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 I’m being taxed on money I never made. Let that sink in. I bought my property outright for $60,000 in 2015. Now the County says it’s worth $246,000. Did I sell it‘? No. Did I make a profit? No. Did I get a check for $246,000? No. But my taxes jumped like I did. That’s the problem.This Isn’t income. This isn’t cash. This is a number someone decided on paper — and now I’m being billed for it. If my stock portfolio doubles, I don’t pay taxes until I sell. If my income doesn’t increase, I don’t magically owe more income tax. So why does owning a home work differently? Why am I being taxed on unrealized gains? A house isn’t just an investment —- it’s where people live. And this system means you can do everything right, pay off your home, and still get squeezed harder every year because of a number you never turned into money. You don’t truly own something if you can be taxed out of it. This isn’t about “services” or “inflation.” It’s about being charged for value never received and people are starting to notice. |
| [We’re All Screwed] People still think inflation is simply rising costs or supply shortages, but what they fail to understand is that we are entering a completely different phase where prices themselves will become individualized. Two people standing next to each other in the same grocery aisle will eventually pay different prices for the exact same item, not because of shortages, but because the system knows one can be squeezed harder than the other.
This is not science fiction anymore. Grocery chains are rapidly rolling out digital shelf labels, replacing traditional paper price tags with electronic displays connected directly to centralized pricing systems. These labels can change instantly, not overnight, not weekly, but in real time. One report showed stores overseas already changing prices up to 100 times per day. That is where this is heading |
 [“Bad vanity plates”] ILUVU. I had this plate in the “Summer of Love” 1965. The newspaper did an article on vanity plates and said mine was homosexual. This is how out of touch society was at the time to what was really going on in the streets and college campuses. The last I saw of the license plate, it was hanging on the wall of the Raw Bar in Key West. |
| Dating after 60 is like trying to find the least damaged thing at a thrift store that doesn’t smell. |
 [Toilet Danger] Ways toilets have killed people. From a WWII submarine sewage disaster to a deadly medieval pit toilet collapse, doing your business can come with risks. Link |
| Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. ~ Ronald Reagan Oct. 27, 1964 |
 Cruising has gone the way of all good things in that it has been over-booked by the low renters and trashed down to the Ball Park Franks-for-Dinner crowd! After our fine 14+ HAL cruises, with the last two being disasters, we doubt we will ever cruise again. That hurts! Link |
| Foods you shouldn’t reheat in a microwave. Reheating processed meats with a burst of microwave radiation contributes to the formation of cholesterol oxidation products (COPs), which have been linked to the development of coronary heart disease. Compared with other meal-prep methods for reheated foods, microwaving processed meats (including hot dogs) is far more likely to introduce COPs into your diet. Link |
 Are Car Headlights much brighter all of a sudden—or is it your imagination? Changes to three major aspects of car headlights affect brightness, and they all have to do with LED technology. Audi started the trend in 2004 with LED daytime running lights, but the first car to have LED headlights was the 2007 Lexus LS 600h. The 2008 Audi R8 followed with an all-LED setup: headlights (including low and high beams), daytime running lights and turn signals. Link |
| [Tool Storage] The key to staying efficient, though, is ensuring you always have the right tools at hand when you need them. Check out these ideas to make sure you keep your tools organized! Link |
 [Walking] When the task at hand requires some imagination, taking a walk may lead to more creative thinking than sitting, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. “Many people anecdotally claim they do their best thinking when walking,” said Marily Oppezzo, PhD, of Santa Clara University. “With this study, we finally may be taking a step or two toward discovering why.” Link |
| [Breaking Ties That Bind] Why people are going “no contact” with their parents—and why they say they’re better off for it. Link |
 [When The Shark Bites] Boy hospitalized after being bitten by shark in Key Largo. The bite happened around 3:25 p.m. in the ocean off Key Largo. Monroe County Fire Rescue paramedics flew the boy to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The 8-year-old boy was snorkeling on Horseshoe Reef when he was bitten. He was in surgery Monday night. The boy was bitten above the knee, and a nearby scuba diving boat crew rendered immediate aid. Link |
| [Hypersonic Engine] Japan’s new hypersonic engine could make 2-hour flights to the US a reality. Link |
 [Coast Guard arrest sailboat heading from the Keys to Cuba] The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Maple last Wednesday morning stopped a sailboat about 40 nautical miles south of Marathon that was heading for Cuba. On board were three people of varying backgrounds, including a British man with a history of using aliases, getting into trouble with the law and who’s been deported several times. The 43-foot Stormy Weather had a woman and two men on board, and the vessel did not have authorization to enter Cuba nor Cuban territorial waters, agents with Homeland Security Investigations said in a criminal complaint. Link |
| [Stephen Colbert Rides Into The Sunset] He made us laugh and he never flinched’: America says goodbye to The Late Show and Stephen Colbert. Link |
 The Ferrari Luce. The electric power source, Ferrari-engineered engines and advanced drivetrain affords a radically new architecture that uniquely combines extraordinary Ferrari performance with the luxury of spaciousness. Video |
| [Quantum Chip Foundry ] The U.S. Department of Commerce and IBM announced a $2 billion initiative to establish Anderon, America’s first pure-play quantum chip foundry in Albany, New York. Funded by $1 billion from the CHIPS Act and $1 billion from IBM, Anderon will operate a 300mm superconducting silicon wafer fabrication facility, positioning the U.S. at the forefront of quantum manufacturing. Link |
 Only old folks have landlines in addition to their cellphones. It’s part of their legacy brains. Most young folks wouldn’t even consider having a landline. |
| [China vs Taiwan] The geography of an unfinished war. That is the question of all future presidential candidates. Will you defend Taiwan to the end? Link |
 [Book] Allen Goodman saw it all during his years as a public defender. In Everyone Against Us: Public Defenders and the Making of American Justice, the lawyer describes a system stacked against not only the accused but also the attorneys who represent them. From 1996 to 2004, he worked in the Cook County public defender’s office, primarily in Skokie, where he handled criminal cases from Chicago’s North and West Sides. Link |
| Here’s What the “A” in Chick-fil-A Stands For. Turns out, the A stands for the Grade A chicken used in Chick-fil-A menu items. It’s a subtle way for the fast-food chain to make customers think of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food grading scale, which labels top-quality food Grade A. Link |
| The current Coconut Telegraph was published on 5/26/26 at 8:03 am. |
| Snapshots taken from Big Pine Key looking North between Annette Key and Mayo Key every Friday evening since 2023. You may hover to view a photo, see the date of the photo, or use the left or right arrows on the images. |
