September 2019

Corporate Mea Culpas, Corrupt New Democrats, and Progressive Populists

September 9, 2019 by Jim Miller

By Jim Miller

This just in: our corporate overlords have turned over a new leaf. At least that’s what they were saying publicly quite recently. As the New York Times reported :

Nearly 200 chief executives, including the leaders of Apple, Pepsi and Walmart, tried on Monday to redefine the role of business in society — and how companies are perceived by an increasingly skeptical public.

Breaking with decades of long-held corporate orthodoxy, the Business Roundtable issued a statement on “the purpose of a corporation,” arguing that companies should no longer advance only the interests of shareholders. Instead, the group said, they must also invest in their employees, protect the environment and deal fairly and ethically with their suppliers.

What to make of this development? Not too much, most likely.

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News and Notices for Ocean Beach and Point Loma – Early September 2019

September 6, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Contractor Found in Violations at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park for Pesticides.

The County of San Diego has found contractor Habitat West in violations for pesticides at Sunset Cliffs “Natural Park”. Their investigation started Jan 2019. The folks behind Campaign Non-Toxic San Diego also an investigation in progress. The County published a report on the violations; it’s 86 pages long and to request the entire report email campaignnontoxicsandiego@gmail.com

Lifeguards Rescue 2 on Catamaran Stuck in Point Loma Cave

Crews rescued two people stuck on a 26-foot catamaran that had floated into a Point Loma cave early Friday morning

OB Kid Raising Money from Lemonade Stand for Diseased Buddy

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Turning Greenhouse Gas into Pure Liquid Fuel

September 6, 2019 by Source

Lab’s ‘green’ invention reduces carbon dioxide into valuable fuels

Rice University / Science Daily / September 3, 2019

Summary:

An electrocatalysis reactor built at Rice University recycles carbon dioxide to produce pure liquid fuel solutions using electricity. The scientists behind the invention hope it will become an efficient and profitable way to reuse the greenhouse gas and keep it out of the atmosphere.

A common greenhouse gas could be repurposed in an efficient and environmentally friendly way with an electrolyzer that uses renewable electricity to produce pure liquid fuels.

The catalytic reactor developed by the Rice University lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer Haotian Wang uses carbon dioxide as its feedstock and, in its latest prototype, produces highly purified and high concentrations of formic acid.

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Cases of Vaping-Related Lung Illness Surge, Vitamin E Acetate One of Many Possible Causes

September 6, 2019 by Source

Indiana announced a third death linked to the illness on Friday. State and federal health officials are working urgently to understand the causes.

By Matt Richtel and Denise Grady / New York Times / Sept. 6, 2019

Federal health officials reported on Friday that the number of people sickened with a severe lung illness linked to vaping has more than doubled to 450 possible cases in 33 states, including three deaths and a possible fourth.

The Indiana Department of Health announced the third death on Friday, saying only that the victim was older than 18. “There is clearly an epidemic that begs for an urgent response,”

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Ocean Beach Town Council Needs Volunteers for the OB Pier Pancake Breakfast on Sat., Sept. 21

September 6, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

If you’ve ever been to one of the breakfasts that the OB Town Council puts on at their annual OB Pier Pancake Breakfast event, you know how wonderful the food is and what a social scene it is. It’s definitely one of OB’s great social events of the year. Plus – you’re having your food while sitting over the ocean.
This year’s event on September 21 – actually the “21st Annual Pancake Breakfast” – is on schedule. But you know what – the folks who are organizing this gig, your town council board members – need help. They need volunteers.

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Ocean Beach Planners Approve Proposed Sidewalk Vendor Ordinance

September 5, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

At their Wednesday night meeting, the Ocean Beach Planning Board voted by 8 to 4 to approve the proposed Sidewalk Vendor ordinance. It’s supposed to go before the full City Council in October.

Here is the proposal ordnance verbatim (it’s a long 22 page document) in its entirety:

Chapter J
Business Regulations, Business 1 axes,
Bermits and Licenses Article 6:
Division 1: Sidewalk Vendor

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We Had the Bronze Age, We Had the Iron Age – Now, We Have the Plastic Age, Say Scientists

September 5, 2019 by Source

The Guardian
Plastic pollution is being deposited into the fossil record, research has found, with contamination increasing exponentially since 1945.

Scientists suggest the plastic layers could be used to mark the start of the Anthropocene, the proposed geological epoch in which human activities have come to dominate the planet. They say after the bronze and iron ages, the current period may become known as the plastic age.

The study, the first detailed analysis of the rise in plastic pollution in sediments, examined annual layers off the coast of California back to 1834. They discovered the plastic in the layers mirrors precisely the exponential rise in plastic production over the past 70 years

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Applicants Victimized by City’s Refusal to Abide by Ocean Beach Community Plan

September 5, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

When it came time for the applicants of a Coastal Development Permit to construct a new 3-story residence with decks and a new detached 2-story guest quarters on an empty lot at 4744 Cape May Avenue to appear before the OB Planning Board at Wednesday night’s meeting – planners had a case of deja vue.

The applicants – Alan and Nancy – had appeared before the Board earlier – they were in front of the Project Review Committee (a sub-committee of the entire board, which usually makes recommendations on projects), back on December 19, 2018. Here is our report from the Project Review Committee’s review of that project:

Owners of 4744 Cape May Ave Requested to Return to the Drawing Board

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Author G.M. Ford to Discuss Latest Book Set in Ocean Beach – Sat., Sept. 7 at OB Library

September 5, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Author G.M. Ford is all set to give a talk on his latest mystery novel, “Heavy on The Dead” which is set in Ocean Beach, of all places.

Ford will lead the discussion of his Leo Waterman mystery at the OB Library, this Saturday, September 7. The OB Library is at 4801 Santa Monica Ave. It’s at 2pm.

Back in July, our Bob Edwards wrote a review of the book and here is part of what he said then:

An award winning mystery and thriller novelist, G.M. Ford has just published a new book, Heavy On The Dead (Thomas and Mercer, Seattle, 2019) that is set largely in Ocean Beach.

From the first pages of the book when a body is discovered next to the Santa Cruz Avenue stairs during a beach cleanup to an episode searching for a homeless man along the San Diego River, to the protagonists battling traffic on Sea World Drive at rush hour, Heavy On The Dead has numerous local references that most OBceans will recognize.

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‘Come Show OB Some Love’ – 8th Annual After Summer Community Cleanup

September 5, 2019 by Source

‘Come Show OB Some Love’ – 8th Annual After Summer Community Cleanup

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Dan Rather: ‘Beware the Trump Fatigue’

September 4, 2019 by Source

By Dan Rather /Dan Rather facebook / Aug. 28, 2019

Beware fatigue. It is easy to say, of course, much harder to achieve.

Memories jump to mind of fourth quarter huddles with my high school football team and a coach exhorting us to dig deeper. The thought enters the mind, “Sure coach, but you don’t know how licked we are.” Of course you would never utter the words, and deep down you knew he was right. I have seen so many times where those with the advantage falter from exhaustion.

We are at a moment when the sheer cumulative toll of the Trump presidency strikes with the relentlessness of a summer heat waves (which many of us have also been contending with this year, thanks likely to the climate crisis the President dismisses).

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Public Watchdogs Call for Court to Halt Burial of Nuclear Waste at San Onofre

September 4, 2019 by Source

On August 28, Public Watchdogs, a nonprofit advocacy group, requested an immediate court-order to halt the transfer of deadly radioactive nuclear waste at the San Onofre Nuke plant into “thin-walled” dry storage canisters.

The group filed a temporary restraining order (TRO) with the United States District Court, and is petitioning the courts to step in and protect the environment and the lives of more than 8 million people who live within the radiation plume zone identified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The attorney for Public Watchdogs, Chuck La Bella, stated:

“My immediate concern is for the health and safety of the millions of people who could be impacted by a toxic cloud being released from SONGS. The consequences of a nuclear accident are catastrophic and would last for generations.”

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A School Day I’ll Never Forget

September 4, 2019 by Ernie McCray

By Ernie McCray

Friday, November 22, 1963.

I woke up that morning as I did every morning, cursing my alarm clock for waking me.

Getting that off my chest I got my day underway primping and talking to that dude in the mirror about what he and I might do that day to keep about 40 sixth graders at Oliver Hazard Perry Elementary excited and challenged and eager to come back for more the next day.

So when I made my merry way to school in my raggedy 49 ford (all I could afford at the time with the paltry pay a second year teacher raked in) I was probably humming and singing the tunes of the day: “Our day will come,” adding my bass; “You’ve really got a hold on me,” thinking of love with a smile on my face; “Walking the dog” for a change of pace…

That was literally how I “rolled” on the mornings of a school day.

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‘Thank You Ocean Beach and Point Loma’ – OB Rag Makes Its Fundraising Goal

September 4, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Thank you Ocean Beach and Point Loma! We made our fundraising goal of $2,000 – thanks to all the donations. The OB Rag is assured to be able to operate for another year.

We had 35 donations come in since last week – 25 of them from Ocean Beach and Point Loma residents.

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Reader’s Rant: ‘Why I Voted to Support Development at the Famosa Site’

September 4, 2019 by Source

By Jim Hare

The Peninsula Community Planning Board, of which I am a member, has considered the matter of a potential 78-unit workforce housing development on Housing Commission Site #428. The site is off Nimitz Boulevard near the end of Catalina Boulevard in Point Loma.

While the potential project is unknown except for a site feasibility study, many in the community and some members of our Board have sought abandonment of the project and dedication of the property to open space. That position prevailed by vote at the PCPB on August 28th. I cast a vote against the action based on these thoughts:

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OB Planning Board Has 4 Projects to Review, Plus Street Vendor Ordinance – Wed., Sept. 4th

September 4, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

The Ocean Beach Planning Board has 4 projects before it when it meets this Wednesday, Sept. 4th. It will also take up the possible appointment of a new board member to District 3 OB Planning Area and review the Street Vendor Ordinance that goes before the City Council in October. The Board meets at 6pm sharp at the OB Rec Center, 4726 Santa Monica Avenue.

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Sponsor a Table at the Annual OB Pier Pancake Breakfast – Sept. 21

September 4, 2019 by Source

From OBTC:

Please mark your calendars! The 21st Annual OB Pier Pancake Breakfast will take place on Saturday, September 21st from 7:30am – 12:00pm.

Proceeds of this community event benefit our holiday events including the annual OB Food and Toy Drive, which helps as many 100 local families and seniors in need during the upcoming holiday season. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children. Tickets can be purchased online.

The Ocean Beach Town Council is seeking Table Sponsors for the Pier Pancake Breakfast. To become a Table Sponsor which includes 8 tickets to the OB Pier Pancake Breakfast, please

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Ah …. It’s that Time of Year When OB Gets Back to ‘Normal’

September 3, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Early September – after Labor Day is when Ocean Beach gets back to “normal” and locals breathe a sigh of relief; the tourists and visitors are gone and the community returns to some kind of normalcy.

And it has returned – the Seasonal “ahhhh”.

This morning, the parks and fields were empty. The streets were mellow – no long lines of cars at the stop signs. Less pedestrians with cameras around their necks, less people packing up their vehicles from their short-term vacation rental stay. I saw only 3 plates from out-of-state and one of the cars had an OB sticker on the back windshield.

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An Homage to ‘Wetbacks’:  Marla’s Story

September 3, 2019 by Staff

By Joni Halpern

Dear Ohio,

Today Americans are asked to support government conduct that imperils adults and children who have the temerity to ask for asylum from the raging violence or desperate poverty ravaging them in their home countries.

Our country now wants to broadcast far and wide that we are no longer in the market for the “poor and huddled masses yearning to be free.” We are not interested in their sad stories of abuse, deprivation, or torture. Look us up, however, if you are among the well-educated, well-trained, healthy, affluent, select few who want to take advantage of new opportunities in an American venue.

Americans have been told this change of focus is necessary, because immigrants of a lesser god are sucking us dry, committing serious crimes, and

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Plastic Utensils Now Among Top 5 Beach Polluters, Ocean Conservancy Says

September 3, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

We’re all familiar with “the usual suspects of ocean and beach pollution”; years ago it was the plastic six-pack rings; more recently, plastic bags and plastic straws became enemies of the environment with massive movements to ban them around the globe.

Now – however – “the Ocean Conservancy is urging the public to focus on another type of plastic waste that’s an increasingly a significant concern: plastic cutlery.”

The nonprofit environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy has just released the results of its 2018 International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), and for the first time since being added as its own category in 2013, plastic cutlery ranked as one of the top ten most common items during the annual trash collection event. As a result, after encouraging people to “Skip the Straw” since 2014, the organization is adding a new initiative to its repertoire: “Quit the Cutlery.”

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Labor Day 2019: Unions Weather the Storm and Look to Build a Brighter Future

September 2, 2019 by Jim Miller

By Jim Miller

These last few years have been particularly challenging times for the American Labor movement as we’ve faced everything from a host of anti-labor policies coming from Washington to a Supreme Court decision designed to gut public sector unions. The good news is that despite all of that, the union movement has persevered and the number of Americans who support unions and say they would like the opportunity to join one is the highest it has been in decades.

Of course, the difficulties that unions face aren’t just the product of the politics of the present. They are, as labor writer Steven Greenhouse observes, the product of what he calls an American “anti-worker exceptionalism” that makes us stand out in comparison to most other developed nations with our lack of things like national laws guaranteeing maternity leave, paid sick days, or vacation time.

The United States also has one of the lowest minimum wages

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The OB Rag Annual Summer Fundraising Campaign Is Here

September 1, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

10 Reasons to Support the OB Rag

It’s that time again – time for the annual OB Rag fundraising campaign to begin.

Now in our 12th year as an online newspaper for the Ocean Beach and Point Loma communities, we’ve largely been able to continue publishing because of donations from readers and supporters.

So …. we’re asking readers to go to the top of the home page and click on the PayPal logo and make a donation. We’re aiming to raise $2,000 over this next week. If achieved, that will enable us to continue to be “the conscience of OB” as that TV muckraker Michal Tucko once said for another year.

O you can donate to us the traditional way, by mailing it to us at our post office box (OB Rag, PO Box 7012, Ocean Beach, CA 92167).

Here’s Ten Reasons to Support the OB Rag:

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Here’s Three Reports on Peninsula Meetings Made Possible Because of Readers’ Support for OB Rag

September 1, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Last Wednesday, August 28 – there were three important meetings held in the Peninsula.

One in Ocean Beach at the Masonic Center with the OB Town Council, a second at the Point Loma Library for a Special Meeting on Famosa Canyon by the Peninsula Community Planning Board and a third at the Portuguese Hall for a community presentation of the Port’s Master Plan.

And the OB Rag covered them all. Come inside for reports on each one. It’s all possible because our readers and supporters keep us going with donations.

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