Cover Story
Treacherous Maw
It’s a calm, blue-sky day out here on the north jetty — the sort of day when the sun’s heat actually reaches the skin. The wind is slight. The ocean’s a quiet rumple in the Humboldt Bay entrance channel, between here and the south jetty — moving just enough to elicit languid dingding-dingdinging from a…
From the Hum: Out With the Old, Baby!
Whether you loved it or hated it, see 2013 out in style. Choices are plentiful. Here are three highlights to help you plan your good time. Absynth Quintet “The Freshmaker” Live @ Arcata Theater Lounge – Arcata California from Chad Johnson on Vimeo. NYE option #1: Male models promise ‘massive ball drop’ Forgive me the…
From the Hum: Funk and Jazz on a Monday Night
Why not dance your pants off on a Monday night? As per usual, The Getdown, hosted by DJ Rickshaw, Brian Swizlo and Pete Ciotti delivers an all-star lineup of HumCo funk for your body-moving pleasure. The magic begins at 7 p.m. For something a little more chill, drop into the Ultra Secret Good Guys Organization…
From the Hum: Saturday Night (and Day) Action
Here’s a fun show: Lizzy and the Moonbeams bring their version of speakeasy blues – with a touch of swing – into the Logger Bar. How perfect does that sound? Exactly. Music starts 9 p.m., show is free. Maybe you need something that starts a little earlier? A gig you can take the children to?…
From the Hum: Tart & Sweet
Keeping up with Chris Parreira’s various projects is no easy task. What is simple fact, however, is this: they’re all good. Whether getting raucous with The Trouble or lovely with The Lonesome Roses or bringing other artists to town, Parreira is a sure bet. Start your night early – 6 p.m. – and catch him…
Go Pig or Go Home
The Kahlua Pig Fries at Banana Hut are not an appetizer unless you dine with a small regiment ($8.99). The platter of french fries smothered in pulled slow-roasted pork with gravy, melted cheese and green onions is the sort of dish that could only come from a culture that once worshipped volcanoes. You will need…
From the Hum: You Survived, Now Go Out and Get Your Party On
Unless you’re one of those insane shopping types, you might think the day after Christmas calls for rest and recovery. You would be wrong. Here are three choices to encourage you to get yourself out of the house – you deserve a break by this point, right? 1. If reggae is your beat, Selectas T…
Google Glass Hits Humboldt
Hey readers: What’s the best thing that Google Glass technology could do for Humboldt? The scariest? The technology is not available to consumers yet — and no release date has been announced — but if you’re dying to wrap a pair of these Geordi-cum-Robocop techno-specs, they’re going on ebay for around $1,999.
Sunshine and Calm = Sneaker Waves.
Here on the Humboldt edge of the world, Christmas Day and the day after promise to be filled with sunshiny sparkle and gentle breezes. To the beach, the wonderful beach! Yes, by all means, go, enjoy. But, before you go, you should do something that could save your life and that of others: Read the sneaker wave…
NCJ Writers’ Favorite Christmas Movies
There are hundreds of Christmas movies to choose from and selecting the right one can be the daunting task that finally tips you over the edge into Christmas craziness. We’ve all been there. One second you’re browsing your DVD shelf and the next you’re on a fifth-story ledge with Miracle on 34th Street in one hand…
Everlast’s Back-to-Back Shows
You know him. If House of Pains’ “Jump Around” or his solo effort “What it’s Like” came on a jukebox right now, you would sing along (assuming you’re somewhere with a jukebox). Everlast (AKA Whitey Ford) has been absent from the major music scene for a decade or so, but he’s back! Last night, Fri.…
Barred Owl Killing Has Begun
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s experimental barred-owl demolition — er, reduction — to save the northern spotted owl has begun, reports Jeff Barnard with the Associated Press. So far, 26 members of the species Strix varia have been blammoed out in Hoopa. And many more are targeted. The Hoopa site is one of four sites in…
Pay for Graves
Question: That fiver burning a hole in your pocket (or wiggling to get out of your just-spend-it card): Do you really have the best plan for it? Coffee is so everyday. Happy hour, yeah, whatever, that’s what the other bills and credits are for. No, where you’re gonna march that itchy five bucks is to…
Humboldt Baykeeper Lands New Digs at The Link in Arcata
Local environmental nonprofit Humboldt Baykeeper, which has fallen on tough times financially this year, has found a new home inside “The Link” office building in Arcata (formerly home to Yakima). As the logo collage above attests, The Link has become a hip HQ for local leftie causes and small businesses. Here’s the press release: Greetings, Effective…
From the Hum: Humboldt’s Sexiest Honky Tonk Band, Old Skool DJ Action, Hot Hip-Hop
Get your sexy on At this point in the week, you need to move your body, shake off the work week and get ready to embrace the forthcoming holiday experience. Two shows are primed to help you do just that. First up, the ever-charismatic Rooster McClintock bring the best honky-tonk in Humboldt to the Central…
Films of Christmas Past
Everybody has a favorite Christmas movie. What’s flashing in your mind right now — Jimmy Stewart? A leg-shaped lamp? Will Ferrell in tights? See Scrooge, the granddaddy of them all on the big screen at the North Coast Repertory Theatre on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ($5). The 1934 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol…
Happy Birthday, North Coast Marine Protected Areas
Journal correspondent Jennifer Savage sends us this friendly reminder that today, Dec. 19, is the first-year anniversary of our North Coast Marine Protected Areas, part of a statewide network of underground “parks” where a variety of protections aim to conserve habitats, critters, fish, plants and cultural resources. The North Coast MPAs are in state waters…
From the Hum: Fulks is a gas, girls are badass, a little sweet bluegrass
Singer-songwriter delight Chicago singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks makes a rare West Coast appearance at the Arcata Playhouse. Intimate, yet roomy; sophisticated, yet never uptight; with great sound and wonderful people, the Playhouse is one of Humboldt’s top venues. And Fulks is a fascinating performer, with live performances that feature improvised rearrangements of his original songs, off-the-cuff…
Fire Beats Paper
Reviews THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG. I’m as shocked as anyone else that I legitimately enjoyed this second installment in Peter Jackson’s tripartite adaptation of the Tolkien novel. An Unexpected Journey managed to both leave me cold and stoke the fires of my indignation. But where it felt meandering, dull and largely pointless, Smaug…
Bail Water
Editor: I am sure many of you are as surprised as I am to hear about Humboldt Baykeeper’s financial troubles and that it is being forced to dramatically downsize (“Rough Waters,” Dec. 12). Unfortunately, this news illustrates exactly the point that I have been speaking of through various local media channels: We, as a community,…
Not a Partisan Issue
Editor: I would like to commend the North Coast Journal and Charles Ornstein for his article in your most recent issue (“Rate Hikes Hidden in California’s Glowing Obamacare Reviews”). The truth about the many problems and misleading facts about the Affordable Care Act, especially its impact on California, is coming out. People tend to get…
Chad’s Causatum
Editor: Mitch Trachtenberg’s article (“Accountable,” Dec. 5) reminds us of the importance and the substantial progress made in establishing accountability and transparency in vote counting. We should all be grateful for the fine work of the Voter Transparency Project and specifically Trachtenberg’s contribution and Carolyn Crnich’s willingness to incorporate this crucial program. And I would…
Correction
Last week’s story “Rough Waters” incorrectly said Humboldt Baykeeper’s financial troubles include debt. The Journal regrets the error.
Giving Notice
If you do not notice the rain-slicked chickens or the wheelbarrow, once bright red, now rusted through with a constellation of holes, do not despair. Yes, so much depends upon your rapt attention, but if for an afternoon the tree remains just tree, the bird just bird, will the world notice? Will those asleep to…
Third Friday McKinleyville Arts Night
Presented by members of the McKinleyville business community and is open for all McKinleyville businesses to display the work of local artists. Receptions for artists, exhibits and/or performances are from 6-8 p.m. on the third Friday of each month. Call (707) 834-6460 or visit www.mckinleyvilleartsnight.com for more information. CALIFORNIA REDWOOD COAST-HUMBOLDT COUNTY AIRPORT 3561 Boeing…
Holiday Gift Guide
The last of five installments of the most wonderful gifts to be found in HumCo. Click here to see it all.
No Growth
We lost the Emerald Cup. Not just the competition but the whole event. Last year, for the first time, the annual Emerald Cup Competition and Exposition was held here in Humboldt County, and since it launched a decade ago the event had never been held outside the Emerald Triangle — until last weekend. This year,…
Jump Around
We’ve reached that time of year when live music options briefly wind down. It’s a bit of a shame, since we have also arrived at that time of year when the nights are at their longest. But before you resign yourself to: a.) once again going through your entire Seinfeld DVD collection because Christmas sucks…
Wintery Booze
The official start of winter is days away, but the brutally low temperatures aren’t waiting for the solstice. That deep chill has set in, and fingers, toes and noses are feeling it. You can bundle up in mittens, coats, scarves or those weird half-face mask things to stave off the cold momentarily, but sometimes you…
Einstein, Newton and the Eclipse of 1919
This is the tale of the high-stakes test of scientific theories that made headlines around the world nearly 100 years ago in the aftermath of World War I, linking the lives of two pacifists on opposing sides of the conflict: German-born theoretician Albert Einstein and English astronomer Arthur Eddington. Einstein, already famous for his groundbreaking…
Everybody Relax
Hey McGuinty! I have several friends I’d like to have over for dinner to celebrate a big group achievement. One is vegetarian, one is gluten free due to celiac, one will eat anything and one is following the paleo diet. I’m completely lost as to what to serve. I want to accommodate everybody but can’t…
Competition Gets Ugly
The ugly sweater party might seem like it’s here to stay, but that’s what everybody thought about fondue parties and roller limbo. Tastes change, as evidenced by the fact that people once wore (and, in remote pockets of the country, still wear) these woven holiday atrocities in earnest. If you have a legitimately hideous sweater,…
