October 2009

It takes a village….

October 31, 2009 by Patty Jones
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It never ceases to amaze me what people will do for others when called upon to help and today was no exception. This morning I got to meet Jim Dent, the Point Loma electrician who was compelled to help an elderly gentleman who had called him needing some electrical work done. Jim discovered that was just the tip of the iceberg… A call for help went out and the community answered. There is much more work to do and I have no doubt that call will be answered too, but I have to tell you about what happened today.

The group of people that came together this morning was as diverse as it was courageous. Jim had warned everyone in his emails and comments leading up to today’s cleanup that the conditions were bad and he was well prepared, providing everyone with respirator masks and sturdy gloves. As folks showed up he asked that everyone sign in so we could keep track of who had volunteered (we’ll do a more complete report later) and we passed out supplies. Shovels, mops, brooms, trash bags…

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State Panel puts off decision on Southern California marine sanctuaries including OB and Sunset Cliffs

October 30, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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For nearly the entire past year a panel of marine experts have been putting together proposals for redesigning California’s system of marine protected areas along the southern coast. The areas include Ocean Beach and Sunset Cliffs, and other parts of San Diego County. The OB coast is considered one of the chief areas of contention.

The experts have come up with three proposals for marine sanctuaries – and all of them would more than double the space to be set aside for protecting sea life on the Southern California coast. The trio of proposals would provide from 380 to 413 square miles of near-shore waters as safety zones for species — more than twice the current amount of 182 squares miles.

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OB Flashes – News, Calendar and Discussion Board for Oct 30th – Nov 5th, 2009

October 30, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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Crane works on jetty repair

Federal stimulus are being used to repair the Mission Bay channel entryway. The project, overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers, includes fixing the channel’s south jetty – OB’s north jetty, which was reportedly damaged by an El Nino winter storm ten-eleven years ago. Go inside for link to our earlier post on this.

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Getting Ready for the Big Day – Halloween Costumes in Ocean Beach

October 29, 2009 by Doug Porter
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As the month of October wraps up, Ocean Beach is getting ready for its biggest non-official holiday. For all we know, it might be even bigger than all the official events celebrated around town, given the young and –how shall we say it?—unconventional ethos of this community. It may be a kids’ celebration in most parts of the country, but here in OB, Halloween is an excuse to get wicked and p.a.r.t.y. So step on up and do a couple of shots of Jaeger and let’s get ready for the big day.

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Buzzing About OB – Searching For a Good Cuppa Joe

October 29, 2009 by Doug Porter
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by Doug Porter

We can trace the history of our love affair with coffee back to a Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi. The story goes that one day Kaldi noticed his herd dancing from one coffee shrub to another, grazing on the cherry-red berries containing the beans. He nibbled a few himself and was soon frolicking with his flock.

History tells us other Africans of the same era fueled up on protein-rich coffee-and-animal-fat balls—primitive PowerBars—and unwound with wine made from coffee-berry pulp. Coffee later crossed the Red Sea to Arabia, where Yemeni traders sold the beans to traders.

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Locals mobilize via OB Rag to help elderly Point Loma resident

October 28, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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Jim Dent, who owns Point Loma Electric, found out the hard way. He has an elderly client, Robert Ehmann, who asked him to come by his place on Orchard Avenue to do some electrical work. Jim and his assistant arrived, they went inside, and immediately stumbled out.

The stench was too bad. The garbage was too widespread. They almost refused to go back in. The elderly man, in his mid-80s, could hardly talk, was bent over and could barely walk. He begged they to do a couple of things.

That’s when Jim Dent realized what he had on his hands. He had a situation that he couldn’t just walk away from.

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OB Music Community – a golden garden tended with love and enthusiasm

October 28, 2009 by Dave Gilbert
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by Dave Gilbert

Winston’s? Sounds good!

Hey man! You want to know what OB’s coolest new best kept secret is? They just started this here in October so you may not be (as they say) hep to the jive, but it’s Happy Hour at Winston’s every Thursday evening from 5 til 8 pm. I don’t know about you, but I completely dig a no cover charge to hear some of Southern California’s best musical artists and acts perform at a great live venue while Kate the bartender serves up some great libations. Hey, maybe you’ve just always wanted to perform for your friends and others at a local night spot. A place that has national acts and yet still doesn’t break the bank while you knock back $2 “Nati Lites”, $3 “PBRs” and/or $2 house shots.

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OB Canine Carnival Celebrates Howl-O-Ween – Photo Gallery

October 26, 2009 by Doug Porter
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by Dog Porter

You have to lift your leg in support of the dog owners of Ocean Beach. These humans dragged their decked out doggies down to Dusty Rhodes park on Sunday to participate in the 4th Annual Kiwanis Dog Carnival.

A howling good time was had by all. Despite the large number of dogs in drag and various other costumes, no one got hot under the collar. We did learn that the latest high fashion item for celebrity dogs is a cellphone – a little bluetooth unit imbedded in their neckwear. Yup, now Fifi will have ring around the collar!

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Daddying

October 26, 2009 by Ernie McCray
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My mind can’t move away from thoughts of fatherhood ever since I wrote “An Unrequited Wish” for the OB Rag sometime ago wherein I shared my belief that my late soul mate’s dad’s indiscretions with her throughout her childhood led to her taking her life.

Most of my reflecting has been about my own experiences as a dad starting back when I first heard that I was a father to be. The news caught me off guard completely. I mean, in one moment, I was strutting down the halls of Tucson High, wearing my big red “T” for my basketball artistry, All-City, All-State, All-Star, All-Ego, in the flow, high fiving and asking “What’s happening?” of everybody I happened to know, throwing in all the latest dance steps just to diversify the show – and, in the next moment, somewhere in the middle of all the festivities my girlfriend managed to say to me: “I’m pregnant.”

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1972: Early History of the OB Rag – Ocean Beach’s Underground Newspaper –

October 25, 2009 by Staff
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By Fall of 1972 the OB Rag and Other Ocean Beach Alternatives Were All in Full Swing

Staff: The history of the OB Rag will be the subject of a presentation at the next OB Historical Society’s monthly gig. That will be Thursday, June 16th at the P.L. United Methodist Church, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, 92107. The presentation will be by current OB Rag Editor Frank Gormlie. In light of that, we thought it would be cool and appropriate to publish some more history of the original OB Rag, OB’s underground newspaper of the 1970s. The following recounts the 2nd anniversary of the first OB Rag.

By Fall of 1972, it was the OB Rag’s second birthday – the beginning of its third year, and the community-wide effort to develop alternative institutions was in full swing.

The OB Community School was a year old. A childcare center had arisen among needy parents who were assisted by activists. The OB People’s Food Store had opened in a storefront.

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Happy Birthday OB Rag! Today is our 2nd anniversary!

October 25, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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OCEAN BEACH, CA. It has been a crazy two years since Patty Jones and I started this here blog. Now, we’re no longer even a blog, but a website. October 25th, 2007, right in the midst of the 2007 fires, we posted our first articles – about the fires- one was on whether “mandatory evacuations” were any good, and the other was a critique of local media coverage of the fires. (see inside for links)

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Birthday Greetings!

October 25, 2009 by Source
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Here are a few birthday greetings from Dickie Magidoff, Wireless Mike and Doug Porter. Let’s start with:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OB RAG!

By Doug Porter

I started contributing to the OB Rag blog towards the end of its first year. Having returned to San Diego after thirty some odd years as a hospitality manager, it took a little while for me to find my “voice”. This is, as you may have heard, an all volunteer effort, so finding your passion has to come from the inside.

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Newport News – news from OB’s main street

October 24, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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OCEAN BEACH, CA. Every now and then, we like to check in to what’s been going on Newport Avenue – OB’s main drag. What is going on with the community’s main business street?

Well, there’s lots to report – both good and bad.

COW IS MOVING OUT OF OB

We spoke to Greg last week, the owner of Cow, Newport’s only music store. And unfortunately for the community, his business will be moving out of Ocean Beach by the new year. He is on a month-to-month lease. The reason for the move from the beach? Well, there are two reasons:

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Sedimentality – City sues Navy, shipbuilders and Port District to pay for bay cleanup

October 24, 2009 by Source
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by Dave Maass / San Diego CityBeat

For nearly 30 years after the end of World War II, the U.S. Navy engaged in a practice one might call “truck fondue.”

At Mole Pier, a section of the Navy’s Broadway Complex, Naval personnel hosed down trucks and heavy machinery with diesel fuel, then dunked them in Paleta Creek, a tributary of San Diego Bay. The Navy sprayed, burned or buried an estimated 500,000 gallons of fuel during that period.

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Is Ocean Beach ready for its own airport – off-shore?

October 24, 2009 by Source

Editor: Way back in the Sixties, then-Mayor Frank Curran – before he was sent to prison for his involvement in the Yellow Cab scandal – proposed building a floating airport for San Diego off the southern tip of Point Loma. Well, the idea has resurfaced but this time off the shore of Ocean Beach. Is OB ready for its own airport? Hell, we can’t even deal with a marshmellow fight! Then we’d really need new public restrooms at the lifeguard tower.

by Jebediah Reed / The Infrastructurist / October 22n, 2009

San Diego desperately needs a new airport. It has needed one for years. The existing facility, San Diego International, is crowded onto a puny 675 acre parcel.

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Southwestern College cancels shooting-range contract with Blackwater

October 24, 2009 by Source
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by East County Magazine

On October 14, Southwestern College District Governing Board approved cancellation of its agreement with Xe . The agreement allowed the college’s law enforcement students to use a training facility in Otay Mesa operated by Xe Systems LLC, the company formerly known as Blackwater. Blackwater, which gained notoriety for its activities in Iraq, was also the center of controversy in East County, where the company sought to open a private military training base at Potrero but withdrew following massive public opposition.

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OB Rag awarded by OBMA for annual Street Fair coverage

October 23, 2009 by Staff
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OCEAN BEACH, CA. Last night 10/22/09 at the Masonic Temple, the OB Rag received a special award from the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association for our coverage of OB’s annual Street Fair held last June.

OBMA awarded the blog a 2009 Community Partner Award “For outstanding coverage of the 30th Annual Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off Festival”. Doug Porter and Frank Gormlie accepted the plaque on behalf of the website. Others from OB Rag attending were Lane Tobias and Gary Gilmore – who is also on the OBMA Board of Directors.
It is true that the OB Rag’s coverage of the Street Fair was awesome!

Here’s a break-down of the scope and breadth of what we presented : ….

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City Beat dedicates entire issue to OB Rag’s editor – me – for my campaign against carpetbagger reporters

October 23, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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by Frank Gormlie

I have taken it upon myself to wage a campaign against carpet bagging reporters, flying in to our paradise to take up residency with new, pricey jobs with the growing online news industry here in town. When Voice of San Diego announced recently that they were hiring three reporters from out of town, I gave them all kinds of hell.

Why, I asked, would you hire someone from out of town when we have all kinds of good and decent and knowledgeable reporters and journalists right here in good ol’ San Diego? New reporters come in, knowing nothing about our history, the players, the scandals, what’s going on, and have to take months just to catch up. The Union-Tribune itself has laid off all kinds of journalists over the last year, and I’m certain many of them would be happy to move to online news production and writing.

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1 Million pounds of trash removed from San Diego River

October 23, 2009 by Source
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The San Diego River Park Foundation says it expects to reach a milestone at a river clean-up event Saturday. The group estimates it’s removed one million pounds of trash from the San Diego River over the past four years.

Volunteers with the San Diego River Park Foundation now spend 30 weekends a year removing garbage along the river from Santee to the river mouth at Ocean Beach.

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OB Flashes – News, Calendar, and Discussion Board for October 21-27, 2009

October 21, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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Locals Set Out Surfing Rules for Sunset Cliffs

A few days ago, a sign appeared at Ladera Street at the end of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, just before the stairs. It was a privately-made sign, nailed to a post and stuck in the ground.
Yet it boldly set up surfing rules for Sunset Cliffs, and emphasized that “Locals” have priority on the waves. It also cautioned inexperienced people not to surf at the famous Cliffs, known for their beauty and their dangers. (Just last week, a young surfer got caught in the high tide and had to be rescued.)

See inside for more…..

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Who should pay for cliff rescues?

October 20, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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SUNSET CLIFFS, CA. About a week ago, on October 14th, a young man had to be rescued off of the cliffs. The cliffs are Sunset Cliffs, south of OB proper.

The rescue of somebody, whether they are plucked from the ocean, rappelled from the cliffs, carried out of the danger zones is not a new occurrence for these beautiful but dangerous cliffs. Over the years, many people have had to be rescued from either the ocean below or the cliffs themselves.

It is reported to us by a witness that four (4) police cars showed up. So did an ambulance. Plus three (3) lifeguards arrived. And to top it off, a fire truck made a show.

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Will Repair of OB’s North Jetty With $timulus Money Affect the Surf?

October 20, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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The Union-Tribune announced on Wednesday, July 15, that federal stimulus funds will be used to repair the Mission Bay channel entryway. This project, to begin in October, includes fixing the channel’s south jetty – OB’s north jetty, which was reportedly damaged by an El Nino winter storm ten-eleven years ago. The project will be overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Immediate questions arise for surfers: will the repair job affect the surf and surfing just south of the repaired jetty?

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Fire on Lotus Street

October 20, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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OCEAN BEACH, CA. On Sunday, October 18th, a fire broke out in an Ocean Beach garage and then damaged the nearby house and a boat. It all happened before noon on Lotus Street, near Ebers. The fire forced one person out of their home.

Our friend and local photographer Jim Grant arrived at the scene and took pics. Jim also told us gas welding equipment was in the storage area…and a boat with a gas tank made this a little scary scene.

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Obama Administration to ease Federal marijuana prosecutions

October 19, 2009 by Source
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WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday.

Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state laws.

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OB People’s Food Co-op: Still Relevant Or Out of Touch? – Part 4

October 19, 2009 by Doug Porter
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I volunteered to write this story after two other contributors (who are co-op members) to our community blog started out to write stories about the OB People’s Food Co-op during the past year and were so frustrated by the experience that they’ve given up rather than risk alienating themselves from an organization whose ideals they shared and whose role in the larger scope of things they valued. As one would-be author put it, in an email exchange with the Co-op:

“I am a proponent of the co-op. I honestly feel uncomfortable doing my shopping there this week, like I am going to give my member number and be denied. Is that how every vocal member-owner should feel just for voicing opinions?”

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San Diego Students to Hate-Mongers: You’re not in Kansas any more

October 17, 2009 by Doug Porter
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The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) road show has pulled into San Diego. Over the next few days they’re planning sharing their message of hate at thirty locations around the city. Several hundred students, supported by community activists and church congregations, turned out to voice their disapproval with WBC pickets across the street from San Diego High School on Friday.

The student crowd got their message across by beating on pots and pans, chanting “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Homophobia’s Got to Go” and waving a wide variety of homemade signs. The crowd, initially estimated at 250, more than doubled in size as SD High students were released from classes at 2:20 pm.

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Q & A with Univ of Arizona scoring leader Ernie McCray

October 17, 2009 by Source
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By Javier Morales / WILDABOUTAZCATS.COM

The single-game scoring record of 46 points set by Ernie McCray happened well before anybody affiliated with the present University of Arizona basketball team was alive … The accomplishment on Feb. 6, 1960, also occurred before any of the future NBA players Lute Olson showcased were born.

[Editor: for UA or basketball fans, go to the link inside for more details.}

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Two Local OBceans on Medical Marijuana Task Force

October 17, 2009 by Source
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Two local OB residents are sitting on the newly-appointed and created Medical Marijuana Task Force. OB Business owner David Martin and Larry Sweet, a medical marijuana patient from Ocean Beach were both appointed to the 11-member Task Force by the San Diego City Council.

The Task Force has been charged, as its first order of business, to provide land use and zoning recommendations for the medicinal marijuana collectives by January 2010.

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Breaking News: Cops Shoot and Kill “vicious” Dog at OB Farmers Market

October 17, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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Originally posted October 7, 2009

OCEAN BEACH, CA. The usual calm and fun at OB’s famous Farmers’ Market was broken this afternoon when a San Diego Police officer shot and killed a local pit bull in Hodad’s parking lot on the 5000 block of Newport Avenue. Police claim the officer was forced to shot the dog as it was attacking another officer.

The shooting of the dog, described as a black pit bull, and named “Blue” occurred around 5pm. At the 10 pm news, two TV stations reported that apparently an undercover police officer was either approaching the dog’s owner or was in the vicinity when the dog began attacking the officer and a woman. ……

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The Case of UFO Sightings and The Spaceman of Ocean Beach

October 16, 2009 by Source
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by Chris Holly / UFODigest / October 16, 2009

I received an email from a lovely woman who had a UFO sighting when she was living in Ocean Beach California. She was 18 years old at the time. The year was 1980. The women along with a roommate were living in an apartment in the San Diego area one block from the Ocean. Together they watched a UFO over Ocean Beach.

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