March 2010

Left vs Right – Part Deux

March 31, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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In Part I, we saw how the terms “left” and “right” stem from the French Revolution, that during the early days of the revolt, French delegates met in the National Assembly chamber. Back then, the French delegates on the right-side of the chamber – hence the Right – wanted to keep the King and those on the left side – the Left – wanted him removed.

Ever since then, to be on the right means standing up for property rights, the status quo, and the powers that be. To be on the left means standing up for civil and social rights, for change, and for egalitarianism. Although, the terms are relative and are tied to their historical and societal context.

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Sting: ‘Let’s End the War On Drugs’

March 31, 2010 by Source
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By Sting / Huffington Post / March 31, 2010

Whether it’s music, activism or daily life, the one ideal to which I have always aspired is constant challenge — taking risks, stepping out of my comfort zone, exploring new ideas.

I am writing because I believe the United States must do precisely that — and so, therefore, must all of us — in the case of what has been the most unsuccessful, unjust yet untouchable issue in politics: the War on Drugs.

The War on Drugs has failed — but it’s worse than that. It is actively harming our society.

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Ten Myths of the California Budget

March 31, 2010 by Source
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Editor: The following Ten Myths was prepared this month by the California Budget Project. Go here to see their nifty graphs and pie charts.

Myth #1 : The Largest Share of the State Budget Goes To Prisons

The Facts:

* The State spends more than four times as much on K-12 education as it does on corrections and one and one-quarter times as much on higher education as it does on corrections.

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California marijuana legalization battle heats up

March 30, 2010 by Source
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Far from being a war between hippies and police, the fight to legalize marijuana in California centers on whether decriminalizing and taxing cannabis can help fill the state’s fiscal hole.

Using the drug for medical purposes has been legal for 14 years in the western state. But a new initiative that will appear on the ballot in November elections is seeking to legalize recreational marijuana use.

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Local OB Veterinary Clinic Smack Down

March 29, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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It appears that complaints about one of OB’s veterinary clinics are rising. Local musician and producer Chuck Schiele recently posted a long rant about the Point Loma Veterinary Clinic “terrorizing” his cat.

Apparently, after making them wait for more than two hours, the vet said she did not know how to treat the feline, did not have a diagnosis, and then billed them more than he thought they should.

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OB Coffee Party: People Over Corporations

March 29, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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There we were, all 21 of us, crowding around under the shady umbrella at Java Jungle. And we were all talking politics – imagine!

It was a meeting of the “coastal” section of San Diego’s Coffee Party movement, a movement that is barely two months old, yet already has nearly 400 chapters across the country. What started as a facebook rant about the incivility of American politics and the apparent stalemate in Congress, and which has now blossomed into a nation-wide movement, had its first San Diego meeting on March 13th. The turnout was so huge, that the group broke down into four sections.

The “west of I-5” folks, naming themselves the coastal chapter, had decided to meet on the 27th in OB. And at least half the turnout was from Ocean Beach.

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Peninsula Singers At Carnegie Hall

March 29, 2010 by Source
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by Denny Knox

I am a founding member of the Peninsula Singers, which is a community chorus that practices in the Community Room at the Hervey Point Loma Library. Recently, we were invited to participate with seven other choruses from around the country at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

We started practicing Beethoven’s Mass in C major about a year ago, the piece that we sang in NYC.

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Buy the WAVES CD and Help Out the OB Rag

March 26, 2010 by Dave Gilbert
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Editor: The OB Rag and the OB Mainstreet Association have worked out a deal: you buy the WAVES CD from them for $10 – and OBMA will send us 20%. You can buy the CD at their office at 1868 Bacon Street #A or from Claudia Jack, who sells them every Wednesday at Farmers Market at the OBMA booth near Wings. You have to say that you saw this deal on the blog or on the OB Rag.

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Movers and Shakers : Stefanie Sekich of The Surfrider Foundation

March 25, 2010 by Jon Carr
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A Review of Past Movers & Shakers: Originally posted April 8, 2009

by Jon Carr

Our first Mover and Shaker is Stefanie Sekich, local clean water activist and employee of The Surfrider Foundation.

Stefanie was the driving force behind the Save Trestles campaign which successfully blocked big developers and the Transportation Corridor Authority (TCA) from building a toll road through San Onofre State beach and the legendary Trestles surf spot.

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Left versus Right. Right versus Left. What the hay? – A Primer

March 24, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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Left, right, conservative, liberal. We hear pundits using these terms everyday. TV commentators say the passage of the health care bill was a victory for the left. Now the right wants to appeal it. The Tea Party on the right, the anti-war movement of the left.

Left versus right. Right versus left! What the hay!? Do you know what all this means?

Left vs Right-Since these terms are bandied about so much, at the same time it’s not clear everyone knows what they mean. So, I wanted to lay out a brief primer on what these terms are and where they came from.

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OB Flashes – News and Calendar and Whatever

March 24, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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SEE INSIDE FOR DETAILS AND LINKS

* David Wells Boosts Auction for PL High Baseball – and Displays OB Longhorn Tat

* Volunteers Needed for OB Coastal Dunes Restoration – March 27th

*Complaints Still Coming In About Homeless Youth and Their Abusers – Still No New Public Restrooms

* San Diego Coffee Party “Coastal” to Meet at Jungle Java – Saturday March 27th

* OB Farmers’ Market Is Favorite of Daily Aztec

* OB Fire Pits On Agenda of OB Town Council April 28th

* Diane Bell: Ninjas on Motorcycles on OB Pier

* OB Historical Society to Hold Annual Photo Exhibit and Contest

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‘We’re Watching You’ – Surveillance Cameras to Be Installed On OB Pier and Around Mission Bay

March 22, 2010 by Dave Rice
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City Government Enters Official Bid Process for Public Surveillance System In Beach Areas – Including OB Pier

Winston Smith, you’d better touch those toes. And don’t bend your knees to do it either, because Big Brother’s watching, and if you cheat, he’s gonna know. [Editor: in case you are not familiar with the novel, Winston Smith is the main character in George Orwell’s “1984.”]

It may be a couple decades late, but 1984 has finally arrived – government surveillance cameras are soon to be installed in a handful of locations along the San Diego coast, kicking off a program that seems destined for expansion into a spectrum that could one day encompass every public space in America (and whatever private spaces aren’t protected by a heat-shielding drawn curtain). It might soon be time to bust out those tin-foil-lined hats.

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The Great Thing About the Health Care Law That Has Passed? It Will Save Republican Lives, Too

March 22, 2010 by Source
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by Michael Moore / Huffington Post / March 22, 2010

To My Fellow Citizens, the Republicans:

Thanks to last night’s vote, that child of yours who has had asthma since birth will now be covered after suffering for her first nine years as an American child with a pre-existing condition.

Thanks to last night’s vote, that 23-year-old of yours who will be hit one day by a drunk driver and spend six months recovering in the hospital will now not go bankrupt because you will be able to keep him on your insurance policy.

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US healthcare bill will provide immediate benefits

March 21, 2010 by Source

The U.S. House of Representatives voted for a sweeping overhaul of the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system.
Here is what to expect if the bill becomes law:

WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF ENACTMENT

* Insurance companies will be barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Lifetime coverage limits will be eliminated and annual limits are to be restricted.

* Insurers will be barred from excluding children for coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

* Young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ health plans until the age of 26. Many health plans currently drop dependents from coverage when they turn 19 or finish college.

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We decry 7 years of war – Photo Gallery

March 21, 2010 by Source
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On March 20th, San Diego Coalition for Peace & Justice decorated cars, took to the streets in a caravan through the city, and with peace protesters at Harbor Drive joined Vets for Peace at Arlington West in front of The Midway (Carrier) Museum for a candlelight vigil.

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‘Good-bye, Nancy Little’

March 21, 2010 by Source
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by Genie Phillips aka Zuchinni

If you look at the March 1975 cover of the O.B. Rag, with the caption ‘International Woman’s Day’, you see a group of women, and one small kid waving a flag, marching on the O.B. pier in support of International Women’s Day. To the far right is Nancy Little, in her often-present overalls. At her side, her seven-year old son Paul is merrily waving his flag, just having fun in the festivities.

Joe Cocker sang, “And Every Picture Tells A Story Don’t It…..”

How telling that Nancy should pass on one week after her picture appears once again on the pages of the OB Rag some 35 years later. I wonder if she saw it. I hope so. She loved Ocean Beach.

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Dark Days At City Libraries Go Into Effect

March 21, 2010 by Anna Daniels
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by Anna Daniels

The reduced hours schedule for our libraries went into effect Saturday (March 20). The Central library is now closed on Saturdays because of the draconian 10% mid year budget cuts exacted from the library budget by the mayor and approved by the city council this past December.

That 10% cut was more than any other General Fund Department had to sustain. Think about that- our largest library which supports your branch, and serves all citizens- is now closed on Saturdays. And the hours have also been cut at our branches, which I will address further on.

We should all be asking “Why is the mayor balancing the budget on the back of our library system?” I suspect the answer is because he can. We didn’t stop him.

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First Floatopia of 2010

March 21, 2010 by Source
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by Nate Hipple

Let it be known: The first Floatopia of 2010 occurred yesterday on Mission Bay!

Apparently, nobody got the memo that Spring has only barely sprung and hence it’s still a bit nippy to be rafting with an ice chest of beer. But never ever underestimate the indomitable spirit of the people’s will to party, even when all signs tell them to behave.

When the city banned alcohol on the beach, Floatopia was the natural reaction. (It’s sort of a cross between ‘Jersey Shore’ and the movie ‘Waterworld’).

The end result of the ban is pushing public drinking …

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Riyadh Calling … #3

March 20, 2010 by John M. Williams

by John Williams

So far, I’ve commented on Saudi society with the intent of relating how different it is from the US. I haven’t intended to be critical. It hasn’t been my intent to elevate one system over the other. I haven’t wanted to choose. Now, though, I want to say some things about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) that I think are positive.

First, these people walk the walk when it comes to the question of hospitality. For example, as I’ve said, I live in a hotel. One afternoon, I was near the entrance having a smoke when a youthful Saudi man was also in the lobby (you are allowed to smoke inside of buildings here), pacing, apparently deeply in thought. At a point, his route brought him close enough to me for me to remark, “You seem to be thinking very seriously about something.”

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Who Me? Co-Emcee a Celebration of Helen Chavez’s Life?

March 20, 2010 by Ernie McCray
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by Ernie McCray

A little while ago I was asked if I would be willing to co-emcee a celebration of Helen Chavez’s life and it was one of those requests that make you go “Who, me? Cesar’s sweet Helen? You kiddin’ me? Well, uh, hey, by golly gee. Yessiree.” Talking about being honored. Whoo! Whee!

I mean, how could I not leap upon the opportunity to share a stage with a woman who took care of a man I loved, enabling him to stretch his wings as he heeded Gandhi and Martin’s call, understanding innately at deep soulful levels the “Why” of it all – as she, too, could not resist the call to change a world.

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We haven’t forgotten there’s 2 wars going on – Rally and Car Caravan – Sat. March 20

March 18, 2010 by Staff
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San Diegans and Americans across the country are showing that many of us have not forgotten there’s two wars going on at this minute. This is at a cost of $400,000,000 EACH DAY for these wars and occupations – while our schools decay, homes are foreclosed, healthcare costs choke families into bankruptcy, and workers go without jobs –

We’re showing up at anti-war actions coast to coast. Here in San Diego, there’s an entire afternoon devoted to showing we haven’t forgotten. There’s a Car Caravan here in San Diego from 3 to 5 pm, and rally from 1 to 3, bannering downtown, and an Arlington West. Read on.

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Falling Sky Pottery: dances with clay

March 18, 2010 by Gary Gilmore
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Originally posted April 21, 2009

by Gary Gilmore

Any artist with the moniker of EZ is going to have to live up to the nickname. Isauro Elizondo does that in the first 30 seconds of conversation. Owner of Falling Sky Pottery on the corner of Abbott & Santa Monica, EZ is one of those individuals who makes you feel like a friend as soon as you walk in the door.

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The Census Story: Differentiating Between Conspiracy and Incompetence

March 17, 2010 by Doug Porter
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by Doug Porter

The mailman delivered our family’s census form yesterday. According to the Census Bureau, our form was among 120 million others mailed out over the weekend. It consisted of ten questions that covered our household’s ages, relationships, racial & sexual attributes. And, oh yeah, they wanted to know if we owned or rented our home. The whole questionnaire took about two minutes to fill out. I’ve spent a lot more time and given out a lot more information setting up on-line profiles so I could gain access to Ticketmaster-type or foodie websites.

If memory serves me right (and I’ve been around for a few census counts) this decade’s form had fewer questions than ever before. I didn’t feel that my privacy was violated in any way. So I had to wonder what all the noise around the internet/news media over the past year was all about. So I cranked up the official OB Rag wayback machine (also known as the Google) to revisit the issues at hand.

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“A Funny Little Thing” Got me Back into the Swing of Things

March 16, 2010 by Ernie McCray
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by Ernie McCray

Nothing has helped me get back into the swing of things more, after losing my sweetheart, than getting up on stage and giving life to a delightful old goofy character named Wilmer in a play called “Funny Little Thing.”

Wilmer, like I have been in real life, is crazy about his wife, Paula, and she feels the same about him as my Nancy loved me – in spite of the little “things” that come along in a marriage, the irrelevant minutia that Wilmer and Paula, like Nancy and I did, zip by with healthy “Don’t sweat the small stuff” attitudes.

What a fun role and it was just what I needed to discover if I could ever, again, focus my attention, for any reasonable length of time, on something other than the nagging emotional pain that for so long was caught up in my heart and soul like a cat entangled in a sack full of yarn.

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Newport News – OB’s Main Street and Beyond

March 15, 2010 by Source
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by Kristin Condon

The building with Ace Tattoo and El Rodeo is looking spiffy – it has gotten a new paint job and new banisters and signs, including the new “L Rodeo” sign.

Ciao Bella Ristorante e Pizzaria at 4953 Newport opened at the end of February, and appears to be doing a brisk business. Their extensive menu features soups, salads, antipasto, pasta, panini, risotti, pizzas, and handmade desserts. They have a very nice dining room, and also will take phone orders to go….

SEE MORE INSIDE…..

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San Diego Coffee Party Percolates – Turn-Out So Large Four Groups Formed

March 14, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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People started showing up early. I was standing outside Lestat’s – the famous Adams Avenue coffeehouse in Normal Heights twenty minutes before the noon meeting was to start. A half dozen older folks had joined me in front. I joked, to laughter: “Is this going to be a gray-haired movement?”

One woman replied “And I spent all this money trying to hide my gray.” Even though I had been joking, I did have the thought that the meeting would consist of fifty and sixty-something year olds only. But I was wrong. By the end of the meeting two hours later, my joke was answered with a resounding ‘no’.

It was March 13th – the national coffee party meeting day – hundreds of meetings were going on across the country, most in coffee houses. And it was the very first time anybody in San Diego had met under the new grassroots banner of java.

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San Diego Coffee Party Movement first meeting gets a big turn-out!

March 13, 2010 by Patty Jones
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We had a wonderful turnout – 75 people signed in and signed the civility pledge! It was wonderful to see the packed house, it was standing room only.

Lots of people stood and attested to why they had come, many saying they were frustrated the way the media was portraying the average citizen and that they felt we needed a voice, a sane and civil voice, to be heard on the issues that matter to us all.

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San Diego Coffee Party Takes Off This Saturday – March 13th

March 12, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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San Diego’s Coffee Party Movement officially forms up this Saturday, March 13th, as its first “kick-off” meeting is being held at a local coffeehouse – of all places. This initial gathering – organized for the City of San Diego – will be at LeStat’s coffee house on Adams Avenue at noon. There’s also chapters forming in North County and Ramona.

And there’s hundreds of such meetings occurring across the country this Saturday. Of course, the meetings are at coffee houses. It’s the Coffee Party Movement.

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TV Show “Terriers” Filming Again at Newport Ave Restaurant

March 12, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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Yesterday the 11th of March, we heard from Ted Caplaneris, the owner of The Old Town House Restaurant on Newport Ave, that the television production “Terriers” is coming back to film at his restaurant.

Ted wanted us to know and to help spread the word that:

The Old Town House Restaurant will be closed on Tuesday March 16th to facilitate this production. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Last time the production crew was in OB, they used Ted’s restaurant.

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Famous OBcean and Major League Pitcher David Wells Honored

March 12, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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David Wells is arguably one of the most famous (living) Ocean Beach residents and locals. Class of 1982 at Point Loma High, Wells became a major league baseball pitcher, amassing amazing awards such as a record of 239-157 during his twenty year league career that included a perfect game (1998) and two stints with the San Diego Padres.

Recently, he has received numerous accolades, having the high school’s baseball facilities named after him, as well as having the Dana Middle School baseball field renamed the David Wells Field. He also was just inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions Hall of Fame.

Today, Friday, March 12, there is a fundraiser for Pointers baseball and Wells is planning on attending.

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