Month: March 2013

Monday morning dawned bright and early and I looked forward to going to my physical therapy appointment at 7 a.m. I love driving over Pt. Loma Avenue early in the morning to see the sun coming up over the mountains.

This day was no exception. My therapist, Eddy, worked me especially hard that morning because, after having breast cancer surgery 18 years ago, within the past 6 months I have developed a severe case of lymphedema. There does not seem to be a cure, and we are trying to get the lymph fluid to flow out of the elephantine arm that used to be my left arm. It doesn’t hurt – just restrictive at times.

Following my therapy I had an appointment to see my primary care physician for a routine check up and all was normal. I left her office; did some shopping at Ralph’s, and walked in the door about 11 a.m. One of my former students – Corrine – was coming in the front door as I was walking in the back door. She had an armload of tomato plants with her that she was going to plant in the backyard.

Well after all the bluster coming from the Democratic camp about President Obama’s “upper hand” leading into the sequester showdown, it turns out he had no game at all. The result: score another one for the Tea Party who got to take a hatchet to government spending and hold the line on taxes. As I wrote after the “Fiscal Cliff” showdown:

Grover Norquist is happy. After the fiscal cliff deal was passed in the House, he pointed out that Obama blinked on his $250,000 line in the sand on taxes and that, by locking in the Bush tax cuts for 98% of Americans, the Democrats’ ability to defend the legacy of the New Deal has been greatly diminished. He’s right.

And now Grover and company are even happier as the Republicans just said no to more taxes and let the ax fall indiscriminately on government spending. The “liberal media” may think badly of them and their national approval rating may be in the toilet but they simply don’t give a rat’s ass because they are winning nonetheless.

Friends of the Earth: ‘Bombshell’ for plans to restart crippled reactor

From Bill Walker / Friends of the Earth

A secret Mitsubishi Heavy Industries report released today confirms that Southern California Edison knew about serious problems in the radically redesigned replacement steam generators for the San Onofre nuclear reactors years before the defective equipment was installed, yet failed to make changes to fix the problems. The report was released today by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.) revealed its existence and demanded it be made public.

The report documents that Edison knew of specific safety concerns with the replacement steam generator design as early as 2005, and failed to incorporate changes proposed to fix it because they would trigger a more lengthy and public review by the NRC. It fatally undermines Edison’s case for restarting one of the plant’s crippled reactors and for receiving any compensation from the California Public Utility Commission.

To a packed meeting room on Friday in San Diego, the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to reject the US Navy’s sonar training program scheduled off Southern California because of harm to endangered blue whales, other marine mammals and sea life.

The Commissioners ruled that the Navy had insufficient information to support its claims that the explosives and sonar training program would have negligible effect on marine mammals. Scheduled to proceed in January, Coastal staff had recommended that the Commission require more protections to the wildlife before authorizing it.

Estimating that their proposed training program would kill 130 marine mammals and cause hearing loss in 1,600 over five years, the Navy rep argued to the Commission that the Navy was set against any additional conditions that they said would reduce the realism or scope of the training. Navy rep Alex Stone stated that the program has enough protections for the wild sea life. Stone directs the program.

“Pho Point Loma & Grill”
2788 Midway Drive
San Diego, CA 92110
619-226-6502
www.phopointlomagrill.com

After a day that became more stressful hour by hour, I decided that I did not want to cook dinner for my one remaining student – Monica – and suggested that we have a meal out. The physical therapists at the office I go to three times a week had talked about “Pho Point Loma” yesterday, and, knowing that Monica likes pho food, thought it would be a fun experience for both of us.

I used to go to the restaurant when it served Chinese food and always marveled at how large it is. There is the regular dining room; a huge dining room in the back part of the restaurant, and a smaller, more cozy room to the side as you come into the building. It should be noted that there were patrons in all of the rooms and for a Wednesday night they were doing a thriving business.

NBC News

This historic home overlooking downtown San Diego and the Pacific Ocean is for sale for $1.77 million

2422 Alcott Court, San Diego, Calif.

For sale: $1.77 million

Grand and imposing on its cul-de-sac lot, this historic home has sat overlooking downtown San Diego and the Pacific Ocean for over 100 years.

“The home is rife with history,” said listing agent Markus Feldman. “Sprawling grounds, lush landscaping… the house is a magnificent estate.”

Amelia Timken Bridges, daughter to roller-bearing inventor Henry Timken, built the Point Loma property for a substantial $130,000 in 1911.

What is the difference between a “Holiday Parade” and a “Christmas Parade?” Not much, actually. But the fact that La Jolla continues to call their December parade a “Christmas Parade” bothers some residents of this snobby, exclusive city.

Many years ago – 1965 – to be exact, my husband and I decided to take a trip to La Jolla. We knew we would be moving to the San Diego area shortly, because my father-in-law was quite ill and lived in Chula Vista. We decided to make a vacation of it, and driving down from Berkeley where we were going to school we stopped off at a hotel in La Jolla. I was wearing a beautiful Star of David given to me on my 18^th birthday by my ex-husband. My current husband – Bob – was not Jewish, but the star was so pretty that I wore it frequently.

By Laura Gottesdiener / Alternet

One of the nation’s leading cannabis doctors has an idea for a New Year’s diet: a marijuana smoothie. Dr. William Courtney, who has spent years researching the potential health benefits of medical marijuana, argues that juicing whole hemp plants can provide a host of healing properties, ranging from pain relief to even helping prevent diseases like cancer.

Yet, many of the health benefits are lost, Courtney says, when a patient ingests marijuana in the most typical way: by smoking it. Burning the plant kills off enzymes, which can diminish some of the curative properties. Juicing the entire plant, on the other hand, retains the enzymes and may be more medically beneficial. Plus, smoking the plant kicks the THC–and its psychoactive properties–into high gear, producing marijuana’s high, which many find to be a curative effect in its own right, but is not always what the patient desires or wants.

Yeah, I’m bad.

That’s what I was thinking as two City College communications majors talked to me behind the camera that was focused on me in the Quad at SDCC.

And I wasn’t just thinking that I’m bad. No, not at all, for I am: Truly. Bad. And I don’t say that as a wolf ticket kind of brag. But as a black man you can’t reach 74.99 years of age, in these here United States of America, with all your senses, and not indulge in a little swag. So please excuse me if I break into a bee-bop stance with a little Bojangles tap dance and act out just how bad I am.

The reason I was on the premises was because I had been asked to speak at a ceremony that was dedicated to Black History. Now that invite, alone, sets the tone for how bad I am because they didn’t just ask anybody to address them. Can there be a greater honor than having someone think that you have something to say?

UPDATE: Boogie Boarder identified as 62 year old Vernon Taniguchi. Could be a local.

The Medical Examiner reported that the man pulled from the surf at Dog Beach on Sunday who later died is Vernon Taniguchi from San Diego.

We cannot be completely positive about whether the victim is Vernon Taniguchi of Point Loma, of Worden Street.

So the 62 year old who met his end Sunday very well could be a local. The deceased is Japanese-American and his next of kin have been notified.

Wanting to give everyone an update of what’s happening at the OB Rag, I first have to acknowledge the awesome power of the flu. It knocked me flat for most of a week, with headaches, fever, chills, and then left me with a head cold and deep cough. My mind was gone for most of last week and so I apologize for not crawling to the keyboard and publishing anything. Some folks from San Diego Free Press – Doug Porter and Andy Cohen – did step in and threw material up for you to read on a couple of those days while I was missing.

But as you can see from today’s postings, I am back – still weak but without the nag of fever and headache or cough.

Despite my sickness, our readership still maintained itself, with between 1300 and 1600 readers a day coming in during the week. So thank you dear readers for not giving up.

T-Shirt Design Contest Extended

Because of my setback, the deadline for our OB Rag T-shirt design contest has been extended for two weeks – until the Ides of March (March 15th).

Another In a Series of Car Wash Reviews by the Widder Curry

Rosecrans Car Wash
3768 Rosecrans St.
San Diego, CA 92110
619-298-0624

I have wanted to try the Rosecrans Car Wash ever since I read that I could have my car washed at the same time I could wash Buddy, my dog. Since we frequently go to Dog Beach, it seemed a natural thing to do, but for some reason – procrastination – I have not done so until today. And wouldn’t you know it – when I finally did go I had my student friend in the car and not Buddy.

The first – and only problem that I had was in finding the entrance into the lot. Even though the address is on Rosecrans, you enter the lot from Kurtz St. When I passed it and Monica asked me where we were going – we were headed East on Highway 8 – it became apparent to her that I had missed the entrance. We turned off on Taylor and backtracked to Rosecrans, not before getting stuck by a train as we attempted to cross the tracks. That was a 2-3 minute wait.