Hometown Buffett closes!

Say it ain't so! How can I get my grub on when I want quantity and don't care about quality? Bring back King's Table! And why no notice for the workers?

Thompson gifts Warren Buffett 750 million dollars of public monies?

First, let me preface that I want the Dams removed from the Klamath. I want PacificCorp to pay for this.

In 1911 California Oregon Power Company started building 4 dams on the Upper Klamath river. For years Indian tribes and Commercial Fisherman have demanded removal in hopes of revitalizing fish runs. There is a tentative pact that will theoretically allow for farmers to retain water rights for irrigation in Oregon. The deal is a collaborative legislation between Congressman Thompson and Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley.

Here is my problem with this pact. The cost for removal is 1 Billion dollars! PacificCorp is to pay 250 million dollars and Thompson and Merkley want the Federal Government to pay 500 million! Then Thompson and Merkley say the remaining balance will be covered by "non federal sources." It will actually come from California Taxpayers through a chunk of a 11.1 billion dollar state water bond that is scheduled to be on the ballot next year. There will be no gain of our usable water supply in California with the removal of the dams. What is the rational? Improved runs on the Klamath will offset losses of habitat in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. (According to Sacramento Bee writer Dan Walters)

So basically, instead of waiting for PacificCorp to remove the dams on their dime, Warren Buffet is benefiting with a gift of 750 million dollars total of your taxpayer dollars. Yeah, he really needs more money. And Thompson gets credit for helping fishing habitat in his new district in the Sacramento valley!

And Thompson wants a vote for Huffman? No thanks, Solomon for Congress!

Happy Turkey day!

Things to be thankful for:

1. Family and friends.
2. Food on the table. Thank God for the bounty!
3. Health.
4. Softball.
5. Niners are in first!

What do you have to add?

Eureka Basketball meeting tonight!

At the Adorni at 6pm. $600 per team.

IN-N-OUT Burger in Eureka! Oh Boy!

Rumor has it that IN- N- OUT Burger is setting up shop at the old Arctic Circle location on 5th St. Anyone else heard this? Now we will have to get used to that secret menu list. 2XMeat, Animal Style, Flying Dutchman and all the other cult names for their burgers. Bring it on!

101 Safety Corridor meeting. Larry Glass to BOS, “Don’t become Stockholm Syndrome victims to Cal Trans threats!”

And in a quick synopsis, what he was saying was the truth. Cal Trans wants this improvement project to move forward or they are threatening to close all the medians on the corridor. And Cal Trans is not going to help pay for the improvements! But they can fund the closing of the medians? This is just ridiculous. Most other needed road improvement projects in the County will now be put on hold for this 10 million dollar boondoggle.

The Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to go forward with the project with Mark Lovelace and Jimmy Smith dissenting. There were around 40 people who spoke in public on the issue in a packed Board Chamber. Residents and business owners along the corridor are scared to death for their businesses and who can blame them with this threat by Cal Trans hanging over them. This doesn’t leave good community dialogue for solutions.

HSU tailgate practice, Jacks win 37-7! Why we live in Humboldt.

Lyndon Rowells ran for 246 yards and the Jack defense intercepted 7 passes in beating Western Oregon University 37-7 to avenge a earlier loss to them at their home.

It was senior night for the team and I was sitting near a woman who was mother to #40on the team. She asked if our group of guys were from Humboldt. I told her that between the 4 of us sitting together we had over 200 years in Humboldt! (Doug Weatherbee, John Egerer, Mickey Ayala and myself. And we have known each other over 150 years!) She thought that was real cool that we had lived that long in Humboldt. And that crowd tailgating? Add a few more hundred years!

Hug a Veteran day.

The picture is my brother Roy in Vietnam. He died of complications from Agent Orange exposure. He served in Nam and Korea. My father Major Marks was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed and he served in Korea. My oldest brother James served in Korea. My brother Mike served in Vietnam. I decided to not enlist after seeing the affects of Nam on my older brothers. I would have went if drafted, but the draft was stopped by the time I was 18. I hate war, but appreciate the men and women who fight for our freedoms. This day is for them.

Wanda Vickers leaves too early.

Wanda was so patient with all of the children she watched over on the Peninsula. Always looking for the good and trying to uplift any that were on the wrong path. Her Husband Glen and I worked at the Pulp Mill together for nearly 30 years. He was there around 45! Glen has played guitar for the Roadmasters band forever and I just can't say enough good for them both. She would probably find it amusing that the Manila Community Center was packed with an overflow crowd for her memorial. She had no idea on how many lives she touched. God bless her.

Local 49 Pulp Mill Workers last act of Benevolence.

The Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers Local 49 had a long history of donating to causes such as Relay for life, little league and others, so it was no surprise that the former Pulp Mill workers agreed with my suggestion to donate the last of our locals dollars to Humboldt charities. I put out a list of 8 charities that would garner a donation of $500 each and then went back and forth over the list. Here are the local agencies that I wrote checks to. I think these are very worthy ones for you to consider donating to if you have extra cash.

Food for People
The Humboldt All Faith Partnership
Humboldt Area Foundation
Humboldt Domestic Violence Services
Humboldt Senior Resource Center
American Cancer Society
Betty Chin/St Vincent de Paul Homeless Fun
Hospice of Humboldt

So that pretty much does it for Local 49. It has been an honor to serve as President and I have been so fortunate to have worked with so many great people at the Pulp Mill.

Local Union Shops!

Top 5 Best Chicken Fried Steak Breakfast places.

Sometimes you just have a huge grub to get on. And when it comes to Chicken Fried Steaks (CFS), you don't want it screwed up! I so miss Betty Mae's and Bev's.

#5 TIE-Cutten Inn, Pantry, Bear River and Hometown Buffet. It is a quantity thing you know.

#4 Marie Calenders. The portions could be bigger. Their coffee sucks.

#3 Momma's Kitchen. Not bad and always friendly.

#2 Kristina's. Awfully good, but you just don't know if it will be over cooked.

#1 Toni's. Hands down. You will have to dig through the pile to find the eggs and potatoes. Huge portion and consistent. That is a biggie with CFS.

Norman Solomon for Congress?

Anti Corporate, pro single payer health, anti war, against rural post office shutdowns, wants to invest in education and holds the creation of jobs as #1 priority.

This is the only candidate for congress that has been around the Humboldt County population hub multiple times. A Progressive doing a real grassroots campaign. Sounds like a good candidate to me!

Viet Nam Vet Carlos Giovanneti passes on. 37 year Pulp Mill worker. Only 558,000 Nam vets left?

Carlos Giovanetti passed away this past Monday. Loving referred to as a "Waspahoe" by his co-workers, he was actually of Italian and Tolowa Dee-ni' Native American ancestry. Carlos always said what he felt, even when the recipient might not appreciate it. He was always looking for public banter at work. He was a very competent operator and who knew the bleach plant well.

Carlos was a Viet Nam veteran that is fast becoming extinct. Out of the original 2.7 men and women who fought there, only about 558,000 remain with us. And as of the year 2000, 390 vets from that war die a day! Carlos and I had deep angry discussions about faith and Soldiers that died in Nam. Things happened over there that I just could not relate to.

Carlos was a great athlete who never bragged about his accomplishments and he loved to spectate at football, baseball, volleyball and softball games. He loved his family. What more can one say. I will miss him.

Obama the best in fiduciary responsibility?

You make the call!

Samoa Apple Festival! Harvest time.

It has taken 15 years for a dwarf apple tree in our back yard to produce. I have not seen any other apple trees on the Samoa peninsula. Robin has had success in growing cherry tomatoes but this years crop was slim.

Marks cars from the past. Between Robin and I.

Marks Best Car Ranking & What Happened?

1. 90’ Ford Aerostar- Gave away to neighbors who had kids
2. 98’ Mercury Tracer- Gave to Charity
3. 2002 PT Cruiser- Still have at nearly 200,000 miles
4. 85’ Camaro- Well over 200,000 when I gave it to my brother
5. 70’ Mustang- I loved this car! Sold it while in college
6. 2002 Mustang- Kinda wish I had kept
7. 1995 BMW 325i- Keeps Knapek’s electrical in business
8. 76’Mazda 3XP- Drove it until it rusted out! This car had no high end I tell you!
9. 78’ Cordoba- Fine Corinthian leather, nice ride traded in
10. 70’ Dodge Charger- Never had issues with engine, just electrical stuff, sold for $150?
11. 85’ Corvette- Hassle getting in and out of, traded in
12. 65’ Ford Galaxy- Boring but dependable. Someone in the family ended up with it
13. 98’ Escort- Gave to Charity
14. 2006 Neon- Totaled. Son was ran into from behind.
15. 78’ Olds Delta 88- Sold for a few hundred
16. 74’ Monte Carlo- Traded in for TR-7
17. 63’ Nova- Fire engine Red, traded for 60’ Impala
18. 99’ Contour Traded in
19. 75’ TR-7- Fun car when it ran! Traded in
20. 60’ Impala- Fins and all! Traded for 66’ Impala
21. 66’ Impala- Bad wreck when Motor Mount broke. Totaled
22. 60’ Ford Ranchero- “The Rat Wagon” 177 engine and gutless
23. 70’ Pinto- Worked for work
24. 70’ Mazda 616- Robin’s first car
25. 75’ Audi- Gave away to neighbors in need for family

Not sure all the years correct but close. Didn’t make the list: 61’ Ford truck, 2-85’ Ford Rangers, 87’ Honda Accord, 85’ Buick Rivera, Olds Cutless, 89’ Lincoln Mark 7, 89’ Cadillac and others I am sure I forgot.

Road Rage attack in Fairhaven! Sand Dwellers gots the anger!

I received a Neighborhood Watch report this morning regarding an incident of road rage. Seems a resident of Fairhaven was following a red Hyundai with a black spoiler on the peninsula heading south slowly and passed them. There was a girl driving with three guys and a pit bull in the car. They yelled and made obscene gestures at the guy when he passed them. The car that was passed followed the guy to his house in Fairhaven and the three guys brutally attacked the guy in his own driveway! Several Fairhaven residents witnessed the attack and followed the car as it left and parked in another place in Fairhaven. The Sheriff Department responded but the people denied involvement.

So now I wonder, why wasn't anyone arrested? And why do people have to be like this?

More Softball. Fall League 2011!

Mad River Softball Association is hosting a Fall Wood Bat Softball League for Adults. If you have a team, or you are a free agent that wants to play, let me know. League will start either Sept. 22nd or 27th and run through October.

"Eurtweeka, I lost it!" We need a new slogan! Contest by Samoasoftball.

Actually the City of Eureka had a one time slogan "Queen City of the Ultimate West" which does not seem to be very catchy. Sharing the "I found it slogan" with the State of California seems awkward in itself. We should have something like "Oyster Capital of the West", or "Fog City USA".

The City of Redding had a contest recently and had some pretty funny slogans submitted, "Redding, one methed up place!", "Welcome to Teabagastan", "Come on vacation, leave on probation", "Good paying jobs and great benefits are just a few hours away" and Welcome to Redding-(Slogan censored due to closed session vote on said slogan)."

There were more serious ones that were summitted, "Redding, Heaven on Earth, Hot as Hell", "Go jump in a lake!", Recreate, relax, repeat" and "A place to float your boat."

The winner won a dinner from Jack's Grill with "Redding: She's Hot!"

How about for Eureka; "Eureka, She's Tepid!"

Do you have a better slogan? Come up with good slogan and I will reward the best with a gift certificate for dinner for Rita's.