Published Tuesdays and Fridays. Letters to the editor with pictures. Since 0202.
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 We look forward to this time of year here at Isaksen Insurance, a time to spend with family and reflect on all of the happenings, both good and bad, of the past year. We here in parts of the Keys have had quite a set back this past season. but it shows what a strong community the Florida Keys are and how proud we are to be a part of such a great community.
The holiday season is a wonderful time for us to remember the friends and customers who help our business and make our jobs a pleasure all year long. Our business would not be possible without your continued support. So we’d like to take this moment to say thank you and send our best wishes to you and your families. May your New Year be filled with all the success and happiness you deserve. In an effort to provide our employees with time to spend with their families our office will be closing on Friday, December 22nd at 1pm and will be closed Christmas Day- December 25. We will also be closing on Friday, December 29th at 1pm and will be closed New Year’s Day. Happy Holidays from all of us here at Isaksen Insurance, Inc. |
| Wow, finally we see the real FTR. I had no idea that deep down in his heart he’s really Bernie Sanders and wants to tell us how to use the property that our hard earned money bought. A true republican believes in people’s right to use what they have however they want. They gave up everything to get what they have. They should be able to do what they want. I’m an independent and believe if you want to tell me what to do with my property then buy it and do what you want. This is like the guy who bought the house across the road from the ocean. Everything’s great until someone buys the lot between you and the ocean and builds a house. They start whining that they lost their view. |
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| Saturday Night Live’s take on the Amazon Echo. Video |
Thursday was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. It’s also the day when the sun retraces its movement back towards the north. I think it’s 15° of movement between the summer and winter solstices. |
| [Big Pine Flea Market] Cheryl’s in Paradise is open, battered & bruised, but not broken. Polarized sunglasses and reading glasses and new this year — purses. We opened last weekend and we were so happy to see familiar friends and make some new ones. Thank you for your support, it is good to be back. We will be open each weekend, Saturday & Sunday from 8 – 2. Come say hello and let us know you are ok. Merry Christmas to all! |
 [Radio Shack to Reopen] My last day open was Sept 7th when we made the decision to evacuate. As you may have noticed or heard my business was a total loss. A tornado tore the roof completely off putting me and Beals out of business for a while.
Good news is the roof was repaired last week and the cleanup and drywall crew are in and should be done this week. Still have to get AC, an electrician, painters etc.. so probably be open by the end of January. Could you please post something saying RS is being rebuilt and will open soon. I fear with the mass exodus of people and being closed so long has really hurt my business. Thanks and happy holidays! |
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| My good friend FTR stated that rentals of less than 30 days are illegal. While it is illegal to rent for less than 28 days in an improved subdivision, there are many other zonings that do allow shorter term rentals of one week and even one day. MU Multiple use, RS Residential, SC Suburban Commercial, and I believe that there are others. These are the minority of homes in the Lower Keys but there are several neighborhoods that are populated in the majority with short term rent able homes. |
 [American Civil War] There seems to be some misconception about the real cause of the American Civil war. Those folks not born in the southern part of the US have a “holier-than-thou” view of themselves because they believe that the war was fought solely for humanitarian reasons. If that were true, and it’s not, it would be the only war in the history of civilization that was waged for that purpose. Unlikely, very unlikely.
More likely and certainly more believable, the war was fought for the same reason all wars are fought – resources. The south had cotton, it was the industrial revolution and the north needed cotton. The north also needed jobs for their 22 million, and growing, population. Given the power the north had in Congress, due to their more than double population over the south, they restricted the south from selling their cotton and other natural resources outside the US, effectively seizing control of the south’s economy. As a result, many of the southern states seceded from the union. The war was fought to regain control over the southern states and their resources. But it sounds so much better to say that almost one million people lost their lives for humanitarian reasons. |
| How long does weed stay in your system? Link |
Terry Cassidy’s Christmas Hurricane Debris song. “Dear Santa, make room on your sleigh to take all this crap away…” Video |
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| [Debris Cleanup] “Because Governor Scott blah, blah…” You might want to look a little closer to home for the reason it’s taking so long for the cleanup. Since most of the money sent to the Keys goes into the pockets of local officials and/or used to clean up Key West, Big Pine will be looking like a garbage dump for some time to come. |
The terrible truth about the making of eggnog. |
| “Let’s give everyone healthcare”, but only those that work have to pay for it through income tax. Well, that’s the current system – at least the part about those that work paying for those that don’t. If you want to know what government run health care will look like, which is what you’re advocating, just as a veteran how good their health care is. Careful what you wish for. |
A beautiful Christmas in our White House! Merry Christmas everyone! Video |
| Remember our first responders who will be away from home, family and loved ones this Christmas Day and keep them in your prayers. |
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| The contradictions of Hemingway’s house in Cuba. Link |
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| The mainstream media reminds me of a bored, obnoxious kid poking an anthill with a stick just to watch them panic and scramble. To the ants, it seems like a major natural disaster is threatening their home and lives, but it’s just a kid with a stick. If only they knew… |
[Unsung Hero] Kenny Lowe, the manager at Winn Dixie opened the Big Pine store the day after Irma hit for a couple of hours with almost no employees or much of anything else except his good intentions. Next time you want to criticize the store, think first how Kenny left his damaged home and possessions just to help us in our hour of need. |
| [“Pressure cooker”] That was a nice article on Tuesday, but it doesn’t talk about the nutrition advantage of a pressure cooker. Also, most pressure cooker have a slow cooker button so 2 they are really appliances in one. My Instant Pot Slow Cooker button has low, medium, high. If looking for a pressure cooker I opt for Instant Pot vs PPCXL mainly cause it has stainless steel pot vs coating that eventually peels. Lots of other advantages of IP vs PPCXL. Look at the top review on Amazon for an IP 6 quart for more info. Link |
Leonardo da Vinci, the sixteenth century genius, painted two of the most famous paintings of all time, the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. Ironically he didn’t like painting and only completed about fifteen paintings in his lifetime. He rarely finished any of his works. Vinci didn’t like to paint. He was more interested in science, anatomy, engineering and hydraulics. His notebooks are filled with thousands of incredible sketches and extensive notes on these subjects, but few completed paintings or projects. |
| Check out amazing rendition of the U.S. National Anthem sung by 500 high school students. Video |
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| W/D weekly ad. Link |
[Evil] Cardinal Bernard Law, symbol of church sex abuse scandal, is dead–thank God. Law knew his priests were perverts and to aid them in their perversion he would move the pedophiles from church to church when their sexual abuses of kids was discovered; and then move them again when they continued diddling young children and parents complained. He was an evil monster hiding behind the Church. The monster who enabled pedophile priests died in a palace provided by the Pope. Video |
| [Free Money] Monroe County received a FEMA grant program of $10 million to help people stay in their homes as they rebuild/repair. It’s called the STEP Program, Shelter and Temporary Essential Power. Max amount $20,000 to help people “shelter in place”. So far they have only had about $2 mil in applications. The program has been extended from Nov 27 to Dec 27. If people don’t apply and get on list program will close and the money will go away. Get on the list! It’s easy to apply. They want and need people to apply. Do it. Link |
 Ramon didn’t invent the Cuban Mix which was a common household lunch for years . Rod, Ramon’s father owned the Quay restaurant not Ramon. Ramon was still in his teens in the 60’s. Finally, Ramon never went to jail for anything, specially not smuggling. |
| [“Conquistadores 1518 Mexico”] How come no one associates the Aztecs with being cannibals? There’s not one bit of information I’ve ever read, other than on the CT, where the Aztec’s cannibalism is ever mentioned. We talk about the African’s penchant for eating their enemies, but never the Aztec’s who slaughtered and ate people on a grand scale. |
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| [Nobody Cares About You] George Carlin. True back then, even more true today. Video |
[The Ten Commandments] Whether you’re religious or not, you have to admit that the 10 Commandments are the clearest, most complete set of laws ever written for society. They are concise, easy to understand and are without loopholes. It’s obvious they weren’t written with the intent to provide job security for lawyers. Although many find it difficult to do so, if these laws were followed, we would have a perfect society. |
| [“Cuban Mix sandwich”] I think the restaurant across from the Conch Train was called Rod’s. |
The Christmas edition of our Big Pine Computer Club is coming up this Saturday, December 23, 10 am at the Big Pine Library’s back room. Hope to see you there! Full Menu > Ongoing Events |
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| Today I will be signing books at the Big Pine Key library from 4:30 – until the police arrive. ~Bryce Applegate |
[Too Soon] A friend of mine went to the grocery store yesterday after work and they were stocking the shelves with Valentine’s Day candy! |
| [Free Money] UWFK’s Irma Relief fund will be distributed to nonprofits and individuals throughout Monroe County. Thanks to the generous contributions of friends and supporters around the world, this fund has enabled UWFK to allocate over $1,000,000 in direct aid for hurricane recovery throughout Monroe County. |
[Strange Things] This thing was at the Kohen boat ramp last week and I still can’t figure out what it means. |
| [“Affordable housing in ground level enclosures“] Seriously? I guess we have all forgotten Wilma. That’s when FEMA said no more sheetrock that they have to dispose of when it gets soaked. I wonder about people who want to “affordable housing” where it gets destroyed every time nature blows a surge through |
A gentleman’s guide for wrapping Christmas gifts. Cover gift with wrapping paper. Tape, tape, tape. Fold excess paper under gift. Tape, tape, tape. Place under tree. |
| [Friday Joke] Death bed. “My son, Bernie, I want you to take the Ocean Reef houses.” “My daughter, Sybil, you take the apartments between mile markers 100 and Tavernier.” “My son, Jamie, I want you to take the offices over in the Marathon Government Center.” “Sarah, my dear wife, please take all the residential buildings on the bay side on Blackwater Sound.” The nurse and witnesses are blown away as they did not realize his extensive holdings, and as he slips away, the nurse says, “Gosh, your husband must have been such a hard-working man to have accumulated all this property.”The wife replies, “Not really, he had a paper route.” |
 [Program To Help Keys Home Owners] Monroe County has a $10 million dollar grant, they have had requests for less than $2 million by people needing assistance. If they don’t receive the applications the program will be closed and the residents of Monroe County will lose out on the funds. This is a new program, part of FEMA, but addressing the critical housing issue here, trying to help people ‘shelter in place’.
If you own your home, are a full time resident (no RV’s) you can get the assistance you need to stay in your home while you rebuild. Please check out the link. It’s fast and easy to apply. Very little documentation required. Get on the list. Link |
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