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.

California schools among top rated public universities

 It was nice to see California well represented in the annual ranking of top public universities by U.S. News. We certainly have our budget and funding issues in this state, but in spite of all that our public universities are simply first rate and remain a relative bargain. In fact, given this recession, one has to question the wisdom of anyone sending their son or daughter out of state when our public schools are so good. Topping the list of the best public schools were Cal Berkeley and UCLA, followed later in the list by UC San Diego (7th) and UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara tied at ninth. Tied for second with UCLA was the University of Virginia, then the University of Michigan, North Carolina-Chapel Hill, College of William and Mary and Georgia Tech.

Is there a proper etiquette to spitting? And pulling for a quick recovery for a youngster who crashed on her bike

* ... ON THE MEND: I was sorry to hear that Kimberly Keathley, the engaging and athletic 21-year-old daughter of Corey and Duane Keathley, suffered a nasty crash on her road bike this past weekend. Kim was returning from a ride to Glennville, going down hill at 41-plus mph, when she went down and suffered a broken collar bone and two broken ribs. Father Duane, a partner in the local CB Richard Ellis commercial real estate office, told me Kim is on the mend and will be headed back to Point Loma Nazarene University next week to begin her senior year. Here's to a rapid recovery. (picture courtesy of Kim's Facebook)

* ... SPITTING: Esther Brandon just can't seem to get a break. A few weeks ago the Valley Public Television board member was in a local Blockbuster store when some nitwit next to her decides to spit on the floor while perusing the slasher flicks. Then, scarcely a week later, she leaves the downtown Padre Hotel when a stranger let's go another mouthful of spittle on the sidewalk directly in front of her. Is this proper spitting etiquette?


 * ... CHEAP GAS: Retired endodontist Bob Smith, who keeps track of these kinds of things, tells me some of the cheapest gas around can be found at the Fastrip in Shafter, where regular was recently going for the relative-bargain price of $2.75 a gallon.


  * ... CAL COLLEGES: It was nice to see California well represented in the annual ranking of top public universities by U.S. News. We certainly have our budget and funding issues in this state, but in spite of all that our public universities are first rate and remain a relative bargain. In fact, given this recession, one has to question the wisdom of anyone sending their son or daughter out of state when our public schools are so good. Topping the list of the best public schools were Cal Berkeley and UCLA, followed later in the list by UC San Diego (7th) and UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara tied at ninth. Tied for second with UCLA was the University of Virginia, then the University of Michigan (4th), North Carolina-Chapel Hill (5th), the College of William and Mary (6th) and Georgia Tech (7th).

* ... EBB AND FLOW: Make sure you catch the opening on an interesting new art exhibit called "Ebb and Flow: Kern's Vanishing Water," a show that uses art to bring awareness to the water crisis faced by our state. Sponsored by the Arts Council of Kern, the show uses five visual artists to "communicate messages that can be used for hope, influence and change." The opening will be Thursday, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Center for the Arts, 1700 Chester Avenue. Hors d'oeuvres and no host bar and RSVP to (661) 324-9000. The artists involved are Barbara Reid, Chris McKee, Claire Putney, Becky Overdock and Stacy Holland.

* ... GEORGE DAY: Mention an old local television show and you are bound to spark other memories when life was simpler. These thoughts come from reader Julie Lewis. "I was born in Bakersfield in 1952 and your column brought back memories of the George Day Show. I watched it every day ... and appeared on it at one time. I was one of the children in the audience. One of the stars of the show was Zippy the Clown. I think the highlight of my childhood was Zippy coming to my birthday party... I also want to add that we loved Don Rodewald and Harry Mitchell." Lewis went on to add that she lived in Kuwait for two years and often grew homesick. "One day while I was shopping at The Sultan Center... I noticed that they sold Grimmway Farm carrots. From then on, we always had a fresh package of Grimmway carrots in our refrigerator. I know it sounds odd but that little piece of home meant so much."

 * ... SCOTT COX: I will be guest hosting the Scott Cox radio show on KERN News Talk Radio 1180 on Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Among others, I will be chatting with Brett Miller, the new owner of The Padre Hotel,  about its history and upcoming grand opening, and we'll try to connect with Police Chief Greg Williamson to get his read on the rash of burglaries across our community.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield when half the passengers on your flight to Phoenix have seat-belt extenders.