OB Rag

State lifeguard officials are reviewing training policies after one of their trucks ran over a Poway woman this week at Torrey Pines State Beach.

It was the second time in a month that a lifeguard truck ran over someone at a local beach. The earlier incident occurred June 30 at Pacific Beach and involved a 3-year-old girl whose collarbone was broken. San Diego police are investigating both accidents.

There are many reasons thousands of teachers traveled across the country to protest in front of the White House on Saturday — including to oppose charter schools, to fight for equal funding for poor schools, and to have more say in public education policies.

But at a noisy rally starting at noon under soaring temperatures, their message boiled down to one point, which was summed up by the sound check before the first speaker took the stage:

Tap. Tap. “No testing, no testing, 1-2-3.”

Some time ago our own Sunshine wrote about her experience participating in the Point-in-Time-Count where she met Ricky and Darcie. Ricky and Darcie are going to have a baby real soon and need a little help. Sunshine is throwing them a baby shower this afternoon and wants to invite our readers to attend. Sunshine says,

Darcie’s baby (sex to be determined at birth) is due on Aug 8th. Please RSVP (through facebook) soon. Feel free to invite others who would enjoy sharing some baby/mama items to my lovely friend Darcie.

By Jason Everitt / Two Cathedrals / July 28, 2011

On Thursday, July 21st, the San Diego Citizen’s Redistricting Commission finalized its preliminary draft of the new council districts. We can now say a few things with confidence.

Todd Gloria will be moving. Gloria was drawn out of the old District 3. …

By Miriam Rafferty / East County Magazine / July 28, 2011

Hundreds of local residents spoke out at a hearing held by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Monday evening at the Al Bahr Shriners auditorium in San Diego.

The majority voiced support for a proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. Supporters said the merger could create a more reliable network for cell phone service and create good-paying union jobs; many also praised AT&T’s record of community service. Opponents, by contrast, voiced concerns over creating a monopoly and feared the merger would lead to higher rates, decreased incentive for innovation, and job lay-offs.

By Tom Lemmon / SignOnSanDiego / July 28, 2011

When I was a kid growing up in the South Bay, I remember bringing my progress reports home to share with my parents. Just like many teachers before them and since, my teachers would set goals for me and assess my performance, and my parents would push me to do better. They would identify ways I could work harder to improve my performance, with hopes that my final report card would bring better grades.

Author’s note 7/30/10: The link in the article below no longer goes to the original U-T article upon which I based this post (see the reposted article at Tenants Together). I’ll let you all decide whether the new article is an “update” or a “correction,” because in many ways it is a whole different animal.

U.S. Capitol Police arrested 11 Christian and Jewish faith leaders Thursday after they staged a Capitol sit-in against budget cuts. The group called on the Obama administration and Congress not to “balance the budget on the backs of the poor,” according to the release sent out after the incident.

The religious leaders, members of an interfaith coalition to protect the poor, have been charged with demonstrating within a U.S. Capitol building, according to a Capitol Police spokeswoman. All have been taken to Capitol Police headquarters for processing.

As Tim DeChristopher Is Sentenced to Prison for Making Bids on Oil and Natural Gas Lands, He Tells the Court, “This Is What Hope Looks Like”

“In these times of a morally bankrupt government that has sold out its principles, this is what patriotism looks like.”

Editor: On Tuesday, July 25th, Tim DeChristopher was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison and was handed a $10,000 fine for bidding on oil and gas drilling leases in an attempt to protect public lands. Here is our original article from January 2009 by Lane Tobias on DeChristopher’s “crime” of civil disobedience to thwart Big Oil of buying up the Utah wilderness. Here are his words in court.

Many people have read my piece, “Making a Better Place for Children,” that was in Sunday’s Union-Tribune. My friends have responded with “Right on!” And then they ask: “So, do you think the U-T is on the up and up with all this ‘diversity of ideas’ talk?” And to that I say: I do. But we’ll just have to see, won’t we? I mean this is a “new category” of “new territory” for me. But my optimism lies simply in that they solicited me.

This Saturday at The Vault

On Saturday, July 30th, from 10:00 a.m. until noon, Jack Gialanella, a licensed and certified Senior Full Instructor in Rapid Assault Tactics, will be teaching a free seminar geared toward bouncers and bar staff. The seminar will take place at the Vault Combat Academy Mixed Martial Art Training and Fitness gym, located inside the Ocean Beach Surf and Skate Shop, at 4976 Newport Ave. in Ocean Beach.

While the sturm und drang of the debt ceiling debate drowns out the howls of distress of the American public going down with the ship, we are being treated to an equally diversionary coverage of the significant women’s issue of the day. Did someone say douche? I didn’t say douche but someone said douche.