Humboldt Sentinel

For the curiously aware of Humboldt County…

By Skippy Massey
Humboldt Sentinel

SNIPPETS, RUMORS, HEARSAY MURMURS, AND THE LINKS:

THE MEDICAL POT BUSINESS CO-OP:  There have been so many marijuana busts lately one doesn’t know what to think. Does Humboldt County supply half the country in weed? It seems that way.  Having more than its fair share of problems with arrests, massive seizures, structure fires, diesel spills, rip-offs and home invasions, one wonders if the entire county is criminally going to pot.

Too many people, too many problems.  Which is why we can appreciate the Tea House marijuana growers collective. Originally called the Thanksgiving House, their name was shortened to T-House, and then to Tea House. What a long journey they’ve had from the past to the present day.

From the Tea House Collective history:

As The Back to the Land Movement of the late 1960s brought young idealistic people to Humboldt, they dug in to grow their own food, build their own shelters, and begin an experiment in self-sufficiency and sustainability. As part of their self-sufficiency they grew their own medicine, healing herbs that included cannabis as a medicine for both body and mind. Their challenge to themselves led to one of the longest lasting experiments in civil disobedience in American history. With the passage of Proposition 215, Humboldt’s persistence and creativity created the foundation for the emerging medical cannabis industry. What a long, strange trip it’s been!

Indeed. But we called it pot, not medicine, back then.

Using family farms, organic and sustainable methods, and a better than average business conscience, the Tea House grows medical marijuana the right way: legally. Complying with the law, filling out the forms, and paying their taxes, they’re bringing agricultural ‘farm revenues’ to Humboldt. Staying above the illicit fray, the Tea House Collective represents the new breed of American farmer toiling in the open sunshine and working the land.

A far cry from the moonshiners of yore and the clandestine black market growers of today, you can see for yourself the Tea House webpage and their astounding collective of 21 Humboldt farms producing an equal number of exotic strains for sale.  During the past 40 years Humboldt’s horticultural breeders and growers developed the region’s most notorious and famous export–marijuana–  that is known throughout the world. The Tea House represents a cooperatively unique and different way of doing that business today.

In the Collective’s own words,

Our cannabis is grown naturally and slowly in the sun, with a loving, conscious attention to our environment. It is never artificially manufactured in warehouses….

Sustainable cannabis is grown outdoors, strictly avoiding energy intensive, high carbon footprint methods. We care about the health of Humboldt’s precious watersheds, and avoid fertilization techniques that affect ground and stream water, and conserve every drop we can for salmon and wildlife.

We unite small family farmers of Humboldt’s best medical cannabis with patients concerned about the safety and purity of their medicine as well as the health of their environment. We actively support education and incentives for sustainable farming.

Humboldt is internationally famous for breeding and cultivating the finest herbal medicine in the world. Expert growers in our unique micro climate have created heirloom seed strains and innovative cross breeds, bred for potency and efficacy. As medical cannabis ‘comes out of the closet’, we are proud to say our growers represent the best of Humboldt’s long history of both cannabis and environmental activism.

The Tea House growers have chosen to do things properly by staying statutorily within California law while using environmentally sound methods.  Looking after business, the environment, and their families, the Tea House Collective may very well be Humboldt and the nation’s model for marijuana’s future. Just keep it away from the kids.

It has been a long, strange trip from 1969 to 2012. This is for you, Tea House families.

MORE WEED:  Now let’s take a journey to the Emerald Triangle seeing another side. When Humboldt County Sheriff Officer Hansen resignedly says marijuana should just be legalized, you know something’s got to give.

WHY WE LOVE HUMBOLDT: Hippie child Ben, strange people and their melodies, space cadets, and, of course, the outdoor scenery. Only 120 days until summer, folks.

AN AMAZING PLANET STILL HAS ITS DISCOVERIES:  A species of chameleon amazingly small enough to easily perch on a match head has recently been discovered on a tiny island off Madagascar.  It’s a beautiful planet and small wonders never cease to amaze us.

LOOSE NUKES AND MORE WAR?  John Hardin’s blog brings us some whacked out, far-fetched conclusions with a good dose of humor that only he can pull off. OK, Ketchup-flavored potato chips is one a few could stomach and ‘The Founding Fascists’ was a bit of a stretch.

But come on now, John. Pakistan carting around its nukes in unsecured Econoline delivery vans? To safeguard them from being stolen by… us? That’s quite a wild story, don’t you think? So, somewhere on a highway, around, say, Karachi, is the world’s most dangerous 1-800-FLOWERS delivery van filled with a nuclear bomb or two or three and driving merrily down the road, John?

Quit pulling our leg. You know we’re smarter than that.  What would you have us believe next?

Oops, uh-oh, and d’oh. There’s a problem. A big one, Dear Reader.

Looking into this nuke-doom wild flight of a fancy tale a bit more, we discovered Mr. Hardin was right. Not only once, but twice. Good Lord, it was even reported by the Atlantic Monthly. That’s it; we’re simply doomed as a species– there’s no hope. But, hey,  thanks for bringing the Ford ‘Econolines of Doom’ to our attention, John, and brightening our day as you usually do. We’re sure Harvey Harper and Henry Ford would have been amused. ‘Built Ford Tough’ brings on a whole new meaning for the nuclear age.

Now, let’s move on from Pakistan to… oh say,  bombing Iran. Iran has been a sore point lately, in case you hadn’t noticed.  Conservative war hawks, politicos, and presidential candidates have been hammering on us to bomb Iran for some time now. We’ll have to put that on our to-do list.  There’s just no end to the military and foreign interventions we can have when we put our mind and businesses to it.

All Along the Watchtower is for those who’ve forgotten our past.  We have this one, too,  if you really need to remember. Need more? Paint it Black, friends, and remember our not-so-long-ago history of such affairs.

BRIGHT LIGHTS AND APPS: Kids grow up fast and smart these days. We told you in our last piece on GMOs about 11-year old Birke Baehr’s presentation …and then we found another smart kid to tell you about.

Thomas Suarez is a 6th grade student at a middle school in the South Bay of Los Angeles. Fascinated by computers and technology since kindergarten, Thomas developed two applications for the iPhone and started his own company, Carrot Corporation. Don’t ask us why, we don’t know. We guess he really likes carrots.

When Apple released the Software Development Kit (SDK), Thomas began to create and sell his own applications. He pointed out it’s hard to learn how to make an app on your own.

“For soccer you could go to a soccer team … but what if you want to make an app?  How do you learn that?  Teachers only know so much, ” Thomas said. So he started a club at school for fellow students where he shares his knowledge of programming.  The students, in turn, teach the teachers.

Thomas explained that students are a valuable new technology resource for teachers– and students should be empowered not only to offer assistance in developing the technology curriculum but to help in delivering the lessons. Learning programming was good, his apps were kinda cool, but Thomas’s idea of developing apps for his school district to freely use– and then selling them to other districts– is brilliant, we believe, especially for an 11-year old.  After all, what were you doing when you were 11?

Can Thomas Suarez’s bright idea transfer over to Humboldt County schools? Decide for yourself after watching his short and articulate presentation here.

Check your kid. Sometimes they grow up just fine without problems, like Thomas. Sometimes they don’t.  Sometimes, like this video, The Kids Aren’t Alright.

HUMBOLDT HISTORY:  February marks the expulsion of the Chinese from Humboldt County in 1885. Eureka’s entire Chinese population of 300 men and 20 women were rounded up after a gunfight between rival Chinese gangs that resulted in the wounding of a 12 year old boy and the death of a Eureka City Councilman. After the shooting, an angry mob of 600 Eurekans met and then informed the Chinese that they were no longer wanted in Eureka and would be hanged if they were to stay in town longer than 3 p.m. the next day.

Chinese residents were told they had 24 hours to leave town and to assemble at a warehouse near the Eureka wharf for transport to San Francisco by steamship. A makeshift gallows was erected on Fourth Street at the edge of Eureka’s Chinatown.

Eureka’s Reverend C.A. Huntington gave this startling account of Charley Lum, one of his parishioners, on that infamous day:

In the afternoon about two o’clock Charley called at the parsonage on his way to the wharf. I was absent at the time but my wife and two daughters were there. Immediately our backyard was filled with an excited crowd of men and boys.

They gave a loud rap at the back door which was opened by Mrs. Huntington, and with a loud voice they inquired, “Where’s that Chinaman?” She said, “Charley is here on his way to the wharf; he barely called to say goodbye and ask the prayers of the family in his exile.”

“We want him now!” And they rushed in and seized him by his queue. Mrs. Huntington meanwhile pleading with them, “don’t hurt him; he’s a good boy and on his way to the warehouse.”

But they dragged him to the gallows, a hundred hoodlums following with jeers and insults.

Mr. Huntington continued:

They took him to the gallows and put the noose around his neck in the presence of hundreds of people without a word of remonstrance from the police or anybody else until Rev. Mr. Rich of the Methodist church approached the scaffold and with stentorian voice said, “Boys, take that rope off that boy’s neck! If you hang him you’ll hang him over my dead body!”

The effect was like a clap of thunder. They dropped the rope, seized him by his queue and hauled him five blocks to the warehouse and herded him with the rest of his countrymen under guard.

I set off for the warehouse. As I passed the crowd near the gallows, a loud voice out of the crowd said, “Any man that sympathizes with a Chinaman ought to be hung, and I would like to hold the rope and help draw him up.”

I went to the warehouse and after a long parley with the guard I was allowed to pass in. I found Charley in a remote corner of the room crying, with his classmates around him.

As I gave him his things, he said, “ They scared me almost to death, Mr. Huntington.” I comforted him as best as I could… and left him with my prayers and benedictions.

The next morning they all embarked to San Francisco.

And for nearly 70 years with few exceptions, Humboldt County and its white citizenry kept all Asians out of the county. 

The Chinese expulsion from Eureka occurred 25 years after the Indian Island massacre in 1860– also in the month of February– when a small group of men sailed into Humboldt Bay, landed on Indian Island, and attacked an encampment of Wiyots. Many were killed, mostly women and children, butchered with knives and axes within earshot of Eureka’s residents.  Later, citizens expressed outrage but did nothing; the Indian Island massacre and other massacres carried out in nearby communities virtually exterminated the Wiyot tribe in the space of 48 hours.

GIVE PEAS A CHANCE:  War is like love, it always finds a way.  Antoine De Saint-Exupery, author of The Little Prince, said, “War is not an adventure.  It is a disease.  It is like typhus.” On that final note, keep it away from the kids. We said back in the day that war is not healthy for children and other living things. It’s still true.

We have so much more to offer.

THE WEEKEND CALENDAR:

Happenings, events, groups, walks, hip or rad stuff

Friday, February 17

Saturday, February 18

Sunday, February 19

Other entertainment can also be found here.

Movies, reviews, times and trailers are here.

Mark Your Calendars and Help:

Southern and Northern Humboldt County organizers will be joining the statewide coalition of 150 groups gathering 800,000 signatures for the ‘Right to Know’ GMO labeling effort starting February 21. Community members are invited to join together, meet other volunteers, watch a short film about the importance of labeling GMO foods, and receive signature gathering training, instructions, and petitions.

The Southern Humboldt branch will have a signature gathering workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 21, from 5 to 6 p.m. at Calico’s restaurant in Garberville. Call Rosa Rashall at #986-7469 for more information.

The Northern Humboldt group is hosting their signature gathering orientation at the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) on the Humboldt State University campus, 1 Harpst Street, in Arcata on Friday, February 25, at 5 p.m. The Northern Humboldt group also holds campaign initiative meetings every Sunday at 4 p.m. at Sun Yi’s Academy of Tae Kwon Do in Arcata. Call #707-223-0424 for more information.

For more details on the local campaign and how to participate, visit http://www.labelgmos.org/humboldt or find them on Facebook.

WORD

Jon Stewart said,

“We spend so much money on the military, yet we’re slashing education budgets throughout the country. No wonder we’ve got smart bombs and stupid children.”

New developments loom on the horizon for 2012

By Skippy Massey
Humboldt Sentinel

NO SURPRISE HERE: The United States lead the world in GMO (genetically modified organism) plantings with 170 million acres in 2012 that produced 95% of the nation’s sugar beets, 94% of the soybeans, 90% of the cotton and 88% of the feed corn, according to The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) and USA Today.

Worldwide, 395 million acres of farmland were planted in biotech crops in 2011, 30 million more than 2010.

The ISAAA report released February 7, 2012, said a record 16.7 million farmers in 29 countries growing biotech crops on 395 million acres represents a 94-fold increase planted since 1996, making “biotech crops the fastest adopted crop technology in recent history.”

The amount of land devoted to genetically engineered crops grew 8% last year, down from 10% growth in 2010. Nearly 90% of the global area planted to these crops was in just four countries – the US, Canada, Argentina, and Brazil. In contrast, less than 3% of cropland in India and China is planted almost exclusively in one crop – genetically modified cotton. Only two biotech crops are grown in the European Union: a tiny amount of its feed corn and just 245 acres of potatoes.

U.S. farmers and those in developing countries increased plantings of genetically modified crops around the globe in 2011, despite resistance from Europe and those who think such crops should carry special labels.

Genetically engineered food has had its DNA artificially altered with genes from other plants, animals, viruses, or bacteria, in order to produce foreign compounds creating desired traits in that food. Different than selective breeding or cloning, this genetic alteration is performed through experimental biotechnology and not found in nature.

BIOTECHNOLOGY’S GMO DEFENDERS AND DETRACTORS

AN INDUSTRY ADVOCATE and GMO supporter, Dr. Cathleen Enright is the Executive Vice President of Food and Agriculture for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).  In response to Tuesday’s ISAAA’s findings, Enright gave the company’s corporate line stating in a press release:

“This year’s ISAAA report further confirms what we have known all along:  that agricultural biotechnology is a key component in sustainable crop production. Biotechnology provides solutions for today’s farmers in the form of plants that yield more per acre, resist diseases and insect pests, and reduce farmers’ production costs, pesticide applications and on-farm fuel use.  History has taught us that embracing innovation and modern science can help us solve the world’s most pressing problems.  People who really want to combat hunger, to keep food costs affordable, to protect the environment and to mitigate climate change are adopting agricultural biotechnology and embracing the solutions that it provides.”

GMO advocates like Dr. Enright claim that genetic engineering boosts crop production and lowers costs. Currently the plants are often genetically modified to resist weed killers, diseases, or to generate their own insect repellent. Proponents such as Monsanto, the largest producer of GMO seeds, maintain fruits and vegetables last longer if they are genetically modified, can be stored longer and shipped farther without waste or spoilage, and be manipulated to be ‘more nutritious.’ Certain genetic modifications make plants less susceptible to common pests while drought, salt, frost and heat resistance are improved.

GMO critics, however, maintain companies like Monsanto merely desire to boost their own bottom line profits by developing these so-called ‘Frankenfoods’. Monsanto can sell more of the company’s products such as Roundup (an herbicide used in conjunction with, and specifically complementing, its ‘Roundup Ready’ GMO seeds) and control the global food supply using proprietary patents and selling its ‘terminator seeds’. Like hybrid seeds, terminator seeds saved by the farmer from a year’s previous crop will not reproduce or grow properly, forcing new seed sales from Monsanto every year. Monsanto has sued farmers who have complained that their fields were contaminated from cross-pollination by the company’s GMO plants.

Some believe GMO crops on the whole are systematically destroying food and seed biodiversity throughout the globe– and that Monsanto has been trying to monopolize the global seed market through its practices. Fears over these crops also include possible health concerns, worries about damage to traditional agricultural practices, and strong feelings that these bio-engineered foods are simply “unnatural.”

Critics point out  that government scientists have found the artificial insertion of DNA into host plants can increase the levels of known toxicants in foods, introduce new toxicants or allergens, and reduce the nutritional value of foods. The level of uncertainty surrounding the safety of genetically engineered foods has led the American Academy of Environmental Medicine to recommend that physicians prescribe a GMO-free diet to all their patients. Foods grown from genetically modified seeds have been observed to cause toxic and allergic reactions in animals consuming them, and longer term feeding studies found infertility, stunted growth, and high infant mortality in lab animals.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS: Salmon, Alfalfa, and More

TWO CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES for genetically engineered food loom on the horizon: the possibility that the Food and Drug Administration will approve in the coming year a farmed, engineered salmon species genetically designed to grow faster, and the re-introduction of genetically engineered alfalfa.

Massachusetts-based AquaBounty is seeking U.S. approval to market its engineered Atlantic salmon which contains a gene from another fish species, the Chinook salmon, to help it grow twice as fast as normal.  If approved by the FDA, it would be the first genetically altered animal for human consumption in the United States. Seeing genetically modified salmon as a potential solution to environmental concerns associated with salmon aquaculture, AquaBounty discounts fears the gene-altered salmon might accidentally escape into the wild and affect other fish because they will be sterile, all-female fish raised in land-based facilities.  AquaBounty is also developing “trout and tilapia designed to grow faster than their conventional siblings,” according to the company’s website.

Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter and two other consumer groups petitioned the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday to subject the new genetically engineered salmon to a more rigorous review process than is now in place before the fish can be approved as safe to eat.  They point out the way these salmon are created substantially alters their composition and nutritional value. AquaBounty’s own study showed that genetically engineered salmon may contain increased levels of a hormone linked to breast, colon, prostate and lung cancer.

Genetically engineered salmon is a new development. “Animals are different from plants. A genetically engineered animal is a whole different thing. Not having them labeled is disturbing,“ says Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for Consumers Union in Yonkers, N.Y.

Genetically modified alfalfa was banned after a lawsuit in 2007, but the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the ban in 2010. Opposition came in part from organic farmers, fearing that genetically modified alfalfa pollen could contaminate organic alfalfa fields, making it impossible for that alfalfa to be sold as organic and marketed as organic cow feed. “That will really threaten one of the core organic products, which is organic milk,” Halloran said. 

Mark McCaslin of Forage Genetics, which helped create the alfalfa seed with Monsanto, is looking towards the future. “About 10 to 20 percent of the seed planted this year will be Roundup Ready—probably about 5 million acres. If we look out five years ahead, it’s reasonable to expect that one third to one half of all alfalfa fields could be Roundup Ready,” McCaslin said.

Future GMO crops likely to be commercialized by 2015 include rice, eggplant, potatoes, and wheat. While industry advocates say drought resistant, nutritionally enhanced, and higher yield crops are expected in the near future, critics insist the industry has fallen short of these promises in the past.

Companies are also developing genetically modified farm animals, although none have been approved by the FDA. Proponents argue that faster growing, healthier, more nutritious and disease-resistant animals would help feed the world’s growing population, but many ethical, environmental and health questions remain unanswered.

SAVING AN INDUSTRY

MEANWHILE, genetically-engineered papayas recently went on sale in Japan, according to the Voice of America news. The newly introduced “Rainbow” papayas are the only gene-altered fruit on the market today in Japan, a country with strict laws regarding GMOs including a requirement that they be labeled as such – a rule that does not exist in the United States. The papaya’s arrival in Japan comes as advocates in the United States press the government to require labels on all GMO foods.

Released in 1998, the Rainbow papaya was developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist Dennis Gonsalves and colleagues who claim the Hawaii-grown papaya is the best in the world. “Go and taste it,” Gonsalves said.

But taste wasn’t the only reason Gonsalves developed it. In the 1990s, a ring spot virus ravaged Hawaii’s papaya groves leaving the industry bordering on collapse. They engineered the papaya’s genetic makeup to produce a small piece of the virus’s outer shell in its cells, triggering the plant’s immune system.

“It’s almost like a vaccination,” Gonsalves noted, “and just like vaccinated people, the genetically-engineered plants do not get sick with the virus,” he said. Gonsalves added the piece of virus won’t harm people because tests showed it breaks down in three seconds in the harsh environment of the human stomach.

“It virtually saved the papaya industry in Hawaii,” Gonsalves said, “So now, Rainbow papaya accounts for 80 percent of Hawaii’s papaya.”

According to Gonsalves and his colleagues, fighting the virus was only half the battle. They had to convince their biggest customer – Japan – that the fruit was safe to eat. It took more than a decade of tests before Japanese regulators were satisfied. The last hurdle was labeling. Japan requires that all GMOs be labeled. That’s also the law in the European Union and many other countries, but not in the United States.

Or in California, for that matter.  But that may change.

THE 2012 CALIFORNIA LABELING INITIATIVE

AN INITITIATIVE for the November 2012 ballot called the ‘California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act’ seeks to require labeling.

Not all Californian are convinced GMOs are either safe or ethical. While the debate over GMOs and their impacts rages on, polls indicate 80% of Californians want products with GMOs labeled as such.

Initiative supporters and consumers alike believe they have the right to know what’s in their food– and whether or not they want to eat it.

In the 150 countries around the world where labeling is required–including the European Union, Japan, Australia, Brazil, and China—GMO products are in less than 5% of the food in grocery stores. In the United States, a conservative estimate by the Grocery Manufacturers Association is that GMOs are in 80% or more of the processed food eaten every day. Currently, the only way to avoid GMOs is to buy exclusively organic products. Labeling would change this.

No matter where you are in California, initiative organizers say if you want to make labeling GMOs become a reality, you should visit the state organization’s website at labelgmos.org. and contact your local group about gathering signatures.

LOCAL EFFORTS IN HUMBOLDT

LOCALLY, Southern and Northern Humboldt County organizers will be joining the statewide coalition of 150 groups gathering 800,000 signatures for the ‘Right to Know’ GMO labeling effort starting February 21.  Community members are invited to join together, meet other volunteers, watch a short film about the importance of labeling GMO foods, and receive signature gathering training, instructions, and petitions.

The Southern Humboldt branch will have a signature gathering workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 21, from 5 to 6 p.m. at Calico’s restaurant in Garberville. Call Rosa Rashall at #986-7469 for more information.

The Northern Humboldt group is hosting their signature gathering orientation at the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) on the Humboldt State University campus, 1 Harpst Street, in Arcata on Friday, February 25, at 5 p.m. The Northern Humboldt group also holds campaign initiative meetings every Sunday at 4 p.m. at Sun Yi’s Academy of Tae Kwon Do in Arcata. Call #707-223-0424 for more information.

For more details on the local campaign and how to participate, visit http://www.labelgmos.org/humboldt or find them on Facebook.

THE POSSIBILITIES of better living through science and technology are as endless as they are controversial. Perhaps many genetically modified foods introduced in the near future will prove to be safe. Will most or all of them be safe? Nobody knows.  A 2011 Canadian study indicated the blood of 93% of pregnant women sampled and 80% of their umbilical-cord blood contained a pesticide put into GMO corn by Monsanto.  Further studies are necessary  to validate these controversial and non-peer reviewed findings.

“We’ll see in 20 years, after the guinea pigs”—consumers—”have all used these products,” says George Siemon, CEO of Organic Valley, the nation’s largest organic-farming cooperative. “I’m really disillusioned.”

Scientists and FDA regulators have concluded time and time again that labeling is unnecessary and bioengineered foods are perfectly safe. “The FDA has no basis for concluding that bioengineered foods differ from other foods in any meaningful or uniform way, or that, as a class, foods developed by the new techniques present any different or greater safety concern than foods developed by traditional plant breeding,” the agency said in their 2001 guidance document.

One thing is for certain, however. The GMO advocates, their lobbyists, and food manufacturers will fight tooth and nail against California’s labeling efforts. The industry knows that if foods are labeled “genetically engineered,” the public will shy away and won’t take them. The industry’s not stupid.

They already know what Birke Baehr, an 11-year old homeschooled kid from North Carolina, thinks.

Additional Reading and Sources for this Report:

YouTube Primer: ‘What is Genetically Modified Food?‘
Why We Don’t Need GM Food
Latest GMO News, Articles, and Information
Facts About GMOs
Fun Facts About GMOs
California Initiative to Label GMOs
USA Today: ‘Genetically Modified Foods Had Bumper Year for 2011’
Voice of America: ‘Genetically-Modified Papaya Hits Shelves in Japan’
GM Crops: Top Ten Figures and Facts (a GMO pro-industry piece)
Huffington Post: ‘GMO Salmon: US Consumer Groups Petition FDA for Tougher Probe of Engineered Salmon’
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) press release: ‘More Farmers Favor Biotech Crops’
The Daily Beast: ‘Obama’s Organic Game’
NPR: ‘Politics Heating Up Over Labeling GMO Foods’
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bioengineering Draft Guidance Report, 2001 (updated 2009)
ISAAA Executive Summary released February 7, 2012: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops, 2011

See for yourself the future of plant and animal biotechnology: here’s the Monsanto website and the biotech seeds they sell, AquaBounty’s GM Salmon page, and ISAAA’s Genetically Modified Plant Approval Database. Looking safely from a distance is good.

For the curiously aware of Humboldt County…

By Skippy Massey
Humboldt Sentinel

SNIPPETS, RUMORS, HEARSAY MURMURS, AND THE LINKS:

WARM AND DRY and the cotton is high.  The weather has been unusually pleasant.  Now is the time to prepare your garden soil for planting next month.  Don’t put your plants in too early.  You can give them all the care and love you want, but the garden simply won’t grow until conditions become warmer.  There’s still a few frost days left.

REEFER MADNESS HOME INVASION:  From the HCSO Press Release Bureau and Bad Karma Division:

On Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 5:53 AM, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a 911 call from a male victim reporting a home invasion robbery that just occurred at his residence, 3000 block of Thomas Road, Salmon Creek.

Deputies were dispatched to the residence and arrived at the remote home at about 6:15 AM. Deputies interviewed the victim and discovered the following: At about 4:30 AM, the male victim was sleeping in his bed beside his wife. They both were awaked when their dog began barking and noticed four (4) men had entered the residence. The men were all wearing combinations of ski masks and hoods, each wearing latex type gloves.

As the suspects entered the home, they were yelling, “It’s the police, get up!” One of the suspects removed the male victim from the bed and forced him to the floor. The suspect “zip tied” the male victim’s hands behind his back. The suspects then began demanding to know where the marijuana and money was located. The male victim led the suspects to approximately thirty (30) pounds of dried marijuana.

The suspects continued to demand money from the victim, who led them to a small security safe. When the victim could not remember the combination to the safe, he was struck in the face with an unknown object or fist, causing a moderate injury near his eye. Ultimately the safe was opened and no cash was found. During the entire event, the suspects threatened to kill the victims and/or burn down the house. The suspects were estimated to be in the home for about an hour. During that time, they rummaged the house and took an estimated $3,000 to $4,000 in cash.

Prior to leaving the residence, the suspects used duct tape to bind the female victim. They next used duct tape and bound the male victim. The two victims were then bound together (back to back) in a seated position on the floor with duct tape. The suspects then entered the victim’s newly purchased Subaru and drove approximately 1.5 miles to the locked gate on the victim’s property. The suspects were not able to get the stolen vehicle through the gate and left it abandoned in the roadway.

The male victim was able to unbind himself within minutes of the suspects leaving his home and call 911 for assistance. There is no description of the suspects or description of a vehicle that may have been used to travel to the victim’s residence.

At this time there are no evidentiary leads to the identity of the suspects, but the case remains under investigation. The Sheriff’s Office is reaching out to the residents of the Thomas Road area to contact the Sheriff’s Office with any information regarding this robbery (707-445-7251).

BUSTED IN RENO AGAIN.  At least you weren’t stuck in Lodi.  The HSU Lumberjack and Kaci Poor fills us in with their student  pot piece du jour. That bust paled in comparison, however, to the one in Mendo County. A hundred pounds and a hundred grand just doesn’t seem like very much nowadays.  Some people got to have it.  Some people really need it. What we do for the love of Money on the dark side of the moon. 

HOW LOW WOULD YOU GO?  Scoundrels and skullduggery know no limits, especially when it comes to stealing garbage,  Mr. Sims reports.  Share the love but take out the trash. Too many have become another brick in the wall,  Comfortably Numb and not giving a whit about others or themselves.

THE BIG LITTLE COMMUNITY we’re impressed with. The Willow Creek Community Services District tackled many issues in their first meeting of the year, as this extensive article by Kay Heitkamp shows. The complexity and issues taken on by the members was nothing less than astounding. One citizen remarked, “The WCCSD accomplished more in one meeting than Humboldt County planners do in three or four meetings.”

Many things caught our eye: notice that Redwood Region Economic Development Commission Director Gregg Foster is retiring; ambulance services from Hoopa to Mad River Hospital costing the Hoopa Valley $500,000 annually, resolving complaints of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s reportedly slow response times (or was it the lack of communication? Opinions vary), infrastructure upgrades and repair monies needed, and a wide variety of other issues. One trait consistently illustrated in Ms. Heitkamp’s article is that this community pulls together. Everyone chips in what they can offer.

Humboldt County 5th District Supervisor Ryan Sundberg should be proud of the Valley, the WCCSD, and the community’s efforts getting more things done with less. More self sufficiency and less bureaucracy, that is.

A CENTURY OF BUSINESS:  The Times-Standard articles by Donna Tam and Grant Scott-Goforth report that Harper Motors and the Minor Theatre have hit 100 years of being in business.  To curiously note, there are others who have done the same thing:  the hardworking dairy families of the Eel River Valley.  Why is Ferndale the second wealthiest region per capita in Humboldt County, behind Trinidad?  Their farms, houses, mortgages and herds were paid off long ago– and they’ve enjoyed 120 years of steady milk money coming in.

HELPING HOOPA: Two Rivers Tribune’s Allie Hostler penned a thoughtful memoriam for Dr. Karl Fisher, who passed away January 24. Well known in Humboldt County’s counseling and mental health circles, Dr. Fisher loved Hoopa Valley and everyone he met along the way.

Ms. Hostler wrote, “Because of the hundreds of lives he touched in the Hoopa community, the Human Services Division has arranged a remembrance get-together to be held on Friday, February 24 at noon at the Community Center (formerly Church of the Mountains) on Loop Road in Hoopa.”

Ms. Hostler also included a reprint of Dr. Fisher’s article, “12 Steps to Take If Your Child Has Problems at School, “ aside with her column regarding bullying issues.

ONE MODEL FOR ENDING HUNGER: Dr. Josh Strange, in his article for the Two Rivers Tribune, wrote:

Being able to keep food cheap and accessible for the poor while increasing the income of farmers, especially small scale family farmers, appears to be opposing goals.

But what if I told you that a city with over four million people had found answers and achieved these opposing goals? What if such a city made chronic hunger a thing of the past and allowed small family run farms to thrive like never before?

Hard to imagine right, especially when you can see lots of destitute people in modern, wealthy cities like San Francisco, or heck even here in Humboldt County. And yet it’s true—such a place really exists—it’s called Belo Horizonte, the fourth largest city in Brazil.

You can catch his story—and that of Belo Horizonte—in his article here. Ending hunger at a penny per day per resident seems like a good return and a worthy investment.

It’s a Beautiful Day and a Beautiful World if we make it so.  Don’t let it get away.

TIME TO START RUNNING: Eric Kirk’s SoHum Parlance II site reminds us that Yes, Rex Bohn Does have an Opponent for the race of 1st District Supervisor. Her name is Annette De Modena. She has a website.

Mr. Kirk suggests, “If she wants to win this race, she had better start running. Or walking. Kerrigan beat Rex by walking to every home in Eureka. If you don’t have the money, that’s a pretty good way to meet people.”

Well said, Mr. Kirk. And we thank you for adding the Sentinel to your site.

THIN MINTS, SAMOAS, AND TAGALONGS: Expect the Girl Scouts and their cookies coming by to a location near you, starting on February 13 and continuing through March.

ONE LOVE, ONE HEART: Let’s get together and feel all right.

Reggae on the River tickets go on sale March 1st.

The Mateel Community Center organizers say, “This year’s festival will take place on Saturday & Sunday July 21st and 22nd, 2012 at the Benbow Lake State Recreation Area. Advanced tickets go on sale March 1st, and prices and artists will be announced soon.

Set before a backdrop of ancient redwoods on the banks of the majestic Eel River, this 2-day celebration of the best in reggae and world music has been a favorite festival tradition for over a quarter century and offers attendees an opportunity to soak up the irie northern Cali vibes while enjoying a diverse array of top-class international artists, vendors, and kids activities in a family friendly environment. We look forward to seeing you at the 28th annual Reggae On The River!”

Right on. Yah Mon. We suggest reserving/making your lodging/camping accommodations now and getting your tickets March 1st while they last. Folks, we have two kinds of people: the quick and irie-less. One love and all. Peace, Humboldt.

ONE LOVE, AGAIN: Love has been showered by the Ambrosini School and the Cuddeback Kids Care Club. Nice. Sudents taking flight,  Learning to Fly with their own wings.

MORE LOVE AND NOTE TO SELF: don’t forget Valentine’s day like you almost did last year.  Get your garden ready, sign the GMO ballot initiative, don’t jeopardize your family or get ripped off, lock up your garbage if you must, buy girl scout cookies, look after your business, help the poor and your community, and remember your loved ones.

Yeah, that’s about it.  The moral of the story?  Easy.  One world, one love, and do the right thing.

You only have so much Time.
 

THE WEEKEND CALENDAR:

Happenings, events, groups, walks, other hip or rad stuff

Friday, February 10

Saturday, February 11

Sunday, February 12

Other entertainment can also be found here

Movies, reviews, times and trailers are here.

WORD

Woody Allen said,

“To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer. To suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then is to suffer. But suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be unhappy one must love, or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness. I hope you’re getting this down.”

EPD position to focus on ‘quality of life’ complaints about growers, squatters and partiers

Staff Report
Humboldt Sentinel

Taking down meth dealers and escaped parolees apparently isn’t enough for one Problem Oriented Policing officer.

The Eureka Police Department announced today that they’ve kicked off a new Neighborhood Oriented Policing program to compliment the POP unit — a force which has landed a number of high-profile busts across the city leading to the arrest of over a dozen suspects charged with serious or violent felonies. Interim Police Chief Murl Harpham stated in a release that the expansion was made possible by the transfer of a POP-assigned officer to become the new NOP investigator, along with a reserve officer also reassigned from POP to NOP.

Yet unlike the POP, the NOP doesn’t seem quite as interested in hard-core criminals.

POP served a search warrant on an Elizabeth Street house in 2010. Property was subsequently cleaned up with "problem tenants removed," according to EPD.

“Their primary focus will be on solving neighborhood nuisance, crime, and quality of life problems not sufficiently being addressed by standard patrol-based responses,” Harpham stated in a release today. “It is anticipated NOP will focus much of its attention on Eureka’s West Side, which has been the origin of many such complaints.”

Although complaints about Eureka’s “tweaker” problem, lack of pedestrian safety and a recent rash of robberies are ongoing, the NOP apparently looks to go after nonviolent, low-level violations such as loud parties with excessive noise, squatters in abandoned buildings, transient camps and “homeless issues,” not to mention the ubiquitous references to grow houses and medical cannabis.

Harpam also says the NOP will work as the enforcement arm of the City’s Community Improvement Team (which includes the City Attorney’s office and a building inspector from the Community Development Department), and will tackle all sorts of general “nuisance and quality of life problems.” They’ll even hold community-based meetings to “improve neighborhood health.”

The return of three EPD cops from overseas military deployment by the California Army National Guard was credited for freeing up the manpower needed for the NOP — as one of the returned officers has resumed his EPD duty as a POP unit member.

A NOP/POP investigator investigates a homeless camp behind the mall in December 2011.

Harpham anticipates that, given sufficient funding for increased staffing levels, the department will hire a full-time NOP investigator, and return the current NOP officer to his original duties in POP.

For the Curiously Aware of Humboldt County…

By Skippy Massey
Humboldt Sentinel

THREE SIDES OF THE SAME COIN:

Investigators are continuing to investigate an explosion and fire Tuesday night that burned a Church Street apartment building in Eureka leaving an 18-year-old in critical condition with severe burns on 60 percent of his body and a female inhabitant suffering from inhalation burns, the Times-Standard reported. They were transported by helicopter to a medical burn unit at UC Davis Medical Center. Much of the building burned, leaving 8-10 individuals homeless and damages of nearly $500,000. Humboldt Bay Firefighters fighting the blaze came upon several butane canisters and a device for extracting concentrated THC from marijuana inside the residence.

Fire investigators don’t think the hashish extractor was the source of the actual fire but noted any spark or flame could have ignited exposed gas within the apartment. A hashish extractor device is filled with marijuana and butane is forced through it removing the THC. The substance that drips out of the device is the concentrated THC, or hashish. Individuals using these extraction devices often work in areas with poor ventilation, and the butane fumes can pose very dangerous hazards.

The source of the blaze is under investigation.

* * * * * * *

$2.9 million in drug asset seizures for the past three years has the Humboldt County Drug Task Force basking in some serious money. Where does all the confiscated drug dough go? Perhaps the $170 per night poolside hotel accommodations for Drug Task Force members and their families near the Happiest Place on Earth—Disneyland– was a reasonable bon voyage training venture. Or the $400 custom-made boots? How did the DTF spend the rest of the $1.5 million in seized funds over the past five years anyway?

The North Coast Journal’s Zach St. George looked into the spending records and the expensive highlife of Humboldt’s drug cops in his article, Drug Money. Humboldt County seized 12 times more money per capita in forfeiture than California does as a whole. Two-thirds of that money goes to local law enforcement agencies in the County, St. George says.

“Last year the Sheriff’s Office took home $200,000, the District Attorney’s office $100,000, and The Drug Task Force got $500,000,” St. George reported.  The North Coast Journal also kindly listed the names and amounts of Humboldt County’s 25 largest seizures  for you to know.

* * * * * * *

On a similar note, exactly how large is the impact of marijuana on Humboldt County’s economy? How much money does a marijuana grower make? What’s life like for “trimmers” – the itinerant farm workers of the marijuana world? A lot of figures have been bandied about.  Humboldt’s readers and listeners demand answers for their enquiring minds.

These questions and supposedly more are explored in “The Humboldt Chronicles,” a radio documentary series from Lost Coast Communications starting February 2. Hosted by Southern Humboldt journalist Kym Kemp and produced by Mike Dronkers and Chuck Rogers, the series explores how marijuana cultivation plays a role in Humboldt County life – as economic driver, a touchstone of culture, an environmental burden (or boon), a source of violent crime, and a medical cure-all, depending on your point of view.

If you missed the Humboldt Chronicles debut, you can catch the interviews with a banker, grower, business owner, and economist in the podcast replay here.

* * * * * * *

SNIPPETS, RUMORS, HEARSAY MURMURS, AND THE LINKS: “Money”

Money doesn’t talk. Talk is cheap. Money screams.

OCCUPY THE OCCUPY: Time for a counter-revolution? According to the Times-Standard, “A rally is being held Friday afternoon, February from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Humboldt County Courthouse by community members who want the front of the courthouse cleaned up and unfenced. Organizer Julie Salminen said the purpose of the rally is to show the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors and Eureka City Council that people want the area restored. ‘We want it cleaned up over there,’ Salminen said.”

“More than 250 people are anticipated to attend the rally. Salminen said people are tired of the occupiers that have taken over the courthouse entrance. She said courthouse workers have been accosted and some have even been assaulted. She said people should be allowed to protest but that things have gotten out of control. ‘It’s costing a lot of money with everything that’s going on,’ Salminen said about the fencing and law enforcement patrols.”

We hope protesters and counter-protesters keep a safe distance from one another and cooler heads will prevail. Protesting, like politics, has become the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.

WHO KNOWS WHAT’S GOING ON: KINS radio’s Brian Papstein sat down and interviewed Eureka citizen and business magnate Robin Arkley. You can listen to it here . According to the Humboldt Herald’s take of the talk shop interview, Mr. Arkley says the Marina Center will see Coastal Commission progress by fall and Security National will be hiring 100 more employees over the next 18 months. He also offers his view on unions, the Keystone pipeline project, Mitt Romney, and liberals taking advantage (though the words ‘rape’ and ‘nailing’ were reportedly used) of today’s youth. We suggest listening to the interview and making up one’s own informed assumptions.

A big mountain of sugar is too much for one man. We can see now why God portions it out in those little packets for the rest of us.

ERNIE’S Place gives readers a brief progress report for restoring some portion of Southern Humboldt’s $450,000 in school bus transportation funding following last week’s road rage protest by residents, students, and staff at the State Capitol. Don’t mess with the SoHum parents. They’re not about to let schooling interfere with an education.

RAIL RECALL: Fred’s Humboldt Blog thinks “Governor Brown should face a recall over his continued fiscal support of the High Speed Rail project. The state has a continuing large deficit and supposedly can’t pay for what many consider essential government services, yet he steadfastly supports HSR,” Fred says. Originally voter approved to the tune of $9 billion, the High Speed Rail project could skyrocket upwards of $133 billion if it gathers traction. Meg Whitman will undoubtedly foist another media blitz of obnoxiously expensive radio and television ads upon us again should Fred’s recall efforts succeed. Thank you, Fred.

JUST SAY NO to unincorporated kids. The McKinleyville Community Services District voted Wednesday not to designate Pierson Park as the site of a skate park for kids, much to the consternation of supporters. The MCSD said it’s simply keeping all of its options available for a skate park site to be located anywhere the District deems worthy. Skate enthusiasts who raised almost $100,000 in donations are understandably confused by the adult’s setback. You can be young without money, but you can’t be old without it. Where’s major domo skate park politico Jeff Leonard when you need him most?

CO-OPTED: The North Coast Co-op General Manager David Lippmann reported the Eureka and Arcata stores have been experiencing annual losses of $275,000. He reports there’s still nearly $1 million in long-term debt from the construction of the Arcata store “ten or twelve years ago.” Payroll expenses, taxes, and benefits consume almost $4 million per year, or 26% of operating expenses. Profit margins on food are a slim 2 percent at best after the bills have been paid, Mr. Lippmann reports. The good news is the Co-op is a $30 million a year business. The bad news is sales are $600,000 below target. Their 2011-12 year-to-date earnings—profit—amounted to a paltry $59,000.

Relax, Co-op members, it’s much worse than you think. Given the consistently exorbitant price of the Co-op’s food and worker’s benefits, they’ll do what they’ve always reliably done:  stay cool, calm, …and collect. Money flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana.

OUCH, THAT SMARTS: Forgoing your PG&E smart meter may cost you up to $195. And that’s just for starters. The California Public Utilities Commission approved a proposal Wednesday to charge residential customers an initial fee of $75 plus $10 each month if they don’t want to have the wireless ‘smart meters’ installed in their homes. Low income customers would pay $70, an initial fee of $10 plus an extra $5 per month to avoid installation of the wireless devices.

Money is not the most important thing in the world. Love is. Fortunately, PG&E loves your money and their smart meters.

BETTER NEWS FOR JOB SEEKERS IN 2012:  Companies are saying the job market is getting better and workers are saying it’s already kicked into high gear.  Friday’s jobs report showed a national gain of 243,000 jobs and a separate survey using households to determine the unemployment rate showed far stronger job gains.  2 million jobs have been added in the past six months, the best job gain since August 2005 and preceding the Great Recession beginning in late 2007.  The unemployment rate has dropped for the past five consecutive months.  Friday’s Dow Jones Industrial Average roared to 12,862 making it the highest close since May of 2008.

When pressed, Newt Gingrinch begrudgingly told reporters, “If it makes you happy, give him (Obama) some credit.”  Misery loves company.

SPANK THE BANK AND STASH YOUR CA$H: In response to November’s call for a nationwide “Bank Transfer Day,” about 610,000 consumers switched from a big bank to a credit union or smaller community bank. According to a recent research survey, roughly 11 percent of the 5.6 million people switching banks during the three-month period cited “Bank Transfer Day” as their reason. While it certainly didn’t produce the mass exodus of customers that many banks may have feared, it was nonetheless significant. The number of “angry bank-switchers” leaving their bank was nearly triple for those walking out for similar reasons in 2010.

Although one credit union reporting the November publicity prompted a jump in inquiries and customers opening 1,500 new accounts– a 30 percent increase compared to 2010– it’s not clear exactly how big banks were affected by Bank Transfer Day. None are releasing figures. Wells Fargo reported a 3.2 percent net increase in consumer checking deposits for the fourth quarter last year, compared with 2010. Bank of America didn’t even bother to report transfer details for consumer checking accounts and declined to comment.

Analysts say banks are still set to raise fees increasing their bottom line. Banks will still loan you money if you can prove you don’t need it. Raises and bonuses for everyone– except you.

FOLLOW THE MONEY:  The City of Eureka was awarded a $26,000 judgement from notorious slumlords  Floyd and Betty Squires. We hope they don’t raise the rent.  From the City’s press release: 

The Humboldt County Superior Court has granted the City of Eureka’s motion for Attorneys’ Fees against Floyd and Betty Squires. The City was awarded the entire amount requested of $26,521.26. The City requested reimbursement of the fees it had incurred when it was forced to defend a lawsuit filed by the Squires against the City claiming that the City had no basis to enforce code violations for substandard housing at numerous properties owned by the Squires.

The City continues to move forward in its lawsuit against the Squires for substandard housing at numerous properties within the City of Eureka.

ABOVE IT ALL: Fortuna’s local blog, Above the Fold has come up with their ‘possible solution’ for dealing with the unsightly houseless issue in the Friendly City: “Send the building inspector out to the houseless camps on Fortuna Boulevard and levee fines for the many rule infractions–including improper tent installation and lack of plumbing.” Yup. Fees, fines, and money will certainly do the trick for those tentees not having any. We pine for the good old days when tar paper shacks and real wood shanties were in vogue.

A SLUMBER TO REMEMBER: Don’t snooze overnight in your vehicle in Arcata. Not only is it a crime, it’s a business, too.  An expensive proposition for snoring scofflaws who’ve had it too good for too long, it’s time to wake up, smell the coffee, and pay up for drowsy misdeeds and sleepytime misbehavior. Just ante up like these visitors did, posting their Humboldt forty-wink memories on the Ollie blog site. Their $35 fine—each—mushroomed to $155 after the gratuitous fees were tacked on shamelessly by the scales of justice:

The Criminal Justice Business

As we mentioned in a previous post, we recently got tickets (one each) for sleeping in our vehicle in Arcata. $155 each. We called the phone number on the ticket immediately, and were told that our information wouldn’t be uploaded into their computer system for at least two weeks — we’d have to stay in Arcata and try again. Two weeks passed, and we called back. We scheduled a date to appear in court, hoping to have the fine reduced.

We appeared at the Superior Court in Eureka yesterday, and the clerk (who was friendly, at least) informed us that we’d be able to meet with a court-appointed attorney before seeing a judge. Upon entering the courtroom, however, the judge told everyone– about 10 people with different infractions– that we did not have the right to a court-appointed attorney, and that we each had two, and only two, choices:

1) plead guilty and pay the fine in full, or,

2) plead not guilty and schedule another court appearance in a month or so.

We were, needless to say, really ready to leave Humboldt County, so we pled guilty and were charged $155 each.

Oddly, when we spoke with the judge, he told us that the fine for “camping in a vehicle- first offense” was no more than $50. Why are we being charged $155, then? Court fees. What court fees? Well the friendly clerk broke it down for us, and because I’m pissed, I’m going to type it all out for you:

$4.00 Surcharge

$1.76 County general fund

$3.92 DNA Add’l (?)

$3.92 St Crt Facility

$3.92 EMS Add’l

$1.96 DNA Add’l

$1.96 DNA Funding

$5.88 SB1732 Penalties

$13.72 State Penalty Fund

$5.88 County Penalty Assessment

$3.92 Courthouse Construction Fund

$5.88 Criminal Justice Facilities Fund

$3.92 Emergency Med Services

$17.84 Arcata General Fund

$1.52 State Automation Fund

$40.00 Court Security

$35.00 Criminal Infraction (the actual fine for sleeping in a vehicle)

I was last on the judge’s list, so by the time I was done speaking with him (which took about 30 seconds), the room had totally cleared out. As I joined Max and we walked toward the doors, the judge leaned over his desk and said cheerily to his staff, “Well, that went well!” Yeah, in about 10 minutes those jerks made several thousand dollars.

In case you are curious, we have never had this problem before. Ollie (the bus) was parked on a busy public street on Capitol Hill in Seattle for two weeks, and cops never bothered us; our only night-time callers in that spot were two drunk neighbors who thought Max and I were the coooolest people they’d ever met — they cooked up a whole dinner in their apartment across the street and delivered it to the bus, where we ate with them and drank wine and exchanged gifts and stories.

-Rachel

LET’S PUT MONEY ASIDE, FORGET OUR WORRIES, AND LEAVE YOU ON A HAPPIER NOTE

Proof positive that pets do love and  remember you.  Christian the lion does.  Whether you’re rich or poor, it doesn’t matter.

Outside of a dog, a book is probably Man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read anyway. The great pleasure of a dog is that you can make a fool of yourself and not only will he not scold you, he’ll make  a fool of himself, too.

THE WEEKEND CALENDAR:

Friday, February 3

Saturday, February 4

Sunday, February 5

Movies, reviews, times and trailers are here.

WORD

Reminiscing on his early Vaudeville days traveling with family, Groucho Marx said,

“We had a budget. That’s a way of going broke methodically. Because we were a kid act, we traveled at half-fare to save money, despite the fact that we were all around twenty. Minnie insisted we were thirteen. ‘That kid of yours is in the dining car smoking a cigar,’ the conductor told her. ‘One is in the washroom shaving. And another is drinking whiskey at the bar.’ Minnie shook her head sadly. ‘They grow up so fast.’”

For the Curiously Aware of Humboldt County…

By Skippy Massey
Humboldt Sentinel

SNIPPETS, RUMORS, HEARSAY MURMURS, AND THE LINKS:

THE BIG BUS OR BUST :  Nearly 400 students, parents, staff, and Ernie from Southern Humboldt Unified School District carried signs and marched on the State Capitol Tuesday persuading legislators to restore $450,000 in transportation funding for school buses.  Senator Noreen Evans and Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro said, “It was the largest crowd of community members they’ve ever seen in the building that weren’t lobbyists.”  500 of the district’s 700 students use the bus to get to school— costing $900 per student.

Rural SoHum students need the buses. California is going broke.  Richard Marks had to ask the touchy question on everyone’s mind of whether Southern Humboldt’s wealthy marijuana growers should pony up for their community– and his readers responded with equally tangy commentary.

CASUALTIES OF COST CUTTING:  Further fiscal cuts to the tune of $1.6 million for College of the Redwoods may mean layoff notices in March for tenured faculty due to statewide trigger measures.  CR’s Board of Trustees will meet again Monday in a special meeting to discuss the matter further.   California is reaching new lows tightening the community college money belt.  Parents, however, should encourage their children to become better educated so they can get into a good college that they can’t afford.

SUICIDE IS FOREVER:  Following the tragic suicidal leap off Eureka’s Masonic Lodge building Tuesday by a 35-year old man, both the Times-Standard and Highboltage report that over the past 90 days the coroner’s office has responded to 15 suicides compared to only five in the previous quarter.  “It’s just an eye-opener to us to see that amount of suicides happening,” Humboldt County Coroner Dave Parris said.

If you know someone who needs help, suicide prevention services are available through Humboldt County Mental Health Crisis Services (#445-7715), Redwood Community Action Agency (#444-2273) and 24-hour suicide crisis lifelines (#800-273-8255, 888-849-5728).

COLD-HEARTED ABUSE:  Being aware of events as they relate to social justice is important and that’s why we’re linking to Highboltage’s Something is Rotten in Eureka and Verbena’s letter. We also want to know why Charlie, the dog, was shot and what happened.

DANNY RAY’S LAST DAYS an obit by the Journal’s Heidi Walters. Sigh.

BUILDING COMMUNITY DIGNITY:  Green Diamond Resource Company just sold 15.3 acres and gave $25,000 to Hospice of Humboldt for their planned inpatient hospice health care facility, a 12-bed, 14,560 square-foot project near the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds.  The new Hospice House will provide end-of-life care, grief counseling, and enable patients and families to spend time together in a home-like setting of private bedrooms and bathrooms, communal living and dining rooms, a chapel, and a children’s play room.  “It will be a home away from home when home is no longer an option,” said Executive Director Marylee Bytheriver.

Hospice of Humboldt has been serving families locally for over 33 years with a staff of 80 and 125 volunteers.  The organization provided end-of-life care to 584 patients last year who, as a result, were able to die with dignity and in comfort.  Hospice is ramping up a capital fundraising campaign towards breaking ground of the $10 million project in 2013.

WAITING ON THE WATERFRONT:  What’s been happening with Eureka’s new Fisherman’s Terminal project? On the Waterfront by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill explains whether the newly finished Redevelpment project is going forward– or drowning in the water.  With redevelopment funds going the way of the dodo, a bird in the hand is safer than one that’s flying directly overhead.  More money and several more years will make the Fisherman’s Terminal an overnight success, some believe.

NO MORE WEED:  The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to abolish their medical marijuana program allowing collectives to grow 99 plants at a time with County approval.  Under the permit program the Mendocino Sheriff’s Office monitored marijuana farms and tagged plants with zip ties for compliance.  Apparently the Board of Supervisors felt the heat coming from U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag warning they were in conflict with the Fed’s position that growing marijuana is patently illegal.  The Mendo Board of Supervisors were advised by their legal counsel to drop the program like a cold stone.   Ms. Haag has been striking fear into the hearts of many and killing the buzz of most.

RETREAT:  Meanwhile back at the ranch, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to extend a temporary moratorium on new medical dispensaries for an additional 10 months– and will discuss the future of outdoor medical marijuana growing in the County.  That is, unless Ms. Haag sends another sharply worded letter implying that all who participate get thrown in the pokey.  In that case, all bets are off as we run away.

THE EEL DEALS:  Not the most exciting news unless one is headlong into community policy wonkiness. Nonetheless, Virginia Graziani reports four Southern Humboldt volunteer fire departments cleared another hurdle to become full-fledged Fire Protection Districts with the ability to stabilize their revenue through special parcel taxes.  Mary Bullwinkel updates us on “State of the City: Fortuna Residents Hear Updates on Projects and School District Consolidation.”  Wonk away.

CRAB GRAB ‘N GO:  These Rotarians are smart people.  Sure, you’ll hear more about the Fortuna Sunrise Rotary Club’s Crab Fest happening in February: you know, all the crab, drinks, band, and silent auction that you can stomach under one roof.  But whoever came up with their uniquely crabby  idea of “Eat In, OR Drive Thru and Take Out” deserves a medal and standing promotion. What will these Rotarians think of next?   Their motto is Building Communities and Bridging Continents.   Crab take out and home delivery to China?   Sorry, but Wild Planet Foods’ Bill Carvalho already thought of that.  The Rotary gears of ingenuity grind on.

STATISTICS LIE:  14% of people know that.  But has it really been that dry?  The Fortuna monthly rain report states we’ve had 8.18 inches of January rain compared to 1.35 inches last year.  We’re also 2 inches over the year-to-date average.  Well, that’s what it claims.  We don’t make this stuff up, we just report it.  68% of everyone knows that.

SONIC BOOM : Conservationists and Native American tribes are suing over the Navy’s use of sonar in training exercises on the Pacific coast, saying the noise can harass and kill marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, seals and sea lions.  The Navy has been conducting exercises in the training range for 60 years but increased weapons testing and submarine training has raised the environmental ire to a whole new level and, conservationists claim, the National Marine Fisheries Service has failed its mission in protecting marine life from going belly up due to the harmful effects of sonar use.

GMO REALLY MEANS ‘Get Me Out.’  150 groups throughout California are working on a landmark 2012 initiative identifying what’s in the Frankenfood you eat.  The petition’s release date calling for the labeling of GMOs (genetically engineered food) has been pushed back to the middle of February for the gathering of signatures.  We can’t get to the top by sitting on our bottom.

Southern Humboldt folks wanting to see the GMO labeling initiative on the 2012 ballot can help by learning how to gather signatures.  The Humboldt County Signature Gathering Workshop for the California GMO Labeling Initiative is happening on Thursday, February 2nd, at 5 p.m.-6 p.m.at Calico’s restaurant, 808 Redwood Drive in Garberville.  For more information call Rosa at # 707-986-7469.

Northern Humboldt folks should link to the Northern Humboldt Label GMOs Facebook site for getting involved.

BLAST FROM THE PAST pictures of yesteryear, Humboldt, and places beyond.  We like Shorpy.com  for their high-end resolution work, and that of a Rio Dell local known as The Old Photo Guy  for his vintage historical pieces.

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER:  Who lives where, what do they do and eat, and why do they live so long?  Contributing writer Dr. Jerry DeCapua and the Two Rivers Tribune have an intriguing article regarding the Who, Where, and How of health longevity.  The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age.

FAR AWAY PLACES flung on the face of the earth.  We always wondered what goes on at Orlean’s Sandy Bar Ranch and in Orick.  Now we know.

FACT CHECK:  We like facts.  All sorts of them.  Banal and inane and everything in between.  But oh my word and Heavens to Betsy what did we let loose here?  OK, pull our finger.

THE WEEKEND CALENDAR:

Friday, January 27

Saturday, January 28

Sunday, January 29

Movies, reviews, times and trailers are here.

WORD

Will Rogers said,

There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.

Everything is funny as long as it’s happening to someone else.