KIEM's 3 Degree Guarantee

Any other KIEM TV News watchers here? I've been watching them for years, but some things have changed. For one, they've always had a 3 degree guarantee contest on their weather segment, providing they had a sponsor. I'm not sure when I noticed the change in the way they do it, but it seemed to me thy used to give away all the money if someone won- that meaning KIEM's predicted high for the next day was more than 3 degrees off.

So, there'd be a prize pool usually of some hundreds of dollars. If they'd miss the temp by 3 degrees or more, whoever's name was picked would get all the prize money. Then they'd drop the prize pool back to where it started and that pool would increase until they missed the forecast by 3 degrees again.

I forget when I noticed it change. Now, if someone wins the money, it seems they start the next day with the total from the day before, or so it seems. i kept wondering about that so sent them an e-mail last night asking how it worked. I received an answer this morning from their weather gal, Jennifer Meyers I've pasted it below;

"I hope I can clear up the 3° question for you.
There are two things a person can win when then play, a prize or the money. Let's say I forecast the high temperature in Eureka to be 55°. If the actual temperature falls between 52 and 58°, then the player of the day wins the prize and an additional $30 is added the prize pot for the next player. However, if the actual temperature is lower than or equal to 51°, or higher than or equal to 59°, then the player of the day wins the prize money. Once the prize money has been won, then the money pool drops back down to $30. I think what may be confusing is that I say the player of the day "wins" whether they get the money or the prize. I hope this helps. If not, please let me know and I'll try to clear it up more."

Jennifer Meyers

Meteorologist

 

Now you know, assuming you were wondering as I was. She's right. I didn't realize it was either the money or a prize. That's what got me confused.

Water Rates Going Up?

I've wrote here before about people in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties getting a bit peeved after scrimping and saving water for years only to see their water bills get higher rather than lower. The reason being, the utility's overhead remains the same, despite people using less water. 

I'm not so sure how that applies here since we have surplus water and we're already paying more since the mills out in Samoa that essentially subsidized our water bills closed down. I can't help but wonder if we'd still be paying $50.00 plus each month even if we shut off the water to the house completely. I guess I should call and ask.

Calwatchdog takes  a look at water rates going up around the state, focusing on Southern CA where rates have gone up despite residents working hard to reach conservation goals.  

Will more rain help end the drought and settle the situation? I'm not so sure, especially after reading something in (I believe) the Mad River Union a while back. Someone pointed out as I have that we have plenty of water and water not used just runs to the ocean. Someone else- I believe identified as in some capacity with The City of Arcate- replied we still had to conserve because providing water uses energy, specifically to pump the water.

I should have expected as much from a city that worships at the altar of hysterical environmentalism. Creative answer, though.

Who Still Smokes?

The Sacramento Bee looks at how many people still smoke in California. As has been pointed out here and eslewhere before, smoking has decline significantly over the years:

"About 11 percent of the state's teens and adults smoked in 2014, down from 15 percent in 2003, according to the California Health Interview Survey. That translates to about 3.4 million current smokers."

So you have to wonder why they're still being attacked? I think I'm totally correct in that regard. Smokers, being one of the smallest and least affluent groups in our society are thus least able to defend themselves. Most people have no problem attacking people who can't defend themselves so they'll attack smokers simply because they can. It's simple human nature.

The question remaining being how are they going to fund things being funded by tobacco taxes when there's not enough smokers left and that source dries up?

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/site-services/databases/article46473405.html#storylink=cpy

That Guy vs. Gal Pay Difference Thing

I've been confused lately when I hear about the supposed pay difference between males getting paid more for the same work than females. Confused because, quite frankly, I don't remember ever seeing it in real life. As I recall, pretty much every job I've had everyone was paid the same for the same work.

I was glad to see Richard Rider address the issue on his blog this morning. As he points out, it just doesn't really happen, at least not anymore: "If women are being paid 50%, 60%, 70% less for the same work, it's an easy matter to both highlight such disparities and to bring lawsuits under federal law to rectify such injustices.  Ain't happenin'.  Like Bigfoot, it's too elusive a creature to be documented."


Thanks for clearing that up, Richard.

The Freddy Song

I remembered hearing his as a kid and remembered it yesterday for some reason. It goes something like "..we're having fun, sitting in the back, kissin' and a huggin' with Fred". Gotta love it and the Fred in the video looks kinda like me at that age. I guess I was pretty popular even back then. YouTube video was recorded in 1960. Anyone else remember it?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1cjaheraq8

Gary Johnson on Sharia Law

I'm pleased to see I'm pretty much in agreement with past LP presidential candidate and two term Governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson, in his feelings about ISIS. What he doesn't really address, though, is the refugee problem and that's one that seems to be tearing many libertarians apart.

Not so much the official organization, but the sniping back and forth between members of the Party that supposedly believe in open borders and those that don't. I'm among the latter and have felt for some time that we should greatly restrict immigration from Muslim countries. Hey, we have a problem here. I"m not saying they can't go to other countries, assuming other countries are willing to accept them. 

We should feel no obligation to accept them here. It's no different than a transient stopping by my house and asking to spend the night. I may feel it's important to help someone in need, but I shouldn't feel obligated to let him into my house.

Past LP of California gubernatorial candidate, Richard Rider, does address immigration. His thinking is along the way I feel about it, although he specifies Muslims as opposed to pointing to Sharia Law as Johnson does: 

"Here's why I much prefer "Mexicans" (really all Hispanics and damn near anyone else) to Muslims. When a Mexican comes here, we don't need to monitor their ideology, or be concerned about their terrorist tendencies, or be worried that their offspring will become terrorists.  When a Muslim comes here, we do."

But fear not, open borders types. I believe Rider switched to Republican some years ago and The Libertarian National Committee recently sent out a release reaffirming its belief in open borders. That should remain the party platform for the foreseeable future as I see it. For that reason alone I'll always consider myself a libertarian, as opposed to a Libertarian.

Eureka Council: No More Invocations

I agree with the writer of this letter. I'm pleased to read the Eureka City Council decided to do away with invocations prior to the business portion of their meetings. First I've heard of it. I can't help but wonder who was for and against this move?

Do You Get S.A.D.?

Last night's KIEM TV News poll asks if you are impacted by Seasonal Affective Disorder- Those changes people go through with the seasons. I know it's gotten worse with me as I've gotten older. I voted Yes.

It started with me this year right before Daylight Saving Time, once the weather started cooling down. It didn't help having some other chronic physical ailments. I don't know that those ailments necessarily got worse but, with S.A.D., it made them harder to ignore. Now I don't even want to leave the house, especially on cool, damp days like today. But, go out I must.

I'll also blame S.A.D. for my infrequent blog posts of late. I don't seem to have the mental energy to write much. 

Do you think you're affected by S.A.D? 

Xmas Boutique

Friday November 20th, 1pm to 6pm & Saturday November 21 from 10am to 4pm, featuring hand made crafts by the Cruz family:

Knitted hats, headbands, cowls and wristers. Felted hats, purses and roses. Fleece socks and hats. Silk scarves. Needle felted animals.

Gifts for baby- quilts, afghans, hats, receiving blankets & burp cloths.

Matching child and doll aprons, crochet angels. Cat & dog bed and blankets.

Aprons, dish cloths, napkins, dish towels, table runners, pot holders, memo boards, tote bags, market bags.

Christmas cards, assorted cards, baskets of succulents, paperwhites. Mini daffodils and candy jars.

Bring a friend 4937 Lundblande Drive in Eureka. That's in Lunbar HIlls, above the Eureka Muni Golf Course. For a map, see our Craigslist ad.

Tell them The Freddy sent you.

Paid Patriotism

The Independent Istitute reports on something revealed last week by a couple of U.S. Senators: That the U.S. government paid professional sports teams to hold patriotic events. I guess my aversion to professional sports is well founded.

Our Emotionally Safe Colleges

George Will lets higher acadamia have it over its obsession with political correctiness in this Washington Post commentary. As you might expect, I think he's being too nice. Still, it's something that needs to be read. It's about time.

"If you believe, as progressives do, that human nature is not fixed, and hence is not a basis for understanding natural rights. And if you believe, as progressives do, that human beings are soft wax who receive their shape from the society that government shapes. And if you believe, as progressives do, that people receive their rights from the shaping government. And if you believe, as progressives do, that people are the sum of the social promptings they experience. Then it will seem sensible for government, including a university’s administration, to guarantee not freedom of speech but freedom from speech."

Snowden on Privacy

Ed Snowden gives his inights on keeping your info private. A lot of it over my head, but still probably worth paying attention to. I'll admit to having a somewhat deafetist attitude about this sort of thing. Seems to me the government has the resources to defeat anything you might try to stop them from snooping.

Eureka Not Among Cali's Drunkest Cities

Found a link to this site on Facebook supposedly telling the drunkest cities in each state. To my surprised, Eureka isn't listed. California's drunkest cities seem to be San Jose & Sunnyvale. Should I be disappointed?

Obama Does Facebook

The Telegraph reports President Obama has bitten the bullet and started a Facebook page. Head on over there and become a Friend, with the cavaet it's really gonna suck for you Democrats if he Unfriends you.

Insurance Claims Adjusting 101

The Times- Standard's legal columntis, H. Dennis Beaver, writes today about dealing with insurance claims adjusters. More specifically, auto claims. Some info there that goes against what most of us have been led to believe. For instance, according to his source, adjusters aren't intimidated by threats to hire a lawyer. Seems a bit counter intuitive to me, but whatever.

I've only dealt with one adjuster in my time and he was nice enough. After our old Volkwagon Rabbit Diesel got crunched, while parked, he called us, then came out to photograph the car. The body shop estimate, as expected, said repairs would cost more than the value of the car. 

The adjuster came up with a settlement of $1000, or was it $2000? I wasn't sure what to do and called my insurance gal at State Farm. No, it wasn't Jake, but the gal started trying to assess the car's worth. As she went down a list and I answered Yes or No, she kept giving a new total. She finally got down to two to four hundred dollars. At that point I had to tell the other adjuster their settlement was acceptable.

I went to his office at Walnut and Campton Drive out in Cutten for whatever reason and had to tell him; I felt his was a fair offer, but the way this whole thing works stinks. We had a reliable car that got great mileage. Now we're going to have to take out a loan to get a new car and it likely won't be as reliable s the one that we had. He seemed sympathetic and told me I could contest the claim. I figured I'd just cut my losses and accept their offer.

I don't know that I would have come out any better had we hired a lawyer.

Are You A One Percenter?

With all the talk of income inequality, Cato takes a look at incomes from a worldwide perspective. I entered my income- actually our household income- into this tool and came out in the top 1.9% of income earners worldwide. And that's only $25,500 a year. Funny, as I consider us to be lower middle class.

Life On A Pot Farm

The Santa Rosa Press- Democrat just published a story where they visit a small scale pot farm in Mendocino County. That might be of interest to some here. I've written before I"m tired of hearing about it, but even I found the story of some interest.

UFOs In The News

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that some are turning the recent sighting of "strange lights" over the state into some sort of conspiracy. Some of you might have read about the lights, seen over parts south of us. Most conjecture is that they were part of a military missile test. At least one of the comments over at the Daily Sheeple story insists they weren't missiles as he's seen missiles and they don't look like that.

I've seen rockets, too, and saw quite a few when I lived down in southern CA. I'd say the pictures on the Daily Sheeple look exactly like missiles or rockets. When I lived down south we'd regularly see missiles from the air bases to the north. Some were quite spectacular. I remember seeing one, much like in the pictures, at first. The payload then blew up, or perhaps it was stages of the rocket, and big flashes of colors appeared. First green, then blue, then red. Pretty neat.

I saw some sort of missile flying over the Humboldt Bay Power Plant when I worked graveyard shift there. Not too spectacular, that one. Just  a big light slowly crossing above the plant from west to east. If anything was strange about it it was the flare, that you would expect to be on the opposite side of direction of travel, except it was on the side of the light facing direction of travel. 

I knew exactly what it was when I saw it, or at least thought I did. One of the supervisors wasn't so sure. He came over to our control room saying he'd seen "strange lights". He seemed a bit disturbed about it as if perhaps he'd flipped his lid. I'm not sure it helped much when I told him it was a rocket.

Anyway, keep your eyes to the skies for rockets. They're kinda neat. But you can still call them U.F.O.s. That stands for Unidentified Flying Objects. It always kind of annoys me when I hear the question asked, "Do you believe in U.F.Os?" Of course I do. There's been all kinds of unidentified flying objects seen throughout history. The question would be better asked, "Do you believe U.F.O.s are extraterrestrial in origin?". Not sure how I'd answer that.

Mills Drops Gun Storage Proposal

I'm pleased to see Eureka Police Chief, Andrew Mills, has dropped his proposal for a city ordinance that would have penalized gun owners for storing firearms unsecured. Pleased, but not relieved, as I can't help but wonder if he'll come up with another version of the proposal that won't get as much negative feedback.

I wondered if this was actually his idea to begin with as that's not the sort of thing locally grown folks would likely come up with. Then again, he's a Southern California transplant and we can expect that people from down south would bring their big city values with them. With our "progressive" city council, it would seem those SoCal ideas would find a sympathetic ear.

With that in mind, what happened with Mills' other zany idea for an city ordinance outlawing public nudity- another one of those solutions in search of  a problem. Mills points to an incident where a guy was doing martial arts naked in front of some kids, but the officer couldn't arrest him because there was no sexual intent involved. 

Forgive me for disagreeing that we need a city ordinance to cover all things that might happen. That's SoCal thinking for sure. If the guy in question didn't break the law, he didn't break the law and, from what I've read, there didn't seem to be a problem aside from him being naked. No harm. No foul.

We'll need to keep an eye on these imports from SoCal and their ideas so we can nip them in the bud when they arise. I'm not sure I feel safe in counting on the Eureka City Council to watch out for us.

Voting Tomorrow?

Tomorrow is Election Day. As I wrote earlier here, the ballot I received in the mail only has one race on it: Humboldt County Board of Education, Trustee Area 4. I noted back then there doesn't seem to be any information available on either candidate, but a reader, Krristen Clifford, mentioned The Times- Standard has statements from both candidates. 

Not much there and nothing that seems relevant to education issues. About all I can do is figure what sort of occupation and personal history would be the best fit for the position. I'm a bit leery of voting for someone that includes a school administrator in her resume as Loretta Eckendrode does, but perhaps that's unfair. I'll decide by tomorrow if I end up voting.

Still no info I can find on the League of Women Voters' Smartvoter page. In fact, they say my precinct doesn't have anything on the ballot this time. They do have links to some special elections. I found the race in my precinct under the Schools link. Clicking on that race only takes me to the same info I have on my ballot. Oh well. Maybe next time?