Is your dog or cat overweight? Chances are it is, and so are you. Time to shed a few pounds

 OBESITY: As if it's not bad enough that most of us are carrying a few extra pounds, it now appears our pets are also facing an obesity epidemic. At least that's the conclusion of a Wall Street Journal story that noted more than half of all pets in the United States are now overweight or obese. "As more Americans confront their own weight issues, furry housemates increasingly struggle alongside them," it said. "The main culprit: owners who routinely overfeed pets, don't exercise them enough and are unaware of the severe, and costly, health problems caused by excess weight.  The story said if you have to dig around to feel your pet's ribs (I'm afraid I may be guilty here myself), your animal is too heavy.  (photo courtesy of the Wall Street Journal)

 * ... WHITE TRIBUTE: More tributes to the late educator Paul White continue to come across my desk, once again showing how many people this teacher, principal and administrator touched during his life. Matthew Scrivano, who hails from Bakersfield but now lives in Springfield, Illinois, said he had never met Paul but has friends and family who did. "I had made plans in January to visit Bakersfield, and was excited to finally meet my eldest niece's boyfriend with whom she has been dating for a few years. Two days before my arrival, I see on Facebook a posting from my sister, informing everyone about the death of Paul White. I had no idea who she was talking about, but knew from her post and the numerous replies, Paul White must have been a very special and beloved person in Bakersfield. When I asked my sister who Paul White was, she told me he was a very dear longtime friend and a riding companion of both her and my brother.  If that wasn’t sad enough, Paul White is also the father of the Joe White, the young man whom my niece has been dating for several years. Not the type of introduction setting I had in mind. Upon finally meeting Joe, I now understand what a great father Paul had been and it shows in just what a great young man Joe is, and I am very sad I never had the opportunity to have meet Joe’s father." Matthew's sister is Margaret Patteson, who is coordinating the Paul White Memorial Ride this Saturday at Yokuts Park. Her daughter, Erin Patteson, is now, as of Valentine’s day,  engaged to Joe White.

 * ... DID YOU KNOW: Did you know that Burleigh Smith, considered the father of local TV news in Bakersfield, left broadcasting when former Padre owner Milton "Spartacus" Miller was elected to the Board of Supervisors in the early 1970s? Spartacus asked Burleigh to be his district representative. Burleigh, who lived at the Padre during those years, returned to broadcasting at KERO-TV in 1973 when Spartacus left the Board.

 * ... OVERHEARD: Two men at a Southwest area gas station talking about the unfolding drama in the Middle East. "It's fascinating to watch history but we're going to pay for it when gas hits $10 a gallon!" said one.

 * ... UNION POWER: Keep your eye on the standoff between the Wisconsin governor and the public employee unions. This is a fight that will be played out across the country as we grapple with the long-tail effects of this long recession and government's inability to keep funding pensions and health care at current levels.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Janice Pelham: You know you lived in Oildale in the 1950s if "you watched your newspaper being delivered by a young man who tap danced up the drive way. I don't remember his name but boy could he dance!"

Is the commercial real estate market about to rebound? And looking for a belt buckle that doubles as a knife?

 * ... REAL ESTATE: Ran into David Williams the other day and he had some encouraging things to say about the local commercial real estate market. Williams, senior vice president of the local office of Colliers International, said he has seen a marked rebound in commercial activity in the last five months and expects things to gradually improve. Individuals and institutions are sitting on hordes of cash, he said, and now are beginning to snatch up commercial property at near bargain prices. A lot of the commercial inventory in the Northwest that was so over built is now being absorbed by investors, he said.  Now that's some welcome good news.


 * ... HOME SHOW: There was another good turnout for the annual Home and Garden show over at the Kern County Fairgrounds this weekend. This is always a popular event and the place to be if you're looking for that miracle sponge, fruit peeler or bag of garlic almonds. One of the most popular vendors: the man who invented a silver belt buckle with a hidden, quick release knife built into it.


* ... SPOTTED: Two panhandlers manning both doors to the front entrance of the downtown Post Office on 18th Street while a third is positioned on the west entrance. Meanwhile, a fourth hits up customers drinking coffee outside the Farmacy at the Padre Hotel. Signs of the times.

 * ... CARNEGIE HALL: Learned the other day that a musical production by Bakersfield native Joseph Gonzalez will be playing at Carnegie Hall later this month. The production is called "Misa Azteca" and the performance at the storied Carnegie Hall will be held Sunday, February 20. Gonzalez called it "a labor of love to which I have committed myself for the last 20 years. With full orchestra, soloiosts, pre-hispanic percussion ensemble and close to 200 voice, Misa Azteca promises to blow the roof off Carneigie Hall." Gonzalez graduated from Garces Memorial High School and later UCLA. Thanks to Oscar G. Saldana for passing this along.

 * ... MEMORIAL RIDE: The memorial ride to honor Paul White is set for this Saturday at Yokuts Park. You can either show up at the park at 8:30 a.m. to ride or email Margaret Patteson at Margpatt@sbcglobal.net to reserve a spot. The first 100 get a T-shirt with their $20 donation.
 

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you’re from Bakersfield if “you ever went to the fair when it was located on Chester Avenue by the Sam Lynn Ball Park.” Thanks to Linda Welch for that nugget.

Remembering with the Civic hosted the Rolling Stones, the Jefferson Airplane and so many other rock favorites

 * ... BASQUE PRAISE: The new edition of the LA Weekly threw Bakersfield some love, focusing on our Basque restaurants as well as our unique character. Writer Jonathan Gold, a former Los Angeles Times writer, noted he has a soft spot in his heart for our community.  Wrote Gold: "Bakersfield, a scant two hours away, offers the not-inconsiderable pleasure of being in a place that is neither Los Angeles nor part of greater Los Angeles, a town that is thoroughly Californian but can also feel a lot like the good parts of Oklahoma. It's the home of the Bakersfield Sound, the Merle Haggard/Buck Owen/Rose Maddox thing that brought a bit of grit back to country music, and without it the radio now would probably sound even more like Taylor Swift. But mostly, at least for me, there is the old-fashioned cooking at one of the city's Basque dining halls, huge, multicourse feasts originally intended for the Basque shepherds staying at the local boardinghouses. They have become so popular that the few sheep men who show up are treated like local celebrities." (photo courtesy of the LA Weekly)

* ... CONCERTS: Old friend Rick Kreiser, owner of Carney's Business Technology Center, dropped me a note after reading about the rock band The Doors appearing at the Civic Auditorium in 1968. Not only was he there, but it prompted a flood of  memories when famous bands regularly showed up at the Civic. "How about half-way up left center to catch the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean with my Janzen shirt, baby blue Levis, and Converse low tops (all from Bud Johnson's in Hillcrest) with my mother! Or perhaps sitting in Orchestra Row T, seat 1, for the greatest rock and roll band in the world (still)... Mick and the boys in July of 1966 with the Standells, McCoys and Trade Winds opening the show. I painted the entire outside of our College Heights house in exchange for the price of a ticket ... six bucks!" Finally, Kreiser remembers when Civic manager Chuck Graviss pulled the plug on Grace Slick and the Jefferson Airplane during the haunting rock ballad 'White Rabbit' at the stroke of midnight, resulting in the rock goddess leading a few hundred angry fans down Truxtun Avenue to show the police how unhappy they were."Thanks for the memories, Ricky.  

 * ... CARNIVAL: Al Sandrini, manager over at Sundale Country Club, wrote to remember the old carnival that once entertained thousands down near the Kern River. "I can't say I am 100 percent correct, but I think the carnival at the river was set up just about where the 24th Street exit from northbound 99 is located," he said. "I remember that we would walk from the carnival and go into the river and walk out and cool off. The water at this point was about two feet deep and ran very slowly."

 * ... MEMORIAL RIDE: Friends of the late Paul White, the retired educator who died of a heart attack while riding his bike last week, have established an educational fund in his name to help struggling young teachers at the Panama Buena Vista School District. To raise money for the fund, the first Paul White Memorial Bike Ride will be held on Saturday, February 26, at Yokuts Park. It will start at 9 a.m. and head out to Hart Park and back, riding past Greenlawn Mortuary and Cemetery on Panorama where he is buried. The cost is $20 per rider. Interested? Contact Margaret Patteson at margpatt@sbcglobal.net or just show up at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the ride.

 * ... SPOTTED: A beautiful picture of Bakersfield's Tiler Peck, a member of the New York City Ballet, in a performance of Balanchine's 'Divertimento No. 15' in the Arts section of The New York Times. The story praised Peck's "brightness and keen musical responsiveness" in the performance. (photo courtesy of The New York Times)

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Jack Kelley: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer "if you remember the River Theater in Oildale, which later became Buck Owens' recording studio."

Taggers hit the Assistance League building and remembering educator Paul White

 * ... GRAFFITI: Is there anything worse than waking up to see your home or business tagged with graffiti? It's a senseless and mindless act perpetrated by lost souls who could not care less about the impact of their behavior. Which is why the folks over at the Assistance League are so upset that their Q Street office was tagged this past Friday by someone who hit all four sides of the building. The Assistance League, of course, is an all volunteer group that provides clothing to needy school children. They work for free because they believe in their community and believe in helping those who cannot help themselves. Mike Stepanovich, whose wife Carol is a volunteer, summed it up by adding it was "sad that these ladies, who give so much back to our community and who are such an integral part of the local fabric, be treated so disrespectfully. Then again, there is nothing respectable about taggers."

 * ... SMALL WORLD: Reader Glen Worrell read with interest my earlier post about tennis great Dennis Ralston, who is recovering from surgery to amputate his left food. "His mom was my health teacher at Washington Jr. High in 1944 when it was located on Baker Street. Later she was my 'next door neighbor' when we were both teaching at Emerson Jr. High. And ... your faithful reader Gene Bonas also taught seventh grade for me at Sunset School (Vineland School District)."

 * ... PAUL WHITE  : If you ever doubt your ability to influence others, you may want to consider the life of Paul White, who died Tuesday of a massive heart attack while riding his bike on Round Mountain Road. White was just 64 years old but was a positive influence on thousands of lives during his long career at the Panama Buena Vista Union School District. The outpouring of love for this man has been impressive, with dozens of former students (he was a principal at Sandrini Elementary) expressing their loss on social networking sites like Facebook. Others, like Loretta Pedroza, contacted me with similar sentiments. "I have known Paul for 27 years. I was parent club president at Sandrini Schoool when he was principal and he later hired me to work as a Title 1 Aide for the district at Sandrini, where I still work. He was a great man and he was always there to help you when you needed it. He did a great job at everything he did. He will be greatly missed by all." A memorial service will be held Friday at 4 p.m. at St. Francis Church.

 * ... PADRE: Ran into Brett Miller, owner of The Padre Hotel, the other day. The Brimstone bar room was full, the Belvedere restaurant was busy and best of all: the hotel was sold out. Turns out the World AgDay Expo in Tulare was a big draw for the local hotel all week, and I suspect other Bakersfield inns also benefited from the annual agriculture exposition.

 * ... STEVIE WONDER: Reader Judi Anderson Gahagan, a 1963 graduate of North High, wrote to say she remembered the dances at the Armory where she saw "a young, skinny Stevie Wonder (March Meets dance) at the Lake Ming dances that were such fun time. We also had dances at the Veteran's Hall on Norris Road. I am wondering if any kids from the late 1940s or early 1950s remember the carnival by the river, close to where the Heart Hospital is now? Fun times. I enjoy your column."

* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Larry Miller: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer "if you remember the comic strip Rick O'Shay starring the gunfighter Hipshot Percussion and his cat Belle Starr. Lord, I miss him!"

RIP Paul White: Bakersfield educator, fitness buff

 Was saddened to hear of the death of Paul White Tuesday morning. Apparently Paul was doing what he loved - riding bikes with a group of friends over Round Mountain outside of Bakersfield - when he suffered a massive, fatal heart attack around 11 a.m.. Paul was slim and trim but had a history of heart ailments. He retired from the Panama Buena Vista School District where he served as principal at Sandrini Elementary and as head of personnel for the district. Keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. Paul was 64.