Researchers find walking improves your mental capacity, the list of the 'least obedient dogs" and recognizing the nation's top public universities

 * ... WALKING: If you needed some encouragement to exercise more, consider a new study from the Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Center as reported in The New York Times. In a controlled study of

otherwise healthy people who were put on a walking regimen, mild exercise not only improved overall health but also improved our ability to think clearly. "In general," the paper said, "most of the exercisers showed improvements in their thinking skills, especially in their ability to control their attention and to create visual maps of spaces in their heads, two aspects of cognition that are known to decline with age." So there you have it. Grab your walking shoes and make it part of your routine.

 * ... DOGS: Does your dog have a mind of its own and does whatever it wants? If so it may be on the list of the the "least obedient" dog breeds as reported on the website iheartdogs.com. The top 10 least obedient breeds include the Beagle, Borzoi, Welsh Terrier, Dachshund, Pekingese, Bloodhound, the Bulldog, Basenji, Chow Chow and the Afghan Hound.

 * ... COLLEGE RANKINGS: Students are streaming back to colleges across the nation so it must be time for the annual rankings of the best public universities in the nation. And once again California performs well. According to USA Today, here are the top ten in descending order: University of North Carolina, UC San Diego, University of Michigan, College of William and Mary, UC Berkeley, University of Virginia, Air Force Academy, West Point, UCLA and the Naval Academy. (file photos of Michigan, Berkeley)

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: The local restaurant Valentien's displayed some savvy advertising on one of the hottest days of the year when it posted this on Twitter: "It is WAAAY too hot to turn on your oven at home. You should absolutely eat dinner at a restaurant tonight."

 * ... COST OF WATER: I noted this fun fact in the latest water bill from Cal Water Service. One gallon of tap water costs .0003 cents, where one gallon of bottled water runs $1.21, a gallon of Coke sells for $2.58, a gallon of milk $3.39, a gallon of gas $3.42 and a gallon of your favorite latte, $32.

* ... BARGAIN BOX: I am a big fan of the Assistance League and what this organization does to help the needy in our community. So here is how you can help. The League's Bargain Box Thrift Store has reopened and is fully stocked with clothes and other items. The store is located at 1824 Q Street, and all proceeds help support the philanthropic programs of the Assistance League, including its signature Operation School Bell which provides school clothing to local students.

Will a winter El Nino save California from the long drought? And can we please display some decorum during our high school graduations?

 * ...  EL NINO: There is a long way to go, but there are early signs that California could be in for an extremely rainy period next winter. That's the word from weather forecasters who say a strong El

Nino is forming near the equator. According to a climatologist quoted in The Los Angeles Times,  "it could be ... potentially the beginning of the end of the drought." Of course a lot can happen before that happens - other signs that El Ninos were forming didn't pan out - but we have to keep hope alive.

  * ... HIGH SCHOOL: With high school graduations coming up, is it too much to ask folks to show some decorum during the ceremonies? Retired high school teacher Craig Holland summed it recently with this post on his Facebook page: "I am sooo glad I don't have to sit through another high school graduation. Rude low life people making a disrespectful circus out of what should be a respectful occasion. They don't know the difference between a graduation ceremony and a pro wrestling bout. It is embarrassing for the faculty. That is why I took tickets at STHS (Stockade High) graduation the last half dozen years, and scooted out the door at the mention or the first grad's name. I was embarrassed for the kids and for everyone. I went directly to a watering hole and respectfully raised a glass to 'my kids' and then went home."

 * ... BAD FORM: Here's hoping a string of really bad luck follows the people who stole the right front rim and tire off a local teenager's 2008 Ford Fusion in the Northwest, leaving the car jacked up and its owner with a $600 bill to replace it. Not a good way to start the day.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Yvonne Torres was driving to work recently when she almost ran over a jaywalker at 19th Street and Chester Avenue. The jaywalker was wearing a Halliburton uniform, but Torres then realized he was crossing the street to rescue an elderly woman who was trying to get her wheel chair out of her car. "It made me feel guilty about getting upset. I want to commend this employee for going above and beyond his job. It shows what kind of a people Halliburton has working for  them. When you think people are not watching people are. Thank you Halliburton!"

 * ... OVERHEARD: At Tahoe Joe's a young mother is having a drink at happy hour and is overheard telling a friend about a neighbor: "If I see one more 'selfie' with her children I am going to throw up."

* ... FOODIE: A new lunch and dinner menu has been rolled out at The Mark Restaurant on 19th Street, and it's worth a look. There are now three signature hamburgers on the menu, as well as a Ruben that is outstanding. Meanwhile, if you are a fan of beets, as I am, try the outstanding three-beet salad at Valentien.

* ... SCAM: An old scam is making the rounds again. Listen to this from Rose Harris of Wasco, who received a call from someone claiming to be from the Publisher's Clearinghouse saying she had won $980, but they wanted a $350 'delivery charge.' "They said 'Would you like a TV fanfare or a private deposit?' I said neither and I am not paying you anything... I hung up. The caller ID showed an area code in Kingston, Jamaica."

Oil executive helps former state Sen. Michael Rubio buy and sell two homes and radio talk show host Jaz McKay has a hissy fit after his colleague leaves for another station

 * ... RUBIO: Should we be surprised about the revelation that an oil executive helped former state Sen. Michael Rubio with the purchase and sales of two homes while Rubio was serving in the state Legislature? Rubio, a Shafter Democrat, says it was all on the up and up but the whole scenario hardly passes the smell test, especially given Rubio's squeaky clean image. Rubio described the oil executive, Majid Mojibi, as a close personal friend who just happened to help him with two deals, including one a $681,000 four-bedroom, five-bath home in El Dorado Hills. Don't we all wish we had friends like this? All this, of course, happened while Rubio was a rising star in the state Senate who later held hearings on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Rubio has since resigned and moved over to Chevron as head of governmental affairs. And they wonder why the public is so cynical. (file photo of Michael Rubio, wife Dora, and their two children)

 * ... BAILEY: Local radio talk show host Ralph Bailey moves his afternoon program to KERN 1180 on Monday, a fact that seems to irritate to no end his former colleague Jaz McKay. McKay, who appears on KNZR, used Facebook to hurl some racist comments at Bailey, not to mention calling him a "a misogynist pig" who "hates women." Truly bad form, but hardly unexpected. Bailey will be my guest on Californian Radio KERN 1180 Monday at 9 a.m. to address the brouhaha over his departure and to kick off his new show. (file photos of Ralph Bailey and Jaz McKay)

 * ... JACK SMITH: I mentioned the late Los Angeles Times columnist Jack Smith the other day, prompting reader Marie Schroepfer to share these fond memories of her mother. "Jack Smith was her favorite columnist and his column was the first thing she read when it appeared in the paper.  Jack Smith, paired with breakfast, her favorite meal of the day, would make her day," she said. "Periodically I would return home to spend a few days with her. Always, when I sat down for breakfast the first morning of my stay, there would be a stack of Jack Smith’s articles that she had 'saved' for my next visit.  There was no getting around reading them during my stay as she would periodically inquire as to my progress.  She particularly enjoyed his description of the antics, and perhaps misbehaving, of his Airedale dog."

  * ... PLANK: I am always happy to report when one of our local foundations opens its wallet to help others. This time is is the Plank Foundation, which wrote a check for $10,000 to the Friends of Mercy Foundation/Florence R. Wheeler Cancer Center. It was the 12th annual donation from Plank in that amount, and it was presented at a meeting of the Bakersfield East Rotary. The Plank Foundation (www.theplankfoundation.com) was started in 1985 and supports locally the fight against cancer, hospice efforts and provides donations for immediate community needs.

  * ... MEA CULPA: I erred in reporting earlier that the fine dining restaurant Valentien would have a daily prix fixe lunch menu. The restaurant's new hours mean it will only be open for lunch on Fridays, when a prix fixe meal will be available for $16. A prix fixe meal will also be offered at dinner.

 * ... ACHIEVER: Hats off to Stephen Samples, who has been promoted to vice president of regional neurosciences at the Neurological Institute of the Cleveland Clinic. He is the son of Lora and Frank Samples, a local attorney. Stephen went to school at Trinity University in San Antonio and at the University of Texas Medical School.