December 2010

OB RAG 2010 : “Best Of …”

December 31, 2010 by Frank Gormlie

Here’s our “Best Of…” posts from 2010, month by month. Over this past year, we’ve published 953 articles on this here website. We’ve tried to include some of the best of each of our writers’ and we’ve done it on a month to month basis for the entire year. The selections below were based on subject matter, comments, and popularity, or just because they were “so OB!” We’re certain we missed some of the good posts – but there were so many!

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Remembering Remarkable Experiences in a Lighthearted Mood

December 30, 2010 by Ernie McCray

I hadn’t written anything for a while and decided, in a spirit of fun, to check into “www.creativewritingprompts.com” and craft a piece based on whatever I clicked on, which just happened to be: “List seven remarkable experiences in your life. Then write about each experience in the next seven days.” Well, I nixed the” seven […]

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Tie One On – Only in OB

December 30, 2010 by Source

By Jim Grant As I drove down Sunset Cliffs yesterday afternoon in the light rain with a squall line approaching from the west, I noticed the street sign at Monanco and Sunset Cliffs had been decorated. I thought, “how cute” – since I take lots of photos and even get them out to the public […]

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Was Qualcomm Stadium flooded recently by sewage or rainwater?

December 29, 2010 by Staff

by Andy Cohen and Frank Gormlie Last week you probably remember was one of the wettest weeks in recent San Diego history. The San Diego River flooded of course, as did the Mission Valley golf course, and a number of hotels were surrounded by water. In fact one hotel, the Premier Inn, had to ferry its guests […]

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Anti-Abortion Regulations Increasing for Women Nationwide

December 29, 2010 by Source

By Lauren Kelley /AlterNet / December 28, 2010 The 2007 Supreme Court decision that upheld a federal ban on late-term abortions has had far-reaching consequences, leading to an increase in state laws restricting abortion. According to the Washington Post , the 5 to 4 decision in Gonzales v. Carhart “appeared to mark a significant change […]

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Ocean Beach is site of liberal vs conservative split among Episcopalians

December 29, 2010 by Source

Conservative leader Rev. Bausch to hand over keys of OB parish to Diocese.

By Christopher Cadelago / signonsandiego.com/ December 28, 2010

The Rev. Canon Lawrence Bausch expects to surrender the keys to his Ocean Beach church to the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego on Thursday, closing a chapter in an international conflict intensified by the election of an openly gay bishop.

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OB RAG Crystal Ball 2011

December 29, 2010 by Doug Porter

As Yogi Berra once said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” For those of you that think Yogi Berra is somehow related to cartoon character Yogi Bear, I suggest that you return to your AOL homepage. The rest of you should check out my predictions for 2011 so you can make fun […]

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OB is one of several SoCal beaches closed due to sewage contamination.

December 28, 2010 by Frank Gormlie

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that a number of Southern California beaches were hit with raw sewage due to overloaded systems from the rain and storms that hit last week. As dirty storm runoff rushed seaward during the rains, it overwhelmed some of the region’s sewage systems, rupturing sewer mains, disabling pump stations and […]

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Who has more ‘True Grit’-The Duke or The Dude?

December 27, 2010 by Source

Movie Review: John Wayne vs. Jeff Bridges by Owen Gleiberman / Entertainment Weekly / December 27, 2010 It doesn’t take rocket science to see why True Grit enjoyed the biggest opening weekend of any Coen brothers movie to date. The film may not have won the Coens their most rapturous reviews (though the critics were […]

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Reader Rant: Is it still okay to hate gays?

December 27, 2010 by Source

Reader Rant: I am a gay OBcian. I noticed with broad interest that this blog published a photo and short commentary on some recent anti-gay graffiti in Ocean Beach. One commenter even pointed out the obvious hate slur in a piece of graffiti – but it brought out the usual response, variations on “No, you’re […]

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Giving Obama Some Credit (and a break) at the End of the Year

December 27, 2010 by Source

by John Lawrence / Will Blog for Food / December 25, 2010 The last days of the lame duck session of Congress were remarkably successful with passage of ratification of the START Treaty, repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, aid for first responders, extension of unemployment benefits, the Food Safety bill and the tax bill. […]

Right-wing domestic bombers in Oregon sentenced to die

December 27, 2010 by Source

Editor: Why would the OB Rag publish this story? Corporate media is filled with articles about the FBI catching “would-be” Muslim terrorists in this or that part of the nation, but rarely do they cover a more dangerous trend: home-grown terrorists of the right-wing domestic variety who are out to push their racist and anti-Obama agenda on […]

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Bradley Manning’s Holiday Message

December 26, 2010 by Source

Manning’s Holiday Statement:

“I greatly appreciate everyone’s support and well wishes during this time. I am also thankful for everything that has been done to aid in my defense. I ask …

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An Ode to My Cat (or why my Christmas was a downer).

December 26, 2010 by Dave Rice

It’s 5:35 in the morning, December 26, when I finally begin to type. I’ve been sitting here for almost four hours now, operating on something like three hours’ sleep in as many days waiting for the words to start flowing, or for the bottle of rum at my side to take effect and begin to lull me off to a dreamless sleep.

Last night was Christmas Eve – even though we’re not a true Christian family as much as we are a sloppy mixture of agnosticism and Wicca with a dose of traditional Christian values thrown in …

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Will somebody paint out this anti-gay graffiti, please?

December 24, 2010 by Frank Gormlie

The anti-gay graffiti pictured here (see inside) was spotted very recently ago in the alley near Guizot Street between Saratoga and Santa Monica Avenues in Ocean Beach.

Please, the community is asking someone to paint it out. For Christmas sake, or for the sake of the holidays, or for some reason during the season that we celebrate peace, harmony, “good will to all men”, to all women, to all humanity.

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OB Businesses Hurting After “Terriers” Canceled

December 24, 2010 by Source

Editor: Here’s a brief piece from Channel 10 News about businesses hurting because of the cancellation of “Terriers” the great show filmed in Ocean Beach this year. Our friend Ted Caplaneris, the owner of The Old Town Restaurant, is quoted. Now there is also a current attempt to reignite the show with an online poll […]

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Ocean Beach: Stay away from the water! It’s a sewage spill!

December 24, 2010 by Source

No Swimming At San Diego’s Ocean Beach As Sewage Spill Flows Into San Diego River From Santee By Ed Joyce / KPBS / December 23, 2010 The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health has posted warning signs to keep people out of the water at Ocean Beach after an estimated 1.2 million gallon sewage spill occurred […]

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Hey Santa, IKEA is anti-union.

December 23, 2010 by Source

Editor: Thinking about buying some IKEA furniture for Christmas? Think again. Read this. KEA Knocks Down Labor Rights by Phil Mattera / Dirt Diggers Digest When my colleagues and I at Good Jobs First introduced the Subsidy Tracker database recently, our hope was that the information would be helpful to a wide range of campaigns […]

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OB Rag Exclusive: New Wikileaks release details CIA surveillance of Ocean Beach

December 23, 2010 by Dixon Guizot

The ongoing drama surrounding leaked diplomatic cables came to Ocean Beach today when the Wikileaks organization released a report from an American intelligence agent sent to OB to investigate “possible revolutionary sentiment.” The report, which the unidentified agent submitted to CIA higher-ups in mid-2010, seemed to downplay reports of a secessionist movement in the area. […]

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The recent windy and wet storm did NOT move the Long Branch Torrey Pine one inch!

December 23, 2010 by Frank Gormlie

Local activists and a Torrey Pine tree specialist have taken measurements of the Long Branch Torrey Pine, before, during and after this huge Pineapple Express storm – which was wet and very windy – and the tree did not move one inch.

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The battle of Yuletide Hill

December 23, 2010 by Ed Decker

Editor: CityBeat’s Ed Decker – who writes poetry for the OB Rag and has promised us a column – is organizing “Armies of the War on Christmas mount a comeback”. By Edwin Decker / San Diego CityBeat Thanks to a spate of failed ACLU lawsuits, Bill O’Reilly and his ilk are claiming they have “won the […]

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Your government wants to know more about you.

December 23, 2010 by Source

Monitoring America by Dana Priest and William Arkin / Washington Post / Originally published December 20, 2010 Nine years after the terrorist attacks of 2001, the United States is assembling a vast domestic intelligence apparatus to collect information about Americans, using the FBI, local police, state homeland security offices and military criminal investigators. The system, […]

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Christmas in Riyadh

December 23, 2010 by John M. Williams

Dear All, On December 23rd, it’s Christmas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Damn year is just about over. New year, renewed contract or new contract, new job or back to fixing houses and part time teaching and hoping I’ll be able to get the brakes done soon. When is that payment due? Oh hell. Funniest place. […]

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Anna’s Video Pick – Imagine

December 22, 2010 by Anna Daniels

Imagine a country with a pacifist constitution that prohibits its military from marching off to war. Since the end of World War II Japan has had such a constitution that limits the use of force to a strictly defensive capacity. Japanese soldiers have been sent every February to the city of Sapporo where they build […]

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Smart Meters, Smart for whom?

December 22, 2010 by Source

By Jim Bell To date, I’m strongly apposed to installing Smart Meters at my home. Here’s why: Smart Meters pose known and unknown health risks. When I first heard about Smart Meters, I had zero concern about SDG&E installing one of them on my house. The only thing I thought about it was that the […]

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Did you lose your power this morning? You’re not alone.

December 22, 2010 by Frank Gormlie

Due to the huge storm that’s walloping San Diego, thousands of SDG&E customers – including dozens in Ocean Beach – lost their electrical power Wednesday morning (12/22/10). Apparently, it’s happening across the City and County.

East County residents lost their ground line telephone service yesterday and it still has not been turned back on.

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Surveillance Tower Watches Consumers

December 21, 2010 by Source

By Morgan Cook / North County Times / Originally published Dec. 19, 2010 Sheriff’s deputies throughout the region are keeping a careful watch over consumers —- sometimes quite literally —- in an effort to keep thieves at bay this holiday season. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is using the 25-foot-tall SkyWatch tower to survey shopping […]

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In the Age of Anxiety, Living with Panic Attacks

December 21, 2010 by Patty Jones

If you have ever lived through a panic attack you know that it can flat scare the hell out of you. The physical symptoms, the feeling of utter dread or impending death, can leave you completely exhausted and fearful of the next attack. I don’t know if it’s the state of things in this world, […]

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The Forgotten Few (Million)

December 21, 2010 by Judi Curry

I am so happy that Congress passed Obama’s tax package. Taxes won’t be raised for the wealthy; taxes won’t be raised for the middle class; taxes won’t be raised for the poor. The estate tax will remain the same; there will be new credits for families with children; the social security tax (FICA) that is […]

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Greg April 19, 2024 at 9:13 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachAh yes the poor mom and pop homeowners wealthy enough to purchase a second property. Won't somebody please think of them!
Greg April 19, 2024 at 9:12 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachProp 13 should ONLY apply to primary residences in which case your whole example is moot.
Pats April 19, 2024 at 9:01 am on Why San Diego Should Not Be Awarded Anything for Its ‘Bonus ADU’ Program — Not One ADU Unit Has Been Built as Low-Income HousingGavin Newsom, Chris Ward, (and most SD State politicians), Todd Gloria, and Colin Parent are responsible for the starting and stopping on the same street...
Pats April 19, 2024 at 8:37 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachProp 13 was passed in 1978. Homeowners in 1978 are of Social Security age. Some will not be able to afford the property taxes if...
Greg April 19, 2024 at 8:27 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachThat is a very good way to potentially increase the supply of housing by disincentivizing persons from owning more than one unit of housing.
Tessa April 19, 2024 at 7:45 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean Beach"The rich get richer and we are all supposed to.... leave OB, unless we've lucked out by owning from long ago, found a cheap-ish rental,...
Tessa April 19, 2024 at 7:41 am on Why San Diego Should Not Be Awarded Anything for Its ‘Bonus ADU’ Program — Not One ADU Unit Has Been Built as Low-Income HousingHmmm....what, exactly, is "Ivory Innovations"...?
chris schultz April 19, 2024 at 7:19 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachProp 19 took out the inheritance pass thru and non occupied inherited property is assessed at market rate.
chris schultz April 19, 2024 at 7:18 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachBy that logic then, eliminate tax write offs for more than 1 car. What's funny is, if you own your property with no mortgage, and...
chris schultz April 19, 2024 at 7:06 am on Reader Rant on the New Warehouse Plan for San Diego’s Unhoused CitizensMeanwhile, back at his budget mess, chaos continues. https://voiceofsandiego.org/2024/04/18/mayor-city-housing-agency-scramble-for-homelessness-funding/#comment-29785
lyle April 19, 2024 at 5:35 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachI think you meant schedule E. Your comment is otherwise correct. I agree that it is insane.
kh April 18, 2024 at 11:45 pm on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachCurrently you can deduct more property taxes on an investment property than on your primary residence. That’s just insane. This is because of the $10K...
kh April 18, 2024 at 11:40 pm on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachWe should not be incentivizing any home ownership beyond your primary residence. It just increases the barrier for those who can’t afford 1 home.
Will April 18, 2024 at 10:35 pm on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachI weep not for people who own second homes. We are so thankful to own our OB shack. We see people who do all sorts...
Jane April 18, 2024 at 9:29 pm on 8 ADUs in 3-Story Complex Proposed for 4500 Block of Pescadero in Point LomaThe tree has already been chopped down. Most of the greenery has been removed at this site. 16 cars or more may soon be looking...