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7 Plus 11

By Ashley Renteria

Ever heard of the card game 7 plus 11? It was invented by current Taft College student Lourdes Gentry.

“7 plus 11 is a whole new game that is fun and easy to play. The player wins using their best 5 cards in hand to make the best 7 plus 11” (7 and 11, not 18).

Gentry invented the game in the beginning of 2013 and finalized the copyright in May of 2013.

“The idea came to me when I was trying to help with marketing on another game. I was driving and out of nowhere I decided to make my own game”.

Gentry said the numbers and idea 7 Plus 11 popped into her head and she immediately pulled into a gas station to start writing down the math and ideas.

The game 7 Plus 11 is a combination of Blackjack and Poker.

“The crazy part of this is that after I finished I realized I was in a 7-11 gas station”. The name she chose for her card game was purely a coincidence to being created in the 7-11 gas station.

Gentry said while she was enrolled in a business course, her professor gave them an assignment for marketing a website or company and she thought her game would be perfect for it. She created a website for her game where you can learn how to play, purchase a deck of cards, or contact Gentry for question, complaints, or comments.

http://www.7plus11thegame.com/

Gentry said she is working on creating a contest for people to create their own how-to instructional video for the game that she will feature on the website.

Fall 2015 Student Art Exhibit

By Ashley Renteria

Taft College’s Fall Student Art Exhibit is Back!

The art show will be open from November 10th to December 11th every Monday 12-4 pm, Tuesday/Thursday/Fridays from 9am-2pm and Wednesdays from 1-4 pm.

The art gallery located in the Tech Arts Room 11, exhibits student’s works of art such as still life drawings, portrait, and 3D art.

Laura Saltiban’s “Pop-Eye”

Brock Miller’s “Hunting Season”

Cordell McDowell’s “Reverie of Nihility”

Taft College Ranks 5th

By Etelvina Castillo

Community colleges are often looked down upon. Many Taft College students say to have been questioned when they say they attend a community college. Taft College is one of the best community colleges in the area, and I am not just saying that as a current Taft College student.

WalletHub did research on the nation’s community colleges and ranked them based on cost of financing, classroom experience, education outcome,s and career outcomes. Based on the criteria, Taft College ranked 5th overall, and it is the only community college in California that is in the top ten.

WalletHub provides the tools and information for people to make the best financial decision by ranking companies, products, and services. For the first time, WalletHub conducted a research on the nation’s community colleges.

I went out to speak to current Taft College students and asked them why they chose to attend a community college over a four year university and if they knew about the ranking of Taft College in WalletHub’s research of 2015’s Best & Worst Community Colleges.

Irvin Lara is a freshmen at Taft College and he said he is very glad to have chosen a community college over a four year university. The main reason why Irvin chose Taft College is because it was a better economic choice and less impacted than Bakersfield College.

Ana Morales came from Sacramento City College to Taft College, and she has said it has been by far the best decision she has made. Morales said, “Because of a small campus and the help offered at Taft College, I am able to graduate in two years, something I probably would have not been bale to accomplish at Sacramento City College.”

Both Lara and Morales were very surprised when I told them Taft College had ranked 5th overall as one of the best community colleges in the nation. Morales said, “I didn’t expect such a small town to have such a great college; I am surprised but at the same time I am not because from a personal experience I can say that Taft College offers a lot of financial and educational help.”

Next time anyone asks you why you go to Taft College, be proud and say because it was ranked 5th in the best community colleges in the nation.

Helping Your Wallet When Heading Home

By Michael Clites

          The fall semester of college is always one of the more expensive semesters for students nationwide. Mostly because students that aren’t close to home have to pay their way back. For some, their home isn’t that far from campus and could rely on driving back for Thanksgiving and or Christmas. But for those who have to hop on a plane and fly back for the winter, the trip back could get a little pricey.

A round-trip plane ticket to say, Canada, could cost nearly up to eight-hundred dollars. Why in the world would anyone need a plane ticket to Canada? Well, there are over fifteen Taft College student athletes who are Canadian and head home almost every winter. Having to head home for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas twice a semester at around eight-hundred dollars isn’t exactly therapeutic to a college student.

One way to help save your wallet for the trip home would be to purchase a plane ticket as early as possible. Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are annual and have the same week dedicated to them. So, if students knows that they will be going home for the holidays, they should just buy their plane tickets far in advance.

As compared to the eight-hundred dollar round trip bought the week before departure, a ticket bought a year before could be as little as three-hundred dollars (depending on where one is going). This is more than fifty percent off the last minute purchase others choose to do.

Another smart way around the country is signing up for a “frequent flyer” membership with an airline. Airlines across the nation offer this membership to help flyers save money when flying back home. The requirements are simple: the more you fly, the more you save.

So, whether you plan on flying or driving, one thing is for certain. Always plan ahead, and budget your finances accordingly because it is no mystery that the holiday season is the most devastating to your wallet.

Fall Student Show 2015

A Night for Poets and Poetry

SPECTRE: A Movie We May Have Seen Before

By Sam Overton

This year, one of the most highly anticipated films of the year was the twenty-fifth James Bond film, Spectre. The film, directed by Sam Mendes and written by John Logan as well as being rumored to be the last starring Daniel Craig, was a deep psycho-analysis of the haunting life that James Bond has lead through his recent films.

The film touches upon the heartbreaking moments of his past, mostly focusing on the deaths of the two women he loved the most: Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) from Casino Royale, and M (Judi Dench) in Skyfall, and the ties that they have to the leader of the ominous group Spectre, lead by Blofeld (Christoph Waltz).

But there’s something about this film that seems all too familiar. It seems to have followed the same recipe that most James Bond have had since the beginning of the franchise. Bond kills people, sleeps with a woman, kills more people, gets in a sticky situation, sleeps with a woman, and kills people until he wins in the end. Something we have seen now for about twenty-two of the twenty-five films.

This film, however, does bring a little bit of nostalgia to it. Bringing back the past, as well as the old formula for James Bond films that we all know and love, thus making it a still widely successful film that is enjoyable for fans of the series. But if you’re expecting the same emotionally rollercoaster that was given in Skyfall, this might not be the film that you’re hoping it is.

Padre Hotel Halloween

 By Sam Overton

Guests dress in 1920’s attire

This Halloween, the Padre Hotel played host to a party that invited guests to transport themselves back to the 1920’s. Filled with gangsters, flappers, and a wide variety of other characters, the night was a joyous adventure into the past.

The hotel, all ready an iconic part of Bakersfield history, was thrown back into the golden age of the town, the hotel having been built in the ‘20s.

Big Jim Ravioli shot and killed

The party was hosted by the Fairy Godmother Foundation, a volunteer fundraising group. Their goal is raising money to help engaged couples who have had to postpone their ceremony due to devastating medical risks.

The night was all fun and game . . . until somebody was murdered.

Big Jim Ravioli, the notorious mob boss, was shot in the middle of the room, as the power was shut off, causing the guests to have to ask themselves “Who did it?” And it’s up to them to find out who the culprit was before the night was over.

20 car pile up closes 99 South

On November 2nd, a dust storm caused driving conditions to be very poor. This would eventually cause a 20 car pile up on the Southbound 99. Some motorists originally estimated that there were over 70 cars involved.

It was reported that a resident of Bakersfield received a phone call from a friend that was trapped in her car under an eighteen wheeler.

Fortunately nobody was injured in the chaos, and southbound 99 was opened just a few hours later.

Hotel Transylvania 2 Reviewed

By Hector Gutierrez

The sequel to Hotel Transylvania, Hotel Transylvania 2, did not disappoint viewers in theatres this fall season.

Based on its story line and character narrators, it is easily the best animated film to hit the box office this year.

Dracula, narrated by Adam Sandler (who has starred in many timeless classics such as: Happy Gilmore, Little Nicky, Click, 50 First Dates and Big Daddy), has trouble accepting that his grandchild, Dennis, might not have any vampire in him.

Dracula and his crew (who consist of narrators David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key and Bruce Buscemi) spend a whole night trying to scare the vampire out of him. Unsuccessful, Dracula accepts his grandchild as a full-blooded human and has to accept his departure since Dennis’s parents Johnny and Mavis decide to relocate and raise their child as a full blooded human.

In a rapid change of events, Dennis finally conveys his vampire side in an effort to save his loyal friend from a human-eating monster who accompanies Vlad.

Vlad (narrated by Mel Brooks) is an old-fashioned vampire who completely despises humans and is not even aware his grandson Dennis is human. Dracula, son of Vlad, stands up to his father to accept Dennis and all humans.

This whimsical and entertaining animated film is perfect for the family. The moral of the film is to accept all for who and what they are.

Funny and inventive in its entirety, Hotel Transylvania 2 is perfect for all ages and is still in theatres until November 26^th this year.