Friendship

There is a special place in the heart of mankind for friendship.

Given generously over the years it will multiply, to become a treasure,
easily recognized, and priceless.

— 1980

Pauline Brasswell, 82, has sent this poem to many friends over the years. Once she sent it to President Carter and received a very nice letter in return. She lives in Lake Isabella.

War is Hell

This war is in a no win situation, going no where quick! Too many of our young men and women are coming home without limbs and brain injuries, not to mention the huge death toll thus far! One death was one too many. The poor care? What is that all about? Everyone was shocked and appalled at the situation at Walter Reed Hospital..The politicians and big wigs in the military all knew that hospital was in that condition since the Vietnam war, remember the movie "Born On The Fourth Of July"? Our military deserves better than that! I don't question anyones patriotism, when they speak against this privatized war. That's their right as Americans. This war is about oil, money and of course greed, all the evils that make a war what it is, hell!

Bakersfield Goes Orange To Resist the Bush/Cheney Regime

A dozen protestors braved the 100 plus degree Bakersfield summer heat
to show their resistance to the Bush/Cheney's criminal regime Friday
night, the official kickoff of the national World Can't Wait's
Declare It Now! Wear Orange! campaign. Everyone got into the
spirit of wearing orange t-shirts, bandanas and ribbons. Bakersfield
WCW members created extra orange ribbons to hand out to motorists
passing by the famous local protest corner (Stockdale Highway and
California Street). Channel 17 stopped by to get some footage and
interviews (and made an additional stop to the lone pro-Bush flag-
waving counter protestor across the street. Despite the usual
catcalls, most people honked their horns and gave the peace sign as
they went around the corner. The seeds have been planted. Look for
Bakersfield to become an orange city by Labor Day!

The Noel Emmett Experence at Amigos Cantina, Index at Gosford, 7 28 07

The Noel Emmett Experence at The Amigos Cantina Gosford and Index,

Bakersfield , 398 1300, Friday Night 7 28 07

Noel Emmett.., "There will be Noel Emmett !", Clever hey?! I think So! This countyfried Rock group rocked the place! Sure they had problems in the 1st set, Who doesn't? Seems their sound man came a bit late, Took some time to tune up Emmett's voice and get it all to gel, but gel it did, they tried 2 different PA systems and finally got it good, The house speakers, to me are pointed the wrong way, they Don't point at the audience but back to the band, so they didn't cut thru. But they did come up with a good vocal sound.

We have Noel Emmett on Guitar, playing a beautiful Taylor jazz guitar with F holes instead of a sound hole. and Lead vocals, Derrick Rains on lead guitar, Mark Bazzini on bass, and Dean Tackett playin those electronic drums which they say is the last time, as they've bought a new acoustic set but the electronic drums sounded ok, except when they went off and started playin notes no one wanted to hear, but even that didn't take away from the song they were singin'.

I have to say Derrick Rains played some quite excellent guitar riffs, I don't think I heard a singe error on his part. Everyone was quite good at what they were doing.

No, I enjoyed them and the almost full house did as well, People danced to Noel's songs, and he even played an original song, "Minimum Wage" which was very good, Derrick shined on guitar, playing Led Zep and Aerosmith during the breaks between the songs, much to the annoyance of Mr. Emmett, I must add. One time, Derrick started playin and even sung, I think a Kiss song and the whole group joined in as Noel tuned his guitar, He is a very affable person, Noel, Telling very clever jokes in between the songs, and he reminded me allot of Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs" , he has that kinda of self deprecating kinda humor going for him. Dean was without a mistake on drums and Mark on bass provided the proper bed to lie the songs in. Very pro all 'round. I thought it was good entertainment. So did allot of the people in Amigo's. By the way, Amigos Cantina is such a great place to see local bands. They give people a chance to be heard. I like them for that and they have a good tortilla chip, light n crispy with a great salsa, but I digress.

From 7;30 PM to about 11;15 PM Noel and Company played charming folk and country and songs, even some rock songs, with much flair, and emotion, 'Sweet Home Alabama' was a stand out. Each song was unique thou, even when Noel forgot a word or a chord, it was still great. This band is true Americana. And very tight despite he lil problems during the 1st set. I would recommend anyone to see the, 'Noel Emmett Experience', as they are a cool, semi original Country Band. Don't miss them They have a web site, so google them for more info, Noel, Send me your CD! Please!?

thanx again!

Vincent Leeds evrdman@aol.com

http://www.lulu.com/content/1054821

Stockdale High graduate contributes to arthritis research

Kim Silken, 2007 Stockdale High School Graduate, spent her summer at the University of Arizona in a laboratory dedicated to development of a new treatment for arthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease resulting from cartilage degeneration, which currently affects millions of people. There is currently no successful treatment for OA, and many patients require total joint replacement surgery to maintain mobility. However, the Orthopaedic Research Lab directed by Dr. Szivek at the University of Arizona is involved in research to repair damaged joints without the need for total joint replacement.

The lab is using fat derived stem cells to create engineered cartilage tissue that can replace damaged tissue. This is an exciting development because these stem cells, which are not embryonic stem cells, will not arouse religious and ethical controversy related to the use of embryonic cells. The lab is researching a method to isolate stem cells from fat and turn them into cartilage. Once the stem cells are extracted from the fat, they are given growth factors and placed into a gel to support their conversion into cartilage. In addition to the growth factors, the lab applies loads while the engineered tissue is growing to give the tissue the appropriate strength and structure.

The engineered cartilage tissue is grown on a scaffold, which can be implanted into the patient’s joint where the native cartilage is damaged or missing. The purpose of the scaffold is to anchor the cartilage into the patient’s bone. The ability to anchor the implant is crucial. If the patient’s native bone fails to grow into the scaffold, the implant could become displaced or damaged as the patient recovers from surgery and begins to use their joint. Once the patient has recovers from the surgery, sensors embedded inside the scaffold will monitor the healing and rehabilitation process.

This exciting break through will prevent the need to perform total joint replacements and will provide patients and doctors with a method to monitor the success of this procedure.

Kim's wages were paid by a grant to the University of Arizona from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Kim is headed to college in the fall where she plans to study mechanical engineering.

Carol Bender is the Director of the Undergraduate Biology Research Program at the University of Arizona.

Church searches for - and finds - family to return lost papers

Editor's Note: Through some journalistic sleuthing, Marnie Hicks has been located and the church is in the process of returning her family's items. — Jennifer Baldwin, Contributions Editor

Do you know Marnie or Greg Hicks or Tarin or Seth Meadows? Wesley United Methodist Church, 1314 Oswell Street, needs your help in locating these individuals.

The church held a rummage sale last year and among the items donated for the sale was a box of family memories belonging to the Hicks and Meadows family. The church was never able to find out who brought the box to the sale. Church members have called people listed in the phone book under Hicks and Meadows but have gotten no leads.

The box includes a marriage certificate for Greg Hicks and Marnie Meadows, a birth certificate for Seth Meadows, and a Bible with Marnie Hicks printed on the cover. There are pictures of a new born baby whom the church believes is Seth, and there are birthday cards celebrating Seth’s first birthday. There are school papers including a book of Memories, written and illustrated by Tarin Meadows. Tarin ended her book by writing, “The thing that is precious as gold is my family. They are always there for me, right by my side. They have never let me down. I love them with all my heart.”

Church members cannot bring themselves to toss out these memories. They assume that somehow a family member learned about the rummage sale and decided to donate items to the sale, inadvertently including this box of personal papers. They want to return the legal papers, Bible, pictures, schoolwork and other items back to their rightful owners.

If you are Marnie Hicks, Greg Hicks, Tarin Meadows or Seth Meadows, please call Anne Scott, Wesley Administrative Coordinator, at 871-3030, and let us arrange to get this box back into your possession. If you know any of these people, please show them this article and ask them to contact the church. Church hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

War in Iraq

As parents of a son who is currently serving his second tour in Iraq, this issue is so personal to us. We need to throw out the political agendas that everyone gets wrapped up in and understand that these men and women are fighting for the very freedoms that our fore fathers established for us. However we feel about this war, it's here and we need to stop blaming our President, Department of Defense and others. 9/11 was not started by them, it was started out of hate and jealousy and that is what our soldiers are defending. I praise THEM. Our soldiers are keeping freedom free, for a cost yes but none-the-less, this is what they chose to do FOR US! Thank a soldier, a vet and their families for these freedoms and always keep them in your prayers.

Very proud parents of Lance Cpl David Cole Lang - USMC

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES

Digital Photography Classes by Curtis Neil, former manager of Southside Camera, start August 2. Classes will meet Thursday evenings from 6 - 8 p.m. in the Four Seasons Arts and Crafts Room. Get the most out of your digital camera or learn what to look for when you purchase. Hands-on class with your camera. Cost is $45 for three sessions. For more information, call Curtis Neil at 283-1376.

What I think of the War in Iraq

This war is a Pandora's Box that was opened by the most inept Executive Branch of our government. We have needlessly lost well over 3600 lives of our young men and women, and seriously wounded thousands more. Billions of dollars have been flowing into a country who has no idea what democracy is all about, and are ill-equipped to carry this plan forward. We constantly hear that we must fight terrorism there and if we pull out before we have won, the terrorist will follow us here....then in the next breath we hear that there are terrorist cells already here working to destroy us. The terrorist certainly were here on 9/11 before W and Co. decided we needed to change Iraq. Why, if we needed to go to war, didn't we go after the terrorists in Afghanistan? The terrorists who attacked us were not even in Iraq until we messed things up and they were allowed to enter. None of this makes sense. Our service men and women are being mis-guided and our elected politicians are only concerned about who will get into power in the next election. We must unite in making every effort to stop this madness. Let the politicians know where you stand and pray for peace rather than war.

Mysterious Words Spoken

Throughout the course of our lives, the people of this city experience the birth of flowers. They witness the birth of newborn dreams, aspirations and goals. All throughout our city, newborn dreams are drawn into open arms-and pushed into the skies by our passionate, enthusiastic family members. Even though we are but a small piece of this world, it is quite an honor to witness the dreams that take flight here-for those dreams inevitably become a part of the entire world. Many dreams were born during the month of June, when high school graduates began their paths to completion. Graduations were performed, with many dreams soaring from the mouths of excited youths.

Like many others within our city, I had the honor of witnessing my sister's graduation. On that very night, dreams were born with a sacred realm-known as her heart-and she began her own path to completion. The month of June was quite a celebration for our family, for it marked the departure of the last fledgling from childhood into adulthood. My baby sister has said that her path is unclear, as many others are unclear, but light will mostly definitely fall upon her life soon-as it will for all lives.

All of us carry a passion for a pastime. Some of us utilize those passions and transform them into creations of wonder-creations that were drawn from dreams. Dreams aren't always the images that stream through your head at night-they're the wishes that take flight as we walk through our lives. My sister turned one of her dreams into a book just a few days ago, and it has been published on Lulu.com. Her book is this article's namesake-I named this piece in honor of her first book. I am happy to know that there is a company willing to publish aspiring authors-free of charge.

As I draw this to a close, I merely wish to grant all aspiring dreamers the best of luck. If you dream of words, and wish to transform your words into a creation for all to see, then I urge you to visit the miraculous website 'Lulu.com'. All dreamers need an avenue for their endeavors, and that is most certainly an invaluable avenue. And my sister's creation, beautiful in a million different ways, is one of the many dreams born right here-in our city called Bakersfield.

Eastside Loses Good Friend

The other day a great friend of an old eastside neighborhood passed away, he wasn't rich, famous or a professional person and he didn't drive a fancy car. This simple, kind man, Arthur "Gordo" Arias was well known for his kindness and friendships to everyone he knew. He lived by Our Lady Of Guadalupe Church, a parish he loved, and supported all his life, and Union Cemetery , where generations of his family are buried and now, he too rests. He was a very prominent fixture in the old neighborhood. Gordo, never failed to extend his hand and smile. His family and neighbors and the homeless he befriended will certainly miss him. He recently became a member of the Eagles, where he like to spend his Friday evenings enjoying a steak dinner, but spent the evening shaking hands and patting people on the back, just like a politician. People like Gordo do not look for recognition in life, they just live it. This wonderful man spread what is called " the milk of human kindness" something which is missing in life today, maybe we can all learn from Gordo. The old neighborhood will never be the same without him.

TINY TOTS FILIPINO WEEKEND KING DELANO CA

CHRISTOPER PERMEJO JR.

THIS SATURDAY IS FILIPINO WEEKEND, THE PARADE STARTS AT 10:00 AM.

Howdy Forrester Scholarship

1^st Annual Howdy Forrester Memorial Scholarship

"Once in a blue moon someone comes along in a particular field who is so advanced, so ‘out of the box’, so innovative and creative in approach to a chosen specialty that the particular field of endeavor is forever changed. In the case of old time fiddling, that special person who changed the genre so dramatically was Howard ‘Big Howdy’ Forrester..." from his biography, Fiddler of the Opry, by Gayel Pitchford.

In conjunction with Tehachapi’s 2007 old time fiddle contest theme: " A Tribute to Howdy Forrester", the California State Old Time Fiddlers Association (District #3) and Bob Forrester are proud to present the first annual Howdy Forrester Memorial Scholarship. A deserving high school junior or senior will receive $400.00 for his or her efforts by writing an essay on "How I Embody the Spirit of Howdy Forrester" in not more than 200 words. The scholarship will be awarded during the Fiddlin’ Down the Tracks Contest, this September 15, 2007. At that time, the winner must be present and will be given the privilege of reading his or her essay to the audience as well as playing a few tunes.

Other criteria for winning the scholarship are as follows for each entrant: must be a fiddler, must have completed the junior or senior year of high school in 2007, must be a California State Old Time Fiddlers Association member, must plan to attend college, and must embody the spirit of Big Howdy Forrester. The scholarship application along with the essay and a copy of the CSOTFA membership card may be submitted to Gayel Pitchford by the deadline, August 10. For those who are not currently CSOTFA members, enrollment is easy through membership secretary Pam Jones at 661- 821-2120 .

Applications are available upon request from Gayel Pitchford at 661-821-7511. All eligible young people are encouraged to enter this essay contest and try for the scholarship. As a tribute to Howdy Forrester, who knows what innovative ideas may come from the winning writer!

Marijuana - Just say know!

It’s very easy to find the truth about marijuana. Just go to amazon.com and type in "marijuana", and you'll see a long list of books. Pick one and read it! Before we condemn anyone to an unspeakable and hideous prison experience, don't we owe it to them to be sure they really deserve to be in prison. Please consider the possibility, everyone reading this, that you may be wrong about marijuana.

What may not be in any of those books yet are two amazing discoveries concerning marijuana:

1. Marijuana's active ingredients, the cannabinoids, shrink tumors and promote the necrosis of cancerous tissue, without harming normal tissue.

You can check this one out on the web with a Google search using the words [marijuana cancer], and also try [marijuana "shrink tumors"].

2. Marijuana's active ingredients, the cannabinoids, slow the progression of Alzheimer’s, perhaps better than any existing medication.

You can check this one out on the web with a Google search using the words [marijuana Alzheimer's].

These two new medicinal uses for marijuana are quite unexpected and truly wonderful, and add to the many other uses you’ll see if you read virtually any book written recently on marijuana.

AND, remember, marijuana is completely non-toxic. Really. This is well known, and is very easy to verify. The usual measure of toxicity is LD50 (the dose at which 50% of a population dies). Just Google [LD50 marijuana] to find out the truth about marijuana’s toxicity.

If enough people know the truth about marijuana, it will be legalized. If you think I’m wrong, go ahead and educate yourself about this amazing herb. Above I’ve given all the resources you need to find out the truth for yourself. Have fun!

The War in Iraq

Both my daughter and her husband are serving in Iraq. She is in Baghdad, in the green zone, and he is a few miles north of the city. While I support the troops, and their brave efforts, I do not think we should be there. The Iraqi's don't like us or want us there, we are the infidels after all, and we are not serving a useful purpose. It has become a civil war zone, with our troops acting as police. Every day our soldiers are being killed by the cowardly acts of Muslim fanatics. It is time the Iraqi's fight their own battles. Our troops would be more useful here securing our borders. I think we should bring them home and let the Iraqi's fend for themselves. Sadly, President Bush is too arrogant to admit he made a mistake, so we will in all probability be there until he is no longer in office. I do hope, however, that all the war protesters will remember that our soldiers are just doing their jobs, and they need to know we appreciate their valiant efforts.

Mother of Spc. Heide Botkin, 502nd Military Intelligence Batallion, Ft. Lewis, Washington, and mother-in-law of Sgt. Levi Botkin, 45th Military Intelligence Company, Ft. Lewis, Washington.

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