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!
Nude swimmer arrested after struggle with police. Photo by Jim Grant
January
Sunshine – Moon Beam reflects on OB Peoples origins
Dickie Magidoff – Reader Rave: Watching OB From Afar … and Lovin’ It
Nate Hipple – Breaking news on Newport, naked man nearly incites riot
Allison W. Maris – Saratoga Park Condo Site Up For Sale?
John M. Williams – Initial Thoughts on Being in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
February
Anna counters Tea Party
Frank/Patty – San Diego Progressives sing at Tea Party
hippiereborn – Blame Yourself and Your City Leaders – not the Kids
Sarah Little – An Ode to OB – Why I stayed in my adopted town …
Danny – Impressions of OB Town Council
Sunshine – Mindy Pellissier – from a dog wash to serving Ocean Beach for 17 years
Lane Tobias – Should OB Have a Town Hall Meeting on the Homeless Youth and the Police ?
OB Cindi – Another Report of the OB Town Council Forum On the Homeless
Anna Daniels – Tea Party Hypocrites – San Diego Style
Dave Rice – More on the rich, the middle class, taxes and the tea baggers
Dave Rice – More thoughts on the tsunami tea party rally
March
First Coffee Party Gathering
John Williams – Riyadh Calling …
Patty Jones – – San Diego Coffee Party Movement first meeting gets a big turn-out!
Frank Gormlie – San Diego Coffee Party Percolates – Turn-Out So Large Four Groups Formed
Dave Rice – ‘We’re Watching You’ – Surveillance Cameras to Be Installed On OB Pier and Around Mission Bay
Frank Gormlie – The Power That One Family Has on Newport Avenue
April
OB's Doctor Jeoff Gordon
Ernie McCray – Excuse Me but There’s Two Teenagers with Weapons in the Room
Anna Daniels – You’ve got to be kidding… Brian Bilbray solves the immigration problem thanks to the shoes of the people
Shane Finneran – Jeoff Gordon, MD: Busy OB doc has time for social justice
Frank Gormlie – BREAKING NEWS: California Begins Construction of Border Fence Along Arizona Border
Doug Porter – Group Seeks To ‘Modernize’ School Board – Democracy Be Dammed
Frank Gormlie – Neo-Confederates, the Militias and the Tea Parties – Are We Heading for a Second Civil War?
May
Mobile Artist at work
Photos by Jim Grant – OB Riddle: Why did the baby sea lion cross the road?
Anna Daniels – Listening to Nina Simone after listening to Rand Paul
Jon Carr – Local OB artist creating mobile community mural
Lane Tobias – An Open Letter to Rand Paul and His Libertarian Racism
Sarah Little – “We are the Emperor and we’re naked”
Doug Porter – California Primaries – The Race for San Diego County Sheriff – Legacy, Labor and Lunacy Carry the Day
Frank Gormlie – OB Church Parking Lot Provides Sanctuary for Feeding the Homeless
Doug Porter – California Primary : the School Board Races – Secret Societies, Oxymorons and the ‘Evil’ Teachers Union
June
Ernie McCray stands for children at The Black
Ernie McCray – Standing for Children in Front of the Black
Frank Gormlie – Ouch! We hit a nerve in exposing The Black’s anti-OB attitude
Ernie McCray – Gray Relating to Green
Jack Hamlin – Will Ocean Beach come together and do something about our homeless?
Frank Gormlie – OB’s Intolerance Towards Homeless Now Exposed For All to See.
Jon Carr – San Diego Community Farms and Gardens taking root in OB
Annie Lane – Californians have had it – with plastic bags, that is.
Doug Porter – Fear and Loathing at the Black
Shane Finneran – Prop 19: Imperfect, but worthy of your vote
Frank Gormlie – Update on the ‘bum’ sticker controversy
John M. Williams – Riyadh Calling: Summing Up Six Months As an ESL Teacher
Andy Cohen – Credibility: Darrell Issa’s Problem
July
Heathens in OB
Ed Decker – The Cats of Ocean Beach (An ode to the homeless – of any species)
Brenda McFarlane – OB Voter Registration – Right to Vote for Ex-Convicts and the Homeless
Staff – Dusty Rhodes Dog Park Troubles
Dave Rice – OB Planning Board: Kevin and the Amazing Technicolor Toilet
Doug Porter – Superman Fails To Appear At Forum – OBceans Seek Solutions
Sunshine – ‘I’m disillusioned too … American dream, my ass!’
Doug Porter – Who should have ‘naming rights’ for OB?
Anna Daniels – ‘Want to talk outrage? Here’s how Halliburton screwed my brother.’
Shane Finneran – Ocean Beach’s Miscellaneous Heathens, at it again –
Anna Daniel – Mayor Sanders Spins the New Central Library Without City Workers
August
A view from the Tower
Doug Porter – The Thin Line Between Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Doug Porter – Why We Get High, Part 4: Alcohol, The 800 Pound Elephant in the Room
Staff – The future of Ocean Beach
Doug Porter – Why Proposition 19 Could Fail: No Cash, Talkin’ Trash
Frank Gormlie – Dwindling numbers of tea party activists rally against “Obamacare”
Elaine – Reader Rant: Being Underwater and Coming up for Air
Annie Lane – Savin’ Lives and Takin’ Names – the Lifeguards of Ocean Beach
Frank Gormlie – “I’ve just been kicked off the OB Town Council’s candidate ballot.”
Andy Cohen – More Observations from the “Doctor’s Tea Party”
Frank Gormlie – “Thee Bungalow” to close this weekend and to re-open under a new name
Doug Porter – Narc, Narc! Who’s There? Allegations Shake Pro-Pot Activists
Judi Curry – 2 Types of skunks in the neighborhood – one walks upright.
Frank Gormlie – Democracy, the OB Town Council, and Grassroots Activism
September
Point Loma High Class of 1950
Frank Gormlie, Patty Jones, Anna Daniels – Rollicking Ragsters Ride the Rails
Staff – QUICK! CHECK THIS OUT: Frank Gormlie’s Secret Plan to Take Over the Ocean Beach Town Council
Doug Porter – The 2010 Fall Election Season – Part One: Dishonesty, Deceit and Deception
Judi Curry – Another Stupid Law: ‘No Mail Slots Allowed’
Frank Gormlie – The Great Bumper Sticker ‘Wars’ Over the Years
Terrie Relf – What Happened to Marisco’s Taco Truck?
Anna Daniels – Are we there yet? The long road to equality for women
Doug Porter – ‘Back To School Special’ Part 3— Why Reforms Don’t Work
Frank Gormlie – The Strand Theater of Ocean Beach – Part 2 – Memories from the Seventies
Shane Finneran – Still Pointers after all these years: PLHS class of 1950 reunites
October
Gary Gilmore circa 1972
Andy Cohen – The Agenda of ‘No’
Doug Porter – Proposition 22 : Welfare For The Wealthy
Dan Morales – Class bias dominates OBPB decisions
Doug Porter – OB Rag Election Guide: State Races
Judi Curry – WHY GIVE OUT HOMEWORK? – a poem by Judi Curry
Brenda McFarlane – Socks for the Homeless
Frank Gormlie – In the early seventies Gary Gilmore found ‘heaven’ and he’s been in Ocean Beach ever since.
Judi Curry – People Shouldn’t Have to Make Health Care Decisions Based on Money – or Lack of It
Frank Gormlie – Halloween Scare: Meg Whitman came to OB – not to buy a surfboard but – to buy the community.
November
Ocean Beach VFW - the In Crowd
Anna Daniels – Carl DeMaio – the Misogynist Who Would Be Mayor?
Frank Gormlie – Election Central: Popaditch and supporters push victor Congressman Filner up against a wall.
Citizen Cane – The Hitchhikers’ Guide to Ocean Beach: Attraction #1– The Sideways Tree
Frank Gormlie – Is the City about to cut down a Torrey Pines tree on Long Branch?
Frank Gormlie – Looking through the election ‘trick or treat’ bag for goodies
Judi Curry – Who is ‘boffing’ the ‘widder Curry’?
Andy Cohen – Ocean Beach VFW Outpost Being Forced Out After 27 Years
Danny Morales – Is Paid Parking the Wave Of The Future in Ocean Beach?
Nancy Witt – Reader Rant: About Those Deficit-Reduction Commission Suggestions
Rocky Neptun – Jesus, George Washington and San Diego’s Medical Marijuana Struggle
Dave Rice – “Terriers” – Cast of Characters
Anna Daniels and Sarah Little – Rants Against the TSA
Doug Porter – A Trojan Horse Measure Posing as School Reform
Anna Daniels – The Complexity of Cats
December
A sidewalk in Ocean Beach
Patty – Popping the Cork
Shane Finneran – Ocean Beach vs North Park: A migrant’s observations
Anna Daniels – “Chicken crap” – The Republican Rallying Cry
Brittany Bailey – Kevin Faulconer Breaks Ground on Ocean Beach ‘Gateway’ Project
Shane Finneran – OB Rag Exclusive: New Wikileaks release details CIA surveillance of Ocean Beach
Brenda McFarlane – The Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association’s Website Investment
Judi Curry – The Forgotten Few (Million)
(anonymous) – Reader Rant: Is it still okay to hate gays?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
and the First Best of Story of 2011
Street Sweepers in OB & the new law….
” illegal parkers could be nabbed by street-sweepers armed with digital cameras (AB 2567).”
My almost-mother-in-law used to get ticketed about once a month for forgetting to move her car…now that she’s got a new property manager that’s octupling the rent on her garage, she’ll be back to street parking…and I’ll probably be back to riding over to make sure her car is in the right spot on Thursdays.
Ragsters and Readers- your posts and comments have been thought provoking, revelatory and entertaining. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this unique community- it feels like home, complete with eccentric relatives, loyal friends and beloved dogs and cats.
Lane and Mary- I miss your voices and presence. Jim- your photographs are awesome. John C- thanks for the best zinger comments. “A table for one for Mr. Bitter.” :)
Jerry Rubin said “Don’t tell me what you believe. Show me what you do 24 hours a day and I’ll tell you what you believe.” Special thanks to Frank and Patty, doers par excellence.
Happy New Year!
I’ll second that emotion! Happy New Year from us and the rest of the OB Rag staff – the OB Ragsters!
I met a man the other day who cares greatly about trees. His favorite saying is: “People don’t care about how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
Till next year!
Can you tell me waht your source of atribution for that quote by Jerry Rubin is? thanks
oh yeah. happy new year to all you readers and writers out there.
you may not realize it, but you are participating in a very grand experience.
on one level, the OB Rag is the little engine that could…posting and posting away until not so long ago when we realized, hey! we’ve got an audience!
on another level it is an experiment with community based journalism/advocacy. (warts & all)
and on another level the OB Rag is about giving a voice to progressives in an era where the media’s agenda seems to be focused on the lowest common denominator.
thank you!
Wow, it’s been a long short year! I just want to thank you all for coming here and for all the support you have given us, support in all kinds of ways.
I know there have disagreements, discussions that at times have us all gnashing our teeth, but we have a tremendous community here and I am so glad to be part of it.
May 2011 bring everyone more of the best and less of the worst. My heartfelt best wishes to all!
Happy New Year to all, and best wishes for the new year!
I am happy to know you all!
Happy New Year everybody! First post of 2011?
Seeing my name up there gives me goosebumps. Looking outside and seeing 16 inches of snow makes me cringe…. I sure do miss my family at the OB Rag!
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