Cover Story
EL PULPO MECANICO
The amazing, blazing El Pulpo Mecanico is taking the world by storm. An animated, two-story-tall, fire-spewing mechanical octopus, the sculpture has become perhaps the most famous work by Humboldt County’s best-known artist, but few locally have ever seen Duane Flatmo’s piece in action. Built specifically for the Burning Man festival in 2011, El Pulpo —…
Anchors Aweigh!
The North Coast has a new TV news program. Back in spring the Journal caught wind that KRCR out of Redding was launching a news program to rival our local NBC affiliates at KIEM. The news program, which debuted yesterday at 6 p.m., apparently (although they have web content dating back to Sunday), will air…
AHHA Talks Housing for the Homeless
Every folding chair was filled at the Eureka Women’s Club last Saturday as politicians, activists, community organizers and concerned citizens gathered for the Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives Forum. The forum, which was coordinated by AHHA (Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives), featured a presentation on creating alternative housing villages followed by workshops and a call to action. Andrew…
HSU’s New Big Cop on Campus
Humboldt State University reached all the way across the nation to pluck its new chief of police, Donn G. Peterson, a major in the Broward County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, who will begin at HSU in January. According to the HSU Lumberjack, Peterson was appointed the position but still needs to pass a background check. Current…
Knee Therapy
Editor: In the last 10 years, I’ve bicycled a little over 15,000 miles, all of it inside the city limits here in Eureka. I do prefer to ride on the streets (“Mailbox,” Oct. 30). Sidewalks have a lot of hazards that one doesn’t face on the streets (like blackberry vines sticking out at eye level…
Autumn colors year-round:
Though I’m usually attracted to cooler colors in the garden like blues, purples and silvers, there is something about the fiery tones of fall which make me appreciate the warm browns, rich oranges and bright yellowy golds which make up the autumn palette. Pumpkins and apples, fallen leaves and exfoliating brown bark; if the colors…
Space Age
Reviews BIG HERO 6. If the movie were more captivating, with a story that rose occasionally above boiler-plate predictability, I might not have been so distracted by the 2-year-old tirelessly running and screaming in the front row. But Big Hero 6 wasn’t enough. In nearish-future San Fransokyo — a thinly veiled San Francisco where everybody…
‘Daddy, Why Are They Called Turkey Bags?’
Well, son, you have to go back a spell, but time was, folks didn’t gather around the widescreen this time of year to sink their teeth into a plate of fair trade Tofurkey. Believe it or not, our primitive forebears actually used to eat the flesh of dead animals known as “turkeys,” which were a…
Pigmented Memories
Drunken mobs and brass bands heave with sound and excitement. A matador is hooked in the armpit, his jacket torn open. Three horses drag a dead bull across the dirt. In 1965, painter Peter Holbrook sat in the stands at a Mexico City bullfight, taking photos and reeling at the spectacle. His memory of the…
Arts Arcata
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at more than 30 participating locations. For more information, visit www.artsarcata.com or call (707) 822-4500. ARCATA ARTISANS 883 H St. “Artist Collective,” Susan Bornstein, paintings; Libby George, prints; Candy Miller, polymer clay. ARCATA EXCHANGE 813 H St. Painting group, mixed media.…
Legalized It
Head north from Humboldt County and, after about two hours, you’re now pretty much able to spark up all the way to the North Pole. Voters chose on Nov. 4 to legalize marijuana in Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia, joining Colorado and Washington in the inevitable swing toward decriminalization. In Oregon and Alaska,…
Flaming Octopi
When I was a kid, my grandmother called me, my brother and his friends into the kitchen to peer into a boiling pot. In it was an octopus, turning purple and curling up its arms, the flopped head ballooning with heat. Behind us came a loud thump and we turned to see my brother’s friend…
Your Excuses Are No Good
The biggest problem we have this week, dear friends, is how to justify not attending everything — you could go out night after event-filled night and still find yourself FOMOing over what you missed and saying sorry to friends for not being able to do it all. (Please accept my apology in advance.) Thursday: Adjective-laden…
Immersion
At their confluence, the waters roiled and rebelled at having to shed their former selves, so placid and alone. The tumultuous tryst yielded only to grassy banks that guided and contained the thrashing, which swept along all creatures scaly and slimy, without mercy — a vengeance exacted for the concession. Whether from distance or habit,…
Election Wrap Up
Surrounded by supporters in the backroom of the Sea Grill after the first ballot tallies were released on election night, incumbent Eureka City Councilman Mike Newman said he was “guardedly optimistic” about his 14-point lead over challenger Kim Bergel. By the time the final tallies were released late that night, Newman’s lead had dwindled to…
Investigate the Power
Editor: Thank you for your reporting on an abominable situation (“Former Sheriff’s Sgt. Charged with On-Duty Rape,” Oct. 23). It horrified me to learn that a former Humboldt County Sheriff’s Deputy has been charged with rape and sexual battery, while on duty. If this is true, this means he used his position of considerable power,…
A Better Way
Editor: Mr. Scott-Goforth, nicely written, thank you (“Sewing a Shroud,” Nov. 6). I shared the opinion to preserve life at all costs until I experienced my wife’s passing, her struggle and my stress. There has to be a better way. Jim Pell, Eureka Editor: Thanks for the story about Dr. Fratkin’s efforts to transform how…
Thank you, Mr. Arkley
Editor: I would like to thank Mr. Arkley for having the foresight to purchase the Dog Ranch almost a decade ago (“Arkley’s Dog Ranch on the Market,” Nov. 6). His ownership has kept it safe from the misconception that restoration of coastal dune habitat means stripping it of vegetation, promoting erosion, filling wetlands and killing…
Transition Works
Editor: Thank you for illuminating the issue of homeless people in Humboldt (“It’s Time for an Opportunity Village,” Nov. 6). I am saddened that Melinda Ciarabellini is more inclined to take the advice of high-paid out of town consultants than recognize the realities on the ground that she sees with her own eyes. The real…
Dude, Where’s My Fest?
The leaves have turned, the air is crisp and the animals are stocking up. That’s right, it’s time once again for Hemp Fest. The 24th annual celebration of the wild and the weedy runs Friday, Nov. 14 through Sunday, Nov. 16 at the Mateel Community Center. Has it been 24 years? Well, how’s your memory?…
