Bernie Sanders takes on fracking in California, ties it to groundwater contamination, prompting backlash from the energy sector

 * ... FRACKING: Bernie Sanders is seriously obsessed with fossil fuels and hydraulic fracturing, and while campaigning in Delano he again linked fracking to water contamination, a charge that has been debunked at both the state and federal level. All this triggered this response from retired oil executive Lynn Blystone: "I doubt that neither Bernie

Sanders nor his audience listening to Mr. Sanders criticize fracking were aware that the largest single stage frack west of the Rockies was performed without incident in 2005 beside where they were standing at the 'Forty Acres' in Delano on the Sunrise-Mayel gas well (1.3 million pounds of sand) and the deepest frack west of the Rockies (18,500 feet) was performed in 2005 without incident on the Ekho No. 1 oil well without incident just a few miles west." Thanks Lynn, but remember this is the political season and politicos feel they have a license to ignore the facts.

 * ... CSUB GRADUATION: Good news out at Cal State Bakersfield, where the university will hand diplomas to the largest graduation class in history, some 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students.

 * ... CALIFORNIA PRIMARY: A local voter is commenting on all the robo calls and political advertising before next week's California primary: "I voted absentee two weeks ago as did most of my friends. All this last minute advertising is just wasted money."

 * ... GUN CONTROL: The California legislature is rushing through a new series of gun control laws, believing that new restrictions on law abiding citizens will somehow have a beneficial effect. One of the best challenges to this came in an opinion piece in the East Bay Times, which read in part: "Changing a culture of violence does not begin with weapons and it certainly does not begin with wholesale suppression of civil rights. It begins with understanding the source of violence and treating the disease, not the symptoms -- were guns a source of violence, then nobody would walk out of a gun show alive. Instead, violence is seeded within subcultures. In America, it is uniquely tied to inner-city cultures that support and even praise violence as a means to petty ends. Changing violent cultures has to be an evolution and no legislation will cause this to happen."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I’m beginning to believe that successful relationships come down to Netflix compatibility."

 * ... MORE TWITTER: "Don’t refer to them as voices in your head. Do as the professionals and call them your ‘team of writers.’"

* ... LORRIE MURPHY shared this warm experience when she and a friend walked their dogs to the Park and RiverWalk for the lowering of the flags on Memorial Day weekend. "It was a beautiful ceremony with the circle of flags reflected in the lake as the sun went down and a light breeze was blowing to keep the flags standing out straigh.  But what impressed us the most was the families that were out with their children. Not a cell phone or electronic device is sight! Children laughing, riding their bikes, skate boards and roller skates  Little children laughing at the joy of kisses from dogs.  Families taking pictures with the flags in the background.  People looking you straight in the eye when stopped and talked to you. Made you proud to be an Americian and especially from Bakersfield. You just knew that no matter what the news said everything was going to be OK."

 * ... ANIMAL SHELTER: And finally there was this from Annette Lindquist: "I thought you might like to hear a feel good Memorial Day story. The Kern County Animal Shelter and Bakersfield Republican Women teamed up for Animals for Armed Services and Pets for Vets. Within three hours eight dogs and one cat went to a loving vet's home with a new bed, dish, food, toy, treats, collar, leash and an application from The Bakersfield Pet Food Pantry to receive complimentary food each month.  Several times we were brought to tears as we watched an abandoned dog select its new owner with a "paw hug" around the neck and wet kisses on the face. It was a win-win situation, for sure. We were honored to be a part of such an incredible event for our military and stray animal population."

Texas regulators look into a possible link between fracking and increased seismic activity and the issue of state public pensions gets readers riled up

* ... FRACKING: Keep an eye on Texas where regulators are investigating a potential link between hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and earthquakes. At issue is whether the use of injection wells to dispose of fracking wastewater is linked to increased seismic activity. According to The Wall Street Journal, experts are divided on the issue but one executive, ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance, conceded there may be a link. Of concern are a series of mild earthquakes in and around Dallas and Fort Worth, an area that until recently rarely experienced quakes. Texas state regulators have already altered regulations so they can modify or end disposal wells if data links them to seismic activity.

* ... PENSIONS: My comments about the need for pension reform triggered a couple of responses, including this one from from Jean Hughes Gutierrez: "Welfare recipients also reduce funding for police, fire, schools, and road repairs. Many have more spending money than most taxpayers and government drones who serve them: free food, medical care, housing, cell phones, child care, training, and transportation. It is beyond ridiculous. ... While pension reform may be a valid endeavor, not all are free to workers, and I suggest equal concern for stopping fat cat government workers with free cars, gas, meals, Las Vegas trips, hookers, and line dance lessons.  And we have that right now with county higher ups and SEIU higher ups." Thank you Jean, that about covers it.

 * ... DROUGHT: It was Terrie Stoler's question that sparked the dialogue about the the lack of an incentive to install artificial turf: "I think the reply from California Water Service Co. answer in 'Ask TBC' today was ridiculous! We’ve NEVER hosed down our artificial turf! The question of hosing it down to cool it off is ridiculous. How long would that work at 105 degrees? Play on the turf when it is cooler, early morning or late evening. Water is used to make a lot of things. What a cop out from Yvonne Kingman and California Water!"

 * ... SPOTTED: I saw this on Twitter: "A woman saying 'I’m not mad at you' is like a dentist saying 'You won’t feel a thing.'”

 * ... FOODIE: One of my favorite appetizers in town is offered by Uricchio's Trattoria, the popular downtown Italian eatery over off 18th and K streets. It is a miniature meatball pizza that is outstanding. Between that and its other popular appetizer - a small plate of fried clams - it's hard to go anywhere else.

 * ... OVERHEARD: A high executive of a local technology company is telling a friend: "I am almost embarrassed by it but I love 'Game of Thrones.' Sex, torture, dragons... I can't believe I am watching it."

 * ... DEVIL PUPS: I recently wrote about the young men and women who volunteer to become
"Devil Pups," a rigorous team-building exercise that tests their physical limits. Dick Taylor is one of the volunteers who works with these kids, and he noted that the program ends with a 10-day encampment at Camp Pendleton. "It's interesting to note that this is not a recruiting tool for the Marine Corps, and about 23 percent of our teens eventually join the military (not just the Marine Corps), another 18 percent end up in a first responder career like law enforcement or fire, and about 70 percent are high school athletes. Kids completing camp tell us it is the hardest thing they have ever done, and also the coolest thing they have ever done."

The EPA clears fracking from causing widespread damage to drinking water, but the Sierra Club spins in the other way, and a local group joins the statewide effort for pension reform

 * ... FRACKING: The Environmental Protection Agency issued a report saying hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has not resulted in widespread damage to drinking water, but that won't stop the anti fossil fuel crowd from claiming otherwise. In what can only be described as an example of extreme chutzpah, the Sierra

Club said the EPA study "confirms what millions of Americans already know -- that dirty oil and gas fracking contaminates drinking water." Say what? The EPA in fact said just the opposite, though it did say there might be "risks" if wells were poorly constructed. Well of course there are risks. There are risks in driving, in breathing, in exercising, in not eating right and in walking down the street. The EPA said fracking should be regulated by the states and can be managed, which it is. Isn't that was life is all about, managing risks? Folks like the Sierra Club should just come clean and admit they don't approve of any fossil fuels. At least that is an honest position.

 * ... PENSIONS: Meanwhile, it was good to hear that the Kern Citizens for Sustainable Government is joining Reform California, the statewide initiative for pension reform in 2016. Reform California is working to place a pension reform ballot initiative on the November 2016 ballot. This is long overdue but you can bet every local and state public union will gear up to fight this, not because it's not a sound initiative but because the unions believe more in featherbedding their members than they do the health of the state or local governments. The initiative would require voter approval of any defined benefit pensions for new government employees, or any increase in pensions for existing government employees. And why not? After all, you and I are paying for these pensions. Said former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed: "The cost of public employee pension benefits continues to skyrocket across California, crowding out funding for important services such as police, fire, schools, and road repairs."

* ... SPOTTED: On Twitter: "Dear life, when I asked if this day could get any worse, that was a rhetorical question, not a challenge."

 * ... OVERHEARD: A bartender is recalling an animated conversation by a customer about Bruce Jenner's transformation into Caitlyn Jenner. "All she could talk about was why she spelled Caitlyn with a 'C' instead of a 'K.'"


 * ... HIKE: It was a beautiful weekend and I spent a few hours Saturday hiking the hills above Hart Park. Along the way I passed a lot of hikers and picked up animated conversations in Spanish, Tagalog (one of the languages of the Philippines), French and of course English. Like our country, the Hart Park hills are wide open and welcome anyone regardless of language or background.

 * ... DEVIL PUPS: While hiking I spotted a large group of Devil Pups, young men and women working together to gain confidence under the direction of some current and former Marines. Some of these kids no doubt will end up in the Marine Corps, and watching them work together to conquer some of the area's toughest climbs was inspiring.

  * ... HONOR FLIGHT: Kudos to local talk radio host Ralph Bailey (KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM) who raised $18,000 for our local Honor Flight program. The money was raised during a single show and the money was presented to Honor Flight organizer Lili Marsh just one day before the 71st anniversary or the invasion of Normandy.

The Washington Post debunks more scare tactics trying to link hyrdraulic fracturing with California's drought, and get readty for the second annual Macaroni and Cheese Festival this Saturday at Cal State Bakersfield

 * … FRACKING: The latest attempt to mislead the public on hydraulic fracturing is tied to the California drought. The idea - that banning fracking would help deal with the drought - is a spurious notion at best, according to a report in The Washington Post. Said the Post: "Whatever you might think about fracking — and there is ample room for disagreement on this complex issue — it is pretty hard to argue that the amount of

water that the oil and gas technology uses in California reaches a scale sufficient to count as a major drought contributor. Rather, in the grand context of California’s water woes, the numbers appear small indeed." Apparently fracking in California consumes 70 millin gallons of water a year, a mere drop in the bucket when NASA estimates it would take 11 trillion gallons to end the drought. "Fracking accounts for 0.00062 percent (or 0.0000062) of the state’s annual freshwater withdrawals," the Post said. "A lot of water? Not in my book. In fact, I thought there was an error – that the figure should have been 70M gallons per day." But the group called Californians Against Fracking has never let the facts get in the way of a good narrative.

 * … MAC N CHEESE: Tickets are still available for the second annual Macaroni and Cheese festival coming up this Saturday. Organizers are promising more food, a greater wine and beer selection, shorter lines and more shade. The event runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Cal State Bakersfield amphitheater. There will be 12 wineries represented, craft beer and plenty of restaurants showing off their versions of macaroni and cheese. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased in advance at www.themacandcheesefest.com.

 * … MOTHS: Is anyone else facing an explosion of moths in their homes? I can't remember a year when the moth infestation has been as bad as this year.

* … HOT TUBS: Fred Valenzano read about the folks who dump old hot tubs off Round Mountain Road and had this helpful tip. "I posted mine as FREE on Craigslist and had a line of people clamoring to take it away. Talked to a man who said he rehabs and resells them, somewhere in the Taft area. He agreed to come over that afternoon and pick it up. A group of three guys with a small old pickup truck and a handful of 2-inch PVC pipes went into my backyard. They worked like ancient Egyptians to tilt it and roll it across the yard, then tip it up onto the bed of the truck. In 30 minutes I was taking a picture of it sailing down my street. Much easier than dumping it anywhere."

 * … NORTH-SOUTH: And lastly, Gilber Alemao offered this answer to the point at which our city is divided. "To answer your poll, the dividing line is the Stockdale Hwy/Brundage Lane alignment. It is at this location the mailing addresses are at their lowest point increasing northward as well as southward but as South. Such as: Chester Avenue/South Chester Avenue, Union Avenue/South Union Avenue, Real Road/South Real Road, etc."

 * … SCAMS: A new day and a new scam. This from William Black: "Just wanted to let you know that there is a new scam hitting our area. Caller states they are from the Department of Legal Affairs and gave an 949 area code as a call back number.  I was 'informed' that unless I call back (and I should hire an attorney) that legal action would be taken."

California Gov. Jerry Brown defends hydraulic fracking on Meet the Press, checking up on the Meals on Wheels program and another successful Cioppino Feed by West Rotary

 * … FRACKING: Gov. Jerry Brown launched a no nonsense defense of hydraulic fracturing on Meet the Press Sunday, dismissing host Chuck Todd's concerns that the practice uses too much water and could be dangerous. Brown noted California oil companies have been fracking for decades, safely, and that the practice does not use excessive amounts of water. He also reminded Todd that California
imports 70 percent of its annual oil consumption, and banning fracking would hardly make a dent in consumption but force the state to import yet more oil on rail cars.

* … MEALS ON WHEELS: I stopped by the Rasmussen Senior Center last week to check on the remarkable Meals on Wheels program run by the North of the River Parks and Recreation District. Five days a week the program feeds 255 homebound seniors and another 150 show up daily for lunch. The program is so popular that there is a waiting list. It's hard to overstate how important this program is for so many seniors who live alone and don't have the means to provide for themselves. Hats off to some of the NOR executives involved in the program, including Lisa Plank, Diane Hooper and Mishelle Ulrich.

 * … CIOPPINO: I would not have wanted to be anywhere else this past Saturday evening than at Monsignor Leddy Hall in La Cresta, where I joined a few hundred other folks at the annual Cioppino Feed. West Rotary has cracked the code on a successful fund raiser: feed the crowd with steamed clams, salad and cioppino (a fish stew), keep it simple with wine and a silent and live auction and send everyone home happy and smiling. A special thanks to our server Alyson Amestoy and her group of Centennial High School volunteers who worked the room to keep everyone fed. The club expects to make some $80,000 which it will dole out to deserving charities.

 * … BAD FORM: Shame on whoever decided to dump an old jacuzzi off Round Mountain Road at the foot of someone's driveway. Think about it: it likely took three or four strong young men to lift the 500-plus pound piece of plumbing into the back of a pickup, but instead of taking it to the dump, they unceremoniously left it on the side of the road.

* … DOWNTOWN: The deadline is fast approaching for grant applications focused on improving downtown Bakersfield. The Bakersfield Californian (family) Foundation will accept applications up until April 3 for projects devoted to beautifying, or improving, the downtown area. Go to www.bakersfieldcalifornianfoundation.org for details.

* … KINDNESS: Teri Snow Gamblin was riding on the back of a motorcycle near Sierra Summit recently when she was thrown from the bike onto the highway. Her companion was not injured but she suffered some serious cuts and found herself bleeding in an area with no cell phone service. The 61-year-old woman shared what happened next. "A young boy maybe 10 cautiously approached, and I asked  him for help. He said they had heard the crash, his mom was coming and that she was a nurse.  I was taken into their cabin where she cleaned the wounds and bandaged my hand until I could get a ride to the hospital. Mom said they came to the cabin for the weekend, so she could help her son with his homework. She kept me warm and even cut one of her t shirts to bandage my hand with. Her son and his dog went down to the highway and flagged down the car that was taking me to the  hospital… As mom helped me into the vehicle she took my head into her hands and kissed my forehead and wished me well. In the shock of it all I didn’t get her name,  however she is a Kaiser nurse working behind San Joaquin hospital. Richard it would be greatly appreciated if you could share this story and hopefully someone that knows this beautiful, kind person can let her know how much I truly appreciated the kindness she and her son bestowed on a total stranger."

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On the importance of Netanyahu and the Jewish state, Kevin McCarthy, hysteria over fracking, disinformation and TurboTax scams… all that and a little more

 * … ISRAEL: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu' delivered a blunt, 40-minute speech to Congress laying out the risks that Iran poses to the very existence to Israel. Was it political theater or an honest attempt to warn the world of the threat of a nuclear Iran? Count Rep.

Kevin McCarthy among those who welcomed hearing from Netanyahu, and McCarthy was also among dozens of congressmen and senators who showed up at the annual American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) meeting in Washington, D.C. earlier in the week. In a time of increasing tension between Israel and the Obama administration, the annual convention of this powerful lobbying group is a must-visit venue for politicians who support the Jewish state. In world affairs, there are few more pressing issues that the role of a secure Israel in the Middle East. Also attending the conference and watching the action close up were retired Bakersfield endodontist Dr. Bob Smith and his wife Marcy.

  * … FRACKING: Keeping up with the half truths and outright distortions over hyrdaulic fracturing can be a full time job, and now a new group called Environment California has just added to the problem. The group produced a cartoon video that should win an Oscar for its distortions, including calling fracking a "dangerous and new" drilling technique (it has been around since the 1940s) and claiming fracking injects toxic chemicals into the underground water supply. As I have said, we should all welcome an honest debate on the use of fossil fuels, but spreading distortions like these does little to promote a healthy and sober debate.

* … SPOTTED: On Twitter was this post: "I always say 'morning' instead of 'good morning.'  If it were a good morning I’d still be in bed instead of talking to people."

 * … COMPLAINTS: And I spotted this sign in a local antique shop: "The deadline for complaints was yesterday."

 * … ONLY IN BAKO: How excited do we get about a new restaurant in town? Consider this: families were posing to have their pictures taken outside the new Johnny Garlic's at The Marketplace this weekend.

 * … SCAMS: Cybercriminals have hacked into TurboTax to file fraudulent tax returns in Utah and other states, and now it looks like it has come home here to California. A local executive told me her TurboTax return was compromised when someone filed a tax return using her personal data, but the invasion was caught before she was out any money. "It's a nightmare," she told me. "The worst is dealing with the IRS and working with that bureaucracy to make it right." At least 19 states have suffered from similar fake tax filings.

 * … BAKERSFIELDISM: From Ronal Reynier: "You are a Bakersfield old timer if you remember Freddie's Cafe; all three of them. There was Freddie's on the Circle where you could watch and laugh at out of towners going around and around the circle. We once watched a car make the trip five times. I think that was the record. Then there was Freddie's on 24th Street and he ended with Freddie's Top of The Hill. My step-mother Zola was his cook for many, many years….Many Hollywood people would stop at the circle for breakfast when in town. The most famous was Ward Bond, not for his acting but for his breakfast order. Try eating this: four eggs over easy, six bacon strips, six link sausages, double hash-browns, one breakfast steak medium rare, three slices of toast, coffee and orange juice. My step-mother said that sometimes he would sub two pancakes for the toast."

US Geological Survey debunks attacks on hydraulic fracturing, Sprouts Farmers Market gets ready to open and what's with this idea of 'free range' parenting anyway?

 * … FRACKING: The anti-fossil fuel movement has largely succeeded in depicting hyrdraulic fracturing as a dangerous new drilling technique that poisons the underground water table. But the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has once again debunked that, noting in a new report that some form of

fracking has been used in this country for the past 70 years, largely without problems. That's been the case in Kern County for decades, but don't expect facts to get in the way of a good narrative. Reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is a legitimate debate, but it should be one based on facts, not hyperbole.

* … PARENTING: Have you heard of the concept of "free range" parenting? It's a movement to (gasp!) actually allow your children to walk to school alone, go to parks alone and otherwise spend their childhood much as most of us did. It is the philosophical opposite of 'helicopter' parenting, and it has come under attack by some folks who feel this endangers children. Is this what we have come to?

  * … SPOTTED: This from Jerry Pearson: "Passed a young (maybe 30s) panhandler yesterday at the corner of Oak Street and California. He was standing, holding his sign asking for money, right in front of a fast food restaurant with a 'now hiring' sign in the window. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

 * … RETAIL: If the past is any indicaiton of the future, expect huge crowds at the opening of the new Sprouts Farmers Market and BevMo! at the Shops at RiverWalk. This is a town that loves new restaurants and retail, and both BevMo! and Sprouts are tops in their class. One offers a dizzying array of wine and spirits and the other an impressive variety of fresh food. BevMo! opens on a week from Friday and Sprouts a few days earlier on Feb. 25.

* … OOPS: To err is human, but some miscues are bigger than others. One that got my attention recently was made by the folks over at The Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, which prides itself as a partner of local businesses. Turns out the Chamber misidentified the ownership of the largest employer in Kern County, Grimmway Farms. Grimmway is the world's largest carrot producer and is proudly family owned by Barbara Grimm-Marshall and Kari Grimm Anderson, both not exactly strangers in the business or philanthropic communities. In its annual busines directory, the Chamber said Grimmway was owned by Roll Global. That's Roll Global as in Paramount Farms, another big player in Kern County but certainly not Grimmway. Ouch. The Chamber issued an email retraction, saying in part: "Grimmway Farms is a family-owned company with strong ties to the community, and serves not only as the county's largest vegetable producer, but the largest agricultural employer as well as largest private employer in Kern County. Again, the Chamber would like to extend our sincerest apologies to Grimmway Farms for this error."

 * … BAKERSFIELDISM: Ronal Reynier says you may be a Bakersfield old timer if you remember George Diaz. "George was a local celebrity, spokesman, and newsman on TV years ago. He might be remembered mostly as the spokesman for Woodys Toy Store. Still can't place him? Maybe you remember him as George Day. In those days the last name of Diaz would not get you in front of the camera. I've been told that in the last days of his life he signed everything; George Diaz. I hope that is true.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell questions the wisdom of local communities banning tracking, and Guy Fieri heads to Bakersfield to feature Pyrenne's Cafe on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

* … FRACKING: In the disinformation war on hydraulic fracturing, I was interested to read that President Obama's chief custodian of federal lands thinks that regional bans on fracking are misguided and not supported by science. KernTax passed along a new story by KQED quoting Interior Secretary Sally

Jewell as saying: “There is a lot of misinformation about fracking. I think that localized efforts or statewide efforts in many cases don’t understand the science behind it and I think there needs to be more science.” The story continued: "The recent move by New York to extend a statewide ban does not sit especially well with Jewell, who, as a former petroleum engineer, has hands-on experience with fracking."

 * … DINERS: One of our storied Basque restaurants, the Pyrennes Cafe, will be featured on the popular Food Network program Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. A film crew from the program was there testing lighting over the weekend. The program host, Guy Fieri, has announced that he is opening an outlet of his own restaurant, Johnny Garlics, at The Marketplace this year.

 * … EATERY: And speaking of eateries, =nother new restaurant is opening downtown, this one specializing in sushi. Jin Sushi will be located on the northwest corner of 19th and Eye streets next to The Metro Galleries and across the street from Chef's Choice Noodle bar. No word on the exact opening date.

 * … GOOD FORM: Bobby Blackmon shared this uplifting story that I feel compelled to pass along. In his words: "I am writing to tell you about some great form from a group of coaches, student athletes and parents at Stockdale High School. My wife was diagnosed with (AML) leukemia last year and spent many months in the hospital. She recently relapsed, along with valley fever causing pneumonia which sent her back to USC Norris Cancer center for six weeks. We have two boys attending Stockdale, and a daughter that graduated in 2013. All three run cross country and play soccer. As a show of support and ultimate kindness, coaches, student athletes, and the parents of those young men and women gathered dozens and dozens of gas, food and gift cards and put them in a gift bag and sent them home with my sons for our family! I was speechless when they showed me (I’m never speechless). Please send our thanks and gratitude and LOVE to all the people who helped out with this amazing show of support for our family! We would also like to thank the MOPS moms from Valley Baptist Church for all the meals and amazing show of support over this past 18 months. We want everyone that’s helped to know how much it means to us!"

 * … MEMORIES: Ronal Reynier wrote taht the new AAA Westways magazine featured a story on the state's citrus crop. Said Reynier: "Do you remember the orange stand on 'old' Highway 99  in Greenfield? They not only served orange drinks but also the greatest cheese burgers in the country. Their sauce was so secret that when they closed, they would not say how they made their sauce to anyone.

 * … BAKERSFIELDISM: You may be a Bakersfield old timer if "you got your television tubes tested at the Thrifty's in Hillcrest."

Two initiatives may go on the November ballot in Colorado to curtail fracking, and The New York Times accepts its first advertising for medical marijuana

 * … FRACKING: Keep an eye on a movement in Colorado to restrict hydraulic

fracturing, the oil and gas extraction method that has led to a boom in production across the country, including here in Kern County. There may be two initiatives on the November ballot there, one requiring all new oil and gas wells to be set back 2,000 feet from a school or home, and the other giving cities more control over drilling. Like here in Kern County, fracking has helped create thousands of jobs and doubled the number of active wells in the last decade and any local or statewide restrictions could have a serious negative impact on the local economy.

 * … MARIJUANA: A sure sign of the times appeared in the Sunday edition of The New York Times, when the paper ran its first advertising ever for medicinal marijuana. This comes after the state legalized marijuana to be prescribed for medical conditions. The ad was for a mobile app called Leafly, which bills itself as the “Yelp for marijuana” and allows users to browse a catalog of cannabis products and find and review medical marijuana dispensaries in their area. The newspaper made headlines earlier when it ran a series of editorials calling on the federal government to repeal its ban on cannabis.

 * … BRICKS: Smart move by the city of Bakersfield to reverse itself and say the donated bricks at Centennial Plaza will not be dug up and trashed. The reasoning for removing the bricks - that they might pose a hazard to walkers because they had worn unevenly - was always curious to me. If that were the case, where is the rush to replace or repair all the sidewalks around town that are in such disrepair?

* … SPOTTED: I loved this Facebook post from Californian writer Steven Mayer: "If Bakersfield were my wife, I would divorce her annually between June and September and run off with my mistresses, Avila, Pismo and Shelly."

 * … LA COSTA: One of my favorite restaurants in town, La Costa Mariscos on 21st Street, is moving to the iconic Ice House. Owner Maria Coward told me customers can expect the same intimate experience and quality food that the restaurant has been serving since 1992. The grand opening will happen at the end of this month.

* …. KUDOS: Jannie Helton wrote to commend Orchard Supply and Hardware (OSH) on their outstanding customer service. "It is very frustrating shopping at our local stores and not finding anyone on the floor to help in locating items. I recently shopped at OSH and was hit with a WELCOME to OSH just as I walked in the store, not to mention several employees on the floor asking if I needed help without my asking. The smiles and knowledge of their employees was outstanding. Good customer service is really rare. This store was outstanding. Thank you OSH for making my shopping experience a very pleasant one. You have a customer for life and I will certainly recommend you."

  * … SABRINA: Odd story out of Sacramento where a former KBAK (29) TV anchor has been arrested on shoplifting charges. Sabrina Rodriguez, who spent two years at KBAK and is now an anchor with Fox 40, was charged with helping shoplift more than $2,500 worth of purses from a Coach outlet. Her fiancé, Nicholas Gray was also arrested on more serious arson and drug charges.

Environmental groups attack hydraulic fracturing, but trying to prove a negative won't stand up in making public policy, and some bad form when two dogs are locked in a hot car

 * … FRACKING: I had to chuckle at the recent letter to the editor from an Oakland-based environmental group that insists on trying to link hydraulic fracturing to earthquakes. Never mind that

countless government studies have discounted this theory (as they used to say, 'never let the facts get in the way of a good story') the writer said earthquakes have occurred in areas where fracking is practiced. And? What he didn't say was that quakes have happened in areas free of fracking as well. That's called trying to prove a negative, and frankly the argument doesn't hold water. Hydraulic fracking needs legitimate oversight, not hysteria.

 * … SAFETY: The incident at the Wal-Mart on Gosford Road is a cautionary tale to everyone. Two young black men in a white van pulled up to a woman in front of the store and grabbed her purse while the van was moving, hurling the woman against the moving vehicle and throwing her to be ground. Bakersfield police said the woman was not seriously injured and she maintained hold on her purse. They are looking for suspects. Be safe out there.

 * … BAD FORM: Gordon Dowdy spotted this bit of bad form in front of the Panera Restaurant on Stockdale Highway: "At 12:30 p.m. today a car with all the windows rolled up and two poor little dogs locked inside. We consider this animal abuse."

* … GOOD DEED: Lupe Canon-Morales and her friend were taking their daily walk recently when her friend tripped and fell.  "As I was helping her up and retrieving her glasses, a young lady driving by (we walk in an industrial area) witnessed what had just happened. She made a U-turn, pulled alongside us and inquired if we needed help. She then drove us back home. We were so rattled we failed to get her name, we want to thank her for her thoughtfulness and taking the time to see us safely home.  God Bless her, we need more people like her in this world!"

 * … BAGEL SHOP:  A reader wrote that her husband was in Bagels and Blenderz recently and spotted a couple with their small gray chihuahua sitting on the table. "How unsanitary was that?" she asked. "You may think twice before you sit down to enjoy your next bagel and coffee at this location.  Let's hope they clean and disinfect their tables frequently!  Remember people, dogs are not human!"

 * … CEMETERY: My friend Ray Mish, owner of Mission Family Mortuary, dropped me a note about the old Chinese Cemetery between Terrace Way and Brundage Lane. After the cemetery was moved to clear way for a housing tract, Mish said a contractor putting in a swimming pool found the skeletons of two people. Mish was working for there now defunct Armstrong-Flickinger Mortuary and he asked the owner if he would donate baby caskets to bury those two in Union Cemetery, which had donated a plot of ground where the other Chinese had been buried. "I then contacted members of the Ming family, a prominent Chinese family. I was given permission to conduct these services with a minister and flowers and a large gather of people and it was a traditional Chinese funeral." Mish said he is now in his 75th year in the funeral business, starting when he was just 14 years old.

More on the hysteria over hydraulic tracking and Cal State Bakersfield brings Tesla founder Elon Musk to campus for a presentation

 * ... GASLAND: One of the themes coming out of last week's West Kern Petroleum Summit was the need for the oil and gas industry to do a better job of debunking the hysteria over hydraulic fracking. As noted by columnist Lois Henry, one of the most inflammatory anti-fracking "documentaries" is called "Gasland," produced by environmental activist Josh Fox. In it, he shows someone lighting their faucet on fire, which he blamed on fracking. The truth is, however, that in some parts of the country with large deposits of coal and minerals, methane is routinely leaked into the water supply, with or without

fracking, allowing the water to be lit into a flame. Rivers and ponds in these areas have been set afire for years and it has nothing to do with fracking, but that didn't stop Fox from presenting it that way. Speaking on First Look with Scott Cox Tuesday, Henry noted that Fox is now making Gasland 2 and has a deal with HBO for more anti-fracking documentaries. Her view: she is not opposed to regulating fracking, but base your decisions on science, not emotions. If you want a more balanced view of fracking, rent the movie "Fracknation."

 * ... APPROVAL: Not surprisingly, a new polls shows widespread frustration with both Congress and the president. Conducted by CNN, the survey "indicates that the approval rating for Congress remains near an all-time low. Only 12 percent of those questioned say they approve of the job Congress is doing, just two points higher than the historic low in CNN polling. And 86 percent give federal lawmakers a thumbs-down, also near the all-time high. Forty-four percent say they approve of the job the President is doing with 52% saying they disapprove."

 * ... MUSK: I was excited to hear that Elon Musk is coming to Cal State Bakersfield as part of its distinguished speaker series. The South African-born Musk is a true entrepreneur and one of his latest projects has been the electric Tesla car. He also has been involved in projects as diverse as space launch vehicles to the online payment system PayPal. He will appear on campus on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

 * ... ART: Ever want to see your own painting on the cover of BakersfieldLife magazine? The magazine is soliciting art for its cover in December. The cover must represent the holiday season in Kern County and can be no larger than 16 X 20. Entries are due on Tuesday, Nov. 12, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. ALl of the artwork will be displayed at Metro Galleries on First Friday, December 6. It  will then be judged by a panel of community members. The winning artwork will be on the magazine cover in December.

* ... SPOTTED: Texas Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis was spotted at a local gym working out the other day. The North High School graduate is recuperating after foot surgery.

Debunking some of the hysteria around fracking, praising good service and remembering the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps

 * .... FRACKING: Hats off to the folks out at Taft College for putting on the West Kern Petroleum Summit last week. It was an important event in light the growing political opposition to fracking, which has been happening in the Kern oil fields for years without apparent risks to anyone's safety. If you

didn't read Lois Henry in the Sunday Californian, where she debunked some of the myths surrounding fracking, you should. As Lois said, the environmental hysteria around fracking is dangerous, because "ultimately, fear, not truth, drives policy. Fracking has taken that formula to new heights bordering on hysteria."

 * ... NEW STORE: Bakersfield loves a new store, which explains what greeted me when I stopped by the new Hobby Lobby last Friday. Opened less than a week in the old Mervyn's center, Hobby

Lobby is a paradise for anyone into arts and crafts. When I visited, there were at least 30 customers waiting at each of the four cash registers open.

 * ... GOOD SERVICE: It's always nice to hear that our local merchants are keeping residents happy.  Reader and friend Dr. Bob Smith could hardly contain his enthusiasm about his recent experience with local car dealership Motor City Lexus. He wrote: "From product specialists Justin Hartley and Natalie Hierlmeier to Joey Salcido and Tim Miller in finance to sales manager Cherif Guirguis and general manager John Pitre, I could not have had a more pleasant car-buying experience!"

 * ... GOOD FORM: And there is this cheery note from a reader named Chuck, proving once again how many good people there are in our community. "Recently we were visiting our favorite lunch spot the famous In -N-Out on Stockdale Highway being in the drive-up line we were behind a very nice looking Toyota hybrid. As we came up to pay window we were told our order had been paid for wow what a surprise! We read and hear about this goodwill gesture but wow really happening to us is really a shock. We were not able to thank this person being in this line but did manage to do a thank you wave as he was driving off."

* ... MARINES: My earlier blog about the anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Navy drew this response from reader Don Taylor. "Please don't forget the 238th birthday of our beloved Marine Corps on Nov. 10. The Second Continental Congress authorized a Corps of Marines at Tunn's Tavern (where else?) in Philadelphia on Nov. 10, 1775. Come celebrate our birthday on Friday, Nov. 8, at Kern County Veterans service office at 1120 Golden State Avenue. Chow (breakfast) at 8 a.m. and a ceremony and cake cutting at 10 a.m. . All veterans are invited!  OOOORAH and Semper Fi."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Tim Hanlin, Foothill High class of 1968, remembers when his family moved here from Akron, Ohio, in 1964 so his father Geary could help open the Goodyear Bakersfield plant for making seat cushions for the brand new Ford Mustangs being assembled in San Jose. "The plant was located on Shepard Street near the White Lane/Stine Road intersection and employed many workers for many years. I was near there the other day and remembered how in 1964 there was absolutely nothing at all around the plant but dirt as far as the eye could see.  What a difference today.

 My dad, a WWII navy veteran, is now 91, and my mom just turned 90 last month.  Both are still doing very well here in Bakersfield, and I'm the first to realize that at 63 I'm a very lucky guy."