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2023 January

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

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Happy Lunar New Year! 2023 – Year of the Rabbit

Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus (purulent material), causing cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing. A variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, can cause pneumonia. Yes, it can be air born too! Link
[Fresh Water of Big Pine Key] The larger islands of the Lower Florida Keys were blessed with a set of circumstances that allowed a permanent source of fresh water. The geology of these islands with a layer of oolitic limestone sitting on top of a much thicker bedrock of Key Largo limestone permitted fresh water habitats to exist. On many of the islands, this resource was marginal, but on Big Pine Key and a few surrounding keys this allowed a unique fauna to occur. For over four thousand years, the fresh water habitats thrived, and many mainland species evolved into distinct subspecies of animals adapted to the strong seasonal ecological rhythms of the islands. Big Pine Key, due to it’s size, was the center of this evolution. The island had several unique subspecies of snakes and rodents, a turtle, a lizard and the Key Deer. Some of these are already extinct, and the rest are getting closer.

The changes to the fresh water lens of the island happened suddenly in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the digging of many substantial canal systems. The layer of fresh water in the oolitic rock was now being discharged into the nearshore waters more easily. The layer of fresh water that floated on top of the salt water has gotten thinner. The many miles of deep trenches dug for the Cudjoe Wastewater System circa 2015-16 has made the resource more vulnerable. Sea level rise, which was 9 inches in the last century, is currently rising at a much faster rate. All in all, the fresh water resources of Big Pine Key are in a serious decline. In areas where the lens was four or five feet thick, It is more than likely only two feet thick presently.

The lower parts of the lens are more saline than they were historically. Seasonal increases in salinities are more pronounced.

The removal of vegetation only compounds the problem. Native vegetation and the soil pockets and layers of marl and soil they grow in, are important buffers against salt water intrusion.

The recent tragic fires on Little Pine Key burned for several weeks. After the vegetation burned, the soil layers that took hundreds of years to form, smoldered for weeks. Horrendous land management by people with minimal understanding of the resource has had a profound negative impact on the habitats of Big Pine. The reckless burning in the Keys should cease.

[Donald McGill] The famous artist for this type of saucy postcards was English graphic artist Donald McGill.  He was nearly 80 years old when he was put on trial (1954) under the U.K.’s Obscene Publications Act (1857), found guilty and fined fifty pounds.  Today the postcards are worth a fortune. Link

[Young People Dropping Dead] 35-year-old middle school coach and teacher dies suddenly in front of his class. Is this the new norm? Link

[Twice The Humor] Deer Ed, admittedly, “crushed nuts” and “little Johnny” were 2 good jokes.  However, posting each of them twice in Friday’s CT was not your style. (Editor: I’ve since corrected that brain fart. Thanks for letting me know.)

[Inflation] I bought a big bottle of Absolute vodka and it cost $36.54 – with discount! If inflation keeps up, I’ll have to cut down on food and stop feeding the dog.
[Whitney Houston Tribute] Tuesday, January 24 Starring Belinda Davids. This production will fill you with joy, nostalgia and wonderment as it takes you on a heartfelt journey through Houston’s greatest hits including ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, ‘How Will I Know’, ‘One Moment in Time’, ‘I Have Nothing’, ‘Run to You’, ‘Didn’t We Almost Have It All’, ‘Greatest Love of All’, ‘I’m Every Woman’, ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘Exhale (Shoop Shoop)’, ‘Million Dollar Bill’ and more. Tickets
[Stolen Lands] Recently I saw that a group of activists decided to tear down a monument because it was on “stolen lands”. Obviously, these people failed to realize that the whole of both North and South Americas was stolen by force of arms as has been the nature of human existence since the beginning of time when one tribe forced its will on another tribe. That’s life and progress. What’s their solution? to abandon all conquered lands?

[Redneck Dreamer] If you can dream it, you can build it, but you must ask yourself why?

[Key Deer Protection Alliance] KDPA holds a virtual meeting this Thursday, January 26th at 7 pm. For the link to this secret, interesting Zoom session, email request to: keydeerprotectionalliance@gmail.com
The annual meeting will feature Dr. Jennifer Feltner, USFWS biologist for all of the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges. The public is invited. A short business meeting, consisting of brief reports and election of Officers and Advisors for 2023, will precede Dr. Feltner’s presentation.

[Candy Canes] Watching how it’s made. Did you know that candy canes are bent after they are sealed in their plastic wrappers? Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. It would be very tricky to wrap bent canes. I learn so much trivia! Link

[Retract Mistake] Take back what you said on social media. Instantly edit Facebook posts and other social media mistakes. Link

Fort Myers Pier is gone after experiencing mother nature’s fury.

 

[Shake That Thing] Do women shake the gas nozzle after filling up or is it just a man thing?

[China Tech] South Dakota’s governor has directed that all offices, agencies and departments under her control in state government’s executive branch no longer engage in technology purchases or contracts with any business owned or controlled by a person, entity or government from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela or Cuba.
The ban also calls for all contractors seeking or conducting business under a state contract to certify in writing they aren’t a prohibited entity and that they will notify the executive branch agency if they become one. The contract would then be terminated.

[Revising Tunes] Some of the artists of the 60’s are revising their hits with new lyrics to accommodate aging baby boomers who can remember doing the “Limbo” as if it were yesterday. Link

Haitians are truly unruly and only one step up from savage.
[Most Popular Song Each Month in the 60s] (Only a short clip from each song). In this video, you’ll see the most popular songs throughout each month in the 60s. The tunes selected for this video are the ones that reached #1 or at least ranked higher in more countries than other hits in the same month, but it’s not very accurate since many of them were number one for different periods, and I didn’t want to repeat any song. It’s not about the US or the UK. It’s a mix of many countries and none in particular. It’s a nice trip down Memory Lane.  Video
The current Coconut Telegraph was published on 1/24/23 at 8:26 am.