Monday Bako Bits: Kern County's unemployment rate improves, Bland Solar and Air gets some recognition and some bad form out in Seven Oaks

 * … SHOOTING: The shooting of an unarmed man in Ferguson, Mo., and the unrest and rioting that

followed has triggered a lot of soul searching about behavior by both the police and regular citizens. I found this advice about "how to avoid being shot by police" strikingly similar to what my own father cautioned me years ago. Here goes: "Don’t be in a gang. Don’t rob convenience stores. Don’t do or sell drugs. Don’t loiter on street corners or walk down the middle of the street. Don’t carouse at night. If you are stopped by a police officer, comply with his or her orders. If you don’t like what they are doing, record the incident and hire an attorney. Do not, under any circumstances, attack the officer, hit the officer, or try to take the officer’s gun away from the officer." Said the author: "These seem pretty simple to most people, but there are large segments of our society who seem to believe that you can do these things and then they are aghast when things spiral out of control and someone gets shot."

 * … JOBS: Good news on the local job front. The Kern Economic Development Corp says the Kern

County jobless rate dropped in July to 10.4 percent, compared to 11.6 percent the same month last year. Year-over-year, July also saw an increase in jobs across all industries.  California’s unadjusted July 2014 unemployment rate is 7.8 percent and the nation’s rate is 6.5 percent.

* … SPOTTED: A friend posted this on his Facebook page: "PG and E wished me Happy Birthday by making my power go on and off, over and over again, from 2:15 a.m. to 7 a.m."

 * … FOODIE BEST BET: KC Steakhouse, the popular downtown eatery know for its dark, vintage interior, has brought back its "buy one dinner (or lunch) and get one free" special. It also is offering 50 percent off select bottles of wine every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

 * … SOLAR: Congratulations to Bakersfield's Bland Solar and Air, which was ranked ninth on the list of the top 100 best residential solar companies in the country. Bland Solar and Air has been in business and installing solar since 1985 and is the largest local installer in the San Joaquin Valley. The top three were SolarCity, Vivint Solar and RGS Energy. The rankings were compiled by Solar Power World.

 * … GOOD FORM: Hats off to the Bakersfield police officer who went out of his way to make sure a woman made it to her car in the dark. From reader Gerald A. Starr: "Seen on Wednesday evening after 8:30 p.m. on 17th Place and 18th Street. A lady diner was returning to her car after the CASA graduation and dinner at Uricchio’s. Her car was parked north of 18th Street (it was quite dark). A BPD patrol car on 18th Street came to a stop while the lady crossed the street and then turned right to escort the lady to her parked car illuminating the sidewalk and the area with the patrol car’s spotlight. Thank you to that officer as one of Bakersfield’s finest to take 2-3 minutes for an act of human kindness!"

 * … BAD FORM: A reader was walking in Windsor Park in Seven Oaks this weekend she she spotted a man walking his two dogs, off the leash. "They I observed him go to two different drinking fountains and turn on the water while the larger dog stood on its hind legs and drank from the fountains." Yuck.

 * … RETAIL: Jay Stodder tipped me off that a new retail clothing store has moved into the old Gottchalk's at the East Hills Mall.  "They are called 'Sarah' and actually relocated from a smaller unit in that mall. Great to see any local business succeed as well as prosper."

A Canadian motorist, hospitalized in Bakersfield, sends a love letter to Kern County, and Pam Fiorini leaves the Golden Empire Gleaners

 * … HOME: If you ever doubt the goodness that exists in this community, notes like the following should serve as a wakeup call. Amanda Vallette and her husband are from Edmonton, Alberta, and

were touring the United States on motorcycles when they suffered an unfortunate crash and ended up in a local hospital. Said Amanda: "We met what I would like to believe were real Americans right from the beginning, some of the finest people we have ever met. To the strangers that helped us on the road, thank you for taking time out of your day to help me as I lay on the highway. To the Highway Patrol who took control and managed the situation with compassion and efficiency. To the fire rescue, you offered so much comfort with your experience. To the sweet EMS staff that calmed me by telling me the damage to my bike was cosmetic. But most off all to the hospital staff. We were nervous about the U.S. medical system but that was soon dismissed as we got such wonderful care from the time we went through the doors. There are so many others that made a positive impression, the hotel staff where my husband stayed waiting for my discharge, the clerk at Rite Aid, the medical transport to LAX. The bottom line is that Bakersfield showed us just how wonderful a country the USA is. Here is a big thank you to one and all."

 * … GLEANERS: Pam Fiorini is resigning as executive director of the Golden Empire Gleaners. Fiorini has served as head of the charity for seven years and told me it was time to do something else. No word yet on who will succeed her. (photo of Pam Fiorini (right) with Judi McCarthy.)

 * … SPOTTED: A woman in an old green van casually tosses her fast food wrappers and soda cup out the driver's side window while driving down Mount Vernon. When she stops at a light, she empties her ashtray.

 * … OVERHEARD: In the Vons at The Marketplace a woman is telling a friend about her children going back to school. "God knows I love them but I can't wait to get them out of the house."

 * … FOODIE BEST BET: Cafe Med has brought back its half off appetizers during happy hour, as well as $3 beer, $4 wine and $5 martinis. Always a best bet for quality food and drink.

 * … DATE NIGHT: Looking for something fun to do this Saturday? Then you might consider Date Night at the Fox Theater which will be showing the 1980 film Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour. Admission, hot dogs and drinks are just $1 each. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. It's a chance to see all the work the Fox Theater Foundation has done on bringing the old girl back to glory.

 * … VILLAGEFEST: Get ready for another VillageFest, the always popular event that is expected to raise $160,000 for charity. The event, featuring craft beer, music and food, is set for Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Kern County Museum from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. There will be beer from more than 60 breweries, wine and plenty of food, not to mention 15 local brands. The attendance is expected to exceed 5,000. The event has always been a fundraiser for C.A.R.E. (Children’s Advocates Resource Endowment), a non-profit organization serving the needs of Kern County’s children since 1999. Tickets are $70 and may be purchased at Vallitix, Lengthwise and Frugatti's Italian Restaurant.

New study finds yoga alone is not enough to obtain overall fitness, the sadness of the death of comedian Robin Williams and locals express more disgust with panhandlers

 * … YOGA: This is for all you yoga fanatics out there: new research shows that yoga really doesn't do much for overall muscle strength or cardiovascular fitness. That's according to a study published in the New York Times that followed two groups of women for eight months, one that completed twice

weekly, hour-long yoga sessions and the other that continued with their normal activities. The result? "Yoga appears top be too gentle physically to be anyone's lone exercise. "Yoga will certainly strengthen your legs but you need to include other forms of exercise in your weekly routine to obtain more complete fitness.

 * … WILLIAMS: Let's hope the death of comic genius Robin Williams focuses more attention on depression and related illnesses that are near epidemic in our society. I know of very few people who have not dealt with severe depression in their own families, and it is long past time for an honest conversation about this national malady.

 * … PANHANDLERS: More feedback on the panhandlers across our community. This note from reader Terry Meier: "I understand there are needy people in our community, but being confronted by them at every turn is aggravating. I was even pinned down by one in the drive-through line at Starbucks!  My husband and I give generously to charities every year, so I have no guilt in turning them down. Furthermore, I’ve seen some of them work the same area telling the same story over and over.…  I’ve joked with my friends that I’m going to make a large sign and stand on a corner or median and beg for money to buy an iPad. Hey, I’m a part-time professor so I need the money!"

 * … RADIO WARS: The local radio group American General Media has acquired another FM signal in its battle to attract more listeners throughout the day. The new FM signal will simulcast the First Look with Scott Cox morning show that originates in the newsroom of The Californian and is video streamed live on Bakersfield.com. The show will be simulcast at 96.1 FM. The sale is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission and should be completed by Thanksgiving.

 * … BACKPACK: Kudos to the North Bakersfield Rotary Club whose members stuffed 675 backpacks for students of the Standard and Beardsley school districts. Chevron chipped in to help fund the program, called Kindergarten Roundup, and club President Sheri Horn Bunk tells me they will be distributed as soon as school starts.

 * … BAD FORM: Barbara Waggoner was at the Ramco gas station downtown recently when, to her surprise, a red haired woman walked to her car, started it up and began pumping gas while the car was idling. "Surprised that someone would do such a stupid thing, I asked if she realized she could start a fire. She gave me a 'really?' look. I told her a friend of mine had seen it happen. After I got the same look from her again, the back window rolled down and out popped a small child. I was thinking now not only does she want to take the chance of blowing all of us up but wants to blow up what I assume to be her grandchild."

 * … GOOD FORM: And then there was Dr. Randal Beeman who crashed on his bicycle at 18th and Chester the other day. No fewer than three different people stopped to help him. "When I go to other places and hear the standard blather about Bakersfield I remind myself that even though we live in one of the largest cities in California we still exhibit the small town values of cooperation and kindness towards others."

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. "

House Majority Leader McCarthy: "I support the air strikes" against the Islamic State and stand ready to confront this crisis

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, weighs in with his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "With each passing day, an unchecked ISIS grows more powerful, increasing in territory it occupies and continuing to target and kill religious minorities and moderate Muslims. These actions have

destabilized the entire Middle East region and have created the largest terrorist safe haven since September 11, 2001, posing a direct threat to the United States and our allies.

 "The threat to U.S. personnel in Erbil and the potential death of thousands of Christian and Yazidi minorities trapped on a mountaintop by ISIS militants in Iraq is but the latest example of ISIS' reign of terror.

 "I support the targeted air strikes authorized by the President.  Frankly the threat posed by ISIS requires a more fulsome response and a more comprehensive plan than has thus far been put forward by the Administration. We shouldn't wait until terrorists are at the doorstep of U.S. personnel or are threatening thousands of civilians with death on a mountaintop to confront this threat. I stand ready, as I know my colleagues on both sides of the aisle do, to work with the President and confront this crisis."

Bakersfield loves a party, even if it's an invitation only sneak peek of the new outlets mall, and more scams involving the Kern County court system

 * … OVERHEARD:  The VIP opening of the Outlets of Tejon Wednesday evening was a huge success, at least judging from the crowd that paid $25 each to get a sneak peek. One friend

likened it to "a big party" even though she was stranded on Interstate 5 for 20 minutes exiting the freeway because of the traffic. But not everyone thought it was so special. A middle-aged man was overheard talking to a friend about the event. "How was it?" he was asked. "Horrible," he responds. "Typical Bakersfield trying too hard to get excited. A new Target is not to be celebrated. And outlet stores are just outlet stores."

 * … SCAMS: This must be the season for telephone scams, because I seem to hear about a new one almost every day. Judi House shared this one: "Two people I know have received phone calls in the past two days stating that the caller is a warrant officer for our court system, calling regarding a fine being due for not responding to a court order to appear as a witness for the Grand Jury. The courts or the Grand Jury would not call on the phone to collect money. My understanding is it would be delivered either by letter or in person with a subpoena and most likely from the District Attorney's Office. All fines then would be paid to the County of Kern – not on a pre-paid cash card as requested by the caller. Also, you would have to have a file number assigned to your case – which wasn’t even mentioned in the phone call. Just remember: if in doubt call the court house they would be happy to help you."

 * … DONUTS: Kelly Giblin helped clear up why someone was selling Krispy Kreme donuts in the parking lot across from Barnes and Noble the other day. "This was no panhandling pastry pariah, but was actually one of several locations set up around town selling Krispy Kreme donuts as a fundraiser for McKee Road Baptist Church, which is raising funds for a mission trip to Mexico.," she said. "I understand that this is a very successful fundraising program offered by Krispy Kreme, but given the fact that there is no longer a location in Bakersfield, the church members must drive to Los Angeles in the very early morning hours to bring the donuts back warm and fresh. I can vouch that they were delicious and all of us working at the AIS Cancer Center and Lemonade Locks Wig Boutique enjoyed the boxes that were delivered to us by the church."

 * … PARTY SCHOOLS: For all you parents getting ready to send a child off to college, here is this year's list of the top party schools as ranked by The Princeton Review. Syracuse University claimed the top spot, followed by the University of Iowa (last year's winner), the University of California-Santa Barbara, West Virginia University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (file photo of USCB party)

 * … BAD FORM: Becky Whitehead contributed this really odd thing that happened to her 80-year-old sister. "While turning right in her car off Bernard into the Home Depot parking lot my sister stopped for a pedestrian who was a dark-complected bearded giant of a man carrying two long  boards. My sister stopped for him to cross the street, and he stared at her with such hate that it in itself was very scary  He then proceeded to bang on her car with his boards. The car is badly dented, and my sister is still emotionally upset about it. Thank goodness she didn’t try to spray him with her pepper spray as she first thought of doing. He would definitely have over-powered her and who knows what would have happened. She just moved her car forward, and he got out of the way. She went on to Office Depot and called the police who took her report, but of course the guy was gone by the time they got there.  I must mention that my sister is 80 years old and weighs maybe 110 pounds."

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.

Is the national housing market slowing down, and what does that mean for buyers and sellers? And good samaritans show some really good form to strangers

 * … HOUSING: The housing rebound continues with its fits and starts, and now comes word that a slowdown may be underway. On the national level, The Wall Street Journal notes that home prices rose 9.3 percent in May compared to the same period last year. That is certainly good news, but the

Journal warned that "there are growing signs of a slowdown. While the current weakness could provide investors with an opportunity to place new wagers and lower prices, analysts warn that the environment has become more challenging." For home buyers, the Journal noted, "the slowdown is good: Slowing price rains and low interest rates make homes more affordable."

 * … GOOD FORM: Lucy Gallardo wrote to share this random act of kindness. "My parents are in their 80s and my dad is having heart surgery next week. On Tuesday of this week, we dropped off their vehicle for repairs with Juan, the owner of Performance Off Road and Auto Accessories. The repairs were going to take about two hours so we went to breakfast at one of my parents favorite places….. Lil Spencers.  While there, an anonymous angel paid for our breakfast. Then it was time to pick up my parents' vehicle and the owner did not charge them for his services. As we were driving off, the owner says, 'I will be praying for your husband's surgery next week.' Wow, a double act of kindness in one day! Thank you for making my parents day, they were so moved by your acts of kindness.

 * … SPOTTED: A woman is telling a coworker about a tan and a plastic folding table parked in the dirt lot across from Marie Callender's, selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts of all things. "A man was standing on sidewalk waving a small Krispy Kreme banner. I wonder how far they brought these presumably bootleg doughnuts from." she said.

 * … WATER: The rain and wind we experienced Sunday triggered the predictable round of photos posted on Facebook showing wet road and rain drops on sidewalks, yet further evidence how desperate we are in this long drought. And reader Gil Nolasco added this idea about water conservation: "Hi Richard, I started to flush out my pool filters in the driveway like I usually do but I immediately felt guilty of letting the water go down the gutter. Then I realized, hey move over to the lawn, dummy! What little hair and dirt won't hurt the grass. The gardeners will clean it up when they come by. Problem solved. I also thought, I usually don't use any soap when I wash the car (cars don't get body odor) just water and sponge, why not do a 'hillbilly bath?' Park the car on the lawn and wash it down. Too low class? Or the future of car washing? Just be careful not to run over your sprinklers!"

 * … ROTARY: Another shout out to the Rotary West club for once again helping needy children prepare for school. The event is Child Spree, where each child participates in a $100 back to school shopping indulgence at Kohl's. Said Vija A. Turjanis for the county Mental Health Department: "If not for this event, many of these children would not start the school year with brand new outfits. Most of these children have experienced severe trauma and are on their way of becoming healthy children, and really benefit from positive childhood experiences. Shopping for school clothes, getting a new backpack, (and of course a hot breakfast sandwich) is a great way to start the school year."

* … GROVE: Assemblywoman Shannon Grove has appointed Greg Burt as her new communications director. Previously Burt worked as a reporter in Colorado, worked for a member of Congress and a State Senator in Orange County.