Published Tuesdays & Fridays (garbage days on Big Pine Key)
Since 2002
 [New Beach] There’s a new beach. That little island to the east of Picnic Island that was devastated by Irma isn’t recovering, in fact some of the dead mangroves have vanished leaving a nice new beach. I don’t think that little island will recover. I haven’t seen new growth yet. |
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| [Crook] Former Boys & Girls Clubs executive Dan Dombrowski under investigation over financial issues. Investigation focuses on misappropriation of funds. Mr. Dombrowski resigned as soon as the allegation was made. Link |
 Tensions rise as GMO mosquito release nears. The British based biotech company Oxitec plans to release genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Florida Keys sometime after April, but has yet to disclose and exact location in the Keys or date. Residents opposed to the release staged a protest in Key Largo late last month, opposing the release, and The Coalition Against GMO Mosquitoes launched a new website to educate the nation and to galvanize public opposition to genetically engineered mosquitoes, according to a press release by the Coalition. Link |
 [Mysterious Red Cloud] The puffy version became known as “the red cloud” and “cotton candy cloud” on social media, as inquiries spread Wednesday night. Sightings were reported around 6:30 p.m. from Pennsylvania to as far south as Puerto Rico, where tweets said an investigation was in progress. Link |
| [Gas Price] Last Monday, Big Pine’s gas was cheaper than Marathon’s. That’s a first. |
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| [Good Times] I have happy memories of Key West Garrison Bight where my ex-husband’s family had a houseboat docked and we would stay onboard weekends coming down from the Palm Beaches. Back then, the Pier House let us in to use the facilities, eat, drink and fall in love with Key West. A dock neighbor, Tom, lived on a 28 foot sailboat and then disappeared up to Orlando. He was a crazy guy and took us sailing and I got very seasick and he wouldn’t take me back! Then another crazy, heavy drinking, heavy fishing man, boyfriend used to take me up to his cozy little trailer at a waterfront site up in Key Largo. It was very romantic, and I still love the Fish House to this day. If I could get another small little place down there, I would definitely be down during summer with the warmer, flat, Windex water and less tourists. |
The world is divided into two types of fishermen: those that catch fish and those that do not. |
| [Sexual Harassment] One of the 3 charges against Governor Cuomo is that he touched a woman’s face at a wedding in front of everyone. Is that sexual assault, harassment, or tenderness? |
 [Saint Helena] Napoleon’s body was removed in the afternoon out of the hall, into which the crowd rushed immediately. The linen which had been employed in the dissection of the body, though stained with blood, was eagerly seized, torn in pieces, and distributed among the bystanders as souvenirs. Napoleon lay in state in his little bedroom which had been converted into a funeral chamber. It was hung with black cloth brought from the town. The corpse, which had not been embalmed, and which was of an extraordinary.
Stomach cancer was suspected, and of which his father and two of his sisters died. This painful examination having been completed, the doctor took out the heart and placed it in a silver vase filled with spirits of wine; he then directed the valet de chambre to dress the body as he had been accustomed in the Emperor’s lifetime, with the grand cordon of the Legion of Honour across the breast, in the green uniform of a colonel of the Chasseurs of the Guard, decorated with the orders of the Legion of Honour and of the Iron Crown, long boots with little spurs, finally, his three cornered hat. Several scars were seen on his body. On opening it it was found that the liver was not affected, but that there was that cancer of the stomach. |
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| [Sexual Harassment Remedy] To all women, please start asking men if you want sex instead of positioning men having to asking you for sex and getting in trouble for it. In this time of change why not reverse it and have women seeking men as the normal way to date. That would solve tons of problems. |
[Hungry Cat] Imagine the horror of being on the receiving end of that beast! What happened to the photographer? |
| Have you ever called tech support and not received the message, “Listen carefully as some of our menu items have changed.” Or “Hold times may be longer as we are experiencing extra heavy calls.” I always get that message, even before the plague! |
 [“Bahia Honda didn’t make the best beach list”] I read somewhere that they stopped listing Bahia Honda as the best beach years ago because the other beaches complained it was picked over their beach year after year. For about ten years it was the number one beach until, I think it was Panama City that complained. |
| Kids are so air-headed that even a world war would not register to their self-centered brains. Just wait for this generation of Zoom-schooled kids to grow up, they’re not going to be brilliant. |
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| [“Window sash problem”] My single hung aluminum Alcan brand window has block and tackle-style counterbalances; one counterbalance came loose, has fallen down and is preventing the sash from being moved to the side, thus preventing its removal. I am seeking help from someone who knows windows. |
 [Sweets] Croissant de France at 816 Duval plus another location on Stock Island has Napoleon pastry and for special occasions will make you French sweet treats. Napoleon has always been my favorite dessert it is very hard to make. Is there a fudge store in the Keys? If there isn’t, a high end chocolatier would be groovy. Don’t try the new Hershey’s White Chocolate with whole almonds – I think they are addicting! They’re hard to score too. |
| [Vaccine Info] Each week, the Federal Government authorizes states to order a maximum number of vaccines. Putting seniors and health care personnel first, Florida orders the maximum number of vaccines available to our state. Upon receiving the vaccines from the Federal Government, counties coordinate the vaccination process for their residents. Please rest assured that your place in line is secure and you will be receiving notification on how to schedule an appointment when additional vaccine is available. We will continue to communicate with you each week or until you have scheduled your vaccination. If you need additional information please visit https://myvaccine.fl.gov/ |
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| [“Window sash problem”] This place had parts for aluminum windows. They might even have self-help on the site. I don’t know. Link |
The first day back at school after the lockdown. |
| [Tourist With Boats] Another day snorkeling, and another encounter with ignorant tourists. Two of us are were about 1 1/2 miles offshore, with 2 dive flags up, when two Spanish speaking tourists zip by us, about 10 feet away. The guys wearing a fedora, the woman holding on yells, “Que es eso”, what’s that, pointing at our dive flags. Help! |
 [Water Barons Tax Serfs] Just as soothsayers predicted, the county government is letting the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, the water department, kill us with higher rates, with no end in sight. My water bill doubled a couple of years ago once the sewer fee was tacked on. It’s still climbing. Now it’s up to $125 per month for two people in a small mobile home. It’s more than the electric bill. The greed just never stops. |
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| [KW Losing Control of Cruise Ships] A proposed bill in Tallahassee that would reverse the new cruise ship restrictions in Key West was approved by a tourism subcommittee in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, clearing the way for the bill to move to the next step. Link |
[About Time Department] I downloaded the Samsung DeX app to my computer. Now I can drag and drop pictures back and forth from camera to computer. |
| [Free Tax Prep] United Way of Collier and the Keys is offering free tax preparation for Monroe County residents with limited incomes. This program will assist clients remotely. The VITA program is designed to help residents complete their annual tax return and ensure that these taxpayers receive every available benefit. VITA volunteer tax preparers are IRS-certified and able to complete simple federal tax returns, including identifying available credits. This service is available to residents with a household income less than $57,000 in 2020 and there is absolutely no charge to the taxpayer. Link |
 President Biden has reopened ObamaCare for three months starting February 15th. That means Americans without health insurance have a chance to check out their state’s health insurance marketplace options offered through the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, outside the normal Nov. 1 through Dec. 15 period. This can offer many Americans, particularly those who have dealt with unemployment amid the Covid-19 pandemic, another chance to get insurance at discounted rates. |
| Why is abbreviated such a long word? |
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