Saturday, October 15, 2016

One Picture, and Not Quite a Million Words

Here's a picture that was sent in, along with a little commentary...

 I know, it IS a rainy day.  But, I just had to take this picture. It just seemed to sum up so much that is "Port Angeles".

In the foreground, those multi-million dollar fake beaches, still devoid of any human life. Yes, some might say people don't go to beaches in bad weather, but as you know, other places make big money with just that:
https://www.wickinn.com/winter-storm-watching

Also highlighted are those wonderful wind machines Nathan is so excited about.

But the real point is the backdrop. That Chevron Company blue oil tanker. Or is that ARCO blue?

Do I sense a certain irony in all this? Beaches and oil tankers? Has such a warm and positive connotation to it!

The vision to conceptualize and approve spending millions of taxpayer money to create this juncture of popular culture.

Also on this rainy day, thoughts turn to the homeless, and the shelters the city has no money to create or operate. But beaches with up close views of oil tankers under repair?!? Hell yes!


11 comments:

  1. "The vision to conceptualize and approve spending millions of taxpayer money to create this juncture of popular culture."

    Wow! Well said!

    Fake beaches and alternative energy, things that are supposed to be nice and good, with dark gloomy skies and an oil tanker being fixed up for it's next mission.

    Is this some kind of performance art piece?

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    Replies
    1. Ummmm.... Could somebody please explain to me the purpose of the shards of concertina wire sitting atop of the metal poles here and there along the sidewalk beside the fake beach? I don't get to the waterfront much, obviously; and have missed seeing this stunning installation.

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  2. Super high winds...a tanker breaks loose and breaks up on the new beach...and Nathan West excitedly describes the cleanup efforts as "economic development."

    Or do I not do Mr. West justice?

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  3. Yeah, the whole million-dollar-viewpoint with a view of the logyard and industry never has made a lot of sense to me. But it undoubtedly made a lot of dollars for some connected contractors.

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  4. No one would mind, or at least, not as much, if Port Angeles didn't have all the pressing problems it has had, for so long.

    The city, it's professional planners, and civic leadership can rationalize all the staff time and taxpayer money to build things anybody will know few will use. The people downtown are not coming to enjoy the log yards and oil tanker maintenance. The tourists are not drawn to Port Angeles to spend days sitting on the fake beaches, sunbathing and surfing in the smell and noise of the "waterfront dependent industry" the city's leadership say should be Port Angeles. The tourists in Port Angeles are here, waiting for the ferry to Victoria. Read the motel reviews, and any one can find out why people come to Port Angeles.

    Pick one direction, and focus on it. Either Port Angeles is going to be "industry", or it is going to be a tourist oriented destination. But it can't be both.

    But as the city's leadership wallows endlessly in it's indecision, it spends huge sums accomplishing neither. Now it has hired an out-of-town marketing firm to promote Port Angeles. So more people can come and see things that will convince them to never return? Fix the town up first, THEN invite people to the party.

    Meanwhile, the homeless and needy continue to be ignored. Still no meaningful help, after all these years.

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  5. If they're not looking at the oil tankers in the harbor, anybody that might end up on those beaches can look at the logs being loaded for China.

    Somebody should picket that logs-for-China operation. People complain about no jobs, no industry in Port Angeles, as they load up jobs and send them off to China. This is Economic Development, Port Angeles style. It is so pathetic.

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    1. That's the republican candidate for county commissioner, Randy Johnson exporting those logs and jobs. Then he whines about the arrearage and mills shutting down. Those logs he exports used to be DNR logs--forbidden to be exported. Johnson engineered a land swap so now he owns the logs and can export them--for twice the price.

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    2. I'm for fair trade. Why don't we just store the logs in the turd tank prior to shipping?

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    3. What is fair about shipping our resources to a country we can in no way compete with? Are you willing to work for the wages of the average Chinese laborer?

      The resources of our county, and of our state, are being shipped away, profiting only a very few people.

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  6. Any idea how expensive Nathan's Wonderful Wind Machines are? The city will never be able to recoup their cost by generating a token dribble of electricity.

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