OB Rag

Off Austrialia, drone drops flotation device to stranded swimmers in world-first rescue mission

Two Australian beachgoers have learned first-hand how drones can be useful to lifeguards – and those they save.

New Atlas reports:

After being swept away by the surf off the coast of New South Wales, the two found themselves safely back on shore after a local lifeguard used a drone to deliver them a lifesaving flotation device.

Sometimes the column Daniel Powell writes at San Diego Reader is hilarious, and more often serious and thought-provoking when he repeats verbatim local Lifeguard reports.

Powell, son of OBcean Gail Powell, writes a weekly column that we find fascinating. Here are some quotes from only OB or Point Loma lifeguard reports:

Lifeguard reports for December 25 to January 1

14:25 Medical: Lifeguard requests medics for a 25 year-old patient with an altered level of consciousness. Emergency and medical units respond and transport patient to UCSD.

UPDATED WITH MORE PHOTOS
Here are more photos from Saturday’s San Diego Women’s March – most from OB Rag staffer Bob Edwards. There’s a bunch of really funny signs.

Buried under all the noise of the national circus over the last month was some fairly stark economic news. Despite all the hoopla about the stock market booming along and other financial happy talk, it appears the iceberg of economic inequality is becoming an even larger threat to our collective ship.

Late last December we learned that the world’s wealthiest people got a whole lot richer in 2017. As the Washington Post reported, “The richest people on earth became $1 trillion richer in 2017, more than four times last year’s gain, as stock markets shrugged off economic, social and political divisions to reach record highs.”

25,000 San Diegans rallied at the downtown County Administration Building and then marched a few blocks around the waterfront for today’s historic Women’s March, that coincided with hundreds of similar marches around the country.

Based on a scientific estimate of the marchers, this reporter counted a minimum of 22,250 people in the march. This number did not take into account those who remained at the rallying point – at the Waterfront Park, those who came late or left early. (See below for my method.) So rounding up …

Editordude: District 2 candidate, Dr. Jen Campbell, gave a speech back on January 4th, during which she spoke disparagingly of homeless panhandlers. (Come inside to view her remarks)

Dr. Jen then sent the Free Press – not the OB Rag – an apology of sorts; we repost it below.

By Dr. Jen Campbell

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your article in the San Diego Free Press.

My comments referenced were regrettable and off-the-cuff and I apologize. They do not reflect my values or my beliefs .

Editordude: We received the following letter from Holly of Santa Cruz who wished to share some of her memories from the “Summer of Love” in Ocean Beach – the 50th anniversary of which the OB Rag celebrated enthusiastically – so, we now print it below without editing. On the outside of the envelope, she wrote: “A tiny fragment in the mosaic of time.”

By Holly

I was twenty years old in 1967 and a not so subtle change was taking place in Ocean Beach.

The “surfing USA” vibe was being altered, different ideas, sounds, and “things”.

By David Helvarg / Blue Notes / January 16, 2018

Two new reports in Science magazine confirm what we’ve been seeing for years: climate change and nutrient pollution are contributing to dead zones in the world’s ocean – in part because a warmer, more acidic ocean holds less dissolved oxygen.

Another study of 100 reefs showed coral bleaching is occurring globally at least once every six years. The most recent wave reduced half of the corals in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (watch the Academy-Award nominated film ‘Chasing Coral’).

And of course, climate-induced extreme weather events like hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria contributed to making 2017 the costliest year for natural disasters in U.S. history.

Expansion Project Nearly Doubles Bahia Resort – Eliminates Public Parking

On Thursday, January 18th, the San Diego Park and Recreation Board gave the go-ahead to hotelier Bill Evans’ plans for his public land grab at Mission Bay. At the end of the public presentations and discussion, the board voted 10-0 in favor of recommending the San Diego City Council approve Evans’ expansion project – that would nearly double his Bahia Resort – with no modifications.

Yet, one of the main organizers of the stiff opposition that mobilized in just a few weeks, on the group’s facebook urged his fellows on….

What’s this all about?

BizNews reports the Midway Square in the Midway District of Point Loma has sold for $5.25 million. The mini-mall at 3112 Midway Drive was sold to Midway Square LLC. The seller was another LLC, Winston Square LLC.

The property has15,271 square feet and has a number of auto-related businesses as tenants; Express Tire, Auto Serve Center, Suspension Plus and Smog Check.

For the capitalists and land speculators involved, the Midway Center has a bunch of positive attributes.

by Joaquin Antique

Since it’s has been inaccessible the last couple days due to high surf, I thought I’d put together a collection of current and past photos with a pier theme.

The pier yesterday, January 17, 2018