Services scheduled

Craig Lawrence Medina, 45, Bakersfield, April 30. Service 1:30 p.m. May 9, Victory Outreach, 220 Eureka St. Greenlawn Funeral Home.

We recently had to put one of our dogs down. Old age, heart failure and bad kidneys for Rocco, a 12-year-old Boston Terrier. Bostons have a 12-to-15-year life expectancy, so it wasn't a surprise per se, but we had hoped his passing would have been more gentle.

It's not a good place to be when you're the one handing off your pet to go to the great beyond. There's something inherently disconcerting about making the decision, as if you want to crawl under a rock and hide because of your personal power to end the life of an animal. At the same time, however, you realize it's also an act of mercy.

Getting money is fun. From the time we got an envelope with birthday money from grandma to getting our first tax return, we think getting money is fun.

Business is all about getting money. It should also be fun, but we tend to concentrate more on the struggle than the outcome. You contend that business is about work, it takes effort. Don't most fun activities -- football, golf, amusement parks, the beach -- take effort? Effort is not the issue, provided you enjoy the exertion.

David Jacobson was an inmate who died in October 2009 after he was attacked by three inmates at Wasco State Prison.

Although he was a thief, the way he died was unfortunate.

John Farrer raised his conductor's baton in front of the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra for the first time in 1970 as a guest conductor. Now, 44 years later, he will retire his Bakersfield baton.

"It will be a very emotional experience," Farrer said Wednesday on "First Look with Scott Cox."