OB Architect’s Office Is First Building in County to Have Net Zero Energy

 Source  August 12, 2009  5 Comments on OB Architect’s Office Is First Building in County to Have Net Zero Energy

By Monica Unhold / The Daily Transcript / August 11, 2009

An Ocean Beach architecture firm’s new offices will be the first commercial building in San Diego County to qualify as net zero — meaning it generates as much energy as it consumes.

Architects Hanna Gabriel Wells converted the 54-year-old Ocean Beach Auto Repair shop into a modern office building expected to enjoy no monthly energy costs …

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Health Scare or Health Care Reform? Inside Susan Davis’ Town Hall Meeting

 Anna Daniels  August 12, 2009  12 Comments on Health Scare or Health Care Reform? Inside Susan Davis’ Town Hall Meeting

by Anna Daniels

Last night’s meeting provided a sharp contrast to the event held by Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania (see link inside). Ground rules were quickly laid out- no disruptions- and civility was maintained by the hundred plus people in the sweltering room.

Davis, a congresswoman from the 53rd district, presented a brief over view of the current House bill on health care. (See inside for details…)

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Reader Rant: No Homes for Dog-Owners?

 Source  August 12, 2009  9 Comments on Reader Rant: No Homes for Dog-Owners?

by Emily Taylor

My husband and I moved to Ocean Beach back in February after falling in love with it during a visit. We love that it feels like a small town even in the middle of a huge city; we love how laid-back everyone is; and we love that it’s so dog-friendly.

But my question is: Where do all these people with dogs live?? Every rental property that I call inevitably tells me “No pets.”

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What Now OB Rag?

 Staff  August 12, 2009  20 Comments on What Now OB Rag?

It’s time to sit down with our readers and discuss where we think our little blog is going. Actually, it’s not that little any more. We started out in October 2007 and for the first six months we averaged a little over 2100 visitors a month.

Now, as we near our second anniversary (October), we’ve reached nearly 23,000 visitors a month. Check out the graph below which shows our monthly visitors for the last year. It’s obvious that we are growing and that our readership from OB is expanding. We feel we have a strong community base, solid legitimacy and a genuine acceptance by the residents and businesses of our seaside neighborhood.

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Chalmers Johnson: Three Good Reasons To Liquidate Our Empire

 Source  August 11, 2009  3 Comments on Chalmers Johnson: Three Good Reasons To Liquidate Our Empire

by Chalmers Johnson

However ambitious President Barack Obama’s domestic plans, one unacknowledged issue has the potential to destroy any reform efforts he might launch.

Think of it as the 800-pound gorilla in the American living room: our longstanding reliance on imperialism and militarism in our relations with other countries and the vast, potentially ruinous global empire of bases that goes with it.

The failure to begin to deal with our bloated military establishment and …

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Reader Rant: Fire Spinners Out of Control at Veterans’ Memorial

 Frank Gormlie  August 11, 2009  12 Comments on Reader Rant: Fire Spinners Out of Control at Veterans’ Memorial

by Concerned OBcean

While my son and I were in town last night having dinner, I saw someone spinning fire Poi at the west end of Newport. Surprised by the boldness of the spinner to be spinning right there in plain sight on a public corner, I pointed him/her out to my son. Thinking, perhaps hoping, it was simply a drunken fool performing a one time event, I didn’t think much of it.

Yet it continued. …

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Town Hall Meeting On Healthcare Reform Tonight With Rep Susan Davis in Hillcrest

 Source  August 11, 2009  6 Comments on Town Hall Meeting On Healthcare Reform Tonight With Rep Susan Davis in Hillcrest

Organizers are urging constituents of US House Rep Susan Davis to attend a forum on healthcare reform tonight – Tuesday, August 11th. Organizers say Rep Davis will be talking to constituents and gathering feedback and that “this is an ideal opportunity to make sure your support for health insurance reform is seen and heard at exactly the right time.”

Rep Susan Davis represents several San Diego communities including Ocean Beach.

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Inside Story on Town Hall Riots: Right-Wing Shock Troops Do Corporate America’s Dirty Work

 Source  August 10, 2009  3 Comments on Inside Story on Town Hall Riots: Right-Wing Shock Troops Do Corporate America’s Dirty Work

The recent spate of town hall dustups may look like an overnight sensation, but they’ve been years, even decades, in the making.

Since the days in the late 1970s, when the New Right began its takeover of the Republican Party, it has cultivated a militia of white people armed with a grudge against those who brought forth the social changes of the ’60s.

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Boycott FOX News Advertisers!

 Source  August 10, 2009  17 Comments on Boycott FOX News Advertisers!

FOX News has always been the propaganda arm of the Republican Party, willing to twist facts and even lie to promote the Republican agenda.

But the election of President Obama in 2008 pushed FOX News into outright hate-mongering and incitement of violence, which is intolerable in a democracy.

Here are some examples of intolerable hate speech and incitement to violence (go inside for links):

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Dog Park at Dusty Rhodes to Expand

 Source  August 10, 2009  5 Comments on Dog Park at Dusty Rhodes to Expand

Construction for Dusty Rhodes Dog Park enlargement is scheduled to begin the end of August. The curb will be cut in the Sunset Cliffs Parking Lot to provide handicap accessibility. Chain link fencing will run from the equipment gate to the public restrooms, enlarging the leash-free area by about 30 percent.

This will provide an opportunity to allow a third of the park to be closed for six week periods to promote the growth of turf.

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Opposition to Poisoning of Robb Field Gophers

 Source  August 10, 2009  3 Comments on Opposition to Poisoning of Robb Field Gophers

Gophers have made many enemies at Robb Field in Ocean Beach, burrowing and creating numerous holes on the park’s playing fields.

The San Diego-based Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL), however, is not among that list of enemies. APRL is urging the city to find a non-lethal method to control the gopher population at Robb Field.

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Sunset Cliffs Council Rebuffs City on Cliff Benches

 Source  August 10, 2009  6 Comments on Sunset Cliffs Council Rebuffs City on Cliff Benches

by Anthony Gentile / Peninsula Beacon / August 6, 2009

With city staff members present at Monday’s Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Council meeting, the two sides agreed to disagree when it comes to the safety and relocation of popular cliffside benches.

The result of the deliberation between the two sides was a temporary hold on further removal of Sunset Cliffs benches until …

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