Bakosphere - bakosphere's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Christmas lights tour -- with a twist

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:09:40 PST

Looking for something different to do this holiday season? How about seeing Christmas lights up close while tooling around on a Segway?

For those who don't know, Segways are self-balancing battery-powered "personal transporters" that travel about 10 mph. Segways are still something of a rarity in Bakersfield but there's a new local business called Seg Bakersfield that's offering tours of holiday-light displays around the Marketplace (here's a sampling of photos). Local teacher Nick Dokolas, an experienced rider who commutes to work on his Segway, is behind the tours.

Tours run from Dec. 4-30 and cost $55. Rides are about an hour, not including a short instructional session.

Bakersfield not so giving, magazine says

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:05:28 PST

Men's Health magazine, in another monthly survey, is taking Bakersfield to task for its lack of charitable giving during the holidays.

The magazine gave Bakersfield a D grade and a rank of 78 out of 100 cities nationwide. Our friends in Fresno fared horribly, earning an F and a 97 ranking. Los Angeles was 95th. Yonkers, N.Y., ranked last, while Madison, Wis., earned the only A+.

In determining its rankings, Men's Health measured:

Which cities account for the largest online donations to charities (as measured by Convio, an online software provider)
The number of donations to Goodwill for December
The money collected via the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign
Number of toys donated to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation

What do you think of this survey? Do you donate through any of the four paths described above, or otherwise donate time or money during the holidays?

Secret menus at Bakersfield restaurants

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:55:23 PST

Our friends at KGET have a short story on so-called secret menus at local restaurants.

Some of those menus -- such as In-N-Out and Jamba Juice -- aren't so secret given that their items are all over the web. In-N-Out's secret menu isn't secret at all, given it has its own webpage. Jamba Juice, to its credit, doesn't appear to have such a page on its site, although there are all kinds of other web references to secret flavors like Gummy Bear and Sour Patch Kid.

But KGET found menu items at four local restaurants -- Lie-N-Den, Sushi Kato, Mama Tosca's and Narducci's -- that's aren't so publicized.

What "secret" menu items are you aware of at local restaurants?

Videos galore of local marching bands

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:17:00 PST

Fall brings Friday night football and halftime shows, but for the bands the hard work carries over into Saturdays at weekly local and regional competitions.

The Pep and Pageantry Arts Association of Central California has posted tons of videos from 23 Kern County high school marching bands performing at a variety of recent local competitions, including Saturday's big show at Stockdale High School.

PPAACC also hosts videos from Winter/Spring drumline competitions, which are an indoor version of halftime shows.

As those involved in the grind can attest, these performances are a testament to the hard work, discipline and pageantry that's occurring at local schools big and small.

Shocker: Bakersfield not safe for pedestrians

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:21:38 PST

File this under Mildly Surprising: Bakersfield ranks last among 26 California cities in a so-called Pedestrian Danger Index that measures “the relative risk of walking, adjusted for exposure.”

The rankings from a group called Transportation For America gave Bakersfield a 128.0 score, well above the next worst California city, Stockton, at 112.4, Fresno was the fourth worst, at 92.8. The safest among the 26 cities measured was San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles (15.4).

The scores were calculated by dividing the “average pedestrian fatality rate” (using data from 2007-2008) by the percentage of residents walking to work (data from 2000). The thinking is that cities with higher percentages of people walking to work will naturally have higher fatalitiy rates, so Transportation For America created the Pedestrian Danger Index to compensate for those differences. Clearly the different time frames for the two datasets flaw the accuracy of the rankings. but something tells me that while the score might change, Bakersfield would still rank near the bottom.

Bakersfield’s score was based on 39 pedestrian fatalities in 2007-08 and only 1.9% of workers walking to their jobs.

Incredibly, some cities were far worse than Bakersfield, with Orlando-Kissimmee and Tampa-St. Petersburg both earning scores above 200. Two other Florida cities – Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach and Jacksonville, ranked 3^rd and 4^th. Moral of the story: If you visit Florida, never leave your car.

Does Ryan Mathews deserve Heisman consideration?

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:12:33 PST

West High graduate Ryan Mathews currently leads NCAA Division 1 football in rushing, and at least one member of the media thinks the Fresno State junior deserves serious respect for college sport's top award: The Heisman Trophy, which is awarded to the so-called best player in college football.

Paul Loeffler of KMJ Radio -- the Bulldogs' flagship station in Fresno -- writes:

"Ryan Mathews gets no respect. That's right, the guy who opposing defenses see as danger on the field is the Rodney Dangerfield of college football."

Traditonally, the Heisman has been awarded to athletes at top football schools at or near the top of the rankings. Fresno State is neither, despite periodic ventures in to the Top 20 in recent years, including David Carr's senior season when the Bulldogs cracked the Top 10. So, Mathews realistically has no chance of winning the Heisman, despite having an incredible season.

If there's a consolation, Mathews is a finalist for other awards this season -- including the Maxwell Award as the nation's best player and the Doak Walker Award recognizing the nation's best running back -- but Loeffler maintains Mathews shouldn't be ruled out simply because he's not at a so-called top-tier football school:

"Mathews' results are legitimate and speak for themselves. Comparing apples to apples, he comes out ahead. My advice to Heisman voters? Don't fault Mathews for who he hasn't played. Look at the quality defenses he has gone up against, and how he's outperformed everyone else on those teams' schedules. There are still four games to go in the regular season, but at this point, no one has produced more effectively and consistently for his team as well as Ryan Mathews has."

Do you think Mathews has a chance at the Heisman?

Bakersfield man with colorful record in middle of billion-dollar Chevron dispute

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:44:19 PDT

A Bakersfield man with a past conviction for drug trafficking and several interesting skirmishes with the law -- including using a jackhammer on a neighbor's wall -- is in the middle of a multi-billion-dollar dispute between Chevron and Ecuador.

According to The Washington Post, a group called Amazon Watch is questioning the integrity of former Bakersfield resident Wayne Hansen, whom Chevron says has evidence of bribery involving an Ecuadoran court. Chevron is fighting an Ecuadoran court order to pay billions in damages related to exploration work years ago.

According to the Post, Hansen's past is colorful, to say the least. He was "found guilty and served jail time in a 1986-87 drug case for conspiring to import 275,000 pounds of marijuana. In addition, the group said, Hansen had a series of legal scuffles in his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif. He lost civil lawsuits for an attack by his pit bulls on a neighbor and for damaging a neighbor's wall with a jackhammer, the Associated Press said."

Mobile haiku puts Bakersfield in new light

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:27:23 PDT

One of the artists behind Mobile Haiku fond some inspiration while traveling through Bakersfield, burping out two posts that capture the weather and economy of our fair town.

The blog's tagline is "Seventeen syllables / is all you can cram into / such a tiny screen," a nod to what Webster's defines as "a major form of Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, and employing highly evocative allusions and comparisons, often on the subject of nature or one of the seasons."

Here are two posts from "levinebar" titled simply "Bakersfield" and "Bakersfield II":

"Bakersfield"

South of Cajon pass
I emerge into daylight
as if waking up

Question: "Cajon" is not really close to Bakersfield. Maybe should be "Tejon"?

"Bakersfield II"

Dimly, through the murk
nodding donkeys slurp up crude
must be Bakersfield

Not a bad visual description.

Finally, not sure if a subsequent post titled "damnation" was inspired by Kern or not, but it's an indictment on our desire to make green things that are not:

"damnation"
Dante keeps a place
for those who carve golf courses
out of the desert

Bakosphere knows that is probably a dangerous question, but do you have any refreshing haiku to share?

Songs do more than namedrop Bakersfield

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:18:51 PDT

Several new/reasonably new songs are doing more than name-dropping Bakersfield -- they're centered around the city, its roots and reputation, and its changing face.

First off, Social Distortion has been performing its song “Bakersfield” in concert for a number of years, but now come reports that the band has polished the song to the point they’re ready to record a version in the studio for release in 2010.

Social D and leader Mike Ness are regulars in Bakersfield, and although Social D is known as one of the best punk bands ever, the Bakersfield Sound and other country influences are everpresent in many of Ness’ songs. Ness was visibly touched when he first performed in Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace a while back, feeling humbled to be on stages in Buck’s house.

A different take on “Bakersfield” comes from Jeff Williams, who chronicles the dust and changes in the city’s look, among other things in a Sept. 30 performance at the Kern County Fair.

Finally, you can expect frequent Bakersfield references in the “Bakersfield and Beyond” radio show. The latest show featured “Bakersfield Music” by Tim Has (from the album “Bushpilot Buckaroo”).

Pedro Martinez taken back to his Bakersfield Dodger days

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:15:58 PDT

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez on Saturday was taken back in time to his days in Bakersfield when an unidentified friend from Southern California gave him a memento from his days as a Bakersfield Dodger.

That memento, according to Delaware Online blogger Scott Lauber, was a baseball signed by the 1991 Bakersfield Dodgers, a team that also included fellow Major Leaguers Mike Piazza and Raul Mondesi. That's pretty good company.

Martinez, who is pitching against the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, thrived in Bakersfield but never found a groove in Los Angeles, LA later traded him, and he achieved greatness elsewhere. Now, nearly 20 years after his stint in Bakersfield, he's looking to beat the Dodgers for a small bit of revenge. As Lauber writes, the signed baseball served "as one of many reminders of what could've been."

Fresno piles on the hate for Bakersfield

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:45:03 PDT

Bakosphere has noted regularly that the regular stream of surveys, lists and the like that rank cities nationwide typically are fraught with goofy methodology, odd data sources and just plain bad info.

With that in mind, Bakosphere didn't even note the recent Daily Beast list that ranked Fresno last among "smart cities." For one reason, Bakersfield didn't make the list, which included only 55 cities. So, to Fresno's credit, 55 and last on a ridiculous list is better than 56 and lower.

But, the Contra Costa Times decided to travel to Fresno to document how the city is coping with the psychological impact of this horrific ranking and how it deals with the constant ridicule from other snooty locales (hmmm, wonder what that's like?).

OK, so far we're sympathetic to Fresno's plight in this Daily Beast silliness. ... until the end of the story, when the Times writer wonders, gee, is Fresno the end of the world or is there a place even they stoop to ridicule? Here's the predictable quote from Fresno Bee music columnist Mike Osegueda:

" 'Who do we make fun of?" says Osegueda, without hesitation. "Bakersfield.' "

Al Smith, president of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, laughingly piles on with a similar comment in the accompanying video (in which Osegueda actually comes across well; he also posted several takes on his blog and in a column defending the city).

So, here's our question: Who deserves our scorn? Is Fresno still our prime target or is it such an easy target that other places are more deserving of our ridicule?

Bakersfield man files suit over Sidekick debacle

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:02:10 PDT

An unidentified Bakersfield man is among Sidekick smartphone users suing Microsoft and T-Mobile over a recent outage that resulted in the loss of personal data.

CNET reports "One suit, filed on behalf of a Bakersfield, Calif., man 'and all others similarly situated' " accuses the companies of negligence and false advertising. "That suit seeks monetary damages as well as an order requiring the companies to fix the Sidekicks and service or offer a full refund."

As you might expect with such an inevitable story, there are some interesting reader comments being posted.

Simulation suggests major SoCal quake could maintain intensity on way to Bakersfield

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:13:16 PDT

A powerful earthquake in the Palm Springs area could create seismic waves that retain their intensity as far as Bakersfield and the southern Central Coast, a science-visualization project suggests.

The simulation attempts to simulate the far-reaching impact of a 7.8-magnitude quake in Southern California.

Rather than seeing the intensity weaken as seismic waves spread from the epicenter, the simulation from the San Diego Supercomputer Center and Southern California Earthquake Center suggests the energy from a so-called "Big One" quake could magnify strength as it moves outward through soft-sediment.

The simulation forecasts intense shockwaves traveling north and west through soft sediment along the San Andreas Fault, and traveling through Bakersfield. The screen grab to the left -- from an interesting package Wired Magazine put together to recognize the best science-visualization videos of 2009 -- shows the waves hitting Bakersfield minutes after the initial jolt.

The groups used 12 terrabytes of quake data to create their model.

Speaking of office romance ...

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:30:56 PDT

Bakosphere stirred up some activity the other day in a post about office romance. So, it was an interesting surprise to have a local example of office romance pop up on CNN.

Laura and Joshua Meier met while working at the Klein Denatale Goldner law firm in Bakersfield, and kept their romance secret for a time until their boss spotted them and Laura's child in public. They later married, and moved to Orange County this summer.

Laura, posting as "newportmama," submitted her story to CNN's iReport, ending with this bit of advice:

"I would highly recommend dating a co-worker. If there was a down side it was the cost of the wedding because of course we wanted all the office to be there!"

"CNN Newsroom" was scheduled to broadcast a piece on the Meiers this morning.

Local blogger recounts horror of traffic accident

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:37:27 PDT

Local blogger Keely Emery has written a harrowing first-person piece on a recent traffic accident in which another driver allegedly ran a red light and hit the vehicle carrying her family. There were injuries, but thankfully, everyone is alive.

The Californian reprinted Keely's original Sept. 29 post in Friday's paper (which we posted on bakersfield.com) and it's worth reading. It's not for the faint of heart, however, as Emery pours all of her emotions into recalling that horrible day in a post she titled "Nightmare." Here's one short passage:

"I have my daughter's blood on my hands. I'm shaking and crying. A lady is at Finnegan's side. Touching him. Checking him. I can't see her face, but I can hear her voice still.

" 'He's OK. She's going to be OK. You're OK. Breathe.' "

Emery ends with a powerful message we should all remember as we get in our vehicles:

"I will never be the same again. And I hope that everyone I know never will be either.

Drive safe.

Please.

Drive. Safe."

Best french fries in Bakersfield?

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:42:24 PDT

Phil Prevost, guitarist of Bakersfield band The Blufs, and allegedly some kind of "French Fry afficionado," has given Face News his list of "Bakersfield's Best French Fries."

Topping Prevost's list of 10 recommended fry spots is Golden Ox on White Lane, followed by Root Beer King and Cindy's restaurant.

Bakosphere is partial to Tom's Famous Burgers on Rosedale Highway, which wasn't on Prevost's list.

We know you have your favorites that may not have made Prevost's list. Head on over to FaceNews and add to the list so we can ID worthy fry stops throughout town.

Sex and the Workplace

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:14:20 PDT

Former Bakersfield Californian entertainment reporter Danielle Belton recalls her time at the paper in a "Sex and the Workplace" post on her blog The Black Snob.

Using the David Letterman extortion brouhaha as a hook, Belton writes that personal relationships with co-workers can rarely turn out well. Her readers seem to agree.

What do you think?

Bakersfield in top-third of "fall allergy capitals"

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:57:55 PDT

Probably a no-brainer for the thousands of people in the Bakosphere who are sneezing, itching and coughing, but the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has ranked Bakersfield 36th out of 100 cities nationwide on its list of "Fall Allergy Capitals 2009."

McAllen, Texas, ranked the worst, followed by Wichita, Kan. Fresno was 74th. The entire list, in PDF format, can be downloaded here.

AAFA says its rankings identify “the 100 most challenging places to live with allergies” in the spring and fall seasons each year. The rankings are based on scientific analysis of 3 factors for the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S. The data measured and compared each year includes:

Pollen scores (airborne grass/tree/weed pollen and mold spores)*
Number of allergy medications used per patient
Number of allergy specialists per patient"

Bakersfield was ranked worse than average in pollen scores and number of specialists per patient, but above average in number of allergy medications per patient.

Bakersfield ranked among top "U.S. cities on the rise"

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:54:17 PDT

Bakersfield usually is on the butt end of studies and rankings, so Bakosphere was pleasantly surprised with Forbes magazine's list of "U.S. Cities on the rise."

Forbes based its list on the number of newcomers moving into the top 100 metro areas in 2008. The magazine cited the oil industry for the Bakersfield metro area's 6.43% growth rate. Among the Top 10, Colorado Springs was No. 1, followed by Provo, Utah, at No. 2. (For stat keepers playing at home, Fresno wasn't in the top 10).

These kinds of surveys done from simple statistics are always squishy. For example, the magazine didn't say it, but cheap housing among Southland commuters has been a factor behind Bakersfield's recent growth. Does that kind of population growth define a "city on the rise"?

What do you think?

Should Tejon Ranch become a national park?

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:29:29 PDT

Should Tejon Ranch become a national park?

Erica Rosenberg, director of the New National Parks Project, tossed out that idea in leading off an Atlanta Journal-Constitution Opinion piece posted Tuesday night (UPDATE: the column also was published in Wednesday's Californian). Rosenberg's opinions piggyback on the publicity and viewership of this week's broadcast of Ken Burns' new PBS Series "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

Rosenberg writes, "The 270,000-acre Tejon Ranch, between Los Angeles and Bakersfield in California’s Tehachapi Mountains, features extraordinary ecological resources: ancient oak groves, Joshua tree and pinyon pine forests, and 80 imperiled species, including the California condor.

"Its owners and some environmentalists have cut a deal to put 90 percent of the ranchland into a private conservancy in exchange for allowing intense development on the remaining 10 percent. But here’s what hasn’t been seriously considered: Protecting this precious area as a national park for the benefit of creatures and people in one of the nation’s most densely populated regions."

Interesting idea but seems like we ought to take care and improve the national parks we already have before chewing off the intense politicking that would accompany any future acquisition.