The eighth annual Latination art show kicks off First Friday, thieves target a fancy new cooler and Colin Kaepernick ups the ante in his anti-police campaign

 * ... LATINATION: It wasn't that long ago when the biggest thing going downtown was the occasional street fair featuring kettle corn and classic cars. But thanks to the vision of a handful of creative people who live and work downtown, Bakersfield now has a wildly popular First Friday that is at the same time whimsical, intelligent and fun. This Friday is perhaps the biggest of the year because it features Latination, an annual art show celebrating our west coast culture in oil, canvas and sculpture. This is the eighth year of Latination, the brain child of Don Martin, owner of Metro Galleries on 19th Street. Martin had some 150 entries and the winner will be announced at Metro Friday evening. Things will get under way around 5 p.m. Friday and won't end until the crowds disperse.

 * ... YETI COOLERS: Can you guess what is one of the hottest items for thieves today? According to The Wall Street Journal, it is the Yeti cooler, an expensive, bear resistant cooler that has been targeted by thieves across the country. A standard sized Yeti goes for around $400 and some models top $1,200. They are so prized that some folks are referring to the Yeti as the "Redneck Rolex."

 * ... KAEPERNICK: Colin Kaepernick has upped the ante in his very public protest against what he calls institutional racism among police. First he refused to stand for the national anthem (that prompted fans across the country to burn his jersey) and now he was spotted wearing socks depicting a pig wearing a patrolman's hat. What is it they say about karma?

* ... JOHN BROCK: Congratulations to Joe MacIlvaine, the retiring president of Paramount Farming who will be the recipient of the John Brock award this year. The award goes to prominent local business people who have displayed leadership and support of the business school out at Cal State Bakersfield. He will receive the award next Thursday during a dinner at Seven Oaks Country Club.


* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Letting someone in your life is like turning off the antivirus, downloading a file from the internet, installing it and hoping it is not a virus."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Dating in middle age is a bit like Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Too much baggage to handle."

 * ... PETROLEUM WIVES: The Association of Petroleum Wives (AP W) is having a reception Friday,  September 9, for new and past members who want to be involved with this philanthropic group. The organization is open to spouses of folks who work in the oil and gas industry. The reception starts at 6 p.m. at The Petroleum Club. Call (661) 301-0907 or (661) 241-3507 for tickets and reservations.

* ... BAD FORM: When I lamented spotting a profane bumper sticker the other day, Ken Schmitz joined in my lament about the state of civil discourse.  "I read your item in Bakersfield Observe" about the *UCK TRUMP" bumper sticker. I spotted the same sentiment, this time on a gray pickup with four inch letters in the rear window. Welcome to the intolerant and low class world of progressive politics in America."

The eighth annual Latination art show kicks of First Friday, thieves target a fancy new cooler and Colin Kaepernick ups the ante in his anti-police campaign

 * ... LATINATION: It wasn't that long ago when the biggest thing going downtown was the occasional street fair featuring kettle corn and classic cars. But thanks to the vision of a handful of creative people who live and work downtown, Bakersfield now has a wildly popular First Friday that is at the same time whimsical, intelligent and fun. This Friday is perhaps the biggest of the year because it features Latination, an annual art show celebrating our west coast culture in oil, canvas and sculpture. This is the eighth year of Latination, the brain child of Don Martin, owner of Metro Galleries on 19th Street. Martin had some 150 entries and the winner will be announced at Metro Friday evening. Things will get under way around 5 p.m. Friday and won't end until the crowds disperse.

 * ... YETI COOLERS: Can you guess what is one of the hottest items for thieves today? According to The Wall Street Journal, it is the Yeti cooler, an expensive, bear resistant cooler that has been targeted by thieves across the country. A standard sized Yeti goes for around $400 and some models top $1,200. They are so prized that some folks are referring to the Yeti as the "Redneck Rolex."

 * ... KAEPERNICK: Colin Kaepernick has upped the ante in his very public protest against what he calls institutional racism among police. First he refused to stand for the national anthem (that prompted fans across the country to burn his jersey) and now he was spotted wearing socks depicting a pig wearing a patrolman's hat. What is it they say about karma?

* ... JOHN BROCK: Congratulations to Joe MacIlvaine, the retiring president of Paramount Farming who will be the recipient of the John Brock award this year. The award goes to prominent local business people who have displayed leadership and support of the business school out at Cal State Bakersfield. He will receive the award next Thursday during a dinner at Seven Oaks Country Club.


* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Letting someone in your life is like turning off the antivirus, downloading a file from the internet, installing it and hoping it is not a virus."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Dating in middle age is a bit like Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Too much baggage to handle."

 * ... PETROLEUM WIVES: The Association of Petroleum Wives (AP W) is having a reception Friday,  September 9, for new and past members who want to be involved with this philanthropic group. The organization is open to spouses of folks who work in the oil and gas industry. The reception starts at 6 p.m. at The Petroleum Club. Call (661) 301-0907 or (661) 241-3507 for tickets and reservations.

* ... BAD FORM: When I lamented spotting a profane bumper sticker the other day, Ken Schmitz joined in my lament about the state of civil discourse.  "I read your item in Bakersfield Observe" about the *UCK TRUMP" bumper sticker. I spotted the same sentiment, this time on a gray pickup with four inch letters in the rear window. Welcome to the intolerant and low class world of progressive politics in America."

Lower income households bear the brunt of California's water conservation efforts and Paramount Farming tags Rob Yraceburu to succeed Joe MacIlvaine as president

 * … DROUGHT: This probably should not come as much as a surprise, but low income households are carrying the heaviest load when it comes to conserving water. That's according to The Los Angeles

Times which reported that residents in the wealthy enclaves like Newport Beach, La Canada Flintridge and Malibu are using more than 150 gallons of water per capital per day in January, simply because they can afford to do so. Meanwhile, in lower income Santa Ana the average is just 38 gallons but they too are being asked to curtail use.

* … PARAMOUNT: Paramount Farming is about to have a changing of the guard as president Joe MacIlvaine prepares to step aside. The global farming company has picked Rob Yraceburu, a long-time exeuctive with Wells Fargo and a graduate of Fresno State, to succeed MacIlvaine when he retires in 18 months. Yraceburu, who formerly headed up the Wells Fargo operation in Bakersfield, will join the company in May and work on a transition plan with MacIlvaine. When Yraceburu takes over, MacIlvaine will head special projects for the company. Paramount Farming is one of the largest producers of almonds and pitachios in the world and is owned by Roll Global, the holding company for Stewart and Lynda Resnick.

 * …SPOTTED: On a friend's Twitter feed: "Yawning is our body's way of saying '10% of battery remaining.'"

* … KINDNESS: This from reader D. Szczepkowski: "My neighbor and I (both senior citizens) went to Coco's for  Easter dinner and much to our surprise were told that our meals were paid for   We wish to thank this person for his or her kind and generous act. It really made the day a truly special one. "

 * … ACHIEVER: I am happy to pass along some of the achievements of the youth in our community, but this latest one stands out from the rest. This from Bakersfield High principal David Reese: "BHS Senior Alexandra (Ali) Vaughn will be completing her last days as a student with a smile on her face. After previously being accepted to attend UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine and UC Davis, Ali was nervously awaiting word on her other applications. Over spring break she finally got the word she was waiting for. She got more than the perfect trifecta that she was hoping for, it was the perfect quad special! She was admitted to Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, and Harvard. Right now she is leaning toward following her childhood dream of attending Stanford to major in English and minor in art. Proud parents are Jeffrey and Jennifer Vaughn. "
  
 * … SKEET SHOOTING: Some of the best skeet shooters in the country are in town this week for the annual Ken Barnes Open, named to honor Kenny Barnes who is in the national skeet shooting Hall of Fame. The event runs from Friday though Sunday at the Kern Country Gun Club out near the Buena Vista Lake recreational area. If you haven't been to the club recently, you should stop by if for no other reason to see the huge expansion that sporting clays have brought to the club.

* … MEMORIES: Judi Plaskett wrote to ask "if anyone from the old days at North High remembers the Art-T-Q drive in on North Chester where Winchel's Donuts was. I remember the cherry Cokes yum!  Also I haven’t seen anyone reminding us of Michener’s drive in and the special hamburger sauces and the lime freezes. Those were the good old days!"