Letters to the editor with pictures since 2002.
Published on Big Pine Key’s garbage pick-up days,
Tuesdays and Fridays.
The Un-social Media with 60,000 Monthly Followers
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 Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dies after tour pull out. Watts played drums on all of the group’s 30 albums and on every tour. No cause of death was given for his passing, but the announcement followed an Aug. 4 statement by the band that the drummer was pulling out of its rescheduled No Filter U.S. tour because he needed time to recuperate after an unspecified emergency medical procedure.
Bandmates had expected Watts to rejoin the band. “We really look forward to welcoming Charlie back as soon as he is fully recovered,” Jagger tweeted on Aug. 4. Link |
 [Captain Arrested In Parasail Deaths] A Key West boat captain has been charged with two felony counts of manslaughter and three violations of state parasail laws in the death of two tourists in a parasail accident last year. Authorities arrested Andrew John Santeiro, 33, of Key West for taking parasailers up in 35 mph gusts of wind and losing control of the boat and parasail. Link |
| [Crooks] Key West-based labor-staffing businesses face immigration fraud charges. The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted three men who operated labor-staffing companies in Florida and Key West on charges of conspiracy to harbor non-resident aliens and induce them to remain in the country and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Link |
Only nice people paint. ~Bob Ross |
| [No Use For Children] We are old and never liked or wanted kids. No use for them. Until last week. We had a visit from a 12 year-old girl and an 8 year-old boy for 4 days along with their sweet mother. We thought our routine would be disrupted, but it wasn’t. I still got to take a siesta evert day. They were so well behaved and original. They brightened up our lives. Everything they came up with was new to us. I hadn’t realized how out of touch I was with the modern world and city people. What a different world than old people’s. How refreshing youth is. Trying to look at life through children’s eyes was a real fun experience. We dreaded their visit, but now wish they stayed longer. Maybe they’ll return! |
 Harvestmen are extraordinary assemblages of legs—stupendously long, spindly legs that can outstrip their bodies by a factor of 28, a bit like a human tromping around on 80-foot limbs. Some 6,500 species of harvestmen exist. They are not spiders. Link |
| The FDA officially approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has a 91 percent efficacy, according to recent data. Link |
 [Charlie Watts is Dead] Charlie Watts, the self-effacing and unshakeable Rolling Stones drummer who helped anchor one of rock’s greatest rhythm sections and used his “day job” to support his enduring love of jazz, has died. He was 80. Link |
| [Friday Joke] MEN‘S HELP LINE – Letter of the Month Hi John, I really need your advice on a seriousproblem: I have suspected for some time now that my wife has been cheating on me. The usual signs: if the phone rings and I answer, the caller hangs up; she goes out with the girls a lot. I try to stay awake to look out for her when she comes home but I usually fall asleep. Anyway last night about midnight I hid in the shed behind the boat. When she came home she got out of someone’s car buttoning her blouse, then she took her panties out of her purse and slipped them on. It was at that moment crouched behind the boat that I noticed a hairline crack in the outboard engine mounting bracket. Is that something I can weld or do I need to replace the whole bracket? |
 [Hail Britannia] Queen Mary 2—the real deal! Welcome to a true icon. Our flagship is a truly astonishing liner and you’ll find an incredible sense of freedom in the space she offers. Whether you’re in the mood for complete relaxation or something more active, you can find it. Immerse yourself in enthralling entertainment, be indulged in the on board spa, or simply relax with a book in her vast library. You’ll discover remarkable craftsmanship in the elegant staterooms and suites and savoring her many sumptuous restaurants and bars is always a pleasure. Link |
 [COVID Commissioner] Another Monroe County Commissioner hospitalized with COVID-19. Upper Keys Monroe County Commissioner Mike Forster is currently hospitalized in Miami with COVID-19. Link |
| [Fox Guarding Henhouse] The Taliban is protecting Americans at Afghan airport. What could go wrong? They only let one suicide bomber pass through so far. |
Number of years it took each product to gain 50 million users. |
| [Bad Editorship] The headline read: “Giant emerald found” and then the story describes how a giant sapphire was found. Odd. |
 [Mental Confusion] The three most common causes of mental confusion in the elderly: uncontrolled diabetes, urinary infection, dehydration. It may sound like a joke, but it isn’t. People over 60 generally stop feeling thirsty and consequently stop drinking fluids. When no one is around to remind them to drink fluids, they quickly dehydrate. Dehydration is severe and affects the entire body It may cause abrupt mental confusion, a drop in blood pressure, increased heart palpitations, angina (chest pain), coma and even death.The important thing is that, every two hours, you must drink some liquid. You should drink 8-10 eight-ounce glasses of water a day. Gin and tonic doesn’t count. |
 [Greed] Nirvana sued by the baby from Nevermind’s album cover. Spencer Elden, the man who was photographed as a baby on the album cover for Nirvana’s Nevermind, is suing the band alleging sexual exploitation. The cover depicts Elden as a four-month-old in a swimming pool, grasping for a dollar bill that’s being dangled in front of him on a fishing line. Now 30, Elden says his parents never signed a release authorizing the use of his image on the album and now is going after more than just the dollar bill. Link |
| [Masks] Staying home or staying at least 6 feet apart from others is the best way to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. But as more people get vaccinated, and as businesses, schools, and summer camps reopen, that’s no longer a viable or necessary strategy. What does remain necessary, though, is wearing a mask when you’re taking public transit, visiting transportation hubs (such as airports), and working in or visiting health-care settings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says unvaccinated people should continue wearing masks whenever indoors in public and while outdoors in crowds (or when otherwise unable to maintain a distance from others). |
[The Party Never Stopped — Until It Did] Federal aviation officials say a woman was fined $17,000 for drinking alcohol not served by the airline, vaping and refusing to wear a mask on a flight from Key West. Link |
| [Jeff Bezos Suing NASA] Here’s why. The Amazon CEO is taking on the US space agency as his prime target. Here’s the context on the dispute—and NASA’s moonshot plans. Link |
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| [Friday Joke] Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry. She told him “Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds and it better be there!” The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale. Bob has been missing since Friday! |
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