Step aside all you negative people, researchers show happy people really do have more fun ... plus a trip to Lakeside School and LGBTQ group shuns both mayoral candidates

 * ... LAKESIDE: Want to feel good about America and our country? Spend a few hours in one of our local classrooms and chances are you will come out impressed with the level of teaching and

surprised at how bright our kids are these days. I rarely set foot inside a school these days, but this week I spoke to Joseph Andreotti's AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) class at the Lakeside School. My thoughts: a committed teacher, promising and bright students and a supportive faculty and administration.

 * ... HAPPINESS: And here's something else that lifted my spirits: researchers say people who are genuinely happy, kind and sympathetic really do have more fun. That's good news in a world where narcissism and pettiness seem to rule the landscape in politics and entertainment. Said the Wall Street Journal: "Nice people, rejoice: Notwithstanding the prominent examples today in political and popular culture, the best available research still clearly shows that in everyday life the nice people, not the creeps, do the best at work, in love and in happiness."

* ... QUEER THE VOTE: So what do you think of the movement to write in "Queer the Vote" instead of voting for either Kyle Carter or Karen Goh as mayor? That's the recommendation of some folks in our local LGBTQ community who are unhappy with either candidate. Neither Carter nor Goh, they argue, has done enough to embrace the gay, lesbian and transgender community. To his credit, Carter has been up front about saying he would not participate in a gay pride parade for fear or angering some segment of the community. (Carter says he has gay friends but on this issue he will not get involved.) Goh has been consistent too in dodging the question and failing to return calls. This issue is hardly large enough to turn this election, but it's an interesting sideshow in this show we call the 2016 election campaign.

* ... FOODIE: If you like food that talks back to you, try the new spicy chicken sandwich at The Padre Hotel, part of its new menu that was rolled out recently.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Bad Hombre" is the name of the cologne I buy at the Dollar Store."

 * ... WATER TOWER: Remember the old water tower that was taken down at Bakersfield High School to make way for the renovation at Griffith Field? It's now at the Kern County Museum and a group of Driller supporters are looking for input on how to make it a star attraction there. There will be a meeting at 4:30 p.m. on November 2 to discuss this. For more information call Jami Anderson at (661) 633-0340.

 * ... GOOD FORM: And hats off to those ladies over at the Assistance League of Bakersfield who will be contributing books to the students at Stella Hills Elementary School this Saturday. Said Dona Chertok: "We are participating in the Make a Difference Day; on which thousands of volunteers will be giving back to their communities. On Oct. 22, volunteers from across the country will unite for Make A Difference Day, one of the largest annual single-days of service nationwide."

 * ... LIBRARIES: Those mini, roadside libraries about town are about to celebrate their fourth anniversary. Named after the late Wendy Wayne, an educator and inspiring community activist, there are now some 63 libraries in Kern County, according to Susan Reep. One of them, located in front of Bernadette Ferguson's house on C Street, was featured on a Times Square billboard as a finalist in a Black and Decker contest.

Monday Bako Bits: Outlets at Tejon enjoy a huge weekend, more scam alerts, free libraries and some really bad form at the Kern County Animal Shelter

 * … OUTLETS: I stopped by the Outlets of Tejon the other day and left impressed with the design, location, convenience and of course the retailers. These are outlet stores after all, but the Tejon Ranch Company did a remarkable job with the layout, seating and water features. If you haven't been, check it out.

 * … SCAM: Yet another scam alert, this one from reader Buddy Maltone. "I received a letter along with a check for $1,850 stating I was the winner of the USA/EU Departmental Sweepstakes Lottery held on Jan. 1, 2014. The letter and check were from Western States Mechanical from Springville, UT. The letter states I will receive the balance of the $50,000 owed to me after I contact the claims agent Peter Jones. The check was from a Wells Fargo account of which Wells Fargo has my banking relationship, so I contacted them. Not to my surprise, I was told the address on the check was an ATM location for Wells in UT. I then contacted the claims agent, Peter Jones, and he congratulated me on my 'winnings.' When I questioned the ATM location check he hung up on me. I fully recognized this as some type of scam and should have waited to expose this to the claims agent and see how much $$ they wanted me to send ,but I could not have waited to screw with them. I also contacted Western Mechanical to let them know what was going on because after research, they were a legit company and were aware of this scam."

 * … BAD FORM: Linda Boyance was at the Kern County Animal Shelter on Fruitvale recently when she witnessed what can only be described as a bit of bad form. With her was a man holding a very skinny Shiatsu which he had found in the street on a hot day. It was Wednesday and the shelter does not open until 2 p.m. "He went to a side door and found a lady behind a desk. The door was locked. Through the locked door he explained his concern for the dog. He said the lady pointed at her watch, told him they didn't open till 2, and to come back. He had told her he would have to release the dog back to the street. Another lady went to the same door and asked the lady if she realized the man was going to let the dog go? … What part of rescue did she not understand? The three of us were beside ourselves. A man in cut off jeans and no shirt came by and took the dog with him...I say shame on the part of that employee."

 * … FOODIE: My restaurant menu recommendation of the week: the seared scallops over risotto at the Wall Street Cafe on L Street downtown is excellent.

 * … FREE LIBRARIES: Austin Albert is at it again. The 17-year-old Eagle Scout, who is headed to BYU-Idaho in the fall, wrote me that he had just installed four Little Free Libraries in the South High School District area for the community to enjoy. Said Austin: "The libraries are all stocked with an assortment of books and open for all to enjoy.  They are located at: 1516 Belle Terrace; 912 Meredith Street; 900 San Vicente Drive and 5301 Lime Street.  Just want to thank you and all the residents supporting literacy in the community who supported this project. Locations for Little Free Libraries can be found anywhere in the world by visiting littlefreelibrary.org.

 * … GOOD FORM: Terry Meier wrote to thank the stranger who left a note on her car warning her that her car's towing wires were dragging on the ground. "It made my day!" she said. "If I hadn't been warned or noticed it myself, at best I would have had to replace the connector, and at worst, it could have sparked a fire.  There truly are Good Samaritans in good ol’ Bako. "

Bakersfield's Tyler Williams places second in the grueling and prestigious Paris-Roubaix bicycle classic and a cluster of earthquakes have put the Los Angeles area on edge

 * … QUAKES: A series of earthquakes have rattled the Los Angeles area and led to speculation that an even larger quake may be overdue. According to The Los Angeles Times, there have been five

earthquakes larger than 4.0 in the last five months. That is the greatest cluster of quakes in the LA area since 1994. Bakersfield has had some smaller quakes and of course is just an vulnerable as the LA basin. The twin 1952 quakes destroyed much of historic downtown Bakersfield.

* … TYLER: Hats off to 19-year-old Tyler Williams of Bakersfield who placed second in the prestigious and grueling Paris-Roubaix bicycling race in France. Williams in a gifted athlete and cyclist who competes on the professional Under 23 BMC development team. The Paris-Roubaix classic is one of the most punishing one-day races in professional cycling and has been held in northern France for more than 100 years.

 * … SPOTTED: Spotted on a friend's Twitter feed: "One of my goals in life? To finish a tube of chap stick before losing it.”

* … SCAM: Barbara Mullin lives in Kern City and dropped me a note to say the scam artists posing as security system experts have made the rounds there. "My son lives a little over a mile from me and they had been running in that neighborhood as well. Apparently, they have covered a good amount of area in Bakersfield. Another scam I got was a phone call saying they were from (Microsoft) Windows, that my computer had a virus, my e-mail was compromised and I was going to lose everything. Some time ago, they called and said they were from Windows Service System and said the same thing. I was stupid enough to believe them and I lost everything I had on my computer. Lucky for me, I called Dell and they restored my computer to working but I lost all my e-mail addresses and everything I had in my folders. So beware of anyone saying they are from Windows."

 * … MERCY: Kudos to the Friends of Mercy Foundation which launched a new annual giving program – The Legacy Circle at Mercy.  In its inaugural year, 23 people ranging in ages from approximately 25 to 37 became charter members by donating $500 each. They met three times during the year and at their second dinner, voted to use their cumulative gift of $11,000 to fund two state of the art Vein Finder Devices. Each of these devices is being used several times each day in the emergency rooms at Mercy Hospital Downtown and Mercy Hospital Southwest. These devices are unique to the Mercy hospitals and allow caregivers to more easily access veins when  a patient needs an IV insertion.  This past month, the Foundation launched the second year of the Legacy Circle and recruited 30 new members; 86 percent of last year’s membership joined the group once again. If you are interested in finding out how to join this group of young philanthropists, contact the Friends of Mercy at (661) 663-6700 or www.supportfriendsofmercy.org.

 * … FREE BOOKS: Here is an effort worth getting behind. Austin Albert is a 17-year-old senior at Liberty High School who is working on a community service project for his Boy Scout crew. He wants to create several "free libraries" in the South High School area but needs residents, churches or business owners to allow the mini library to be placed on their property. He already has collected more than 200 books that will stock the libraries. Contact Austin if you can help at (661) 303-7556.