BigPineKey.com

[‘Neugent Pumps’] I think we should memorialize Commissioner Neugent’s 13 years of service by naming the grinder pumps after him. He is responsible for his district (Big Pine Key) having them and is one of the pump’s greatest proponents. They should always be remembered as ‘Neugent Pumps’. When they break think fondly of the man who forced them on you.

[Anti-matter from fruit?] The average banana produces a positron (an anti-electron) roughly once every 75 minutes. Link

[Crook] Jurors convicted TV pitchman Kevin Thideau in November of violating a court order barring him from mak­ing false claims about his best­selling book “The Weight Loss Cure They Don’t Want You to Know About.” because it was a bogus book.

Thideau aired infomercials touting the book at least 32,000 times, in violation of the court order; in all, he sold more than 850,000 books, generating $39 million in revenue and at least 5 million in profit.

The United States Mint in San Francisco will soon produce an unusual coin in honor of baseball, the nation’s favorite pastime. Like so many great baseball pitches, the new coin will feature a curve. The bowl-shaped currency is the result of a 2012 law the National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act ordering the U.S. Treasury to manufacture the coin to commemorate the Hall of Fame, which celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2014.

According to the text of the law, the coin’s striking shape is intended to be similar to the 2009 International Year of Astronomy coin issued by Monnaie de Paris, the French mint. The coin will come in $5, $1 and half dollar denominations and will feature a baseball on one side and a baseball glove on the other

[Regulators] The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) is considering tighter restrictions on sea cucumber harvesting in the Florida Keys. The proposal is to limit the daily commercial harvest to 200 per vessel per day to ensure that Florida’s harvest of sea cucumbers continues to be sustainable. Florida’s recreational collectors of sea cucumbers are subject to a daily trip limit, but commercial fishermen with a basic saltwater products license can currently harvest as many as they want. Link

[“Female with attitude”] Wow, who posted the picture of my ex?

On March 12, 2002 The color-coded terror alert system was unveiled by Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge.

[Fiddlewood Leaf Roller caterpillar] A threat to our Native Fiddlewood trees. The flower’s smell is intoxicating. Fiddlewood (Citharexylum fruticosum) is an attractive shrub native to South Florida that is often used as a tall hedge.  It has glossy leaves with small white showy flowers that bloom in the summer.

Recently such a hedge in Key Largo was severely defoliated.  The culprit was the fiddlewood leafroller (Epicorsia odeipodalis), in its first documented appearance in Monroe County. These yellow caterpillars with orange heads and black and white spots skeletonize and roll leaves of fiddlewoods and other plants, including star apples and lancewood.  After pupating, they emerge as small ( 4 cm) yellow/tan moths.

Although these pests usually do no permanent damage, they do cause temporary unsightliness. So what can you do to control these pests?  Remove the eggs and pupae by pruning and disposal, and treat the larvae with the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. 

[Little Torch Cottages] Check out this link and the prices for the 2 BR / 2.5 BA that are $2200-$2800. In an act of deception the marketeers show the corner house in their ads not the new stacked boxes that are for rent. Link

Hi there and Happy Thursday from Springers Bar and Grill. Today’s sandwich special is chicken salad with cranberries and walnuts on a kaiser roll. Just the perfect savory and sweet for a happy palate. A great lunchtime special or light supper.

Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of the Florida Keys is celebrating 30 years of service as the only not-for-profit home health and hospice agency in Monroe County.

Its hospice program was founded in 1984 to answer a call for end-of-life services in the community, with home health by the VNA following in 1988. VNA/Hospice maintains its dedication to the ever-changing health and support needs of the residents and visitors of the Florida Keys.

“We are so honored and fortunate to serve this unique and wonderful community for the past 30 years,” stated VNA/Hospice President & CEO Jody Gross.  “Through the generosity of donors, businesses and fundraising event attendees, we have been able to constantly evolve our services and provide care for all of those that need us.  We are looking forward to the next 30 years of serving our island communities throughout all of Monroe County.”

To learn more about how you can help support VNA/Hospice, please call us at 305-294-8812 or visit us online at www.vnahospicekeys.org. 

On this date in 1852 “Uncle Sam” cartoon appeared for the first time in ‘N.Y. Lantern Weekly’

[GM’s Deadly Cars] General Motors is offering free loaner cars and $500 toward a new GM vehicle to more than a million owners of com­pact cars that are being recalled for a deadly ignition switch defect. But the owners have to ask in order to get the benefits. The $500 cash allow­ance offer runs through April 30. GM last month announced the recall of 1.6 million older small cars world­wide because faulty ignitions can shut off engines unexpectedly. If the engines shut off, drivers can lose power steer­ing and power brakes, and the air bags may not inflate if there’s a crash.

While we’re bashing GM, how about mentioning the ten billion dollars GM never paid back to the government (you and me) for saving their ass? 

Kids Bridge Fishing Tournament at the Old Wooden Bridge (which is new and concrete) Big Pine Key — Saturday, March 29 Registration:  8:30-9:30 AM Fishing:  10 AM – 12 PM Hosted by the Big Pine & Lower Keys Rotary Club and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Free for participants and family. Food and Awards start at Noon. Hot Dogs, Drinks, Shaved Ice –all free

Prizes awarded for biggest fish — boy and girl in each age category.  Age categories:  5-8 yrs old and 9-12 yrs old. Free fishing combos rod and reels for kids 5 – 12 years of age. Please do not bring rods, reels or bait. Do bring hooks, sinkers, sunscreen, hat, parent or guardian.

Thank you for your continued support!For information and pre-registration forms , please call Holly at… Events

Tuesday’s defeat of Democrat Alex Sink in Tampa by Republican David Jolly has been a real shocker for the Democrat National Committee. They were uber confident that Sink, a previous Florida officeholder with very high name recognition, who very nearly defeated Governor Scott in the last gubernatorial race, and who had been handpicked by Nancy Pelosi, was certain to squash the nearly unknown Republican Jolly like a bug. Even Bill Clinton got into the Sink(ing) act. The House seat race in question was considered by Democrat poo bahs to be a bellwether for the 2014 election cycle. The Democrats were salivating at what they considered to be a certain win.

Sink started the campaign with more than a million $ in the bank, much of it from out of state Democrats.  On the other hand, Jolly had to endure a tough primary battle which cost mucho bucks.  His campaign started on a shoestring. Later in the campaign,  in state and out of state Republicans contributed heavily to Jolly.

The Democrat National Committee is spinning the loss by claiming that the district was “heavily Republican”. Not true, Obama carried the district twice. And Jolly had more than enough political baggage to make Sink the favorite. Then we have to consider that the election was to replace a Republican congressman who had passed away, and for a decade top Demo strategists has bragged that a Democrat was certain to take the seat when the Republican left the seat.

Sink lashed herself to the mast of the sinking Obamacare garbage scow, while Jolly spent much of the race casting himself as a solid conservative, hammering home his opposition to Obamacare and tough-on-immigration views.

The race truly was a referendum on Obama and especially Obamacare/Democare. Those facts sunk Sink. Millions of Republican, Independent, and Democrat voters who have been harmed by Obamacare are certain to remember that Obamacare became the law of the land even though Republicans resisted mightily. It passed without a single Republican vote.

There are many gnawed knuckles in the halls of Democrat power brokers today.

Part 2) Yesterday a poster “wondered” if FTR was one of the Eden Pines shooters club.  Nope! This Olde Fart much prefers the comfort and safety of the Big Coppitt Gun Club. You ought to give it a try, it’s a great sport and I see many ladies and families at the Range.  The owner, Phil, is a great host. The fees are very reasonable and it’s a first class operation. Check out their web site Link 

Part 3)  Snowden is a traitor.  But, it is true that his revelations are extraordinarily troubling.  They reveal that our government is all intrusive and routinely intercepts private communication and the communications of our allies and our public  without even a sheen of legality.   Snowden could easily have made the same revelations without providing our enemies with much data that is likely to cause death to many of our assets. His revelations may well have crippled, or at last set our intelligence gathering back decades. He could have anonymously forwarded the same data to the Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee Chaired by highly respected Democrat Senator Dianne Fiensten, or the House Intelligence Committee, Chaired by highly respected Republican Representative Mike Rogers. Or both of them. Had he done so, the problem could have been cured rather than having our deepest secrets delivered to our enemies. Instead he violated his oath and grievously harmed our nation. Snowden is a traitor.