Nothing like having a bunch of Raging Grannies break down legitimate rape for us. It’s the weekend, so it doesn’t matter that it’s not safe for the work place (except for those of us who work on the weekends…)
Archives for August 2012
Can You Hear Me Now? The Violence of Eastern Congo Is Calling
by L.A. Moore
Ten thousand miles away, a small woman weeps into her delicate hands whispering the horrors she faces: Her husband was killed when he tended their crops. The rebels killed her son who tried to hide their money. The soldiers raped her. She has no home and no way to feed her children.
In this video from The Guardian UK, her voice comes across the miles from somewhere in Eastern Congo, where she and others pound mineral grit that will make a cell phone ring.
The grit from gold, coltan, tin and tungsten is used in the manufacture of electronic devices. The cellphone in your pocket or the iPad in your hands connect you directly to this horrific conflict.
Remember that film Hotel Rwanda, which brought the horrors of Africa violence into the mainstream American consciousness? Eastern Congo seems like Rwanda all over again. Who could forget exiting the theatre overhearing the same blithering comments: “Someone should have done something; all those people slaughtered ….”
Similar violence is taking place in Eastern Congo, and little to nothing is being done to stop it. [Read more…]
San Diego City Attorney Backs Out of ‘Equality Nine’ Prosecution
More than two years after the arrest of the “Equality Nine” ― activists who enacted a sit-in at the San Diego County Clerk’s office and demanded that marriage licenses be issued to same-sex couples ― six of the members have been vindicated.
The legal proceedings against them ended with a “motion to dismiss” by the city attorney yesterday.
The activists said they see the end of this case as a victory in the struggle against restrictions on free speech, the inequality of LGBT marriage rights, and an overzealous San Diego City Attorney. [Read more…]
How the Presidential Candidates Use the Web and Social Media
by Project for Excellence in Journalism / Originally published on Aug. 15, 2012
If presidential campaigns are in part contests over which candidate masters changing communications technology, Barack Obama on the eve of the conventions holds a substantial lead over challenger Mitt Romney.
A new study of how the campaigns are using digital tools to talk directly with voters-bypassing the filter of traditional media-finds that the Obama campaign posted nearly four times as much content as the Romney campaign and was active on nearly twice as many platforms. [1] Obama’s digital content also engendered more response from the public-twice the number of shares, views and comments of his posts.
Just as John McCain’s campaign did four years ago, Romney’s campaign has taken steps over the summer to close the digital gap-and now with the announcement of the Romney-Ryan ticket made via the Romney campaign app may take more. The Obama campaign, in turn, has tried to adapt by recently redesigning its website.
These are among the findings of a detailed study of the websites of the two campaigns as well as their postings on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube-and the public reaction to that content-conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. [Read more…]
Learning from the Cascading Power Failures that Brought Down the Power Grid in India
Government studies show that cascading blackouts, like the one San Diego experienced in 2011, are still possible due to fundamental flaws in the nation’s power grid.
By Deb Severson
On Tuesday, July 31, 2012, India’s interconnected power grids failed, leaving 600 million people — half the population — without electricity. Cascading failures occur in systems of interconnected parts. They usually begin when one part of the system fails. Nearby system parts must then compensate for the failed component, which can then overload or in other ways fail, triggering a vicious cycle as successive parts fail.
When Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) chairman Jon Wellinghoff was asked if power problems in the Northeast could spread all the way to California, he told ABC News, “It’s very, very unlikely that ultimately would happen.” Part of why the risk is low, the ABC story conveyed, is due to our nation’s grid being divided in the middle. Unfortunately, this division still leaves hundreds of millions at risk for cascading failures, and increased investment in transmission is in NOT the answer.
[Read more…]
Drag Troupe Sings the Republican Economic Platform (Video): ‘Sell the Poor!’
AlterNet / By Lauren Kelley
A drag troupe — or rather, a “Dragapella Beauty Shop Quartet” — called the Kinsey Sicks has a new song called “The Official GOP Economic Platform.” It is about… exactly what you think it is! And it’s great. [Read more…]
Sustainability 101: The Rebirth of Riding Wood: An Interview with Larry O’Brien and Mike Shourds
by Terrie Leigh Relf /Originally Posted at OB Rag
Nothing says OB more than surf, sweet boards, and social consciousness!
In the following interview, OBcean Larry O’Brien, vintage body board collector, cave explorer, and aspiring eccentric shares one of his many passions: Creating boards from found wood and other materials.
Coronadoian “Paipo Mike” Shourds, builder of wooden body boards and recycled junk bikes since 1960, is also a collector and all-around creative person.
Terrie Leigh Relf: What inspired you to create your body boards?
Larry O’Brien: Back when I was in junior high school, carpentry was something taught in school, and sex was something you learned on the street. Making a three-foot plywood belly board was one of the elective projects for eighth graders. I didn’t make one, but some of my friends did, and then rode them. At that time, I was more interested in bodysurfing.
Nowadays, most woodshops have been removed from our schools, and I think there is only one that serves the citywide adult continuing education programs. So, woodworking has become something you learn at home or on the street. Fortunately, the Internet has been a real game-changer, and I think it’s been the biggest factor in the rebirth of riding wood.
I have no trade secrets. I freely share my designs and building techniques. I want people to make their own boards. We must keep the flame alive. I remain hopeful that someday we can liberate the glee club, and teach kids woodworking in all of the schools.
I’ve been a collector of vintage surfboards and belly boards for many years. It was only about ten years ago that I started making my own wooden boards. I don’t do it for profit. To me, they are ride-able art, and they also tickle my inner mad scientist.
Mike Shourds: I also started making wood boards back in 1960. My dad wouldn’t buy me and my brother a surfboard, so he gave us a ½” sheet of plywood and a jigsaw and said, “Make one.” Thanks dad! The beach was our playground when we were kids, so everything rotated around it. [Read more…]
We Un-Nominate San Diego as Convention City for GOP If Hurricane Hits Tampa – We’re Still Paying for the 1996 Republican Convention in San Diego
We un-nominate San Diego as a convention city in case Hurricane Isaac forces the Republicans to flee Tampa. What?
Today’s news had two items of interest: Hurricane Isaac barreling toward Florida just may disrupt or adversely affect the Republican Convention being currently set up in Tampa. Romney & Co may have to relocate their shindig.
The other bit – actually an editorial in the U-T San Diego – had this headline: “If Isaac Roars, San Diego Should Welcome GOP”, and goes on to declare:
“But if the worst should happen, and Republican officials are suddenly forced to relocate the GOP national convention to begin Monday in Tampa, we nominate San Diego as the new convention host city.”
It goes on and gets into what’s available here:
“The logistics in moving the convention anywhere at this stage remain monumental, of course. While the San Diego Convention Center is not booked this week, the halls are busy with preparations for events the following week.”
The Starting Line –Carl DeMaio Visits the Beach, Discovers the Environment (Not a Flip-Flop)
Inhaling the OB vapors?.. Mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio got a taste of Ocean Beach the other night, when he attended a forum sponsored by the OB Town Council, and he’s emerged from the experience a changed man, judging from his actions yesterday. The City Councilman, whose San Diego League of Conservation Voters Environmental Report Card scores for the past years have averaged D minus, took to Twitter to declare “We must make our environment a priority” and added a link to his campaign website to back up the claim. UPDATE: The OBRag responds to DeMaio’s new-found cause.
DeMaio announced a “Clean Coasts 2020 Plan” with six bullet points and a pledge to release additional “reforms” over the weekend as part of a coastal walking tour. The main idea contained in his web announcement was the creation of a new “Environment & Stormwater Department” as part of city government during a DeMaio administration. We can only hope that he doesn’t encounter any of the “storm waters” on the side streets of Pacific Beach in the evenings this weekend. [Read more…]
Cesar Chavez’s Thoughts a While Back on What our Schools Are Facing Today
As we consider Proposition 30, we might want to reflect what Cesar Chavez had to say in Sacramento on April 3, 1991. (A transcript of this speech is in the United Farm Workers Papers at Wayne State University.) A friend, David Valladolid, who is the President and Chief Executive Officer of PIQE (Parent Institute for Quality Education), emailed this vital piece of history to me.
This statement was made to Cesar:
“People may ask, ‘Why should the farm workers be concerned about the condition of public schools in California?’”
Cesar replied:
“Who do you think are in the public schools today in California? Public schools serve more farm workers than any other publicly financed social institution in society. Public schools provide the greatest opportunity for upward mobility to Hispanics and to all ethnic minorities in this state. [Read more…]
Field of View: A Walk Along Harbor Drive
Even on a cloudy day, the walk along downtown Harbor Drive is a pleasure. While the public art that used to line the waterway is now gone, the installation of a large-scale sculpture recently began at Ruocco Park–a new public park scheduled for completion at the end of the year. A subject for a future Field of View!
All photos by Annie Lane. [Read more…]
San Diego For Free – Balboa Park Botanical Building
A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.
Neighborhood & Address: Balboa Park; 1549 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101
Best For: Gardeners, Visitors of all ages
Hours: 10am – 4pm daily, closed Thursdays and holidays
Free Hours: 10am – 4pm daily, closed Thursdays and holidays
Website: www.balboapark.org/in-the-park/botanical-building
The lily ponds in Balboa Park have grabbed local headlines lately thanks to a water gun fight gone haywire, but if you’ve seen the news on that incident you may have noticed the large wooden lath structure in the background of video and photos. This building is the Balboa Park Botanical Building and is always free to visitors. [Read more…]
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