Month: May 2013

Poisoning the Conversation at CBS8

By Bob Dorn / San Diego Free Press

I see this image of the chickenhawk/ wingnut/ GOP-intern type of internet player in my head; he’s the sort that girls and women avoid by changing aisles in the supermarket if they see him before he sees them.

He (rarely a she, for reasons I’ll speak of later) hunches over the keyboard so the Cheetos shards don’t fall on the rug.

Editor: The following is an excerpt from Brent Beltran’s weekly column Desde Logan at the San Diego Free Press. What follows is worth repeating as Gringos typically are kept in the dark about the history of a people a few dozen miles away.

By Brent E. Beltrán

Cinco de Mayo commemorates El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (The Day of the Battle of Puebla) where in 1862 a ragtag Mexican army lead by General Ignacio Zaragoza defeated a much superior and better equipped force of the French army.

Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. It’s not even a significant holiday in Mexico except in the state of Puebla where the battle took place.

It’s that time of year when we make our pitch for support from our readers in Ocean Beach and elsewhere. And we’ve made it easy to show support, by having brand new OB Rag T-shirts and packets of the old, original OB Rags – all for donations.

The donations we receive for our T-shirts is one of our chief fundraising endeavors. After all, we do have expenses, and even though much of the labor that goes into maintaining this website is volunteer, we do try to pay our writers a small, occasional stipend – plus we now have our new office to maintain.

* Oxygen Masks for Dogs First Used in OB
* OB Noodle House Gets Thumbs Up for Sidewalk Cafe From Planners
* OB Plan Update to be Presented at Planning Board Meeting on June 5th
* Blue Tsunami Occasional Wave of the Future
* Point Loma High Tech High Wins World Robotic Award
* Councilmember Faulconer Has New Rep for OB: John Ly
* OB Surfing Legend “Mouse” Turns 80 – and Gets His Day from City Council

By Charlie Glickman, PhD / Charlie Glickman

Today is the 20th anniversary of the date that I met my partner. In the last two decades, we’ve both changed a lot. We’re both much more secure and solid in who we are. We’ve grown and challenged each other to overcome many of the habits that caused friction in our lives and in our connections with other people. We’ve learned many, many ways to support our relationship. And yes, our bodies have changed, too.

Thoughts on the “Fluency of Light”

By Ernie McCray

As I sit writing as a still new 75 year old, I’m so glad I’ve lived, in spite of how scary our world is at times, to see shreds of promise rise before my eyes, hopeful happenings like Arab Spring, gays marrying, and Occupy. I love anything that keeps hope alive.

Community Power Affecting Budget Decisions that Impact Our Neighborhoods

by Anna Daniels / San Diego Free Press

It is highly unusual for a group of strangers to smile broadly at each other and enthusiastically confess that the workshop they had just attended on how to read the City’s Capital Improvement Budget had been really interesting and very worthwhile.
That is exactly what happened a few weeks ago when I got into the elevator with a group of people with whom I had just attended the Community Budget Alliance‘s hands on budget workshop held in City Heights. It’s budget season…
(Come inside for insight into the City’s Budget.)

Some lawyers talk a lot when serving their clients – and now an Ocean Beach lawyer is walking a lot.

OB’s Justin Brooks, a law professor at Cal Western School of Law, is leading a 600 mile march from San Diego to Sacramento, on behalf of his clients. He’s walking with other lawyers and supporters of the California Innocence Project.

In a contentious meeting last night, May 1, the OB Planning Board voted 6 to 3 with 1 abstention to support the application by the Inn at Sunset Cliffs to permit a deck that was covered over with asphalt two decades ago. Some Board members and many in the packed room were in opposition to the permit and said the vote would legitimize ten years of illegal practices by the Inn.

Here is the language of the motion: …
(See inside for more.)

The UT-San Diego has a poll for its readers going right now on whether you think the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant should be shut down.

As of yesterday, May 1, “Yes”was winning – but as of today, the “no’s are ahead.

C’mon OBceans and San Diegans – Vote to shut it down. We have the link right here so you can vote.S

Here’s the link to vote

Here are some events and marches and actions occurring today – May First, May Day – that are happening in San Diego County.

May 1 @ 2pm
May 1st Day of Action on International Worker’s Day
Workers of the world, unite! Join numerous organizations interested in supporting the working class with a march from Downtown San Diego to Chicano Park. Rally begins at 2pm at the Civic Center. The march to Chicano Park begins at 3:30pm with a rally there to close out the demonstration.
Civic Center
3rd & B St. Downtown
For more info visit

A Brief History of the Origins of the Modern May Day and the Movement for a 8-Hour Day

May Day Connections

By Neale Towart / Workers Online

May Day as a modern working class celebration and commemoration began from the 1886 events in Chicago where workers were demonstrating for an eight hour day. But the day already had special significance for working people before then.

Pre-Industrial May Day and Working People

As a working peoples celebration its origins go back much further, with connections to Ancient Roman rituals. In pagan Europe it was a festive holy day celebrating the first spring planting. The ancient Celts and Saxons celebrated May 1st as Beltane or the day of fire. Bel was the Celtic god of the sun.

In the 1700s the Churches banned the pagan rituals, just as bosses today want workers to forget any traditions of solidarity and celebration of workers rights, but many peasants continued the tradition.