Month: August 2015

Editor: Please welcome photographer and writer Terry Ratner to the OB Rag, as today’s collection of photos of OBceans begins her possible weekly column entitled, “OBserved”.

By Terry Ratner / Special to the OB Rag

I’m an OBserver, a voyeur, a paparazzi of everyday people.

When the opportunity strikes, I have to be quick to click in order to capture the moment. OB serves as my canvas, my street theater, my Haight Ashbury on the beach with its rich texture of OBceans—locals, transients, and tourists who made the wrong turn on their way to Mission Beach and then decided to stay.

I’ll do anything for a good photo.

I’ve climbed bar tables on balconies overlooking Newport Avenue zooming in on unsuspecting subjects.

By Robert Reich / Blog

“He can’t possibly win the nomination,” is the phrase heard most often when Washington insiders mention either Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders.

Yet as enthusiasm for the bombastic billionaire and the socialist senior continues to build within each party, the political establishment is mystified.

Political insiders don’t see that the biggest political phenomenon in America today is a revolt against the “ruling class” of insiders that have dominated Washington for more than three decades.

In two very different ways, Trump and Sanders are agents of this revolt. I’ll explain the two ways in a moment.

Bus Being Rented to Take OBceans to Monthly Commission Hearing – On their Agenda: the OB Community Plan Update – Finally!

In one week, the California Coastal Commission will sit down and hold a hearing on the Ocean Beach Community Plan Update. That will be Thursday, August 13th and the hearing will be held at the Chula Vista City Council chambers (276 Fourth Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 91910).

OBceans are being urged to attend the Commission hearing and show up in troves, wearing blue shirts. And at least one bus is being rented to transport OBceans to Chula Vista.

The starter gun will go off at 6pm, today, Thursday, August 6th – right on the beach at Ocean Beach. It’s all because OB is the site of the annual memorial San Diego Lifeguard Relay – named after Ronald B. Trenton, a former lifeguard, lost in a plane crash at sea.

The competition relay event will be open to the public and will be held smack in the middle of the beach, just north of the OB Pier.

The rescue skills of the city-wide lifeguards will be on display as they will be competing against each other and organized in the 4 different districts. The lifeguard districts are divided up geographically: OB is in the Southern District; Mission and Pacific Beaches are in the Central District; La Jolla beaches make up the Northern District; and the fourth district is the Boating Safety Unit, including Mission Bay.

By John P. Anderson

San Diego County has a large beer industry, there are currently more than 110 active breweries.

Along with high numbers, San Diego has earned a reputation as a leader in the craft beer industry.

Many would rank it as the top craft beer city/region in the United States – whether it is the top dog or in the top five isn’t especially important. It’s a leader however you measure – top ranked beers, top ranked breweries, number of breweries, or gallons produced annually.

By Jeeni Criscenzo/ San Diego Free Press

Ever since I read the book Noah’s Garden by Sara Stein, I’ve taken a more laissez-faire attitude toward gardening. While I haven’t let my garden return back to its pre-human-intervention state, I’ve stopped being so controlling about what gets to grow where.

One of the best features of the home we rent is the big flat, unshaded yard overlooking the Tecolote Canyon. While the soil needed a lot of amending, it’s otherwise a perfect place for a vegetable garden. The 5-foot cinder block wall isn’t pretty, but it’s kept the coyotes out (so far)–the other critters – not so much.

Do You Use Our Calendar Section or Classified Ad Section? Come inside and take our survey

Wanted to check in with our readers, and let folks know about some goings-on, plus wanted to get some feedback from you about our monthly calendar and our classified section.

First up, google notified the OB Rag recently that we are no longer suitable for mobile devices, after nearly 8 years of online publishing. For about a week, our daily statistics dropped. But they’re creeping back up. You can help. Check in with us everyday, multiple times a day – let’s show google.

Our colleagues over at San Diego Free Press – our “kid” who just turned 3 – were recognized with a number of awards for excellent writing by the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists at their annual get-together. Congrats to all those freepers and contributors whose online blogging has been given some needed props.

Later, some illness swept through some of the crowd who ate the food at the Bail Hai event – 61 people were affected with noro virus; at least one of our freepers was sick with food poisoning. Talk about getting some bad press!

Hey! Our “kid” is 3 years old! Come out for the party!

Three years ago – in early June of 2012 – the staff of the OB Rag began publishing a new and additional online newspaper – this one was to be for all of San Diego. It was the birth of the San Diego Free Press as an online website. And it took on the challenge of being a source for “grassroots news and progressive views”.

Now the OB Rag’s “kid” is 3 years old and you’re all invited to the birthday celebration, called the “GALASTRAVAGANZAVERSAY”.

It will be on this Saturday, August 8th, from 5 to 9 pm at the Border X Brewing, 2181 Logan Avenue in Barrio Logan. It will be an evening of live music, progressive speakers, poetry, good conversation – and great beer.

By Matthew Wood

Crews at the Ocean Beach Fire Station – Firehouse No. 15 – are celebrating the house’s 100th anniversary this year by making t-shirts to mark the occasion.

They won’t be reaching into their own pockets to pay for them, as another local institution stepped in and offered to foot the bill in the spirit of a local legend.

Hodad’s general manager Jeremy Diem offered to take care of the cost of the 100 or so shirts, saying it was a no-brainer to pick up the tab.

“Anything for the firefighters,” he said. “It’s in the name of Bossman (the nickname of former Hodad’s owner Mike Hardin, who passed away earlier this year). We’re gonna do this even though he’s gone.”

Todd Barry, a firefighter in the OB station’s C Division, said the whole gesture came out of a simple community meeting.

August Events at the Ocean Beach Green Center

Ocean Beach Green Center, 4843 B Voltaire Street, Ocean Beach 92107 oceanbeachgreencenter@gmail.com 619.225.1083

August 13th Thursday 7 p.m. Film Night “Food For Change”

Every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. – August 15th, August 22nd, August 29th

Climate Mobilization Coalition Meeting – At Ocean Beach People’s Cooperative Community Room, 4765 Voltaire Street, 92107.

August 5th – Wednesday

OB Planning Board meeting; 6pm OB Rec Center, 4726 Santa Monica Ave.; Update and discussion on the status of the OB Community Plan Update, which is heading to the California Coastal Commission on Aug. 13.

AND MORE …

Historic Protest Ship – the Golden Rule – Met By Vets at Shelter Island

From VFP (SD Reader) / August 3, 2015

A group of “pro-peace” activists gathered on Shelter Island Sunday afternoon (Aug.2) to welcome the Golden Rule, a sailboat described as “the very first of the environmental and peace vessels to go to sea,” which came to town in advance of the annual conference of the activist group Veterans for Peace, taking place August 5-9 in San Diego.

“The Golden Rule is our peace ship — it was instrumental in helping develop the first atmospheric test ban treaty back in the early ’60s. This boat has been resurrected from the depths of the sea, and is here to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the 50th anniversary of Vietnam, and the 30th anniversary of Veterans for Peace,”

says Gary Butterfield, local chairman for the convention.