Time to bust out those New Year's resolutions and Michael Rubio makes the right call

* ... NEW YEAR'S: It's time to consider those New Year's resolutions, but instead of the usual suspects (I will exercise more, eat healthier and write thank you notes ) how about if each of us adopted a charity and contributed a little something every month? Can you imagine the impact  if we all dug a little deeper and gave to the charity of our choice?

 * ... RUBIO: My heart goes out to state Sen. Michael Rubio, who dropped out of a race for Congress to put his family first. This came after his second daughter was born with Down syndrome. The local Democrat was an early favorite to win this race, and it's refreshing to see politicians look into their hearts and do the right thing.

 * ... DIAPERS: It has been a while since I mentioned the nasty habit of people casually discarding their diapers just about anywhere (including - yuck - a new shoe box at Target). But Scott A. McMillan, who owns several Sonic Drive Thru restaurants in the South Valley, reminded me the habit is alive and well. He discovered this Christmas Eve morning when he helped open his Sonic in Hanford. He cleaned the outside area and as he was  leaving - after only one customer had come through - he glanced back and found a used diaper sitting under the drive thru window. "My first thought was 'Are you kidding me?' We've only had one guest! But right then a picture of you from the Californian flashed into my head and I started laughing out loud. After a few minutes of hearty laughter I removed the unwanted item and went on my way."

* ... SMOKE POLICE: Molly Mac has only lived here a few years but opted to weigh in on our area's air pollution rules. Recently she found herself driving behind three school  buses. "Whew,  the exhaust fumes were overwhelming. I read that at least 60 percent pollution is due to vehicle emissions. It would seem to me that it would benefit the air if these vehicles were converted to natural gas as are the GET buses....and no I don't want to hear about the cost. Where are our vaunted representatives on this issue? Perhaps we could utilize the farm subsidies to syndicated farms and business (which are no more than corporate welfare).....and no, I don't own natural gas stock or know T. Boone Pickens."

 * ... SPOTTED: A woman driving on Ming Avenue in the afternoon rush hour trying to merge into the left lane with her right  blinker on while talking on her cell phone with her left hand and  smoking a cigarette with her right hand. As reader Marlene Morales said:  "This is an accident waiting to happen. And by the appearance of her vehicle, I'm sure she didn't have insurance."


 * ... CONVENANT: Vince Romero wrote to recommend buying coffee from Convenant Community Services, the local non-profit that does so much to help foster youth. "Our company uses Convenant coffee for all of our coffee and coffee accessories and condiments.  Spread the word about this great service." Covenant is located in an old bank building at 1700 North Chester Avenue.

Bakersfield is No. 1 in dirty air and Wendy Wayne faces a new setback in her fight with cancer

 * ... POLLUTION: Bakersfield ranked No. 1 on another list of dubious distinction, this time winning the title of the American city with the dirtiest air.  In fairness to us, the Forbes story noted that our air is actually cleaner than it has been in years, but we're still stuck with the title of the dirtiest city in the country. Following Bakersfield were Los Angeles, Visalia, Fresno, Pittsburgh, Modesto, Birmingham, Phoenix, San Diego and Sacramento.  Forbes had this to say about Bakersfield: "Hot, dusty, adjacent to California’s biggest oil fields, Bakersfield has 60 days a year of unhealthy air, 10 times a level considered acceptable. Its ozone levels are better than at any time in the past 15 years, but still unhealthy for 100 days out of the year."

 * ... SICK BAY: I was saddened to hear that Wendy Wayne has suffered a setback in her long battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Wendy underwent a stem cell transplant two years ago at City of Hope and had bounced back to her old self, but apparently the cancer has returned and she is back at City of Hope for another round of chemotherapy. Wendy is one of our community's most generous and giving citizens, a former member of the First Five Commission, an inductee into the CSUB Alumni Hall of Fame and a former Peace Corps volunteer. Keep this special woman and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

 * ... GREEN FROG: The closing of the Green Frog Market on Columbus prompted this memory from reader Mark Thompson. "I am reminded of the time in 2001 when the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) came to town to tape their weekly Smackdown television show. During the episode heated rivals Stone Cold Steve Austin and Booker T wound up at the Green Frog and promptly destroyed the store as well as each other. It was one of the funniest moments ever in wrestling" and you can see the clip on YouTube.

 * ... OVERHEARD: At the downtown Starbucks on 24th Street a woman tells her companion: "I just gave that parolee outside two bucks because he looks so scary I was afraid to say no!"

 * ... BOOK SIGNING: Make sure you head over to Russo's Books at the Marketplace Saturday where author Richard Mallard will be signing his new book "Convict Lake," the tragic story of the death of several teenagers and would-be rescuers in 1990. I've read this book and it is a real page turner, as well as shedding new light on the troubled billion-dollar industry dealing with troubled teens. Mallard will be at Russo's from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

 * ... LA CRESTA: Another memory of old La Cresta, this time from life-long Bakersfield resident Matt Koelzer. "Two of the best memories are Sullivan's Miniature Golf north of Green Frog and west of the old Shakey's Pizza building and Alta Vista Drugs between Tam O'Shanter Liquors and the old Spin 'N Span Market. My family always referred to the drug store as 'Bert and Orville's' for the couple that owned it. If we were well behaved at the doctor or while running errands with mom, we could go in and get a soda or float from the old fashioned fountain where they still mixed you a Coca-Cola by hand."
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Air Pollution Control District takes more heat and BC looks for an athletic director

 * ... AIR DISTRICT: More criticism for the Valley Air Pollution Control District. This time it comes from Stephen Montgomery, a retired railroad employee and former union legislative representative who worked to improve working conditions. He called the air board's move to shut down the Thanksgiving Day Pie Run bonfire "an overreaction to small potatoes. It's apparent they enforce the things that are easiest to enforce and in at least one case avoid messing with the ones that may be more difficult." He cited, in his capacity with the union, numerous letters he wrote - including one to the air district - to complain about hazardous dust at the Traver truck stop 30 miles south of Fresno. He said trucks are routinely driven off the road to an unpaved portion of railroad right of way "raising dust in the dry seasons. In wet conditions water runoff from the fuel dock aprons puddles up in this area and along with all the runoff containing fuel and brake dust soaks into the water table." In short, it's a mess and certainly creates more pollution, day in and day out, than a simple once-a-year bonfire at a public park. And what happened? According to Montgomery, absolutely nothing. (photo courtesy of Stephen Montgomery)

* ... THE BUZZ: The announcement that Jan Stuebbe will be stepping down as athletic director at Bakersfield College has some folks speculating that BC may look to Cal State Bakersfield for a successor. CSUB of course just named its new athletic director, Jeff Konya, and in so doing  passed over Roger Fessler, who was outgoing AD Rudy Carvajal's No. 2 person in the department. In fact, not only was Fessler passed over but he also wasn't given the courtesy to interview for the job, a slight that did not go unnoticed both inside and outside the campus. All this is speculation of course, but BC could do a lot worse than Fessler, who has deep roots in the community and who also spent time as athletic director at St. Francis University in Pennsylvania.


* ... MINIATURE GOLF: Reader Pam Mahan wrote to say she "had to laugh when I read Jimmie D. Hill's comment about the miniature golf course just north of Green Frog Market. I remember when I was playing there with a group of friends who included Arnold Kirschenmann. Arnold, who even at that time was a really good golfer, had a terrible round at the miniature course and proceeded to terrorize his golf club by bending it over his knee and throwing it into outer space. I don't know how Arnold's knee turned out, but it was a rough day for the golf club."

 * ... MARATHON: Heard from reader Pat Chaffin who wanted to share the news that her sons, their wives and two grand daughters walked and ran 13 miles in the Zappo's Rock and Roll Las Vegas Marathon. "What a spectacle," she said. "Thirty two thousand competed and 18,000 were first timers. Many dressed in costumes and there must have been 50 Elvis impersonators... What's amazing is the majority of them are just ordinary working stiffs squeezing  in the time from their jobs and families to train for this race. Next year maybe they'll do the 26 miler!" The group includes Steve and Sara Chaffin, Doug and Connie Chaffin and Jenni Chaffin.

 * ... RETIREMENT: Hats of to one of our city's most valuable and beloved employees who recently retired. That would be Louie Peralez, who retired after 42 years, serving most recently as the street superintendent. Mark Salvaggio, former city councilman, described Louie as "a city of Bakersfield institution. His service is second longest in the history of the city... He is the finest public servant one can find anywhere. His shoes will never be filed." Good luck, Louie.

  * ... OVERHEARD: "A local electronics story now sells a key chain breathalyzer ... the perfect gift for that 'special' relative."

* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if "you remember the long lines outside of Fontana's Pie Shop on Niles Street the day before Thanksgiving with people wanting fresh pumpkin or pecan pies." Thanks to Ken Barnes for this one.

Bakersfield tops list of cities with the worst air and recalling Trice Harvey's "political whore" remark

 * ... OLE TRICE: Weighing on the weak public apology Jerry Brown offered Meg Whitman after comparing her to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels,  Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Morain recalled a 1994 incident involving our own Trice Harvey, a former Republican assemblyman from Bakersfield. Harvey had called Republican Paul Horcher a "political whore" for voting for Willie Brown as Speaker. Democrats demanded an apology and Harvey shot back: "I'm sorry he's a whore." You have to love ole Trice.

 * ... BAD AIR: A report by the American Lung Association has ranked Bakersfield as having the worst air to breathe in the nation. This hardly comes as any surprise given the San Joaquin Valley's reputation but it's never encouraging to see us so high on any such list of dubious distinction. Rounding out the top ten were Los Angeles, Fresno, Visalia-Porterville, Birmingham, Ala., Hanford, St. Louis, Mo., New York City, Pittsburgh and Sacramento. Said one report on the list: "Wondering what's in the air in Bakersfield? Unfortunately it's heavy smog and pollution that cloud the sunny city. Financially reliant on petroleum extraction and refinement, it's no surprise that this west coast town falls in the top three of ozone levels, long-term and short-term particle emissions and levels are rising each year. It looks like the residents of Bakersfield need to cook up ways to get clean"

 * ... BURGLARIES: The rash of burglaries across town has continued into the fall seemingly unabated. Readers have told me of break-ins in virtually every area of town, from the Bakersfield Country Club area to Laurelglen to Westchester. In the downtown area where I live, there have been three burglaries in the last two weeks, and all at homes with alarm systems. Police characterize these as classic "smash and grab" burglaries where the thieves are in and out in two or three minutes, taking flat screen TVs, jewelry, computers and whatever will fit into a pillowcase.

 * ... BURGERS: From reader Al Caetano, a proud Bakersfield native: "I look forward to reading your column. Today's mention of Jumbo Burgers brought back fond memories of cruising Stan's, Michener's and making a slight detour to Jumbo's for cheap burgers. I really loved the special sauce. Being from south of town, a special memory as a little boy was mom taking me to Canady's nursery on Taft Highway west of Pumpkin Center. Canady's had a monkey cage in front and I just loved watching the monkeys while mom shopped for plants. Not sure about the spelling. These visits would have taken place in the mid 1940s."

 * ... ENOUGH: Sunny Kapoor took me to task for my obsession with littering in our community. "Enough already about the dirty diapers! I, like most others, am absolutely disgusted in the manner in which some people choose to dispose of them, but the story about it being tossed out of an SUV to hit another SUV is make believe at best! Maybe we should allocate space to speak of other great happenings in our community, like the awesome Oildorado Days in Taft or the weekly soccer players at the Kern County Soccer Complex playing 'the beautiful game.''

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield "if you think using your turn signals is an optional exercise."

We're No. 1! (In polluted air)

It's no secret that Bakersfield has some of the worst air in the nation and occasionally you'll find lists in the paper. But check out this list from the American Lung Assn. on the top 10 polluted cities. It's humbling (and scary) and it's appalling that so many of our local politicians ignore the consequences of such unhealthy air.

The 2008 Lists:

Top 10 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Short-Term Particle Pollution:

1) Pittsburgh, Pa.
2) Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside, Calif.
3) Fresno/Madera, Calif.
4) Bakersfield, Calif.
5) Birmingham, Ala.
6) Logan, Utah
7) Salt Lake City, Utah
8) Sacramento, Calif.
9) Detroit, Mich.
10) Baltimore, Md./Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia.

Top 10 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution:

1) Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside, Calif.
2) Pittsburgh, Pa.
3) Bakersfield, Calif.
4) Birmingham, Ala.
5) Visalia/Porterville, Calif.
6) Atlanta, Ga.
7) Cincinnati, Ohio
8) Fresno/Madera, Calif.
9) Hanford/Corcoran, Calif.
10) Detroit, Mich.

Top 10 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Ozone:

1) Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside, Calif.
2) Bakersfield, Calif.
3) Visalia/Porterville, Calif.
4) Houston, Texas
5) Fresno/Madera, Calif.
6) Sacramento, Calif.
7) Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
8) New York, N.Y./Newark, N.J.
9) Baltimore, Md./Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia
10) Baton Rouge, La.