New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman cites Muslim hypocrisy in insulting other religions, and another successful young man returns to Bakersfield to live and work

 * ... FRIEDMAN: The ongoing protests and violence in the Middle East that led to the death of the U.S. ambassador to Libya drew a strong response from New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman. Friedman is one of our nation's foremost Middle East experts and he spared no words in calling out Muslim protesters on their own hypocrisy when it comes to insulting other religions. "They might want to look at the chauvinistic bile that is pumped out by some of their own media — on satellite television stations and Web sites or sold in sidewalk bookstores outside of mosques — insulting Shiites, Jews, Christians, Sufis and anyone else who is not a Sunni, or fundamentalist, Muslim. There are people in their countries for whom hating 'the other' has become a source of identity and a collective excuse for failing to realize their own potential." More reasons why all of us should practice tolerance.

 * ... COMING HOME: Another successful youngster has returned to Bakersfield to work and live. Neil K. Gehlawat, a graduate of Stockdale High and later UC Berkeley, has joined the law firm of Chain, Cohn and Stiles as an associate attorney in its personal injury department. He graduated from Stockdale in 2005 and later earned a degree from Cal. He went on to attend The University of Texas School of Law, where he served as a Notes Editor for the Texas Law Review and was a regional champion in the National Appellate Advocacy Competition. He obtained his juris doctorate in
2012.

 * .... OVERHEARD: A young woman who just returned from Boston is overheard talking about coming home. "I am always amazing how friendly people are here," she said. "At the airport, at the car wash and even at Starbucks people are just so nice. Yesterday in the drive-through at Starbucks and woman two cars in front of me paid for the entire line. It's just great coming home."

 * ... SEXTING: If your teenager is using his or her cell phone for something other than emergencies - like sending suggestive flirty messages to others - chances are that she may be engaged in sex. That's the result of a survey as reported in The Los Angeles Times, which said teenagers who engage in "sexting" are seven times more like to be engaged in sex. (photo courtesy of The Los Angeles Times)

 * ... HISTORY: Several readers wrote with questions about the 1945 incident in which a B-25 Mitchell ran into the Empire State Building, killing 14 people including three crewmen. It happened on a Saturday morning when the B-25, headed from Boston to LaGuardia, was cleared to land in heavy fog and mistakenly veered right into the building. The plane hit the north side of the building between the 78th and 80th floor.

 * ... SNYDER: Congratulations to Toni Snyder who came home with a prestigious honor from the Radio Show convention in Dallas. Snyder was named "general manager of the year" in the 2012 National Association of Broadcasters and Radio Advertising Bureau competition. Snyder runs the seven American General Media radio stations in Bakersfield. Californian Radio, which runs weekdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., appears on KERN 1180, one of the AGM stations.

 * ... ASHBURN: Former state Sen. Roy Ashburn has picked up more endorsements in his bid to return to the Kern County Board of Supervisors in the First District. Among those endorsing Ashburn were Delano Mayor Grace Vallejo, Ridgecrest Mayor Ron Carter and McFarland Mayor Manuel Cantu Jr. Ashburn faces former China Lake Naval Weapons Station commander Mick Gleason in November.

Liberty High school girls' tennis and golf teams get some well deserved recognition and state Sen. Michael Rubio takes aim at revising and improving the California Environmental Quality Act

 * ... ACHIEVERS: Hats off to the girls' tennis and golf teams over at Liberty High School who earned some terrific recognition recently. Turns out both teams were honored as the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) 2011-12 Academic Team Champions for being the tennis and golf teams in the state with the highest grade point averages. Said Molly Busacca, whose two daughters play on the tennis team: "They are the only teams from Kern County to have received this distinction.  I love to see the teams do well both in their sports, and in the classroom!'' The girls tennis team: Paige Basconcillo, Isabella Busacca, Sophia Busacca, Taylor Carter, Karissa Coronel, Kendra Duncan, Michelle Kirby, Kelsey Owens and Emily Smith. Girls golf: Lexis Bell, Kirstin Horton, Mckenzie Pardue, Kayli Ryan, Tori Schrock, Chanie Smith and Mallory Wells.

* ... FLU SHOTS: Terri Nelson wrote with a tip about flu shots. "My husband and I took our entire family to Rite Aid to get our flu shots. Normally we pay around $20 to $30 for each one. One of the pharmacy techs asked to scan our medical insurance cards and I told them not to bother they never pay for them. Two of us have Blue Cross and the rest have straight MediCal. Well surprisingly this time they did pay and it saved me a boatload of money. Maybe more people will get their flu shots if they are free and they don't have to wait in the doctor's office for hours."

 * ... OVERHEARD: And speaking of staying healthy, a woman who has spent a lot of hours at a local hospital is overheard talking about how hospitals should provide small gyms for visitors. "Instead of sitting there for hours why not provide a little workout room?" she asked. "It will keep you healthy and isn't that what the hospitals want?"

 * ... SPOTTED: Two young men in a black Ford Expedition headed north on Chester Avenue and 18th Street get a good laugh after the passenger throws a handful of trash at a black city trash can and misses, sending napkins and litter all over the street.

 * ... CEQA: Keep your eye on state Sen. Michael Rubio (D-Shafter) and the work he will do as the new chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Rubio told me he has taken aim at CEQA (the Californian Environmental Quality Act), the law that drives businesses and developers crazy. Rubio told me CEQA is now some 40 years old and desperately needs to revised. He said it's the only law where "a business can still be in compliance but we penalized."


 * ... GIRLS FUND: The Women’s and Girls’ Fund, part of the Kern Community Foundation, is getting ready for another round of grant funding. Its current emphasis is on educational issues for women or girls: literacy; educational attainment; dropout prevention; high school graduation; college preparation or re-entry; job skills training; and education/training for emancipated foster youth. Nonprofits can access necessary forms and grant policies at www.kernfoundation.org or call Kern Community Foundation at (661) 325-5346. The deadline to apply is Nov. 8.


 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield when a friend mentions he can tell it's almost fall because the temperature only reached 92.

Kern County almond producers expect a near record crop, and State Sen. Michael Rubio comes on Californian Radio to talk politics and reforming our state environmental laws

* ... ALMONDS: Good news for Kern County's almond growers: it looks like prices are going up and we are headed to another solid harvest. The almond harvest is now under way, and producers expect a harvest of some two billion pounds, just slightly under last year. Prices and demand have been steadily climbing every year, thanks to some degree to a strong demand from overseas but also to a growing national appetite for fresh nuts.

 * ... RUBIO: State Sen. Michael Rubio, recently appointed chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, will be my guest on Californian Radio KERN 1180 Monday to talk about his plans to revise the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). We will be talking about state pension reform and other issues facing the Golden State. Rubio will be on at 9 a.m.

* ... GOOD DEED: Janada Shepard was dining at Uricchio's Trattoria last week, complements of two friends who were treating her for her birthday. "A server approached me and said a gentleman would like to know if he could buy me a glass of wine. Of course I agreed and asked who the gentleman was so I could thank him.  He chose to remain anonymous. So hopefully I can thank him through your column, that I read and enjoy every day. He made my day even better... how thoughtful!"

 * ... SINGLE: Did you know that a third of all Americans ages 45 to 63 are single, a 50 percent increase since 1980? That's according to the Wall Street Journal, which reported that one in four adults over the age of 50 is divorced, a huge increase over the past decade.


 * ... CORRECTION: Mark Romero wrote to correct an earlier blog post that misidentified the type of military aircraft that hit the Empire State Building in 1945.  "It was a B-25 Mitchell that hit the building in 1945.... a B-24 Liberator is a much bigger bomber with four engines. A B-25 has two engines."

 * ... ENIGMAS: Good luck to Adam Vinson and Jason Gutierrez, partners in a new multi-media agency called ENIGMA specializing in public relations, social media, multimedia production, web site design, hosting and maintenance, graphic design and marketing strategy.

A history teacher recalls 9/11, the Einstein Pavilion opens at Memorial Hospital and kids unite for breast cancer awareness

* ... 9/11: Ben Ansolabehere remembers exactly where he was during the World Trade Center attacks, sitting as his desk at East High School when fellow teacher Mike Warner told him to turn on the TV. "After seeing the aftermath of the first plane and being a history teacher, I knew that planes were  not allowed over Manhattan Island because of a similar incident with a B-24 Liberator and the Empire State Building. Seeing the second plane hit the other tower sealed the fact that we were under attack. 'Less we forget!'"

* ... CANCER: Hats off to Crysta Barrick and a group of friends at Liberty High School who have started a club to assist those battling breast cancer. The idea started when Crysta's mother, Natalie Barrick, was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer last year. The group is called Operation HOPE (helping others prevail everyday) and it hopes to grow to other schools in Kern County. I could not think of a better way to recognize October's breast cancer awareness month than shedding some light on this special group of students.

 * ... EINSTEIN: I attended the opening of the new Einstein Pavilion front entrance at Memorial Hospital in honor of the late Dr. Hans Einstein. It's a beautiful facility and a fitting tribute to this remarkable man. Among those I spotted at the opening were Memorial CEO Jon Van Boening and wife Phillis, Tracy Walker-Kiser, Laura Weiner, Ernie Schroeder, David and Catherine Gay, Rogers Brandon, Greg and Mary Bynum, Harry Starkey and Kimberly Ward-Graham, Rob Noriega, Tom Smith, Hal Aaron, Dr. Nick Hansa, Dr. Chris Hamilton, Holly Arnold, Sue and Herb Benham, Steve and Pat Loyd, Steve and Kari Grimm-Anderson, Dr. Tommy Lee and many others.

* ... SPOTTED: A regular reader who asked that her name be withheld shared this observation at the Goodwill store on Olive Drive. "As I was going down an aisle a mother with her little girl in a cart were coming toward me. Mother handed her a bag of Skittles and she immediately dropped it and the candy went all over. The mother said no we are not going to pick it up and she shoved it under the rack with her shoe...(Then she) handed the little girl another bag of Skittles at the end of the aisle and same thing again, all over the floor and mother kicking it once again toward the racks.... she never said  a word to anyone working there."

 * ... OVERHEARD: A regular on Facebook laments the lack of civility on the social networking website. "I am really, really, REALLY tired of seeing everyone's political agendas paraded on here. Just while scrolling down RIGHT NOW there are five posts from friends that appear bashing one candidate or the other. At this rate, my Facebook account will be discontinued sooner, rather than later."

 * ... ALS: If you are free Saturday and want to support a good cause, stop by the third annual ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) barbecue and fund raiser. It's set for for 11 a.m. at Stella's Sandtrap (3133 Niles Street) and costs only $7 for a try-tip lunch. I am told some 92 percent of the money raised stays right here in Kern County.

A new book titled The End of Men argues it's a woman's world, and remembering the September 11 terrorist attacks that forever changed our world

 * .... WOMAN'S WORLD: A new book called "The End of Men" argues that women are better at adapting to changing world economic conditions than men, and it is getting a lot of press these past few days. While men may still dominate in the board rooms, author Hanna Rosin argues that in a fast changing world, men tend to cling to what they know while women quickly adapt to new conditions. Said the New York Times columnist David Brooks: Over the years many of us have embraced a certain theory to explain men's economic decline," he said."It is that the information age economy rewards traits that, for neurological and cultural reasons, women are more likely to possess." And add to that: the number of women achieving college degrees is far outpacing men.

 * ... 911: Amazing to think it has been 11 years since the terrorist plane hijackings and horrific attack on the World Trade Centers. Do you remember where you were when you learned what happened? Do you remember how we all rallied around our country and you couldn't find an American flag for sale anywhere? It was a time we all came together, save for the occasional odd comment or email like the one composed by a local man saying the attacks were God's way of punishing us for our sins. And speaking of bad form, shame on NBC for failing to honor a moment of silence recognizing the moment of the attacks, opting instead to interview Kris Jenner (of Keeping up with the Kardashians) about her TV show and her breast implants.

 * ... MEMORIAL: Memorial Hospital opened its new Einstein Pavilion this week, honoring the long and distinguished life of Dr. Hans Einstein, who passed away recently at the age of 89. The hospital is on a roll and recently opened its Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, allowing ailing children to remain in town instead of traveling hours for treatment. (file photo of Hans Einstein)

 * ... SPOTTED: At the downtown Starbucks on L Street, a very young girl (maybe two years old) accidentally spills her drink, causing a grouchy man next to her to flip off her father. A Bakersfield police officer witnessed this bit of bad form, intervened, handled the situation and everyone moved on.

 * ... SICK BAY: Mike Marotta, co-owner of the physical therapy group Pair and Marotta, was involved in a nasty bicycle crash during a race last Sunday in Bend, Oregon. He broke his right clavicle and pelvis and underwent surgery. Marotta is a state cycling champion in his age group, an incredible athlete, and was racing in the 60-plus age division.

 * ... DEBATE: When Joe Biden and Paul Ryan square off for the vice president's debate on October 11, there will be a local girl helping coordinate things at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Avery Williams, a Stockdale High graduate who is now a sophomore at Centre College, will be serving as an official volunteer for the debate. Proud mother Cindy Williams told me she is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and is a representative on the Academic Excellence Committee. Father Scott Williams works for Chevron and mother Cindy is a teacher for the Panama Buena-Vista Unified School District.

 * ... OVERHEARD: A local business executive is speaking to a friend about the number of jaywalkers in our community. "Yesterday I almost ran a guy down who was walking across Golden State Highway. And at the Garces Circle a mother with young children and a stroller were dodging traffic. It's everywhere."

Nebraska Cornhusker fans gather in Bako and Californian Radio will host Cal State men's basketball coach Rod Barnes on Monday

 * ... CORNHUSKERS: So who knew that a group of University of Nebraska fans gather each Saturday at Goose Loonies to take in Cornhusker football? Local businessman Bob Tebbe said up to 25 fans meet each Saturday to root on the Big Ten team. Tebbe said the fans range in age from "from early 20s to 80 and just as many women as men, sometimes more. We are made up of  professionals, truck drivers, a judge, business owners, firemen, veterinarian, retirees ... just really nice people who have one thing in common.... a love of Nebraska."

 * ... CSUB: It may be football season but it's never too early to talk college basketball. On Monday, CSUB men's basketball coach Rod Barnes will join me on Californian Radio (KERN 1180) to talk about the prospects for the Roadrunners as the team goes deep into Division 1 play. The team just returned from Bermuda and a series of exhibition games. The show begins at 9 a.m.

 * ... BROCK DINNER: Hats off to Jon Van Boening, the president of Memorial Hospital who was honored with the John Brock Community Service Award at the annual dinner last week at Seven Oaks Country Club. Van Boening has been quietly steering Memorial during a period of hyper growth and has built an impressive team to offer the best quality care. The Brock dinner, sponsored by the CSUB School of Business, is always a good opportunity for our community's business and civic leaders to recognize one of their own.

 * ... SPOTTED: At a local Vons,  a woman pulls her loaded cart up to the express lane (15 items or  fewer) and proceeds to empty the cart 15 items at a time, paying at each interval until her cart was empty.

* ... KIWANIS: One of my regular contributors, Dona M. Baker, dropped me a note to remind me of the good that the Oildale Kiwanis club does each year for students at Standard and Beardsley elementary schools. Each year the club purchases back to school clothes and back packs for kids at the schools, meeting the kids at a local Target to select the supplies. Dona also wanted me to remind all World War II veterans to be part of the annual Veteran's Day Parade Nov. 12.

 * ... GOLF: If you want to support the Wounded Heroes Foundation of Kern County, you may want to sign up for the third annual Wounded Heroes golf tournament at Bakersfield Country Club. Club pro Bruce Burroughs told me the event is this Saturday, September 15, starting at noon with a shotgun start. Call the pro shop at (661) 871-4121 to sign up. All donations are welcome.

Locally owned Olcott's home store will be closing and what's the problem with hailing a cab at Meadows Field airport?

 * ... IRISH: Dr. Shawn Shambaugh and his wife Teri were among the thousands who flew to Dublin, Ireland, last week to watch Notre Dame beat Navy in college football. They traveled with Mike and Marci Soper and Craig and Mary Kaye Hammon, and while there saw many local kids, including Notre Dame students Julia Berchtold and Brandon West and Ian Hagen (a graduate of Garces Memorial High) and David Dolinar (Stockdale High), both of whom are attending the Naval Academy. Said Shawn: "I can attest personally, we all can be very proud of these kids."

 * ... OLCOTTS: I was saddened to see that Olcott's, the large home furnishings retailer that has been a staple of our community for years, has gone out of business. Here's something to remember about locally owned businesses like Olcott's: online and other national and regional retailers can perhaps offer greater selections and competitive prices, but they can never replace the way families like the Olcotts have given back to our community in ways small and large. Every time we lose an Olcott's, the community loses a little of the fabric that makes Bakersfield special.

 * .... OVERHEARD: In a local dental office a woman is talking about her car being broken into off Gosford and White Lane. "I was picking up my friend and went into her house for maybe three minutes. When we returned my window was smashed and my purse was gone."

* ... MEADOWS: Ever try to catch a cab at Meadows Field after a flight? Well, it's not easy and in fact in some cases seemingly impossible. Take the case of Rogers Brandon, a local radio group owner and friend who flew in from Phoenix at 6 p.m. last Monday only to find no cabs waiting. Luckily he had called ahead and managed to grab a cab and spoke to the driver about why more cabs didn't meet flights Apparently, Yellow and American Cab (same ownership) have the concession for cab service from the airport. The concession is about $3,500 per year and it gives them the right to meet planes and prohibits all others from doing the same. The problem, according to my driver, is that Yellow and American cab rarely meet the planes, stranding people at the airport. If another company is called, as I did, they may circle the airport to pick up a fare. But only by appointment. The driver said that he regularly is called to the airport to pick up stranded passengers, delivers them and returns to the airport for more passengers. His record is four trips to meet fares from the same plane." The driver said he had approached airport management but was shrugged off. "Most residents do not use the cab concession and so you don't hear about it. But dozens from out of town plan to use the cabs everyday and, when stranded,  it reflects very poorly on our community."

 * ... SPOTTED: Christine Lollar was at the intersection of Fruitvale and Rosedale Highway Tuesday morning when she came upon a woman whose SUV had died. "It seemed like several hundred cars were behind us. I rolled down my window to call to her when to our relief (more her's than mine to be sure) a young man wearing a Bakersfield firefighter shirt walked up to her then proceeded to push her (quite the hill - pushing several thousand pounds - not the lady, the car) across Rosedale to the dead end portion of Fruitvale. I rolled down my window and bellowed 'thank you' receiving a dashing smile in return (not the lady, the firefighter). I will say I 'spotted' at least several dozen men in work trucks and business suits who didn’t help at all."

Cal State Bakersfield welcomes a record high freshman class and readers weigh in on the danger of pitbull terriers

 * ... CSUB: Despite all the challenges facing our local university (and there are many) it's good to see that Cal State Bakersfield is expecting another year of record enrollment. President Horace Mitchell says some 8,255 students are enrolled to date, and of those more than 1,300 are first time freshman, a record freshman enrollment.

 * ... PITBULLS; My inbox was overflowing with comments on pitbulls following a reader's post about dogs off their leashes on the Panorama Bluffs. Here are two examples, from both sides of the debate. Dannette Keeler said she used to be afraid of pit terriers until she met one named Buddy. "My husband brought him home from work because he was left there because his owner couldn't have him at an apartment. For months he wanted to bring him home and I refused. We already had the greatest dog and breed, a golden retriever. Well that was five years ago. I kick myself for the months I wasted with my prejudice. When I meet this sweet heart he climbed in my lap, kissed me and curled into a tight ball like a kitten. He is now Buddy Dallas Keeler and more loved than you could know.  He has been around every circumstance from babies, children, (Halloween is his favorite he greets the kids with a gentle kiss), elderly, small crowds, large crowds and last week a lost dog who walked into our home and scared him! He barked but did not bite!"

 * ... MORE PITBULLS: Meanwhile there are folks like Christy Morgan, a dog lover from way back but one who had a bad run-in with pitbulls a few years ago. She had been running with her golden retriever on the bike path near Cal State when a family of pitbulls attacked her dog. "They got him down in a ditch on his back and began tearing away at his neck and trying to tear his ear off. I kicked them, screamed at them, and threw any thing that I could find at them, all to no avail. When the pits’ owner finally got to the scene, she was so scared of her own dogs that she was unwilling to do anything to try to stop the fight." Finally, Christy picked up her bloodied dog and shrieked at the one dog who had not backed off. "When I turned and looked at my baby, he had blood all over his head and neck. One of his ears was hanging on by a thread of skin (literally)!" Her dog survived, but it's no surprise she has been wary of pitbulls ever since.

 * ... SPOTTED: House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) with wife Judy and their two dogs taking a Labor Day stroll near the bike path at Cal State Bakersfield.

* ... FIRST FRIDAY: It's time for another First Friday and this one promises to be one of the best of the year. It's all centered around "Latination," a collection of dozens of pieces of really impressive art recognizing the culture and vibrancy of Latin American life. The juried show begins around 5 p.m. at Don Martin's Metro Galleries on 19th Street, and will feature food by El Pueblo and music by Mento Buru. But that's not all. You are missing out if you don't hit one of our downtown restaurants, starting with old reliables like Uricchios Trattoria and extending to new startups like The Mark and Muertos. Expect a good crowd and perfect weather. Make a night of it.

* ... HERRERA: Also on First Friday well known local artist Alberto Herrera will be at Kuka's Folk Art on 19th Street signing his most recent children's book called Musika. Stop by to meet the artist and to enjoy the local folk art store.