Bako Bits: Kevin McCarthy will appear on Meet the Press Sunday to discuss the fiscal cliff, and are people really using ashes from their dead pets to create fake diamond rings?

  * ... PROP 30: It should probably not come as a surprise but much of the money raised by the new taxes approved by voters under Proposition 30 won't go to schools after all. At least that is the conclusion of The Orange County Register, which reported the money will instead be used to bail out the underfunded teacher's pension fund. Said the Register: "It took less than two weeks to confirm what we suspected: Much of the money from the Proposition 30 tax increases approved by voters is not going to go to schools, as advertised, but to teachers’ pensions. According to CalPensions.com, 'More money for the underfunded California State Teachers Retirement System may be considered by the Legislature next year, thanks to new attention from lawmakers and a state budget deficit narrowed by a voter-approved tax increase this month.'"

 * ... PETS: Losing a pet is heart breaking, and some people will go to almost any lengths to keep that furry friend in their memory. But using their ashes to create a fake diamond ring? That's right, at least according to a story in The Wall Street Journal. It's a growing trend, in which the remains are used in the fabrication of fake diamonds so one can gaze into a ring and remember the departed. "The idea of turning the carbon in ashes into man-made diamonds emerged a decade ago as a way to memorialize humans," the paper said." Today, departed pets are fueling the industry's growth with a handful of companies selling diamonds, gemstones and other jewelry out of pet remains, including hair and feathers."

 * ... MEET THE PRESS: House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) will be a guest this Sunday on "Meet the Press" to discuss the ongoing negotiations between House leaders and President Obama to avoid the fiscal cliff. Make sure to tune into KGET Sunday morning to take it in.

* ... KBAK: More reader feedback on KBAK parting ways with anchor Lisa Krch. From Hanford Lee: "My wife Nancy and I agree with Virginia Frazier.  We are sorry to see Lisa,  John (Dabkovich), Layla (Santiago) and Cambi (Brown) leave. So we made the logical move --we now watch Channel 17 and other local news sources."

 * ... FIRST FRIDAY: Downtown's popular First Friday event returns this Friday night and this month's edition is billed as downtown holiday shopping night. Great Christmas gifts can be found at such local retailers as Kuka's Folk Art, House of Flowers, Curiosity Shop and even something for your pup at Biscuit Doggy Boutique. As usual galleries in the Arts District will be having new exhibit openings. Over at Metro Galleries artist Christine McKee's new show, "On the Homefront," premieres. This exhibit focuses on what military families deal with when their loved one's are away serving our country.  Twenty percent of opening night proceeds will be donated to NAMI Frontline of Kern County.

 * ... BAD FORM: From one of my regular contributors: "I was in the new Target on Stockdale Highway and saw a woman in the makeup aisle putting on eye makeup.  I thought it rather strange but figured she just didn’t have time to get ready to go so brought her makeup with her. Not. She was using the eye makeup from the display and when she finished her beauty routine she snapped the container shut and put it back on the display. Being a patient woman, I waited for the next clerk to walk by, showed it to her and she removed it. It is beyond my comprehension that anyone would do that."

Tax hike Proposition 30 goes down to the wire in California while Gov. Brown is criticized for failing to focus his message of support for it

 * ... PROP 30: It looks like Proposition 30, the tax hike sponsored by Gov. Jerry Brown and supported by the teacher's unions, is going to come down to the wire. The latest polls show support for Prop 30 in the high 40s with opposition in the lower 40 percent range. Its problem, according to Los Angeles Times political columnist George Skelton, is that Brown had not clearly defined the message behind it. For a while Brown claimed 100 percent of the money would go to schools, which simply is not true. But Skelton points out 47 percent of it - or some $2.8 billion - "legally must go to K-12 schools and community colleges." Opponents claim it will simply be used to balance the budget or will be deferred to other uses. The Wall Street Journal calls Prop 30 the second most important election next Tuesday - behind the presidential race - and says the initiative would "issue Sacramento's incorrigible spendthrifts another blank check." (photo courtesy of The Los Angeles Times)

 * ... CHEZ NOEL: The Assistance League is gearing up for its annual Chez Noel home tour, its biggest fund raiser of the year and always one of the season's more popular events. Tickets are $35 each and are available at the Bargain Box on Q Street, Pappagallo, Russo's Books, Sugardaddy's and Country Club Liquors on Columbus. The event helps fund Operation School Bell, which gives new clothes to some 3,000 children, and Operation Hugs, which supplies 2,500 Teddy bears to ailing children.

 * ... OPEN CARRY: If you travel to Oklahoma, don't be surprised to see folks carrying pistols in full open view. As of Thursday Oklahoma became the latest state to approve that weapons can be carried in the open - loaded or unloaded - as long as the owner has a concealed carry permit. Fifteen states now allow people to carry weapons in the open.

 * ... KINDNESS: A shopper in the parking lot of a local Smart and Final is approached by a homeless man who wants to wash her windshield. Her response: "No thank you, I just got my car washed but here are a few dollars because you are working for your money."

* ... TRASH: We are all accustomed to seeing old mattresses and chairs discarded on the roadway, but a boat? That's right, a small boat has been unceremoniously abandoned off Manor Street just off the bike path, left there to rot. On the side of the boat someone wrote: "For rent, inquire within."

 * ... HALLOWEEN: And speaking of trash, the Haggin Oaks area got its usual throng of trick or treaters but as one resident wrote me: "Do they have to leave their used diapers on the sidewalks? I found three this morning."

 * ... CHICKENS: Longtime reader Linda Welch wrote to weigh on on the proposal to allow residents to keep chickens in their yards. "I live three or four blocks from a rooster .... he starts his wake-up calls every single morning about 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. He does not stop until the sky in the east starts to lighten up. That racket is as annoying as a barking dog."

New Bakersfield College president pushes for passage of Proposition 30, which continues to sink in the polls, and City Councilman Russell Johnson faces a firestorm of criticism

 * ... CHRISTIAN: Dr. Sonya Christian will take over as the 10th president of Bakersfield College in January, but she is already at work tackling some of the college's deepest problems. Though still living in Eugene, Oregon, she is out front pushing for the passage of Prop 30, which would impose a quarter cent sales tax as well as impose new taxes on high wage earners. Tracking polls, however, show Prop 30 losing public support in the days before the election, in part because of cynicism among voters that the money will really spent on education. If it loses, Bakersfield College will be facing yet another round of budget cuts.

* ... THE BUZZ: Local political observers are closely following a dust up and possible conflict of interest involving City Councilman Russell Johnson. Thanks to reporting by columnist Lois Henry, we now know that Johnson is a paid consultant to the North of the River Municipal Water District at the same time he serves on the city water resources board, a position that certainly passes the smell test of a potential conflict. Russell apparently doesn't think it's a big deal, but insiders predict this issue is not going away. Follow this one closely.

* ... BIG HEART: Cameron Caneta is only 12 years old but he has already learned the joy of giving. A member of the St. Francis Church Parish, Cameron got the idea to surprise Monsignor Craig Harrison by leading a drive to collect canned goods for the needy. In just four days he collected more than 400 cans and is well beyond that now. His mother, Mary Caneta, said it all started when her son asked, 'Mom, why is the church pantry always empty?' Turns out it was Monsignor Craig's birthday when the youngster told him of his food drive. Hard to think of a better birthday present.

 * ... HALLOWEEN: One of the hottest costumes for Halloween is expected to feature folks dressing up like pro cyclist Lance Armstrong wearing syringes taped to their arms. Not not ago the now disgraced Tour de France champion was a source of inspiration; today, he's an object of ridicule following revelations he was part of the doping culture on the Tour. (photo courtesy of The Wall Street Journal)

 * ... TRASH: Stephen Montgomery is one of those good citizens who actually picks up trash while he takes his daily walk. (Wouldn't it be nice if we all did this?) While out walking recently, he will drop the trash in someone's trash can to help keep the neighborhood clean. "The other day I dropped some street trash, a very small amount of fast food and tobacco trash, in a toter I use regularly because it's always in the front yard. But this time the owner saw me. He scowled at me and now I notice he keeps his brown toter behind a gate although he still leaves his seldom used green toter in the front yard. You can never figure out what offends some people."

 * ... THANKSGIVING: Did you know that the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year for plumbers? According to Food Network magazine, plumbers view the day as "Black Friday" because of the sheer volume of calls for backed up sinks and stalled disposals.

* ... PETS: Don't forget the blanket drive for abandoned dogs and cats that will be held Saturday at the downtown Bakersfield Racquet Club. It is being sponsored by Operation Blankets for Love and will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All towels and blankets collected will go to local shelters.