Since 2002. Published Wednesdays and Saturdays
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 [Crawfish Walking] It happens all the time. You’re just not there. I don’t think the folks that know about this stuff know why, when, or where it will happen, but it happens often. As a young man, in Marathon, off Sombrero Beach, me & 3 buddies caught 1,280 lbs. We used cast nets. They would not try to get away. They would go from a walking line to a defensive circle. We would drop the lead line in front & swim the net over the circle. One of us would clear the net in our boat. We worked with 2 nets. One of us would swim the cleared net back to the two friends who were catching. We would switch places when needed. I was in my early 20’s. That was 40+ years ago. The crawfish sold for 95 cents a pound. Beat from a hard day’s work we would go to 7 Mile Grill & have a cold beer, turtle burger or Jewfish sandwich. Things change, don’t they |
| [Castle Defense] A 29-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday night while attempting to break into a home on Big Pine Key to confront the shooter about having an alleged affair with his wife, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Andrew Grzych of Little Torch Key was pronounced dead at the scene on Oleander Boulevard just south of Watson Road on the eastern side of Big Pine Key shortly after 11 p.m., said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. Ramsay described the incident this way: Grzych arrived at the house owned by 31-year-old Patrick Wunsch and was causing enough of a disturbance outside that Wunsch called 911 and went to arm himself with a semi-automatic Glock pistol. Wunsch’s wife went outside to see what was going on and Grzych pushed her down while saying something about Wunsch sleeping with his wife. Grzych then began trying to smash through the glass door to get inside the house where Wunsch was located as well as his in-laws. “The shooter then fired several defense shots,” Ramsay said. Grzych turned toward the front deck and fell down. Arriving deputies Josh Gordon and John Gabay arrived shortly thereafter and attempted to revive Grzych, as did paramedics who also arrived. Grzych was pronounced dead at the scene. “There has been no arrest made at this point in time,” Ramsay said Wednesday. “The shooter, his wife and her parents were all very cooperative. He gave us the gun that was used. The shooter, his wife and in-laws all gave us the same story. The evidence at the scene was consistent with their stories. There is no reason at this point to believe their accounts of what happened are not true.”
The sheriff added that evidence indicates at some point in the past there was a kiss shared between some of the parties involved and the couples stopped socializing shortly thereafter, but that apparently happened well in the past and was not a recent event. |
 [Park Closes Due To Bear Selfies] A Colorado park was forced to close because people are apparently idiots. So many people were attempting to get selfies of themselves with the park’s bear population, that Waterton Canyon was closed to keep protect both the wildlife and the geniuses that thing bear selfies seem like a good idea. Apparently folks were coming in with selfie sticks to attempt to get a close as possible to bears and snap a shot on their mobile phone. The park will reopen when bear activity slows down for the winter.Q: How dumb can people get? A: There is no limit. |
| Proposed shallow well settlement is disappointing. How are they going to restrict FKAA to a very low flow? Will the HOA police be monitoring? How long before the HOAs realize that you can’t negotiate in good faith with the devil? Dr. Briceno’s testing used only about a 2/3 annual average day flow run continuously, and they saw the effluent coming to the surface. The sham WSA test used little shots of water with big recovery times between. They falsified data in the report. They might blame that on ineptness, but showing all well flows as Maximum instead of Average shows intent to deceive. One maximum stated as 1,163 gals/min was found to actually have been 647 and the average only 204! More deceit was claiming that the wastewater effluent “meets all primary drinking water standards”! So screw the wells- let’s just pump it back into the potable pipe and let Cudjoe drink it! (You just can’t make this stuff up!) When someone pointed out at the public meeting Thursday night that FKAA’s other plants sometimes see 5 times their design capacity, Walt Schwartz, project manager for the Cudjoe Regional, said that the plant will never go much over capacity because the collection system pumps can’t pump it! That’s what Dump the Pumps., Inc has been saying for two years! Don’t worry about minimally treated wastewater at the plant going down a shallow well like at Marathon, Baypoint, Big Coppitt and Key Haven on rainy days. Worry about the raw sewage that can’t even make it to the plant! Where’s that going?. |
[Help Wanted] Coconuts Bar & Package has a opening for a part time morning person. Good pay & a nice place to work. You must pass a back ground check & drug test. This is a great job for the right person. If your interested stop by and fill out a application. Coconuts..305-872-3795, jcbsr@comcast.net |
| [April 14, 1868] I start off with five attendants, leaving most of the luggage with Mohamad, and reach the Luao to spend the night. Amoda ran away early this morning. “Wishes to stop with his brothers.” They think that, by refusing to go to Bemba, they will force me to remain with them, and then go to Ujiji: one of them has infused the idea into their minds that I will not pay them, and exclaims “Look at the sepoys!” not knowing that they are paid by the Indian Government; and as for the Johanna men, they were prepaid 291.4s. in cash, besides clothing. I sent Amoda’s bundle back to Mohamad: my messenger got to Kabwabwata before Amoda did, and he presented himself to my Arab friend, who, of course, scolded him: he replied that he was tired of carrying, and no other fault had he; I may add that I found out that Amoda wished to come south to me with one of Mohamad Bogharib’s men, but “Mpamari” told him not to return. Now that I was fairly started, I told my messenger to say to Mohamad that I would on no account go to Ujiji. ~Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa -David Livingston Link |
 t’s official! With a record 13 acts performing Art Humphries and the Lower Keys Horny Horn Section are in first place in their categories at the end of Round 1 of Votes for Notes, an annual music competition held for the benefit of the two Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the Lower Keys. The audience “votes” with cash donations dropped in the performers vote bucket while they perform. The Band and Solo/Duo performers who garner the most in donations to Habitat will each win a Prize Package of gift certificates and other items as well as $250 cash. |
| [Nevada Solar Power] We went from virtually no solar in this state to where by the end of next year, solar will be a larger resource for us than Hoover Dam. Link |
 [Safety First] Had my blood drawn at the Quest lab in Key West last week for routine lab tests for my annual physical. The tech did not wear gloves. Being a health care professional myself, I found this very disturbing. The standard of care, for well over a decade, has been for the phlebotomist (person drawing blood) to always wear gloves. I will never go to this lab again. If their personnel don’t follow this most basic safety protocol, where else are they cutting corners? |
| [Marathon Election] There are 5 Marathon residents running for 2 Marathon City Council seats on the November 3rd ballot. Marathon TV88 invited each candidate to talk separately on camera at Oceanfront Park, and they were all allowed to say whatever they wanted to say – provided they did not exceed 3 minutes. Nothing that the candidates said was edited. These are the video clips of each: Dick Ramsay – www.youtube.com/embed/IXCLHnUju3E Mark Senmartin – www.youtube.com/embed/jkhqaJR7P1U Michelle Coldiron – www.youtube.com/embed/inbPVgnOf-0 Nick Antonelli – www.youtube.com/embed/c-DJu998dLc Trish Hintze – www.youtube.com/embed/LC3KeNPNWZw |
Thank you Jesus! (Photoshop) |
| I have Verizon FIOS internet and a mediocre TV package (No HBO, etc.) No Phone (yeah, Magic Jack!). In March, I was paying $110/mo. This month’s bill is $145! That’s a 31% increase in six months and they never notify the customers. Dish service is not an option. I refuse to allow auto-billing. That leaves one cable provider and they don’t have a customer service facility. Everything is done by phone. Boo. |
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| It was reported to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi that Monroe County thru Robert “Bob”Dean, Kurt Zeulch, & the FKAA were actively Extorting 3000+Lower Keys taxpayers & property owners to give up property rights for installation of Monroe County’s grinders pumps and to supply electric to run them. I was personally told by an Asst. County Atty. that if I didn’t give up and unwillingly surrender my property rights I would be bypassed and my homestead would be condemned. I am a 75 year old Wounded Warrior and a minority and my civil rights are being taken. Atty. General Bondi’s solution is to “investigate”. My complaint is to forward it to Bob Dean and the FKAA for comment.
Are you kidding me? What the hell is her job? to give up whistleblowers? Or when informed of political corruption and criminal acts to warn the perpetrators that someone making waves and they better cover their asses. |
For centuries women have nagged men about leaving the toilet seat up. They always cuss and complain but they never ask why! So finally we give up. Here’s the truth. We’re all environmentalists just trying to save our world. You’re welcome! |
| Marathon Mayor Chris Bull gave his notice this week, resigning from the city council effective Oct. 27 with plans to move to North Carolina to run a sports club. |
 On 15th August 1965, The Beatles played Shea Stadium in New York. It was a pioneering gig, the promoter counted record takings – and the fans had a terrible time. They were penned on a sports field, where the Fab Four seemed miles away and were largely inaudible. For The Beatles, the show turned into a joke, with John Lennon playing a keyboard with his elbows towards the end of the set. Audio |
| [Correction] After reading the posted sign at the end of 64 Street I did the flyers the neighborhood received, time was of the essence due to the upcoming meeting. However, I need to correct some information. The sign states 25 units per acre; acreage: 11. So the assumption was 275 units. This is incorrect. Of the 11 acres only 1.45 acres are upland and available for development. They have requested, and received, 36 building allocations for the 1.45 acre parcel. The South Florida Water Management District has confirmed the balance of acreage (9.55) is wetland and will not be developed. The sign is further confusing because it states “Affordable Housing”. It is my understanding (and I could be wrong) that affordable housing is for sale. “Work Force Housing” is for rent. This article speaks of work force housing for very low income persons, and lists potential rental amounts. A friend of mine spoke with a realtor and was told the units would be available for purchase. So which is it?
Our concerns are the decrease in setbacks, the density of the project, traffic congestion on 64th Street, low income projects (like those across from Publix) are all problems which are not welcome in our neighborhood. As far as the corrections, I apologize for my error, however I am glad the flyers had the desired effect of bringing awareness of the potential impact on our neighborhood. The meeting last night was cancelled without notice. “To be rescheduled” |
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| I just replaced the cat litter with 44 packages of pop rocks. And now we wait… |
Permit to carry? |
| Please support this charity fundraiser for the American Cancer Society of the Florida Keys. “Hot Rods for Ta-Tas” Car Show, Key West, Sat. Oct 17. Free event at the Ibis Bay Beach Resort. Bring your Classic Car, your Hot Rod, or your daily driver. Show off your ride and help us Make Strides Against Breast Cancer with a Sunset party, music, prizes, raffle and barbecue. Donations to American Cancer Society are welcomed. John Ribble (508) 241-8455 Julie Marshall (305) 458-4523. Link |
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| If you ever wondered how big our solar system is, take a scroll from our Sun to Pluto. Link |
Brazilian Mercury |
| [Southern rules for perfect living or why i love rednecks]
1. Never take a beer to a job interview. |
Sophia Loren is 81 years old (not in the photo). She was born as Sofia Scicolone at the Clinica Regina Margherita in Rome, Italy, on September 20, 1934. Link |
| Life was so easy before Microsoft started to hire sillies to redesign their basic operating systems with flowers and running dogs and other useless BS! My kingdom for old Windows 2000 and Outlook Express! |
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| [FKAA] A recent Citizen article says that “Test results … show that the wells are safe to use.” That is only what FKAA and their accomplices at DEP want people to believe. The tests were never intended to show that the wells would be safe to use, only that they can swallow an average annual flow from the plant for a short period of time without flooding the site. They successfully demonstrated that the injected water will go down the well, (DUH!) not that it was safe. It went somewhere, and that somewhere may not be safe at all. So where does it go? My canal? The reef? FKAA cannot be trusted no matter how many cheesey studies they pay for. It’s outrageous that they use our own tax dollars to defend themselves against citizens who have real doubts about their second rate system- also paid with our taxes and rates. Bet rates will go through the roof for EVERY FKAA customer when they have to fix this mess. |
Don’t you just hate it when someone’s wearing the same outfit as you? |
| Did FTR forget the other 11 old, white Republican men running for President? This is not political I was just worried about “one of the finest Conservative minds of our time” |
Anybody now a dog groomer that makes house calls? |
| [Frat House Wanted] I’m looking for a place for me and my 10 friends in Big Pine Key. We are going for work and travel program. We are staying for 3 and a half months, from 11/28 to 3/13. lucasbaaum96@gmail.com |
 What scares me about the 2016 Presidential election is all the contestants are as inept as a bunch of game show idiots. And I am supposed to vote for one of these dildos to run my country and my life? No wonder we might crash and be taken over by some egomaniacs who think they know better. That really scares the hell out of me! |
| [Labor] I always wanted to become a writer, actor, priest, politician, merchant, ship captain, stock broker, real estate agent, lawyer or business manager simply because I hate working for a living! |
Here is the latest on 2015 National Key Deer Refuge Prescribed Burns, upcoming meeting and potential burn dates.for immediate release sept 24 2015 refuge prescribed burns |
| [Ghengis For President] Ghengis Khan forbade the selling of women, theft of other’s properties, decreed religious freedom, outlawed hunting during breeding sons, and exempted the poor from taxation. |
 [Captain Doom and Gloom] The PC crowd is driving me crazy because no matter what happens they are against it. Sex, guns, politics, self-defense, international invaders, and just about anything that makes a man a man and a woman a woman! Who the hell are these people who stick their lawyers up somebody’s butt just because they do not like what you did? Even the Pope talks BS and makes no logical sense. This planet is not going to make it with all the sissies, mutants, over-breeders and bleeding heart assholes taking control. It just might turn into a 10 billion member Love Thy Neighbor Ham Holding Social Club of masturbationists. Dog help us!
DEF: GOD n, Google, Obama, Democrats! Now religion makes sense! DEF: Yard Sale n. A system to recycle debris from one loser to another. DEF: Processed Foods n, SEE; Sheep, Cattle, Goats, Pigs, Culling. DEF: Public Knowledge n, Your personal information for sale by others. DEF: Not for Profit n, A non-taxed group of bloodsucking freeloaders. DEF: Church n, A place where no one speaks His name in Vain DEF: Brothel n, a place where everybody speaks His name in happiness. DEF: Movies n, A way to keep the dysfunctional occupied and away from the stock market. DEF: Actors n, People who produce nothing realistically but paychecks. DEF: Hunter n, A person who kills for survival or sport who is not Amish. DEF: Miner n, A person who digs in the ground for things only valuable to fools. DEF: Oil n, A black ooze that recycles forever one way or another |
More Bang For The Buck] Bangé is smoked throughout Central Africa, and if used in excess produces partial imbecility. ~1850’s African journalist |
| Somebody trashed the alternative energy people on No Name Key for not wanting to pay dearly for commercial power that they don’t want or need- except for the FKAA/County insistence that they power a County-owned/FKAA-installed sewage pump station… that they don’t want in their yard. Duh. The trashing (and thrashing) should go to the stupid jerks that decided to use high energy grinder pumps on an island that is not all on the commercial power grid! A further trashing and thrashing (and jail time?) should go to those responsible for the FKAA/County extortion of property rights and electrical infrastructure from the residents. There is not a reason in the world why these pumps should not be in the road allowance and powered by FKAA. Furthermore, there is not a technically defensible reason in the world why grinder pumps are being used at all, most especially on No Name. If the damned system was designed right, people could pump sewage to a lift station with a low energy requirement pump that might even be powered directly by windmill, or a bicycle drive. The lift stations use grinder pumps, so there is no need to grind anything at the house. A STEP (septic tank effluent pumping) system uses low power pumps and pushes no solids or FOG (fat, oil, grease) so the flow can be slow without clogging the pipes. The greed for a toilet tax is the only reason for needing to push sewage to Cudjoe anyway. There are passive and nearly passive drainfield revisions that achieve above mandate treatment for far less than the high cost, high maintenance grinder pumps. And they continue to treat on rainy days unlike treatment plants that go into what’s called “storm mode” and bypass effective treatment while dumping a high nutrient load down very shallow wells. Just DumpThePumps and better, practical alternatives appear |
| If you ever feel real stupid, remember that there are people who really believe that two penguins walked all the way from Antarctica to the Middle East to get into an ark. Probably the same people who believe you could throw a couple overgrown beer cans at skyscrapers and knock them down. After their explanation, I find it easier to believe the penguin story. |
[Stupid Bird] Forgive me, it made me chuckle. Video |
| I propose in an act of kindness and generosity We start a local collection for the permanent relocation of one Sloan, The Nutjob, Bashinsky. We gather the money buy the bus ticket to points far far away and the entire Keys will be better for it. Big steamer trunk shipped as freight will save money and allow him to travel much farther away. Who is in? I got $5 on it. |
I wish the Pope would leave the U S soon. I am so tired of the media/TV news – nothing but pope, pope, pope. Every time pope goes anywhere, even to the restroom, the TV media was announcing it & were parked outside awaiting his exit. |
| The new cursing is not 4 letter words, but out-right advertising slogans and life robbing-wallet-empting propaganda as we are brain deadened by TV, radio, billboards, sun blocking signage and ugly T-Shirts warn by the inept. What happened to the good old days when people had respect for a product and were not coerced by hypnosis to over pay for something they did not need in the first place. Some ad tactics should be illegal. |
Messerschmidt’s auto failure. |
| It used to be called planned obsolescence, but today it is really forced purchasing by the big corps who have made things that crash in time and make you buy new. Be it software, hardware, cars, cloths or anything that they can degrade into useless items so they can make their greedy profits all over again and again. Let’s talk about processed foods next. |
Swimming hole at Boyd’s Campground 1975. Now gone. |
| [Marathon Journal] 1. I interviewed Mark Senmartin at LeighAnn’s around noon. Biography? Mark is 45 years old. He has wife and two sons. Senmartin is the owner/operator of Cash Flow Jewelry, Pawn, Guns, and Ammo. 2. What are three top issues? Workforce housing. Regarding the issue, “I voted to take away the option that previous councils granted developers of paying only $20k in lieu of providing housing. That was horrible option for the people of Marathon and only benefitted the developers. I have gotten the Council to commit to building housing on the 104th street property that the city has owned for the last 8 years, but has not moved forward on. We will be having a workshop on that Oct 1st. I believe putting your money where your mouth is and coming up with a responsible financial plan to make it happen. I was also the Councilmember that initiated the workforce housing taskforce to come up with some solutions. As a small business owner, I don’t take this topic lightly, but I am confident we are moving forward.” Sewer problems. “On wastewater, within months of getting on council I saw there were issues with the wastewater system. Some councilmembers didn’t want to address it publicly but I called for an analysis from a third party engineering firm to locate any deficiencies and bring recommendations on correcting them. This has been happening for the last few months and we should have the report shortly. We also brought in a wastewater manager with an engineering background to execute the necessary upgrades using a $17 million grant from the state we already received. None of the issues are insurmountable and I am proud of progress.” Vacation rentals. “Let’s not mince words here, vacation rentals have spread into our neighborhoods. They have changed areas from residential to commercial. There were some problem houses where the rules about noise, trash and over occupancy were being broken. I spoke up about increasing the license fees to support the hiring of an additional (paid for by the vacation licensees) to reign in the offenders. Our complaints have dropped to almost none thanks to this stricter enforcement. But that’s a stop gap measure. We need to continue to push our state representatives and Florida legislature to change the law so the municipalities have control over their own future. Right now if we touch the 7 day rental law, we lose it and revert to the state’s 1 night rental law, which means EVERY vacation house could be a hotel. By pushing our lobbyists with clear directions we can accomplish this. At that point I would call for a summit with all of the vacation rental agents and the neighborhood groups and hammer out an agreement everyone can live with. Out in the open, with full transparency.” |
 Computer company Microsoft patented in 2011 a product distribution system with a camera or capture device that monitors the viewers that consume the product, allowing the provider to take “remedial action” if the actual viewers do not match the distribution license. The system has been compared with 1984’s telescreen surveillance system. Link |
| [Department of Hate] What percentage of these refugees are Jewish? Are they rich enough to support themselves in America without leaching off the rest of us hard workers like the Mexicans, Muslims and Chinese are doing? Whose bright idea is it to give away my freaking tax money to these bastards anyway? If the politicians start telling me to give up my spare bedroom to some stinking dirtballs, I will really be pissed and same goes for my real estate values if they make us build low rent trash house next to mine! Enough of the conquering of America! Go fix your own shithole!. |
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