Humboldt Celebrities!

Just who are the most recognized people living in Humboldt County? I mean, which people do most long time residents know or are familiar with? Not counting current people holding elected political offices.

10. Pete- I have picked up Pete in his rag tag clothes and all hitchhiking when he spent much time in Manila. He has a wheel chair now, but is still around the Arcata area.

9. Rollin Trehearne- “ThunderCountry” Basketball ref guy.

8. Perry Price- Retired purchasing agent for the City of Eureka. Between the thousands of people he has coached in Humboldt County, hard for Perry to go much of anywhere in Northern California and Southern Oregon without people stopping to talk with him. And he seems to remember everyone!

7. Dana Hall- “The Burleyman” has been around on the radio since 74’? Wow.

6. Dave Silverbrand- Our local “TV” personality.

5. Cheri Arkley- Say what you will about her and Robin, but not many would not recognize her. She has always been pleasant when I have seen her.

4. Harvey Harper- Harvey is one of a kind. He helped me out years back when I had trouble with my old Aerostar van personally, and I have been doing business there ever since.

3. Rex Bohn- Running the Cutten fields has introduced Rex to multi thousands of people in Humboldt County across all social economic and political boundaries. He buys wood chips for the pulp mill. Uses cell phone alot.

2. Corky Cornwell- Sells cell phones. Used to buy wood chips for the pulp mill. Hmmmm.

1. Nancy Flemming- She has to be the most well known figure in the County. The ex-mayor has put her stamp on Eureka.

Of course, the late Hobart Brown would have been at the top before passing.

Now this is just through my eyes. I am sure there are others who will disagree, but I thought I would throw my opinion out there.

Samoa Peninsula Fire District (SPFD) answers call during awards!

The Samoa Peninsula Fire District board of Directors hosted a prime rib dinner for the volunteers at the Women's Club in Samoa. Director Hal Grotke cooked the dinner and his wife Alice made a cake that was a sweet replica of our fire engine. Fire Chief Kevin Pope was recognizing special duties done by our volunteers when a call came through for a fire on the bay front. Unbelievable timing. We waited until the volunteers finished the call and continued with the program. Troy Nicolini his wife and Robin and I had clean up duty, but all chipped in. We have a awesome group of volunteers and community activists!

RIP Cowboy.

Humboldt County 2nd District Supervisor Roger Rodoni died from blunt force head injuries in a car accident on the way to his fundraiser in Fortuna. Roger was a huge figure in Humboldt County. A mans man. It is so ironic that a man that has survived so many miles of Rural driving has someone cross the median and hit him on the freeway. Mind boggling. When God says its time for the last round-up, that is final. Robin and I had been down that way and Robin commented about what a waste for the concrete barrier between the lanes. "I don't just go flinging off into the other lanes." Well. I guess others do. Didn't always agree with the man, but respected his orneriness.

Rails or Trails LWV style.

The League of Women Voters Humboldt County (LWV) held a forum yesterday to discuss Rails and Trails at the Eureka High Lecture Hall. Byrd Lochtie did the moderating for the LWV, and a seven man panel of political and community leaders gave their views on the topics. Each person was allowed 5 minutes to state their position and then questions were gathered from the crowd to be asked to each panel member. The panelists then had 5 minutes to close.

Opening statements:

Pat Higgins (PH) Fifth District Harbor Commissioner- Pat said he is a proponent of the Rail, but he questioned the viability of the railroad and pointed out forecasts for the rail to lose 2.5 million dollars a year and referenced Humboldt Bay Recreation & Conservation District. Pat felt we could not be competitive with other Ports, and stated we should be innovators. He said a tourist rail to Eureka from Arcata would be nice, but thought that the trail would help ease the gas problem, create jobs and bring in eco-tourists and would like to see the trail go to Fortuna and beyond...

Chris Rall (CR) of Green Wheels- He asked if the rail was realistic. He said the rail would create no jobs for the area. Chris pointed out the North Coast Rail Authority (NCRA) stated in Marin County that they might have rail by the year 2011. He then pointed out the rail line is on one of the most unstable lands on the planet. Chris said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) say it would take 850 million in today’s dollars to repair the rail, and yet it would only cost 10 million dollars to have a trail from Arcata to Eureka. He felt we needed to get beyond rail dreams.

John Woolley (JW) North Coast Railroad Authority - NCRA board member- Said that the state bought the public owned corridor, and the NCRA was created to bring it back to use. That is their directive. He mentioned 2.9 million has been spent for clean up and was vague about another 7.9 for something else. John said they broke up the north and south into the “Eel” section and the “Russian” section. The suit in Novato is slowing progress he said. John said the NCRA is committed to trails and rails and has been working with Arcata, but the primary focus was to bring rail back.

Marcus Brown (MB) timberheritage Association- Marcus says there needs to be a solution that works for everyone. He would like to see a tourist train running from Arcata to Eureka and thinks there is broad support for Rail with Trails. He feels there will be problems of the rail easement around the Bracut Marsh area as well as Wildlife issues. Thinks that the east side of the highway is the most viable for the trail.

Spencer Clifton (SC) of the Humboldt County Association of Governments - Says he is a proponent of all modes of transportation. Feels a challenge for trails will be wetlands, and geometric limitations for rail. Made reference of Billboard problem and funding issues.

Brian Morrissey (BM) (marinacenter) of Security National- Said America was built on rail! Many union living wage jobs would be created with Port built now. He said rail lines are rare with few being built. Feels that designing a truly green port will be viable. He projects 8% growth and pointed out that 18 ports would be at capacity by 2012.

Mike Buettner (MB) of Trails Trust -Advocates the use of trails all over the county. Not about rail.

Questions

1. Does the NCRA own the line and easement? (JW) “It is mixed use. Can we railbank? Maybe. It’s a mixed bag of stuff.” (CR) “Right away is public domain. Some people are considering 2 years of non-use as reverting the lands back to original owners.” (PH) “We may get to use the situation of the Annie and Mary rail lines as a model of legality. The NCRA is not run like a business. (SC) “This conjures more questions. There needs to be full title searches. Some easements are different. What are the limits parcel by parcel?”

2. Please explain railbanking? (MBu) “Don’t really know.” (BM) “Rail corridor set aside for use as trail.” (SC) “That is associated with rail that has been abandoned.” (JW) “You need a manager on hand for a trail.” (PH) “Not viable here. It has been done back east to save rail easements.” (MBu) “Part of the equation to restore rail use.” (CR) “It is the best way to save the right away.”

3. How many hundreds of millions will the rail cost? (SC) “I don’t have access to the resources needed to answer. We allocate 8 to 10 million in transportation resources.” (MB) “The best way to preserve the line is tourist train. We want the tourist section. We have been told the Cadillac project number. Can’t tell the dollar amount.” (CR) “FEMA said 520 million in 98’. (BM) “Hundreds of millions. No one knows. (JW) "100 million to purchase. To pull out now would not be good considering all the money we put in. 20 years needed for railbanking. We are concentrating on the south end of the line. That is where our success has been” (PH) “Here is the 640 million dollar FEMA report if anyone wants to read it. 125 places with rotational slumps in the Eel river canyon. There is no least cost fix. There are maintenance issues not addressed. It will be pay as you go. A Train would be great! But it is not viable. I say it will be 1 Billion real dollars.”

4. What about CEQA: The California Environmental Quality Act and insurance issues? (JW) CEQA Projects description of impacts, then the public gets input to mitigate the problem. The Hammond trail can be used to measure.” (SC) “Need project internally described.” (PH) “You need to look at the cumulative affects. Rail is only done in sections. It needs to be looked at by its entirety.” (MBu) “Maintenance need to be figured in and also safety.” (CR) “We will see lawsuits.” (MB) “The low hanging fruit here is Arcata to Hammond. Everything in the corridor is wetlands.” Marcus then quoted Clifton, “Enough problems to kill 9 camels!”

5. Has failure of the rail contributed to the Marina Project holdup? (BM) “No. The city is driving that bus.” (MB) “I want a train station there at the Marina.”

6. What is feasible to haul? (CR) “Gravel and containers.” (PH) “Autos and containers are the growing trend. Not a good scenario for here. Shipping is on the decline. We should not pursue.” (MB) “Timber used to be. Flakeboard and Lost Coast beer is sent by rail at Red Bluff. We are losing business opportunities.” (JW) “We are partners with Humboldt Bay. We could do gravel with a barge center.” (MBu) “The Port of Oakland is not at capacity. The Coos Bay Port project was stopped and they only had 130 miles of rail to fix. It is not the right time for rail.” (SC) “Other ports are moving volume. We are not competitive. At one time we were moving 2 miles of train out of Humboldt.” (BM) “The rail is doing good! Hot on the Market! Investors going toward ports. Humboldt Bay is closest to Asia. Rail may not be coming soon, but maybe later.”

7. Samoa Roundhouse to Arcata? (PH) “Rail at the roundhouse could be a good attraction with a museum.” (MB) “Lots of historic stuff from Samoa we could put back at museum.” (JW) “It does serve as a tourist attraction. The NCRA sees it as good business model.” (MBu) “This fits well with the trails trust.”

8. What about jobs? (MB) “Health care and Tourism is where jobs are formed. These produce low wages. Summer jobs for kids are created.” (PH) “Diversity is stability. Take a hard look at the rail finances and cut your losses. There are other viable things for the public.” (CR) “Look at what is cost effective.” (SC) “Resource economy not working. We need to recognize what is sustainable.” (BM) “Jobs in Humboldt County are important! Humboldt needs good jobs with a railroad. We need both!” (JW) “Our quality of life is not a job producer. The rail needs a business model. The Richardson Grove project is not a business model. We need a model.”

9. Should the rail be subsidized? (CR) “Can the two be subsidized? I don’t know.” (JW) “Can we come up with feasible numbers about where we are? We accept criticism but have no numbers.” (SC) “We are an equal opportunity subsidizer.” (BM) “We are talking 19th century technology as compared to 21 century. Rail can be better and self sufficient.” (MB) “Rail history shows that it can pay for itself. It was in a decline, but now is coming back. Cheapest way to move product. We have the only government that does not subsidize a rail.” (PH) “Timber harvest issues have caused instability to the Eel that initiated the original movement.”

Closing Statements:

Buettner- “Bikes and walkers together interactively is good. We want multi use trails. Check out TrailTrust.org.

Morrissey- “Rail and trails need to be partners. It is a quality of life issue. Port Rupert model needs to be considered. Imports and Exports need to go through us.”

Clifton- “Our community assets are our rail and trail with multi use and sharing of the right away. Inclusionary instead of exclusionary.”

Brown- “The polarizing, shock jock discussion of this subject I don’t like. Trail and cultural amenities are good for our quality of life. We need to be win-win. Keep pushing until we are past the groan zone and come up with creative ideas.”

Woolley- “There are over 300 miles of corridor to mandate. Criticism will be absorbed in the process. What business model should we use; public or a private partnership? The processes of the NCRA are transparent. We shall see what happens after the lawsuit. We are committed to trails also. We are doing a matrix and going through the process.”

Ralls- “The NCRA has a mandate. Railbanking fits that mandate. Is rail cheaper to haul? There is no funding source for rail. Advocates of the rail feel trail people are destroying the rail that is already destroyed. It does not exist! Get the right away in use now. Get real.”

Higgins- “Canada does not care about subsidizing trains that go through area in the Rockies at 80 miles an hour. This is about the ultimate homogenizing of our area. We need grants to fix and stimulate the bay and our economy and expand the use! The Pulp and Fishing industry and future potential light industry show needs of continued dredging. The rail right of way has not been used in 10 years.”

My Comments-If some of the content seems out of place, I agree. It seemed the panel would move on different topics and meander all over. I was confused by some of the answers as compared to the topics, but this is what came out of my notes. I seem to have more questions than answers. Clearly there was huge divide. Some expert for the rail that seems to have some of the NCRA board convinced that rail is viable needs to come inform us general public of facts and figures. Or just let the trail people “borrow” the right away for a few years so we can use the line for something “tangible.” Am I missing something?

Snow 2 and Sports stuff!

I played softball in Redding on Saturday and it started to get cold! We played 4 games and I think we had only one player hit .500 and it was not me. (Billy Sines) The teams over there are really competitive. And young. I may have been the oldest out there. By alot. When we drove home this morning, it snowed most of the way! The lit sign suggesting the carrying of chains was on! It's almost May for goodness sakes. Stop the snow already again!

Cool April nights pretty much packed Redding with thousands of car enthusiasts. I heard the motels were gouging the tourists. We stayed at the River Inn and the price wasn't that bad. The Sundial Restaurant was closed. I hope they did not go out of business.

There was an advertisement in the Redding Record Searchlight paper about a 3 on 3 basketball tournament. Half a page with no date included. Funny.

The Samoa Ball Field is looking good! Kudos to Mary Beth Wolford for her fundraising and organizing skills in less than a year! A field in total disarray in December is nearly playable today!

The The Eureka Reporter did a good story on Mo Purify today. Mo is a locally grown potential NFL player. I went to High School with his mother Mary and uncle Sam Skillman. His uncle LJ was a great high school football player and coached women's high school basketball at St. Bernards and Ferndale. Mary was one of the best women's softball players locally. Sam and I played softball and basketball together. Unfortunately, the storyline in the Sporting news will tell you that Mo is going to be either a late round pick, or not chosen at all because of off the field transgressions. The Sporting News predicts Mo going to the Cardinals in the 7th round at pick #185. Normally a Eureka native being picked in the top 200 would be big news, but he had a chance of being selected in the top 50.

Just my opinion, but I think Mo actually is one of the better basketball players Humboldt has ever seen, and could have excelled in Division 1 college basketball. His cousin Mo Charlo is knocking on the NBA's door! NBA Development League: Mo Charlo Playerfile

Rising out of the Ashes fundraiser for Humboldt Domestic Violence Services (HDVS).

As most probably know, the HDVS: Humboldt Domestic Violence Services safe house in Arcata burned down. We did not have enough insurance to cover for the losses, so we are holding a special fundraiser on Saturday, May 10th at the Warfinger Building from 6:00 to 10:30pm. There will be food from Avalon, Bless my Soul Cafe, Curly's and Granada's. Beverages are tentatively provided by the CO-OP, Lost Coast Brewery and River Bend Winery. Entertainment will hopefully include Karen Dumont, a Jazz Trio, Shoshana and The Monster Women. The cost will be an absurdly low $25 per person and $45 per couple pre paid, or $30 at the door. Please help the HDVS recover from this setback.

PS: Always looking for community members to serve on the board of directors. Call 443-6042 for more information.

Phone Blackout on the Peninsula!

For whatever reason, Samoa has no phone service. So how do you report this problem? Can't call them (AT&T). Can't e-mail them if your service is through their e-mail. If you call them to report, they want an alternative # to call. It just so happens that Robin is in Sacramento with our cell phone, so I can not call her or anyone else. Kind of funny really. We are more vulnerable than we think. AT&T say that our service will be returned by Thursday at noon.

Snow on Kneeland!

Stop this winter already! I give up!

Political stuff.

Went to Wes Chesbro's spaghetti fund raiser hosted by the Sacco family. Sam Sacco was mayor of Eureka back in the 70's. Paul Pitino and Mark Lovelace were there from the 3rd District Supervisor race and Cliff Clendenen from the 2nd. No Estelle. Hmm. Bryan Plumley was hosting his own fund raiser the same night. Many politico's were present and accounted for.

There was a 1st Congressional District caucus for Hillary held in Eureka on Sunday! During the same time frame, another caucus was being held in Napa for the same purpose. Robin and I aren't necessarily fans of the HillBilly show, but fellow HCDCC member Pam Cahill was requesting support to be an elected delegate to the convention for Hillary. (She has been a tireless supporter of Hillary.) Hosting the event as caucus coordinators were Humboldt Political Power Couple Greg and Carol Conners. It went smooth and Pam won by a huge margin. Debra Broner from the Del Norte Democratic Central Committee placed second. Both from our northern California Caucus! Brandon Chatin, an HSU student placed second amongst men. Hillary's campaign will send one female and one male from the 1st Congressional District.

The Democratic process in action. Exciting relevant stuff!

What is middle class? Am I part Bourgeoisie or Marxist?

I have always considered myself a middle class, blue collar worker. I guess I have not really put a great amount of thought into social hierarchy. Really there are many layers to consider. But here is where I come from:

I started working pretty young selling papers on the streets of Eureka, then a paper route. At age 15 I went to work at Duck’s Market and then was fortunate to land a union retail clerks job at Bazar at 16. I worked at Bazar until it closed and found myself in a white collar job working as a finance officer at Transamerica. I married Robin while working in finances and Robin was a hairdresser. We were dirt broke middle class then. I quit Transamerica in 1979, and went back to school. I applied for summer work at Louisiana Pacific doing clean up in the closed stud mill. I was shocked to be hired for over $8.00 and hour. It was big bucks at the time. I moved to the Saw Mill until they were about to close. In 1980 I applied for work in the Pulp Mill, and there I am. I have been through lean times when I was laid off almost yearly in the Reagan years and really had to scrimp to get by. I did take a leave of absence from the mill and went to work for the union for a 5 year term as a union organizer. I have made as little as $7,000 a year and have topped out at $78,000 a year. But through all the different financial levels I have always considered myself middle class. Whether I have been “lower” or “upper” middle class is up to interpretation.

Let me take my argument of whether I should be part of the middle class a step further. A working family in Humboldt County should be able to buy a house. Can we agree on that? OK, in 2006 you needed a household income over $85,000 to qualify buying a median (average) priced home in Humboldt County at $349,500. Humboldt Association of Realtors My household income at that time was around $90,000, not far from the median needed to by a house. I do not consider that “upper class.” It is all relative.

The Drum Major Institute defines the US middle class as people making between $25,000 and $100,000. That seems about right to me.

The median average household income for Humboldt County is just over $40,000 as of 2008. If there is only one wage earner in that house, they need to make over $18 an hour to make that. Do you except that only 13% or less of the households can afford to buy a house? And get this, in 2000 nearly 50% of Humboldt County wage earners could buy a house!

I realize that Humboldt County has taken a terrible turn economy wise. Goods and services cost more here than most places in the US. Jobs are moving out of the area, raw materials leaving as unfinished product, tourism and small businesses taking over, and even our children being exported to make a living. Does that mean we should except a lower standard of living and economics? We should just give up and shut up? When will we stop this trend and promote sensible growth? I hope sooner than later.

I stand by my claim that I am middle class. Whether in Humboldt County or Timbuktu.

Don’t shoot the messenger.

Who made up this law?

One of my fellow workers made a trip to Brookings, Oregon recently and fell in love with a Harley that was on a car lot. It was a 2005 with low miles. He purchased the bike and towed it home to Arcata. When he tried to register the bike, he was informed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles that you can not register a used vehicle from Oregon with less than 7,500 miles! Period! He called the Oregon DMV and the California DMV to try to straighten what he thought was a misunderstanding and was given the run around. The car dealer he bought it from had no idea of the law either! They did buy the bike back though. Anyone out there know the purpose of this law?

Greenlite my a**!

Robin had me replace two light bulbs in the kitchen. We have been trying to change all of our lights in the house to "Greenlite" bulbs. GREENLITE The two 60 watt bulbs that were warranted for "9" years made it less than one. We have went through the house and put many of these "green" bulbs in that are a hassle to dispose. I wrote to Greenlite about their policy that actually only assures "2" years and only if you have the printed receipts! I do not know about you, but I do not save all receipts for household goods and cleaning supplies. What a crock! Anyone else out there have problems with Greenlite? This is not the first for our house or our rental, just the first that 2 lights are out at the same time. Pacific Gas & Electric Company sold us on this project, are they liable?

Breaking news: Here is my whining letter and their response:

9 years warranty? My Greenlite's 60 watt's did not make it a year in my kitchen! Your warranty actually is only good for 2 years if you read the fine print with a receipt. Oh yes, we all keep our receipts for household items such as this. Give me a break! I do not keep receipts for hand soap, dish washing liquid, cleaning supplies, lawn care shovels, hoes, baking soda, cleaning pad and everyday use products. And your product takes extra steps to deposit in the trash legally! I wonder how many thousands of people who have fallen for your false information? Please send me replacement 60 watt 4-pack on my word, or I will buy the regular bulbs and publicly announce to my community that your product is a "green" ripoff.

Richard Marks


Dear Mr. Marks,

Thank you for your email and for you purchase. We are sorry to hear that the light bulb you purchased has failed. We will be happy to send a replacement to you right away. I realize it does state on the packaging that you should have the proof of purchase and register receipt and you should return it to us, however, in practice we have found that we experience so few issues with our product that it’s not worth it to put customers through all of that trouble. The few failed bulbs we have are replaced easily with a simple email or phone call. You should see your replacement within a week. Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions or concerns.

Thank you.

Lisa DeWindt
Greenlite Lighting Corporation
10 Corporate Park #100
Irvine, CA 92606
800-930-2111 x200
949-261-5300 x200
fax 949-261-1798
www.greenliteusa.com

So there you have it! Send in your claims for their product and they will send you replacements.

The Tax Man has his way.

Robin and I had to do our tax thing today. John Fullerton, C.P.A. has been our consultant for awhile now. He is efficient and quick. (If you go to him tell him I referred you! Please!) I claim single and no dependants and have $100 extra taken out each paycheck, and Robin claims single and no dependants and $40 a month extra paid. And we also pay $400 extra to the state just for good measure. We are kind of unusual that we rent in Samoa, but own a house in Henderson Center that we rent out. We also run a small business called Samoa Athletics that organizes/directs adult sporting events. Lots of paperwork and stuff. We are at the point that we can not claim our children, as they have now joined the workforce.

We made over $100,000 and were taxed to death. I know that there are people out there who will say, cry me a river you elite asshole, but we are just the working middle class. We contribute to organizations and to our family needs. So it is not like we are wallowing in money. I just thought I would throw the reality of finances out there.

Local Flu stuff you may need to know.

This has been a terrible year for the Flu! No surprise to you all. But when I asked fellow Director of the Samoa Peninsula Fire District Hal Grotke, MD California Academy of Family Physicians about the flu, he pointed out that flu can be treated and cured if treated within 48 hours. He said after that, he could only treat the symptoms. He also noted that 12 deaths have been attributed to the flu in Humboldt County this year.

Note: I highly recommend Dr. Grotke for a physician if you are looking for health care locally. He is just a good regular guy without BS. "Just call me Hal." Dr. Grotke and his wife Alice (Who serves on the Peninsula Union School Board of Trustees) live on the peninsula and are community involved.

Humboldt Domestic Violence Services (HDVS) Safe House Burns Down!

Sad news for the HDVS team. We lost a safe house to a fire today in Arcata. It will be on the news tonight and tomorrow. If you know of any house in Arcata that is for rent to replace this needed resource, contact HDVS: Humboldt Domestic Violence Services. There will also be a need for clothes, food, household items and of course monetary donations. Thank God that all were able to vacate the building unharmed. Last week there were 5 or more children being housed at the safe house. Any and all help will be more than appreciated.

Sour milk news. As the churn turns.

West coast milk producer Crystal was bought by East Coast dairy giant HP Hood LLC. This has caused nearly half of the dairy farms in Sacramento to be threatened with closure. Future sours for some small dairies: Milk-processing limits, sale of Crystal threaten nearly half of county's farmers. I wonder if this affects any of our local dairies? I buy mostly Humboldt Creamery - Company products. The milk just tastes better.

I understand milk is world globally traded dairy commodities (cheese, milk powder, butter and whey) so the price is regulated, but why does it seem to follow the trend of Gasoline? (Both around $3.79 a gallon locally.) If we are producing too much, we should have a mechanism to get more of the dairy products to our schools or food banks at a lower cost. Or sent overseas to nations in desperate need.

Goodbye Arizona. Hello rain.

Robin and I took a break from baseball to check out the Botanical Gardens in Scottsdale. The Sonoran Desert exhibit was fascinating. Seeing how the Native Americans lived in the harsh settings showed innovative adaptive behavior we should tap into today.

We stayed at the Ramada Plaza in Glendale, which is centrally located and has a great breakfast buffet. They have renovated since Robin and I were there last year. Kind of a Yuppie weird motif. The ventilation system was so bad that you could hear conversation from the next room....clearly. Kind of weird. The motel was infested with teenage ballplayers that caused havoc in the pool and hot tub. When we checked out, I grabbed the receipt and handed it to Robin and commented about the double tax. (State and City) She noticed a $65 charge from the cafe that we did not use. I had to go back and have them check the receipts and sure enough, they made a mistake. I wonder how many people would not check the receipt and pay that "mistake?"

Rob and I drove across the desert to Palm Springs Thursday. We called the Best Western for a room for the night and were quoted $179. I told them I was a gold card Best Western Member and AAA member and they knocked the price to $169. I said no thanks and used a coupon for the Palm Court motel for $47. Their rooms were clean and their pool and hot tub area was huge and accessible. Very nice. Thursday night was Main Street on Palm Canyon Drive. A fair street fare, but the Arcata Plaza celebrations and Farmers Market blow them away art wise, veggie wise, music wise and people wise. (Although I did like the "Nearly Willie" dude that imitated Nelson.) And people of Palm Springs, get your dogs and children under control!

We left the high desert today and ended up in Sacramento in the rain. Looks like we will drive home tomorrow in lousy rainy weather. Oh well. I look forward to seeing green again!

Seen AWPPW Local 49 Ernie Ghesetti in Scottsdale.

What are the odds of meeting up with a fellow past co-worker Ernie all the way out here in Arizona? Ernie and his wife travel and live in Deer Valley during the winter. Robin and I ran into him at the Giants/Cubs game in Scottsdale. Small world.

Robin and I took a long walk to 5th St in hot weather that wiped both of us out. It took a rack of ribs from Lone Star to get me even keeled.

Broke down in Arizona! Robin's PT Cruiser protests much!

Yesterday when we were leaving the Maryvale ballpark (Over 10,000 in attendance and we sat in front of an HSU graduate.) after watching the Brewers and Diamondbacks, I noticed the fog light display lit up on the panel. I tried to shut it off, but it must have been shorted. This morning Robin and I knew we would have to get up early to go to Scotsdale to try to score Giant tickets. The battery was dead. I mean nothing. I found local dealers for Chrysler near Glendale and Robin called AAA for a jump. I figured we would have to have PT towed somewhere, so I did map search while Robin waited by the car for the AAA guy. By the time I was done with the search and went to the parking lot, the AAA guy had jumped the car and took the fuse out for the fog lights, as they would not turn off on the switch. They were there in just minutes!

So we headed to Scotsdale but could not score tickets. We may have to use a scalper tomorrow. Then we headed to Hohokam park and watched the Cubs and Rangers. It was hot. The Rangers played sloppy. Some poor kid was nailed by a line drive in the section in front of us. Must have been around 5. Scary. He seemed to be alright, but the family left and the boy was given an ovation.

Just an observation: The Arizona drivers are nuts! I have seen more poor driving habits here the last two years than I have anywhere else in the western states.

Christ has risen! Paul Pitino, Union Label and vacation.

Happy Easter. He has risen!

Paul Pitino has been out canvassing the Peninsula. He put (or a volunteer) a card under our door at Local 49 in Manila on Wednesday. Looks like he is seriously going to try a door to door with no endorsers or fundraising. That may work for an Arcata City Council seat, but not on the County level.

I went to an AWPPW California Council meeting Thursday and Friday. I was appointed California Council political lobbyist. I am replacing Frank Messineo who has been involved forever and now will enjoy retirement.

While at the council meeting, we took some time to tour our Dopaco plant in Stockton. They make containers and cups for McDonalds, In and Out Burger, Kentucky Fried, Taco Bell, Burger King and every other fast food outlets you can probably think of. They employee 380 who do some labor intensive work. They have tight security for the special promotions like McDonalds monopoly games. It was interesting that they have an indoor smoking room for the workers. It has special ventilation system I guess that meets requirements. The plant was well organized and clean considering the many things they do.

We talked about the lack of the “union label” on products our union produce. Remember the jingle “look for the union label?” I hope we can maybe remedy this with our prospective companies.

Robin and I spent Friday night in Palm Springs. It was in the mid 80’s! Just a great warm night! I actually went swimming in the morning! Our motel had many guys and not many women. Robin filled me in why. Oh yeah. Palm Springs.

We are spending a few days in Phoenix watching spring training games. It is supposed to be around 90 for the time we are here. I saw that the weather in Samoa was 38 this morning. Eat your heart out!

Sad Easter Update: CNN just announced that total US Military Casualties has hit 4,000 today. When we illegally started this occupation, gas was $1.73 an hour. We are now at this time more in debt than any time in US history. If you are under 40, you most likely will not collect Social Security, or see the retirement age raised to keep the account solvent. Ouch.

Richard Lyon RIP. Man, What a rotten year.

Richard Lyon passed away way to young (46). I played softball with his brother Jim for awhile on James Hill Trucking. His father Jim played on my Basketball team until a few years ago. (He was in his sixties) Richard led the umpires in Eureka a few years ago, and I worked under him. This was a shock to me. I don't know what happened.

Crab player Hop Sullivan playing for Bethany College Swedes of the NAIA!

Hop Sullivan is playing third base for Bethany College who are 15-2 for the season! My fellow worker June Sullivan is Hop's mom and she was on the road with the team this last week and they won 8 out 9! Hop played 3rd and SS for McKinleyville High and SS for CR before getting a scholarship to play ball at Bethany. (I feel his future in the minors will be as pitcher) The BC Baseball team has 35 roster players and 6 red shirts. He will be on the field this summer for the Crab's I am sure!

Too bad that HSU doesn't have a collegiate baseball team. They did back in the 70's. They have a "Club Team" that competes, but they should have the real thing. I pitched a few games against them 2 years ago with the Eel River Hardball team at Arcata Ball Park. They should be playing other Division 2 teams.

Speaking of the Crabs, I tried out for the team at HSU baseball field after spending a year on the College of the Redwoods baseball team in 79'. I was the oldest on the team at 21. Lou Bonomini cut me after I had fanned a few HSU players. I was driving home with my buddy Stacey Morgan who had a tough tryout but made the team. He tried to console me about being cut: "Man, that is too bad Richard, but you know, they took my picture for the program last week!" I was fit to be tied. Stacey also was a star QB on the CR football team and played on the Basketball team. He was drafted by the Philles. Dave Stone, Mark Suchanek, Mike and Ron Spini from our CR team played for the Crabs. They cut Keith Ambrosini who I thought was one of the best I ever saw in center field. 4 players from that team played for pay. I play to this day for fun. Wish I was good enough to play in the minors. Just average. But I was on the Dean's list grade wise during the season!

Evergreen Pulp joins Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

SFI: Sustainable Forestry Initiative. I guess the bottom line is that we and our wood chip/log suppliers will all have to be SFI certified to have our pulp environmentally marketable . The logging practices of those suppliers will be under scrutiny. It is all a movement forward as far as I can see toward sustainable forestry practices. I am sure some anonymous wiener will point out some negative scenario.

HCDCC endorsement a kiss of death? I think not! Go Estelle!

The last local election in November was tell-tale of how much an endorsement of the Humboldt County Central Committee means. Seven candidates received the HCDCC endorsement, and all seven are now in office. Slice it and dice it all you want, it is an important step in any potential candidates attempt at public office. Fennell gets nod from Democratic Committee is nothing but good news for her campaign. Just thought I would throw that out there since I have seen all of the anonymous wieners postings regarding Estelle on other blogs. If you have any worthy posts, please identify yourselves, otherwise you will not be taken seriously. By me at least.

Wilson, Ulansey and Lehman out in the 3rd District! Bryan Plumley in!

After some last minute movement, Bryan Plumley is the newly adorned front runner for the 3rd District Supervisor seat. Chris Lehman and Mike Wilson were at the Humboldt County elections office a few minutes before the deadline to see if any new maneuverings took place. Mike dropped out and Chris decided the timing was just not right. So no Richard Mostranski, Lee Ulansey, Elizabeth Conners, Dave Meserve or Mark Wheetley.

After the dust has settled, Paul Pitino, Mark Lovelace and Plumley are the potential new 3rd District Supervisor. Would have never guessed that this is how it would pan out. This race should be interesting. Sounds like Plumley will have many powerful endorsements.

Top Grubbing closures in Eureka area.

Reflecting recently on the closure of OH’s Townhouse, I thought about the different local grubbing establishments that closed that affected my trough feeding. Here are my top closures in the Eureka and how they played a roll in my life:

10. Lila’s Taco shop- Their garbage burrito was a great sloppy mess!

9. Shakey’s/Andy’s Prosperous Pizza- Many good times spent there with the kids. They had a great munch lunch.

8. L & M Burger- Robin and I went for their sub sandwiches.

7. Volpi’s- Classy place for a serious date. Miss the great view Robin and I seemed to hardly get.

6. A & W- Paul Maisenbach took us kids for Root Beer floats if his LP fast-pitch team won their games! I loved the fake pressed fries. No really!

5. King’s Table- Remember that Santa Claus look alike that used to hang out there around X-Mas? I used to save our LP meal tickets to take the kids there for a special treat.

4. OH’s- Last time my mom, dad and us kids and grandkids got together. No more, “union rings or green beans?”

3. Michael’s- Great memories of ditching the kids for a night. (Sorry Jake and Jordan) Used to leave them with my mom for the night and went out with “grown ups.”

2. Shang Hai Low-Miss the wontons and the little juke boxes for each table for the kids to mess with. But the Toms’ seemed ready to retire. (This was one of the last local union restaurants.)

1. Verla’s/Tom’s Sourdough- Verla’s had the greatest burgers years back. Tom’s Sourdough was a favorite after softball hangout. It was really something after Robin’s LP Treetopper women’s softball team played. The women on the team had over 30 kids! Then we husbands and families made the place crazy!

Here are others that almost made the cut: Lazio’s, Captain’s Galley, Eureka Inn, OH’s Hamburger King, Stanton’s Red Barn, Dennis and Geri’s, Betty Mae's and Enrico’s Deli.

Jake Pickering running for HCDCC!

the PLAZOID &- Jake Pickering - is running for a spot on the HCDCC - Democratic Central Committee. He ran for a spot a few years back and lost. He has also ran for Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District against Bruce Rupp. And for HUMBOLDT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION TRUSTEE AREA THREE GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER against Sharon Omey. GEMS ELECTION RESULTS.

I am not sure what his current agenda is about. Haven't seen him at any meetings. I have to admit that he has quite the moxy to stand for his values.

The Fourth District representation for the HCDCC has been re-aligned population wise and the Fourth lost one spot. So there are 4 positions up for grabs. If 5 people turn in there signature requirements, there will be an election for the 4 spots. It may be Jake Pickering, and incumbents (appointed or elected) Richard Marks (The softball guy), Bob and Pam Service and Charlene Cutler-Ploss. Another election this June. Yee!

Samoa Softball Field being renovated.

Miller Farms is working on the Samoa Softball Field. I imagine it won't be ready for play this year, maybe next spring. It will be a good extra field for little league and either Senior softball or adult wood bat tournaments. A new red clay infield will make this a nice field. Drive by and check the progress some time. Thanks to Dr. Mary Beth Woolford and the "Take me out to the ballgame" fundraiser she put together to raise monies for the field.

Baseball is here! Arcata and Eureka JV teams tie!

Went to watch Cody Weatherbee play for the Eureka JV baseball team against Arcata. The Redwood field in Cutten was in good shape considering the weather. Rex Bohn said it took about $300 to get it playable. Kudos to the volunteers. I would guess the Temp around 50 and wind chill at 45. Brrr. There was a great crowd and they were treated to a solid, clean performance by both teams. The final score was 6-6 in 6 innings. The game was called rightly by umpire Dave Rhodes in the top of the 7th due to darkness.

One issue I have with high school baseball: They should have a pitch count for these kids! The Arcata pitcher had to be well over 100 pitches in his stint. No High school pitcher should be allowed to go over this limit. Professional pitchers and college hurlers are not allowed or are monitored to stay under this limit. I feel high school should do the same. And Babe Ruth too!

Samoa project gets BOS ok.

Samoa Master Plan gets nod from supervisors and so moves the wheels on this project. The first draft of the master plan was made public in 2001 and it looks like it will be another 7 years before this project gets anywhere in any form. There will be other issues to traverse, such as a proposed/threatened lawsuit on CEQA: The California Environmental Quality Act guidelines not being followed properly, Historical building code violations and Traffic issues that need to be mitigated.

I was excited to hear the original plans and Robin and I have homesteaded our house to have the opportunity to purchase this property. (Dan Johnson publicly promised renters who were in each house would get the first chance to purchase if they stayed in their homes.) We live in a 4 bedroom two bath house that was probably worth $50,000 in 2001. I would guess it is worth 4 times that now, and there has been little upgrade and much deterioration. Fortunately, we bought a house in Henderson Center as an investment at a good time.

As far as the traffic issue, Manila has pretty much been ignored about their complaints of increased traffic due to the "safety" corridor on 101 between Arcata and Eureka. People are blatantly bypassing 101 and the 50 mile an hour limit with lights on, and taking 255 as an alternate route at 55 MPH plus and no safety lights. It has become a speedway through residential Manila. (Yes, real people live out there.) The increased traffic from the Samoa project will be mitigated in the tune of $180,000 for infrastructure purposes.

Just an added comment: In the early 80's there were over 1,000 more jobs and people on the Peninsula south of the bridge. The closed Coast Guard housing, two plywood plants, sawmill and pulp mill had many people driving back and forth off the dunes each day.

RIP Jeff Jones.

Jeffery Jay Jones played basketball out in Samoa for years. He was a mainstay on Jerry Gabriel's league team for the LP Men's Adult Fall Ball league I directed for many years. Jeff was around 6'4" 350 lbs. But he was light on his feet and a fair player. No cheap shot artist. Always congenial and funny. He will be missed.

One funny story about Jeff, I was throwing batting practice at the Samoa Ball Field to Barry Oliver and a crowd gathered in the Samoa stands to watch. Jeff was one of them. Barry is all of 6' 0" maybe 175 lbs. But he is a Left Handed hitting freak. He told me to just put the ball over the plate and he would hit the balls over the fence, left, center right, left center. right. He asked me where I wanted him to hit the ball, so I picked the farthest part of the park with the 280' sign. The next pitch he broke off the sign at the 280' mark! Needless to say, the people who were watching were abuzz. Jeff came down to home plate and asked Barry for the Bat. He swung and lunged at the ball but could not duplicate the smaller ball player. Jeff's buddies hooted from the stands. He was a good sport. It was funny to see at the time.

Last Meal. O-H's wise.

O-H's Townhouse to shut its doors. And I will be there tomorrow with Robin celebrating and remembering good times. I have positive memories with my entire family there. We went there with friends, family, banquets and many positive social events in our life. They were a constant. At a time when dinners were a special event. I always sent people there for a good prime rib. I hope for the best for all the past workers.

Barack attacks Hillary over NAFTA!

Looks like Obama is going to try to manipulate the NAFTA issue to try to pull out Ohio next week. Barack Obama Continues to Attack Hillary Clinton's NAFTA Support It is estimated that 50,000 Ohio workers lost their jobs directly to NAFTA policies. Hillary has past public history on her support of NAFTA in the mid 90's. Her quote was along the line back then of, "Shouldn't we all want free trade?" Maybe Ohio won't be a lock for Clinton after all. It is getting nasty, isn't it.

Lenny Escarda.

Leonard Escarda The Eureka Reporter For a few years I was fortunate to talk with Lenny at Cal Courts about politics and softball. He seemly was "invincible" during his marathon workouts. And that includes this last period he was fighting cancer. He was a good man who ran the race well. I hope he is ripping line drives to the gaps for doubles in that never ending ball game upstairs! RIP.

Hey! Maybe they are listening!

No left turns on Third street off of Highway 255! I fully support this move. I have witnessed and participated in way too many close calls!

Leave Richardson's grove as it is and extend the exemption to the few cattle trucks. Been doing this for years. What else would we need the longer trucks for? What product? The weight limit on the trucks is always going to be 80,000lbs. Larger trucks without larger weight capacities are not needed.

Waterboarding my buttocks! I have a better way of interrogation.

Let’s send a couple of people from Humboldt County with this Humboldt Crud and expose terrorists, and threaten to expose them again if they don’t cooperate. A few weeks ago I had stopped hacking and was feeling fairly good and then I had to work with a person on Wednesday that literally hacked and blew his nose all shift and was all over my work area. Sure enough, the next day he called in, and I was coming down once more with the Crud. Last time I just had a chronic hack but it did not bother me when I went to bed. This time it is deeper in my chest and I wake up hacking and feverish. I hate to be this way when the weather is so cold. Anyone else out there having an encore of the flu?

Paul Gallegos is not another Bobby Knight.

I saw Paul Gallegos coaching the Quality Body 3rd and 4th Grade girls Hoopsters basketball team with Doug Frey. He really did a good job with his team. I like his style of encouragement over yelling. He was always clapping and quietly signally his girls where to stand. They beat a bigger Tetrault team by passing better and hustling. I hope Paul and Joan took Daughter Sofia and the rest of the team out for pizza afterwards.

Evergreen buys Cosi Pulp Mill!

Evergreen is in the late stages of finalizing a purchase of a pulp mill in Cosmopolis, Washington. The Daily World. This is a great thing for the people living around Gray's Harbor. Weyerhaeuser had closed the pulp mill and also a sawmill two years ago with a total of nearly 600 directly losing their jobs and hundreds more vendor wise in a small manufacturing market. The economic waves hit the area hard. It sounds like Evergreen is willing to negotiate with the AWPPW for a union contract for the new Evergreen workers.

The Cosi plant specializes in acetate pulp for clothe fiber and cigarette paper. Maybe we can open a paper processing plant here in Humboldt County to replace Zig Zag. Call it "Evergreen Natural." We have so much of the "natural" product, we might as well take financial advantage. Just saying.

Political Rumor Mill.

John Woolley thinking of running for 1st District Assembly seat? Mark Lovelace running against Mike Wilson for 3rd District Supervisor seat? Who is thinking of running against Jimmy Smith in the 1st? It is time for the parties to get moving! Who else are possible to run for these positions?

Update: Paul Pitino, Elizabeth Conners, Bob Ornelas, Mark Wheatly and Lee Ulansey in the mix? Come on Dave Meserve! Lets make this race one to remember!

Republican feels he can only vote Democrat!

Saw a truck driver who is a conservative Republican today at work. He liked Mitt before, so I asked him who he was backing now. "It doesn't matter, either way I am voting for a Democrat." Another right winger mad at McCain. Thanks Rush for all the help!

Arcata sweeps Eureka in BB for 2008!

Arcata beat Eureka 70-67 in front of a huge crowd at Eureka. Wow! What a rowdy game! These two teams are really well matched. Greg Allen just played out of mind in the 4th Quarter. With about 2:00 left in the game, Greg stole the ball and drove the ball to the hoop on fellow Junior Tim Couch and went over the top of him for a slam dunk! Then Tim one upped him with about 1:30 left by cutting off Greg’s lane for a charge.(Samoa resident Couch had 14 points in the 2nd Quarter alone.) Just a really aggressive game. Scott Rotherham and Rollin Trehearne did a credible job in referring this fiasco. The only real controversy was the warnings on both “6th” man crews in the stands. I have picked on the Arcata “6th” man crew in the past, but they were on good behavior tonight. Both teams should have learned by this time of the year that free throws are important. Both did not shoot them well in the 4th.

Greg Allen is the best player in the county. But you can’t expect him win a game like this on his own. But he almost did.

Alternative to rails or trails.

Finally a reasonable solution! Instead of rail banking around the bay or tourist train, how about just using landfill on top of the rails and having a multi use motocross/trail bike/hike trail? This is the cheapest solution yet proposed. Just think of the calories ate away while diving off the trail when a huge ATV comes flying by. Or how about the excitement of jumping off your bicycle in mid air to avoid a head on with a Yamaha. The danger of rails with trails can not even compete with this adrenaline rush! Come on! Let’s make this happen!

Have's, have nots. The spread is getting bigger.

There are almost 300 billionaires in the United States. Japan is the next on the list of over the edge wealthy people at 29! You either have way too much or struggle to make it here. Sad that this recession/depression times seem to shine upon the problem of our economy, and no one cares. If I were a 20 some odd year old, I would be way vocal about my economic future. Not good.

Coach Purcell passes on.

My old wrestling coach at Zane Jr. High Times-Standard Online -. Coach Purcell was a great teacher and seemed to love his job. I remember a time he wanted me to demonstrate some wrestling techniques to the "scrubs" or seventh graders when I was in 9th grade. I weighed 67 lbs when I was in Junior High, so I was small but quick. (I graduated High school right about 100 lbs.) He brought onto the mat a seventh grader named Andy Lowenthal for me to wrestle. Andy tore me up big time! Here I was the older mentor and was laid out on the canvus wrestling for my life. Needless to say I was embarrased. But it was kinda funny.

Mitt Drops out! Or does he?

The waffle man can't even seem to close down his campaign in order. Romney Suspends Presidential Campaign . Instead of dropping out of the Republican presidential race, he "suspends" his campaign, meaning he is holding his delegates ransom for the time being. The waffle man strikes again!

Frogs and Dogs.

Man, the frogs and dogs were filling the air with noise out here on the Peninsula today. Is Spring on the way? I sure hope so. Two weeks before pitchers and catchers report!

Speaking of dogs, you all see where Mike Vick gets to keep his bonus money? Judge rules Michael Vick can keep $16.25M in bonuses - USATODAY.com

Gotta love the good old USA justice system.

Did you take my advice on the Giants covering the spread? Giants 17-14!

If you did, send me some loving in the form of cash! I was fortunate to win my fair share in the form of 3 figures (Ok, in the 1 dollar increment) and made 10X more than I invested.

Following tradition, Robin and I went to my buddy Doug's house to watch the big game. There was Tri Tip, chicken wings, hot sausage, shrimp, tortillas, three kinds of bean dip by Linda, veggie treys, mini corn dogs, poppers, salsa, every kind of chips and dips, breads, sodas, wine and tons of Coors Light and Millers High Life. People from age around 5 to 70's. Good time. One of my buddies of nearly 40 years pulled his pants down to show off his red shorts that said "Hot Stuff" and then proceded to moon the older of the crowd at the time. Yep, I am just a real Humboldt County Okie. And I like it.

The Eureka secrets we all know.

If everyone in Eureka knows, Why is it…..

We all know prostitutes walk the street in front of the library in Eureka.

Maybe as many as 50% of the drivers in our city do not have car insurance. (In Los Angeles County 75% of drivers do not have insurance! Information from SB 60.)

We have a needle exchange program, but you can find discarded needles in front of Burger King and city parks.

People are illegally panhandling across the street from the Sheriff’s department.

People wander the 101 corridor crossing 4th and 5th disregarding crosswalks and without even looking out for cars.

Drugs are being used out in the open in Old Town.

There are hundreds of homeless people living behind the Bayshore Mall.

And yet Law enforcement and the public continue to ignore the reality of problems that seem to cross everyday people’s lives. This is not the Eureka I grew up in.

Del Norte beats Arcata on the Basketball court and in stands.

Del Norte scored the winning basket with 1.5 seconds left in regulation to lift the Warriors to a hard fought 35-33 victory on the Tiger court. The Arcata 6th man brigade booed the visitors when they took the court and booed the Warrior cheerleaders when they did flips at timeouts. But the Del Norte fans had the last dig at the end of the game, chanting "Just Like Football!" after the big shot gave them the lead. Ouch! It was just a great Basketball game in a loud rowdy gym. The Niclai tournament this year might be one of the most competitive ever!

Top 5 Rock Bands of all time!

Recently I posted about songs I do not like. Here are the rock groups I feel are the best:

5. Tie-Beach Boys, Metalicca, Rolling Stones and CCR. Could not cut one of these.

4. Pink Floyd. Dark side of the moon was genius.

3. Led Zepplin. Timeless.

2. Queen. I miss Freddie and his swagger.

1. Beatles. None anywhere close to changing the world of music like the Fab 4.

My list is not far off of this Top 100 Bands of All Time.

Edwards out, Obama in.

I was at work today (16 hour shift mind you) and workers were asking me about Edwards dropping out, and who I was supporting. I thought they were messing with me.

(I listen to Mike and Mike on ESPN in the morning, and they did not say anything. They were focused on the Giants chances with the Patriots. Betting tip: Put $250 on the Giants to beat the 10 point spread. Send me $25 of your winnings for my next hot tip. Final score 33-27 Pats.)

I called Robin from work and she said it was true. Damn. Wow. So I told people I was supporting Obama. I just have problem with Hillary being on WalMart's board and supporting the funding of an illegal occupation of Iraq.

I hope unions will rally behind Obama in the near future.

Update: The Democratic Debate on CNN was good but didn't really change my mind.

Yuck, I dislike these songs!

Maybe it is the rain or just that winter thing, but here is more songs that really grate on me. I know some of you might like these songs, but I can do without:

#5 "Hotel California"-Eagles: Please, do not play this tune in front of me. I won't be held responsible for my actions.

#4 "Your kiss is on my list"-Hall and Oates: C'mon, they are on your "list" too.

#3 "My Sharona"-The Knack: Robin and I had neighbors on Quaker St. when we were newlyweds that played this song to death.

#2 "More than a feeling"- Boston: Has to be the most overplayed song in the history of music. I used to love Boston. Can't stand them now.

#1 "The Joker"- Steve Miller Band: Had a bad dentist experience while this song played. Maybe a psychological thing.

Oh, don't even get me started on my worst Country list. I will save that for another day.

Myrtletown girl Sandra Burns, RIP.

Sandra Burns was one of those girls ahead of her time in Myrtletown. She was a good athlete in a time girls did not have as many chances to shine in sports. She joined us boys for pick up games of ball and more than held her own. She and her sister Shirley were into horses and fun. I did not realize she was even ill. Bummer. Again, life is too short.

A war Bush would win.

If president Bush were running for his position this year, he would be a lock. Last nights NBC debate showed what a mess these candidates are.

Insane McCain? Ha! He is just scary.

Wafflin' Mitt? This guy needs to be selling cars somewhere. Maybe Salt Lake City?

Confused Giuliani? He looked like a whipped puppy. Lost his flair.

Broken Huckabee? A Baptist preacher asking for money? Say it ain't so! He was broke from the start! He just realizing it now?

Ron Paul Revolution? The other candidates must hate this guy for continually making the others look bad. It is almost comical. He is the Republicans best candidate, and they don't know what to do about it.

Good news for the Democratic candidates.

New Local Union Workers!

Northcoast Children's Service workers OK union! Oh how I love it when workers win the right to collectively bargain! United we Bargain, Divided we Beg! Congratulations to the 250 new members of the California Federation of Teacher's!

Paper vs. Plastic.

I realize that I am a prejudice participant in this topic, as I work in the Pulp and Paper industry, but come on. Here are facts that I will leave the experts to fight:

LONG-LASTING TRASH

Time for materials to break down in a landfill:

Plastic bags 1,000 years

Aluminum cans 80-100 years

Tin cans 50-100 years

Plastic-coated milk cartons 5 years

Orange peels 6 months

Paper 2-5 months

I worked as a Union Organizer and tried to organize a Plastic Bag plant called Roplast Industries Inc. in Oroville, Ca. They were paying people who had worked there for years under $10 an hour. Just no respect for the workers. When I did research, I was shocked to see how a corporation can twist facts into their favor. They were of the opinion that they were the environmentally “safe” process and product. Boggles my mind to how that can be true. roplast.PlasticVsPaper.

Anyways, I have been known to tell people at checkout lines to ask for the paper. We do not have a plastic plant here. (thank God)

Please ask for the renewable biodegradable product in the form of the paper bag. Maybe use it as mulch in your garden, burn it for fuel or recycle it at your favorite grocery store.

$340 electrical bill! Ouch!

For what ever freak reason, we have had many weeks of South winds, which leaves our wood stove inoperable. We just received our electrical bill for mid December to mid January. Over $340! Last year for the same period it was $188, which we thought was too high then. Ouch! Has your bill jumped this high this year?

Easy Voter Guide and other political stuff.

Libertarian's the elite? Have you all checked out the Political Parties in the Easy Voter Guide? Fred must have wrote the description for the Libertarian Party: "The Libertarian Party is your BEST choice for reasonable government. If you're socially tolerant and fiscally responsible, you're a Libertarian!" Kinda grandiose, dontcha think?

The Democratic debates Election Center 2008 - CNN.com are now just getting nasty and bitter. Hillary and Barack should take the high road. John Edwards was the forgotten candidate in this debate. He needs to do something radical to separate himself as the "working class" candidate before it is too late. And it might be too late as we speak!

Voting Confusion? I don't know if it was by design, but the The American Independent Party - The Fastest Growing Political Party In California has voters confused. People think they are registering Independent and this is listed as a choice. Seems innocuous enough. I was at the HCDCC headquarters when a couple wanted to register, and the woman said she was registered as a an Independent. Sure enough, she was told she was in fact an American Independent, a party started by George Wallace! She laughed and changed her affiliation of course. I just wonder how many others have been duped to register with a white supremacy party?

More Registered Democrats on your way! Bob Service, Robin and I were registering voters at the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration 'King is needed now more than ever'. It was great time and we registered new Democratic voters! It was the last day that the HCDCC could register voters for this election. Many other HCDCC volunteers were registering voters all over the Eureka/Arcata area yesterday. I don't know what the final count was, but I will guess we will see 100 new Democrats just from yesterday.

Local Republicans Throw up the white flag? I don't know the last time I have heard of the Republicans doing a registration drive. Have they given up locally?

HCDCC Naysayers! Here is your chance to help!

We HCDCC members will be registering voters who want to register or Non Party Independents and others who want to re-register so they can vote for their Democratic choice this election. This Martin Luther King day will be pretty much your last opportunity to do so for this election.

Connie Emery. Life is too short.

Connie Emery passed away unexpectedly in her sleep at her house in Manila. We were just at a X-mas dinner with her and husband Max Emery a few weeks ago. Max and I played Basketball together and we work together at Evergreen Pulp presently. Man, funerals like this are so hard when someone so loved and positive passes away suddenly. People are shocked and stunned. Max and I were at work recently and he told me of a funny story about Connie. You could feel his love and affection for his wife as he told it. And now this. You just never know when your number will come up.

Economic Chasm between us and our next President.

I always hope to support the president candidate I can most identify with. When I compare how these people live I realize a Reality Check. When we talk about ol' Abe Lincoln reading by candle in a log cabin, wow, times have changed. We have become an elitist country for sure. Or should I say at least our leaders.

Clinton Fiasco! Don't blame the HCDCC!

The good news. I got to watch Bill's speech front row. Got to shake his hand. I told him we need the economy to be where it was when he was in office. He actually came back to talk to me. He is charismatic for sure.

The Clinton campaign wanted the HCDCC to help set this event up. We phonebanked and held media events to bring people out. We set up the venue under their directions. We manned the doors and did crowd control.

THE HCDCC DID NOT HAVE INPUT ON THE VENUE OR THE PROCEDURES TO ALLOW PEOPLE IN! THE HCDCC WAS NOT THE UNORGANIZED OUTFIT, THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN WAS.

The Franceschi Hall should have been used as it can hold a few thousand people. Redwood Acres Fairgrounds Map (The secret Service said they could not secure that hall. BS. They are right next to each other almost.) The front gate should have been the only way in. Go through the toll gate, get a ticket with a number. VIP and Media taken care of ahead of time!

I dropped my sister and friend Elizabeth around 3pm and were supposedly around number 200. I had other friends near them. Looked like they were going to get in. I went to a union meeting and came back around 4:30pm and there were thousands out there. When they cut off the line, my sister and Elizabeth said there were still hundreds in front of them from people taking cuts in line. Just not right.

I witnessed some political nepotism from the Clinton Campaign. The HCDCC people did not get to make decisions on who got in. I was a volunteer and helped set up the hall and was almost not able to get in myself! (We set up 400 chairs. There were at least 600 in the building. It was way over capacity.)

Ex President Clinton said when he came on stage that there were more people outside waiting than in the building, and that he experienced the same thing at Napa, and bragged about 8,000 people being at Davis and having to turn away 3,500 people.

To Bill. That is not good! That is disorganization! You left thousands of people pissed not to hear your message! And it was a good message! Is the Clinton campaign just that inept? They were told by our people that they were going to have a full house, and more. Too bad this happened.

In closing this rant. I sat with Shane Brinton. He had made a list of questions because the media said there would be a question and answer session. Mr. Clinton said on stage there would be a question and answer session. You guessed it, no question answer session. Poor Shane holding his questions ready to engage some dialogue. Don't say you are going to do something if you are not. This is politics, we get that enough already.

It could have been a great event. I am sorry, but my vote still is going to John Edwards.

I had lunch today with George W. Bush's cousin!

Ironic that on a day I hope to see former president Bill Clinton, I went to lunch with our current presidents cousin. This person has followed my blog and posted before. Any guesses who? Here is a hint. The person now lives in Humboldt County. More hints to follow.

UPDATE: I saw a old school mate today. Found out he is a distant cousin of John Edwards! What a crazy day!

Clinton mania at HCDCC!

I was at the HCDCC headquarters a little while ago to get my assignment for the Clinton bonanza. The phone was ringing off the hook. Looks like the venue will be at Redwood Acres between 4-5pm if the Secret Service gives it their blessing. If not, then maybe the Wharfinger Building. Chair Milt Boyd was buried in media that people had never heard of. Lots of excitement and phone calls going out to get a good crowd. The Clinton people want at least 400. I expect over 1,000. Not every day an ex-president comes to Humboldt County.

Update: The Redwood Acres venue will only hold around 400, so you better get there early. Word going around is that 3,500 were turned away at Davis.

Humboldt County Power Couples?

I have had people tell me that Robin and I are a Humboldt County power couple. I laugh and tell them we are house renters from Samoa. We both believe in volunteering for the community and raised our kids to do the same. Robin and I are on the HCDCC , the board for Humboldt Domestic Violence Services, I am on the board of Directors for the Samoa Peninsula Fire District, Robin is on the board for the NHUHSD Northern Humboldt and I am the President of AWPPW local 49. You would think that is crazy busy, but when we both ran the Peninsula sports programs and the Adult Fall Ball Basketball league, SAC Adult Softball Tournaments and raised kids for over 20 years, this is down time.


This area seems to have lots of people multi tasking, and many couples that are like minded that are high profile politically. Here are some of the people I see as high profile/Like minded, "power couples."


1. Robin and Cheri Arkley- Most well known Republican couple that has donated untold millions to many Humboldt projects.


2. Dave Meserve and Betsy Roberts- Anti war advocates who have been involved heavily in local politics for many years.


3. Dave Cobb and Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap- Progressive Green Party members. Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County Great community organizers. More power than the most want to admit.


4. David and Penny Elsebusch- This couple will fight to the finish either parties cause they feel is right. They are not blinded by party lines and will both speak their minds. May not agree with them all the time, but love their tenacity.


5. Sef and Liz Murguia- Sef is chair of Humboldt County Community Development Services Liz is Congressman Mike Thompson's Rep. Mike Thompson :: Contact Us.


6. Harvey Harper and Dr. Davies- Conservatives extreme.


7. Bonnie Neely and Terry Farmer- Would have been #1 a few years ago. Where's Terry?


8. Greg and Carol Ann Conners- Tag team moderate liberals.


9. Pam and Bob Service- Passionate democrats.


10. Shane Brinton and Monica- Monica will probably take issue with me. They are a young couple that influence many. Shane as a political activist and Monica as a high profile radio personality. Where they meet politically will be defined in the future.

Two acts of random kindness under my nose. I failed humankind today.

I had one of those days where I was behind from the start. I had to do some union business in the morning, then I had planned some grocery shopping then Basketball at Cal-Courts, taking my sister Mary to lunch and doctor in Arcata, meeting of HCDCC members for registration drive and then taking Mary grocery shopping and watching the Republicans debate on Fox.

I finished my union business and went to the grocery store around an hour late. When I went to the checkout, a couple of ladies a few people ahead of me were trying to budget their purchase while the clerk checked them out. They said to stop their bill at $75. The clerk stopped the purchase at $75 with lots of merchandise still on the table. I thought a few spots behind them, "I can always pick the wrong line every time!" When the clerk said their purchase was $75 and went to collect, the ladies pooled their money, but only had $55. They were looking at each other embarrassed and did not know what to do. I was thinking, "Yep. I could only pick this line." They guy in front of me asked the clerk how much they were short. He told him $20. The guy in front of me said, "I will cover the rest, Merry X-Mas." The two ladies were shocked and thanked him. One hugged him gratefully. The Clerk shook his hand and told him it was great thing he had done. The guy who gave the $20 said that he was told not long ago he had 6 months to live because he had cancer. He was now cancer free and was passing it on. I was behind this celebration feeling so small for my petty "in a hurry," state.

I missed B-Ball and picked up my sister for her Doctors appointment. She needed to grocery shop afterwards and I took her to Winco, which is her store of choice because she is on a fixed income. Her friend (and mine) Elizabeth came along. I was waiting for my sis up front and I did not even notice a man with a walker and trying to manage a cart fumble by, until Elizabeth walked over and helped the man to his car in the parking lot. Ordinarily I would have been that person, but for what ever reason I was in a pity me party of one today. So if I cut you off driving, or I was not attentive to you hello or if I was just in anyway a jerk today. I apologize. And let me salute the great, awesome compassionate people of Humboldt County. This area is one of a kind. I failed today to be the one to pass it on.

NCRA meeting today.

I went to the NCRA meeting today and came away with concern. The divide between the Rails and Trails is going to only become bigger. I was on hand to hear some testimony by the usual suspects, Paul Lorenzen, Ken Skaggs, Daniel Pierce, Sid Berg, Pete Orlinger, John Webb, Mike Buettner, Marc Matteoli, Kaye Strickland, Marcus Brown, Dan Hauser, Bill Burton. Mark Lovelace and John Murray were after I had to leave.

Spencer Clifton gave a half assed, way to long presentation of trails and rails that only showed the many problems, no solutions, involved. Humboldt County Association of Governments

NCRA director Allan Hemphill North Coast Railroad Authority - NCRA and Mike Buettner seemed to have a dysfunctional dialogue concerning the right away in Eureka. Mike wanted to know the NCRA's long term or even short term plans for the rail in the Eureka old town development areas. Allan kept referring to the Eel River canyon issues, and Mike kept trying to bring up the rail issues in the Eureka development area.

The NCRA and the Humboldt Bay Recreation & Conservation District seem to have some secret or private agenda or non public agenda that most of us seem to be not privy to. Just what is in the future plans? And why can't us just plain folks know about it?

Recycle Ripoff! I did not know this!

Today I did some clean up at a non-profit organization and made a dump run after. I went to the dump at Eureka behind Harbor Lanes after 4:30pm. I had a copy machine to dispose of, so I went to the recycle area designated for that waste first. I unloaded the copy machine myself and wheeled it up to the scale. I was asked whether it was household equipment or business. I said it was a non profit business equipment for disposal. I was then told it was 10 cents a pound for household and 28 cents a pound for business. I let them know it was a non profit again, and the girl said she would call to see if that would change the price. Arcata and Eureka Community Recycling Centers She let me know that it would be 28 cents after the call. The copy machine weighed 210 pounds! She asked for $58 and I only had around $40 cash. I pulled out my debit card and she said they only accept cash or a check. I said it was a check cashing card, and she said they do not have that capability. I asked her to see again by phone if I could get the 10 cent rate as I had enough money for that. She called her boss, who she told me I could call and complain also, but no dice, I would have to re-load this 210 pound now messed up copy machine and take away since I did not have the $58 dollars cash.

What a bunch of bureaucratic bull! So now that it is a piece of machinery stuck at my house, could I ethically claim it as household waste? Because now that is what it is currently. I try not to be cynical over stuff like this, but yee!

Illegal Immigrants are humans too! A true story from my eyes.

Sometimes it just irks me when people de-humanize people who are doing the best for their families. The main focus is 95% toward Mexicans. Just because some people have been here for a few generations, and some from families illegally imported from Europe and Asia I might add, feel pompous and self righteous.

By tightening our border with Mexico we only penalize who? The ones who will do what ever it takes to come across. Instead of paying human smugglers (Coyote) $1,500 for crossing, the price is raising to around $3,500. And yes, the Coyote will get you in. But then they are on their own after that. The next person they have to deal with is the work Coyote, who will take a split of the illegal workers wages to allow them the privilege to work in the fields and live in sub par shelters for rent, as is the case in the valley.

The NLRA: National Labor Relations Act protects the illegal workers right to organize without "fear of reprisal." I was trying to organize Manufacturing workers in Moreno Vally a few years ago at a plant for Thor Industries. I had been holding meetings and started the process of collecting Authorization cards for an NLRB :: National Labor Relations Board union representation election. The plant had around 500 workers. After the company caught wind of the union drive, they asked the workers to bring in their Permanent Resident (Green Card) on a designated Monday. Needless to say, my organizing drive died off, and many workers lost their job. It was all right though, all I needed was a group of workers to stand up and file charges of an Unfair Labor Practice with the NLRB. I could not get even one person to stand up, and Thor thwarted the union drive.

If we could come up with sensible legislation that would charge potential workers from Mexico around a $2,000 for a worker permit to legally work for 6 month segments. we could generate huge revenues and help take the money out of the lawless Coyotes.

Mexican truck drivers allowed access to US Highways?

Looks like that is the case. Program Allows Mexican Trucks in U.S. This is a part of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) — that labor should have fought harder to stop. There is a safety and labor concern that should far out weigh the US consumer savings. Why the Bush administration is trying to push this is hard to imagine with both Congress and Senate voting to block this program.

The "T" is the place ya otta be. Finntown that be.

Some people newly to the area might not be familiar with the "T" out on the Samoa Peninsula. It has been a favorite quick access place to the Samoa beach for decades. The past few years it has been pretty dilapidated. This last year it has been repaved and makes for a great easy way to walk to the ocean within yards of parking your car. It is also just a good place to park and check out the waves and surfers.

Just head south off of Highway 255 at the end of the bridge, and go past the pulp mill about 1/4 of a mile and turn right on Bay Street. (Left at Bay Street will take you to Finntown where boat repair was big years ago.)

Truck drivers are freaking out!

Over the weather predictions for the night. I have to direct truck traffic at the mill tonight and have drivers arriving from Ukiah, Brookings, Anderson, Yreka and Weaverville. Talk is centered around road conditions and the forecast for snow tonight. I have heard that the wind is creating havoc with some of the drivers having trouble keeping in their lane when they are heading east unloaded. The trailers start to almost act like a kite and start blowing all over. So be careful out there, or just avoid driving over the mountains tonight if you can. Lots of debris has been reported on 299 also. Stay safe.

Fearless Hawkeye state caucus predictions!

Hear goes:

Republicans:

1. Mitt Romney-Going negative with big money will push him over the top. Don't like it, but it works.

2. Mike Huckabee-Outspent 40-1. Good showing could help later.

3. John McCain-Anywhere near 15% in a state he did not campaign will be a victory.

4. Rudy Giuliani-Heading south fast.

Democrats:

1. Barack Obama-I see some strange things building for tonight. Biden and Richardson supporters may be helping push over the top.

2. Hillary Clinton- Hard to match. Bill didn't win this state either.

3. John Edwards- I hope I am wrong and he pulls the upset. If he can sneak by it will be huge for momentum.

But what do I know? Just a hunch after reading, watching and listening.

Railroad revisted. Short story.

Believe it or not, the railroad was actually functioning less than 10 years ago. I have a few friends that worked for the North Coast Railroad Authority. One of my buddies was the last engineer who took product in the form of 16 cars southbound on February 11th 1998 and was stranded at Island Mountain. (Just a few miles East of Garberville) He was told to abandon the cargo and head back to Alderpoint for pickup. Then the Federal Railroad Administration red tagged the North end of the line because of shoddy bookkeeping and reporting on the repair work by short line operator Railways Inc. According to my sources, it was not the yearly slide and riverbed issues that shut the line, they had to deal with that every year and 1998 was not that drastic of a change from other years. It was the shortfall of funds Railways Inc. had for repairs. At the time, now bankrupted Railways Inc was led by Director John Darling. In 1997 the rail was able to survive on a shoe string budget of 1 million dollars for repairs and upkeep. Railroad workers in 1998 worked for over a month with just the hope of a future paycheck. Over 8 million dollars was earmarked for the rail by FEMA but were not dispersed because of the book keeping issues. Darling passed blame on NCRA for their weak bookkeeping. (Darling was taken to court by railroad workers for past due wages a few years later.)

Anyways, too bad this was not all settled a long time ago. The further the years move along, the more doubtful it becomes for rail service to come back.