volunteers,” Said Rodriguez. Rodriguez explained they need help “trapping the cats to get them spayed or neutered. Then you can’t just let them go, they must recover because they’ve been under anesthesia.”
The program also is invested in and the cat population exploded,” finding young cats that have a chance to Rodriguez added. be domesticated. By stopping breeding If you are interested in volunteering and collecting kittens the size of the cat in feeding or trapping the cats contact colony is contained humanely. Faculty Advisor Barbara Williams at Rodriguez and a few volunteers bwillia9@epcc.edu or Margie Nelson stumbled onto a litter earlier this year, Rodriguez at mnelson9@epcc.edu. “in April we rescued six kittens at 5-weeks-old, they’re all still alive and we received donations to have them vaccinated and sterilized,” she said. “They look so much better, they look healthier, they are healthier. We’re still having some litters… EVAN HUGHES / TEJANO TRIBUNE for a while people Cats at EPCC that have been sterilized and vaccinated are weren’t doing anything distinguished by a trimming of one of their ears.
NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION WEEK The slogan for this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Not every hero wears a cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!” Anyone can be a hero, and they do not have to have a giant letter on their chest or dress a certain way to be a hero. You can be a hero if you try to create an emergency plan for exiting your home and practicing it. Even though it seems like a simple idea, practicing can help you see if improvements should be made so that you can escape faster. Also, practicing enables you to think quicker and prevents you from being frozen in fear or unable to act if a fire occurs in your home.
The El Paso County Community College District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
ENTERTAINMENT Phoenix walks tight-rope of sanity as 'Joker' 8
October 9, 2019 Tejano Tribune
critical box office success, and I can see why. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill failed stand-up comedian Joker is a film that has been in the headlines that faces a series of unfortunate events. This recently in an overwhelmingly negative way, soon led him down a life of crime and chaos despite the controversy the film has become a in Gotham City. Phoenix’s performance as the titular Joker was captivating and haunting at the same time. This was aided by the great supporting actors such as Robert DeNiro, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, and Zazie Beetz. This movie feels like it’s going to be polarizing in the eyes of the general public. I don’t think there’s going to be a general consensus on whether this is a “good” or “bad” movie. Regardless it is such an interesting watch. From the very first scene up till the last, Joker is a dark movie. Arthur Fleck goes through one event after another that would break any person with a true grasp on reality. Even more so for this man, who is walking the tightrope of sanity. There were points in the movie where the rest of the theater had a couple of chuckles, but it never sat right with me to laugh at the “comedic” sections as they were layered in such misery and dread.The plot of the film, without giving too much away, is about Fleck accidentally starting and later embracing a political movement directly opposing Thomas Wayne played by Brett Cullen, a billionaire philanthropist running for mayor of Gotham City. The movie Tomas Murga Tejano Tribune
echoes the political protests throughout the most recent Presidential election, and that’s what makes it even more realistic. That’s where I could begin to see the controversy come into play. I wanted to wait to see the film before judging it. I felt like people were critiquing it too harshly, having not seen the film. The controversy began before the film even came out. However, having seen it, I now think some of the criticism is justified. I really feel that the movie feeds the male ego to some extent. At some points I even felt myself empathizing with Phoenix’s character. It’s a very specific story that hits the same points that many regular people face. Getting knocked down by life at every turn, discovering secrets that directly change everything you’ve ever known about yourself, and even learning that something isn’t what it seems. Putting controversy aside, the film is shot extremely well. There is a stark contrast between the bright colors that the clown wears and the dark subject matter of the man wearing it. The score was great for the most part. There was one song that stood out like a sore thumb and really took me out of the experience. I do think the script could have used another round of rewrites, especially some of the scenes between Fleck and his mother Penny played by Frances Conroy. Their interactions become an integral part of the story, so more thought should have been put into them. Overall, I think that everyone should watch Joker at least once. Just to experience the drama and despair that the movie is trying to emulate, because I loved it. I give this movie a 4 and a half out of 5 stars.
Serving up a diverse menu at Sun City Slice
Evan Hughes
Tejano Tribune
At the end of October, Sun City Slice will be celebrating two years of business by opening a third location. The local pizzeria will now operate in the Lower Valley, Far East and West El Paso.“We’re big on what people ask for,” said Co-owner Julio Villalobos explaining the work ethic in his pizzerias. “We’re not like other delivery places. Yes, we deliver, but I guess it’s in the name. It’s more normal to sit down inside with a big 10-inch slice,” said Villalobos. The three stores are a labor of love for Villalobos and his brother who opened the original Sun City Slice on George Dieter in 2017. What stands out is how personalized the business is. Every detail from the words “Pizza Never Disappoints,” printed on the boxes, to the handwritten welcome message on a chalkboard telling guests “this isn’t a Dominos.” The prices are competitive to most nationwide franchises, but because of their smaller operation the menu has more diversity than what people has seen before. The Lower Valley location is
decorated with staples of Halloween like spider webs and Jack-o-lanterns. The atmosphere inside doesn’t feel like a fast food restaurant and that makes the experience more enjoyable A review of a pizzeria wouldn’t be complete without talking about the pizza. Just to be clear though, there is more than just that to order. So, how is the pizza? Answer is 4 out of 5. The sauce uses noticeably high-quality ingredients. It was the perfect consistency and the taste jumped out at the first bite. The toppings were evenly arranged. As it came out of the oven on a conveyor belt, the pie made an exceptional first impression. The texture of the dough is what ended up deducting the point. Pizza dough rises like any yeast-based bread. When yeast and sugar in the dough ferment they release carbon dioxide. These little bubbles to form and are visible in the crust. When gripped by the crust, the pizza hangs with gravity requiring you to fold the slice. There are many possible reasons for this but the most likely is underdeveloped gluten in the dough mixing process. If gluten isn’t formed properly
EVAN HUGHES / TEJANO TRIBUNE
The local pizzeria, Sun City Slice, will now operate in the Lower Valley, Far East and West El Paso.
the gas in the bubbles will escape before the bread can rise. It is also fun noting that there is a crust made of cauliflower available that is intentionally gluten-free. After casting that pizza stone, there is little to dislike about Sun City Slice. Inside you’ll find a festive environment, good food and it’s a local business hiring El Pasoans. The company is full
of potential. If it could expand without losing the unique personality it has cultivated, it will be a huge success. The third installment, at 6450 N. Desert Blvd., is in the recently developed West Towne Marketplace. “Our employees are happy, our customers are happy, and the most important thing is we’re having fun making pizza,” said Villalobos.