OB Rag

Billy Holt passed away unexpectedly on July 8th. He was a native San Diegan and lifelong Ocean Beach resident. Billy was a 1966 graduate of Point Loma High School and many of his former classmates have been shocked at his sudden departure.

Suuunny Day ….. Sweepin’ the clouds awaaay…?

You’re invited to join the women at the OB Woman’s Club for a fun and nostalgic trip down memory lane as we listen to insider stories from Dr. Lucille Burbank, a researcher on the show and the author of “The Inside Secrets of Sesame Street”.

There’s a fun meeting on tap, packed with info about the upcoming Ping Pong Tournament, Card Night, the Obcean Luau Fundraiser and more!

A light meal of Buddha Bowls will be served

By Joni Halpern

Dear Ohio,

We have been flinging the word “hero” around these United States for quite some time, mostly using it to refer to anyone in uniform, and once in a while, to civilians who risk their lives to save another. Without denigrating the title bestowed on these worthy persons, it is time to call attention to the missing person in all of us — the American hero.

You might have forgotten this character, for he or she has been buried beneath so much angst, anger, partisanship, and turmoil within each of us that it is speculative whether there is anything at all we can do to resurrect this person.

From the time we were children, we were raised on American heroism. True, much was left out of the story. Not everyone acted as a hero in our history.

Here is the official map from the City of San Diego on scooter corrals in Ocean Beach.

Warren’s troubling foreign policy history includes uncritical support of Israel, supporting sanctions on Venezuela, and vilifying Russia and China as national security threats. But her views are also evolving.

by Reese Erlich / The Progressive

In the last few months Senator Elizabeth Warren has gained ground in public opinion polls tracking the race for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. In some states, she’s ahead of Senator Bernie Sanders and pulling close to former Vice President Joe Biden.

In domestic politics, Warren makes a populist appeal to working people with calls for free college tuition, single-payer health care and breaking up monopolies. In foreign policy, she takes a similar stand, calling for an end to foreign trade pacts such as Trump’s renegotiated NAFTA.

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.

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

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.

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,”

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.

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

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