That juggernaut called the holidays has arrived and so, whether we like it or not, most of the bounty of our evening’s public pleasures have been displaced in its rampaging wake. Many of you are out of town and/or neck-deep in some family indulgence, which might seem somewhere between a chore and a court order. […]
Section Feature
Posted inArts + Scene
Liberation through Cultivation
As the cultivation of cannabis transitions from illegal backwoods growing to a multi-million-dollar industry, some wonder: 1. Can we slow, if not stop, the inevitable corporate takeover of weed? 2. Can cannabis be cultivated in a way that is beneficial both for the earth and for the people who have historically produced it? According to […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Sticking to the Story
The Mule Reviews THE MULE. Because he works so much — with no indication of flagging now — Clint Eastwood’s name comes up a lot in this column. I’ll spare everyone the dull recitation of his recent resume and simply say I’ve found his directorial output of the last decade equally confounding and revelatory. There […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Collaboration for Conservation
The city of Arcata and Humboldt State University are on the cusp of closing escrow on a land purchase aimed at simultaneously preserving forest land in the Jacoby Creek watershed and opening up new learning opportunities for students from eight departments. The purchase of 884 acres of forest land east of campus — tucked between […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Eight Tree Myths
I recently — and rashly — accepted an invitation to co-teach a class on trees, bowing to the old saw about learning by teaching. Fortunately, my co-teachers kept me honest and I was able to capitalize on my ignorance. Turned out some of my “facts” weren’t. Like the following: Wood from “hardwood” trees is always […]
Posted inEat + Drink
‘Tis the Season for Tamales
Even though tamales can be found and eaten year-round, it’s the tamales at Christmas that are rooted in the Mexican holiday tradition. Food anthropologist Mario Montano, a professor at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, told me in an interview a few years back that tamales originated from the Aztecs. “When Hernan Cortes arrived in Veracruz, […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Marine Life Diversity
My imaginary friend heard me call him a wacky conspiracy theorist. But he’s a good imaginary friend so we had a long heart-to-heart. I suggested that his critical thinking could be better if he had more diversity and inclusion among his own imaginary friends. But before replacing his group of imaginary middle-aged white guys with […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Our Town
The plein-air paintings in the All Things Arcata exhibition hold up a mirror to the city of Arcata, and the city looks good in this light. There can’t have been many occasions on which the streetscapes of a town of 18,000 have been so lovingly, meticulously documented. In plein-air (“open-air”) painting, popularized by the Impressionists’ […]
Posted inArt Walks + Festivals
Arts! Arcata
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at locations in Arcata. Visit www.arcatamainstreet.com, Arts! Arcata on Facebook, or call 707-822-4500 for more information. ALCHEMY DISTILLERY 330 S G ST. Handiwork by The Humboldt Knitters. ARCATA ARTISANS 883 H St. Annual Members Show, new works by members featuring hot […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1930, some British mystery writers formed a club to provide each other with artistic support and conviviality. They swore an oath to write their stories so that solving crimes happened solely through the wits of their fictional detectives and not through “Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery or Act […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Better Together
On this week’s cover, you’ll find an expansive story that spills more than 4,500 words trying to explain Humboldt County’s housing shortage and what it means. It’s the product of months of work by dozens of people and, frankly, nothing we could have taken on ourselves. The story was put together by students in Marcy […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Space Force
As a Brit, I’m a sucker for a good pantomime and this year’s offering at the Arcata Playhouse is up there with the best. Robin Hood – Knight of the Stars: A Space-Capade is a space-capade of the highest comedic order. It has everything a good panto should — a ludicrously over-costumed and over-made up […]