The Renegade Rip Vol. 82 No. 13

The Renegade Rip Bakersfield College

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Vol. 82 ∙ No. 13

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

New smoking ban in effect at stadium

By James Licea Reporter

Nick FLores / The Rip

Janelle Birdwell, Shelby Luna and Dale Thomas sit outside of Memorial Stadium to smoke during halftime Nov. 14.

Bakersfield College Memorial Stadium is now a non-smoking area.

Signs have been posted that prohibit people attending the games from smoking in certain areas within the stadium. There will be designated areas where people can smoke inside and outside of Memorial Stadium.

Bakersfield College President Greg Chamberlain said these new rules have been set forth in obedience of California laws. “The college is responding to concerned fans who

asked that smoking not be allowed within the stadium fencing,” explained Chamberlain.

Amber Chiang of BC Marketing and Public Relations described the areas that fans attending home games can smoke. They are outside the gates to the northwest of the stadium, on the home side and near the gymnasium. Smoking will not be allowed in any walkways, seating areas, or other public areas. Those who do not abide by the new regulation might be asked to leave the stadium.

Attendees of Renegade home games who are smokers shared their

opinion on the new rule.

“I’ll just walk outside and smoke, it’s not that big a deal,” said Jason Grass, who usually smokes along the side of the bleachers.

Jerry McGill, who supports BC football and all other athletics on campus, agrees with the new rule and said it’s absolutely necessary.

“We come here to enjoy a football game, not smell somebody’s poison,” he said.

While most people didn’t seem to mind, others thought the new rule was unnecessary.

Tim Hollick explained that he

didn’t agree with the new policy because it is an outside stadium. “Outside, I don’t know how you can get secondhand smoke unless you’re sitting on top of somebody.”

Josh Judkins also said that he thought the new policy had no point, because the stadium is outdoors.

Though he understands why the new rule was implemented, he still thinks people should be able to smoke if they’re outside.

“As far as I’m concerned there is a way to be a courteous smoker, but there are some people who are really rude,” said Diann Hollick.

The Bakersfield

Comic-Con Brian N. Willhite Editor in Chief

Comic book fans of all ages stepped out of their mild-mannered daily roles and transformed into their super alteregos as they explored the one-day comic book, fantasy and anime convention known as the Bakersfield Comic-Con.

Taking place inside the Doubletree Hotel on Nov. 14, the convention featured professional writers and artists from various fields in the world of comics who were available to chat with fans as well as independent writers, artists and publishers who were there to introduce their work to the Bakersfield crowd.

Nathan Wilson / The Rip

Star Wars fans Tina (left) and Joe Gonzales pose as a Storm Trooper and a TIE fighter pilot at the Bakersfield Comic-Con on Nov. 14.

The event was staged similar to the larger comic-con-styled conventions with a host of retailers setting up tables filled with toys, collectibles and other memorabilia along with boxes of backissue comics for attendees to browse and search through for those elusive and hard-to-find issues that have evaded their collections. The show even hosted three miniature panels.

The convention also included its share of cosplay by the fans, too.

Like larger conventions that draw over 100,000 people, some dressed up in costumes worn by their favorite characters while others used the opportunity to promote their causes, all of whom posed for photographs with fans as they walked up and down the aisles, keeping with the tradition of costume-friendly conventions.

One costumed hero that donned the cowl as the caped-crusader was Rod Reed. Sporting a custom-made Batman suit branded from the molds of the same costume worn in the “Batman Forever” movie, Reed completed the ensemble with dark eye makeup and the signature Batman voice. In addition to promoting an indie film with Hectic Films, Reed was on hand to take photos with guests against a night sky backdrop as a fundraiser to support a local charity.

“We’re doing a charity for CASA, the Court Appointed Special Advocates, and the donations go toward that organization,” said Reed as he explained how they also do work for other charities including the Children’s Miracle Network.

Costumed heroes weren’t the only ones that crashed the show though.

Even Batman’s long-time arch nemesis, the Joker, came out to play, and perhaps, tell a killing joke or two.

“I love conventions. I love being able to dress up and leave the house for a day and forget about all your troubles and just have fun with your fellow comic

book enthusiasts and have a good time and give people a good show,” said Desmond Blackstone in a costume inspired by Heath Ledger’s Joker from “The Dark Knight”.

“I’ve always really loved the Joker, what he embodies and what he represents; he’s kind-of an anarchy type of a character, and also he Nathan Wilson / The Rip likes Rod Reed portrays the Dark Knight at the Bakersfield having Comic-Con on Nov. 14. Reed posed for photos with fans to a cheap laugh,” support CASA, a local children’s charity. he said.

Shaw has been working in comics From fans dressed in the costumes of their favorite characters to the skillful since 1971; he is also one of the foundcraftsmanship of the writers and anima- ers of the San Diego Comic-Con, the tors that bring those characters to life, biggest comic book convention in the the convention’s guest list included a U.S. “I did underground comics for four or bevy of professionals working in comics today. Some of the high-profile five years and that segued into writing guests included, among others, Brent and drawing comics for Hannah-BarbaAnderson, who has worked on titles like ra Productions and that led to Hannah“X-Men” and “Astro City,” and Joe Ru- Barbara hiring me to work on staff on binstein, who has worked on “Archie” things like ‘The Flintstones’ and ‘Godzilla’ and ‘Casper the Ghost,’” Shaw said and “Wolverine” titles.

Two more guests whose names were of his early career work.

Shaw returned to comics after that highlighted on the marquee were Scott Shaw and Mike Kazaleh, both veteran but found himself working in animaanimators and cartoonists that have tion again on “Jim Henson’s Muppet worked in everything from comics Babies” where he won four Emmys; to cartoon TV shows over the last 40 he also worked as a director for other years.

Please see COMIC-CON, Page 3

More renovations scheduled for BC in the next few years RENOVATIONS | Despite missed building deadlines and a lack of budget on some projects, BC renovations continue.

By James Licea Reporter

LaMont Schiers, director of administrative services, clarified that renovations that have been in discussion in past years will be taking place in the near future.

Other improvements of Bakersfield College’s campus are still in discussion and may take more time.

One project that has been in the process for years is the modernization of the Speech

and Music building. The SAM building is scheduled to start construction in the fall of 2011 if all goes according to plan. Plans have already been drawn out and include changing the name to the Edward Simonsen building.

During construction, classes that are held in the SAM building will be relocated throughout campus. Some choir and music courses will be required to move their class to a nearby high school to use a room that better suits their needs as a music class.

An Energy Management System is also going to be installed to make better use of campus amenities such as exterior lights, air conditioning and heating. The

system will also help the school’s goal to become more energy efficient.

The photovoltaic parking lot is almost complete, and a ribbon ceremony will take place for the opening next month.

The basement of the Language Arts building is also another topic of concern. The basement is currently used for storage and is making poor use of its space.

The ceiling is 22 feet high and items are only placed on the ground.

Pallet racks are going to be installed to make better use of the space available. Once this project takes place, the school should be better prepared to store items

from any building that is under construction.

Plans to remodel Student Services and the Fine Arts building were thought to be starting soon; however, both plans are still pending on state bonds.

Schiers explained, “The only one that we know is going to take place at this time is SAM.” Campus Center, unlike other renovations, is independent from state funds and has a budget of $6 million. Plans for remodeling the Campus Center include moving the Renegade Rip student newspaper out of the center. Details for the exact location have yet to be determined, though construction for CC is estimated to start

in 2012. Along with the building remodels, Miranda Whipple, the Student Government Association’s treasurer, stated that the safety committee assigned the project of going back to the original format for the titles on each building. Instead of abbreviations, the titles will be spelled out to minimize confusion by students when trying to find a class.

Vice President of SGA Brian Rathfelder shared that it has been proposed to the district to improve the handicapped doors.

It is hoped that automatic sliding doors will take the place of the current handicapped access doors. Most doors only work oc-

casionally and Rathfelder stated, “It’s a part of a lot of the modernization that they’re going to be working toward on campus.”

Schiers explained that the GET bus terminal was supposed to be relocated to Panorama Drive this semester, but the project will begin next fall. The terminal will be placed between the Humanities and Levan Center for convenience.

“The main reason for this change in where GET drops off and picks up our students and visitors,” Schiers explained, “is because currently it is a tight fit and we have a lot of pedestrian traffic trying to cross the road there in this vicinity.”

Features

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The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Walk raises awareness to prevent suicides

By Breanna Gray Reporter

Supporters carried signs in memory of loved ones for the Nov. 6 gathering at Beach Park for the Out of the Darkness’ Walk to Prevent Suicide where their aspirations were met through more ways than one.

Ellen Eggert Hallgren organized the second walk in Bakersfield that is also put on all over the nation.

“I run a group for people who have lost loved ones to suicide.

The group has been meeting for three years and a couple years ago we decided that we wanted to do something,” Hallgren said.

“We couldn’t bring our loved ones back, but we wanted to save others from going through what we went through so we got involved with [American Foundation for Suicide Prevention] and we started doing the walks.”

Although there was no entry

fee, donations and profits from the raffles went to local prevention programs and national research funds.

Hallgren said that raising money is a good part of the walk, but the education of prevention is what she believes it is all about.

“That’s important, but the most important thing is to raise awareness that suicide can be prevented and we want to erase the stigma associated with suicide because when people hear the word they run. We want to talk about it and educate the people about it.

“Where we are, it’s a busy intersection and people see us and think, ‘Oh, you know, people are talking about it,’ and not be afraid to talk about it too,” she said.

Family members and friends were able to remember their loved ones and support each other with the common goal of prevention. There were many booths set up for support groups and goals for suicide prevention.

One such booth was dedicated to Suzy’s Law. The booth was ran by Suzy’s mother and father, Mike Gonzales, who were advocating for the passing of H.R. 853, or Suzy’s Law, after their daughter committed suicide in 2003 with the help of a pro-suicide Web site.

H.R. 853 is a suicide prevention act, which the Gonzales’ promote by traveling to all of the events around California that are put on

by Out of the Darkness.

They traveled 650 miles to Bakersfield so that they could share their daughter’s story.

“What the bill does is target the predators of these sites, those certain individuals who target other people like my daughter who was severely depressed, and was suicidal. But then he befriended her, gained her confidence and validated all her depressed feelings about loneliness and not worth living. He encouraged her to solely focus on killing herself.

He showed her information and kept her focused on the concept of killing herself, up to the point that she did take her life.

“He was online with her up to the very moment when she left her apartment to go to the hotel to take her own life. He proofread her suicide note and made sure that no one would have the chance of interrupting her. He showed her how to take her own life; she ingested cyanide, you tell me how you get cyanide. He had it shipped to her. He showed her how to mix it and do all stuff so she could take it,” said Gonzales.

Though Suzy’s online predator also taught her how to wipe down the computer of all evidence so that it couldn’t be traced back to him, Gonzales did some research into his daughter’s hidden life and found the site where they were celebrating Suzy’s death as their 14th success story. Gonzales periodically checks in on

the site and said that there have now been over 30. Pro-suicide Web sites would archive their information but many of them are now switching to private e-mails. Gonzales said that the man who targeted his daughter is still assisting people with their suicides.

“After our daughter died and we spent two years having legal entities research, the Florida police, Tallahassee police, US Attorney General’s office and several private law offices in Florida, that’s where my daughter was when she died, we had them research it and found out that assisting suicide through the internet, there isn’t any laws against that,” Gonzales said.

“So people are getting away with it. After those two years of trying to figure it out, all of the legal people said, ‘Sorry, there’s nothing we can do, there are no laws.’ “ Gonzales wasn’t going to let

“sorry” be the only answer to these crimes. He went to Congressman Wally Herger and helped establish a bill that made it a federal crime to promote or encourage suicide over the Internet. According to the Suzy’s Law Web site, “H.R. 853 is both narrow and specific. It is limited in its scope and its extent.

It doesn’t trample on the First Amendment, and it doesn’t supersede state laws.”

Though the bill will not shut down pro-suicide sites, it will target the predators of the sites.

The Gonzales’ main goal is to get 50 Congressional co-sponsors in order to be approved.

One way of accomplishing that goal was having people write to their local representatives, encouraging them to cosponsor H.R. 853 by filling out a card at the event or going to www.suzyslaw.com where supporters could find information to send a letter.

Hall of fame ceremony recognizes BC alumni

By Brian N. Willhite Editor in Chief

It was a night of celebration as Bakersfield College alumni and special guests gathered to honor this year’s inductees into the Herb Loken Hall of Fame.

The ceremony took place Nov. 4 in the cafeteria on campus and recognized alumni that have been nominated for their contributions and efforts to promote BC. This year, there were four honorees inducted into the hall of fame: Jan Stuebbe, David Gay, George Culver and Chris Hitchcock-Maranda According to the President of the Alumni Association, Becki Whitson, the men honored receive a ring and the women honored receive a pendant, both tokens signify their induction into the distinguished group. Whitson also described how individuals are nominated for the honor.

“We induct people into the hall that we think are strong supporters of the alumni association... whether it’s service or financial contribution – that kind of thing,” Whitson said and added, “They’re all worthy candidates.”

The catered awards dinner was attended by 170 people, according to Whitson who felt that this year was the most attended ceremony.

“This is probably the biggest crowd we’ve ever had. Probably because of the names and a lot of people wanted to be here to support them,” she said.

Before he received his award, Gay, who is currently the chair of the Alumni Foundation, spoke about how he was inspired by his parents, Dean and Adah Gay, to give back to BC. He has started a scholarship foundation for students and discussed how enthusiastic he is to see students be able to use those scholar-

Photos By Nathan Wilson / The Rip

Brian N. Willhite / The Rip

Chris Hitchcock-Maranda gives thanks during her induction speech into the BC Hall of Fame on Nov. 4. ships to be successful.

“I feel very passionately about helping the young men and women that are coming through the college,” Gay said.

Herb Loken, whom the honor is named after, was also in attendance that evening.

One of the first recipients of the award, the 1956 former athletic director of 15-years was at the ceremony to show his support for BC and the honorees.

It was also during the second anniversary of the hall of fame ceremony that the Alumni Association changed the name of the award and named it after him. Loken was surprised by this gesture and has been honored himself ever since.

“It’s the biggest thrill of my life, other than getting married,” Loken joked as he admitted that he was humbled by the honor.

Each of the inductees was introduced by an individual that had a lot of history with one of the night’s guests of honor. The presenters shared their stories of how they met them and how they inspired them in an anecdotal fashion, stemming from

their personal experiences.

All of the honorees participated in athletics at BC, and among those they thanked along the way in their speeches, they also thanked their coaches for helping them achieve their goals.

As each of the four inductees took center stage, they shared their stories about their years at BC, including their decisions to choose BC over scholarship offers from other colleges wanting to recruit them.

Stuebbe, the current BC athletic director, told his story about how he had an opportunity to play football at University of California, Berkley on a full-ride scholarship but then met with BC coaches who told him, for various reasons, that he should be a Renegade – a decision he is proud to say he made.

In his speech, Stuebbe, with ring in hand, summed up the emotion felt by many in the room as he declared, “I’m proud to be a Renegade, and I’ll always be a Renegade. Thank you very much for this honor.”

Above: Bud Gaugh plays the drums while Todd Forman plays the saxophone during Sublime’s performance of “Ebin” at the Rabobank Theater on Nov. 5.

Left: Rome Ramirez jams out while performing “Ebin.”

Below: Eric Wilson plays bass guitar during “Date Rape” at the Rabobank Theater.

Bakersfield welcomes rock show

By Nathan Wilson Photographer

Sublime with Rome and The Dirty Heads performed for roughly 2,000 people at the Rabobank Theater on Nov. 5.

Rome Ramirez joined original Sublime members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh to form Sublime with Rome back in February 2009. This is the band’s first official tour since their formation.

They are also writing a debut album that is set to release in 2011.

As the crowd entered the room where the bands were playing, they could see small bursts of smoke here and there with a distinct smell of cannabis filling the air.

The Dirty Heads performed first playing such songs as “Lay Me Down,” “Stand Tall” and “Insomnia.”

Sublime with Rome performed next playing hit Sublime songs like “Wrong Way,” “Date Rape” and “Santeria.” They also performed “Panic,” the trio’s first original song as Sublime with Rome.

The crowd seemed to enjoy both of the bands, but Sublime with Rome received the most applause during the night.

Features

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The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Musician talks touring’s shortcomings

By Vincent Perez Features Editor

Dia Frampton, 23, lead singer and keyboardist of the indie poprock band Meg & Dia, said that touring weighs heavily on her personal life before the band’s Nov. 13 set at Jerry’s Pizza in downtown Bakersfield.

“I’m never home. I don’t get to see my family or friends very often. If I do get into a relationship, it’s always long-distance. I use iChat, Skype and telephone.”

She added, “It’s affected all my personal relationships dramatically. It’s impossible to have good relationships when you’re away – it’s very, very hard.”

She added that having her sister Meg Frampton helps on the road, but has its hardships. “We’re really good friends. We fight a lot sometimes, but most of the time we hang out. It’s nice to have an-

other girl in the group.”

“Touring itself is an opportunity – we’ve gone out with some really good bands. Going out with Angels & Airwaves was really crazy.”

“I’ve met some of my best friends on tour,” she said as she noted The Rocket Summer as good friends, who they opened up for at Jerry’s Pizza.

Meg (rhythm guitar/vocals) and Dia Frampton founded the band as a duo in 2004, which grew into a five-piece band consisting of bassist Jonathan Snyder, drummer Nick Price and lead guitarist Carlo Gimenez.

The Utah band has released three full-length albums and four extended plays. In July, Meg & Dia were dropped from Warner Bros. Records. They had been with Warner Bros. since 2007.

Frampton explained how the transition from major label artist to independent went.

“I don’t feel like a lot has changed for us. We’re still doing the same thing we do – we tour, we do recordings. We don’t have a big budget behind us, but that still hasn’t affected us making music.”

When asked about the current music scene, Frampton quickly replied, “It’s dramatically changing. I think all major labels are going to close down except for a few. The economy has effected touring as well, it’s harder to survive.”

She added, “There’s also positive things going on – different kinds of artists have a bigger chance of getting their music out because of so much technology. There are so many ups and downs right now.”

When Frampton was asked how music is judged currently, either by quality or quantity, she said after hesitating, “I think quantity, but with everything

there’s always really great and really awful.”

Frampton said that she enjoys new music, but relies on older music more.

“I’ve found some great new artists I love to listen to and I continue to find them. I also listen to old music like Tom Petty and Boston. They never change, and they’re always there for you when you can’t find a good artist.”

Frampton said that she has played Bakersfield before with Meg & Dia but could not recall the last time.

“It’s cool. I like this area – it’s very random,” said Frampton.

She mentioned about the people, “They’re all really nice.”

Frampton’s influences varied, as she said, “I really like Modest Mouse, literature and Tom Petty is my favorite artist.”

She added that most of her lyrics come from “mostly literature

and people I meet and relationships and family.”

Frampton said her hobbies include cooking, writing, yoga and kickboxing. She pointed out two bands that treated Meg & Dia on the road well.

“The band that probably treated us the best was Angels & Airwaves or Plain White T’s.”

Meg & Dia released an EP titled “It’s Always Sunny In Tillamook” Nov. 2 independently.

Frampton said about the recording process of the EP, “It was just good to write again. It was like whatever came. It wasn’t any kind of pathway – we weren’t on a major label, we weren’t trying to write a radio hit.”

She added, “There were no expectations, so there was no stress.

It was really free-flowing.”

Meg & Dia’s fourth full-length album is currently untitled according to Frampton.

Frampton said that none of the songs on their latest EP would appear again on their new album, due for release “probably February or March of next year,” said Frampton.

Frampton said that the band’s future plans are “Really nothing – holidays with the family and then we’ll see how this takes us.”

Frampton said that she isn’t sure if she will be touring in ten years.

“I really don’t know. I would like to be [touring], but I’d also like to move out of my parents’ house and afford rent.”

She added, “I definitely want to always be involved with music, or I think I’d have a very difficult time with life.”

Meg & Dia are currently doing a national tour in support for their latest EP, which ends Dec. 7 in Denver at Soiled Dove Underground.

Open mic night at BC invites all

By Cristal Rodriguez Reporter

Nathan Wilson / The Rip

Various posters and memorabilia are displayed for sale during the Bakersfield Comic-Con on Nov. 14.

COMIC-CON: Local fan-favorite show brings comics and fun Continued from Page 1 shows and commercials. He now writes and draws for “The Simpsons” comic books.

Kazaleh began in the ‘80s and has worked with many publishers, including Marvel and DC. Some of his work as an animator was with “Mighty Mouse” and “Ren & Stimpy,” and he has also done work as a writer as well as working on TV shows and commercials. Currently, Kazaleh is working with Bongo Comics as an animator on the “Futurama” comic books.

As the show progresses each year, so do the inner workings behind the scenes. For the past three years, the Bakersfield show has been under new management. Steven Wyatt took over the convention from the previous organizers and brought the local fan-favorite back to life when he learned that they were not going to be hosting the convention anymore. Wyatt will also be continuing the annual Bak-Anime, Bakersfield’s anime convention, which will happen Jan. 23, 2011.

Wyatt has been an avid fan of all things comic books for the last 40 years and wanted to bring more attention to the comic book scene in Bakersfield.

He feels that the show can be successful in Bakersfield but that the city is not big enough, or has enough interest, to cause the show to be a larger event than it is.

“I don’t think this could ever be bigger than a one-day show, but I think it can stay a good one-day show as long as we’re all enthusiastic about comic books,” said Wyatt.

He also discussed his passion for hosting conventions and why he does them. “We don’t do it to make money, we do it for fun.”

To generate more interest in the show, Wyatt and his wife visited the California State University of Bakersfield campus during the youth soccer games prior to the convention’s opening day and handed out 600 passes to the children there good for two free admissions to the $5 event. Next year, they plan on passing out 2,000 because they didn’t have enough for most of the youth there.

The convention also reserved a portion of the profits for a charitable donation.

Attendees to the show had the opportunity to participate in a raffle for several prize packages worth over $500.

Last year they donated $350 for the charity, before this year’s raffle he announced that they reached their goal of $500, which will be donated to the Bakersfield Food Bank, a charity that Wyatt feels strongly about supporting because of the pressures people face when it comes to the holiday season.

An open mic night organized by the Art Club was held in the Bakersfield College Fireside room on Nov. 9.

All students were welcome to participate and express themselves through poetry, music, lyrics or just anything they felt.

“We organized this event for all students here at BC. We just wanted to give students a chance to express themselves through poetry or music and to see what interest the students,” said organizer Laura Opperman.

There was a lot of poetry that the students shared at this event.

The performers expressed many deep emotions such as sadness, love, anxiety, encouragement and overwhelming feelings.

On the other hand, the music was very energetic throughout the night. There were a couple songs that were sung about broken hearts, but the others were loud and cheerful.

There was one particular performer who had the crowd laughing the entire time with his comedic performance.

“My style is pirate rockish with gypsy elements and a lot of Irish influence. And I also have comedic lyrics,” said Victorio Xavier, a performer from the event.

All of the performers had great talent while expressing their feelings in front of the crowd.

“Singing is a form of communication along with poetry. It is important for students to express themselves through all types of communication, whether people hear it or not,” Xavier said.

Throughout the night, the Art Club also had a silent auction going on in the back of the room.

There were little drawings painted and pinned up on the back for students to look at and see what they wanted.

“These are called ‘Postcard for Charity’ and 50 percent will go to the Art Club and the other 50 percent will go to a no-kill animal shelter in Fresno. We decided it was a good idea to put these two events together,” said Opperman.

Half of the money raised during open mic night will be going to the Animal Rescue of Fresno.

“I really am thankful for whoever put this event together because I really enjoyed watching and hearing all these strong emotions that were expressed.” said Lucy Cervantes, a spectator at the event.”

Plus, it also helps some with relieving stress,” This was the first time Open Mic Night was put together at BC. “We hope to do it more times throughout the year and we welcome more students to participate in this event,” said Opperman.

Although Open Mic Night was a success

ryan george / The Rip

Easton Ellington plays a song in the Fireside Room on Nov. 9. according to Opperman, there weren’t many people who showed up.

“We are trying to bring the arts back to campus. As much participation we can get will make that happen,” said Chris Ballard, an Art Club organizer.

Improv group appeals to all ages

By Brian N. Willhite Editor in Chief

carissa edwards / The Rip

John Spitzer (left) and Robert Long tell the audience about “CIA” during their show at the Icehouse on Nov. 6.

Improv comedy comes alive in Bakersfield with over-the-top stage antics performed for the viewers’ pleasure and provided by none other than the Center for Improv Advancement.

The one-acts take place at the Icehouse, one of Bakersfield’s landmark locations.

The CIA comedy troupe entertains with minimal props like lab coats and marshmallows to illustrate their zany hijinks.

They also include audience participation in their skits where they encourage guests to get in-

volved with the shows.

Another feature to CIA’s bag of never-ending gags is how they also offer improv classes for anyone interested in learning the craft.

They take all-comers, whether they have experience or not and teach them the tricks of the trade while having fun doing so.

Upcoming shows for CIA will be Nov. 13, 20 and 27.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $1 for children.

The all-ages shows are geared toward amusing and entertaining audiences for a night of standup laughs. For more information vist ciacomedy.com.

Above: Jason Monroe and Josh Mojica play with hand puppets during one of the scenes of The CIA show Nov. 6.

Left: During a scene of the CIA show, from left, Tyler Privett, Zach Payne, Isaiah Pedriguez and Robert Long all decided to jump together Nov. 6. carissa edwards / The Rip

News

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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Picasso on display in BC office

News Briefs Clarification In the Nov. 4 issue of The Rip, the story titled “Coffee spill in SGA sparks argument” misinterpreted the SGA’s policy regarding food and drinks during meetings in the board room. The correct policy implies that SGA members are allowed to have food and drinks during meetings and that student groups using the board room are not.

Bakersfield College’s Great American Smokeout

In an effort to help students quit smoking, BC is promoting the Great American Smokeout which is designed to educate students about the dangers of smoking. Students seeking more information can stop by the Campus Center on Nov. 18 and pick up a “Quit Kit,” they can also attend a health fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1800 Mt. Vernon Avenue.

Rooter Bus for Renegades vs Mt. Sac football game.

A Rooter Bus will be available to transport fans to Bakersfield College’s playoff game against Mount San Antonio College in Walnut on Nov. 20. The bus will leave BC at 2:30 p.m. The cost is $25, and does not include admission to the game. Seating is limited, and reservations can be made by calling 395-4800.

Support the local Toys for Tots gift drive this holiday season

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital will be the donation site for this year’s Toys for Tots gift drive. If you would like to donate this year, drop off new and unwrapped toys in the main lobby, cafeteria or in Founders Hall.

The deadline for all donations is Dec. 8. For more info visit toysfortots.org.

By Michael Wafford Opinion Editor

Gregory D. Cook / The Rip

Professor Reginald Williams discusses racism, sexism and misogyny Nov. 5.

Taboo topics discussed at forum

By Mateo M. Melero Magazine Editor

Inside the Levan Center on Nov. 5, Philosophy Professor Reginald Williams, gathered coworkers and friends alike to discuss the words racism, sexism and misogyny.

“If you look up the literature on racism and sexism, of course it’s a philosophical topic, and what you notice when you look at philosophical issues and you read about them…tons and tons of disagreements,” said Williams.

Williams begin the inquiry, first with an anecdote for his reasoning behind having the discussion, noting that he comes from a modest background that influences much of his socio-political studies – then he moved on to discuss the etymology of the words, what they convey, and the degree at which they convey.

“Certainly if you’re seen as a misogynist on campus with your students, or even a sexist or racist or whatever, that is not some lightweight charge, so we need some clarity and it’s really hard to get it even on this kind of basis.”

As the discussion pro-

gressed, examples of statements that could be construed as racist, sexist, or misogynist, and rather the words, which carry social and behavioral determiners that can be construed as a negative implication upon the individual they are intended for, are appropriate in classification with some statements.

The example was given: “Women tend to be smaller or more petite than men.”

Some of the audience assured that it was a generalization. Williams asked, “Are generalizations OK?” and whether there was truth to the statement.

Communication Professor Michael Korcok during this point said, “The medium height of woman is less than the medium height of men on this earth and has been historically the case.”

In the case of this statement, Williams went on to say, “I hear that there is some level of truth to this…I hear that there is no negative connotation to it. Interesting is, it might depend on the context.”

Further examples of sexist or misogynist statements were provided such

as “women are whores” and “women are evil,” in which they were concluded to contain elements that could deem them as misogynistic and not sexist. In relation to the Oxford English Dictionary definitions of the terms, it was concluded that misogyny carries a hateful connotation toward where as sexism implies a lesser but still an offensive attitude or treatment of one based on sex.

This severity difference between the words sexist and misogynist was further related to the word racist.

“In the sex case we have a distinction – sexism, misogyny,” said Williams, “In the race case, I have looked far and wide and I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve read, we don’t draw an analogous distinction.”

Williams went on to stress that there is no underscoring linguistic tool for the word racist and that people’s use of the word causes unwanted connotations that aren’t necessarily accurate to the individual being accused.

Williams said after the discussion, “It all ends up lumped together in a way that’s not like sexism.”

The works of Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera reside in a small corner of the Bakersfield College campus.

“Sketch of an Agricultural Mural” by Rivera and an ink sketch

by Picasso are hung on the walls of BC President Greg Chamberlain’s office.

These are just two pieces of the BC permanent art collection, valued at over $80,000.

The works of art – including paintings, drawings and sculptures – were acquired in the 1960s by the student body that began purchasing art for BC in 1960 for a permanent art collection. While the student body purchased most of the art, several pieces were donated to BC by the Ford Foundation, including the Diego and Picasso.

The collection started in 1960 when the BC Associated Student Body began purchasing art for the campus with an annual budget of $600.

“What happened, apparently, was that the student body had bought the pictures and they were spending good money on lots of art,” said Jerry Ludeke, director of the BC archives.

Ludeke said after acquiring the art the student body discovered the cost of insurance for the collection was too much for them to afford. “They realized they can’t handle that, so they turned it over to the Kern Community College District to become the owners,” said Ludeke.

While most of the art was placed in storage, former BC President John Collins placed the two most expensive pictures

carissa edwards / The Rip

A sketch by Pablo Picasso, donated to BC, hangs in Greg Chamberlains office.

– the Picasso and the Rivera – in the president’s office for safekeeping, said Ludeke.

After the rest of the art was given to the school district, it was stored in the basement below the Financial Aid office until 1987.

According to documents from the archives the condition of the art collection is poor due to poor storage practices.

Kathy Rosellini, a BC counselor, said, “I don’t know what happened between the time they purchased it and – let’s say – the 1980s so for about 20 years I don’t know what happened to the artwork.

“I just know that in the late 1980s or early ’90s I was the director of student affairs,” she said. “I was told then that the business manager was trying to locate this art because they wanted to inventory it, see what was there, and then of course get an appraisal.”

While some of the art collection is missing, Ludeke and Rosellini are hoping that the works of art can be found.

“I hope that the students can locate it because it’s their collection and they should know where it is. It should be protected,” said Rosellini.

Campus

Page 5

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Veteran student pushes for club

Left: Veteran and BC student J.R. Browning, takes part in a discussion during a BC Veterans Club meeting in the Fireside Room on Nov. 15.

VETERANS CLUB | Newly formed club helps veterans attending BC progress in their education.

braces I needed from the Veterans Affairs.

I brought this up in NAMI and someone suggested I contact the Wounded Heroes Foundation. They were able to help me with it.”

By Kristen Blue The group supports one another, shares Reporter stories, and relates to each other. AcBonnie Wilson, a 28-year-old Bakers- cording to Wilson, they have been a huge field College student, has become an ac- impact in her transition to going back to Bakersfield College. tive member in the BC Veterans Club.

After NAMI, Wilson wanted to become After two years of service in the Navy, Wilson is back in Bakersfield working to more active and joined the Veterans Club rebuild her life. “I can’t say I didn’t like it, on campus.

“It feels like I’m making a difference, but I didn’t agree with a lot of things that like I have a purpose,” she said. “I don’t were happening,” think people reshe said. “Military lifestyle is totally “I don’t know where I would ally know about our club. We different.” be without this support.

We want to get the Wilson experiword out.” enced severe Post all help each other out.”

The Veterans Traumatic Stress Club wants to Syndrome while in become more Bonnie Wilson, BC Veterans Club the Navy. active on cam“I would have Member pus. “On Vetincidents and epierans Day we sodes that hapwant to sell flags and earn money to help pened frequently,” she said. “It really with our group. We want to help with the started to scare me.”

The transition back to normal life with Food Pantry.”

The club is for anyone on Bakersfield the PTSD was a struggle for Wilson. “I College’s campus who wants to support had a meltdown,” she said. “I lost everything. I’m 28 and fighting to get my life veterans.

“I’m not dogging the system, but vetback.” erans need more support,” she said. “BaWilson began attending NAMI Veterans kersfield College’s Veterans Club wants to meetings for support.

“I don’t know where I would be without help contribute and do their part.

The club can be contacted by sending a this support,” she said. message on Facebook to BakersfieldCol“We all help each other out. For examlegeVeterans Club. ple, I was having a hard time getting knee

Below: Ian McDonald (left) and Bonnie Wilson attend a BC Veterans Club meeting in the Fireside Room Nov. 15.

Annie Stockman / The Rip

Jazz takes over Bakersfield College Indoor Theater

By Breanna Gray Reporter

Quiet murmurs filled the Bakersfield College Indoor Theater as the scattered crowd waited for the Jazz Fall Concert to begin.

Performing arts professor Kris Tiner directed the modern and classic performances of BC’s Jazz Ensemble on Nov. 5.

The big band feel of “Blues for Kapp” by Marty Paich opened the performance with solos from Danielle Morin, baritone saxophone; James Russell, alto saxophone, and Jorge Santos, trumpet.

After a roar of applause from the audience, Tiner shared the meaning behind the next song’s title, “Black and Tan Fantasy”

by Duke Ellington and Bubber Miley.

“The black and tan was sort of an undercover jazz club in the 1920s,” said Tiner. “It was a place where the black folks and white folks got together and listened to music, and did other things.

“The black part of it is an old spiritual tune Ellington had learned from his mother, which is played in the A section and the B section is more of a Ragtime, which is a bit of the white influ-

The finals monster

ence.”

It started out with growls from the plunger-toped trumpets accompanied with the Ragtime melody of the grand piano, which gave off the vibe of being inside of one of those black and tan underground clubs.

After Tiner assured the audience that the musical gear had been bought brand new, the ensemble jumped from the renaissance to the ’70s tune played in the Muppet’s movie, “Rainbow Connection” by Williams/Ascher. Much of the song featured trumpet player Jorge Santos, who is leaving BC to continue

his studies of Latin music in Puerto Rico.

The Funk streak continued with “Boogie Stomp Shuffle”

by Charles Mingus right before intermission where audience members had a chance to look at the posters designed by past BC graphic design students. Daniel Coleman designed this year’s poster.

A percussion of bongos, electric guitar and trumpet, played

by Tiner, filled the theater with the ‘50s composition, “Call for All Demons.”

Tiner said, “One of my favorite tunes by one of my favorite

composers, Sun Ra. One of my favorite space aliens too. We got Muppets and aliens all in the space show.”

Tiner continued to say that their next song, “Speak No Evil”

by Wayne Shorter, was newly arranged – or “deranged,” as he put it – to give it a new twist after he heard a section of the class jamming on it one day.

The soulful lounge saxophone played by Stacy Garvin and hard drumbeats by Nicolas Castro mixed along with the rest of the band for a fresh take on a ‘60s classic.

“Rivet” by Steuart Liebig

preceded “Tow Away Zone” by Thad Jones, making it their last two songs of the night. “Rivet” was specially composed for the BC Jazz Ensemble by the LAbased musician, Liebig. He rearranged one of his jazzy funk tunes with an array of the effects and electric guitar after playing a gig with Tiner a few years ago.

“It’s a very modern take on jazz funk music,” Tiner said, “with a lot of modern and classic influences mixed in.”

After the instrumental clash, the BC Jazz Ensemble the Fall Concert with Thad Jones’ “Tow Away Zone.”

By Samantha Garrett Copy Editor

Ryan george / The Rip

A dose of FluMist awaits use in the Student Health Center on Nov. 9.

Campus Center offers BC students a very healthy service

By Kristen Blue Reporter

The Student Health Center is providing free FluMist services to students at Bakersfield College.

The health fee students pay when registering as a student covers the FluMist services.

FluMist is offered to any BC student who wants one.

According to Joyce Coleman, dean of students, she believes it’s a beneficial service offered on campus. “If it can prevent someone from getting sick and missing class, it’s helpful,” said Coleman.

The FluMist was provided

by Clinica Sierra Vista through a contract Bakersfield College has.

An announcement was made on the BC Web site notifying students about the FluMist services provided. Coleman said they planned on putting up fliers to get the word out.

“We hope more students will come utilize this. We understand that going to the doctor can be expensive, but they can get the FluMist here on campus for free,” said Coleman.

Students attending Bakersfield College on Delano’s campus are also offered the same service.

The Student Health Center is located in Campus Center 3.

Walk-ins are accepted, but an appointment is recommended.

To make an appointment, the Student Health Center can be reached at 395-4336.

Opinions

Page 6

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Downtown Partying: A great Improper usage of the computer commons way to spend a night or a fast still a problem at BC road to disaster and regret?

Staff Editorial

Walking into the packed computer commons while on a time-crunch for a class project, only to find the majority of those computers occupied by people who are just aimlessly clicking their way through the Internet, is particularly frustrating to someone in need of it for academic purposes.

It gets especially more frustrating when you are a digital arts or journalism student in need of one of the five Macintoshes only to find that they are occupied by people on Facebook, who are unwilling to move so that someone in academic need of the machine, can use it.

This blatant inconsiderate behavior expressed by some in the commons is doing nothing but impeding someone in their educational advancement. And though this is not a new issue and has been addressed by the school and this paper before, it is still relevant and ongoing.

There are signs and regulations posted inside each station that stress the academic priority the computers entail, but no one seems to pay attention to them. And though the use of computers inside the library for purposes is a something every student has done, it becomes a problem when you do not take the liberty to option up your

seat to someone who is in need of it.

If someone is roaming about you with a look of inquiry on their face and a brick of books in their hands, and you happen to be just goofing around on the computer worrying about who is dating who and who hates who. Offer that individual your seat so that they can rest a little easier during finals.

If the person next to you seems transfixed in a fever of typing and page flapping, be considerate by setting your phone to silent and avoid deafening laughter as you watch something ridiculous on Youtube.

Everyone eventually has time to kill on campus and when you have to do it, find an outlet that won’t retard the study habits of others.

A sense of courtesy and forethought toward other students needs to be stressed, so that all students at BC are afforded the full potential of their sought education.

We are living in economically trying times and have had a recent influx of students on campus in the past couple of years.

It is imperative that we put education over everything else even the “Bed Intruder Song” or Michael Vick’s Twitter.

NFL player strike is not likely to occur

By Zak Cowan Reporter

A life without football.

That is what it could be like as early as fall 2011.

The 32 owners of the NFL are going through a grueling process right now as they try to come to a compromise for the new collective bargaining agreement between them and the players’ union.

If they don’t reach an agreement soon the American population could be left with no professional football for as long as it takes.

Can you imagine the impact that situation could inflict on the already failing economy in the states?

No Sunday barbecues and no Monday night pizza nights.

Not only could such a thing hamper an every day American’s life – it could impact countless businesses that rely on professional football for income during the fall season.

Think of pizza joints that will hurt from not having the Monday night football . . . all the beer that won’t be served.

Think of the grocery stores that would hurt from not selling the average amount of hamburger meat, beer and other

’G ade Feedback

food that they normally would on a Sunday during the fall football season.

All of these problems would arise if this new collective bargaining agreement doesn’t happen.

If the owners can’t agree on issues that most people would find obvious, such as salary caps, or training-camp regulations, we will not have any football whatsoever come fall 2011.

Most people would agree that football in our day is one of the biggest businesses in the country – and no doubt one of the most popular.

Football abruptly being postponed until further notice would no doubt hurt television stations, radio stations and the print industry.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there were riots in the streets, burning buildings and even mass protests bigger than those of Jon Stewart’s and Glenn Beck’s combined.

I have no doubt that they will get this deal done as early as the 2011 NFL Draft.

There is no chance in Hell that these 32 billionaire NFL team owners will miss out of on months and months of income.

Editor’s Note | Partying downtown is a big part of many Bakersfield College students’ lives. Two Rip staff writers decided to sound off on the subject.

PRO

CON

By BrendaIrene Rodriguez

By Kimberlyn Yvonne Macias

While many violent situations may occur in downtown Bakersfield, partying downtown can be an alternative to house parties or just laying around at home, and can be a lot of fun for most people, especially for those people 21 and over.

Come the weekend, downtown’s streets are filled with ladies dressed to impress, men looking their best, and drag queens at their finest.

People can go with groups of friends, or by themselves and meet new people.

There is drinking, socializing, dancing, a chance to meet new people, or even spark a new romance.

Drinking is a major reason people decide to go downtown because there are many bars to choose from. I like meeting up with my friends downtown and going to the bars and getting drinks. We like to see who can get the most drinks bought for them throughout the night.

Some people become more social when they drink, and if they are drinking at a bar, they are given the ability to talk to new people.

Most people think that partying downtown is better than going to a house party, because house parties can get overcrowded, and usually there will be more guys than girls at a house party.

There will usually be people underage at house parties, but partying downtown, people don’t have to worry much about an underage crowd being around.

My experiences at house parties have ended with cops breaking up the party before the clock even struck midnight.

At this party my friend hosted that I went to this past weekend on the east side of town, I was literally standing back to back with people I didn’t even know. My friend was expecting at least 40 people to show up at his house, but instead of 40, there ended up being approximately 100 people at his house. It was hot and everyone was sweaty. It truly wasn’t a pleasant place to be at.

If a bar or club begins to become overcrowded, people can always walk to another bar or club because everything is within walking distance.

People also like going downtown to party because clubs such as Azul’s, The Padre Hotel, and Casablanca offer a dance floor.

Although Casablanca is a gay club it welcomes anyone regardless of their sexual orientation and the time that I went with my friends, I truly enjoyed myself. My friends and I danced and drank the night away.

People from all over Bakersfield can go downtown and enjoy themselves, because downtown partying is livelier than a regular house party.I love going downtown for socializing, dancing and drinks.

Sometimes even for rock shows at bars such as The Mint, Riley’s and Sandrini’s.

Downtown’s atmosphere is more fun than partying at a house, due to the fact that there are a variety of different clubs and bars that are in the area.

Downtown clubs are a place where alcohol, drugs and sex are taken too lightly.

Alcohol plays a big role in the club scene; it is used to get completely drunk and act foolishly.

Of course there is the classical use of alcohol to impress women by buying them a drink. Alcohol takes people out of their usual mind set, into a world where you are not alert enough to consider the consequences.

The price you pay for a night of a couple drinks can be anywhere from a $4,000 DUI to an innocent life.

The consequences of clubbing can come back and haunt you for years and one little mistake as driving home intoxicated.

It has the ability to change your life and the lives of others when you decide to take the steering wheel in you own hands while under the influence.

Just when you think alcohol has gotten out of hand you begin to learn that drugs in downtown are passed around like candy. When speaking to a friend he mentioned that one of the times he was partying in clubs downtown he was offered M&M’s. I thought it was odd he was offered candy. That is when I learned that M&M is a nickname for a certain drug and what he offered was not a candy.

Drugs are taken so lightly that they are referred to as a piece of chocolate and offering it was like passing out candy on Halloween.

I know that drugs are a reality in this world and that some people choose to partake in this, but the reality of how lightly they are taken is astonishing to even hear, and the willingness to use them is shocking.

Intoxication reaches not only the people’s body, but you can even feel it in the environment and is the best to describe the vibe of clubs.

Intoxication makes one forget morals and standards that you may apply in your daily life.

All for the simple pleasure of having one good night.

It is incredible how one night of several drinks and a couple of dances tend to be the only requirement at clubs to lead two strangers to sex.

Two people who probably won’t use protection because they are neither above the influence nor in their right state of mind.

So a child can be brought into this world because the parents were too irresponsible and to inebriated to consider a life being procreated by meaningless sex.

All because of just one night of pleasure, when consequences aren’t measured, are not worth giving up your life to an illness that could have been avoided.

Diseases also can be brought into a new mechanism and spread amongst our community because symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases can take up to six to 12 months to develop. , so those who are infected pass it on without even realizing it.

Ignorance and embarrassment also can procrastinate diagnoses of sexually transmitted diseases.

So this is what downtown clubs really are: an intoxicated environment that intoxicates your mind and body, and most importantly it can intoxicate your world and impact your life.

Reporter

Reporter

What do you think of the new Campus Center renovations?

Editor’s note: ’Gade Feedback is a feature that asks students their opinion on various topics.

Compiled by: Rip Staff

Justin Peterson, welding: “I really like it. It would be better if they stayed cleaner. It would be better if they had a little more.”

Ashley Hartfield, culinary arts: “I like them. They could use more tables.

The renovations are good for the school.”

Nieka Benware, business marketing: “They’re very nice.

I don’t use them ‘cause it’s cold in the winter.”

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..........................Brian N. Willhite Reporters: Kristen Blue, Martin Chang, Zak Features Editor...............................Vincent Perez Cowan, Chrystal Fortt, Breanna Gray, James Sports Editor.......................................Julian Moore Licea, Kimberlyn Yvonne Macias, BrendaIrene Copy Editor ................................Samantha Garrett Rodriguez, Cristal Rodriguez, Sandra Ward Photo Editor..................................Annie Stockman Opinions Editor...........................Michael Wafford Magazine Editor.........................Mateo M. Melero Photographers: Carissa Edwards, Nicholas Flores, Ryan George, Deedee Soto, Nathan Wilson Online Editor...............................Gregory D. Cook Video Production........................Michael Morrow Adviser.......................................................Danny Edwards

Damion Lewis, undeclared: “It’s very useful. If they keep it clean it would be helpful to the students. You’re supposed to be Young Money.”

Daniel Munoz, undeclared: “I think it’s all right.

They didn’t need to change. When I play guitar I need to sit on a table. The game room is cool.”

Write The Rip

Letters should not exceed 300 words, must be accompanied by a signature and the letter writer’s identity must be verified.

The Rip reserves the right to edit letters, however, writers will be given the opportunity to revise lengthy or unacceptable submissions.

If an organization submits a letter as a group, it must be signed by only one person, either the leader of the organization or the letter writer. Pen names are not allowed and anonymous letters will not be published.

How to reach us

-Address: Bakersfield College, 1801 Panorama Drive, Bakersfield, CA 93305 -Phone: (661) 395-4324 -Web site: www.therip.com

Reviews

Page 7

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Call of Duty: Black Ops earns stars for gameplay

By Nicholas Flores Reporter

Like every other fan of the Call of Duty franchise, I have been patiently waiting for the release of “Call of Duty: Black Ops.” I already had the game preordered.

At around midnight on Nov. 9, I drove over to Gamestop to go pick up my copy of Black Ops. Immediately when ideo ame I got home I jumped eview online and started to play one of the new modes for Call of Duty, “One in the Cham-

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G

ber,” which was one of the most talked about multiplayer modes for the beta testing.

The point of “One in the Chamber” is you have one bullet in your chamber and if you kill your opponent you get a bullet back but if you miss you’re only left with your knife, which increases the game play and thinking of the game.

Something new that Treyarch Productions (no longer Infinity Ward) brought to the online experience was the customization of your character, which is a plus.

You are still able to customize your weapons as well.

Once I was done testing all of the online modes and game play,

I began to lean more toward the single-player campaign mode.

In this game you play as CIA agent Alex Mason, who is a bigtime hotshot in the agency.

He is trying to remember his past experiences throughout his time in war through flashbacks, and the player gets to relive them.

The campaign starts off very strong. The player’s vision is blurred and there is a deep, anonymous voice asking questions about the past and “where it all began.”

Also for the first time ever in a Call of Duty game the player gets the opportunity to fly a helicopter, which was very exciting and what a lot of fans were looking

forward to.

The graphics and the cut scenes for the game were not meant to blow anyone away.

The focus of the game developers was not to emphasize graphics but to emphasize the campaign and multiplayer modes.

Being a bag fan of the Call of Duty franchise, I was not disappointed at all with Black Ops. Treyarch really upped the multiplayer fun and the campaign was not as dull as the previous campaign in Modern Warfare 2.

Overall this is a great first person shooter, and if you’re a gamer and you do not own this, you should save up and go out to buy it, because this game will do everything except disappoint you.

Creativity, humor in animated comedy

Burrberry more than just frozen yogurt

By Cristal Rodriguez Reporter

When you’re in the mood for some delicious frozen yogurt and a place to relax, head over to Burrberry’s Frozen Yogurt located on 18th street.

At Burrberry’s ood they not only have eview frozen yogurt, they also have other treats such as smoothies, bagels, pastries, coffee and other drinks.

A must have at Burrberry’s is the blueberry frozen yogurt; it is so delicious with its sweet and sour taste.

It’s so yummy and has a weird taste, but in a good way.

At first, it’s really cold, and then you taste the sweet yogurt, then the sour blueberry tingles your tongue. After that, you don’t want to put your spoon down. I encourage everyone to try this at least once in your life.

Another cool thing about this place is that they have all kinds of healthy, sweet and chocolaty toppings.

You have the choice of creating a healthy snack, fruity snack, sweet snack, chocolaty snack or just go crazy and add whatever you’d like.

The toppings at Burrber-

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ry’s are strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, pineapple, coconut, gummy bears, sprinkles, Butterfinger bits, granola, white chocolate, chocolate chips and many other things.

Aside from all the great desserts Burrberry’s has, I also loved the look.

There are round black tables with simple purple chairs around them. There are also pictures from all over the world hung around the walls, which makes it look neat.

This place is just so awesome and it doesn’t feel crowded either like Cold Stone; this place is just so roomy and spacious.

There’s literally enough room around the tables for me to dance around- if I wanted to.

It is suitable for all college students who need to get work done too, because the atmosphere is very welcoming and relaxing with a great view of downtown Bakersfield.

They also offer free Wi-Fi, which is a plus.

And this place is also affordable for students and families to enjoy.

Frozen yogurt at Burrberry’s cost $3 for small, $4 for medium and $5 for large with no toppings.

If you would like toppings all you have to do is add $1 to whichever size you get and you will have access to all the top-

Courtesy of G4TV.com

Special agent Frank Woods marches through a jungle setting during the campaign mode of Activision’s firstperson shooter “Call of Duty: Black Ops.”

By James Licea Reporter

“Megamind” is an entertaining movie with many surprises and quite a few laughs. The movie is targeted at kids, but anyone who is a fan of Will Ferrell will definitely be amused.

The plot revolves around two characters, Megamind ovie and Metro Man, who eview are both sent from space in the beginning of the movie.

Where they both end up on Earth somewhat determines their destiny. Metro Man (Brad Pitt) ends up in a suburban couple’s home, while Megamind (Will Ferrell) ends up in a prison. Growing up, Metro Man takes the roll of the superhero and Megamind takes the role of the villain.

What I thought was most interesting about this movie was how original the plot was, at least to me. I kept thinking the movie was going in a certain direction and was very surprised when all my predictions ended up being wrong. There were three specific moments in the movie that I did not see coming at all.

With a cast including Ferrell, Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross and Ben Stiller, the movie

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Annie Stockman / The Rip

Burberry’s Frozen Yougurt, in downtown Bakersfield offers multiple topoings such as sprinkles, raspberry, strawberry, coconut, granola, and more all at reasonable prices. Unlimited toppings are available for $1 more. pings you’d like. Other places would charge more than $1 for unlimited toppings; so who wouldn’t want to go to Burrberry’s with these affordable prices?

And for someone like me who has a sweet tooth every once in a while but doesn’t always want fat junk food and candy, Burrberry’s is a great option.

Burrberry’s can be a healthy

snack because they use original tart that doesn’t contain all that sugar and carbs.

It all just depends on the type of yogurt you get and toppings as well.

So whenever you’re craving something sweet and tasty, instead of driving out of town to L.A., just go to Burrberry’s and enjoy some delicious blueberry yogurt with unlimited toppings.

took on many aspects of a usual comedy movie that you would normally find these actors in.

It still possessed the elements of a children’s movie by placing some dimwitted laughs that any child would find comical, but it also had somewhat of a sophisticated humor that will keep adults’ attention as well.

I found the action in the movie a bit surprising. I would say it is more violent-natured than a lot of children’s movies, but it still wasn’t too bad.

The movie takes a different approach than most superhero movies I’ve seen. While most movies would normally focus on the superhero, the villain is the main character in this version, which is a little odd at first, but it works well toward the end.

Will Ferrell does play a character that he’s played many times before and uses his typical humor. In the film he mispronounces words and makes silly assumptions about things that are funny but a little redundant.

Overall this movie is one I’d see again. It had great character development, a good plot, an awesome soundtrack and a lot of laughs.

Though at times I questioned whether the content was suitable for children, it was a good movie and, if I had children, I would take them to see it.

Kid Cudi uses vices as inspiration in new album and blends genres

By Martin Chang Reporter

With “The Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Ranger,” Kid Cudi has created a musical work of unique power. He uses the genre of hip-hop to explore the dark side of the human psyche with spectacular results.

I have always found lbum electronic mueview sic to have a strange, otherworldly, dark quality to it.

I have spent many nights listening to various techno albums, such as “Human After All” by Daft Punk, feeling a release of dark energy. It is a therapeutic process that I must do every once in a while. Yet these albums never quite had the power I knew was possible. This power is realized on “The Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.”

This starts with the songwriting, rapping and singing talents of Kid Cudi. He explores his deep feelings of pain and mental anguish and how he uses sex and drugs to escape from it. On other songs he

A R

Courtesy of Last.FM

Rapper Kid Cudi poses for a publicity photo. Cudi’s new album “Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Ranger” explores Kid Cudi’s inner emotions.

“Mr. Ranger” the instrumental quality of the darker songs is used, yet Cudi sings in a melodic way that gives the song a softer edge.

On songs such “Don’t Play This Song” and “These Worries,” which features Mary J. Blige, they take a more traditional approach to hip-hop. Yet the way Blige’s voice combines with Cudi delivery and subject make it unique. All the more regular songs still have something great because of the music and Cudi’s songwriting.

“Erase Me,” the lead single off the album, does not fit the album thematically, but it is one of the most memorable moments on the album.

It is a rock-rap hybrid about a toxic relationship. The song is outrageously catchy and Cudi gives a great rock ‘n’ roll performance.

It has great arena rock feel with its thumping drums. It is a song that will stick into many listeners’ heads.

As someone who is not a huge fan of hip-hop, I never thought I could connect with a rapper. It usually is with rock performers such as Kurt Cobain. But just by the quality of his music, I feel a connection.

“There are four words in the English language that start with Dw- what are they?”

Editor’s note: BC Brains is a feature that asks students a question to test their knowledge of all things trivial.

Compiled by: Rip Staff

explores the bliss he experiences after smoking the drug, a minimal approach is wisely used. The smoothly sung song is augmented by simple drum and bass patterns, and choir sounding voices. These elements never clutter up the power of the vocal melodies.

On the other, lighter songs on the album, songs like the beautifully sung ballad “All Along,” the same careful sense of composition is used. This sense of focus on Cudi’s vocals continues throughout the album, even on the more instrumental heavy songs.

On the heavier, darker songs the driving bass lines and distorted sound loops give the songs an almost extreme heart in your throat feeling.

Other elements such as slowed down voices and distorted laughing turn the darkest moments into compelling electronic sound collages.

These are the moments in which you feel the dark side of Cudi most powerfully.

These moments are the moments that give me that therapeutic release.

The album is made of more then these two extremes. On songs like

Craig Miles, Automotive Technician: “Draw?

I feel retarded.

I wanted to say dwarf.”

Justin Thornton, Biology: “The only thing I can think of is Dwaite, and it’s a name.”

Allen Aguilar, Sociology: “Dwindle, there’s three? That’s all I know to be honest.

I can’t think of anything.”

Melissa Pilar, Computer Engineering: “Is dwelled a word? I think that’s the only word I can get.”

Alberto Flores, Engineering: “Dwell, I can’t use names I was gonna saw dwindle. That’s as far as I know”

Correct answer: Dwarf, dwell, dweeb and dwindle.

BC B rains

writes of a “journey,” a “journey” into the dark spaces in his head. He writes of these feelings with brutal honesty. He shows his dark side, warts and all. It makes for a compelling listen and takes his songs to a higher place.

The way he raps and sings these words takes the listener into these feelings. You can hear him spit out his pain at times, and other times he sings of it sweetly.

Sometimes it combines these two vocal styles into something unique. These varying vocal styles allow the album’s theme to never get too dull.

The album is at times soft and quiet, and other times hard and crushing. This is all possible because of Cudi’s talent behind the microphone.

These songs could easily fall down under the weight of their ambition.

Inner pain is a hard thing to put across in any genre, let alone hiphop.

The music that accompanies Cudi’s vocal talent never makes a misstep. Each song is a wellcrafted piece that serves Cudi’s themes.

On “Marijuana,” a song that Cudi

Sports

Page 8

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

BC football heads south for playoffs Before the games | The sce-

narios BC faced going into the final two regular season games.

With two games left to play in the regular season, the Bakersfield College Renegades (8-2 overall, 4-1 NNC) controlled their National Northern Conference destiny, but after a Nov. 6 loss to Cerritos College (8-2, 4-1 NNC) on a wild final play of the game, BC had to jockey for its playoff position.

Even with a win on Nov. 13, the Renegades were not guaranteed to open the playoffs at home in the Golden Empire Bowl.

They would need to beat No. 8 College of the Canyons (6-4, 3-2 NNC) and have unranked Allan Hancock College (3-7, 0-5 NNC) beat No. 3 Cerritos (8-2, 4-1 NNC) to outright win the conference.

The top two seeds in the southern region win home games and going into the game, BC was looking at a four seed. To move up and earn a home game, BC needed a lot of help from some lower ranked teams. No. 2 Saddleback College (8-2, 4-1 National Southern Conference) played at No. 5 Fullerton (6-4, 3-2 NSC) while No. 18 Pasadena City (4-6, 0-5 NSC) traveled to take on defending state champs No. 1 Mount San Antonio College (10-0, 5-0 NSC).

None of the above scenarios worked out in BC’s favor, so BC earned a conference co-championship, but BC will have to travel in the first round of the SoCal playoffs.

The Renegades’ two losses have come against Mt. SAC and Cerritos, while their most important wins have come against Saddleback and now Canyons.

Column

Prices too high for tickets

By Michael Morrow

Video Production Editor

Nathan Wilson / The Rip

Bakersfield College running back Leandre West receives a handoff from quarterback Lyle Negron during a game at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 13.

Renegades get in, but awarded No. 1 Mt. SAC The Bakersfield College Renegades lost and won in their final two regular-season games and are headed to the playoffs but will not host the Golden Empire Bowl game.

BC led Cerritos College going into the fourth quarter of their game on Nov. 6, and then Cerritos started to come back and tied the game at 21. But BC still had a chance to win on the final play of the game with a 47-yard field goal attempt. Cerritos blocked the attempt, and pulled off the unimaginable and won 27-21.

BC set up for a field goal attempt with one second on the clock, and after Cerritos used up three timeouts to try to ice kicker Josh Gallington, Falcons’ free safety Keith McGill blocked the attempt. Defensive back Tyrone Taylor picked it up and ran 62 yards the other way before pitching it back to McGill, who ran for 35 yards and the touchdown as time expired.

The Renegades controlled the game with a solid combination of rushing and passing, but allowed the Falcons to get back in the game with their ground game. Cerritos racked up 282 rushing yards with three touchdowns.

BC head coach Jeff Chudy spoke about how the game ended.

“You know, sometimes that’s how the game of football goes,” he said. “Our guys gave a good effort, but there are some things you just can’t control.”

Against College of the Canyons, the defense dominated and helped the Renegades to a 41-14 victory.

On the opening drive for Canyons, it looked like it would be a rough day for the Renegades when the

Cougars drove the ball down to the one-yard line, but after an illegal procedure penalty that moved Canyons back to the six-yard line, the Cougars missed a 27 yard field goal.

The defense played strong all game and held the Cougars to 25 yards rushing. They did allow 201 passing yards with one touchdown, but most of the pass yardage was the Cougars trying to play catch up. The Renegade defense also helped put points on the board with a series of Cougar miscues that led to points.

Early in the second quarter, Cougar quarterback Justin Arias fumbled the ball and linebacker Tierney Yates recovered it at the Canyons’ 18-yard line. Four plays later, running back Julian DeanJohnson rushed one yard for the touchdown. After the kickoff for a touchback, Arias dropped back to pass and was hit as he released the pass, defensive back Tyler Dogins intercepted the pass and returned it 25 yards for the touchdown.

After returning the pick for a touchdown, Dogins wasn’t done.

On the kick return for the Cougars, Jarrel Jordan was hit by Dogins and fumbled the ball into the hands of defensive back Zach Vasquez. The Renegades wouldn’t manage any points off the turnover, but late in the second quarter after another Arias interception – this one intercepted by Dillon Meadows – BC drove down the field from their own 37 and finished the drive with a 10-yard pass from quarterback Lyle Negron to wideout Brandon Hobdy for the touchdown giving BC the lead 310.

Nathan wilson / The Rip

College of the Canyons cornerback Cassius Sendish (33) lands headfirst while tackling Renegades running back Leandre West at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 13. Sendish was not injured on the play.

The Renegades added 10 points with a 37yard field goal by Gallington in the third and a Dean-Johnson 18-yard rush in the fourth quarter.

Dean-Johnson ended with three touchdowns on 15 carries for 52 yards.

After the game, Chudy talked about how the team performed.

“Obviously to be extremely proud as coaches would be an understatement and for them to come out with the type of intensity and the type of energy that we had the first

half was truly a statement on what type of football team we have here,” said Chudy.

“We don’t have guys that look the part, we just have guys that play. We created some turnovers and were flying around defensive and offensively we came off the ball and put hats on guys.

“I was totally impressed with how our attitude was and the fact that we took the initiative right from the start because both teams were playing for the same scenarios.”

After the games | The playoff situation

and who plays where. Including who hosts the Golden Empire Bowl.

On Saturday, Memorial Stadium will host a football game featuring the SoCal No. 9 College of the Canyons (6-4) vs. the SoCal No. 6 Fullerton College (6-4).

The Bakersfield College Renegades will play the No. 1 Mt. San Antonio College Mounties in Walnut, on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. in the National Bowl for a chance to play in the Southern California Championship

game. In the past three years, twice the Renegades have been bounced from the playoffs by the Mounties. This season, the Mounties beat the Renegades in the regular season 34-20, but since that point, in four of their last five games, Mt. SAC has played in some close contests that have been decided late. vs. Palomar 20-17 at Grossmont 34-20 at Saddleback 33-31 vs. Fullerton 27-23 vs. Pasadena 33-30

Miller goes to state Freshman Malea Miller tees off at BC’s home tournament at the Riverlakes golf course on Oct. 25. The Renegades finished fourth.

At the WSC finals on Nov. 8, Miller finished second with a two-day total of 151 and advanced to the State Championship.

Carissa Edwards / The Rip

When I was a young boy, I was a big sports fan and always dreamed of traveling from city to city taking in different games from the great coliseums and domes around the country. Whether it be taking in a baseball game at Yankee Stadium, new and old, or seeing Brett Favre light it up in a Packer game at legendary Lambeau Field or watching Michael Jordan destroy another team’s playoff hopes with a buzzer-beater at the United Center, I wanted to see it all.

Unfortunately, nowadays, it isn’t quite so simple with ticket prices being as outrageous as they can get. For a 24-year-old sports fan, I find it very pathetic that I have only attended one live pro sporting event.

The main worry for me is the distance of some of the events I would like to attend, but creeping up slowly is the fact that the average fan can’t afford to pay for the tickets. Because the leagues won’t lower their ticket prices, the easy alternative for a fan is to buy a nice 52inch HD flat-screen TV and sit at home with family and friends and watch multiple games, with a better view of the game.

That cause and effect has created a whole different problem for the fans and the league. The leagues decided, if they can’t get people to pay, the league will blackout their local team so they can’t see their favorite teams play. This isn’t a recent occurrence, but rather something that started when the money from TV contracts began to be double and triple what the players salaries are.

For me, it just feels like another one of those issues that are all about the moolah and less about what the game was intended for – the fun, and the fans.

The San Francisco Giants World Series Game 1 tickets had a wide range of prices, and in fact, most team sporting events do. Here are the listings of what I have found.

San Francisco Giants vs. Texas Rangers World Series Game 1: Upper deck above home dugout $880 from StubHub.com.

Oakland Raiders ticket price range: $35 for the bad seats and $1,500 for the best seats from StubHub.com and $43-$176 from what is available from the team’s official website.

San Diego Chargers ticket price range: $49-$5,000 on StubHub.com and $61-$323 from what is available from the team’s official website.

Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium: $1,965-$380,000 for some ridiculous seat on StubHub.com, and tickets are not yet available through Ticketmaster.

Los Angeles Lakers ticket price range: $30 for the ant viewer seats and $20,000 to sit next to Jack Nicholson.

For those prices, I better get to start at quarterback, catch all the groupies after the game and drive away with an MVP trophy and a Cadillac.

What the hell are they thinking with these prices? I don’t know who has $20,000 just lying around, but I sure the hell don’t, and I’m pretty sure you don’t either. And instead of freezing out the fans who don’t have the money – especially in these rough economic times – how about we lower some of the ticket prices.

Instead of all the owners fattening their pockets, and bitching and complaining the players make too much, why don’t they decide to take a pay cut?

The reasonable fan understands stadium upkeep, maintenance, expenses and such, but what we don’t understand is the profit margins some of these owners make off of losing teams. Don’t charge me an arm and a leg and complain how your players make too much, so you’re going to have a lockout.

Again, why force the punishment on the fans? The players have their money, they can do fine without for a season.

But the fans who love the game, we get to miss out because you – the leagues and owners – decided you didn’t make enough money. Well, I say screw you and your overinflated prices. Me and the gang are heading down to the local sports bar to watch the games in HD and have a few drinks. Are you coming or what?

Sports

Page 7

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

BC misses the cut for playoffs

By Julian Moore Sports Editor

Bakersfield College’s volleyball team missed the playoffs after finishing the season winning seven out of its last eight games.

The Renegades most recent win came 3-0 against a lowly 0-17 West L.A. team.

BC ended the season with a second-place finish in conference with a record of 9-3 conference and 16-8 overall.

Before the win against West L.A., BC traveled to face then No. 1 team L.A Pierce.

The Renegades ended up beating Pierce 3-2 (25-22, 20-25, 2521, 17-25, 15-12), which was to be a quality win on the team’s resume come playoffs selection.

Sophomore Mary Maiocco was working when she found out about the team’s snub for playoffs.

“Well, our coach found out on Sunday, but I was at work actual-

ly, but I was checking my phone every ten minutes waiting for a text message,” she said.

“My mom actually texted me first telling me we didn’t make it, then coach texted me. I was really upset and well, just pissed.”

BC felt the win against Pierce and their solid record would be able to get them in although the seeding has much to do with earlier tournaments.

“It all came down to how we did in the beginning of the season when we went to the San Diego Tournament and the L.A. Pierce tournament,” Maiocco said. “We lost to teams that we could have beat probably now, and because of that other teams got to go even if they had a worse record than we did.”

She was referring to the selection of 10 seed Golden West (912) and 14 seed Canyons (14-9).

Maiocco, being one of the more experienced players on the roster, had a feeling that the se-

Column

NCAA system fails fans

By Michael Morrow

Video Production Editor

gregory d. cook / The Rip

Bakersfield College right side hitter Breann Goodman slips a soft-touch kill past West L.A. middle blocker Krystal Diaz for a point during a match in the BC gym Nov. 18. lection could go either way.

“I don’t want to say we had a gut feeling that we weren’t going to make it just because I know how significant the beginning of the season was, but it was just kind of like a ‘darn, but we beat the number one team’ and I thought that would have been good enough,” she said.

Head coach Carl Ferreira held a team meeting the following day after the playoff announcements.

Maiocco said the meeting was to discuss what happened and to discuss the season from a look-back standpoint.

“In our meeting we had to say one thing we were appreciative

for,” she said. “Not only was I appreciative for my team but the experience they gained.

“I let them know, now you know how the season goes and how important it is to win in the beginning and keep up momentum throughout the whole season. Tournaments like that are very significant,” she said.

3-3 start to season keeps hoops gung-ho

By Michael Morrow

Video Production Editor

Bakersfield College’s men’s basketball team has started the season with six road games and has a record of 3-3 with losses to Antelope Valley, Modesto and City College of San Francisco.

The three wins came against Oxnard, Orange Coast, and, most recently, Allan Hancock on Nov. 27.

Against Hancock, the Renegades won 92-84 and are building on the season led by mainly

freshman.

“A win is a win, and we needed one bad,” said BC head coach Rich Hughes. “We won on the road with a lot of freshman and anytime you win on the road early, with this being our sixth game, and pull out a win, that’s always good.”

Hughes has said previously that this will be a battle tested team and he believes his sophomore leaders can help get the freshman where they need to be to make this a good season for the Renegades. But Hughes

did have his concerns about the team play.

“We have to shoot better.

We’re shooting in the 30th percentile for overall field goals and we’re shooting 20 percent from three,” he said. “We shot better at Hancock, but we have to improve upon that.

“To be in games, our defense has to improve; we’re giving up 80 points a night and that’s just not very good. We want to have them in the 70s, so we have a lot of work to do, but now is the time.”

Hughes was asked about the team’s effort on the court, and he had mixed emotions about it.

“We’re a small team, so we have to be able to out work people, and in the Fresno tournament we didn’t do that,” Hughes said. “In the Ventura tournament, I thought we did a pretty decent job with hustle points and things like that. We’re always going to have to be high up on that meter as far as playing with a lot of energy and intensity.

“We have to improve on that each week and hopefully by

the time we get into conference we’re playing harder than anybody.”

Up next for the Renegades is the Antelope Valley tournament on Dec. 3-5, where BC will likely get a rematch against AVC and will play a strong Mt. San Antonio College team.

“In the Antelope Valley tournament we play Mt. SAC, who I believe is ranked No. 4 in the state right now, so it will be a good test for us,” Hughes said.

“We have to get better and get right into it.”

Fullerton, Canyons play bowl game in Bakersfield College’s Memorial Stadium

By James Licea Reporter

Ryan George / The Rip

Fullerton running back Kelvin York (3) makes a short touchdown run from the 4-yard line during the Golden Bowl played against College of the Canyons on Nov 20 in Memorial Stadium.

This year’s Golden Empire Bowl, hosted by Bakersfield College and sponsored by Clifford and Bradford Insurance Agency, didn’t involve the Renegades but did result in a highscoring game.

BC made the Southern California Regional playoffs as the No. 4 seed and had to travel for its Nov. 20 playoff game against Mt. SAC. Thus, the Renegades weren’t able to play in the bowl game at Memorial Stadium but played

on the same day a few hours later down south.

“We had no control over that,” said BC athletic director Jan Stuebbe, who attended the bowl game and wasn’t able to see the Renegades play. “It’s a shame, actually – this is the first game in 13 years that I’ve missed one of ours.”

In the bowl game, the Fullerton College Hornets beat College of the Canyons Cougars 64-49.

While it didn’t rain during the game, it did a little before. The field was left damp and the sky was overcast creating problems

for the events that would have usually taken place during half time.

“It’s a great game,” Stuebbe said of the Fullerton-Canyons contest. “We got a break in the weather. It’s not raining.”

While some fans traveled from out of town to cheer on BC at Mt. SAC, others came to the bowl game for the sake of watching a football game.

A few in the crowd of approximately 250 people who were from Bakersfield said they picked a team to root for by color and had little knowledge of either team.

Soccer season ends, coach praises team’s good play

By Vincent Perez Features Editor

While the Bakersfield College women’s soccer team qualified for playoffs this season, the result was the same as last year’s match at San Bernardino Valley College: a 3-1 loss and an end to BC’s season.

Brittany Hunt scored the lone BC goal in the first half.

“We scored first early, but then they got three goals. It was 3-1 at halftime,” said coach Scott Dameron. San Bernardino Valley (17-1-4) had goals from Angelina King, Araceli Sanchez and Ruby Leon, who scored in injury time.

Dameron spoke about the team’s emotion and chances for scoring on both sides.

RIP N ation

style of play when we’re trying to connect feet. It’s hard to do that in the mud,” he said.

Asked about the overall season, Dameron gave credit to his players.

“All season we were up against it – we lost so many people over the course of the season. Some of them were surprised that they were able to stay competitive and strong. That’s a credit to people that kept stepping up and filling in gaps every time we had someone hurt – it’s impressive.”

He said about the loss, “They’re all bummed that we didn’t go on, but they’re proud of what they achieved this season.”

Dameron noted that BC has qualified for the playoffs four years in a row and said,

“I think there were only eight teams in Southern California that have done that, so that’s a pretty good accomplishment on their part.”

BC competes in the Western State Conference south region.

Dameron said, “Southern California is a very tough region.

Most of the top teams in the country are from Southern California. When you’re competing against that, to say you’re up there is big nationally.”

Dameron talked about losing players for next season.

“We lose 10 sophomores this year – there’s a lot of players left to replace. That’s the next step: get right to work on next year.”

For freshman player Kristina Garcia, according to Dameron, her chances for returning for the

next season depend on how far along academically she is.

On scouting for future players, Dameron said, “We already have been. The high school soccer season is coming up. You’re always working on it – we’ve had a few players express interest so that’s going to be a big thing for us, to make sure that we keep the level up because we have been creating bigger expectations. We want to find some people that are up for that.”

Dameron said about the end of the season and overall, “In the end of the season, we were a little thin player-wise, but you can’t argue with what they did – they had a great season.”

BC finished the season with an overall record of 10-8-3 and an 8-4-2 in WSC south.

“Do you think the Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather Jr. vs Manny Pacquiao ‘superfight’ will ever happen? Why or why not?”

Editor’s note: Rip Nation is a feature that highlights the opinions of Bakersfield College’s athletes and coaches.

Compiled by: Rip Staff

“We actually came out with a lot of energy – it was up and down,” he said. “They had more chances to score than us on the day, but we had quality chances: they saved one off the line, and there was another one that was a last second save, so we were pushing the quality of chances to score. They just created more chances than us.”

Dameron said about this year’s match compared to last year’s.

“I thought we were a lot more competitive than last time. We were in it, it was just a couple of goals scored off set pieces, so give them credit for that.”

He added that the conditions of rain and mud forced BC to change their tactics on the pitch.

“It doesn’t lend well to our

The NCAA’s system is broken and needs to be fixed because collegiate sports just aren’t what they used to be.

It used to be that you could watch a kid develop into a full player in college basketball and be prepared to take his game to the NBA. There once was a time where college football ruled from Saturday morning to Saturday night, but with the BCS not being a clear playoff system, college football is the most incomplete sport of all. Don’t even get me started on that joke of a system that is NCAA college baseball.

Not having a playoff system that allows multiple teams to beat out whoever they draw just doesn’t make sense. I know everyone uses the theory that the NCAA and the big schools make all the money, but with an organization like the NCAA, I doubt they couldn’t come up with a playoff system that wouldn’t satisfy everyone’s need to earn.

Most fans want an elaborate 16-team super playoff format, when really all that is needed is an eight to 12 team system that will bring in enough revenue to share within conferences.

We wouldn’t get Boise State going undefeated for two-consecutive seasons without even playing in the so-called championship game. This year Boise was thought to have a chance to make that game, but on Nov. 26 they lost their first game in conference in that same time frame and are pushed out of the mix for a title. That’s one loss in almost three years. One loss relinquishes their season to a waste.

The same can be said for schools like Texas Christian and Utah, who are often in the hunt until a combination of the three schools have beaten each other out.

In basketball, it’s all about March Madness and none of the regular season makes a difference to anyone now. Winning a championship is the demand on coaches on a yearly basis. There is no time to build a program over the span of your star player’s college career because they’re oneand-done gone in a year.

Now, you see a kid enter the league after just one year in college and he has to develop his jump shot, work on this, and work on that, when really he could have done that with three extra years in college. The NBA’s 18-plusone rule isn’t a great rule, but it’s understandable for what they are trying to accomplish. But it does put a strain on the NCAA to do something about their one-anddone problem that they have yet to resolve.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out, if you start taking away scholarships from schools and start bringing civil lawsuits against the players who leave early, it will change the culture of what is acceptable and what isn’t.

Instead the NCAA just takes what it’s handed rather than doing anything about it. We’ll continue to be disrespected with conference re-alignment talks instead of playoff configurations and we’ll continue to be disregarded as viewers of your diversion brand.

But just remember – the professional leagues are growing to almost year round and what you had last year, they have now.

Aaron Richardson, basketball: “Oh, yes sir I think it will happen.

And I think Floyd Mayweather would win the fight anyway.”

Scott Dameron, soccer head coach: “That’s a tough one. Too many promoters get in the way. I think if fighters want to fight, then yeah.”

Mary Maiocco, volleyball: “I think that maybe it will happen, but not too soon. And I think Mayweather would win because that’s all I hear.”

Brett Clark, assistant head coach: “Eventually yes. I think they’ll be past their prime when it happens. It’d be a good fight.”

Trell Johnson, baskeball: “No. I think Pacquiao is scared of Mayweather. I got Mayweather all day.”

Sports

Page 10

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Women’s soccer team hopeful after victory PLAYOFFS | Bakersfield College

women’s soccer playoff hopes come down to playoff seeding meeting at Fullerton College on Nov. 16.

By Vincent Perez Features Editor

In Bakersfield College women’s soccer final Western State Conference South match, they kept their hopes for playoffs alive with a 1-0 win at College of the Canyons Nov. 12. Renegade Brittany Hunt scored the winning goal off an assist from center midfielder Kristina Garcia in the 65th minute.

“It was a close game. It was 0-0 at halftime, and then we had talked about a few things we needed to try and create chances to score,” said coach Scott Dameron.

“It was Kristina Garcia – she was the one who found the ball and put it to the spot, and Brittany Hunt made a really good run. It was a smart and composed finish,” Dameron added about Hunt’s goal in the second half.

“Canyons was putting a lot of pressure on us. We weren’t the controlling team at that time so it was good to get

that goal.”

BC suffered a 3-0 WSC South loss to L.A. Pierce Nov. 9 in their last home game of the regular season that hindered BC’s chances at making playoffs.

Dameron noted that the team was playing through illness and had made mistakes.

“We gave them too much time and too much space, but they’re a good team.”

BC sophomore Amber Beckham talked about the team’s effort in the loss to L.A. Pierce.

“We started out well and worked together as a team – we had some struggles but overall it’s a learning process, and we will learn from this and move on to the next game and hope for the best.”

Beckham talked about the Nov. 12 game against Canyons.

“We’re going to look back at what we did today and improve and take it to Canyons and just beat them,” she said.

BC held onto a 1-0 WSC South win against Citrus Nov. 5. Renegade Brittany Hunt headed in the winning goal in the first half off a corner kick.

“This is our most complete effort,” said Dameron. “I thought we did a good job at the end closing it out because they

had a couple of good chances.”

Dameron commented about BC’s defenders.

“They defended really gutsy,” he said.

BC defeated L.A. Valley 4-0 Nov. 2 in Glendale in a WSC South match.

The Renegades (10-7-3, 8-4-2 WSC South) learned on Nov. 16 if they would qualify for the playoffs, but as of Nov. 15, the Renegade Rip was not informed due to the Nov. 16 playoff meeting.

Dameron is hopeful of BC’s chances of getting into playoffs. “It looks promising. Things could change slightly, but nothing will be official until Tuesday (Nov. 14).”

He added, “We just have to prepare like we are. If we’re in, it’s going to be an away game so we have to be ready to travel.”

Dameron described the point-based playoff system.

“There’s this point system, and depending on the higher the record of the team you play, the more points it’s worth. If it’s an away game, it’s worth more than home – win, tie, or loss. You get a point value for each game, and you add them up and take the average.

It’s the top 16 teams that qualify.”

Annie stockman / The Rip

Amber Beckham of Bakersfield College (left) and Samantha Tan of Pierce College fight for the ball at BC on Nov. 9.

Player’s passion not in question KRISTINA GARCIA | Bakersfield College center midfielder looks to father for guidance in life.

By Vincent Perez Features Editor

Annie stockman / The Rip

Kristina Garcia plays forward against Citrus on Nov. 5.

Kristina Garcia, 19, describes herself as the “silent type.” On the pitch, the Bakersfield College sophomore lets her feet do the talking, playing center midfielder for the BC women’s soccer team.

Garcia began playing soccer at the age of 10 due to her father signing her up for AYSO in Bakersfield. Garcia wears the number 10 on the field because it’s her father’s favorite number.

Garcia explained how her father influenced the sport for her.

“I wanted to play for both of us,” she said, “since my dad never had the opportunity to play any sports when he was in

school because his family had to work – they weren’t in good circumstances with money.”

Garcia attended Golden Valley High School for three years and Liberty High School for one year. Garcia played soccer and ran cross country in high school.

Garcia said that when she had the opportunity to return to Golden Valley her senior year after a year at Liberty, she did so.

“I didn’t hesitate or regret anything,” she said. “They have been like my second family and I couldn’t leave them there. That year we became valley champions, so there were no regrets.”

When asked about her influences, Garcia referred back to her father, Jose Garcia, 41.

“He’s always there for me,” she said.

“He’s coached me through my entire life. He always brought out the best of me and

really shown to me that there are no boundaries or limits of what you can do.

“He has always supported my goals and dreams,” she said. “When I go through struggles at a point in time he always talks to me and gives me advice. He never puts himself before others.”

Garcia is one of four siblings in her family: brother Albert, 22, and sisters, Elizabeth, 21, and Adriana, 17, who is a senior at Liberty. Albert played soccer and ran cross country, and Elizabeth played soccer throughout their years in high school.

While Garcia proclaimed her love for soccer, she said that she does not want a career in soccer.

“I just like to play it because I love it; I’m passionate about it.”

However, Garcia would take a scholarship in soccer to a university and said that she is

hoping for that opportunity to happen.

Garcia did not play her freshmen year at BC due to her original focus at BC. “I didn’t play my freshmen year of college because I started doing culinary arts, because that’s what I wanted to do,” she said. “It took me a year to realize I wasn’t over with soccer.”

Culinary arts was Garcia’s first major but she changed her major to liberal arts because “they don’t get paid a lot,” she said with a laugh.

Garcia sees herself in 10 years “hopefully married, with kids, teaching and catering,” she said.

Garcia wants to become a teacher and wants to teach any grade from kindergarten through fifth grade and cater professionally.

In her spare time, Garcia said, “I like to cook, shop, and hang out with friends.”

When asked about transferring, Garcia responded, “Probably to CSUB.” Garcia added that she’s undecided about playing soccer for CSUB. Being on the only soccer team at BC is significant in Garcia’s life.

“It does mean a lot. It shows that you have other people supporting you even not just soccer also through life’s problems.”

Garcia described how soccer helps her.

“It helps me bring out the competitiveness in me.”

Coach Scott Dameron talked about Garcia’s transition into the women’s soccer team.

“When she came around in the spring and said she was able to play, we were excited because we knew her,” he said.

“She’s got a great work ethic.

In the center midfield she covers a lot of ground. She’s a workhorse.”

He continued to talk about how she played during the semester.

“With all the injuries this season, she’s had tons of different playing partners,” he said.

“She’s been that one, consistent thing in the middle. They way we play, that’s the person that makes everything go.”

Dameron mentioned her quietness and determination on the field, and he described how it helped the team.

“She’s not super loud but she definitely wins people’s respect with how hard she works.

“She’s a physical player – she’s skillful with the ball. She’s a ball winner – you need people around the middle that aren’t afraid to run people over and get the ball back.

“She’s been very consistent.

We’re not ever worried if she’s going to have an off game.”

Page 11

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Student thrives despite struggle LIVING WITH CEREBRAL PALSY | Bakersfield

College student Michele LuJan lives her life despite being encumbered by her condition.

By Kristen Blue Reporter

Michele LuJan is a 22-year-old Bakersfield College student who has cerebral palsy and a learning disability. Through working out at the BC Gym with a BC instructor, she’s served as a source of inspiration and improved her physical health.

Cerebral palsy affects her life every day. Not only do the physical aspects make getting around difficult, but even being a student she notices her condition affecting her.

“Appearancewise is a huge misconception,” she said. “When you walk into a classroom and sit down, people see you as a disabled person and automatically assume you don’t know as much.”

With a learning disability, she feels it’s just another reason to work harder. “Everyone has a struggle,” she said. “This just happens to be my struggle. It just means I have to work harder to overcome it.”

This is her third semester at BC, and LuJan says she currently has a 3.0 GPA. “In high school, several people in the disabled program told me

GREGORY D. COOK / The Rip

Bakersfield College student Michele LuJan pauses on her way to classes to pose for a photo in the free speech area Nov. 3. Confined to a wheelchair when she first started at BC, LuJan now walks with the aid of a walker, and uses a treadmill for conditioning.

I wouldn’t be able to make it in a college setting. It just made me more determined.”

Monica LuJan, Michele’s younger sister who is also a BC student, noticed in high school people treated her sister differently because of her condition.

“She’s not stupid,” she said. “I hear people talk to her all the time like she’s stupid. She’s smarter than most people. We went to high school together, and I would see people not hold doors open for her, slam it on her. It makes me mad.”

Michele LuJan noticed people treat her differently because of her physical condition.

“It’s stressful. I feel like I have to work harder to overcome that immediate, first, initial judgment people make.”

Even in public places, she’s experienced discrimination. “When I was shopping for school supplies this semester, a little girl asked her dad why I was walking funny. I overheard her dad not to ask me, because I wouldn’t know what I was talking about.”

After having a foot surgery done, she made the decision she wanted to get in better physical shape. This is her second semes-

ter being in the BC Gym. Working with BC instructors, she has been able to make vast improvements in her health beyond her original expectations.

“When I first started I could barely do 10 minutes on the treadmill with no incline,” she said.

“Now I can do 35.”

Kathy Moretti, a BC instructor, has helped her along with her goal.

Lujan said, “She really helps me.

Now she constantly has to watch me because I’m always increasing my incline or speed.”

The highlight of LuJan’s days are spent in the gym.

“If I could work out all day in the BC Gym, I would be so happy.”

Her fitness goal has turned into a passion. “I wish I could spend all my time working out.”

LuJan hopes to inspire and encourage others with any disability or struggle with her story.

“I want people to see my condition and say to themselves, ‘She did it, I can too.’ I want to change that misconception people have.”

By the end of the semester, she hopes to hit the five-mile mark on the treadmill.

“My confidence has gotten bet-

GREGORY D. COOK / The Rip

Michele LuJan works out on the treadmill with the aid of instructor Kathy Moretti in the BC adaptive fitness center Nov. 3. ter,” she said. “I never thought I would be up on that treadmill.

I had to be stopped the other day because I was going for my second mile.”

By setting high expectations,

LuJan said she worked until she can achieve them.

“For any person who has a disability or struggle,” she said, “find supportive people around you and hold on to them. For

any person who picks up this paper who has a disability, don’t let anyone’s misconceptions stop you. You’ll never know what you are capable of.”

Former football team doctor shares life experience

By Mateo M. Melero Magazine Editor

GREGORY D. COOK / The Rip

Former team doctor Romain Pierre “Doc” Clerou sits on the sidelines of a BC football game Oct. 2.

The private medical office of the former Bakersfield College Renegade football team doctor, Romain Pierre Clérou, is not unlike any other office.

An LCD television is placed in the center of the waiting room, and the typical office fauna is placed all around, but as one ventures deeper into the office one will find the history of a man whose career extends well into the better part of a century.

Along the walls in the hallway leading to the patient

rooms are pictorial montages, consisting of posed photographs of him with former Renegade football players.

They span throughout the years and a hound’s tooth style fedora is present within all of them. As he finished up with a patient, the doctor entered his office and sits at his desk.

Before him lays an open book and a partly smoked Winston Churchill cigar. He spoke in short, to-the-point sentences.

“I’ll be damned if I know, 1933 I think…1943,” said Clérou as he tried to recall the time spent practicing medicine.

Placed throughout the room are medical artifacts – wellworn leather doctor’s bags lay on the floor next to the desk, stethoscopes hang loosely about the room and medical books decorate the shelves of the bookcase, opposite of his desk.

Although he is well known as the Renegade team doctor, Clérou was also a player once.

“I made all conference guard in 1935,” said Clérou.

When asked how today’s game compares to his day, the doctor said, “It was just the same.”

After graduating from BC and then receiving his medical degree from UC Berkeley, Clérou joined the Navy and served with the 51st Seabees in WWII as a navy doctor stationed in the South Pacific.

“I was stationed in the Western Carolines, Ulithi and Saipan,” said Clérou and, though the war was ranging throughout the world, the doctor went on to say, “We weren’t in any battles or anything.”

After completing his service in the military, the doctor returned to the States, taking up medical practice and serving as the team doctor for the

Renegades.

Throughout his career as the team doctor, despite the physical aggressiveness, the doctor said, “Never really had any serious injuries, fortunately, with football being the contact sport that it is. We were very lucky.”

As for some of the players he treated, the doctor can be credited with treating the hall of famer Frank Gifford.

Though the doctor no longer serves as the team doctor, he can still be found at the games, sitting quietly at the bench, smoking cigars and watching the game intently.

Page 12

Eyes of the Rip The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Honoring the Men and Women who served in the

Armed Services Kern County celebrates its veterans with a parade and candlelight vigil

gregory d. cook / The Rip

Members of the Independence High School Falcons marching band perform for the crowd along 21st Street during the Kern County Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11.

gregory d. cook / The Rip

Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall waves to people as his vechicle makes its way down the parade route.

gregory d. cook / The Rip

Friends and family of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8809, Arvin, California reenact the raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi over Iwo Jima on their float during the Kern County Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11.

gregory d. cook / The Rip

Attendees take part in a candlelight vigil at the Bakersfield Veterans Memorial on Truxton Avenue on Nov. 11.

Gregory D. Cook / The Rip gregory D. Cook / The Rip

Participants light candles for a vigil in which the names of over 980 of Kern County’s fallen heroes were read at the Bakersfield Veterans Memorial.

Sgt. 1st Class John Aguilar (US Army ret.) carries the US flag down 19th Street during the 91st Annual Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11. Aguilar served in Berlin in 1961 during the construction of the Berlin Wall.