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Vol. X No. 352 November 12th., 2010
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 2

By Joe Olvera (c), 2010

Sports fans who hate the Dal-
las Cowboys are smirking and
whooping it up because
America’s Team is having
problems winning ball games
this year. Their record, at 1
victory and 6 defeats, has
them glowing with self-satis-
faction. But, you see, for peo-
ple like me who only love the
Cowboys, win, lose, or draw,
it really doesn’t matter be-
cause how many teams can
say that they’ve won five
Super Bowls – count them,
one for each finger.
What, they were expected to
win this year, and, perhaps,
even play in the Super Bowl
in their own Cowboys Sta-
dium? Well, it hasn’t hap-
pened, and, on the contrary,
they are on a horrible losing
streak that seems to never
end? Oh, well, we’ve been
there before. Remember that
season when they went 1 and
15? And, that, my friends,
was when they had the tri-
umvirate of Troy Aikman,
Emmitt Smith and Michael
Irvin. But, not to worry, they
went up from there to win the
Super Bowl after only three
years from that debacle, when
the only game they won was
against the hated Washington
Redskins. That was the year
the Redskins won the Super
Bowl and were headed for a
perfect season. But, the Cow-
boys made sure that didn’t
happen.
You see, jt’s all about loyalty.
The Cowboys have been my
team and many other fans’
team since their onset in
1960. Sure, they’ve won big,
but they’ve also lost big. The
truth about the Cowboys?
They know how to win, they
know how to lose. Remember
last year? They won the
NFC’s Eastern Division Title
and won a playoff game.
They were surging, but, this
year, somehow, they are los-
ing.
But, I’m sick and tired of all
the pundits who know every-
thing there is to know about
football and continue to re-
mind us that the Cowboys are
losing because of their coach,
or because they have no heart,
or because of their offensive
coordinator, or because of
this, or because or that; this
from the same pundits who
touted the Cowboys before
the season began, and who
were expecting big things
from them this year. Well, it
hasn’t happened, but, is that
any reason to disown the
team?
Some Cowboys haters say to
me, why don’t you change
teams? Place your loyalty on
a winner, and forget about
‘Da Boys. What? That’s un-
thinkable - to me, anyway.
Drop the team that has given
us so many victories? A team
that is so classy that even
haters think of this team as
America’s? Why is the Cow-
boys America’s team? Be-
cause they, like America, go
through ups and downs, yet,
they never give up.
Oh, they will be back, make
no mistake about that. When
it comes to ‘Da Boys, who
knows when they’ll break out
of their funk and start win-
ning games? Who knows
whether Jon Kitna will revert
to his winning ways and lead
the team to victory? Who
knows when receivers like
Dez Bryant, Roy Williams
and Jason Witten will con-
tinue to catch passes for
touchdowns, or when runners
like Felix Jones and Marion
Barber will break into hun-
dred-yard rushers? One never
knows, you see. But, give up?
Never! As long as the Cow-
boys don’t give up, I, for one,
will never give up!
Yeah, maybe they’re some-
what out of contention for this
year’s Super Bowl. But,
there’s always next year. Give
up on the Cowboys? No, sir,
not by a long shot. Every
team goes through some sort
of funk and teams that were
expected to make the grade
find themselves in a losing
position. It happens, that’s
what makes football so great.
One never knows what’s
going to happen down the
line. So, quit making excuses
for the Cowboys’ losing
streak. Stuff happens. But,
fans like me will always be
there. Just keep trying, guys,
keep trying. Never give up!
Sin Fin

"ORANGE-OUT WEEK" ACTIVITIES

· El Paso will be renamed "Miner Orangeville" on Nov. 12.
· The star on the mountain will be orange all week, beginning Monday.
· Paul Foster will turn the flame on the Blue Flame Building orange and will illuminate
the Mills Building and Center Building Orange on Nov. 12.
· The Plaza Theatre will be illuminated orange on Nov. 12.
· Howdy's will be selling 5,000 limited edition "Welcome Back Coach Floyd"
T-shirts for $5.
· Fifteen-foot thermoplast pick-axes will be placed in the pavement at prominent intersections
- Sun Bowl and Mesa, Glory Road and Mesa, Glory Road and Oregon, University and Mesa,
Sun Bowl and Schuster.
· The El Paso Times will have an orange nameplate as well as an orange game insert for fans.
· El Paso Electric will give out 10,000 "Miner Orangeville" static car stickers.
· All Aboard America will have an East Side shuttle to and from the game.
· Numerous businesses will have their employees wear orange on Nov. 12.

Woman goes from owning auto body shop, to owning
Going from own-
ing a successful auto body
shop, to making a complete
360-degree turn, selling the
body shop then opening a
restaurant and bakery may be
daunting for some, but, for
Veronica Beltran, it’s all in a
day’s business.
The diminutive
woman, who hails from
Juarez, Mexico, but is now a
U.S. citizen, started Pita’s
Bakey & Restaurant, at 12295
Pellicano, Ste. 6, where she
dishes out such Mexican deli-
cacies as menudo, caldo de
res and other traditional
dishes. However, she also has
a new concept. Instead of
burritos on a traditional tor-
tilla, she offers Pita bread, a
Greek concoction that flatters
any dish.
Pita’s Bakery/Restaurant
“We’ve only been opened for
one month, and already peo-
ple are flocking to taste our
delicious Pita Bread, which
we offer as a change from the
typical burrito,” Beltran said.
“Although it’s hard to change
some peoples’ habits, they in-
sist that our Pita Bread be
used like a tortilla, wrapped
around delicious meats and
other flavors.”
Beltran said she
owned Jacob Body Shop for
12 years before it got very
difficult for her. She used to
garner business from Juarez,
bring the vehicles to El Paso
to her place of business, and
fix the vehicles here. But, the
bureaucracy made it tough for
her to continue doing busi-
ness. Another problem was
the language barrier – al-
though she has a Master’s
Degree in Child Psychology
By Joe Olvera ©, 2010
from the University of Mex-
ico, her English is not fluent
enough to continue doing
business between the two
cities.
“I’m still not as
well versed in English as I
would like to be, but, I’m
learning,” Beltran said. “I’m
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 3
always learning. The thing is
to work hard and to continue
working hard. Just like I
made the body shop a suc-
cess, I feel that I can make
my bakery/restaurant a suc-
cess as well.” The body shop
was so successful that she
was able to afford to send her
daughter, Karen Quiroz,
through Sul Ross State Uni-
versity, where she got her
Bachelor’s Degree. “Now,
she wants to obtain her Mas-
ter’s because she wants to be-
come an FBI agent.” Beltran
also has an 11 year old son,
Jacob Quiroz, who attends
school in El Paso. Both her
children are U.S. citizens,
born in El Paso.
“I love this city, El
Paso is beautiful,” Beltran
said. “Even though my busi-
ness is rather hidden, cus-
tomers are beginning to find
us. I feel we’re offering
something different, aside
from the traditional – which
we also offer. But, we’re a
new concept. Our Pita Bread
makes it so.”
Her restaurant, besides hav-
ing a bakery, offers such new
items as Pitas de barbacoa,
Pitas de Chicharron, Lengua a
la Mexicana – all dishes come
with a Pasta Salad at an af-
fordable price of $4.49. The
restaurant/bakery is excep-
tionally clean, and is open
Monday through Friday, from
6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday,
from lllllll6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
and Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to
4 p.m. “I only hope that more
people find out about us, and
that once they know what we
offer, that they keep coming
back.”
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 4

Why Not Me? Why Can’t I Have a Family?

National Adoption Awareness Month illustrates plight of children awaiting adoption
Thousands of older foster
children are asking them-
selves, "Why not me? Why
can't I have a family?" During
November, which is National
Adoption Awareness Month,
the Texas Department of
Family and Protective Serv-
ices (DFPS) is asking caring
adults “Why not you? Why
not adopt an older child?”
This month, mass adoptions
and other events are being
held across the state to put the
spotlight on the plight of chil-
dren waiting for permanent
homes and a chance at normal
lives. Many events occur
near National Adoption Day
on the 20th of November.
Locally, El Paso will cele-
brate with a Mass Adoption
Ceremony on Saturday,
November 20th at the 65th
District Court, 500 E. San
Antonio (El Paso County
Courthouse, 11th floor.)
The event begins at 11 a.m.
The number of children
adopted from state care has
increased dramatically
(41.4%) since the introduc-
tion of the “Why Not Me?”
campaign in 2007. Last year,
4,772 abused or neglected
children and teens were
adopted from state care in
Texas. Yet the need for safe
and loving homes has not di-
minished - more than 5,800
children in Texas foster care
are awaiting adoption today.
“These children and teenagers
desperately need the love, at-
tention, and stability only an
adoptive family can give
them,” says Audrey
Deckinga, DFPS assistant
commissioner for Child Pro-
tective Services. “Almost half
of these children are 10 years
of age or older. These older
children tend to linger in the
system longer - but no matter
their age, children never out-
grow the need for parents.”
Last year 98 El Paso area
foster children were adopted.
Currently, there are 105 chil-
dren waiting to be adopted in
the El Paso area.
Texas needs foster and adop-
tive parents for children of all
ages. Some of these children
have special medical, physi-
cal, or emotional needs. There
is especially a need for more
families to adopt African-
American children, who are ages Texans to watch the
over-represented in the foster "Why Not Me?" public serv-
care system. While only 12 ice announcements on the
percent of Texas children are DFPS You Tube Channel
African-American, 35 percent (http://www.youtube.com/T
of the children awaiting adop- exasDFPS) and share them
tion in Texas foster care are with their friends.
African-American.
What greater gift than the gift
The goal of the “Why Not of family? Children are wait-
Me?” campaign is to increase ing at AdoptChildren.org
the number of children who because no child should have
are adopted, especially older to ask the question, “Why not
children and African-Ameri- me? Why can't I have a
can children. DFPS encour- family?"
Why Not Me Facts
•Approximately 5,800 children in foster care legally free to be
adopted.
■ 41 percent are older children and teens (ages 10-17)
■ 35.5 percent are African American
■ 37 percent are Hispanic
■ 25 percent are white
• 4,772 children were adopted from the Texas foster care sys-
tem in fiscal year 2010.

Thoughts on the Next Session

Now that the
election is past
us, it is a good
time to think
about the possi-
ble impact on El
Paso and the
delegation.
Obviously, there
is a significant difference in the number
of R's and D's in the House of Repre-
sentatives. At this moment, the count is
99 Republicans and 51 Democrats.
One race out of the Austin area has
been declared official with the Democ-
rat winning by 15 votes putting the
numbers where they are now. How-
ever, the Republican with the fewer
votes still has the option to request a re-
count.
With such a lopsided number, the Re-
publicans can get pretty much do what-
ever they want if the moderates of their
party vote lock step with the influences
that will be there. Some may think that
with 51 Democrats, there is always the
possible of a quorum breaking walk out
similar to what happened in 2003. The
only way to be successful if that were
considered is to have a 52nd Democrat
stay on the House floor making the
point of order that there is no quorum.
There isn’t a 52nd Democrat so it won't
happen.
The main issue that will be addressed
in the next legislature is the budget.
Yes, some will say that redistricting is
just as important, but for El Paso it
isn’t. The majority has so much
strength east of the Pecos river, there
may not be a second thought to the
makeup in our county. Hopefully, our
census count is accurate and is enough
to keep five house seats in the county.
If not, we can count on a district tied to
a the panhandle making a Republican
district in El Paso.
Getting back to the budget, we can
count on a lot of the programs benefi-
cial to our residents to be cut drasti-
cally. The biggest cuts will be in the
budget of Health and Human Services.
Some conservative members have even
commented about eliminating Medicaid
funding altogether. Another program
that has been publicly mentioned for
cuts is public education; specifically K-
12 public schools.
One contentious issue that is already on
the fire is immigration. Hard line
members who want to make immigra-
tion a states right issue have filed bills
addressing it. Schools, businesses and
state agencies will have to weed out un-
documented immigrants. Our police
and sheriff departments will have to
initiate immigration programs. For
those of you who say "it's about time",
be careful what you ask for.
Both issues mentioned, the budget and
immigration, have one thing in com-
mon: additional expenses locally.
The State may look good eliminating
the expense of Medicaid but that will
not eliminate the need. The poor and
elderly who require medical attention
will get it eventually; that is Federal
law. We will pay for it locally with
higher property taxes for the hospital
district or higher costs at the private
hospitals. Either that or we ignore the
health problems and leave the needy to
take care of themselves.
The immigration issue may be favor-
able to many locals, but how does this
community abide by those laws, if
passed, without an appropriation from
the state? There will be a cost to be
compliant. The answer is local taxes.
There was even discussion of a bill that
would deny state funding of any sort to
communities that are havens for undoc-
umented workers; namely El Paso.
Imagine that, El Pasoans, including the
undocumented, spend money generat-
ing sales taxes that go to Austin and
then the state says we can't get any of it
back. I don’t look forward to the floor
debate on that bill.
Chente Quintanilla
State Representative
 SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 5

WEATHER 101
Saving Money
as Colder Air
Arrives
By: “Doppler” Dave Speelman

Since we are beginning to experience

some colder air it’s a good time to review
ways to save energy and thus lower our
energy bills. Did you know that almost
30 percent of our energy bill goes to heat
our homes?

Here are some ways to re-

duce your home heating
costs:
- Turn down the thermostat. Home heating experts say that by lowering it by just 1 de-
gree can reduce heating energy costs by 4% or between $20 and $40, depending on the fuel used to heat the home.
Weather Trivia:
- Plug leaks – Gaps between windows and doors may be small, but they can collectively add up to big energy
losses. Plugging these leaks with caulk or other materials is the first action homeowners should take to combat high When was the earliest snowfall
heating fuel costs. By sealing those leaks and installing proper insulation, especially in the attic and crawl spaces, recorded in El Paso?
El Paso households can reduce home heating costs by up to $100- $205 per year, depending on the fuel used.
- Heat people and pets, not empty space – about 80% of space is usually not being used at any given time. A. September 28
Closing vents in unoccupied rooms and using small space heaters to heat occupied areas can save a significant
amount of energy and money.
- Set the hot water heater at 130 degrees. Washing clothes in cold water can save resident households up to $85 a B. October 15
year.
- A programmable thermostat costs about $100 – but if used properly, it can save you up to $50-$100 a year on C. October 30
home heating bills.

Extra Tip: By replacing their four most used bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, you can save about $145 over D. November 10
the lifetime of the bulbs.
Incandescent vs. Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
Bulb type 60W Incandescent 13W Compact Fluorescent
Purchase price ($) 0.75 ($) 3.50
Life of the bulb 750 hours 6,000 hours
Number of hours burned per day 3 hours 3 hours
Number of bulbs needed for five years 8 1
Total cost of bulbs $ 6.00 $3.50
Lumens 850 800
Total cost of electricity over five years $43.20 $9.36
Total cost over five years ($) 49.20 12.86

“Doppler" Dave Speelman is the chief meteorologist at KVIA-TV in El Paso. You can watch his forecasts at 4, 5,
6 and 10 pm on ABC-7 (channel 6 cable). If you would like Doppler Dave to address (explain) any weather issues you can Answer: B – October 15, 1925
email him at Dopplerdave@kvia.com.
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 6

Funding Opportunities from The Texas Assn. of Chicanos

the El Paso Affiliate of Susan G. Komen
for the Cure®
EL PASO, TX— The El Paso Affiliate of
Susan G. Komen for the Cure is proud to an-
nounce the availability of grant funds for
2011-2012. Grants will be made to support
efforts to reduce breast cancer disparities in
El Paso.
Based on a community needs assessment,
Komen has identified the three following
funding priority areas:
• Evidence-based breast cancer programs
that increase education and outreach efforts
for women ages 18-64
• Programs which increase or improve exist-
in Higher Education: Helping
ing community partnerships and resources to
address screening needs of underserved indi-
young Chicanos
viduals ages 40-64
• Programs which provide breast cancer pa-
For Ramon Jimenez, helping
tients the continuum of breast care to include
young Chicanos graduate
but not limited to surgery, treatment, and fol-
from a college or university is
low-up services
a mission for which he’s ded-
icated himself for many
Application deadline is 4:30 p.m. on Friday,
years. As the President of El
December 17, 2010.
Paso’s Chapter of the Texas
Association of Chicanos in
To obtain the Request for Applications,
Higher Education (TACHE),
please www.komenelpaso.org or contact
Jimenez considers his work
Stephanie Flora, Executive Director, (915)
vital to a population that has,
533-4433.
perhaps, not considered
higher education important.
“When I graduated from
Mayfield High School in Las
Cruces in 1967, I went
through a series of jobs that
were leading nowhere,”
Jimenez said. “Those jobs
held no future for me, so I
decided that the only way to
get ahead was to go back to
school. I got my Associate of
Arts Degree from the El Paso
Community College, and my
Master’s from Sul Ross State
University.”
Today, as a student
counselor at the EPCC,
Jimenez continues to inspire
young students to follow his
path. To that end, he has cre-
ated a Student Chapter of
TACHE, the only college in
the State of Texas to have a
chapter where students can
participate with mentors and
others who have knowledge,
or a skill that they can impart.
TACHE is a
statewide organization of
Chicanos in Higher Educa-
tion that originated in Sep-
tember, 1974. The group was
founded by Chicano faculty
at U.T. Austin, including Pro-
By Joe Olvera ©, 2010
fessor Teresa H. Escobedo,
Efraim Armendariz, and Li-
onel A. Valverde. The three
wrote a proposal that was
funded by the National Edu-
cation Task Force de la Raza.
At a 1975 Educa-
tion of Mexican Americans
Conference in Austin, a steer-
ing committee was selected to
plan and implement the asso-
ciation. Out of 700 Chicanos
in professional staff positions
in higher education across
Texas, 156 attended a confer-
ence in San Antonio, Texas
where a constitution was
adopted and approved on
Aug. 9, 1973. TACHE deals
with such issues as state
funding, scholarships, finan-
cial aid, access and opportu-
nity, recruitment, retention
and completion and emo-
tional intelligence.
“Retention and completion
are two vital aspects of why
TACHE is important,”
Jimenez said. “Many young
Chicanos start college, but,
then they don’t finish. Statis-
tics are disheartening to real-
ize that so many of our stu-
dents never complete their
degree plans. There are many
factors why this is so, but,
one of the main ones is the
lack of support. That’s where
a student chapter comes in.
The group is there to help in-
fluence, mentor, and encour-
age other students who may
be thinking of dropping out to
stay in school. We recruit vol-
unteers, both students and
professionals to begin work-
ing with such a student.”
Jimenez said that not only
students, but professionals are
recruited because they have
already been there, have
graduated from college and
may be already working in
their field of study. Students
who have a mentor or a role
model do better in school and
have a better chance go grad-
uate. “The EPCC has the dis-
tinction of having the largest
completion rate of Chicanos
then all the other colleges and
universities in the U.S.
“We’re always recruiting new
members,” Jimenez said. “We
set up tables to try to bring
new members into our fold.
Members must be employed
or be a student at an institu-
tion of higher learning. A reg-
ular member of the
community becomes an asso-
ciate member. If anyone is in-
terested in joining us, just
contact me at 831-3384, we’ll
put you to work, the rewards
will come when we see large
numbers of Chicanos with a
bachelor’s or a master’s de-
gree in their chosen field. It’s
worth all the efforts.”

High School Equivalency

Program
The High School Equivalency For more information please call:
Program (HEP) at the University
of Texas at El Paso is offering Marisol Velazquez
FREE GED classes and testing in 500 W. University Ave.
Graham Hall 206
English and Spanish to seasonal
El Paso, Texas 79968
farm worker families only
(915) 747-5567
 SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 7

Sharon Mosley formal events. For day, just take the down a simply styled long dress in
color down a few shades. a laid-back fabric like cotton jersey
or washed silk. "Having a long
With holiday parties fast approach-
— Even if you choose a little black dress that you love in your closet
ing, panic can set in when we think
dress, don't select a silhouette that will stop you from rushing out and
about what to wear. The dress code
is humdrum. Instead, look for a splurging on an awful one through
for the social scene is no longer
dress with subtle details, such as blind panic."
"one dress fits all," but that perfect
lace trim, panels, embroidery or
party ensemble is easy to put to-
pleating. — Showing off gleaming skin is
gether if you follow a few guide-
important. "To a degree, the rule
lines, according to the editors at
— Wearing intense color in a flat- seems to be the skimpier the dress,
Harper's Bazaar magazine. They
tering shade can last for years, even the more festive," says Armstrong,
have put together a new book,
though it might not go under the but even though necklines have
"Harper's Bazaar Fashion: Your
radar as easily as a neutral frock continued to plunge since the 16th
Guide to Personal Style," by Lisa
that easily bears frequent wearings. century, that's no excuse for vulgar-
Armstrong (Hearst Books, Novem-
ity. "Bare arms, legs and backs
ber 2010, $24.95).
— Shine casts a flattering glow on within reason, always look classier
the face, but it also draws the eye to than cleavage as deep as the Grand
"However rarely you're required to
lumps and bumps. It's better to use Canyon."
dress up, it pays to be prepared,"
pearls, diamonds, diamante or a
says Armstrong. "A specific event
jeweled neck plate to light up your — Strapless gowns can be a
provides an excellent bona fide ex-
skin. supremely elegant statement, but
cuse to buy something new, but
not if they don't fit and look as if
there's nothing like an imminent
— While brocades and patterns they're going to slip off. Visit a tai-
deadline to muddle the brain and
have instant appeal, they can be- lor beforehand to avoid that regret-
miraculously empty the stores of
come all too familiar after a few table fate.
anything remotely suitable."
outings.
— A beautiful gown or dress does-
Instead, Armstrong suggests shop-
— When the hostess stipulates n't need much help, but you make a
ping early and sticking to a "tightly
floor-length dresses, it takes a brave winning finish with a dazzling pair
edited festive repertoire" that pre-
soul to rebel, according to Arm- of shoes and one beautiful piece of
vents impulse purchases. "Trends
strong. She suggests checking out jewelry.
tend to come and go," she says, "but
labels in the market just below de-
for parties, they tend to sit tight."
signer level or investigating some
Here are some of Armstrong's tips
of the new dress-rental services. Sharon Mosley is a former fashion
on navigating the special-occasion
Going the vintage route is another editor of the Arkansas Gazette in
dress wardrobe:
tempting solution. Little Rock and executive director
of the Fashion Editors and Re-
— Classics are classics for a rea-
— Otherwise, find a short dress that porters Association.
son. A choice among the little black
is "so deliciously dramatic" that no
dress, little navy-blue dress or little COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
one focuses on its length. Or hunt
gray dress is your passport to most

Designer Carmen Marc Valvo creates holiday favorites in cocktail

dresses with dramatic details. Pictured: A strapless cocktail dress in
black and pewter. Photo courtesy of www.carmenmarcvalvo.com.
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 8
DEAR ABBY by Abigail Van Buren
FAMILY DREADS REPEATING LAST
YEAR'S VEGAN THANKSGIVING
DEAR ABBY: Last year
for Thanksgiving, I made a
special effort to get the entire
family together for the tradi-
tional meal. All 13 of us met
at my mother's home and
everyone was to bring a dish
or two to share.
One of my brothers
has two college-age daugh-
ters. Both are vegan, and he
insisted that all the dishes we
brought be vegan! I did it, but
I resented it because I felt
that two out of 13 people
should not decide the menu.
If they wanted vegan dishes,
they should bring something
for themselves, while the rest
of us brought what we
wanted.
My brother and
nieces are now asking what
we're doing this year for
Thanksgiving. Frankly, I
don't want to go through that
again. Am I wrong in think-
ing everyone should not bend
over backward for the vegan
meal? I don't mind some of
the menu accommodating
them, but I don't think the
whole dinner should be al-
tered. -- TURKEY EATER
IN TEXAS
DEAR TURKEY
EATER: Neither do I. And
the response you should give
your brother (and his daugh-
ters) is that you'll be serving a
traditional Thanksgiving din-
ner this year, so they can ei-
ther bring something they
will enjoy or make other
plans.
**
DEAR ABBY: I read
your column every day and
find it interesting and useful.
Many of the writers have the
same emotions and
problems as I do. I'm
always pleased to
see that I am not
too far off.
I am a
Dear
woman
Abby
who mar-
ried for the second time after
54 years of marriage. I was
71 and had been a widow for
only one year. I had married
my late husband at 16, and
thought I could not live
alone.
Do you have any
words of wisdom for some-
one such as myself? Older
people are so set in their
ways that blending is so very
difficult. -- HAVING TROU-
BLE IN FLORIDA
DEAR HAVING
TROUBLE: If you remar-
ried only because you were
afraid of living alone, then
you did it for the wrong rea-
son. There are worse things
than living alone -- and one
of them is being married to a
person who is unwilling to
compromise. The keys to a
successful union are affec-
tion, communication, respect
and compromise. If both par-
ties sincerely care about and
respect each other, the union
will be successful and lasting.
**
DEAR ABBY: My wife
recently attended her 35th
high school reunion alone.
Her high school sweetheart
was there, and they talked
and exchanged e-mail ad-
dresses. As the night wore on,
he started making advances
and my wife rebuffed him
somewhat rudely. Three days
later, she e-mailed him an
apology and they started an
eight-week exchange.
I suspected some-
thing was wrong and
checked her e-mails, where I
discovered some pretty torrid
messages and a dinner meet-
ing being planned. When I
confronted my wife, she de-
nied everything -- until I gave
her copies of the e-mails. She
says they never met, but I say
the intent was there. To me,
this is the same as a physical
affair. She disagrees. Who is
right? -- DECEIVED IN
LOUISIANA
DEAR DECEIVED:
You are. The only thing that
prevented things from pro-
ceeding further was the fact
that you intervened. And if
your wife had been proud of
what she was doing she
wouldn't have lied to you.
**
Dear Abby is written by Abi-
gail Van Buren, also known
as Jeanne Phillips, and was
founded by her mother,
Pauline Phillips. Write Dear
Abby at www.DearAbby.com
or P.O. Box 69440, Los An-
geles, CA 90069.
**
To order "How to Write Let-
ters for All Occasions," send
a business-sized, self-ad-
dressed envelope, plus check
or money order for $6 (U.S.
funds) to: Dear Abby -- Letter
Booklet, P.O. Box 447,
Mount Morris, IL 61054-
0447. (Postage is included in
the price.)
COPYRIGHT 2010 UNIVERSAL UCLICK
Energy Express
Fall into Fitness: When the
Seasons Shift, so Can We!
Marilynn Preston
What a day! The sun is
sparkling, the air is tingling,
and I'm up to my ankles in
perfect red, gold and orange
autumn leaves, thinking about
fall and fitness and one of my
favorite books, "Staying
Healthy with the Seasons."
"This is the season of the har-
vest," Elson Haas writes, "the
fruition of all the growth of
spring and summer. ... These
days of seasonal change
around the equinox are a per-
fect time to cleanse your body
and lighten yourself for fall's
work. ... Through a daily dis-
cipline of inner attention and
physical exercise, you can
create a more open, resilient
and supple body; a mentally
and physically relaxed state;
and a stronger resistance to
disease."
Inner attention and
exercise.
A more open and supple
body.
A body that is relaxed physi-
cally and mentally.
A stronger immune system.
Wouldn't that make for your
best winter ever?
Fitness is a year-round activ-
ity, but as the seasons shift, so
can your own personal com-
mitment to living a happier,
healthier lifestyle. Sadly, in
November, many people's fit-
ness programs fall off a cliff.
It's colder outside, it gets
darker sooner, and our sum-
mertime push to look trim and
hit the gym gives way to an
overwhelming urge to retreat
indoors and overdose on
peanut clusters. Resist! Make
a plan! Harvest your best in-
tentions, and consider the fol-
lowing:
START A JOURNAL.
You've heard this a thousand
times before, but let this be
the day it sinks in: Keeping a
personal journal is one of the
best ways to modify your be-
havior. Your doctor can't
make you ride your bike.
Health care reform can't keep
you from eating junk. Per-
sonal change is a personal
choice, and it can begin this
fall with a $3 notebook you
label Fall Fitness. Inside, list a
few fitness goals for next
spring. Do you want to run a
5K? Wean yourself off of high
blood pressure medication?
Touch your toes without
bending your knees?
Be realistic. That's the key to
success — small, realizable
goals. Decide on a detailed
plan to realize your goal,
write it down, and keep track
of your progress — daily —
in your journal. Change is not
linear. Expect backsliding.
Don't judge, just write. Go
back and reread the opening
quote from Elson Haas. Jour-
nal keeping is what "a daily
discipline of inner attention"
looks like.
EAT CLEANER, BE
LEANER. Winter weight
gain is becoming a national
sport in America, but you can
avoid it if you decide now to
let some of your bad eating
habits fall away — ahem —
while adding some new
healthier habits.
Like what? Eat real food!
If it comes in a can or a box
and has more than five ingre-
dients, it is not a real food.
Processed foods are loaded
with chemicals and additives
that gunk up your system and,
over time, pile on the pounds.
Try a little experiment this
November. Give yourself one
week of clean eating, consum-
ing reasonable portions of un-
processed foods — fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, or-
ganic chickens and fish. For
this one week, avoid colas
and all sugary desserts. At the
end of the week, check in
with yourself and see how
you feel. Lighter? More ener-
getic? Less bloated?
Another way to wean yourself
from toxic ingredients is to
spend some time this fall
learning to cook simple,
healthy meals for yourself and
your family. You'll eat less,
enjoy more and save money,
too. Try this Fall Fitness
Gamechanger: Every time
you eat a meal at home this
fall and winter instead of eat-
ing out, put $10 into a box.
On March 21, count it up and
spend it on a fitness-related
treat for spring. A new bike?
Tennis lessons? Private time
with your favorite yoga
teacher?
TRY SOMETHING NEW.
Fall is all about change and
transition, the perfect time to
experiment with a new activ-
ity or sport. What'll it be?
Zumba classes? Pilates? Ball-
room dancing? Boredom can
kill your best intentions to ex-
ercise. That's why it's impor-
tant to mix it up, cross train,
find new and fun ways to
work your body ... and don't
forget your brain. Before the
autumn leaves disappear, sign
up for something that will
stimulate your synapses in the
coming months. Bridge?
French? The Zen of Motorcy-
cle Maintenance?
ENERGY EXPRESS-O!
HOW TO BE HAPPY
"Every leaf speaks bliss to
me, fluttering from the au-
tumn tree." — Emily Bronte
Marilynn Preston — fitness
expert, personal trainer and
speaker on healthy lifestyle
issues — is the creator of En-
ergy Express, the longest-run-
ning syndicated fitness
column in the country. She
has a website, http://marilyn-
npreston.com and welcomes
reader questions, which can
be sent to MyEnergyEx-
press@aol.com.
COPYRIGHT 2010 ENERGY EXPRESS, LTD.
 SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 9
Home Zone

MiCorder Offers an Easy Alternative for Recording

Music
Maggie Reed have, you have to drink two.

Even if you don't land on a

Now you can record music spot to select an I've Never
from almost any source with- card, the activities chosen as
out using a computer. The you traverse the board are
mobile MiCorder is a new aimed at adults including,
product from Olens Technol- "take a drink" or "do a shot."
ogy that makes recording
music and audio files much Contents include: game
easier. board, game rules, dice, 8
playing pieces, 100 I've Never
Although there are products ... ? question cards and 10
on the market designed to make-up-your-own cards.
convert music from vinyl al-
bums, cassette tapes and CDs Both versions retail for $20.
into an MP3 file, most require The family edition is appro-
a special turntable, a big tape priate for ages 8 and up, while
player or a computer. The Mi- the adult version is for those
Corder converts sound to an Whether you want to record from the radio or a cassette deck, MiCorder makes the process easy. 21 and over. For more infor-
MP3 format and records it Photo courtesy of Olens Technology. mation, call 800-278-7279 or
onto a standard SD card. visit www.ivenevergame.com.
Therefore, music can easily
www.olenstechnology.com. clude: "I've never had a crush and have fun while doing it.
be transferred to any com-
on a teacher?" or "I've never Questions and activities on
puter, iPod, cell phone, MP3 Maggie Reed may be reached
player or car stereo.
I'VE NEVER ... ? had a bird poop on my head?" the cards are a bit racier, in-
at trocar2000@hotmail.com.
or "I've never had detention?" cluding: "I've never cheated
Learn more about your family Based on the answer, the per- on a test/exam." If you've
The mobile unit records from COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
and friends with the new son either moves forward on never cheated, you get to pick
audio sources by simply plug-
board game, I've Never ... ? the board or has to engage in someone to drink. If you
ging into the earphone jack,
This outrageous game of truth an activity.
converting the sound into an
MP3 file, and storing it on an from INI, LLC — winner of
the 2010 National Parenting For example, for the question
SD card. It records from any
Center's Seal of Approval — of bird poop on the head, if
radio, computer, stereo, CD
has a family edition that of- this is true, the card says,
player, phonograph, cassette
fers appropriate questions and "Move forward one space." If
deck, 8-track, reel-to-reel,
activities to help you discover the answer if not true, the
DAT, or any other device that
things you never knew about cards says "Move forward
has a stereo output.
your loved ones. three spaces. You deserve it!"
"People were always telling
me they wanted to listen to
their old vinyl albums or cas-
settes on their iPod or in their
cars," says Ron Meritt, presi-
dent of Olens Technology.
"Musicians want to record
their music, and some people
want something to record a
radio program and listen to it
at another time. With Mi- Find out about your family and friends with I've Never ... ?
Corder, there is now one very board games in versions for children and adults. Photo cour-
simple and inexpensive de- tesy of INI, LLC.
vice that will do all of these
things."
As for never having deten-
The game play is simple and tion, if you answer true, you
The MiCorder includes a
quick moving: roll the die, are instructed to tickle the
backlit LDC display and a
move your playing piece, and person next to you. If you an-
built-in microphone for per-
follow the instructions on the swer not true, the card says,
sonal recording. It comes with
space where you land. For ex- "Tell us what you did."
a USB cable, a set of ear-buds
as well as a rechargeable bat- ample, talk like a baby or imi-
tate your best friend. Every For older folks, there is an
tery that will last up to 14
third or fourth space tells you adult version of I've Never ...
hours.
to draw and read an I've ? And, yes, it is a drinking
Never card aloud. game. The object of the game
Retail price for the MiCorder
is to get everyone to admit to
is $80. For more information,
Some of the questions in- doing crazy stuff, get silly,
call 805-489-3636 or visit
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 10
Sustainable Living
Shawn Dell Joyce
It is difficult to buy anything
that is not made in China
today, because the U.S. im-
ports more than half of its
consumer goods from that
one country. Many people are
starting their holiday shop-
ping this week, and most of
that hard-earned money will
go right to China.
The flood of consumer goods
from China has nearly tripled
since 1997, and the number
of recalls has grown propor-
tionately. The Food and Drug
Administration is deluged by
this flood. The FDA has only
1,317 field investigators for
320 ports of entry. The
agency inspects just 0.7 per-
cent of imports, half of what
it did a decade ago. David
Acheson, an assistant com-
missioner for food protection
at the FDA, points out that it
would be impossible to test
all imports from China. "It's
got to be based on risk,"
Acheson says.
And we have seen how risky
it is, with recalls on pet food,
produce, toothpaste and many
other products. According to
WorldNetDaily, "FDA in-
spectors report tainted food
imports from China are being
rejected with increasing fre-
quency because they are
filthy, are contaminated with
pesticides and tainted with
carcinogens, bacteria and
banned drugs."
Recently, China quietly sur-
passed the United States as
If we do some of our holiday
shopping at local small busi-
nesses, we have a huge eco-
nomic impact on our local
communities.
the world's top polluter.
China has no real environ-
mental safeguards in place to
protect drinking water from
contaminants, no labor laws
to keep children out of sweat-
shops, and no legal ethics to
keep entrepreneurs from pro-
ducing dangerous products.
In addition, our communities
suffer financially when we
buy imports over locally
made goods. When we opt for
a cheaper import, our dollars
flow out of our community
and fund a system that de-
grades people and the planet.
Our small businesses suffer;
manufacturing jobs leave;
and we find ourselves with
boarded-up storefronts in our
downtowns. This economic
exodus further devalues our
currency and increases the
demand for "cheap."
A recent economic study con-
ducted in Austin, Texas,
found that if each household
in Travis County redirected
just $100 of planned holiday
spending from chain stores
(carrying cheap imports) to
locally owned stores, the eco-
nomic impact would reach
approximately $10 million.
Imagine what $10 million
could do for your community.
If you are getting fed up with
cheap imports flooding our
stores and damaging our
economy and dangerous
products slipping through the
holes in our safety nets, here
are a few simple actions you
can take today:
—This year, think
"home for
the holidays"
and spend your
money locally.
Visit local artists,
crafters and arti-
sans for gifts.
Look for items that
are made using
local products, as
well, for example,
wines from local
grapes and jams
from local fruits.
—Boycott anything made in
China, even for only a week.
It will make you aware of
how overdependent we are on
imports, and it may protect
your family from unsafe
products.
—Lobby to make it illegal to
sell defective goods and for
every business in the supply
chain to be legally responsi-
ble for what it sells.
Shawn Dell Joyce is an
award-winning columnist and
founder of the Wallkill River
School in Orange County,
N.Y. You can contact her at
Shawn@ShawnDellJoyce.co
m.
COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
 SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 11

Position chairs with

back legs off the
room-size rug to help
create the illusion of
more space in a small
sitting area. Photo
courtesy of Phillip
Ennis.

Home Owners - Renters INSURANCE AVAILABLE

FREE QUOTES • 6560 Montana Ave., Suite 6. El Paso 915-779-2489
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 12
Going Dark and Lush Can Compensate for Stingy Space
Rose Bennett Gilbert
Q: Our new apartment has
the smallest living room!
Everyone is telling us to
paint it white "to make it look
bigger" and get rid of our
sofa — "too big for the
room."
The trouble is that we already
have a rug, a nice sofa and
chairs we don't want to part
with. So, what should we do?
A: My advice: When you're
boxed into small space, think
outside of the box! Conven-
tional wisdom would have
you paint everything white or
light. Unconventional think-
ing — from design pros like
Benjamin Bradley and David
Thiergartner (bradleythier-
gartnerinteriors.com) —
would send you in the oppo-
site direction, to the darker
end of the color spectrum.
As Bradley told me, "Muted
and dark colors can work bet-
ter than light colors — they
recede; they make walls sim-
ply float away."
The design team, who en-
couraged the pictured small
living room, also eschews
scaled-down furniture and
bare floors. "Petite furniture
simply feels skimpy and
stingy," Bradley said. "It
lacks that feeling of lushness
we like. It's just not luxuri-
ous."
Ditto for naked floors. The
designers suggest using
fewer pieces of furniture
that's comfortably sized. And
carpet the room: Choose a
rug that's large enough to
cover the entire floor, but
leave a frame of bare wood
(9 inches to 12 inches wide)
all around the perimeter.
"And remember," Bradley re-
minds, "no rule says you
can't let the furniture's back
legs fall off the rug." Nobody
will notice, he promised, and
the space will look larger as a
result.
Q: Outdoors, looking in?
A: New outdoor furniture
couldn't be more "in"! Or
more like the indoor furniture
you want to snuggle on.
Thanks to minor miracles of
modern technology — like
Sunbrella (and other
indoor/outdoor) fabrics, plus
modern thinking by an icono-
clastic German designer —
furniture that's supposed to
live on the patio or porch
would look right at home in
your living room.
On the other hand, some of
the new indoor pieces we
saw at the fall Furniture Mar-
ket in High Point, N.C., look
as if the great outdoors is
their natural habitat.
Brown Jordan, mega-manu-
facturer of outdoor furnish-
ings, debuted an innovative
collection by German de-
signer Mathias Hoffmann,
which features what he calls
"sexy pullovers" — stretchy
knitted slipcovers that pull
over the aluminum frames of
chairs and sofas. Available in
red, black, brown and a
salt/pepper combo (and de-
signed to last four or more
years) the covers let you re-
decorate your outdoor world
as easily as your indoor liv-
ing room.
Whitecraft, another casual
furniture manufacturer, fos-
ters illusions of grandeur
with its new collections in-
spired by the Vanderbilt man-
sion, Biltmore. The largest
privately-owned U.S. resi-
dence that is located in
Asheville, N.C., the Bilt-
more is being recre-
ated bit-by-bit in
a growing
number of
furniture, fab-
PHOTO WWW.WHITECRAFT.NET
ric and tabletop reproduc- "camp," if it weren't as attrac-
tions (check them out at Bilt- tive as, well, all outdoors
more.com/catalog). (www.woolrich.com).
Made of resin molded over
aluminum to emulate bam- Rose Bennett Gilbert is the
boo, Whitecraft's new collec- co-author of "Manhattan
tion of all-weather furniture Style" and six other books on
is aptly called "South Ter- interior design.
race," inspired as it was by
the Winter Garden at Bilt- COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM.
more (www.whitecraft.net).
Meanwhile, Woolrich intro-
duced a collection of indoor
bedroom furniture made of
iron. Molded and finished to
look like birch poles, the
pieces are crafted into beds,
chests, dressers, chairs, mir-
rors and a bench that should
sit at the foot of every out-
doorsman's bed. "Birch
Run" would give new
meaning to the word
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 13
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 14
Video Game Review
Jeb Haught
DEVELOPER: Atari
PUBLISHER: ImaginEngine
SYSTEM: Nintendo Wii (PC)
PRICE: $19.99
ESRB RATING: Everyone
REVIEW RATING: 3 stars
(out of 5)
Originally released in 1982,
"Haunted House" charmed
players with simple game
play that was severely limited
by technology. Fast-forward
to 2010, and Atari's new
"Haunted House" title sports
improved visuals but hardly
expands the game play. When
you add a vastly extended
game length, the resulting ex-
perience become frighten-
ingly monotonous.
Players return to Graves
Mansion as one of Samuel
Silverspring's (the original
character) grandchildren to
solve its haunting mysteries.
Their goal is to find the four
lost pieces of a magical Urn,
reassemble it, and then de-
fend their family's legacy.
Along the way, players will
have to search for keys and
light sources as well as fend
off pesky critters and perilous
poltergeists.
Samuel must have been ultra-
paranoid because practically
every door in his mansion is
locked and players must
search for each key. They can
be found in chairs, sofas,
chests and other locations so
it's best to search every item
in every room. Needless to
say, this can become repeti-
tive pretty quickly, especially
if you're used to fast-paced ti-
tles.
Thank goodness there are
wretched enemies to mix up
the game play, but it would be
nice if they weren't so con-
ventional. I think every
'haunted house' throughout
history has bats, rats, ghosts
and skeletons. At least they
can be fended off with pierc-
ing rays of light emanating
from candles, matches, and
cell phones. In addition, light-
ing a fireplace hurts enemies
that wander too closely as
well as refilling the player's
life bar and saving the game.
Oddly enough, it seems like
advanced technology has ac-
tually hurt this remake more
than help it. Sure the visuals
are more detailed, but they're
still outdated when compared
to other modern games. In ad-
dition, the ability to include
more items in each room also
means there are more items to
stumble over when running
from enemies.
In the end, playing "Haunted
House" is almost as boring as
watching phony ghost shows
on TV.
REVIEW SCORING
SYSTEM
5 stars = Must Have
4 stars = Very Good
3 stars = Above Average
2 stars = Bargain Bin
1 star = Don't Bother
COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM.
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 15
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 18
By Gina Spadafori
Universal Uclick
One thing that never fails to
get a smile out of me is see-
ing my big orange cat, Ilario,
happily curled up and purring
loudly next to — and occa-
sionally on top of — one of
my four dogs. I love how well
everyone gets along: They
don’t just tolerate each other
— they actually like each
other.
It didn’t start out
that way, though. When Ilario
arrived as a kitten, he spent
more time puffed up and
ready to run than purring.
Once he realized he wasn’t in
any danger from his new
four-legged family, he was
able to relax and eventually
even warmed to their com-
pany. Some nights I even
catch him grooming my gen-
tlest dog, 14-year-old Drew.
Some cats and dogs
are never going to get along,
but most can at least come to
an agreement about sharing
space. The trick is knowing
the basic steps to handling the
introductions.
Under no circum-
stances should dogs and cats
be introduced by throwing the
animals together and letting
them work out things on their
own. That method is far too
stressful even in the best of
conditions. It’s also important
to keep in mind that introduc-
tions can be dangerous, usu-
ally for the cats. Some dogs
see cats as prey, and even
those dogs who are generally
easygoing may react instinc-
tively to a cat on the run by
attacking the smaller animal.
Introductions must
be supervised and handled
with planning, care and pa-
tience.
If you have a cat
and are planning to bring in a
dog, try to find an animal
who is known to be accepting
of cats. Shelters and rescue
groups often know if an ani-
mal has successfully lived
with a cat, or they will test to
see how the dog behaves in
the presence of one. (These
“tester” cats are usually
friendly, outgoing permanent
When introducing a dog and cat, make sure to protect both animals and to be patient.
residents, and they’re just fine
with their work of safely
greeting new dogs.)
If you have a dog
and are planning to bring in a
cat, start working on your
pet’s obedience before you
add the new animal. Your dog
should be comfortable on a
leash and be trained well
enough to mind your requests
for him to stay in either a
“sit” or “down” position
while on that leash.
For the cat’s own
comfort, he should be con-
fined during the early stages
of introduction to a small area
(such as a second bathroom
or guest bedroom), where he
can feel safe while becoming
acclimated to the sounds and
smells of the dog. Be sure
the room has everything he
needs, and make sure he has
frequent one-on-one visits
with human family mem-
bers.
After a couple of
days with the cat se-
questered, put the dog on
leash and open the door to
the cat’s room. Allow the an-
imals to see one another, and
do not allow the dog to chase
the cat, even in play. Use
Dogs and cats can be
friends, if introduced
properly
“sit-stay” or “down-stay” to praise.
keep the dog in place while When the dog isn’t
the cat gets used to his calm interested in bothering the cat
presence. Don’t force the cat and the cat feels secure
to interact with the dog; if the enough to come out from
cat wishes to view the dog under the bed, you can take
from the darkest recesses un- off the leash and let them get
derneath the bed, so be it. Re- on with their new lives to-
ward the good behavior of gether. How long it will take
both animals with treats and to get to this step will depend
praise. on the animals involved, and
Keep the dog on you must work at their pace.
leash for a couple of weeks in It’s not uncommon
the cat’s presence, and always for dogs and cats to become
make sure the cat has a way friends and to enjoy each
to escape from the dog, such other’s company. Take the
as putting a baby gate across time to manage your cat-dog
the door to the safe area. introduction properly, and
Build up the time the animals you could be setting up a
spend together, and continue friendship that will last for
to make the introductions re- the rest of your pets’ lives.
warding, with more treats and
About Pet Connection
Pet Connection is produced by a team
of pet-care experts headed by “Good
Morning America” and “The Dr. Oz
Show” veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker
and award-winning journalist Gina
Spadafori. The two are also the au-
thors of many best-selling pet-care
books. Dr. Becker can also be found at
Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on
Twitter at DrMartyBecker.
 The popular band
Gorillaz has just
finished a North
American tour.

George Varga
Many musicians strive for success, artistically and com-
mercially. Damon Albarn is one of the few who places a
greater value on failure.
"I think everything I've done is a failure, in the sense that I
haven't totally realized what I was setting out to do, and
that's what keeps me going," said Albarn, who this week
concludes an extensive North American tour with Gorillaz,
his eclectic all-star band. "I learn through failure, and I
want to learn as much as I possibly can."
That being the case, Albarn qualifies as one of pop's more
successful failures.
As the leader of Blur, he helped define Britpop in the early
1990s, when his band helped capture the zeitgeist for mil-
lions of young people in the United Kingdom. But Blur
never made much impact here.
Not so the multimillion-selling Gorillaz, which Albarn and
"Tank Girl" cartoonist Jamie Hewlett launched in 1998 as a
purely conceptual project.
Yet, what began as a "virtual band" of cartoon characters
— a sort of post-punk Traveling Wilburys in anime —
gradually morphed into a live band, following an abortive
attempt to have Gorillaz "tour" in holographic form. As its
April show at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
attested, Gorillaz's music is now on equal footing with its
eye-popping visuals.
"Ironically, for something that is/was virtual, it has become
very organic," Albarn said, speaking from a tour stop in
Houston.
"But it is still the relationship between the cartoons and the
band, the musicians, that is very integral to how the audi-
ence perceives it."
That band also covers far more musical ground than Albarn
ever did with the recently reunited Blur.
Continues on page 21
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 20
CINEMARK CIELO VISTA
Gateway West Blvd/Cielo Vista Mall
Schedule good for Friday November 12th
INSIDE JOB*- CinéArts (PG-
13)10:25am 1:25pm 4:25pm 7:25pm
10:25pm
MORNING GLORY*(PG-13) 10:00am
11:30am 1:00pm 2:30pm 4:00pm
5:30pm 7:00pm 8:30pm 10:00pm
SKYLINE*(PG-13)12:00pm 3:00pm
6:00pm 9:00pm
SKYLINE* - DIGITAL (PG-13)10:30am
1:30pm 4:30pm 7:30pm 10:30pm
DEVIL (PG-13)1:35pm 7:35pm
DUE DATE*(R) 10:40am 12:10pm
1:40pm 3:10pm 4:40pm 6:10pm
7:40pm 9:10pm 10:40pm
FOR COLORED GIRLS*(R) 10:05am
1:05pm 4:05pm 7:05pm 10:05pm
*NO PASSES-NO SUPERSAVERS
CINEMARK 14 - EL PASO
West side of El Paso at Mesa & I-10
Schedule good for Friday Nov 12th thru Sunday Nov 14th
MORNING GLORY*(PG-13)11:00am
1:45pm 4:30pm 7:15pm 9:55pm
SKYLINE*(PG-13)9:30am 11:55am
2:30pm 5:00pm 7:30pm 10:00pm
UNSTOPPABLE*DIGITAL (PG-13)
9:25am 12:00pm 2:35pm 5:10pm
7:45pm 10:20pm
DUE DATE*(R) 9:45am 10:15am
12:10pm 12:45pm 2:45pm 3:15pm
5:15pm 5:45pm 7:40pm 8:15pm 10:20pm
10:45pm
FOR COLORED GIRLS*(R) 9:50am
12:55pm 4:10pm 7:20pm 10:30pm
HEREAFTER (PG-13)10:05am 1:10pm
4:20pm 7:35pm 10:25pm
LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (PG-13)11:25am
Tinseltown
Las Palmas i-10 @ Zaragosa
Schedule good for Friday November 12th
(MIDNIGHT SHOW) - *BATMAN
(PG-13) 12:01am
*DUE DATE (R) 11:10am 12:05pm
1:30pm 2:10pm 3:00pm 4:15pm
5:10pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:55pm
8:45pm 9:45pm 10:40pm 11:30pm
*FOR COLORED GIRLS (R)
11:20am 1:20pm 2:55pm 5:00pm
6:40pm 8:30pm 10:05pm 11:40pm
HEREAFTER (PG-13) 3:25pm
10:00pm
JACKASS - 3D (R) 11:30am 2:20pm
5:05pm 7:35pm 10:30pm
LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (PG-13)
12:10pm 6:50pm
*MEGAMIND (PG) 1:05pm 3:55pm
6:45pm 9:35pm
*MEGAMIND - 3D (PG) 11:40am
12:25pm 2:30pm 3:15pm 4:40pm
5:20pm 6:05pm 7:30pm 8:10pm
8:55pm 10:20pm 11:00pm
*MEGAMIND - 3D XD (PG)
*NO PASSES-NO SUPERSAVERS
Premiere Cinemas 6101 Gateway West S.15
Schedule good for 11-12-10
*3D MEGAMIND- DIGITAL (PG)
10:45a 11:10a 11:40a 1:20p 1:40p
2:10p 4:00p 4:30p 5:00p 6:35p
7:05p 7:45p 9:10p 9:40p 10:15p
*CONVICTION- DIGITAL (R)
10:35a 1:15p 4:10p 7:05p 9:50p
*EASY A- DIGITAL (PG-13)
11:25a 2:10p 4:40p 7:15p 9:50p
*JACKASS 3D- DIGITAL (R)
11:30a 2:25p 5:10p 7:40p 10:05p
*LA SOGA - 35 MM (NR)
11:10a 1:55p 4:45p 7:30p 10:15p
*MEGAMIND- DIGITAL PG
11:15a 1:50p 4:30p 7:05p 9:45p
*THE SOCIAL NETWORK-
DIGITAL (PG-13) 10:30a 1:40p
4:25p 7:20p 10:10p
EAST POINTE MOVIES 12
I-10 & Lee Trevino Schedule good for 11/12 - 11/18
CASE 39(R)11:00 AM 1:40 4:20 7:00 9:45
DESPICABLE ME (PG) 11:10AM | 12:20
| 1:30 | 2:50 | 3:50 5:10 | 6:10 | 7:30 |
8:30 | 9:50
GROWN UPS (PG-13) 1:55 | 7:05
INCEPTION (PG-13) 1:20 7:40
LET ME IN (R) 10:50AM | 1:35 | 4:35 |
7:20 | 10:00
MY SOUL TO TAKE (R) 10:45AM | 4:50
TAKERS (PG-13) 11:05AM | 1:45 | 4:15 |
6:50 | 9:25
THE EXPENDABLES (2010) (R)
LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (PG-13)
10:35am 4:35pm 10:35pm
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 - DIGITAL
(R) 10:20am 1:20pm 4:20pm 7:20pm
10:20pm
POEMA DE SALVACION (SALVATION
POEM) (PG-13)10:45am 1:45pm
4:45pm 7:45pm 10:45pm
SAW: THE FINAL CHAPTER - REAL
D 3D (R) 10:10am 11:40am 1:10pm
2:40pm 4:10pm 5:40pm 7:10pm
8:40pm 10:10pm
SECRETARIAT (PG)1:15pm 7:15pm
WAITING FOR "SUPERMAN" -
CinéArts (PG)10:15am 4:15pm 10:15pm
2:05pm 4:45pm 7:10pm
MEGAMIND*(PG)10:10am 12:50pm
3:20pm 5:55pm 8:30pm
MEGAMIND* - REAL D 3D (PG) 9:40am
11:45am 12:20pm 2:20pm 2:50pm
4:55pm 5:25pm 7:25pm 8:00pm 10:05pm
10:35pm
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (R)
10:30am 1:00pm 3:30pm 6:05pm 8:35pm
10:50pm
RED(PG-13)10:25am 1:20pm 4:25pm
7:05pm 10:10pm
SAW: THE FINAL CHAPTER - REAL D
3D (R)9:35am 12:15pm 2:40pm 5:20pm
7:50pm 10:15pm
SECRETARIAT (PG) 9:50pm
11:00am 1:40pm
*MORNING GLORY (PG-13)
12:00pm 1:35pm 3:20pm 4:45pm
6:20pm 7:45pm 9:25pm 10:50pm
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (R)
11:50am 2:40pm 5:25pm 7:50pm
10:35pm
RED (PG-13) 11:05am 1:45pm
4:35pm 7:25pm 10:25pm
SAW: THE FINAL CHAPTER - 3D
(R)11:35am 2:15pm 4:55pm 7:40pm
10:15pm
*SKYLINE (PG) 11:45am 1:00pm
2:25pm 3:45pm 5:15pm 6:30pm
8:05pm 9:15pm 10:45pm 11:50pm
*UNSTOPPABLE (PG-13)12:15pm
3:10pm 6:10pm 9:05pm 12:01am
*UNSTOPPABLE - DIGITAL (PG-13)
11:00am 1:50pm
*UNSTOPPABLE - XD (PG-13)
4:20pm 7:15pm 10:10pm
*UNSTOPPABLE- DIGITAL (PG-
13) 10:30a 11:00a 11:30a 1:05p
1:35p 2:15p 3:45p 4:15p 5:05p
6:20p 6:50p 7:35p 9:00p 9:25p
10:15p
2D JACKASS 3- DIGITAL (R)
11:05a 1:50p 4:40p 7:20p 10:00p
HEREAFTER- DIGITAL (PG-13)
11:55a 3:25p 6:40p 9:50p
RED- DIGITAL (PG-13)
10:45a 11:55a 1:35p 3:10p 4:30p
6:10p 7:15p 9:00p 10:00p
YOU AGAIN- DIGITAL (PG)
11:00a 1:45p 4:25p 7:15p 10:05p
* -- denotes Pass Restricted fea-
tures
7:10 | 9:40
THE LAST EXORCISM (PG-13)
11:35AM | 1:50 | 4:10 | 6:25 | 8:45
THE OTHER GUYS (PG-13)
11:15AM | 4:25 | 9:35
THE SWITCH (PG-13) 11:55AM | 2:25 |
5:00 | 7:35 | 10:00
TOY STORY 3 (G) 10:55AM | 11:30AM |
1:25 | 2:05 | 4:00 | 4:40 | 6:30 | 9:00
WALL STREET: Money Never Sleeps
11:20AM | 2:00 | 4:30 | 7:15 | 9:55
Now Showing
Unstoppable Skyline
11/12/10 11/12/10
A massive unmanned locomo- After a late night party, a group
tive, nicknamed "The Beast" of friends are awakened in the
and loaded with toxic cargo, dead of the night by an eerie
roars through the countryside, light beaming through the win-
vaporizing anything put in dow. Like moths to a flame,
front of it. A veteran engineer people outside are being drawn
and a young conductor, to a strange lights, which have
aboard another train in the
runaway's path, devise an in-
descended upon Los Angeles,
and then suddenly vanishing
credible plan to try and stop it into the air. Survivors must
-- and prevent certain disaster fight for their lives as the ex-
in a heavily populated area. traterrestrial force threatens to
Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, swallow the entire human population off the face of the
Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn Earth.
Starring: Donald Faison, Eric Balfour, David Zayas, Scottie
Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Crystal Reed, Neil Hopkins, J.
Paul Boehmer, Tanya Newbould, Pam Levin
For Colored
Girls Morning
11/05/2010
Rated: R Glory
Genre: Drama
11/10/2010
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
'For Colored Girls' brings to
the screen Ntozake Shange's
When hard-working TV pro-
Obie award-winning play, a
ducer Becky Fuller stumbles
poetic exploration of what is
into a job at 'Daybreak,' she
to be of color and a female in
decides to revitalize the
this world.
show by bringing on leg-
endary TV anchor Mike
Starring: Janet Jackson, Loretta Devine, Michael Ealy, Kim-
Pomeroy. Unfortunately, Pomeroy refuses to cover morn-
berly Elise, Omari Hardwick
ing show staples like celebrity gossip, weather, fashion and
crafts -- let alone work with his new co-host, Colleen Peck,
a former beauty queen and longtime morning show person-
ality who is more than happy covering morning 'news.' As
Megamind Mike and Colleen clash, first behind the scenes and then
on the air, Becky's blossoming love affair with fellow pro-
11/05/10
ducer, Adam Bennett begins to unravel -- and soon Becky
"Megamind" is the most bril- is struggling to save her relationship, her reputation, her
liant supervillain the world job and ultimately, the show itself.
has ever known. And the
least successful. Over the
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton,
years, he has tried to conquer Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum
Metro City in every imagina-
ble way. Each attempt, a
colossal failure thanks to the
caped superhero known as
"Metro Man," an invincible
'Inside Job'
hero until the day Megamind 'Inside Job' is the first film to
provide a comprehensive
actually kills him in the
throes of one of his botched analysis of the global financial
evil plans. Suddenly, Megamind has no purpose. A supervil- crisis of 2008, which at a cost
lain without a superhero. He realizes that achieving his life's over $20 trillion, caused mil-
ambition is the worst thing that ever happened to him. Mega- lions of people to lose their
mind decides that the only way out of his rut is to create a jobs and homes in the worst
new hero opponent called "Titan," who promises to be big- recession since the Great De-
ger, better and stronger than Metro Man ever was. Pretty pression, and nearly resulted
in a global financial collapse.
quickly Titan starts to think it's much more fun to be a villain
than a good guy. Except Titan doesn't just want to rule the Through exhaustive research
world, he wants to destroy it. Now, Megamind must decide: and extensive interviews with
can he defeat his own diabolical creation? Can the world's key financial insiders, politi-
smartest man make the smart decision for once? Can the evil cians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of
a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation,
genius become the unlikely hero of his own story?
and academia. It was made on location in the United States,
Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China.
Starring: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill
 SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 21

PREMIERE
Gorillaz... MONTWOOD 7
2200 N. Yarbrough
Continued from page 19 Schedule good for November 13,14 &16

Hip-hop, funk, reggae, rock and World CASE 39 (R) 2:35p 7:25p
Music fuel Gorillaz, whose current touring
Dragon, veteran Pharcyde rapper Bootie
DESPICABLE ME (PG)
12:10p 2:20p 4:35p 6:55p Schedule good for 11/12- 11/18
lineup features two former members of Eng- 9:10p
Brown, London singer Roses Gabor, British SUPER STIMULUS MEGAMIND 2D (PG)
lish punk-rock icons The Clash — guitarist INCEPTION (PG-13) 2:45p
rappers Kano and Bashy, and members of the 8:10p TUESDAY: $1 DRINK, 12:15 2:35 4:55 7:15 9:35
Mick Jones and bassist Paul Simonon —
Middle East-based National Orchestra for LET ME IN (R) 12:05p 5:00p $1 POPCORN or $5.00 (12:00 FRI/SAT)
along with American R&B legend Bobby 9:45p
Oriental Arabic Music. OFF ANY REGULAR DUE DATE (R) 12:30 1:00
Womack. TAKERS (PG-13) 12:25p COMBO 2:50 3:20 5:10 5:40 7:30
5:50p MILITARY DISCOUNT @ 8:00 9:50 10:20 (12:10
"I pinch myself," Albarn said of his heady THE SWITCH (PG-13)
Also on stage at various parts of each Goril- BOX OFFICE & FRI/SAT)
musical company. "Constantly." 12:15p 2:30p 4:45p 7:05p
CONCESSION STAND! FOR COLORED GIRLS
laz concert is veteran New York hip-hop trio 9:25p
De La Soul, Chicago's Hypnotic Brass En- TOY STORY 3 (G) 12:00p GUARANTEE TICKETS (R) 1:00 4:00 7:00 10:00
COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
2:25p 4:50p 7:15p 9:40p @ FANDANGO.COM (11:15 FRI/SAT)
semble, Swedish electro group Little
ASK ABOUT OUR SAW VII 3D *3D SUR-
REWARDS CARD! CHARGE APPLIES* (R)
ADVANCE TICKETS NOW 11:00 1:00 1:30 3:15 3:45
AVALIBLE FOR “HARRY 5:30 6:05 7:45 8:20
POTTER 7” & “TRON 3D” 10:00(10:35 12:15
FRI/SAT)
UNSTOPPABLE (PG-13) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
12:20 12:45 2:45 3:10 5:10 2 (R) 11:45 1:50 4:40 7:15
5:35 7:35 8:00 10:00 10:15 9:40(12:00 FRI/SAT)
(12:15 FRI/SAT) JACKASS 3D *3D SUR-
SKYLINE (PG-13) 12:15 CHARGE APPLIES (R)
2:40 5:05 7:30 9:55 7:00 9:20 (11:45 FRI/SAT)
(12:00 FRI/SAT) RED (PG-13) 11:00 1:20
MORNING GLORY (PG- 4:25 7:10 9:50 (12:15
13) 11:00 1:35 4:15 7:00 FRI/SAT)
9:45 (12:00 FRI/SAT) LIFE AS WE KNOW IT
MEGAMIND 3D (PG) *3D (PG-13) 11:00 1:30 4:10
SURCHARGE APPLIES* 7:05 9:45 (12:10 FRI/SAT)
11:00 12:15 1:15 1:45 2:35
3:45 4:20 4:55 6:15 7:15
8:45 9:35 (12:00 FRI/SAT)
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 22
If you want your upcoming event listed in SPOTLIGHT’S Out & About section, please send all your relevant data by e-mail to:
CENTRAL/
NORTHEAST
‘Much Ado About
Nothing’ — One of the
Bard’s funniest comedies is
Nov. 12-Dec. 4 at El Paso
Playhouse. The William
Shakespeare play is complete
with evil plots, masquerades,
weddings and a happy ending
for all. Directed by Chet
Frame. Showtime is 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday and 2
p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $10 ($8
seniors, $7 military and stu-
dents with ID). Information:
532-1317,
elpasoplayhouse.com.
Christmas Bazaar
2010 — Good Samaritan
editorial@spotlightepnews.com
Society of White Acres Re-
tirement Community, 7304
Good Samaritan Court, will
host its arts and crafts bazaar
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday,
Nov. 13, in the apartments
dining room, featuring jew-
elry, homemade pies, cakes
and cookies, paintings, books,
white elephant items and
more. Admission is free. In-
formation: 549-5464 or good-
sam.com.
Provost Gun Show —
The El Maida Provost Guard
gun, small antique and South-
west art show is 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13-14, at
the El Maida Shrine Temple,
6331 Alabama. Includes new,
used and antique firearms and
accessories, knives, coins,
Southwest jewelry, military
surplus and collectibles. Food
concessions available. Admis-
sion: $5 ($4 active military
and accompanying depend-
ents; ages 12 and younger
free). Parking is free. Age 18
and younger must be accom-
panied by a parent or legal
guardian. Information: 241-
1761.
Dance for Kids’ Sake
— Big Brother Big Sisters of
El Paso will hosts its local
take on the show “Dancing
with the Stars” 7 p.m. Satur-
day, Nov. 13, at Scottish Rite
Temple Theater, 301 W. Mis-
souri. Local corporate, politi-
cal and media celebrities star
as dancers and judges to
money and awareness for the
needs of at-risk children and
the benefits of Big Brothers
Big Sisters mentoring. Cock-
tails and hors d’oeuvres
served at 6 p.m. Tickets: $50.
Information: 544-4203 or
DanceBig.kintera.org.
EASTSIDE
Race for Hope 5K —
The 5K race and 1-mile Fun
Walk benefiting Living Hope
Christian Counseling Services
is 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at
Restoration Fellowship,
10200 Album (across from
Album Park). Registration:
$20 for 5K ($15 students);
$15 fun walk ($10 students)
by Nov. 8 and $25 for 5K
($20 students); $20 fun walk
($15 students) after. Teams of
10 or more $15 per runner. In-
formation: Mike Coulter, 274-
5222 or
raceadventureslimited.com.
Race day registration and
packet pick-up is 7 to 7:45
a.m.
Rio Norte Holiday
Craft Fair — Rio Norte
Retirement Community, 1941
Saul Kleinfeld, hosts its an-
nual craft fair 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 13, with jew-
elry, glass-making, hand
made holiday cards and decor,
clothes, fashion decor, can-
dles, crochet items and more.
Admission is free. Informa-
tion: 856-6655.
St. Luke Craft
Bazaar — St. Luke’s
United Methodist Church,
9915 Montwood, hosts its fall
bazaar 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Satur-
day, Nov. 13, featuring arts
and craft vendors. Informa-
tion: 591-8126 or
stlukemethodist.org.
St. Timothy Craft
Fair — St. Timothy
Lutheran Church, 11050
Montwood (at Bobby Jones),
will have its annual Craft Fair
Calendar of upcoming events for
El Paso/ Southern New Mexico
are from November 12th
thru November 18th. 2010
and Bake Sale 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at the
church. Information: 852-
3858.
Compassionate
Thanksgiving — Vege-
tarian Society of El Paso
hosts its annual vegetarian
Thanksgiving feast 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 13, at Lancer’s
Club East, 3135 Trawood.
Guest speaker is Food Em-
powerment Project founder
and director Lauren Ornelas.
Meet and greet is 6 p.m. Cost
(by Nov. 9): $20 ($15 VSEP
members; $10 children 12 and
younger). Cost after deadline
(all ages) is $25, if seats
available. Reservations: 544-
2377 or
vsepreserve@yahoo.com. In-
formation: vsep.org.
The Food Empowerment
Project is an organization that
seeks to create a more just
world by recognizing the
power of one’s food choices.
Club 101 — 1148 Airway.
Showtime is 9 p.m. for most
performances. Advance tick-
ets for most events available
at Club 101, All That Music,
Psycha and online at ticket-
bully.com, unless otherwise
listed. Information: 544-2101
or club101.com.
• Sander Van Doorn — One
of the world’s Top 10 DJs per-
forms Friday, Nov 12. Tick-
ets: $16.
• Jeffree Star — The electro
diva presents her “Fresh Meat
Tour at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov.
14, with guests Dev and The
IT Boys. All ages show. Tick-
ets: $15.
MISSION
VALLEY
‘Evoke’ Contempo-
rary Dance — Momen-
tum Dance Company
performs Nov. 13-14 at
Chamizal National Memorial,
800 S. San Marcial, showcas-
ing local dancers performing
original contemporary works.
Showtime is 7 p.m. Saturday
and 2 p.m. Sunday. Admis-
sion: $6 ($4 students). Infor-
mation: 204-1120.
This performance unites
local dancers and give them
an opportunity to share the art
of dance with the El
Paso/Juarez community.
DOWNTOWN/
WESTSIDE
TennisFest — Girl
Scouts of the Desert South-
west hosts its inaugural tennis
event for all ages and abilities
is 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov.
13, at El Paso Tennis Club,
2510 N. St. Vrain, with sup-
port by Greater El Paso Ten-
nis Association. The purpose
of the event is to open the
doors of tennis to all ages and
skill levels, and realize that
anyone has the ability play
tennis. Admission: $10 dona-
tion to Special Populations
Tennis Program. Information:
227-2384, 329-4863 or
gsdsw.org.
UTEP Men’s Basket-
ball - Home games are at the
Don Haskins Center. Individ-
ual tickets: $10-$50, plus
service charge. Information:
747-5234 or
utepathletics.com.
• Pacific, 7 p.m. Friday, Nov.
12
• Mercer (Legends Classic
Regional Round), noon, Sun-
day, Nov. 14
UTEP Women’s Bas-
ketball — The team takes
on UC Irvine, 2 p.m. Satur-
day, Nov. 13, at the Don
Haskins Center. Information:
747-5234 or
utepathletics.com
Continues on next page

‘Soldadera’ — Eden Enter-
prises presents a staged reading
of the play by Josefina Niggli at
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at
the Philanthropy Theatre in the
Plaza Theatre Annex. The play
views the Mexican revolution
from the perspective of women
soldiers. A reception with re-
freshments follows the presenta-
tion. Admission: $25.
Information: 474-4275.
Jesus Hopped The A
Train’ - The UTEP Depart-
ment of Theatre and Dance pres-
ents the Stephen Adly Guirgis
drama Nov. 10-14, in the Fox
Fine Arts Studio Theatre. Show-
time is 8 p.m. Friday and Satur-
day and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets: $4.50-$7.50, plus service
charge (Ticketmaster). Informa-
tion: 747-5118.
A New York City bike messen-
ger is incarcerated for the “mur-
der” of a religious cult leader to
whom he lost his best friend.
Through Cruz’s experience, the
play examines issues from the
meaning of faith to the American
prison system.
Siguiendo los Pasos de
Jesus dinner — The organi-
zation’s annual fundraising din-
ner is 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Nov.
13, at El Paso Country Club,
5000 Country Club. This year’s
theme is “LEGOS!”. Cost: $60
($600 table for 10). Information:
449-5883 or spjinc.org.
Siguiendo los Pasos de Jesus, in
partnership with Following in the
Footsteps of Jesus, is a non-profit
organization that assists families
in the colonias of Juarez. Pro-
ceeds benefit building homes,
providing food, clothing; school
supplies and paying inscription
fees for school for all eligible
children and provides
medical/dental care.
52 Pickup — El Paso Com-
munity Foundation will host a
meet-the-artist VIP event benefit-
ing Border Art Residency Satur-
day, Nov. 13, at Hope and
Anchor, 4012 N. Mesa, starting
with a meet and greet at Hope
and Anchor at 3 p.m. with a 52-
passenger bus ride to the resi-
dency in La Union at 4 p.m. and
returning to Hope and Anchor for
an art-lover after party at 6:30
p.m. Age 21 and older welcome.
Tickets: $100 for bus ride; after-
party free to attend.
Information/reservations: El Paso
Community Foundation, 533-
4020.
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 23
‘Walk a Mile in Her
Shoes’ walk — YWCA’s inter-
national men’s march raising to
stop rape, sexual assault and gen-
der violence is 5 p.m. Thursday,
Nov. 11, at The Garden, 511
Western, in Union Plaza. Partici-
pants will walk a mile in red
women’s high heel pumps.
Start/finish line is on Anthony
Street with route following West
San Francisco, West San Antonio
and Durango. Information: 533-
2311, ext. 273 or ywcaelpaso.org.
Queen of Peace Bazaar
— Queen of Peace Catholic
Church’s annual bazaar is 9 a.m.
to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to
3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13-14, at the
church, 1551 Belvidere, featuring
arts and crafts, a country store,
food concessions and raffle draw-
ings. Admission is free. Informa-
tion: 584-5817.
‘An Afternoon of Clas-
sical Guitar’ — Music
Forum El Paso presents an after-
noon with classical guitarist John
Siqueiros 2:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday,
Nov. 14, at El Paso Museum of
Art, One Art Festival Plaza. Ad-
mission is free. Information: 755-
0724 or elpasoclassical.com.
An assistant professor at UTEP,
Siqueiros is head of the guitar
program and director of the mari-
achi program. His program will
include works by Augustine Bar-
rios, Leo Brouwer, Isaac Albeniz,
J.S. Bach and Dominic Dousa.
Mack Massey Mopar
Car Show — Mack Massey
Chrysler Jeep Dodge and the
Southwest Mopar Club will host
the 7th annual show is 1 to 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Mack
Massey Dealership, 950 Crockett
(across from Sunland Park Mall),
featuring classic and new
Mopars. Eleven classes of cars
include a new class this year for
Hudson vehicles and a “builder”
class. Other categories include
“Best of Show” and “Longest
Distance Traveled.” Proceeds go
toward the club’s scholarship
fund. On-site registration is 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. Open to all
“Mopar” owners. Registration:
$20. Spectator admission is free.
Information: 584-9393 or mack-
massey.com.
Fuerza Bruta — The New
York-based Argentinean aerialists
perform Nov. 4-20, at the Union
Depot as part of Paso del Norte
Group’s Amor Por Juarez project.
Information: amorporjuarez.com.
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 24

SOUTHERN in Las Cruces. Tickets: $10

($8 students). information:
NEW MExICO (575) 646-2070.
Guest artists Bill Evans, Two of our planetary influences change course on Thurs-
Gadsden Purchase Elizabeth Shea, Nicole Dean, day. First, Jupiter, the jolly planet of luck and abundance,
decides to fly straight after being retrograde since July of
and Aimee Feuille join dance
re-enactment — The faculty Debra Knapp, Ann
this year. This will have a positive impact on the flow of
commerce and our optimism in regards to finance. A few
historic land purchase will be Gavit, and Kirsten Avelar to hours later, Venus, the love goddess, goes direct in Libra,
balancing relationships and gracing some connections
celebrated with a reenactment share their choreography in- with a lovely bit of poetic justice.
and flag-raising ceremony by spired by family issues, mem- ARIES (March 21-April 19). Modifications will be neces-
Friends of Fort Selden at 2 ories and conflicts. sary. Be careful not to interpret this as a failure on your part.
p.m., Saturday, Nov. 13, at There is nothing wrong with adapting your plans, even adapt-
ing them constantly. The important thing is that you keep
the historic Mesilla Plaza. Las Cruces Interna- going. As long as you are making a new plan and getting up
Master of ceremonies is and going at it again, you are winning.
Emily Guerra, and music pro- tional Mariachi
vided by Empyre Pipes and Conference 2010 — TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Humans need other humans to
survive. That's why one of our most primitive fears is the
Drums. Admission is free. In- The 17th annual conference is fear of being separated from our caretakers, whether it's fam-
formation: (575) 524-3262, Nov. 12-14 in Las Cruces. ily, loved ones or society at large. You'll dance with that fear
this week. By Friday, you have new rules about when to be
ext. 116. The conference hosts about independent and when to reach out.
The Gadsden Purchase, also 750 students each year
referred to as “El Tratado de through workshops, concerts GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The mark of a true leader is
La Mesilla,” included a pay- someone who can lead himself. Your standards are high, and
and more. Conference tickets you don't need anyone else to monitor you and make sure
ACROSS 4 Employ
5 Makes drowsy
ment of $10 million by the start at $18. Information: you stay on track. You'll remain vigilant when all others have
United States for 45,535 backed off. You'll even test yourself and question how you
1 Egyptian solar deity (575) 525-1735 or lascruces- spend your time.
6 Record player square miles from Mexico in
6 Columnist Hopper mariachi.org.
11 Racing circuit 7 German donkey 1853. On Nov. 16, 1854, the
8 Borge, for one CANCER (June 22-July 22). Your attitude is stellar, and
14 Mistreatment Mexican flag was lowered Events for the public: you make money with your winning ways. You know what
9 Gov. lawyers and the U.S. flag was raised you have to offer, and you do so very well. You'll soon be
15 Writer Asimov • Student Showcase Concert,
10 Paint solvent at the plaza in Mesilla. developing and selling a different product, so work the cur-
16 Cyprinoid fish 7:45 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, at rent package with gusto. Then you'll be able to look back
11 Opposing team’s con-
17 Specific area coverage Pan American Center featur- knowing that you did your very best.
frontation Christmas Jubilee —
19 Scotch negative ing more than 750 student
12 Robin, of song LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Fortune favors you, though not in a
20 Whitney or Wallach The 24th annual Ruidoso mariachi groups, vocalists, "dumb luck" kind of way. You'll have to work hard to create
13 Hammer parts
21 Spry shopping extravaganza is Fri- folkloric dancers. Showcase opportunities. But your rewards will be sweeter for the effort.
18 Elbe tributary This week, focus on overcoming your weaknesses — not all
22 Direct link day through Sunday, Nov. 12- gala precedes the perform-
23 Baseball locale, for of them at once, though. Create one positive habit at a time,
24 Government certificate 14, at the Ruidoso ance at 5:45 p.m. Tickets: and you will be transformed.
short
26 Organ providers Convention Center, with $10.50, includes service fee.
25 Director Preminger
27 Player’s predeter- more than 80 merchants, a (Ticketmaster). VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Decide what will make your
mined route 26 Tryst heart race, and do it. Is it bungee jumping, or calling that in-
food court, holiday music and
27 Window section timidating potential date or client? This is not an act you'll do
30 Canadian national decor. Storytelling and visits • “Spectacular Concert,” purely for the momentary adrenaline rush. Rather, it's a sym-
28 Brother of Cain
park from Santa Saturday and Sun- 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, bolic leap of faith that reminds you of your own vitality and
29 Composition for nine connects you to the essence of who you are.
31 Aids nefariously day. Items include fashions, at NMSU’s Pan American
30 Deep-voiced singer
32 Egg-shaped home accessories, crafts and Center, featuring Grammy-
33 By way of LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Life comes with cliffs and
34 Nautical dir. seasonal merchandise. Hours nominated international chasms — there's no getting around it. Sooner or later you'll
35 Reacted to ice
37 Pianist Peter are noon to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 recording artist Shaila Durcal, need to scale the mountain or jump off the cliff. Even if you
36 Opposite of wax lived in a place as flat as Kansas, you would still have torna-
38 Licorice flavoring a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and in tribute to her mother, dos to worry about. Since there are no safe guarantees, your
38 Wing-shaped
39 Western coll. 12:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday. Rocio Durcal. Also appearing willingness to take a risk will come in handy.
39 Major or Minor constel-
40 North Pole worker Hosted by the Ruidoso Valley will be Las Cruces favorites,
lation
41 Entreaties Greeters. Admission: $1 (free Mariachi Cobre from Walt SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Relax. There's nothing to fear,
41 Frolicsome especially when you take into consideration that most of the
42 Senator Hatch for ages 12 and younger). In- Disney World in Orlando and changes in your life do not happen dramatically. They come
42 Point ___
43 Brilliance formation: (575) 336-8206, the popular Mariachi Sol de through as tiny differences, slow movements and small deci-
44 New England cape sions that build into something through the years. This week,
45 Game violation (575) 336-7632 christmasju- Mexico de Jose Hernandez
46 Sherry coating you'll inch along on your way to improvement.
47 Commotion bilee.net. from Los Angeles. Tickets:
47 Beneath
49 Garden soil $24.50 and $54.50, includes SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You love your people,
48 Large flowering plant
50 In want Festival of Thanks — service fee. (Ticketmaster). but you also have to admit that they have steered you wrong
51 Wealthy fur merchant 51 Scarlatti staple before — all that talking they do about what you'd be good
52 Trade NMSU Choirs presents their at, what you should be doing and what's out of your league. If
54 One of the Three • The annual non-denomina- you're going to get this show on the road, you'll have to ig-
53 Makes lace holiday performances at 7:30
Stooges tional Mariachi Mass is 9:30 nore some of the noise from the peanut gallery.
55 Psych endings p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Satur-
57 Spanish title a.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, at the
56 Anglo-Saxon slave day, Nov. 12-13, at NMSU’s CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You are a note in the song
58 Thrown ball Pan American Center, led by
59 Single Atkinson Music Recital Hall. of the universe. Be aware of your ability to pleasantly harmo-
61 Envelope abbreviation Bishop Ricardo Ramirez with nize with the chord that's going on around you, or to create
60 Banana or apple Tickets: $12 and $15 ($5 for tension, interest and conflict with the way you play along.
62 Eastern church mem- music by Mariachi Cobre.
students). Ages 7 and older Both ways are good — it's just a choice. It all depends on
ber Admission is free. what kind of music you want to make.
welcome. (Ticketmaster). In-
63 German chemist
formation: (575) 646-1420.
64 Bread variety • The Mariachi y Mas Festi- AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). What is the point of traveling
if you're not going to embrace what's unfamiliar about the
65 Bounds’ compan- val is noon to 6 p.m. Sunday,
ion ‘Family Matters’ — Nov. 14, in Old Mesilla
new place? When you venture out, you'll steer clear of the
chain restaurants you're familiar with and the activities you
66 Singer Della NMSU’s Contemporary Plaza, with mariachi music, can do just as well at home. Your adventuresome attitude will
rub off on those around you.
Dance Theatre presents an folkloric dancing, arts and
DOWN evening of nine dance stories crafts, New Mexican foods PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Are you lacking motivation?
1 Misty condition of family and community re- and children’s activities. Spe- Maybe it's not your fault. Maybe your goal just isn't com-
lationships at 7 p.m. Saturday pelling. If nothing tantalizes you to take action, go back to
2 Old Greek coin cial appearance by Susie Gar- the drawing board. Brainstorm about what you really want
3 Remove players’ and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13- cia and Mariachi Tapatio. from this life. Choose a destination that excites you enough
14, at the Rio Grande Theatre to motivate you along the path.
obstacles Admission is free.
COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC
 SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 25

Butterfield
Trail Golf
Tournament

Tom Cardenas, Alex Cardenas, Juan David Ellis, Dan Jurado, Jake
Camara, Danny Camara Ortiz, Bob Brunk Bob Brunk

Gilbert
Sandoval
Christina Sandoval (Executive Assitant,
John Payne: Event Manager Director of Public Relations: Shamaley
Gilbert Sandoval, Frank Ortiz, Jerry Gonzalez, Oscar Gallegos, Jesus Rez, Victor Nevarez, for Susan G. Kommen Ford, also on the board of Susan G
John Cobian El Paso Kommen here in EP
Joe Gutierrez
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 26

Staycentered
IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR GAME

for solid

A student came to me with a complaint that

she was hitting way behind the ball with her
irons. Not only was she hitting her irons fat,
but also she was hitting low pull hooks with
her driver. Needless to say, she was not a
happy camper.
During the interview, one of the things she
told me was that when she first started playing
10 years ago, her pro advised her she had to
“stay behind the ball.” After a few swings, it
was evident that she was trying to do just that.
Her first move down was to throw her
head/spine away from the target — her inter-
pretation of staying behind the ball.
Too many golfers try to tilt their spine away
from the target during the downswing to get be-
hind the ball. On average, the human head
weighs 10 pounds, so forcing it to hang over
your back foot as you swing to the ball makes it
difficult to keep your upper swing center (just
under the throat) over the ball.
When you hang back, trying
to stay behind the ball, two problems threaten:
(1) It’s hard to make a proper
weight transfer to your front hip joint, and (2)
hanging back can promote a flip where your
hands wrap around your body, sending
the ball wide of target.
In the photos below, I’m demonstrating
correct spine control. I begin stacked at ad-
contact
dress, with my head and spine straight up.
After impact I’ve moved aggressively to my
left side and fired my core at
the target, but my swing center is essentially
covering the ball.
How much you slide your swing center de-
pends a lot on ball position — the farther back
you play the ball, the less you move the hips
laterally. Players who use a more forward ball
placement move more laterally to cover the
ball at impact. But look at my head in relation
to the treetops ABOUT THE WRITER
behind me.
Dr. T.J.
Basically, the Tomasi is a
head stays teaching
while the hips professional
go. in Port St.
Lucie, Fla.
Visit his
Web site at Notice that at address and even after release, my swing center (just under
tjtomasi.com. my throat) stays over, or covers, the ball.
 SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 27
TEEING OFF DON’T MISS IT

The golf swing ends in a
finish pose that takes energy
to sustain. After you’ve fired
the clubhead through the hit-
ting area, the momentum of
your club, hands and arms
has pulled your body into a
position where you are
standing erect, looking over
your right arm, watching the
ball fly toward the target with
all your weight on your front
foot.
However, contrary to what
the word “finish” implies,
you are not done yet. To suc-
cessfully complete a swing,
you should allow momentum
to rebound you into a posi-
tion I call the “after-finish.”
In the photo, I’m continuing
to watch the ball fly toward
the target, but have rebound-
ed so that my upper arms are
no longer fully extended and
the club shaft is perpendicu-
lar to the ground with the
clubhead perpendicular to
my hands.
ASK THE PRO
There are three important
reasons that you should con-
tinue through your finish po-
sition to an after-finish. First,
it is much easier on your
body. Holding the finish puts
lots of strain on your back,
and years of holding the fin-
ish could cause damage that,
in the extreme, could require
surgery.
Second, in a motion like
the golf swing that contracts
the muscles and stretches the
tendons, your body seeks to
return to the safety of a rest-
ing, non-tense state as soon
as possible, and it is the after-
finish that allows it to do so.
Third, sustaining life is all
about maintaining energy
levels, and even in such a
minor event as a golf swing,
the brain is true to its charter
— conserving energy
is much more efficient than
having to replace it.
The after-finish is a low-
energy state my body is eager
to seek. Holding the clubhead
above my hands makes the
clubhead effectively much
lighter, so if I choose to,
I could stand this way for
quite some time. The only
position more restful would
be to let the club slide
through my hands and fall to
the ground, but then I would
have to expend energy to
bend down and pick it up.
A caddie to call
your very own
This golf cart is almost like having your own caddie
because the bag sits upright, making access to your clubs
easier. The good tour caddie has to do three things: show
up, shut up, keep up. What’s even better about this caddie
is it doesn’t get 10 percent.
The Upright Caddy cart costs $130. Find out more at
www.uprightracr.com, or call (866) 892-2339.
GOLF BY THE NUMBERS
Last January the rules changed on the pro tour, making the use of clubs
made with so-called U grooves illegal in competition. The USGA will follow
suit, and by 2024 the use of U grooves will be against the rules for all golfers.
As of 2011, golf manufacturers will no longer make U grooves. Do the statis-
tics reveal any changes on the PGA Tour as a result?
After 39 tournaments (near the end of the season),
PGA Tour ShotLink statistics showed approaches from the rough were closer,
but scrambling success was down:
2010 2009
Approaches from rough (50-125 yds) 27’ 0” 27’ 3”
Approaches from rough (125-150 yds) 34’ 6” 35’ 4”
Scrambling success (outside 30 yds) 28.80% 28.89%
Scoring Average 71.04 71.12
The rule change has made a big impact on the retail industry, but not on the players’
scorecards. Go figure!

Leveling a steep swing

Q: My pro says my swing is too steep,
and I have
yet to find a swing thought, training aid
or drill that can help me break the habit.
Any ideas? — Dom D., Portland Ore.
A: Your concept is that you want to
deliver a more horizontal blow. Take
your normal set-up position for
a driver with the ball teed up extra high
(at least an inch off the surface). Then,
using a five-metal or a rescue club, line
up the clubhead even with the ball and
using 80 percent of your normal speed,
make a swing with a level, roundhouse-
feeling shoulder turn.
At first, with your steep swing, you’ll
hit a few pop-ups, but after a while
you’ll get the feel of the longer, flat spot
through impact that’s needed to sweep
the ball into the air without disturbing
the tee.
(To Ask the Pro a question about golf,
e-mail him at: TJInsider@aol.com.)
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 28

NExT SPRINT CUP NATIONWIDE SERIES CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS

Race: Kobalt Tools 500 Race: WYPALL 200 Race: Lucas Oil 150

UP...
Where: Phoenix International Raceway Where: Phoenix International Raceway Where: Phoenix International Raceway
When: Sunday, 3:00 p.m. (ET) When: Saturday, 4:00 p.m. (ET) When: Friday, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN TV: ESPN2 TV: SPEED
2009 winner: Jimmie Johnson (right) 2009 winner: Carl Edwards 2009 winner: Kevin Harvick

By RICK MINTER / Cox Newspapers

Cup driver dominance

may bring new rules to
Nationwide series
rad Keselowski’s Nationwide Series championship, which

B he clinched two races early with a third-place finish at

Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, was his first major
NASCAR championship and also the first for his car owner, Roger
Penske. The longtime owner and former driver has 12 champi-
onships in other forms of racing, but Penske had none in NASCAR
before this, despite 63 Cup race victories and 10 on the Nationwide
side.
But in many ways, Keselowski’s and Penske’s championship
was too familiar for many in the NASCAR world. It was the fifth
straight year that a full-time Sprint Cup driver won the champi-
onship in the second-tier series that once was looked upon as a de-
velopmental series and one where non-Cup teams would be
competitive. And Keselowski’s triumph continued a streak of 10
straight years in which either a Cup team, or one closely affiliated
with a Cup team, won the Nationwide title. The last independents
to win the Nationwide crown were driver Jeff Green and owner
Greg Pollex back in 2000.
The dominance of the Cup teams in Nationwide has officials at
NASCAR pondering rules changes that would give the independ-
ent Nationwide teams a better chance in races and the champi-
onship hunt. With two races left to run this year, full-time Cup
Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge, celebrates with team owner Roger Penske after winning the Nationwide Championship on drivers hold four of the top five spots in the drivers standings and
Sunday. (NASCAR photo) six of the top 10. Continues on next page
 SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 29

Brad Keselowski...
Continued from page 28

Cup drivers or Cup-affiliated

teams have won every Nation-
wide race but one. Boris Said
won at Montreal driving for
Robby Benton.
In some aspects, the Nation-
wide Series is serving as the de-
velopmental series some would
like it to see. Cup teams often
put young Cup drivers in the Na-
tionwide Series to help them
gain experience, which is at a
premium since private testing is
banned at tracks that host Cup
races.

But some experienced driv-

ers, like Carl Edwards and Kyle Carl Edwards, winner of Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, congratulates Brad Keselowski, who won the
Busch, continue to compete in Nationwide championship with a third-place finish in that race at Texas Motor Speedway. (NASCAR photo)
Nationwide and often dominate
building cars and people and at- finish in Cup, and although he owner’s champion trophy.
the races. Busch has won 12 Na-
tracting sponsors that will make followed that 10th-place finish “It’s hard to give a billionaire
tionwide races this season, Ed-
the company stronger as a whole with another at Talladega the something,” he said. “It’s pretty
wards three and Keselowski six.
and give us a better shot at win- next week, he’s still 25th in the cool.”
Edwards told reporters at
ning a Cup championship.” driver standings.
Texas that he’s against limiting
And Penske appreciated it.
Cup driver participation in Na-
Penske’s question about tak- But he got to give his fellow “We’ve been in NASCAR a
tionwide or not allowing them to
ing away focus seems to have Michigan native Penske, who long, long time,” Penske said.
run for the championship.
merit. It wasn’t until the second can afford most anything he “To me, this championship is
Martinsville race this year that might ever want, something re- like winning the Indy 500 for the
“I hope we can run for the
Keselowski got his first top-10 ally special – a NASCAR first time.
championship,” he said. “It
seems odd to make rules that
keep certain drivers out, based
on where they race …
“Right now Brad is doing
very well, but I am not dominat-
ing or anything like that. I hope
we can run for the championship
and do what has been done his-
torically. To me the greatest
achievement in NASCAR
would be winning both champi-
onships in one year … I don’t
know if it will ever happen, but
it would be a neat opportunity.”

Keselowski said in his cham-

pion’s interview that gaining ex-
perience and doing things to
make him a better Cup driver
were arguments he used in con-
vincing a skeptical Penske to let
him run the undercard circuit
full-time while also running
every Cup race.

“Coming to Penske Racing, I

told Roger I wanted to do this
Nationwide deal,” Keselowski
said. “I think he looked at me
like I was crazy and was looking
at this like it would only take
away focus from the Cup pro-
gram.

“But I said we’re building a

foundation for success on the
Cup level. It’s here that we’re
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 30
R.I.P. Chrysler PT Cruiser
– Goodbye dear friend
Eleven years ago, Chrysler
did a very brave and at the
time, unheard of thing: they
released a retro-styled com-
pact automobile that had the
look of a gangster. Named
the PT Cruiser, it was an
amazing success on the show-
room floor. Sales were explo-
sive – with dealers easily
getting hundreds, even thou-
sands of dollars over the
listed price. And if you
wanted one, the wait was
long. Sadly, more than ten
years later, sales of the PT
Cruiser have dwindled with
dealers slapping big incen-
tives on them. And Chrysler
is now saying that 2010 will
be the Cruiser’s final year.
The PT Cruiser (the PT
comes from Personal Trans-
port) is a five-seat compact
wagon that looks like it was
plucked out of the 1940s. But
add in modern styling cues
like flush headlights and
teardrop taillights and it be-
comes a modern day retro
wagon. For its size, the
Cruiser is very versatile and
turns out to be a good way to
move people and cargo.
For its final year, the PT
Cruiser is only available in
one trim level – the Classic.
It gives the Cruiser full power
accessories, air-conditioning,
16-inch alloy wheels, fog-
lights, a rear spoiler, trip com-
puter and keyless entry.
Throughout its life, the PT
Cruiser has always been pow-
ered by a 2.4 liter four-cylin-
der engine. Up until last year,
Chrysler offered a tur-
bocharged version of this en-
gine in the Cruiser (giving it
up to 220 horsepower) but for
2010 the only engine avail-
able is the base 2.4 which is
good for 150 horsepower.
Inside, the retro-theme con-
tinues – there is a vintage like
steering wheel and behind it,
the gauges are displayed in a
1940’s type font. Even the
ball-top shift lever is a cool
blast from the past. But the
Cruiser’s interior offers mod-
ern day conveniences that en-
sure its occupants will be
comfortable. Seating for five
is easy in the PT Cruiser, and
it offers generous head and
leg room. If you need to put
the Cruiser to work, the rear
seats are removable, offering
63 cubic feet of storage.
My last hurrah in a PT
Cruiser came in the form of
the Couture Edition. For the
additional $1000 this package
includes a knockout two-tone
paint scheme – black over sil-
ver. And to really spice
things up, it equips the
Cruiser with red leather seats.
The package also includes
heated front seats and a
power driver’s seat.
With its 150 horsepower en-
gine, the Cruiser hardly over-
whelms the driver with
acceleration, but yet it never
feels lacking. The four-speed
automatic transmission (the
only one available) is lacking
a gear or two for these times,
but overall, the drivetrain of
the PT Cruiser was never un-
pleasant. Fuel economy is
about average – with the EPA
rating it at 19 mpg city and 24
mpg on the highway.
The Cruiser does not like to
be taken around corners
quickly though. When
pushed, handling gets sloppy.
My lesson to you: don’t treat
the PT Cruiser like something
it isn’t. And a sports car it is
not.
But what the PT Cruiser is,
and has always been is a styl-
ish, distinctive retro wagon at
a very affordable price. And
despite some updates over the
decade – a four-seat convert-
ible was added in 2005 and
the Cruiser got a mild face lift
in 2006 – Chrysler kept the
formula basically the same.
Even the price never got out
of hand – with my fully
loaded PT Cruiser still com-
ing in at under the $20K
mark.
As the Chrysler PT Cruiser
makes its last curtain call, I’m
sure many will remember the
first time they every laid eyes
on it.
Continues on next page
 SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 31

Repeat winner may be appreciated more in future

ASK RICK!
“Would it really be good for the numbers are down. And we most popular driver – was in
sport of NASCAR if, this year, have more measuring tools the Chase, or if the drivers in-
and more media outlets and volved in the title hunt

1,860
Points scored by Jim-
mie Johnson in the
past 11 Sprint Cup
races at Phoenix Int’l,
top among drivers (Mark Martin is second at 1,449 de-
spite missing a race)
Major NASCAR victories for Carl Ed-
wards after his Nationwide Series
win at Texas last week (16 in Sprint
Cup, 28 in Nationwide and six in
Trucks)
Laps run among the top 15
someone other than
four-time champion Jimmie
Johnson won the Sprint cup?”
A.: Certainly there are a lot
of fans – and a good many of
Johnson’s fellow drivers –
who feel that way, but there
are others who can’t seem to
figure out why some fans
don’t appreciate and support
Johnson, who is arguably one
of the best drivers ever in
NASCAR.
Johnson’s Hendrick Motor-
sports teammate Jeff Gordon,
speaking with reporters at
all those things now, so we
have ways of measuring it.
did.
“But 10 years from now, or
even 20 years from now,
you’ll look back on this time
and go ‘wow.’ You will just
look at how impressive it is
and how impactful it’s been to
the sport and how chances of
it ever happening again are
near impossible. And I think
it will be respected more and
appreciated more and proba-
bly looked at in a positive
Jimmie Johnson
“I personally don’t think it
weren’t so similar to each
other.
“My first championship
came against Dale Earnhardt
Sr.,” he said, adding that it
captivated fans because the
two contenders were so dif-
ferent.
“Me being so opposite of
Dale, just being young and
brought up in racing in a way
where there was a camera
presence and sponsorship
awareness and all these
things, was just a total oppo-
site of what Dale was and
what he represented at that
time, that it was growing his

18.4 by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the

past 11 Cup races at Texas,
most of any driver
Texas Motor Speedway last
week, had an easy answer for
why drivers would like to see
Johnson derailed in the final
two races.
“Because they want to
way.”
However, the NASCAR
power brokers and race fans
aren’t looking that far ahead.
Instead they’re focusing on
declining TV ratings and
has anything to do with Jim-
mie winning four or five or
six or however many [cham-
pionships], because I think
each one that he wins makes
it that much more challenging
fans and their hatred toward
me …” he said. “That carried
to me for a while, and while
there were a lot of fans out
there that didn’t like that we
went on and won three more

16
Camping World Truck Series drivers win,” Gordon said. “I think
who have run all 22 races this sea- that there are probably two
sides to it. I think that – and I
son
tell Jimmie this all the time –
this in a way kind of hap-
pened to me, and what he’s
empty seats.
“They’re trying to figure
out what we have to do to re-
engage the mass of fans that
we’ve drawn for so long,”
Gordon said. “We’ve got in-
for the other ones to pull it off
… Plus he’s building his fan
base while doing it because of
how impressive it is.”
Gordon also pointed out
that the discussion would be
championships, to me it
didn’t impact the sport in a
way.”
Got a question about
NASCAR? Ask Rick! E-mail

PT Cruiser... going through is far more im-

pressive than anything I ever
credible fans and avid fans,
but it’s obvious that those
entirely different if Dale
Earnhardt Jr. – the sport’s
your question to
rminter@racintoday.com
Continued from page 30
For me, I recall seeing my first one at the local
Chrysler dealership
– sitting in the mid-
dle of the showroom
floor roped off. A
salesman told me
that it had been sold
a few days earlier,
but they were paying
the new owner $50 a day to keep it on the showroom
floor – as it brought in a crowd of people. Oh how
Chrysler wishes for those days. I’m going to miss
the PT Cruiser – it was definitely one-of-a-kind.

-- Christopher A. Randazzo

By The Numbers:

2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser Classic –

Couture Edition

Base Price: $18,275.00

Price as Tested: $19,995.00
Layout: front-engine / front-wheel drive
Engine: 2.4 liter DOHC 4-cylinder
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Horsepower: 150 hp
Torque: 165 ft-lbs
EPA Fuel Economy: 19 city / 24 highway mpg

[Questions/Comments/Feedback can be sent via email

to car@delorean.net]
SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2010 PAGE 16-17