News: The Northwest Voice

Metropolitan Opera comes to Edwards Sept. 22

The opening night gala of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City will be broadcast live by satellite feed on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. in the Edwards theatre at the Marketplace. Renee Fleming and Ramon Vargas will star in Act II of "La Traviata," Act III of "Manon" and the final scene of "Capriccio." The ticket prices are $22 for adults and $20 for seniors.

The second production will be Oct. 11 at 10 a.m., featuring Karita Mattila in the title role as "Salome," reprising her stunning interpretation of the part, including the Dance of the Seven Veils. Other productions will be "Doctor Atomic" (a contemporary opera about the creation of the atomic bomb) on Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. and "The Damnation of Faust" by Berlioz on Nov. 22 at 10 a.m. For more information, see metropera.org

The All I Want For Christmas Event

We are inviting all businesses to the All I Want For Christmas Event on Nov 15 and 16, 2008. This event will allow business to showcase unique ideas for Christmas. Parents and Grandparents are now looking for gift ideas that is not the same old thing. We want children's gyms, karate lesions, homemade items or anything that would make a great gift. We are also looking for ideas for those men out there who need a little help in the shopping department. We want to help them become the hero this Christmas morning. So if your business has gift certificates or gift ideas this Christmas you will not want to miss this great event..

For more information check out www.baby-fest.com or call
661-319-1226

A few business who will be there
Babies R Us
Costco
MomEnetwork
Mary Kay

It will also be a fun day, we will have Santa there as well as Bounce Houses and give-a-ways
Each booth at this event will have a 3 to 4 foot Christmas tree that the vendor will decorate and place at least $50.00 in gifts under. We will raffle these trees on Sunday.

Staying Healthy: Don't forget your Annual PHA

Staying Healthy: Don’t forget Your Annual PHA!

What comes to mind when someone says “Annual checkup” , “Health Promotion” , “Disease prevention” , or “Clinical Preventive Services”? Each of these relate HEALTH Care (as opposed to SICK care). Everyone should establish a “Medical Home” with a Primary Care Provider (PCP). The PCP is someone who knows the baseline of your health status when you’re NOT SICK. You can then see your own PCP if or WHEN you become ill, thus eliminating the long wait time and expen$e of an Urgent Care or Emergency Room visit.

Why? Because healthy people feel good! They live more satisfying lives and enjoy more activities. They are able to work, go to school, participate in their community, and enjoy their family. However, people are not just naturally healthy or healthy by accident! The goal is to BE HEALTHY by continuing your healthy lifestyle, finding out if you have a health problem in its earliest and most treatable stage, and by working with your PCP to become as healthy as you can be.

Getting Started: Being born healthy is a great start, but having ‘bad genes’ doesn’t eliminate the potential for a healthy life. “Personal health” is an individual choice, one that everyone makes, every single day. What we eat, what we do, how (and if) we exercise, and even our attitude influences our overall health and enjoyment of life. A relationship with a primary care provider (PCP); a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant is important to staying healthy. And getting a Periodic Health Assessment or PHA is a great way to evaluate how well you’re doing or to get back on the right track.

The Annual PHA: Everyone in the Military is required to complete an annual PHA. As a Nurse Practitioner in the Navy Reserve I am privileged to help Sailors complete this requirement during “drill weekend” each month. PHA’s are usually done during the Sailor’s birthday month so it is easy to track and remember. To help YOU get into “Ship Shape” and on the road to your own best health, I have listed the topics which are included in the PHA so you can talk with your own PCP about these things.

First things: Initially, your PHA will include a thorough health history including any allergies, chronic illnesses, hospitalizations and surgeries, family health history, occupational history and history of travel abroad.

Review of data: The next steps include evaluation of your vision, and a review of your previous medical record, current medications, dental health (yes, your MOUTH is very important for your general health & wellbeing), a review of your immunizations, previous lab, x-ray and pathology reports and vital signs. Pain is now considered the “5^th vital sign” and should also be assessed. If anything stands out, then a focused physical exam should be done to more carefully evaluate your condition.

Clinical preventive services: Age and gender specific screening tests are used to find medical problems early. These include screening tests for blood pressure, body mass, colorectal cancer, cholesterol and male or female specific (you know what these are!) screening.

Immunization status: depending on your age, current health, chronic diseases and plans for international travel. Everyone should keep a written record of their immunizations. It is as important as your Birth Certificate or passport!

Patient-focused Counseling: This is an integral part of the PHA and is individually tailored to your specific health risk factors. Expect to discuss your fitness activities (type, frequency and duration), dietary habits, tobacco and alcohol use, exposure to hazards including chemicals, allergens, noise and personal safety; sexual health, your stress level and how you usually handle stress in your life.

The PHA includes a lot of information! But, think for a minute about your dream car. Would you wash & wax it? Change the oil regularly, and have everything serviced on schedule? Of course you would! But even if you take excellent care of it, your car will probably be replaced a several times during your lifetime. YOU however, are IRREPLACABLE! And only YOU can take care of yourself (eat, sleep, play, and work), so pay attention to what your body tells you (aches, pains, high blood pressure or cholesterol), get an oil change (check up & PHA) every year, and you’ll get a healthy LIFETIME of wonderful service from the only body you’ll ever have!

To your health!!

LT Teresa L. McFarland

More information about disease prevention and the PHA is available from http://www-nehc.med.navy.mil/HP/cps/PHA.htm

Forty Septembers

There are many ways to look at it…

Forty trips around the sun…

280 -/+ dog years…

480+/- full moons…

Forty Summers/Winters/falls/Springs

The fact remains that today I celebrate the fortieth anniversary of my birth. A fact that is thanks in large part to my Mom, of course, my friends and family, for all… always being there for me when I needed them.

Birthdays have always been a sore subject for me. I will not go into the details, but for those that know me, you also know my reasoning. In fact, I did not really start learning to enjoy my birthdays until I met the woman that is now my wife. This is not to say that my family and other friends did not help, but sometimes your spouse can convey thoughts and ideas that the rest of your family cannot.

As I look back on my life up to this point, I worry that I may not have done all that was expected of me. That is more of a philosophical question than anything else, and thusly has no correct answer. It is more a question about my role in the universe and if I am living up to my part in it. Have I achieved that which was expected of me. Is this all there is? Is there nothing more?

Looking at the average life span of a male American, it would appear that I have reached about the half-way point in my journey of life. The point where we should look around, make sure that we are still heading in the direction that we want and expect, make any corrections to our heading, then weigh anchor and set sails again.

I am not depressed about forty. In reality, it is only a number, unless I make it out to be something else. I do look at what I HAVE done with my life and think that I should have tried harder, pushed myself more, taken more chances, made more friends, not let go of as many as I have. But there is a lot of life left, and the road is entirely uncharted. We never know what is waiting around the next corner, or where life will take us tomorrow, the day after, next year, or any time afterward.

Forty is not a big number. When I look at my age, I alway think of what Chiun said in the movie “Remo Williams: The adventure begins.”

“For a plum, I am old beyond my time, for a mountain, I have not begun my years, for a man, I am just right.”

When I look at aging and the process of “ripening”, I have gotten in the habit of looking at a good friend of mine named Russ. If I can be half the person and live half the live that he has, by the time I am his age, then I will consider myself to be lucky.

In closing… I do not really could my life in years. I have learned that you should count your life in the friends you have made and the loves you have known, both those you keep now, and those that have moved on to other things, or have slipped away forever. I am learning not to dwell on the bad things I have experienced, but accept them as lessons learned and embrace them as part of my life, every bit as important as the good things, and in some cases, maybe even more so.

We are all learning, right up until the day we die. So you might say that we are all incomplete works, each year we are just adding a new feature.

Fall History Forum scheduled at CSUB

A historical figure that has drawn both praise and scorn is the focus of California State University, Bakersfield's fall History Forum slated for Friday, Sept. 19 at 3:30 p.m. in the Albertson Room on campus.

University of Oregon's David Orique will lead a discussion on 16th-century figure Bartolomé de las Casas (1484-1566) in a presentation titled "The Unheard Voice of Law from an Often Heard Text: A New Rendition of Bartolomé de las Casas' Brevísima Relación de la Destruición de las Indias."

"Las Casas was a formidable advocate of human rights for the indigenous of the new world," Orique said.

Orique added that over the course of Las Casas' 82 years of life, he was a conscientious secular cleric, a crown-appointed "protector of the indigenous," a diligent Dominican friar, the controversial Bishop of Chiapa and a seasoned member of the emperor's privy council.

Trained in canon law, philosophy and theology, Las Casas consistently advocated for evangelization by peaceful methods, and questioned the legitimacy of Spain's presence in the new world. Of his prolific writings, "A Very Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies" is by far the best-known document.

Since its inception in 1999, the History Forum has presented one speaker per academic quarter. Past topics have included the history of the California wine industry by historian Victor Geraci; an oral history and the Chicano experience in World War II given by Mario Garcia, from the University of California, Santa Barbara; and the history of the Basque settlement in Bakersfield presented by Jeri Echeverria, Fresno State University provost and historian.

The forum is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served and parking will be free in lots B and C. For more information please call Mark Baker with the history department at (661) 654-6833 or visit www.csub.edu/history/.

CSUB to hold annual New Student Convocation

California State University, Bakersfield will welcome its newest students and their families to campus at its fourth annual New Student Convocation on Friday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. in the Doré Theatre.

All new and transfer students are expected to attend.

"The New Student Convocation presents a unique opportunity for the university to welcome new students into the learning community, express our expectations for student learning, and demonstrate our collective commitment to facilitating their success and our belief in their potential to graduate from the university," said CSUB President Horace Mitchell.

The day will include an orientation, special convocation ceremony, advising and registration, a resource and club fair, and a meet and greet luncheon with Mitchell, administrators, fellow students and faculty. There will also be programs for parents offered in both English and Spanish.

The convocation ceremony is designed to complement the commencement ceremony that graduating students experience upon the completion of their degree. The event will incorporate a procession of university administrators, faculty, staff and student leaders.

Highlights of the program will include brief remarks by Mitchell, the provost and the vice president for student affairs, a welcome message from a faculty member, and an introduction by the new student body president, Carlos Ortiz. Additionally, the ceremony will incorporate music and a variety of university traditions.

For more information or to RSVP, log on to www.csub.edu/convocation.

Four CSUB students to receive John Brock Scholarships

Four John Brock Scholarships will be awarded in conjunction with the presentation of the prestigious John Brock Community Service Award at the annual dinner slated for Thursday, Sept. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Seven Oaks County Club.

Bernard J. Herman, executive director for the Bakersfield Museum of Art, has been named this year's recipient of the John Brock Community Service Award.

The John Brock Scholarships, in the amount of $2,500 each, will be given to highly deserving students in the School of Business and Public Administration at California State University, Bakersfield. Scholarships are funded from the event's proceeds through CSUB's John Brock Endowment.

"Four recipients have been identified whose academic achievements qualify them for this financial award," said John Emery, dean of the School of Business and Public Administration. "These students have demonstrated not only academic achievement, but the leadership and community service for which the John Brock Scholarships were established. Their future success in private and public sectors will be important to Bakersfield and Kern County."

This year's scholarship recipients are:

- Marco Gomez – Gomez is a senior in accounting, the youngest of six children and the first in his family to attend college. Gomez is living with his parents who are retired. In addition to assisting his parents and carrying a full class load, he is an active volunteer in both his community and church as a tutor and mentor for fellow students. His high grade point average and academic achievements have been recognized by his membership in Beta Gamma Sigma, the business administration honor society. After graduation Gomez plans to become a certified public accountant and pursue a master's degree.

- Jason McGuire – McGuire is a senior accounting major who transferred to CSUB after earning his associate of arts in business administration with a certificate of proficiency in accounting at Taft College. He aspires to become a certified public accountant, either working for a corporation or establishing his own business. He was recently married. He is carrying a cumulative grade point average of 3.88. Additionally, McGuire desires to use what he has learned to help his church and surrounding community.

- Maria Ramirez – Ramirez is an accounting major and has the goal of being the first in her family to attend a university and graduate with a bachelor's degree. She would like to earn a master's in business administration after she gains some business experience. Ramirez also wants to become a certified public accountant.

- Raul Rodriguez – Rodriguez hails from Lamont and is a graduate of Arvin High School. The middle child of parents who worked as farm laborers, he was inspired by his girlfriend, Rita, to pursue a college degree. Ramirez has a perfect 4.0 grade point average. His studies in accounting have resulted in his recognition as one of three recipients of the Honor Graduate award from the Bakersfield College Foundation. His ambition is to continue his education to earn a master's in business administration and become a certified public accountant.

For additional information, contact event chairman Keith Brice at (661) 322-4241.

CALIFORNIA ADMISSION DAY SEPTEMBER 9

For immediate release...

Happy Birthday California!
September 9 - Admission Day

Happy Birthday California!

September 9, 1850 - Admission Day

San Francisco, CA - This year the State of California will celebrate it's 158th Birthday. The Native Daughters of the Golden West would like to wish all of California a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Native Daughters of the Golden West is one of the oldest fraternal and patriotic organizations, dedicated to preserving California History and Landmarks. It was founded in Jackson, Amador County Sept 25, 1886 by a group of California-born women. To find our more about the organization, contact Sherry Farley via email at sfarley@spritewater.com

Native Daughters of the Golden West
543 Baker Street
San Francisco, California 94117-1405

Phone: 415-563-9091 Fax: 415-563-5230

www.ndgw.org

Bring a friend and come celebrate California's 158th birthday with El Tejon Parlor #239 Bakersfield Monday, September 8 at 7:30 p at the Braille Center Monterey & Baker St's, Bakersfield, CA. A Special Report will be given on the status of the Abstract Bill submitted to Senator Roy Ashburn to replace California Admission Day on September 9 as a Day of Observance on the calendar. RSVP or for more details please contact Jenelle, California Admission Day Chairman, El Tejon Parlor ~ NDGW at 665-1664 or eltejon239@yahoo.com.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALIFORNIA!

I am the greatest

A Little girl, in a softball hat in hand stands in the field with her ball and bat.
Says, "I am the greatest player of them all" puts her bat on her shoulder and she tosses up the ball.
And the ball goes up and the ball comes down swings her bat all the way around
The world so still you can hear the sound, the softball falls to the ground.
Now the little girl doesn't say a word, picks up her ball, she is undeterred.
Says, "I am the greatest there has ever been" and she grits her teeth and she tries it again.
And the ball goes up and the ball comes down swings her bat all the way around
The world so still you can hear the sound, the softball falls to the ground.
She makes no excuses, she shows no fear, she just closes her eyes and listens to the cheers.
Little girl, she adjusts her hat, picks up her ball, stares at her bat
Says, "I am the greatest, the game is on the line" and she gives her all one more time.
And the ball goes up and the moon so bright, swings her bat with all her might
The world's as still, as still can be, the softball falls and that's strike three.
Now it's suppertime and her momma calls, little girl starts home with her bat and ball.
Says, "I am the greatest, that is a fact, but even I didn't know I could pitch like that!"
Says, "I am the greatest, that is understood, but even I didn't know I could pitch that good!"

Fans Burned by Blaze

As the close of the 67th California League regular season comes to an end, so does another year closer to the end of a Bakersfield baseball era. A club that has had over 200 former and current major league ball players is on the edge of extinction, but it’s not the first time.

A simple stroll around the ballpark's outdoor concourse shows banners of players like Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale, who began his professional career in Bakersfield in 1954. Hanging from the walls of Sam Lynn Ballpark are banners of Pedro Martinez, Mike Piazza, Eric Karros, and Johnny Callison. Most recently Texas Rangers second year sensation, Josh Hamilton, hailed his start in a Blaze uniform.

Over the past 67 years the Bakersfield franchise has seen its share of changes. In 1968, the Bakersfield Bears switched affiliations from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Los Angeles Dodgers and took the Dodgers nickname. In 1976, Bakersfield and Visalia dropped out of the California League and the Dodgers switched affiliates to Lodi. In 1984, the Bakersfield Mariners switched affiliations from the Seattle Mariners to the Dodgers and again took the Dodgers nickname. In 1995 the Dodgers switched affiliates to the San Bernardino Spirit and Bakersfield became a co-op team known as the Bakersfield Blaze. Since 1997 Bakersfield has been the A affiliation for the San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and to present the Texas Rangers.

So the news and rumors surrounding the recent departure of the club after the 2009 season should come at no great surprise to anyone. So blame it on a sub par ballpark or the multitude of other speculations about the teams move, but it all comes down to this.

Despite what Blaze Owner D.G. Elmore says. I personally feel that shifting the blame to the Cal League inciting that the decision is beyond him, is nothing more than a weak attempt to shift the blame to the league and the Rangers Ball Cub rather than to admit that the Ownership is not intent on staying in Bakersfield.

Earlier this year, Condors owner Jonathan Fleisig acknowledged that he had expressed interest in buying part of the team to Elmore but was only rejected in his attempt to keep the Blaze in Bakersfield. Only part ownership or a partnership was proposed, Fleisig said.

I have personally attempted to get seek out answers, regarding the possible Blaze relocation, by contacting the Elmore Sports Group. I have searched their website. To date have had no response or acknowledgement. The fact of the matter is the Bakersfield Blaze are nowhere to be found on their organizations website, questioning the ownerships interest in their Bakersfield franchise at all.

Now some you are going to rant and rave that I am not being fair. Well you may be right, but before you all dog pile me. I equally put as much blame on the City of Bakersfield and Kern County. Maybe Bakersfield could learn from the city of Visalia who have already started see some dividends after deciding last year to commit $11.6 million to spruce up Recreation Park in order to keep Minor League Baseball in town.

Long time Blaze supporter and season ticket holder, Mayor Harvey Hall has been going to baseball games in the stadium since 1948. He has served as a batboy, scoreboard operator and PA announcer for the various minor league teams that have been in the ballpark. He was quoted in 2004 saying, "We want to have a minor league baseball team, and they can't exist without the fan support,” The mayor also addressed talk of a new stadium replacing the poorly built and situated present facility. "You can't have a new stadium until you have a team on the field and you have fan support," he said.

Well that may be true, but you won't have fan support until you have a ballpark that will maintain any legitimate affilitation, as well as attracting new fans to boost attendance. Sam Lynn Ballpark although full of history and lore, has become a dilapidated ancient relic, and lets face it. Who cares about the Texas Rangers?

Does anyone see the problem here? Or is it just me?

Lets face it. The current agreement between the city and the ownership, the ownership and the Cal League and the Cal League and the Texas Rangers is all wrong. Everyone wants something from someone else, and no one else is willing to give it. So is it too much to ask that a cooperative plan be put in place to save professional baseball in Backwardsfield?

If we peer back to the Golden Age of baseball in Bakersfield, it demonstrates the love for Bakersfield Baseball. In 1955, a civic-minded businessman and some baseball fans came to the rescue of the Bakersfield franchise when the Brooklyn Dodgers ended their two-year agreement with the club. They subscribed $28,500, at $100 per share, establishing a locally owned corporation that sustained the club and saved minor league baseball for the city of Bakersfield.

In closing it’s the fans and the residents of Bakersfield that get burned by the Blaze on this one. Once again, we are at the mercy of greedy ownership and bureaucratic incompetence. Baseball fans will not mourn the passing of the Blaze, but the rich tradition that has been part of the Bakersfield landscape for almost three quarters of a century.

FREE CHILDREN'S SHORT STORY

My free children's short story for September is now posted on my web site. I post a new story on the first of every month. You may read it on-line or print it out for your children or grandchildren. Hope you enjoy. www.grannywrites4kids.com

Peg Connelly

Green Thumb Garden Club Plant and Garden Sale

On Saturday, September 27th, the Green Thumb Garden Club will hold it's annual plant and garden sale in the courtyard of the Church of the Brethren on the corner of Palm and A streets. Sale starts at 7:00am and continues till 1:00pm. The sale features plants from members gardens and reflects the variety of gardening interests of 125 club members. You will find a wide variety of plants and gardening related items. Proceeds of the sale support club projects including a scholarship to Bakersfield college and maintenance of the 24th street triangle. The club meets on the third Saturday each month at 9:30am and features a gardening related speaker and opportunity drawing for plants and garden items.

Cool Dogs on a Hot Labor Day Weekend

My fellow Flyball teammates and I tried something a little different this past weekend. We gave our dogs a try at Dock Jumping. We have a few experienced dock diving dogs on our flyball team, but for most of us, it was a new experience. Splash Dogs will be at the Kern County Fair this year, and we thought we'd get a little practice in just in case we decide to give it a try. Our dogs had a blast, and it was a fun thing for me to take pictures of....so I'd like to share a few.

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Josh and Tamara on August 8th.

First Day Funny

Ethan started another year of pre-school today. But it was big boy's pre-school this time around. The final heave-ho for my December-just-missed-the-cut-off-baby before he makes the final ascent into kindergarten.

I tried to make it abundantly clear to him that behavior was going to be big emphasis this year. The kid can already read (are you paying attention Mr. Superintendent of schools who decides the cut-off is a hard and fast rule???) so, there's not much left to perfect except...um...behavior, I guess.

At any rate, he's got a great teacher and she has some great rules on behavior. She communicated them so perfectly to my son, that when I picked him up today he repeated them verbatim from the sheet she handed me in the morning. He listed all the consequences of bad behavior up and until the final consequence of being sent to the Principal's office.

To which he than adds, "And I think I have to stay there all day and night because the teacher made it sound like a horrible place. Right Mommy?"

"That's right, honey. All day and all night without any food or water." What? I thought it'd be funny. My boy usually knows when I'm joking so I left it at that and we moved on.

A couple of hours later, Daddy called and asked Ethan how his first day went. Ethan proceeded to tell Daddy (on speakerphone) all about the rules and then ended, very dramatically, "And I'll be sent to the Principal's office to sit and suffer all day long without any food or water."

"Wh-wh-what?" His Daddy asked. "Um, honey (talking to me now), are his teachers allowed to do that?"

Well, I have to get my entertainment somewhere.