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[Rumor of The Week] Word around Mosquito Control is the director has been given the option to either resign or be fired! |
![]() [Life in the Lower Keys] Having to look in your water glass for a bug before drinking it. |
[Cuba Trade] New regulations allow U.S. firms to offer Cuban buyers credit on sales of non-agricultural goods, addressing a longstanding Cuban complaint about a ban on credit. The vast majority of Obama’s new regulations have been aimed at spurring U.S. trade with Cuban entrepreneurs instead of with the state-run firms that dominate the economy. The Cuban government says that U.S. focus on private business is partly responsible for Cuba’s not opening its economy in response to the U.S. loosening of the embargo. |
![]() Now the gun captain took center stage. Careful not to cause sparks, he pushed an iron poker into the cannon’s vent (a small exhaust hole near the breach), puncturing the gunpowder cartridge inside. Then, using a much finer gunpowder, known as serpentine, he filled the vent to the top. Only then was the weapon ready to fire. Pulling on thick ropes attached to the gun’s wheeled carriage, the navy crew muscled the cannon forward until its barrel protruded out of its port. Now, despite the pitch and roll of the ship, despite the concussion of other cannons, despite taking enemy fire, the gun crew aimed as best they could. All that remained was for the gun captain to step forward with his linestock (a long pole with a smoldering match at the end) and put it to the touchhole, igniting the serpentine power and the weapon would fire. |
![]() Saturday: Entertainment by The Megan Ellis Band. Get a taste at www.themeganellisband.com Sunday: Comedian Bill Hach will make you laugh. 7pm Monday: It’s Manly Monday. Lunch and Dinner Specials that will make you want to loosen your belt and ask for more Tuesday: Alan Graf’s Bluegrass Jam Circle at 6:30pm. Bring your fiddle, guitar or just tap your feet or dance along. No experience necessary. Wednesday: The Cornhole League meets at 7 pm. Even if you didn’t sign up it’s still a blast watching with a cold beer served in a chilled 16 oz. glass. Happy Hour every day from 3pm – 7 pm. We serve our draft beer in 16 oz. chilled glasses, Great Burgers, Fries and Pizza Pies. Homemade Specials. |
[Pop-Ups] I never plan to be sarcastic when I wake up. It just happens naturally as the idiots pop up in my day. |
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When you win an argument in your family you don’t really win anything. |
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[Monroe County’s Contest to Update It’s Official Seal] I think this entry is a winner for sure. It’s modern with clean lines. It’s eye-catching without being gaudy. The logo really sums up what the county is all about: they make our tax money disappear as if by magic. |
[Florida Keys Journal] L. E. Shaffer: The Dan Saus Interview. 1. How about a brief bio? School? Family? Etc. Dan is from Alliance, Ohio. He went to the University of Akron. Dan worked for Genie, an automatic garage door opener company. Then Dan worked for Merck Drug Company. In early 90s he moved to Marathon. Dan was the Key West Wastewater Plant Operation Manager and then worked for the Aqueduct Authority as Lower Keys Area Manager. Then he worked for Weiler Engineering. Later Dan worked for Key Largo KLWTD for four years. Now he is proud to serve Marathoners in maintaining the wastewater and stormwater systems.2. What’s the status city utilities and the department? Preventive maintenance is the key. Staff is dedicated which helps a lot. Staff turned the wastewater and stormwater problems around. They have taken ownership. We discussed how middle incomers are having problems with affordable housing; there are several ideas to help middle income workers live here in paradise. There are different talents and experiences that staff bring to the table. In-house service is way better than contractors.3. With staff doing a great job; why is that? Dan said that staff is motivated, takes ownership of systems, is cross trained, and has experience are just a few items showing how well our staff does its job. Operators have changed plants to broaden their experiences with the whole system.4. What is a typical day for you? First is to communicate with staff. We prioritize using info from previous day and night. We go over upcoming agenda items. Dan encourages staff to work together. They work on items on the Wade Trim Report which evaluates the systems. They work on the Mayfield Grant’s 17 million to improve wastewater and stormwater systems. Dan’s overall supervision and attention to details has made his department a solid and good system. 5. Anything we forgot? Dan is very happy that the systems are doing quite well. He is glad to provide solid service to the people, the department’s customers. |
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[Guns] Is a .380 handgun exactly the same as a .38 handgun? |
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Men of a few words are usually married to women with many of them. |
![]() [R.I.P. Rocketman] When I first moved to Marathon, many years ago, after living in Montana. I started going to the open jam night at the Dockside Bar. It was Rocketman, that keyboard dude and his drummer. The usual cast of characters from the local music scene. I was noticeably drunk and outdid the cowboys with a head stand on or near the stage. I looked up at Rocketman who was noticeably alerted to my antics, while shaking his ‘egg’ or something. They always let me sit in and play guitar. Wildness and merriment! |
[“Sewer easements”] So you were coerced, conned, threatened, extorted, and then you caved in and signed the easement papers, thinking that’s it’s all over. Guess again. Sometime in the future your Commissioners will decide that this maintenance promise has suddenly disappeared and you will be required to maintain the turd grinder at your own cost. Think logically about this. How many turd grinders will be placed in Monroe County? You can be sure that they will fail (parts are manufactured in China). Do you really think that the County will continue paying for those repairs? Do you trust our government? How about that old hack, “Q: How can you tell when a politician is lying? A: His lips are moving.” That’s reality! |
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I won my divorce case! I stopped a foolish woman, drunken with power and righteousness from trying to take my kid away from me. The second attorney I hired had skull and crossbone cuff links. |
I was browsing through the arrest record and noticed something that many of these people have in common-they are cooks. Looking at those pictures I am not sure if I would want to be eating food prepared by these people. Full Menu > Arrest Reports Mug Shots |
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How come when we use the self-checkout at the market we don’t get an employee discount? |
The shiny pro Peary Court PAC website left off a good bit of the Key West Citizen editorial dated, actually, January 17 and one of the longest I’ve ever seen. I had to go to the library to see it and there were probably 4 more paragraphs that the PAC left out – leaving the last one: “it’s a bargain ” as though that was the last word on the 55 million bailout of those speculators who I suspect care nothing about us. Maybe not so much a bargain that is.
Remember, their first plan was to maximize their profit by putting in transient, country club housing there and threatened to sue the City if they didn’t get their way. Then they subverted the DEO by hiring a lobbyist to reverse a long-standing 30% affordable housing requirement. The remaining Citizen editorial paragraphs urged caution and were far from an endorsement. I hope someone will correct that, at least on social media, perhaps by posting the whole thing and if not in some other way, calling them on it. Oddly, that same day there was a letter from Ed Swift attacking the editorial as though he had previewed it somehow. He is the founder of the PAC it seems, or at least given the most money- so far, anyway. |
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[American Youth] A report shows that 10% of college graduates think Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court Link |
[“Anvil markings”] The markings on the side of anvils usually are the foundry marks, but have little to do with the weight. If the marks show that the anvil was of German or Austrian manufacture, then it might be one of the only two anvils worth their weight in gold. Use a good bathroom scale and figure a minimum of $10 per pound for these highly prized anvils. If it does not ring when hit, it is just a big door stop! |
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[“Electric bills will be higher since the trees are gone”] The Winn Dixie parking lot has never been air conditioned so your argument makes me chuckle. |
Some people that ride bicycles in Marathon are completely oblivious to the rules of the road. Today again, I nearly hit an old woman riding a bike who had no business crossing the road the way she did. If it were up to me these imbeciles would get one warning, then it would be good by bicycle. Make them walk until they can buy another bike and see if they ride properly. I don’t even want to think about what it’s like to have to drive in Key West every day. |
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[Understanding The Concept of Affluence] Someone insulted a person for selling a brand new ceiling fan for ten dollars. Wouldn’t it be a bit smarter to take it back to the store for a refund instead of losing money! |
Anybody else get the Keysazoomas from draft beer lately? These local bars do not clean out their pipes often enough! |
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Yellowstone people. Video |
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[Rust Never Sleeps] Unless you use your tools daily and clean them when done, dip them in light oil and store them in plastic bags, else this salt air will eat them. Electric tools should be also stored in plastic bags. |
[“Bad, classless jokes about Jersey girls”] Lighten up a little. We love to make fun of Jersey women, mainly because most of them deserve it. And don’t underestimate the intelligence of the people down here, some do belong to Mensa and have a sense of humor, unlike the person making the comment. And why does he put Jersey girls in the same category as hard drives and gooks? |
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It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done. ~Coconut Bar & Liquor Store |
[“Parking lot trees”] So they cut down all the trees at Winn Dixie because some klutz from Jersey, who can’t walk across a parking lot without tripping on a bump in the pavement, filed a lawsuit. Incredible! |
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[Pot Hole] I have been asking whatever manager is working at Publix when I go there, to please fix the huge puddle on the East side of Publix at the Sombrero Beach Road entrance. If you remember, could others please ask the manager to address it? As we all know, it’s a hassle to stop and stand in deep water while waiting for cars to pass. Install a drain, whatever. Just handle it. |
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[Illegal Aliens] Tuesday the Danish parliament voted to confiscate illegal immigrants’ valuables. I don’t know if the measure passed or not, but what a great way to get rid of illegal aliens—seize their wealth. No money—no illegals! It beats tying up the courts to deport one single alien at a time, seeing as we have 11 million of them. |
![]() The other day someone went to detail on how dogs were smarter than cats. Ok one side, but consider this, you can pick up a stick and throw it and the dog will chase after the stick over and over and over till it dies. Take that stick with a cat and throw it, and the cat will sit there and give you the are-you-f**king-serious look. Do you really think that I’m going to chase that stick for you? So who’s smarter? |
[Science Saturday] At the Florida Keys National Weather Service office is set for Feb. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will host the free open house that will include meteorologists teaching how the agency delivers weather, water and climate data in the Keys and how they deal with severe weather warnings. Raffles and live entertainment will also be part of the day. All proceeds benefit the National Mooring Buoy Fund, which helps the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary maintain more than 500 mooring buoys from Key Largo to the Dry Tortugas. |
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Teresa “Teri” Roxanne Weeks nee Stockwell, died on Dec. 17 at the University of Miami Hospital in Miami, Florida. She was 63. She graduated from Key West High School in 1971. She was married to Quintin Weeks for 28 years and they resided in Cudjoe Key. Teri held several positions with Monroe County including Animal Control, Public Library, Mail Delivery, Facilities Maintenance and Airport Manager’s Assistant. She was later employed by CVS and Winn-Dixie in Big Pine Key. |
[Refuge Offers Kids’ Programs] The National Key Deer Refuge is starting a series of free, children-friendly, nature-oriented programs on Saturday mornings on Big Pine Key. Our Refuge Ranger events are open to children in grades K-8 who are accompanied by a parent or guardian. The programs will run from 9:45 a.m. to noon, unless otherwise noted, and will have an indoor and outdoor (field trip) component. Participants will meet at the refuge’s visitor center in the Winn Dixie Shopping Plaza on Big Pine Key. Preregistration is required. For information and to register, email Kristie Killam at kristie_killam@fws.gov. |
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[Captain Doom and Gloom] Why businesses fail. The most obvious reason is bad management Wrong business to be in for owner’s experience Bad buying of materials, tooling, fixtures, shop / building design Producing a low grade product or service Wrong location for the business Bad customer accessibility and parking Wrong lighting in shop/customer areas A limited seasonal dependent business with a dead period Local ordinances and taxes deplete profits Payola and kickback to locals too high Racially problematic area Incompetent labor force Building maintenance too high Overpriced license, insurance, permits, contracts Not enough customer seating for desired gross income Waste disposal costs too high Power outages too frequent Bad water supply and pressure Inadequate sewage system Hiring of family and relatives Wrong hours of operation Operating as an obvious front for something else |
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Submit anything but National Politics to island@bigpinekey.com For National Politics go directly to that page, log in, and post your comment. NATIONAL POLITICS |