As It Stands: Thoughts About The Moon

I was climbing to the moon the other night when my ladder ran out of rungs…

so I had to wait until the moon came to me

 Then I attached a string to it and slowly let the line out and watched the moon rise lazily into the night sky…while I read from my personal book of the dead.

I try to let go of those who passed before me

sadly, but stoically

releasing their memories like the moon

when my mood is murky like this I search the night skies like a bat

I want to frame the moon and it’s mysteries for future reference   

and borrow it’s eerie glow to light my way in the darkest nights that I know must surely lie ahead

But I dare not

the moon doesn’t belong to me with my short earthly span

for eons untold it’s ruled the night sky above this place that we pollute with the impunity of stupidity

Still - I look for the Moon over Mckinleyville when I know it’s due

We’re old friends you know and there’s still a lot to talk about 

 

Local farmers concerned about predicted rainfall – some crops may be ruined

I was talking with my son (Richard) today and he was concerned about an abundance of rain (2” predicted) ruining the potatoes where he works for Paul Giuntoli, owner of Warren Creek Farms.

They harvested 10,000 pounds of potatoes yesterday and are hard at it today. All of our local farmers are hustling in the fields today hoping Mother Nature’s wet passing will be brief.

Some History about Warren Creek Farms:

Warren Creek Farm has been growing organically since 1987 and certified organic by CCOF since 1991.

They conserve water and soil through crop rotation, cover cropping and dry farming. Dry farmed plants are more nutritious, store better and conserve water.

At Warren Creek Farms they manage weeds, pests, and diseases by mechanical and manual cultivation, crop rotation, strip grazing, soil testing, fertilizer management and as a last resort, application of organic program approved materials and practices.

Soil fertility is considered after annual soil testing. Green manure crops, compost, micronutrients and fallow years are used to maintain fertility and plant health.

At Warren Creek Farms they have a box recycling program. They pay their customers to save their boxes and many of them are used several times over.

Blue Lake & Arcata Bottoms (0-4 miles from packaging facility) Warren Creek Farms is owned by Paul Giuntoli, a third generation Humboldt County Farmer.

He and his wife Carla farm two plots of certified organic land – one on Warren Creek Road between Arcata and Blue Lake, and one in the Arcata Bottoms.

They have been supplying the co-op with potatoes and winter squash for more than 20 years, making them one of our oldest suppliers.

My son, Richard (and daughter-in-law Jassmine), having been working for Paul and Carla for years. Last year’s Corn Maze set records for attendance at the event. The Pumpkin Patch is another popular people pleaser and is also held at the Arcata Bottoms. In two weeks, Warren Creek Farms will open up it’s store for business. Meanwhile you can find their products at The Farmer’s Market in Arcata every Saturday.  

Jon Stewart announces ‘Rally to Restore Sanity’

I admit that I’m a long-time fan of Jon Stewart.

I love the way he goes after the political Right and Left. Even his enemies admire his ability to clown around and still make serious statements about politics and other hot issues. He holds the media in contempt, but is making his living behind the cameras and on the air. That paradox is puzzling, but somehow it doesn’t bother me.

I can’t wait to hear more about his rally. You know this is going to be an event to remember. If laughter is the best medicine, then a dose of Stewart should set you right up.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

What’s the longest you ever owned a car?

Mr. Allen Swift of(Springfield, MA.) received this 1928 Rolls-Royce Picadilly P1 Roadster from his father, brand new - as a graduation gift in1928.

He drove it up until his death last year.....at the age of 102!!!

He was the oldest living owner of a car from new.   Just thought you'd like to see it.

He donated it to a Springfield museum after his death.

It has 170,000 miles on it, still runs like a Swiss watch, dead silent at any speed, and is in perfect condition. (82 years)

Just thought you would find this of interest....

 

States spying on us is scary but not surprising – Pennsylvania’s govenor says he’s sorry

Homeland Security is sounding more like the S.S. and Gestapo every day. Doesn’t this admission make you wonder what the other 49 states are doing right now? If I had to guess; I’d say exactly the same thing. Hi, Big Brother!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Opps! Video shows Stefani Carter plagiarizing Obama

I get a kick out of the recent crop of candidates for office this November.

Today, let’s take a look at Stefani Carter, a would-be politico, who has already stumbled (make that screwed up) when she plagiarized Barack Obama’s 2004 keynote address to the Democratic National Convention recently.

How ironic that a Republican “want-to-be” is using a speech from a Democrat. What does that say? No imagination? No scruples? No sense? You pick.  

From The Lone Star Project (Fighting back with facts):

District 102 Republican rips off Obama while padding resume

“When House District 102 Republican nominee Stefani Carter gives her stump speech, her style and cadence seem oddly familiar, especially coming from a first time candidate.  Not only are Carter’s theme and tone similar to Barack Obama’s 2004 keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, several lines are virtually identical. She has clearly ripped off one of the President’s most memorable and widely heard speeches.
Some of those who heard Carter give her stump speech notified the Lone Star Project that she is “channeling Obama.” After some research, we were able to obtain a

video of Carter clearly lifting lines from Obama’s ’04 convention address.”

“Further research shows that Stefani Carter may be grossly overstating her past work experience and the importance of her duties. By padding her resume, Carter raises legitimate questions about her actual experience and background.

There is no requirement for an extensive background as a public speaker, journalist, or prosecutor to run for the Texas Legislature, but there is a requirement for honesty and integrity. That’s where Stefani Carter falls short. She clumsily plagiarized a famous speech and foolishly exaggerated her official biography and resume. Most employers would refuse to hire, or would likely fire, any applicant who plagiarized his or her public remarks or provided overtly misleading information about their background.”

Ulta Efficient Auto Contest: Super-cars Split $10 million in X Prize race

Over the years I’ve written several columns about cars powered by non-fossil fuels.

My favorite has been Tata Motor’s cars that are powered by compressed-air.There’s some running around in England, and other parts of Europe, but they just haven’t caught on yet.

Meanwhile, all-electric, battery, and hybrid vehicles, are becoming the “in-thing.” That is a good thing for the environment. These slick vehicles featured in the article are cool, but I don’t see any hitting the mass market soon. The X-Prize top winner, a four-seat car that gets 102 miles per gallon was awarded $5 million. The vehicles were designed to encourage the development of ultra-efficient automobiles

Read the whole article here.

Museum of Tolerance to honor Clint Eastwood in November

My two favorite male actors are Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood.

One of my old reporters (Woody Woodburn)  recently honored me by writing a column about what it was like working with me at The Desert Trail newspaper in the 1980s. His column ran in the Ventura Star daily newspaper three weeks ago.

I was really humbled when he compared Clint Eastwood to me – noting the hard outer shell disguises the caring person within.

Clint Eastwood, whose most famous movie roles were trigger-happy vigilantes but whose directorial work has shown a more open-minded world view, will receive an award from the Museum of Tolerance this fall.

Tale of telepathic gorilla inspires fan to go on rampage

Alan Boyle writes:The "Ishmael" books are aimed at encouraging radical social change — but their author says hostage-taking is definitely not the change he had in mind.

Daniel Quinn's story of Ishmael, a telepathic gorilla who tries to show humans where they're going wrong, has spawned a popular series of books, an eerie Hollywood movie and a movement that takes a critical look at our global industrial society. Unfortunately, it also spawned an escalating series of threats from James Lee, who resented the Discovery Channel so much that he took company employees hostage.

PHOTO: "My Ishmael," written by Daniel Quinn and published in 1998, was cited as a guide to global change by hostage-taker James Lee. "I wish I could understand ... what he's trying to say," Quinn said. "It's hard to connect it with my book."

A Year Ago, the Australian Town of Bundanoon Banned Bottled Water

I just ran across this article and had to share it. Who knew? A tiny town of 2000 set an example for the entire planet!

(Sept.26, 2009) “An Australian town pulled all bottled water from its shelves Saturday and replaced it with refillable bottles in what is believed to be a world-first ban.
Hundreds of people marched through the picturesque rural town of Bundanoon to mark the first day of its bottled water ban by unveiling a series of new public drinking fountains, said campaign spokesman John Dee.
Shopkeepers ceremoniously removed the last bottles of water from their shelves and replaced them with reusable bottles that can be filled from fountains inside the town's shops or at water stations in the street.

The tiny town, two hours south of Sydney, voted in July to ban bottled water after a drinks company moved to tap into a local aquifer for its bottled water business.
"In the process of the campaign against that the local people became educated about the environmental impact of bottled water," said Dee.”

"A local retailer came up with this idea of well why don't we do something about that and actually stop selling the bottled water and it got a favorable reaction," he said.
Dee said the 2,000-person town had made international headlines with their bid, which he hoped would spur communities across the world to action.”

Law enforcement group endorses Prop 19

“Legalizing marijuana would put a big dent in drug cartels and free up police, prosecutors and judges to go after violent crimes, a law enforcement group said Monday in endorsing Proposition 19, the marijuana legalization measure.

Proposition 19’s passage in November would decriminalize an estimated 60,000 drug arrests made in California each year, said former Orange County Superior Court Judge James Gray.

“I was a drug warrior until I saw what was happening in my own courtroom,’’ said Gray, a former federal prosecutor.”

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