OB Rag

SCENARIO: Dinner table – dessert being eaten

Participants – Tomo, Japanese student

Lorena, Taiwan student

Corinne, Swiss student

Walking into the living room – Judi, Host Mother

Judi: Girls, girls, come here quick!

By Robert Scheer / truthdig.com

It’s over for the U.S. in Afghanistan, but that doesn’t mean the death and destruction are about to stop. Quagmires don’t just go away. However, the signs are everywhere that the American course in that nation is doomed, that those directing this forlorn attempt at occupation of a country that has never tolerated occupation know there is no positive end in sight, and that the locals from President Hamid Karzai to the competing warlords and the Taliban are cutting their own deals on the assumption that our wishes no longer matter.

I recently enjoyed the honor of a lifetime: addressing the University of Arizona’s Class of ’60 with my take on our times at our alma mater. My classmates and I showed up brimming with youth and Rhythm and Blues and Rock and Roll, more than ready to “Go! Go! Wildcats! Go!” and the school welcomed us with open arms.

In the background, besides the up tempo music, the likes of I Love Lucy had us laughing crazily and we relied on Ed Sullivan giving us a “Really good show” every Sunday but the world, at large, was in no way like a picnic on a carefree sunny day.

There are reports coming in that there is some kind of disturbance on Newport Avenue around or possibly involving Hodad’s. There is a police helicopter circling as well. A paramedic truck, eight police cruises were also reported to be in the area.

One unconfirmed report is that the helicopter is ordering the crowd to disperse.

Another unconfirmed report mentions a possible dog attack and/or a possible stabbing.

If you know anything, please either make a comment here or email us at obragblog@gmail.com

When was the last time I had a good night sleep?

I have no trouble falling asleep; my problem is in staying asleep.

Maybe, if I am lucky, I can go two hours without waking, but that is usually not the case. No…I am looking for the elusive “all nighter.” You know, the full night sleep without the blasted helicopters waking me up as they search the seas for drug runners, or illegals.

I mean a full night sleep without someone’s security alarm beeping when they go out to their car to retrieve something at 2:00am. I don’t understand why the bartender neighbor down the street MUST have his stereo blaring when he comes home from work night – no morning – after morning.

8.6% increase in County Homelessness and additional regional homeless trends discussed

San Diego, CA – The Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTFH) released it’s annual Regional Homeless Profile on Tuesday, October 26. RTFH has compiled a report on regional homelessness since its inception in 1984. This year’s numbers highlighted a daunting 8.6% increase in County Homelessness since 2009. Specific demographics with a significant rise include young and female veterans, the elderly population, and families. This report and subsequent research initiatives allow the continuum to prioritize funds to match the region’s need.

Editor: There have been a couple of legal settlements in the news of recent over incidents where law enforcement over-reached. The first was the outrageous shooting death of a gay hired dancer – Steven Hirschfield – by Harbor Patrol cops in July 2008. He was shot in the back by officers when they tried pulling in out of the water after he had jumped into the Bay from the cruise ship he was on.

The second settlement stems from an incident that occurred at a Francine Busby fund-raiser in North County in June of 2009 when a deputy sheriff, supposedly responding to a noise complaint, ended up pepper-spraying a number of guests.

It’s an unfortunate fact that often the most creative, highest-quality shows on TV struggle to find enough viewers to survive. That’s what’s happening right now with FX’s new private-eye series, “Terriers.” It’s hands-down the best new series of the fall, yet no one’s watching. That has to change — come on people, don’t let this be one of those shows you discover on DVD a year from now and go “Huh, this is great, why didn’t I watch this back before it got canceled?”

Cancellation is where “Terriers” is headed unless it can show improvement in the ratings by season’s end. The season’s half over …

Editor: With President Barack Obama scheduled to appear on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show tonight – Wednesday, Oct. 27th (PDT: 11:00 pm Channel 48) and with Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s rally set for this Saturday, Oct. 30th in Washington, DC – where tens of thousands are expected to gather, many eyes are focusing on the Comedy Show Duo and their “Rally for Sanity / Fear”. Here is an update:

WASHINGTON — They’re reasonable, they’re lucid, and, damn it, they want their voices heard.

Gary Gilmore – Newport Avenue’s goldsmith par excellence – is proud of the fact that he arrived in Ocean Beach in 1973 with nothing else but the clothes on his back, his guitar, and his leather tools. He had journeyed across the country and had found heaven. And he’s been in OB ever since. His is a true classic rags to riches story. Yet it’s an OB hippie version of the classic. For Gary Gilmore certainly looked like a hippie when he arrived 37 years ago.

Gary’s love for OB is so evident that it’s almost difficult to get him to talk about anything else. This was all apparent as we took our seats for a lunch at the quintessential OB restaurant – the Old Townhouse – featured prominently in the current television series “Terriers” which was filmed in OB.

As a rule, I hate soap operas for several reasons. First, I’m not that big on TV in the first place, and when I do watch I tend toward news or other politically relevant programming. Since I don’t watch a lot of television, I can’t be counted on to plop my butt on the couch at precisely the same time week after week to vegetate for an hour or more, so I think I should be able to pick up and put down a show as I please. South Park works for this, but if I miss an episode or three of a soap, I’m lost and might as well go find a magazine article or Rag post to feed my decidedly inattentive attention span.

by JEC / Special to the OB Rag / October 26, 2010

The traveling troupe of City officials drew a small crowd to last night’s presentation at Point Loma High School of the City’s upcoming budget dilemma and promotion for Proposition D, the half cent sales tax increase on November’s ballot.

The audience of 27 mainly gray haired people listened solemnly as Chief Operations Officer (aka “City Manager”) Jay Goldstone opened the show. But before his second paragraph former City Attorney Mike Aquirre showed up walking among the audience distributing a faux invoice charging $2.1 billion for the City’s Pension expenses.