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2020 February

Friday, February 7, 2020

Letters to the editor with pictures since 2002. Published on Big Pine Key’s garbage days, Tuesdays and Fridays.

Developers have pulled every trick in the book to overbuild the Keys.
~First it was the “affordable” housing scam that allowed them to cram more occupants into an area under the guise of helping save our workforce.
~Next they convinced peopled to go to sewer systems to save the water, but their real intention was to have the sewer capacity for more buildings.
~And finally, they are trying to get hurricane evacuation times extended so they can justify more buildings and more people.People should be aware that there are two steps in their scam. First convince people that changes are for their own good; save the water, save the workforce, save the planet, save the children, etc. Next, they convince officials that this is what the people want.
[Spacewoman] Astronaut Christina Koch, 41, returned to Earth on Thursday after spending 328 days — 11 months — in space, breaking the record for the longest time spent in space by a woman, NASA announced. Koch landed in a Russian spacecraft in Kazakhstan with two other crew members from Expedition 61. Koch’s involvement supports NASA’s goal for future human landings on the Moon, and eventually Mars.

 

 

 

Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas dead at 103. Douglas was born in 1916 in New York and had a long-standing career in Hollywood films and television. KHSL – Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas, star of “Spartacus” and “Lust for Life,” has passed at the age of 103-years-old, according to his son Michael. Link

[Noisy Tourists Next Door] Vacation rentals in YOUR neighborhood. I always (almost always) steer clear of the political firepit.  But this issue is so important to every resident in our entire State I will attempt to post this.

Our Florida State Legislature is planning to take away any/all local control over short term vacation rentals.  If/when these State bills pass our BOCC and City officials will be powerless to control vacation rentals in our residential neighborhoods – powerless.  Let that sink in. I subscribe to https://www.keepitlocalflorida.org/ – I recommend all of you take a look and subscribe if you wish, it’s free, just so you can be aware of what is going on in our State legislature vs our local government.Take the site survey if you choose but there is no teeth in it and it means nothing in real life.  Our government officials (all of them) only see and pay attention to what their voter/constituents are saying – maybe, sometimes. Voter Numbers count, phone calls, letters, emails do matter. Check your voter registration card. Each address in Florida is associated with a single Florida Senate district, a single Florida House district, and a single Congressional district . This district information is printed on your voter registration card.

[Tires] I wondered why my trailer tires really deteriorated before my vehicle tires and searched the web to find a defensible answer. I had already determined that 100% nylon cord construction (not counting any steel belt) lasts much longer than polyester. A polyester cord tire can blow out sitting in your driveway with no signs of deterioration like cracking rubber. Just like perfect looking polyester rope can have no strength left at all in 2-3 years. (I almost didn’t get back to my boat when my floating yellow polyester tag line snapped as soon as I grabbed it in a current.)
The best tire deterioration answer involved sacrificial rubber additives that protect against UV radiation and ozone and are themselves protected by a wax additive that is brought to the surface by the flexing of the sidewall. The article also mentioned that tire care products intended to make your tires look new can actually accelerate the deterioration. Another website says because of the new laws regarding when tires expire and must be changed, many companies have stopped adding UV resistant additives to their products. They save money, make more profit, and you still have to buy them more often. Thank your politicians for that.
How old are your tires? The U.S Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that all tires manufactured since 2000 have serial numbers, and those numbers easily identify their age. Using the last four digits, the first two numbers will reveal the week and last two the year. For example, a serial number ending in 4905 tells you the tires were made during the 49th week of 2005. If there are no recognizable serial numbers, you already have your answer – the tires were made prior to 2000 and need to be replaced. Like everything else, use it or lose it. Link
[“Ears” and deer with jaw lumps”] Thanks for reaching out to us at Save Our Key Deer (SOKD).  Your deer’s deformed ears indeed appear to be very symmetrical (except the uneven hair growth may indicate it’s not genetic). Hopefully this not a result of animal cruelty. I will send this photo and some others we have been sent to the wildlife veterinary professors at Tufts University whom we work with and report their response here.

Your second question, about the possible causes of “chin lumps”, is unfortunately a common concern. The condition is regularly noted with other deer throughout the USA, and is most commonly called “Lumpy Jaw”. There are two, very different causes that really should not be combined:
The most common and readily treatable form is from a food impaction. It is caused by arterial worm parasites (Elaephora schneideri) that the deer typically get from horsefly bites. The worms disrupt blood flow in the neck, resulting in partial paralysis of the jaw muscles. The deer then don’t chew their food sufficiently and an impaction can result. Long-term effects include tooth loss, deformity of the jaw, and weight loss due to inadequate feeding which may result in death. Sometimes these deer hang their tongue from the side of their mouth. Food impactions can be treated by lancing and draining the impaction, but they can also resolve on their own, though the process is not pretty. Arterial worm infections are very effectively prevented and treated by oral medicines ivermectin or doramectin.

The other form of “Lumpy Jaw” is the result of an infection of the jawbone with bacteria, specifically Actinomyces bovis. This bacterium is commonly found in the oral cavity of healthy deer; however, disease can occur when the bacteria invades deeper tissues through cuts in the mouth or dental disease. Once infection becomes established, bacterial by-products break down existing bone and cause the growth of new bone as well as swelling. Affected deer have hard, swollen areas that are centered on the jawbone or surrounding tissues of the face. These lumps are immovable hard swellings of the bones. This bacteria-caused bone infection is much harder to treat than food impactions.

[Long eyelashes] The overweight platinum blonde at the register at Winn Dixie’s eyelashes were so long they move air when she blinked! Did you see her?

 

[Corona Relabled] Grupo Modelo, the owners of Corona beer have decided to rebrand their popular beer. After a panel of experts have decided that the average “gringo” doesn’t know the difference between Corona Beer and Corona Virus.

[Surveillance Capitalism] This is the new norm. We’ve given up the right of privacy willingly although we say different in public.

 

 

[For Sail] I want to sell my fixer-upper and get a sailboat. Any unreasonable offer will be accepted.

[Friday Joke] A man is at work one day when he notices his co-worker is wearing an earring. The man knows his co-worker to be a normally conservative fellow and is curious about his sudden change in fashion sense. The man walks up to him and says, “I didn’t know you were into earrings.”
“Don’t make such a big deal, it’s only an earring,” he replies sheepishly. His friend falls silent for a few minutes, but then his curiosity prods him to ask, “So, how long have you been wearing one?”
“Ever since my wife found it in my truck.”
I always wondered how this trend got started; now I know!

 

 

 

This guy deserves a PhD in marketing.

A person who is appreciated will always do more than expected.
Grand Opening celebration for the new Refuges Nature Center on Big Pine Key on Saturday, February 15th.  The event is free, and family friendly.  Although the Nature Center has been open to the general public since September we wanted to share in the celebration of the opening with our local community, including seasonal residents.  The event will take place from 9:00 am-2:00 pm with the following schedule 9:00-9:30am parking for the Opening Ceremony, 9:30-10:00 Opening Ceremony, 10:00 Ribbon Cutting and 10:00 am-2:00 pm festivities.  Activities include : Wildlife-oriented games and activities, Fish casting and archery challenges, Nature sketching and photography, booths by our government partners, a Plant clinic hosted by Monroe County Extension Service and music and food.  Come on out and celebrate your new nature center!
[Snowed In] In olden days Europe’s horse and buggy days how did they clear roads of snow? Or did they? Were suburbs blocked and did the rural folks have to resign themselves to stay home all winter?

 

 

[Twinkle Toes] Jessica’s Dance Studio on Big Pine Key.

[Movies] Very soon AI will create movies based on when you switch off or if you continue watching until the end. They can tell exactly the moment you switch off. Amazon has done that with books already. Yes, books written by a robot of sorts—AI. At present they are free and they don’t tell you they’re machine brain written. Next it will be AI movies.
[Sex] Patience is the way to have sex. Guys, don’t try to have sex on the first date. If it’s going to happen, without coercing, it will be her move not yours. It took me too long to figure that out.

 

 

 

[New Recipe] English Cottage Pie. Recipes  > Main dishes > English Cottage Pie

Pier 1 Imports is closing more than half of its Twin Cities locations.  Eight of the 12 metro locations are having liquidation sales with discounts of 20% to 40%, including Coon Rapids, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Oak Park Heights, Richfield, Roseville, St. Paul and Shakopee.  The closures are a nationwide impact for the home furnishings company
[Crooked Lawyer] Prosecutorial misconduct, emails, a fictional lawsuit. Colleen Dunne Key West lawyer punished. “Let’s kill all the lawyers” is a line from William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 2, Act IV, Scene 2. The full quote is “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers”.

 

The next meeting of the Big Pine Computer Club is coming up this Saturday, February 8, 10 am at the senior center.  Need some help?  Bring your electronic device(s) and join us.  Open to all! Full Menu > Ongoing Events

[Pearl Harbor] Hindsight makes us marvel at the stupidity of our Navy for clustering all our war ships in one place. How stupid and disastrous
[New Food] Cargill nears completion of huge new test center in Savage, Minnesota — iStock, . Cargill Inc. is opening a new $6.4 million ingredient test center and lab in Savage to speed up development of new cakes, cookies and chocolates for its customers. That’s important for baked goods as every cake and cookie needs a fat.

The Minnetonka-based agribusiness currently operates four other pilot plants for food ingredient innovation. One is in Plymouth, MN  and the others are overseas in Belgium, China and Singapore.

The Keys Chamber Orchestra and the Lower Keys Choir are looking for additional members.  The choir rehearses at the Big Pine Methodist Church on Key Deer Blvd at 5:00 p.m. starting 2/16.  The orchestra rehearses at the Senior Center behind the fire station on Key Deer Blvd.  KCO is having a casual rehearsal and new member introduction Sunday the 9th at 2:00 p.m. with regular rehearsals beginning the 16th.  If you will be here for our concerts (3/31, 4/1 and 4/5) please join us.  Check us out on Facebook, “Keys Chamber Orchestra”.

[Plastic] If you shop on Amazon and you would like to get it in plastic-free packaging, here is what you can do-
-Open your Amazon account
-Go to ‘help/customer service’
-Go to the ‘contact us’
-Use their ‘chat’ option
-On chat, request to make all future orders plastic-free with minimal packaging and where absolutely necessary use only degradable packaging materials like paper.
-This information will be saved to your account for all future orders.