Letters to the editor with pictures since 2002.
Published on Big Pine Key’s garbage pick-up days,
Tuesdays and Fridays.
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 [Raping The Refuge] The dead poisonwood trees along Key Deer Blvd. appear to have been (sprayed at base of the trunk) basal sprayed with a systemic herbicide. The agent used was appears to be Triclyphr (Garlon IV) which is used to kill invasive exotics on refuge property.The property it was used on is part of The National Key Deer Refuge across from Fischer Lane and Pond Lane. The gated property was closed off when Phil Frank was manager back in 2003. The area was severely burned in the April 2018 wildfire and all of the pine trees were killed and a good bit of the native vegetation. Interestingly, Brazilian Pepper was not killed along Racoon Run but poisonwood was. Hundreds of trees were poisoned in this second round of herbicide use on native vegetation. Last year several hundred trees were killed further south. Poisonwood, Metopium toxiferum is a valuable native species for wildlife, and an important food for the White Crowned Pigeon. The number of White Crowned Pigeons are at an all-time low, down to about 25% of the historic numbers. It is hard to understand, why this was done, but appears to have been done by the refuge. Very large tracts of land have been cleared of native vegetation since 2015 on the Key Deer Refuge. Perhaps someone could explain why this is being done. The Refuge was created to protect native species not to destroy them. In the past, many groups would have gone crazy over the large amount of money being spent to clear habitat, but most of the serious environmentalists have left Big Pine Key and the remaining environmental groups are not active. |
 [Wetstock 17 Party] Hello everyone, It’s hard to believe it’s been 17 years of having Wetstock — a day of peace & music. Back then my own band didn’t really want to play when I talked about playing on a boat so I threw some guys together and did it. It was great from the beginning. My bandmates saw the instant fun and groove. Wetstock was born!So grab you coolers and floats and come out for another day of fun, sun, peace & music at Wetstock 17, Sunday, May 29th in the waters off Picnic Island in South Pine Channel. Your friend, Flip Flop Bob |
| [Friday Joke] Three retirees were relaxing on the beach in Florida. One said, “I owned a factory in New York state. One winter, the heat didn’t come on, the pipes froze and got water everywhere, and everything was ruined. I decided I was too old to start over, so I took the insurance money, sold the place, and retired to down here.” The second man said “I had a big store, in Philadelphia. One night, it caught fire, and burned to the ground. I didn’t want to go through all the work of rebuilding, so I sold the property, took the insurance money, and moved here, too.” The third man said “I owned a huge car dealership in Miami. Two years ago, a hurricane Irma blew through, and destroyed everything, even the buildings. I, too, decided to take the insurance money, and retire.” His companions looked at him in awe. After a few moments of silence, one asked “How did you start a hurricane?” |
Actual radar track. |
| [Yesterday When I Was Young] I’ve enjoyed this song for years but never was caught up in the lyrics, same as l’ve done with so many others. This treatment is spectacular and certainly speaks to many of us. Once to see each of the faces and try to recognize the singers and a second time to really listen to the words in this great song. Watch the background pictures. You’ll be amazed by the aging of these entertainers. The three pictures are the same person. I wondered who actually wrote this song and thought it was Roy Clarke but he was the one that first recorded it. This is what I found out. “When I Was Young” is a song with a countercultural theme released in early 1967 by Eric Burdon and The Animals; it was written by five of the band members: Eric Burdon (vocals), Barry Jenkins (drums), John Weider (guitar/violin), Vic Briggs (guitar), and Danny McCulloch (bass). This version is so well done by Glenn Campbell. Lots of memories here. Video |
 Think our world is not f**ked up? NY’s Supreme Court is arguing whether an elephant named “Happy” is a person.It lives in the Bronx Zoo. (The US Supreme Court has already determined that corporations are people too.) You can’t make this crap up. |
| [This Week’s Mass Murderer] Lonely, isolated — with a troubling sign. Link |
 DOW drops 1000 points! Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride! A stock market crash is a sudden and big drop in the value of stocks that’s caused by investors selling their shares quickly. That drives down the value of stocks for other shareholders, who also start selling their shares to try to cut their losses. Link |
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 [Book Club] Hope everyone can make it to the book club on Saturday, May 21 at 10:00 am. The book is Killing Mister Watson by Peter Matthiessen. It should be a good discussion.
The June book is The Widow Clicquot: The story of a champagne empire and the woman who ruled it by Tilar J Mazzeo. Copies of the book will be available at the meeting. Full Menu > Book Club |
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| [Term Limits] Congressman should not receive a pension for the rest of their lives. There should be no retirement. Congress was never intended to be a career. |
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 Does anyone know why the Refuge is killing the poisonwood north of Lyttons Way on Key Deer Blvd? I think it’s the Refuge people? Since when did they start killing native trees they are supposed to be protecting? If this sin continues how long before we can start eating Bambi again? |
| [The Moon Illusion] Have you ever looked at the nighttime horizon and gasped at the sight of a spectacularly large moonrise? Typically, if you glance up at the sky hours later, the moon will seem to have shrunk. Dubbed the moon illusion, this phenomenon has been witnessed for thousands of years, a visual trickery that takes place all in the mind. And, even after so long, scientists still disagree on what exactly is happening in our brains. To test it, you can snap a picture of the rising moon on the horizon and compare it to an image taken later that night. The size will remain consistent, even if your eyes deceive in the moment. Link |
 [Disney Debuts New LGBTQ Pride Children’s Collection] What happened to the rainbow? “The rainbow is a reminder of the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” Link |
| [Friday Joke] Most people don’t know that back in 1912, Hellmann’s mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery on May 5th in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost. The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise at that time and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day. It occurs each year on May 5th and is known as Sinko De Mayo. And now you know where the name originated. |
Who said men have no taste and can’t decorate? Link |
[How In The World] Egad! Is that an alligator or python below the dog? |
[Lousy Bug Spray] Captain Jack’s Deadbug. I sprayed this crap on my bug infested hibiscus, weekly, for about a month and the bugs are worse then ever. Boo. Can any of you recommend a spray that works? |
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| Deadly tiger encounters are on the rise in India. India is home to the world’s largest wild tiger population. It’s protected by conservation mandates. As their habitats can overlap with humans, conflicts are on the rise. Link |
 [Gas Pump Wisdom] Can you imagine wanting to make sure you drove by a certain gas station every day just to see the message on their chalk board? It’s true — a gas station has become quite a landmark in Gauteng, South Africa because of its daily uplifting quotes written on a chalkboard. Some people say they deliberately travel this route just to read the quote to brighten their day. |
| [Friday Joke] I got pulled over on Hwy 70 for going 12 mph over the speed limit. As the officer started walking up to my truck, I rolled my windows down. My adorable and apparently incredibly smart 6 year-old niece, started screaming from the backseat: It’s coming out! I can’t hold it any longer Papi! It’s almost here! Papi!” Now the trooper is hearing her scream and he leans in the window and asks her, “What’s going on here?” She looks him dead in the face and says, “I’ve got poop coming out of my butt!” He started laughing and I looked like I was about to cry. He asked how far I had to go, which was about 2 miles home. He told me to drive safe and get miss thang home to do her business. He could not stop laughing. As soon as we pulled away I asked her, “What the hell was that about?” This kid, smirked and said, “I saw it on YouTube but I didn’t think it would work.” I said, “So you’re not pooping?” She said nope and you’re not in trouble either. This kid is my hero. |
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