Category: News

Be kind, don’t malign our fine bovine

carlcow.jpg

You know, something’s been smelling lately around the offices of the Sac Rag, but it ain’t the cows.

The Central Valley’s uddered citizens get a bad rap, since it’s commonly believed that the emissions from bovine tootification significantly contribute to the poor air quality in the area. However, a recent study done at UC Davis has exonerated our four-legged milk-shaking friends. Against conventional wisdom, the researchers believe that plants contribute more to smog-forming gases than cows. Moreover:

The valley’s air pollution problems are more related to geography than internal pollution sources like cows, surmised the UC scientist. The valley is rimmed by mountains which prevent smog from escaping once it is blown in via prevailing winds from the West.

So, leave our cows alone. They’re just trying to make it – like any one of us – in this world.

Walkin’ the line

I’m sure you’ve heard that Joaquin Phoenix performed at Folsom State Prison yesterday, as a sort of tribute to Johnny Cash. During his performance, Joaquin is quoted to have said:

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve messed up like 40 times,” Phoenix told the inmates. “I’m all over the place.”

To which, an inmate exclaimed, “That’s funny man. We done messed up just one time to get in here, and we got in dis place.”

Ok, I just made that last part up.

How to pronounce “Goethe”

Our local traffic reporters have endured many beatings here on the Sac Rag, but I’d like to pile on a bit — not for their lack of timely information, but for the varied pronunciations of our region’s roadways. Please give your input on your preferred pronunciation of these streets and locales:

Seamas Avenue: Most reporters say “See-mus,” but the actual pronuciation is “Shay-mus.” Then again, if we all used the proper ethnic pronunciations, people living 300 or so miles to our south would be inhabitants of “Lohs Ahn-heh-lays.”

Goethe Park: For years I thought this was named after the 18th-19th century German poet/dramatist, but then I read a book on local history, and it’s really named after a Gold Rush-era land speculator.
Continue reading “How to pronounce “Goethe””

Sacramento’s clogged arteries

I present to you Roto-Rooter’s Top Five Drainpipe Recoveries of 2005. And we done good, Sacramento. Ladies and Gents, number 5 on the list :

Sacramento, CA – Roto-Rooter’s Brek Ritzema and Scott Chapman were called to a business with a backed-up sewer main. Toilets and sinks were over-flowing so the plumbers went to work on the clog. Finally, their equipment started pulling out myriad of empty miniature liquor bottles – the kind they serve on airlines. An employee was apparently in the habit of drinking on the job and flushing the evidence.

But that’s not all. Let’s take a “trip” up to Grass Valley, shall we? Elsewhere on Roto-Rooter’s site:

A Slippery Situation – Grass Valley, CA
A four-foot family pet python slithered into the bathroom and seemingly disappeared. The family called a pest control company, the fire department and others, but could not get any help. A Roto-Rooter technician located the snake with a fiber optic cable camera used to inspect pipes. Once locating the snake, the owners were able to lure the snake out with a mouse for bait.

Of course, these are just the things they found in our local toilets. Imagine what’s been flushed and not gotten stuck.

Anyone got an ark?

Yikes! All of a sudden we’re getting all this talk about the threat of flooding in Sacramento. While the streets could use a big cleaning, it does sound rather ominous.

This morning, I was listening to the interviews that radio stations were running with local flood control officials. With the talk about significant rising of local water levels, I’m wondering if I should be concerned about what these officials are not saying, rather than about what they are saying.

Nonetheless, while I may be a little extra sensitive to the issue just because of the south Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, it occured to me that perhaps it might be prudent to make sure my household will be ready for such events here, just in case. Lo and behold, the Sac Bee printed an article today about preparing for potential floods here. It’s a lot of common sense, but it certainly makes for a good checklist.

Whatever happened to good ol’ tar and featherin’?

They always say that punishment should fit the crime. But what they don’t say is, punishment justifies the crime.

A judge out in Nevada wants to punish rowdy New Year’s Eve party goers by either giving law breakers 10 days in jail, or by making them take an ad out in their local paper confessing their crime. This is not to shame them, of course:

“By allowing their friends, their sorority sisters, everyone else to find out what the consequence is at Lake Tahoe, it might sting for a minute but it’s going to prevent somebody else from getting arrested or injured the following year,” Glasson explains.

That’s right sorority sisters, shape up or ship out! The ironic thing is, this punishment could be seen as a reward:

Many of those in their 20s were critical of the concept. “I think it’s ridiculous,” Brittany Putich told News10. She thinks the ads might actually serve as a badge of honor for young troublemakers. A companion agreed. “I wouldn’t have a problem writing an ad in my paper saying I got a drunk and disorderly,” said Thomas Cordova.

Classy, for sure. Put it in your resume, kid!

Dooing a little with a lot

Hope everyone is enjoying/enjoyed/will enjoy their holidays and associated festivities. Here at the Rag, we’re still partying like it’s 1999.

Came across this story yesterday. What are the odds that you’ll hear about a scandal where a local Congressman hires his wife to raise money for him, both of whose last names happens to be “Doolittle”?

The coincidence is nice, but I don’t like having my sarcastic work done for me. But, you know what would really be funny? I would crack up to no end (really, I would) if, somehow, US senator Trent Lott was involved with the Doolittles in some sordid scandal. I’m not saying that he is, but the sarcastic humor would just be awesome.

Pioneer spirit alive, well in Nevada County

A drug raid in Grass Valley on Tuesday turned up not just the expected smokable marijuana drug (I think the city council there mandates that you “grow your own”) but also a brand new drug the authorities had never heard of!

What they discovered was “2C-I,” a synthetic hallucinogen much like the drug LSD.

According to Sgt. Bill Evans of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department, investigators at first thought they had found methamphetamine. The suspect told them it was 2C-I, and that he had found it on the Internet.

The internet, eh? They should shut that thing down.