The Renegade Rip Vol. 83 No. 13

The Renegade Rip Bakersfield College

w w w.t h e r i p.com

Vol. 83 ∙ No. 13

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Strong start for Lady ’Gades

Teaching students to be leaders

By Esteban Ramirez

a 28-point and 13- rebound performance against LATTC, gave her thoughts on how the team The Bakersfield College wom- played. en’s basketball team started off “We did really good against its season with a win at College Allan Hancock and it was a good of the Sequoias and then two team effort, but I think we had more victories at the Crossover a test against LATTC because Tournament at BC on Nov. 10- they were more athletic, and we 11. were tired from last night,” MoAccording to BC rales said. “That game women’s basketball showed us we Basketball’s coach Paula Dahl, needed to work there wasn’t a on our defense Hot Start champion and and running BC 73, Sequoias 64 Nov.8 usually four our offense Nov. 10 BC 101, Hancock 50 teams combetter.”

Nov. 11 BC 76, LATTC 69 pete, but due She added to a schedulthat everyone ing problem more feeds off each othteams showed up. er and when someone BC beat Allan Hancock 101- does something good, everyone 50 and Los Angeles Trade-Tech tries to do the same.

College 76-69.

“I think I’m in a lot better “I thought we did awesome shape and can play faster, but I in the first game, but we had a think I still need to work on fintough night against LATTC. We ishing layups and crashing the showed some character to get boards,” she said. that win,” said Dahl.

Emilee Parks, starting fresh“It was a total team effort men guard, commented on the against Allan Hancock, because team’s performance. the last nine minutes the start“I think we did pretty well, ers didn’t even play,” she said. “I we played as a team and worked thought the bench did amazing, really hard. I still think that we and we really focused on shut- need to work on rebounding and ting down [Camille Zumbro] be- boxing out though,” she said. cause she scored 37 points in her The game was at 64-61 with last game.” BC held Zumbro to three minutes and 33 seconds nine points. left when Toni McLin of LATTC “We just needed to consistent- was given a technical foul. After ly run against LATTC because that BC was able to go on a nice whenever we ran we did fine, but run to finish the game. we were also missing a lot of in“I think it motivated all of us to side shots,” Dahl said. push for the win,” said Morales.

“I was impressed with our The Renegades had their first depth and that we didn’t give game at the College of the Seup.” quoias on Nov. 8 and they won Dahl commented on how start- 73-63. ing sophomore forward Gabi They had big contributions Morales played. from Morales, who had 13 points “I think she struggled finishing and nine rebounds, and Jauseca layups because she got hit in the Cockeral with 17 points, nine aschest, but she’s a great kid and sists and eight rebounds. she worked hard,” she said.

BC’s next home game is schedMorales, who had double- uled on Nov. 18 against Reedley doubles in both games including College.

Reporter

By Keith Kaczmarek Reporter

gregory d. cook / The Rip

Renegades center Nikia Lee puts the ball up over Bulldogs guard Kadie Alexander at the buzzer to send Bakersfield College into triple digits during their 101-50 win over Allen Hancock College in the Gil Bishop Sports Center on Nov. 10.

A modern salon with a 1950s style

By Cassandra McGowan Reporter

nate perez / The Rip

True Grit, next to Atomic Kitten, offers traditional-style haircuts and hot towel shaves along with a ’50s-style atmosphere.

Inside

BC unit fees to stay at $36 for spring semester

By Cassandra McGowan Reporter

Pages 6-7: Bakersfield honors veterans with colorful parade.

Page 9

Bakersfield’s Buffalo Wild Wings get a truthful critique.

Atomic Kitten may sound like a scary type of cat, but it’s really a cool cat in the world of fullservice salons with its extensive services, a ’50s vibe, and a staff of caring and charitable people.

“The retro ’50s pin-up style,” is how Ramona Potts, co-owner, described the aura of the salon.

Kerisa Summers, co-owner, said the inspiration for the salon was brought about when she attended car shows and wanted to give the women a place to bring to life the swagger and style of the ’50s era.

So they set up shop right there at the car show with a booth that was always fully booked with women wanting to be beautified with a ’50s touch.

“Kerisa had lots of friends into that and wanted their hair done in that style, but didn’t have anyone to do it professionally,” said Potts.

Atomic Kitten, located at 1316 19th street, offers everything from a normal haircut to extreme color, extensions, Feather Locks, massage, airbrush tanning, facials, nails, and make-up. They are currently seeking a pedicurist, so they can add that to their list of services.

“We have a fabulous esthetician and masseuse,” said Potts.

“Our manicurist is an artist.”

They are the winners of the 2010 Battle of the Salons, where all the stylists participated in extreme hair and make-up battles complete with models and runway.

Please see RETRO, Page 4

Becky Bell, the creator and founder of Step Up!, a college leadership program, came to Bakersfield College to preview the program for BC’s athletic program and the Student Government Association.

The program is focused on “people who step up,” a tag line for intervention in problems that affect students.

“No matter the group, bystander intervention applies,” Bell said during the presentation.

The program stresses the importance of student intervening in their fellow student’s issue before they had a chance to spiral out of control, focusing on the leadership role of student athletes on campus. “[The program] is for everyone,” she said. “Everyone is in those situations.”

Bell travels to at least five campuses a year and spreads the program to other campuses. Otherwise, she is the assistant athletic director in the University of Arizona and has directed the C.A.T.S Life Skills Program since 1997.

She is also the author of “If I Had Known What I Know Now.” The issues that the seminar expected the program to address were alcohol abuse, hazing, depression, discrimination, disordered eating, anger issues, gambling, sexual assault, relationship violence, and academic misconduct.

Ryan Beckwith, BC’s athletic director, expressed his approval of the program.

“It’s huge,” he said. “It becomes part of the culture, and in five years it’s just the way you do things.”

He then spoke about how the program could be valuable for student athletes.

“Not only do I need them to have the GPA and the skills, I need someone who can be a leader right now,” he said. “[Student athletes] are expected to be leaders. People see you and expect you to be the first to respond. Student athletes don’t expect to be the first to respond.

“To teach students to be a leader is one of the first things I’d like to teach them,” he said, noting the value of being a leader to moving onto a four-year athletics program.

At the end of the program, Bell talked about the program’s value outside of its value to students, saying that it provided benefits to a team’s competitive advantage and fundraising activities.

Tawntannisha Thompson, SGA president, said about the program, “[It’s] what you would want someone to do.”

Please see SGA, Page 4

Page 10

BC’s football team finishes disappointing season.

There is good news for Bakersfield College students planning to attend spring semester.

There will be no fee hike implemented.

Assembly Bill No. 32 has pushed that fee raise back until at least the summer, but BC president Greg Chamberlain said even then, “It’s not absolutely for sure.”

Had the hike been instituted,

fees per unit would have increased from $36 to $46.

Although the fees have not yet been increased, there is still a chance for inflation.

“I expect increases to be implemented starting summer 2012,” said Chamberlain. “We will know for certain by January.”

Fees for community colleges are set by legislature and will remain the same for all community colleges in California until further notice.

“I believe there is definitely potential for [fees] to continue to rise,” said Chamberlain.

Some students were not aware of the fact there was supposed to be a fee increase in the spring semester.

“I had no idea they were going to do that, it’s my first year here,” said Ross Miller, BC student.

He said he’s lucky enough to have the support of his family to help him financially, but that “it would suck” for other people. “I know for a lot of people it would

not be so good.”

Other students have the advantage of the Board of Governor’s Waiver that pays their class fees.

“Yeah, I think it sucks, but it doesn’t really affect me because my tuition is paid,” said Matt Rathbun, BC student.

When asked how he would feel if he didn’t have the BOGW, when the fees do increase he said, “I wouldn’t be taking as many units.

“I wouldn’t be able to afford it, there’s no way.”

Features

Page 2

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Comic-Con attracts artists and fans

By Amber T. Troupe Production Editor

People were wearing masks and costumes of their favorite comics and characters at the scene of the Bakersfield Comic-Con Comic and Fantasy Convention during its fourth and biggest year so far. Big names like Jane Wiedlin, the guitarist from the hit ‘80s girl group The Go-Go’s, as well as one of comics most well known illustrators, Bill Morrison, who helped create “The Simpsons” comic book, were present signing autographs and talking about comics.

Wiedlin was present at her very first comic con in Bakersfield, selling autographed pictures of herself in some of her movie and TV show roles as well as promoting her very own comic book series, titled “Lady Robotika,” which she co-wrote with Morrison starting about four years ago.

Wiedlin had become a part of this comic con because she had met Steve Wyatt, who is the organizer of the Bakersfield Comic-Con. The two became good friends, so when he offered her the chance to attend, she took it.

“I’m pretty good friends with Steve and I had no problem coming here and I

Nathan wilson / The Rip

Former Bakersfield College math instructor Mike Rios puts the final touches on his drawing of a superhero before coloring it at the Bakersfield Comic-Con on Nov. 6. had heard that Bill was coming as well, so I was definitely on board. I would also be able to promote my comic book,”

Wiedlin stated.

Having been into writing since 1978, when the GoGo’s first entered the music scene, Wiedlin began writing short stories in the ’90s and eventually created her very first comic.

“I preferred graphic novels first, but then when Bill came to me with an idea for a comic book about my life, I thought it would be interesting. It is based on me and I am abducted by aliens then I returned to earth and I become a cyborg and start saving the world,” said Wiedlin.

She is also working on turning the book into a movie with Morrison’s help and is also writing short stories for the Halloween issue of “The Simpsons” comic book titled “Treehouse of Horror XXII.” She definitely has plans to attend more comic cons.

Some people like Scott Zillner, who is a fan of comic books and promoter of the Power Morphicon, a Power Rangers convention, were at-

They just weren’t biting

Reporter

patricia rocha / The Rip

Andrew Van Sickle (left) and his father Jeff Van Sickle pose with the fish they caught at the annual Trout Derby at Lake Evans on Nov. 12. haven’t seen in a long time,” said Ray Leal, who enjoyed bringing his family to create lasting memories and catching up with old friends. “[The kids] remember it. It’s something they tell their friends and teachers and everyone,” Leal said.

“It’s just the fun of it. It brings you back to your youth,” said Roman Salcedo.

Despite the family friendly atmosphere, many people chose to skip the derby this time around.

This year, participant numbers fell from last year’s 800 to around 500, and some who came wished they had skipped this year too.

“This has been by far the worst year,” said Danny Molina, who has had much better luck on this site in previous years. “[The fish] all seem to be sleeping,” said Jeff VanSickle about having only caught two fish in the six hours he’d been there.

Even the most skilled fisher-

man who participated admitted luck has a lot to do with fishing, especially in the weather they found themselves on that day.

“It’s both luck and skill,” said Tom Martin. “But there’s always a chance for the money fish.”

It’s that luck, either good or bad, that leaves these fishermen with some of their best fishing stories.

“One year, we hooked a sevenpounder, which was the biggest of the day, but in the last hour someone beat us by a pound and a half,” said Leal.

“We had a guy finally hook a big one, we hadn’t caught anything all day, and people came over [from other sites] to help us bring it in, but he lost it at the last second,” recalled Eric Federoff.

Though there were two thousand pounds of trout placed in the lake on Nov. 10, most fishermen blamed the poor weather for the lack of catches this year, and hope to come back after the derby to catch the remaining fish.

Tradition honors dead Reporter

Marcela Delatorre and her family sat off to the side as crowds of people wandered by to admire the altar that took them a year and a half to build.

“I wanted my son to learn about the tradition and to not be afraid of death,” said Delatorre.

This sentiment was echoed over and over again by the participants of the Bakersfield’s Museum of Art’s Dia De Los Muertos celebration. Dia De Los Muertos is a holiday celebrated in many countries on Nov. 1- 2 in connection with the Catholic holidays All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. It is an occasion in which people take time to honor

in at a panel. I didn’t know that Bakersfield even held a Comic Con. The illustrators were the most interesting spot for me.”

The conventions promoter Steven Wyatt was excited about the large turnout this year.

“This year’s event has 750 people in attendance which is largest this far and I think Jane Wiedlin as a celebrity guest helped. Each year it gets bigger. I’m glad because I don’t do this for money.

“I actually don’t make anything from it because the money collected from it, I donate it to the Bakersfield Food Bank. A couple days after it’s over, when I have the time, I just go over to Von’s and just donate $1000 or more. I don’t want anything from it,” Wyatt explained.

Wyatt just hopes that the event keeps gets bigger and bigger, so that fans of cartoons and comics can enjoy, and the community can benefit.

By Monica Bolger

Reporter

By Jon Nelson

Television series and created “In My Lifetime” and was a part of the panel of illustrators.

“I’ve been attending here for three years because I know the man who runs the convention, Steve. I brought my little brother to get a chance to see what I do here and why I attend. I support the raffle for the event,” Fleecs said as he sketched an image for a customer.

Most of the people there were long time convention attendees, but there were a few people who didn’t even know that there was a comic con in Bakersfield, like Maylanie Mendez, 29, who had heard about the event at a later time.

“This is my first time attending or hearing about the event. I heard from a client of mine that had posters printed out. So I got here last minute,” Mendez said.

“I think it’s pretty awesome. I prefer anime, but it’s cool because we got to sit

Planning for Thanksgiving meals

By Patricia Rocha Fisherman and their families braved the rain and cold for the annual Trout Derby at Lake Evans in Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area.

For most fishermen, the $1000 prize money for the heaviest trout is worth camping out in the wind and rain and waiting in line for the allowed time of 6:30 a.m. for the best spot.

Jesus Mendoza arrived at 2:30 a.m. to wait for the gates to open outside of the site.

“It’s the sport of it. That’s what I like. To try my luck,” said Mendoza about the derby. “It’s like a tradition.”

Many fishermen agreed the money for the heaviest fish is only part of what brings so many people out to this event every year.

“It’s more than the money. It’s the bragging rights,” said Randy Hudnall, who was last year’s first place winner. “It’s like winning the lottery. It’s amazing.”

Most of this year’s participants have made the derby a tradition with their family or a certain group of friends, and enjoy the time spent with each other.

“It’s hard to get the kids outside anymore,” said Amy Hill, who brought her children to participate.

“You get to see people you

tending for the fourth year in a row.

“I bring a little of both elements of comics and TV to the event, from rare and interesting stuff to new and popular. I’m able to communicate with the people here and I am a good friend of Steve Wyatt’s,” Zillner stated.

Zillner noticed that there were more kids present this time than in years before.

“The turnout was bigger this year in general, but there were a lot of kids present more than usual. I get a lot of the kids just asking questions about what they see on the table and mainly about Power Rangers action figures,” Zillner explained.

There were even illustrators present that were drawing on the spot images as requested by convention goers for $20 dollars per picture.

Tony Fleecs is a 10-year professional illustrator who has drawn characters like Harley Quinn and Sweet Hellfire from the Batman

and connect with their ancestors.

The Bakersfield Museum of Art held its Dia De Los Muertos event Nov. 2.

The celebration featured children’s activities, food, music and booths from local businesses.

The focal point was the altars built by local residents.

“We’ve done it for the past three years,” said Jorge Hernandez as he stood in front of an elaborate altar to Frida Kahlo.

“We have the candles (on the altar) lighting the way for her ghost.”

Hernandez is from the Liberty High School MEChA Club and said the group’s altar took three weeks to put together.

The altars typically included flowers, candles, traditional

skulls made of sugar and food or drink that the deceased loved.

One man had his brother bring in beer from Washington to add to the altar his family created in honor of his grandfather who was in a Spanish-language band from Bakersfield.

Some of the more unusual objects found on altars included a saddle and clothing worn by loved ones who had passed on.

“It’s really nice [that] people get to celebrate their passed loved ones and show their culture,” said Juan Delatorre.

This is the third year the Bakersfield Museum of Art has held its Dia De Los Muertos festival.

Spaces to set up a display were free and available to anyone who signed up in advance.

Most Americans will be enjoying Thanksgiving food on Nov. 24, and students at Bakersfield College are no different.

“The kind that’s deep-fried,” said BC student, Alexis Flores.

“My family and I have always cooked our Thanksgiving turkey deep-fried. It tastes good that way.”

For most, the annual holiday is the time of year that people “grub-down” and stuff themselves until their pants don’t fit.

For BC job development specialist Rudy Gutierrez, that is the case every year, except for this year.

“Normally, my wife cooks the turkey, but this year me and two of my boys are going to get together and go quad riding at the dunes. This time, we’ll be doing the cooking, most likely a traditional breakfast,” said Gutierrez.

For others, the idea of cooking Thanksgiving dinner at home with family is the main aspect of what the holiday is about.

“Every year, my family from both sides get together for Thanksgiving, and the best part is when we all make an effort to cook one part of the meal, whether it’s the turkey, or the ham, or the casserole, or anything else.

Everyone pitches in and it makes a wonderful meal,” said Bakersfield resident, Carmen Ortiz.

Ortiz’s details of the food depict a visual of different colors, smells, and sounds.

“A lot of the things my family uses to cook are old ideas that my Abuela [Grandma] used to use, like using Rosemary and

PHOTO AND RECIPE BY MEGAN LUECKE / The Rip

lemon to marinade the vegetables, or using caramel or honey to make the desserts,” said Ortiz. “It’s like a madhouse this time of year. Everyone knows Thanksgiving is always at our house, and that the food will be great and that the party will be even greater.”

Some cooks just do the normal stuff.

“I cook the normal stuff and hangout with family,” said BC job placement employee, Denise Crawford.

“What’s always fun to do during Thanksgiving is to go to Magic Mountain or the movies, especially on a full stomach,” said Crawford.

Thanksgiving defines itself, but the memories people have and the food people eat are what keeps the traditions occurring every year.

“I like to think of delicious pumpkin pie, or brown bottom butterscotch cashew crème pie, or my famous sweet potato pie,” said Grandmother of four, Bernadette Moran.

“That’s just about the only thing I can do is cook, and I normally never share my ideas, unless my close loved-ones are interested. I always spice up my things with secret little additions,” said Moran.

“One of my secrets is a lot of love.”

Features

Page 3

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Art provides artful joy to patients at Mercy Don’t lose Column

By Amber T. Troupe Production Editor

The program advisors at Mercy Hospital believe that art is a good form of healing, so they have provided survivors of diseases and illnesses with a workshop that can help them cope and better relax in a safe environment.

Program advisor Sister Sherry Dolan has been a part of the Art for Healing program since its inception two years ago in November.

“Our whole idea is that varied forms of art can lead to healing on some level. Different art forms enhance person’s feelings of well-being. They may not have articulated, but they feel it,” Dolan explained.

The program has a multitude of workshops that are offered on different days of the week. The Open Studio is where you choose your own activity that usually happens on Wednesdays. There is also Painting Free For All, Your Creative Muse and A Time to Write, just to name a few of them.

The center was formerly a church chapel and now is used by the program as the center of their healing arts.

“I think we are providing really wonderful service. We are even trying to coordinate with veterans at Bakersfield College to implement a mental health workshop or program,” Dolan said.

On Nov. 12, the Art for Healing workshop had a potpourri ball workshop

where the tables were set up with different arts and crafts needed for the balls.

The program advisor for the potpourri workshop, Judith Campanero, is from Hanford, Calif. and has been a facilitator for about one year now.

“I think its food for thought, a stress reliever. This is where you find a place to be safe and can be yourself,” Campanero said.

The workshop also had oil paintings for sale. The profits would go to the Sisters of Mercy organization which correlates with the Art for Healing program.

“Our dream is to have it open for everyone,” said Campanero.

A lot of people that had attended these workshops told Campanero that the pro-

gram is really a healing place.

They feel better and they love the atmosphere, and the fact that creativity is not limited.

Rose Lester, a program volunteer, was invited to be a part of creative counsel almost two years ago and helped design the programs. She sets up the former chapel for presenting on Nov. 12 and all the other workshops.

The program also provides an Art Cart for patients at Mercy. The volunteers go room-to-room and bring the art supplies for the patients to use if they aren’t mobile.

The center has goals to continue expanding and incorporating new workshops for the community.

Local record store keeps vinyl alive

By Nate Perez Reporter

In this day and age when people are more likely to download music rather than buy it, Ronald Ramirez makes his living selling music, predominantly vinyl.

If you thought records were no longer relevant, think again.

Going Underground Records, located downtown at 1822 G St., has been in business for ten years.

In addition to being a record store, Going Underground also sells shirts, patches, turntables, comic books and owner, Ramirez releases records on his multiple record labels.

“The Going Underground label is on release 24, and that’s punk rock records only,” Ramirez said. “Epigraph is a new label I am doing with a guy named Kris Tiner and that’s going to be all jazz. The first release will be in January.”

A diverse selection of records is evident upon walking in. You can find punk, hip-hop, metal, jazz, folk, and so forth all on vinyl. “There’s dudes that want boogie and funk records,” he said. “There’s dudes that come in weekly to buy jazz and there’s dudes that come in every week to pick up the new punk records.”

Along the walls of Going Underground there are limited edition records

for a much more expensive price than the regular shelf items and that is because they are most likely out of print or they are much harder to find.

New and used CDs can also be found in the store. “I sell the used stuff real cheap, $5 or $6. You have to be a good deal or else why bother?” said Ramirez.

Ramirez first opened Going Underground when he was 21.

Ramirez said, “The first spot that I had, I bought out Andy Noise which was a music store here on 17th Street, but realistically that place sucked. It was hidden and it wasn’t cool.” About six years ago Ramirez moved his store to G Street for more space and a better location.

Record collecting has been a hobby of Ramirez since he was a child. He had a stash of Prince and Kiss records that he would listen to on his kid record player, but it wasn’t until 12 or 13 that he began getting serious about his collection.

“Buying punk records was hard around here because the store was stupid.” That store was Andy Noise, which Ramirez bought out. Ramirez continued, “He didn’t realize punk rock was still on vinyl. It was just CDs, CDs and CDs. You’d have to go out of town and mail order stuff. So I learned quick. Go out of town and mail order because there is nothing around Bakersfield.”

If you have records you no longer want,

Eleonor Segura / The Rip

Ronald Ramirez is the owner of Going Underground Records at 1822 G St. in downtown Bakersfield.

Going Underground buys and trades records as long as they’re in listening condition. “I want almost anything,” he said.

Ramirez also books bands to play around Bakersfield. Bands like Japanther have played inside the record store, but he

Eleonor Segura / The Rip

Eleonor Segura / The Rip

Various music genres can be found on vinyl records at Going Underground.

also books bands at Munoz Gym, a boxing gym during the day and occasionally a punk rock venue at night. Some bands that Ramirez booked were The Locust, Gravy Train, No Bunny and Mammoth Grinder.

Customers can buy t-shirts, CDs and vinyl records at Going Underground. The store also pays cash for books, comics, and toys.

Black Friday simply doesn’t excite students

By Monica Bolger Reporter

The people who will benefit the most from Black Friday this year will be the ones who stay home and save their money.

At least that’s what BC freshman Brian Hayes, thinks when asked about the dayafter Thanksgiving’s “commercial holiday.”

“Uh, no thank you. I’ll be at home sleeping when everyone else is out beating each other up to buy things that are only a couple bucks off,” said Hayes.

“That’s a no brainer in my opinion.”

While some individuals like Hayes

may not be very amused by the advertisements flooding the television and computer screens about “big deals” and “huge savings” offered, others will jump at the opportunity of “snagging” lowpriced deals on different items.

BC job development specialist Antonio Alfaro is one person that will not be wasting any time this year.

“Of course, I’ll be shopping, but instead of going early like everyone else, I’ll buy it online first and then pick it up in the store by noon,” said Alfaro.

As Alfaro arranges his shopping tactics, another BC employee Latasha Harris isn’t as enthusiastic.

“That stuff is crazy. Heck no. I’ll be

waiting ‘til after the rush,” said Harris.

“You need money to do that.”

And yet many others will agree with not “following the crowd” on Nov. 25, not only because of financial reasons, but also for safety precautions.

“Overrated is what I think,” said BC mailroom coordinator, Craig Harmon. “I think there’s not as many good deals as they say there will be. Like Wal-mart will advertise the TV’s they have for sale, but when you get there, there’s nothing left.

‘Well, where’s the TV?’” said Harmon.

Wal-mart, along with other stores, have been said to have had safety dilemmas during the opening for lack Friday.

“It gets pretty crazy. Several people

have gotten killed at those things,” said Harmon.

According to a CNN online source, there have been several cases of “Black Friday shopping disasters” that have depicted gun-shootings at toy stores, Walmart stampeding, and Best-Buy brawls that have involved fistfighting.

“It’s these cases that people don’t think about when they’re in the heat of the moment and are too excited about getting to the electronics they want or the perfume they want to wear,” said Harris.

Nov. 25 is not only known to be the day after Thanksgiving, but it’s known for being one of the “biggest shopping holidays of the year.”

humanity over the bargains What are you wearing? | The Rip’s Features Editor talks about what’s hot and what’s not.

All the hype about Black Friday seems dreadful.

Maybe it’s because I’ll be risking the chance of getting run over while I’ll be working at my retail job.

I would like to ask everyone participating in Black Friday to please control the wild, money-saving beast Chrystal Fortt inside of yourself and maintain the manners that have helped you function in society on a day-to-day basis.

So many people forget their manners and lose all sense.

I don’t know if it’s a clothing frenzy, or if it’s society’s one day to go crazy.

Everyone should keep in mind to act like it’s any other day of regular shopping.

Normally, people don’t crowd each other while waiting in line to buy a pair of shoes.

On Black Friday, crowding means you getting into a verbal and/or physical fight with a crazy lady devoted to receiving her $5 gift card to the Gap. People get riled up over saving small amounts of money. $5 at the Gap wouldn’t buy you a chapstick or even a pair of socks for that matter.

No one needs to get hurt while they shop for gifts to give to their loved ones, in the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

Which leads to my second request.

Please walk as you enter the stores.

Do not run like a child in a candy shop.

Call me crazy, but saving 10 percent on a pair of sweatpants is not worth someone getting trampled to death.

I can see people getting really excited if there’s an 80 percent discount on all Gucci items in a Gucci retail store, otherwise there shouldn’t be so much excitement.

People act like they have a chance to win a lifetime supply of clothes.

As much as I love clothes and deals combined together, I feel Black Friday isn’t worth all the trouble.

Tremendous amounts of people are out all day long. Just driving to the location will be a hassle alone.

There are definitely some hot spots people should steer clear of.

You may be debating where to shop on Black Friday, but let me sway you to avoid Wal-Mart if it’s on your list.

Some of you may have already noticed a certain class of people who primarily shop at Wal-Mart during a normal week.

It’s not that I never shop at Wal-Mart because I do from time to time.

Imagine all of those people meeting at one place.

It’s no surprise that Wal-Mart is the hot spot for violence on Black Friday.

It’s kind of ridiculous that people get hurt over Wal-Mart products, especially over the horrible and hideous clothes they have.

People say that when you give someone a gift, it reflects how you feel about them.

If I received a gift of Wal-Mart clothes for Christmas, I would be deeply insulted.

No one has business buying Wal-Mart clothes as a Christmas gift.

At least go to Kohl’s. They might have something decent and, besides, it’s right next to Wal-Mart and will save your nose the agony of stepping inside of one.

News

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BC club shows pride in heritage

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

News Briefs Civil War discussion

The Norman Levan Center is presenting a panel discussion on “Was the Civil War Inevitable?” on Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Norman Levan Center. Admission and parking are free. For information, call 395-4339.

CAS workshops

Free CAS workshops are being held in SS151. On Weds, Nov. 16, the workshop “Test Taking Tips” will be 5-6 p.m. On Thurs., Nov. 17, the workshop “Be a Successful Student” will be held at 1-2 p.m.

Smoking Forum

Bcough presents “The Open Mic Forum” on tobacco issues on campus on Nov. 17 from 1-4 p.m. at the Campus Center stage. The event will feature a speaker and will be a chance for students to express their opinions on tobacco use and smoking, Popcorn will be served as well as cotton candy. For more information, contact Derrick Kenner at 395-4354 or check the SGA website or campus center to sign up.

Nate Perez / The Rip

Ramona Potts, co-owner of Atomic Kitten, blow dries the hair of one of her clients in the shop at 1316 19th St.

RETRO: Cool ’50s styles Continued from Page 1 “Everybody was involved. It really brought everyone together,” said Potts.

There’s a huge maroon check that sits on top of the cabinets at the back of the salon beaming the pride the salon has in winning that competition.

“That definitely was a teamwork thing right there,” said Summers.

“It’s a salon where every walk of life feels comfortable,” said Summers. “That’s what we wanted, a chill salon.”

Atomic Kitten used to be located on F Street and had a boutique shop that carried consignments as well as new clothes that matched the era the salon was inspired by. When the boutique part of the salon moved to 19th Street, changed its name to True Grit, and opened as a standalone store, the owners of Atomic Kitten moved right next door.

Lumpy, owner of True Grit, said the shop has been open for a little over two years and is also “a ’50s-inspired shop.” He offers the old-school hot towel shave, many of the traditional haircuts like the flattop and fade, and has recently added a tattoo shop in

the back of his store.

Aside from haircuts, shaves, and make-up, these two businesses are highly communityoriented and charity-driven.

Both places team up with the District Attorney’s office of Child Support Services and offer free back-to-school haircuts to children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to start their school year with a fresh new trim.

Atomic Kitten held a fundraiser to help a friend diagnosed with cancer around the time of 9/11 and Summer said they hope to do another one next year.

True Grit and Atomic Kitten also get together and host a Thanksgiving Day buffet and clothing drive to feed and clothe the homeless and less-fortunate of Bakersfield. Atomic Kitten has been hosting this event for the last five years and will continue to do so with the support of the businesses that donate food and the community who donate clothes.

“It’s all about giving back. It’s just my time,” said Lumpy.

To make a clothing donation or offer your help, please contact either Atomic Kitten at 323-7653 or True Grit at 323-8783.

Smoking policy poll

The SGA Web site will be holding an online poll about whether Bakersfield College should ban the use of all tobacco products on campus or should instead stick to existing non-smoking laws that prohibit smoking in any public building or 20’ from any public building. Check bakersfieldcollegesga.weebly.com for the upcoming poll.

Battle of the Bands

Round 2 of the Battle of the Bands will be at Jerry’s Pizza on Sat, Nov. 19; from 6-10 p.m. Admission is $5.

SGA: Teaching students to take charge and intervene

Brandon Barraza / The Rip

Carlotta Coronado, garbed in a spirit dress made to ward off sickness, dances in the free speech area at Bakersfield College on Nov. 14. Coronado is a member of the Native American Awareness Club.

1970s rock lives on today

By Patricia Rocha Reporter

International student Ivan Mendez has set out to create a new type of show with the concept of a mock concert series.

Mendez and his band-mates, Blaine Robey and Mauro Lepore, are attempting to create a show that bridges the gap between local show and a large-scale tour with their band that covers the 1970s band America.

“We’re just doing it for fun,” says Mendez. “[The band mates] and I are really excited. It’s really cool because none of us had ever heard of America before,” he said. “A couple months ago, we didn’t even know who they were – didn’t even know they were a band. Now, we love America.”

The show is supposed to recreate the feel of a real America concert by any means possible.

“We’re going to get the guy

that does lighting for Rabobank, and he’s going to help us put up the stage lights. We’re going to have the RV in the back kind of like a tour bus,” Mendez said.

“We’re trying to make the vibe of the band exactly like a concert, and afterward we’re going to sell demos, sign autographs and take pictures.”

The members aren’t originally from the United States, with Mendez being from Mexico and Lepore residing from Argentina. English is their second language.

Mendez’s host father and owner of the restaurant Coconut Joe’s, Joe Coughlin, influenced the boys to listen to classic rock and acts as the band’s manager.

“That’s part of why this is so great. The music’s great, but also the story behind the music,” Coughlin said. “You have to know what’s going on here. They’re not only from an-

other country playing America.

They’re from a different generation playing America.”

Coughlin is allowing the band to showcase their talents at their show in Coconut Joe’s Banquet Hall on Nov. 20 and is excited to give them a safe venue and an audience that’ll appreciate the music.

“That’s part of the fun of it,” he said. “We’re going to do it like a real concert, complete with posters and lighting and we’re going to give the people who come the real deal.”

The band will play songs by America, but will also play some of their favorites like “Gravity”

by John Mayer and “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd and hope that they will be able to play more classic songs for future shows.

Those interested in attending must RSVP at 661-431-6528 to be put on the door list for entry.

Continued from Page 1 Thompson was honored at the event when she was given a Ben’s Bells Bracelet, a bracelet made by the Ben’s Bells Project. The Project promotes intervention and kindness in neighborhoods by placing bells around the community as a form of community art and has partnered with the Step Up! program.

One of the more memorable moments during the presenta-

tion, according to Thompson, was a video that showed a young child whose father staged a series of kidnappings to see if bystanders would intervene. After hours and dozens of people ignoring the fake kidnappings, finally a pair of young men challenged the man.

“What amazed me is the number of people who didn’t act,” said Thompson when she pointed to the clip as a reason to teach students to intervene.

Campus

Page 5

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

BC ensemble plays classics

By Tyler McGinty Opinions Editor

It may not have been filled with people in black turtlenecks, and hardly anyone was snapping their fingers, but the recital hall in the Fine Arts building turned into a jazz club that night.

On Nov. 5, Bakersfield College’s Jazz Ensemble performed some classics from jazz history including Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington.

These artists were the staples of the show.

Director Kris Tiner, who conducted the ensemble, was trying to showcase some of the traditional sounds for this particular show, but it wasn’t his main concern.

“When I put it all together, I try to think of making a concert that flows well,” said Tiner.

Some pieces were designed for big bands, such as Mary Lou Williams’ “Walkin’ and Swingin’.”

Others, such as the Monk composed “Monk’s Dream,” were intended for groups smaller than BC’s jazz ensemble.

The songs originally designed for small groups seemed to allow more freedom for the ensemble, and had more solos, which gave students an opportunity to show

Martin Chang / The Rip

Jorge Santos plays a trumpet solo in “Song For My Father” by Horace Silver during Bakersfield College’s Jazz Ensemble performance in the Fine Arts building Nov. 4. their talent and the work they have put in over the semester.

Pianist Brian Lee, soloist on “Monk’s Dream,” moving along with the music as he played was

a physical representation of how the music can affect the performers.

“I don’t even realize half the time that I’m doing it,” said Bri-

an Lee about his animated performance.

“I just feel the music, and that’s something I’ve always tried to do.”

martin chang / The Rip

Spencer Bateman plays a tenor saxophone solo during a BC Jazz Ensemble performance of “All Blues.”

A discussion of elderly care at Levan Center

By Monica Bolger Reporter

“We’re all people. We’re all humans,” stated Dr. David A. Goldstein at a panel discussion on Nov. 8 inside the Bakersfield College Norman Levan Center.

The “physical scholar of medicine” was the main speaker in an in-depth discussion of health care policies and medical-ethics issues in society.

Goldstein’s lecture was composed of personal endeavors and the experiences he faced while working as chief of general internal medicine and vice-chair for clinical affairs at the Keck School of Medicine.

Goldstein’s speech addressed several ethical verities, such as non-malfeasance, distributive justice, and integrity, but focused mainly on the three models of distributive justice known as, eq-

uity, equality, and need. penses and money wasted caused “A good physician must be by unnecessary greed and want. able to use the humanities to re“I can’t even listen to the raflect on the horrors that we see, dio or watch a TV show withthe tragedies we see, and the out hearing a commercial that’s good things advertising a that we see,” certain medisaid Gold- “A good physician must be cation,” said stein. able to use the humanities Goldstein.

“But it’s a Goldstein’s very difficult to reflect on the horrors that suggestion of job and I think different rawe see, the tragedies we see, ationing I only appretechciate how dif- and the good things that we nique is to use ficult it really generic medisee.” is, as I’ve gotcation instead ten older and of name-brand –Dr. David A. Goldstein older as I’ve medicine to worried about feed less into ‘rationing’ myself. marketing.

Its one of the reasons I write: Norman Levan and BC Presiso that I can reflect and read my- dent Greg Chamberlain, along self the stories of the lives that I with numerous on and off stuintersect with.” dents attended the seminar, some Along with key terms, Gold- of which supported Goldstein’s stein addressed criteria of ex- ideas of health care reform.

Brandon Barraza / The Rip

Dr. David A. Goldstein, the chief of general internal medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, speaks to the crowd inside the Norman Levan Center on Nov. 8.

BC and Cal State Bakersfield student, Nadia Salem, attended the event in hopes of supporting the issue of Healthcare Reform.

“I read on the BC Web site about Dr. Goldstein being on campus, and I knew I had to come,” said Salem.

“I always support any function that is for Health Care Reform and by being here I feel like I’m

Reporter

The Gay Straight Association brought in Jimmy Nguyen, a prominent entertainment, new media, and intellectual Property Lawyer, and a media commentator from Saigon, Vietnam, on Nov. 7 in the Fireside Room.

Nguyen became known after defending a client against Miss California USA, Carrie Prejean.

Nguyen has had a life history of excelling early. He graduated college from UCLA at age 19, and Law School from USC at age 22.

“At the time I liked being the overachieving kid,” he said. “I couldn’t legally drink until my second year of law school, so it makes you feel a little bit more socially awkward.”

Another thing that added to Nguyen’s uncomfortable experience in law school was his immigrant status, as well as his orientation.

“That aggravated my feelings of feeling different,” he said.

“Then, on top of it, I’m a good number of years younger then my peers, so I thought, ‘oh gosh, I’m really totally the nerdy social outcast here.’

“I liked the attention of it and the knowledge that I was achieving at a faster rate then other people, but at the same time it presented a lot of social challenges,” said Nguyen.

Nguyen has made his impact felt in a number of mediums as a partner for the national law firm, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in areas such as entertainment, new media, intellectual property, technology, advertising and sports matters.

He has also represented bigname clients including Major League Baseball, LEGO Systems and Sony Computer Entertainment America.

Nguyen’s accolades include IP Lawyer of the year and being named one of Lawdragon’s 500 leading lawyers in America.

Aside from his legal ambitions and accomplishments, Nguyen uses his position to speak out for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community’s rights.

“There’s a lot more to be done,” he said. “But I think our community and our equal rights movement has come much farther then I thought I’d see in our lifetime.

At his Web site www.jimmy-

Goldstein believes that it is possible to change the existing culture of waste and greed.

“There should be a rational approach to health care, not an approach to rationing,” Goldstein said.

“The idea of rationing health care unto the elderly and to those in need is currently a controversial topic under debate.”

Politician Grove speaks about business at BC

Nguyen speaks on defending clients

By Meisha McMurray

contributing.”

Goldstein discusses money spent on chemotherapy, dialysis procedures and the idea of existentialism.

“The challenge to us is to create a system where medical technology doesn’t help; where society can afford the expense of someone’s last six months,” he said.

By Cassandra McGowan Reporter

Eleonor Segura / The Rip

Jimmy Nguyen gives his presentation at “Shine, Speak, Win” in the Fireside Room on Nov. 7. win.com, he comments on issues in law, politics, media and culture where people can find their voices. His mantra and hope is that everyone can learn to shine, speak and win.

“Shine factor, it is the real power in life,” he said. “You have to shine what is unique about you. Be authentic, and be happy with who you are. And always be distinctive.”

Bakersfield College’s Students in Free Enterprise club held a workshop Nov. 2 with Assemblywoman Shannon Grove as the guest speaker.

SIFE is a program designed to help students who want to open their own business become business savvy.

Grove greeted everyone with a handshake and introduction.

Throughout the presentation she managed to remember everyone’s name and their specific reason for attending the workshop.

Grove says she never attended college but still managed to build a successful business now worth millions.

She worked random jobs at Kmart, JCPenny, and even in the fields of Arvin in her younger years.

“I tried to make sure everything I did, I did the best,” said

Grove.

In May of 1993 she opened Continental Labor Resources in Bakersfield and has since opened in Visalia, Ridgecrest, Paso Robles and has even expanded into Colorado.

She’s even getting ready to open in Wyoming.

She never missed a day of work and has always put a 100% into anything she’s ever done.

Grove said the key to building a good business is “Integrity, a good name, and honesty.”

She said she made a real effort to build a good repertoire with her clients.

“You never go back on your word. You never bounce checks.”

Having a good relationship with business partners and employees was something she also stressed.

“I surrounded myself with good people who were likeminded in business and ethics,” said Grove.

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Page 6

Honoring those who have served

By Cassandra McGowan Reporter

gregory d. cook / The Rip

A parade-goer holds up an American Flag during the Bakersfield Veterans Day parade.

Hundreds of people lined the streets of downtown Bakersfield on Nov. 11 with flags and roses to kick off the 92nd annual Bakersfield Veterans Day parade, and to show their appreciation for the service military personnel have provided throughout the years.

Veterans old and young were in the parade and among the crowd.

Wesley Barrientos, a veteran of the Iraq War who lost both of his legs, was the grand marshal of this year’s parade.

Barrientos served in both Iraq and Afghanistan before being injured and returning home in 2008.

The parade featured many local schools, clubs and people

who just wanted to make their respect for our military known.

Outlawz Car Club was one of those clubs and has members that are veterans as well as a few members who have children currently serving.

“My son is in the military so I’m here to support the vets,” said Victor Rodriquez.

Other members were just there to support their friends and show their respect. “[I’m here] supporting the veterans and the car club has vets in it, too,” said Bill Araujo.

Many of the local Reserve Officers’ Training Corps or ROTC were marching in the parade to honor the vets.

Quinn Miller, 14, is part of Bakersfield High School’s ROTC program.

He wants to follow in the footsteps of his father by fight-

Page 7

megan luecke / The Rip

The South High School JROTC marches down 21st street carrying a large American Flag while more members carry flags from all 50 states during the Bakersfield Veterans Day parade Nov. 11.

ing for his country when he turns 18.

“I actually joined because of my dad. He really inspired me. He was in the Navy and is now SWAT,” he said.

Quinn was joined at the parade by his mother Misty Miller and father Ryan Miller, and both said they are proud of their son, but concerned for his safety at the same time.

“You want them to be protected,” said Misty Miller.

Misty and Ryan Miller said they couldn’t take any credit for their son’s decision.

“We didn’t push him at all, he did it on his own,” said Misty Miller.

In attendance were many people associated with Bakersfield College. Former BC athletic director Herb Loken, who served in WWII, was one of them.

“I actually joined because of my dad. He really inspired me. He was in the Navy and is now SWAT.” –Quinn Miller, Veteran

megan luecke / The Rip

A replica of the caissons used to carry the nations fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery carries a flag-draped coffin down the parade route at the Bakersfield Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11. gergory d. cook / The Rip

Former Bakersfield College athletic director Herb Loken (Center) applauds as a float dedicated to wounded veterans passes. SSgt Loken served with the 101st Airborne in WWII, where he jumped into Normandy in support of the D-day invasions, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and in his words, “Walked to Berlin with Ike.”

gregory d. cook / The Rip

The Stonecreek Jr. High Stampede Marching Band is reflected in the bell of one of their sousaphones as they march in the Bakersfield Veterans Day parade held downtown Nov. 11.

gregory d. cook / The Rip

Former defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers and veteran Jeremy Staat rides an armored personnel carrier past the Fox Theater. Staat, a Bakersfield College alumnus, gave up his professional football career to join the military and is now active in education.

gregory d. cook / The Rip

Students from Horace Mann Elementary school’s Pre-K program pay tribute to the Navy Seals and US Army Special Forces with their costumes.

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Page 6

Honoring those who have served

By Cassandra McGowan Reporter

gregory d. cook / The Rip

A parade-goer holds up an American Flag during the Bakersfield Veterans Day parade.

Hundreds of people lined the streets of downtown Bakersfield on Nov. 11 with flags and roses to kick off the 92nd annual Bakersfield Veterans Day parade, and to show their appreciation for the service military personnel have provided throughout the years.

Veterans old and young were in the parade and among the crowd.

Wesley Barrientos, a veteran of the Iraq War who lost both of his legs, was the grand marshal of this year’s parade.

Barrientos served in both Iraq and Afghanistan before being injured and returning home in 2008.

The parade featured many local schools, clubs and people

who just wanted to make their respect for our military known.

Outlawz Car Club was one of those clubs and has members that are veterans as well as a few members who have children currently serving.

“My son is in the military so I’m here to support the vets,” said Victor Rodriquez.

Other members were just there to support their friends and show their respect. “[I’m here] supporting the veterans and the car club has vets in it, too,” said Bill Araujo.

Many of the local Reserve Officers’ Training Corps or ROTC were marching in the parade to honor the vets.

Quinn Miller, 14, is part of Bakersfield High School’s ROTC program.

He wants to follow in the footsteps of his father by fight-

Page 7

megan luecke / The Rip

The South High School JROTC marches down 21st street carrying a large American Flag while more members carry flags from all 50 states during the Bakersfield Veterans Day parade Nov. 11.

ing for his country when he turns 18.

“I actually joined because of my dad. He really inspired me. He was in the Navy and is now SWAT,” he said.

Quinn was joined at the parade by his mother Misty Miller and father Ryan Miller, and both said they are proud of their son, but concerned for his safety at the same time.

“You want them to be protected,” said Misty Miller.

Misty and Ryan Miller said they couldn’t take any credit for their son’s decision.

“We didn’t push him at all, he did it on his own,” said Misty Miller.

In attendance were many people associated with Bakersfield College. Former BC athletic director Herb Loken, who served in WWII, was one of them.

“I actually joined because of my dad. He really inspired me. He was in the Navy and is now SWAT.” –Quinn Miller, Veteran

megan luecke / The Rip

A replica of the caissons used to carry the nations fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery carries a flag-draped coffin down the parade route at the Bakersfield Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11. gergory d. cook / The Rip

Former Bakersfield College athletic director Herb Loken (Center) applauds as a float dedicated to wounded veterans passes. SSgt Loken served with the 101st Airborne in WWII, where he jumped into Normandy in support of the D-day invasions, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and in his words, “Walked to Berlin with Ike.”

gregory d. cook / The Rip

The Stonecreek Jr. High Stampede Marching Band is reflected in the bell of one of their sousaphones as they march in the Bakersfield Veterans Day parade held downtown Nov. 11.

gregory d. cook / The Rip

Former defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers and veteran Jeremy Staat rides an armored personnel carrier past the Fox Theater. Staat, a Bakersfield College alumnus, gave up his professional football career to join the military and is now active in education.

gregory d. cook / The Rip

Students from Horace Mann Elementary school’s Pre-K program pay tribute to the Navy Seals and US Army Special Forces with their costumes.

Commentar y

Page 8

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

A harmless hobby or anti-social behavior?

By Cassandra McGowan Reporter

Video Games. Ugh. There are no words to describe how much I loathe trying to talk to my fiancée while he’s playing “Call of Duty,” only to be ignored because he’s so absorbed by it that he doesn’t even see or hear anything except “We’re losing Alpha!” and the continuous sound of machine guns.

I’m not limiting my hostility to just “Call of Duty.”

I dislike any games in which people are completely sucked in and blow off real-life in exchange for video game life.

I feel like gaming is the cause for the younger generation to be more introverted and excluded from regular social things that kids, teens, and even adults should be doing.

Gaming is a major factor in childhood obesity because it allows children to sit on their butts all day and still feel like they are a part of society.

The highlight of their day is racing home to turn on that computer or Xbox and wasting the day and night playing a game with a bunch of people they won’t ever actually see.

It’s even affecting adults, as I mentioned earlier.

Grown men, acting as if the game is so real, that if they were to stop for two seconds to respond to a question, they will meet their untimely demise.

People are forming totally unhealthy parasocial relationships with the characters on these games. They sometimes even identify themselves as a character they play on a game.

I’m sorry, but if you’re a single 30-year-old guy and you blow off going to a party and meeting chicks to stay home and play “World of Warcraft” or “Gears of War,” your priorities are seriously screwed up.

Blowing off your friends and even work to play a game?

Really? Come on people get your life back.

I’m not totally against video games, but I feel like they should be used in moderation and not viewed as the only source of entertainment.

Some of the best memories I have as a kid are not playing “Super Mario Bros.,” but riding bikes outside with my friends, playing hide-and-go-seek, and going on adventures.

Things that kids should be doing, things that are

CON

healthy and conducive to their life and social skills.

For the adults who act as if gaming is their life, you need to get a real life.

That hobbit-monster you’re playing isn’t real, that horde quest isn’t a real-life journey, and admitting that you spend more time gaming than being around real people isn’t cool and never will be.

Your gaming girlfriend can’t hold your hand through that screen and chances of you and Wildamort ever meeting and maintaining a normal and healthy relationship are pretty slim.

Get off your butt and engage in life.

By Tyler McGinty Opinions Editor

Every time I sit down to play “League of Legends,” I really should be amazed. Somewhere out there, there is a large group of people putting hundreds of hours of work into something for the sole purpose of entertainment. These people work to keep me happy, and although the game is free I would happily fork over my money.

Video games are an art form that is truly underappreciated in our society. People that say video games are all about shooting people haven’t experienced the Hideo Kojima’s “Metal Gear Solid” series.

These games have plots more complicated than most movies people go to and they’re far more en-

Chrystal fortt / The Rip

grossing as well.

Interactive storytelling is a lot harder than it seems, and the people that pull it off should be applauded. As much as I love writing, I can’t imagine the nightmare of trying to tell a story that the listener could decide to screw up at any time.

Sure, some games may not be innovators in interactive storytelling, but most of the ones that aren’t breed something else that’s very important: community.

It’s a common enough hobby that is shared by a lot of people in my age group, especially guys. When meeting new friends, asking about video games is usually a safe way to start a conversation.

Plus, it lets me virtually hang out with my friends who live in different places. Even though we’re scattered across the state, a few of my old high school buddies and I can still get online and play a game.

We can even talk to each other with the help of a headset.

Sometimes it’s like we’re in the same room again.

Sure, some people may take it too far and their life gets sucked away by a video game, but that’s the fault of the person, not the game.

“World of Warcraft” is a prime example of this.

Everyone has heard at least one horror story of a friend of a friend who does nothing with their life except play “World of Warcraft.”

They mooch off their parents, live in a basement and only care about the almighty raid.

However, this really is the exception, rather than the rule.

If people can play “World of Warcraft” and still be productive members of society, then it’s certainly possible with any game.

But most importantly, video games are a hobby. It’s your free time, so spend it however you like.

There are a lot of hobbies out there worse than hanging out with your friends and enjoying a well-crafted piece of art.

PRO

Crisp visuals enhance gameplay ‘J. Edgar’ applauds

deeds, not the man

By Martin Chang Online Editor

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” has a campaign that is a focused, well-realized thrill ride that offers detail and variety at a higher level then previous “Call of Duty” games. Yet, other than some new multiplayer tweaks and modes, the game play is too similar to the previous games.

The game picks up directly after where “Modern Warfare 2” ended when a rebel group of Russian soldiers are trying to prevent the series’ villain, Makarov, from plunging the world into World War III, which has begun its first battles.

The World War III motif is used as a way of spanning the globe. The locations you travel to are everywhere from Wall Street, to German castles, to London, to smaller scale moments like preventing an assassination on a plane and crawling in London’s sewers. The events at these locations are never boring, huge buildings are exploding and the place you are standing falls apart right underneath you, the action and excitement keeps up throughout the entire campaign.

In this campaign, you experience all the different situations and action set pieces a player would want out of “Call of Duty.”

The developers were wise to set much of the campaign in urban areas, the destruction and killing always had the most impact when set in the places people live and know. The gunfights in expansive European streets are the highlight of the game. It gives the campaign a focus on the plot and a focus on what is best about the “Call of Duty” single player experience.

By Tyler McGinty Opinions Editor

courtesy of activision

A screenshot from “Modern Warfare 3,” the eighth installment in Activision’s “Call of Duty” franchise, shows the game’s attention to graphical details.

The thing that really makes this campaign stand out from the others is the attention given to the details and design of the campaign’s visuals. People have long complained of the “Call of Duty” franchise looking grey and boring. That criticism was taken to heart, and the game’s visuals pop at a higher level.

The leap in visuals was achieved by an attention to detail. The use of lighting and color give the game a dynamic look that the games have never really had. When you go to the same kinds of places, each looks different. For the first time in three games, the world of “Call of Duty” seems alive, instead of

G ame R eview

empty and sterile. Even the explosions and building destruction seems to have been created with more care and thought.

These elements make the campaign the best of the last three games in the series, but one thing holds it back from being perfect.

That’s its stringent adherence to the “Call of Duty” game play formula. It is a pattern familiar to fans of the series. You duck behind cover and shoot many enemies. You pilot vehicles in onrail sequences. Oftentimes, you do these things in the same order from level to level.

Some players, especially returning ones, will find themselves getting bored of doing the same thing again. They will simply go through the paces in order to see and experience the campaign while others may not mind doing these familiar tasks.

The same attention to detail

and variety in the campaign has been paid to the multiplayer maps. The maps look more interesting and the locations feel more varied, than they have in the past. In the same way, the maps feel more alive.

The competitive multiplayer offers the same heart-pounding, level-based gameplay that has made the series popular.

The most exciting addition to multiplayer is the survival mode.

In it, you fight wave after wave of enemies, and in between rounds you buy and upgrade your weapons.

It has its own leveling system, and feels like a significant addition to the game. It is fun and satisfying to shoot these waves of enemies with the snappy feeling of the multiplayer. For those that have wanted this in “Call of Duty,” it is the experience they wanted.

Like Mr. Hoover himself, “J. Edgar” keeps too many secrets from its audience.

I feel like a biopic should answer questions about their subject, but “J. Edgar” made me want to do my own research on Hoover.

Other than leaving me with more questions than answers, “J. Edgar” was a great film.

The acting was absolutely phenomenal.

Leonardo DiCaprio was incredibly convincing as Hoover in his later years as head of the FBI. It’s amazing to see a former teen heartthrob play a 77-year-old bureaucrat, and do it well.

Of course, he didn’t play Hoover in his old age throughout the entire film, but it was the most impressive acting he did in the film.

But DiCaprio was totally overshadowed by Armie Hammer, who played Hoover’s second-in-command (and possibly lover) Clyde Tolson.

Hammer has definitely given the best performance I’ve seen all year. If he doesn’t win Best Supporting Actor for this role, the Academy and I are going to have some angry words.

The script could have been a little better. The dialogue was perfect, but like I said, the overall story left me wanting more. The creation of the bureau and Hoover’s rise to power was fascinating, but

The Renegade Rip Editorial Board Winner of the 2003 and 2008 JACC Pacesetter Award The Renegade Rip is produced by Bakersfield College journalism classes, printed by Bakersfield Envelope & Printing Co. Inc., and circulated on Wednesdays during the fall and spring semesters.

The newspaper is published under the auspices of the Kern Community College District Board of Trustees, but sole responsibility for its content rests with student editors.

The Rip is a member of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges and the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

Staff

Editor in Chief........................Zak S. Cowan Reporters: Monica Bolger, America Garza, Keith Kaczmarek, Cassandra McGowan, Meisha Features Editor.......................Chrystal Fortt McMurray, Jon Nelson, Esteban Ramirez, Opinions Editor.......................Tyler McGinty Patricia Rocha Online Editor............................Martin Chang Photo Editor.........................Gregory D. Cook Production Editor...............Amber T. Troupe Photographers: Brandon Barraza, Gregory D. Cook, Megan Luecke, Nate Perez, Eleonor Segura, Nathan Wilson

Adviser.......................................................Danny Edwards

I’m still confused about H o ove r ’s motives for some of his actions.

Clint Eastwood’s directing was good, but not phenomenal (but Eastwood never had his own style that I could really see.)

Sometimes, the best directors are the ones where you can’t really tell they were there at all.

You simply know they’re going to do a good job with their project, which is exactly what Eastwood did.

Most people don’t know much about Hoover, and if they do they probably just know he was accused of being a cross-dresser, not that he started the FBI and was director for practically forever (at least in political terms).

If you want to know about that, you won’t have any luck with this movie.

There is one scene with crossdressing, and it is far creepier than it really needed to be.

What really stuck with me about “J. Edgar” was how little it tried to convince me that he was a great man that did great things like some biopics do.

It showed that, although he built the FBI practically from the ground up and fought hard for forensic sciences that help catch criminals, he was, as Tolson says in the film, “a scared, heartless, horrible little man.”

“J. Edgar,” and Mr. Hoover himself, is proof that terrible men can do great things.

M ovie R eview

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Page 9

Staff Editorial

We’re online and proud At The Rip, we’ve spent a lot of work this semester trying to give you the best information that we can in our print edition. We’ve also done even more work expanding on a more modern part of journalism: online journalism.

We’re not sure how many people know about our new website, but we’ve sure been promoting the hell out of it and it seems to work.

Thanks to miracle of modern-day technology, not only can we see how many people visit our website but even the country they visit from.

That’s right. We’re journalists and we have a vague idea where you come from. So keep it friendly with the comments you post, please.

It’s true that most of our views come from the United States, but we have our fair share of visitors from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and even India.

Sure, most of these may be the result of a bad click, odd searches or possibly even programs combing through the vast seas of the Internet, but it doesn’t stop us from patting ourselves on the back for our international appeal.

We also know that our views spike around the time our print edition comes out, which means some of you are actually reading it, which we appreciate.

We’re especially glad that you like it enough to visit our website.

The website has been our pet project this semester, and we’re all at least a little protective of it.

It lets us do things that are impossible on print in this day and age.

If we get a story that’s important enough that it can’t wait for the print edition, we’re putting it up on the website immediately.

We even post football updates on our Twitter account, for those of you who can’t make it to the games.

Sure, it may be possible in the far future for us to put a podcast in our physical newspaper, but for now we’ll settle for online.

If you’ve ever looked at our paper and thought to yourself “Gee, I wish there were more pictures with this story,” you’re in luck.

Often in the newsroom, we have to make decisions on which picture to run with that particular story.

Luckily, on the Internet we don’t have that problem at all.

Every single picture our photographers take that’s good enough to go up on the website does.

We’re glad to know you’re looking at the website, listening to the podcast and maybe looking at a few photo galleries in our little corner of cyberspace.

A lot of you keep coming back, probably refreshing over and over to get the most up-to-date football scores you possibly can.

Print journalism isn’t dead yet, as much as people like to say it is, but our website makes a great companion to the newspaper.

We at The Rip are glad to keep the students informed on the issues while we keep on the cutting edge of the journalism world.

So, to all 1,543 people out there who checked out the website last week: thank you, cheers, dhanyawaad, gracias and danke.

Oh, and for those of you viewing our website on Internet Explorer: our website updated and so should your browser.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Occupiers deserve your respect

By Keith Kaczmarek Reporter

The resistance to the Occupy movement has been confusing to me.

I understood it when the news media had a month-long blackout; the clear anti-corporate and generally peaceful message was just not racy enough for the 24hour news cycle. I understood when conservative talking heads castigated them as socialist hippies; conservatives have been defending big-money interests and the wealthy for decades and to act differently now would be an abrupt and bizarre position change.

I even understood when various politicians on both sides of the fence dismissed the movement as unfocused and without real demands; politicians only love things they can subvert to their cause (e.g. the Tea Party).

It’s the average person’s resistance that has been most

troubling. When I pointed out to a fellow classmate that some classy fellow had dropped dozens of McDonald’s applications onto protesters in Chicago, the response I received was, “good, someone should have done it weeks ago.”

Seriously? Has there ever been anyone who could pay rent and feed themselves on the part-time just-above-minimum wage from McDonalds? Isn’t a McJob just the perfect example of wealth inequality where the corporation makes around six billion dollars in profits each quarter and their average employee can’t afford to eat in the restaurant they are working in?

Heck, we don’t even pretend that getting two of these jobs means that a person could own a reliable car or afford medical care or do any of the things most people expect of the most basic standards of living.

There is even a small movement of people calling them-

selves “The 53%” instead of “The 99%.” The beef of this group is that they pay federal income taxes and the other 47 percent don’t, and they want this to change.

That sounds like a reasonable complaint right until you find out that this same 53 percent of the US owns 98 percent of all the wealth of the US and the other 47 percent still pays sales tax, state income tax, and all the indirect taxes that local, state, and the federal governments use to collect money from the American people.

The calls to ignore or increase the wealth inequality don’t end there. Leading Republican candidates for President have been tossing out a surprising number of plans that increase taxes on the poor. Herman Cain’s tax plan would shift the tax burden further onto the poor and middle class and reap crazy windfalls for the ultra-rich, the merely super-rich, and the regular rich.

Does no one realize that the Occupy movement is just Americans asking to not be blindly fed into the mouth of a machine that is trying to chew them up and then spit them out as serfs for an increasingly powerful aristocracy?

At worst, the Occupy movement protesters have been asking for living-wage jobs.

What patriot would deny a fellow American the chance to work for what he gets at a fair wage?

In this Great Recession, the masses of people protesting are not asking for a handout. They are simply asking to be treated with the same consideration as bankers and mega-corporations that have been given reductions in taxes, more political representation, and financial support like bailouts.

Your fellow Americans are simply asking for a bailout of the American Dream, so please show a little respect.

Tacky decor and subpar food

By Jon Nelson The minute I walked into Buffalo Wild Wings, I knew I was the wrong person to do this review.

I should probably first explain that bad-theme restaurants are a not-so-guilty pleasure of mine. I wanted to do this review partly because I love eating in tacky, visually offensive restaurants and partly because I wanted to see what all the hype was about.

I’ve driven by their new Bakersfield location on Gosford Road a few times and there’s always a line out the door waiting to get in. One of the waitresses revealed to me that the night they opened, Wild Wings had a 2 1/2 hour waiting list. These wings better be damn good.

Once inside, the first thing you notice about Buffalo Wild Wings is the decor. The walls of the restaurant are literally covered in televisions. The restaurant boasts an astonishing 44 TVs (not including the ones in the bathrooms) of every size, and they are all tuned to coverage of various sports.

The small spaces that don’t have a wall-mounted TV are crammed with jerseys and other athletic memorabilia. This is probably a sports fan’s dream, but for the rest of us it’s just alarming.

Combine that with loud music and flashing neon signs and the result is overwhelming. I love garish, but everything about the inside of Buffalo Wild Wings seems to be specifically designed to induce seizures. I hoped the food would be worth the panic

task is so difficult because they have 14 different sauces to choose from.

I decided on Honey BBQ because I love BBQ and it’s hard to screw up. I also got a basket of onion rings because they’re only $3 during Happy Hour and because I love heartburn.

My food came surprisingly fast but, sadly, wasn’t very good. The sauce on the wings just tasted like any generic BBQ sauce. There was nothing surprising or special about it.

If these are the wings that has made Buffalo Wild Wings so popular then I must have gotten a bad batch. I would much rather head down the street to Wingstop.

My real disappointment came with the onion rings.

They were bland and mushy and not worth the regular price of $5.95 a basket. You could probably get better onion rings in the freezer section of your local supermarket.

I was tempted to order dessert after my meal, but was afraid that it would be just as beige as the rest of the food.

Overall, Buffalo Wild Wings is great if you’re there for sports, but bad if you’re there for the food. I would definitely recommend it for a place to watch Monday Night Football, but would recommend a few other places if you want good wings.

Food R eview

Reporter

Nate perez / The Rip

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, located on Gosford Road, opened its doors on Oct. 24. attack.

The menu at Wild Wings is a collection of classic bar food.

They’re known for their wings, but they also have ribs, sandwiches and burgers. They offer warm, stadium-style mini-pretzels as an appetizer, which I thought was

really cool.

I was tempted by the mini-chili dog combo, but decided on the classic wings, because that’s what they’re named for. The real fun/ difficulty with ordering wings at Buffalo Wild Wings comes with picking the sauce you want. This

Strong lyrics drive Wale’s sophomore release

By Esteban Ramirez Reporter

A lbum R eview

Wale’s sophomore album, “Ambition” is out and the album delivers with the clever wordplay that were on his mixtapes that got him all the hype.

“Ambition” came out Nov. 1, and if you’re one that enjoys great lyrics, then you will enjoy this album.

Wale has always been a strong lyricist even in his first album, but in this album he took it to another level.

I really liked the fact that this CD gives you an upbeat feel and “ambition” to continue to strive for success.

When you listen to this album, you will enjoy Wale’s catchy flow, lyrical ability and metaphors to entertainment. This album won’t be considered great, but you will be hooked on this CD. I think as a whole, this album was one of the best hip-hop albums this year, and in a year where there have been a lot of good albums that’s saying a lot.

Wale’s leaving Interscope Records wasn’t the only change he went through, he also changed his mindset on this album. As he says on the first song, “Don’t Hold the Applause,” he is done with making money and is more about making history. He continues that theme throughout the whole album, and you definitely feel the change from his first album “Attention Deficit” to this one by just listening to the lyrics.

The songs “Legendary,” “Focused” and “Ambition” are some of the songs that really emphasized his mindset of just wanting to make history.

In the chorus of “Legendary,” Wale just keeps repeating that he’s done with money, fame and anything that people can take from you.

Another thing I really liked is that unlike other rappers, he didn’t rap about money and cars and I think this makes more of a connection with most of his fans.

A couple of things I think that Wale lacked on this album were

courtesy of killerhiphop.com

Wale’s sophomore album “Ambition” was released on Nov. 1 by Maybach Music. that he could’ve used an instant classic. Also I thought that he could’ve used more of a variety on his beats, but I thought Wale’s clever wordplay really helped the beats lack of variety. I thought this whole album was very good even though it lacked those two things.

I think that “Ambition” is a strong sophomore album for Wale and fans will not be disappointed when they listen to it.

Column

You may not know him, but he matters Pop, Girls, Etc. | The Rip’s Opinions Editor shares his thoughts on pop culture and media Everyone who has seen “The Hangover” knows who Zach Galifianakis is, but they might not know about his incredibly odd standup comedy act.

Galifianakis constantly pushes the envelope and actively Tyler McGinty tries to interfere with his audience.

This style of standup was pioneered by one man who didn’t want to be called a comedian, Andy Kaufman.

The 2011 Andy Kaufman Award, an award designed to give recognition for comedians who take comedy and do something a little different with it, was given out Nov. 7.

These awards made me laugh and had me confused at the same time, something Kaufman would have been delighted to hear.

These comedians weren’t all about their jokes, but their act.

They’re almost more performance artists than they are comedians.

The winner, Nick Vatterott, performs his standup as a monster, which is something Kaufman would probably have loved.

For those of you unfamiliar with Kaufman, he hated to be called a comedian.

He always said he didn’t tell jokes; he just wanted to get reactions from people.

This is a man who pulled pranks on live television on other actors (causing them to throw tantrums) a man who wrestled women as a gag and took his entire audience at Carnegie Hall out for milk and cookies.

A guy like this played Carnegie Hall in the ’70s and today people that are trying to do something new are stuck in dinky comedy clubs.

I don’t see the justice in that.

Today originality gets thrust into the shadows and mediocrity gets pushed into the limelight.

Sorry any Dane Cook fans, but he’s famous because he tells stories you can relate to, not because he’s original, and definitely not because he’s any good.

I love standup comedy, but I feel like it’s gotten stale over the years. There are definitely people that are funny: Aziz Ansari, Bill Burr and Brian Posehn, to name a few of my favorites.

There are also some pretty bad acts, like Dane Cook.

However, it doesn’t matter how funny (or not) they are, I don’t see any famous comedians pushing the envelope with their acts.

They’re original with their jokes, but not quite their delivery.

This isn’t really a bad thing.

Following in the footsteps of Kaufman is much harder than it is to follow Richard Pryor. Pryor was definitely unique, just not in the same way. Everyone has a style they have to work with, and I know I couldn’t do anything remotely resembling Kaufman.

But Kaufman’s influence on the world of standup comedy is still being felt today, 30 years after his death.

But it really should be much stronger. I’d hate to imagine a world where there isn’t a single standup doing something besides standing onstage and telling jokes, regardless of how funny it is.

So it was incredibly refreshing to hear these surreal comics being broadcast this November.

It filled me with hope that there are still people out there trying something new and taking risks.

It’s a good feeling.

It makes me feel that everything might be OK.

Sports

Page 10

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

A bittersweet end to lost season

By Zak S. Cowan

Football Roundup

Editor in Chief

Bakersfield College’s football team defeated College of the Canyons 45-35 on Nov. 12, ending a season marred by injuries and the unfulfilled expectations of a postseason berth.

The team finished with a 4-6 record and just 1-4 in conference play.

There is often a turning point in a team’s season that someone can look to if the season spirals down or up in terms of success.

Brian Duboski, the starting quarterback for eight of the team’s 10 games, thinks that his team’s turning point was backto-back losses against top-ranked Mt. San Antonio College and then-sixth-ranked Allan Hancock College.

“We put up a great fight and probably should have won both those games,” Duboski said. “I think after those two tough letdowns, it seemed like we did fall into a little quicksand emotionally.”

Of those two games, Duboski said that the game against Allan Hancock took the most out of the team’s morale.

“Collectively as a team it was a big letdown because it was the first [conference] game, and it seemed as a team we were pretty confident and we felt like if we play the way we know how to, we should win the game,” he said. “It just seemed after that game, things didn’t go our way offensively as a team.”

Offensive coordinator Carl Dean said that it is hard to point to one game as being a turning point but does agree that it hampered the team’s morale and led to the losing atmosphere that he thinks is “contagious.”

“It’s tough when you play two games like that when you’re in a position to win it and you don’t come out on the winning side,” Dean said. “But at the same time, each week we need to come ready to play.”

After the Allan Hancock game, BC wouldn’t win again until the game against Canyons.

The team’s defense allowed 25.9 points per game during the season, up nearly four points from 2010.

“We did have to play catch up,” Duboski said. “But at the same time we expect to put points on the board, and just like the defense expects us to put points up on the board, we expect them to make stops. That’s just having trust in your teammates.”

The defensive unit did have its bright spots and had a lot of standouts.

Linebacker Keylon Hollis finished the year with 12.5 sacks for second most in the state.

Duboski struggled often and finished the season with 1,374 yards through the air with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, completing 47.3 percent of his passes. He also scored four touchdowns on the ground.

BC 45, Canyons 35 BC-Canyons, Stats Bakersfield College Ventura College

14 14

17_45 7_35

Second Quarter COC_Neilson 37 pass from Rini (Flores kick), 8:56.

BC_Tubbs 22 pass from Duboski (Schleicher kick), 3:27.

COC_Neilson 17 pass from Rini (Flores kick), :32.

Third Quarter BC_Tubbs 24 pass from Duboski (Schleicher kick), 9:25 BC_Jackson 40 interception return (Schleicher kick), 9:13.

COC_Madero 7 pass from Rini (Flores kick), 2:24.

COC_Rini 4 run (Flores kick), 1:06.

Second Quarter BC_Schleicher 37 field goal, 10:57.

BC_Cheatham 3 run (Schleicher kick), 7:39.

BC_Dogins 22 interception return (Schleicher kick), 3:41.

COC_Jordan 11 pass from Rini (Flores), 1:45.

First downs Total Net Yards Rushes-yards Passing Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Interceptions Ret. Comp-Att-Int Sacked-Yards Lost Punts Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Time of Possession

BC 23 328 47-128 200 2-9 5-115 2-62-2 16-29-0 3-22 7-290 1-1 6-74 35:00

COC 19 337 20-11 326 3-8 7-139 0-0 26-57-2 3-26 8-288 0-0 5-62 25:00

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_BC, Cobb 17-90, Cheatham 21-62, Moore 2-14. COC, Bowen 6-10, Szymanski 1-6, Wilson 1-6.

PASSING_BC, Duboski 16-29-200-0. Rini 26-57-326-0.

RECEIVING_BC, Hobdy 9-83, Tubbs 5-83, Morris 2-34. COC, Neilson 5-91, Brown 4-57, Madera 4-54, Gipson 4-25, Jordan 3-40, Bowen 2-20, Dominquez 1-21.

A_481

Cerritos 41, BC 19 Cerritos-BC, Stats Cerritos College Bakersfield College

Megan LUEcke / The Rip

Bakersfield College wideout Aaron Morris reaches for a pass intended for him in the end zone during the game against Cerritos College at BC’s Memorial Stadiun on Nov. 5. The Renegades lost the game 41-19.

“I never questioned anything about the offense or the system,” Duboski said. “So I thought it was a good fit and it complemented my skill set, just sometimes we weren’t able to execute at times.

“And maybe that’s why people would question the offense and why we can’t get things going,” he said. “I’ve been at BC for the last two seasons now, and I knew what the system was about and I knew what the coaching staff demanded as far as what they wanted out of the quarterback position.”

Wideout Brandon Hobdy finished the year with 54 catches for 709 yards and five touchdowns.

Hobdy established himself as the number-one wide receiver early in the season when he was catching passes from Brian Burrell, who Duboski replaced in the team’s week-three win against Antelope Valley College.

BC’s biggest issues on the field came on third down. The Renegades converted just 36 percent of their third-down attempts, failing to stay on the field and allow the defense to rest, while the defense had trouble getting off the field themselves, allowing opponents to convert 43 percent of third downs.

“It’s early and we have a lot of freshmen, but right now it’s me, me, me when it should be we, we, we,” he said.

He added that he thought they gave up too many threes on defense.

13 3

21 10

0 0

7_41 6_19

First Quarter CERR_Denker 12 run (Valencia kick failed), 12:12.

BC_Schleicher 29 field goal, 9:59.

Second Quarter CERR_Evans 4 pass from Denker (Valencia kick), 13:05.

BC_Sykes 21 pass from Duboski (Schleicher kick), 10:41.

CERR_Evans 28 pass from Denker (Valencia kick), 7:41.

BC_Scheicher 30 field goal, 3:35.

CERR_Abeyta 30 pass from Denker (Valencia kick), :10.

Fourth Quarter BC_Morris 30 pass from Duboski (Schleicher kick), 14:46.

CERR_Denker 4 run (Valencia kick), 8:31.

Megan LUEcke / The Rip

Both teams have a heated showdown on the sidelines during the game on Nov. 5.

With the high expectations that come with playing at BC where the average crowd more than triples that of the teams the Renegades play, a 4-6 season is no doubt a letdown.

“We never accepted losing,” Dean said. “As a coaching staff, we never wanted to do that, but losing is contagious and when you kind of get into a mode of losing and things don’t go the way you want them to, it can certainly feel [like it’s lingering].

That’s not something we want around here, that’s for sure.

“We do have high expecta-

defense.

“I thought that Antonio Johnson and Gerald Bates both did Bakersfield College’s men’s good, but I thought at times Anbasketball team got off to a good tonio wouldn’t play with effort,” start this year with two wins and he said. one loss in a tournament at CuesJohnson, a starting freshmen ta on Nov. 11-13. forward, commented BC beat College of on his and the team’s the Redwoods 84-81 performance.

Basketball Schedule/Results and West Valley Col“I played pretty well lege 79-61, and lost and the team did well, Nov. 11 BC 84, Redwoods 81 to West Hills College but we could’ve done Nov. 12 BC 79, West Valley 61 82-78. better. The last game Nov. 13 West Hills 82, BC 78 “I thought we did we played we kept Nov. 18-20 Fresno City Tourney TBA average, but 2-1 is a the intensity throughNov. 25-26 Thanksgiving Tourney TBA good place to start. I out the game, so we Nov. 29 vs Porterville 5 p.m. think we really needed need to keep playing Dec. 10 vs LA Trade Tech 5 p.m. the loss to open our like that. We need to Dec. 16-18 COS Tourney TBA eyes because were keep buying into what Dec. 28-30 Hancock Tourney TBA young and it won’t be the coaches say, and Jan. 4 at Santa Monica 7 p.m. that easy for us to put we need to continue Jan. 7 vs Glendale 7 p.m. it all together,” said BC to work on our free basketball coach, Rich throws because we Hughes.

“We need to refine our defense couldn’t make them during the “We played hard as a unit and because we gave up 80 points in tournament,” he said. rebounded well, but we need two of the games.

The Renegades next scheduled to eliminate turnovers and bad “It’s just that they’re young tournament will be at Fresno on shots. and forgot the foundation of our Nov. 18-20.

Reporter

7 14

First Quarter BC_Cobb 38 run (Schleicher kick), :47.

Men kick off season 2-1 with slew of tournaments on horizon

By Esteban Ramirez

7 0

tions and you expect to win every week and you expect to put a good product on the field.”

Duboski thinks that the team will come back better than ever in 2012 and that the win at Canyons will be thought of as a turning point for success for the freshmen on the team.

“I feel like that winning experience with all these young guys on the team will go a long way,” he said. “I feel like they will be a force to be reckoned with.”

Dean agreed with the talent in the freshman class, but knows that a successful season won’t

come easy.

“For [the freshmen], next season starts now,” Dean said. “The success of our season next year certainly is dictated now by how they prepare.”

Dean also expects Brian Burrell to be the starting quarterback next season. Burrell, who scored four total touchdowns and passed for 587 yards in the team’s first two games before going down with a broken collarbone, has been cleared to start lifting in the weight room and throwing on the practice field according to Dean.

The season, though, brings

First downs Total Net Yards Rushes-yards Passing Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Interceptions Ret. Comp-Att-Int Sacked-Yards Lost Punts Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Time of Possession

CERR 23 433 52-226 207 1-10 4-66 2-18 18-31-0 1-6 5-140 4-2 13-135 38:27

BC 13 182 22-67 115 1-4 6-152 0-0 11-30-2 1-8 4-143 1-1 8-54 21:33

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_CERR, Livingston 14-93, Westbrook 21-76, Denker 5-32, Long 6-22. BC, Cobb 9-76, Cheatham 1-4.

PASSING_CERR, Denker 17-30-199-0. BC, Duboski 11-30-115-2.

RECEIVING_CERR, Anderson 6-82, Evans 4-53, Abeyta 4-23, Manning 2-29. BC, Sykes 4-45, Hobdy 4-13, Moore 2-27, Morris 1-30.

A_2,888

more than just wins and losses, at least for Duboski.

“It’s been a great feeling and a great time,” he said. “You never want to lose those games, especially those close games that we lost. But just knowing that I finally got my opportunity to play and live out my dream will resonate forever.

“It’s definitely been a season of memories that I won’t forget.”

Sports

Page 11

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

BC plays host to WSC foes in tourney

By Esteban Ramirez Reporter

Bakersfield College’s wrestling team put together a good team effort tying for second at the Western State Conference Tournament.

BC hosted the tournament on Nov. 12. West Hills took first, while BC tied for second with Cuesta College and East Los Angeles College.

BC went 2-2 in the tournament beating East LA 28-19 and Victor Valley 503, but lost to West Hills 33-9 and Cuesta 25-18.

“I think that we improved because we did some positive things, but I thought we still did some dumb things we need to work on,” said wrestling coach Bill Kalivas.

“I think we did a better job getting out of the bottom position, but I still thought we gave up too many back points.

“I thought that Ryan Robles, Marc Collier and Jonathan Gomez wrestled good, and I thought that Jacob [Pendelton] did really good, but the knee injury is still bothering him,” he said.

Kalivas added that Lance Castenada suffered an injury during the tournament.

“He injured an achilles tendon because he may have moved the wrong way,” he said. “Things happen like that.”

Marc Collier, who’s in the 125-weight class, commented on his performance.

“I did okay, but there is definitely

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Column

Sick of college athletics?

I am, too Chiefed | The Rip’s Editor in Chief tells you what’s what in the world of sports. eleanor segura / The Rip

Marc Collier takes down his opponent and holds him with a wristlock during the WSC Tournament on Nov. 12. room for improvement on my standup, cardio and shot defense,” he said.

Collier added that he thought the Cal State Open, which was on Nov. 5, really helped him prepare for this tournament.

“I think it got me a little more prepared for these upcoming matches and I felt as a team we’re getting into our midseason stride,” he said. “It’s getting into everyone’s head that we’ve got to keep it up to get to the next level.”

Collier added that he thinks the team still needs to work on their intensity and keeping their mental game strong.

Jacob Pendelton, who’s in the 165-weight class, gave his thoughts on his and the team’s performance.

“I think I did really well, wrestled smart and did some good things,” he said.

“I think we definitely improved and were a tough top five team, but it depends on if we bring it because sometimes our intensity is there and sometimes it’s not.”

He added that the team needs to also finish some takedowns and that they need to be more mentally tough in terms of believing they can compete with any team.

The Cal State Open was an exhibition tournament, and it gave BC a chance to compete with universities around the country.

BC will head to East LA on Nov. 19 for the matchup that was canceled on Sept. 30.

Martin chang / The Rip

Bakersfield College wrestler Lance Castenada, bottom, struggles with CSUB wrestler Brady Garner, top, during a match at the Roadrunner Open in the Icardo Center on Nov. 5. Castenada lost the match 7-2.

Volleyball team nets yet another win for BC

By Esteban Ramirez and Meisha McMurray Reporters

Bakersfield College defeated Glendale Community College 25-15, 25-19, and 25-22 on Nov. 11.

“The game against Glendale was awesome. We managed the game plan very well and the players were well prepared.

We performed very well,” said Coach Carl Ferreira.

Lead player Charisma Hernandez had 13 kills. ports “ C h a is an oundup risma outstanding player,” Ferreira said. “She has great attack selection, meaning she can hit the ball in numerous locations and has great range. Also, she has a very high volleyball IQ. She really knows the game well.”

“Brittany [Smith] has improved since the beginning.

Smith and Megan Black are the teams lead blockers,” said Ferreira.

“The opponents have to pay attention to the middle floor, and they do an amazing job protecting that position.”

“In this game Ashley had an amazing offense play. Ashley has worked very hard on her game, and she played very well,” said Ferreira.

Rachel Christian had 15 for 15 perfect serve passes, and Erica Rico had 40 set assists.

“Rachel has been the backbone of our ball control. Ball control starts everything, and she was brilliant,” said Ferreira.

“I think overall our team has done an amazing job to put ourselves in a position.

“Preparing for postseason playoffs has been great. Working with these girls this season has been really great and I enjoy it,” said Ferreira.

S R

Women’s golf Bakersfield College’s women’s golf team ended its season with two golfers missing out on the state championship.

Malea Miller placed 15th

and Paula Robinson 19th in the Southern California Regional’s at the Twin Oak Golf Course on Nov. 7-8.

They just missed out on state because only the top 12 advance.

Malea Miller scored 79, 82 and Paula Robinson 88, 78.

“I thought that Malea could’ve qualified because she only missed out on state by three strokes, but her putting let her down.

Paula was stung by a few bees on the first day and got sick, and that’s why her first day score was so low, but I thought she recovered very well for the second round,” said women’s head coach Bob Paillet.

“At times this year, we did really good, but other times because of injuries we didn’t play to our potential.

“It wasn’t because they were better I think it’s because teams usually have four players that they count on and we weren’t able to get consistent play out of the fourth golfer,” he said of the teams performance of the seasons.

He added that he thought they didn’t play too well this year, because he expected that they would do better.

He also said that they only have two returning golfers for next year.

“We’re going to lose mostly everybody, so we’ll have to do a lot of recruiting for next year,” he said.

Cross-country Three Bakersfield college sophomore cross-country runners competed in the Southern California Championships at Guasti Park in Ontario, Calif. on Nov. 4.

Bakersfield College crosscountry had three sophomores who got added to the all-state academic cross-country team.

The runners didn’t win a spot just because they ran well during the season, but because they have such high grade point averages, and in order to earn a spot on the all-state team, runners must have a 3.2 GPA or higher.

There is one woman from BC who earned a spot on the all-state

Collegiate sports are big, there is no doubt, but I have some things to say about them and the whole atmosphere that surrounds them. The following is a collegiate-themed version of “Chiefed” and has all sorts of goodies that I’m sure won’t make me any friends.

Zak S. Cowan JoePa Yes, the allegations are disturbing and disgusting. And yes, Joe Paterno’s long tenure is finally over. But there really is something truly great that came out of this. USC is no longer the scapegoat for everything wrong in the world of the NCAA. I was so sick of people downing my favorite college sports team and saying that Reggie Bush taking some cash from an agent so his family could have a roof to sleep under was wrong.

Now all the critics have been brought back to reality of what is wrong, and the Trojans will fight on, and now they’ll do so without hate pouring onto them. I’ll predict it right now—the Trojans will win the National Championship in 2012.

BCS-busting The thought of LSU and Alabama meeting again in the National Championship is making me sick. As I write this, they are ranked first and third in the BCS standings, and all it will take is an Oklahoma State loss to bring about a rematch of the worst game I’ve ever watched in my life.

God help us.

There has to be a better way to handle this ludicrous situation (I’m thinking playoffs).

I want my NBA College basketball has kicked off, and I couldn’t be more uncomfortable. Normally, I have the NBA to watch on the weekdays when football isn’t on, but now the only thing that will be on ESPN for the foreseeable future are college-level nobodies that get praised for making a notso-long three pointer.

I never thought I’d say this, but please, NBA players, just take the crappy deal the owners are offering so we can all go back to normal.

brandon barraza / The Rip

Bakersfield College middle blocker Megan Black makes a kill against Glendale College’s defense during the two teams’ matchup in the Gil Bishop Sports Center on Nov. 11. team, Bianca Perez, who is number one on the women’s team.

She is a biology major with a GPA higher than 3.5. Statewide she was one of 20 women honored; she graduated from North High School.

Two BC men were honored, Keenan Colditz and Richard Landgeaux. Colditz is an English major from Tehachapi High School and he runs in the number two spot for BC. Landgeaux is Agriculture ma-

jor from Sherman Indian School in Riverside. He runs in the number three spot.

The runners will be honored for their academic progress at the Nov. 18 state meet at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Boxed The other day I’m having a conversation with a member of the Rip staff who is a diehard boxing fan. We got into the fact that it is a dying sport, and it will be sad when it is gone.

A lot of people have their ideas on how to save this once great sport, like a PacquiaoMayweather fight, but I think I have something better.

The NCAA should have Division-I boxing. Think about it. Every school has one or two boxers that they send to a tournament that will be called Bloody Madness.

Not only will the interest in the sport spike, but also all the Rocky boneheads will have a chance to get off the streets of Philly and make something of themselves.

Conclusion Collegiate sports are in a sorrowful time right now, and not just nationally (our football team went 4-6). I’m usually a pro sports kind of guy anyways, but when college sports are the only thing on TV, and in the pitfall that they’re in, times will be dark.

Spotlight

Page 12

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Celebrating

School

spirit

By Patricia Rocha Reporter

This year’s movie-themed homecoming was filled with lots of the traditional school spirit. A week full of club participation began the festivities that eventually led up to the football game against the Cerritos College Falcons.

Among the festivities was a costume contest for students and teachers, a game of musical chairs put on by the Geology Club, a free popcorn giveaway by the Math Club, and a pep rally.

But aside from the events scheduled in-between class times and the Renegade’s unfortunate losing streak, school spirit was at its highest during what some described as the most enjoyable part of homecoming; the tailgating experience.

Although the air was crisp and chilly that Friday, the atmosphere was warm and friendly.

Cody Pierce, who went to Bakersfield College and has participated in the tailgate for the past five years, said he’d show up at around 7 a.m. and stayed hours after the game is over, feeding as many as 40 to 50 people in his group.

“The atmosphere is all about family. Everybody knows each other, respects each other,” Pierce said.

“I can go to another site and they’ll feed me, just like I’ll feed them. It’s just how it is.”

The theme for this year’s tailgate was superheroes, and for one

group of tailgaters, this meant honoring their own type of superhero.

Gabrielle Ortiz spoke about how BC center Dallas LaFond’s “superhero strength” is his courage.

After the passing of his father, Bret LaFond on Sept. 15 from a year-long battle with cancer, LaFond faced this personal challenge with dignity, and continued with his athletic responsibilities for the Sept. 17th game versus Tehachapi, “just as his father would have wanted him to,” Ortiz said.

She was among dozens in her group with matching shirts sporting Bret LaFond’s initials on them.

“Dallas is a family friend and he’s played a lot on the field this season,” she said. “This is my first time [tailgating]. It’s a big deal for our friends and family.”

While many people came out to support the team with their friends and family, some came with their clubs to share in the school spirit.

Chelsea Keith brought her goat “Lucky” with her to be a part of the Agriculture Club’s exhibit.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” she said about participating. “Everyone’s having a nice time. Everyone’s full of food and happy.”

Mario Garcia also came to support his club, but found himself caught up in other aspects of the day too.

“We walked and danced around with the drum line,” he said.

Members of the drum line were happy to participate during the

Megan Luecke / The Rip

BC’s Drumline provides halftime entertainment during the homecoming game Nov. 5.

day before their half time show performance.

“It’s just a love for it,” said Mykle Lara about being in the drum line. “Cheering everybody up, it’s awesome.”

Mike Audi agreed, showing his school spirit not only in his playing, but went so far as to wear red colored contacts for the day.

“I’ve seen a lot of people here tonight who are into it. In high school, I didn’t see this kind of spirit,” Audi said. “We have a lot of supporters, fans I guess.”

Among those fans was 11-yearold Blaine Rohatash, who came with his youth football team to cheer on the Renegades.

Rohatash sprinted from his family’s barbecue to offer sodas to some of the players as they packed up their instruments.

“Things like that is what’s awesome about all this,” said Audi about this display of generosity.

The night seemed to be filled with this type of goodwill.

Right before the football game started, the women’s soccer team was selling programs to raise money for a teammate’s medical expenses.

It was announced at halftime the team had managed to sell all of the programs.

Also occurring at halftime was the drum line performance, a routine by the alumni cheerleaders to Bruce Channel’s, “Hey Baby” and the announcing of the winners of Homecoming King and Queen, Matthew Guenther and Jessica Mihm.

Megan luecke / The Rip

Jessica Mihm and Matthew Guenther are presented as homecoming queen and king in front of a crowd of 2,888 in Memorial Stadium on Nov. 5.

BC’s first ever pep rally held for homecoming

By Esteban Ramirez Reporter

gregory d. cook / The Rip

The Bakersfield College Alumni Pep Band performs a song between plays at the homecoming game Nov. 5. brandon barazza / The Rip

Student Government Association president Tawntannisha Thompson speaks to students at Bakersfield College’s first homecoming pep rally held at the Huddle on Nov. 2.

During homecoming week, Bakersfield College had its first homecoming pep rally at the huddle on Nov. 2. Then students headed to the gym where the men and women’s basketball teams showcased their 3-point shooting skills. The men also had a dunk contest.

First-year athletic director Ryan G. Beckwith commented on BC’s first homecoming pep rally.

“I think it’s pretty cool, a good turnout, and it was pretty fun for the first time having it,” Beckwith said. “I also think that we did a good job getting the word

out and getting as many students as we did on short notice.”

Beckwith also added that he wants to keep doing it and as the years go by, there will be more activities for students to join in on.

“We want to build that college atmosphere, but change takes time,” he said.

BC starting quarterback Brian Duboski offered his opinion on the pep rally.

“It was fun, entertaining and I thought the turnout was great for short notice,” said Duboski. “I’m not very critical about it, but I think that if they prepare in advance and get the word out then we would’ve had an even better turnout.”

Megan Luecke / The Rip

Nichole Winton Waddle attended Bakersfield College from 1989-1991 and was a cheerleader who came back to celebrate homecoming.

gregory d. cook / The Rip

With long-time supporter and Bakersfield College alumnus Peter Reyes carrying the BC banner, the Renegades take the field for their homecoming game against Cerritos College.