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2014 December

Friday, December 19, 2014

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The-Coconut-Telegraph-w-CoconutsSince 2002. Anonymous Letters to the Editor with pictures. Published Monday through Friday by Noon.

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Thursday morning flowers.
I thought because the old 7 Mile Bridge is falling, the xmas lights wouldn’t go up. Kudos to the guys who put them up anyway. Ahhh!
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[“Ransomware”] As I understand ransomware, it encrypts everything connected to your computer, be it the cloud, external hard drives or anything other computers on your network. That’s why it’s such a problem. You lose everything even cloud backups.
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[Incredible Technology 1944-2014
]  Now this is an incredible use of technology — like traveling back in time!  Left click and hold on each photo, and then drag your mouse gently from left to right on the original photograph and it will be become a photo of the exact same location and view today – drag it back to the left and you are back in 1944!   Scroll down for more of the same. It’s just fascinating.  Link
Online giant Alibaba recorded $9.3 billion dollars in sales in just one day, November 11, China’s Shopping Festival or “Double 11” an auspicious number.
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[Contrails] Stealth planes mix jet exhaust with chemicals that prevent water condensing to eliminate contrails–the white vapor that forms behind planed (confusing conspiracy theorist who are obsessed with contrails).
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The waning Moon guides the way to Saturn in the eastern dawn on Wednesday and Thursday mornings. (Positions are exact for the middle of North America. The Moon is drawn three times its actual size.
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[Wicks] I am making an oil lamp for my outdoor porch.  I have a question regarding the wick.  Does anyone have any opinion regarding fiberglass wicks versus cotton wicks?  Mainly I’m wondering if burning fiberglass wicks are healthy or are they destructive to our health?
Yesterday FTR was surprisingly mute on the opening of Cuba by Obama. Can it be that he has to scour extremists websites to find a somewhat sensible reason to continue the embargo? Rand Paul has even said 50 years of embargo hasn’t changed a thing and he’s in favor of Obama’s opening Cuba. That’s a real surprise.
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When the United Kingdom declared war on Japan in 1941, Winston Churchill sent a letter to the Japanese government announcing such; when asked about the gesture later he explained, “Some people did not like this ceremonial style. But after all when you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite.’
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Peace
with police starts with us. Let there be peace, and let it begin with me. Link
[Cuba] Former President Jimmy Carter says he is “proud and grateful” for the president’s efforts to restore diplomatic ties with Cuba. Carter calls the shift in policy “courageous.”
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[AIDS] he author of a book titled The River. Published in 1999, presented an alternative hypothesis for the development of AIDS, suggesting that use of simian organs during the early trials of the polio vaccine provided a pathway for the SIV virus to make the leap to humans, where it became HIV. The hypothesis generated quite a lot of interest at the time, but faded into relative obscurity as many mainstream scientists decided that the pathway was more likely have been something to do with bushmeat. However, Hooper continued to promote his ideas and was he was recently given a boost, albeit an inadvertent one, when a paper by some proponents of the bushmeat hypothesis accepted that the HIV epidemic took off in 1960 in Kinshasa, or Leopoldville as it was then known. While the paper suggested that this change of pace was due to poor procedures in local STD clinics, Hooper has pointed out that the fact that there is no empirical evidence of HIV anywhere in the world before 1959 and the fact that Kinshasa was the centre of the polio vaccine trials is actually strong evidence to support his hypothesis.This may also help to explain the increase in swine flu and the use of pig heart valves for human heart transplants. Link
[Cuba] How about the reverse? Is America opening its borders to Cuban visitors? Many documented visitors arrive here on a visa and over-stay their visa and our Government still won’t know where millions of the visa holders are. Nearly half of illegal Immigrants overstay visas. Link
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If all the world except us has been trading with Cuba, then why does it still look like a run down crap hole?  I find it hard to believe that we are responsible for that or we will make a difference.  There is something in the basic nature of the Cuban people that causes them to live that way. “Manana is good enough for me”

Peggy Lee – Manana

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I thought this was a good idea until I realized that the Coconut Telegraph would be reduced to just two or three posts if it was followed.
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[San Francisco’s Talking Tour Cars]  These may be the next thing to invade Key West.  Link
[Charles Eimers’ Killing] Undergoing medical distress, induced by a diabetic episode, explains the disorientation and erratic conduct of Charles Eimers. He surrendered all of his ID to the police officer when asked. He was not running from anyone. Confused, fatigued, disabled  and stressed, Mr. Eimers’ may have believed that he satisfied the requests of the police and drove on. The body (remains) was degraded to the point by the police, that a forensic examination could not take place.  What justified killing this man?
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[Veterans] We need to show more sympathy for these people.  They travel miles in the heat.  They risk their lives crossing a border. They don’t get paid enough wages.  They do jobs that others won’t do or are afraid to do.  They live in crowded conditions among a people who speak a different language.  They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day every day.  I’m not talking about illegal Mexicans   I’m talking about our troops. Doesn’t it seem strange that so many are willing to lavish all kinds of social benefits on illegals, but don’t support our troops?  Wouldn’t it be great if we took the $360,000,000,000 (that’s billion) we spend on illegals every year, and spent it on our troops.  A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America for any amount, up to and including their life.
radioshack logoI’m back to my old dumb phone. Two weeks and my $50 smart phone is totaled after falling on its face on the sidewalk like a slobbering drunk. It isn’t so smart after all. it’s okay, it could have been my face on the concrete instead of the phone’s. The Black Friday sale is over and my phone’s replacement would be $179. Forget it! The great guys at Radio Shack had ‘Old Faithful’ reactivated in a flash and didn’t even call me a cheap bastard for not whipping out the credit card and asking for their top of the line phone, although they probably thought it. Good guys there.
[Pigeon Key Bridge] Every person riding over the Keys’ bridges or paying attention to local news should be aware that our Lifeline up to the United States, US1 and State Route 5, is in less than good condition. The road surfaces are being overlain with new surfacing and the worse bridges are being worked on. The 42 bridges to KW are in worst shape than the government is willing to admit. So why in hell is FDOT pissing away $77,000,000 of taxpayer money to fix a bridge to a tourist attraction? Oh hell, yes, I’m sure that Commissioners George, David, & Sylvia painted such a glorious pictured to FDOT as to how necessary it is to be able to have people come to the City of Marathon and spend money to walk on the bridge and visit that famous Pigeon Key. Wait, wasn’t there supposed to be ferry service to it, a new business venture, employment for Keys citizens? But alas with a $14,000,000 Kiss from the taxpayers of Monroe County and  4 or 5 million more from the City of Marathon our state officials caved and at the sacrifice of our lifeline are funding an unnecessary $77.000,000 tax expenditure for a tourist attraction. How did the human species ever get this far? The only answer is volume and luck as it’s apparent that governments couldn’t organize a 1 car funeral without screwing it up.
shipyard-seadog[Springer’s Beer Tasting Tonight] This evening, Friday, December 19th from 3 – 7 pm Beer Tasting! Craft Beer from the Shipyard and Seadog Brewing Companies. Try Ginger Bread Head or perhaps Wild Blueberry?

Also tonight, Friday 19th from 7 pm – ’til? Karaoke with Nick. Sing a song if you dare.

Saturday, December  20th 6 pm Live Music with Tim Andrews “Lonesome Road” national touring recording artist

Sunday, December 21st. Watch your favorite Football Game at Springer’s. 14 TV’s , Full Bar, Daily Specials

Monday the 22nd is Mexican Monday.  Specials with a Mexican twist. Yummy!

Happy Hour Daily from 2pm – 6pm!

[Free Ad] We’ve had Dish Network for about seven years (before that we had Comcast, but I won’t even go there). In the last couple of years, we’ve had nothing but problems with Dish, the “technician” they sent out on several occasions had such a bad attitude I asked them not to send him anymore. Of course he showed up again, attitude included. That was it. We were done with Dish. We finally (after hearing nothing but great things) contacted Sammy Sam with DirectTV. Wow! He actually showed up when he said he would, gave us a good deal, didn’t try to sell us anything we didn’t want, called an hour before he was going to be here and got our second TV working — that both Comcast and Dish told us wasn’t a problem with their installation but was just our TV. We have HD and the clearest picture you’ve ever seen. We highly recommend Sammy Sam. We haven’t had to call for anything yet, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be here in the time frame he says he will. What a great experience! I wish we’d known about him a long time ago! Best service we’ve ever had.
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This latest Cuba development is fine with me as long as we don’t start sending them “foreign aid”  in the form of my tax dollars.  I am already supporting enough deadbeats.
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I am a Republican
. I know that reasonable people can disagree on many issues, without being “lefties “. FTR is a nitwit. His posts are obviously the rantings of an octogenarian who is not taking his medications, or is taking far too many of them. Please do not judge all Republicans by him. Some of us are not always correct. He, on the other hand, thinks he cannot possibly be wrong.
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[Eimers’ death] Finally the Citizen’s Review Board (CRB) is talking serious (or at least acting that way) about complaints against the KWPD.  But are they really?  Where have they been re: Charles Eimers for the past year?  Where have they been on the Shaun Murphy case for the past 3 1/2 years?  Now that they are involved, can the really make a difference besides writing letters or making recommendations? Does the KWPD or the city commission take them serious?  I doubt it because they all fought against forming the CRB to begin with.

Just to be clear, I’m all for the CRB.  Someone has to “watch the watchers”   The problem being the KWPD and the city commission who obviously don’t give a damn about their recommendations any more than they care about other city panels formed to make recommendations (ie: trash pick up)

Now all of a sudden there’s lots of comments in various publications about Eimers being killed by KWPD. While this is a great thing, where have they been for the past year?  I can only think it’s because of the continuing coverage by Naja & Arnaud Girard of “The Blue Paper” and Sloan Bashinsky  who hammered the KWPD and the commission relentlessly.  But for these three, the case would never have seen the light of day.  It would have been over and done before the turkeys and pumpkin pie were eaten that Thanksgiving day.  To these three courageous citizens we owe a huge thank you!

Every week the city commissioners, Donnie Lee, and his 10 officers are getting closer to eating lunch at the “Karma Cafe”, where you are served what you deserve!

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[Police] If I get into a life threatening predicament that neither my Glock or Mossberg can’t help me handle I will call the police every time over one of my local thugs.
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To all our Coast Guard Auxiliary supporters, we completed our December boating classes. Our two Scholarship recipients and their father. From left two right. Cole, Mark and Chase Taylor.
[Sewers] Not exact quotes but close:   Kirk announced FKAA’s contract with FIU to test and monitor the shallow wells. They were required to do testing anyway. Done by FIU person who does the National Marine Sanctuary testing. Tracer and water injection testing of the shallow wells will start right after the first of the year. This will be done before the plant opens and effluent is injected. Monitoring will be done around the wells. The test will help understand the geology – will the effluent stay down or boil up – what can we expect? Many believe the ground is porous. Results will be available before the plant opens. This will allow Kirk to go his board and the BOCC – it will show us what will happen. Becker questions if the flow will be equivalent – answer – It will occur for a couple of weeks. Later Becker follows up – will it be 1 million gallons? Answer – It will be whatever flow they can put together.
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Maybe the best Christmas cop story ever. Merry Christmas to all the 1st responder’s. Thank you for doing the job most of us would not, or could not want to do. Sincerely. Link
“Culling the planet“? Sometimes you just have to laugh at the things people post here.
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My wife burned my favorite dish last night, meatloaf, and I burned out my sawzall!
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Love & Peace in 2015
?  I’m still waiting. Happy Holidaze!
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Sony Pictures hacked.
[Eimers’ death on CBS] Finally the house of lies starts to crumble. Video
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[Sony Pictures hacked by N. Korea] 254 theaters (2,623 screens in 37 states) just dropped a Seth Rogan movie, The Interview,  because they are afraid of a country that subsists on bugs and grass.
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[Turkey vultures] They are here in advance of Key West dying with the opening of Cuba! Mega resorts being built here just in time for most tourist to skip Key West for Cuba.
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“Mama-San” rattan chair with custom handmade cushions. Barely used, but we need the space. $30. Classified Ads > Furniture
If America does not declare English as it’s primary language we will all have to learn Spanish in the near future. Check out all your packaging and hang out in Kmart for a while, you will see what I mean.
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90 octane–no ethanol gas is $3.20 at the Venture Out Marina.
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German cashiers celebrate the season with fun antics!  Can’t help but bring a smile.  Notice how quiet the crowd is. Video
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[Shallow Wells] Dear Mayor and Commissioners: Please review the attached letter containing analysis by several scientists rejecting the water quality studies proposed by FKAA concerning the shallow sewage wells. The  scientifically flawed FKAA study has not and will not be accepted by my clients in settlement of the legal challenge to the shallow wells, for the reasons outlined in the enclosed letter. We also believe that it is useThank you. Caron Balkany, Esq. bocc_12-18-14_-__analysis_of_FKAA_water_quality_studies
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FKAA wants the easement to your property so in a few years they can put the responsibility of maintenance on the homeowners. If you’re not outraged you’re not paying attention; and as it goes most of District 2 is not paying attention as attested by the last election.
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When I first started coming down here in the early 70’s my first stop was always Gringos Cantina on Duval where Jack Flats is now.  I don’t know if the food was authentic Mexican but it was damn good. The lady that owned it sold and bought the Hickory House, got a good price for that and opened the Wharf on Summerland and has since sold that one.  I really wish she had kept Gringos going.
FTR: In his Thursday post called a poster an “Obama Sycophant”. I guess since he thinks that he is mentally superior to anyone else who posts on the CT that it’s okay for him to say crap like that. All it does is show once again that he is just an arrogant person whose only purpose in life is to insult anyone who doesn’t have the same opinions he does. He then complains when people insult tim when nary a post goes by that he doesn’t spew insults.
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Conservative’s answer to “I can’t breath”.
Santa is not dead. I saw the fat guy picking up crack Ho ho hos on Stock Island and heading out to Marvin Key with them!
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A fitting legacy for the worst US president since Jimmy Carter. The state of North Dakota has named a new publicly-owned landfill after  President Barack Obama. In an overwhelming 35-10 vote, the state Senate advanced a bill naming  a 650-acre site currently under construction after the nation’s 44th  president. Governor Jack Dalrymple is expected to sign the measure into  law Tuesday. When completed, the Barack Obama Memorial Landfill will be the largest  waste disposal site in North Dakota, and the 17th largest in the United  States. It will be especially rich in toxic waste from the local  petroleum and medical industries. We wanted to do something to honor the president, says Republican  State Senator Doug Perlman, who was the lead sponsor of the bill. And  I think a pile of garbage is a fitting tribute to Obama’s presidency. We originally planned on naming it after a nearby mountain. But then  someone jokingly suggested we name it after Obama. I never thought an  idea like that would actually pass. But I was pleasantly surprised. The president is hardly popular in North Dakota. The most recent poll  in December 2013 found that Obama has a 35% approval rating in the  state, although that figure may have fallen further in the year since.  Yet even considering the political climate, seasoned observers are  surprised that two Democratic lawmakers voted for the bill’s passage. I supported Obama because I thought he would end the wars in the  Middle East; says Allison Mitchell, a progressive Democrat from Grand  Forks. But he decided to fight new wars abroad instead of fighting for  single-payer health care and jobs here at home. I guess people expected me to oppose this landfill thing because I’m a  Democrat. But honestly I don’t really care anymore. Maybe this small  act of protest will wake him up. Ordinary citizens in the state also seem to approve of the government’s  choice. I can’t think of a better name, says Joe Blough, a plumber from  Minot.  It’s darkly colored and it’s full of shit. That pretty much  sums up Obama
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Al Sharpton & Imus – I’m Dreaming Of A White Neighbor.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MqbeQOIQRsw
Castro Get Out of Cuba https://soundcloud.com/theneilrogersshow/neil-rogers-show-castro-get
A whiny poster on here tells us that the only reason Russia is suffering is because of low oil prices. A huge part of the lower oil prices is the huge increase in American energy output. Then the poster tells us Obama is strangling oil production.

Folks you can’t get this entertainment at a high end comedy club. I don’t care who you are that’s funny right there.

I didn’t have the heart to tell the poster of the billions and billions of  Russian funds and credit frozen (sanctions) that the Russians cant get their hands on.

I’m sure somehow that’s not having any effect at all. Nooooooooooooo. I love the C.T!

from the right
YESTERDAY A POSTER WROTE IN PRAISE OF OBAMA FOR HIS DECISION TO RECOGNIZE CUBA.  As a part of that posting he/she wrote: “When using the argument that their government is repressive, try to admit that for every disagreeable act they commit you can easily find a similar one in America; from killing unarmed children, torture, taking away citizens in the early morning hours, refusing permits, false arrests, confiscating property, etc. One thing Cuba does better than us is that you can walk down any street and feel safe. In the USA there are streets where law enforcement won’t even go–not so in Cuba.”

FTR’S RESPONSE: The poster couldn’t be more wrong. The poster’s laundry list of alleged U.S. government wrong doing is simply untrue.

First of all there is absolutely no record of any American being tortured for political reasons even by the Obama admin. Not so in Cuba. There is no record of any American being “disappeared” for political reasons, even by the Obama administration. Not so in Cuba. Our nation is rich in criticism of its government and its leaders, such criticism is forbidden in Cuba. In the US our court system protects us from such government behavior. Our system is imperfect, but it provides us with means of redress for governmental misconduct. Not so in Cuba. Think about it. If the poster is correct in his assessment of the Castro government human rights abuses in Cuba, why would we want to help that government? Why would we want to help a government that enslaves its citizens?

According to a friend who has visited Cuba on more than one occasion, there is little street crime, and one feels safe on the streets. The reason? Everybody is afraid of everybody else. There is a culture of informing on neighbors, they say “eyes are always on you.” Neighborhoods and the community at large are scrutinized constantly by Cuba’s Committees for the Defense of the Revolution. The committees are called CDR’s and are a pillar of the communist regime itself, they are the self-styled “eyes and ears of the Revolution” in Cuba. Woe unto a person who violates the dictates of the government, or criticizes the government.

The CDR’s keep track of every person in their venue and are a tool for the systematic and mass violation of human rights. They are an arm of the government designed for ideological and repressive discrimination. They assist the police and the secret service in locating dissident thought and eliminating the thinkers.

prison19The existing Cuban government is a cruel taskmaster that rules with an iron fist. Those who oppose the government, or speak out against the government, or demonstrate against the government either disappear or receive harsh penalties.

In May of this year 1,120 Cuban citizens were arrested for political reasons, the alarming rate of detention indicates that the Cuban government has no interest in a more-liberated society. 963 individuals were arrested for political reasons in June. My son in law’s father was a political dissident in Cuba. He was imprisoned for years. His crime? He spoke out against Castro. So far, to the best of our knowledge Obama has not yet jailed those who speak out against him.

I will admit that the Obama admin has taken harsh action against those who dissent against him and against media who are critical of him and his policies. I will admit that he has shown little respect for our Constitution, but his actions are eclipsed by the repression of the Cuban government.

The arguments in support of Obama’s action center on trade issues and opening Cuba for tourism. Many who support it have selfish motives. But those in favor are unable to tell us what real benefit the US will reap for recognizing Cuba. The people of Cuba will continue to suffer a repressive government and the leaders of the Communist party will get even wealthier. And nearly all of the tourism money going into Cuba will be the property of the Cuban government.

The argument that we now recognize China and Vietnam rings hollow when you consider that the citizens of those nations literally have no rights.

Hopefully Obama’s recognition of Cuba is only another example of Obama’s naivety and his weakness, and nothing more. It is part of his long record of coddling dictators and tyrants.

Contrary to the claim that the sanctions have not worked, they actually have been effective. They have marginalized Cuba. Cuba is no longer a player on the world stage. They no long ship troops to places like Angola and Grenada. Now Cuba is in such dire straits that they rely only two sources of fiscal support. Russia, which is foundering, and Venezuela which is nearly broke. Obama seems to be actively trying to rescue the Castro dictatorship. A dictatorship that has thousands of political prisoners.

On the other hand, it really is no surprise given the shared belief structure of Obama and the Brothers Castro.  They all believe in redistribution of wealth. They all believe in an extremely powerful, overarching government. They all believe in careful monitoring the lives of the governed. They all believe in an extremely powerful chief executive. They all have little regard for the will of the people. They all believe that citizens should monitor the activities of other citizens; remember Obama’s slogan “if you see something, say something?” Initially that was supposed to be an anti-terrorist initiative. Team Obama morphed that into an Obama web site. The gist was if someone bashes Obama, report it.

I urge each of you to read the Washington Post’s editorial on the issue: Link

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PART 2) I suggest that all who have an interest in the death of Charles Eimers during the course of his arrest by the KWPD, carefully read the Grand Jury report concerning the incident. It can be found at: Link