North Coast Night Lights: Holiday Magic
I’m used to odd things. I especially love when they visit me during the holidays, those special times when people want to do good things, and odd things find a welcome home. These times bring out the magical things; one doesn’t usually find Santa or the elves or Easter bunnies running about outside of their…
Five Things to Know About Microgrids
More than 1 million Californians were left in the dark for days recently as their big utility companies shut off power for fear of sparking wildfires. Frustrated by those outages, some homeowners say they’d like to turn their backs on the companies in favor of smaller providers who might do a better job of keeping…
Arcata House to Provide Hot Meals, Needs Some Help to Do So
The Arcata House Partnership will be hosting meal events during Christmas week to help folks in need of a hot meal during the holiday season. Meals will be available from noon to 3 p.m. at the nonprofit’s Ninth Street annex Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. In addition to lending a helping hand, the partnership is…
Crab Season to Start Dec. 31
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today the news so many have been waiting to hear: The commercial crab season for Humboldt County will start Dec. 31. After being delayed twice while waiting for the crab to fatten up a bit, fishermen can now begin setting gear in local waters on Dec. 28.…
Drivers Killed in Fatal Benbow Crash Identified
The California Highway Patrol today released the identity of the two drivers involved in yesterday’s fatal head-on collision in Benbow. Teiwaz Steenblock-Smith, 32, of Willow Creek and Jamie Mae Sanchez, 44, of Eureka died in the crash, as did two dogs. According to the CHP, Steenblock-Smith was driving northbound on U.S. Highway 101 around 9:20…
The 25 Days of Crustmas
There’s big excitement in the online crustacean nerd community. Alison Young, co-director of the California Academy of Sciences’ Citizen Science Program and Humboldt State alumnus, just invented the Twitter hashtag game #25DaysofCrustmas. The rules of the game are simple. Fellow nerds post a crustacean picture and/or interesting crustacean fact each day of December up to…
War is Over (If You Want It)
Despite what the shrieking dummkopfs in the right-wing media sphere might have you believe, there was only ever one war on Christmas on this continent and it happened during the 17th century. The aggressors in question were Massachusetts Puritans, offshoots of the Mayflower borne pilgrims, whom we were taught to venerate as schoolchildren as the…
Blackout Soup
Looking back on the Darkpocalypse of October 2019, I found my household was ill-prepared for this type of event, not to mention any greater potential disaster. Yes, it’s on my to-do list now to gather our supplies, stock appropriate emergency provisions and generally be more prepared. But here’s the thing: I’m fortunate to have this…
Happy Holidays from the O’Briens!
Dear Friends and Family, Once again it’s that time of year when I curl up with a glass of eggnog in front of the fire and share what our family has been up to. I know plenty of folks are keeping up with each other on Facebook and Instagram, but it just isn’t Christmas unless…
No Good Deed
Reviews 6UNDERGROUND. More than six years ago, I reviewed Pain & Gain (2013) and, in so doing, established that I will not, whether out of actual enjoyment or simple contrarianism, participate in the popular wholesale condemnation of Michael Bay movies. I find much of his work arch and unenjoyable, but there are simple pleasures in…
The Ridgeline Force is Strong
The Emerald Cup — essentially the World Series of California cannabis — was held this past weekend and Humboldt County represented. Hard. Local farms and manufacturers fared well in a variety of categories, from butane hash oil to pre-rolled joints. But nowhere was Humboldt’s dominance more evident than in the best sun-grown flower category, which…
Actually Arcturus
Editor: I was looking back over the Gift Guide edition (Nov. 28) this evening, and read the lovely piece by David Wilson called “Lost in Space,” with a photograph looking toward Trinidad. The caption of the photo speaks to the enhancement of the Big Dipper and a star identified as Polaris. It appears that the…
Evolution Isn’t Progress!
Evolution is not progress: There’s no goal, no purpose, no plan, no direction. Easy to say, hard to believe. We humans are the last to see the randomness of evolution because we think we’re special. As the late anthropologist Ruth Benedict said, “Fish are the last to see the water.” True, humans have qualities possessed…
Winter Sun
grotesque El Greco oaks sprawl this quieted land. Fall does not taper into winter here; but ends abruptly, like a clock struck, the sun pending like the last apple of autumn. M. Taylor
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The English word “hubris” means prideful, exaggerated self-assurance. In the HBO TV series Rome, the ancient Roman politician and general Mark Antony says to his boss Julius Caesar, “I’m glad you’re so confident. Some would call it hubris.” Caesar has a snappy comeback: “It’s only hubris if I fail.” I’m tempted…
