The Humboldt Herald

All this talk about the Willits by-pass raises one question: will the mislabeled archway get re-erected over the new thoroughfare?

Willits, of course, is not the gateway to the redwoods. It’s somewhere in the middle and slightly north.

The Willits conundrum is refueling hopes of a Eureka by-pass. But give it up, folks. Ain’t gonna happen.

My picture is better than Buhne’s.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:58 PM 15 comments

From the devil’s mouth to Jerry Falwell’s ears.

Global Warming is "Satan's attempt to redirect the church's primary focus" to environmentalism, the Reverend said in a recent sermon.

Shew. No wonder it’s hot in here.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:39 PM 26 comments

"It seems like it could be a quick fix to a stressful situation, but (abortion) actually compounds that situation," [director Teri Brunner told The Daily Triplicate], adding that some women become promiscuous and get into alcohol and drugs afterward.

Meanwhile in Eureka, the pro-lifers are raging against Patty Berg’s bill allowing assisted suicide, which they compare to abortion.

Humboldt Pro-Life co-founder Bill Bertain worries that assisted suicide is an opportunity for abuse.

Unfortunately, opportunities for abuse are rife in this country. Ask any of the poverty stricken children without health insurance.

Noel Adamson’s letter in the Eureka Reporter correctly notes the irony of right-wingers who “make a fuss about zygotes and terminally ill patients, [but] are so steadfast in their extremely large-scale involuntary destruction of life at home and around the planet.”

Unaborted fetuses, especially those at an economic disadvantage, are possible future soldiers in the US war of terrorism. And think of the corporations who are losing potential customers!

Fetus don't fail me now. The injustice could drive a CEO to drink.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 10:51 AM 25 comments

File this under huh?

A small portion of Pacific Lumber creditors filed a motion with the bankruptcy court yesterday in hopes of keeping the proceedings in Texas and away from the timber company's home turf in California. The T-S article doesn’t say why.

One of the creditors hoping to have the case decided in the dark recesses of the Lone Star State is John Campbell, who made it onto PALCO’s top 20 list of entities owed a fat chunk change under dubious circumstances. Campbell wasn’t originally on the list, but doh! Pacific Lumber apparently forgot they owed him $400,000. Must’ve slipped their diligent corporate minds.

When a new list was submitted, there were suspicious changes. The Town Dandy reported:

By all appearances, Maxxam did a sloppy job in their manipulations to get the bankruptcy filed in Texas. Surely, there is much to cover-up and bankruptcy proceedings in Texas are far out of Humboldt County's reach.

This blogger looks forward to learning Campbell & Co.’s argument. The motion will likely be available on the ASJE website soon.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 8:48 AM 8 comments

The Humboldt Herald received the below email from Dr. Ken Miller. Like these comments from a PALCO worker, Dr. Miller’s email deserves a front page post.

The [Headwaters Fund] was never meant to be unemployment insurance, or a hedge against bankruptcy-related worker distress. It was designed to make funding available to local entrepreneurs and other ventures because of the predicted near-term losses of opportunities related to the Headwaters deal, assuming that [Maxxam CEO Charles] Hurwitz was not lying regarding a sustainable business.

Hurwitz was lying, we tried to warn everyone, workers rebuffed our pleas to help us make PL sustainable over time, and therefore the workers contributed to their own demise, as well as to the watershed devastation, private property damages and threats to health and safety from flooding, and the loss of a future forestry and fishery industry.

Now you workers should help us mobilize the Supervisors, Grand Jury, and DA to seek restitution from Hurwitz for his criminal activities, including fraud and intimidation. Hurwitz, not the taxpayers or Headwaters Fund, should pay to support and retrain displaced workers, especially for watershed restoration and sustainable forestry.

Hurwitz, et al, lied to refinance and load PL with the debt that has driven PL to bankruptcy. The DA is suing to establish his right to prosecute them for lying, and to recoup some of the losses related to the very consequential lies....consequences that include job losses way into the future.

Let's get compensation from the real culprit here, not enviros, or taxpayers, or he will continue to harm us. Worker voices would be a refreshing and powerful addition towards this goal.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 1:16 PM 17 comments

Eureka resident Jay Combs has an editorial today opposing the renewal of KAEF’s broadcast license. KAEF was one of many disreputable stations across the country that aired The Path to 9/11 – a propaganda piece of infotainment that aimed to re-write history and take heat off the Bush Administration.

Intense public pressure resulted in the producers of The Path to 9/11 to re-shoot some bogus scenes, which they admitted were inaccurate. However, the “docudrama” still achieved the goal of beaming Bush-washed lies into the homes of millions of Americans.

The heroes at Media Matters took special notice when they learned Scholastic Inc. was publishing teaching materials to funnel misinformation into the classroom. In response to inaccuracies noted by Media Matters, Scholastic pulled the material and distanced itself from the faulty show.

Perhaps a similar pressure, like that exercised by Mr. Combs, will cause the MSM to reconsider its role of enthusiastic conduit for government propaganda.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 11:03 AM 15 comments

Despite a long absence from the Eureka Mayor's seat and landing her new gig as Rio Dell City Manager, Nancy Flemming continues to be listed under her old title.

Wishful thinking? A dig on Mayor Bass?

(h/t anon. 10:02)

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 10:29 AM 4 comments

Nancy Flemming is Rio Dell City Manager!

CONFIRMED: Nancy's In

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 11:19 PM 15 comments

Bankruptcy 101:
Understanding the Palco Chapter 11 Case
Friday, March 2^nd, 6pm to 8pm
Fortuna River Lodge

A coalition of environmental, labor, and forestry organizations are presenting a free public workshop to help the community understand the Pacific Lumber Company’s bankruptcy. The workshop will be held at the Fortuna River Lodge on Friday evening, March 2^nd, from 6 to 8 pm. The event is being sponsored by the Humboldt Watershed Council, the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment, and other partners.

The purpose of this workshop is to help the public understand what Chapter 11 is, how the reorganization process works, the specifics of the Palco case, and some of the possible outcomes. The event will feature a presentation by Peter Clapp, an attorney with many years’ experience in corporate bankruptcy law. Mr. Clapp will explain the details of the process, what’s at stake, who the parties are, and some of the significant issues which have emerged so far.

This educational workshop is designed to be useful to anyone with either a financial stake or an interest in the Palco bankruptcy, including workers, retirees, contractors, and community members. The presentation will be followed by a facilitated question-and-answer session to allow attendees to further explore the Chapter 11 process and specific relevant issues.

For more information, please contact:

Mark Lovelace, President
Humboldt Watershed Council
(707) 822-1166
sheds@humboldt1.com

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:00 PM 14 comments

When it comes to the twenty-year train wreck of Maxxam in Humboldt County, we hear mostly from environmentalists, corporate spin doctors, flooded residents and property rights advocates. Missing from the din are the workers caught in the middle.

The workers’ predicament of losing now-unavailable pensions due to Pacific Lumber's bankruptcy is getting attention from local media and bloggers. Some bemoan the failure to organize timber workers prior to the bankruptcy, while others blame them for going along with Maxxam CEO Charles Hurwitz.

Samoa Softball, a Humboldt blog run by union organizer Richard Marks, recently hosted a lively thread of diverse viewpoints on PALCO workers, including one worker himself. He said:

As a Palco worker, I want to thank [Hank] Sims for shedding light on this subject. For the record, I have been stone-walled time and time again when I have talked to personnel in charge of the Headwaters Fund and asked about the lack of assistance being given to layed-off Palco workers. I was flatly told that the monies given to the county was never expressly ear-marked for Palco workers.

A number of us at Palco remember things differently. I remember that a portion of that money was expressly set aside for displaced timber-workers who would be adversely affected by the Headwater agreement. I recently spoke to Virginia Strom-Martin after her letter came out and she assured me that helping displaced Palco employees was indeed her intention, and that the legislative records in Sacramento backed her up. I am working hard to organize layed-off and currently employed Palco employees in order to address the county supervisors as to the lack of help being given to us through the HWF.

I know that there are many on the "left" in Humboldt who have always hated Hurwitz and clearly saw what he was up to from the beginning. We Palco workers who stayed on in the hopes that Hurwitz would never do something as evil as he has clearly done did so in the hopes of being able to live a quiet, peaceable life with our families in the county we love. We have been through a veritable hell, with environmentalists on one side trying to shut us down at every turn and Hurwitz on the other side, ripping us off and turning our lives into a giant perpetual free-fall. We don’t ask for sympathy from the left. We only wish to remind you that it is easier to see when standing on the outside of the hurricane than being caught up in the middle of it.

20 years ago Humboldt was arguably the most resource-rich county left in California. It included enormously valuable fishing and logging industries as well as a prime source of pure water. Now it resembles the bankrupt ethics of Charles Hurwitz.

Maxxam pitted neighbor against neighbor by hiring lie-factories like Hill & Knowlton and conjuring up a recall to distract us from the real culprits. Meanwhile, Hurwitz and company counted the booty. They’re doing it again.

Maxxam’s bankruptcy of Pacific Lumber begins a new chapter in Humboldt. Let's commemorate it by whipping up regional support for our beleaguered County after two decades of divisiveness.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 12:07 AM 5 comments

In a previous post, this blogger noted that incorrigible blowhard Bill O’Reilly, who stated that a kidnapped boy preferred captivity and sexual abuse to “his old parents,” was invited to speak at a fundraiser for National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. As noted in the comments, a flood of emails and phone calls resulted in the cancellation of O’Reilly’s presentation.

Oprah Winfrey, however, invited him on her show to speak as an expert about child sexual abuse. What the hell was she thinking? She’s a survivor of sexual abuse herself. Maybe it’s further evidence of Stockholm Syndrome.

Lots of people are upset with the talk show queen’s offensive guest choice. Crooks and Liars points out that Oprah’s message boards are filling up with some serious WTF.

Oprah failed to ask him about his repugnant remarks and overlooked the multi-million dollar pay-out to a woman who was sexually hounded by O’Reilly.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:01 AM 48 comments

Today's front page of the Eureka Reporter gives the impression that loved ones are hugging over news that Rob Arkley is suing Humboldt County.

Arkley isn't above exploiting veterans. He does the same thing to working class people to push his big-box agenda, so sinking another notch isn’t much of a stretch.

Low-income residents aren’t up Arkley’s alley – unless the alley leads to a gated community.

Mark Lovelace Healthy Humboldt commented on Buhne’s blog about the seeming hypocrisy of Arkley’s front groups:

It’s also impossible to take Arkley seriously about job creation when he pushes for big boxes that are notorious for screwing workers and suppliers while Republican controllers roll in the dough.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 4:39 PM 8 comments

While the depiction fails to describe every anonymous blogger, readers inevitably run into the prototype.

(Brought to you via Boing Boing by way of Penny Arcade).

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 11:37 AM 34 comments

Tonight at 7:30 on KHSU

Hurwitz and lawsuits and fraud, oh my.

UPDATE: Canceled!

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:13 AM 19 comments

The Town Dandy is off the hook this week. Pun! There’s something for everyone.

I can’t link to it ‘cause it’s not up yet, so heed my word and go get a copy right now.

The thieving crooks running the PALCO show in Scotia – namely CEO George O’Brien, CFO Gary “we’re running out of logs” Clark, and lawyer Frank Bacik - successfully implored the court to dismiss the $10,000 per month cap on their salaries. Never mind that workers aren’t getting their pensions and Rio Dell is over a barrel. Tough cookies. These wankers haven’t squeezed enough out of us yet.

Now we have Maxxam CEO Charles Hurwitz in town, and after a short stint in handcuffs he’s meeting with who?

Ex-PALCO plunderer Tom Herman sits on the Humboldt County Planning Commission and wants to turn forest lands into estates. Funny, so does Arkley.

Anyhoo, Hank Sims also reports that HumCo DA Paul Gallegos blew it for everyone attending the recent bankruptcy hearing by phone – and there were several – by tuning in via cell phone and thereby creating a buzz-killing static. Ha! Get it? Buzz kill? I’m sure it was.

Now the moral of the story is this: Gallegos has his critics, and oh, they are many. Sometimes he deserves the criticism he gets, and sometimes not.

But if those high-richter Paul-haters insist on defending everything they perceive as anti-Paul – like the shameless hombres at Maxxam/Pacific Lumber – in the face of obvious deviousness that causes real harm to Humboldt County families and businesses, then they are truly blinded by the right.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 3:48 PM 16 comments

The cops will likely issue an apology forthwith. Afterall, Hurwitz owns this town.

UPDATE: In a prime example of how exquisitely lame the Arkley Reporter is, how pandering to “PALCO” and its plundering poobahs, behold their headline for the incident that landed Charles Hurwitz in Handcuffs. “Sheriff's deputy called to airport” the words barely whisper from the page.

Apparently, the headline wizards at Humboldt’s biggest propaganda rag thought Hurwitz in handcuffs would be as uninteresting as Pacific Lumber’s “phone booth” office that allowed them to file bankruptcy in Texas rather than California where the damage was done. The ER didn’t even bother with that story.

The Arkley Distorter has had other choice headlines as of late, however. Take, for example, New PALCO president says bankruptcy is not in the plan or Blue skies despite bankruptcy.

Yep, smells like roses...grown in dead salmon.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:43 AM 10 comments

Watchdogging the media

The Humboldt Herald now features a news feed from Media Matters for America in the left-hand column. Media Matters is a watchdog group that corrects the spins, distortions and outright lies in the mainstream media (or “MSM” in blog lingo).

Media Matters was founded by David Brock, a one-time Republican propagandist who worked for the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation. His attack book on Anita Hill for daring to accuse now Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment was followed by a grand slam mea culpa called Blinded by the Right.

Brock is eminently qualified to talk about The Republican Noise Machine, which is the title of his latest book (2004) on the “right-wing media and how it corrupts democracy.”

Something is clearly wrong with the MSM. From its current obsession with the dead body of Anna Nicole Smith and the bald head of Britney Spears, to the sparse amount of time spent on the wars it helped create (you know, Iraq and "Forgotistan"), the media appears to have been hijacked by pop tarts and weapons manufacturers.

PBS is airing a four part special called Media War (and no, not the one between the Times-Standard and Eureka Reporter). Part II airs tonight at 9, but thanks to good ol’ net neutrality you can watch it on-line.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 3:13 PM 30 comments

Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) will introduce a bill to preserve open access to the internet today. Below is the press release.

SACRAMENTO -Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) announced today he will introduce "Net Neutrality" legislation that will preserve the free and open Internet by allowing all users to access the content of their choice.

"The Internet has provided a forum for free speech and open communication, giving a voice for everyone from the largest business with the most expensive website to the individual with a one-person operation," said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). "We can't allow those who want to serve as our Internet gatekeepers to discriminate against content and decide for us what we can and cannot view."

The legislation will preserve the Internet as we know it- a driving force of economic innovation, a valuable research tool and a forum of free speech and civic involvement. Specifically, it will prevent companies that control the internet's infrastructure from discriminating against content based on its source or ownership.

Similar legislation has been introduced in Maryland and Maine, but the sizable force of California's economy is expected to help secure Internet freedom nationwide if the legislation becomes law. The language of the bill closely resembles a concession made by AT&T in finalizing its merger with BellSouth late last year. Last month US Senators Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) introduced legislation to preserve network neutrality. Co-sponsors of this congressional bill include Senators Kerry, Boxer, Harkin, Leahy, Clinton and Obama.

Without such legislation, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will have the ability to use their power in a number of discriminatory ways such as block their customers from using rival web-based phone services, block their customers from visiting certain websites that offer political viewpoints other than their own, block emails from advocacy campaigns that may object to the company's policies or labor practices, as well as charge more money for "enhanced" services.

"The Internet has fostered innovation by providing a level playing field. This legislation will give content creators and users protection from discrimination by ISPs," Leno continued.

Assemblyman Leno has a long history as a civil rights leader and sees this legislation as a continuation of that work. "This is about the equality of opportunity and access online," Leno said. "The entire premise that has allowed the Internet to flourish is that the network itself does not discriminate."

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:36 AM 0 comments

Following the great Hoohaa controversy we come upon scary scrotum syndrome.

Teachers and librarians across our modest land are flailing arms and crossing legs over a Newberry award winning children’s book that inks the word “scrotum” right there in black and white – and on the first page!

"Because of that one word, I would not be able to read that book aloud,” complained Durango teacher Dana Nilsson.

The author Susan Praton, is unmoved by the prudy-prudes.

"The word is just so delicious," she said.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 11:29 AM 22 comments

<**><**><**><**><**><**>

Humboldt Herald archives:

Toward a Full Disclosure of the Names of the Men Responsible for the Indian Island Massacre

Hank Larrabee – Humboldt County Honors a Murderer

More on Hank Larrabee

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 8:26 AM 28 comments

Humboldt County Planning Commissioner Tom Herman has a long history in plundering the redwood forest. Before Roger Rodoni appointed him to the Planning Commission in 2002, he was a Pacific Lumber vice president.

Now, desperate to please Rob Arkley, Herman is hitting the breaks on the already delayed County General Plan by requesting developers go forth and sprawlify the forest lands.

Herman fancies clear-cuts and poisonous herbicides to subdue the land and harm Humboldt County residents. He helped orchestrate the Stafford landslide - a logging-triggered disaster that smothered houses on New Years morning 1997.

Herman’s bloodthirsty disdain for endangered forest critters was cited by U.S. District Court Judge Louis Bechtle, who noted that Herman hosted a party at his Scotia home where nearly-extinct Marbled Murrelets played the bullseye for so-called foresters. "At the party, there was a target of a marbled murrelet on a dart board, at which the attendees were throwing darts," the judge wrote.

In 2003-2004 he served as legal advisor to the recall campaign against District Attorney Paul Gallegos, a failed but expensive endeavor funded by Pacific Lumber’s parent company Maxxam.

Herman’s destructive prowess appears to be his only qualification to sit on the Planning Commission. You can thank all five Humboldt County Supervisors for his reappointment, which will keep him championing Arkley’s dream of Humboldt-into-Santa-Rosa until 2009.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 11:22 AM 17 comments

Eric Kirk of SoHum Parlance hosted a good radio show on KMUD tonight on the uses and abuses of blogs. Local bloggers Greg and Carol called in, as well as other regular readers of the blogs.

Eric brought up the “quandary” of allowing anonymous comments. He said some people have requested that he disallow comments from unidentified people, but during the show callers appreciated the “anarchy” and free flow of the comments.

Most local blogs allow the free flow, even if stuff gets stupid now and then. But anyone familiar with blogs might understand why some blogs, like Greg’s List or Rambling Jack’s Laboratory don’t allow anonymous comments. Capt. Buhne has twice suspended comments all together.

Some bloggers, like the Carson Park Ranger, are diligent in keeping the comments on point. His threads are quite productive as a result.

Fred once said a blog without comments is like half a blog. This blogger agrees.

What do you think?

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:25 PM 70 comments

Benito attributes the success in part to a new policy in 2005 requiring all methamphetamine possession, sales and transportation cases to be prosecuted as felonies, whereas before, nearly 200 cases per year were prosecuted as misdemeanors.

Does this blow holes in the pot-as-gateway-drug myth, or are CAMP numbers meaningless since they only address large, outdoor grows?

In other meth news, Montana is claiming success with a multi-million dollar ad campaign warning of the drug’s destructive powers. According to the Boise Weekly, the “Montana Board of Crime Control showed 284 meth seizures in 2006, compared with 583 in 2005.”

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 11:04 AM 21 comments

Just ask Andrea Arnot, the latest company talking head. While a growing army of creditors seek to move the PALCO bankruptcy proceedings from Texas to California, Arnot assures us the lying cheaters “did the right thing [by filing the bankruptcy in Texas], and it's best for all the parties.”

One can almost imagine the back-and-forth:

“Since nearly everyone affected by the bankruptcy is in California, the best court for the bankruptcy is in California.”

“Arnot.”

“Is too.”

“Arnot.”

“Is too.”

“Arnot.”

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 8:54 AM 14 comments

Toxic fish exceed guidelines. More hearings possible.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 10:31 AM 16 comments

Bloggers quit Edwards campaign after threats

Two women bloggers hired by the John Edwards campaign were the subject of much controversy after Catholic League president Bill Donohue accused them of being “inflammatory” and “anti-Catholic.” Prior to joining the campaign, the bloggers had written about the Catholic Church’s mis-teachings regarding contraception, which raised the ire of Donohue.

While the mainstream media was happy to repeat Donohue’s complaints, they failed to mention Donohue’s own Mel Gibsonesque inflammatory rhetoric.

“Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular,” Donohue said. “It's not a secret, OK? And I'm not afraid to say it. ... Hollywood likes anal sex.”

Rumors swirled that Edwards fired the bloggers, which turned out to be untrue. Edwards was congratulated for having a spine and not caving to the pressure from a hypocrite like Donohue.

However, yesterday both bloggers quit the campaign after receiving hundreds of hateful and threatening emails from supposed Jesus lovers who ranted the women should have all manner of violence committed against them and their families. Who knew Catholics were so into rape?

Blogger breaks record for longest incarcerated journalist

Freelance journalist Josh Wolf filmed an anarchist protest in San Francisco in 2005 and refused to turn over the tape to a Grand Jury.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Wolf became the longest-imprisoned journalist for contempt of court in U.S. history Feb. 6, his 169th day at the federal prison in Dublin. He could be held until July, when the grand jury's term expires, or for an additional six months if prosecutors extend the jury's term.

Similar issues were raised in the now dismissed court martial of Ehren Watada, the first ranking officer who refused deployment to Iraq. In that case, journalists were subpoenaed to testify against him. One journalist, Sarah Olson, was willing to face jail time for refusing to aid in the prosecution of Watada, whom she had interviewed shortly after he refused deployment. Fortunately, the subpoena was withdrawn and the court martial dismissed.

“We need to come to terms with the government we have right now and demand a change, demand a free media that's not encumbered by interference, that doesn't force journalists to act as agents of the state, that truly is free, both in terms of corporate control and government control,” Wolf said on Democracy Now! “[H]opefully if we demand it, we'll have it.”

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:48 AM 6 comments

Why is it every time some fascist politician or corporate honcho wants to infringe on my constitutionally protected rights they say it’s for my safety? Jesus. Quit trying to be my daddy.

The latest news – for all you infantile Americans – is that some Republican from Texas wants to pass a law that would require all Internet Service Providers to record all your internet surfing, instant messages, and emails. Just in case you’re a terrorist of course. And to keep you safe.

Of course, they also claim the goal is to stop sexual predation of children. Yeah, the Republicans care so much about that, right Mr. Foley?

Political outcry over child sexual abuse rarely amounts to the goal of protecting children. Rather, it is a hot button issue that disguises a less-than-noble political agenda.

Such a bill would only legalize what’s already happening. As we’ve seen, AT&T and other companies have eagerly accommodated the government’s spy program.

Visit the Agonist for more.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:57 AM 20 comments

Feds investigating relationship between MediaNews, Hearst

Despite numerous statements by Times-Standard owner Dean Singleton that his copious Bay Area papers are competing with San Francisco Chronicle on “all fronts,” newly unsealed documents tell a different story.

The documents are evidence in an anti-trust suit filed against Singleton’s MediaNews Group and the Hearst Corporation, owner of the Chronicle.

According to the San Francisco Bay Guardian:

The evidence of anticompetitive behavior is so clear now that the obvious question is whether the US Justice Department or the California Attorney General's Office, with new boss Jerry Brown, will do anything about it.

However, allegiance to Republicanism doesn’t appear to be an issue between MediaNews and Hearst, since Hearst gives more to Democrats that Repubs, but Hearst still threw bones to some of that party’s worst – like Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

In any case, MediaNews may have to give up some property if the judge finds Singleton is breaking anti-trust laws.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 1:33 PM 36 comments

With the advent of camera-capable cell phones, we’ve seen “random acts of journalism” that have led to police investigations.

But some women are using camera phones to fight harassment. Using a ring of “HollaBack” blogs, women (and some men) post pictures of men who cat call, touch or otherwise hassle them while they walk down the street or ride public transportation. The motto is "If you can't slap 'em, snap 'em!"

A HollaBack blog was recently started for San Francisco, but more than a dozen cities and states have one, including California.

It all started with a guy on a New York subway who apparently thought other commuters wanted to see him masturbate. Instead, he got arrested after his picture appeared on the internet.

Many posts on the HollaBack blogs don’t contain pictures, but share stories of harassment.

The Chronicle has lots of commentary here.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 4:21 PM 20 comments

A second Eureka Police Officer is saying farewell to the EPD and joining the District Attorney’s investigative team.

Not only does this combat the police-generated public perception that cops and the DA don’t get along, but it begs the question of why officers are leaving the EPD? Low pay? Low morale?

The move actually puts the EPD in a bind with grant requirements. So they’re offering to recruit non-officers and pay their way through the academy. So you wanna be a police officer?

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 7:45 AM 111 comments

The Monologues, compiled by Eve Ensler, are performed all over the world every February. See the Humboldt County schedule here.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 12:21 PM 39 comments

There’s a great article in the Times-Standard today about Pacific Lumber’s shady justification for using a Texas bankruptcy court instead of one in California. John Driscoll dug up a few facts that reveal how the scoundrels operate.

As previously noted, the California Attorney General is asking the court to move the bankruptcy proceedings to California where they belong. The AG claims the only PALCO subsidiary based in Texas, Scotia Development LLC, “has a mere ‘phone booth’ presence in Corpus Christi.”

The Corpus Christi address for Scotia Development is an office building. On a request from the Times-Standard, a reporter from the city's newspaper found the company listed in the building's lobby directory, but was unable to find the suite number it listed.

A call to the landlord of the building was not returned. According to court filings, the office is 344 square feet and rents for $550 a month.

”This office is, literally, a phone booth used to manufacture venue in Texas for the bankruptcy case,” state attorneys wrote in their motion.

A phone call to the Corpus Christi number got an answering machine with a message from an individual named James Shanks. The call was not returned by press time.

A Google search found that James D. Shanks is a former president of MCO Properties, a subsidiary of Maxxam Inc., Palco's Houston-based parent company. Shanks was transferred to Puerto Rico in September 2005 to oversee a $200 million development in Maxxam's exclusive Palmas del Mar community.

Highly suspect, since Scotia Development was created in June 2006.

Scotia Development lists Shanks as president and chief executive officer. Gary Clark, Palco's chief financial officer, is Scotia Development's CFO. Dennis Wood, Palco vice president, is vice president for Scotia Development. In addition, four secretaries are listed, including Bernie Birkel, Scotia Pacific's secretary.

Excellent reporting, John.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 8:41 AM 12 comments

In last week’s North Coast Journal, Hank Sims reported speaking with Rio Dell city manager John Miller who said the city is owed $109,858 for expenses relating to the now unlikely annexation of Scotia.

But in today’s Eureka Reporter, ultra PALCO-friendly reporter Mike Morrow gives a much lower figure: $36,882.

Why the major difference?

In other PALCO news, the CA Attorney General reportedly filed a motion to have the bankruptcy proceedings moved to California. (The NCJ initially reported this a week ago, but it appears the Eureka Reporter got a copy of the motion). It seems like a no-brainer, since there are virtually no ties between the timber company and Corpus Christi, Texas, where the bankruptcy was filed.

If the AG’s motion is successful, the hearings would be moved to Oakland.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:52 AM 10 comments

Underage boys adore sexual abuse - just ask Bill O’Reilly, the Fox Noise commentator. The falafel king made repeated comments on his television show that a young, kidnapped boy held four years against his will had “fun” during captivity since he didn’t have to go to school. The kidnapper is facing “69 counts of forcible sodomy, all felonies and each punishable by up to life in prison.”

Instead of instant cancellation of his obnoxious TV show, O’Reilly will be the guest speaker for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on March 9 in Collier County, FL.

For just $500 you can listen to this jackass justify years of abuse at the hands of a kidnapper. O’Reilly doesn’t believe in Stockholm syndrome, you see. So unless you poke your captor in the eye, it’s just fun and games. Tickle, tickle.

In reaction to his comments, home improvement chain Lowe’s (a Home Depot rival) reportedly pulled their advertising from O’Reilly’s show in protest.

O’Reilly has not apologized.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 8:44 AM 79 comments

But just in case you’re a fresh-face youngin who thinks hard work in a big box will be rewarded with home ownership, listen up. Uncle Rob is here to HELP!

See all the keys in the pretty picture? They could be yours! There’s a key for the Lexus and a key for the summer house and a key for the management room in the big box! That’s right, because you’re going to move up the ladder in the corporate career of your dreams! (Unless you’re a woman, but we won’t talk about that now). Poverty wage employment makes it all possible!!!

I know you’re scared, ever since mean ol’ Maxxam took the good jobs away. But daddy Arkley will make it all better with not just one but two new big boxes coming soon! They’ll be built right on Humboldt Bay! Oh joy!

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 4:43 PM 29 comments

Times-Standard editor Rich Somerville gets all uppity in today’s paper, extolling the credibility of “real” journalists and dismissing lowly bloggers.

“The [blogs] may have an authoritative resonance, but often are so misinformed that one can assume the blogger isn't making his living as a journalist,” Somerville writes. Ah, yes. As if credibility was a paycheck. If it were, those non-existent weapons of mass destruction would have been found and Iraq would be enjoying the fruits of democracy.

Somerville says he only gives an occasional perusal of local blogs, ostensibly because he’s a real newsman. Yet when he first came to Humboldt a few short months ago he solicited input on his new home. Maybe he suffers delusions that he’s exhausted Humboldt’s treasure chest of knowledge.

Just as the Times-Standard got a well-deserved kick in the pants by Arkley’s Reporter, so the media in general is undergoing changes forced by the new media. Actually, make that forced by the people who’ve had bland, unaccountable news-product stuffed down our collective gullet like a fois gras duck.

Of course, you can’t believe everything you read (or see on Fox, CNN or Comedy Central). But we’re fortunate today for the opportunity to cull information from a variety of sources – including informed citizen bloggers who write for reasons other than a deadline and a paycheck.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 10:09 AM 10 comments

Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 9:50 AM 30 comments

Not that he lives there or anything, but Rob Arkley, Jr. will speak on February 24 at Baton Rouge’s Southern University about the possibilities of “having a Juris Doctor degree.” Mr. Arkley will be one of many speakers, including sexual harassment expert Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 5:45 PM 21 comments

As hinted on the Buhne Tribune, there is a rumor going around that ex-supervisorial candidate Nancy Flemming will seek the city manager seat for Rio Dell.

Hmm, interesting, you might say. But wouldn’t she have to live in Rio Dell?

Good question.

Another good question revolves around an additional rumor that Flemming friend Rob Arkley will play night-in-shining-armor to The Pacific Lumber Company by bailing them out of bankruptcy and buying the beleaguered Timber Co. and its over-cut timberland.

Imagine that – with Flemming heading Rio Dell, and Arkley owning Scotia (and 200,000 acres of Timber Production Zone lands in Humboldt County), Arkleyville could really come to fruition. It’s a prospect that floods bile into the hearts of Humboldtians everywhere.

But these are just rumors, or blind items, if you will. Speculate at your own risk.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 3:46 PM 21 comments

Channel 5 is running the minute-long commercial featuring a lady who won’t say her name. Maybe that should be Chanel N° 5.

Parfum or Eau De Toilette? You decide.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 6:53 PM 57 comments

A plea by Eureka Reporter editor Glenn Franco Simmons for readers to “shun” a talk given by author Michael Shellenberger was summarily rejected – and laughed at – by a packed audience on HSU campus last night.

The event was moved to a larger hall in anticipation of the turn-out, but even that room wasn’t big enough to accommodate the crowd that filled the aisles and spilled into the halls.

John Meyer, professor in HSU’s Government and Politics Department, introduced the talk by saying Shellenberger had a way of stirring up controversy, but noted the ER was “discouraging the free expression of ideas.”

The talk was titled “Beyond Environmentalism” and delved into the controversial ideas in the essay (and soon to be published book) The Death of Environmentalism, which calls for an overhaul of the environmental movement from it’s current state as a “special interest” disconnected from other pressing issues to a political force that invests in economic development that addresses our quickly changing world.

“Environmentalism is the politics of limits,” Shellenberger said, which concentrates on restrictions rather than the growth of new ideas and possibilities. He criticized Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth” as concentrating only on “the nightmare.” The movie, like much of the environmental movement, depresses rather than inspires, Shellenberger said.

Shellenberger’s rapid-fire movement through the history of environmentalism and the revolutionary concepts presented in the Death of Environmentalism spurned an hour-long Q&A that only ended when the room needed to be closed for the night.

The book will be released in October 2007. Acknowledging the night's big turn-out, Shellenberger said he hoped the Eureka Reporter bad-mouths his book in the same way they shunned his talk.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 1:05 PM 32 comments

When Pacific Lumber gave the pink slip to 90 workers in December, the company focused on the bright side – sixty days severance pay while new jobs or training were found, plus a “week’s pay for every year they worked.” But the deal is off thanks to the supposedly abrupt bankruptcy. Surprise!

To swallow that PALCO is acting in good faith one must believe the bankruptcy was unplanned – a shock to even the company itself. But such a scenario fails the truth test.

By all appearances, timing of the bankruptcy was known at least since last summer. As recently noted in the NCJ, PALCO chose a bankruptcy court in Corpus Christi, Texas, home of the newest PALCO subsidiary - seven month-old Scotia Development, LLC, - rather than operational hub Humboldt County, or PALCO’S state of incorporation - Delaware. The location makes attendance impossible for interested Humboldt County residents or reporters.*

Now it’s revealed that PALCO owes Rio Dell $109,858 for consultants regarding Scotia’s proposed annexation, which Scotia now shies away from. Ouch! Another sucker punch by PALCO.

A recent comment on this blog suggested that “residents of Humboldt [C]ounty suffer a sort of collective Stockholm Syndrome.”

By any name, Humboldt has allowed itself to be fooled again and again by the architects of this mess – Charles Hurwitz and Maxxam.

* Unless Rob Arkley sends a stenographer to “report” how splendidly the bankruptcy is going.

permalink I posted by Heraldo Riviera @ 12:11 PM 16 comments