A Stanford historian takes California to task for its man-made role in our drought, and a British newspaper puts the spotlight on Crisp and Cole

 * … DROUGHT: The Fresno Bee ran an interesting opinion piece on our drought from Victor Hanson, a historian at Stanford University. In it he lamented our "two droughts," one of nature's

making the second of our own making in which we divert millions of acre feet of water to protect an ailing, small fish. Said Hanson: "Instead of an adult state with millions of acre-feet stored in new reservoirs, California is an adolescent culture that believes that it has the right to live as if it were the age of the romantic 19th-century naturalist John Muir — amid a teeming 40-million-person 21st-century megalopolis. The California disease is characteristic of comfortable postmodern societies that forget the sources of their original wealth. The state may have the most extensive reserves of gas and oil in the nation, the largest number of cars on the road — and the greatest resistance to drilling for fuel beneath its collective feet. After last summer's forest fires wiped out a billion board feet of timber, we are still arguing over whether loggers will be allowed to salvage such precious lumber, or instead should let it rot to enhance beetle and woodpecker populations. In 2014, nature yet again reminded California just how fragile — and often pretentious — a place it has become."

 * … COLE: The Financial Times, a respected London-based newspaper, put the spotlight on the housing and mortgage crisis recently with a long interview with Carl Cole, one half of the now disgraced Crisp and Cole mortgage empire. The story traces how Cole became partners with the

younger Crisp, and it follows Cole through the rapid rise and catastrophic fall of their company and his eventual guilty plea to mortgage fraud. The author noted that "Bakersfield was a fitting place for Cole to start over. It has been giving Americans second chances since the Joad family came to the Weedpatch work camp, a few miles south of the city, in John Steinbeck’s Great Depression novel, The Grapes of Wrath… People came to Bakersfield because it was the kind of place where they could make a living with their hands – in oilfields and farms and the businesses that grew up around them." (photo by 23ABC News Bakersfield)

 * … NORIEGA'S: I was the guest at a birthday party this weekend held at Noriega's, the award winning Basque restaurant that serves some of the best garlic fried chicken you will find anywhere. Everytime I stop by Noriega's I leave thinking: I need to do this more often.

* … BENTZ: It was nice to see more than 60 cyclists show up for a memorial ride Saturday to honor the late Doug Bentz, the ski chalet owner who died last week at the age of 70. The group retraced the route that Bentz and his son would take every week, a fitting tribute to the popular local retailer.

 * … TWITTER: My favorite tweet of the week comes from the Twitter feed of actress Jennifer Lawrence: "Some people are like clouds. When they go away it's a beautiful day."

Bako Bits: the sad saga of Crisp and Cole and a weekend full of art and music to look forward to

  Lots to catch up on and plenty to look forward to this weekend. Let's start ...

 * ... THE CRISP AND COLE SAGA CONTINUES: Is there a more compelling local story than the latest twist in the Crisp and Cole saga? This story has it all: greed, hubris, gullibility, and loss amid the now historic real estate run-up and bubble. Which is why I found the latest installment on ex staffer Jerald Teixeira pleading guilty to federal fraud charges so compelling. Let's face it the two principals here, the flamboyant high flying David Crisp and his older partner Carl Cole, earn little sympathy from anyone other than perhaps their mothers. And it was almost sad to hear Cole quoted in The Californian as saying "I'm an old man and I was taken in." Really? He was in his late 50s at the time and last I heard he should still have a pretty good kick at that age. By contrast I found Teixeira's plea and his willingness to own up to his mistakes refreshing. He told The Californian he was looking forward to "manning up" to what he did and "doing what's right." Don't you wish everyone involved in this saga would do the same? Apparently Teixeira, a McFarland High graduate, is a Marine Corps veteran. That probably explains a lot about his willingness to "man up" to his transgressions. Lastly, if you are not familiar with the story, read The Californian's excellent coverage here. This is the kind of stuff only a local newspaper can or is willing to do, but that's a topic for another time.

* ... ANOTHER FIRST FRIDAY: If it's October it must be time for another "First Friday," the monthly date when downtown comes alive with art, music and food. There's always plenty to do, whether it's starting the evening at Uricchios Trattoria or Mama Roombas for food with a little Cuban/Caribbean flare, and it's always worth the visit. Over at Metro Galleries at 1604 19th Street, owner Don Martin has been busy promoting a show of photographs by local artist and educator Susan Reep and Californian photographer Michael Fagans. I haven't had a preview but Don always puts on a great show and of course there's always some finger food and wine available. In his words:

  "Susan has created a stunning group of photographs that have been altered to create amazing and sometimes whimsical scenes. Michael's collection of photographs document his time embedded with US Forces in Afghanistan and capture the intensity of the moment. Live music on the patio, Hors d'ouerves and no host wine bar by Valentien."

 * ...  MEANWHILE OVER AT THE FOX: If a movie is more your style (and by that I mean a movie that otherwise never see the light of day in Bako) then check out the Friday night Flics (Film Lovers International Cinema Society) over at the historic Fox Theater. Flics is a largely undiscovered gem in our town but its following is growing with each showing. This week: "Laila's Birthday," which the Flics Facebook site describes as "a Palestinian movie that manages to be absurd, funny and thought-provoking at the same time." It continues:

 "Human Rights Watch describes the film as 'A moving and humorous tale of a Palestinian taxi driver just trying to get home in time for his daughter's birthday.' Variety wrote the film shows 'the confusion, frustration, absurdity and coping mechanisms of life in contemporary Ramallah.'
 If you haven't been yet, check it out.

 * ... REMEMBER CLAUDIA TRUE? If you are connected with the  local art scene, or recognize some of the paintings below, you will remember Claudia as a talented member of our Bakersfield art circles. Her work is distinctive and unique. and - my opinion here - always has a positive energy surrounding it. I saw on Facebook that Claudia is celebrating ten years as an artist and is selling and showing some of her work online. Claudia and her husband moved to Overland Park, Kansas, (a suburb of Kansas City) in February 2007 and it has been our loss, but it's good to see her staying in touch. She has a wonderful story to tell, so check out her website.

 Other examples of her work: