Recent Blog Posts: Bakotopia

You're Not the Kind of Ho that Santa had in Mind!: Helping teens make the right decisions concerning sex.

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 07:41:21 PST

The song, You're Not the Kind of Ho (That Santa had in MInd) is based on my own personal experience. In the first verse, I draw from my father as a role model, reflecting on a situation I experienced as a youth, as I witnessed my father's refusal to allow a hooker to come in between himself, his family, and his efforts to gather food to feed his family. In the second verse, I draw from my experience years ago, when I worked as a Program Coordinator of a runawy shelter in Modesto, California, and from the traps that teens who entered the shelter, found themselves caught in, including the trap of teen-age prostitution.

The question of how society should educate teens surrounding their sexuality has been a controversial one. Some, who believe that sex should be reserved for marriage, advocate for a message of abstinence, and shun programs that introduce teens to methods of birth control. Others, who accept sexual promiscuity, or, at least, sexual experimentation as a reality that is concomitant to the adolescent years, believe that we must protect teens against STDs and unplanned pregnancies, by offering them a comprehensive approach, including an overview of birth control measures.

I am interested in understanding your views as it concerns the role that public education should have in teaching children about sex. Is it the job of our public schools? Is it the job of parents? Should secular humanists set the agenda for sex education in schools? Should conservative Christians set the agenda? Is there room for compromise? Your comments put the roll in blog n roll, so let's get rollin'!

Has your Ho Ho Ho! turned to a ho ho hum? 'Tis the Season for Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 22:16:31 PST

It's called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. Poets identified it long before mental health professionals like myself analyzed the heck out of it. It may make for romantic muse, but once it gets you in its throes, it can be quite painful and disruptive. This mood disorder seems to be associated with a decrease in the time period in which one is exposed to sunlight, and so onset is generally in the late fall and early winter. Symptoms include lethargy, sadness, hopelessness, insomnia, loss of appetite, loss of interest in sex and other activities that were once experienced as pleasurable, and social withdrawal. In severe cases, a person can become suicidal, especially when it emerges along with a pre-existing mental health condition.

The worst thing you can do when you feel the symptoms of SAD coming on are to stick your head in the sand (or in the snow if you live where it's cold), and ignore it, hoping it will go away. Sometimes something as simple improvement in diet and excercise habits can cause symptoms to go away. Some have experienced positive results with special types of indoor lighting. When the problem feels more overwhelming and it begins to result in an impaired level of social and occupational functioning, then it's time to seek out professional help. The combination of antidepressant medication and psychotherapy has proven quite effective in such cases.

Sometimes it also helps to pray. Prayer can be a powerful means of allowing spiritual light to penetrate the soul and psyche. And then, there is sublimation. This involves the transformation of negative energy into positive energy through engagement in creative activities like music and painting.

I sincerely hope that if you are suffering from SAD, you will pay attention to the problem and actively seek solutions that are best suited for you. Don't let SAD stop you from savoring the season!

And we're back...

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 18:29:16 PST

So we've been scarred. We're the folly of the generation before us and they are such of the generation before them. We need to change this. The family structure is dying. Many religious people contribute it to the "downfall" of Christianity in our country. Freedom of Christianity it should be called (thats for a later rant). You know what? Yes it is. But not Christianity as the reason for, but Christianity as a model for a strong moral foundation. People today are questioning the idea of "morals" too much. They are relative in a lot of situations, but there are key concepts that are just not meant to change. Not everything is for the questioning. I'm talking about people who take it to the point of : "Quit being bad!" and then the asshole "philosophy major" (philosophy is awesome, I'm merely pointing to the douchebags who use it because they dont want to do anything but smoke pot all day) would say "What is bad? That child is just expressing himself through tantrum". And I agree, there are so many different variations and backdrops in front of which we can dress our rationale so that it fits our purpose. The thing is, we need to quit talking out of our asses and begin to ask better questions like "where do we want our society to be" "what are our main goals" and so forth. If we asked these questions, and then engaged in ACTIVE diologue, then we'd be closer to changing things. But for now people will rely on the arguments of "Mexicans are taking our jobs" against "White people are just insensitive!" I'm not going to go through all the possible misinterpretations of this that there could be in order to try and save face toward every person ever, take it as you will.

So yeah, I'm back.

Miracle on 19th Street

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 11:18:04 PST

This time, 'Miracle' is on 19th Street
By Camille Gavin

"Miracle on 34th Street" was a hit with the sold-out house at Spotlight Theatre at last Friday's opening night. Roger Mathey, the director, told theater-goers at a pre-performance party that the show's main message is the importance of having faith -- to believe in something, no matter what one's particular religion is.

Serious as that sounds, the show itself is fast-paced, funny and sparked by engaging performances by John Fowler, as a very believable Kris Kringle, and Amelia Egland, as a cynical little girl who scorns the world of make-believe.

There's a bit of romance too, provided by Abby Chapin, playing a hard-boiled career woman, and Joshua Hensley, Kringle's defense lawyer, who pucker up for a couple of fairly innocent but long-lasting onstage kisses.

The show is set in the 1940s and costumed appropriately for that period. Based on a novel by Patricia Di Benedetto Snyder, it tells the story of a man who is hired by Macy's Department Store in New York to play Santa Claus. Problems develop when Santa, who believes he really is Santa, begins sending customers to Gimbel's, Macy's competitor.

To add to the aura of make-believe -- and making props pretty much unnecessary -- still photos depicting specific locations are projected on a backdrop that's framed as if it were a giant picture.

COME SEE FOR YOURSELF!

Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 2pm

Tickets for this event are $18 for general admission, $15 for students, seniors, and active military.

Save $3 by getting your tickets a day in advance of the performance!

The Spotlight Theatre is located at 1622 19th Street, downtown Bakersfield.

Call 661 634 0692 for more information or to make reservations.

Check us out

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 10:06:32 PST

Well we are about to start our second season heading for the national title shot. Last season we were the adrenaline junkees and we finished 7th in the nation - not too bad. This year we have found a few sponsors and completely revamped our team. We are the Mower's Metal Heads. We hit Mower up about a few months ago about a possible sponsorship - well they just recently came through - we are all excited cause Mower is one of our favorite bands and is on the best record label ever - suburban noize records! Along with them came sikworld - a crazy clothing line that kicks ass! We also just recently came across Monster Energy Drink - Thanks Jo.

We hope to start the second season off right! We have a tournament coming up at the end of the month in Dec down in Irvine! The Monster Assult truck will be there for us and we should have a new team photo for everyone.

Take care and if you wanna see some pics hit us up at www.myspace.com/adrenalinejunkees

thanks all!

shows man, shows.

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 01:02:59 PST

So Velveteen Rabbit (the show I sadly did little to no work for) is opening this Friday at BCT. You gotta go see it, there's some cute ass kids in it.

It's a Wonderful Life opened last weekend at Jewel Box Theatre and runs all of December. You should come see that too, but go see Velveteen Rabbit first 'cause lets face it...you have the WHOLE FREAKIN' MONTH to see the other one.

theatre...love it.

Computer interface of the future?

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 21:16:13 PST

This video of a multi-touch display, where you use all 10 of your fingers and no mouse, really makes you think about what computers will be like in the future. When you look at something like this and Nintendo's Wii, which has a simple stick that you move around in the air as an interface for everything from bowling to fishing to shooting, you start to see new possibilities. Personally, I would love to be freed from the carpal-tunnel proned posture required to use a keyboard and mouse.

Fiji coup

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 19:32:38 PST

I wrote a few days ago about the coup in Fiji. Here's a good example of a democracy failing because of tension between ethnic groups: Ethnic Fijians and the ethnic Indians who controlled much of the government. Read more on Paperback Writer, and give your opinion...

-n.l.
www.nlbelardes.com

CHRISTMAS MUSIC! CHRISTMAS MUSIC! CHRISTMAS MUSIC!

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 19:01:10 PST

hi! i put a link here to my most favorite free music site and their 3-5 christmas shows... the link to one of the best songs is on the blog itself. if you know of any other sites with free holiday or other "oldies" (on speed) kinda music, please post it here or there cause i'd love to learn of more! http://duskdevils.blogspot.com

happy christmahanukwanzaramadanaposada to you! and a merry festivus, too!

Bako VIDEO!

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 16:49:24 PST

Check out the first online commercial for Bakotopia by N.L. Belardes...

DIG IT and leave a comment to show your Bakotopia/MAS Magazine support!

-n.l.

Puerto Rico, here we come!

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 16:03:47 PST

I'm going to Puerto Rico in February. Here are some photos I took, plus a tourist video from someone on Youtube. My favorite spot is Flamenco Beach on the island of Culebra.

If you've spent some time in Puerto Rico, Id' love to hear from you and trade stories!

David Letterman drops a safe on a Buick!

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 15:54:38 PST

Why?

Piece on Earth? Do guns and violent video games make good Christmas gifts for Children?

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 15:53:35 PST

I recall Christmas in June, 1969. That's right, June. That's when the real Christmas came for me and my brothers. That's when we discovered the guns that were to have gone with the Johnny West sets we received for Christmas in the Christmas of 1968. My mother had apparently tried to burn the little plastic guns by placing them in the family burning barrel and setting them on fire along with the other burnable items. As it turned out, like Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego, the three Old Testament characters who were placed in a fiery furnace by an evil king, these guns were completely spared. The Johnny West set was now complete and we began firing away.

My mom's plan obviously failed, and I turned out to be a pretty peaceful, non-violent sort of guy. So far, I haven't gone postal or anything. That leads me to my question. Should parents give their children toy guns, violent video games and other violent gifts as Christmas gifts. What do you think the effects could be?

Your White Christmas: Cocaine addiction can spoil Christmas for everyone

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 15:12:39 PST

Some parents sacrifice everything just to give their children a good Christmas. Other parents sacrifice everything, including their children at Christmas, just to get high on cocaine. This song addresses the issue of cocaine addiction and the price families pay during Christmas for the addiction of one or more parent.

New

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 05:05:33 PST

Big changes are coming soon...

January 6th, 2007 @ Silverfox Bar <---- probably around 9ish