Recent Blog Posts: Bakersfield.com

Ken Weir hosting community meetings

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:08:57 PDT

I've heard Ken Weir is hosting some community meetings this week:

• Saturday, 10 a.m.-noon, at Thorner Elementary
• Tuesday, 6-8 p.m., at Discovery Elementary

Some people have gotten flyers in the mail. If you're a Ward 3 registered voter, have you gotten the notice?

A Heisman pose for Ryan Mathews

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:52:44 PDT

Another game like that and I'm starting a petition to add Ryan Mathews to the Heisman watch. Did you see his performance against Rutgers on Labor Day? The former West High star rushed for 163 yards and a career-high three touchdowns against a Big East opponent. His 6.3 yards a carry was more than any other running back in the game, and he's not even a starter for the Bulldogs.

I know, I know. It was one game. You're all saying, "Let's see how he does against Big Ten contender and nationally ranked Wisconsin next week."

Mathews is Cuervo. You know what I'm talking about? That smooth mix of fluid running style with a kick at the end that leaves tacklers dazed.

Mathews reminds me of another running back named Ryan. The Green Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant. Both are straight up runners that can deliver a blow to tacklers, or when you least expect it, juke right by them. Grant is taller, 6-foot-1, and bigger (218). Grant wasn't a highly-touted back out of Notre Dame, he was signed by the N.Y. Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005. It took him 3 years, a trade and a few injuries from guys ahead of him on the Packers' depth chart before he proved he was a worthy running back.

Maybe Bakersfield's Ryan can do that same. But for now, it's just great to say he's one of our own.

Lender gambled trust...literally

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:51:12 PDT

Mostly this is an entertainment post...as entertaining as legal documents can be.

It's also a bit sad.

I've attached an 18-page PDF (click the blue box to the left) of the state's accusation against a now-shuttered mortgage lender.

I came across this while researching who loaned a local resident $182,000 in 2006 against this since-foreclosed home in east Bakersfield. (After foreclosing, it recently sold for $70,000.)

Turns out former staffers of Quick Loan Funding Inc. of Costa Mesa liked Vegas. A lot.

Nazih Daniel Sadek, chief financial officer, paid out $1 million from the company's trust account to Wynn Las Vegas. Another $20k to Bellagio.

Employee Miguel Angel Vazquez, meanwhile, just paid himself some spare thousands now and then.

The state shut them down last month after they failed to follow through with monitoring requirements.

-- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

What can I do about my neighbor's overflowing trash cans?

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:34:37 PDT

My neighbors leave their two brown trash cans on the street 24/7. Usually, they are overflowing and trash ends up in the street. Is there a county law that prohibits this nuisance and eye sore?
— Darrell Sephus

A: Overflowing trash cans are code violations in both the city of Bakersfield and the County of Kern. Anyone whose trash cans overflow onto the public street can be cited by code officers, according to officials with the Kern County Waste Management Department and the city Solid Waste Division. City of Bakersfield code enforcement violations can be reported by calling 326-3712. Violations in the county of Kern can be reported by calling 862-8603.

A DIET THAT WORKS!

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:34:14 PDT

DIETS DO NOT WORK. Period.

The diet industry makes BILLIONS of dollars off of the fact that people are so impatient and insecure- do not be another ignorant sheep, listening to their false claims! Don't buy into that crap, seriously! And don't waste your money! (Read the fine print on advertisements- what does it always say? "Results not typical. Results occur with proper diet and exercise." WELL DUH!) How crazy is it that, according to different clinical studies, 65 -90% of women have disordered eating? Do you really want to be another blind statistic?!

So, you ask, what DOES work? Well first, I would recommend therapy in order to work on self-esteem and body image issues. I mean, come on, do you really want to spend your days OBSESSED with dieting instead of living? Second, as we've heard over and over, exercise and proper intuitive eating helps a lot. This means seeing a professional dietitian, with a Bachelor's Degree of Science in dietetics, who can figure out a meal plan catered directly to YOUR needs. This means being honest about your exercise (whether a little or a lot), your medication (that you NEED- this doesn't mean taking appetite suppressants and crap), and your mental/physical health. To find someone you can see, I recommend The American Dietetics Association or taking a nutrition course at Bakersfield College.

Lastly, remember to appreciate the body you DO have. I know you've heard it over and over, but no one has the same body- some have small frames and others have large frames, but in the end, you can't change your bone structure, people! Manipulating your healthy weight/"ideal" weight to be lower than it should be equates to asking for hormones/steroids to make you taller, or asking a doctor to chop your legs off so you can weigh less/be shorter. If you are spiritual, consider verses like Ephesians 2:10 and 1 Samuel 16:7- go to the Bible NOW and read these, and you'll see why the media's obsession with looks/weight is totally bunk. I recommend, as I have done, writing out a thank you letter to each part of your body. Example: "Thighs, I am so thankful for you because you allow me to rise out of bed every morning and do chores. Without your muscles and fat, I could not do this."

But yes, re-think your obsession with dieting. DIETS DO NOT WORK.
Living your life DOES.

Is a Sam's Club coming to Renfro and Rosedale?

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:33:14 PDT

Q. I heard a rumor last year that a Sams Club was planned for the corner of Renfro and Rosedale. True or not?
— Dwight Tackett

A. Not.
“We are always looking for opportunities but we have no current plans for another Sam's Club in Bakersfield,” said Aaron Rios, a spokesman for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. “We have one in Gosford Village and will be constructing a new Wal-Mart Super Center next to that Sam's Club, which was approved last year. That’s it for now.”

PALIN THE PUPPET

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:31:38 PDT

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.

Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.

She hit it "Out of the Ballpark and then some!": New song about Palin convention speech

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:07:10 PDT

Talk about "electrifying the base (NYT)," and silencing her stunned critics (at least for a moment)!

Even Democrats have conceded that Sarah Palin's debut at the Republican convention last night was a big hit, especially among conservatives and women of varying political persuasions. In the words of this song, a song that I plan to officially release and at to my Right-wingers Need Love 2 CD over here:

http://www.drblt.net

She hit it...

Outa the Ballpark and then Some

she hit it

outa the ballpark and then some

Lord knows that she got the job done

rockin' and rollin'

and knockin' em down to the ground

she hit is

outa the ballpark and then some

she made a beautiful home run

rockin' and rollin'

a risin' Republican star

chorus:

what a way

to throw a party

what a way

to give it back to them

Sarah Palin's

a risin' star and a shinin' sun

she it out of the ballpark

and then some

she hit it outa the ballpark

and then some

she brought her Bible

and hand-gun

stickin' it to 'em

and knockin' 'em down to the ground

a lady we all can be proud of

from under them

she pulled the run out

3 cheers for Palin

the lady sure

put it away

(chorus)

she's the hope of 2008

a maverick is running

right next to the maverick, McCain

she is the future

standin' on the past

outa the ballpark

and them some

when she' s up to bat

(chorus)

Fans Burned by Blaze

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:24:57 PDT

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.

wire suggestions 9/4 (morning)

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:20:25 PDT

CONVENTION RDP
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Republican presidential nominee John McCain began his final drive for the White House on Thursday with a boost from running mate Sarah Palin while Democrat Joe Biden declared her family “off limits” and suggested that some news media coverage of her had been sexist.

CONVENTION ANALYSIS
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Sarah Palin has done in five days what John McCain has never been able to do — fire up the Republican Party’s conservative base. An AP News Analysis by Liz Sidoti.

DETROIT MAYOR
DETROIT — Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick pleaded guilty Thursday in a sex-and-misconduct scandal and will step down after months of defiantly holding onto his job leading the nation’s 11th-largest city. He was ordered jailed for four months and fined $1 million.

PAKISTAN
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — Pakistani intelligence officials say a missile strike is suspected in a blast that killed four people in a tribal region near Afghanistan. Parliament passed resolutions Thursday condemning an American-led attack in Pakistani territory after the government summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest the unusually bold raid that officials say killed at least 15 people.

With:
— AFGHANISTAN — The Afghan president said a deadly raid on a village by American and Afghan commandos has put new strain on relations with the United States and promised Thursday to punish those responsible.

GEORGIA-US
TBILISI, Georgia — Demonstrating Washington’s support for war-ravaged Georgia, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney condemned Russia for what he called an “illegitimate, unilateral attempt” to redraw this U.S. ally’s borders by force.

HAITI FLOODS
GONAIVES, Haiti — U.N. peacekeepers were securing a warehouse Thursday in preparation for a food distribution effort in this low-lying city, much of which remained under floodwaters or mud as Tropical Storm Hanna finally moved away from Haiti, leaving at least 61 dead in its wake.

with
HANNA-US — Residents moved boats and booked inland hotel rooms while National Guard troops prepared to deploy along the Southeastern coast as Tropical Storm Hanna plowed through the Atlantic on Thursday on a shifting track toward the U.S.

GUSTAV
NEW ORLEANS — City and state officials tried to hold them off, but New Orleans residents would have none of it. After Hurricane Gustav brushed by the city, they wanted back in, and now. So Mayor Ray Nagin relented and is allowing the first of them to begin streaming in from evacuation.

FEATURES

JET PACK
MCT: Some see jet packs as symbolic of sci-fi fantasy as teleportation devices and Rosie, the Jetsons’ robot maid. But the future is now. On a recent Saturday, spectators gathered outside the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino for a jet pack demonstration from one the manufacturers of the motorcycles of the skies.

LAPTOPS
USA TODAY: Computer manufacturers are starting to introduce laptops that turn on within seconds. It’s a move that addresses one of the most persistent pet peeves among business travelers, who have long complained that they don’t bother using laptops at airport terminals or hotel lobbies because it takes too long to boot up. The top three PC makers - HP, Dell and Lenovo - have either recently introduced instantly-on laptop models or have announced plans to do so. The fast bootup is one of the most popular features of Apple computers. Once turned on, these laptops will only run the most basic and popular tasks - Internet and e-mail - while the rest of the operating system wakes up.

LIBRARIES-WIRED
GNS: Waiting lines at public libraries are long and expected to get longer - not to check out books, but to log on to a computer. Fewer than one in five libraries say they have enough computers to handle demand at all times, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Library Association. And the crunch is expected to get worse in a weakening economy.

On Evil and Pure Evil

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:15:28 PDT

One tenet of Pagan spirituality is that we do not claim to have patented spiritual truths or own exclusive rights to them. Instead, Pagans, generally speaking, rely on the spiritual discernment abilities shared by most human beings to sift wisdom wherever it may surface.

Romans 12:20-21 of the Christian Bible reads, "On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

What is evil?

Most Pagans do not believe in an all-evil entity such as Satan in Christianity. Yet evil, like ethics, is easy to identify but difficult to quantify in words.

I have seen some encapsulations that sew up certain features of evil very nicely, however. One such observation is, "taking joy and delight in creating pointless suffering or unhappiness for other people or animals." Cruelty to children or animals is a classic example of evil.

This post is not the post that I told a few other people that I was sitting on. Instead, it is a commentary on why I am waiting to post it:

I am waiting for the worst, longest, ugliest hurricane of absolute, pure evil that I have ever seen since I began posting here, to blow over.

It still hasn't.

This post doesn't take sides. It doesn't have to. All it needs to do is comment on the behavior itself: an inky spill of pure evil.

I have watched as most people involved, regardless of which side they identify with, found true joy and delight in seeing fear, anger, or hurt come to people on the other side. I have seen people, regardless of side, derive raw ecstasy saying some of the most hurtful things to others, without pausing for even an instant to try to understand why the other person sees things a different way.

This site has been overcome by evil, when evil should have been overcome by good.

I'm still waiting. Come on, good.

Put a stop to the ugliness, stop delighting in the unhappiness of others, and let the goodness in us win.

The Weakness of Men and the Goodness of God.

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:08:41 PDT

"When you fall, rise, and when you sin, repent. Just never let the poison of despair penetrate into your heart, seeing the great sea of God's compassion. No matter how many sins one commits, they go away and vanish in the sea of God's goodness." Elder Ephraim

Body pulled from Kern River is 23-year-old local man

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:44:14 PDT

Body pulled from Kern River at the North Chester Avenue Bridge by Search & Rescue

NEWS RELEASE
KERN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE CORONER DIVISION

This news release is prepared under the direction of the Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator for the convenience of news reporters. Facts concerning news events of major importance, which occur after the preparation of this release, will be made available to reporters at their request as soon as it is possible to do.

DECEDENT'S NAME: Charles Frederick Seaman          CASE #: 1976-08
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Bakersfield          AGE: 23 years
TYPE OF CASE: Accident: possible drowning vs. shallow diving trauma
DATE OF INCIDENT: 09/03/2008          TIME: Abt: 2000
LOCATION: Kern River at the North Chester Avenue Bridge
DATE OF DEATH: 09/03/2008         TIME: Abt: 2000
PLACE OF DEATH: At the scene
INVESTIGATING AGENCY: Bakersfield Police Department

Details:The decedent jumped into the Kern River from the southbound North Chester Avenue Bridge. When he did not surface, a family member responded for help. The decedent was later found floating in shallow water by the Kern County Search & Rescue personnel. An autopsy and Toxicology testing will be performed.

Elephant beats his heroin demons

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:30:35 PDT

A four-year-old elephant who developed a drug habit will return to his homeland after emerging clean from a three-year detox programme.

Details here.

Jumping death sad for all

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:02:26 PDT

Our city tries to do the right thing.

They give us some water in the river over the long weekend so our canine companions can splash around.

Then someone jumped into the Kern River off the Chester Avenue bridge.

And died.

And our dogs lowered their eyes.

Palin's speech widely praised

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:49:17 PDT

Gov. Sarah Palin's speech Wednesday night was described by the Associated Press as a "star-turning performance."

Even Brit paper, The Sun, called Palin's speech a "sensational performance" and claimed the speech had turned the election "upside down."

Indeed, the Boston Herald could only find this fault:

"With her long, straight, often pinned-up locks, Palin looks one humid day away from fronting a Kiss cover band."

The full text of her speech is here.

Is the gushing praise deserved?

Criminal Behavior by Air District

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:44:58 PDT

Ozone Levels Damage Young Lungs

There is no doubt that Wednesday's afternoon ozone levels were very unhealthy in Kern County. Yet, were any cross country meets cancelled?

Today and tomorrow will also be in the high unhealthy range for ozone pollution. Will any football games be postponed until Saturday morning instead of being played at the worst time of the day on Friday afternoon and early evening?

Our Air District (Brenda Turner) needs to tell Athletic Commissioner Jim Crichlow to get out the stick and start protecting the health of our youth. They should also get the Superintendent of Schools involved. Why is the decision to protect the lungs of kids left up to individual schools?

My career is about ot take off...

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:37:08 PDT

So after a long day interview i spoke wiht Extraordinaire in Bakersfield, CA and i found i can trust them even after Caporali Films screwed me out of 300 dollars for acting . Now im going to Los Angeles in January for the International Modeling and Talent Auditions which is my spot to compete in everything from commercials, to film, to theather, to fashion print, im too short for runway :P, but i dont plan on moving on ifi get those big contracts from companies like AT&T, NIKE, etc... I plan on staying in bakersfield. The downside is i have raise 4000.00 to pay for my entry fee, rooms, flights etc, The Delano Record has agreed to run my sponsorship letter to get businesses to sponsor me and help out with donations ranging from anything from 100.00 to 500.00. Off course the businesses will have to trust that this is a serious career move for me. On top i can advertise and model for them or appear in any advertising methods they like such as tv, radio, print ads, tv. I have to create a portfolio of business that have helped me get there so i can show the bigger corporations and also help the smaller ones get recognized. Cinco De Mayo organization has agreed also to speak about it on their meeting to help raise money. If you know anyone that can help or you wnt to donate nd see this legitimate contact Extraordinaire Talent and Models at 661-397-4440 or myself thru email at usafbonilla@gmail.com or more personal my cell at 530-219-2855. Even if i get contracts with large companies I will stay here in kern county and keep my roots here. Now dont think im doing this because someone told me im hot or handsome or someone said im a great actor. NO I chose this career move to show my ex wife and my son that i refuse to be a regular joe, after 7 years in the military all they did was kick me out fo rmedical conditions then my exwife ran off. I will make my son proud, my hispanic heritage roud but most of all Kern county will be proud.