March 2013

OB Citizens’ Patrol to Meet Tuesday, April 2nd

March 29, 2013 by Staff

Perhaps spurred on by the latest sexual assault (and though the suspect has been caught), OBceans are organizing the next meeting of the OB OB Citizen’s Patrol.

The first meeting of 2013 will be held Tuesday, April 2 at 5 pm. The meeting will take place at the Tower 2 Cafe, in OB.

Tower 2 Cafe is located at 5083 Santa Monica Avenue, OB, CA 92107; and their phone is (619) 223-4059.

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Heroic Neighbors Who Saved Victim in Ocean Beach Sexual Assault Shrug It Off as Suspect Is Arraigned

March 28, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

The heroic neighbors – who by their response to screams stopped the sexual assault Sunday night and chased off the assailant – shrugged off their heroics.

Meanwhile, the suspect arrested by police after the assault was arraigned in downtown San Diego, plead not guilty, had his bail set at $300,000, and was scheduled for a Preliminary Hearing on April 10th. He faces possible life in prison if found guilty on his charges of kidnapping and sexual assault.

The now well-known OB incident from Sunday, the 24th – the latest in a string of sexual assaults in Ocean Beach over the last 6 months – occurred around 10:15 pm, as a 26-year-old woman was walking home in the 4800 block of Long Branch Avenue from a dinner at a friend’s house. Long Branch is in the northern sector of OB.

Suddenly, a stranger ran up to her, grabbed her and gave her a bear hug.

Prosecutor Wendy Patrick described it:

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March 28th Is the 42nd Anniversary of the Largest Community-Police “Disturbance” in Ocean Beach History

March 28, 2013 by Frank Gormlie
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Today, March 28th, marks the 42nd anniversary of the infamous Collier Park Riot – the largest “disturbance” between the community and police in the history of Ocean Beach.

Hundreds of OBceans and students from area colleges were gathered on March 28, 1971, at a peaceful anti-Vietnam War protest that was combined with a community clean-up of a large corner lot for parkland when they were attacked by police. This unprovoked assault by police resulted in a riot that spread from Soto and Greene Streets all the way to the beach and lasted for hours into the night. Fifty people were arrested, many injured, a patrol car was burned, but over time, the wounds were healed, the war ended, and a park was created in northeast OB: Collier Park.

Here are a series of articles about the Collier Park Riot and what it meant for Ocean Beach.

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North Park to Ocean Beach by Bike – the Best Route

March 28, 2013 by Source
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By John P Anderson

I’ve only lived in North Park for a couple of months but have been working on finding the best route to get from here to Ocean Beach, my favorite San Diego beach, since I moved in. The biggest issue is finding a good route from the mesa that North Park is on down into Mission Valley. Once in Mission Valley the very solid path along the San Diego River takes you comfortably and quickly directly west to the Pacific Ocean.

I’ve tried various routes into Mission Valley – Texas Street in North Park, Fairmount Avenue between Kensington and City Heights, Bachman Place in Hillcrest – but found them all lacking. Fairmount is very, very intense (read: dangerous) on a bike and Texas only slightly less so. Bachman Place is a much better alternative although it is a meandering windy road down the hill, not bad for cruising down but quite a long haul back up. Recently I was informed of a path through Old Town and it is my favorite by far. After a couple of practice runs I took this trip “in earnest” this week.

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The Southern Californian Major Dailies Failed Miserably in “Commemorating” the 10 Year Anniversary of the Iraq War

March 27, 2013 by Frank Gormlie
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The LA Times and the U-T San Diego Continue the Deception of Ten Years With Their Failure to Discuss the War

Southern California is home to two major daily newspapers – each from the major cities in this part of the country: the Los Angeles Times and the U-T San Diego.

In a review of their coverage of the ten year anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, I found them to be woefully inadequate in any discussion about “lessons learned” on the war, the invasion, or the run-up to the conflict.  I especially searched to see whether they went further and exposed the falsehoods and lies that the Bush administration told the public to convince us to go to war.

Those of us who suffer the U-T would not be too surprised to learn that the Manchester daily would not get too involved with a critique of the Bush’s deceptions and misrepresentations.  However, one would have thought the LA Times – once the bastion of liberalness on the West Coast – would have at least attempted to put together some kind of journalistic endeavor in examining all the ways that the American people were misled a decade ago.

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Hospitals to US Citizens: Your Money or Your Life

March 27, 2013 by Source
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By John Lawrence

Chargemaster: Hospitals’ Killer App for Sucking Your Financial Blood Dry – Part 4

Hospital care in the US has morphed into a multi-headed monster in which every advance in medical technology ups the cost of medical care. What Matt Taibbi said about Goldman Sachs in a Rolling Stone article applies to hospitals as well: “[They are] a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming [their] blood funnel[s] into anything that smells like money.”

More expensive technologies like cat scans are used when less expensive ones would be adequate to do the job. In addition to the economic incentives to use more expensive technology and equipment, there’s the legal incentive that doctors are less likely to be sued if they administer every test under the sun and use the most expensive equipment.

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Follow the Money: Former Anti-Drug Officials Call Pot “Dangerous” While Pulling in the Cash

March 26, 2013 by Source

Former DEA agents and cops are lobbying for tougher drug laws that make them rich.

By Kevin Gray / AlterNet – The Fix

When eight former DEA chiefs signed a letter to US Attorney General Eric Holder earlier this month, demanding that the feds crack down on Washington and Colorado, the states which voted last November to legalize marijuana, there was more than just drug-war ideology at stake. There was money.

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O’ Hotel Pharaohs – Break Matzah With Us

March 26, 2013 by Source

By Rabbi Laurie Coskey / San Diego Free Press

My grandmother had two seasons, each lasting half a year: Before Passover and After Passover.

For Jewish families, the festival of Passover is the biggest holiday of our year. The dinner is planned for months, with exotic dishes from the Old Country (wherever that may be) made only for the holy day. And always, the story of the Exodus is recited around the holiday table.

The story of Passover recounts the hard labor endured by the biblical slaves during the time of the tyrant King Pharaoh – who oppressed them through inhumane working conditions and retaliation for their smallest complaint – and ends with their subsequent liberation. It’s a good story.

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How Hospitals Mark Up the Cost of Over-the-Counter Supplies Like Aspirin and Q-tips as Much as 1000%

March 26, 2013 by Source

Chargemaster: Hospitals’ Killer App for Sucking Your Financial Blood Dry – Part 3
blood-240x240by John Lawrence / San Diego Free Press

Hospitals charge their customers … er, patients, through the nose for simple products which anyone can purchase at WalMart for a fraction of the amount. In Part 1 and Part 2 we detailed the ridiculous prices hospitals routinely charge their patients – like several thousand dollars a day – just for a room. In this installment we will go over the markups on products that are added on to patients’ bills.

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Councilmember Faulconer to Speak at OB Town Council, Wednesday, March 27

March 26, 2013 by Source

The Ocean Beach Town Council will be hosting City Councilmember, Kevin Faulconer at their public meeting taking place at 7:00pm this Wednesday, March 27th at the Masonic Center (1711 Sunset Cliffs).

Councilmember Faulconer plans on discussing a number of topics including his proposed Neighborhood Parking Protection Ordinance. According to Councilmember Faulconer, this ordinance seeks to mitigate the “proliferation of illegally parked oversized vehicles on City streets” [which] is a public safety, quality of life and environmental issue that has an acute impact on San Diego’s visitor-serving beach.” He will share additional information regarding the direction and status of this ordinance.

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Wisteria Garden Party – Photo Gallery

March 25, 2013 by Frank and Patty
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The Ocean Beach Historical Society held their annual “Wisteria Garden Party” last Saturday, and by the looks of it, the party was a total success!

OB Ragster Patty Jones got the camera out and kept the shutter going – so we have this great photo gallery of a wonderful event.

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Restaurant Review: “Newport Avenue Yacht Club Restaurant”

March 25, 2013 by Judi Curry
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Newport Avenue Yacht Club Restaurant
5060 Newport Ave.
Ocean Beach, CA 92107

Watch out, South Beach. You have serious competition – and right across the street! Monica – my live-in student – and I decided to try out the new restaurant because so many people have already told me about it. And the surprising thing is that it has only been in operation ten days! It didn’t take long for the word to spread about how good this restaurant is, and it can only get better. [We helped spread the word.]

Granted, at the present time the owner, John Rudolph, does not have a beer and/or wine license, but he welcomes his diners to bring in their own – no corkage fee – to enjoy while eating his succulent offerings. (He said it may take 6-9 months before a license is granted!)

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Attempted Rape on Long Branch; Suspect Arrested After Neighbors Chase Him Away

March 25, 2013 by Staff
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UPDATE: Here’s an update from the online U-T today:

25-year-old man was arrested Sunday night after police said he beat and sexually assaulted a woman in Ocean Beach. ( more inside …)

Channel 8 News reported that there was an attempted rape on the 4800 block of Long Branch Avenue in Ocean Beach. The violent assault occurred on Sunday night – March 24th – when a male attacked a woman in her front yard.

Neighbors and witnesses came running to help her when the woman began screaming. The man ran off.

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Help Bob Filner Stand Up to Business as Usual: Vote for Myrtle Cole in District 4

March 25, 2013 by Jim Miller
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Tomorrow is Election Day in District 4, and it matters.  While this City Council race has garnered very little attention in San Diego as a whole and will certainly be a low turnout affair, the stakes are actually quite high.  Indeed, the direction of the city is on the line.

As Doug Porter noted last week, outside money has been pouring into District 4 attacking Myrtle Cole. Why?  Because Cole is the only candidate who will stand firmly behind Bob Filner’s agenda and buck the powerful moneyed interests that are bent on subverting the mayor.

Who’s behind the attacks?  San Diego County Voters for Progress and Reform, a shadowy group that has been funded by the usual suspects: developers, downtown business groups, and the Lincoln Club.  Those same folks are backing Cole’s opponent, Barry Pollard, and even fellow progressive Dwayne Crenshaw has taken money from Robert Gleason of Atlas Hotels (and a key figure in the TMD struggle against Filner) as well as Rural/Metro Corporation whose contract with San Diego for paramedic services will soon come up for renewal.  In addition to this, sources close to the campaign tell me that Cole is the only candidate that has not met with the Lincoln Club, which should tell you all you need to know.

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City Council District 4 Election: Who Do I Vote For? Vote Against the Bad Guys.

March 25, 2013 by Doug Porter

Part Three of a Three Part Series on the City Council Special Election

Part One: Setting the Scene – Dirty Tricks Fly

Part Two: Meet the Candidates

So what we know so far is that there are nine candidates vying for the historically “Black’ City Council seat vacated by Tony Young. Change has citydistrict4come to the district; although they still hold political supremacy by virtue of their community institutions, African-Americans are now a minority.

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Point Loma Democratic Club Speakers: ‘How we convinced the City Council to pass a resolution condeming “Citizens United” – March 24

March 23, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

Overturning Citizens United: Money Out of Politics

From PL Democratic Club

Join the Point Loma Democratic Club on Sunday, March 24, when the Wonder Women from WOSD Money Out of Politics, Point Loma’s own Pam Page and Dianne Lane, return to and describe how they convinced the San Diego City Council to pass – with an unanimous vote – the resolution to reverse ‘Citizens United’ and Amend the Constitution.

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Local Focus: Dave Martin – President of Ocean Beach Town Council

March 22, 2013 by Frank Gormlie
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Dave Martin outside-ed

Editordude: We have just learned that village giant Dave Martin has passed. The OB Rag interviewed Dave back in March of 2013 – he was still the president of the OB Town Council and Dave’s restaurant, Shades, was still up and running. Here, we repost that interview.

Originally posted March 22, 2013

Dave Martin, the President of the OB Town Council, agreed to meet me at Shades at 1 pm the other day. That was easy – as he has his own table there – the one closest to the kitchen, the bar, and the serving area – for, as many know, Dave owns Shades. Or rather Dave – along with his wife Jennifer, his daughter and her husband; they’re the four owners.

Even though it was mid-week, the inside of the restaurant was about half-filled, with a few outside in the front. The lunch hour had just passed. But everyone in OB knows Shades – it’s a fairly popular place (even the Widder Curry gave it a thumbs-up).

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Frequency Film Festival Opens Tonight, March 21, at Ocean Beach Playhouse

March 21, 2013 by Source
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FREQUENCY FILM FESTIVAL

MARCH 21-23, 28-30, APRIL 1 -6, 2013
SAN DIEGO, CA 92107

Frequency Film Festival March 21 -23, 28-30, April 1 -6, 2013 will be screening films from around the world. The opening night film from Portugal, The Baron, will have its North America Premiere on March 21, 2013 at The Ocean Beach Playhouse, 4944 Newport Ave. , San Diego, CA 92107.

Opening Night Film, March 21, 2013: THE BARON

A black and white gothic horror /fantasy narrative feature film from Portugal – the North America Premier

Official Selection: International Film Festival Rotterdam 2013, San Diego, CA (March2013)-

This unique and mesmerizing black & white narrative feature film will also screen on April 2, 2013.

The Baron

Directed by: Edgar Pêra / Portugal / Portuguese, English Subtitles / 2011 / Gothic Horror, Fantasy /105 minutes / North America Premiere

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The Last Letter – A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran

March 21, 2013 by Source

To: George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
From: Tomas Young

Originally posted at Truthdig.com

10th aniv iraqI write this letter on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War on behalf of my fellow Iraq War veterans. I write this letter on behalf of the 4,488 soldiers and Marines who died in Iraq. I write this letter on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have been wounded and on behalf of those whose wounds, physical and psychological, have destroyed their lives. I am one of those gravely wounded. I was paralyzed in an insurgent ambush in 2004 in Sadr City. My life is coming to an end. I am living under hospice care.

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Health Insurance Scams Leave People High and Dry

March 21, 2013 by Source

Goldman Sachs, Blackstone Group rake in hundreds of millions selling useless ‘mini-med’ policies

Part Two of a series on the Business of Health

By John Lawrence / San Diego Free Press

In Part 1 we told about how hospitals have a huge computer file called a Chargemaster that details prices for every possible item a hospital can charge for. These prices don’t have anything to do with reality because in fact there is no market for health care services.

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Did Richard Nixon Commit Treason By Sabotaging Vietnam Peace Talks?

March 20, 2013 by Source
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Newly-released tapes record LBJ saying Nixon committed treason.

By Eric Brown / International Business Times / March 17 2013

Newly released tapes recorded during Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency have confirmed long-held rumors that in 1968, then-presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon worked to sabotage Vietnam War peace talks.

The LBJ tapes were recently declassified and released by the Johnson library in Austin, Texas. According to the BBC’s summary of the tapes, not only did Nixon possibly commit treason, but LBJ knew about it and decided not to expose him in the closing days of an election that Nixon barely won.

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OB Historical Society Continues the WISTERIA Garden Party – Sat., March 23

March 20, 2013 by Source

The Ocean Beach Historical Society is Continuing the Annual

WISTERIA Garden PARTY
Saturday, March 23, at 1 PM
4761 Niagara Ave., 92107, Ocean Beach

CELEBRATE SPRING AT OUR ANNUAL OCEAN BEACH HISTORICAL SOCIETY

WISTERIA GARDEN PARTY & FUNDRAISER

Spend the afternoon in the Titlow garden of a 1906 home under the largest wisteria canopy in Ocean Beach. Guests will enjoy tasty delectables while listening to live music.

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Dumb Wars – Now and Forever

March 20, 2013 by Source
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By Robert Scheer / truthdig – Nation of Change / March 20, 2013

It is a staple of our widely trumpeted Judeo-Christian heritage that the acknowledgment of sin is a prelude to redemption. So how is it that there is no palpable sense of soul searching associated with the 10th anniversary of a war based on officially concocted lies and a policy of torture? It is because the presumption of a unique American claim to an original and enduring innocence perseveres, no matter the death and destruction.

Indeed, some of our most celebrated publicists defined moral deceit as virtue in justifying the Iraq War. “As far as I am concerned, we do not need to find any weapons of mass destruction to justify this war,” New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote in April 2003, when U.N. inspectors had clearly established that the proclaimed basis for invading Iraq was a lie. “Mr. Bush doesn’t owe the world any explanation for missing chemical weapons (even if it turns out that the White House hyped this issue).”

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On the Waterfront Restaurant Review: Mitch’s Seafood

March 20, 2013 by Judi Curry
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Mitch’s Seafood
1403 Scott St.
San Diego, CA 92106
619-222-8787

After posting my review of Point Loma Seafood’s last week, several of my readers wrote in and told me that I should try “Mitch’s Seafood”, because it was as good, if not better than the subject of my original review.

I could hardly wait to try it, and when Monica, my foreign language student came home early from school on Tuesday I decided it was a perfect time to “test the waters.” After all, Tuesday in San Diego means “taco Tuesday” and with tacos at $2 and $3 it was well worth it. We arrived early – 4:15 pm, because one of the readers said that it is almost impossible to be served after 5:00pm on Tuesday.

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10 Years of Lying About the Iraq War Has to Stop Now – Bush and Cheney and Co. Must Be Held Accountable for the Sake of America

March 19, 2013 by Frank Gormlie
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Ten years of lying about the Iraq war has to stop now – immediately. The government – our government – lied to us, the America people, about the reasons they said it was necessary to go to war with Iraq – a country that was not threatening us. One decade ago to this day, their lies produced action: the “shock and awe” “bunker-busters” unleashed on the capital of Iraq, March 19th, 2003.

They lied to cover up their invasion of Iraq a decade ago to this day.

And now ten years later, after more than 4400 Americans killed, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed, 30,000 Americans injured, after we have spent over $3 Trillion dollars, we have come to the realization that, if America is to be honest with itself, we must now demand that someone be held accountable for these lies and the wastes of lives and resources.

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A War of Aggression

March 19, 2013 by Source
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From “Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law”

By Marjorie Cohn, 2007

According to sources inside the administration, George W. Bush was planning to invade Iraq and remove its government well before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Such an invasion violates the UN Charter, which the United States signed in 1945 after the bloodiest conflict in history. The Charter permits countries to use military force against another country only in self-defense or with Security Council permission. But the evidence indicates that the U.S.-led invasion satisfied neither condition and is therefore a war of aggression, which constitutes a Crime Against Peace – exactly the kind of war the Charter was meant to prevent.

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Proposed City of San Diego Medical Marijuana Dispensary Regulations with Map of Proposed Zones

March 19, 2013 by Source
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Mayor Filner Proposed 2% tax, $5000 annual licensing fee, and collectives / cooperatives in limited commercial and industrial zones; Full Council Votes March 25th

From Americans for Safe Access / March 15, 2013

Over the years, medical marijuana patients in San Diego have endured a lack of representation in local governments, raids, lawsuits, eradication efforts, federal interference, and outright misinformation about the issue. Fortunately, now we have a new Mayor who sides with compassion instead of ignorance and is willing to move forward with regulations.

After attending the January San Diego Americans for Safe Access Meeting, where he promised to move forward with regulations, Mayor Bob Filner began working on a proposal to bring to council.

Friday, the Mayor’s office announced his proposal is finished and the issue tentatively scheduled for the March 25th City Council meeting.

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Chargemaster: Hospitals’ Killer App for Sucking Your Financial Blood Dry – Part 1

March 19, 2013 by Source

We spend more on artificial knees and hips every year than Hollywood collects at the box office.

Closeup Money rolled up with pills falling out, high cost, expensive healthcare

By John Lawrence / San Diego Free Press

A recent exhaustive article in Time magazine details the exhorbitant charges that hospitals are imposing on the American people, charges that have nothing to do with the actual costs of services provided. A woman in Stamford, Connecticut suffering from chest pains called 911. She was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Stamford Hospital, a non-profit institution, four miles away.

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Restaurant Review: Point Loma Seafoods

March 18, 2013 by Judi Curry
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Point Loma Seafood
2805 Emerson
San Diego, CA 92106
619-223-1109

Point Loma Seafood’s is famous all over, not just in San Diego. Thirty years ago I was a principal in Mohave Valley, Arizona and had two delightful, single teachers that taught for me – Bill and Cher. They subsequently married, and in the past 30 years I have seen them twice, until yesterday.

When they were here 15 years ago, I introduced them to Point Loma Seafood’s, and they have been back many times. They live in Prescott, so it is not just a hop, skip and a jump away. I was surprised when they called me yesterday and asked if I would join them for lunch at their favorite seafood restaurant. Naturally I said “yes” because it is also one of my favorite places. Not only do I like to go there for a meal now that my husband is no longer with us and catching fish, I buy my fresh fish there also. (And let me put in a plug for the half-baked bread. It is offered in rounds or loafs, and you finish the baking when you get it home. Yummy!)

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Random Stories of Ocean Beach: Interview With Aaron Sutton

March 18, 2013 by Frank Gormlie
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After a brief respite from them, I was back on the trail for my series of “random” interviews of OBceans when I entered NewBreak coffee house on Abbott the other day. It was hot in the rest of the County of San Diego, but in OB it was a windy – almost cold day – and I was looking forward to my steaming mug of java.

After introducing myself to Aaron Sutton, a 40 year old with a full brown beard who was sitting in front of his laptop, he agreed to be interviewed and we moved over to a corner booth with more privacy. “Everybody has a story,” I told him, and “I want to tell yours.”

Aaron had been living over on Pescadero for about 3 years, when he moved in with good bud, Mike Stevens, on Lotus Street about 6 weeks ago.

“We call it ‘the Farm'”, he said, “we’ve got dogs, frogs, chickens, and fish,” he said.

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