OB Rag

The other day, as I pondered the words, “Two aging hippies live here,” the greeting on the welcome mat at the front door of my home, I thought about how lucky I am to have had Nancy in my life for so long.

I wondered how we ever got together. I mean Nancy was raised in Pacific Palisades, in L.A., overlooking the mighty Pacific, across a canyon from Grace Kelly, Walter Matthau and Betty Davis, just to name a few.

If you have spent one day in OB, you know about the OB Seagull – a decal logo plastered on just about every car in town. And then some. The creator of the logo – another Ocean Beach artist – has passed away. Donald “Rick” Sorben died on December 2nd, after a brief illness. He and his brother were creators of the OB Seagull Logo, a community icon.

Is it me or does this thing about the City putting up tsunami signs ring a wrong tune in these budget cutting times?

On one hand, OB and the rest of San Diego beaches are threatened with losing our fire pits, yet at the same time, the City goes around and puts up these warning signs.

Whew! I am sooo relieved. I never would have known which way to run, ride or skate if OB was faced with a tsunami.

It was one week ago that the idea was presented to have OBceans adopt the community’s fire pits in order to save them from the City’s plans to remove them. One of our commenters, bodysurferbob, told us that we would really regret it if we allowed the City to take the fire pits and offered:

“I propose we in Ocean Beach find a sponsor for each fire pit on our beaches. Whether a business, a church, a civic organization, a sports team, a circle of friends, or just simply an individual, I believe that we can organize sponsors who will maintain their pit for the rest of the community. We can do this. Let’s start now, before it’s too late.”
(Go inside for more ….)

Editor: Here then are some of the arguments on both sides of the question of whether progressives should support the current version

KEITH OLBERMANN: ‘Kill the bill’ – In a “Special Comment” Wednesday night, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann agreed with former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean that the Senate health care bill, as it currently stands, should die. (Go inside for more….)

OR

PAUL KLUGMAN: Support the bill despite illusions and bitterness: There’s enormous disappointment among progressives about the emerging health care bill — and rightly so. That said, even as it stands it would take a big step toward greater security for Americans and greater social justice …

OB Surf and Skate to Move into old Rock Paper Scissors Building
Giant Tree Falls at Ft Rosecrans – did anyone hear it?
Olive Tree to Open Tasting Room
OB Town Council Throws a Craft Fair for Saturday Dec. 19th

OB Holiday Parade Winners
Blue Whale to Close
Pipeline – not trucks – will pass excess gas from wastewater facility
OB Historical Society Presents Local Photographer Steve Rowell in “Our Local Wildlife”
OB Planning Board Meetings

Today a good friend sent us a tidbit that he found tucked away in his morgue file, and that got me sidetracked in a real fun way….

Frank has written a lot of historical pieces on Ocean Beach (click on HISTORY up there in the navigation bar, you won’t be sorry) and in my opinion this article needs to be part of the story of the Collier Park Riot. Originally published in the door (another San Diego underground paper) in May of 1972, it tells a bit of the story of our very own EditorDude on that infamous day in March 1971.

There’s a lot of confusion, we find, about government or public health care programs. Medicare, Medi-Cal, Medicaid … just what are the differences?

Well, some would argue that Medicare actually helps adult people, whereas Medi-Cal really is better for children and prenatal mothers than the general population it serves. My opinion? They could all be better. But I’ll stop with opinions now…..

Medicare – Federal Health Insurance plan for seniors and the disabled. Contrary to what some may believe, you can be a 20 year old with Medicare.

The City of San Diego has been trying to close or remove the fire pits at the beaches for years. This is the only conclusion I can reach after reviewing a 3 page memo that has crossed my desk that was given to the Peninsula Planning Board way back in May of 2003 – over 6 years ago.

The memo is from the San Diego Police Department Western Division and describes a power point presentation to be given to that planning organization that calls for the “Seasonal Removal of the Ocean Beach Fire Rings.” The proposal called for the removal of OB’s fire pits from October 1 to April 30th each year.

SEE UPDATES IN COMMENTS

San Diego’s ABC news affiliate Channel 10 came out to interview me this morning about our ideas of adopting fire pits in OB. Mike Chen, the reporter and camera guy all rolled into one, appeared at our doorstep wanting an interview and we couldn’t resist the PR. I quickly threw on my OB Rag T-shirt and got in front of the camera.

As you may know, the OB Rag is promoting the idea that instead of the City of San Diego removing OB’s eight fire pits, that people, individuals, businesses, churches, civic organizations adopt them and pledge to maintain them. This is similar to the idea that CalTrans has – having groups adopt sections of the freeways in order to maintain them.

Sam Hargrove, a junior at High Tech High, organized a group of students to hold a candle-lit vigil in support of Copenhagen climate agreements. He did it in conjunction with the organization “350.org”. Here is his brief report:

Small but loud, we stood at street corners and conversed with numerous passersby as we held our candles and signs. We were ten recognizably sentient humans, two babies, and one puppy.

We made a big 350 on the ground and in the air with candles and flashlights. Overall, it was really fun and we definitely got our voices heard and got to show our commitment to the cause. Thank you everyone who came!

A psychologist asks: Have consumerism, suburbanization and a malevolent corporate-government partnership so beaten us down that we no longer have the will to save ourselves?

Can people become so broken that truths of how they are being screwed do not “set them free” but instead further demoralize them? Has such a demoralization happened in the United States? Do some totalitarians actually want us to hear how we have been screwed because they know that humiliating passivity in the face of obvious oppression will demoralize us even further?