OB Rag

On May 28, Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, 42, was shot with a Taser stun gun by a U.S Customs and Border Protection officer at the San Ysidro border crossing after he resisted agents trying to send him back to Mexico. He later died. His death has pushed an already-heated debate over illegal immigration to the boiling point.

On Sunday, June 13th, a 20 something young man decided to walk and swim naked on the beach during filming at the OB Pier – filming by Firefly – a production company that was shooting the promotional stills and video for the show “Terriers”.

By Michael Hiltzik /Los Angeles Times / June 12, 2010

We may finally have discovered a remedy for corporate executives with more greed than brains: Let them invest corporate funds by the millions in California ballot initiatives, then vote the things down.

Isn’t that the lesson of Tuesday’s balloting on Propositions 16 and 17?

I just got off the phone with Ken Anderson, one of the co-managers of The Black. He has worked on Newport Ave for 18 years and has seen everything. He is the one who ordered the new, controversial anti-homeless stickers that say “Welcome to Ocean Beach. Please don’t feed our bums,” with a graphic of a 1930’s hobo and dog.

The Black, the iconic head shop that has been a mainstay in Ocean Beach “since 1969” – has entered the Dark Side – get it? The Black on the Dark Side. Their sale of the anti-homeless stickers – is stirring up the community. The Black used to be the only place where you would find items of the counter-culture, smoking instruments, sandals, incense, weird, psychedelic posters, … you name it – if hippies wanted it they could find it there.

By Jeremy W. Peters / The New York Times/ June 10, 2010

A pilot wanted to take a photographer from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans to snap photographs of the oil slicks blackening the water. The response from a BP contractor who answered the phone late last month at the command center was swift and absolute: Permission denied.

UPDATE: 9 PM : Apparently there was a stabbing in and around the restrooms at the west end of Dusty Rhodes Park late this afternoon. (Please see the comments inside for more updates.)

Our roving reporter has discovered the source of the ‘don’t feed the bums’ stickers that have mysteriously appeared on municipal signs and a couple local store windows lately around OB: The Black headshop on Newport Ave.

Someone is spending more money on their underground campaign to rid Ocean Beach of its homeless. They are placing slick yellow and black stickers on city signs around Ocean Beach with the message “Please don’t feed our bums.”

Well, Primary 2010 is finally over, and as usual, it had mixed results for progressives. Extremely low turn-out for out San Diego County – 25% Geez!

Here are some victories: * The biggest news is that Prop 16 – bankrolled by PG&E – LOST! …

Tonight, as the election returns from voting in the California Primary come dribbling in, OB Ragsters Doug Porter and Frank Gormlie will be joining CityBeat in blogging live results. (San Diego City Beat is a liberal weekly magazine with an online presence.)

The OB Rag bloggers will balance out the panel of political pundits as it includes conservatives, centrists, and others somewhere on the local political spectrum. (CityBeat considers itself “progressive” – yet they advocated “no” on Prop B [term limits for County sups] and “yes” on Prop D [strong mayor].)

For animal lovers, one of the most heartbreaking aspects of the Gulf spill is the oil-drenched wildlife washing up on shore. If you’re too horrified to look at any photos, you’re in luck — BP doesn’t want you to see them.