Halloween 2006

[No one should doubt this country] That kind of thinking is what has ruined this country. Blindly trusting our government to do the right thing has been a mistake. America is not the best country in the world. We only think that because we used to be. The only reason the third world people all want to come here is for economic reasons and nothing else. American has lost its moral compass. Our government is for sale, no habeas corpus, kidnapping and approved torture are just a few examples.

[Bridge between Sweden and Denmark] We have the same phenomenon here in the U. S.  It's called the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

If busing in willing workers from Homestead is working for Winn-Dixie and several other places, why could it not work for all of the Keys?  Its a win win situation, they want to work and do not mind the two hour trip down and back and we have jobs.  That solves the housing problem and the environmental folks should love it as less houses would be built. 

#Most of the affluent areas around the world bring in willing workers because the cost of living is too high for the workers to live there.  Where can we find a location to build affordable housing--the Key Deer refuge, another Stiltsville, string boats around the Keys like Hong Kong harbor in the 30's?  Look around you and find a place for thousands of workers that is "affordable"; It does not exist!  In fact we could start a ferry service from the mainland that uses those high speed hovercrafts that would make it better for all of us to travel to the mainland.  There are lots of solutions we just have to quit hollering at each other and try to find them.

We got a ham sub and calzone from 2 for 20 pizza.  What a rip off!  One piece of ham and one piece of cheese and the calzone was as flat as a pancake and had the worst sausage I have ever tasted.  Never again 2 for nothing.
--ImBearsCub@aol.com

[illegal to take whale bones] If the feds responsible for towing the whale carcass away had towed it into the Atlantic ten miles instead of towing it ten miles into the back country no one would ever have seen the bones again.

[sick and tired of people bashing this country. If you were in some other place you might be hung for voicing your opinion.] Yes, I understand, but that is one of the things that makes this country what it is; freedom of speech.  We have the freedom to say what we want, when we want, to whom we want.   And here you are saying how much you're "sick and tired" of it.  Well, you my friend, also have the right to say as you wish, and you have the right to not listen to those saying what they want.  No one is forcing you to listen to someone bashing this country.

We called Rays pizza  and a nice lady in a jeep Cherokee drove up for just $35 and brought us 5 of the best pizzas ever.  You’ve got to quit crying and start buying. Our total bill was under $150 for 5 18 inch specialty pizzas.  And coming from Key West they were still quicker than the local pizza place next to US1 radio. Check them out when you’re down south or having a party. Well worth the extra delivery charge.

[Paul’s Appliance] I had an old propane dryer kick the bucket on me last week and Paul came out right away to see what the problem was.  The part that was needed was no longer available so we ended up purchasing a new dryer from him.  Which again, he came out immediately and installed.  Great prices, great product and a very personable and knowledgeable guy.  I would rate him five stars.  Great service and super reliable.  Yay!

These two met at the Cow Palace and were married last month. She is from Trenton and the lucky guy is a local. I think he plays drums in one of the bands down here. 

Does anyone know who would head up Toys For Tots or another such program to help get Christmas presents to needy kids?  I would love to volunteer or maybe host a fundraiser. My house is nothing special, but I would love to do my part for a really wonderful cause.

This ain’t the 60's anymore. You pull some of those trick or treat shenanigans and you could get your can shot off.

St Louis is the most dangerous city in America. Sorry Miami, maybe next year…

Favorite Halloween trick: The name of that game is tap tap spider.  It was made famous in David Nivens Auto biography The Moon is a Balloon.

That Denmark tunnel/bridge is super. Can we build one from N.J. to Key Weird?

Tapping the nut on the window, beats the hell out of egging the city buses in Jacksonville Fl. 30 years ago.

With more living space in an apartment downstairs you may have to upgrade your septic tank and drain.  The reason you need a permit to build it is so that you are up to code.  If you have 15 people living in a single residential place the sh** could hit the fan!

[Sweetwater Homes] I was told that the two brothers that run it micromanage and have a difficult time keeping good employees who want to work. I don't know that to be true, but it's worth asking about. --terrytunz@bellsouth.net

Ditto on Pizzaworks being good.  I called yesterday for a sub and it was made just perfect and delivered hot and fast.  Hubby got cheese garlic bread and the smallest pizza and it was terrific. In fact we had enough left over to reheat for lunch. I could not believe how fast the order came and how polite the delivery person was to us.  Woo, hoo Pizzaworks!

[Sweden bridge] There are two of those ship tunnels under Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Zap-a-ghost game. I like shooting games and this one gets harder as you go. Travel Channel :: Haunted Travels

I need some lousy tech support.  How often should I run the disk cleanup, defrag, Spybot, virus scan and Registry Pro?  I have managed to free up some space.  I am currently at 28% free space.  What is the norm?

(Lousy Tech Support: the norm depends on the size of your hard drive. 28% on a 160Gb hard drive is a lot, but on a 4Gb hd--it isn't.

We leave our computers on all the time and have our antivirus, spyware, software updates and backups scheduled to automatically run in the wee hours of the morning. We never defrag unless we’re having a problem. You don’t need disk cleanup unless you really use your computer a lot and I don’t mean just surfing the web. Registry Pro should be run and if you see it has helped correct potential problems (it gives a report) than run it more often. If no problems--run it less often. The same really goes for most of the programs you mentioned. It’s all relative to your usage. Automatic scheduling these things is the best way to go.

The best little program we’ve found in a long time is McAfee’s Site Advisor. It’s free and places red or green dots next to search engine results to let you know weather a site is safe or loaded with spyware and malware. Everyone should download this free tool. It’s saved out computers several times so far.)

Sea horse is an RV park not a mobile park.

I hope you guys and gals are right about all the kids at Eden Pines for Halloween.  I have candy on top of candy and will have all lights on bright for the kids.  I look forward to the costumes.  If they do not come and I am left with candy that I will eat I will silently wish for your demonic demise.  In 45 years down here this snowbird has somehow always missed Halloween.  Where do all these kids come from anyway? Every school bus I see is mostly empty.  Can anyone tell us the numbers if the school population is going up or as it looks going down?

I am home and can finally catch up on BPK.com. I moved to Key West for a few days. I did it to partake in the Fantasy Fest Festivities and see a laptop with an air card in the future. I’m still not sure of the time and feel a little on the peaked side as well.  I missed my daily dose of Kudos and Whiners. Thanks Ed, you are the bomb.

Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty issued an order directing Florida Peninsula Insurance (FPI) to set its wind-only base rates  in Monroe County at or below the last approved rate from Citizens Property  Insurance Corporation (CPIC) through January 7, 2007, and then to set rates  at or below the 35% lower CPIC mandated rates as of January 7, 2007.

FPI customers will receive a credit or a refund for any premiums paid in excess of the new approved rates.  FPI had filed for a 92% rate increase that was disapproved by the Office of Insurance Regulation.  FPI subsequently submitted a revised filing for an even greater increase that was not approved.

Just got some real bad news for us Piners. Andy McClain was allowed to plea to lesser charges. Our States Attorney will let Andy McClain out in less than6 months. He will serve his time here in Monroe county. This man is bad. He robbed many homes with folks inside. It took the SWAT team to remove him from his trailer. Remember Our States Attorney did this. He will be running for something, they all ways do. I believe his name is Mark E Kohl.

Make your dog a "Service Dog" with the click of mouse!  You can even take Fido on a plane and he can sit next to you in the cabin, like you're a Special Needs Victim.  Simply click on "Clothing" and then "Service" to get all the accessories to trick everyone.  You can't tell the players without a program!  http://www.sitstay.com/

I need help with my insurance company.  Every year my insurance company raises the insured value of my home by 10 percent or more.  And they always block my attempts to reduce it.  Does anyone have any suggestions? Or, can you recommend an insurance company that will work with me?

I heard there are potential lawsuits waiting in the wings this Halloween based on the sugar and fat content of candy given out by households to trick-or-treaters. Anybody else hear about this? I hope it's just BS. This society is just getting too litigious.

[Sloan's Slot] Once upon a time (late April 2001), in Key West, I had a dream that heralded my writing a new novel, but it was a few days later before I knew what the dream meant. By then, I was in Helen, Georgia, where the novel was written. Novel preview in Long Winded Tomes

Tuesday October 31, 2006

Monday October 30, 2006

I would like to thank all the county commissioners and candidates, Ty Symroski, Habitat, US 1 radio, Barometer, and KW Citizen for showing up at the meeting of the Seahorse residents Thursday night. They feel they do have options now to the evictions. Habitat received a sizable donation to hire a lawyer to represent the residents. There is some reason to believe that the Seahorse might be considered a mobile home park or a hybrid per Florida statutes. Those eviction laws are very different from RV laws. The next day I heard BOCA Developers were back at the negotiating table. They do not want a trailer park. They do not want to evict them and they do not want to build there. They want a deal. I would also like to thank Ty for helping clean the Marathon beaches.

[Trick or treat] If the porch light’s on—your welcomed. If the light’s off—you get your windows waxed.

Good news for Lost Cargo Trading Post. The stucco crew should be done with most of the building mid next week. We hope to be open in the next 10-15 days.

The bridge (or should it be called tunnel) goes under water to allow movement of ships . In order for ships to pass, this bridge is half under the water. You drive down in the water and then come out on the other side. Truly a marvelous piece of engineering! This bridge is between Sweden and Denmark. The picture was taken from the side of Sweden .

[New York license plates. I guess it's time to go into the "self defense" mode. This means talking ten decibels louder than normal…]  It’s possible that the individual in the car will conduct themselves in this manner due to the fact that New Yorkers live in very close proximity to New Jersey and can easily pick up on the obnoxious, rude, belligerent, argumentative behavior that is common to a Jerseyite.  It’s somewhat like catching the flu from someone sick you got to close to and picked up their germs.  This is especially true of Jersey women.  If you haven’t yet learned to avoid this miserable, intolerable species refer to the photo.  Do no approach this Jersey Woman.  Hearing damage and nausea will result.  Direct contact can cause a nasty rash and olfactory overload.

Making ground floor enclosures legal makes too much sense. Making them available would bring in more tax money from income, give normal people a place to live and the homeowner some relief from the tax and insurance burden.

[what happened to Paul's Appliance] I had to move and the details are too numerous to list here.  (Just like the sign out front of the Methodist Church said, "Eliminate anything negative in your life!" -- so I did!)

My new location is 30375 Quail Roost Trail. Our products are in units A & Z  and our office is located up the stairs in the middle of the building. The phone number is the same 872-3926. If you want to know the details, stop by from 9-2 and chat.

[Missour-a vs. Missouri] On TV they said the first pronunciation was the Native American pronunciation. The second was the French pronunciation.

I for one like the conspiracists and it’s nice to know there are other free thinkers besides myself on this board; there are actually plenty. Question everything. If you have blind faith in anything, especial law enforcement which has a license to take away your civil rights--your a commie. My apologies if I hurt any communist conspiracists feelings out there. Remember Kent State University and the National Guard? I do and I’m only in my twenties.

Just because your spell checker doesn’t have it as a word doesn’t mean it’s not a word.

Christopher Bordne, 17, was arrested in Newton, Mass., after a police officer, waiting behind Bordne at a traffic light at 1:40 a.m. through several light changes, checked to find Bordne with his foot on the brake but otherwise sound asleep. After yelling at Bordne and rapping repeatedly on the window with his flashlight, the officer watched as Bordne woke up, drove off and crashed into a tree.

No one should doubt this country.  I'm proud to be an American no matter what party is in office. I'm sick and tired of you people (some) bashing this country.  Just think if you were in some other place you might be hung for voicing your opinion.

Iguana,iguana,iguana.

Paul's Appliance moved over by the flea market

The poster was right. If we had thought of removing the ban on downstairs enclosures to solve our affordable housing problem before next Tuesday’s election the hungry politicians would have made it happen. Now we have to wait two more years for the next election for them to do anything. And I do mean anything!

Dear Mr Trick or Treat.  The flaming dog turd trick was perfected, I think in the early seventies, however it is still useful for some homes.  I would like to hear of some of the more up to date stunts one can pull, and still not get arrested! Anyone?

The only president we have had that is worse than Bush is Clinton and the next one is going to be even worse unless it’s McCain. We are lucky for this reason. We live in America and we are American. We are made up of the best people from all over the world and that is why they (other countries) are jealous. We got their best people. When am I going to be able to fill my car up on Hemp Seed Oil grown in Indiana or Iowa what ever state he said “ethanol” I  prefer Hemp.

Paul's appliance moved to a small spot near the flea market.

I was looking for Elaine and finally found her. She was an excellent hairdresser at Nadine's but moved several weeks ago to Headlines in Key West. No one could tell me where she went so I called around and found her. 

I'm looking to put up a modular home in Sands Subdivision in Big Pine. I'm leaning towards Sweetwater Homes. Any advice good or bad on Sweetwater or any other builder would be very helpful. I know for sure Modular Homes of the Florida Keys in Marathon does not work in Big Pine.

I think all of lower Keys’ kids should target and descend on Eden Pines in droves on Halloween! Kind of like kids’ Fantasy Fest. I wish I could live in an area where I could enjoy the sights and sounds of my childhood when the whole neighborhood was hopping!

What do you do in heaven for eternity?

Did anyone notice that the first "float" in this year's Fantasy Fest parade was not a float at all, but two religious evangelists with a bullhorn? Their calls to repent were mostly unheeded. Does anyone know which church they represented? I think I saw them later, marching with the Invaders from Pluto.

Recipe for Sugar / Olive Oil Body Scrub:  1 Cup Sugar to 1/2 cup Olive Oil plus your choice of aromatherapy oil.  Mix in a plastic container.  In a hot bath, gently exfoliate sugar mixture with loofah.  Rinse.  Be careful stepping out of the slippery tub!  Towel dry.  Call a team of maids to clean your slimy tub.  Every orifice will be soft and shiny clean.

Where is the horseshoe?

I hit a deer in Colorado and managed to pull over safely. As I was surveying $3000 damage and catching my breath several concerned citizens rushed to my vehicle and said, "Is the deer OK". I replied, “I sure f**king hope not!”

[Illegal enclosures] Someone asked if you're violating tax laws by not declaring income from rentals.  Yes, it is a violation.  However, if you declare income you can also deduct expenses.  Assuming the enclosure is 1/3 the square footage of the property, you can deduct 1/3 of all insurance (including windstorm) and utilities (if you don't charge).  In the end, it's not worth the IRS's time to prosecute you.  Personally, I always thought Monroe County should give a tax break to encourage homeowners to build enclosures as work force housing.  Perhaps not enforcing the code is tacit approval enough?

My daughter Sarah left Big Pine Key this morning and is heading home to Virginia Beach.  She was at Fantasy Fest last night and lost her cell phone.  Please, if you find a phone, call 757-652-8504 from the phone and if it is Sarah’s I will pay the postage. She has many photos and videos of her friends there.  I know she will miss you all.

The Reverend Flea (flea mkt owner) as he was called nixed the Publix deal because the promoters wanted a free extension to try to tie up the property and sell the deal to someone else--not the property. Publix was never really that interested. Another example of a greedy real estate promoter (middle man) which is worse than a greedy real estate developer. Would you let someone tie up your property for free while they found a developer to sell the deal to?

I got an Italian sub sandwich and a sausage and mushroom pizza from Pizzaworks yesterday and they were both very good.  Lots of meat and cheese in the sub and plenty of toppings and good sauce on the pie.

Monday October 30, 2006

Sunday October 29, 2006

[To the thank god for George Bush pundit] Your attitude is turning me off.  It's bad enough that this administration, as well as others such as Limbaugh, Hannity, and Foley have turned me off to the Republican party, but now people like you are causing me to doubt my political affiliation.  I was weaned and raised a Republican in a wealthy, white, squeaky clean Chicago suburb among people with self-righteous attitudes who were all to ready to ban the "unworthy" from the country club or perhaps their church.  You sound like you have brought some of these same character flaws with you to the Keys.  Although I still register as a member of the conservative party I think I have finally out-grown their insulting behavior and sleazy politics and plan to vote a straight party line for the opposition next week.

[Tattooed kids] I will never complain about my kids again...I will never complain about my kids again...I will never complain about my kids again...

[Bah! Halloween] 300 kids at your door! I guess we found the Scrooge of Halloween.  Eden Pines is the best on Halloween. Stop being so grumpy or move to a retirement park!

It's f**king cold up here! I want to come home!

[Spring forward, fall down] I really like that one!

Can those who rent their apartments that are illegal get in trouble for not declaring their added income to the IRS?  Assuming they don't, that is.

I stopped eating hamburg a while back because of the fat content and the risk of mad cow disease (because it’s so close to the bone). I’ve been using ground turkey until yesterday. I looked on the back of the turkey and it had 17 grams of fat in a 4 ounce portion. That’s about the same amount of fat as a greasy sausage! I was surprised because I’d always thought turkey was better for you than beef. I looked at the premium ground beef and it had about 13 grams of fat. Then I noticed W/D’s new line of beef products from Naturewell (what a BS name, they’re probably a subsidiary of some big meat processor.) ground beef that only has 8 grams of fat. And there are no antibiotics or added hormones. Another big selling point for this meat is that they are raised on a vegetarian corn-fed diet. That means to me that they are not fed any animal bi-products in their feed because that is where mad cow disease comes from. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m having cheeseburgers tonight and will no longer be worried about the poor meat supply in this country.

Did anyone hear about a head on collision on Key Deer Blvd a few nights ago?  My husband was directed around it by an officer and said there was a girl involved with an SUV.  There’s been nothing in the papers so far; or on this site.

Eagle rays and sting rays: there is a difference.

[Downstairs illegal apt] I don't think of them as our workers, I think of them as our neighbors and if we don't think of a way to stop Big Development none of us are going to be able to afford to live here.

I didn't even know 2 for 20 pizza was up and running again.

Why does the easy way out usually end up on a long hard road?

Where was it stated that a cop was positioned as to ticket people taking bones?  The way I understood it, the guys were stopped by a Deputy when they were pulling their boat full of bones out of the water.   The Deputy had a feeling it was illegal, but was unfamiliar with what exactly the federal law said, so he let them go.  National Marine fisheries later contacted the guys and reclaimed the bones. 

Take a minute to learn the truth and maybe you won't feel so oppressed.  What made the case so big was that it was a county big-wig who should have known better than to break a federal law.  You think North Korea needs some test dummies?  You can start by volunteering your hate-mongering-conspiracy-theorist self.

[not all New Yorkers are bad]  Well, OK, you might be right. Studies show that most of the upstate New Yorkers are OK people, except for the ones who voted for Hillary. And most of the downstate folks are pretty bad, but there are some exceptions. Just draw a line somewhere around Poughkeepsie. That's pronounced Po-KIP-See. Any questions?

[300 kids at your door] Sounds like the Halloween Grinch of Eden Pines has spoken.

Today is time to "fall-back" from daylight savings time. The Humane Society is reminding drivers who find themselves on the roads to slow down and be aware of wildlife activity. The HSUS has designated October 25 – 31 as Give Wildlife a Brake Week to highlight and curb the potentially fatal effects of low visibility driving conditions on both wildlife and drivers.

[Trick or treat] I liked the one where we would put some dog crap in a bag, squirt lighter fluid on it, place it on the front stoop, ring the doorbell, hide and wait for the owner to come out and stamp out the fire.

I think we should rename “Missour-a” to Missouri. When are they going to learn how to pronounce their own stat’s name?

S.O.P. for most Trick or Treaters:  If the front light is on you are welcome at that door.  If the front light is off those people do not want to be bothered.  So you with no seasonal spirit turn your light off, stay in or leave home, and let the rest of us enjoy the goblins!

What time is it? I'm confused again.

What happened to Paul's Appliance?  What's up with Lost Cargo?

On November 18th, the Michigan Wolverines will be beaten like a weak insect. Beware the vest. 
Go Buckeyes!

Sunday October 29, 2006

Saturday October 28, 2006

It would be nice in this high tech era if you could press a button on your dashboard and it would tell you the speed limit where ever you are. I never seem to know what the speed limit is and there are so few signs.

The county commissioners better think this one out. They have got a group of very poor people with nothing to loose except an old trailer.  They have no money to move anywhere. All the parks are full and cost three times the rent if they did have a vacant space. Boca developers bought a trailer park and that is what they got. They and the county should learn something from this situation. Boca will find that people can be sued for the clean up, but they have nothing. Perhaps if it goes far enough Sheriff Richard Roth will let them move in.

The time changes tonight. Don’t forget to set your clocks back. Spring forward, fall down.

The best invention ever made to fend off colds is called Zicam.  It's very nearly magic if you follow the directions.  It works so well lots of flight crew members carry it on all their trips. 

Eden Pines welcomes all the kids for Halloween. It's only once a year; stop complaining.

There are not too many down stairs apartments left because of Wilma.  Some people fixed theirs right away, others have not.

Analysis through photography. photos you likebetter: you are what you like

Turning a pumpkin into a working computer. pumpkin carving

Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Pumpkin buns seem to be all the rage this Halloween.

I still think that this is the place for the poor oppressed North Koreans and the long suffering Iranians to test their nukes. We are as a whole the most selfish and sour people in the U.S.A. Stationing an environmental cop to ticket people taking dead whale bones is arrogant. Whose stupidity left the carcass of the over drugged whale they killed within sight and smell of US1? Who is paying this cop’s salary? How is saving a bunch of bones helping the environment? This is oppression by an over bearing government and tedious bureaucracy.

Why isn’t the stranded wind surfer ticketed for molesting a trap by hanging onto a trap rope? He could get five years in the pen. Just wait, they’ll think of it.

If this basically useless part of the United States was nuked, maybe it would wake up the rest of the country before we’re overrun. Think of us as collateral damage in the third world war.

Another nail was pounded into freedom's coffin when President Bush signed the Military Commissions Act into law.  Within the Act, the 800-year tradition of Habeas Corpus -- the right of the accused to face their accuser in court -- was essentially eliminated.  What the future holds:  War powers act. New Deal come to mind.   The act on the surface, and in light of the current war we have, many won't see future implications.

My wife is pissed at me again! She says I haven’t spoken to her in six months, I said I didn’t want to interrupt her.

[Downstairs illegal apt] I agree 100%. Lets take care of our workers. Think how many of them were there after Wilma taking care of us.

Ok, if you don't like the kids on Halloween in Eden Pines, send them to port Pine Heights, We'll take care of them to help you out.

[Employees not showing up] Trust Me I've Been There: It's a little different here in the Keys. I also have been in the restaurant business for 35 years in Central Fla. 

Do they call you "Sir" when you're really a "Ma'am"? Lose the smokers voice and the stale tobacco stench Thursday, November 16, 2006 during the 30th annual Great American Smokeout?  http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/ped_10_4.asp

2 for 20 Pizza screws up again.  I placed an order at 8pm, they said delivery would be 45 minutes.  Wait and wait and wait.  I called again at 9:45pm to cancel the order and they said, “We will be right there.”  New ownership, but the same don't care attitude.  --bradleypjones@bellsouth.net

I live in Eden Pines and I look forward to the trick or treaters every year.  Last year we had around 300 kids, this year I'm hoping for more. 

[Is this truly magic or I am just dumb] The answer is the latter. You must have missed math in high school.

[Regarding the poor soul replying to the thank God for George Bush comment] I know you are having a tough time, but remember mommy will soon be here to dry your tears and tell you everything will be just fine. Now go outside and play with your brother and sister, while the rest of the grown ups talk.

Saturday October 28, 2006

Friday October 27, 2008

That’s true. We’re all healthy until the tourists arrive with their exotic colds and flus. Then we’re all runny-nosed until the sickness runs its course. This happens every year like clockwork.

I have a solution to affordable housing, but it’s doesn’t include developers so the commission probably won’t be interested. My solution is to allow people to rent their illegal downstairs enclosures right now--today. Allow them to rent the enclosure no matter its condition and give the homeowner a certain amount of time to bring the unit into compliance. Problem solved. Everyone benefits (except developers).

[Sting ray attacks] Remember a few years ago when there were several instances of barracudas jumping into boats and “attacking” the occupants? It must be global warming. (Ha)

Fantasy Fest was great. I went downtown yesterday afternoon for happy hour and sat outside at Fogerty’s and watched the people pass. There sure was a lot of skin. I hadn’t been downtown in years. It was so good to see so many people I knew were still alive and kicking. Did I mention all the naked ladies? Two of the most beautiful naked girls were letting people take pictures of them for a dollar. I’m glad the religious louts weren’t able to clean up Fantasy Fest. Party on people! Oh, and there were a lot of naked girls.

Monroe County has told many property owners they cannot use their property for what they want. They should tell Boca builders they bought a trailer park and they are lucky to continue as a trailer park--no houses, trailers only.

I would probably believe that until I saw for myself, fifteen years ago, when a huge ray jumped onto the bow of the boat with 4 kids sitting there. Well, they were not sitting long they scattered like rats.  It was scary, but then we had to laugh once everybody stopped crying!

Not your typical toilet paper fire.

Murray’s burger meat is also made of people. It’s the way we trim the herd here in Florida.

“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” ~Douglas Adams

Maybe someone has more information on this for me. Is the whole horseshoe closed to everyone, or is it just the area that they replaced the sea grass? If it's the whole thing, that sure sucks, where can I take my dogs now? And in the summer, I love to go sit out there with a book and relax.

I am appalled by people posting the Fantasy Fest party featuring a 21 year old virgin "losing it” on stage. You shouldn’t print stuff like that. (Please give us the place, date and time.)

At the next commissioners’ meeting with Boca Development in 2 weeks, Boca will say. “We have started the eviction process with the Seahorse, Deal or No Deal!”

Monroe county government does not have to permit houses in a trailer park. Keep the trailer park zoned for trailer only!

I'm voting for that guy who talks to God for county commissioner. It seems that he returns God’s messages which is more than you can say about the current County commissioner returning calls unless you are big developers. Even if Sloan is defeated it should send a message to our county commissioners that big time changes are needed. 

[voice an opinion on any subject, even politics] Yes, I too am thankful for Freedom of Speech and that’s the reason that I quickly told the boss that I would be voting any way that I personally choose and it is none of his business what or who I vote for; and he didn’t say another word.

Furthermore, it is downright harassment for an employer to imply a threat that I could lose my job if I don’t vote to his liking.  If you think otherwise then you are the one that is clueless! We are not in Iran or Iraq or are we?  They kill people over there if you don’t vote how they demand.  Maybe their beliefs are rubbing off on us?

[boats should be prohibited from running anywhere a poor fish might jump]  Come on, you are killing me with this one! Perhaps we should just keep the boats on the trailer, drive up and down US 1 and pull over and put a line out when we see something other than a ray, stand in the boat so it feels like we are actually on the water, and through our lines out!  Sorry for what happened to James, however, freaky things happen all the time--look at Steve Erwin's demise.

[Sting Rays are not known to jump] It must have used the boat ladder.

If you lived in Eden Pines and had 300 kids at your door from 4pm til the teenagers decide to quite around 10pm, you would dread Halloween as we all do .Why don't they go to Port Pine?

Being late or worse, no call, no show is unacceptable! You cannot run a restaurant with staff that decides, “I’m not going in today” for whatever reason. I owned a restaurant for 12 years and if one person decides not to go in it throws the whole thing down the tubes. Trust me I’ve been there.

This is truly magic, or I’m really dumb. milaadesign.com - website designer

I Love the Cracked Egg but Rickey can't sing and when they lose all their help and have to close. He won't be able to get a job as a singer. Ha.

To Boca Developers. Instead of throwing out 122 households into the streets         (these are the same people you appeared to care for 6 months ago) why don’t you offer everyone a financial incentive to move ($10,000-$15,000)? I realize this would cost you between ½ million and a million dollars. Only ½ the residents would probably take the offer. However, you could condense the remaining residents to the back ½ of the property and be able to develop the front half. You should build maybe 30-35 affordable units there. By now I’m sure you think I’m crazy, but by doing this you would prove to the people of Monroe county and the commissioners that you really do care. You would remove the image of being land grabbing , money hungry vultures .With your new image the people might begin to embrace your ideas of creating a beautiful waterfront community with public access to the water in Key Largo. Lets face it, that’s where the money’s at. You can’t build enough vacation homes on Big Pine to realize a profit on the $8,000,000 investment you’ve already made. I’m not against progress, but you shouldn’t be destroying so many families along the way. Become a new wave in the development world. Become the developer that people can trust and be proud to do business with.

Thanks, Editor, for sharing with everyone about the hateful poster and the fact that they write in as someone else.  I was one of the first ones to discover this entertaining website in 2003 and shared it with friends and neighbors, many of whom asked me if I wrote this or that nasty comment, when in actuality I didn't.  The hateful poster seemed to have banter back and forth with themselves.  Don't believe everything you read here or assume so-and-so wrote a specific piece.  They get thousands of hits a day and the mail is from all over and not limited to Big Pine Key.     

Kudos to the person who said that they do not eat in restaurants in the winter time because the northerners bring the colds and flu.  Not only that, they are loud and abusive and you have to listen to them discuss how much their houses are worth. We too stay away as much as we can, but we try to go early before they finish their martinis, just like the flea market.  Snowbirds on Sunday: 1. Go to breakfast, 2. Go to church, and 3. Go to the flea market. So we go real early. Oh by the way, they sometimes get the sequence mixed up because 3 is a big number.

[Hate Mongers]  Why are there so many unhappy and unbalanced people down here?  Many of them hardly leave their tiny, unkempt homes.  I have lived all over the country and have never seen a County so full of miserable and unhealthy people living in the prettiest place in the world.  I'm guessing they have severe personality disorders, need and don't take medication, drink / drug to excess and do not sleep well at night because they are toxic.  The negative poster person could try to enlighten us, but it seems like he is a full-throttle racists and psychopath.  

Seahorse now; next will be Lucky's Landing, The word is out that the owner of that park is teaming up with the folks that own Boondocks and they are going to do a deal with Lucky's Landing. Money is a funny thing.

I have a small business on Big Pine Key and it will hurt to see my customers leave. I just don’t see what can be done about it. I believe very strongly in property rights and the fact is that the owners of the land we are talking about have rights to do whatever the zoning will allow. I understand they are also working a deal to take the church land and the small building next to it. We all have a lot to think about.

Do you have any local handymen that have advertised in the past? I’m looking for a local handyman also.  yelene_garcia@admworld.com

“Michael J. Fox is faking.” What is wrong with Rush Limbaugh?  Maybe he thinks Christopher Reeve was faking too?

[Unedited II] Does anyone else think this guy is the author?

To the person who get fired from the Cracked [CENSORED] Egg: Congratulations you are no longer part of a restaurant that cares nothing about its employees (other than whether or not they will actually show up to keep money going into the register). Go get a case of beer and head out to the reef and celebrate! It's your opportunity to take your life to the next level up. You will do much better than that in your life. Screw any job that pays less than $10/ hr. Opportunities much better than that await you. Don't settle for exploitation. Settle for what works for you.
--bigpineartifacts@yahoo.com

One evening sitting on the boat tarpon fishing we were eating cold mangos.  Sitting with a light above us a large shadow came flying over us as we all hit the deck! Looking up you could see the shadow of a large Ray.  They free jump for sure!

[Thank God for George Bush and the Republicans for the highest Dow ever] Yeah, right.  The folks at Sea Horse really give a damn about how wonderful the Dow is thanks to the do nothing Republicans in local and state government.

Then there were the 2800 brave soldiers that Bush and Rummy sent over to Iraq to get killed for nothing. No armor for their vehicles, no bulletproof vests, no exit strategy, no plan on how to win the peace. And 600,000 Iraqis killed, some of them innocent civilians, due to "collateral damage". Are we more secure because of these sacrifices? Hell, no. Jihadists are running rampant around the world chomping at the bit to get a piece of us. North Korea is setting off nukes, with Iran sure to follow. Yeah , Bush is really on top of the international scene, right?

 We can't afford wind insurance, gas is 2.65 a gallon, we can't begin to afford health insurance, illegal immigrants are taking our jobs, and the corporations are shipping the remaining jobs to China as fast as they can; and all Bush can do is talk about building a 700 mile fence. What about the other 1500 miles, dummy? But listen, none of that means anything because the rich bastards on Wall St. are getting richer.  Man, I can't wait 'til the election so I can watch Bush and the Republicans get their butts kicked to kingdom come.     

Blue Heaven Restaurant in Bahama Village, Key West. I ate there yesterday at 5 p.m. in the outdoor garden area. I don't know if there are other areas in the restaurant where you can eat (I didn't walk around, but there seemed to be a second story area very near by).  Anyway, the food and service was great. All 3 of us were very pleased, although we were the only people in the place. The food was unbelievable. The black beans were even great, and I don't usually care for them. The only downside was the prices and the chickens all over the place. Quite pricey, I thought, and chickens were everywhere. If they ever get rid of the chickens, I might return.

To the person who said sting rays are not known to jump. I am sure you haven't spent much time on the water or you would have seen rays jump. It is certainly not unusual.

To the Bush lover who is in love with the market and worried about the democrats and taxes: When are we going to pay back our deficits?

Want to see some more sun? Palm Springs Weather Cam

The reason the Planning Board Commissioner walked into Winn Dixie and found so many cash registers empty is that, if you hadn’t noticed, across America everywhere, your check-out now is a do-it-yourself register.  We no longer need people to check out our groceries it is much quicker and easier to do it yourself.  Check out the stock Digital Angel where a shipment comes into Wal-Mart or Publix and it instantly gets put on inventory as soon as it comes thru the door because there is a chip in the box that the computer automatically reads.  Also, these computer friendly tags will soon be on the smallest shipment so all stores can automatically control their inventory.  Face it, the machines are quicker and more accurate than humans.  Join the 21st century. 

The latest breakthrough in this wonderful stock (ADSX applied digital) is a chip that has just been patented that diabetics can implant and can read their sugar level any time they want as the chip sends out the signal. They will soon have it so that if your sugar gets too high or too low alarm bells ring and remind you to do whatever you have to and you can correct the problem before you go into a coma.   RFID is here to stay so get on the bandwagon and appreciate the computers doing the work for us.

The fact that America tears down old and rebuilds with newer and better has been happening since we got out of the wagons. Don't get left behind in this booming economy, put the drugs and the booze down, get a trade, get more education and enjoy the ride.

This is very good anti-spyware. I have it scan my computer automatically every day at 2am. Download details: Windows® Defender The final version is now available for free.

Friday October 27, 2008

Thursday October 26, 2006

[12,129 at the Dow back to 2000 levels] What market were you trading on?  This is the highest the Dow has been--ever! Thank God for George Bush and the monetary policies he and his appointees have put in place; that have made it possible for everyone to benefit by trading on the various markets.  The Dow is the highest ever and if this hotter than ever economy is not touched by the tax and spend Democrats we could be heading for Dow 15,000 in the next few years.  Just vote the Democrats into power and watch prosperity vanish.  Remember if the rich do not make money then the trickle down shuts off the spigot and we go back to the usual jobless muck that the Democrats need so they can keep enough people down to get re-elected with all their empty promises.  Thank God for our system and the Republicans that allows it to work.

[Palm Beach County, whose Democratic voters' confusion over the "butterfly ballot"]  Wrong. We lived in Palm Beach County during that election; in fact, we lived in the precinct where it all started. Every voter received in the mail a copy of a sample butterfly ballot before the election. There were no complaints. The day after Gore lost, Democratic activists started calling their rank and file, telling them that they had just been duped by a bogus ballot. Many suckers believed the lie, and the media fell right in line, reporting it as fact. The fact is, they could count those ballots any way they wanted to, but the results would still be the same.

[Seahorse Trailer Park Eviction] At the October 18th Board of County Commissioners meeting, two items were on the agenda to: increase height and increase density. The purpose to allow this would be to build twice as much "affordable housing" and explained how crucial this was for the Keys as we are in a "crises".

One of the Planning Board Commissioners (PBC) came up to the podium to speak and expressed such sadness and despair as she described what it was like to walk into a Winn Dixie, and see so many cash registers empty.

She was sad because here was yet another business struggling to operate, because they cannot find enough workers who can afford to live here in the Keys. If only there were enough affordable housing, which we so desperately need, we might have those registers operating at full capacity.

Well Š.. guess what! We have a good number of those Winn Dixie workers living in the Seahorse Trailer Park, and guess what else? They just got their eviction notices Monday, October 23, and were told to leave by November 30th because the Boca Developers want to build!

Why would a PBC, say we need Winn Dixie Workers, when it was her vote assisting the Boca Developers to kick out the Winn Dixie Workers?
It all doesn't make sense: Tear down 139 existing homes and build 50 houses? Take away affordable housing and offer "not- affordable housing"?
Living in the Seahorse Trailer Park, is Mary, a woman who has Parkinson's disease, is disabled, owns a permanent trailer which is not mobile, has lived there for 12 years and has received eviction notice to move her and her trailer in one month's time. Mary has no idea of how she will move, where she will move to, how to afford the move, how this was all done legally, not only to her but all her neighbors. Yet another of Mary's concerns was paying her November rent, because the first of the month was coming up.

I think of the PBC who worries about the next time she walks into the Winn Dixie and realize Mary will not get help from this person (nor anyone from the PBC's). I sat at the BOCC meeting last week and realize, there will not be help there I see how these Developers operate and know there will be no help for Mary Š. So who's going to help Mary? Mary needs our help. She lives near us, or not far from us. Any of us could be next in Mary's shoes.

Another Trailer Park or Eminent Domain. This is happening now in front of us and close to our homes. It's time for all of us to fight together to protect each other from this corruption. If you care, you need to fight with us on this one. If you don't care, you need to wake up and get involved.

It's time. Contact Save the Rock Coalition at 296-3937. We have until November 30th!

Airbags

Since when do we need to hire someone to watch our homes during Fantasy Fest? What’s that all about? I’ve never heard of any problems caused by the Fest. Are you paranoid? This isn't Detroit.

[Fried Foods] I’ve also read that a good sense of humor will also help in living longer. Remember not every thing printed in K&W is the absolute truth, just darn close.

If there are folks who just can't make it down to Key West Friday night, Injade is playing at Looe Key Tiki Bar!

How many single family homes do you think can be built on the Seahorse property? Maybe 20. How much do you think they will get for them in the avenues in a flooded housing market where new modulars are down to $400,000. 20 X 40= $8 million. Okay say 40, 40x 40= 16 million.  They paid $8 million.  They still have to build them with a workforce they just evicted. The numbers do not crunch for a million dollar waterfront condo developer.

Clueless is the only word I can think of to describe the employee who thinks her boss was wrong for loudly voicing his opinion on politics at their workplace. Since when is there a special place where you can talk politics? Freedom of speech is one of our only freedoms Bush hasn’t diminished (so far).

It is time now to hold the line. Boca developers are evicting the trailer park residents (which is their right), but they have to rebuild there and they don’t want to. When we stop bending the rules that allows developers to transfer units miles away then they will stop forcing people out.

Force Boca to build where they bought, they own the property but not the development rights they want, they have already said they would sell rather then rebuild there Hmmm, I wonder why?

Skeleton dance.
Le squelette danse... Chez Maya !

The person hit by the sting ray in the boat was trying to get it out.  He was handling the ray so it was defective. (defensive)

[New York plates] Hey, hey, easy does it; not all New Yorkers are bad!

Regarding the comments about eating or not eating in restaurants that are only open in the Winter. My husband and I stay away from restaurants during the winter mostly because so many tourists decide to come down here sick as a dog. They spread it around in Winn Dixie and the post office and the local restaurants to the clerks and the servers and the chefs.  These folks can't afford to take sick days, so they work sick and then the customers get sick.  I can't tell you how many times I've seen a waitress with a runny nose and a cough serving food.  Ugh!

That interview gone wrong video was hilarious!  Interview gone wrong

The Sting Ray did not jump into the boat and stab the occupant.  The occupant was stabbed only when he carelessly tried to remove the Eagle Ray from the boat.  By the way Sting Rays are not known to jump.

To think that it is unethical or maybe even illegal for any one, even an employer to voice an opinion on any subject even politics, shows a complete lack of understanding of the first amendment.  That is why the ballots are cast in secret.  

[Dow over12,000 because of Bush] Only because big business and big oil want the Republicans to stay in power is why we are seeing lower gas prices and a stock market surging in the face of large war inspired deficits, major businesses struggling (Ford) and cutting work forces by 1000's, higher medical costs, higher college costs and stagnant wages. By December I expect to see gas prices rising and the market dropping if the Republicans win and vice versa if the Democrats win.

[Fired worker at the Cracked Egg Café] Someone taking responsibility for their actions--too cool and very mature.

This game is just like the Deal or No Deal on TV, but your the one that is involved.   http://www.joytube.com/bankers-deal/

[helicopter circling Big Pine] Creepy? That sounds like helicopter phobia to me.

The Coast Guard helicopter off Big Pine Tuesday was searching for a 55 year old windsurfer that was missing.  He was found 18 hours later, on his board, without the sail, tied to a lobster trap buoy.  What a lucky guy, it was cold on Tues night.

Live cams at the Texas Renaissance Festival, open only on weekends. MIL Camera 15-1 , MIL Camera 15-2 , MIL Camera 15-3 ,MIL Camera 15-4 , TRFCAM by MIL

The snow birds must be rolling in. I saw someone with more than three teeth yesterday.

Oh, crap!

[Seahorse] Before I even read BPK gossip column, I want to say that we need a full investigation into our County Government. My wife and I are very lucky to own our home. If we still had our illegal apartment downstairs, it would be open to someone from Seahorse Trailer Park (Wilma took care of that). Residents of Big Pine Key: We need to come together to help our friends who are not as fortunate as some of us. Does anybody have any Ideas?

To the former Cracked Egger, if I'm correct that is the second time you have posted a note here after getting fired.   Both very, very classy. You'll be missed. Best of luck to you. A fan.

I know who you are fired from the Cracked Egg. I hope you get hired back. You're service and attitude has always been great.

[When they (stingrays) jump into a boat and stab the occupant that gives the appearance of a deliberate attack.] This Spotted Eagle Ray (have you ever seen a Spotted Eagle?) didn't "jump into a boat and stab the occupant" it was free jumping, probably just enjoying itself, and the boat ran under it, forcing it to land in the boat. Unfortunately for both the ray and the poor guy it ended up in his lap and justifiably freaked out it stuck him.  If it had just landed somewhere in the boat the ray might have been put back in the water safely and no harm would have come to either. The ray is dead and James Bertakis is fighting for his life. I think we should restrict boats from running anywhere a poor fish might jump.

I just heard on US1 radio that Boca Developers took their deal to Monroe Co. off the table. They will build homes on their land. There will be no condos, but nice homes, most likely between 400 and 600 thousand bucks. Then they will move on. I don’t mean to sound rude but as a renter you have few rights in an RV park. Now there is a chance that there will be no lost cost; low cost meaning between 150 and 275 thousand bucks. Maybe the BOCC can kiss some butt and get something back. If I were the new owner I would not put up with Monroe County’s BS either. Build it, sell it, and move on. That sounds so hard because it is. Once again, I don’t mean to sound rude, but I think you would be wise to be making plans and stop hoping for something special to happen. Sorry, Seahorse has been there for a long time, so was Scotty’s and the Reef light and on and on it goes.

[Big Pine Halloween] Everybody in Big Pine goes to Eden Pines for Trick-or-Treating.  I took my children there last year and they had a blast.  There was the usual swarm of obnoxious teenagers doing their thing, but the experience felt very safe and pleasant, nonetheless.  You'll likely get ten similar responses.

Seahorse Trailer Park’s demise. That’s progress. Quit complaining. That’s what people on this website are always crying for--more development on Big Pine. Get rid of the old rundown stuff and build new shiny stuff. Isn’t that what you all want? No one will miss that scraggly run down place and those scraggly poor people. Let’s get some more snowbirds to buy second homes in its place.

(?) I was asking you to remove my ads that were in there. There were 2 in the wanted and 2 in the rooms for rent. 

I Have Something to Say! http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1006345591951

[Unedited II] to the person that said they had to read what i said 2 time. im sorry for the miss type or  in you word  go back  up north  and take all you bs  with u to the person that said  they can trow my stuff on the street come and do it and wach  what will happen becasue  i own the land and place  not sea side resort even  you and the hitler  park bord members can not touch my stuff because  you and thme  have no right  too this is america  not russia

To the Seahorse R/V Park people, good luck with your problem. I have a bigger one. I live at Seaside Resort in Big Coppitt and all the snow birds or back and the park is more like living in Russia. They think they can come on your property any time and use your waterfront parking space. I told them to stay off my property and they told me to go f myself.

If you're looking for something for kids to do for Halloween, take them to Children's Day in Bayview Park on Sunday.  Ed Swift and his partners at Historic Tours have been throwing this Halloween party for children for 25 years.  Just one of the many things they do for their community that you don't get to hear about.

[Fantasy Fest and Goombay time, has anyone see the health inspectors]  The question is why did you go to Goombay?  Obviously, you're the same nasty basher who has posted several times recently about how filthy it is, how stinky the food smells, how ugly the people are, yadda, yadda, yadda.  So why the hell did you keep going back? 

We go every year. It's a pretty nice little deal, nice contrast to Fantasy Fest, and fer chrssakes, since you feel that way about the food, just don't eat it.  What a concept, huh?  I think most of it is pretty good, but that's my opinion. (Ed; you’re right it is the same miserably negative poster as are most negative posts by this same hate monger. I shouldn’t print anything by him, but sometimes he says something intelligent. You wouldn’t believe the stuff we don’t print by him. I think he’s deranged. He even pretends to be other people sometimes.)

Helen and Ricky of the Cracked Egg must have a waiting list for employment at their place that they could afford to fire someone for being late. Suggestion to the ex-employee: Try Winn Dixie,  they are in need of help and the starting pay is not bad.

[Age appropriate activities] Vineyard Christian Center is doing something for the kids for Halloween, but I'm not sure what or when. You can call and find out. 872-3404

[Setting a bad example] This morning I was passed by an undercover police car near Stock Island. What was surprising was the car didn't slow down at all in the 45 mph sign. It was then I noticed three children in the back seat. I guess some parents are more concerned about getting the kids to school then being a good driver. 

To the person thanking Ed for not Editing. The guy learned how to turn on his computer. I think he's trying hard to communicate with us even if his wording in not correct. Anyway who the hell are you, Bill Gates?

Thursday October 26, 2006

Wednesday October 25, 2006

As a previously evicted tenant of Gulf Stream Park in Marathon (over 3 years ago)  I can tell you that if the Seahorse tenants are smart they will start getting ready to move right now, find a spot and secure it if you can.  Unmovable trailers will be offered a minimum buyout, and moveable ones will be given even less and a deadline to be gone.  At Gulf Stream the tenants attempted to put up a fight, based on a deceased tenants’ association, spent a lot of money, lost anyway, were all forced out, and then Gulf Stream sat as an empty gravel lot for 3 years.  Only now is development actually taking place.  And none of our fellow community members would back us.  It was our problem.  That's okay, with the insurance rates it looks like their day is coming too.

So from one who has been there, you are in charge of and responsible for your own existence. Don’t' sit and wait on “settlements”  there may not be any.  RV trailers are only required 30 days notice of removal, mobile homes require 6 months’ notice.  But people who buy the property have a right to do what they want with it, within the law and permits, and you have only the temporary rights your month to month rent allows. Those rights expire when the month is over.  Make the best move for yourself. Do it now before there is no place available to move to. Be in charge of your own destiny.

[Scorpions] Black one's can be pets. Red one's give sores and fever. Brown one's can make you real sick. White one's can kill you. Green ones are who you voted for in the last election.

[Concerning unedited from yesterday] This person obviously is trying to learn English and probably works very hard here. I understood what he was saying even though his spelling was way off. I hope things work out for the residents of  Seahorse.

[Regarding auto-gratuity] When my bank gives me 18% interest, then and only then will I pay a servant that. Why restaurants pay their help the way they do, is beyond me. They are a business like any shop or manufacturer and should pay a normal wage. Ban tipping!

I worked at the Cracked Egg Cafe for about a year an half now and I was the one who just got fired. I thank the person who is upset at them for them letting me go, but I have to say please quit bashing the Cracked Egg Cafe. Ricky an Helen are the best bosses I have ever had. I take full responsibility for my actions. I was late 2 days in a row and they had every reason for letting me go. I am not mad at them and I will continue to go and enjoy the wonderful food and service they have to offer. I will miss working there, but its all about business.  So good luck guys and thank you for having me.

Do not worry your little Piner head too much about Fantasy Fest being good. Last night’s Kinky Carnival  was great! And still to come is a party featuring a real 21 year old virgin deflowered on stage! KW will be just F.I.N.E. as always.

Hey Ed, thanks for not editing Tuesday's Seaside post.  I had to read it twice to understand what he was getting at.  Holy crap!  How does that guy know how to turn on his computer?

The smartest thing barracudas ever did was start that rumor about Ciguatera. Nice move!

You can't beat a burger made with fresh meat from Murray’s cooked on a charcoal grill.

[12,129 Dow Jones. We're back to where we were before the 2000 crash] Sorry, but we were never there, this is a new record thanks to Bush, the republicans and there tax cut policies.

[Stingrays never attack unprovoked, they only defend themselves]  Ok, I'll buy that, but when they jump into a boat and stab the occupant that gives the appearance of a deliberate attack.

I saw a car with New York plates on it yesterday. I guess it's time to go into the "self defense" mode. This means talking ten decibels louder than normal, letting no one into traffic, making no eye contact with anyone (especially at the Winn-Dixie), and bitching about everything.

Palm Beach County, whose Democratic voters' confusion over the "butterfly ballot" may have cost Al Gore the presidency in 2000, will now see if its Republicans will be confused by a state law that requires them to vote for their recently resigned congressman, Mark Foley, if they want to register votes for his Republican replacement.

Does anyone know of an age appropriate activity in Big Pine for Halloween? It’s for my 3 1/2 year old? There just doesn’t seem like anything out there in Big Pine for Children at Halloween.

I just think that having gratuity automatically added to a party of 2 or 4 is uncalled for. I usually leave 20% or more for my tip unless they have already added it to my small party.  I then do not leave a penny extra.  They usually have screwed themselves when they do that.  Watch out for that because more and more places are now adding tips automatically.  I have fallen for that and left a 20% or higher tip and found out later when really looking at my receipt that they already added the tip.  I thought no wonder why the waitress personally said, “hank you come back any time” when we left.

[Scorpions]  I live on Ramrod, and my husband saw the biggest one ever.  When he sprayed it with bug spray, 50 or more babies jumped off the big one.  I think the increase  in sightings is because it is breeding time.  Gross to think about, isn't it? 

The Seahorse people can do all they want and waste all the time, emotion and money they want, but the outcome will still be the same. They have to move. It is someone else’s property and they have no right to be there any longer. A sad fact. Face it. There is no hope for you under the circumstances.

Five Brothers has the best burger ever and really cheap. They are the best. Clean, kind and always good food. Daily specials are really good too.

Scooby Doo was right. “The only thing we have to worry about is greedy crooked real estate developers.”

TIP = To Insure Promptness.  Little Palm's tip is 18% and their service is superb.  Go from there.

If you are appalled by the eviction of 122 working families at Seahorse trailer park with no compensation package in 30 days by Boca Development because they did not get the any of the sweet back door deals they have been presenting the county contact our county commissioner George Nugent at 292-4512 before the next meeting in 2 weeks. The county has said that they can bend the rules for developers if it is in the Counties best interest. Condos/town homes pay more taxes than trailer parks (which pay for their future county retirement checks). Boca is playing their river card. Let’s fold. Let them do their 100 million dollar transfer deal and give the Seahorse to the county. You protect 122 working families’ (who work for your business and helps pays your mortgage) homes with the hiring of 1 manager on a property that makes $500,000 a year. We also get a bigger tax benefit where they build their waterfront condos rather than where they will build their " vacation" homes in the Avenues.

What’s going on with the large (Coast Guard or military?) helicopter circling Big Pine Tuesday at 9:35 p.m?  It did at least two slow, low sweeps of the east side of the island.  Pretty creepy.

I really think that it is unethical or maybe even borderline illegal for an employer to strongly voice his political preferences in a loud voice so that all of his employees will hear him in order to possibly sway their vote a certain way to protect their employment status in the future.  But, then again the boss was voicing his Republican opinion so why should I be surprised?

I don't know about their hamburgers, but if you stop by Annette's in Marathon try the Prime Rib Wrap with chipotle sauce. Yummy.

[Scorpions] The white colored types are more deadly than the black ones, pray that the white ones do not sting you, but both are deadly. On another note, my friend told me that the human kinds/types are also very dangerous and deadly.

It's not too late to hire a teenager for $10 an hour to watch your home during the Fantasy Fest activities. Or if you're an overly self-entitled cheapskate you can try to find someone to do it for free. 

I am the rude poster referred to yesterday.  Sorry I didn’t mean to get your panties in a bunch, but you are wrong. The new owners can build a gated community, singles family homes, but no condos. The numbers will work just fine, although not nearly as much as there first deal.  They will make a good buck and move on to do business elsewhere. Once again, I am sorry for sounding rude, but they own that land and they are not in the campground business. It is a big deal if you live there, but it’s just another deal to them. Get it? Make plans or have your things thrown in the street and maybe go to jail.

[cautious about eating at restaurants that are only open during the winter]  What an ignorant excuse for not eating at a place that simply cannot afford to lose money during the off season.  I suppose you don't eat at any sports complexes or National parks that close off season either. Just because you can afford to shovel money down the drain with no income doesn't mean hard working seasonal business owners can afford it too.

Check this out and show the kids. Don't trust anyone at Halloween. Witch's Brew - animated Flash ecard by Jacquie Lawson

Wednesday October 25, 2006

Tuesday October 24, 2006

I ran across this article about wind insurance for the state of Florida and I am appalled. It’s about what the insurance companies had to pay out in the 2005-2006 season and I realize they base there loses on one year collection of premiums to one years’ payout. I did not know that we had to fund there account each year. What happened to the money collected on all the years that we had few or no storms? Am I wrong or is this a rip off? Not only that, but they charge based on your mortgage or land value not what it cost to replace your home; and I believe that is criminal if not racketeering; and it is ok with our government. I don’t know about you, but adding $500 a month to what is already outrages mortgage rates is about to force me to lose my home and it seems that most of the people that live here in the Keys don’t care. I think that in the next 20 years the Keys will be owned by big developers turning our islands into fields of condos as far as the eye can see or maybe Disney will buy up every thing and make a theme park out of the Keys with a different ride on every island won’t that be nice?

Where are our leaders and what are they doing? Why can’t catastrophic insurance be spread over the whole of the United States to cover everybody? No mater where you live there is some sort of natural disasters that can damage or destroy your home and spreading the cost out helps everyone; after all, it is the United States not the Individual States. This one thing that is best done by the federal government not private companies with high profits goals and the need for high rise buildings in every big city. What we pay for 4 months of the war would have paid for all the storms we had in the last 4 years. Witch is more important? To me what is happening is more important then what could happen. We need to fix the bridge we are crossing instead of building a bridge to what may come.

[Scorpions] We’ve had them in the upstairs bedroom last week. They were the small light colored type not the large black scorpion.

A tip added to a bill at a restaurant is just that a tip. You have no obligation to pay the full amount just tip what you think is right

“You don't have to fool all the people all of the time; you just have to fool enough to get elected.” ~ Gerald Barzan

[Houston’s murder rate] It was Katrina not Wilma that hit New Orleans.  Wilma was here on October 24th.  Remember?  Now go puff another one.

Why I should double pay to eat is beyond me? Change the freaking laws so service personnel have a regular wage like the rest of us, or start tipping me, for my carpentry work!
Gratuity: www.encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/search.aspx?q=gratuity

Anyone ever notice how all these old guys that use fade cream look like ghosts? Booooooooooooo!

In order to defeat the Florida Hometown Democracy amendment if it is put on the ballot in 2008, the Florida Legislature and its big corporate buddies are proposing an amendment to restrict Floridians' right to amend the Florida Constitution!   VOTE NO on Amendment 3 on November 7th. The growth machine is terrified of Florida Hometown Democracy because it understands that with the passage of FHD its lock on land use will be broken.

Anyone knowledgeable about the marine environment knows, but for the rest of you: Stingrays never attack unprovoked, they only defend themselves. 

[Steak n Shake] We don’t get it. We’ve tried them in two states. They are just fast food, mediocre at best.

I am married to “Mr. Know It All from South Carolina” and trust me, he does think he knows everything. But the bitch is, we still can’t win at Trivia Pursuit!

Ok, midterm elections are two weeks out, I'm  sick and tired of political ads. For a good laugh check out the "Genius of George Bush" video http://mandm76.blogspot.com/  It’s the second one down.

[Unedited] to the guys  at sea horse camp ground. i know what u feel like i live at seaside resort in big coppitt where the park preses. stteals from the resendents n comes on other resende property any time n if he  does not get invited to any private party  he will call the sheriff on u because he was no invited

I ate at the Steak & Shake about a month ago. Their Cheeseburger sucked. It’s good if you like a lot of grease and want to die from a heart attack. I'll eat a cheeseburger from Big Pine Restaurant anytime.

Here is a way to solve the problems in Iraq.

They add gratuity because the snowbirds/tourists/foreigners couldn’t tip properly to save their ass. Some do, but only if they are in the business or so it seems.

Al Gore  believer.  All I can say is ha, ha!   Lies told long enough are the truth.

Columbus was not looking for the new world he found it by accident while looking for India to get the queens computer fixed.

The Seahorse residents are not out as a rude poster stated. This could be a bluff by Boca Developers to get concessions at the next commission meeting (if you don’t let us transfer x amount of million dollar ROGO credits to our waterfront property and take the Seahorse as a gift we will continue with the eviction process). The condo numbers don’t crunch as there is no market for condos in the land locked Avenues and if they did build 100 condos that were valued at $150,000 each (I figure that’s tops as you cannot sell a $250,000 condo in the Avenues) that’s just 15 million and they paid $8 million and still have to build them. Residents could stay till the bulldozers come and not pay rent and save this money for a move. And there still could be a compensation buyout for immovable trailers (older trailers, park models and mobile homes) to avoid negative publicity. 

All is not lost.  Come to the meeting at Seahorse office at 6:00 Friday to see big developers at work doing what they do best--getting rid of affordable housing to make affordable housing for more affluent people.

Ciguatera: I would love to here more on this as I just baited my crab traps with all the barracuda in my freezer. What a waste. I would much rather eat the barracuda. I have been for years, it's absolutely delicious.

The best burgers in the Keys are at Fish Cutters on Summerland.

R.I.P. Capt. Eddy. May the fishing be bountiful like the good ol' days up there?

Iguanas: Lets get the county involved. They can probably get rid of them for a few million dollars.

Fantasy Fest better be good this year or KW is dead for sure.

I never said I was going to live forever; nor do I want to, but I can guarantee I will live longer and healthier without all that fried crap in my body. 

Regarding the Iguana killing tips. I certainly enjoyed reading your post on different methods of killing Iguanas, rats, etc. You see, all my life I have been cursed with the knowledge of knowing that I was considerably behind most people in the brain department, in fact even though I have tried to keep this fact hidden from my neighbors and friends, it is still something I have had to live with. What a relief to read your post. I now know there is somebody stupider than me living in Monroe County. Thank you, thank you, thank you for lifting this heavy burden from my shoulders.

I would be real cautious about eating at restaurants that are only open during the winter months for various reasons.  They are obviously snow birds, no problem with that except that if you do enjoy it there, they leave and do not come back for another 6 months.  How about the cockroaches that roamed through the building all summer, on the dishes and pots and pans.  Was every piece of silverware washed?  There are lots of other questions of course, but i will leave it at that.

It doesn't matter whether the Detroit Tigers win the World Series or not.  The fine citizen's of that ghetto will burn and pillage the place regardless.  It's ingrained in their upbringing.

I ate at the new Cudjoe restaurant-Buon Appetito.  It was awesome.  The best Italian food I have had in the Keys.  The gnocchi special was fantastic.  The service was great and very attentive.  I actually tipped them extra (over the 16%).  I'll go back again and again.

Regarding auto-gratuity:  I believe the rule is that restaurants aren’t allowed to add gratuity automatically unless its a party of 6 or more... Once you have 6 or more people, some restaurant computers add 18% automatically, and if its not automatically added then the servers have the right to add it on themselves, whether service was good or bad.  But of course, you could always ask it to be taken off. My managers do it without hesitation if the complaint is reasonable enough.
P.S. There’s a new restaurant in Cudjoe Key?

Who's A Big Boy?  Nice cap.  It goes well with your chewing tobacco and body odor.  And it makes you look taller! 

Tuesday October 24, 2006

Monday October 23, 2006

Ciguatera; There has never been a documented case of ciguatera poisoning attributed to any predator reef fish (grouper as well as barracuda and others) taken in US territorial waters. Algae on coral eaten by fish works its way up the chain as a toxin that accumulates in the flesh of larger, older fish. That algae exists on reefs no closer to us than the US Virgin Islands.

When a number of diners from different restaurants all got food poisoning the same night, a Miami paper reported it had to be ciguatera from the Tortugas fish they all served. Weeks later in one paragraph on page 28 in section DD they reported it was actually a common dairy product, not fish, that caused the food poisoning. Stories like this create and foster this urban legend.

Stone crab claws should be kept cool, never iced, and requires immediate cooking. Black tip sharks are almost as good as Mako if you know how to keep shark meat edible. Barracudas must be gutted immediately, have no iodine smell and be packed completely in ice if you're going to eat it. Ignorance of these things can make you very ill or even kill you. Just don't blame it on ciguatera!

If you are feeding hummingbirds sugar water, boil it first. If you don’t it is toxic to them and will cause liver failure.

Al Gore isn’t “regurgitating what he has been fed.” Just because Republicans keep their heads in the sand (denying everything, but the sunrise) doesn’t mean that there isn’t scientific information available for any open-minded person to absorb. Yes, some of the information is foolish, but with such an overwhelming amount of evidence that this episode is different than any other warming cycle in our past; it leads most scientists to believe in global warming.

Injade performs at Parrotdise Waterfront Bar and Grille on Sunday, October 29th. Come to the Fantasy Fest hangover party on the beach which starts at 2pm.

[New restaurant on Cudjoe adds gratuity automatically] I don't eat anywhere they add the tip automatically.

One of the kids caught after hours at the Sugarloaf school who was a state witness in the Little Knockemdown arsons was killed while working illegally for his parents tree service. Of course they deny he was working for the company. And they are wasting loads of our tax dollars fighting the sheriffs’ office over the arrest. All the while his friends are just glad as hell he cannot testify at their trials. And that’s the saga of which kid was killed. Now if the parents would just leave the Keys, already, our little world would be a better place down here.

[Latin is the root of all languages] I don't think so! Ask a Chinese, or African, or Aborigine, or a Native American if Latin has anything to do with their language. I hate it when dummies generalize.

Tip Tap Toe Dance on Big Pine Key is a great place.  Miss Haley is really good and my kids have gone for about two years now.

The first year of marriage is the hardest because, unless you have been practicing before hand, it's tough to do it all day and night, and go to work too!

[$1 bounty for Iguana tail]  Right on!  I could have collected $17 in the past two weeks, but I guess that not having stepped in any iguana poop for awhile is payback enough.  Kudos to the guy who came up with the chipper idea.  It's much more efficient and cost effective, not to mention safer, than shooting pellets.   Now if you could just figure out how to outsource the job to India you could win an award from the Bush/business community.

Will Sloan’s Slot disappear now? This guy is a nutcase that should have been culled at birth!

It's Fantasy Fest and Goombay time, has anyone see the health inspectors?  I went to Goombay last night. Never again! One word describes it: Filth.  I have never seen Patronia Street so garbaged and crowded with nothing but gene pool rejects. It was disgusting. I hope Fantasy Fest is better or at least cleaner.

The Cardinals won the first game of the World Series. I hope Detroit loses the series, because the way those citizens celebrate is to riot. (Look how Detroiters celebrate Halloween—they burn down every house they can.)

Reasons to let a good person go: Always late, no call-no show, calls off at least one day a week, can’t work more than 3 or 4 days, has never worked a full 40 hr week, never know when their going to pull “no call--no show.”  A person that even asked to work extra then pulled a no call--no show. I would call this person unreliable.  How long is an employer supposed to put up with this? 1 week? 1 month? 1 year, or never?

Hello everyone! Come check out the new look of Bagel island now serving bagels, sandwiches, a full line of espresso drinks, Cuban coffees, smoothies, etc. We’re also looking for an AM bagel baker. Our current baker is moving to be with his grand children. Thanks for your patronage.

[Good employee fired] I was in the Brass Monkey and overheard some drunken loser telling his buddy how he was fired and what a good employee he was. Then he proceeded to tell his buddy all the things he did that could have gotten him fired. He thought it was all his boss’s fault because his boss was greedy and demanding. Where losers are concerned, it’s always someone else’s fault.

Every year of marriage is hard until that one day when you decide to “bite the bullet” or make her do it instead.

I’m late, I’m late for a very important date! If "one of the best severs" can’t get to work on time then he/she isn’t one of the best servers. I can’t understand why people expect praise or reward for showing up when scheduled, then cry a river when they don’t get praised.

CoCo's kitchen in Winn Dixie plaza on Big Pine has one of the best and cheapest cheeseburgers in the lower Keys at about three dollars.

The residents of the Seahorse Trailer Park were informed by Boca Development management Sunday that the article in the Citizen was wrong about evicting 22 residents. It was evicting all 122 residents which will get their 30 day eviction notice this Monday Oct 24.  They were also informed that there will be a meeting at Seahorse’s office for residents at 6:00 Friday.

This is it folks, Big Pine is about to loose one of 3 affordable trailer parks and the other 2 can't be far behind.  I'm sure they have already been approached and made offers. Where are the workers going to live?

I just voted four pages of my absentee ballot and it looks like us Democrats who would never ever vote for a Republican will vote for Sloan and not Rice.  This General election took more time than ever to vote, so be sure to take your time while voting on November 7th.  What’s funny is how many rich people vote poor and how many poor people vote rich.      

Are there any cavemen in heaven?

[Re: Sloan] Man, I wish I had dreams so direct and informative. If I listened to my dreams, I would have to play kickball with my deceased uncle, go back to work as a McDonald's fry cook (only now my shift manager is Christopher Walken) read a book report aloud in front of my 5th grade class while clad in my underwear, be caught in a shark-infested swimming pool, and attempt to make love to Carmen Electra as she swiftly morphs into Bea Arthur. After all that, who would have time for politics?

Well here we go again with the Sea Horse R.V Park BS again. For those of you who have not heard they are evicting all of us at the end of November. Boca Developer’s lawyers are sending out the evection notices by mail on Monday.  We will get them about Wednesday. What do they think we are all going to do down here? A lot of us are local workforce people. We have to stand up and fight this in every way we can. There will be a meeting at the park office on Friday at 6pm. Please every one be there; we have to try and fight to keep our homes. If we all stand up and sound our voice we might have a chance in numbers to make the heartless employees of Boca developers and the county commission listen to our side.

(Ed: I think this photo was sent in to show the photographer’s approval of White Castle Burgers. There was no message. Maybe he means they have the best cheeseburgers.)

I'm a local, he is a local, locals know were to eat. Local this, local that. We just lost a "real" local. Capt Eddy--now that was a local. I knew him when I was a kid and I am 56 now. There are a few that have been around longer and knew  more about this part of the Keys, but they were Indians. You sound so dumb when you term yourself a local. Show some respect.

Can anyone explain the recent explosion (at night) of scorpions on Key Deer Blvd and the roads in Port Pine Heights?

[Sloan’s Slot] I’m not sure what will happen after the election, because I haven't been told yet. I'm still on the ballot, is all I know. And I've been a writer for years, so I imagine I will continue writing. I really like the email method, and would like for it to continue. In a somewhat different vein, I have a novel coming out, which actually began writing itself in Key West, in late April 2001, but I didn't know it was doing that. It's mostly set in Birmingham and Apalachicola and Port St. Joe, and is, well, different. I suppose I soon will be telling folks about it, in case they want to order it from the publisher, which is not the kind of publisher that goes out hawking books to chain or even mom and pop bookstores, but at least they are publishing it on their and not my dime. I'll send you the "introduction," if you wish to see it, about as weird as the story itself, explains how the novel came to be, but nothing is given away about the plot.

If you then wish to see the proofs, I can do that by attachment. They read like a book, but you have to read it on you monitor screen. 222 pages, including some filler pages. I appreciate your encouragement, by the way, even though I was taught by the Admiral not to look to anyone's approval but the Admiral's. But then, the Admiral might like to use the Captain to pass along messages to the cook sometimes.

I truly feel for you guys at Sea Horse camp grounds, but you’re out. That’s it.  Gone, finished. BOCA will build whatever zoning will allow. You are out, get it--out. Start making plans. Law enforcement will throw you stuff into the street. No joke. Boca is not in the camp ground business. If, by chance they can’t do what they planned to do, they will do what the law will allow and that doesn’t include you. I am sorry, I have lived here all my life, raised my kids here and I am not sure if I can stay, and I own my home (me and the bank). Taxes and insurance will make it hard to stay. Things are changing and we are the change. Please believe me, I feel your pain, but your out and if you cause a fuss you may be in jail.

Some sweaty things just naturally need petting.

Monday October 23, 2006

Sunday October 22, 2006

Even though I believe history will show that this war is the most ill-conceived and executed wars in history; Bush will have to stay the course, or like his father, “No new taxes” Senior, it’ll be another Bush who doesn’t keep his word. So at the expense of our soldiers he’ll stay longer than necessary (Just like Johnson did in Vietnam when he knew that we couldn’t win.)

Friday Bush even admitted that things weren’t going well. I can’t wait to hear what the Sunday morning spin doctors are going to say. How many more Americans will Bush kill before he finally orders our brave soldiers home and abandons Iraq to its fate.

Aunt Arctica would be a good name for frozen foods.

I don’t know who to vote for to represent the Keys. I don’t remember Saunders doing anything for us when he was in Tallahassee the last time. If I remember rightly, he even moved up there and left the Keys. And Rice doesn’t impress me. I wonder what he’s really thinking. I met him once briefly and I didn’t feel I was appreciated.

This is something I have never seen before, or ever even heard of. This lady lives in a Hummingbird fly zone. As they migrated, about 20 of them were in her yard. Just for a lark, she took the little red dish and filled it with sugar water and this is the result.

To Mr. know it all in south Carolina, frying iguanas does not eliminate the problem

First of all let me say I am in no way affiliated with the Key Deer Bar and Grill.  I have been a long time customer to their lunch specials.  About 2 months ago I decided to go on a diet, not because of them but because of my own eating habits.  One day I called to order a lunch special and was asked why I didn’t order as much.  I told them it was because I started a diet and I would order more if they offered something healthier.  Sure enough Capt. Dan came through and started adding at least one item on the lunch special that I can eat without the guilt.  The lunch specials are awesome!  Thank you very much. You have a long time customer in me.

There's a benefit for Zanny meeting on  Tuesday Oct 24 from1-1:45pm at Coconuts. Everyone is welcome to come.

[wouldn't ride on the school buses because of all the drugs and other nasty happenings]  That's the norm, not an exception.  I learned all the swear words I've ever heard on the school bus in grade school.  The bus driver once saved my life when an older kid strangled me unconscious.  That was in rural Iowa in the 60's.  People who think buses and schools are safe have been kidding themselves for decades.

[iguanas in chipper]  I'm the "whiney ass", and no, I'm not a "tree hugger" getting into your crab traps, I don't destroy others livelihoods.  Those of you name callers have missed my point (I shouldn't be surprised at that, given the obvious).  It’s the cruelty of the act.  If that makes me a whiney ass, so be it.   Others who disagree with me are the sick ones, and the ones with the problem.  People and animals are not meant to be tortured--get it?  As far as other animals being ground up in the same way for "my" food, don't go down that road, I don't eat or wear animals which, by the way, is not a defense to the original sick post.  And, no I do not consider all people who aren't vegetarians sick people either, ok?  Further, last I heard, I don't recall cows going through chippers live.  Again, those who will disagree with me, will disagree. 

I don't think my beliefs would cause me to be arrested and charged with animal cruelty, while on the other hand you now seem to have quite a few people who are quite interested in who you are.  Oh, by the way, that was quite impressive saying how I wet the bed and am from NJ.  You must've spent hours and dug deep to come up with that gem.   You may post back, you may not, regardless I won't waste anymore of my time or energy on your sick little freakfest.

Oh, yeah.  Steak n Shake is the best!

[email from a friend who often gets duped into sending emails about some hoax or other]  Count your blessings.  My mom sends me those daily.  I look up the true story on Snopes.com and send her the facts and in return I get a lecture about disillusioning her.  She'd rather believe the lie.  I hope I don't grow into that attitude.

For all of you iguana hugging, lizard lovers out there read the following for a peek at the future of Big Pine and the Keys. 

“Boca Grande, a resort community on Florida's Gulf Coast has been overrun for the past three decades by the spiny-tailed, nonnative lizards that demolish gardens, nest in attics and weaken beach dunes with burrows. Last month, Lee County commissioners agreed to create a special tax for Boca Grande to cover costs of studying the infestation on the barrier island of Gasparilla, where scientists estimate there are up to 12,000 iguanas on the loose, more than 10 for every year-round resident.”

Imagine how many lizards will be here on Big Pine in a few more years.  We’ll be swimming in lizard shit.  We need a bounty now.  About a dollar for every lizard tail brought in.  Bounties have worked many times before for predators and pests and will work again. 

Hi I am Malcolm Davies. I used to visit Ramrod Key back in 1987/92 where I  had a lot of friends, but most of them have either moved away or died.  Do you know if there is any of them sill living there? They are Joe Lanham who lived on a boat, Irv and Keila Martin, Bill & Margi Logan. I think they might have moved up north to NC, I am not sure. Anyway if you know of anyone who would like to contact me I would be please to receive their views. --malcolm Davies [malkied@blueyonder.co.uk]

[“Sting rays were attacking because of global warming” “How do these global warming freaks explain the glacier melt back in the 1400's?”]  They don’t because they can’t.  They simply ignore any fact that conflicts with their own agenda.  They just go on howling and ranting about it to win elections as though they themselves have the power to control naturally occurring global weather cycles that take tens of thousands of years.  If you listen to a screwball like Al Gore, and I mean really listen, he’s just regurgitating what he has been fed. 

[African-American Sidewalk, Iguana grinder, White TV vs Black TV] You go Ed, good example of the minds in the community,  and no, I ain’t wound up tight. Happy Halloween to you. Enjoy the crocs.

What kid died?  I didn't hear of a young person in the Keys dying recently. It's been mentioned on this site a few times, but without saying a name.  Who was he, how old was he and how did he die?

New restaurant on Cudjoe adds 16% (not 15%?) gratuity automatically. I don’t like the sound of that. What if you get below par or bad service?

If pot is good for Alzheimer’s disease, how come every time I get stoned I forget things?

Why should we vote on topics permitted? Do you think you created this web site? If you don't like it don't read it.

We used to have black and white TV!

I wonder why all the employers complain about not having enough employees then let one of the best servers go, but have no respect for their customers or employees when they close on a whim because they do not feel like opening? It looks as if the Cracked Egg is Broken and it is the Coffee Shop for me.

For gymnastics you can call Miss Jan at Jans Mobile Gym 872-1263.  She’s the founder of Island Gymnastics with 25 years experience.

[first year of marriage is the hardest; or is that a myth] It's a myth!

…and da horse he rode in on!

Yum, I love people burgers.

[Fried foods are gross] Oh Please! Enjoy life you are not going to live forever. Get a bag of Pork Rinds (fried pig skin) or some Chitlens (fried pig intestines) Or really live and get some fried shrimp!

It looks like BOCA is trying to get support by sending us eviction notices. Since they own the property I’m sure they are within their rights to do so, however I think they should at least give us a chance by making the final date April 30,2007. By then the holidays would be over, and the tourist season would be done. This would give some of us an opportunity to possibly find a suitable and affordable place to move to. It will take them that long to obtain the permits needed to build anything on this land. I urge you not to cave in by letting them transfer building rights. Let them suffer with a large empty parcel of land with no income for them. There must be a legal way to postpone the final moving date for 6 months. Personally I plan to refuse to move until April 30. They will have to use legal force to move me.

Billiards & Domino - Yahoo! Video (Ed: Our tester gave up waiting for this to load, so we never got to preview it.)

[Marathon Youth Football] I'm willing to listen to your side.  According to the coach that you played against you had more than a few over aged players on your team.  He also stated that tour team was consistently losing and these players were not on your roster the week before.  I know that some coaches will talk each other down, so here's your chance to respond.

I also admire your #15 and hope that he never gives up his drive and determination to become a better athlete.  You however must remember that the reason the league is divided into different age groups is to protect the kids.  An athlete that is older and more muscularly developed than other kids his own age could unintentionally hurt a younger and weaker player by playing in a younger division.      

If you like great classic rock music, especially by Pink Floyd or the Moody Blues, etc., come to the Dockside Lounge on Boot Key Harbor any Friday night. The band made up of John Bartus, Dave Howell and Glenn Faast is the best you'll hear in the Keys.

Why is the Sheriff patrolling the swimming hole?  Is he going to make a bust if someone doesn't pick-up their dog crap?  Our tax dollars would be better spent getting the drunks and speeders off the roads and stopping the corruption of our government, county workers and code enforcement folks.  Why is he back there watching people play with their dogs? 

Steak -n- Shake is really good!  Too bad it's so far away and there's only generic hamburgers down here.

Isn't it funny how locals do not eat at certain places which are over-priced with lousy food and lousy wine lists?  We know good joints and they're not run by teenage wasteland. 

[Sloan’s Slot] Dear Key West Citizen, Your October 19th endorsement of George Neugent for county commissioner gave him credit he is due for faithfully and diligently serving eight years in a thankless job only a lunatic or someone who truly loves the Keys would take on.

About me, George's opponent, you said, among other things:

"He claims to receive direction — including his candidacy for this office — in dreams, and his recommendations for relieving a shortage of work-force housing includes encouraging residents to rent out rooms in their homes. But Bashinsky also has initiated more cogent discussions about issues and the Keys' political landscape."

Yet if people rented out spare rooms in their homes Keys-wide, there would be no workforce housing shortage or need to build 5,000 new affordable workforce housing units, and the Keys could stay pretty much like they are right now.

Throughout the night before last Wednesday's County Commission meeting in Key West, I was told in dreams to come out of the political battle generally. So I cancelled my plans to attend the county commission meeting and played bridge in Marathon with my regular Wednesday bridge partner, a delightful ninety-year-old Englishwoman, who recently suffered a mild stroke. We cut up something awful, speak correct English when necessary (four-lettered), and always leave the bridge club in good spirits, even if we don't place well. We came in 2nd Wednesday.

A number of people have said they voted for me already, and others say they will vote for me. I told them all that they will pay for it, if I get elected and a recount fails to get me unelected and my ensuing attempts to kill myself also fail. The way they will pay, I tell them, is by getting to answer all the office phone calls and letters and emails, and attending all the ribbon cuttings and christenings and award-giving ceremonies, and sitting in my seat during the early parts of county commission meetings, when civic activities occur.

A number of other people said they like what I say and would vote for me if really wanted to be a county commissioner. I replied what does it matter who is in office, if what I say, which they like, is put into effect?

Yet if elected, I will approach my duties in the same serious and sometimes irreverent way that I approached the campaign up until last Wednesday's County Commission meeting. I will do it because I am convinced it if God's will for me, and because the Keys are my home. I love them so much that I often weep, and am weeping now.

I truly hope this is the last public email I will send out concerning Keys issues prior to the election.

Happy Birthday to the nicest guy I know, Chris Decker of Cudjoe Sales. You Rock!

Sunday October 22, 2006

Saturday October 21, 2006

[Problem with adopted kids]  Why do so many people go to other countries to adopt? Perhaps it is all the bureaucracy we, as Americans, have to submit to in order to adopt a child here.  There are so many children in this country unfortunate to have been born at the wrong time, wrong place, wrong people, that should be available, but the process to adopt them is way beyond what most people will subject themselves to.  In other countries, you can have your pick of children. Hell, you can even bid on them! Some things are just not right.

[Latin in school] I know the value of Latin, but my point was that it was wasted on seven year olds. So was reading Shakespeare until college age.

Is a poverty stricken African kid less than human or something? Is he not deserving because he is a poverty stricken African kid? Does a poverty stricken African kid not deserve to be loved because he is a poverty stricken African kid? I also have an adopted child that was a poverty stricken African kid you idiot!

[The vile post about putting a live animal through a wood chipper] Granted it wasn't necessary to write this, but they do the same thing to animals for your food. Enjoy your veal cutlet, your eggs, your stake, your baby fishes, and get real!  How about the meat grinder we send our troops into? I think the wood chipper thing might have been a take-off from the movie, Fargo where they ground up a body in one.

We are having a benefit for Zanny, Saturday November 4th, 12 – 6pm at Coconuts. We are looking for some warm bodies to help. Set up and clean up, baked goods, advertisement and donations of any kind. We are dusting off our super capes and getting our groups together. All you folks that care about Zanny, now is the time! Anyone Interested in helping our Zanny in any way please e-mail me  michelledravis@comcast.net  

Iguanas or no iguanas, that guy’s yard pictured here yesterday was awesome. There are some truly great landscapers here. Congratulations.

[Attention IKC members] Sometime next year, if all goes well, Brett Holm of Chaska, Minn. will begin selling his Season Shot, an improvement over current shotgun shells because its pellets dissolve on contact in the game meat and, more importantly, automatically flavor it for cooking. Holm told the Chanhassen (Minn.) Villager newspaper in August that he will initially offer lemon pepper, mesquite, Mexican, and Creole flavors, but he said, “Chemists are at work right now to expand the selection.”

Love the Keys entertainment thingy. Bulletin Board

Big Pine is too small to support a bakery, a big box home supply company, a police or fire department. Hardly a single grocery store. At least we have a prison. What does that tell you?

In response to kid in nun school. Latin is the root of all languages.  It is also a discipline to learn any new language.  You've used the skills obtained in those 2 years all your life almost everyday whether to decipher the meaning of a word that you were unfamiliar with or to learn any new skill. Education is never a waste of time. Go hug a nun!

The Orionid meteor shower will peak before dawn Oct. 20-24, producing about 20 meteors per hour. To view them, find a dark spot with an open view of the sky. Watch in whatever direction the sky is darkest since artificial light will diminish visibility of these faint meteors.

I swear I actually heard some nut on TV say that the sting rays were attacking because of global warming which we all know is the fault of hard working Americans spending their money of fancy SUV's and living well.  Global warming is a bunch of hooey and hurricanes are cyclical; and watch out for next year cause they may come back!  How do these global warming freaks explain the glacier melt back in the 1400's?  I guess Columbus was smoking his pipe too much on the voyage over here?  Meanwhile, to heck with all of them I still mean to live well.

Any Entertainment Section that does not include the Green Parrot’s acts is total garbage. Everyone who lived here more than a week knows the Parrot has the best music in the Keys. And it’s always for free. Hell, they do not even make you buy a drink.

[Or was it African-American Sidewalks]  I suppose it would depend on what color the sidewalks are.

Cute. BlueMountain.com

Why didn’t put this in the gossip column? They are perpetuating a lie. It is not fair. Here it is again. OK, I took out the last sentence.

[Marathon Youth Football] I am not sure what High school football players you are talking about. But if it was #15. He is 12 years old. He is in the seventh grade. Seventh graders who are twelve years old were supposed to be able to play because there was no other league to play in. There are many playing now who fit in this category. But the truth is you are only allowed to play if you are anemic from sitting around watching Sponge Bob sucking on sodas and inhaling second hand smoke from your cry baby parents.

You see 12 year old #15 running five miles everyday with the varsity track team would come home dress out practice football with his team and then come home and run another 3 miles. He is driven to be the best. That is why almost every time he had the football he would score. That is why he scored more goals playing in line hockey than all the other players in the league combined. Instead of acknowledging what a privilege is to play against a potential world class athlete. You whine and cry. Take your team and go home. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Yes #15 was kicked off the team for being the best he can be. Key West, you are a pitiful bunch. Marathon youth should be proud of themselves.

Thanks for the review of Buon Appetito, the new Italian Restaurant in Cudjoe. Everything they said was true. It is a great Restaurant and they'll be busy all season long.  Reservations are recommended 745.1711 and they add 16% gratuity in case you want to leave more because it is top-notch service, fabulous food and ambiance.  Tableside prep is an added bonus as is a good wine list with reputable names.  They are perfectionists and even the spotless comfort stations had fresh flowers.  Be prepared to wait or get there early because they will be jamming.   

Today is me and my husband's 1st anniversary! I can't believe it's been a year already. Don't they say that the first year of marriage is the hardest? Or is that a myth?

More Than 4 is booking gigs for the season. You may have seen and heard us at the FIRM fund raiser or the Tiki Bar or Big Pine Fishing Lodge. Now’s the time to give us a call for you holiday party's. Joe 872-3118 or we book thru Coconuts on Big Pine Key. 872-3795.

Good war games test, especially the Political Leadership Game

You can't eat any Barracuda anywhere in the world if there is a reef system that they live around, that is where they pick up the natural toxins from the other fish that they eat.  And fried chicken is gross, most fried things are.

Friday happy hour is the best. I usually don’t stay for the guitar player, but I had to last night. This guy at the Tiki Bar was so plugged in I was wowed. Usually I go home after happy hour and jam on the electric guitar. I’ve been doing this for a lot of years. This guy did two little finger tricks that produced interesting sounds, He had just a little more imagination then the rest. Real cool.  I went home and couldn’t touch the guitar, so I cooked Shake ‘n Bake pork chops instead.

Steak and Shake?  You can't be serious.  I really truly feel sorry for you, it's a shame.

Lost Cargo Trading Post ad in the lower right of the page:  What the heck is “comming soon"?  What is a “comming?”  Did I miss others' comments?  (Ed: Our graphics department can art, but they can’t spell.)

MileMarker 24 is playing Tuesday, October 24th. We’ve got one exciting gig in the making! We’re working together with the Key West Westin Resort (formerly the Hilton) and we’re throwing an all out Fantasy Fest Concert party event on the beautiful Westin Pier.

Why don't my emails ever show up on the site?  I have Kudos and Whiners in the subject.

[Best Cheeseburger] BO's Key West and best fish sandwich.  Gosh I'm dying for Stone Crabs, I need a new engine quick! 

Dear Ed, Can we have some sort of collective vote on nixing the truly disgusting Iguana posts?

As I stated on Thursday, those kids were caught on the school roof at night.  I'm not sure what your definition of probable cause is, but actually being caught seems to be "beyond a reasonable doubt" to me.  It sounds like you are the one who needs to read up on your procedures.  By the way, do not believe everything you read in the Blue Paper.  It's obvious the editor and writers have a beef with certain people and they are using their First Amendment rights to spread hate and discontent.  And to answer your other question, the charges have been dropped on the main suspect because he is deceased.  From what I understand, they also found evidence against him on Knockemdown Key tying him to the crime.

[Ronin] No matter which definition you read, they all mean loser. Think about it!

If Baseball is America's favorite spectator sport, how come so few Americans play it?

[Nigerian general needs your help] I recently received an email from a friend who often gets duped into sending emails about some hoax or other (you know, the ones that urge you to "send this to everyone you know"). I wish she would go to snopes.com and check these things out before she wasted my and her own and everyone else in her address book's time. Although she has a heart of gold, I usually don't even open up her emails anymore because they are just a waste of time.

Iguana Chipper? Where can you buy one? I can use it for making chum.

[Re: Ed's Response]  "'You go Ed." Keep up the great post.

I was talking to a neighbor’s kid and was amazed to hear she wouldn't ride on the school buses because of all the drugs and other nasty happenings. What the hell's going on with this school district?

The Marriot Courtyard I stayed at last week on a mainland trip had a sign on the back of the door that said they would charge $250 to clean up a room after you smoked in it.

Dear Big Pine and Lower Keys. One of our own has fallen prey to cancer. Her name is Zanny. This is her fifth go round of trying to conquer this horrible disease. She has no alternative than to have an experimental drug to combat what chemo and radiation could not do. She is perhaps the strongest woman that I have ever come across. Her will to live is incredible. She is so young and beautiful. Her spirit is incredible and anyone that has met her; she has touched.

We, the people that love her, are throwing a benefit for her to help with the cost of all of her and Will's medical cost's. It would be so appreciated if you want to help in any way with making this a huge success. The benefit will be November 4th 12:00 - 6:00 pm. We will have all the food, drinks, and music to enjoy. We will also be having babysitting at the charter school for the kids. If anyone wants to volunteer please email me at jcalhoun65@yahoo.com. Please put subject Zanny. Bulletin Board

As soon as a psychic wins the lotto I’m going to one!

Great entertainment list, but type of music or a phone number would help.

[White TV vs Black TV]  One could look at this as only fair.

Today I caught a school dolphin with gross tumors all over one side. Has anyone else seen dolphin similarly affected?

[Bad kids] I said I wouldn't bad mouth the kid who died.  And, I'll stick to that.  But, what exactly is it you're getting at?  If the kids were held in a detention facility, there had to be a minimum of probable cause.  You don't just get arrested for nothing.  In order to be booked into a jail, there has to be charges, which means probable cause had to exist.  I know what story you're talking about and you were right about one thing.  It was very misleading and untruthful.  In some cases, you have to really consider the source.  Trust me, I knew those kids; there was no misconduct or procedure violations.

I know the secret to Five Brothers’ hamburgers. There made of people. People! 

The whiney-sissy-ass is probably the tree hugger that's getting into the crab traps again.

[situation in Iraq. Deciphering the code: we’re getting our asses licked] Ahh, those Shitee little Sunnis.  Maybe the Muslims are good for something after all.  I don't know if the average GI likes it too much, but it's probably better than no sex at all.

With all the new people trying to get into office, I hope they don't elect a new Sheriff named Omar!

I want to wish the following people a wonderful day:  Steve Miller and the kids, Thekla Gorman, Captain Markus, Lisa Johnson, Scott Wade and his kids, and Garrett Johnson, Cappy Kauffman, Crystal Phinney, Deb Wright, John & the kids.  From Julie and Dalton in Lake Stevens Washington.  We miss you guys.

Saturday October 21, 2006

Friday October 20, 2006

Nice that we got help from these Habitat people, but as I remember it they were passing out flyers and answering phones, etc. The fact is the sewer was being pumped out every day as these motor homes were dumping into the Habitat system. The county had no right to slip the permitted R/V spaces in. Not once caring how the residents felt. Using the cleanup after Wilma as an opportunity to shut everyone up. In the real world (Key West) that would never have happened. It was planed out by Habitat to happen that way. So, yes, all these older retirees get to come here and stay for weeks for free, answer phones and work in the store. Most of them know each other from other places they have spent winters before. Pretty smart retirement program. We who live in BPK are expected not to dare say a word as they are people coming to help us. I think it would be a good idea if they had a “work board of miracles” posted out side the Habitat and list the jobs they did and are doing. What volunteers they need and so on. That  way the whole community is enlightened and can give a hand as well. I didn't one or two that was able to go out and work in the heat and swing a hammer. It is a good thing to lend a hand to help someone, but its the ones that are helping themselves along the way that kills me. I have a notion this winter is going to get a little crowed with care-a-vanners. The Keys have become the new place to help out.  Average age 70.

One of those arrested kids has since passed.  So, out of respect, I will not bad mouth him.  But, I have a question.  Are the cops not supposed to arrest juvenile criminals?

I challenge the low life scum that posted the disgusting post the other day about running live creatures (iguanas) through a wood chipper.  Please post your name and address. I would like to come "visit" you.  This is another argument for why many of us feel that posts like this should have their email address posted.  What a coward.

That was a nice response from the Habitat people, but having some college kids doing work for credits is a far reach from old people getting a free vacation in the Keys for doing nothing. Don’t tell me you needed all those old folks to answer the phone. I see this whole R/V park thing as a scam and diminishes Habitat’s credibility. Locals resent it. We don’t appreciate being helped by people that aren’t even helping. I didn’t see any of those old folks carrying a chain saw or clearing debris—that’s help.

[Best cheeseburger] Five Brothers. They put something on it that really brings out the flavor. And they’re cheap.

[Sea Dell Motel] You stayed in a non-smoking room. That’s why you were fined for screwing up the smell of the room for us non-smokers whose noses still work.

I'm not writing this to be printed; it would only make the iguana sickos happy, but I will no longer be checking in here every day even though I very much enjoy your site. Today's vile post about putting a live animal through a wood chipper (whether true or not) is just a bit over the top for me.

I do belong to other message boards and most have some rules about posts that are just in too bad taste or attack other people or advocate illegal activities (such as animal abuse). Those posts are deleted quickly.

It's your site and yours to run as you see fit. I think you do a good job in keeping most of the whackos in line. And hey, I got nothing against whackos! Most of my friends are whackos. But to read about someone killing animals in the most vicious way possible is just not something I need in my day.

A friend of mine turned me onto your site and I will tell her to let me know if things improve in the animal cruelty department. Surely such a nasty post should have its writer's email posted?

Thanks for the fun posts that you do have and for having such a nice site. (Ed: Aren’t you wound a little too tight? I even cautioned readers by putting a warning and four x’s in front of the tongue-in-cheek post. Did you read it because you thought it was pornography which would have been ok?)

I’m a sidewalk and I resent someone calling me colored.

What you said about eating barracuda is right on. A whole Piner neighborhood got ciguatera from a huge smoked Amberjack back in the 80's. Some serious symptoms and permanent  liver damage resulted. Any ciguatera prone fish should be avoided.

Also don't drive a boat, as a ray may jump into your face and sting you in the heart. 

[with a towel wrapped around him] Was it around his waist or his head? It matters.

[On eating barracuda] It’s not the mercury; it’s the toxins from the algae that the smaller fish eat from the reefs. No doubt caused by the wonderful sewer system y’all have. Hell even here in South Carolina we know about the toxins. Besides we deep fry every thing it taste like chicken.

I can’t wait to dance the Iguana Squat at the new tiki bar.

I know one individual that owns a camp on Knockemdown Key. I believe the parents should have gotten in trouble with the law for negligence. The parents are just as much at fault as the children. I do believe the kids may have gotten what they deserved, but we live in a procedure driven society like it or not. Our justice system runs on procedures.

Can someone tell me what crime they were charged with and when they appeared in court and what their sentence was?  I have no idea who these people are besides what I read in a possibly misleading article. I can tell one thing about everyone who posted, none of you know what Probable Cause means. And I’m not going to tell you, you are going to have to look up the legal definition and learn something for yourself.

Why is it okay for a certain race to have their own television network?  BET?  Come on, give me some legit reasons.  It's racist.  This is not coming from a racist.  What about WET? What do you think would happen?  Equal is equal. How come black comedians can make fun of white people in every act they perform, but white’s can’t make fun of them at all?

Last week's order from the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) allowing  Florida Peninsula Insurance (FPI) customers who are paying a premium based  on an unapproved rate to switch back to Citizens Property Insurance  Corporation (CPIC) may have left consumers with many questions. Based on communications this afternoon with OIR and attorney Tim Volpe (who represented Monroe County in the filing regarding CPIC rates), FIRM urges consumers to postpone a decision regarding whether or not to make the  switch.

A further order from OIR will be issued within a week that will clarify the options available to FPI customers.

There have been a few complaints about the Whiners out numbering the Kudos on this site so I thought you might like to see these Kudus. Please no hunting. PS. Ed don't complain about, or change, my spelling of Kudus. The Title of your page has "Kudoes". Is that a take off on "Doe a deer...." (Ed: we never gnu we had it spelled wrong.)

I am looking for an honest and competent rental company to lease my house on Big Pine. Recently someone talked about an unscrupulous company (which I would like to avoid) Any recommendations on who to use and not use?

What happened to CrossBones?  I haven't read anything bad about the place.  Are they closed or something?

Psychics should be licensed. We could give them the regular DMV test, only with silver dollars and pizza dough over their eyes. If you can parallel park like that, you're a psychic. ~Jerry Seinfeld

If you're so pro-life, don't lock arms and block medical clinics; lock arms and block cemeteries. Let's see how committed you are to this premise. ~Bill Hicks

A prisoner escaped using a fake gun made of paper. He was captured while frantically trying to fold a getaway car. ~Craig Kilborn

George W. Bush. A black C-student can't even manage a Burger King. A white C-student just happened to become the President of the United States of America. ~Chris Rock

I think President Clinton misunderstood the role as President, which is to screw the country as a whole, not individually. ~Betsy Salkind

I lived at home until I was twenty-four. I was trying to find myself. Then one day, boom! I found myself... out in the front yard with all my sh*t. ~Jeff Jena

I don't have any material about the war or anything like that... because guess what, hippies? We f*ckin' won! Yeah! We went in there and we met our stated objective to... Uh, hang on, we went in to go -- uh, liberate the... Hang on, no. Here's why we went. We went to get the, uh... to strike a thing, uh... WE F*CKING WON, OKAY? ~Patton Oswalt

I went to Dunkin Donuts the other day and the guy there didn't speak English. Like, no words. And it's like, I'm all for the melting pot theory, but if I lived in Portugal and I worked at 'Dunkino Donutos', I might pick up a couple words along the way - like donutos, muchinos, chocolato coveratos... the customers would be like "Blah blah blah DONUTO!" and I'd be like, "Right away, sir! And since I didn't understand any of the other words you said, here's a few extra donutos on the houso." ~Mike Birbiglia

I don't drink a lot. My family calls me an old soul. And my friends call me a p*ssy. ~Mike Birbiglia

I got an E-Trade account. Turns out I can turn $1,000 into $420 in less than a week. Sure, I had to pay some fees... ~Mike Birbiglia

They say that New Zealand's beautiful and I do not know because after 22 hours on a plane, any land mass would be beautiful. We could have landed on a tiny iceberg, and there could have been just two penguins bl*wing each other; And I would have been thrilled to see them, and I would have performed. ~Lewis Black

When you have a fat friend, there are no see-saws. Only catapults. ~Demitri Martin

When I was nine, my life was devoted to seeing a tit. I was Captain Ahab, and it was my big white whale. I'd go down to Sears on a Sunday in hopes they'd remove a clothing from a mannequin. Sad but true. ~Lewis Black

One time a cop pulled me over for running a stop sign. He said, "Didn't you see the stop sign?" I said, "Yeah, but I don't believe everything I read." ~Steven Wright

There are obvious times when you don't want people getting high. I wouldn't want my surgeon to get high before my operation. If I'm laying there on the gurney, the last thing I want to hear is, "Nurse... gimme one of those... um... pointy things. Now refresh my memory: We're doing what here? No sh*t?!" ~David Cross

If hooking a car battery up to a monkey's brain will help find the cure for AIDS and save somebody's life, I have two things to say ... the red is positive and the black is negative. ~Nick DiPaolo

You don't want another Enron? Here's your law: If a company, can't explain, in one sentence... what it does... it's illegal! ~Lewis Black

Once, I wept... for I had no shoes. Then I came across a man who had no feet... so I took his shoes. I mean, it's not like he really needed them. ~Jack Handey

George Bush is not stupid. He's evil. OK? There's a huge difference between stupid and evil. All my friends are always like "He can't even complete a f*ckin' sentence!" Hang on, George Bush can speak perfectly well, just not when he's being caring or compassionate or concerned about human beings. That's when he stutters and says sh*t like "Hey it's hard to put food on your family." Which he actually said, he said it's hard to put food on your family. Do you know why he said that? 'Cause he could give a f*ck how hard it is for you to put food on the table for your family. But you know when he gets really downright poetic and articulate and focused is when he's talking about war and death and murder and retribution. All of a sudden he's Dylan Thomas.
Here's the thing, if you gave Darth Vader a big basket of puppies he'd look like a f*cking imbecile. "Hey Darth, how do you like those puppies?" "Uh, well they're round... furry... to, uh, pet... here... I don't really like puppies, here, take these." "What are you gonna do to Alderaan?" "WE WILL DESTROY YOUR PLANET, YOU WILL BE DUST BENEATH THE HEELS OF OUR BOOTS!" That's George Bush! I know a supervillain when I see one! ~Patton Oswalt

Are they heat wiggles or bad beef fumes?

Dear Ed: I have noticed you don't post anything about the war, the ragheads, race, or religion. Somebody talk to you again, or are you getting too chicken shit for this Freedom Of Speech blog?

Today: Military leaders are rethinking the situation in Iraq. Deciphering the code: we’re getting our asses licked and don’t know what to do.

Colored sidewalks--just follow the red brick road to Oz.

I have a confession. I have to get it off my chest once and for all. I was an alter boy in the 1950’s and I was never molested by a priest.

[When I was a kid in nun school, they made me take two years of Latin] Kid in nun school? Perhaps fifty years ago, it was taught with the seminary or convent in mind, but there are compelling reasons why Latin is still a valid course of study. I'm sorry you never needed it, or even noticed that most people do use it daily.

Latin, although now considered an extinct language, is the origin of all romance languages, and almost half of the English language is derived directly, or indirectly, from Latin.

I took one year of Latin in Catholic school before switching to Spanish for an additional two years. One year of Latin made learning Spanish a breeze. Participating in one high school Latin class also made college easier, and I was able to graduate in just under three years.

My favorite Latin phrase these days is "In vino veritas"!

I have found that I like to use artificial lures for Iguana. A red worm with a fluorocarbon leader works the best for both iguana and chickens. You have to let them swallow the hook before you set it. Heck, who needs to spend tons of money on a boat and fuel when some of the best sport fishing is right in our back yards. If they get in the water you really have a fight on your hands. Woooooo, hooooo! We should organize a tournament.

Here is a picture of my front yard. I have at least three huge (4' plus) iguanas, and numerous babies in my yard. As you can see I have no loss of plants, or any excessive poopage. My suggestion, plant what naturally grows here, and it will do well, Iguanas or not. Plant what does not grow well here, and it will take extra water, food, dirt, time, and money, not to mention stress.

PS The hawks are back!

My dad is a useless, selfish, drunken asshole.  I've always wanted to say that on the gossip column.  I think I need Deer Abby. 

You folks will eat anything as long as it has a fresh bun.  Then to top it off, you're drinking skanky booze.  Yeeach!  You want to have the best cheeseburger ever?  Steak -n- Shake.  Exit 20 on the turnpike.  Bring me back a triple platter with some original chili!   

Attack of the Rays! Another ray got a guy in Fort Lauderdale. What’s going on?

FIRM does not support Saunders as the Citizen's headline suggested. A few members do and a few members support Rice. FIRM states they are non-partisan and I believe them; why doesn’t the Citizen?

[Colored Sidewalks] Enough with the colored sidewalks, the proper term is “Sidewalks of Color”. Or was it African-American Sidewalks?

To the whiney ass sissy that does not like how I dispose of Iguanas:  Does you mother know you still wet the bed?  Take your poodle and move back to New Jersey where you came from!  A real Keys resident would either compost the nasty things or use them for bait in their crab traps.  So keep your pansy assed comments to yourself and your support group!

The Board of Directors of Fair Insurance Rates in Monroe would like to make it clear that FIRM does not support nor endorse any particular political
candidate contrary to what the KW Citizen prints.

Here is a great plumber.

[Wanted: someone to scour the Keys for the Bulletin Board] Well aren't you in luck? I work for the Keynoter and I layout

L'Attiudes and can copy you our entire schedule about midweek. Pleases feel free to post my picture just for fun! Let me know if you need a different layout/image file, whatever. Just call me Elle. Feel free to email anytime.

Friday October 20, 2006

Thursday October 19, 2006

                  
Semi-reliable volunteer to search the entire Keys for activities to post on the bulletin board. It’s a thankless job with no pay, but we’ll remodel the Bulletin Board to your liking and will even post a picture of you or your business (if you do become reliable). At last, your own Bulletin Board! Wow, isn’t that something you’ve always wanted? All you have to do is email us the info once a week, or whenever--we're very loose at corporate headquarters. info@bigpinekey.com  Apply within.

The County government should not be buying or building or re-building anything until the Key's sewer system is finished and operating and every toilet is hooked up to it and it is paid for.

[Habitat R/V Park’s response] Yesterday’s posting from the Habitat people was the worst walk–a-round I’ve seen yet. What a bunch of bureaucratic non-response. Couldn't they just tell us what the volunteers did, instead of making each one us go into the office to ask and being embarrassed?

[On eating barracuda] Barracuda is delicious, but don’t eat any one over two feet because the mercury levels are usually too high in the older ones.

[Art Bakery] They might have said they went out of business because they couldn’t have a sign on the highway, but the real reason was that they called themselves a bakery when they did very little baking. It was a gift shop and the only bread they had was baked someplace in Key West. The “Bakery” was a sham. Few customers returned. That's the real reason.

When I was a kid in nun school, they made me take two years of Latin. I knew then that I would never need it and I haven’t needed it in over fifty years. What a waste of time and of little minds. I guess the nuns thought we were all going to be pharmacists. (Save your fingers, those or you with out a sense of humor, I know Latin was supposed to prepare us for Catholic service.)

[Confessions of an old drunk] Don’t let the title confuse you I’m a functioning alcoholic and considered affluent (but not obviously so) and loving it. I can’t wait till happy hour; whether it’s in my garden or at the bar, happy hour is a wonderful time of the day followed only by mealtime and, I guess, there’s sex too. The only thing I don’t like is not to be worrying my wife over my drinking. I tend to pretend I’m normal by the time she comes home. It’s worked for over a quarter century. I am a professional partier and proud of it. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a pretty good mantra, if you’re of that persuasion. Oh, I think I hear her car now...hic!

Common Carriage is an 18th century mediator that means that every phone line has to treat every customer equally. Big corporations are spending 1.5 million a week on lobbyist to remove Net Neutrality and start charging companies by how much traffic they use. Wrong. It will stifle the little guy and goes against the practice of Common Carriage.

As it is now with a free internet any shmo can equal CNN in viewer ship if they're as good as CNN. Grass roots political campaigns will no longer have the equal opportunity to go against the big guys. Net Neutrality is the way to go to keep things equal. Pay attention to Net Neutrality issues or the internet as innovator will be gone. Without Net Neutrality you will never see the little guy or small creative start ups again.

[Restaurant review] Buon Appitito, the new restaurant in Cudjoe Gardens (formerly Raimondo’s) is great.  Friends and I tried it Monday night and will certainly go back.  The interior has been remodeled and is very nicely appointed with white linen table covers and appropriate glass and table wear.  Hot bread with a pesto-like dip on each table appeared just as the wine was served. Beef Carpaccio with capers and Dijon was an excellent starter.  Their fresh Caesar salad is made at your tableside and is crisp and just right.  Also prepared tableside is a flambé Steak Diane and is cut-it-with-your-fork tender and superb.  Excellent Veal Marsala was served with roasted new potatoes and steamed veggies. Some may consider the service slow, but I found it attentive and paced just right to allow each course to be enjoyed with a little time in between to enjoy conversation and anticipate the next course.  The creative menu selections cover the full spectrum of fine Italian food.  Some selections are reasonable and some tend to be pricy but worth it for the quality.  Be aware that they add a gratuity to each check.  Try it, it’s well worth the trip. 

And no, I am in no way affiliated with the business, just a satisfied customer who likes good food.  With so few really good places to choose from without going all the way to Key West I hope this spot is there to stay.

[Cuban flag flying high off Ship's Way] Few Cubans demonstrate any respect for this country. They refuse to adopt our language and although they may be third generation American citizens they will always say, “I’m Cuban.”  The flag is just another in your face example of how most Cubans disrespect our country. 

I never know how much of what I say is true. - Bette Midler

[pile of powder and hundred dollar bill could have been baby powder] Haven't you ever dusted your baby's bottom with a rolled up bill?

[Best cheeseburger]  Evie's Sub Shop has the best burgers!  Made fresh right there for you. Try it. I think it’s at MM 23 oceanside.

[Eating Barracuda] Pacific coast barracuda are good to eat and taste great because there are no coral reef systems in the colder, west coast pacific waters.  Ciguatera poisoning from warm water, coral reef area fish (ie: Florida barracuda) is too serious to mess with.  Ciguatera poisoning can be fatal in severe cases, but even a mild case is nasty with symptoms that can last for many months or in some cases, years. And the Ciguatera toxin is tasteless so you can’t tell by tasting--that’s a myth.  Also the toxin is not rendered harmless by cooking or any other method of preparation.  It’s just not worth the chance.  Any predatory reef fish that eats smaller reef fish can carry the toxin as it goes up the food chain and becomes more concentrated in the larger fish. Amberjack, grouper and large red snappers can harbor the toxin as well, but as a rule they are generally safe.

[Pumpkin Fungus] Actually its the vines that died causing a pumpkin shortage.

Since this got rave reviews before, I thought you might want to add the link. This is a very good golf game. http://www.ibogleif.dk/spil/flashspil/minigolf/minigolf.swf

[You ought to see the free "RV park]The legally permitted trailers behind the Habitat for Humanity Disaster Response/Home Center building are there for providing housing for the volunteers such as the three crews of Americorp volunteers who have been coming to help with repairs to homeowners after Wilma.  Americorp is funded by the Federal Government and the participants are earning college grants.  We are proud to have had such hard working young adults here in the Keys after Wilma and their "free stay" was helping to repair over 85 homes along with other volunteers.  Again, if you have any questions or would like to know what we are doing in your community, please stop by and we would be happy show you around.

To the Editor only (please do not print this section)  Wow, I guess somebody really doesn't like us.  I am so proud that we were able to help the Lower Keys like we have.  One thing people forget is Wilma was the forgotten storm and when I was getting these volunteer groups down here everybody was amazed at the damage and then the next questions was, "Why didn't we hear about this on the news?".   It is truly sad when people jump to the wrong conclusion and I am sorry you have to print sentiments like that but, Keep up the good work!

Anyone with a little insight about the kids arrested by the Sheriffs know that is was not without probable cause.  Those were the hell raisers that burned the houses down on Little Knockemdown.  Also, they were the ones caught on the school roof at night after they were already banned from the property.  Now, why do you suppose they were previously banned from the property?  And, why do you suppose they were on the roof?  Don't give me some crap like they were playing hide-and-seek.  This looks like a case of an irresponsible parent with absolutely no disciplinary skills. (Yes, you, Tarzan)  Let's be truthful here.  Those kids should have been locked up much longer.  

[one thing iguanas are good for] You are right it would make a great name for a tiki bar and wonderful t-shirts: iguanas riding motorcycles, fishing, drunk, in pirate garb. Etc.

[Hey Dude, Piners are peasants] Speak for yourself, Dude.

If for some reason someone you know stays at the Sea Dell Motel in Marathon tell them to make sure they don't smoke a cigarette in the room. They will tack on a $50 charge to your credit card. This happened to me. It isn't much of a motel either. I have had reason to stay there quite a few times, but due to their greed I will never stay there again and will steer anyone I know from staying there also. There are a lot better places to stay for the money they charge. I know smoking is a bad habit so don't send flak my way on that issue.

[Complaining about the kids being arrested]  Do you honestly believe they were picked up and held for ten hours for no reason?  Those kids deserved everything they got.  Let’s not embellish the story to make them sound like "our innocent children."  Those kids went on a crime spree from trespassing on private property and stealing to burning down houses.  Yes, they were the ones who burned those houses down on that island off Summerland.  I, for one, have not forgotten what those kids did. 

What, no one listened when you wrote a story in the Blue Paper, so you're trying here?  Pony up and take responsibility for the brats.  You're complaining about ten hours?  They should have done ten years! 

When are employers going to pay employees a living wage?We workers are starving here! You greedy labor lords better wake up to realities and start paying higher wages or reduce prices so people can live here in Key West. We are not slaves, yet!

[Not all Piners are peasants] This is true, the Snowbirds own most of BPK, and they are not poor. The rest of us have to put up with the high prices all year, and get low wages. Eating at the high dollar joints is a no, no.

[Kudos to the Monroe County Sheriffs Dept] They found my stolen bike,  so if you see me riding my Raliegh Boardwalk with high rusty bars don't kick my ass--its mine!

[ants in your bed] I’m sure it's better than crabs in your patch.

Where can I get the bumper stickers that were handed out at the BOCC meeting? "Stop the bull, affordable is not affordable. Stop over developing the Keys"

[Iguana in chipper]  I was deeply saddened and angered reading your submission, then I also realized how ignorant you truly are.  It is very tragic to read of these things happening, then see how boastful and proud you are of your cruelty.  Perhaps when you're done with the iguanas, you'll smack a child around, kick a dog, or whatever else your sick mind deems appropriate?  Those actions are horrible, and what you are doing is horrible too.   You won't care about any adverse response people have to your freak horror show, but at least others reading these posts will know you are not representative of what Keys residents are about.  You need counseling, and lots of it.

Butt is it still art?

Keb Leeman, the owner of Parrotdise Waterfront Bar & Grille on Little Torch Key has launched a new brand of wines called (and I'm not kidding, folks) Big Pecker Wines. I quote, "The Chardonnay captivates you with lingering passion fruit aromas, while the Cabernet's bright flavor of cherries heightens your senses. Sealed with a screw top to be opened effortlessly; crafted for repeat enjoyment!"
 
It must be some kind of Viagra extract or something. Way to go, Keb!  http://www.bigpeckerwines.com/

In professional football, if a coach disputes a referee's decision, he throws a red flag on the field and a time out is taken to review the TV instant replay. In Monroe County politics, it works a little differently. If a special interest group doesn't like a candidate supported by the Key West Citizen, a red flag is thrown to the editorial committee. (Maybe the endorsee was not liberal enough?) Recently a candidate endorsed by the Citizen in the primary election was later dumped by the editorial committee in favor of her opponent. So, upon further review, school board candidate Lydia Estenoz' Citizen endorsement has been dropped in favor of her opponent, Steven Pribramsky. So all of you ultra-loyal Citizen readers who voted for Lydia in the primary election better switch to her opponent in the general election.

Or, if you prefer to make your own decision by comparing the two candidates and reviewing their positions, you just might ignore the changing Citizen endorsements and vote for Lydia anyway.

[Do you believe the government distributes wealth fairly] Here we go again.  It is not the government’s job to distribute wealth, they take in the taxes and build our roads, teach the children and protect us with the finest military and hopefully soon Star Shield which will keep the North Korean and the Iranian missiles at bay.

The most important thing you socialists should realize is that when the electorate votes in those who would rob the treasury, in giving small gifts to the people that vote for them,  it won't be long before the treasury is empty and voila; you have the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic again....and we know the end of that story now don't we!
 

The greatest thing we have going for us is capitalism.  A works and earns from B, who buys something from C, who buys raw materials from D, who uses E to truck in his materials and who hires A to work for him.  It is a wonderful and much more complicated circle and some of us are better than it than others, but it works better than any other system out there and those of you that want the rich to "hack up"...I suggest you look at what used to be the USSR and really wonder if you want to live like that.  Get out there and work your butt off at what you want to do and you will live the American Dream.

No, I don't have a problem with adopted kids seeing that I have one myself.  But really, a poverty stricken African kid? Give me a break. 

[Tell me one good thing the iguanas are good for]  Well, let’s see.  They crap all over your dock, boat, car, deck, porch, steps and anything else that doesn’t move,  And, oh yeah, they eat every single green thing you’ve been trying to take care of in your yard, destroy any effort at a garden, get nasty if cornered (even accidentally) and spread disease laden iguana shit all over the place.  Gee, other than that I can’t think of anything.

For the government down here it's a million here, a million there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.

[colored sidewalks] Why not? Obviously someone spent a lot of time and money and figured we needed red bike paths.

[Attention plant enthusiast] Big Pine Key Botanical meeting is Thursday, Oct 19th at Lord of the Seas Lutheran Church on Key Deer Blvd at 7:30pm. Franco d'Ascanio,of D'Asign source will speak on hurricane tolerant plants to use in landscaping. As always, the public is invited, membership is open. Bulletin Board

We residents of Cudjoe Key want to thank the county deer lovers for letting us have all the beautiful deer from Big Pine.  Although several of my neighbors have complained, I did find a source for freezers at wholesale prices. Yummy, Deerburgers are great. Thanks again!

Will & Zanni were great last Sat. night. Thanks Capt. Dan.  The intimate crowd welcomed back our old friends with open arms and hearts.  They are incredibly talented, no lie. They play the songs we all know the word's to and can sing along. They pull everyone into the act. It's like they are having a party and we're all invited. Zanni can still wail, from seated position yet. (how does she do that?) Will's still pickin’ and grinnin’. And their voices blend beautifully.  We love you guys and are glad you are back. Welcome home kids.

[Condo/Townhouse] Simple words for conning you out of your dough and what we old Yankees used to call a Row Home. Both are a sign of a degrading, money making life style in any area. I wish there was a federal law that all homes were on 1 acre minimum.

When I picked my kids up from dance/gymnastics some guy was walking back to his trailer with a towel wrapped around him. What's up with that?

Carsmella is back on the streets.

Will someone please tell Dana (Guppy, Avery, Desrosiers) Boggs to call her sister? Thank you in advance.

Thursday October 19, 2006

Wednesday October 18, 2006

[Marathon High School. Coaches in Marathon B division football had the nerve to take older children in high school and place them on their team in order to beat the Key West Team] After reading the above opinion page, it appears from the formatting of the text that “Marathon High School coaches” were involved in the reported incident.  For clarity, the game was played on the Marathon High School field.  No Marathon High School or Middle School sponsored teams or coaches participated. 

The juvenile detention center on Stock Island is closed due to lack of help. When are employers finally going to bite the bullet and admit they must pay employees a living wage that is higher than anywhere else in the state? This high wage is needed to keep employees who can’t afford to live here and pay rent, never mind owning a house. Key West has the highest cost of living in Florida and the salaries of its workers should reflect that fact.

I don’t care what anybody says Captain Dan is Class Act.

Just a friendly reminder, if you want to voice your opinion and outrage at a proposed backdoor attempt by developers to raise the height limit of buildings in the Keys be at the Monroe County Commission meeting in Key West, (at the Harvey Govt. Center) to voice your opinion at 3:00 P.M. It’ll be your last chance to save the Keys. I would hope you would be just as outraged as the numerous folks that have been calling my office. I know it’s a pain to do so, however, if you can – and bring a friend or two – be there. Our grandchildren will love us for it.
--George Neugent

I do have to ask, what do you usually do with 15 pumpkins?

I think that anyone that has an outstanding football game against Marathon needs to receive an automatic win.  I also think that the chance of getting the children hurt by putting boys that are too old for the team is bad sportsmanship.

Good luck to all the footballers (on the correct teams of course)!

[Fashionable to adopt a black kid] What kind of moronic remark is that? “Put him in the same room as Rocco?” Are you a moron or what? I'm guessing you have some issues with black people and adopted children? You're such an idiot!

[Can I fly a Swedish flag?]  Well, yes, I suppose you can.  But poor beleaguered Ed. apparently can't.  (Ed, fercrissakes, that's the Danish flag.  Swedish is similar design, but bright blue with a yellow cross.)  Grin.

Island Breeze Mortgage has a loan that doesn’t require Windstorm, but I don’t know about flood insurance waivers. Business Directory>mortgages

[Cuban flag flying high off Ship's Way] Anyone with any respect for this country would fly the American flag over it. It's America.

I want this truck!   How cool would this be? The perfect truck

You couldn’t make this one up.

The Arts Bakery went out of business because code enforcement wouldn't allow them to have a sign out on the highway letting people know that they were back there.  They weren't there long enough to really get started. 

[What did the volunteers do to get free rent in Habitat’s R/V Park] Habitat for Humanity of Key West and Lower Florida Keys after Hurricane Wilma has completed our 85th home in our Outreach program.  These were homes of individuals who fall within the Habitat for Humanity income guidelines for their family size.  We have over 30,000 volunteer hours logged from volunteers such as Habitat International Care-A-Vanners who lived here on the Habitat for Humanity grounds to provide help to those who needed it. We invite you to come to the Habitat offices here on Big Pine Key to see what we have accomplished in our community after Wilma, to answer any of your question and to be a
 part of your community by volunteering.  

[Magic trick link doesn’t work] So instead, please try this one. It works for sure, I have to stop doing things so fast.  http://files.ww.com/
files/21406.html

[don’t need colored sidewalks and sculpted groupings of palms on US1]  That sounds pretty.

My house overlooks the RV lot next to habitat for humanity off Watson and I drive by there several times a day.  There is not now nor have I ever seen an RV in that lot.

Try Burdine's, Marathon for a great cheeseburger.

My movies were the kind they show in prisons and airplanes, because nobody can leave.  -Burt Reynolds

I was wondering if anyone has heard about the Monroe County Sheriffs that arrested several local children. Supposedly these kids where arrested and detained for almost 10 hours without being allowed to call parents or lawyers. I heard the officers did not even have a warrant or probable cause. I was just wondering if anyone else has heard about this. These children were supposedly at one point in time on the Sugarloaf School grounds after hours and that was why they were arrested.

Previously someone posted that we have a problem with cops down here. They said this is because the cost of living is expensive so it is hard to find exceptional officers to work here. I am curious why Monroe County hired more officers with the increase in property tax revenue a couple years ago. I believe they should have retired the sub par officers and hired less but exceptional officers? I would rather have a small amount of exceptional cops instead of lots of cops that do not understand the law.

Whoa! Demonic message heard when Jingle Bells played backwards? It's a little hard to hear, but I heard it.  You need to listen carefully, though.  Creepy, I will never sing it again!  http://pub.sinuspl.net/flash/Jingle_Bells_Reversed.swf

To the person searching for the perfect cheeseburger. The Cracked Egg serves a huge lean burger that is usually quite tasty. The only catch is they only serve them between 12 noon and 1 on days they feel like staying open for lunch.

You ought to see the free "RV park" habitat’s got going behind the habitat store and headquarters building on Big Pine. It looks worse than any trailer park on the Key. it looks like a junkyard with illegal trailers on it. And habitat store competes with local business (furniture, hardware, etc) and the Salvation Army store.

Go for buffalo shrimp at Chili Willi's at about mm 80. They are unbelievable!

[Fashionable to adopt a black child] By the way, did I mention that you’re such a jerk?

Pumpkin fungus? What’s a next, mushrooms? Hah! I crack myself up!

You can fly any flag you want because this is America.

Ok. Captain Dan, you are the man. I am no longer in the Keys, but don't forget that you still owe me a dinner if I ever come back. --Philo.

If you want to try a couple of gems in Islamorada check out the Island Grille on the water and Chanticleer's. Yum! 

Ewwww, you have ants in your bed?  Gross.

Vote for your favorite pet costume. Cute.  Howl-0-Ween

Somehow I cannot put together the baby powder/cocaine post without more info i.e. when, what, why and where in the archives may I search for this? Otherwise it is a one sided exchange, especially when Ed makes a comment like “exactly!”

I’ll second the motion to make the old Conch & Stein the premiere Tiki Bar and I vote we call it “The Iguana”.

[mortgage company that will waive flood insurance] No Federally regulated lender can waive flood insurance. If you are in a Flood Zone the financial institution must require Flood insurance or they will be fined and could be held responsible for any flood losses. Keys Federal Credit Union's plan to waive Wind Insurance in certain cases is probably what you read about. You can read the Keynoter's article here. http://www.keynoter.com/articles/2006/07/12/business/biz01.txt

Hey, dude, not all Piners are peasants. All of us that have lived here for years are not peasants. The peasants are the ones that live in the trailer parks or in downstairs apartments and have beer but nothing else. They are the ones that call themselves locals after having just recently moved here within the past few years.  Those of us that have endured here have figured out how to own something and keep it. And yes, we do like to eat good food and enjoy more that what some of the local establishments have to offer. If you don't like that true reality, that is surely your problem. We who have endured have figured out how to work a full week, enjoy life and even put money away for a rainy day.  So let us old souls find out from this website other people's opinions of finer eateries. You don't have to read everything that is written here.

This link is for beach sampling results; those of us who swim with the fishes should check this before heading out.  The underwater world is why we moved here from the concrete jungle & I wish people would respect Mother Nature and all the trees and animals.  http://esetappsdoh.doh.state.fl.us/irm00beachwater/beachresults.aspx?county=Monroe

Speaking of North Korea, does anyone remember the movie "Team America, World Police"?  Kind of makes you go hmmmmm.

All right Capt. Dan I will take you up on your offer.  I will tell you if I don't like the food, if you really want me to.  I don't expect you to pay for it, but I just won't come back.  Since RC is there it probably has picked up in quality, I liked his food at Montego.  See you soon.

Dinners may be pricey at the Square Grouper, but their lunches are great and reasonably priced.  I don't know for a fact but I heard you can order from the lunch menu at any time.

[I resent you putting up a picture of a pile of cocaine and rolled up money on my post. Somebody wanted to know how to make guitar strings last longer. I said nothing about drugs] You're fairly infantile to do that. Grow up! Are we talking about the poster or the Editor here?

[XXXX for Adult Content] I have a new fun way to dispose of iguanas. I use hibiscus flowers and bananas in my live trap to lure them in. When the trap closes I take it over to the wood chipper. I like to call this part Iguana parmeseian, they shoot through the wood chipper  like poop through a goose Finley ground into colorful mulch for your exotic gardens. What a treat!

What is good bait for Iguanas? I keep trying banana but it is hard to keep it on the hook. Tomato is a little too gushy. I’m looking for better bait for when I am fishing for Iguanas. I got a  4 1/2 footer on ten pound test last week.

Damian is my friend too!

Wednesday October 18, 2006

Tuesday October 17, 2006

At 7:45 this morning the USA population reached 300.000.000. Hey, you, move over!

[to: philomusic] Thank you for you note. I hold no grudge against you and I couldn't put up with the birds in my kitchen either , so I eliminated them 3 months ago. I replaced them with2 great chef's and a fine cook and a dependable dishwasher--not easy to find!  So lets remain good friends as usual and I'll continue to enjoy you and your son's great music.   As far as self-promotion, I am guilty , but love getting the news out about my business and my friends’ accomplishments .

To the "I had the best dinner" folks . Give my restaurant a try and if you’re not happy, please let me know and I'll pay for your meal! We had help problems, but changed that three months ago.

Let me tell you a sad story about a B division game with Middle School Children on Oct 14th at Marathon High School. Coaches in Marathon B division football had the nerve to take older children in high school and place them on their team in order to beat the Key West Team.  They want to talk about Key West Whiners, how about Marathon cheaters?  A child on the Key West team was hurt.  The Marathon team was forced to forfeit because of cheating.  I hope those coaches in Marathon don't ever get to coach again. They should be ashamed of themselves.  Sad, sad people.  I don't know about you, but I don't want my middle school child playing football against High School Students; its just plain stupid and dangerous!  To the Marathon coaches and anyone else who knew; I’ve got one word for you: karma.

Sarasota is not ugly at all. In fact it's a very pretty city. Do you want the Keys to look like Sarasota? It’s just that BP should not look like that formulaic urban design. We should look like the small island we are. We don’t need colored sidewalks and sculpted groupings of palms on US1 either.

I was looking at the R/V Park they put in at Habitat Landing off Watson on Big Pine and remembered that that was put there for the relief effort after Wilma hit. I never met any of the people and would like to know what they actually did to warrant free rent in the Keys for so long after the hurricane.

Johnny Ray was such a sensation in the 50’s because he was the first entertainer to show emotion.  His sang heartfelt songs where he’d cry on stage. That got everyone jazzed. No one had ever seen anything like that before. he was one of the first teen idols.

Lost Cargo Trading Post will be open soon thanks to the stucco crew for showing up! Thank you Larry and crew. You’re the best. If you ever need the best call Larry. I'll be happy if we open for Fantasy Fest; if not, by season is good enough for me.

Singer songwriter Adrienne from the band Injade celebrates her birthday. It's a week of Birthday fun for Adrienne and she invites everyone who would like to hear her perform to come and party with her on her birthday, Thursday, October 19th at Cabots on the Water located at 725 11th St. Ocean, Marathon, showtime 6pm. For more information call 305-743-6442

In regard to the Encore in Key Largo. True, the food is good, no problem, but at their price points, Pierre's in Islamorada would be my choice. Not to be overlooked, and off the beaten path, is the Calypso in Key Largo (near the Key Largo Fishery) it’s outstanding. Also, the Buzzard's Roost, oceanside MM106.5.

[Tell me one good thing humans have contributed to our planet] Chocolate.

Everything in creation is either useful or decorative.

[Iguanas. Well, that and badmouthing people and restaurants]  Iguanas are badmouthing people?  I always suspected!  I haven't caught their restaurant reviews, though.  That should be a unique perspective.

[Cuban flag] It’s perfectly alright to fly a foreign flag on American soil as long as it is flown along side the Stars and Stripes. To fly any foreign flag alone is an insult to Americans.

Come join the party on the beach at the Parrotdise Waterfront Bar and Grille featuring the band Injade Saturday October 21st.

Of all the things I've ever lost I miss my mind the most.  - Steven Tyler, Aerosmith

Have you heard Mike & Possum do "The Iguana song”? What a hoot. 

Enter your zip code and take the driver's test. GMAC Insurance's 2006 National Drivers Test

Are you deer-huggers saying iguanas have contributed more to society and are more relevant to it than homo sapiens?

That pile of cocaine could have been baby powder. (Ed: exactly!)

I'm sorry I missed some good blues. I don’t need to know who just played at what bar; I need to know who will play and when.

Can I fly a Texas flag?

The Conch and Stein would make a great Tiki bar. Bulldoze the falling down bldg and have a big parking lot for the existing Tiki bar.

A lot of people here don’t see the problem with letting chain stores and shopping centers in the lower Keys. They think just one more won’t be a problem. It’s like letting one cockroach live. They always bring their friends.

Ronin is Ninor spelled backwards!

Affordable housing being bought up by million dollar condo/townhome developers and local business being squeezed out by national chains will change the Keys forever--unless we make a stand now!

More bad men drivers.

[Conch & Stein is abandoned, falling apart and the property is for sale.  It also looks like hell and the property owner obviously has no pride in community.] At least it is abandoned; Speaking about no pride in the community, how about that dive shop next to Tom Thumb?

Those tiny, tiny ants that were in the house in such abundance the last 2 or 3 weeks have greatly diminished in numbers. Thank goodness that they are not climbing on me in bed anymore.

[One thing Iguana’s are good for]  I work in a tourist related business (sort of) and the other day some patrons came in just ranting and raving about having seen and photographed an iguana.  These people were off in search of more iguanas and could not have been more oblivious to the Keys in general.  Folks, unless your plants have been eaten or your dock pooped on this is an oddity.

[Beware of the Pumpkin Fungus]   I read recently there is a fungus in pumpkins this year that causes them to rot more quickly than previously.  So today I go on my annual pumpkin purchasing pursuit and find that the price of pumpkins is down by nearly 50 percent. I usually get 20 but will take only 15 this year (don’t ask) due to their shorter life span.  Go figure.

[Pile of Cocaine]  Dude or dudette, it was a joke I am sure!  Unpinch the buttocks, sometimes it feels good.  This site is getting way to uptight. I swear sometimes everyone here has had sand pounded up their asses, and can't see through what is tongue in cheek or a downright rude comment.  By the way, also, the ronin sign answer was E all of the above. I am sure it was just a typographical error.

To the Iguana Lover: Will you accept all I can catch?

Can I fly a Swedish flag?

[Winn-Dixie] My wife said if you don't like W/D, we can move back to where we came from in central Fl. The year before we moved we had 4 hurricanes. I'm no fool. I'll take 2 Wilma's and Winn-Dixie anytime and we don't need a Publix. By the way, if you want to see blocked isles check out CVS.

[One good thing humans have contributed to our planet] The answer is humans.  If this world is so bleak for you may I suggest you see a counselor?

[Iguanas] All kidding aside, lets try to come up with a solution. In a few years we will be over run with them then the County will get involved, then were screwed. 

[By this morning we will have 300,000,000] "Go forth and multiply" you stupid twits. And when you don't have enough land to grow food on, start growing rice. You can stand in that and poop.

The Big Pine Coffee Shop vs Square Grouper, Square One, Michaels and Prime 961, man are you a rich snowbird or what? Hey Dude, Piners are peasants, man.

[Walgreen's Liquor store] Yes, it will hurt if not destroy the local booze stores. Why? Because Walgreen's, like all international conglomerates, buys all a supplier can produce and no one can mach the buying power.

I'm willing to take the chance that my missing bike will not be returned anytime soon so go a ahead and kick ass; It's probably not me.

Ever since the Quay Tiki bar in Marathon got washed away after Wilma (that bitch!), I have been searching for the best cheeseburger.  I think my favorite so far is the cheeseburger at Boondocks, but I also thought the cheeseburger at the Square Grouper was pretty dandy also.  I'd be interested in what other folks have to say on this.

Your magic trick link is broke that's why I resent you a new one for the magic trick. http://www.mojoflix.com/Video/ (Ed: this one’s also broke. Like the other it only takes us to the home page not the magic trick.)

This is pure gossip as I have no way to know if it is true, but where there is smoke this is sometimes flame. You guys had so many negative things to say about Mr Skump the property manager for W/D Plaza. I had someone tell me he got fired. I was at the library Sat and the trash was pouring out of all the trash cans on the walkways on both sides. Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe some places will get rented and clean up the place a little. In all the years he has been manager I can't remember any one good thing he has done. One year someone called them about helping to get Santa for Xmas and I was told that he said that was not what he was getting paid to do. Bah humbug. Again, this is all hearsay.

In case your friends are Pining for the Keys, these links should help!http://www.bigpinekey.com/Pages/kudos_whiners_frames6.htm

http://secure.floridakeys.com/keysnews/enews/index.cfm

[a decent plumber] Try Bluewater Plumbing. I have the guys come to my house when I have plumbing problems. 872-1876. Business Directory>Plumbing

Want to know who's in control? Another peal off the preverbal power onion!http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=%22THE+ILLUMINATI+AND+THE+COUNSEL+ON+FOREIGN+RELATIONS%22+&FORM=MSNH

[Loose Lips Sink Ships]  That was pretty darn funny considering the source and what the other person had said aloud.  Perhaps you could disperse your advice to the proper channels and to the busy-body who's not getting any.

[300 million folks in the good old USA] Lets look at just how big this joint is. Texas has 276.339 square miles of land. There are640 acres to 1 square mile (you get were I’m going?) If my math is close, that is about 1 billion 300 million acres. So if everyone  moves to Texas there will be no one left in the rest of America and Texas will have approximately 1 billion acres left over. We are a great land with a bunch of room--just not here and who would want to live in Texas? Kind of took me back to "If Billy had 3 apples and Sally took 2…”

Freedom Is Not Free Home Page new calendar available of semi-naked hunks.

Sorry, but your magic trick link is broke. Here is another one. This one works, But where will she hide it? Not up her sleeve. http://files.ww.com/files/21406.html

Rumor has it that the True Art Bakery was closed due to not complying with health codes. What’s the word on the street? If you’re not sure please make up an interesting story for me to repeat on the coconut telegraph. Or maybe the case can be solved on the next CSI: Big Pine Key.

[Sloan’s Slot] Dear County Commissioners,Here's an easy test for you to apply to any development proposal that comes before you claiming to be for "affordable housing" for "middle-income" Keys people. If your Executive Assistants, using only their Monroe County salary can afford to purchase one of the developer's proposed units, then the proposal is genuine for middle-income Keys people. Otherwise, not...Long Winded Tomes

[WTC Conspiracy] Dude, you need help quick.  I bet you believe in black helicopters and alien abductions too.

[are you ronin?" billboard] I seem to see another subliminal message in the green background. What is it?

Is Key Deer Bar & Grill still for sale? For Sale Click Here

[fashionable to adopt a black kid] Give me a break; what’s with these people anymore? Tell me, is Madonna really going to put that kid in her home with her other children? Do you think he will share a bedroom with Rocco? I think not!

Tuesday October 17, 2006

Monday October 16, 2006

Tell me one good thing humans have contributed to our planet.

Every time I think about exercise, I lie down 'till the thought goes away.

With video confessional.

[One good thing the iguanas are good for] They help clear the Keys of exotic plants.  Tell me one good thing you are good for. Obviously nothing; so let's get rid of you.

I have to say something about that Cuban flag flying high off Ship's Way for everyone on US1 to see.  Yes, I believe in freedom of speech and expression.  But this is not Cuba.  That flag flying high like that is a slap in the face to real Americans.  I'm not saying don't be proud of where you're from.  But, if this is where you want to be, fly the proper flag.  If you voluntarily came to this country and you're not proud to be here, get the hell out now.

I really do not want to start a huge polemic here, but I find the sight of the swimming-pool business located next to the red light on US1 quite disturbing, to say the least.

I wonder, am I the only one? Picture that: you're on the road, local or tourist, red light goes on, you're stopped, you're looking around, what can you see? Nice and maintained places almost everywhere. Great improvement for the past years--except for this spot.

No, we do not have to look like Sarasota. (Is Sarasota that ugly?) or any where else, but we don't have to look like the Cudjoe's station either. So if you folks/business owners could do a little cleaning, I think that wouldn't hurt.

Living in the Keys is fine, living in Big Pine too, the "Island style" is okay, but here as in every things in life there's a balance, a neutral point; not too much and not enough either. Let's get there.

I resent you putting up a picture of a pile of cocaine and rolled up money on my post. Somebody wanted to know how to make guitar strings last longer. I said nothing about drugs. You're fairly infantile to do that. Grow up!

[Any idea when Lost Cargo Trading is opening] The stucco crew has been hired to finish the job and we’re just waiting for them to get to work.

The UN passed sanctions against N. Korea, but China immediately said they would not inspect trucks bringing stuff into N. Korea. So much for isolating N. Korea, but then I heard today that China is starting to inspect all trucks on their eight hundred mile border going into N. Korea. I don’t think anyone will really trust Li’l Kim after breaking those agreements he had with the US from Clinton.

[WD parking lot] I love it when it's full of rain water. I speed through it and wash the salt off my vehicle. It works great.

In 1967 we had 200,000,000 people here. By Tuesday morning  we will have 300,000,000 souls living in the USA. Move over, you’re stepping on my foot.

Join a mail service insurance plan for the medicine and you'll pay even less as well as not have to deal with either establishment.

[any comments on the "are you ronin?" billboard]  Yes. It's green and a source of controversy.

[Key West Whiners] What a great name for a Keys footballs team.

[Hunters are not necessarily sadistic, just a little cold-hearted] Your statement is absolutely correct. Hunters are not macho heroes, they are throwbacks to a time when if we wanted to eat we killed; but today, in this so called civilized world, killing anything you don't eat should be a crime unless you are under attack. I always liked guns and shooting, but in reality the only humans who need guns are Game Wardens in the wild. Think about it. Oh, I forgot, most humans are not civilized.

[Tell me one good thing the iguanas are good for] Most of the information on this site it seems! Well, that and badmouthing people and restaurants. Oh, wait, that's two things.

I’m not sure now, but I thought I read a quote in the Citizen of the insurance commissioner saying that people wanting to switch back to Citizen’s Ins from a takeout company had to get that done before he ruled on their rate hike request.  Something about the law permitting such a switch only while the rate request was pending.  After that, you can’t switch back.  Combining that with the 80% point is a real Catch 22.

The Arts Bakery went out of business because it was a sham and it’s hard to fool Keys people.

[What an unbalanced and uninformed person] First, I apologize for writing that piece that seemed against Neugent, it was supposed to be in favor for him. Rant? No not a rant, but a statement most of my friends agree with. If we the people don't take back control of our lives, property, and futures, the politicos will have us in chains. The middle class is disappearing, and if that doesn't scare the hell out of you, maybe you should be a slave.

[Tell me one good thing the iguanas are good for] Scaring Snowbirds away. Fertilizing dock concrete. Eating non-indigenous plants. Monster parts in old films.

I finally figured out that affordable housing really means: It's much more affordable for the builder to build small boxes than large boxes. The old expression "It's better to sell one yacht than 500 row boats" doesn't hold true any longer. As with affordable shacks, the row boat doesn't need built-in class.

[“Can anyone recommend a decent plumber?”] Try a double dose of Ex-Lax and increase the fiber in your diet.

[maybe you can tell me when the Right will stop blaming Clinton for...] Probably about when the Left quits claiming that both the 2000 and 2004 elections were "stolen."  (And, of course, if they lose then the 2006 also.) Questioning both election results haven't cost the USA loss of life or the respect of the rest of the world or caused a giant deficit due to arrogance, incompetence and the hypocrisy of the Republican party.

True enough, there are plenty of websites and other forums to thrash out the world's bigger problems.  The fun here is the local stuff and the oddball items, delivered with humor or at least the attempt at humor.

[you’ve got to drive to KW for good entertainment]  You don’t.  Big Bill Morganfield (Muddy Waters son) played at the Parrotdise Bar and Grill on Little Torch Wednesday.  The outside event got rained out, but he came upstairs and put on a great show.   

[only really good restaurant in our area is The Big Pine Coffee Shop, otherwise the finer places are down in Key West]  Obviously you haven’t tried Parrotdise (excellent steak and fish) or Square Grouper (everything is good or in Key West Square One (great martinis, great food), Michaels (Great beef and fish) or Prime 951 (fabulous steaks).

[Tell me one good thing the iguanas are good for] Answer: Food. But that's about all.

Actually I think 6-7 million dead Muslims is a decent number.

What if I do see a silvery tan bike with high rusty handlebars ,no fenders  and a chain guard that says" boardwalk" on it and kick the rider's ass, like you suggested, and it turns out to be you on your recently returned bike? 

I do apologize for the W/D parking lot flooding comment. It had flooded for so many years that if I had to go shopping and it had rained I just went a few Keys down to Murray’s and got what I needed. With all the chickens and trash that was there; I never went if it was raining.  I shall give it a try and again Kudos for fixing it up and I will really try to shop there.  Sounds like someone is really trying to get us back!

If you think that loving iguanas and chickens is tree hugging, you are mistaken. A tree hugger would be the first person to tell you that these feral animals are harmful to our environment. Here's a definition that I copied and pasted for you: Tree hugger Function: noun: environmentalist  2 ; especially  an advocate for the preservation of woodlands.

I think the Arts Bakery went out of business due to lack of business and Conch & Stein is abandoned, falling apart and the property is for sale.  It also looks like hell and the property owner obviously has no pride in community.

[Has anyone ever had bad wine at a local restaurant]  Yes.  Sometimes it happens to the finest of places.  One thing is sure.  You can usually tell the overall quality of the wines that are offered by the décor.  If it’s old and dingy your chances of getting a quality wine is directly proportionate to the dinginess. 

[Can anyone recommend a decent plumber] I would recommend Gary's Plumbing (KW); quick and efficient service and no butt cracks showing!

[When was Big Pine Key at its finest] It's all relative.  I first lived in Big Pine in 1982 and had to drive to Summerland to do my laundry and to Key West, Marathon or Key Largo to do my grocery shopping.  When I left Big Pine to move to the Texas Gulf Coast in August 2004, it seemed fine to me. There was a Winn-Dixie, a big flea market, a public library, a Salvation Army outlet and a big chain drug store and many other churches and stores too numerous to mention.  Has Big Pine gone downhill since August 1, 2004? 

To all Big Piners. I moved here about a year ago to fish, dive and relax; not complain or make comments about Winn-Dixie. I think if Winn-Dixie closes you people will have nothing to talk about. Get out of your homes and enjoy the islands. I hope you didn't move to the Keys be on a computer all day.

[Conspiracy] How much evidence do we need? http://www.st911.org/   And to you rednecks, no I ain't leaving my America, but I'm sure as hell going to fix it.  Vote smart. Vote for people who really care about saving America. VOTE!

[When was BPK the best] When we didn't have abandoned buildings here. If you can’t remember when that was, you weren't here in the early 80's. If some place of business closed down, it didn't take years to be replaced. I don't look to the future. I prefer the past, but as long as you that have moved here in the past 26 years choose to remain, we have to have some sort of vision for the future and hopefully that won't be a continuation of businesses’ closing and bums moving into abandoned buildings.

To the Venture Out crew: you all need to ask your park manager why did he or she let the redneck in the park kill the cat or did all of you want the cat dead?

The UN is mad at the world again. It's bad marketing to holler at your enemy. He may give up, and then what are you going to do with all the weapons and stuff?  Oh, sell them to another country to start another religious war. I can see it now: "Aborigines Attack Pearl Harbor, Sinking the Presidential Barge.” This means war! Buy Bonds!

It's a sick society we live in, and it's getting worse.  Got your passport up to date?

Why do you print comments on killing iguanas?  We have one that is really cool.  He likes to be petted and sits on my lap when I feed him.  He is so friendly.  Obviously he was some ones pet and needs to be allowed to live. If you feed them they will crap on your neighbors’ property who don't feed them.  We just feed them vegetable scraps from the table and old banana peels. Damian is my friend. 

Here is a link to a video site which everyone needs to have.  http://www.mojoflix.com/Video/

[Walgreens Liquor store] If anyone thinks that Walgreens Liquor won’t hurt Big Pine Liquor store--they’re nuts. Speaking of nuts, Coconuts does a nice package business and they will be hurt as well. It will be years before Walgreens can apply for a permit to sell booze at the new store and the BOCC must give its OK. All 3 will have very good deals on any given day.  The problem is that there are just so many dollars spent on Big Pine Key and there will not be enough to support all 3 stores. Walgreens has very deep corporate pockets and can run at a loss for years or break even . They do not have to make money to say in business. Joe and Steve will both be hurt. That’s life and that’s business. They do have a few years to get ready for the change.

Monday October 16, 2006

Sunday October 15, 2006

Hunters are not necessarily sadistic, just a little cold-hearted. The small minority of hunters that enjoy seeing animals suffer, brag about it, and waive it in the face of more humanitarian people to see them suffer are usually not crazy, just extremely immature, mean, and callous. Then there’s the type that kills every animal he can get away with and confuses his “right” to kill innocent creatures with morality, God, and anti-terrorism, all the while claiming that he is the one who is sane. That is exactly the type that is a potential danger to all living creatures, humans included, especially women, children, and anyone that he deems bad, weak, or a threat to his fragile self-esteem.

To the writer that wants BPK to be it’s finest. Just when in the past would you say that was; or did you always want it to look like the future?

[What could we possibly do? Commit our remaining seven soldiers and two trucks to fight their (North Korea's) million man army?] Well, we could commit seven of our remaining hydrogen warheads and two of our remaining missiles or bombers.

What an unbalanced and uninformed person that wrote that rant yesterday about commissioner Neugent. It’s scary the amount of hate some of these drunks have. He attacked the wrong politician. He should really be reading about our local politics instead reading Soldier of Fortune. 

Neugent is the last of the little guys looking out for the other little guys. He makes mistakes, but he has a diverse constituency to answer to.

Monroe County discount prescription cards save up tot twenty percent on drugs. 877-321-2652 https://naco.advancerx.com  Business Directory>Medical

In interviews from Bob Woodward’s book State of Denial, Secretary Rumsfeld comes off scarier than previously thought. He double talks and denies clear facts to the point of madness. I get the feeling the Bush White House is similar to the Hitler Bunker in the last days of WWII where Hitler would only hear good news and deny everything else.

I'm still confused why you paid $100 fine for your cargo trailer being parked across the street from your shop?  Rob uses it as a parking lot, M&M uses it to park cars while they wait to work on them, but you actually paid a $100 fine because you parked there for a couple of hours? Why,  because it's a trailer?  That's BS.  I hope you get your money back!

I cant believe that a guy can talk about God and say, I quote “You can kill them any way you want; freeze, stab, shoot, club, hang, drown--anyway…”  You need a new God.  Yours is messed up, buddy or mental help. Please ask your priest, minister, rabbi , or whoever runs your church, these questions. Last year I remember some guy got locked up for inhumanly killing an iguana.

[My friend runs a mental hospital] Apparently. Is it tree-hugging or deer-loving? Just wondering which broad stroke brush to use in rebutting such a buzz word smattering of heart string empty moralism ordinarily symptomatic of a pedestrian I.Q. What's in your pipe? Arguing from a religious point of view? You are illustrating the point of futility. Nice attempt to get God on your side. Waivers? Heavy payroll?

"Mud Monkey" Is this from the same guy that has cow palaceitis?

[Swollen testicles] Yes, we have seen that deer also.  Does anyone know what is going on with this poor creature?

Does anyone have any comments on the "are you ronin?" billboard. (ED: No.)

Saturday morning 7:42 am shopping at Winn Dixie. No displays in the bread isle!

Walgreens and CVS. Two of the most blain, boring, pathetic, generic chains I can possibly think of. I get bored in these nothing stores in about twenty seconds. Why would anyone want two, let alone one?

You can’t please some people no matter what you do. The parking lot at W/D was fixed about a year ago. It doesn’t flood anymore unless the storm drains get clogged.

I just thought I would let everyone know, first pancake breakfast in Venture Out is Nov 4.

Piners beware. Bike thieves are among us. My bike was stolen from the sidewalk along side our home. If you see a silvery tan bike with high rusty handlebars ,no fenders  and a chain guard that says" boardwalk" on it, kick the thief's ass and return it to me at 60 Freedom Ln.  Big Pine. (Ed: I saw a white guy about thirty years old with dark hair riding west on Ave A yesterday at about five or six pm on his bike. He was guiding a silver bike [with no fenders] along with him by one handle bar. I hope this helps. They hang horse thieves.)

The reason the Catholic Mass was said in Latin was to keep the faithful mesmerized with the unknown, and control them with mysticism.

[raise height restrictions for affordable housing purposes] This move will only allow the building of three stories or more, commercial buildings, like Motel, Hotels, etc. A two story motel/hotel never yields enough income per square foot of land it's built on. As soon as the sewer system and the height restrictions happen, say good buy to the Keys you now know.

I wish people who think feral iguanas and chickens are good for the Keys would say good bye to the Keys, not merely to this web site. Adios!

Washing machine repair. Time-Life repair books walk you thru appliance repairs in easy-to-read and follow steps. If the library has or can get it, that would solve your problem. Of course, the yellow pages and even this web site's business directory probably list businesses that repair things.

The county is about to allow a Key West developer to transfer building rights off the island. The very thing Boca development  has been trying to do to the Seahorse campground on Big Pine for about six months. The next commission meeting they are going to say, “look at Key West and were next.” Big Pine is about to loose over 100 affordable housing units. Be careful homeowners, were coming to your neighborhood.

Tell me one good thing the iguanas are good for.

[WD parking lot]  If you have lived here more than six months you would remember when even the lightest rainfall would bring out the Coast Guard to place channel markers so you could navigate the parking lot.  It has been over a year since the problem was finally fixed and I for one think "It ain't too bad".  You want dry parking when it rains go to a mall with covered parking.

Kudos to Strike Zone for giving US1 more eye appeal. I wish more business would follow your example. Also Marine Bank did a great inside remodel 

What is the website for the Key West whiners?

I loved the post yesterday that told the iguana ranter they needed to make an appointment with their friend who runs a mental hospital because they obviously let them out too soon. That was a good one.  Kudos!

With all the talk on Hillary, let’s share some of this humor, with all Keysers. Hillary for Prez

My Dear, sweet Captain Dan located at mm31 in Big Pine Key; you are indeed a benevolent and altruistic man but your shameless self-promotion is the worst kept secret in the lower Keys. To hold a grudge against me for working for you for one day and leaving so as not to murder the guy you had running your kitchen; is just childish don't you think?
--philomusic@hotmail.com

I’m a dues paying member if the ILC and none of the members I spoke to enjoy killing iguanas. We do it for the reasons stated or don’t the rest of you read the entire posts before freaking out?

This weekend I had the best dinner at The Commodore Steakhouse in Key West.  The surf -n- turf was magnificent and I shared a glass of the Opus One with the nice waiter.  Life is too short to drink cheap wine and eat price-club-like food.  Many of us prefer excellence; otherwise we cook and drink fine wine at home.  The only really good restaurant in our area is The Big Pine Coffee Shop, otherwise the finer places are down in Key West.  Encore in Key Largo and Lazydays in Islamorada are also good for quality food made by real Chefs and served-up by professional staff  who do not rush you through dinner.  That was the greatest tenderloin dribbled with béarnaise sauce I have had in ages!   

[Bush-backers] 650,000 dead in Iraq. That would be 1 Iraqi in 40 killed and you insist they are better off then before? Bush is worse then Saddam if you compare the body count. Even the British are defecting, leaving us to go it alone. All Bush has done is make the world a more dangerous place and leave us with few allies. What ever worldwide good will we had after 9-11, Bush squandered with his invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Must be the Iguana Killer backing Bush. Or perhaps Bush is secretly the Iguana killer. Could be another conspiracy.

Hey, IKC, is the body count in Iraq high enough for you? Or should we shoot for a million?

Beer and Viagra don’t mix.

Free prescription card  http://www.freedrugcard.us/index.php For those of you who don't have a prescription plan here is a free one that you can even check the price of meds. Walgreens is by far cheaper than CVS generics. This really works because I have been using it for most of this year. Bring Walgreens to Big Pine Key!

Can anyone recommend a decent plumber?

The roosters at Winn Dixie are heartwarming and you’re hurt when an iguana runs from you. What a bunch of tree hugging crap like all the chicken and iguana crap you walk through in the parking lot that washes into the storm drains.

[Thanks to the right wing blogger yesterday for straightening me out about political systems.] Actually, when I was in college my professor compared the political spectrum to a circle with about two degrees of arc missing.  He put the far right at 1 degree and the far left at 359 degrees, right next to each other, but with the little gap between.

He then explained that at both ends, the resemblances may often be way greater than the differences, particularly in regard to extreme ideas about hating freedom, the need for totalitarian control of the "ignorant masses" to get what they (the extreme left or right people) know is needed and right, etc.

Now compare some of the nut-case religious anti-free-speech and social behavior whacko’s on the right and the nut-case extreme nanny-society activists on the left, and it's pretty easy to see my old prof was right on.

Has anyone ever had bad wine at a local restaurant (restaurant's on BPK or Little Torch or Ramrod only please)? I don't need names of places, I think I had a bad experience and wondered if it was just me or the wine. 

Also, what happened to that Arts bakery on Quail Roost Rd and is the old Conch and Stein for sale? 

Anyone who can afford to open a new place should really consider it, there are people here, myself included, that would rather work and live on BPK than drive to Marathon every day. It’d be even better if the pay is a livable wage which is about $15/hour for a 40 hour a week. If you’re single (more if you actually want to buy a home).

[Sloan’s Slot] If I was a lawyer trying to stop this county commission outhouse development shit, I would take the tact that affordable housing is a sham, by proving what these itsy bitsy teenie weenie polka-dotted-bikini housing units are going to cost to purchase, what the mortgage payments are going to be, what income level buyer can afford them, and how many workers and their family members  can squeeze themselves into those outrageous scant bikinis, and in that way prove that this walking talking bullshit does not in anyway help out rank-and-file workforce Keys people already living in the Keys, but it certainly helps out clever developers living in the Keys and elsewhere, and it certainly makes the county treasurer smack the old lips to think of all the new tax revenues all of this new sewer development will bring into the government coffers.

I also would argue that Jerry Coleman has a streaking conflict of interest because of his ties to Ed Swift, which predate his now having this super-inflated-invented consulting magic act making him one very happy financial camper, although camping is illegal in the Keys, except in its few state and private parks, where Jerry probably never slept a wink with Ed, but elsewhere in high style they are regular bedfellows. I would ask the court to contemptuously commend the shyster to 29 days in the big work camp on Stock Island, and his swifty boss, too, to give them a taste of real affordable workforce housing. Or maybe just remand them to the KOTS homeless shelter next door, where various and sundry rank-and-file Keys workers and down-on-their-luck folks bunk down at night. Then maybe these two gangsters might see the light between affordable housing and just plain old housing.

Furthermore, affiant sayeth naught (at this time).

[maybe you can tell me when the right will stop blaming Clinton for...] Probably about when the left quits claiming that both the 2000 and 2004 elections were "stolen."  (And, of course, if they lose then the 2006 also.)

[posting email addresses]  Lord, I don't read for a few weeks and y'all get stupider and stupider.

Since you all use computers I guess you don't you know anything about them?  Most every ISP (look it up. Find the pretty box that says "Search" or "Google") provides from three to ten addresses per account.  Anyone who posts here probably doesn't use an address that is his "real" one (i.e., contains his name or anything which would identify him) anyway.

If poor shot-at Ed were to start posting more email addresses, this would guarantee that pretty soon nobody would use any address that could identify him, and the problem would just continue...or get worse.

This anonymity is a fact of life of the Net folks; just get used to it. And for the one savvy, comp-lit person who may be reading this, yes, I know about IP numbers, etc., but the complained of posts here don't usually go far enough for any involvement, tracing, etc. at that level.  Plus it wouldn't do much good anyway.

(?)[Running with the devil] What part of it did you not understand, the stepping in it or the smell part? 

When is everyone going to realize that all politicians are crooked in some way, shape or form?  Liberals rag on conservatives and vice versa.  Regardless, these people have their own agendas and none of them really represent us.  This is Bigpinekey.com.  Let's keep the gripes at this level.  Republican/Democrat arguing has no resolve.

Sunday October 15, 2006

Saturday October 14, 2006

I checked on the Florida prescription comparison site and
the difference in cost was amazing. $20 at Big Pine CVS vs $33 for Walgreen's in Key West.  Unfortunately, this list is limited, so you can't tell if it applies to all meds you are taking.

[Hillary: Communist, liar, dangerous] I would also like to read a specific fact to back up any of these hysterical accusations.

The height restrictions article by Steve Estes in this week’s Barometer is right on. How often do we have to keeping on voting to keep the building heights as they are? Every few years developers influence the commission and convince them that we should raise the height limits. Well, bubba, they don’t convince the voters. And any commissioner that votes to raise the building height or give a developer a variance will feel my wrath. I’ll never forget and I’ll all I can (which is substantial) to have him removed, that goes for you too, Dixie!

The WD shopping center has vacant shops because they are asking Miami prices for rent. They had a tenant there for months but wouldn't do what the county told them to do to enable the tenant to get her electricity turned on. Why would anybody want to rent a place there? What's open in the Ace shopping center? The same shops have been there for many years without change. I personally don't like WD, but like Publix and that's besides the point. Most of all, I like choice. Something you don't seem to believe I (or anybody that doesn't feel as you do) have a right to. Many of us that have lived here for many years want to see Big Pine at it's best. We have seen too many places run down.  Nobody wants Sarasota here.  We want Big Pine Key in all its finest. You may want to live in a run down slum, but I don't. I love life here and have for many years. Big Pine as it is now is not it's finest. This island needs to refresh. Let it.

Here’s a sappy tribute to America. I thought people would like. I remember this from years ago with John Wayne reciting all those syrupy words. America

[At the Tiki Tonight] Joe and Mer-ilynn from Coconuts and Barry and Jeri. Barry plays guitar and writes the sweetest songs. I haven't heard any in a while, but some of his old stuff blew me away. His little wife Jeri plays bass. and well. Anybody who has been here for any time knows how Meri-lynn sings and plays; and how Joe plays. It should be fresh in either case. You can’t loose.

Senate Minority leader Democratic Harry Reid should resign today because of his land deal. It looks corrupt and might be, but the least he should do is resign his post until the investigation and indictments are over.  But, nooo,  the democrats will  probably reward him.

The reason the Catholic Mass was said in Latin all over the world for so long was so Catholics could attend Mass all over the world and feel at home.  The words of the Catholic Mass in Latin, English, Spanish, French, German, Polish, Russian, and Chinese are the same words--just translated.  And the Pope is not requiring all Roman Catholic churches to say the Mass in Latin, he is simply making it easier for those who want to say or hear the Latin Mass.

An interesting point: Consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theatre of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths. That gives a firearms death rate of 60 per 100,000. The firearms death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period. That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the U.S.Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq. Conclusion: The U.S. should immediately pull out of Washington.

I'll still support BP Liquors over Walgreens any day regardless of pricing.   We’ve got to support our own peeps!

I was never a snow bird, actually had never been to the Keys at all.  I sold everything I owned drove across country and settled comfortably into the Island life.

There was a berating comment on the Key West site about us Piners yesterday.  They are just jealous our site is busy and much better than theirs.

Beware if you are a Florida Peninsula windstorm policy holder and want to transfer back to Citizens, Florida Peninsula will keep 80% of your premium if the take over happened after hurricane season started.  My agent, Atlantic Pacific here on Big Pine Key recommends policy holders wait until there policy term expires then transfer to Citizens.  Catch 22. I think so.

The roosters at Winn-Dixie are the most beautiful fellows anywhere. The love of the hens with their chicks is heartwarming. I love the brilliant green of a little iguana and it hurts me see a big one that runs when I come upon him, because he feels I will harm him. 

I am saddened and disenchanted with this site and these islands. Who are you people and in God's name why are you here? I have been here all my life and I never remember such disregard for the earth and all its creatures, I am truly sad, so I say adios to this website and I will start my day on the most positive note that I can. It sickens me I may be out there serving your cruel sorry asses.

Kudos to this site for getting the people to move the displays blocking the cheese row at Winn Dixie.

Has anyone else seen the buck with the huge “nads” around Eden Pines boat ramp? That poor deer needs to be put out of his misery!

People keep telling me I need a dog.  I can honestly reply I don't, because I constantly have somebody else's hanging around.  Many, many, "somebody else's", nearly anytime you care to look.  So much for "dog people" containing their pets and cleaning up after them.

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.

Why Texans don't have looters!

[Iguanas are pests] Wrapped a little tight are we?

I'll be the first.  Restaurant Review:  Parrotdise: great, Square Grouper: great, Mangrove Mama's: great, Big Pine Restaurant: some things very good, excellent breakfast when hung over, Rob's: haven't been there in a while because the times I did it sucked. I have not been to Crossbones and probably will not even bother, No Name Pub: good wings and smoked fish dip, the place on Bay Point (I always forget their name for some reason): good if you are stuck on the road because of an accident.  Little Palm Island: way to expensive for what you get, brunch is your best bet.  Boondocks: I haven't had a real meal there in awhile so I can't fairly say. I hear they are getting better.  Pizza: I'm sorry, there just is no really good pizza outside of Key West and even there it's good, not great (must be the water.)  I LOVE 915 in Key West and Santiago's Bodega on Petronia, quality food and you won't leave hungry.  If you would like to know more about Key West and Marathon I would be happy to give my input.  I like to eat out and have been many places.   

I love BPK and love this site I can't imagine living anywhere else in the Continental US.  You all have a wonderful week end!  I'm going to go swim with the fishes and hopefully get me a Hogfish!

OK Lets look at the Winn-Dixie shopping center. Where else in America do you have to walk around chickens, that could be covered in salmonella, to do your grocery shopping? After a rain where else in America does one have to wade thru standing water to do your grocery shopping? The drainage has been blocked up for years.  Hire someone to clean it out. Some of the metal railing is held together with packaging tape! Those are just three boo-boos noted on a quick walk around. Have you really looked at the "Stores that cannot be rented?  The entire shopping center needs a remodel before many money-makers would invest in a project.  Take a gander at some of the ceilings and walls and wonder if you really should be shopping there if this is the way the owners of the center or the renters of the units keep their basic structure.

If the real estate investment trust, or individual, or corporation that owns the shopping center would do some repair work possibly people would look at it as a place to make some money. As it stands, a savings account would make more than a store there because you just get the feeling of washed up when you go there.

Winn Dixie certainly seems to have a manager who is listening to the complaints, they can turn this around, and it seems have rounded the corner.  I wish them the best of luck and will continue to shop there despite all the drawbacks. All of us have to realize that the caliber of person moving to the Keys is way different, and these people are willing to pay for better service and better quality of goods.  Do you honestly think a couple dollars a pound on a steak means anything to them if it is quality?  Face it, if a Publix or whatever opened up with a fresh new look and double the price, where do you think these folks are going to shop?

Any idea when Lost Cargo Trading is opening?

[Will Winn-Dixie give the homeless a job and put them up in a Motel] Why should they?

It seems it is now fashionable to adopt a black kid. The Hollywood stars are doing it. My question is why are they only adopting kids from other countries? Is it not cool to adopt one from the US? I think the Hollywood liberals are really full of it.

Entrepreneurs cannot fill the vacant stores in the shopping center because of the extravagant lease fees. 

So according to author David Kuo (Tempting Faith), a former Bush staffer, the Bush administration thought the Religious Right were all a bunch of nuts. Well at least they got one thing right.

Regarding the attempt to raise the height restriction.  It is inappropriate, at best, to bring this before a commission with a lame duck. Makes me wonder why the attempt to put it on the agenda is now.  Of course we know the answer.  The Triumvirate lives!

Please, everyone, contact the papers and your commissioners.

W/D actually removed the displays blocking the cheese and bread aisle. Wow, the power of bigpinekey.com at work!

I need someone who can repair a washing machine. My warranty is spent--imagine that--and I need some help! Please call 872-0928  Thank you!

I was at an eating establishment in Key West yesterday. I went to use the bathroom and found that someone had left a "mud monkey" in the sink. Needless to say I left the place without ordering anything. How disgusting.

Key Deer Bar & Grill on Big Pine Key (mm 31) is the best kept secret in the Keys. They have the most delicious appetizers, fresh seafood, burgers, and a wide variety of other menu items to satisfy anyone, even the children. The atmosphere is nice, and the sports bar is fantastic. The locals flock there to eat and watch the game.

[Give us your tired, poor...] America is the only country on this rock that is too pussyfied to curtail the invasion of itself. All other countries go to war instantly, to keep their neighborhood--their neighborhood!  The Mexicans, the Cubans, and whoever else can just walk, swim, or row in and squat. Wait until the rich rulers start to be pushed off their horse ranches, their yacht harbors, their golf courses, their elegant whatever's, then you'll see them send in the troops. But as rich as they are, they are as stupid, because the "troops" will be the invaders in drag, who now have the guns. It's all over but the shouting, Dude!

Good news for BPK W/D deli customers.  The deli will be getting new slicers, therefore customers will be able to have their meat and cheese cut to their specification. Now all they need is a good deli team for good customer service.

To the IKC hunter. Discharge a firearm in any way that I determine is dangerous to me, whether it is on your property, public property or anywhere and you'll be receiving a visit from local law enforcement and believe me, I will not back down and will push this to the maximum extent of the law. Keep looking over your shoulder, cause I'm watching everything you do. Sooner or later you'll step over the line.

There was a comment about an attractive female at TIB bank.  But I have a reply to that comment.  I have been banking with TIB bank for 6 years and everyone seems nice and friendly, but that female that this person was talking about, I see nothing attractive about.  TOO much make up TOO fake and for sure she is not from here.  She is not nice.  She seems that she hate life itself.  How did she get here?  TIB get rid of her!  --Device4@aol.com

To the ranter yesterday that explained to all of us how hunting is legal (exactly where do you live?), can we see your hunting license for Monroe County please?

God gave us dominion over all the animals. It's a shame that people like you have to push that power to the extreme.  Your God and my God are obviously not the same.  I would love to be around when you meet your Maker and see what he has to say about your translation of his Bible. 

Maybe you need to make an appointment with your friend who runs the mental hospital.  It sounds like they let you out too soon.

[Commissioner Neugent] The Keys are and have been the last hideaway for people escaping from the ternary of the big cities. For years we locals have had a beautiful quiet, place to live out our days. Now people like you and other greedy land merchants, builders and profiteers want to take that all away from us, because you think we are low rent nothings. Well, my friend, it isn't going to happen. The over expansion of the Keys by the uncaring is about to start a small war. When you come along with your so called "Officials" that we unknowingly gave jobs to, and start dictating to the American home owner to either get out go with the New Keys Order, we will fight back. This is my home, and my home,  my wife, my kids, are the only thing I have. You jeopardize this, and I have no recourse than to survive. My way. Leave the Keys alone. Make them a place to be proud of not a garbage pit for tourists, and tacky part timers like Miami and other concrete disasters.. Just go away, leave us alone!

What about a scrapbooking store?  We need something like that in Big Pine!

(?)The good news is President Clinton's term is only two years away. The bad news is we have to endure this dumbass everyday of those two years!

Saturday October 14, 2006

Friday October 13, 2006

[Commissioner Neugent on getting high] Anyone who is opposed to raising the existing height limit of 35 feet that has withstood time of over 25 years and are opposed to the developers raising the limit – you need to either express your opinions in the paper, the gossip column, or attend the next Board of County Commission meeting in Key West next Wednesday. This will be one of your last chances to protect what is left of the Fabulous Florida Keys. Key West rejected this proposal by 70% of the vote on a recent referenda proposed to the residents. If you got any gumption and are opposed to this destructive proposal you must VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THIS. Call all commissioners. Neugent is opposed to this destructive proposal. Help!

To the Regional manager of Winn Dixie,
...I'm the editor and don't write the stuff, but I do have a complaint with the BPK W/D. The busiest aisle in the store (cheese & bread) only allows one cart passage because of the center displays blocking that aisle. You can hear the people groan at the inconvenience. All the other aisles allow two carts to pass side by side. I hope my comment doesn't turn you off from advertising with us.

From the Regional manager of Winn Dixie,
I appreciate your response. I will make sure that our marketing people review the info below, and if possible become an advertiser on "BigPineKey.com". Also, I appreciate the comments on the aisle in the store that is hard to shop because of the displays. I spoke to Robert and the aisle will be cleared today, and remain free of displays from now on.

Thanks for your business and support,

[Solutions?] I don’t like the restaurants—let’s allow fast food chains. I don’t like CVS—let’s build another Walgreens. I don’t like W/D—let’s build a new shopping center. I don’t like the highway—let’s make it look like Sarasota.

Someone wrote in yesterday about the abandoned buildings on BPK and in the same posting called for more stores to be built. Dear poster, we can’t rent the stores we have now. Just look at the W/D shopping center and the vacant store next to Ace hardware. Both prime locations. Do you think that a new shopping center will have cheaper rent?

If anyone out there wants to travel to KW this weekend, Injade is playing this Friday and Saturday night at Schooner Wharf Bar.

The “opponents of a competitive drugstore” posting Thursday was so filled with hypocrisy that I can’t address them all. The gist of my criticism is that the writer longs for the past, but now wants more chain stores so we can have two of everything so we can have competition to get better service. Lady, there is more than one kind of blindness and you have the second kind. Are you sure you want to live here and not Anywhere, USA?

Yes, I do have a lot of exotic plants in my garden. If it’s a choice between hibiscus and vermin, the iguanas die. Bang!

As regards those "quite a few" holier-than-thou "ex readers" of this site, absolute bull. Who are you kidding? You closet viewers love it and you know it! You never miss a day, you never miss a word.

The publisher is always getting his arm twisted here, admonished and persuaded there, pissing me off at times also, with his capricious, selective, slanted, and often illiterate so-called editing, favoring the soft, left leaning prepubescent gum snapper, whose submissions are devoid of substance or content. But it's his site, he'll do it his way, and we'll all keep tuning in. 

I'm fed up with you frustrated, hypocritical, transparent, arm twisting, self appointed censors, a bunch of threatening, self righteous harridans always telling this guy how you'd do it, and what not to allow. Tell you what, start your own site with your own standards, and when someone wants to stare at a blank screen they'll know where to click. Now go shag your iguanas.

I just read Pulitzer prize (Mosquito Coast) winning author Paul Theroux’s Dark Star about his observations while traveling, the almost impossible land route, from Cairo to Cape town, South Africa. One of his observations that he shares with others is that Africa is a country that exists solely on aid and has for the last forty years. When the aid groups leave things revert back to the way they were. When a charity builds a building and then leaves, the building is abandoned and left to fall apart until a new charity comes along and builds a new building next to it and then the charity leaves and that building is abandoned, etc. When westerners leave a building where they might have had a business the Africans won’t maintain the building even if it is given to them for free. They won’t use it either. They prefer to operate their store in small hooch’s like they’ve always done. Theroux’s idea is to teach the African’s pride in their things and try to teach hem to maintain any thing. He thinks the aid groups are self-serving, although he never says it.

"Stupid" can you say that? Don't you people get it that there is enough of pie to go around for CVS and Walgreens. The population from the seven mile bridge to let’s say mm15 is not 5,000 people any more, so if the average is 100-150 prescriptions and CVS is doing 400 prescriptions, do the math. One other thing, where are they going to bus in all these customer friendly employees you are talking about? CVS isn’t going to fold up and go away. It sure will keep up some good competition for all.

The Catholic Mass will soon again be celebrated in Latin. It seems most Catholics don’t want to know what the priest is saying and don’t want to look at him so Rome is reverting back to the tried and true Latin Mass. In America, the mass now is said in English and the priest faces the congregation. When are they going to bring back prohibiting meat consumption on Fridays?

It looks like Walgreen’s won. The County couldn’t find any legal reason to stop them any longer. Say googbye to BP Liquors, Walgreen’s will price them out of business within a year.

First they widened the 18-mile stretch to open the Keys for development and then all the dominos began to fall. Goodbye Keys. The new shopping plaza is next for BP. It’s ironic that people want Walgreen’s and Publix which are two of the most expensive chains in the Keys. I’m starting to think that the people purporting to be locals and asking for all this development are, themselves, “plants” by the developers. Agent provocateurs (although they’ll deny that fact every day in their postings).

Will Winn-Dixie give the homeless a job and put them up in a Motel?

I had over 230,000 frequent flyer miles and Wack Over You, made me turn them in for next to nothing. If you are saving air miles for retirement travel, forget it! You will lose them if you don't redeem them soon.

Britain’s top general, Richard Dannatt said today that he thinks the troops in Iraq are making things worse and called for British troop withdrawal. He also said having the troops in Iraq is making it unsafer in England. Bush Wake up. Our troops in Iraq are not stopping terrorism. Why is that so hard for you to understand? Strong borders and security is the only way to stop terrorism on our soil.

Don’t you supporters of development see what you all are trying to do to our island? You are the very people who, in ten years, will be talking about how it used to be.

[If we could reduce the world’s population to a village of precisely 100 people] They would still discriminate and fight among themselves. Human nature is consistent.

[Ironies] A police dog assigned to the Watertown, N.Y., force, was the first cop on the scene to bring down Mark A. Adams, 22, who had eluded officers for seven hours after violating probation for cruelty to his pet dog.

At least phone menus don’t say, “Dial nuevo for English” --so far!

Are You Ronin?   www.areyouronin.com

I just got my Ros-Lehtinen full page glossy ad. Thank god, it couldn't have come a minute to soon. The old one I used to cover my dart board with is worn out.

The insurgents are winning and now our resolve is faltering also. The insurgents know this and are fighting harder. They know the US can’t beat them. You can’t beat suicide fighters. They have nothing to lose.

[Hillary: Communist, liar, dangerous] I’d be interested in hearing your “specific” reasons why you feel this way. Also maybe you can tell me when the right will stop blaming Clinton for Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Foley, The Kennedy Assassination etc. after all the Republicans have held the majority since, what 1994?

We were all snowbirds at one time, if you were smart, scouting places where you wanted to live.

Cat people think their cat should run free and mate and poop and fight and hunt. Dog people contain their pet and most pick up.

I've been traveling and Big Pine looks like the dead towns the interstate passed by. We need new blood and competition. Let’s change BPK.

[Ouch Dept] The only thing Hillary Clinton is qualified for is not pleasing her husband.

I’m a life-long Republican, but I‘m not going to vote for Ileana this November.  She was one of the few Republicans to vote against the House Immigration Bill, throwing her lot in with the Democrats who would let everyone who’s here now stay and everyone else in when they want to come.  I can’t help but think she places a higher value on her ethnicity than on her patriotism.

Of the Clinton’s, Hillary is definitely the scarier of the two.

Thank you to all those who answered my Diesel questions. I can only get about 200 gallons at a time, so may be they will come to the house. That’s certainly better to try as they empty out the truck all the time and I will get better diesel. 

My glossy Ross-Latham flyer said I should vote for her. She doesn’t represent me now. She represents the Miami Cubans and the war.

I hear the Tiki Bar has a new band playing Saturday night. Anyone know if these guys are any good? I would love to hear some decent music for a change.

[A few of you want another shopping center] I could give a damn about a new store, but at least get W/D in shape and clean and fix the freaking parking lot, kill the freaking chickens and paint diagonal parking spots! Phewee, that felt good.

[Sloan’s Slot] What does Sloan use for keyboard lube?

[that gullible to fall for Hillary's BS isn't sane enough to see the truth] You tell ’em buddy, Freedom’s on the March, Fight them there so we don’t have to fight them here, yada, yada, yada.

[Checking for water in gasoline] When you shoot some gas into a clear container, you then need to wait several hours (overnight would be better) to let the water particles settle to the bottom unless the water problem is really, really bad.

[Hillary] I think your right. She wants to get back at the US for what Bill did to her.

[Winn-Dixie] I'm a local and would like to work there, but I better keep the job I have for now.

[you can go anywhere in America and find a Bank of America] Wrong!  I'm in a touring band and have been on the road for the last 3 months.  Here are a few of the many areas without BOA service. Try to find one near Hanover Kansas,  Butler Pennsylvania, Davenport Iowa, Warren Ohio, Erie Pennsylvania, Jackson Hole Wyoming, Wheeling West Virginia,  Louisville Kentucky, Sturgis South Dakota, etc! 

This is my favorite message I receive when searching for a bank on the Bank Of America Website. “Sorry, there are no Banking Centers within 25 miles of the location you entered.” 

I was delayed in a line at CVS pharmacy last winter, I had to get to work and the line of older snowbird-like people didn't seem to be moving at all. In a PMS like fit I shouted out that perhaps there should be 2 separate lines, one serving the working poor and the other for these rich retirees who had plenty more time on their hands than me. It didn't get me anywhere, but I blew off some steam. I still don't want another pharmacy because I agree with the writer that wondered how they could possibly staff it. And that leads me to tell everyone that I like Winn-Dixie.

They are all courteous to me as I am to them, and as far as the attitude about the Spanish, why don't you use it as an opportunity to practice the little bit of Spanish that you may have picked up? What's wrong with even trying a simple “gracias” to your bagger? Let’s be a little nicer to each other. This leads me to apologize for last winters temper tantrum at CVS. If I offended anyone I am sorry. (In Spanish that would be Lo siento) I get more crabbier in the winter months.

How could Columbus have discovered America, when we Native Americans were already here?

Blah, blah, blah... blah, blah blah, blah... blah blah!

I agree totally with the posts that said they are tired of the IKC posts. And I disagree with posting of Email addresses of people who have reasonable complaints with local businesses. This is one of the great values of this site and is one of the reasons people come here. I too have heard from folks who are not visiting this site because of moronic posts by so called IKC members. These posts promote inhumane animal treatment. They remind us all that although we truly live in paradise, we must share it with a few anti-social misfit cowards. Print the Email address of these jerks and we will all be spared from future posts by these lowlife.

Iguana droppings are pathogen free after exposure to UV light (sun) for an hour or two, and are a great organic fertilizer for growing native plants. IKC members transmit E. coli bacteria.

My friend runs a mental hospital.  He told me psychologist and counselors in his hospital are crazier than the patients.

Iguanas are pests; they are an invasive animal not native to the Keys and destructive to our environment.  They do not belong here.  The law is explicit; you can kill them anytime and anywhere you wish, except on someone else’s private property.  You can kill them any way you want;  freeze, stab, shoot, club, hang, drown--anyway.  The law protects you while you do this too.  It is legal to shoot alligators and deer with the proper permits (not Key Deer because some tree huggers felt sorry for the disease infested disgusting creatures and got them classified as a protected animal.)  The same people who do everything to stop people from building houses so other people can afford to live here.  You people make me sick. 

Hunting is legal and we do not care what you think.  We think you are crazy, deranged and more dangerous to the freedoms we hold dear than terrorist.  You are the people who make their mission possible.  You make excuses for them and think those of us who want to protect our country and don't care what the rest of the world thinks are crazy.  I have hunted deer, bear, coyote's, squirrels, prairie dogs and more rodents than I can count; all legally.  So put that in your psych profile and say whatever you want. 

The majority of us know who the real lunatics are: you tree hugging, iguana loving Key deer worshipping anti religious zealots.  Read your Bible, God gave us dominion over all the animals.  You may be the descendant of an ameba that washed up on the shore and grew into a monkey, but I am a son of God who uses my God given rights to kill and do whatever my country gives me the right to do.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Winn-Dixie put more locals in jail than out-of-town employees in hotels. 

To those not understanding why so many of us want a Walgreens. We won't have to wait forever to get our meds.  Its not that one is a dollar less on a bottle of medicine; it’s the service! Plus, when they bulldoze down that horrible old Scotty’s store it will be another low key beautiful building with lots of trees and flowers that will make Big Pine look so much better.  And we have a location for our new sewer system and the water will once again be clear in the canals and teeming with fish. This just looks like a win-win for Big Pine.

What is wrong with busing in workers from the mainland?  This way we don't have to build schools for all those kids.  Seems to me it’s cheaper all the way around and your taxes go down because we hardly have any school age children left.  Heck they are already talking about combining some of the schools.  Its got to be cheaper if you have less children!

All you have to do is look where the crime areas are and it’s the "affordable" housing so we bus the crime back to the mainland. How can we lose?

Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on "donating a mammogram" for free (pink window in the middle).

This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising. Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.  http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites

The Palm Beach Post has a huge database of 2,300+ restaurants, many with reviews: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/restaurants/
content/entertainment/restaurants/index.html . This is much more elaborate than we need down here, but it shows what is possible. You can search restaurants by Area, Cuisine and Price Range. You can just rate a place (1 to 5 stars) or enter a brief review, signed or unsigned. For each restaurant, you can click on the "User Rating" or "Reviews" tab to read the reviews. They even let you search on "Keys" as an area, but when I tried that, no restaurants came up. I guess that's because their newspaper isn't distributed down here. (Ed: Palm Beach County has more than one and a quarter million people. The entire 100 plus miles of Monroe County only has 82,000; Big Pine only has five thousand people. When you have a million people a few viscous people cannot harm a restaurant’s reputation, but here a few meanies can destroy a place. We’ve seen it happen. Tagging a negative review is the answer around here.)

Rob's Island Grille on Big Pine Key (mm 31) is the best kept secret in the Keys. They have the most delicious appetizers, fresh seafood, burgers, and a wide variety of other menu items to satisfy anyone, even the children. The atmosphere is nice, and the sports bar is fantastic. The locals flock there to eat and watch the game.

Happy Friday The 13th!  This has always been lucky for me.  I learned this trick from AAA:  Always keep a disposable flash camera in your vehicle glove compartment in the event of an accident.  After the accident, I shot off a role which saved the day.  Got a bunch of money for the damages and minimal points on the license. 

On a job interview, they had me fill out a W-4 tax withholding form and then didn't hire me.  Is this some kind of new fraud going on here in Big Pine?  It was not normal, which is why I notified my CPA and the Tax Board.  If any others filled out a tax withholding form on a job interview in the last couple of months, you may want to do the same for your financial safety and peace of mind.

I am so happy that I didn't get those ridiculous-looking fake boobs, where that's all a person sees are big boobs and then announces that they're fake.  They leak, are uncomfortable and don't jiggle like nature intended.   

North Korea, Iran and Venezuela put together are less than 1/2 the size of our great state of Alaska, yet they bully the free world. We even send them100s of millions of dollars in one form or another. There will come a time when America and its leaders from both sides will say, “I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it any more.” We will stand as one; take care of old, sick and poor. We will find that there is more than enough of everything to do this. And we’ll do it with more than enough left over to defend our country, explore outer and inner-space and have the best and the most of all that’s worth having. It’s just around the bend. God Bless America.

In an order from the Office of Insurance Regulation issued yesterday, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation was ordered to begin offering residential property insurance to previous customers who had been “taken out” of the Citizens pool by smaller insurance companies that are now charging unapproved rates.

"Sometimes when I reflect on all the beer I drink, I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. I think, "It is better to drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver." -- Babe Ruth

Friday October 13, 2006

Thursday October 12, 2006

Columbus Day is to celebrate the discovery of North America after its discovery by Amerigo Vespucci after its discovery by the Vikings. The only difference was that Columbus had better press.

[Bucks fighting] The ending was that the large buck got its neck and head all cut up, but he also got all the young ladies. The smaller of the two didn’t seem as cut up and he’s still horney.

[Walgreen's] I can't understand why you think you will get better service. Where are the employees going to magically appear from? If you do not have a prescription plan, you may be interested  in visiting http://www.myfloridarx.com/ to see how much more a prescription will cost you from Walgreen's. This is a site that compares drug costs in our area. Input Key West as it has the most pharmacies. Walgreen's is almost always the most expensive. The Winn Dixie pharmacy is usually the least expensive along with CVS.

[Iraq Democracy is a joke] The Iraqi government passed new laws that criminalize speech that “publicly insults” the government or its officials. Some of the laws are verbatim copies of those that existed under Saddam Hussein’s penal code. Are we going to change the reason we're fighting there again?

A few of you want another shopping center (for what reason I can’t figure out) when there isn’t enough entrepreneurs to fill the vacant stores at our existing shopping center.

Doesn't it strike anyone as mildly ironic that the iguanas are smarter and more desirable than the double-digit I.Q., single-digit teeth-numbered dunces shooting anything that looks to be non-aggressive?  You are absolutely no different than the grinning laughing boys that sit around happy hours giggling and shniggling like schoolchildren at people you don't recognize or do recognize to be quite out of your maturation level.

“Iraq has become a cause célèbre for jihadists.” This is from the government intelligence report that Bush was forced to declassify after it was leaked to the NY Times. We’re just making it worse by being over there.

I am a registered Republican, although of late I have exercised my right not to vote. Instead, I am contemplating the transparency of propping two puppets up to give voters the illusion that they have some democratic influence in what actually is decided in this country; and who truly pulls the strings of the lucky Howdy Doody who emerges "victorious." Garbage rhetoric about having nothing to say when things go wrong because you did not vote and "take part in the democratic process" is parroting from the herd who mistakenly believes they are viewing the entire picture.

[Least Competent Criminals] Bryan Sanderson was arrested minutes after allegedly committing his second bank robbery of the day in York County, Va. Sanderson's main misjudgment was making his getaway both times in his company home-inspection van with "Sanderson Services" on the side.

[Diesel fuel] If you have to have  diesel for your boat I would say that you buy a good amount at one time.  The best thing that I have done is with (I think it is called) J & S from Marathon.  Anyway I would call Eddie's cell phone provided by the business, but he has since moved on and the new contact is Bob, his number is 305-304-8972.  They come to the home or dock and deliver straight to you.  I do know that they go all the way down to Key West.  I happen to live on Cudjoe and they are always stopping there for me.  It is the most convenient for me.  I use Oceanside or A& B Fuel docks when in Key West away from my home.

Hillary is nothing more than a Communist in drag along with being a tremendously unsuccessful liar.  She is without a doubt the most dangerous person in American politics today.  Another Clinton presidency with her at the helm (and Bill behind the scenes) would be a disaster.

[Walgreens vs CVS]  Very few people I know have anything good to say about CVS and I and others I know go to Marathon or Key West to find a Walgreens for drug store and prescription needs.  I look forward to a Walgreens and many others do to and it won’t be long after that CVS will pull out because they can’t compete with Walgreens superior customer service and pricing.

[They eat all our pretty plants and running our fragile environment.] Why do you think we locals don't want them coming down here in season? They ruin everything, eat everything and poop on everything.

That was a thoughtful letter from the district manager of W/D yesterday. I didn’t know they were putting up employees in hotels just to keep the store opened. I only wonder if they raised their pay scale would locals then apply for employment. That would probable cancel out the expense of the transient employees who only stay for a short time; with locals who would stay longer (because of the high pay).

[Hillary is middle of the road] I hope to God this nitwit can't vote! Anyone that is that gullible to fall for Hillary's BS isn't sane enough to see the truth.

Ed, can't read Wednesday's. I don't have time to scroll back and forth. Can you fix it? (Ed: It took me almost an hour, but I found the culprit. It was that fish chasing fish animation that was too long and skewed the layout. It's all better now. Thanks for letting us know.)

[Get the Warfarin, there's too many rats in the cage] Now that’s funny!

[I should not have to dial 9 for English] When I run into this, I call the company involved or the phone company and file a complaint. It probably does nothing but waste their valuable time. This is good.

Distress or death of Big Pine

[Oh, how I long for the lost days of peace and quiet] I hope you run for office and take back control of Moron County. I know it's a dream, but wouldn't it be nice again?

To the person that thinks Islamic freedom fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan are oppressed, and support nuking America and specifically Big Pine. Leave America and go live in that hell hole.

Yahoo, Mr. Jorge Cabo, District Manager Winn Dixie!  I was impressed with your posting and hope the people who read it will take you up on your offer.  I admit I have complained some, myself, in the past but will give you a chance and open my mind and hope others will follow.

I was the one who got hosed with water in the gas tank from Dolphin Marina. They paid for my repair and the cost of the fuel. I would be pretty sure that after all of that (watering 4 boats including a law enforcement vessel), that they have thoroughly checked the system for leaks. Unsure? Shoot some in a clear container and check it out first, then fill the boat.

I agree with the post yesterday that says they are tired of reading the IKC posts. I vote them off the website, or at least post their email addresses, as that will surely get rid of the cowards' comments.  Editor, I have talked to quite a few people that don't read your site anymore because of these horrible posts.  The reason you see so "many" posts about killing iguanas is because it is anonymous.  This is a serious psychological problem with these kind of people.  I am in the mental health profession and could tell you some horror stories about people who begin by killing creatures, such as the iguanas, and the alligator mentioned.

[posting email addresses] I don't know why people would be afraid to have them printed if they were truly giving a thought-out, reasoned review. A hate filled diatribe is what the editor (I think) is trying to filter out. Those serve no purpose other than to spill bile all over the rest of us. And in that vein, I too, am beginning to feel that perhaps the same should happen for the iguana killers. If they are so proud of what they do, let us see who they are. Methinks they only want to cause pain to animal lovers and of course, the iguanas. But it's not good for kids to read their tripe. And what good do they do? What if they were shooting the deer? Would we still grant them their anonymity?

Regarding the discussion here about what you say about somebody (or business). I found the following AP article on MSNBC's website last night. The headline was “Millions awarded in Internet defamation case Defendant posted messages calling plaintiff a 'con artist' and a 'crook”.  Extracted comments from the article that seem like the could apply to this site were the following:

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A children's services referral provider was awarded

$11.3 million in damages from a mother who posted critical Internet messages after seeking her advice.

The defendant, Carey Bock, called Sue Scheff a "con artist," "crook" and "fraud" in messages posted on a site used by parents with troubled children at boarding schools.

The award for Scheff, founder of Parents Universal Resource Experts Inc., is among the largest for a lawsuit claiming Internet defamation, according to legal analysts and an attorney involved in the case.

The dispute arose after Bock sought help withdrawing her sons from a school in Costa Rica. Scheff said she referred Bock to a consultant, and the two disagreed over access to information. Later Bock posted the negative messages about Scheff on an Internet site used by parents with troubled children at boarding schools.

The lawsuit was filed in 2003. Scheff won the $11.3 million judgment, which includes $5 million in punitive damages, from a Broward County jury.

Scheff attorney David H. Pollack said Wednesday that the award "signals that there is a limit" to the material that can be used on the Internet. "You can't just destroy somebody's life, destroy somebody's reputation and make blatant false statements about somebody and have there be no consequence," Pollack said. "There has to be a consequence."

I guess the few loud opponents of a competitive drugstore actually believe that your numbers are big enough to affect the competition. Think again. The majority of Big Pine is tired of waiting for days to get a prescription filled during season. Nobody is telling you that you have to go to Walgreen's, but you insist on trying to disable the rest of us that live here from having the option to use our free choice. Something so many people tend to forget is that competition breeds excellence in service. Something the seasonal numbers we have here prevents. I'm also hoping that Publix gets in here.

I've lived here long enough to remember when Big Pine looked nice and didn't have abandoned buildings everywhere. I love this island and chose to live here permanently many years ago. We need to regain our pride in our island and if the only way we can do that (because of the financial hindrances caused by the property values) is to have a few non luxury chain stores move in to provide for our needs, why are the few of you so vocal in preventing  positive change? Big Pine will never look like "everywhere else USA".  That in itself is totally impossible just by the nature of our island and by the long established growth regulations. Change is inevitable. It will either be by rebuilding some of what we have lost or by seeing more buildings rot and turn into more silver palm rat homes.

My Democrat friends have 3 good reasons Jesus was a Democrat.
1. He gave everything away to the poor.
2. He hated the Money people.
3. He rose from the dead to create Welfare!

[Concerning iguanas. Haven’t you been paying attention? They eat all our pretty plants and are over running our fragile environment] Whoa...they eat all our pretty plants?  What kind of plants do you have in your yard? Exotic plants?  I see iguanas all the time in my yard, and I have a beautiful yard.  You know why?  Because I planted native plants that they and the Key deer don't eat.  And you say they are "over running our fragile environment"?  Please explain to me exactly how they are doing this.  Eating your exotic plants in your yard does not constitute destroying our fragile environment.  I have been paying attention.  Your argument is a joke.

[Iguanas are reptiles not rodents] Snowbirds are rodents with wheels!

[Sloan’s Slot] Dear Monroe County people, Just below, in reverse order, is an email exchange of this morning bearing on citizens claiming control of their own political destiny...Long Winded Tomes

[Dead Cat]To the people of Venture Out in Cudjoe. You need to know that your park manager knows what really happen to big foot. He and the marina manager did not like the cat.

The reason that stingrays jump out of the water the way that they do is because they are trying to shake off parasites.

655,000 dead Iraqis and counting. The in-denial group in Washington estimated it at about 100,000. (?)Wow, now we are calling the Clintons an in-denial group?

(?)Gee, BPK now has a pop concert. Gosh, I wonder what kind of pop they will sell. Are banjo's allowed? How about someone with a Yankee accent? Do I have to wear shoes, long pants, bath, have teeth?

(?)[They also have fish which swim to the left] Aha! There you go! A new sport to tide you all over during the summer months. NASCAR for fish. No assembly required.

Thursday October 12, 2006

Wednesday October 11, 2006

[In response to the comments posted on this web site regarding the Big Pine Key Winn Dixie store] First and foremost, We at Winn Dixie would like to thank the many customers who patronize our store everyday. We truly appreciate your business and promise to strive each day to improve your shopping experience. Our store manager Robert Colegrove, co-manager Ricardo Fidalgo, and the rest of the management team are committed to your satisfaction.

Robert and Ricardo are both long time Winn Dixie associates and residents of Big Pine Key. Our customers are our neighbors and relatives and as such we certainly want the best shopping experience for all. 

While we face the effects of the "affordable housing crisis" which impacts the labor force in Monroe County, and specifically Big Pine Key, we are taking steps to remedy the situation. Several months ago Winn Dixie began to ferry associates from Homestead to our Big Pine Key store everyday. We also have associates from Dade County staying at hotels in Marathon and Key West to assist in our Big Pine store.  We invite any Big Pine resident who is interested in working for Winn Dixie to visit the store and see Robert for an interview.  While we always have the best of intentions sometimes things do go wrong.  At these times please ask for Robert or the manager on duty and we will resolve the issue immediately. If you are still not satisfied please contact me personally at 786-229-0022.

Thank you, Jorge Cabo,  District Manager, Southern Dade and Monroe county Winn Dixie Stores inc.   

Anybody body catch Muddy Waters’ son playing at the Green Parrot Monday night? Now that's a Band and Great music. Too bad you got to drive to KW for good entertainment.

Mr. Ed, I disagree with the posting of e-mail address. We’re smart enough to realize when someone has a vendetta against a restaurant / bar, as opposed to someone who just reports on an experience. Give us a little credit.  Oh, McDonalds sucks.

[I have once again been burned by an employer here] All you ever hear around here is that good employees are not to be had. I have to call BS on that. I am a good employee.

I worked for a real estate woman who let me go because she was not capable of being informed that she was making accounting errors on the properties she managed. Whether it's 8 cents or 800 dollars it was not right. As she put it; "I don't make mistakes". The clientele suffered. I worked for a Boat Rental Captain. He told me from his own mouth that I would be due a raise in a month. But he was not forthcoming so I had to be forthgoing.

Now, I am confronted with another dead beat employer.

If employers are not going to treat their people right then how can they reasonably expect to get what they want from the employed?

I was raised by good people with good ethics. They taught me values. I cannot understand why money seems to corrupt. If you are fortunate enough to have money; then be responsible with that position. Do not abuse a good worker over a few dollars. It will end up costing you in the long run.

[Why kill harmless creatures] Haven’t you been paying attention? They eat all our pretty plants and are over running our fragile environment.

Comparing Hillary Clinton with Hitler and Chairman Mao is absurd at the very least. I don’t think the writer has ever heard her views or read her opinions. She’s about as middle of the road as a politician can get. The previous writer probable just likes the right wing and not the middle ideology.

I should not have to dial 9 for English; for another language, ok, but not American in America! Call a different country and see how they answer the phone (if they even have a phone system).

Why is everyone so worried about their email address if you give a bad review of a restaurant? What are they going to do hunt you down and force feed you their food. Everyone is allowed their opinion of a place that they have been. I say go for it let the reviews begin.

[Death wish] I hope that the oppressed Islamic freedom fighters fighting is Iraq and Afghanistan don’t get together with the put upon North Koreans and test their atomic weapons in the empire-seeking USA even though we certainly deserve it. I hope they do it on Big Pine as we deserve it the worst.

If we could reduce the world’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, the demographics would look something like this: http://users.gazinter.net/melan/Warn/Warnenu.htm

[Distress or death of Big Pine] I authored the letter below almost a year ago in regard to the firestorm consuming our island. Almost a year later and I ask everyone, just what has been done to change anything?

If we can spend over 15 million to save about 50 Key deer per year and lose over 3 times that many families because of lack of family well-being and negative lifestyles, just why are the rest of us still here? We must make changes now. Only Big Pine has these issues and only Big Pine residents and property owners can fix them.

We must stop being overrun by unvested and hidden agenda people and groups.

DOT and Fish and Wildlife must understand and become respective to Big Pines issues and allow our voices to be heard with meaning.  We must demand a control board with both DOT and F&W at once. There simply is no political solution to our future, so why continue on that path? Long Winded Tomes

This is to all the critics that fear their e-mail will be publicized along with their negative comments.
1.) Create a screen name that you will only want to use breifly. You could probably think up a funny or sarcastic one to add to the fun!
2.) Send your e-mail to BPK.com and have a real party on them; get it all off your chest.
3.) Delete that screen name
Mission accomplished. We all want to share our experiences for the greater good of all. Do not allow yourself to be oppressed.

I hope Walgreen's will build their store soon.  We can only get better service than CVS.  If I have time I will drive to Key West or Marathon to go to Walgreen's.  The county or any government are not the ones who should have any input whether a business is needed or not. That is the American way!

Thanks to the right wing blogger yesterday for straightening me out about political systems.  I evidently slept in class when the professor described Nazism as being on the far right of the political spectrum and communism as being on the far left.  All the other systems are somewhere toward the middle.  Maybe because you read so many weird books you get confused easily.  You ought to curl up with a good novel or funny movie.  It might do wonders for your perspective.

The poster who mentioned hiding under your desk with your hands over you head sure brought back memories.  My Dad was head of the local builders who built bomb shelters for those who did not have cellars that you could bombproof. We still have some of the government posters illustrating how to dig and lay cinder block and build a bomb shelter.  I remember the drills in the late 50s where we all scooted under our desks as the sirens went off for a drill.  A lot of good that would have done and we knew it. We were studying history and saw the pictures of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. 

North Korea is full of it and just wants the US to pony up with hush money. This time we are letting the Chinese and Japanese take the heat and they can solve their local problem.

The Sunday London Times is having a contest, "Worst Holiday Ever," which has gone on now for 28 weeks. http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18409-2386886,00.html

[A different band on Saturday night] More Than Four will be at the Tiki Bar this Saturday. They play a mix of folk, rock, island and off the wall stuff. 2 guys, 2 girls. Nice, not loud and different. Joe and Meri-lynn , Jeri and Barry. Check it out and share what you think; good, bad or indifferent.

[Walgreens on Big Pine]  I live on Big Pine and can't wait for Walgreens to open.  I can't speak for all residents of Big Pine like the other writer, but I do know quite a few folks who will also patronize Walgreens.

Check your charts Part II

[Drugged Whopper at Burger King] Maybe the cops set them up?  "Have it your way"

[IKC] My wife said that if I would stuff a big one, and carry it around on my shoulder, I might be seen by a member who could vote me into the club.

Restaurant reviews both good and bad should have their email addresses revealed. Do to the unscrupulous individuals on both sides of this fence, its necessary. As far as that goes, maybe all posts should have their email addresses revealed. (He who lives in glass house should not throw stones)

I very seriously doubt 6 toe (the cat) drowned on his own.  He was not one to hang near the water. I honestly believe someone had something to do with his death due to several people not liking him. But I will give the benefit of the doubt; I'm not as angry now.

There are many posts on this web site regarding the tired old music that keeps repeating itself at most of the local establishments in the lower Keys.  May I suggest that you try the Green Parrot in KW.  In my opinion they present the best bands in the Keys and never have the same gig for more than two or three days in a row.  Their web site will show the schedule 2-3 months out.

I just had a pseudo job offer on Big Pine Key.  I'm a cabinet maker, finish carpenter, do anything kind of guy. I scuba and fly and sail. I hear the cost of living is high, so I'm thinking of living in a motorhome for several months, maybe a year until I can learn my way around and learn the ropes. 

I'm a pirate at heart, a former Marine, Parrothead, jack of all trades, master of some. My wife is a bad ass accountant—very, very good (and no I don't mean creative).  I'll be living alone, and she'll be finishing up her MBA and then joining me in about a year. We're in our early 40's, pretty laid back, quiet, respectful, love the sun and beach, flying, sailing and for me: scuba diving. 

I was just wondering if anyone can give us some pointers. I've been offered $35 and hour to install cabinets and rebuild porches and facades which sounds cool.  I currently work for myself as a custom cabinet furniture maker.  Mt wife is a manager at a semi-large accounting firm (40 accountants). We want to downscale and enjoy these last 30 or so years.

I would appreciate any pointers or information that will help us. Any info on where I could set up my motorhome to live for a while.  I could also live aboard a boat if that would be cheaper. Let me know please.

Wow!  That video of the two bucks having it out was awesome!  It was like something on the Discovery channel.  How did it end?  Was one on the ground hurt? Key Deer

Will the person or persons who “borrowed” my new snorkeling gear in the blue mesh bag please return it to exactly where you took it from, no questions asked.  Parents, if your child showed up with new snorkeling gear that you or they did not recently purchase it would be a good learning experience to have them return it.

[The Tiki is sinking] So, my wife and I went to the Tiki the other night to sadly hear the news that the new bar manager had left. What is this new owner and his sidekick GM trying to do to this place, run it into the ground? I mean that girl was the best thing that happened to that place since the "takeover." We can't believe they would let someone like her go, we are sad to see her go, but we wish her luck, she will do great anywhere and whoever acquires her should consider themselves lucky. Maybe next time we come back from vacation the Tiki will be gone, geeze! 
--djupitor61@yahoo.com

[Oil find in Colorado] There is an oil field located northeast of Grand Junction, Colorado on a huge mesa. The oil is combined in a rock called oil shale and is not economically feasible to produce oil from it with current market trends. I believe Mobil invested a bunch of money into it during the 70’s oil crisis. But that was way before my time.  By the time it’s feasible to produce oil from it we will be running our cars on hemp seed oil. Hey, Henry Ford ran the first Model T on it.

Next war: The Mexican Real Estate Revolution. Bet on it! How much water front property does Mexico have, anyway?

[Where else can one purchase diesel] You can have diesel delivered to your house from Juan at J&S (305-394-1259). I have used him as well as my neighbors with no problems. Remember to put in some of that algae guard stuff. I believe there is a minimum amount of diesel he will deliver, but not sure exactly how much, just ask when you call. I also believe he is cheaper then a fuel dock.

[Way to go Marine!  Thanks for making it safer for me over here, while you and all the military are trying to stop the nuts over there instead of here at home] Pay attention everyone.  This writer “gets it” and hits the nail right on the head.  It’s refreshing to know that there are thinking people out there who understand what we are facing with these left-wing nuts. (And don’t leave out Bill and Hillary, Kerry, Gore, Kennedy et. al.)

I was at one of the local drinking establishments yesterday when I spotted this NJ woman on a barstool in her Halloween costume. Guys were, of course, hitting on her. 

The Goombay Festival is about to happen again. I just wonder how many trashy street vendors will show up this year, selling their garbage foods and filthy meals. I have never eaten at this Festival of Slop for the 27 year I've live here, and never will.

Rays jumping out of the water can sometimes be related to catching prey, but most of the time it is because they are startled or trying to escape a larger predator.

Everybody hates the “left” or the “right”, but I doubt anyone really knows which is which anymore. Both sides seem to be greedy, asinine losers, too stupid to know what is good for this country.

Iguanas are not rodents. Pests yes, but not rodents.

I am so tired of reading these ridiculous posts from the so-called IKC.  Maybe if the editor would post their email addresses, the losers would shut up, once and for all.  Whether they are kidding or not, and probably not, they have some serious psychological issues, much like the perpetrators that killed the alligator at the Blue Hole in March.  The only reason they are posting these distasteful posts is that this is an anonymous message board, and they're too cowardly to say things like this and sign their names. 

[our laws give anyone the right to say anything they want] This used to be true, and to some extent still is, except for the fact that if a person makes a statement about anything that is not true or creates a situation of difficulty for the offended person or subject, that person is liable for damages, which may be a law suit or just a good ass kicking.

I have an idea to fix FEMA. After a devastating storm, instead of the easily-abused system of passing out checks for repairs, why not create an Army Corps of Construction similar to the Navy Seabees (Can Do!)? Stateside soldiers who specialize in construction could be deployed to the devastated area, learn the local codes, and actually repair damaged homes.  Of course the usual paperwork/application process would have to be in place, but properly managed it would be much more efficient than trying to get FEMA money, getting a permit, and then finding a licensed contractor that actually will come out before the next storm season.  My father was a Seabee in Vietnam and has told countless stories of going into an area, hauling materials, and building barracks or a hospital in record time.  Construction is their specialty anyway; and what better way to serve your country?  It seems that government dollars would go much farther if something like this could be organized.  FEMA is all but a joke now. 

A separate section of bigpinekey.com for unsigned restaurant reviews is a great idea! Including email addresses on negative reviews is tantamount to banning them altogether--in effect. As the editor seems to realize, censoring the reviews and posting only positive ones. There is a multitude of internet sites with reviews of restaurants, products, and services of all type, none of which would exist if they included the email address of contributors. If anything should be signed or banned, it should be posts that demean others or involve a sadistic thrill in killing animals and bragging about it to offend, hurt, and provoke those that care about them.

Oh, how I long for the lost days of peace and quiet. In the ‘60s and ‘70s there were about one tenth of one percent of you parasitic morons here, no iguanas, no chickens, no police, no code enforcement, no Habitat for Jackasses, no Children and Families bureaucracies, no parks, bike paths, or traffic lights, no bickering about who gets what and how much, property taxes were about two hundred dollars for a house annually. Key Deer Blvd. was traversable and intact, and most of all, hardly any of you illiterate piss-ants that were born ten minutes ago, telling me about "how it used to be" down here. Get the Warfrin, there's too many rats in the cage.

Wednesday October 11, 2006

Tuesday October 10, 2006

[How many Iguanas do I have to kill to become a member of the IKC] Special introductory offer: During the month of October our pre-season membership drive will accept one little iguana carcass instead of the big one that we usually require. So hurry and oil up that pellet gun and clean out your .22 short and get shooting. This offer is good until Halloween night.

[(freedom of speech) Serving in Iraq and Afghanistan protect your right to do so] That statement has no base in fact. We are an occupation army and doing nothing to protect this country. Those people are not coming over hear. Islam is our enemy. Must we occupy all Islamic countries? What is so different in Afghanistan and Iraq? All Muslims are a potential threat to our country. Fighting them over there only inflames them more and does nothing to resolve the problem. We can’t change them. This isn’t WW II where we had a clear enemy and defined targets. Those soldiers were protecting our freedoms. This is a war of ideology. There are no targets. That is why we must fight this war on our own borders.  To say that I don’t support our troops is ignorance. I don’t support phony wars like this one or the Vietnam war. And I certainly don’t hold with the dangerous philosophy of “My country, right or wrong.”

How many countries are there? A TV ad was saying that they serve over 250 countries.

Boeing aircraft has just received a bazillion dollar contract to build a virtual wall on the Mexican border to be “manned” by drones and cameras and other secret hi-tech gizmos. I’ve always been afraid that terrorists would enter from Mexico. With a little disguise a mid-easterner could pass as a Mexican. The only give-away would be when the terrorist stopped five times a day to pray.

Now N. Korea is threatening to fire a nuclear tipped missile. Things can only get worse. And people ask me why I drink?

With Goombay Festival coming up (our favorite) could you people who are in charge please put some chairs and tables around so we can sit down and enjoy your yummy food? It's so hard to walk and eat.

Get your Boar's Head lunch meat and cheese at Marathon Liquors.  He undercuts Publix, to keep the local business, with great prices. It's worth the trip.

The Real fairy tale.

Doesn’t North Korea know we are the only ones that can test nuclear weapons? The nerve of them!

Does Coconut’s Britz family have a new logo? No boundaries, you go Joe.

I liked the comment about the restaurant reviews, good or bad, being printed with the emailer’s address, because I know for a fact that an over enthusiastic restaurant owner printed their own review, because English was this persons second language and I could tell by the text and mistakes that it was them. Years ago when Solares Hill newspaper came out, they reviewed restaurants and if you believed them every place was “so fabulous”. It really did come down to the advertising base. I understand. Anyway except for the people that talk about killing animals I still enjoy your site, but just not as much. I would love to tell everyone about a restaurant owner I worked for who paid his waiters $2.50 an hour, never fed them a thing and made them work with no A/C inside, but if I tell you and you print my address, there is a good chance I will be hunted down, killed and tossed in a condemned trailer.

I read an article on the internet that was about an oil find in Colorado. It is called the Green River Formation. Someone was trying to sell a promotion for a guide as to the ways to buy into this new oil find. If anyone knows of this letter about this Green River Formation please put it on this site.

[Robbing traps] KeysNews.com reported Oct 9th the following:
Two men were caught in the act of robbing spiny lobster traps Friday in Cudjoe Basin just south of Riding Key, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers said. Nelson DeLarosa, 56, of Big Pine Key and 45-year-old Juan Perez of Miami were arrested and face charges of trap robbing, a third degree felony punishable by up to a five-year prison sentence and up to $5,000 in fines.

Why do these people all ways come from Big Pine? I also wondered: do these thieves ever go to jail?  Way to go FWC!

Well, gosh, if Al Gore said it, I guess we better sit up and take notice.  I mean the man said he invented the Internet, did he not?  Just do not sit there and read everything the idiots from the left say as gospel.  The whacko’s on the left (not the moderates such as Lieberman) just want to take over the government and vote into law every socialist program they can think; robbing those whose sweat built this country and were rewarded with wealth.  The liberals are obsessed with jealously.  They want to give away what we have worked for.  All the wealthy do when the socialists are elected is quit investing in America and put their money in the Channel Islands or Singapore until the Mein Kampf crew wreck the economy and get booted out for more sensible government. 

Conservatives are not stupid and we will not give more than what we want to give (which is huge amounts to philanthropic funds and those causes which we think will really do someone good). We are charitable, it’s just that we think humans are worth more than whales or wild birds and until all the humans are doing well that's where my money is donated.  The far right also has its whacko’s such as the kook bible group that protests at funerals.  Look for the good and bad in the entire spectrum and vote accordingly.

Just read Hitler's "Mein Kampf", Mao's "Little Red Book", Marx's "Communist Manifesto" and the Unibomber's "Manifesto"  if you want to see what Ms. Clinton wants to do to the USA.

Could anyone comment on buying diesel at Dolphin Marina.  A month ago a couple of you had bad experiences with water in the gas.  Has anyone bought diesel there; and is it OK? I just purchased a new boat and sure do not want to put yucky diesel in it. I have used Dolphin Marina for years with no problems. Come to think of it, where else can one purchase diesel?   Cannot wait to get there; 15 days and counting.  Save some fish for the old farmer!

If you have an honest opinion based on actual experience with any person or business, and you think it's important for others to know, then there should be no objection to having your email address included with your comment.  Keep in mind that you can usually find as many positive things to say on a topic as negative, so please consider sharing those, too.

I'm a member of P.E.T.A.  People who Eat Tasty Animals. I only eat animals that are tasty. Never eat untasty animals! 

The Big Pine Flea Market will be going good the week before Fantasy Fest.

Atomic bomb: Pakistan, North Korea, Iran? Back to hiding under your school desk with your hands clinched over your head.

Is anybody else tired of Cool Breeze at Boondocks?  Attention bar owners from Big Pine to Baypoint, if someone had a different type of band every weekend at least during season (blues, country, folk, reggae, zydaco, etc) I would be there every week. I am tired of 40 year old rock ‘n roll and Margaritaville. I am hungry for entertainment and variety. We are just 30 miles form one of the most entertaining and diversified towns in America. You can’t tell me you can’t shortstop some different acts to perform in lower Keys, even during the week.

[majority of pedophiles are straight men] Whoever wrote that won’t change any homophobe’s mind with facts. Most studies do show that most pedophiles are straight men, but homophobic men just won’t be swayed by the facts.

Membership in the IKC is exclusive.  You can only join after being recommended by a current member.  If the membership committee approves of your sponsors recommendation you would be invited to a lunch with the membership chairman.  After a complete and thorough background and criminal investigation, the Membership chairman could recommend you for membership.  If the Board of Directors approves you would be invited to another lunch and notified of your acceptance as a probationary member.  As a probationary member you would be required to bring the tails of 250 Iguanas in 3 months. 

Your best bet to be offered a membership would be if you were noticed, by a member in good standing, regularly eradicating the nasty invasive pests.  If 2 or more members see you constantly exterminating the rodents they may bring your name before the membership committee.  It is very rare for outsiders to be offered membership.  We are a very reclusive organization that strongly protects our privacy and our rights.  We must be to eliminate the possibility of our being exposed to the general public.  Some environmental whackos would expose the members to undue pressure and this is unacceptable.  Thank you for your interest and keep up the good work, you may get noticed.

"I believe in equality. Equality for everybody. No matter how stupid they are or how superior I am to them." - Steve Martin

[W/D] If you do have a problem go to the manager. I did and it was no big deal. He replaced my product and I was very pleased.

Please remove Antique Cast Iron Cauldren. It’s been found at the bottom of the canal. Thank you. Now if I can just figure out how to bring it up!

How do you block an email?
[Lousy Tech Support] This works in Microsoft software. From your e-mail Inbox or the list of messages in a newsgroup, select a message from a sender you want to block. On the Message menu, click Block Sender.

To remove a sender or domain from the Blocked senders list, on the Tools menu, point to Message Rules, and then click Blocked Senders List. Select the sender or domain, and then click remove. Lousy Tech Support

[wise idea to attach e-mail address to negative restaurant critiques]   You must own a restaurant. When newspaper reviewers go to a restaurant, they do it anonymously, so why shouldn't customer reviewers? I would love to see a section on this board for unsigned restaurant reviews, by restaurant, alphabetically. What's wrong with that? There are several others on the Web that keep restaurant owners on their toes, and we need one here in the Keys.

[The fact is that the overwhelming majority of pedophiles are straight men] All that means is there are more straight men than gay men, so the pervert numbers are skewed. Percentage wise, what is the ratio of perversion relative to straight and gay men? I think I know the answer. Quit messing with the stats, it doesn't work.

The Moose lodge at it again. I remember back in April (on a Sat. or Sun) about the Moose Lodge clearing the lot next to them of all the beautiful native palms and plants and clearing an access to the side road, Lyttons Way and how a neighbor called the police because no permit was present. The police officer who came said there was a permit and then the next day a red tag was displayed. 

Monday, Columbus Day this lot of fallen trees and plants was being mulch up by the local prison workers and a DOT truck and chipper.  I thought this was private land so what is the DOT equipment doing cleaning this mess up on a holiday and weed whacking the little grass that has made its way into the cleared lot--making it look good?  I guess they are trying to get it ready for season for the motor homes to park there.  I didn't realize that the DOT and prisoners were available for private or charity work.

Editor, I was trying to catch up on reading the posts and the current page only goes back to Saturday, October 7.  I went to Archives to look at the first six days of October, and it won't let me pull up October.  Help! (Ed: Oops! We forgot to create a link. It's been corrected now. Thanks for letting us know.)

Dear Ed, You might as well censor this blog down to zero, because it starting to get so boring and stupid it isn't worth reading anymore. Nothing is posted about this world war we're in, the global catastrophes about to happen, how the food wars are going to start, how we peasants are being conned out of the Keys, or anything more important than Iguanas, Tiki Bar BS, and people with small penises who need a Pit Bull for manliness. No, this blog is about had it in my view.

[Jumping spotted eagle rays] I was watching one from the bow of my boat and noticed that it had a remora stuck on its back. Suddenly the ray took off and leapt into the air. I always remember that when I see free-jumping tarpon, billfish, or rays. It's possible they are trying to rid themselves of pests, but of course that's just a guess. Anyway, that is definitely not feeding behavior.

Will Walgreens go any farther with trying to put a unit on Big Pine Key if it knows Big Pine residents are not going to patronize it? If it knows Big Pine people are going to continue using the already existing CVS just next door instead? Isn't this a better approach than fighting Walgreens in various government meetings, and losing?

[Kudos to the Marine]  I too am retired military who has served all over the world, including Iraq.  Feel proud that because of your bravery others can sit securely in their sheltered little worlds and complain about things they really have no knowledge of.  The media represents bad things.  Always has and always will.  It's called ratings.  Anyone who gets their info solely from the media knows nothing of the truth.  You and I know better.  This country absolutely needs to stay on the offensive, or we will suffer tremendously again.  Those same people would complain that we didn't do anything about the threat or come up with some crackpot idea that it was a governmental conspiracy theory.  Marine, I salute you.

[Sloan’s Slot] Something else that's been in my thoughts is citizens going to county commission and other government meetings and simply asking government employees and officials, with whose behavior they do not agree, to resign. Won't that put more pressure where it needs to be put, than trying to get the press to do it?

Here's what I know about Dixie Spehar, through the grapevine. She doesn't have two nickels to rub together. She came up though the secretarial ranks, and therefore knows the plight of the rank-and-file worker. She has the background to be a truly great county commissioner, yet she seems to be in the thrall of the Establishment, ie. Murray Nelson, Sonny McCoy, Ed Swift, and is compromised thereby.

Here's what I know about Sonny McCoy, through the grapevine and by personal observation. He has a big ego, he likes to hob knob with the power brokers, he is defiant, and I am wondering if he is suffering from early stages of dementia, because I can't imagine anyone with his wits about him saying what he said to Bill Becker, when Bill asked him about the Sunshine laws?

Here's what I know about Glen Patton, through the grapevine and from being around him during the campaign. He was appointed by the Governor at Murry Nelson's request, and is a protégé of Murray Nelson. He is in the pocket of the Establishment. He alone refused to answer yes or no to being asked at the Key Largo candidate's forum whether he was opposed to increasing residential building heights by 2 feet. When pushed even harder, he finally said he would do what he felt was best for the Keys. Yet all along, he was saying at forums that he would not do anything that the majority of citizens didn't want him to do. He saw every citizen and candidate at that meeting raise a hand in opposition to increasing building-height limits. He lost the election shortly thereafter, to Sylvia Murphy.

Here's what I know about Mario DeGennero, through the grapevine. He has a big ego, likes and is easy to be played up to, and was enamored with the Establishment's notion of him being Mayor of Monroe County, even though he is a freshman Commissioner who somehow got into office without even having to run for it. I can't help wondering if the Establishment was somehow behind that, too.

Here's what I know about George Neugent, from the grapevine and from personally being around him during the campaign. He is trying to be different from the commissioners portrayed above. I don't agree with everything he says and does, but I believe his is sincere and isn't in the pocket of the Establishment.

Here's what I know about Sylvia Murphy. While I don't always agree with her, I campaigned and voted for her because she is on a fast learning curve and is really put out with the way the Establishment has been doing things in the Keys.

I would not ask George Neugent or Syliva Murphy to resign.

Three Burger King employees were arrested somewhere for putting marijuana in two cop’s burgers. Way to go Burger King!

[To KW Citizen] Where does the Citizen stand on the “gang”? Perhaps you could clear something up for me? You endorsed Glenn Patton against Sylvia Murphy for the open County Commissioner seat. If Patton had won, it would have guaranteed the continuation of the "gang of three" three-bloc vote majority on the [commission]. Then, on Sept. 27, you editorialize that Sonny McCoy, in a violation of the Sunshine Law, was wooing Mario De Gennaro for the mayor's position in an attempt to perpetuate said "gang of three."

Tell me, are you for or against the "gang of three"?

[Decorative Tropical Fishies]  Macs Sea Garden down in The Key West Historic Seaport District has a large selection of colorful wall fishies and they only cost $4.99.  They also have fish which swim to the left and in different sizes.  If you pay more than that, you're getting ripped-off and it's worth the visit as they have great trinkets and very cool clothing at discounted prices.  I hate to see people over-pay $18 for a little fish from a bad establishment which can be had for five bucks down at Macs.

I love Winn Dixie. They have the best chicken in the world! Plus their wine selection is superb and their beer is cold.  What the hell do you people want anyway?

Everybody complaining about the revealing the ID of those providing negative comments need to keep one thing very much in mind.  While it is definitely true that our laws give anyone the right to say anything they want, those same laws give the person (or business) that are the target of negative comments the right to take the commenter to court.  Unless the source of the negative comments can convince 12 randomly selected people on a jury that those comments are correct, they can be subject to heavy money penalty.

The same applies to everybody spreading those comments.  Personally, I prefer our dear editor maintaining the anonymity.

[Smelling things] I'll try and submit this question again and I hope you'll post it though it isn't quite as salacious as some of the other comments you've allowed.  Is anyone, especially in the Big Pine/Port Pine Heights area detecting a metallic type odor coming from either the canals or the woods/fields and permeating into your air conditioning and house??  To me it smells like liquid aluminum when the wind is blowing a certain way outside.  Could it be a methane gas coming from all the dead vegetation in and around the canals and fields;  or from the algae problem they are having in the upper Keys area?  Some days, it is really bad out here in Port Pine, but I can't find anyone else, so far, who can smell it also - so that is why I'm asking you Big Pine readers if the editor will post this. (Ed It was posted yesterday. Also.)

(?)I'm posting your e -mail address of  info@bigpinekey.com  for posting the e-mail addresses of restaurant critics with negative comments.

Tuesday October 10, 2006

Sunday October 8, 2006

[a majority of gay men are attracted to young boys] The response from the gay man avoids the real issue. This is not about tolerance or acceptance of gays. It is about dealing with the truth, as measured by countless studies of the male homosexual population, many by gay organizations, not religious groups. Most agree that a majority of gay men are attracted to young (minor) boys. On the other hand, a much smaller percentage of straight men are attracted to young (minor) girls. Why, I have no idea, but that's what these surveys and studies report. You can ignore them if you wish, or call their authors "homophobic," but that won't make the issue go away.

It's like a related issue: That child molesters (gay and straight) in most cases cannot be "cured" and continue to molest children repeatedly. That's why they are now entered into a national database and tracked by law enforcement agencies. Does that mean that the police are biased or intolerant? No, it means that they are finally accepting a fact of life and dealing with it. I think that gay men should be completely accepted by our society on an equal basis with others, but they shouldn't be placed in an unsupervised environment with boys, until someday we can find a way to separate the real molesters from the others. A gay friend of mine once commented about the Boy Scouts' refusal to allow gay scoutmasters: "If I was a parent, I sure wouldn't want my son to be led by a gay scoutmaster!"

I am not a religious person. As a matter of fact, in my opinion religion causes most of the problems on this planet. We could all take a lesson from the dignity shown by the Amish community after the tragic events in Pennsylvania this past week.

You can not boycott 7-11 stores that sell CITGO gas in Monroe County. There aren't any.

[When did they stop going down the streets off Wilder to pick up garbage] (Ed; The same day, a couple of months ago, they stopped going down the streets to Corporate Headquarters. Bummer.)

Isn’t it a shame how our moral/social values and our respect for human life and each other have deteriorated in a mere 50 years?  In 1956 we didn’t have crazies shooting up innocent children in our schools, kids graduated knowing how to read and write and had some respect for their parents and other adults. About the worst thing a kid could do was to sneak a smoke in the boys room.  We didn’t have suicide bombers blowing up government buildings and you could walk the streets of almost any city or town day or night in relative safety.  No one ever heard of a 12 year old crack head.  Politics have always been dirty but we didn’t hear about elected officials in high office getting a blowjob or molesting a 16 year old office page.  Those were the days when the local cop on the beat was really your friend and he didn’t need a car load of high tech weaponry to do his job.  He would even give you a ride home if you may have celebrated a bit too much. You could take your girl to a movie and actually be entertained without being subjected to endless violence, vulgarity and sleaze pouring from the big screen.  Our music was happy and upbeat, perhaps a little corny by today’s standards but we didn’t have to be subjected to a load of filthy gansta rap regurgitated by a gun toting, drugged up thug who tells our children to pimp out the whores, kill the cops and hate whitey.  Dad worked and mom was at home with the kids and life was fun and a little carefree and nobody locked their doors or lost their car keys because they were in the ignition.  I was just a little kid but I miss those days.

Isn’t it a shame that in a mere 50 years we have let our society and our values get to the point they are today?  Maybe we should all stop for a moment and think about what we are doing and where we are heading.  If we have slid down the slope of declining morality, imagine what our grandkids will have left!

[So much for freedom of gripe, eh, Ed?] (Ed: That was sent in reply to our new, long over due policy that says, “Negative comments about businesses, restaurants, etc, will have the writer’s email address printed next to it.”  The worst thing about our site is the negative and mean things people say about each other.

Being editor means we have to read each and every email; and we have to think about each and every email we get to make sure we’re not missing something worth while in the guise of comment. Most mornings we sit here with a knot in our stomach from all the meanness. Printing negative stuff is good for our ratings, but we’ve stopped worrying about that because, without advertisers, we’d publish anyway; just not as reliably.

The legendary Bill Becker told me when BigPineKey.com first started in 2002 that “[publishing] comes with responsibility.” It’s taken the group four years to realize that. So no more slamming without your taking responsibility for your remarks. We hadn’t quite realized that BigPineKey.com was so influential.

While talking to Jennifer at the Dockside in Marathon we saw a small ray jumping forward out of the water about three or four feet and it caused me to wonder if that’s how rays they hunt?

They only hunt in very shallow water.  Do they spot a fish near the surface, judge its distance, then jump out of the water and pounce on the unsuspecting fish? It looks that way. Jen said she prefers to think that they jump because they are just being happy. I like her reasoning better.

[Telling it like it is Video] San Francisco police chief politically and promotion wise, he probably cut his throat, but he has the utmost respect and admiration of many--not only Police Officers, but anyone who has a clue as to the state of our criminal justice system.

Why Democrats cant win elections you ask? “Elections should not be about National Security", from the I-won’t talk-under-oath-about-the-Pages democratic congressional leader Nancy Pelosi.

Thank you Marine for your courage and blind loyalty. But dying in Iraq or Afghanistan is not protecting our country or stopping terrorists from coming here one bit. Do you think all the Iraqi insurgents are going to hop on a boat and invade the US? If the Marines were guarding our borders--that would be protecting our country. The Marines have just been used as fodder in the mid east. What a pity.

I saw the Old Style beer and I say, “Yes” and, “Yum” to the biggest six pack! Lets go Cubs, well, next year!

My son has blocked his email and like his mother, thinks the way to resolve things is to shut them out. If you do not allow my email, I will be forced to air our dirty laundry at this site; but that is not what I want.  Take responsibility for your actions, unlike your mom; who is a lost cause. I don't want to give up on you son. 

[35% gays in the area] Twenty years ago a survey and estimate guessed that there were 20% gays in Key West.

This is only a test.

I love the Iguanas. They taste just like chicken. Hell, you can't just go down to the dump and shoot rats any more.  I like to be laid back on my dock in the evening sipping on gin and juice and pick off the little buggers with my 22 caliber, silenced of course. Quit complaining about the Iguanas. 

I went to the new Italian restaurant, Buono Apetito, on Cudjoe Key. It was great. The atmosphere and food are wonderful. I loved the table side Caesar salad. It’s great to have another choice for good food near to home. Hopefully they will make it till the tourists and snowbirds "discover" them. There was only one other table while we were there. Nice piano music too.

Hello Big Pine Key!  We are former residents of Big Pine that moved about 7 months ago.  We are homesick and want to come home.  We are looking for a mobile home, camper, apartment or small house to rent at a reasonable rate, that allows dogs.  We're also looking for a warehouse or shop to rent that could be set up as a wood shop.  An ideal situation would be a warehouse/dwelling situation.  If anyone here's of anything (serious replies only, please) email us at palmweaver1@juno.com   We'd really appreciate any help because we want to come home.

[Big Pine Key and The Torches wastewater issue] The next project on the FKAA’s “To Do” list is Big Coppitt. They will also be doing Duck Key while planning Big Pine Key through Ramrod Key. The BPK – Torches project will probably be 2 – 3 years off from ground breaking. Walgreens has obligated a parcel of property behind their new store for the plant site (free of charge) which was negotiated through the settlement agreement with the county.

I am looking for a young American bulldog. Some call them pitbulls, but that is a name given to these very good behaved, friendly and loyal dogs. I'd prefer a young one. Male or female in that order. The reason I want a young one is it hasn't been subjected to very much "get ‘um or sick ‘um” yet. That is what most irresponsible owners of these good dogs do. I will register with the county, neuter and vaccinate the dog. Please call 305-304-7988. Ask for ntd.

[Man who thinks 35% of the population here is gay]  Maybe in your dreams or at 801 Duvall.  Where did you cum up with this statistic anyway?

[Winn Dixie] I got the same computer generated response.  About two days later I actually got a phone call from the Big Pine manager.  The next day I got a phone call from the regional office.  So do not give up!

Way to go Marine!  Thanks for making it safer for me over here, while you and all the military are trying to stop the nuts over there instead of here at home.  I swear listening to the rabid Democrats on TV you would think they are on the side of militant Islam.  What gives with those people, Daschle, Harry Reid, John Murtha and that "lady" Pelousi (that wants to be majority leader in the house) That is scary and I voted absentee and for the Virginia Republicans to try and stop these nuts from taking over.  When will they realize this is a real war against terrorism and may go on as long as the "cold war".

Will work for $42,000 a year, 401k, 1 day paid vacation a yr, health and dental insurance. I have a B.A., 12 yrs. stable history, 750 credit, no felony, clean drivers license, English, new Honda,  home owner in BPK. I will actually show up and work when you want me to; and do what you want me to do.

Exactly when does a gay man think its ok to desire a young man that was recently a child? That’s like saying I don’t like unripe oranges but I like ripe oranges.

[To Mr. Gay Man] Way to go! As always, I am very proud of you. Growing up I had no concept of gay.  It was never spoken of.  When I moved to Big Pine I heard all the typical Key West gay stories, never negative just jokes and such.  Then I met 2 men who were gay.  They were, and are the best.  Their love for each other should be envied by all.  They have always been there for me giving me the best advice.  Their open-mindedness has helped me tremendously.  Everything from parenting skills to work related problems.  They have helped me unconditionally with major life changing decisions. Being gay (male or female) has nothing to do with hurting children.  Perverts pick children because they are vulnerable.  I am a non-gay female, does that mean I like little boys? Hell no!  If I had a choice, all of my friends would be gay males and because they are gay males does not make them pedophiles.  Your statement was very truthful, well thought out and hopefully understood by that small minded individual (but probably not). 

All you quarter (25cents) yard sale buyers are making it hard to have a yard sale. At least have the common sense and courtesy to start offering a dollar for stuff. Everything has gone up.

Oil prices are manipulated often before elections. Even though the parties involved will deny it, anyone w/ an ounce of intelligence can see the truth here...remember the pictures of Bush and the Saudi royal, Prince Bandar holding hands at the Crawford ranch?  What do you suppose they were discussing?

How do you know someone drowned 6 Toe the cat?  I had a cat that lived indoors and outdoors for 8 years.  He walked the dock and got on and off my boat every day.  One day he mis-jumped and landed in the canal and drowned.  Sometimes bad things happen to good cats.

I'm outraged by the irresponsible squandering of our hard earned money by these moronic county commissioners.  The number one priority should be getting the sewage treatment system in place for the whole County. When formerly pristine areas like Sandspur beach at Bahia Honda have water quality advisories posted, it's time to be concerned. (They ought to check for the source,  hmmm, could it be the proximity to sunshine Key?)

 
How can they rationalize putting 2 million dollars into sinking a ship to attract more people to crap in our waters? A couple more million for a ridiculously overpriced postage stamp sized piece of land (hickory House) for boat ramps.  Who the hell is going to want to put a scuba regulator oozing fecal coliform and erterrococci into their mouth?

If you donate turtle shells and sawfish bills make sure you donate to a recognized non-profit organization and get receipt for full value. Even though you can’t sell or trade they are still valuable. Then you can use the donation for a nifty tax write-off. Might as well let the Gov’t reimburse you for stealing your personal properties’ monetary value.

Get off Winn Dixie's back. The new management team has cleaned up the store (as much as possible with no budget) made numerous improvements all of which mean nothing to the few who want to keep harping until they get a Publix. You have 2 already, Marathon and Key West. Even if they were to fire the managers and bring in new ones not much more can change in that store until the availability of a quality local workforce suddenly reappears and upper management gets them more money for new deli equipment and other things they need. Got a problem talk to Robert or Ricardo if they can fix it they will, otherwise it's out of their hands.

No, Uuzebecs and other Muslim illegal immigrants are not screened. I have a female friend who was fired from a job after a couple of years because the new Muslim Uzebec manager did not think women should be working; and the KW restaurant owner stood by and let it happen along with the other two Americans on the payroll. This was also just to hire more eastern Euro friends of the guy at lower wages. I agree these people are an invading Army. Why the Border Patrol can’t do something is beyond me.

[World’s Largest 6-Pack] And Old Style is a great beer as well.

Bush does not care who liked him he was just making more money for his friends.  Take a better look and maybe you will see the forest thru the trees.

[Vending machines are everywhere in Japan] A few weeks back I was up near Tampa and I saw a large shed-like building in a shopping center parking lot. It had a variety of vending machines all the way around the outside perimeter. As I remember it had cold beer, film, videos, ice, different foods and snacks. It seems like a different idea for sure.

Some people should clean their yards more frequently.

I never got a chance to thank all of you who went out and voted. It was a huge success. It was a victory. Sylvia Murphy was the winner.  Anyone that believes in preserving the quality of our life here had better listen up. We can make a difference. There is a "light". We must regain our interest here because we are staying. We were lucky, we got to make the best friends here, lifetime ones, and we had the best of times. We have lost many of the Keys human charms, its residents, we all have lost someone,  but we must not become one of those towns that looks like everywhere else especially since we are not like anywhere else. Our history, our wilderness and our way of life are at stake. Get involved, there is a Walgreen's hearing Wed ,Oct 11 we are 6 on the docket, it starts at 10 AM at the Government Building in Marathon on the left before the first light. Lets keep our family owned liquor stores and our local business that have worked so hard to serve the community. Give hope to the new Big Piners so that they will enjoy this place as we have without more franchise retail stores. Lets create a better town together. Keep alert and study the candidates and your county commissioners. It’s very important to stay involved.  We are the endangered species.

Terro in action killing those medium sized ants. It already has gotten rid of the piss ants.

Iguanas are causing the E-coli problem in the Keys. Stop washing their crap into the canals.

Isn’t there at least a chance the cat in Venture Out fell into the canal and drowned all by itself?

Gosh it's hot.

This is the email I got from W/D in response to my email. What Winn-Dixie wrote to you: Dear Mr. ________ Thank you for your comments. We apologize about the about the problem you encountered. Your email has been forwarded to our Regional Office so they may become involved. We appreciate your patronage and know we must continue to earn the privilege of serving your supermarket shopping needs today as well as in the future.

What Winn-Dixie really meant: Dear Mr.________  Another whiner. We really don’t give a damn about the about the problem you encountered. Your email has been forwarded to our Regional Office where it will be sent straight to trash as we have absolutely no intention of get involved in your silly complaint. And, try to bag your own groceries faster, you’re holding up the other 16 people in line. We appreciate your hard earned cash and know we can continue to provide you with poor service and products in the future because we’re the only game in town.

With FantasyFest quickly approaching, authorities are asking local residents to be on the lookout for a Jersey woman who they believe will try to sneak into the Lower Keys disguised as Fun Woman.  They have distributed the accompanying photo and describe her as 5’7”, 375 lbs, loud, rude, obnoxious, cheap, verbally abusive to food servers and store clerks and can usually be seen dedicating a significant part of each day to making people around her irritated and miserable.  They believe she may be driving a 1992 Lincoln Towncar with faded paint and may be traveling with an older man wearing a lime green shirt with a gravy stain, Scottish plaid shorts and black knee length socks and black dress shoes.  Persons in the vicinity of yard sales, cheap jewelry shops and two-for-one or early bird dinners are advised to use caution.

How come all middle aged woman in R/V’s have short hair, beer bellies and always, always wear t-shirts?

[I've been away from the Keys for too long. I'm lonely, depressed and sick and miserable.  I want to come home.”]  We know who you are and have the following advice.  Stay where you are.  You were lonely, depressed and sick and miserable when you were here and nothing will change if you come back.  You are better off where you are and we are better off with you there.   

[Iguana feces] Sweeping feces into your canal is probably the last place you should dispose of it. The health department says enteric bacteria may cause disease, infections and rashes. Please stop thinking of water as a place to dump.

Kudos to the Marine.  Thank you.

I had the best iguana lasagna today.

To the person that hates Winn-Dixie. You must be an employee that they fired for being lazy. So go chase shopping carts for Publix. I hear they're hiring. I like shopping at Winn-Dixie and their employees are friendly.

W/D roast beef is almost ten dollars a pound. Imagine $10 a pound for lunch meat? A Florida avocado is about two dollars! But beer is on sale. I’m just not going to eat any more. (Publix is even higher.)

Saturday’s Key deer fighting videos were awesome!

[Animal shelters and pet shops] I hate going to those places because the people there are such extremists that they refer to the animals as “babies and children. And they call pet owners, “Mommy and daddy.” Sick-Os, the bunch.

[Sloan’s Slot] (Ed: we received this photo today from Sloan, but it was not identified and there was no message. I think it must be Him. He doesn't look like a dreamer!)

[Garbage Lady]  Haven’t you noticed lately that there is only the driver who has to get out and dump your trash? Give them a break.

Now wait a minute! There are Good Muslims and bad Muslims. Bad Muslims are the threat not the good ones. There is an easy way to tell them apart. All the good ones have an entry wound in the head or chest area.

To he person that wants to know what my favorite reef is, well I will share this, I have no one special spot or reef or hole or coral head. Oh, well, you get the message; but I will say that I enjoy "out back the best. More of everything and less folks. That being said, you are a lucky person to have snorkeled "all of them" and I was not aware that the Marquesas or Mooney Harbor was an atoll. Thank you for sharing how much you enjoy the Keys.

[I’m looking for someone who teaches Spanish in the Big Pine area.]  Try standing near the check-out lines at Winn-Dixie for awhile.

Please,  please go to http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/hero_of_the_year/poll/poll.html and vote for Kelly Grinter, our local animal hero!  Vote as many times as you care to.  The voting stops this Sunday, October 8.  It shows she has only received 5% of the votes so far.

Sunday October 8, 2006

Saturday October 7, 2006

Flaking paint on antique lamp from moisture in the air is my problem. What can I do to stop the flaking? Should I wipe off the flakes and spray it with a clear acrylic finish? I have to do something now.

Are you people blind? Big Pine Key is too small to have two shopping centers. You are ready to lose your uniqueness just because W/D has crowded aisles? Wake up before it’s too late. Look at the rest of the Keys. Developers are ruining it just so the rich can have a condo; and now you want to build another shopping center on your lovely island? There’s no amount of trees that can hide a change as drastic as that; and for what?

[Muslim workers in the Keys. Are they a threat to us] All Muslims are potentially a threat to any non-Muslim. Beware, be very ware!

I wish I had a lighted keyboard because I sneak in here in the night and write my thoughts, but I don’t want to wake everyone with the light.

Key West was rated the most expensive city to live in Florida.  Pensacola was the most affordable in Florida. The top five most expensive places to live in the US are all in California.   Number one is Beverly Hills, California.  And the most affordable in the US is Minot, North Dakota.

Did anyone else hear "God's Candidate" on the radio Tuesday morning?  I'm all for following your dreams but in politics you need something a little more substantial. 

Kudos to Dawn at the building dept. I went in for a permit last Friday and she was friendly, courteous, and helpful. I had gone in expecting a big hassle, but it was the complete opposite. Thanks again Dawn!

[Read your chart] Notice that they are resting on the channel marker.

[Date change] The fundraiser for Forgotten Felines and Wild Bird / Wildlife Rescue on Big Pine Key had to be change to December 6th due to a conflict in November.  Please visit Forgotten Felines web site for detailed information on what they due.  Unfortunately Feral Cats are an issue for us and to stop this problem they are a huge asset to the community. Please come and support Maya Totman and help us help the animals! http://www.forgottenfelines.ca/

December 6th, 6-9pm. Party at Tranquility Bay. Great raffle prizes, 50/50 fun, food and wine.  I will let you know where you can buy tickets as soon as they are ready.

Marc Foley did not become a pedophile from booze. Booze  might make you screw a fatty or piss in your neighbors yard,  but it doesn’t turn you into a pedophile.

I am looking for a vessel which the last time I heard was tied up behind a house on Big Pine Key. The power boat is a 26 or 27' Silverton named "Miss Sammy." It has a blue bimini and has two drive stations. This boat is chained to a dock behind someone’s house. The owner of the boat owes the home owner some money so that is why it is tied up there. I hope to find it because the owner also owes me $5,000! If anyone knows of this boat please email me at: kourisp@gmail.com. I would really appreciate it!

Happy autumn.

It would be nice if the local animal control people (ASPCA) would, if they are allowed to, post the animals that are up for adoption on this site. It would be a great service to the dogs and cats and whatever and the animal lovers who are looking to give a home to these creatures. Pictures should also be available. Please consider this. (Ed: We had them doing that about a year ago, but I guess they’re too busy to continue.)

Let’s raise the height restrictions on millionaire developments in already overbuilt Florida coastal areas to act as a big sail in future hurricanes. That makes sense.

Last week, Congress moved to suspend habeas corpus, one thing that distinguishes a civil society from a police state. Reaction was muted. Then the Party of Family Values was revealed to have protected a sexual predator in its midst until finally a reporter asked some pointed questions and the honorable gentleman resigned and ran off to recovery camp. 

Ay, yi, yi! I wish the country would get as upset and outraged by the truly important bad stuff Congress is doing.

Another nut on the loose. Maybe Chavez is right.

"Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men, the other 999 follow women." --Groucho Marx

[Conspiracy theory VII] The GOP leaked the news about Mark Foley to reduce the interest in the Bob Woodward book, “State of Denial”.

If we let those clowns build above the current height restrictions, this place will soon look as ugly as Miami Beach. Give the developers an inch and they will ruin the view forever. The sad thing is that people who visit or live in the Keys in the future will have to look at these concrete monstrosities long after the people who profited from them are dead and buried. What a shame. And to add total insult to injury, most of the developers' monies eventually winds up not in their own pockets, but with their ex-wives.

[The Meatrix] This is a good short about the family farm (of which I have ample experience) and the meat and other animal products which you may consume. Please view at: www.themeatrix.com

It seems as though many residents of the Lower Keys have a problem with developers, businesses, affordable housing, etc. Well, you get what you vote for. How many people campaigned to get these people out of office that are voting their own self interests? Vote them out, people. Use the power of your vote. That's what elections are all about. I venture to guess that if several of us ran for County Commissioner in the next election we would lose because most of you would just go on voting for the same "good ole boys". How sad.

[Stainless steel slinky strings]  I have tried the Elixir Nanoweb and the Martin SP strings.  They tend to be more expensive than the regular strings due to the coating applied.  They do tend to last longer, but depending on your style of play they also tend to break more often.  As most of the gigs down here are outside, it is pretty much a given if you want to keep that clean crisp sound you have to change your strings after about two performances or at least once a week.  I use the standard Martin Lights (Phosphorus) and just change them on a regular basis. I'm not saying anything bad about those strings.  Just a personal preference.

[Fantasy Fest Shuttle for the military] The Morale Welfare Recreation Dept of the Navy will be running a shuttle on Fri 27 Oct and Sat 28 Oct for Fantasy Fest. The cost is $2 each way per person and will run continuously until no man or woman is left behind. Of course a military ID card is required for at least one person in the group. This includes active duty, retirees, DOD, reservists and contractors with base access from all branches of the service and their guests. The pick up points will be Boca Chica in the Quarterdeck parking lot, Sigsbee Park Rec. Center Bldg V-4113, the gate at Trumbo Point and the corner of Simonton and Eaton.  We have two buses and four drivers and vans if necessary.  The buses will run continuously starting on Fri at 1600 till? And on Sat from 1200 to at least 0400.  There will be cell phone #’s and Nextel’s so we can coordinate with the drivers if a particular group is staying later or wants to return to a drop point at a specific time.  Our drivers are all retired military volunteers and do not get paid.  Tips are acceptable and appreciated. If we can prevent one DUI or worse it will have been worth it. For more info call 293-4173.  Let’s make this the best and safest Fantasy Fest ever!

You conspiracy buffs will love this one. Actually this documentary film on the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center buildings makes some very good points. I'd love to see the rebuttal. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6708190071483512003&q=9%2F11

A news commentator today said the problem with Congress was “they can’t get on the same page.” At least Representative Foley was trying to get on a Page. So many Congressmen, so little Pages.

Speaking of Waste Mgmt, when did they stop going down the streets off Wilder to pick up garbage?

I don't trust Kiss-ass-inger as far as I can spit. He is a warlord who thinks he's God, and manipulates stupid politicians for his almighty ego. Read about him and what he did to get the Vietnam war going. He should have been culled at birth.

[How much is my building rights worth] One ROGO building permit is worth about 150k.

[There are many depressed people down here who turn to alcohol and, or hard drugs]  Thank God,  I thought there was something wrong with me! Here’s to Happy Hour…

To the person who couldn't take the time to fill out a simple form: I am very glad the SPCA takes the time to find good and sincere pet owners. The fact that you would compare a loan form with getting a living creature speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. Not that you are necessarily a bad person, but a living animal is not a loan, a toy, or a hobby. It is a creature that can live more than 15 years--it is a commitment. No doubt you are the type who would leave a bowl of food (if that) and leave your animal alone so you could go out of town. Animals take time and thought; you obviously are short on one of those at the very least.  Well, I could say more, but don't want to be banished to long-winded tomes.  Get a pet rock.

Why don't Republicans use bookmarks? They just bend the pages over.

[Iguanas may feel, but their too stupid for that feeling to reach their brains. I shot the leg off one and it just sat there] It must have been a redneck iguana or it was in shock like you would be too. Leave them alone, they eat the roaches and other bugs.

[No breakfasts on BPK] The restaurants will be open on Sun during season  (season not here yet) So eat at home or join the Moose Lodge for breakfast every Sun.

[Playboy Club] The 60's were the only time this country was truly free. Not anymore. Besides that, there's no one left with the dignity and culture to appreciate the Playboy Club's atmosphere. Teasers is more to today's standards. What a waste.

[Marathon Animal Shelter smelled terrible] Worse is my husband who is a bartender in a dump that allows smoking. Our whole house smells like an ashtray! Ugh!

[New Rule: Any negative comments about restaurants, etc and your email address will be printed] So much for freedom of gripe, eh, Ed?

At $8.00 plus per pound, the prices of lunch meats in W/D is getting nuts. And on top of that they won't even cut it the way I want it.

If He was like this, then maybe I’d come around.

[Sloan’s Slot] Just following is an email sent early this morning to The Citizen, copy to the Keynoter. I wept and wept after sending it. On re-reading this morning, I see a typographical error: the year 1993 should be 2003.

In hindsight, I suppose I could have seen this coming when, about a week ago now, I received an email from Hometown PAC asking me to remove them from my campaign email list. It was an email from Hometown, following dreams of the night before, that caused me to get back into the race for District 2 some months ago now.

While I can see the poetry and wry humor in Hometown being used in this way, my various dealings with them during the campaign, as a group, left me feeling that they have a lot of growing up to do, before they are going to be of much use to Keys people.

Dear Key West Citizen,
I am responding to a message left on my voicemail yesterday by Andi Anapoli, inviting me to be interviewed at The Citizen, as a candidate for the County Commission District 2 seat.

When The Citizen interviewed me in 1993 [2003], while I was running for Mayor of Key West, I told the interview committee that the free press and plaintiff lawyers were what were keeping America from becoming a totalitarian state. I meant it as a compliment.

It's now three years later. I have seen Duck Tours and its plaintiff lawyers stand up to Ed Swift and Key West City, who seemed to believe they had a sovereign right to put a legitimate, creative, hard-working company out of business. So it seems plaintiff lawyers are still holding up their end of protecting democracy in the Keys.

Even so, without a truly free and proactive press, democracy fails. You know from copies of recent emails received by your Editor, Tom Tuell, and a number of your other journalists, that I don't see either The Citizen or the Keynoter doing what they, as journalists in America, need to do today.

More specifically, no way can I effectively run for or serve on the County Commission, when the Keys' two major newspapers have weenied-out to Ed Swift. To George Neugent and other Keys people, I offer my most sincere condolences and best wishes. It has been rough in the Keys lately, but and alas, we haven't seen anything yet.

Funny, I suppose, for several nights before yesterday, I had dreams telling me that something like this was coming down, but I didn't want to believe it until I saw yesterday where The Citizen and the Keynoter stood.

Would someone re-post the very funny preposition that described how our age should be reversed? It's the one where a human's life should begin at old age and end with being born? That was so cute and was posted so long ago I don't know how far back to look. I would like to share that post with some friends if the writer doesn't mind. Thanks ever so much!

A blue 4 door Cherokee was driving on US 1 Wednesday and turned into Ramrod Key on the bay side.  This car was crossing into oncoming traffic over 3 times and obviously drunk.  If anyone knows who this might be, do them a favor and have a talk with them about driving drunk.  This was in the daytime.  I don't have a cell phone or I would have called the tag number in to the police. Next time I will follow them home and call the police from their front door.

If you want to vote for a real wildlife rehabber, go to the following site and vote for Mona Rutger.  She is one lady who's not in it for the trip to Hawaii.  She really cares for wildlife, and her statistics prove it.http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/hero_of_the_year/hero.html

Why isn't Bill Clinton at the White House passing out cigars?

I think the conman has read too many Travis McGee novels.

[neutered feral cats just lives out its life hunting and killing our native Wildlife] You think those abused and neglected children, growing up, don't do the same?

Saturday October 7, 2006

Friday October 6, 2006

[Which is your favorite Reef?  We have snorkeled all of them except the Marquesas.] The Marquesas are beautiful and not to be missed for a great snorkel adventure.  If you can reach them in your own boat and get into Mooney harbor (inside the atoll) you’ll swear you’re in paradise.  Also if you haven’t tried it, take the Fast Cat trip to Fort Jefferson and snorkel there.  Another great spot teeming with every sort of shallow water sea life and the boat ride is fun with a nice continental breakfast and a beach side lunch provided.

Oh, gee, the County won’t let us developers build anymore. I know, I’ll build affordable housing, how can they deny me, the good Samaritan, that good thing? What, there are density rules and height limitations? I’ll get my self on a committee and change the ordinances. I’ve just got to have a lot more money. Screw the Keys. I’ll paint the tiny houses pastels. Tourists just love pastels! That should make them allow me to build as high as I want. And don’t forget that after five years I’ll want the houses to become market rate.

[Spading and neutering is so needed and so under-educated]  Are you referring to the seasonal people from New Jersey or just the other pests that have invaded the islands?