Downticket
The local and state initiatives on the Nov. 4 ballot — first of a three-part series
Cover Story
Downticket
The North Coast Journal has declared total war against the Nov. 4 election, and with this edition we initiate our massive, three-issue assault on the various issues and personalities therein. We’re going to get out there and wrestle this baby to the ground for you. We start with the most difficult assignment: Statewide and local…
Mann Show
Who heard the debut of KHSU’s new Tuesday night politico-economic chat show — Mann Up! With Paul Mann , as it isn’t called? Thoughts? Me, I was only able to catch bits and pieces, but I liked it well enough. The subject was the global economic shitstorm, which Mann tried valiantly to localize. The guest…
Can you hear me now?
Neighbors of Eureka church protest planned cell tower A couple dozen picket sign-packing protesters lined the 200 block of Harris St. Friday, expressing their civic outrage over a proposed cell phone tower set to rise from the grounds of the Apostolic Faith Church that occupies the block. The church pastor allegedly requested the tower from…
Toyon extends deadline to Halloween
Toyon This just in from Jim Dodge , one of our favorite local authors and faculty advisor for Humboldt State’s literary magazine, Toyon . Because of a discrepancy between public postings and an old website, TOYON , Humboldt State University’s Journal of Art and Writing, has extended the deadline for the 2009 volume to Friday,…
Who would Jesus vote for?
Is this what Jesus looked like? The guys in Everclear don’t actually say who they think Jesus would vote for, but their new song is called “Jesus Was a Democrat,” and they say, “he wouldn’t vote for John McCain.” By the way, they’re giving the song away for free. “Jesus Was a Democrat” Jesus Christ…
Ask Your Neighbor
Underground instrumentalist Phil Spirito has journeyed from one obscure band to another. His membership with rex brought him together with Chicago-based band, Red Red Meat, many of whose members — including leader Tim Rutilli, Ben Massarella and Brian Deck — would later form Califone. The mixture of these two bands would result in an interesting…
Let’s Talk Park
Editor: As a property and homeowner in southern Humboldt County, I feel it is unfair to the neighbors of the Southern Humboldt Community Park not to have public input about using the park as a concert venue (“The Hum,” Oct. 2). The Community Park has been holding events and concerts at the park for years,…
Kraftwerk and The Electronic Revolution
Kraftwerk is a tough band to cover in a documentary because the scope of their influence on modern music is so wide that it’s nearly impossible to grasp, and their discography is so multidimensional that something is bound to be left out. A comprehensive and interesting history on the band seems like a difficult task,…
Celluloid Pride
Editor: I am tired of our local film critics always bashing a film made locally because it is not “true” to us (“Filmland,” Oct. 2). No film is true to anything unless it’s a documentary (and most times that is suspect). We have had bad films made here (Jezebel’s Kiss, Jennifer 8) and good films…
So, What’s Your Story?
I was sitting in a room with 50 other volunteers in Chico two weeks ago. I had driven six hours and given up a beautiful fall weekend to be there. The question before us was, why were we there? What was our personal story? Why is this election more important than others? In smaller groups,…
Hidden Biodiversity
In the coastal forests of Northern California, the most abundant vertebrates are amphibians such as salamanders and frogs. "Abundance" refers to the total number of animals in a given area, but Northern California is also home to a rich diversity of amphibian species. With around 30 species of amphibians inhabiting the area, one might think…
Ill Bill
Thursday’s Ill Bill hip hop show at Mazzotti’s on the Plaza was a complete "brodeo." What is a brodeo? A brodeo is an event where men bro down, or bro out. Basically, the audience was almost entirely composed of dudes (which I don’t really consider to be a great representation of humankind). At one point,…
The Cows of Humboldt County
are gently nibbling the tasty green of their…
Arms and the Child
The Arcata and Eureka Youth Protection Acts — measures F and J, respectively — aim to keep military recruiters from targeting minors: "Stop Recruiting Kids!" demands the website for the citizen initiatives (stoprecruitingkids.org). In order to defend the defenseless from the nation’s defenders, the acts must first face the voters. If they win that battle,…
Whither the Factory Farm?
Proposition 2, "The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act," would require farmers to provide cages roomy enough for veal calves, egg-laying hens and pregnant pigs to easily stand up, lie down, extend their limbs and turn around. Proponents of the initiative — including the Humane Society, the Center for Food Safety and the Sierra Club…
Popping the Question
Expect a pitched battle in the weeks to come as proponents and opponents of Proposition 8 roll out TV ads and debate whether or not this simple phrase — "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California" — should be inserted into the state’s constitution. In a sense the…
Mad Props
Prop 1A: Not Our Train The "Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act" aims to throw a whole lot of money at the California railroad system. The legislature, which put this measure on the ballot, is asking voters to approve almost $10 billion in new state bonds, 90 percent of which would be spent building…
Fable, Western, Comedy
Previews Opening Friday, Oct. 10 is The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley as the Duchess of Devonshire. Set in the 18th century, the film co-stars Ralph Fiennes and Charlotte Rampling. Rated PG-13. 110m. At the Broadway. Adapted from the spy novel by David Ignatius, Body of Lies stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a journalist trying to penetrate…
The Resonance of Objects
Their record company, Matador, refers to them as a “nomadic duo” and notes that Nathan “Naybob” Shineywater and Rachael Hughes, aka Brightblack Morning Light, are “currently living in rural New Mexico” (judging from the photo supplied, somewhere out in the desert). More immediately, Brightblack is in greener climes, on their way south out of Oregon…
Tax Time
Even in the best of times, local governments in California have to scramble for funding. They live at the mercy of Sacramento, which has historically swooped in and snatched their money whenever it felt a need. And they are straightjacketed by 1978’s Proposition 13, which drastically narrowed their options for raising their own revenue. But…
Beyond Measure
There has been a shift In the way Americans think about food over the past two decades, a change in tone. At first, only pinpricks of awareness, then — as water doesn’t become viscous on its way to becoming ice — a sudden consciousness that we need to change the way we eat. True, this…
Naked Eloquence
Art doesn’t come out of a vacuum. It comes from influences, inspiration and experience of those who came before, of those who are your contemporaries. California-based photographer Edward Henry Weston was no exception. Born in Highland Park, Ill., in 1886, Weston received his first camera when he was 16. Only a year later, his photographs…
Second Friday Arts! Arcata
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at more than 30 participating locations in Arcata. Visit www.artsarcata.com for even more information about the event or call 822-4500. 1. East Side Deli and Market 420 California St. 2. Big Pete’s Pizza 1435 G St. 5. Hempsown 1101 H…
A Book For Us
Those of us who garden on California’s North Coast tend to live in a state of denial about the fact that we are actually gardening in the Pacific Northwest. We like to think of ourselves as California gardeners. You know, California. Santa Barbara. Monterey. That sort of thing. But the fact is that we have…
Not a Victim
Editor: It should be quite clear to you now that your recent decision to publish the names of Humboldt County CCW holders was not as well received as you may have anticipated (“Pistol Packing People,” Sept. 25). While the article itself was well written and portrayed CCW holders in a generally positive way, the publishing…
