Dealing With The Devil

Here's the deal... You give me half your lunch, and I'll kick you in the head. Sound fair? That's pretty much how the Islamic countries negotiate. Iran wants to build a Nuke. They say they don't... but they do. They are on record saying they want to wipe Israel off the map. Do you think they're going to do that with a rubber chicken? The UN wants to keep tabs on Iran, and other countries are threatening to turn Iran in to the UN Security Council. But Iran says if they get tattled on, then they WILL make a bomb. "In a new report, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Iran had already begun preparing for uranium enrichment, which can potentially produce fuel for bombs, and continued to hinder inquiries into its atomic activities." Then there is the newly elected government of Palestine. Since the terror group HAMAS was elected to power just the other day, other countries have suggested they may cut off aid to Palestine unless: 1 - HAMAS admits that Israel has the right to exist, and 2 - that HAMAS renounce violence. But HAMAS thinks that is asking waaay too much, and urged the West not to slash aid. I believe that time is just about up before Israel decides they've had enough of this crap and nukes them all.

Again... Why I like It Here

Freedom of speech is a good thing. There are people in this country who think our right to say what we want is being threatened. But let's put it in perspective. Denmark is one of the most liberal countries in the world. But their freedom of speech is being put to the test right now. Because of a few cartoons. "Twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, published in Jyllands-Posten last September and reprinted in a Norwegian magazine earlier this month, have sparked an uproar in the Muslim world since images of the prophet are considered blasphemous." Cartoons like this one. So now the cartoonists have gone into hiding after death threats, Denmark is being squeezed by a boycott that threatens to hurt their economy, Danish flags are being burned, and masked gunmen have taken over the European Union offices in the Gaza Strip... All because of cartoons! I expect they'll be coming after me next.

Just A Reminder

The Augustine volcano up in Alaska is still erupting. This photo was taken just today (Jan. 30th) and is one of many that can be viewed on the Alaska Volcano Observatory website. The Weather Channel's doomsday show "It Could Happen Tomorrow" had an episode yesterday about what would happen if Mt. Rainier erupted. Let's just say I'm still glad to be over here.

Reality Check

The new season of Survivor begins this Thursday. So don't expect any Thursday evening blogging from this end unless I get all upset at who they vote off. I do have my priorities.

Rock Slide Blocks Kettle River Road

A good sized rock slide has most of the west Kettle River Road blocked this evening, January 30th. Police are on the scene and the road is passable in part of one lane. But Police caution that the hillside remains unstable and rocks continue to fall.

Monday's Quick Links

Canadian Miners Rescued Balloons for Cellular Service?

Fire In Canada Gold Mine - Miners Trapped

A fire broke out in the K2 Postash Mine near Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, trapping 70 miners. But all are reported to be safe.

He Shoots, He Scores!

The Grand Forks, B.C. arena was the scene of some outstanding Ice Hockey this weekend as former members of the Grand Forks Border Bruins returned from all over Canada and the states to their old stomping grounds for the second installment of the Border Bruins Alumni tournament. There are over 600 former Bruins as the team has been around since 1969. Enough came home this weekend to form four separate teams as they battled it out for the trophy and bragging rights. I expect there are more than a few bruises and sore muscles because this was anything but "gentleman's hockey". We fans got more than our money's worth as these guys were skating, shooting and even hitting like the good old days. This was better than most pro hockey you'll see on TV. It's not surprising that Grand Forks has produced several NHL stars over the last 37 years. One of the highlights of the weekend was when the 1973-74 team was presented with their long overdue Division Championship banner. Better late than never.

Biting The Hand That Feeds You

Eager to extend her 15 minutes of fame, Cindy Sheehan wrapped up her visit to the six-day World Social Forum in Caracas by calling US President Bush a terrorist. This all but insures her more of the press coverage she craves when she next travels to Washington DC to protest Bush's State of the Union address. Earlier on Saturday, Sheehan turned on one of her own kind when she announced that she is considering running against Sen. Dianne Feinstein to protest what she called her support for the war in Iraq and decision to not join in the last-ditch filibuster effort to stop Judge Alito from getting on the Supreme Court. And it seems to have worked. Fienstein has since changed her mind.

Northwest Continues To Rattle

Magnitude 2.8 quake felt in Portland, Oregon.

Castro Tries To Put A Sock In Free Speech

Have you heard about this? It seems there is this new, giant news ticker mounted in the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana, Cuba that beams human rights and democracy messages into the night in big crimson letters. The 9-foot-high letters, running through 25 windows on the building's fifth floor, can be seen for miles. Castro is pissed! After marching more than a million people by the building earlier this week to protest the ticker, he's now ordered construction workers to extend an open-air stage that's in front of the mission to within yards of the gate. He plans to mount huge flags on the stage to block the ticker from view. How's a guy supposed to be a great dictator when somebody keeps telling his people the truth?

Why I Like It Here

Major Earthquake Hits Off Indonesian Coast JAKARTA, Indonesia - A magnitude-7.7 undersea earthquake rocked eastern Indonesia early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There was no danger of a tsunami.

A Couple Of Quick Links

A winter storm watch is in effect from late tonight through Saturday afternoon for the Okanogan Highlands and Okanogan Valley, including the cities of Republic, Inchelium, Omak, Okanogan, Brewster, Bridgeport, and Oroville. Three to five inches of snow can be expected with up to ten inches in the mountains. Read More ------------------- Remember to check out the Hockey games in Grand Forks beginning tonight. The first game is from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm, and the next from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. -------------------- U.S.-Mexico relations deteriorating

Tech News

Caption: A woman uses a $100 hand-cranked laptop computer. The United Nations has thrown its weight behind a project to place a $100, hand-cranked laptop computer in the hands of millions of schoolchildren around the globe. Can wood-fired Cell Phones be far behind?

Hunting For Bigfoot

There have been reports of sightings of 3 big hairy critters in Malaysia. So scientists with nothing better to do are loading up their pickups with beer and cheetos, ready to 'GIT-R-DONE'. "Malaysian media have been gripped by Bigfoot fever since November 2005, when fish farm workers reported seeing three giant human-like hairy beasts at the edge of the Endau Rompin reserve. They also claimed to have seen a gigantic footprint which they photographed." Hmmmm...?

The Killers Next Door

Imagine living in Israel right now and knowing that the people right across the border had just elected a terrorist group, that's been trying to kill you for years, to run that country. Well it's really happened. The terrorist Islamic group HAMAS, has just won a landslide election to control all of Palestine. "Palestinian leaders, stunned by the militant group's sweeping victory, huddled to determine the shape of a new government..." Then you have Iran calling for Israel to be wiped off the map and threatening to build a Nuke to do it... YIKES!

Yet Another Mexican Border Story

Two tons of pot found inside Mexico-U.S. border tunnel "Investigators discovered a sophisticated cross-border tunnel yesterday extending about a half-mile and found about 2 tons of marijuana on the Mexican end." Imagine if they put this much effort into working at a real job...

On The Road To Nowhere

Sen. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park, said that Eastern Washington has "very good roads going nowhere. They've got extremely good roads over there going to places that are all boarded up and are small and it's sad." The Tri-City Herald fired back on Monday, urging Sen. Fairley to take a road trip and see for herself.

Her 15 Minutes Of Fame Must Be Up

Remember Cindy Sheehan? Remember how *special* she was to the media as long as she was making President Bush look bad? Well it seems she has lost some of that new car smell. Just the other day she was down in Venezuela sucking up to President Hugo Chavez's socialist revolution while he welcomed tens of thousands of activists to a massive event Tuesday protesting globalization and the war in Iraq. But you didn't hear that story at the top of the news, did ya? The media would rather not share her communist leanings with America. Only CNN's website dares to even mention her visit with Chavez. But you have to scroll waaay down to read the very last sentence of the article. "Well-known speakers included Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano, Argentine Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel and American anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004 and who set up a protest camp near Bush's ranch in Texas last year." Learn More About Cindy's Buddy Chavez

Annie, Get Your Gun!

Here's yet another update on that Canadian border shootout story below. The incident at the Blaine, Washington border crossing is causing the Canadian government to re-think their "NO GUNS" policy for their border security people. “These inspectors are unarmed at the port,” said a Canadian Border Union official. “They're very concerned about their health and safety and they walked off the job, previous to the incident occurring.” Not really a great moment in Canadian history, eh? Fortunately the two murder suspects never quite made it into Canada. Two officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection set up a road block, stood their ground as the suspects sped toward them, and fired several shots hitting one of the suspects in the neck and stopping the vehicle just 3 feet short of the border. But the best part of the story is that these two U.S. Customs agents were GIRLS! Click Here For Full Story

Reality Bites!

This BLOG almost writes itself In a natural follow-up to my previous rant about my love for Reality TV, comes this story about the first winner of Survivor, Richard Hatch. Richard was the scheming, chubby, gay dude on the first season of Survivor who ultimately won the million dollar prize as "sole survivor". But it seems Richard got caught NOT paying the taxes on his winnings from that show, as well as other money he later recieved as a result of his survivor fame. Hatch (44) was found "guilty" today for failing to pay those taxes, and now faces up to 13 years in prison and a fine of $600,000. "Hatch was handcuffed and taken into custody after U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres said he was a potential flight risk." So to sum it up... A semi-famous, rich, gay guy, who is not well liked, is being sent to prison for several years... The ultimate survivor challenge is about to begin.

Keep'n It Real

OK... I'm coming out of the closet. I love reality TV. Not ALL reality TV... I don't watch Big Brother, The Bachelor or any of those shows that are based on smut, sex or romance. But I do love to watch American Idol, The Biggest Loser and the king of all reality shows, Survivor. Some people say that these type of shows are not real entertainment. But just because the people are not professional actors doesn't mean it's not fun to watch. Hey!.. I'm entertained, and that's all that matters to me. Lately there seems to be some changes happening on Television. Shows like the "West Wing" are finally being cancelled. I think it's because people are sick and tired of supporting shows whose actors or fictional story lines presume to educate the rest of us and sway our political opinion. Even a new show named "The book of Daniel" died on the vine partly because the plot was so controversial that many stations refused to even air it. NBC seems to be the worst offender in my opinion. Their "Law and Order" series has taken many pot-shots at the current administration by spinning their stories to protest such politically charged issues as the Patriot Act and alleged torture at Gitmo. The NBC show "Crossing Jordan" just aired an episode about a corruption in the military and faulty body armor being issued to our troops. I don't know if anyone will take this fictional story line as fact, but it certainly doesn't help when you have a loved one serving overseas. And don't even get me started on the crap I've seen on "ER". So YES!, I love Reality TV. Mostly because it IS real and they don't try to tell me how to think. For those people who say they never watch reality TV... What do they call Football, Baseball, Basketball, Award Shows, Talk Shows or the News?

Follow-Up To Mexican Border Standoff

Border incident sparks outrage "U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, called on Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to initiate a formal investigation"

Follow-Up To Canadian Border Shootout

There is an interesting back-story to the story about the shoot-out below. It seems that when the going got tough, the people charged with protecting Canadian borders ran away. This does not surprise me because Canadian border guards are not allowed to have guns. "An unspecified number of Canadian border agents, who are unarmed, left their posts because they were concerned for their safety" Guns are banned in Canada, remember? People in this country would like to take away our guns too. Think about it... More On This Subject

Shootout At The Canadian Border

Two suspects were caught after a chase and exchange of gunfire around 2 p.m. at the Blaine, Washington border crossing. “There were border guys coming from everywhere. The Canada Customs guys got out of the booth and came down. There were people running around everywhere. They were closing off the highway on all sides. It was pretty chaotic" Click Here For Full Story, I expect crossing either of our borders is going to get tougher real quick. See previous post below

Armed Standoff On Mexican Border

Things are heating up along the US / Mexican border, according to this story at the Daily Bulletin. "Mexican soldiers and civilian smugglers had an armed standoff with nearly 30 U.S. law enforcement officials on the Rio Grande in Texas Monday afternoon, according to Texas police and the FBI." It seems the Mexican military is in cahoots with the drug smugglers and God only knows who else. This should really make you nervous, people. Pay attention.

Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.” There is a campaign underway in Seattle to erect a bronze a statue to legendary martial-artist and actor Bruce Lee. Originally from Hong Kong, Bruce Lee is considered a home-town hero in Seattle: "At 18, Lee resided in an attic atop Ruby Chow’s restaurant on the corner of Broadway and Jefferson, where he waited tables. In the daytime, he attended Edison Technical College, which is now Seattle Central Community College, and graduated in 1960. He went on to study philosophy at the University of Washington." Bruce Lee is also buried in Seattle, so it's only natural to have a statue of him in the Emerald City. "it’s a shame that Seattle doesn’t already have a statue of Lee, especially considering his gravesite attracts hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors every year". Bruce Lee co-starred as Kato in the Batman television series spinoff "The Green Hornet" which featured his Kung-Fu fighting skills. He went on to star in several classic Chinese martial-arts movies which jump started the genre and the fads. Bruce Lee died in 1973. 20 years later an excellent movie of his life was released.

On The Other Hand...

There is a group of people in Bangor, Maine who make it their mission to really support the troops. They show up at the airport to meet the flights and to greet American troops who may be heading off to war or coming home. They offer hugs, fudge and the use of their cell phones to the troops. "The Maine Troop Greeters, a community group that has dutifully gathered at this tiny airport in central Maine since May 2003. At the close of this night last Tuesday, the group had tallied 1,403 flights, filled with 260,927 men and women in uniform." I remember getting a call from our son when he had one of those cell phones pressed into his hand before he flew out of the states to serve in Iraq. I can't tell you how much that kindness meant to us.

Finally, An Honest Liberal

My son, an Iraq War Veteran, is safe at home now and trying to finish his college education. As you can imagine, he's seen his share of protesters. But he has said repeatedly that they have the right to protest, and that is what he was fighting for in Iraq. In a word, "FREEDOM". "I'm against the war, but I support the troops". I hear that line all the time, and I never thought it was very sincere. I believe that if you constantly belittle the mission to allow the Iraqis the same freedoms we take for granted in this country, then you hurt the troops morale, and encourage others to do the same. But the worst thing is you encourage the people who want to kill the troops. Troops like my son. And I take that personally. But today, finally, somebody came clean. Joel Stein of the LA Times wrote a commentary where he admits, "I DON'T SUPPORT our troops". Now I'm sure he's going to take a lot of heat from this. But at least he had the nerve to admit what the others will not: "being against the war and saying you support the troops is one of the wussiest positions the pacifists have ever taken". Joel Stein may be a ass, but he does have that right. And that's what the troops he does not support are fighting for.

Oh Canada!

It appears the Conservatives have taken back control of Canada after 12 years of liberal rule. Michael Moore was up there just last Friday trying to unload more of his propaganda videos and did his best to sway the Canadian vote to the left just as he did down here in the states, but to no avail. Sorry Mikey, but Canada knows the difference between a beaver and a rat. The Canadian liberals are pointing fingers in every direction trying to blame everyone and everything but their own policies. Sound familiar? Update Canada's incoming Conservative PM vows change

Good Night, Sleep Tight DOH!

There seems to be an outbreak of bedbugs in New York City. This is just another example of how something that was once considered "taken care of" can come back and bite us on the ass. Keep this in mind the next time somebody scoffs at the idea of a flu pandemic or bio-terrorism.

Nowhere To Run

Speaking of Canada... I see where the Canadians are holding elections today and it looks like the liberal government up there is about to be given the boot and replaced with a more conservative party. So I suppose all those "Bush Dodgers" who were planning to run to Canada after George W. Bush was re-elected are now going to come running back across the border to the good ol' USA. If ever there was a need for a fence.... I know many Canadians who still miss their guns since they were banned, and who wish they could have helped us out in Iraq. Some have even expressed a desire for British Columbia to become the 51st state. But maybe after today's vote is over they'll have a chance to put things right again. Nobody really wants to speak French out west, but their Government MAKES them! And did you know it's a LAW that Canadian radio stations MUST play 35% Canadian artists? That's why when you listen to BKR, you hear people like Brian Adams or The Guess Who all the time. Talk about big brother! I just hope that after todays election our good neighbor to the north will feel like a real neighbor once again.

Seattle Seahawks Going To Superbowl XL

The Seattle Seahawks just won their league championship and are going to their first ever Superbowl. Hoo hooeeee!

Hockey In Grand Forks This Weekend

The Grand Forks Border Bruins Alumni association is hosting a huge Hockey tournament up in Grand Forks B.C. this weekend. They are bringing back a bunch of former Border Bruins and have formed 4 teams that will battle it out Friday, Saturday and Sunday - January 27th, 28th and 29th. Check the website for times and details. If you've never been to a hockey game, this is a great time to check it out and catch the bug. We attended Border Bruins games for years and made a lot of friends up there. Take my advice and dress warm. The arena does have heaters, but remember that the game is played on real ice and those big guys skating around at high speed do tend to create a wind chill at times. Bring something to sit on if you don't want to stand all the time or your butt gets cold. Also please keep your eye on the puck. It can and will leave the ice at times and fly into the crowd. They freeze the pucks solid before each game so it won't stick to the ice, so getting hit with one can really leave a mark. It took six stitches to close my wife's head after she got hit with a puck... and it had already bounced off two other people before it finally hit her. May they rest in peace. Bring extra cash because the arena concession food is great. And remember to bring your photo ID or birth certificate for the border guards. I hope to see you there!

Sunday

Not much happening out here in the boonies. We made the trip to Colville to replace the bathroom scale we broke while trying to weigh our daughter's dog to see if she meets the potential landlord's pet weight limit. NOT! I never knew digital scales could print out profanity. But it was a lucky thing we went when we did. I finally got my prescription drug card from Humana and went to have the WalMart pharmacy put it on file. I had picked up my meds earlier this month but had to pay waaaay more than I was promised when I signed up with Humana. But yesterday the lady in the pharmacy offered to refund me nearly $200 cash since I now had my card. She could have let it slip and I would have never known any better. She said they are only allowed to give refunds until the end of the month. Just so you know... Note: I added a few more fun links to this site: Comix, Horoscopes and Dear Abby. Let me know if there is anything else you would like to see here.

Not My Fault

When are people going to start taking responsibility for themselves and stop blaming other people for everything bad that happens in their life? Just like Hurricane Katrina, the Asian Tsunami, Global Warming, etc. etc. has been blamed on President Bush, now an Advocacy group is warning Kellogg Foods and Viacom to tone down junk food ads on TV. They claim junk food is making American kids unhealthy, and is threatening to sue for a billion dollars if they won't tone down ads aimed at kids. I don't believe characters like Tony the Tiger and Spongebob Squarepants are making kids eat that crap. Parents can always turn off the TV or just say "NO". Nobody is holding a gun to their head to force them to buy junk food for their kids. I think it's high time people start taking responsibility for their own lives and those of their children. If you or your kids are fat... that's YOUR fault! So stop blaming Bush and Spongebob.

Pea Soup

We came across these fog-bound cattle coming over from Oroville this afternoon. Days like these make me look forward to the spring.

A Wood Chopper!... Get it?

The recent snow hasn't slowed the logging along the river road. The hills are steep in that area so they are hauling the logs out with a helicopter. There are a lot of logging trucks traveling along highway 20 so the logging business must be doing pretty good.

Still Smok'n

Photo of Augustine volcano © Den Anderson of Homer, Alaska Courtesy of www.bobshannon.org Even something as dangerous as an erupting volcano has a beauty all its own. Click Here to follow the Augustine volcano action live.

Truck on I-5 creates a stink

Trailer full of human waste dumps its load By Lukas Velush - Herald Writer EVERETT - The lunch-hour rush on Tuesday turned into a real stinker. About 2,000 pounds of treated human waste spilled onto southbound I-5 at 41st Street SE after a semitruck braked suddenly to avoid a vehicle stopped on the freeway.full story here "What can Brown do for you?"

20 sheep killed in Carnation barn fire

CARNATION, Wash. — Twenty sheep were killed in a barn fire this morning near Carnation.- full story here Story delayed because investigators kept dozing off.

The Scales of Justice

A couple stories in todays news seemed a bit unbalanced when I viewed them side by side. The first was a story about one of the conspirators involved in the April 19, 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City which killed 168 people. The second story was about the couple who were just convicted for putting a human finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili and then attempting to sue. In one of the most dramatic images of the day, firefighter Chris Fields carries Baylee Almon, who later died of her injuries. AP photographer Charles H. Porter IV won the Pulitzer Prize for this photograph. (AP photo) The Oklahoma City bomb conspiracy involved four people (that we know of). Timothy McVeigh was found guilty on 11 counts of murder and conspiracy on June 2, 1996, and, on Aug. 14, he was formally sentenced to death. On Dec. 23, 1997, Terry Nichols was found guilty of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter, but not guilty of use of a weapon of mass destruction and destruction by explosive. He was sentenced to life in prison. The other two people were friends of McVeigh, Michael Fortier and his wife. Fortier, who had failed to warn anyone of the Oklahoma City bombing but later testified against the men convicted in the plot, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 12 years in prison. His wife helped make the fake ID that McVeigh used to rent the truck, but she never did any time. So today there was a report that, even though his 12 years are not yet up, Michael Fortier is being released from prison and will once again be a free man. But remember the couple with the finger in the chili? Well that guy just got sentenced to 12 years in prison for that crime. So for some reason, if you are involved in an act of terrorism that kills 168 men women and CHILDREN... you might get death, you might get life in the can, or you just might even get off completely. But if you dare to screw a giant fast food corporation for money, then heaven help you, because your ass is grass. Now some might argue that scaring people away from spending their money at Wendy's could be considered a form of terrorism too. But to me there is a difference between these two acts. Personally, if I had to choose between getting blown to bits or finding a piece of Bob in my lunch... I'd rather you gave me the finger. But that's just my opinion.

Man surrenders after sword assault

SEATTLE – Several streets in the Ballard neighborhood were blocked off Tuesday night as police searched for then negotiated with a man believed to have assaulted another man with a sword. ...More Related Link

Giant Quake Could Hit Oregon Coast

Associated Press Geologists say a massive 9.0 magnitude or larger earthquake could strike off the Oregon coast -- at any time. And when it does, experts say it will drive a wall of water up to 50-feet high ashore within minutes. Up until now, preparations and planning for evacuations have been mostly left up to individual communities. Jacque Morgan is the public information officer for the city of Florence. Florence, like other communities, has developed a warning siren system independently of the state. But, she says, thats going to change as the result of efforts at the Oregon Emergency Management office. Morgan says the state will adopt some uniform codes when it comes to sirens so people up and down the coast will know when to evacuate.

Hurl Alert!

Scientists at the National Taiwan University have successfully bred three pigs which glow fluorescent green in the dark, marking a breakthrough in stem cell research. I do not like it, Sam I Am. I do not like green eggs OR ham.

Geek Alert!

Captain's Log, Stardate 2006 17.1 We've encountered a strange new species willing to fork out big bucks for disgusting chunks of Calcium Oxalate as if they were Dilithium Crystals.... Suckers! William Shatner, known for his role as Captain Kirk on the TV show Star Trek, has reportedly sold his kidney stone to GoldenPalace.com for $25,000.00. The money will go to Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for the needy. Read the full story Dammit Jim!... I'm a carpenter, not a urologist!

Tuesday Update

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Augustine Volcano erupted Tuesday morning, sending an ash plume 8 1/2 miles into the air, officials at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said. ..More Watch for more quakes off the coast and near Victoria! Just a hunch

Tuesday

The last winter storm warning seems to be another bust. We got maybe 2 inches here over the last 24 hours. Phhhtt! I'd like to point out that this blog has recieved it's first ever comment on my post about all the gay themed movies of late. And it came all the way from London England! So I figure that officially makes this blog an international publication. Thanks for the links folks.

and another thing...

When did it become cool to be a communist? I’ve noticed a trend of late in the news as well as in retail outlets that Communism is back in vogue again. The country of Chili just elected a socialist woman President who vowed to "shrink the gap between rich and poor that persists in the South American nation despite lower poverty and a thriving economy". We don't need no stinking wealth and properity Then there’s the leftist President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, who is a big fan of Fidel Castro and has been using his 15 minutes of fame by jumping up and down on television and repeatedly bashing President Bush on the news. He must think he’s a Hollywood celebrity And what about all the renewed popularity in the Marxist revolutionary butcherErnesto "Che" Guevara. There are numerous websites dedicated to his memory, and even more so to making money off his memory. T-shirts and other items emblazoned with his face are being sold by retail stores as well as online. It’s pretty ironic that a guy who despised capitalism is now such a big moneymaker for capitalists like Che Lives.com. Che Lives??? I guess they missed this.

that reminds me...

I just read a story about the Golden Globes Awards and how wonderful it is that three of the top picks this year are movies about homosexuals or transexuals. Now let me be clear... I believe everybody has a right to do what they want. But I am getting a little sick and tired of constantly being reminded that gay people have equal rights. I get it!... Stop harping on me! But at what point did their equal rights get to be more equal than everybody else? Must I constantly have it shoved down my throat? Pun Intended Just last night I was watching that show with Roger Ebert, and he said his pick for worst movie of 2005 was Deuce Bigelow European Gigolo. He made a point to say that one of the characters was "homophobic". I assume that is one of the reasons he gave it his biggest thumbs down of the year. Coincidentally, I had just TiVoed that same movie on PayPerView and had yet to watch it. (Thanks for ruining it for me Roger!) But I watched it anyway and I laughed a lot. Sure it was dumb... but it was funny. Maybe I'm a cretin, but I LIKE funny stuff and I'm willing to pay for a chance to laugh whenever I can. I remember when it was OK to be heterosexual on TV or the movies and still be relevent or even funny. But if you make a television show or movie today and fail to include your token gay person, then you must be homophobic. Maybe that's why remakes of old movies and films based on old comic book heros are so prevalent today. They were gay-free then and so I suppose it's OK to be that way in the remake without incurring the wrath of Hollywood. But that's just my opinion

Shake it up Baby

There is a report today of a small 3.9 earthquake that occurred off the coast of Victoria, BC yesterday (Sunday) morning. So let’s review, shall we?... We started with the the quake off the Oregon coast early on Wednesday the 11th. That one was originally reported to be a 4.9 but has been updated to 5.6. Then Thursday morning there was a smaller 2.4 off the southern coast of Washington, and now the one in Victoria. All the while the Mt. Augustine volcano in Alaska is trying to erupt. I remember reading an article in a BC magazine about how there are always small earthquakes around what is known as the ring of fire, and they tend to relieve the built up pressure along the fault lines where the tectonic plates are grinding together. But that the Juan De Fuca plate has been stuck for some time. While most quakes are caused when the plates jerk a few inches or so, they figure the Juan De Fuca plate had about 12 feet of tension built up where is is sliding under the North American plate, ready to snap free like a giant spring if it gave way. Could Sunday’s little twitch be a warning? Stay tuned. Follow the Quakes Yourself

More snow?

A winter storm watch remains in effect from Monday morning through Tuesday morning. Another cold and moist pacific storm will move into the region monday,carrying with it the potential to produce significant snow accumulations. In the okanogan valley and near republic, snowfall of 4 to 7 inches will be possible by Tuesday morning. Nearby mountains could see accumulations of 6 to 10 inches.

It could happen...

In keeping with this week's *chicken little* theme of snow storms, earthquakes, pandemics and volcanos etc., I see where The Weather Channel is premiering a new series entitled It Could Happen Tomorrow tonight at 6:30 and again at 11:30. This series supposedly will scare the beejeebus out of us mere mortals with scenarios of disasters that could ruin our whole day. Tonight's tale of doom concerns the possibility of a Big Hurricane in the Big Apple - New York City. - AAAARRRGGHHHH!!!! There seems to be renewed interest in these subjects of late. I've always been facinated with them myself. I recall a few years back sitting in the GEM Theatre in Grand Forks watching Deep Impact with my family. There was one scene where the characters were discussing how their attempt to destroy the incoming object from space had only managed to split it into two hunks of doom. The audience sat there listening silently on the edge of their seats as the movie scientists told the President that one of the pieces was expected to hit "somewhere in western Canada". From somewhere in the back of the theatre came a small voice... "DAMN!" Everyone in the theatre busted up laughing. (theatre is Canadian for theater) Last year there was a movie called, "The Day After Tomorrow". It was a fun movie but a little far fetched in its plot. In reading the credits I realized the screenplay was based on a book written by Art Bell and Whitley Strieber. Art Bell is best known for his radio program which covered everything from Bigfoot to UFOs. He quit that show abruptly soon after his coverage of the reports that a suspicious object was following the comet Hale Bopp, and the subsequent (I believe connected) mass suicides of the Heaven's Gate cult. Strieber, of course, is famous for his alleged abduction by aliens... so his books must all be based on real facts too, right? And they laughed at me and my Y2K bunker.

Not In My Back Yard

There has recently been a lot of renewed interest, or I should say unrest, about the proposed gold mine on buckhorn mountain. I have mixed feelings about it now but I was originally against the mine. That was because back then it was going to be an open pit mine with 24/7 noise and dust and the night sky was going to be lit up like a football stadium. Also the proposed cyanide leach pond up Marias Creek was going to be poised above us and any breach could have flooded Toroda Creek with poison. This mine is not a new idea. I remember reading about what was then known as the ‘Crown Jewel Project’ way back in the early 1980s in the old Mother Earth News. Battle Mountain Gold owned the project at the time and I personally spent quite a bit of time feeling intimidated back in 1992 while sitting in the project manager's office in Oroville discussing my concerns and having all my letters to the EPA etc. spread out before me on his desk. After getting to know each other we eventually got to respect each other's opinions even if we didn't agree. Today the plan has changed. The way I understand it, the new plan is for the mine to be underground just like all the other mines in this area. The Marias Creek leach pond idea has been scrapped and now they plan to haul the ore to the existing processing plant near Republic. In anticipation of this added road use, Kinross (the new owner) has already paid a big chunk of the cost to widen and upgrade Toroda Creek Road sometime this spring. The bottom line is that I got what I wanted, and then some. I understand there are still some people and organizations like the OHA that don't want the mine at all, under any circumstances… ever. But more recently there are people coming out of the woodwork opposing the mine because all of a sudden they see how it will be affecting them. Most are upset about the plan to have all those ore trucks driving down the road in front of their homes. And now that the problem is in their own backyard they want me to come to their meetings. What I want to know is where were these people when I had my own concerns about this mine? I still have no reason to support the mine. There is still nothing in it for me. But I also have nothing against people needing to make a living. Sure, there is going to be more traffic on the road between Marias Creek and Republic. But should we also close Job Corps just to eliminate all of that traffic? How about stopping logging trucks from going through Ferry County? Then there are all those darn tourists and their big RVs hogging the roads and spending their stupid money at our stupid local businesses. But that’s just my opinion.

Deja Vu All Over Again?

It seems like it was just the other day that I crawled out of my Y2K bunker and realized not much had really changed. Boy! was my face red. But now the Avian Flu has spread and it seems it is starting to mutate. And even the other strains of flu known to infect humans are becoming resistant to antibiotics. "A whopping 91 percent of virus samples tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this flu season proved resistant to rimantadine and amantadine, a huge increase since last year, when only 11 percent were." I am reminded again why we are blessed to live so far from the masses. Historically, this area was a refuge to some people during the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918. Could such a thing happen again? Perhaps that Y2K training will come in handy after all...

Micro quake rattles area off the Washington coast 10:52 AM PST on Thursday, January 12, 2006 - KING5.com Staff UW - SEATTLE - A micro earthquake rattle an area off the Washington coast on Thursday morning. The Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network reported that the magnitude 2.8 quake occurred at 10:15:58 a.m. about 30 miles south-southwest of Aberdeen. The depth was 23 miles. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Looks like the earth is still twitching off the coast. And that volcano in Alaska is in its third day of activity. You won't catch me on the beach until it settles down.

Thursday

I read where there was a small earthquake off the coast of Oregon. There was also some activity at a volcano up in Alaska a few hours later. With all the rain the coast has been getting lately, it makes me wonder if it's now our turn to get some of the bad luck that other parts of the world have suffered. Did anybody besides me see that show about America's Tsunami? Seattle didn't fare too well in that scenario. Makes you think... Doesn't it?

Wednesday

We still don't have any new snow from the storm that came through most of the state. It's about 32 degrees this morning and it looks like it will be a nice day. The steady rain that has been coming down on the west side of the mountains has caused a lot of problems. Seattle's KING TV has some video of Snoqualmie Falls that gives some idea of how much water is flowing over there.

Tuesday

Well, it looks like we dodged the snow bullet, but we got plenty of rain until this morning. The puddle out back is so big I might need a boat to get to the truck. The forecast is for clearing by this afternoon. I'll have to check the weather rock later. Thanks to everyone for the feedback and spilling korections. I'm trying to teach myself HTML and I'm using this website as practice. So please be patient with me if you see anything wierd happen here as I tinker with the code. The Buckhorn Mine is in the news again. Nothing really new to us locals who have followed the story for the last decade or so, but the Seattle Times has an article about it here. It is sure to impact us in the next few months when they tear up the road to widen it for the ore trucks. But hopefully we can all enjoy the improved road for years to come.

Monday Update

Here is the photo I took yesterday when the sun was out for a while. This is the view looking north down the valley. You can see all the way to Canada from here.

Winter Storm Watch

A winter storm watch above 4000 feet remains in effect from late tonight through Monday evening. A pacific storm system will move through the area during the day monday with the possibility of 6 to 10 inches of snow accumulation mainly above 4000 feet elevation. Light amounts may accumulate in valley locations.

Happy New Year!

A new year is upon us and the weather is pretty gloomy. The roads are sloppy in places and downright slick at the higher elevations. Resolutions have been made and some are already broken. But the seed catalogs are in the mail, so that means Spring is right around the corner.