Cougar Baseball Wrap-up

By Nick Kawano

The Cougars emerged victorious through a dramatic finish against conference rival College of the Sequoias Giants in the series rubber match. 

Richard Ortiz took a fastball to the elbow with a tie game, 0-2 count, and two outs with bases loaded in the ninth to bring home Travis Turner who represented the game’s walk off run. 

A single by Turner, Austin Pendergrass getting hit by a pitch, and a base on balls for Luke Lubiniecki set up the game’s final plate appearance. 

Early in the game, defensive miscues hurt the Cougars when the Giants snagged two unearned runs in the first off sophomore starting pitcher Robby Brewster. However that didn’t shake him at all, Brewster cleaned up well allowing no runs and just one hit in innings two and three.

This momentum created a big scoring opportunity in the third. Kaivon Kealoha, Ricky Sottile, Austin Pendergrass, and Lubiniecki manufactured Taft’s first run on four consecutive singles to start off the inning. However the inning ended with bases loaded. 

Brewster continued to shove innings four through six allowing 1 run on 2 hits to keep his team within striking distance before being relieved. He struck out 4 Giant batters. 

Matt Rogers pitched innings 7 through 9 allowing no runs on just 3 hits to hold Sequoias. 

Brendan Halstrom drove in Pendergrass and Lubiniecki with a clutch 2 out, 2 RBI base hit in the eighth to tie the game at 3, setting up the home half of the ninth. 

Turner and Halstrom each collected 2 hits apiece, Halstrom had a double and four other Cougars collected a single. 

The Cougars will square off against Cerro Coso College at Ridgecrest on Thursday April 7 before heading into their final conference stretch starting Tuesday April 12 at Fresno City.

 

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Temblor: A Night of Laughs

By Alberto Muro

Comedy nights in Bakersfield is an evening of laughter and relaxation. Since opening its doors last fall, Temblor has gained popularity as Bakersfield’s newest local brewery. Temblor also offers various entertainments such as board games and a stage for live events.

Temblor is also knowing for hosting comedy nights, and on March 19, Joey Diaz, a Cuban born New Jersey native, came to Bakersfield. Notable for his appearances on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcasts and stand-up routines, fans of Mr. Diaz arrived in droves and awaited a night of comedy.

Local comedians opened for Mr. Diaz and gave everyone a comedic insight about living in Bakersfield from bad drivers to schools unheard of the audience erupted in laughter.

 

Joey Diaz soon came on after the local comedians and his fans greeted him with a standing ovation. Mr. Diaz wasted no time thanking everyone for coming out and began his act. From current events to social problems, Mr. Diaz spoke his mind to open ears.

Mr. Diaz revealed that he found an appreciation towards stand-up after performing for fellow inmates during his incarceration. From there on, Mr. Diaz found a career in comedy and has gained a following of loyal fans.

 

As the the show concluded Joey Diaz thanked the crowd for their attendance and the owners of Temblor for hosting an evening of comedy.

The Lion King, Jr.

By Alberto Muro

On March 17, the Sierra Middle School Auditorium filled with family members and friends to watch students from Mt. Vernon Elementary school do a rendition of the Lion King.

 Director and teacher Muriel Ramos introduced diverse methods of entertainment that consisted of choreographed gymnastics, ballet, and Mexican folk dancing. Ms. Ramos admits she never saw the film, but she took this opportunity and used her students to create a rendition of the film.

 

As the lights went dim the spot light focused on Ms. Ramos, and she thanked everyone for making it to the production of The Lion King, Jr. Afterwards, the stage props of Pride Rock were set in place and the show began with the birth of Simba.

From start to finish, the production of the Lion King, Jr. was a spectacular display of art. The production gave the audience the opportunity to experience the music from the film as well as the costume and stage designs.

As the Lion King, Jr. concluded the spotlight focused on Ms. Ramos, and she thanked the families and friends of students for coming out to a fun-filled evening. Ms. Ramos also gave thanks to the staff for their unconditional support during the making of the Lion King jr.

 

After the performance, Muriel Ramos had time for an interview and said that she found her inspiration from Julie Taymor who is known for her production in the Lion King musical on Broadway.
“It was a dream come true to work on this production, and I admire Julie Taymor because of the details she goes into her production whether its movies or theater,” Ms. Ramos stated.

 

The details that went into the production of the Lion King, Jr. symbolized the dedication that the students had to create an environment based on a childhood memory.

Miracles from Heaven Review

By Emily Davis

Miracles from Heaven is a dramatic film directed by Patricia Riggen about a young girl facing a life-threatening illness. It is being shown in Taft and Bakersfield.

This film is based on a book written by Christy Beam.  The book tells the story of Christy Beam’ s daughter Anna Beam and her battle with a rare digestive disorder and the miracle that healed Anna.

Miracles from Heaven is a great movie. However, it wasn’t what I expected.  I was expecting the movie to be about the miracle that Anna experienced from the beginning. In other words, there was more information about the events leading up to the miracle. The movie also focused more on the mother’s experiences rather than Anna’s experiences.

Throughout the movie, Jennifer Garner, who played Christy Beam, struggles with her faith as she watched her middle child suffer through a very painful disorder. Garner put her whole self into the role. While watching the movie I really felt like Garner was the mother of the children in the movie.

The way that she reacted to the situations was very convincing. Garner never over-acted or under-acted to any of the situations that her character faced.

The children in the movie were also outstanding actors, especially Kylie Rogers, who played Anna Beam. Rogers performance was very convincing. When her character was in pain she convinced me that she was really in pain.

The same thing goes for when she was happy, sad, or angry. The movie ended in a whirlwind of emotions as the Beam family emotionally broke down but only to become stronger and more faithful than ever.

Overall Miracles from Heaven is a very well put together, emotional, and heart touching movie. Whether you are a religious person or not I would highly recommend this movie. I left the movie theater with a full heart and a great message of faith.

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” WAIT! …It’s a Rubik’s Cube?”

By Veronica Renaker

Can you solve a Rubik’s cube?

Well, a fellow Taft College Cougar can! Cameron Brown can officially solve a 3×3 Rubik’s Cube in 7.62 seconds.  He broke his personal best of 8.60 seconds in the summer of 2015 during Nisei Week in Little Tokyo.

Today he runs his own Rubik’s Cubing business, SpeedCubeShop, which he started at the age of 13. The business ships to cubers around the globe! Brown is ranked among the top 100 in the world for his 3×3 solving.

A sophomore business administration major at TC, Brown, 21, is a graduate of Stockdale High School. He lives in Bakersfield. He operates SpeedCubeShop as a full-time business. When he graduates from TC he will be transferring to California State University, Northridge.

Brown answered a series of questions about the world of cubing.

Reporter: How fast can you solve a 3×3 Rubik’s cube?

Brown: “I can average 10 seconds, but my personal best is 7.62 seconds.”

Reporter: Any advice to those just starting out?

Brown: “Pick up a competition grade cube from SpeedCubeShop and research a beginner method and slowly work your way up to more complicated methods of solving a Rubik’s Cube.”

Reporter: How many Rubik’s Cubes do you currently sell?

Brown: “I currently sell well over 300 different models.”

Reporter: When did you first start cubing?

Brown: “ I first started cubing in 2008 when I was 13.”

Reporter: When did you start entering competitions?

Brown: “I started entering competitions the year that I had learned how to solve a cube. In 2008.”

Reporter: What’s the world record today and who holds it?

Brown: “The world record today is 4.9 seconds held by Lucas Etter.”

Reporter: What’s the farthest that you’ve traveled for a competition?

Brown: “The farthest that I’ve traveled for a competition is New Jersey.”

Reporter: Where did your interest in speed cubing come from?

Brown: “I watched the Pursuit of Happiness with Will Smith and immediately was interested.”

His store: https://speedcubeshop.com/

His speed-cubing Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/camcuber/videos

Hollywood Comes to Taft

By Emily Davis

Taft and surrounding areas in Kern County offer a multitude of different sceneries from modern to historic. Because of this diversity, Taft has been an ideal location for the movie industry.

Over the past seven decades, Taft has provided its diverse scenery to 36 different productions. Some of the most popular titles are The Best of Times (1986), Thelma & Louise (1991), and For My Daughters Honor (1996).

In The Best of Times, after being the laughing stalk of the town for years, Robin Williams convinces Kurt Russell and his other teammates to reunite for one last chance of redemption. A large part of the 1986 movie was filmed in Taft. Center Street and the Moose Lodge racked up quite a few minutes on the big screen.

“It’s a sweet film, I like it . . . . It’s about friends basically, friends and wives, and a little bit about football, but more about memories,” the late Robin William said about The Best of Times (YouTube video).

Taft Union High School is the scenic star of the 1996 movie Indecent Seduction (For My Daughters Honor).The movie is set in Tate, Okla., but was filmed here in Taft. A majority if the movie was filmed at TUHs with a few scenes filmed on Center Street, in the oilfields, and various buildings around Taft.

This movie tells a story about a high school coach’s (Gary Cole) affair with a student (Nicholle Tom).

Many of the employees that worked at TUHS remember what it was like having a film crew around while they were working.

“It was very interesting to watch and kind of distracting. The crew and cast were very nice and cooperative with the staff,” says Greg Davis, a Taft High employee who was present during the time of filming.

A mutated, human-sized frog looking for love terrorizes the town and romps onto the TUHS football field in the 2004 movie, Frog-g-g!

Next time you are watching the AMC network, keep an eye out for these movies that were also filmed in Taft and surrounding areas; The Cell (2000), A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), Five Easy Pieces (1970), The Onion Field (1979), Best Laid Plans (1999), Break Up (1998), Boom Town (1940), Robot Wars (1993), The Measure of a Man (2011), In Old Oklahoma (1943), Sugar Boxx (2009), 25 Hill (2011), Intersection (2015), Goth (2003), Winged Victory (1944), Vengeance (2004), Girl in the Cadillac (1995), Black Cresent Moon (2008), Destination Unknown (2007), Eye of the Stranger (1993), Coiled (2014), Then Again (2013), and Wonder Full of Nothing (2009).

California Pizza Kitchen Makes Dreams Come True

California Pizza Kitchen Grants a Wish

Ellie Hilliard

One of Bakersfield’s more popular restaurants, California Pizza Kitchen, has recently teamed up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to make a difference in the lives of Kern County children. The beginning of 2016 marked the start of California Pizza Kitchen’s “Round Up for Charity.” The “Round up for Charity” program simply encourages customers to round up on their bill and donate a little extra money at the end of their meal for a charitable cause. The extra proceeds are then donated by California Pizza Kitchen to the Central California chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

 

 

 

Since the beginning of 2016, California Pizza Kitchen has raised a significant amount of money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Furthermore, the Bakersfield location of California Pizza Kitchen has had the opportunity to grant a wish for one very special Kern County child. A high school junior attending Stockdale High School was granted his ultimate wish, to have a culinary experience.  California Pizza Kitchen gave this student the opportunity to create his very own pizza. Seventeen year old Zach, who suffers from a severe muscle disorder, was invited to the California Pizza Kitchen headquarters for a day of culinary exploration and pizza making. Zach was able to custom design his very own pizza featuring: bacon, fig jam, goat cheese, and arugula, which will be sold at the California Pizza Kitchen located in Bakersfield.

All of the sales earned from Zach’s very own pizza will be donated by California Pizza Kitchen to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. California Pizza Kitchen and the Make-A-Wish Foundation are grateful for the opportunity to grant Zach’s wish and remain hopeful that they will be able to grant the wish of another Kern County child in the near future. For those individuals eager to give back in some manner, how about taking a trip to California Pizza Kitchen and “rounding up” on your next bill? Anyone can make a positive difference in the life of a Make-A-Wish child.