Letters to the editor with pictures since 2002.
Published on Big Pine Key’s garbage days, Tuesdays and Fridays.
The Un-social Media with 60,000 Followers
 Americans spend about two-thirds of their TV time watching conventional television and just 6 percent streaming Netflix. Online shopping accounts for less than 14 percent of all the stuff that Americans buy.Remote work employs only about one in six in the U.S. that way. About 6 percent of Americans order from the most popular restaurant delivery company in the United States. |
 |
| [Friday Joke] My uncle Leroy got a job at the local factory. On his first day the floor supervisor calls Leroy into his little office and says, “You the new man right? What’s your name/what would you like me to call you?” Uncle Leroy replied Leroy. The supervisor says, “I don’t call anyone by first names. It breeds familiarity and that leads to breakdown in my management authority. I refer to all employees by last names. Now what is your last name”. Leroy says, “It’s Darling, Leroy Darling.”
The Supervisor said, “Oh well, um, o.k. Now Leroy, the next thing …” |
 [Health Food] Which popular food product is made up of the following ingredients: Water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated vegetable oil, skim milk, contains less than 2% of light cream, sodium caseinate, natural and artificial flavor, xanthan and guar gums, modified food starch, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, sodium polyphosphate, beta carotene. Cool Whip! |
| [Night and Day] Micky Dolenz recalls the Monkees’ ‘Weird’ Tour with Jimi Hendrix. Link |
 |
| [Vaccines] Even the most far out conspiracy extremist must notice that deaths and infections have gone way, way down due to the vaccines. Just because you can imagine something doesn’t make it real. Everything is a conspiracy to those people. They’d prefer politics over science. |
 [Party] Mote Marine Laboratory will host the welcome party for the 37th annual Underwater Music Festival, from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 9. The event, which will be held at Mote’s Summerland Key facility, is free and open to the public. People can learn about Mote’s coral reef research and restoration efforts happening on Florida’s Coral Reef while enjoying live music, light fare and family-friendly activities at Mote’s Summerland Key facility. Information about the event is available by calling Mote at 305-745-2729, Ext. 700. |
| [Vaccines] I asked 23 people in my address book if they got their virus shot yet? All replied, but half will not get it for fear of the misinformation going around. They trust no one. |
  Keys Auto built a beautiful new service department. That whole place is a dump, but not any longer, they’re replacing everything. I thought it was a tiki bar but couldn’t get a drink. |
 |
 [Plan Ahead] Your tax dollars at work. Vehicles that were left after the US forces left Bagram Airfield. Why isn’t that stuff shipped back to the US? It is only going to be grabbed by the Taliban. Are we trying to make them stronger? The US is leaving billions of dollars worth of equipment for the Taliban. The US won’t admit the strong possibility that the Taliban will soon control the entire country. We couldn’t control them after 20 years trying, even with our superior military! How does anyone think the feeble and disloyal Afghan army can beat them? |
 Bang Bang Shrimp8 ounces spaghetti 8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or more, to taste Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped For the sauce: 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce 2 cloves garlic, pressed Juice of 1/2 lime, or to taste 1 teaspoon Sriracha, optional inch of crushed red pepper flakes Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F. Then, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside. To prepare the sauce, combine the yogurt, sweet chili sauce, garlic, lime juice, Sriracha, and red pepper flakes. Place the shrimp on a baking sheet and add oil, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper, and combine. Roast in the oven until the shrimp are just pink, firm, and fully cooked (about 6-8 minutes). Remove from the oven. Assemble your pasta by combining the pasta, shrimp, and sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve |
 |
| [“Conch-crete”] Tell me about it! My house was built in 1999. I had to repair the Conch-crete staircase in 2005 due to it falling away from house. Four years later I saw “bubbles” on the canal side of the house. A realtor picked at it and exposed rusting rebar. I believe the builder did use the canal water (salt water) for mixing concrete as the original owner of house was too busy to watch as work was being done. The builders in Florida go the cheapest route they can get away with. I grew up in the Northeast where homes built in the 1920s are still standing strong today. They just don’t build them or care about quality like used to. |
[UFO] The sky is full of potential UFOs—here’s why: The technology that surveys our skies isn’t designed to spot and identify everything that flies. Link |
| [Power Play] Power companies are lobbying to make rooftop solar more expensive. Whether for profit or to avoid widespread rate hikes, the outcome might make generating your own electricity less appealing. Link |
“Welcome back, sir. Are you planning on being our guest for one night only, or will this be your usual extended stay?” |
| [Hacker Phone] We got the phone the FBI secretly sold to criminals. ‘Anom’ phones used in an FBI honeypot are mysteriously showing up on the secondary market. We bought one. Link |
 |
| [Sunset View] This spot in the Florida Keys has one of the best views of sunset in the world. Video |
[Name That Bird] What kind of a hawk is this? It had some markings on its tail. |
| The OnePlus 6 and 6T are only just now getting a taste of Android 11 OS. One Plus are great phones. The best I’ve ever owned. I’m surprised they are not more popular. Link |
I just got my COVID-19 shot, and believe me, Viagra has nothing on that stuff! |
       |