Since 2002. Published Wednesdays and Saturdays
Submit anything of a positive nature, unless it’s breakthrough stuff to island@bigpinekey.com
(Ed: Although all advertisers’ contracts have expired I’m still going to display their ads for free until they get used to the new CT. Hopefully they will all want to keep advertising.)
(Click here)
 [Flotsam] Be on the lookout for these: half-inch thick, 4’ x 4’ plastic sheets with stegosaurus-like diagonal fins. A puzzling piece of plastic, no? We came across more than 30 of these floating in the Gulf of Mexico, 30-60 miles out. There must be hundreds more. Depending on winds, some will end up on Gulf beaches. Many more are likely to be swept into the Loop Current, which would carry them south, out of the Gulf and up the east coast of the US. A few will probably cross the Atlantic, making landfall near our friends in Bermuda, the UK, and The Bahamas.What are these things? They are VIV strake sheathes. Huh? Cylindrical structures such as free-standing petroleum riser pipes interact with a uniform fluid flow and shed Karman vortex sheets with a vortex shedding frequency close to the cylinder’s natural frequency causing the structure to oscillate and incur metal fatigue and eventual failure. Strake sheathes suppress these VIV oscillations by modifying fluid flow across the pipe, tripping the production of Karman vortices so that they act less coherently. What? Oil platforms have super deep pipes that wag in the current unless these plastic fin thingies are on them. The bottom line is that these plastics fall off oil rigs in the Gulf and will probably outlive us all. So expect to see them showing up on a beach near you. Oh, and another gift from our gulf offshore oil industry, tar balls. We found big ones, and lots of them. Expect to see those soon too. |
| [MLK Conspiracy] The King family and others believe that the assassination was carried out by a conspiracy involving the U.S. government, as alleged by Loyd Jowers in 1993, and that Ray was a scapegoat. In 1999 the King family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Jowers for the sum of $100. During the trial both the family and Jowers presented evidence alleging a government conspiracy. The government agencies accused could not defend themselves or respond because they were not named as defendants. Based on the evidence, the jury concluded that Jowers and “others were part of a conspiracy to kill King.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was assigned the lead to investigate King’s death. J. Edgar Hoover, who had previously made efforts to undermine King’s reputation, told Johnson that his agency would attempt to find the culprit(s). Many documents related to this investigation remain classified, and are slated to remain secret until 2027. In 2010, as in earlier years, some argued for passage of a proposed Records Collection Act, similar to a 1992 law concerning the Kennedy assassination, in order to require the immediate release of the records. The measure did not pass. |
Well, here’s something you don’t see everyday. Video |
| I was fishing the flats the other day when a guy flew by me on his $100,000 flats boat. A few minutes later, I caught up to him because he ran aground. He asked me to push him off, but I declined because I had to walk back to the highway and go home! |
 [Toe Nail Fungus] After reading all I could find about toe nail fungus and all the over-priced meds that don’t work, I found one way to cure it–sort of. If you heat the toe nail to between 104 and 140 degrees it will kill the fungus/mold after awhile. So how do you do that? Sit in the sun and let your feet cook, but put heavy duty sun screen on all exposed skin except that nasty toe nail or nails. No, you should not use a magnifying glass. |
| Not being responsible for your own actions is like going into a bar, paying the bartender to poison you, then suing him for doing so, because you hurt yourself in a car wreck driving drunk! |
Cheap Chinese imitations that will make you wet yourself laughing. Close, but no cigar! Link |
| [“Key Deer lack the gut microbes necessary to digest carbohydrates.”] So that’s a good reason not to feed them any starchy food? Are you kidding with this post? Deer feeders don’t give a damn about what they feed them; they know that they shouldn’t feed Key Deer anything, but they do it anyway just to please or amuse themselves. |
[Flamethrowers] You can get a 25 footer for $900 bucks or a 50 footer for $1,599. Heck, that’s a no-brainer, we want the BEEEG ONE! Video |
| [Two Cows Theory] World economy explained. Link |
 |
| The xylophone kids at it again. The Louisville Leopard (noisy) Percussionists. Video |
 [Wheaties Beer] These Wheaties may not be so good with milk. Wheaties says it is partnering with a craft brewery to create a limited-edition beer. The 16-ounce cans will only be available in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market starting Aug. 26, according to Wheaties parent company General Mills. It’s not exactly clear what makes it Wheaties beer, besides being made from wheat. General Mills says the beer will be called HefeWheaties in a nod to a German style of beer called hefeweizen, which is typically made with more than 50 percent malted wheat. “We’re not saying it’s a breakfast beer, but we’re not saying it’s not,” said Ryan Petz, president of Fulton Brewery, the Minneapolis-based brewery that is making the beer. Petz said the beer is also intended to tie his company to heritage of Minneapolis, which is also home to General Mills’ headquarters. Fulton will consider making the beer more widely available depending on how people react to the initial run, he said. Mike Siemienas, a General Mills spokesman, said the company left the development of the beer to Fulton. He declined to say whether the company plans to tap an athlete or celebrity to endorse the beer. |
| Out of all the nations who have written about the Iran nuclear agreement only Israel is against it. I guess they’d rather have a nuclear Iran so they can bomb Iran into oblivion. |
I joined Ancestry.com — big mistake– and paid lots of money and for what? to be loaded with crappy advertising, extra charges for any information pertaining to my family tree, and no Ancestry email address to complain or give feedback to anyone taking my money. Don’t waste your time and money on these online family tree cons. |
| Marine Sanctuary’s wrong science accelerated Florida’s coral reef destruction. Link |
[Solar Powered Boat] The 50′ Archimedes. Video |
| [Term Limits Removes Gridlock] I’m voting for the first guy who’ll promise term limits for all of Congress. That is the 500 pound gorilla in the room that no politician will talk about because they are the problem. All politicians in Washington spend and extraordinary amount of time and money trying to get re-elected–seldom doing the people’s business. They start on day one in office. Impose term limits on them and there will no longer gridlock in Congress because they will have nothing to worry about except doing the right thing. Unfortunately it kind of works both ways because the bad guys will still try to pass legislation to benefit their corporate clients before leaving office, but I suspect they will be fewer than now. |
 We all went to visit Grandma and she was so pleased to see us all again. She is getting old and we want to be a part of her life and have quality time with her and enjoy our visits to remember her. |
| 1950’s parking assist car where the spare tire drops down. Video |
[A-Bomb Unnecessary] The Strategic Bombing Survey of Japan ordered by President Truman and completed in 1946 concluded the following: “Based on a detailed investigation of all the facts, and supported by the testimony of the surviving Japanese leaders involved, it is the Survey’s opinion that certainly prior to 31 December 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated.” Link |
| [Marathon Journal interview by L.E. Schaffer] Trish Hintz interview: 1. What action would you take on sewer problems. I think we did good in hiring the Operations Manager from Key Largo. I think bringing the sewer in house with Dan Sous at the helm will help get things straightened out for Marathon’s wastewater. He will likely need to hire a few qualified technicians to maintain the plants that were formerly maintained by Severn Trent and we should still be able realize a significant savings in that department. We have to get the necessary repairs completed and continue with proper maintenance to protect our most precious resource, the waters that house our amazing reefs and underwater ecosystem. 2. Three things I like about Marathon. I like the close knit community. I like the fundraisers, they promote unity in the city between the residents. Last but not least I love the location, we are the heart of the Keys right in the middle of this amazing island chain with the best access to both the ocean and gulf. 3. Three top goals. Goal 1: Get the waste water treatment plants repaired and functioning properly. Complete the necessary upgrades to accommodate future development throughout Marathon and ensure the burden of cost falls on the developers and not the residents. Goal 2: Explore ways that the city might be able to best utilize the workforce housing funds we have available to partner with developers, Habitat and/or residents and move forward with getting some additional workforce housing on the ground. Goal 3: Dissect the city budget to insure we maintain fiscal responsibility. I know that we cant continue with rollback forever especially when we already lack sufficient reserves to function in the event of an emergency, but housing prices are one the rise which means our tax base has increased and that combined with a 15% tax increase is too much. 4. Development vs Neighbors. I’m not against development, but I do believe there is a delicate balance that must be observed when you live in a tourist driven economy. We can’t forget our residents, the people who live here 24/7/365 days a year or our snowbirds who choose not to vacation rent their winter homes. We need to respect our residents right to quiet enjoyment in their own homes. 5. Why am I running? I have always been an active member of the community and a responsible voter. I believe it’s best to step up and do my part rather than complain about things. I ran last year because I want to serve the residents of Marathon. I was pleased with the support I received from the community and I was encouraged by many to run again. 6. Short bio: Please see the Supervisor of Elections site. |
[Turd Boy] Who is the environmental crusader who ratted out Boondocks? Does he wear tights, a cape and a mask? Any superpowers? Secret identity? And why isn’t he camped out at the dump on Cudjoe preventing the shallow wells fiasco? In any event, he shall henceforth be know as “Turd Boy.” |
| [“Orange river”] So what punishment will the EPA get? Overtime pay? Time and a half to clean up the mess they caused? |
… and a large diet Coke (I don’t want to get fat). |
| [Off Clip On] High tech hope for repelling mosquitoes. Link |
 [Lifesaver] The news guy on CNN in the morning, Chris Cumo, the former governor’s son, saved a swimmer’s life yesterday. Cuomo was on his boat when a man who was clearly in distress drifted by. Cuomo jumped in and grabbed the man and swam him back to the boat against the current risking his life. He said he almost couldn’t make it back to his boat, swimming against the current. |
| Trace Adkins – You’re Gonna Miss This |
 [Benzene] My car’s manual says to roll down the windows to let out all the hot air before turning on the A/C. Why? Do not turn on A/C as soon as you enter the car? Open the windows after you enter your car and then after a couple of minutes, turn on the AC?According to research, the car’s dashboard, seats, a/c ducts, in fact all of the plastic objects in your vehicle, emit Benzene, a cancer causing toxin–a big carcinogen. In addition to causing cancer, Benzene poisons your bones, causes anemia and reduces white blood cells. Prolonged exposure can cause Leukemia and increases the risk of some cancers. It can also cause miscarriages in pregnant women. The acceptable Benzene level indoors is 50mg per sq. ft. Benzene is a toxin that affects your kidneys and liver. What’s worse, it is extremely difficult for your body to expel. A car parked indoors, with windows closed, will contain 400-800 mg of Benzene — 8 times the acceptable level. People who get into the car, keeping the windows closed, will eventually inhale excessive amounts of the Benzene toxin. |
| Common sense should be referred to as the sense formerly known as common. |
Butthead |
| Who made the statement: “We’re very, very stupid”?
EPA Region 4 Office when they funded the Cudjoe Regional Wastewater System without assuring compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (EPA is required by law to assure NEPA is complied with when Clean Water Stare Revolving Funds are used.) EPA Region 4 Office when it was discovered their office had working knowledge that a Environmental Assessment document that had not met NEPA requirements was being submitted to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for approval for the Cudjoe Regional Wastewater System.. NOAA, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary when they issued a “Sanctuary Permit” in 2013 for the horizontal directional drilling underneath the Niles Channel without compliance with NEPA, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Clean Water Act and Executive Order 13089 – Coral Reef Protection (2008 meeting with FDEP, FKAA and Monroe County identified environmental concerns if drilling mud escaped during horizontal directional drilling) ( Mud escaped.) US Fish and Wildlife and National Key Deer Wildlife refuge when it was brought to their attention they failed to protect any endangered species or their critical habitat in their refuges or adjoining land and waters during construction of the wastewater treatment system (any construction along the right of way impacts endangered species throughout the refuges and sanctuaries when not properly mitigated)(and of course there is the treatment plant adjacent to a landfill) (Example – How close to Key Deer Blvd is that Bald Eagle nest and did the construction activities (noise, dust, vibration, etc) disturb the mating, egg laying and nesting behaviors?) (Did the bald eagle abandon its nest?) Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program, when they knowingly approved a “fake” US Army Corps of Engineers Draft Environmental Assessment that provided no basis for approval. Monroe County Board of County Commissioners when they identified in public records on April 20, 2011 that funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund program would be used for the Cudjoe Regional Wastewater System. Monroe County Board of County Commissioners when they approved the submittal of the “fake” US Army Corps of Engineers Draft Environmental Assessment to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Environmental documents must be agency reviewed and all comments incorporated before it can be used for approval) Monroe County Board of County Commissioners when they identified the county had received a FEDERAL FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT in public records Monroe County Administrator for submitting an application for Restore Act Federal Council Funding and identifying and listing all the federal environmental laws that had been met regarding the Cudjoe Regional Wastewater System (none were met) Monroe County Administrator for identifying in the Restore Act Federal Council Funding application that a FEDERAL FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT had been received for the Cudjoe Regional Wastewater System. Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority when on April 23, 2009 they notified FDEP via a letter containing the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Permit Application and Support Documents that a location change of the proposed Cudjoe Key Wastewater facility was made. The reason for the change of location was “because the AWWTP facilities are to be located on the portion of the Cudjoe Landfill”. (no environmental analysis of the landfill site was accomplished before notifying FDEP despite years of data collection identifying hazardous materials in the groundwater at the landfill) (Why is the Cudjoe Landfill identified in the National Radiation Monitoring System database?) Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority when they developed and distributed a document entitled “US Army Corps of Engineers Draft Environmental Assessment” dated November 2010 that was later used by Monroe County to secure a Florida Findings of No Significant Impact from FDEP. (Monroe County stated it was a FEDERAL FINDINGS OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT) (Army Corps of Engineers had no knowledge of this document) (FKAA developed document was seriously flawed) Crash and Eddie from the film “Ice Age 4”. Here is the link to the answer: Link |
Across all countries, cultures and class we share one thing — the junk drawer. |
| What’s with these bogus auctions going on in the Keys through the banks? Every one I went to is scammed by the bank people to bid on their own property to get the sale price higher. Isn’t that illegal? |
Iguana getting a drink of cool A/C water. |
| [“Cisterns”] Oh oh, it looks like the politicos are gearing up to tax cisterns and rain wawa. or the local cistern contractors are setting up to push building them for mucho denaro. Monroe County is a foreign word for “one who taxes through intimidation and manipulation of fools” Now let’s talk about rain gutter permits. |
A girl got a text from a boy asking to see her bra. Her Dad replied with this photo. |
| Where the Cudjoe Regional Wastewater System (CRWS) is concerned, some acronyms have taken on new meanings for me. In combination these agencies are taking the joy out of 26 years of home ownership for us on Pirates Rd., Little Torch Key. One neighbor, who truly loves it here, sold his home on Pirates Rd. based on his extensive knowledge of low pressure wastewater treatment systems. He marketed and serviced grinder pumps for over 30 years in the Carolinas; however, most of his income came from servicing and replacing them. His final word to me was that this system as designed will absolutely not work here. I am convinced that he is right. |
[Environmental Protection Agency] When our river turned orange. Things you need to know about the Animas River mine waste spill. Link |
| I’m so tired of reading this septic, sewer, grinder crap I could just shit! |
The original Smart phone. |
| [Captain Doom and Gloom] DEF; Sunglasses n. A disguise to hide one’s real motives. DEF: Bullet n, A projectile designed to do nothing important but waste natural resources. DEF: Suicide n. That occupation which ugly people should practice. DEF: Comic Book n, A paper pamphlet akin to a religious fiction. DEF: The ‘N’ Word n, That which was revered when black was beautiful. DEF: The ‘J’ Word n, What may be obliterated after the next election. DEF: Independent Party n, The cure for world politico poisoning. DEF: Howdy Duty n, A grinning freckled presidential candidateDEF: COP n. A Copulationist On Patrol DEF: Burger Flipper n. A useless eater with the same standing as a 5 star general. DEF: Scientist n, A person bewildered by everything. DEF: Fetish n, That which turns you on and disgusts others. DEF: Fling n. The simple action a 70 year old takes at the Corvette lot. DEF: Hog n, A fat, ugly obsolete distasteful pile of nuts and bolts with a motor. DEF: Texas n, Big women, big men, big horses, little minds. DEF: Florida n, Israel in Spanish. DEF: California n, That part of the USA that will hopefully go away soon. DEF: Alaska n. Where a weakling can go to become a husky pucker! DEF: New Orleans n, A place you can live in a ditch and bitch with fed funding. DEF: Pencil n, The only thing publically acceptable with a rubber on it! |
 |
| Submit anything of a positive nature, unless it’s breakthrough stuff to island@bigpinekey.com |