Little, Mad River

Mad River from under Hammond Trail Bridge  looking toward Arcata  on the evening of 3-30-12.  Across the river and down a few of hundred yards are several homes. 


The heavy rain we have experienced the past few days gave us a break today and allowed local rivers and streams to peak and recede. There is still more rain expected but not like what we have seen.

Little River Ca. 6:30 ish pm 3-30-12

The Little River which runs between Clam Beach and Moonstone Beach was spilling all over the valley that is now home  to cattle and goats and sheep. The town of Crannell used to be just east of this picture.

I have heard of no damage from these two rivers due to the high water today but things were close on the Mad. The Little River is more of a big creek without a dam so small floods are expected during big rains.

Happy Work Crew Cleans Up Homeless Camps At US 101 And Henderson St.

The Sheriff's Department and a happy  work crew were spotted today working in the rain.  They were filling a large dumpster with shopping carts and other items culled from the bushes on the side of the hill across from Chevron  on U.S. 101 and Henderson St.  It is raining and muddy but that didn't stop the workers from smiling and waiving at me as I took their picture this morning. They will get to sleep in a warm dry jail tonight but the homeless that were living in the bushes will have to forage for themselves and try to stay dry as another couple of inches of rain are expected before this storm moves through.

How To Deal With The Homeless by Anonymous

In response to my suggestions that the homeless in Eureka need a campground, Anonymous commented that it would be easier just to shoot them.

i am writing a college paper about teaching homeless to camp and setting up camp grounds for the homeless which i am absolutely against this message is mainly for tom up there is there something wrong with you i mean honestly a campground for homeless.... we might as well send out fliers up down the west coast come one come all homeless people enjoy humboldt county we love homeless crackheads, parolees,sex offenders that break into cars assault each other cause fires and do drugs in a town we are trying to raise kids set up a camp that is the worst idea ive ever heard....... i have a friend who was in iraq he was on the epd a couple years back. one day my friend was talking about all the homeless parolees he had to arrest on a regular basis he says to me there all the same people i arrest them and two days later there back in the marsh or on the streets. then he tells me he liked iraq much better it was the same thing but over there he would just shoot them.............

By Anonymous on Eureka Police Sweep Homeless Camps In Near Freezin... on 3/25/12

Here is the response I left for this poor, uninformed sick person:

Anonymous Mar 25, 2012 08:51 PM, I sure hope you learn something while you are in school because currently you are callous, harsh and ignorant.

Just shoot people?  That's the solution? Do you have any idea how much it costs to kill each Afghan terrorist?  Did you know that the US paid compensation for each Afghan villager killed in the March 11th massacre 50-thousand dollars?  That is what it cost to just shoot people.  I would have to say that continually arresting people is cheaper than that and feeding and housing people costs even less.  One US soldier in Afghanistan costs 850-thousand dollars per year.  You can shoot and kill all the people you want but you cannot ignore the costs.  That college of yours has their work cut out for them.  I wish you luck because with your outlook on life, you’re going to need it.

Tsunami Warning Test Wednesday

US National Weather Service Eureka California

THIS IS ONLY A TEST! On March 28th, 2012 the Tsunami Warning Communication test will be activated between 11 AM and noon. This test is being implemented to ensure the Tsunami Warning System works properly in the event of a real tsunami. During this test you may experience an interruption in television/radio programs, hear tsunami sirens and NOAA Weather Radios activated, or receive the test warning message from other sources. During this test, YOU DO NOT NEED TO: take action, call 911, or evacuate. Instead, think about what you would do in the event of a real tsunami. Mark your calendar and remember, THIS IS ONLY A TEST!

Today was a nice day for work, fun or both

What a nice Sunday it was along the north coast. This top photo is from just south of Patrick's Point State Park Ca.  The other is of some of the wood I cut today. A tree fell and almost hit my trailer so we harvested it.  The big split stuff has already been consumed but the medium and small stuff was blocking part of the yard until today.  Now part of it is in the car port and the rest of it is in my dad's house and next to my stove.

 Rain is on the way tomorrow night.  Overnight we have a frost advisory between 2 and 8 am Monday morning and rain with some wind should stare Monday night and  continue through Thursday off and on.

Forum to Protest & Restore our First Amendment Rights Has Good Turnout

The Stand Up & Shout Out forum held today at the Eureka Women's Club seemed to be a success.  There was a slide show, a poem, singing, food and lots and lots of speaking up and some shouting out too.

David Boyd did the welcoming followed by inspiration and poem with Jerry Martien.  Dan Faulk was the moderator and motivator.  The panel ended up being john Hockett of the Civil Liberties Monitoring Project, Peter Martin of the ACLU, Verbena Lea of Redwood Curtain CopWatch, Tracy Rain Attorney and Homeless Advocate, James Decker of Occupy Eureka and myself.

The goal was to get together and discuss ways to restore our First Amendment Rights and to address the County of Humboldt that by direction of the Board of Supervisors will discuss and possibly vote on what they are calling an emergency ordinance to deal with the protests on the east side of the Humboldt County Court House.  One thing most people agreed on was that there should be a big crowd at the Court House this Tuesday morning at 8 am to greet the Supervisors as they arrive.

For more see Occupy Civil Liberties Working Group

Occupy Civil Liberties Workshop Saturday

Read More from the Humboldt Sentinel

Supreme Court rules Prometheus cannot patent ‘laws of nature’

What is Prometheus and why do they want to patent the laws of nature?  See this through RawStory at Agence France-Presse
First of all, why in the heck would we allow anyone to patent the laws of nature and second, how will this ruling effect other crazy nature patents that threaten farmers and seed supplies all over the world? I don't know, that is why I am asking you.

Excerpt from the courts decision which is available at the Prometheus link above.

"monopolization of [the basic tools of scientific and technological work] through the grant of a patent might tend to impede innovation more than it would tend to promote it." 

 

Free Press Applauds FCC for Opening Up Airwaves for Low Power Radio

WASHINGTON - March 20 - On Monday evening, the Federal Communications Commission released two decisions to implement the Local Community Radio Act passed by Congress in December 2010. These orders clear space for Low Power FM stations to provide opportunities for community radio in every market, and they propose rules for beginning to license such LPFM stations.
Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood made the following statement:

"Real people deserve space on the public airwaves that are often dominated by corporate media. Free Press is thrilled that the FCC has taken this next step toward making community radio a reality across the nation — in small towns and in big cities, too — including densely populated urban areas where community voices have been kept off the dial for too long. These noncommercial stations will help diversify the airwaves, support local music and culture and assist communities during emergencies.”

“At first glance, it appears the FCC used the time since the law's passage to craft careful and diligent solutions for the implementation challenges the Commission faced. We look forward to working with Prometheus Radio Project and other community radio champions to push this proceeding forward and spread the news about the upcoming opportunities."

###

 

 

Snow In The Mountains

I heard I might be giving away a pair or lift tix for Mt Shasta Ski Park tomorrow at that job thing I do. Those of you that are local might want to take advantage of that knowledge.  The ski season has been rocky at best but now, late into the season there is snow in the local mountains.  In fact there is snow all the way through the Sierra Nevada Mountains down into mountains in Arizona and Southern California.

Photo Taken 3-18-2012

Above is US 299 about 15 miles west of Willow Creek California or about 25 miles from the Pacific Coast.

Big Rain and Gusty Winds Ahead

Gusty winds and rain fall that could reach 3 inches by Friday morning are expected in the Trinidad area. The National Weather Service is forecasting heavy rain for all of Thursday and Friday into Friday night.

Hazardous Weather Information

County Timber Payments Not Out Of The Woods Yet

This afternoon the US Senate voted 74 to 22 to restore county timber payments that were taken away last year. That led to the closing or the threats of closing down school bus service in many rural areas in the country including Southern Humboldt. 

A state fix called SB 81 was put forward by Governor Jerry Brown last month that allowed schools to use other funds to off set the cuts but that raised a whole set if different problems.

Counties aren’t out of the wood’s yet though,

The House of Representatives still has to vote on the Transportation Bill that contains the measure.

Sunshine Week Forum Wednesday

Local news luminaries from radio and TV broadcasting will share their perspectives on the future of broadcast news in Humboldt County.  The panel discussion is being hosted by Access Humboldt as part of their Sunshine Week activities to celebrate freedom of information.

Access Humboldt's executive director Sean McLaughlin will moderate the panel that should include Roy Frostenson, General Manager of KIEM TV News Channel 3, Terri Klemetson, News Coordinator of KMUD Redwood Community Radio, Brian Papstein President of Eureka Broadcasting, Ed Subkis, General Manager KHSU-FM, a possible apearance by Media Maven HSU journalism professor Marcy Burstiner and my self. This should be fun and informative.

The event is tomorrow (Wednesday) march 14th frin 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at Access Humboldt.
The whole thing will be recorded for airing on Access Humboldt at a later date.

More

County Attempts To Restrict Free Speech Rights

Today's local, almost daily Times-Standard newspaper offers the headline "County staff researching public assemblage ordinance". It seems that allowing for the public to exercise their free speech rights and rights to assemble without being restricted in many ways goes against the county board of supervisors and local law enforcement. They have already made sleeping in any public place illegal. Now they want to put restrictions on how people may assemble for a redress of grievances. The county is attempting to define when one can protest and want's to use permits to regulate any gatherings or protests on public property. The permit may require that any protest taking place purchase an insurance policy. This would restrict the free speech rights of those without the means for insurance due to financial reasons.

If you believe that the 1st amendment of the US Constitution allows for such restrictions on the people to peacefully assemble only if they can afford to, you have never read the Constitution. The Constitution restricts what the government can do, not the other way around.

So where am I going with this? There will be a forum on this very subject for some of these same reasons, March 24th from 1 to 4 pm at the Eureka Women's Club at 1531 J. Street in Eureka Ca. 95501

This event is free to attend although donations are welcome to help pay for the room and insurance. Everyone is invited.

Bit-by-bit, piece-by-piece, our precious civil liberties are being whittled away:

•Warrantless Wiretapping • USA PATRIOT Act • National Security Entry/Exit Registration System (NSEERS) • Real ID Act, Military Commissions Act • No Fly and Selectee lists • Abuse of Material Witness Statute • National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) • Attacks on academic freedom • Monitoring of peaceful groups • Militarization of our police by the Department of Homeland Security • Coordinated nationwide crackdown on Occupy protests • Unrestrained excesses of local law enforcement • HR 347 • and much, much more.
Although at times these changes have been almost imperceptible, the bottom line is that taken as a whole, they put some of our most cherished freedoms in jeopardy. The cumulative effects of these actions has resulted in an America very different than the one we experienced a decade ago.

And now, here in Humboldt County, we are threatened with another assault on our First Amendment protections of freedom of speech, assembly, and the right to petition our government for redress of grievances. A new County protest ordinance is currently under development, which, if left unchallenged, will further restrict and criminalize our basic freedoms.
Thus it is urgent that we form a broad coalition of local organizations and individuals who rely upon the First Amendment, and we need you to join us to stand up and shout out: enough!

Stand Up & Shout Out! -- A Forum to Protect and Restore our First Amendments Rights, which will be held on March 24, is an important first step. This forum will begin with informational presentations by local experts and activists, followed by public testimony from those most affected by civil liberties restrictions, and will conclude an opportunity to work with your friends and neighbors to begin taking concrete actions to protect our precious freedoms.

Final Totals For St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Radiothon In Eureka/Crescent City

Thanks to everyone that worked so hard to make this possible!  $122,390.00 That's one hundred twenty two thousand, three hundred and ninety dollars!

Radiothon For St. Jude Children's Research Hospital On Now

Eureka radio stations KRED FM 92.3, Power 96.3 FM and Cool 105.5 FM are in their 5th hour of a 13 hour day that will be repeated tomorrow.  Joined by their Crescent City station KPOD under the Bicoastal Media umbrella, the stations last year raised over $75-thousand dollars for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis TN.  Click the link for some quick facts about the hospital or pick up your phone and call 1-800-942-8771 to become a "Partner in Hope".  A partner in hope is someone that pledges to give $20 dollars a month and if you do it on a credit card, you get a St. Jude radiothon T-shirt.

The T-Shirt and phone banks

D.J. Rollin Trehearne in studio C

D.J. Pete Meyer behind the mic stands with Ceva from Hensel's Ace Hardware

Rock & Roll Burlyman Cool 105.5 FM

Peter B. Collins News Feed Added

Former AM radio talk show host Peter B. Collins who still does regular podcasts on an almost daily basis is now doing a news and commentary segment.  Two to three times a week you can listen to Peter B. Collins doing an update of the latest news and political events in his own professional style.

 All you need to do is click one of the two links just below the Green Report to the right of this post.  The link from March 2nd even has a quick interview with Brad Blog of the Green Report.

 At the bottom of the printed news cast overview you will see a small audio mp3 button.  Click that and a window opens with audio just like the Green Report. You don't have to subscribe and it is all free!

Note: The Peter B. Collins logo box farther below on the right that looks like the one on this post is just a link to the Peter B. Collins web site where you can sample his podcasts and contact him.

Two Theories For Last Week's Tornados In The South And Midwest

Pat Robertson says it's because there wasn't enough prayer.
http://youtu.be/rSp7fzgCuqI

A serious weather buff on youtube has another theory, HAARP.
http://youtu.be/H40B8LpDjmY

U.S. Senators Accuse Saudi Arabia Of 9/11 Involvement

From  RT:

Two former American senators involved in federal inquiries that dealt with the September 11 terrorist attacks are asking the US to re-examine the possibility that Saudi Arabia played a pivotal role in the tragedy.

Both Bob Graham and Bob Kerrey, two former senators for the states of Florida and Nebraska, respectively, have filed statements with the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York in which they suggest that the Saudi government had a substantial role in the 9/11 attacks. Senator Graham previously served as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on 9/11 and Kerrey was a member of the bi-partisan National Commission on Terrorist Acts Upon the United States, commonly referred to as the "9/11 Commission.”
Explaining his renewed involvement in the matter, Senator Graham says, “I am convinced that there was a direct line between at least some of the terrorists who carried out the September 11th attacks and the government of Saudi Arabia.” Graham adds that an "…issue deserving of further attention and investigation concerns the involvement of Saudi based charities in the provision of financial and other support to al Qaeda, and the precise character of the relationships between those charities and the government of the Kingdom."

Read More at RT

From ABC News

The New York Times

The Saudi connection goes all the way back to George Bush.  His failed oil company was bailed out by Saudis. The only plane that flew on 9/12/2001 was a jumbo jet flying around the country picking up Saudis and flying them out of the US.  15 of the so called hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. 

Also see King’s Ransom by Seymour M. Hersh for an in depth story about this written back in October of 2001.