February 2009

Street artist Shepard Fairey’s arrest reminds us of earlier accusations of plagiarism

February 8, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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Street artist Shepard Fairey was arrested Friday February 6th for tagging by Boston police. Southern Californians have known of the infamous LA artist’s work for years as his images have mysteriously appeared stenciled along streets – the iconic Andre the Giant and the Obey posters and stencils come to mind immediately. Fairey is also the artist of the now famous red, white, and blue poster of Barack Obama usually with the caption “hope”. (See ‘inside’ for the full story.)

Fairey was arrested after two warrants had been issued for him back on January 24th. He is accused by police for tagging property in two locations with graffiti – based on the Andre the Giant image.

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Could This Be? The End of The Ocean Beach Farmer’s Market?

February 6, 2009 by Doug Porter
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The bright green flyers handed out at this weeks’ OB Farmers Market only told part of the story. A concerted letter writing campaign, orchestrated by the owners of Blondstone, is underway, asking City agencies to end or severely restrict the Farmer’s Market, the Holiday Parade and other OB events that include craft fairs.

Vendors at the Farmers Market have found themselves targeted by escalating inspections in recent weeks, as governmental agencies, responding to this campaign have been scrutinizing activities at the weekly market, which takes place every Wednesday on Newport Avenue, starting at 4pm.

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Whistling Past the Afghan Graveyard – Where Empires Go to Die

February 5, 2009 by Source
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It is now a commonplace — as a lead article in the New York Times’s Week in Review pointed out recently — that Afghanistan is “the graveyard of empires.” Given Barack Obama’s call for a greater focus on the Afghan War (“we took our eye off the ball when we invaded Iraq…”), and given indications that a “surge” of U.S. troops is about to get underway there, Afghanistan’s dangers have been much in the news lately. Some of the writing on this subject, including recent essays by Juan Cole at Salon.com, Robert Dreyfuss at the Nation, and John Robertson at the War in Context website, has been incisive on just how the new administration’s policy initiatives might transform Afghanistan and the increasingly unhinged Pakistani tribal borderlands into “Obama’s War.”

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Phelps takes a hit

February 4, 2009 by Source
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It’s hell being a celebrity, especially if you’re young and find yourself at a party, where marijuana and cameras should never mix. And it’s not exactly heaven being sheriff of a county with escalating drug crimes and pressure to treat all offenders equally.

Thus it is that Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps and Sheriff Leon Lott of South Carolina’s Richland County are being forced to treat seriously a crime that shouldn’t be one.

As everyone knows by now, Phelps was photographed smoking from an Olympic-sized bong during a University of South Carolina party last November.

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6th Anniversary of death of Danny ‘the Walker’ – OB homeless man killed by police Feb 4th 2003

February 4, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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There will be a small vigil tonight at 6 pm at the site where exactly 6 years ago, a well-known homeless man in Ocean Beach was gunned down and killed by San Diego police officers. Danny “the Walker” Woodyard was filled with bullets on West Point Loma Avenue near the intersection with Voltaire Street, a few yards from the entrance to north beach parking lot.

Danny was a well-known homeless man, who was always seen walking around the community, hence his nickname. The morning of Feb 4, 2003, he had been dumpster diving with his only tool, an old knife.

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The Whole World Is Rioting … Why Aren’t We?

February 3, 2009 by Source
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Explosive anger is spilling out onto the streets of Europe. The meltdown of the global economy is igniting massive social unrest in a region that has long been a symbol of political stability and social cohesion. It’s not a new trend: A wave of upheaval is spreading from the poorer countries on the periphery of the global economy to the prosperous core.

Over the past few years, a series of riots spread across what is patronizingly known as the Third World. Furious mobs have raged against skyrocketing food and energy prices, stagnating wages and unemployment in India, Senegal, Yemen, Indonesia, Morocco, Cameroon, Brazil, Panama, the Philippines, Egypt, Mexico and elsewhere.

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San Diego: Surf, Sun and Sewage

February 3, 2009 by Source
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Think of San Diego, and your mind probably conjures images of lounging on long sandy beaches and swimming, surfing, or boating in the warm ocean water. You probably don’t think of the 180 million gallons of minimally-treated sewage that are being pumped into the Pacific Ocean, 4 1/2 miles off the coast of Point Loma, every day. That’s more than 65 billion gallons a year. You might also think, isn’t that illegal?

More than 30 years ago, Congress mandated that publicly-owned wastewater treatment plants, like the one in Point Loma, treat its wastewater to a higher standard-“secondary” standards-before discharging their treated wastewater.

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A Mother´s Sacrifice – The Promise of Change Too Late! – Students demand end to school gun ranges – Protests at Ed Center Feb 10th

February 3, 2009 by Source
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On Tuesday, February, 10th, San Diego students need you support. Please come to the School Board meeting, where youth of conscience throughout the school district will be demanding that shooting ranges be eliminated from our school campuses. Several new Board members have been elected and they might listen to reason…or at least, to their students and supporters. The gathering at the Education Center, 4100 Normal Street, San Diego, will begin at 4 p.m.

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Internal-SEIU battle results in new healthcare union but clogs labor negotiations at Tri-City Hospital

February 3, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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The internal division within the Services Employees International Union (SEIU) has taken a serious turn for the worst, breaking out in open warfare between the factions. This new trench to trench in-fighting has resulted in a new national healthcare workers’ union, but has also disrupted local labor negotiations at Tri-City Hospital, already beset with its own internal battles.

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“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu” – community input on City Budget – including libraries – begins

February 3, 2009 by Staff

San Diego’s libraries are back on the local issues burner, as the City of San Diego begins a new round of meetings that seek community input on the City’s budget. And this means the libraries and other social services. The community input meetings begin this Wednesday evening, Feb 4, in Council District 4.

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More North County Trees Get the Ax – This Time in Oceanside

February 3, 2009 by Source
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Crews started cutting down more than a dozen trees surrounding the Jolly Roger restaurant at the Oceanside Harbor this week, displacing some birds that had nearly taken over the property and prompting a debate over whether the action was an outrage or a relief.

Twelve eucalyptus and two Torrey pine trees are being removed this week due to what restaurant officials said was a health and safety issue involving excessive amounts of bird feces accumulating in the area.

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OB Flashes – Community Bulletin Board, Feb. 15-21, 2009

February 3, 2009 by Patty Jones
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Are you an OBcean with services or products you’d like to offer your fellow residents – and you don’t represent a big corporation or business?

Is there a community event coming up that you know about? Or you might want to share the success of one that has already happened.

Is there a local group or individual that deserve some props? Perhaps an issue that you just want to bring to light? Let us know, if it interests you it will interest others.

To post your OB Flash all you have to do is leave a comment.

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Contract ON America – Answering The GOP Stimulus Plan

February 3, 2009 by Doug Porter
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by Doug Porter

After eight years of Bushonomics, the Republican Party is now telling voters that they are concerned with the size of the Federal Deficit.

When it comes to the destruction of our economy, al Qaeda has got nothing on these people. These geniuses started an unnecessary war that has cost us up to 1 trillion dollars in Iraq. Along the way, their “highly politicized” appointees oversaw the theft/loss of billions more dollars, via no bid defense contractors.

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OB Flashes – Community Bulletin Board

February 2, 2009 by Patty Jones
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We’re starting up a new feature here on the OB Rag, OB Flashes. Back in the day when the Rag was printed on paper, OB Flashes was a place for news and happenings around Ocean Beach, but we want to expand its original intent. We hope to start some dialog, a place for our readers to post their own OB Flashes and alert us and our growing community to things of interest that are happening in and around Ocean Beach.

Are you an OBcean with services or products you’d like to offer your fellow residents – and you don’t represent a big corporation or business? Is there a community event coming up that you know about? Or you might want to share the success of one that has already happened.

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School Board Votes to Eliminate JROTC Shooting Ranges From High School Campuses

February 2, 2009 by Staff
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Late last night (Feb. 10th) around 9pm, in a 3-2 vote, the School Board of the San Diego Unified School District voted to removed JROTC shooting ranges from district high school campuses.

Congratulations are due the Education Not Arms Coalition which has been fighting this for a year and to the 150 students from Lincoln, Mission Bay and other high schools who were at the school district offices and board meeting today for over 6 hours.

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A Visit to the Encinitas Tree Sitter

February 1, 2009 by Frank and Patty
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by Frank Gormlie and Patty Jones

When we heard what the Encinitas tree-sitter was doing, Patty and I wanted to meet him. So we drove up the coast on a beautiful day to do just that. We found Orpheus Park – about halfway between the freeway and the coast – denuded of most of its trees.

And there was Andrew Watkins hanging upside down from a large branch, along with a few other friends who had climbed up to the platform that Watkins had assembled.

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