Categories
2014 April

Monday, April 21, 2014

The-Coconut-Telegraph-w-CoconutsThe Original Unsocial Media
Anonymous Letters to the Editor with Pictures
Published Daily by Noon Since 2002
No Saturday Edition

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Why all the bad mouthing of Pine Key? We’re all sorry you saw some litter here while on vacation once. We are the second largest Key with thousands and thousands of acres set aside for no development & wildlife. We are the home of protected, rare and endangered species. We have a waterfront park second to none (we’re building another one as I write this). Two beautiful nature trails. Looe Key reef is just off shore. Our back country is the very best of all the Keys. Piners rule!
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[Welfare] Cuba has gotten most everything wrong about their economy but one thing. Rather than spend billions on welfare and disability payments they give everyone about thirty dollars a month–everyone even the rich so there’s no welfare. It might seem like too little to us, but they are expected to work to make extra money. The other thing they have done right is everyone has free healthcare and there’s never fear of going into debt because of circumstances beyond one’s control. Cuba has completely cut out the insurance companies and streamlined healthcare and it’s costs by doing so.

I think Sweden or one of those cold, blonde countries is experimenting with paying everyone a certain sum and doing away with welfare and entitlements. I’m interested to see how that works or doesn’t. Some new ideas must be hatched here in America because welfare, entitlements and disability payments are ruining us and creating a society of blood suckers.

chicken enchilada21Happy Monday from Springers Bar and Grill. Today’s special is chicken enchiladas. It’s a Mexican fiesta for the palate.
This weeks specials: Tuesday: steak pesto penne, Wednesday: Santa Fe Shepard’s pie, Thursday: chicken salad with pecans and cranberries, Friday: crab cake appetizer, mahi with a pineapple salsa.
There’s Always Something Special at Springers.
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On this date in 1918  World War I German fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen, known as “The Red Baron”, is shot down and killed over Vaux sur Somme in France. Canadian pilot Captain Arthur Roy Brown was credited with the kill.

Code of Honor by Key West’s Vicky Weeks sort of reminds me of Tom Clancy’s U.S. at war novels. Except, unlike Clancy, who never seemed to stop waving the patriotic gung ho America at war flag as his code of honor, Vicki waves in Code of Honor a patriotic flag of a different cut altogether. A patriotic flag of truth. A patriotic flag of the horror of war generally, and the far greater horror of war waged for the sole purpose of making big American corporations a lot of money. A patriotic flag of the evil of attacking another country to get its oil. A patriotic flag of opposing lying, and lying, and lying, to invent a war. A patriotic flag of putting one’s own life and the lives of one’s own family and loved ones at risk by waving those true but “minority report” American flags.
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[Real Rich] I was watching a documentary about wine and one very rich man says when he goes to an auction and wants a particular bottle he just raises his hand and leaves it there until the auctioneer tells him it’s his. Must be nice!
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[Booty Call]
In 1857 Alexander Douglas patents the bustle. I would have called it the caboose.
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[Pipeline] Big Oil is still feeding us false reasons to build the Keystone Pipeline. First it was to make the US energy independent, but when it became public that Big Oil was going to sell all the oil overseas they changed their tune to — jobs! So now the reason to build the pipeline is jobs.

That a bunch of baloney. What will happen to those jobs when the pipeline is complete? If our government wanted to create jobs they would fix our infrastructure. Those jobs would be lasting as it will take fifty years to complete the work. Big corporations feed us any line they want in order to get their way and government goes along with them. It’s never what will benefit the nation.

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[“Dirty Big Pine”
] I don’t know what you’re talking about. We are very conscious of the mess tourists throw out their car windows (mostly fast food wrappers).  There are a few people who walk the roads just to pick up the litter. My hat’s off the them, it’s much appreciated.

This time of year I wake around 5 am to the sound of a Cardinal’s tweet, tweet,tweet,tweet signaling his mate to his location, I think. Than about an hour later they both start on their happy chirping of “twheew, twheew … chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp …” and I know it’s going to be a swell day. Yeah, I’ll take “dirty Big Pine” any time. Where do you live? and what sounds wake you in the morning?

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accordian21[Accordion Saves the Day] British explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett went to Bolivia to map the unmapped, wild region. After a week paddling up the river, the party rounded a bend and ran straight into an Indian encampment perched on a sandbar. The natives were as surprised as the expedition. “Dogs barked, men shouted, women screamed and reached for their children” Fawcett recalled. The natives hid in the trees while the group grounded their canoes on the sandbar. Arrows whizzed by the men or fell around them. Fawcett tried some peace overtures using native words he had learned, but the message didn’t seem to be getting through. Then he had an idea. One of the group was seated just beyond arrow range and was told to play his accordion. The man sang “A Bicycle Made for Two”, “Suwannee River”, “Onward Christian Soldiers” and other tunes. Finally Fawcett noticed the lyrics had changed to “They’ve-all-stopped-shooting-at-us.” Sure enough, the singer was right. Fawcett approached the natives and greeted them. Gifts were exchanged as a sign of friendship. Link
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[“No palms on islands”] Those hundreds of islands in the backcountry are mangrove islands and don’t have dirt or dry sand. You need dirt to grow a palm tree. I think there are over five hundred islands and only a handful have and land at all, they are mostly all roots. There are a few palms here and there, but that’s about it.
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SOB-21
I think South of the Border would be perfect for the Sugarloaf Lodge area. Not only would we get a couple of good restaurants, we would also get something to do with the kids besides playing mini golf.
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hound21
Dog hair
is a condiment in our house.
What a mean spirited comment about Big Pine from a poster on Friday. For one thing BPK is not only rural but has extra stringent building codes so you won’t see a lot of fancy new houses. The only “dirty” area I’ve seen is when the Winn Dixie parking lot could use a cleaning. I’ve bicycled many of the roads and don’t find any litter.

I’ve only lived here for three months and I’ve made a whole new circle of friends and they all made me feel welcome. I’ve found a strong sense of community here, which, along with the lower density of houses due to ROGO lots owned by the state to ensure they won’t be developed, makes Big Pine a unique treasure amongst the lower Keys.

Sunday morning I awoke to sounds from a few blocks away of children squealing in delight as they found Easter eggs hidden around their yard.

I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

Happy Easter!

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South of the Border at the Sugarloaf Lodge property would be great. We wouldn’t have to go to Disneyland any more. How about a shopping mall too. I’m sick of Sears and Kmart.
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[Those Damned Men] 99.9% of males won’t notice the Titmouse on the donut.
[Citizen Of The Day Says] She loves the chickens, sunning and surfing in the Florida Keys.
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baby smoking
I hate Mondays!
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[Canal Restoration] Eden Pines property owners please attend the proposed canal restoration program meeting scheduled for Monday, April 28th at 7:00 pm at the Moose Lodge on Wilder Road. Rhonda Haag from the County, Gus Rios representing the DEP and Wendy Blondin from AMEC Environment & Infrastructure will be available to address any concerns or questions. Events
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[Wisdom] Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.

Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones

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Most of the links don’t work
in Sunday’s CT, says Page Not Found. (Ed: I’m sorry about that, but it comes as no surprise to me. Sunday, just about everything that could go wrong did. It was remarkable I was able to publish at all. It was all running late and I gave up abound 12:30 and published anyway. I hope today will be better. Sorry about the bad links, I do know how irritating that is to the reader. Thanks for letting me know.)
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propane21
[SCUBA] What could possibly go wrong?
[Apt For Rent] Big Pine Key. Unfurnished, 2 B/R, 1 bath, waterfront duplex in Tropical Bay.  W/D, fenced yard, garage and storage.  No smoking, references required, pet possible.  $1,275 mo., F/L/S. Classified Ads > For Rent
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[Tricycle] I think I saw the owner of Coconuts riding an odd-looking motorcycle. It had two wheels in the front and one in the back. I wonder what the advantage is of that configuration other than not tipping over.
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[“No coconut trees on back islands”]  Most of the backcountry islands have no land! There is no place for palm trees to root. (photo  is a mangrove growing in a jar)
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jesus leads sheepYesterday was Easter Sunday, the day Jesus came out of the tomb in the Gospels and took up where he had left off, doing his best to model and teach other people how to live differently from they way they had been living, from the way society went about things, doing unto others as they would have done unto them; turning the other cheek; loving, praying for, and doing good to their enemies; giving someone their coat, if only their shirt is asked for; going two miles with others, if only one mile is requested; asking not back for their goods taken by others; settling on the way to court, instead of letting a judge decide it; doing for the poor, the lame, the sick, the jailed, is doing it for me, Jesus.
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[“Classified Ads > Nanny wanted”] I see that you are going all out to find a top notch nanny. I am sure that at $6 an hour that you will attract the best of the best.
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Why is chain link fencing the size that it is? I think it’s that size so a baseball can’t fly through
I recently saw a commercial on TV for Key West.  The tagline is “Close to perfect, Far from normal”  This naturally got me thinking about the truth of this statement.

“Close to perfect” Key West has a close to perfect filthy ocean, close to perfect fake beaches, close to perfect storm troopers on the KWPD, close to perfect homeless policy, close to perfect chickens everywhere, close to perfect monopolies that deny competition, close to perfect over the top building codes, close to perfect whores on Duval St, close to perfect city council that argues and gets nothing done.

“Far from normal” Normal would not have an ocean full of chicken shit, normal would not have 20K+ chickens, normal would not harass the homeless, normal would not kill a tourist, normal would not be selective enforcement by the PD, normal would not have a city council that wastes taxpayer money, normal would not have cruise ships dumping sewage in the surrounding water, normal would not hurt small business.

So after careful thought I have concluded the tagline “Close to perfect. Far from normal”  is a perfect description for Key West

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[Online banking] A fair warning to those who are using or consider using online banking via their personal electronic devices, computers and smartphones. If you do, make sure the only transactions possible are in amounts you’re quite willing to accept losing or willing to be frozen while an investigation ensues.

For instance, public facing accounts such as online checking, ATM, debit cards etc, should only be funded from the more secure and only personally accessible offline type accounts-like actually going to a bank. No or limited overdraft protection. This may require visiting your bank in person once a month or so to transfer funds from one to the other, but believe me, it’s for your own safety. With the offline accounts, the bulk of your funds will be completely under the bank’s tighter security control and covered by the FDIC. Read TheHackerNews dot com regularly and see why for yourself.

tomato danceI think May is the best month for Homestead tomatoes. Also I think, historically, May is the windiest month in the Keys. I don’t like wind. I do like breeze.
[Sewers] Deer Piners, I just got to thinking 100sqf @ 1300 is 130,000 sqf. That’s 3 acres. OK 2.98 acres. That we here on Big Pine are giving up without compensation. Plus from where the E-Grinder Pump is located to the street (hook up) we are leasing to the Aqueduct Authority. If you got the letter, you read it too. The Authority said you are getting grinder pump. They make no mention of paying property taxes or personal injury insurance for anyone entering my property to repair thier pump. I personally think this is a taking of property. We’re all getting taken advantage of. We voted for a 1% sales tax to cover a good (gravity system) Please back Dump The Pumps. I know where I live in the middle of the island, I’m going to get a grinder pump. I don’t like the taking of peoples’ property without compensation. Yet we have George Nugent our BOCC not even trying to stop or help saving the special environment of BPK water lens table, thing that keeps our wildlife alive. I love you Big Pine Key. All of you please watch what is going on!
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National politics is back. Click on this link to send your national political post anonymously. No one will know your name or email address, [Well, maybe the NSA will] not even me. FTR is going to be the new national politics editor. Do not fear, FTR promised to post everything, even if he hates it, he’s that kind of guy.
Your name and email address are not required. Please be civil. I Have Something To Say About National Politics–Click Here
from the right
A POSTER RECENTLY WROTE:

It would be irony if it wasn’t a cult: In late February, the City University of New York announced that it had tapped Princeton economist and New York Times blogger Paul Krugman for a distinguished professorship at CUNY’s Graduate Center and its Luxembourg Income Study Center, a research arm devoted to studying income patterns and their effect on inequality.

About that. According to a formal offer letter obtained under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, CUNY intends to pay Krugman $225,000, or $25,000 per month (over two semesters), to “play a modest role in our public events” and “contribute to the build-up” of a new “inequality initiative.” It is not clear, and neither CUNY nor Krugman was able to explain, what “contribute to the build-up” entails.

It’s certainly not teaching. “You will not be expected to teach or supervise students,” the letter informs Professor Krugman, who replies: “I admit that I had to read it several times to be clear … it’s remarkably generous.” (After his first year, Krugman will be required to host a single seminar.)

FTR’S RESPONSE:

It really is fascinating to observe the liberals condemn those who have accumulated wealth while at the same moment they are scuffling to do the same. Certainly, we should not forget that CUNY is a tax supported institution that received much notoriety in ’05 for displaying “art” propaganda that depicted US soldiers killing civilians.  And we wonder why college tuition is so damned high.

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A BIG PINE POSTER WROTE:

“Deer FTR,  How on earth do you keep on harping about building the Keystone pipe line and suggesting that if it built perhaps the price of gas will come down. Even the conservatives admit that building this pipeline will do nothing domestically. The only thing it does is make it easier to refine the oil sands so that it can be exported to China. I don’t know if you understand how commerce works but the price is determined, in  part by supply and demand. China as it emerges from its agrarian past into a manufacturing giant has a great need for fossil fuel.

One of the main objections to the pipeline is the very real possibility if a major oil spill. Of course you may believe all of the propaganda that Big Oil feeds you. The only thing that I have to say to you is Deep Water Horizon. But perhaps you have forgotten about that minor malfunction that occurred in the Gulf.

FTR’S RESPONSE

You’re right if you believe that there is a lot of chatter as to whether or not XLP will impact our national gas prices. Some even claim that it will increase our gas prices. Those voices nearly universally belong to persons with a deep aversion to the use of fossil fuels. The dreaded “Greens.” But there are contrary voices, such as  Dan Kish of the Institute for Energy Research who disputes such claims. “This allegation is nothing new, that somehow bringing more oil into the United States from Canada is going to drive up the cost of oil,”  “I don’t know about you but there are a few things I remember from economics, and that is as you increase supply, price goes down.”

The Washington Post wrote: “(The Department of Energy) in a memo to the State Department. The memo asserted that “gasoline prices in all markets served by” refiners in the East Coast and Gulf Coast “would decrease, including the Midwest.”

Aside from the probable decrease in gas prices, the XLP will create many new jobs, the unions are apoplectic with Obama for his refusal to approve the line.  The line will build on our energy independence, That is especially important inasmuch as it looks like the Mideast will soon be controlled by our enemies, and oil producing countries such as Venezuela and Mexico are getting more and more hostile to the US. it will cut our balance of payments deficit.  And it is safe, much safer than rail transport of petroleum products, much safer than truck transport, much safer than transport by ship. Never forget the Exxon Valdez! Don’t forget that trucks, trains, and ships all spew noxious emissions. Pipelines do not.

The mention of the Deepwater Horizon disaster is interesting, but it is an apple and oranges comparison. Deepwater was an oil production facility, not a major mover of petroleum. If anything Deepwater emphasizes the enhanced safety of petroleum harvesting from oil sands far from water. That catastrophe is traced directly to Team Obama’s Mineral Management Services  abject failure to properly inspect the Deepwateer rig. Check out the Huffington Posts article on the subject Link

Just one more thing.  A State Department review concluded that the pipeline poses minimal environmental risk to soil, wetlands, water resources, vegetation, fish and wildlife, and creates few greenhouse-gas emissions. Keystone XL also met 57 specific pipeline safety standard requirements created by the State Department and the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

The environmental hazard issue is a phony issue that is generated by the “Greens”, and Obama is kowtowing to them because they are a major part of the Democrat base.  Bill and Hill have at various times voiced support for the pipeline. The Huffington Post reports that the proposed pipeline continues to draw broad support from the public. Currently, 61% favor building the pipeline while only 27% are opposed.

Late today, Good Friday, Obama in a cynical attempt to dodge the news cycle, announced that he is going to “punt” again, he’s going to dodge this issue until after the midterms. He doesn’t have the stones to simply refuse the project, he just keeps kicking the can down the road. Many Democrats are furious.

An example is Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D, an avid supporter of XLP, who issued a statement that says: “It’s absolutely ridiculous that this well over five year long process is continuing for an undetermined amount of time.”

Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., also an XLP proponent,  said the decision amounts to an “indefinite delay” of the project. She said: “This decision is irresponsible, unnecessary and unacceptable,” she said. “By making it clear that they will not move the process forward….., the administration is sending a signal that the small minority who oppose the pipeline can tie up the process in court forever. There are 42,000 jobs, $20 billion in economic activity and North America’s energy security at stake.”

The oil is now being delivered to Texas, and will continue to move from Canada to the Texas coast. Now it goes by truck and rail, both of which are dangerous and pollute. Just in the last couple of years the amount of Canadian oil moving to Texas has nearly doubled. Recently a freight train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in the middle of the Canadian town of Lac-Mégantic, killing 47 people and destroying half of the downtown. Rail and truck transport of the oil is dangerous.

The Keystone Pipeline will be a huge asset to our nation. It’s a crying damn shame that Obama refuses to authorize it.  Watch for Congress to pass legislation to authorize it without Presidential approval.

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A POSTER WROTE: “On the global warming nonsense: 1964 sitting in Geology 101 at Northwestern University listening to my Prof. commenting  that we were in an interglacial period (between major planet cool downs) and predicted we would see indications of this in our lifetime. Anyone notice the great oceanic conveyor is showing signs of slowing down (sinking)– or maybe the vast amounts of fresh water melt in Siberia flowing into the  Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea. Why doesn’t Al Gore start peddling long johns & mukluks?  Global Warming– just another Alarmist scare devised to make a buck.”

FTR’S RESPONSE. Yep there are scads of theories out there that deal with climate change. This issue should not be political, but it is. It is because the left, the greens, have made it so. Their declaration, delivered with all the solemnity of a Papal Bull, that the science is “settled”: global warming is upon us, is nothing but palpable bull. The chemical makeup of water is h2o. The fact that a water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atomsis settled science. Because there are so many different theories about climate change, it cannot be considered “settled science”

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A POSTER WROTE: Several of us got copies of “gunny’s” last post to you. He provided links, you refuse to post them. Now we know.

FTR’S RESPONSE: Deer friend, I don’t know what you think you know. But I do know what you don’t know. You don’t know how I get my hot hands on the feedback that I post. Our Deer Ed sends me an email that contains the missives that he receives. I assume that Deer Ed simply copies the e-mails that he receives and then pastes them onto the e-mails that sends me. He always deletes any names etc. I have no idea as to why Gunny’s name was included in his e-mails, but it was. I have no other information about Gunny other than what he posts.

I copy the email that I’ve received from Deer Ed, and paste it directly into my WORD program. So far I’ve only cut one portion of one of Gunny’s postings. That was Gunny’s praising the righteousness of the “Green Party.” It took up too much room and had nothing to do with the topic. The cut was not of a “link” but was of two paragraphs. The balance of Gunny’s postings are in the CT for all to see in their unedited glory.

I’ve carefully looked at the emails that I’ve received from Deer Ed from Gunny, and can find not a single “link” in them.  Perhaps it would help if you were to tell us what you believe a link to be.

There, now you know what I know, and now you know what you didn’t know.  And now you know that you were wrong. Now everybody knows.  Know what I mean?

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A POSTER WROTE:  FTR I really enjoy your postings from the past. I understand your new format is more of an ask and answer.  But how about maybe three days a week you just do an old style posting where you discuss the hot topic of the day.

P.S. The ask and answer is really a problem because most of what the people who write in are just sending is nonsense stuff that many people feel is below reading because it is so dishonest. Also no matter what, you will never change their minds.  Thanks

FTR’S RESPONSE:  Thank you very much for your comment. I really appreciate it.  I tend to agree with you, but I do feel an obligation to respond when challenged. Maybe it’s a macho thing. I’ll try to do better starting on Tuesday or Wednesday, I have to go to Ft. Laud on Monday.

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Our son in law, a Navy Master Chief not too far from retirement, sent us this: Early one morning, an elderly retired Navy Master Chief yelled to his wife, “Honey! Come see what I created. It’s an abstract panorama, depicting the five years of the Obama presidency!”

She yelled back, “Flush the toilet and come eat your breakfast.”

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY  ~FTR

National Politics. Your name and email address are not required. Please be civil.  I Have Something To Say About National Politics–Click Here