Category: Popular

Executive Director Denny Knox requests re-consideration on behalf of Ocean Beach.
Here below is the letter from Denny Knox of the OBMA, sent October 1st to the landowners of the property that Apple Tree Market sits upon:

Mr. Elliot Megdal
Elliot Megdal and Associates
1875 Century Park East – Suite 1840
Los Angeles, CA 90067

Re: Apple Tree Supermarket Notice to Vacate

Dear Mr. Megdal,

By way of introduction I am the Executive Director of the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association (OBMA), which represents 525 businesses in Ocean Beach, CA. I am writing on behalf of the Executive Board of the OBMA as well as Saad Hirmez, owner of Apple Tree Market located at 4949 Santa Monica Ave. San Diego, CA as regards the notice to vacate sent to them on 9/27/12.

.

Ocean Beach has its very own Halloween mystery: the case of the unclaimed cremated remains of Henry Lebebvre.

You may have heard by now, that a locked metal box with cremated ashes with a label reading: “Henry Lefebvre” and dated April 30, 1995, was found about six months ago in a bay of an OB carwash facility, the OB Suds, on Voltaire. The carwash owner saved the box thinking that someone would show up and claim it, but no one has.

So on Monday, OB Suds owner turned it over to the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association for safekeeping. It sits on a table at the OBMA’s office. Denny Knox, executive director of OBMA, told the media:

“We would like to return it to a family member.”

Moyers, Matt Taibbi and Chrystia Freeland explain how the plutocrats have willfully confused their self-interest with America’s interest.

From BillMoyers.com and AlterNet /October 19, 2012

The One Percent is not only increasing their share of wealth — they’re using it to spread millions among political candidates who serve their interests. Example: Goldman Sachs, which gave more money than any other major American corporation to Barack Obama in 2008, is switching alliances this year; their employees have given $900,000 both to Mitt Romney’s campaign and to the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future. Why?

When heroes from our past pass on, sometimes it seems like there’s a rush to the exit doors. This weekend and today, both George McGovern and Russell Means passed through that door. Both of these heroes of the Seventies lived and died in South Dakota.

George McGovern, the peace candidate from South Dakota, a former Congressman and Senator from that state, who won the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in 1972, died early Sunday in Sioux Falls, S.D. He was 90.

And Russell Means, a former American Indian Movement activist who helped lead the 1973 uprising at Wounded Knee, reveled in stirring up attention and appeared in several Hollywood films, died early Monday at his ranch in Porcupine, S.D. He was 72 years old and had fought throat cancer.

Like the poster on Fox Mulder’s wall, we, at the OB Rag, aim to find it.

I’m referring to the rumors that have been flying around our little beach community in regards to all the assaults, sex crimes and attacks that have been occurring in alarming numbers here the last couple of months and even longer. Most of them are true, but some of them just ain’t.

It seems that we hear of an incident, and within 24 hours, we “hear” of several more. In response to all of this, many of us have formed the OB Citizen’s Patrol, along with the guidance of Tim Nolan, owner of Tower Two Cafe.

The first meeting was on October 8, and over 30 people crammed into Tim’s resto to voice their concerns and sign up for the first organized patrols since the 1970’s. Tim said it started way back then in response to local crime and the time had come again to relaunch the patrols. Tim was involved back then, and has been patrolling ever since. He has gone out on his own for many years to make the neighborhood safe for his family.

The Munger Muddle, Democrats for Education Reform, Obama, and the Koch Brothers et al Weave a Tangled Web that Might Just Kill Our Children’s Future (if we let it)

In a recent column, I outlined the connections between the advocates and funders of Proposition 32 and opponents of Proposition 30, noting the central role of Proposition 38 backer Molly Munger’s brother, Charles Munger, who has donated over $20 million of his own money to a campaign fund to gut unions and defund education. Charles’s main allies in this effort, as I pointed out in that column, are also big supporters of the privatization of education and other forms of profiteering at the expense of public schools.

With Election a Toss-Up, Progressives Could Influence Outcome and Prevent a Romney Victory

By Daniel Ellsberg / Reader Supported News / October 18, 2012

It is urgently important to prevent a Republican administration under Romney/Ryan from taking office in January 2013.

The election is now just weeks away, and I want to urge those whose values are generally in line with mine — progressives, especially activists — to make this goal one of your priorities during this period.

An activist colleague recently said to me: “I hear you’re supporting Obama.”

I was startled, and took offense. “Supporting Obama? Me?!”

The U-T San Diego is reporting yet another sexual assault in Ocean Beach. This one was in south OB, in the Ocean Front alley between Del Mar and Coronado Avenues.

In this latest incident, which occurred Wednesday morning – Oct. 17th – a young woman walking in the alley was assaulted by a man who approached her from behind. He struck her on the head, told her to be quiet and he wouldn’t hurt her, fondled her breast and then ran away.

Ask around. It does seem like there’s an uptick in crime around Ocean Beach, doesn’t it?

Or at least, we seem to more aware of it.

The sexual assaults, the peeping tom, and now all these assaults and stabbings around Newport Ave, the Pier, and Oktoberfest…. There’s been so much concern of late, that an OB Citizens’ Patrol has been formed, and has been out on its rounds in northwest late-night Ocean Beach. Fliers are circulating warning women not to walk alone at night.

Our community nerves have been shaken. Our antenna are out – and some of us are more aware.

Something smells fishy. The other day we received a press release from San Diego Coastkeeper – actually, it was a joint press release, from them and from SeaWorld – talking about how they are both “teaming up” together to “keep Mission Bay beautiful”. They’re planning a “clean the Bay day” on October 27th – and volunteers will get prizes including passes to SeaWorld.

While we applaud any organization’s efforts to clean Mission Bay – heaven knows it needs it – something just doesn’t sit well with us on this announced partnership.

Why is that? What’s wrong with a strong environmental organization with a solid reputation partnering up with a corporate entity to beautify the surrounding area?

In the aftermath of the spectacular shellacking that Mitt Romney gave the President in the first debate, there was much handwringing in liberal circles. Critics on the left side of the spectrum couldn’t believe how Mr. Obama let Romney prevaricate so boldly and wildly as he hammered away at the President’s record while simultaneously and stunningly repackaging himself as a centrist unrecognizable to those of us who were paying attention to Mitt’s rightward tilt during the primary season and the obvious implications of his plutocratic agenda.

The U-T San Diego is reporting that a young man and his woman friend were attacked by a group of men Friday night under the OB Pier around 8 pm.

The man, reportedly 18 years old, was stabbed twice, in the chest and in an arm. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.