The eclipse was Mother Nature's gift, a rare moment of positivity and wonder in a world awash in negativity, terror and vitriol, and USC comes in at No. 4 in the AP preseason college football poll

 * ... MOTHER NATURE: Wasn't the solar eclipse spectacular? Even here in Kern County where it didn't totally block out the sun, the event provided a rare and welcome respite from the tsunami of

negativity and bad news that have consumed us recently: Charlottesville, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, Barcelona, Islamic terrorism, the rush to erase history by tearing down statues, to name just a few. In less than three minutes Mother Nature brought us together in positivity, wonder and hope.

 * ... SPORTS: Is there a better time for sports than fall: College football returns, we head to the World Series and the Los Angeles Dodgers are on top of the baseball world. And now this: the USC Trojans are ranked fourth in the AP preseason college football poll right behind perennial powerhouses Alabama, Ohio State and Florida State. Rounding out the top ten are Clemson, Penn State, Oklahoma, Washington, Wisconsin and Oklahoma State.

* ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "You ever get a funny feeling in the pit of your stomach and then look down and realize you're impaled on a spear?"

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Much like the moon, I also like to stand in front of my hotter friends and dramatically become the center of attention.

 * ... SUMMER TREAT: Here in the waning days of summer, the best dessert around is mango mocha ice cream from Jin Sushi downtown, topped with whipped cream, chocolate and cherries.

 * ... REALLY BAD FORM: Ginny Espinoza is a volunteer at the Rags to Rescue store on H Street that supports the HALT (Helping Animals Live Tomorrow) dog rescue operation. This past week, someone stole an old red wooden telephone booth in front of their store. "The telephone booth was going to open in October as a Little Neighborhood Library, with books to help kids learn about their pets and how to better care for them. We had plans for Pumpkin Carving for children, Kids’ Painting Sessions, and Dogs Best Costume Contests at Halloween around the library in front of our shop.
To say that we are heart-broken is putting it mildly! Hoping you can help us spread the word for return of the booth!"

 * ... MORE BAD FORM: My neighbor Bernadette Root was in Denver recently dining at the newly remodeled Union Station when she noticed a diner changing her baby's diaper at her table. "Then she left it there on top of the table," she said. Looks like bad form knows no geographic boundaries.

  * ... FRANKLIN: Kathy Kozlowski is a second grade teacher at Franklin Elementary and sent me this note to set the record straight. "On Friday morning, you had a blurb in your blog about parents at Franklin not being allowed to walk their kids to the front gate on Truxtun as being a 'sign of the times.' This is really misleading. I don't know who emailed you, but most of the parents affected are not walking their kids to school; most of them are driving them.  I have been teaching at Franklin for 28 years. When I started there in 1989, no one was allowed to drop or pick up their kids off on Truxtun Avenue because the traffic made it too dangerous. It remained that way for years. However, recently, more and more parents decided to break the rule and drop off their kids on Truxtun because it was more convenient. The traffic on Truxtun is really fast in front of the school, even though it's supposed to be 25 mph. Most cars are going much faster than that. Some parents were even double parking on Truxtun to pick up or drop off their kids. To avoid potential accidents, this year, we decided to start the new year off with going back to enforcing the rule that had been in place for years. Eighteenth Street has a crossing guard, and the traffic is not as bad as Truxtun Avenue."

Experts say the coming El Nino is attracting hammerhead sharks closer to the California coast, a classy new entree from Cafe Med and more help for those stray dogs about town

 * ... EL NINO: The coming El Nino may be bringing more than a little rain to California. According to experts quoted in The Los Angeles Times, the unusually warm water is also attracting great white sharks that are feeding closer to shore. The experts said hammerheads have been reported off the

coast the past two years "because warm water draws them and their food supply - mainly yellowtail and tuna - from Central America and Baja California." Chris Lowe, director of Cal State Long Beach's shark lab, told the newspaper that "it's a different ocean than we've been used to for the last 40 or 50 years." Be careful out there.

* ... SCAMS: Carol Craig knows a scam when she sees one, and the letter from "Walmart" but with a Spanish postal marking immediately got her attention. The letter claimed to be from Walmart and enclosed a check for almost $2,000 if Craig agreed to be part of a "quality control" program. Of course, once the check is cashed (and before your bank figures out it is fake) you are asked to wire $350 "to get started." Don't fall for this one.

 * ... FOODIE BEST BET: Cafe Med is getting some rave reviews about a new 12-inch pizza is it serving, using its signature pita bread as the crust. Starting at just $10.95, this entree item is on both the bar and lunch menu. If you have had Cafe Med's pita bread, you know this will be a can't miss dish.

* ... SPOTTED: A relevant Twitter post from my friend Trish Reed: "You know you're a grown up when you're excited about getting new tires on your car after work."

 * ... STARBUCKS: Next time you are in the drive-through lane at Starbucks, consider this note from Mike Huston: "On pretty much a daily basis, I pass through the drive-thru lane at the Starbucks on 7th Standard and Highway 65.  On two occasions so far this month, I have been treated to a 'free' cappuccino, courtesy of the driver in front of me. I doubt that this practice is isolated to this particular Starbucks, but certainly worth mentioning. And, while an early morning cup of coffee is a nice way to get your morning started, I submit paying it forward to the driver behind you will make you feel even better! If you are already a regular Starbuck’s donor, you deserve the free drink destined to come your way!"

 * ... GOOD CAUSE: Feel like doing something nice for a good cause? If so, head over to Sparkling Image Car Washes of Bakersfield Friday (today) where they will be hosting their 6th annual car wash fundraiser to benefit Camp KEEP. Half of the proceeds from the sale of all full service car washes will be donated to Camp KEEP to help send kids in need to camp. In recent years, more than $40,000 has been raised through Sparkling Image for the cause.

 * ... RESCUE DOGS: Here is a new twist in the noble effort to help all those stray dogs in town. A new thrift store, called Rags to Rescue and located at 234 H Street, is opening to help fund the HALT (Helping Animals Live Tomorrow) rescue operation. The store will feature home goods, furniture, and some gently used clothing, and all proceeds will go to support dog rescue and placement operations. The store opens Friday (today) and is looking for volunteers to help staff it. Consider this a "cause for paws and other treasures."