A Word Of Thanks...

A Different Kind Of UFO Report

This is a sad development for a couple of different reasons. In spite of being known for a lively and diverse music scene, Portland has a truly crappy selection of radio stations. -At least as far as the Rock n Roll music category goes. Now it just became a bit worse. It's true that one can't expect much from Corporate Radio, which is the norm these days. One can expect to hear the same songs played over and over again, sometimes hearing the same one replayed within an hour or two. Those redundant play-lists along with the massive amount of time taken up by commercials is what I loathe about Corporate Radio. I miss the old days when my favorite local stations were privately owned and operated. In this era of MP3s, satellite radio and internet podcasts, it would seem that there isn't as much interest in plain ol' music coming over the airwaves anymore. I do enjoy the convenience of being able to load my own play-lists on my computer or playing CDs, but at heart I'll always be a radio person. Even with the annoying commercials, I enjoy letting the radio station surprise me by what comes on next and letting the DJ handle the job of spinning the tracks, while I am involved with my own thing and not being tied down to my computer or a set of earphones. Whenever I'm driving, the radio is always a component of that activity. I'd go crazy without it. Now I will be deleting my most used car stereo preset. Yesterday my favorite FM rock station, 101 KUFO FM was killed off without any prior warning. Now it will serve as a conservative news station, hosting the likes of Glenn Beck and Lars Larson, a local blowhard/Rush Limbaugh wannabe. As if those gasbags weren't already getting enough airtime on the AM dial, now listeners will be treated to hearing their hateful pontifications in stereo. How nice. I'm already missing those repetitive play-lists. Another aspect I'll miss is discovering new artists that I might have otherwise never heard of. The other local rock station 92.3 KGON, plays a strictly "classic rock" format, that much of which I don't mind and even used to be really into, but it shares the same Corporate Radio stigma of badly lacking in variety. KGON has been around since I was a kid and used to be privately owned. Now I think of it as the "Official Tom Petty / ZZ Top Station." In a few hours of listening, you'll feel like you're stuck in a time loop spanning the 70s to the early-to-mid 80s. I can handle only so much of that. A DJ who once worked at KUFO, wrote a decent little epitaph for that station. Other (former) KUFO listeners have been voicing their displeasure over this abrupt termination. There are some examples to be found here and here. An online forum dedicated to Portland radio is discussing it here.

Screenshot from the former KUFO website

You'll be missed. For the most part.

Winter Redux

Indeed, it has returned for a spell.
Current temp here at The Pavilion: 23 F

As funnyman Dave Salesky, who also moonlights as KATU's meteorologist predicted:

"By early Friday morning it will be 21 degrees in Portland. The high temperature in the city for Friday will only be 35 degrees. The frigid temperatures will continue into Saturday. That day’s low will be 19 degrees and it will only reach 34 for a high. Friday’s expected low temperature will break the previous record of 23 degrees in 1969, and Saturday’s low temperature will break a 1962 record of 20 degrees."

UFOs Over Washington

It's been many years since I used to faithfully listen to Art Bell, just about every night...

Back then I held a night job as a field rep/courier for a local convenience store chain and the radio in my company car was my best friend. It was during that time when I discovered "Coast-To-Coast AM With Art Bell". His live radio program started every weeknight at 11:00 PM. By that hour, I was racking up the miles, burned out on listening to music and ready for something different to keep me alert behind the wheel. Art Bell never failed to be entertaining --and even informative. By informative, I mean he always began his program with a summary of current events in the news. That is, usually anything that was politically provocative or just plain unsettling. Art had a penchant for scary stories. His voice had a subdued intensity, a tone that seemed to convey impending doom mixed with equal parts dry sarcasm and solemn exasperation. The rest of his radio program included taking un-screened calls from listeners all over the USA. Politics were a major subject of discussion, which frequently led to chats of Black Helicopters and general topics involving any number of government conspiracies or cover-ups. Back in those days, the internet was rapidly becoming available in average homes. This added a new dimension to the program, as Art's callers often said things like: "It's true, cuz I read all about it on the internet!" Many callers frequently expressed fear of a UN takeover, "New World Order," and/or the coming collapse of civilization due to the Y2K scare. Understandably, many people considered a lot of Art's listeners and callers to be of the "Tinfoil Hat Wearing Crowd," but damn, that stuff was often quite entertaining. Listening to Art Bell, late at night while driving my company car on back country roads, the soft glow from the dashboard created a sort of 'creepy story around the campfire effect.' I definitely enjoyed it when Art covered spooky, paranormal topics. Apparently this worked well for him, as his program moved away from politics and became almost totally devoted to the "Tinfoil Hat" material.

I won't go into the rest of Art Bell's history, as anyone can read about him elsewhere. I did get to meet him once (really nice guy in person) and I still miss his radio presence, since his most recent retirement.

The following article and video addresses something that Art Bell fans would likely be very interested in. I know quite well that it's easy to perpetrate a UFO hoax that even the local media will cover. Nowadays, RC Toys like miniature planes and helicopters outfitted with lights could easily make aerial spectacles, especially at night, that could appear as totally unworldly. I'm sure not ruling that out in this case, but what really interests me much more than the blurry video, is the comment by Ms Patterson, about "Four fighter jets went screaming overhead" (presumably) into the airspace of the UFO and when later questioned by local media, the AFB denied scrambling any fighters that night. Huh?? You guys either launched some jets that night... or not. Maybe Ms Patterson hallucinated that part, or in her elder years, enjoys making up stories to the local media?

Sounds like an X-File to me, Scully. ;-)

In the embedded video, you also get 2 UFO stories for the price of 1. The first story is about a UFO (Unidentified Falling Object.)

**One thing that continues to irritate me a lot is the snickering, guffawing of most media talking-heads, whenever this sort of story is aired. Imagine if they (news anchors) were allowed to emote their own feelings so freely on any other stories they cover? (Okay, so that happens daily on "Fox News.") It's for this very reason I'd bet more honest people don't come forward with their own accounts of things that don't make easy sense to the mainstream media.

For what it's worth, the talking heads on KATU were (as far as I know) the only local station to cover this story. Good job. However, they made themselves look foolish with their closing buffoonery. With Weatherman Dave Salesky leaning down into his hand, doing a nasally E.T. impression, the story wrap-up was so painfully predictable.


Residents see Flying Saucer over Vancouver Washington




**Update! It WAS another RC toy hoax; in this case, a radio controlled helicopter!

Dueling Chainsaws

Yesterday a final milestone of progress with an ongoing project, was reached here at The Pavilion.

I'm happy to report 99% of the remaining timber from the pine tree(s) cutting of 2010, was carved up and hauled away. Although the final completion of the job took longer than I'd envisioned (almost a year in the works) I was able to help a neighbor friend (Dale) out who needed some firewood and do so without the hassle and expense of renting a wood splitter. I had also farmed out some of the wood to another nice guy (Stan) who came by again yesterday with his chainsaw and splitting maul, to help get it all done. Also another neighbor friend (Dustin) came by with his quad, which was so instrumental in towing the wood-laden trailer out of the back yard. We worked from early morning until late afternoon, taking advantage of the mostly sunny weather. All that remains are 3-4 wood wedges that Dale couldn't have possibly squeezed into his trailer, one large stump base that is slated to be cut into "souvenir disks" and a couple of rather huge piles of sawdust that I will continue gathering up.

With all of that wood out of the way now, I can begin focusing on the regular yard maintenance that needs so much attention every spring. Mowing the lawn at least, will be easier though, not having to weave around all of the trunk sections and hopefully now those insidious blackberry vines won't be getting such a toehold. I truly loathe those things, in all their nasty evolutionary perfection. Once in a great while I have the satisfaction of ripping them out of the soil, roots and all, but all too often they just break off an inch or so beneath the surface, soon to emerge again with renewed, vigorous intent. Quite possibly they share a chuckle with the Holly Bushes and Ivy Vines, my other sworn chlorophyll-based enemies with whom I do annual battles.

Chapter 2011