Is California ready for legal marijuana? Bakersfield College goes to a smoke free campus and my recommendations for the best fall soups in town

 * ... LEGAL CANNABIS: Is California ready to usher in an era of legal recreational and medicinal marijuana in January? One person who thinks we aren't is Assemblyman Vince Fong, who told me

her personally has concerns that legal pot will lead to a host of public safety concerns especially when it comes to impaired driving and cannabis use among young people. Nevertheless, it is coming and we should expect to see details in terms of how cannabis will be distributed, tested and taxed emerging soon from Sacramento.

 * ... HOMELESS BEATING: What possessed a Centennial High School student to attack a homeless man recently off Union Avenue. The victim, 64-year-old Harold Barlett, was sitting with his back against a building when the 14-year-old student hurled a plastic soda crate at his head. It was all caught on video and the student was detained. He has not been identified because of his age.

* ... GOOD FORM: Hats off to the middle aged woman wearing a floppy sun hat who was picking up trash along Panorama Drive in the area near Juliet Thorner School.

 * ... MORE GOOD FORM: Good move by Bakersfield College to make the campus a tobacco free campus. The move takes effect this semester and includes all indoor and outdoor areas of the campus.

 * ... BAD FORM: Consider this a form of public service, but I am here to warn you about one of the worst movies I have seen in a long time. The movie is "Mother" and it boasts a terrific cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Barden, Ed Harris and Michelle Pefiffer. Yet even with all that talent, it is a gratuitous, rambling waste of time that left me wondering this: what would be worse, suffering from an acute outbreak of psoriasis while undergoing a root canal without anesthesia or viewing this movie again?

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "People don't leave jobs. They leave bosses."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: :"Friendly reminder that if you hate our current government, pay attention to your state representatives and vote in local elections too."

 * ... FALL SOUPS: As we head into fall and cooler weather, here are my recommendations for the best soups in town: hard to beat the albondigas (meatball) soup with vegetables at Nuestro Mexico on 21st Street, while over at Mama Roomba's they boast an excellent vegetable soup featuring spinach, mushrooms, potatoes and herbs.

 * ... MONSIGNOR: Ronal Reynier attended the celebration of Monsignor Perry Kavookjian's 30th year in the priesthood and had this to say: "I joined my family and 500 of Father Perry's friends
at Buck Owens Chrystal Palace. Unknown to Father Perry it was going to be a 'roast.' Bishop Armando X. Ochoa, head of the Diocese of Fresno, started the evening off followed by Monsignor Ronald Sweet, Monsignor Craig Harrison and Kevin Reynier. No one laughed and clapped harder
than Monsignor Perry of the stories of his friends of 29 plus years. Monsignor Perry's turn to speak was humorous, laughably biting and inspirational. How about another one on your 50th year friend Perry?"

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:

First Fridays: Can something this good really be happening in Bakersfield?

Let's face it: culture and the arts just aren't terms one associates with Bakersfield. Obesity, bad air and poor zoning yes, but the arts have long struggled to find a following. But there is the seed of an (albeit small) arts district growing downtown that flourishes the first Friday of every month. It's one of the rare events in town where you actually see college educated kids having fun and networking without fear of being caught in a drunken melee at one of our local bars. Thanks to folks like Don Martin, owner of Metro Galleries (pictured here), a six or eight square block area of downtown comes alive on First Fridays. There are now at least a half dozen art galleries downtown and solid family-owned restaurants like Mama Roomba's and Uricchios and the old standby watering hole Guthrie's Alley Cat will be packed wall to wall. Martin's Metro Galleries over on 19th Street features an array of California artists like Keith Wicks, Mary-Austin Klein and Laddie John Dill.