Big oil places a big bet on solar, CALM ushers in another year of holiday lights and yes, it's time for those seasonal telephone scams again

 * ... CALM LIGHTS: The California Living Museum (CALM) is kicking off its annual holiday lights show this weekend, and it promises to be the biggest year yet for the popular light show. This

is the fifteenth year CALM has presented this dazzling show, which runs until January 6. Tickets are available at Valleytix and at the door. The show runs nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

* ... OIL PATCH: In the battle for public opinion, the oil industry has done a poor job of telling its story. Instead, environmental organizations have enjoyed free reign to demonize fossil fuels, spread half truths about fracking and demand an end to the production of oil and natural gas. So it was good to see Aera Energy CEO Christina Sistrunk take a more proactive role in explaining the company's plans to build what will be California's largest solar farm to power its oil operations in the Belridge field. This is Aera's first foray into solar and it is a big bet that will provide jobs for more than 500 people. The solar farm is expected to be operational in 2020.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I wish I could enjoy the preppy style and comfortable torso warmth of a sweater vest without looking like the manager of an Office Depot."

 * ... SEASONAL SCAMS: Karen King wrote to remind me this is the season for telephone scams. Said King: "I just had a reminder that the scammers are still at it. I just received a phone call and a man said 'Hi, Grandma... it's your favorite grandson.' I said 'What?' He repeated himself. Since my only grandson is seven years old, this was a no-brainer and I told him off. He quickly hung up and I'm sure he is going down the list of other seniors. Apparently, there are people who think gray hair equals dead brain cells. I just wanted to give a heads up to all seniors NOT to accept any such calls."

* ... DOG LOVERS: If you are a dog lover, take heart. According to a Swedish study, dog owners are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease and death than those who don't own dogs. Scientific Reports had this to say: "Owning a dog was associated with a 20 percent lower risk of all cause death and a 23 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease." It went on to say that "the effect was stronger with certain breeds, particularly pointers and retrievers." The reason? Researchers speculated that owner of these breeds were more likely to get out and exercise more.

* ... BAD FORM: Joe Mitchell sent this reminder about traffic safety. "As I was driving up Wible Road this afternoon and listening to the radio news report the latest pedestrian casualty - 38 this year  a record -  a yellow school bus was stopped ahead with flashing lights and the 'STOP' sign extended.     I waited along with several other autos, traveling in both directions, as a line of students descended onto the sidewalk. These students were not children. They were what I call young adults. High school students... By high school age have they learned not to walk out into the street, and not all drivers are going to be alert and stop for them? I believe these students have been trained from their first day of school that autos are going to stop and wait for them, but unfortunately, not all will stop. That’s when we mark up another pedestrian death!"

 * ... CHRISTMAS: If you are in to the Christmas spirit, you might consider attending a special event this Saturday at St. John's Lutheran Church. It is the annual Master Chorale Christmas featuring your favorite calls and the 80-voice Bakersfield Master Chorale and Brass a la Carte under the direction of Dr. Robert Provencio. Stop by California Keyboards on Brundage Lane for advance tickets ($15) or buy them at the door for $20. The fun starts at 7 p.m.

Former state Sen. Dean Florez takes on meaningful education reform as CEO of a foundation, and talk show host Conan O'Brien takes a potshot at Bakersfield's conservative mentality

* … DEAN: There is a heated debate going on regarding how California's public universities and community colleges can better prepare students by providing more creative, inexpensive and efficient degree offerings. And right in the middle of the debate former state Senator Dean Florez, who serves as president and CEO of the Michelson Twenty Million Minds Foundation, which is devoted to transforming education in a major way. I ran into Dean the other day at a lunch with Bakersfield College President Sonya Christian and he brought me up to date on what he is doing. Among other things, he has been appointed to a statewide committee that will be handing out $50 million in funding to programs that emphasize online learning and new ways to prepare students for the real world. "It's an opportunity for the systems to look outside their borders," he said. Florez raised some interesting points, including the fact that colleges need to do a better job at offering post secondary certificates (instead of traditional degrees) that better prepare students for the workforce. Some faculty and administrators at the more traditional brick and mortar campuses view this as a threat and are generally opposed to the idea. Stay tuned.

* … BREAK-INS: Now that the weather is cooling folks are opening their windows and enjoying the change of seasons. But with that comes opportunity for thieves. A house up by Bakersfield College was burglarized just the other day, so make sure all the windows and doors remain locked and turn on that alarm.

* … SCAM: Today's telephone scam alerts comes courtesy of reader Marilou Burlingame: "Good morning: Just received a call that went to my answering machine, since I didn’t recognize the number on the screen. Supposedly call was from the IRS, asking that we immediately call the number (415) 506-2394 to avoid further action from the IRS. Name left is Julie Smith. I Googled number, it is out of Novato, Ca., from a communications company. This number has called my home numerous times. What can I do, do I call the number and give them HADES?"

 * … SPOTTED: Late night talk show host Conan O'Brien posted this on his Twitter account: "Massachusetts was just named the most liberal state. Researchers almost picked California but then they stopped for gas in Bakersfield." Is this an insult or a compliment?

* … GOOD FORM: Here's a bit of good form you don't hear very often. From Lauren Dimberg: "Recently a man and a big black dog came to my front door. He said, 'my dog just pooped on your lawn' and asked for a plastic bag  I gladly gave him a bag and thanked him for being a responsible dog owner.  How often does this happen?

 * … PRESERVE: Linda Isle regularly rides her bike on the bike trail near Manor Drive where work has been ongoing to improve the Panorama Vista Preserve in the riverbed. Her thoughts: "As you know from riding on the bike path the park there now has met with mixed results. The homeless  folks have appropriated the drip system into their  personal water service and many of the plants and trees  are dead with no replacements. Who is to be  responsible for the upkeep of the vast irrigation system in the preserve  once in operation? It will be a big job just to keep the drip system  operating  efficiently.    The comment about the justification of the water use was that the  unused water will just percolate back into the water table.  With that attitude the we should not worry about watering our own landscape.  Why weren’t plants that needed  little or no water used?"

If it's a new day, it's time for a new telephone scam making the rounds in Kern County, some really great customer service at Albertson's and recognizing the folks who care for our pets

 * … SCAM: Our nation is awash in telephone scams and Kern County residents continue to be targeted. Consider this note from reader Wes Wells: "I just wanted to share a recent telephone scam that really upset my wife today. When I came home she was on the phone with a representative from the

Department of Legal Affairs of the U.S. Department of the Treasury who was threatening her with a bench warrant over unpaid taxes from 2007 in the amount of $9,875. They were trying to get her to take out an 'Instant Text Voucher'" in the amount of $3,948 as a settlement and provided a call back number to confirm. Upon calling back, the person on the other end had a strong accent and in English challenged us to call any law enforcement authority. So we did. An officer at BPD said they have received hundreds of similar complaints. So I filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (the real one) and then contacted a Congresswoman (a real one, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren) who represents a district covering the (408) area code in the San Jose area to report the same information. It seems that these scams should be easier to stop if the phone companies that serve these areas could act more quickly to discontinue service to the offending numbers. Someone, somewhere has got to pay a phone bill when they sign a contract for a land line or a cell phone contact."

 * … GOOD FORM: Here's your "feel good" nugget for the day, this one compliments of Caroline Read. She took an elderly friend shopping recently to the Albertson's at the corner of Gosford Road and Stockdale Highway. All the woman wanted was three bananas. "I parked the car to run in and get them," she said. "She wanted me to lock her in and not roll the windows down.  I couldn’t leave the car running to provide air conditioning … so I opened the windows a crack, locked the car, ran in, found a clerk, handed her $5 and said, 'I need three bananas. I have an elderly friend in the car and I can’t leave her there.  It’s too hot.'  I ran back to the car and turned the air conditioning on and watched for the clerk. Pretty soon, she came running out, waving the change and the bag of bananas! Now I ask you, is that local and personal service? ?

* … PETS: Kudos to the folks over at the Coffee Road Animal Hospital who took care of my ailing cat recently. Kern County is blessed with many competent veterinarians, and I have always felt there is a special place in heaven for those among us who care for our pets, whether they be veterinarians, vet techs, receptionists or volunteers at animal shelters and rescue organizations.

 * … DROUGHT: In all the discussion about our long drought, many folks are going to drought tolerant landscaping to save water. Kathy Beck wrote to say the California redwood trees are simply wrong for this area of our state. "The poor trees are stressed, turning brown, dying or dead. Here is what this tree requires: 20 gallons a month PER INCH DIAMETER of the trunk. That's right… read it again. So a 12 inch diameter trunk requires 240 gallons of water a month to be happy, healthy and green. They are a northern California tree and they do not require thinning .. .it only stresses out the tree more and makes them branch out funny. The city needs to remove all of them… those who continue to survive will only require more water. We just removed our tree in our front yard, as it was turning brown, the math on our tree said it required 720 gallons a month to be happy."

 * … SERVICE: I haven't met Rick Chesire over at Hearing Aids Today, but he sure has a big fan base. Consider this note from Connie Stewart: "Rick is always happy to help with any problem you might be having.  Beside being a good business man he is an outstanding, caring young man. I would recommend Rick to anyone."