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2013 September

Monday, September 2, 2013

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labor_day5

an_crusifix[Jesus Loves You] Dear Capt. Doom and Gloom, I read your comment right after coming home from church where I sung my heart out for my God. I am sorry you feel that way about us, but I can promise you this: my God is alive and well and working in my life.

You see, years ago I used to be like you, angry, but God changed my life. I used to think that religion was for weak people, but as strong as I was I am stronger now that I surrendered my heart and life to Jesus. (There is power in the name of Jesus[Yahweh]) Yes there are many people out in the world that say they are Christians but really don’t know Him. I would like you to come to know us, seek us out. Jesus did not shove his beliefs down peoples’ throats, he drew them to Him. He drew me to Him. I still have faults and sin in my life, but I also have peace. His peace that passes all understanding. I want you to have this peace in your life also, so I will pray for you.

Wars are started by people that do not know the word of God. That’s why it is important for us to understand what is written in the bible so we can tell when someone is not of Jesus but of the enemy. The word of God is pure, how people interpret it is when you can have problems. So Capt. I pray for you right now in the mighty name of Jesus, and I rebuke the enemy from you body, mind, and soul. I pray that you will come to hunger and thirst to know God. I pray that your are gently broken and that God would put Godly people in your path. I know Capt. that Jesus loves you, and everyone that reads CT, because he loves me.

advert-dennis-ward8.16.13

an_guitar_burnWetstock 9 was the best ever! The pontoon boat stage was moved to the middle of the flats where more people could be nearer to the music. And that music was the best ever! I got there late and only heard Category 4 and Ray West. Cat 4 blew my sandals off they were so good. I’ve seen Ray West a couple of times at Springers, but never like this. He played his ass off like you don’t often see. Screaming electric guitar at it’s very best. The one who I think had the best time was Flip-Flop Bob the organizer of this free event. Thanks everyone, we know it’s not easy to put on a concert on an offshore island and then take it all apart and boat it all back to shore after a big day partying.

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[“Water use equals Sewer Fee second meter”] Before you buy that second outflow meter, check with FKAA to make sure they will accept your meter readings.  Because they may decide to do what KL does – charge based on incoming meter numbers.  And with KL,  those who have outflow meters have to appear before the KL board and beg them to please use the outflow reading instead of the incoming meter reading.  It’s all a crap shoot. I have seen customers get denied just because somebody on the staff or board does not like something about the customer.  And there is no higher appeal. Those 5 board member are the law in the KL Wastewater wasteland.
Radio-Shack2.20.13 

i7A ‘top shelf’ processor won’t help surfing the web any faster–your internet connection speed will. Yesterday’s poster seems to have wasted his money. The Intel Core i7 is for productivity, gaming and intense video rendering, etc not for surfing. That’s like killing an ant with a nuclear bomb. Your internet connection is the most important thing for surfing.

Most modern cheap computers (PCs) have fast processors that will surf the web with lightning speed, but none compare to the Core i7 line when you need really fast computing. It is the Ferrari of computer processors.

New federal pot policy gets a cautious welcome. New guidance is a step towards more sensible drug policy, but still has caveats and red flags. Link
direcTV-ad-4.26 
[Happy 9/11] There was nothing remotely happy about that day September 11, 2001. 
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an_labor-day31
Springer’s Bar and Grill
.The Best Restaurant for Food, Drinks and Live Music in the Lower Keys. We offer mouth watering menu items that are sure to please your palate and fill you up. From our Duval Pot Pie, to vegetarian dishes, there is something for everyone on our menu. Come join us for some fun and drinks on our outside patio while listening to local musicians sing live music. Springer’s is a great place to come relax and have fun with the entire family here in the Keys. Phone: (305) 872-3022
isaksen-flood 4.23.13

jeannie2

jeannie2I was going to be arrested for disturbing the peace if I didn’t put down this sign so I picked up the Silence is Affirmation sign and got a better honking response. Peace now!

[Search in Privacy] I suggest Duckduckgo.com. DuckDuckGo is an Internet search engine that uses information from many sources, such as crowdsourced websites like Wikipedia and from partnerships with other search engines like Yandex, Yahoo!, Bing and WolframAlpha to obtain its results. The search engine policy says that it protects privacy, and does not record user information.  Because users are not profiled, the “filter bubble” can be avoided, with all users being shown the same search results for a given search term. Watch this simple explanation. Link

band-aid girl

 

[Obamacare Primer] Pediatric Care. Under the law, children under age 19 will be able to get their teeth cleaned twice a year, as well as receive X-rays, fillings and medically necessary orthodontia. In addition, children under age 19 will be entitled to an eye exam and one pair of glasses or set of contact lenses a year. Relatively few health plans cover children’s dental or vision services today.

army2

I was into guns before I had a focus on survival, and long before I had a family of my own. As a result, I had a decent collection of firearms, many of which could be used in a WROL[?] situation for home and personal defense.

Flash forward some years and I now have a wife and two kids that are old enough to shoot defensively. So in an emergency I’m arming my own defensive squad. 

[Regressives] It looks like Sylvia Murphy from Key Largo is the Commissioner that is the reason we are getting grinder electric pumps instead of Newton’ simple gravity sewer pipe.

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here-comes-trouble

 

Here comes trouble!

springers-ad12.30.12

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[Bridge Repair] That simple wood ramp from the old Seven Mile bridge down onto Pigeon Key, that somebody wrote of the other day, also needs to be re-built to the tune of another $500,000, even though nobody goes there and, even though we, as taxpayers, are being charged $685 per day to keep a ferry boat tied to the dock in case of the remote possibility somebody does get the urge to take the ride out to Pigeon Key.  Easy money for someone, if you can get it.

Marine Sanctuary wants more input on marine zones; meetings scheduled.  

It’s as if they hadn’t heard enough from the citizens at the last meeting. Are they just going to keep having meetings until we get exhausted and they get to rule and regulate us out of the Keys. Link

dinosaur run scared

[Out of Touch] Today in 1963, Alabama Gov. George Wallace stationed state troopers around Tuskegee High School to prevent integration. If he were alive today he would be against gay marriage and legalized pot. Dinosaurs like Wallace are extinct because they take too long to adapt to the times.

johnsons-ad-7.25.13

I too want the old bridge repaired but don’t want to pay for it.

wires computer

 

[Silicone Valley] The Commerce  Department’s promised satellite patent offices were never going to be funded by taxpayers. Instead,  they’re supported by the $2.8 billion in annual patent fees collected from inventors, entrepreneurs  and companies. The patent office is so backed up that progress is being impeded, that it why Silicon Valley need it’s own satellite office. They promise enough patent fees to pay for its operation.

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nira tocco realtor 9.12

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[Sewer Fees] Having a second meter for yard and boat water that doesn’t go to sewage treatment is a workable option. Based on info passed at the FKAA sewer meeting about six months ago, FKAA has to install the second meter. As I recall, it costs something like $2,500 dollars. Running the numbers, it would take me a number of years to break even on money saved on my water/sewage bill. So I’ll just continue to use my rain barrel water for my plants. Since I probably use more water to rinse my boat, I will probably get a water pump so that I can boost the water pressure coming out of the 500 gallon rain collection container.

[Marathon Journal] I interviewed Monroe County School Board member Ed Davidson. Beside his duties, he is involved into about everything. His business is the staple company type[?].

Short Bio: He is a retired teacher. Ed came out of the jungle of Vietnam to serve people with his public service. His experience is key to his success on the School Board.

School Budget Process: The general consensus is that money should flow into the classrooms, teachers, and most importantly the student. Teachers are the most important component we have. There needs to be more fiscal oversight.

Tensions on the board contribute to the controversies. Board members need to be engaged with everybody: teachers, property taxpayers, and especially other board members.

School Controversies overshadow everything else. There are few who are confident that their property taxes are used appropriately. There needs to be transparency and accountability. There has been progress with board members reaching out to the community. There is a fine line between success and controversies. Everyone needs to be working closely with board members, school staff, and especially students. Charter Schools take the best students and depress funds for the rest.

What’s Next? Financial oversight, engage teachers in the classrooms, and get parents more involved are goals. School tests like FCAT are a distraction and do more harm than good. Concentrate on reading, writing, and arithmetic. Sounds trite, but that is a better foundation for students.

How is Business: It has been slow and will be to December, but otherwise good overall.

My Observation is that he is the real deal. No suits, and his passion will payoff for the constituency.

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[Sewers] Don’t kid yourself on the sewer fees, we’re getting charged out and in. Did you think it would be any different? One can only hope …
fancy8.16.13

[“Does anyone have any idea how the Aqueduct Authority will bill the homes in the Keys that do not have an Aqueduct Authority water supply”]  No, we don’t.  But rest assured they will find a way to screw you.

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White-crowned_Pigeon

 

[Quickbird] White-crowned pigeons aren’t just listed on the U.S. roster of endangered species, but they are deemed rare by Florida wildlife officials and “near-threatened”  by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. So stop eating their tasty, fat breasts!

Hunters in the Bahamas and other Caribbean spots have a penchant for the quick birds, named for their white heads  and known for being extremely flighty, even for a bird.

The bird’s legs are bright red and known to be hot to the touch.

[“Can show that 500 gals of the original 1,000 gals went through the garden meter”] How about you use captured rain water, or dump your pasta and other cooking water on your plants (after it has cooled). Why does anyone use treated water for a garden when the water is pumped from a distant location and expensive as hell

I’ll tell you why. It’s because they are green when convenient for themselves, that’s why. These are same people who claim to recycle but keep their AC cranked at 60 degrees, use a dryer to dry clothes in this sunny paradise, drive their car to a neighbors etc.

If you waste water on your plants, you should pay double for the incoming water. The whole idea of having a sewer treatment facility is to recoup some of the water used in a household, not so people can waste water by using it once, which is what septic tanks do.

I bet you dump tons of nitrogen rich fertilizer on your plants too! That’s the biggest issue we have here is runoff, don’t believe me? Look in your canal!

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So you nuke lovers like radiation huh, well eat this! That one nuke plant will kill off the whole freaking planet just because some arsehole did not do something right.  Video

Navy report: More missiles and bombs could be on the way. The sky is falling! Link

tarps bungee cords

[The Big Bamboo] Clumpers vs runners in your yard; choose clumpers.  Link

manhole eyes an[Wastewater Update] The wastewater construction has begun in Cudjoe Gardens. Trenches are being dug for pipe placement (Sawyer St first) and we still don’t have resolution to our dispute over the extensive use of Low Pressure System (grinder pumps) in the neighborhood. About one third of the Cudjoe Gardens homes are currently planned to use the LPS system and we feel that is way too many. There are some few properties that make sense to use LPS but the vast majority should be more appropriately gravity. We have had meetings with each County Commissioner except Sylvia Murphy from Key Largo (who said she didn’t think it was worth our time to meet with her) and have had some indications of agreement from the Commissioners, but haven’t had the same success with the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority. Despite the information and analysis we have shown them, they have dug in their heels and insisted that there are no discrepancies in their plans and absolutely refuse to modify them unless Monroe County directs them to do so. I now understand the push during the last election cycle to try to get the governor to make the FKAA board an elected position rather than appointed by him. Without having to face the electorate there is no reason at all for the FKAA members to listen to their customers!

They owe allegiance only to Tallahassee and refuse to admit that there may be better ways to do things. Their smug denial that there could be errors is infuriating, especially since we used FKAA’s own estimates to determine the errors. The person supposed to represent our part of the Keys, Ms Melva Wagner, has yet to make any contact or state any opinion of our concerns.

Walt Drabinski of 4th Ave is a consulting engineer and owner of Vantage Energy Consulting and has examined all sorts of projects over the years including energy and wastewater systems. He has taken the lead in this argument and has donated hundreds of man-hours to the analysis. Despite his informed inputs to the county and FKAA he has been disregarded and ignored.

Several months ago when we first discovered the problems (and FKAA denied there were any) we approached the Monroe County Commission and presented the information, their reply was that FKAA was the contracted wastewater experts and the commissioners were reluctant to confront or overrule FKAA. We asked that if they didn’t feel they had the expertise to change FKAA’s decision that they engage a disinterested third party engineer to examine FKAA’s study and ours to determine which system was more cost effective for Monroe County residents. The only commissioner that agreed with that approach was Heather Carruthers who made a motion to take that action but could not get anyone to second it. Since then, despite repeated contact with the commissioners and FKAA the response has been foot dragging and denial with, I believe, the intent to string us along until pipes are in the ground and our efforts became moot. I am extremely disappointed in most of the commissioners. I do not believe their actions are in the best interest of the citizens they represent. I can only hope that we can remind enough people of the BOCC’s inaction to impact the next cycle of elections.

New and significant information will be forthcoming from the Sir Isaac Newton Coalition this week. To be put on the e-mail distribution list or to visit our website please go to: Business Directory > Government 

ad-manley-deboer6.27.13

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[Bugs] I was just wondering if anybody noticed that since they quit spraying on Big Pine for mosquitoes that we haven’t had any? Hooray butterflies

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Funny ad about The Cougar. Beware of the cougar! Video

advert-accurate-home-insp8.14.13

escher2

 

Escherian stairwell at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. Minutes will be well spent watching this video. Engineers will like this one. Video

[Captain Doom and Gloom] “Bridge Repair” We are watching who gets what contracts on this scam. The sewer project is bad enough, as are the road warriors and park freaks! It is our monye, ours, not theirs!

What is the Mosquito Regime spraying lately, Grow Bug? It seems those blood suckers are getting bigger everyday. I have seen a few with red dots on their wings and slanted eyes. Others with landing gear. Someone should invent a giant mosquito tower to make them fly to it and get zapped.

religion politics zone
[“Democrats/liberal think socialism is good for the country”] I’ve seen this so many times they actually believe a Democrat says Socialism is good the the country. We don’t, we just like the healthcare and social security parts of it.

[Syria]  Now it’s Syria.  Yet another mid-east mess that we should not get involved in.  F**k Syria.  Let them gas their people and commit whatever other atrocities the animals in that part of the world have been doing forever.  If Obama, as a NATO puppet, just has to intervene, let it be done with air strikes and long range weaponry.  Not one single American boot should ever hit the ground in Syria.  We’re still losing American lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Enough is enough!  We can’t continue to be the planet’s policeman and be drug into countless unwinnable conflicts half way around the world every time some dictator, despot or lunatic rears their ugly head.  We have sacrificed thousands of American lives in the mid-east that have solved little or nothing other than to fatten the coffers of the mega-machines that profit from wartime.  

As soon as foreign forces depart these rat holes, the old ways will again take over the region and the tribal and jihad mentality will again reign.  Let them stew in their own filth and keep our nation and the lives of our military men and women out of it.

[Go Away] What I cannot understand is if some people do not like religion, politics, different races, men or woman, or whatever, why don’t  they go to some area where they can start a country just for their tastes? Sounds impossible, but the illegal’s are doing just that to America!

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All you need to know about the Middle East in one short Letter to the Editor. Quit trying to make sense out of it. Once you figure out that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” in all comes into focus. Short term alliances are just that: short lived.

I think Obama is just screwing with the Fox News Republican Tea Party with this Syria thing.  You know, jerking their chain and watching them sputter and spin in circles, just for shits and giggles.  I am totally enjoying the show.

The only people trying to shame America into war are on Fox News.

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Our President just put a huge burr in the saddles of our Regressive friends. Hes asking Congress to help make a decision. Man, read their postings from Sunday and you will see how enraged they are that they have to take a stand. Well played Mr. President. Watch as their postings get angrier and angrier.

from the right

We’ve all heard the Democrat dogma that Republicans are nothing more than a clique of angry, wealthy, old white men.  Maybe we should examine just a few of the accomplishments of one Republican member of Florida’s House of Representatives. Like all elected officials, this Rep has many other challenges, but just for today, let’s focus only on windstorm insurance costs. Our Representative went the extra mile for us.

an_wind-flamingoThis Rep knows all too well  that those of us living in the Keys pay a boatload of money for our windstorm insurance.  So, the Rep took action: First, by fighting to protect Monroe County from excessive rate increases to wind-only insurance policies; then, the Rep took steps to add a new member to the commission that develops the models used by insurance companies to determine rates.  That new member is a structural engineer with wind mitigation experience.

But it didn’t end there.  “Builders risk” insurance had been dropped by Citizens’ Insurance in areas like Monroe County, where there is no appreciable degree of private market competition.  The Rep influenced Citizens to reinstate builders risk coverage.

Recently a Monroe County Building Standards Familiarization Tour was held in Key West.  The tour brought in industry representatives from around the state and representatives from Citizens itself for tours of construction sites, the purpose being to familiarize them with the extremely strong building codes and enforcement in Monroe County.  The tour was hosted by our Republican Representative.  It is anticipated that this will become an annual event.  

It’s obvious that our Representative is working tirelessly to mitigate our ever-increasing windstorm insurance costs.  The battle will continue until our rates are fair and based on our actual risk. The battle includes tackling rule changes that have caused many condo associations to see a dramatic increase in premiums.

Our Representative is working with the chief financial officer of Citizens Insurance and with the consumer advocate, FIRM, to develop alternatives to the traditional mitigation forms which often don’t give our homeowners the credits they deserve for spending time and money hardening their homes

holly2Our Representative is Holly Raschein.  Holly is a Republican; she is smart, upbeat and pleasant.  Holly is a hard working mother of a beautiful baby boy.  

Holly is truly dedicated to serving the people of Monroe County.

Representative Holly Raschein is but one of an ever growing number of bright, dynamic, young Republican women. Her efforts on our behalf in trying to bring down the cost of our windstorm insurance is but one of her many projects that will make Monroe a better place to live and play. We’ll think about those projects soon.