OB Rag

by John M Williams / Special to the OB Rag / May 14, 2010

Let me set the stage. The school I work in is a remedial college designed as a feeder for King Saud University (KSU). My school is called the Preparatory Year Program (PYP). Students take courses in English, physics, chemistry, biology, math, IT and a group of business related subjects.

The organization is a little complex, but let me try. At the top is King Abdullah. Then comes the Ministry of Education. Next is KSU. KSU contracted with a Saudi company named Obekan. Obekan hired Bell, a United Kingdom-based English language teaching charitable trust associated with Cambridge University. Bell recruited teachers, created the administrative structure, and runs the school on a day to day basis. The role of Bell is rather like that of a middle manager; they have very little real power, but are the face of the organization to teachers and students.

by Katie Drummond / wired / May 11,2010

More than 30 years after it was written, the Pentagon has released a memorandum detailing its involvement in the CIA’s infamous Cold War mind-control experiments.

But a warning to conspiracy theorists on the lookout for new fodder: This isn’t quite Men Who Stare at Goats II.

The 17-page document (.pdf), “Experimentation Programs conducted by the Department of Defense That Had CIA Sponsorship or Participation and That Involved the Administration to Human Subjects of Drugs Intended for Mind-Control or Behavior-Modification Purposes,” was prepared in 1977 by the General Counsel of the Department of Defense and released on May 6 after a Freedom of Information Act request.

by Jon Carr

Ahhh…Ocean Beach, it’s beside the point. It’s an attitude, not an address, it’s a bastion for bohemian drifters, free thinkers, artists, bikers, and an occasional right wing nut-job. But we love it. We thrive on it. It’s our home.

While on a leisurely bike ride the other day, I was reminded of another reason I love OB; because OB has been keepin’ it weird since before I was born, and local artist Robert Guenther is no exception.

by Ernie McCray

Is there anything in the world as cool as just “cooling it,” you know, kicking back in your comfy jeans, and that nice fitting tee-shirt you found in Borrego Springs, some broken in running shoes, acting and feeling like you just know you’re cool.

Talking about a little respite from rising everyday and entering into Twilight Zone like scenes wherein wee-minded anti-this and anti-that beings scurry about frightened to death of life, all caught up in their “America Love it or Leave It” proclivities and philosophies.

– ALL LINKS AND STORIES INSIDE –
* Young at Art Beautify Corner at Cable and Newport
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* Deadline for OB Historical Society Annual Photo Exhibit and Contest Extended to May 19th (was May 13th)
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* Fire Rings Saved But Watch What You Burn
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* OB’s Sacred Heart Parish School Family Festival- May 15
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* Rummage Sale to Pay for OB Elementary’s 4th Grade Sea Camp
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* OB Planning Board to Discuss Sunset Cliffs Traffic at Project Review Meeting on May 19th
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* Planning Board Fills Vacant Seat in District 3
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* Peace Movement to Hold “Die-In” Against the Drones Made by General Atomics May 19th
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* City opens bidding for OB Pier Café concession
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* OB Beach Ball – CANCELED until 2011
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* School Board Candidate Forum at Liberty Station – May 20th
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* Coffee Party to Stage Tour of San Diego’s Mega-Banks – May 21st
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* OB Friends of Library Book Sale – June 19th

Three problems in the US today that have to be solved.

1. New economy must be created as the prior economy of borrow and no production has failed. Must create an economy based on production.

2. Cheap energy bubble has popped …

by Carl Manaster / Special to the OB Rag / May 12, 2010

Van Jones spoke to a nearly full house last night at UCSD’s Price Center. The crowd was diverse – old and young, multiracial, male and female, and most notably right and left.

Supporters – from the left – made up the bulk of the crowd, but probably five percent were from the other side, holding signs that accuse Jones of having an “evil” agenda, calling him a “radical communist”, and calling his green jobs “snake oil”.

There’s a community in Virginia that was torn apart by the issues of immigration and racial profiling. It’s far from the border, but this small city in northeast Virginia became a battleground for issues that are dividing Americans all across the country.

Some documentary makers went there and filmed how the city dealt with the racial schisms. They have just completed the film, called “9500 Liberty” and have allowed local Coffee Party activists to show it at a small venue in North Park.

Hundreds of San Diegans yelled “No more cuts!” repeatedly. It was Saturday, May 8th, and it was the Educate for the Future rally in Balboa Park, at Sixth and Laurel, a traditional protest site. Teachers spoke, children sang and spoke, principals spoke, Congressman Bob Filner spoke, School Board President Richard Barrera spoke.

In front of a fire pit near the waters of Mission Bay, Mayor Jerry Sanders announced at a press conference today (5/10/10) that the City’s 185 beach fire rings have been saved … at least for now. Due to a hefty donation of $90,000 from the San Diego Foundation, and smaller amounts from other sources, the fire rings’ are safe from removal until June 2011.

Documentary? Comedy? Satire? Hoax?

It’s tough to pigeonhole Exit Through The Gift Shop, currently playing at Landmark Theaters in Hillcrest. The film is directed by UK street art superstar Bansky and tells the story of his rise to fame — though it does so indirectly.

Exit’s purported focus is amateur filmmaker Thierry Guetta, an absent-minded Frenchman and associate of Banksy’s who speaks in comically accented English and decides to become a superstar street artist himself.

by Michael Chen/ Channel 10 News

The five cameras were installed in response to a street robbery and vicious sexual assault case in 2006 that left city and community leaders outraged. It cost $100,000 to install the cameras, which are put up at Belmont Park and South Mission Beach.

But after several years of watching, police have stopped monitoring those cameras.