Month: October 2019

By Brett Warnke

San Diego is a refugee city.

Yet, in an age of fears and in a time of increased dislocation, millions of people are on the move. Spurred by bad policies, corruption, inequality, gangsterism, war and climate change migrants find themselves jammed in ad hoc centers and refugee camps in developing cities like Tijuana with few resources.

Many migrants have been blocked from entry and wait in an impoverished limbo, uncertain what will come.

The Sharda Yoga Center is working to fuse yoga and art education for people caught in this horrifying vortex. It’s founder, Nora Munoz, believes making art and yoga available to all children regardless of class or socio-economic status is a goal worth achieving.

Just What Is Nextdoor?

By Judi Curry

Let me begin this biased report by saying that I have been reduced to a “read only” status on our neighborhood Nextdoor. And yes, I admit that I violated their rules re: no political discussions on this site.

And yes, I admit that it has happened more than one time. However, many things that I write about are politically motivated – be it outright, or “under the covers.” And yes, I admit to being a liberal; I cannot stand the person in the White House; I have no tolerance for people that were my friends – and relatives – supporting children in cages; separating families; no medical attention; no flu shots.

A report by Union-Tribune writer David Garrick last week confirmed the fears: according to a recent city audit, San Diego is losing $2 million a year by allowing trash pickup at short-term vacation rentals around town.

Short-term rentals, along with commercial buildings, apartments, multi-family units and condos are excluded from the free trash pickup embedded in stone with the People’s Ordinance which guarantees free trash pick-up for single-family homes.

Editordude: Just to show some balance and to show a pat on the back, we are reposting a good article by Channel 8 reporter Abbie Alford who was criticized last week by one of our writers.

‘Silvernest’ matches senior citizens looking for roommates
Baby boomers and empty-nesters are coming together under one roof.

ESCONDIDO, Calif. — About a million San Diegans will be 55 years or older by 2030, which is a 194% increase, says Silvernest, a home sharing site for an aging population.

Silvernest says it’s a modern Golden Girls service that primarily matches baby boomers with empty nesters.

By Marjorie Cohn / TruthOut / October 7, 2019

As three committees of the House of Representatives proceeded with the impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump, the president tweeted, “I am coming to the conclusion that what is taking place is not an impeachment, it is a COUP.” Encyclopedia Britannica defines coup d’etat as “the sudden, violent overthrow of an existing government by a small group.”

On the contrary, Congress is fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to investigate allegations that could constitute impeachable offenses — that is, high crimes and misdemeanors. Indeed, during its early history in England, impeachment was called “the most powerful weapon in the political armory, short of civil war.”

Usually when there’s an article about Ocean Beach on the front page of the San Diego Union-Tribune‘s Sunday paper, it’s a fluff piece about how the bohemian enclave does or doesn’t live up to its name. This has happened so often that we even keep a file on all those articles.

But that wasn’t the case this last Sunday, October 6. This time the front page article was headlined: “Lawsuits Erupt Over Ocean Beach’s Famed Skrewball Whiskey” and it was all about the three suits – two of them by well-known OBceans – against the makers of Screwball Whiskey – that new combo of whiskey and peanut butter invented in OB and now being marketed across the country.

by Joaquin Antique

Locals and visitors alike watched as San Diego police plainclothes officers apparently arrested a man who had set up a “mini-dispensary” at the foot of Newport Street yesterday, October 7. The marijuana products the man was selling were confiscated and bagged up and the vendor was placed in an SDPD vehicle.

For several weeks one or more individuals have erected a card table, sun shelter, and display case next to the OB Pier parking lot and have been selling pre-rolled ganja and cannabis edibles.

It’s amazing to discover what was going on in Ocean Beach a decade ago – in October 2009. Because the OB Rag keeps archives which can be pulled out at any time (and available to our readers), we looked at the articles we posted 10 years ago and found many parallels with today in OB. So get on the OB Time Machine and travel back with us ten years … to another era ….

• Poverty Rate at 50-Year High in San Diego County

Poverty in San Diego County shot up in 2008, rising at a much faster pace than in California or the nation … Poverty rate at 50-year high in San Diego County

Here’s some local news from ten years ago:

• Peaceniks Leaflet Point Loma High School – …
• North OB Restrooms to have Temporary and Mobile Replacements – …
• A man hit a woman on the head with a bongo drum …
• Diver who died off Sunset Cliffs identified –
  

Originally posted on October 17, 2009

Cow is moving out of OB

We spoke to Greg last week, the owner of Cow, Newport’s only music store. And unfortunately for the community, his business will be moving out of Ocean Beach by the new year. He is on a month-to-month lease. The reason for the move from the beach? Well, there are two reasons:

First, the owner of the BBQ House is expanding and developing a new restaurant next door to its current and apparently successful enterprise. Abdul is opening up – probably – a pizza and beer place – the space that Cow now rents. So, Cow has to move.

But Greg wanted to buy a building up the street – in the 4900 block of Newport – and had offered the owner over half a mil.

Join the OB Networking Group this Tuesday, October 8 for a talk by Steven Murphy, of Murphy’s computer services.

He has three subjects to cover:

• Got your bits in a byte: Tuning up your tech.
• RTFM: How 80% of tech work is knowing how to Google.
• Have you turned it off and on again: Talking to tech support effectively.

This all happening at 12 noon at Te Mana Cafe

by Ernie McCray

If there is an American tradition that has lasted longer than “racial taunting” I’d like to know what it is.

It’s truly as American as apple pie.

And it often comes out of nowhere, rising at any time and at any place, as the Lincoln High Hornets Cheerleaders found out not too long ago at an away football game against the Tritons at San Clemente High.

Oh, they were just bouncing and dancing and prancing and chanting on behalf of their guys, trying, by the way, to hold their heads up high as the other guys were winning the day, big time, and the home crowd was feeling it, big time, having a grand old time, hugging each other and high fiving and dancing on their feet, their marching band tapping away with snappy victorious drum beats, the brass section blasting their horns until the cows come home…

By Jim Miller

Back in June I noted in this space that despite the mainstream media chorus about our “good economy” things weren’t so great for the average American worker when –

“4 in 10 Americans couldn’t put together $400 in cash to meet an emergency expense, 6 in 10 couldn’t meet 3 months of expenses if they lost their jobs, only 36% of workers are on track with their retirement savings, and a quarter of Americans have skipped some kind of medical treatment in the past year because of finances.”