House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy raps Obama on the Syrian refugee question, the Padre Hotel menu gets a makeover and remembering the South Chester Drive-In

 * ... SYRIAN REFUGEES: Is there are hotter issue domestically than the question of allowing thousands of Syrian refugees to resettle in the United States? Citing humanitarian concerns, the president wants to allow some 10,000 Syrians into the country, an idea the House of

Representatives shot down Thursday by voting to halt the program. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, took the floor to remind the president that "our duty is to protect the American people," adding that is it "against our values to give terrorists the opening they are looking for" to sneak into the country. McCarthy noted the United States spends some $6.5 billion in humanitarian aid alone, and that pausing the resettlement was necessary until all refugees can be property vetted. The House measure also called for the heads of the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and National Intelligence to personally vouch that those admitted aren't a threat.

* ... INDIGNANT: A handful of readers wrote to correct the misspelling of the word "indignant" in a recent post on student protests. It should have read like this: "The activities of students at two universities remind me of Al Capp’s name for similar students of the 1960s and 1970s in his Li’l Abner comic strip – Students Wildly Indignant about Nearly Everything." One reader, Richard Rivera, showing a bit of indignation himself, offered this: "Try wildly indignant if you and your reader wish to mock these students who are raising legitimate concerns."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The difference between in-laws and outlaws? Outlaws are wanted."

 * ... FOODIE: The chef at The Padre Hotel and given its bar and restaurant menus a complete makeover, and it's worth checking out. The Brimstone bar now offers a full array of "craft burgers" along with mussels and a variety of flatbreads.

* ... BOOK SIGNING: A Highland High graduate is returning to town this weekend for a book signing for his recently released children's book, 'Baxter Bu's Epic Beach Day.' Shaun Sturz, who went on to graduate from Westmonth College and later became a "manny" for Kenny G's children, will appear at Amy's Hallmark on Oswell this Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. Sturz was noted to be the top “manny’ in Beverly Hills by Los Angeles Magazine and was cast on ABC Family’s reality show "Beverly Hills Nannies,” where he was one of ten high class nannies chosen for the series. Sturz was also approached by Brooke Burke of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” to blog for her popular mommy site, modernmom.com, where he gave advice and shared fun stories from his perspective as a male nanny.

 * ... BAKERSFIELD SIGN: Bryan Kelly read the story about the city of Lamont refurbishing its welcome sign and had this to say: re: "What we need to do is resurrect the old BAKERSFIELD-SUN-FUN-STAY-PLAY sign, only this time make it read BAKERSFIELD-SUN-FUN-STAY-PLAY-LITTER... perhaps people traveling through at least might think we do this on purpose and we're not just a bunch of pigs."

 * ... MEMORIES: You may be a Bakersfield old-timer if you remember going to the South Chester Drive-In. Built in 1945 to hold some 600 cars, the drive-in went out of business and was torn down in the early 1980s.

Move over Millenials, here comes Generation Z, and the eternal quest for the best burger in Bako continues with some solid entries

 * ... GENERATIONS: All you 20-something millennials need to take notice, because marketers and researchers are now looking to the next generation - dubbed Generation Z - as the "youth influencers  

of tomorrow." While millennials are now well into their 20s, Generation X are young teens who - researchers say - are "flush with billions in spending power (and) promise untold riches to marketers who can find the master key tho their psyche," said The New York Times. Those in Generation Z were born between 1995 and 2009.

* ... TRASH: As head of the city's Solid Waste Division, Sal Moretti has a front row seat on how hard it is to deal with our litter problem. But he also sees the effort so many people put into dealing with it, and I am happy to share some of his thoughts. "We have Mayor Hall who has always lead on this issue. We have homeless center crews, inmate crews, volunteer crews like Tom Burch and the Retiree’s Crew,  neighborhood crews like Dave Collins and the South Oswell Team – all cleaning up feverishly. We (the city’s Solid Waste Division) provide refuse trucks in support of neighborhood cleanup events weekly with Andrae Gonzales near Williams School, Karen Goh and Garden Pathways off 34th Street, Isaiah Crompton and Stop the Violence adjacent to Martin Luther King, among others. Volunteers, crews and our equipment are cleaning up everywhere in the city. We have very powerful education efforts aimed at our children in the schools through a KBB After School Program. We have law enforcement issuing citations. We are not Sheridan, Wyoming. We have highways coming through, communities who are struggling with more profound issues than litter, a larger homeless population that is guilty of rummaging through trash and leaving a mess, and other challenges, but we are proud of our effort at cleaning up Bakersfield and proud of how the community has responded to these challenges." Well said.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason."

 * ... FOODIE: I spent the weekend catching up on some of the best burgers in town. One day I was dining on the outstanding mushroom, bacon and cheese burger at Pyrenees Cafe and Saloon and the next the under appreciated Sonny burger at Mexicali downtown.

  * ... BROOKDALE: When did Glenwood Gardens become Brookdale Riverwalk? Whenever it happened, Brookdale is now part of a national network of independent and assisted living communities that stretch from Florida to California.

 * ... BAD FORM: Bryan Kelly spotted this example of bad form when a car pulled into the parking lot of Trader Joe's. "The nice lady opens door and tosses what appeared to be a fast food bag under her car, then takes the overly full ash tray and is about to dump it when ... I am not sure what happened but she dropped the tray on the ground and as she leaned out to pick it up, a nice cool breeze came along and dusted her hands, face and hair. She looked like the ghost of Marlboro past or a new project for Ray Mish. Too bad she could not have kept the look until October 31!"

The millenial generation has a negative savings rate, a reader weighs in on the best burgers around town and the hysteria over hydraulic fracturing reaches an airport bar in Denver

  * … SAVINGS: If you have children under the age of 35 (this is the millenial generation) a recent report about their lack of ability to save money may not surprise you. According to the Wall Street

Journal, this generation has a negative 2 percent savings rate, making their position in the world "increasingly precarious despite five years of economic growth and sustained job creation. A lack of savings increases the vulnerability of young workers in the post recession economy, leaving many without a financial cushion for unexpected expenses."

 * … FOODIE: Bryan Kelley wrote to send his recommendations on the best burgers in town after I visited Ethel's Corral. "I can only hope that you ordered the (Ethel's) buffalo burger. THAT is the reason you brave the rattlesnake signage! Trust me on burgers… I do not carry around 75-plus vanity pounds from eating at salad bars. Ethel's buffalo burger, Lie-n-Den backyard burger, Happy Jack's California burger. Simple." (photos of Lie-n-Den burgers)

                                                                                               
 * … BAD FORM: I was verbally accosted over the issue of hydraulic fracking at a Denver International Airport bar this week when a stranger learned I was from Bakersfield. "You are causing earthquakes, contaminating water and poisoning the earth!" he bellowed. I found another pub and left thinking the oil and gas industry needs to do a better job in telling its side of the story.

* … KART RACING: Heard the other day that Mason Marotta, a CSUB student and 20-year-old son of Mike and Lynda Marotta, is heading to Spain for the world championships in kart racing. Mason was invited to join the Rotax Team USA for the World Game Final in Valencia, Spain, competing against drivers from more than 60 counteis. The race is Nov. 25-29.

 * …COACH: The East Bakersfield High School community lost one of its own recently with the death of former head football coach and teacher Armando (AJ) Vazquez. He was beloved as an inspirational teacher and coach who always displayed a positive spirit. Keep his family in your thoughts.

 * … GOOD NEWS: And finally, kudos to the Stockdale Christian Band wind ensemble which is raising money to play a concert at Carnegie Hall in the spring of 2016. Said band chair Donna Johns Hylton:  "Giving these young students an opportunity to perform at a prestigious concert venue as Carnegie Hall will create lasting memories and a positive ripple effect in our community." she said. "The band performed at Disneyland Friday and now fundraising is in full swing to reach the $600,000 goal by spring of 2016 for instruments and the trip! I'm thrilled to be chairing this wonderful cause for these young musicians!"