Plop down in front in front of the TV at your own risk and a non-profit will collect blankets and towels for local animal shelters the Sunday before the national election

 * ... SITTING: There are a lot of reasons to plop down in your favorite recliner and catch some TV: the World Series, the presidential debates, college and pro football. But now comes word that the more time we all spend sitting, "the shorter and less robust" our lives will be. That's according to two new studies which The New York Times said definitely point out the risks of spending too much time watching television. "And the findings were sobering: Every single hour of television watched watched after the age of 25 reduces the viewer's life expectancy by 21.8 minutes."

 * ... SHELTERS: Here's something we can all get behind: a non-profit group called Operation Blankets for Love will be collecting blankets, towels, collars, leashes and animal beds for dogs and cats on Sunday, Nov. 4, at the Bakersfield Racquet Club. All items donated will distributed to shelters here in Kern County. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 * ... THE BUZZ: Rudy Salas, the Bakersfield City Councilman running for the State Assembly, has created a stink by making an issue of opponent Pedro Rios' run-in with the law 20 years ago. Rios was a young convenience store worker when he was cited for selling alcohol to a minor, and Salas implied he was a teacher at the time, which he was not. My in box has been filled with notes from readers like this one: "How is he (Salas) the poster boy for 'wellness' (Salas appeared in the Bwell healthy living publication) when his devious mind deliberately exploits a human error made by his opponent twenty years ago? I have no dog in this race; howerver, if I did I would not consider voting for Rudy Salas." 

* ... FREEDOM TRAIN: Jerry Kirkland remembers when the Freedom Tain rolled into Bakersfield when he was a student at Emerson Junior High in 1947-48. "Each homeroom at Emerson sent a representative to view this collection of our nation's most precious historic documents and I was fortunate enough to have been selected from my homeroom.  It was an opportunity of a lifetime and one that I would love to have again. The 127 documents included the Magna Carta (from 1215), one of the 13 original copies of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address. Also the surrender documents signed by the Japanese and Germans that officially ended World War II. And surprisingly enough, while it was strongly supported by President Truman (who loved trains), the Freedom Train was not funded by the federal government but rather by private donations to the American Heritage Foundation."

 * ... ROTARY: Congratulations to Jim Bell, general manager of Clear Channel radio, for being elected to become district governor of Rotary District 5240. It has been years since the district, which includes much of the coast and all the Bakersfield clubs, has been led by a governor from Bakersfield. He is a member of the Twilight Rotary Club. (photo courtesy of Bakersfield Twilight Rotary Club)

 * ... STREET SWEEPERS: A woman who asked to remain anonymous wrote to come to the defense of the city street sweepers, who have been criticized for leaving more of a mess than they clean. "I'm sure most street sweepers are hard-working individuals and they deserve better than the public flogging handed to them by (a reader). I can't imagine that their job is very easy. On behalf of the mothers of street sweepers, thank you!"

 * ... PUZZLER: Here's a reader question I cannot answer. Let me know if you can. "What was the name of the song that opened and closed the Don Rodewald radio and television shows?  If I remember, it sounded like a bath tub draining."

Bako Bits: time for another First Friday in the downtown arts district, Bernie Herman leaving the museum and remembering the old Homemaker Park

 * ... ICE HOUSE: The Sizzler restaurant at the iconic Ice House has closed, leaving the community with just two Sizzlers, one on Mount Vernon and the other on Real Road. Lynne Woodward of Taft was told by the manager that the Mt. Vernon location is now part of a "new generation" of Sizzlers. But the move leaves the red bricked Ice House with a big vacancy. "What a shame for a true historic Bakersfield building (not to mention the jobs probably lost)," Lynne said. "Let's hope a wonderful new restaurant will jump at the chance to open in the picturesque location!"

 * ... OVERHEARD: A middle aged man is lamenting to a friend about the number of people locally who run red lights. "It seems I see it every day around here, it's dangerous and someone is going to get killed. If I had a death ray, I'd use it on these people blowing through lights."

 * ... OLD BAKERSFIELD: Donald Kurtz grew up on the east side of our town and remembers when the area around 30th and Q streets was called Homemaker Park. "How did the city allow this area to become a drug infested domain for gangs and looks like it has been razed or bombed out? It was built during World War II and was populated by a very strong work ethic middle class families. As a matter of fact after my spouse and I married in 1965 we rented in the area for a few years. Surrounding the area were many business, both commercial and industrial. Today most are gone. Go down 34th Street and it looks like total urban decay. Someone at City Hall really needs to wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late. All American City... I think not!"

 * ... FIRST FRIDAY: If you are out and about Friday night, make sure you head downtown and take in the arts district during October's First Friday celebrations. One show not to miss: the Metro Galleries on 19th Street is featuring the art of former CBS newsman Bill Lagatutta, an impressive and interesting show featuring some unique art.

 * ... MUSEUM: And speaking of the arts, best luck to Bernie Herman who is stepping down as executive director of the Bakersfield Museum of Art after eight years. During his tenure the museum paid off its debt, greatly expanded its education programs and consistently produced high quality shows. Bernie will be retiring after the first of the year, giving the museum Board of Trustees time to find a successor.

* ... STREET SWEEPERS: There may be bigger things to worry about, but sometimes it's the little stuff that drives you crazy. For Jim VanderZwan, it is the city street sweepers. "Why is it that when street sweepers come around, they almost always leave the condition of the gutters worse than before they came through with their big bristles full of mud water?  Do they fill up at Buena Vista lake before painting the edges of the street with giant streaks of mud? This past week I came home from work to find that the sweeper had been through the neighborhood. How did I know? The neighborhood kids were riding in the sweeper's path like it was a BMX track. This kind of thing doesn't really bother me, except that my tax dollars pay for someone to drive through once a month and leave a trail of mud that fades only in time for the next round of 'cleaning.'"

* ... LAWYER: Hats off to local lawyer Therese Foley was was recently presented with the Sharon Wallis Mettler award by the Kern County Women's Lawyer Association. The award recognizes local lawyers who have "demonstrated a genuine concern for issues relating particularly to women and a willingness to advance, protect, and pursue those concerns, however difficult, time-consuming, or long-range they may be."