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2014 November

Monday, November 3, 2014

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

Deer Friends, On November 4th you will be among the voters who determine the makeup of Monroe County’s Governing Commission through 2018. Your vote is important as Monroe County will continue to be faced with many critical decisions addressing taxes, finances, development, and how this will affect our economy, community character, and the future of the Keys.g-neugent11.3.14Our County is unique in many ways: It is geographically isolated, challenging to manage due to length, and a tourist Mecca which creates protection needs for our residents, environment, and community sanctity, all which vary from island to island throughout our Keys.Although I believe my opponent means well, I’m concerned that her approach to government is long on wanting to be a commissioner but short on the hard work required for the office. One need not be an elected official to participate in government, one merely needs to show up and partake in the public process. For those unable to attend due to work schedules, there remains the option of written participation. Yet in the last sixteen years my opponent has only once addressed the County Commission, and that was in regards to a “noisy rooster”.

In sharp contrast, for the sixteen years I have been of service to you as your County Commissioner I have always placed a premium on preparation and active participation. My wife Suzie might tell you that I spend more time in meetings and attending to community boards than I do at home; she might be right.

Life has taught me that it takes persistence and determination to solve problems and resolve issues with our municipalities, in Tallahassee and in Washington, D.C.

You gave me your trust, reelecting me four years ago to continue working on your behalf; I firmly believe that for those years have been my most productive because of the relationships I have established.

If you share my vision of continued accomplishment for the benefit of all, while moving forward with a Commissioner with proven leadership and one who truly represents the interest of all our residents, then I’d appreciate your support through this final leg of the campaign process. With kindest regards and much appreciation, I thank you. ~George R. Neugent, Monroe County Commissioner .

Please vote tomorrow, November 4th.

manley-deboer-7.11.14
There is patience and comfort in knowing that we can enjoy living in the Keys all year long!
live3[Live And Let Live] All of the controversy and anxiety being expressed over the construction of the round house on Colson is a reflection of the most damaging of the changes that have occurred down here over the past 30 years. The Keys were once a live and let live sort of place where people felt able to do their own thing. Now we are pockets of crowded subdivisions that are largely occupied by people who want to turn our islands into another Boca Raton or Melbourne and are demanding that everyone should live, as they do, in a cube.Anyone who feels threatened by a neighbor’s choice of a legal home and life style shouldn’t have come to the Keys. Instead, they should have sought out a gated community that demanded that all residents conform to a set of standards designed to safeguard their financial and emotional well being.I am saddened by the kind of straight laced and rigid community we have become. The change brings to mind the closing passage in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” in which an observer is unable to distinguish between the humans and the pigs. Here, looking at the locals and the tourists we can no longer tell one from the other.
If the County Commission and the TDC really want to improve tourism with our TDC money why not use half a million dollars of TDC money on the old 7 Mile Bridge instead of the Dolphin Research Visitor Center? When was the last time you saw a TV commercial or movie showing the DRC? It’s always the 7 Mile Bridge and it is phenomenal in its way.What galls me is that they could have put that TDC half million into the bridge and used our infrastructure sales tax money for a good sewer system. It also bothers me that an organization concerned with the environment would want that money for a visitors center rather than help improve our water quality. No water quality — no visitors! Could they give it back and use what they have now, please? Maybe wait a while for their new visitor center while we tackle the more important issue of water quality [sewers]? What a waste.
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[Affordable Housing?] Habitat for Humanity is charging $1200 a month for those colorful duplexes on Big Coppitt. That includes maintenance. I don’t think that’s very affordable, only $200 under market rate?
back door open[Back Door Man] ‘Government grant to find hackers’ is not going to happen. Governments around the world are intentionally installing hardware/software backdoors in all electronic devices. Cell phones, routers, smartphones, smart TV’s/watches/refrigerators and, yes, computers are all spying on us. What they fear more than hackers who find the occasional bug or government backdoor is insurgency. As long as flaws are intentionally introduced into the system, there will be people who discover those flaws and adversarial governments that will use them at the opportune time. For instance we would have never known that a iPhone’s backup, which contains everything, including past location data, private pictures, etc., was so easily remotely downloadable to other people’s computers if it wasn’t for a bunch of horny guys who wanted to see female celebrities naked. Do you think many of the celebrities would have taken those nude pictures if they knew their private pictures could be remotely downloaded? We would have never known there are intentional hardwired backdoors in all consumer routers done at the manufacturers level if someone didn’t bother hacking on it to find out. You may not have anything to fear, but giving the government so much information about our lives gives them the opportunity to make changes you otherwise would object too, but now are too scared to speak up because it would destroy your life and reputation if you did. The biggest fear governments have is losing control, thus they have super secure systems for themselves, yet the public gets all their stuff compromised. If you got your money or identity taken by hackers, you have no one to blame but yourself. It’s like people who cry after losing all their money in Las Vegas, the system is rigged, treat it as such and only gamble with it what your willing to lose. Link
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set your clock back
The hawk the poster mentioned. I have seen that hawk in Port Pine Heights. The other day I was sitting in my tiki and noticed some doves and blackbirds eating some of my dogs dry food. I went to move it and a hawk flew down 5 feet away from me and grabbed a crow[?] and flew off with it. Wow, he was huge! My friend who has chickens also has hawks who frequent her coops, I think its great to be able to see nature so close up
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[“TheGood old days”] My wife and I first came to Big Pine Key as newlyweds in the late 70s. One Sunday as we returned from our grocery run to Marathon we were stopped on the old Seven Mile Bridge. The drawbridge was open to allow a sailboat to come through. The sailor must’ve been a novice because it took him several tries.
We didn’t mind. We had a case of Miller Lite. Just in front of us was a boat of a convertible. At the wheel was a weathered looking dude. The passengers were a short, dark, greasy man and two big-haired blondes. As we stood at the rail overlooking the Gulf side, the greasy guy, flask in hand, came up and said, “Give me a shot of your beer.” I replied, “I’ll give you a shot of my beer if you give me a shot of that flask.”
That’s how we met one of the “little guys” from Hee Haw (one played spoons, this one played his face!), and the car’s driver, Jack Elliott. We swapped stories as we waited for the bridge to close. When Jack found out I was an air personality on WKIZ in Key West, he gave me one of his 45’s and invited us to see his current band, playing somewhere in the Lower Keys. Which we did, that evening. And his record played on WKIZ the next day.
Just another Sunday afternoon in the Florida Keys, circa 1978
panther3[Panther?] I was leaving the Cudjoe dump on Thursday and spotted what I am pretty sure was a Florida Panther stepping into the wildlife refuge on the South side of the dump access road. I did not think they were in the Keys at all. This one appeared to be favoring his left rear leg. There are lots of raccoons and Key deer in there to feed him. It occurred to me that if he cannot run after Key deer because of the leg, he can just limp slowly up the middle of the road purring loudly. The Key deer are not very bright, so some would mistake him for a small truck and just stand there waiting for him to brake.
Its very sad to see so many peoples lives, young and old, on the path to nowhere or worse on the keysso [mug shots] site. I look at it regularly because I deal with the public all the time and some folks are not so willing to tell you, “Hey, I got arrested the other night.” I also wish I had the answers to a bunch of society’s other problems. Help a friend out when they get in a jam or you notice they are off the right track. Take it from me, you could be saving a life and never know it. Knowing just that is enough for me to do something when a friend is it a situation they have never been in before. I look at life like, as if, we are all at sea. Never leave a shipmate to the sharks if you can throw them a line, but tie if to the boat first! Thinking about it, that same shipmate may save your ass some day.
Phil-Goodman10.13.14
[Marathon Journal] Marathon, Councilman Senmartin wrote a letter to the Keynoter encouraging everyone to vote. That is a fine sentiment indeed. The problem is the rest of the letter was a rundown to his 2015 reelection. He has only one year under his belt. This is something akin to a rookie mistake. Praise others but be silent about yourself until the next election. He did get a few things right like retaining Mike Puto as City Manager.The October council meeting had a few items of interest. In no particular order, workforce housing is not necessarily the same as affordable housing. Workforce housing is for the workforce, no income restriction. If there is income restriction, then that is the affordable requirement of workforce housing.The Habitat for Humanity folks made a wonderful presentation. The only problem is the music in the background. Most of the presentation was mostly garbled. Future presenters don’t use music in the background. Then everyone can hear the presentation.

The Parks & Rec Department need volunteer basketball coaches. Contact Jimmy Schmidt – Parks & Recreation Manager schmidtj@ci.marathon.fl.us 305-743-6598. I don’t know if experience is necessary or not.

The Shooting Range ordinance vote was 5-0. Councilman Senmartin owns a gun shop. He should have recused himself to prevent even the appearance of impropriety.

The offset of expensive housing is the ability to build workforce housing. Any development should require some component of workforce housing, ownership or rental. The option to pay $20,000 in lieu of actually building workforce housing must be eliminated.

Councilman John Bartus gave his farewell address. It was very good. We can expect Mayor Ramsay’s farewell speech at the November 25th meeting

family meal3[Slow Food]Someone asked the other day, ‘What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?’ ‘We didn’t have fast food when I was growing up,’ I informed him, ‘All the food was slow.’   ‘C’mon, seriously. Where did you eat?’ ‘It was a place called ‘at home,’ I explained. ‘Mom cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn’t like what she put on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.’
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trails11.3
[The C2C Connector] Ecotourism and all of its economic development opportunities are coming to the Coast to Coast Connector. Think bed and breakfast inns, restaurants, and retail stores – as pedestrians and cyclists enjoy nature and spend money to enhance their experience along the way.  I should know – as an avid cyclist and owner of a local bicycle shop, I have seen first-hand the impact trails can have on a business and entire city. Link
[Bill Gates of Pot] 61-year-old Gary Johnson was two term governor of New Mexico and now runs a new company that he hopes will become the Microsoft of legalized marijuana. gov Johnson is CEO of a company that he plans to re-name “hi” and a good part of its business will be getting people high legally. “At the cornerstone of our company is a sativa lozenge that I’m gonna suggest is the best marijuana high on the planet. We’re also betting on a legalized environment nationwide. Link
johnsons-7.9.14
[The Sea Level Is Rising] This is my story, and I’m stickin’ to it!Once upon a time, in a land surrounded by ocean water, a very naughty person thought of a way to create a panic to stir up his neighbors, while making a lot of money for himself.  The naughty person shouted to everyone that the sea level was rising. Perhaps not today, but surely sometime soon, it would. The naughty person convinced others who were educated, but easily deceived into believing this scheme. So the naughty person took his newly deceived group to all the offices of the local, county and state government, where they proclaimed “The sea level is rising!  Help!  You must do something.  Pay us to study this problem, and hire others, too.  It will create jobs, spread the wealth, and find solutions.” Soon the newspapers and radio stations were following this “news”, and rushed to inform everyone far and wide.  It’s in all the news, so “It must be true!” the people thought. Commissioners and builders now proclaim, “Since the sea level is rising, we must build higher to avoid being flooded. The naughty person is laughing all the way to the bank.The story of Chicken Little “The Sky Is Falling” Link
halloween-party3
Halloween was awesome in Eden Pines
this year. Thank you to everyone who pulled out all the stops and turned it into a neighborhood party. The music and dancing put it over the top. Best year ever!
Dump the Pumps is experiencing some delays in putting the court depositions on its website, but here is a link to a Dropbox folder containing depositions taken by Dump the Pumps’ attorney and depositions taken by attorneys representing FKAA and FDEP. File names beginning with FDEP are their permitting engineers being questioned (two more to follow). File names beginning with DTPI are Dump the Pumps’ expert engineers being questioned (one more to follow).
Pretend you are the judge (and you are after all). Which engineers do you think are brighter and better qualified? Which do you think are grasping at straws, making excuses, and just plain guessing? Which do you think know what they are talking about when warning of the coming environmental disasters due to sloppy design and bad choices, and which ones are just trying to cover their butts?
This is a really serious issue, folks. FKAA did not know what they were doing and FDEP doesn’t care or even understand. Meanwhile, our incumbent County Commissioner stubbornly trusts his irresponsible engineers while he creates his memorable legacy. We need some plastic commemorative plaques made up with the new “gang of three” names on them to place by the “Silence Alarm” button on our sewer grinder pits, and by the lift stations that use the same unreliable and dangerously high pressure E/One pumps. Then future residents will know where to best dump their camp buckets. Link
Hey Kevin Barlow, you may want to check out the spalling repair job on No Name Key for how not to do a job. The building inspectors certainly haven’t! ~ kdphil@hotmail.com
eleanor-mcadams-9.18.14
I am a life long Democrat, but I cannot bring myself to vote for Charlie Christ, nor can I understand how anyone else can do so. It is obvious he has no core values and is a political whore, a person who will say and do whatever he thinks it takes to be elected. I used to chuckle at how ineffective he was in his previous positions, ignoring the job at hand and devoting all his efforts to moving up the political ladder. When he was in the legislature, everything he did was directed at winning a cabinet level job. As Commissioner of Education all he thought about was being Governor and when he won that job, the U.S. Senate was all that was on his mind. I was pleased that the face of the Republican Party in Florida was so obviously someone who cared more about his personal ambitions than the welfare of the citizen he claimed to represent. He kept getting elected to higher and higher positions and I figured that Florida Republicans were getting what they deserved, an empty suit filled only with personal ambition.
Now my party is apparently falling into the same trap, sacrificing its integrity and its principles on the altar of political expediency.
pumpkin wink
Thank you to everyone in Eden Pines for the wonderful Halloween night, it gets better and better every year.
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suite3
Are you wealthy enough
to fly on Singapore Airlines $18,000 Suites Class? Link
[Republicans] They should rename them the Party of Fear. Just watch their commercials. They are produced to make you afraid. There’s nothing positive about them. You never hear what they will do, it’s always how to stop the other guys from doing anything. Republicans do nothing to court woman, black or Hispanic votes. 2/3 of woman voters work at minimum wage, yet Republicans are against raising it because it will cost their wealthy base. The only thing Republicans are for is deporting illegal immigrants all 13 million of them. The event that finally turned me off is when they shout down the government costing America billions of dollars, yes, billions. And it was all just to stop Americans from getting health insurance. Republicans stand for the rich white man and his corporations.
hareens-hats10.19.14
To the poster who wrote critiquing another poster’s punctuation: “Why the question mark friend?” This sentence should read, “Why the question mark, friend?” Oh bother, I cannot help myself.
grinder-pump2
You know those cheap Rubbermaid plastic garbage cans that get brittle after a few years when the plasticizer off-gasses and pieces start breaking off, including chunks out of the bottom? Well, I have one that is past the point of reliably containing garbage anymore, so I was cutting it up to dispose of it. I was surprised to discover the recycle number on the bottom with the type of plastic identified by both the number and the letters HDPE, These are the same plastic as the E-One grinder pits that FKAA and Islamorada are forcing onto many lots. It’s good to know that when they break up like old Rubbermaid containers that they can at least be recycled, perhaps into new leaky grinder pits. Or maybe yogurt containers?
[Cold Wind A-blowing] Some parts of the Upper Keys saw temperatures as low as 55 degrees.
gay-apple
Don’t act surprised Apple CEO Tim Cook was gay— it said so right there on p. 274 of the iTunes terms & conditions.
Carlos Curbelo was videoed saying he wants to privatize and raise the age of Social Security. The video really hurt him until yesterday when he found a way to spin the truth. In a new commercial Curbelo claims he only meant privatizing and raising the age for future generations (that is just as bad). Let’s try to find a candidate who can tell the truth once in a while.
bluewater-750w
[Ethical Hacking] Researchers discover it’s possible for a smartphone’s FM receiver to record what is being typed on a computer screen, despite the computer being completely offline and not connected to any WIFI networks (air gapped). It also works behind walls. Since telecos and smartphone makers have to comply with the NSA’s PRISM project, it basically turns everyone with a cell phone into a unknowing spy. It’s already been discovered that there are undisclosed code being run on iOS, including packet sniffers. Looks like businesses will have to deploy Faraday Cages for their computers and/or offices to keep their secrets to themselves. Link
ros-leithanmAm I the only one who notices that the only time these politicians emerge from hiding is when there is an upcoming election?  I just saw Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on tv touting some  Republican candidate.  I didn’t know she was still alive.  The only politician who actually goes  out and gets some practical and visible things done for the Keys is Sheriff Ramsay.  I wonder if he was behind putting those prisoners to cutting down the sea grapes at the triangle in Key West?
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raccoon garbage can
Its that time of year again. Raccoons have had their litter of babies around June and they are almost all finished nursing and starting to venture out with their moms looking for food.  They help keep red ants away. They help keep wasps, scorpions, rats and iguanas down.  Please take the time to properly bag your garbage and use bungee cords to keep the tops on. The people that pick up the garbage will also appreciate your efforts.   Here is more information on raccoons. Link
Deer Editor, Sure hope you enjoyed your first weekend off. I miss CT, but you & your staff really deserve the break. I’ve had several careers that required a 24/7 commitment. Never felt like they were jobs. When you really enjoy what you do and can make sort of a living from it, you never work a day in your life.
We will get by knowing y’all have some “me time” with friends and family, or go fishing, or don’t do a dam thing. Enjoy your well earned weekends.
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Out of curiosity we rode down Colson to see the round house. I really don’t see why there are so many complaints. It is the last house on the street. You can’t possibly know what it will look like when it is finished until they start on the second level. As far as lowering property values, not all of the homes on that street are in the upper price range to begin with. What’s wrong with live and let live.
uscg11
Boating Skills and Seamanship Course
December 1″ thru December 17th at the Habitat for Humanity Building in Big Pine Key, Fla. Classes are on Monday and Wednesday from 7P.M. to 9:30 P.M. $55.00 per person (includes material) 580.00 for two people (shared materials) Contact Events
Elvis performs “My Way” (Live). Recorded in concert on Tuesday June 21, 1977 (8:30pm) at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. Sadly, The Lord would call him home less than two months later. Video
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[Corruption and Lies within Mosquito Control?] Commissioner Smith answers questions.2 November 2014. Mosquito control is about public health, nuisance control, and insuring that our visitors come here without worrying about catching a vector borne disease. There continues to be campaign rhetoric which portrays 2 long term commissioners as being part of the ‘corruption’ and talks down the positive changes that were supported by Commissioner Shaw and me and former commissioners Joan Lord-Papy and Charles Langstaff. The changes we supported in the way FKMCD conducts mosquito control have saved the taxpayers over $14 million throughout the last 12 years.If one visits our website, you will find it quite enlightening and realize that what we do is scientifically based integrated mosquito control management, well executed with entomologists, biologists, research, field trials, with licensed field staffing. This is a far different business than industrial chemical engineering and production and can not be compared to other industries.

When a candidate refers to corruption I argue that there has been no corruption, only well thought decisions by a board that does not necessarily agree with an individual commissioner’s idea of mosquito control, but follows the rule of a majority vote. If one calls that being corrupt, then I would assume three of the current commissioners would fall into that category for doing exactly what we were elected to do – make wise decisions that benefit the district, long-term goals, and its stakeholders, you and I the taxpayers.

Mosquito control basically operates like a private business. A private business operates to give its stakeholders a return on their investment, typically as a financial reward. FKMCD returns to its stakeholders (we taxpayers – you and I) an environment as mosquito free and disease free as possible. We also provide them with a program that can respond immediately to their service requests, any weather changes such as high flooding tide waters and heavy rains such as we experienced during Fantasy Fest week. This is what we get for the taxes we pay – it is like assurance that we are there just like our fire departments and will respond to their needs immediately.

Cut taxes more, then we lay off employees and service will further degrade. Today our staff is down over 20% with proportionate reductions in service. I am not proud of this as we are allowing our community to become more vulnerable to vector borne diseases such as dengue and the newly arrived in Florida Chikungunya

Benefits for FKMCD retirees has become a talking point. Called ‘Other Post Retirement Benefits’ (OPEB), the liabilities must now appearing on all government audits as required by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board so the liability is known, however there is no requirement that these costs be funded. Below is the OPEB cost for FKMCD as well as the OPEB costs for other Monroe County governmental agencies.

OPEB was initially offered to offset lower public sector wages and to encourage employees to stay with the government agency until they retire. With FKMCD those eligible must have worked a minimum of 10 years and their years of service and age must equal 70 or they receive no benefits.

Monroe County government’s 9/30/10 audit shows an OPEB of $15,905,280; Keys Energy OPEB stands at $72,622,038; The Monroe County School Board OPEB stands at $31,965,000; Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority OPEB costs are at $12,747,063; The City of Key West is at $5,076,907; Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) costs are $3,758,505.

With the exception of the FKMCD, these actuarial accrued liabilities have not been funded however they are a liability to the taxpayers of our county. One third of the OPEB costs for FKMCD has been placed in a long term trust fund to pay these benefits with annual deposits being made to fully fund this liability.

The Navy contract has also become a talking point. For many years the FKMCD provided the Navy an integrated mosquito control management plan which included 2 full time employees, set 12 traps around Navy property (at the Navy’s request) from which daily samples were sent to our in-house labs for analysis to determine:
1. species on the Navy land;
2. look for virus presence;
3. the presence of chemical resistance.
FKMCD conducted regular property inspections, mapped the land and conducted larvicide operations when there were high tides and heavy rains, and adulticides treatments when landing rates justified the spraying.

The new contract provides – to my understanding – one employee and only Adulticiding treatments. They have no traps, no laboratory looking at the mosquitos from the Navy land, and are still ‘working on their integrated mosquito control management plan’. It is NOT comparing apples to apples, rather it is two totally different proposals. We could have reduced our costs by only doing pesticide spraying, but less mosquito control in one area will result in more mosquitos in others.

At the recent FKMCD meeting I asked that we begin comparing the amount of work/cost for lands surrounding Navy properties in the upcoming months to what we historically have spent. We must protect the citizen/taxpayers who live adjacent to Navy property, but if it cost significantly more to do so, the cost must be borne by someone besides you and me the taxpayers. It is my intent to charge the Navy for any significant difference.

I hope this has given you some insight on FKMCD and a better understanding of some issues brought forward during the last few weeks of campaigning.

Stephen Smith Commissioner & Chairman, FKMCD, ssmith@keysmosquito.org

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zombie-elevator
Best scare ever!
Short
Yep, Conchs did accomplish something besides being born here. A bunch suckered Yankees into spending 200K for a ratty wood shotgun house that are termite infested and cost only 20k in early 80s. It’s them that are laughing all the way to the bank.
accurate-home-insp-750w
Regarding the lime green house. I love the color! Brightens things up in the neighborhood.
peanut brittle4
[“Peanut Brittle”]  Go to Amazon. Enter “peanut brittle” in the search area. There are about 50+ sources for peanut brittle.  I like Sees brand.  Or have some fun and make your own.  Just Google “peanut brittle recipes” and you’ll have dozens to choose from.  I’ve made mine with cashews, macadamia nuts, pistachios, almonds and, of course, peanuts.  You can also find recipes for “Almond Bark” and “Pistachio Bark” etc.  It’s quite easy.
A round house is the perfect structure for an area threatened by hurricanes. There was a show about one and it was amazing. It was put to the test and survived a severe hurricane as well as a high storm surge due to it having doors that resembled those on a ship. The house on Colson may be the only one standing after the next “big one” comes through and you all will be jealous. Being round, the winds just flow around it leaving it intact. I thought what made the Keys unique is their non-conformist attitude. You all sound like a bunch of snobs from the Hamptons. That round house may be your future storm shelter so be nice to the owners. (P.S. I am not the owner nor have anything to do with its construction. I’m just tired of your petty whining about it. Open your minds – or better yet – get educated!)
campfire guitar
A gentle reminder to our returning snowbirds. Yes, we have a cold front. But please, when you fire up your fire pit and raucously gather round until all hours catching up, take a look at where your smoke is going. We have waited all summer for this moment to open our windows and enjoy the fresh breeze, only to be choked out by your fireplace. Please look where your smoke is blowing and know you are smoking us out! Also it would be nice if you respected that most of your neighbors actually have to go to work, so after 11 pm it would be nice if you brought down the volume a few decibels. Thank you and enjoy your winter.
[Shark Key] Remember way back before Whitey KeyVann turned a Navy storage/dump site, with PCBs leaking all over the place, into what’s known as an elitist gated community — Shark Key. Our wonderful County Commissioners thought it would be prudent for all the county taxpayers to pay for their impact fees instead of, like the rest of us losers.
fanci10-16-14
Window cleaning the world’s tallest building. Video
snowbird200h
Welcome back returning snowbirds and winter visitors. Please remember to drive the speed limit, leave the key deer alone and don’t clog up the aisles of the Winn Dixie carrying on merry reunions with your fellow returning “part-time locals”.
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“If my house’s value goes down and the rest of my neighborhood starts turning into garbage because of some ugly houses that got built, who can I sue?” No one. Be a grown up and accept responsibility for your purchase. It isn’t like up there, is it?
Cousineau-Ad-7.3.14
How to connect your computer to your living room TV. Link
[Servicing A Purchase] Ever feel like you have been laid but did not know it until days later? This is the feeling I get from trying to contact companies I purchased items from and need parts, manuals, more of the items, or to give feedback or suggestions to. Ouch, it hurts!
finch-yellow3
A poster mentioned migrating finches on Cudjoe. What kind of finches? I’ve never heard of finches in the Keys, though I admit that stranger things have happened.
[“The left can’t apply logic to its beliefs because if it did they’d crumble at the touch”] Really? Answer me quickly. Which one is more unjustly oppressed? A black woman raised in the lap of luxury by college-professor parents or a white man in the Appalachia raised by a druggie single mother? Which one deserves your help more? If you said the woman, you just proved you internalized your Marxist training perfectly, but you can’t think. If you said the man you just proved you are a cult leftie trying to game me. The actual answer is: It depends on the content of their characters. That’s the only sane, rational, answer for a non-racist human in a free society.
Radio-Shack10.31.14
[Top scientists blame humans for climate change] Warning of “irreversible and dangerous impacts,” some of the world’s top scientists Sunday released the most comprehensive assessment of climate change ever done. Newest in the report is the level of certainty — 95% — that humans and greenhouse gas emissions are largely to blame for the change! Who should we believe. Link
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peanut-bittle3[“Peanut brittle”] When I was little and my mother would take me with her downtown shopping on the city bus. We would always go to a little candy store where she would buy us freshly made peanut brittle. The candy man would pour this thick nutty goop on a marble slab to cool then he or his wife would gently break it with a mallet into smaller pieces. He’d put pieces in a small brown paper bag and fold the top over. I never remember leaving the little store without taking a bite. I still think of peanut brittle with fond memories and as a special treat. Peanut brittle also reminds me to wash my hands. My mother always made me wash my hands as soon as we got back to our tenement because she said I got germs from riding on the bus and shopping.
[“Boring, hip roofed houses”] I think that post was written by someone with an unconventional house. I believe a home should compliment the neighborhood unless, like someone wrote, the plot of land is large enough to compliment the unconventional home.
lower keys boat rental7.11.14
There are at least two coral reef ecologies: one rational, the other nonsensical. For the latter, nature is only a stick to be used to beat human beings.
Poor folks have been voting Democratic for a very long time, they’re still poor. If nothing changes, nothing changes. Vote wisely & have a blessed day.
Wharf-Summerland-Key
Is it true that the owners of the Hurricane Hole & Looe Key Tiki bought the Wharf Restaurant on Summerland Key? They were closed on Sunday with a sign on the door.
[“Where Can I buy peanut brittle”] For the CTer who wanted a peanut brittle recipe. “Easy Microwave Peanut Brittle”. This recipe is very easy and fast. Enjoy! Link
[“Who benefits from new easy money”] The lawyers always benefit.
george-neugent10.21.14
The Searchers Episode 1 of 2. By Alan Le May. Dramatized for radio by Adrian Bean. Episode one of a new adaptation of the classic western novel, upon which the famous film was based. Texas, 1848. When Comanches attack the Edwards family’s … Listen
Contact Us. Click this link to post any opinion, ads, changes to an ad, complaint, kudos, or anything else. One link fits all. We read them all. Contact Us
zone-tailed-hawk-2
To the person who reported the possible zone-tailed hawk at Cudjoe. If the picture you provided is one that you took at the site, it is a zone-tail. But If it just a web picture, try to get a picture of the bird. It is, indeed, extremely rare in FL. The first known sighting in FL was in December 2000, when a zone-tail was observed on Big Pine Key. Link
From what the talking heads of Fox News (Republican TV) have been saying, when they get control of the Congress the Republicans will basically be enacting the same old  stuff Obama has been proposing and they have previously been blocking.   Americans will be thrilled,  none of them will remember or be aware of what went down, and the GOP will be heroes.
Isaksen-ad-750w
I went to my doctor in Key West to get some pills for my head cold. After sitting in his waiting room for an hour I caught TB, AIDS, Ebola and terminal athletes foot!
“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” ~MLK
car11.3
These are sentences actually typed by Medical secretaries.

  1. The patient has no previous history of suicides.
  2. Patient has left her white blood cells at another hospital.
  3. Patient’s medical history has been remarkably insignificant with only a 40 pound weight gain in the past three days.
  4. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.
  5. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
  6. On the second day the knee was better and on the third day it disappeared.
  7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
  8. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
  9. Discharge status:- Alive, but without my permission.
  10. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert, but forgetful.
  11. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
  12. She is numb from her toes down.
  13. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.
  14. The skin was moist and dry.
  15. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
  16. Patient was alert and unresponsive.
  17. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.
  18. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life until she got a divorce.
  19. I saw your patient today, who is still under our care for physical therapy.
  20. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
    21 Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.
  1. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
  2. Skin: somewhat pale, but present.
  3. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.
  4. Large brown stool ambulating in the hall.
  5. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities
  6. When she fainted, her eyes rolled around the room.
  7. The patient was in his usual state of good health until his airplane ran out of fuel and crashed.
  8. Between you and me, we ought to be able to get this lady pregnant.
  9. She slipped on the ice and apparently her legs went in separate directions in early December.
  10. Patient was seen in consultation by Dr. Smith, who felt we should sit on the abdomen and I agree.
  11. The patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stock broker instead.
  12. By the time he was admitted, his rapid heart had stopped, and he was feeling better.

And you wonder why I carry a paper Wallet Card with all my medical data?

I am so not ready for the snow birds. Didn’t the summer tourons just leave?
BP-Flea-Market10.10.14
[Nat Geo] Breathtaking nature video. Video
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[Jeb
] If another Bush runs for President and wins it just proves that anyone could do that job, such as it is.
Contact Us. Click this link to post any opinion, ads, changes to an ad, complaint, kudos, or anything else. One link fits all. We read them all. Contact Us
SewerJob1
[Captain Doom and Gloom] “Architectural Review Department” Ever wonder why Florida homes have pointed roofs and not nice flat water catching roofs with rain gutters into cisterns? All the wasted building materials and fresh water. Oh, they want us to pay for wawa, that’s right!”Former shipping containers could be a housing option in Marathon” Dammit people, when are you going to stop being trash? Shipping containers, for god’s sake!
Regarding Commissioner Neugent, he and the entire BOCC were undoubtedly aware of this E-1 grinder pump plan since 2009, when the sole source pump company set up shop in Marathon (little did we know!). The FKAA and BOCC had several years to perform due diligence in determining the best system for Mr. Neugent’s District 2…and blew it! The BOCC (with FKAA help) determined the cheapest way out, diverted sewer funds to their pet projects;; and Commissioners Neugent, Rice, and Murphy voted for 2400 E-1 pumps to be forced on our properties “to save money” by not having everyone on the same “gravity system”. Brighter minds and a law suit prevailed to drop the 2400 number to around 1300 E-1 pumps. 16 years of George Neugent on the BOCC in my 26 years of property ownership here has been far more than enough! The word “environment” in his ad just doesn’t fit with this non-environmental friendly Cudjoe Wastewater Plan, it’s sewage pumps, and it’s 100-ft sewage injection well. George and his two followers let us all down. ~denizen65@comcast.net
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Attention Republican Party! Obama agenda alert! When you go to the polls they ask for your name to check off in the registry. It’s really just a way for Obama to get your name and address so he can send people to take your guns and put you in a Ebola infested FEMA camp. Where the only medical service is from Obamacare death panels. Don’t vote! Save yourselves from the dictator and stay at home.
from the right
negativeSome people I’ve spoken with say that they really don’t “trust” either Crist or Scott. That’s no surprise because this campaign has had massive amounts of negative advertising from both sides. If you’re one of those people who don’t “trust” either candidate, I ask you consider the following:Results count in governance. Under Crist’s leadership our economy tanked, taxes, fees, and college tuition exploded. We lost nearly 900,000 jobs. Our u/e rate exceeded the US rate. Our foreclosure rate was hideous. Crist did nothing. In fact, only half way into his term he let it be known that he was not seeking reelection, and he angled for the Vice Presidential nomination, then when he was rejected he devoted much of his time to running for the US Senate. He failed, he was rejected by the Republicans in the primary. He then changed parties and declared he was and independent. In the general election for US Senate he was rejected by Republicans, Independents, and Democrats. He failed. Results countHe had quit Florida and Floridians. Perhaps that’s part of the reason that Floridians rejected him. Now he wants a do over. Crist governed like an Obama Democrat. Perhaps that’s another part of the reason that Crist was rejected as VP and as a Senate candidate. Perhaps another reason was that Crist’s failures as our governor were fresh in our memories then. Results count.

Please remember that the recession was over in July 2009, two years into Crist’s term. He then had two years to make a difference. He didn’t! Results count.

Since Scott has been Governor, the recovery of our State economy has led the nation. We have added nearly 700 thousand new jobs. Our u/e rate has consistently been less than the national rate. Taxes, fees, and college tuition have spectacularly declined. Scott has focused all his attention and effort to making Florida the best state in our great nation. Results count.

Look, when Crist was governor, he called himself a Republican, but his methods mirrored Obama’s. He had a Republican controlled legislature, he had everything going for him to really make a difference, to make the lives of Floridians better. He failed. Results count.

That’s why your vote for Rick Scott is so important. Results count. In this race they are the only thing that counts.

 

Part 2) I received the following as an email from a dear old friend, who most would expect to be a liberal, a white female teacher from New York State.

“Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:

  1. Liberals
  2. Conservatives

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That’s how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement….

Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQs and doing the sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.

Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. They became known as girlie-men. Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.

Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass for obvious reasons.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish   but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn’t fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer, mostly Bud, Shiner or Miller. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, engineers, corporate executives, athletes, members of the military, airline pilots and generally anyone who works productively.

Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little. They prefer to govern the producers…. and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America. Later they crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get something for nothing.

Here ends today’s lesson in world history: Anybody for a beer?