OB Rag

On May 6, 1935, with the country in the midst of the Great Depression, and with indirect efforts to create jobs having not moved the needle of unemployment rates, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 7034 and appropriated $4.8 billion for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA put millions of Americans to work constructing buildings, painting murals to decorate them, and performing plays for audiences that had never before seen a dramatic production. In the process, many were saved from poverty and starvation and the economy began to revive.

Kirk Leopard is the director out at the Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery. I had called him to see what was happening to the trees out there, as we had heard that some people were upset with what they were seeing – or not seeing – amongst the rows of white gravestones. There were complaints of trees gone, cut down, badly mangled, etc.

But Kirk is very much into talking about what they’ve done and what has occurred under his jurisdiction. He assured me that the only trees being cut or trimmed were diseased or damaged. Earlier this year in January and February, two big storms produced 80 a mile winds and they lost 67 trees to … nature.

Many years ago – twenty-two to be exact – my husband Bob wanted to climb Mt. Whitney for his 60th birthday. At first I was not going to go with him, but as he became more excited about reaching his goal, I decided to train with him.

One of his favorite areas to walk was along Ft. Rosecrans cemetery. The view was spectacular from both sides of the road; it was quiet, and on warm days nothing was as soothing as sitting down under the beautiful trees to cool off, relax, and enjoy the multitude of birds flying overhead. In fact, it was during one of these “training days” that he said that when he died he would like to be buried in this beautiful spot.

Now, 22 years after we climbed Mt. Whitney, he is at Ft. Rosecrans, but it is no longer the beautiful spot it was back then. Sure, things change, people change, but cemeteries usually remain pretty much the same.

Hello again! There’s a new episode airing tonight, check it out…here’s another recap from a couple weeks back that we’ll call “Manifest Destiny,” (mainly because that’s what the writers would like us to call it)…and if you find yourself confused click here.

We leave our heroes heading down to the police station for questioning about the disappearance of Robert Lindus (which they know nothing about), with Steph hovering over his corpse in Hank’s bathtub. Down at the station, the boys deny all of Mrs. Lindus’ story, including the true part about their abducting Lindus that’s verified by the couple’s two children.

by Noam Chomsky

The U.S. midterm elections register a level of anger, fear and disillusionment in the country like nothing I can recall in my lifetime. Since the Democrats are in power, they bear the brunt of the revulsion over our current socioeconomic and political situation.

More than half the “mainstream Americans” in a Rasmussen poll last month said they view the Tea Party movement favorably—a reflection of the spirit of disenchantment.

The grievances are legitimate. For more than 30 years, real incomes for the majority of the population have stagnated or declined while work hours and insecurity have increased, along with debt. Wealth has accumulated, but in very few pockets, leading to unprecedented inequality.

Terriers has been consistently awesome all season and tomorrow [Wed – Nov. 10] night’s episode is no exception. We have some clips and a trailer for the episode to share with you!

Last month, I said Terriers was one of the best new shows of the fall season. Having seen the final four episodes of Season 1, I feel comfortable saying that this series isn’t just one of the best new shows this fall, it’s also one of the best shows on TV right now.

There are a number of Torrey Pines trees in Ocean Beach, as any resident worth their salt can tell you. We have been concerned about one on the 4600 block of Long Branch Avenue – and are following that story so watch for an update.

Meanwhile, there’s an entire “forest” of them on the 4600 block of Saratoga Avenue. Beginning this week, the City of San Diego has a crew out there doing trimming. Here is what Drew Potocki, the city’s “urban forester”, had to say about that work in an email to Thyme Curtis of Councilman Faulconer’s office:

By Rocky Neptun

Next March will mark the 57th anniversary of Anne Frank’s death. Branded an illegal alien of the occupied Netherlands because she was Jewish; she and her young friends had to hide in fear of the black-shirted fiends known as the Protective Squad (Schutzstaffel) or SS as it was commonly called.

Roaming through neighborhoods they were the enforcers of ethnic purification. Their unspeakable atrocities against human beings in the name of the law still lacerate our sense of humanity. And while the ends of their sickening purposes still surface occasionally in places like the Sudan, Rwanda and Bosnia; their means continue to be used as weapons against targeted peoples like today’s Department of Homeland Security thugs.

This is the question. People who frequent the national cemetery out at Ft. Rosecrans are reporting that someone is cutting down the trees. And some of these people are not happy at all.

There is a rumor that the new director out there feels they must be chopped down due to dangers caused by the rain-soaked grounds.

I just had to post this headline. I think it’s great. Prop 19 got more votes – 3.4 million – than Meg Whitman for governor – 3.1 million. Yes, it failed by 55% to 45%. For comparison, look at the outcome of the 1972 version of Prop. 19, which would have legalized possession and cultivation of marijuana, but not sales. That proposition failed overwhelmingly, 66.5% to 33.5%.

Here’s some more thoughts on Prop 19:
Three Reasons California’s Pot Legalization Effort Failed …

My First and Last Article for the Union Tribune

by Katherine Sweetman / It was in the U-T until pulled / Nov. 8, 2010

An Introduction/ Resignation (A Small Gesture)

In an effort to step up the appearance of supporting the visual arts, The Union Tribune has graciously offered a handful of artists, scholars, and arts professionals the opportunity to write for them– requiring only one blog post per week (52 per year). And the pay? Oh… no pay.

Arts are very important to the Union Tribune but… so is money.

CalTrans wants to expand I-5 along a 27 mile stretch of freeway between La Jolla and Oceanside. They want to add 8 to 10 new lanes, plus more HOV lanes. They want to pour more concrete to allow for more vehicles in order to shave dozens of minutes off the average commute at peak times. It will only cost between $3.4 and $4.5 Billions, depending on which of the four options are chosen.

The new freeway expansion would potentially cause damage to only six coastal lagoons, only a mere 32 acres of wetlands and a pittance of 74 acres of coastal sage.