Since 2002. Published Tuesdays and Fridays
Letters to the Editor with pictures
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Even the Key Deer are getting ready for Lobster Mini Season! |
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[Rust] I want to use Ospfo (phosphoric acid) to remove the light rust discoloration from the stainless steel on my boat, but I’m concerned about etching the gel coat. Will a 50/50 solution with water be gentle enough not to damage the gel coat and still remove the discolor? |
![]() More than half of the cases in Florida are in Broward and Dade. The Keys have been jammed with tourists from Dade and Broward over the 4th of July weekend. I wonder how many of them might have Zika. All it takes is one because the mosquito that carries Zika is a serial feeder. One little nip on an a Zika infected person and the bug will likely bite several more people. It’s hard to believe that some Monroe County big shots are more worried about their property values than they are about the spread of Zika. The continue to threaten and twist arms to stop our mosquito control experts from doing all in their power to stop Zika from coming to our homes. The bigwigs are fighting tooth and claw against using the safe and effective weapon of genetics against the mosquitoes that carry Zika. Shame on them. |
[Boat Fuel and Ramps] Are open-to-the-public boat ramps and fuel stations being threatened out of existence? When you look at the hundreds of miles of shoreline up and down the Keys, there really are not that many marinas that welcome boaters simply looking to refuel or launch–especially the lower Keys. Even less when you require parking for your truck with boat trailer in tow. Dolphin Marina’s boat ramp is closed for repairs but may not re-open to the public and become private. The Fishing Lodge is open for fuel, but closed to boat launching and use of their ramp. The Old Wooden Bridge, thankfully, is the only marina that welcomes refueling and boat ramp use, with plenty of parking but it looks like that will be changing soon as well. (and right now it’s filled with seaweed). It has been sold and plans for redevelopment not unlike what’s planned for Dolphin marina are being proposed.Is there no obligation on those granted (what I assume must be very difficult to get today) underground fuel storage tanks to dispense gasoline and diesel to boats that sail up looking for what could be a life or death fill-up? There should be some requirement attached to renewing a marine fuel station license that it remain available to serve the community. I predict there will be a lot of 5 gallon containers being schlepped around pouring gas in hazardous conditions. Good luck filling that 50 gallon tank with ten fuel containers without spilling half of it into the bay. |
![]() The public has until Tuesday, July 5, to visit the Old Seven Mile Bridge, one of the Florida Keys’ premiere attractions, before it closes to the public for nearly four years. |
Someone keeps posting against the repair of the Old Seven Mile Bridge citing the mistaken reason for the repairs is to access to Pigeon Key. Access to Pigeon Key is an additional benefit to repairing the bridge. The main benefit is to our economy and that of Marathon’s. That bridge is Marathon’s biggest tourist attraction. And it is the only free tourist attraction in the Keys! So quit complaining about Pigeon Key, we all know it’s useless — with or without the bridge. Access to the bridge is what’s important to preserve. |
![]() I read the obituaries and have commented before about dead women whose only accomplishment was raising kids and cleaning the house. Sunday I read of a new dead person whose main accomplishment seems to be that he was gay. I sure hope that my obituary list more than just that I was straight and cleaned the house well. |
[“Bike path bummer post”] The main reason they have such loud exhausts is to elicit envy from those around. TIP: It only impresses children. |
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The bad guys bombed Medina, the Prophet’s hometown. Is Mecca next? Is nothing sacred? I’m so confused as to the terrorists’ motives. I thought it was about religion. It appears most of us are mistaken. |
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Freedom is the atmosphere in which humanity thrives. Breathe it in. ~Coconuts Bar & Package Store, down town Big Pine Key. |
Is it the Keys’ water or the food or maybe the ice in the drinks in the restaurants that creates a super Montezuma Revenge dash to the royal throne room after dining out lately? Something is not regular in the Florida Keys! |
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Motor boating at our local boat ramps. |
Another funny dubbed TV commercial. Warning adult language! Video |
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[All-purpose Restrooms] And don’t piss all over the toilet seat. |
[Honesty] Deer Editor, I recently read Mayor Carruthers rebuttal to criticism of the Fl. Keys Stewardship Act in the Blue Paper. The gist of her rebuttal was simplistically–trust your elected officials to do the right (correct) thing. Well, Mayor, if history is an indication of what we can expect from our elected representatives and leaders, what will follow is the Cape Coddling of the Florida Keys, as Pritim Sing predicted years ago. Let’s look at the honesty and integrity of our leaders, Mayor. Who was it that purchased “Hot electronics out of the Trunk of a County IT employee’s car? Why did some of the guilty get punished while others were told not to do it again? How about the Elected honest Sheriff who went to jail for covering up his wife’s quarter million dollar theft from the schools? And how about the honest BOCC that has already diverted funds mandated to the sewer project to give as a gift to the State of Florida to repair the State of Florida’s infrastructure (Old 7-Mile Bridge)? And the honesty of the BOCC, who was proposing the use of Infrastructure funds for ‘affordable’ housing while the CRWS is not complete and is not fully funded. And then in last Friday’s Barometer I read that the BOCC is questioning what to do with surplus County Infrastructure Sales Tax monies. Where’s the honesty you’re asking the voters to believe in? |
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[“Rifleman, now ‘rifleperson’”] I couldn’t agree more. I was a 0311 graduating boot, then left I.T.S. Pendleton for R.I.P., I left with a 0321 and left the corps 12 years later as a 0324. I’ve been seriously thinking about getting my bubble and wings covered. Sad state. Link |
[Sea Sick] My friend in Cleveland, OH just had his first cruise on the Radiance of the Seas to Alaska and 30+ people wound up with the norovirus. That boat has had a history of illnesses. If you plan a cruise on any ship anywhere, go to your doctor and prep your body with every shot he can give you |
![]() Hello Joe, my old friend, |
[“Car problems”] Monroe Auto & Tire on BPK. Donnie does great work, dependable and honest. |
![]() EWG has also published their comprehensive report on sunscreens, and it’s also free, with a catch. They want your email address so they can send you updates and other stuff you may not want. I keep a separate email address just for situations like this, or for where my email might be collected by robots, like on some forums. Mine is “SpamVac” and that’s what it is! |
[“Debit cards”] The damn debit card will kill cash. The banks can charge you for keeping the account (negative interest) and know exactly how much you put in the account, how much you spend, how much you owe in taxes. The debit card is but one more way to be tracked because users of the cards don’t want the hassle of carrying cash and maintaining privacy.
Ever notice the ads you read on the internet? Why do they pertain to you? Because your debit card data is sold to companies who target you using the email address associated with your bank account. There’s also a new service out there that tells banks and realtors when you’re about to move. It’s done by what you search online and what you buy with your debit card. I no longer go out with folks who don’t use cash. I got tired of them holding up their card and saying put half on mine. Such bullshit for the server. I’m sticking with cash, Obama bucks, dead presidents, fiat paper, etc, until the fight for commerce goes to brass and lead, then we’ll see what a debit card will get you. |
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Just make all guns illegal. Look how well it worked for drugs (sarcasm). Did you hear about the new penalties for falsely reporting a stolen firearm in California? I’ts now a misdemeanor. What’s that tell you?[?] Link |
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![]() There are only two sets of escalators in the entire state of Wyoming! |
[Unedited] Now is the time for the truth here in the keys do you bubas want the real story first of all a bit of back ground my father joined the air force when he was young gave 20 years of his life fighting for this country i say for what i have lived in turkey when i was 10 to be spit on hair pulled and told yankey go home why it was his job the mission was train the turkes to take care of them selves after giving up our freedom for three years ie(no tv no raido spit on as americans an at 10 years old having guns leveled at our heads)we come back to this country to live a quite life. as a kid id come down to the keys from miami for the quiet and the mom and pop resteraunts as well as the beautiful waters here so close to the medatrain ocean you have no clue. as i have lived all over the us at ellsworth air force base in south dakota and at homestead airforce base in home stead florida as well as anrka turkey i have never seen the crap that goes on here!
Let me tell you about you school system (watch your daughters) my daughter was going to marathon high school she was 14 i was working at keys insurance at the time under derke vegue at the time (im calling you all out) marathon high school hired an after school teacher named nathen he found out im a single mom and aproched my daughter on school grounds where i thought she was safe stupid me he started texting her at all hours even convicing her to meet him at 1 o clock in the moring on school nites dumb me i thought my child was safe here beware all this is the buba system here they are untouchable when we came back here from georgia i tried to enter my child again in this screwed up school im so laughing she was in ap classes i was told ny mcferson she should just go get her ged where is no child left behind |
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[Keys’ Kids Rite Of Passage] Any important act or event that serves to mark a passage from one stage of life to another. |
[“Car repair”] If you need your car repaired on Big Pine, Dustin at D&R Island Tech located behind the flea market is your guy. Capable, competent, honest, and reasonably priced |
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[“London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, looks a lot like the actor Gary Busey”] Uhmm, no! He looks like this other guy. |
[“Cudjoe Walking Man”] James Taylor wrote a song about a guy like him.
Moving in silent desperation, James Taylor — Walking Man |
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[“They want $65.00 just to take a look at what’s wrong with my laptop”] Try the computer club that meets on Saturdays on Big Pine behind the fire house. They’re very good! |
![]() I recall from Playboy a science fiction story of time travel hunting in the dinosaur age and the chaos effect. The hunting guides were fanatical about seeing to it their hunter clients did not harvest a T-rex not already about to die. The hunter in this story was kind of loosey-goosey, the guide didn’t like him. Something got screwed up and the hunter shot a doomed T-rex before it was time, or not in the precise targeted geographical location, and a butterfly or some kind of insect not supposed to die was stepped on by the hunter client and killed. When they came back to the future and left the time machine, the people there spoke a noticeably different version of English. The guide raised his rifle and shot his client dead. End of story |
[Flunked Key West] I live in Key West aka the s**t-hole of the Keys. I own a home here in old town on the out skirt. The police here pander to the homeless and that is part of the problem. I call and complain, but it’s no big deal that some guy is pissing or defecting across the street from my home. I was walking the dogs on White Street the other night and some guy was passed out with his shorts pulled down to his shoes–he was playing with his junk! I called the non-emergency number and they said they would send someone. I went to pick my wife up minutes later and saw a police car absent the officer and guy. I can only imagine what happened. The guy was never on the arrest page. We are in the process of selling our house and moving north. I have been here for 19 years; my wife has been here for 37, we both turned 50 this year. She says it’s time to get out. So we are.
Key West is a good place only if you know the dark inside, and then only so if you don’t get trapped by the vermin that live day to day in the primordial soup deep in the alleys and mangroves. These walking dead aren’t just addicts. They aren’t druggies. They aren’t the downtrodden. They are vermin. That’s right, vermin that do not even care about themselves. There is no saving these zombies. They are so f**ked up that they are too chicken shit to end their own failed existence and the misery of their disease. When you have seen and lived in the undertow here, you can then understand how it really works. Tell it to the starry-eyed tourists and they won’t care or understand. This is paradise to them. If you brave the undertow in Key West, you will be immersed in its’ lowest rung. And if you have it together enough to run with the crust above, the money people, you can run among the vultures just for the laughs. The vultures are typically really just a failure running from somewhere else, no matter how much money they have. Many try to do the tours for an extended stay, and many have failed and got their s**t clocked and had to run back to where they came from. And when they got back, they aren’t the same again. They thought they were going to their paradise. They were, and they got what they thought it was–themselves. And that caused them to scurry back to their safe hole, like the vermin they are. Just another item in the granola – a fruit, nut, or flake. |
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There are approximately seven billion-capital B people[?] on the planet and more than 98% can figure out whether they’re male or female. And there’s the others. What is it that confuses them? We appear to have the same genetic makeup, so what is it? and is it necessary to change the evolutionary path to accommodate their confused state? Has society capitulated to an individual’s genetic confusion? When will we stop focusing on an individual’s uncertainties and start focusing on the forest instead of the trees?
Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl – The Barbarians |
![]() We have 4 unidentified and unmarked (with names) trailers that are subject to removal this month if not claimed. Please contact us if there are any questions or if they belong to you. If they do belong to you. ~TropicalBayAssociation@hotmail.com |
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Muslim terrorist are killing people. Christian terrorist are killing people. Atheists terrorist are posting science articles on line.Physicist Stephen Hawking says pollution coupled with human greed and stupidity are still the biggest threats to humankind. During an interview on Larry King Now, the science superstar told King that in the six years since he’s spoken with the talk show host people haven’t cleaned up their act. “We certainly have not become less greedy or less stupid,” Hawking said. “The population has grown by half a billion since our last meeting, with no end in sight. At this rate, it will be eleven billion by 2100.” He noted that the massive problem of pollution has only grown in the last five years. “Air pollution has increased over the past five years,” he said. “More than 80% of inhabitants of urban areas are exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution.”When asked what the biggest problem facing the world is, Hawking said climate change. Hawking told King he wonders if we are past the point of no return. “Will we be too late to avoid dangerous levels of global warming?” There are some things even Hawking doesn’t know. |
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The palm tree saw its shadow. That means six more weeks of paradise. |
[“FTR – Zika Funding Denied by Democrats”] FTR needs a CT scan or MRI of his brain (or tune into a different news feed). It was not the Democrats who refused to fund Zika research – The Obama Admin requested 1.9 billion dollars. The Senate posed 1.2 billion – shot down without enough votes due to Republicans insisting on taking funds from Planned Parenthood and other groups who help people that Republicans say no funding to all the time. It’s the Republicans who are refusing to fund Zika research by insisting on de-funding something else.
It’s amazing that there is always enough “funds” to pay for witch hunts and other bogus investigations (i.e, the millions wasted by Trey Gowdy, et al.) It is so nauseating how FTR twisters the facts. The hypocrisy is sickening |
![]() Wishing you and your family a happy and safe Independence Day! In observance of the holiday, we will be closed on Monday the 4th. We will resume normal business operations Tuesday morning. Thank you for your business! |
Could you pass the Immigration Citizenship exam? Welcome to America. Poll shows how citizenship questions stump many. An Ipsos poll asked 2,010 adults from the United States a selection of questions from the citizenship exam. Video |
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[“Personal entertainer”] I am a personal entertainer and now we know the Editor is bent or doesn’t know what a hooker is[?]. |
I remember the days before the new jail. We would party all night and go down to the White St. Pier and watch the sunrise. The cops would come through around 7 am and wake up the homeless. They’d say, “Jonny, you need to get up and get to work.” “Sammy, get up. You need to get to your landscaping job.” Paradise was a lot different before they build that huge jail |
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I loved the music that played with the fabulous old pics on Tuesday. Thanks to whomever sent it in. Link |
![]() Macs are simple to use and reliable (they’re not bulletproof, but they do tend to be stable), which is why they’ve scored the highest in customer satisfaction surveys for the last decade. Many people mistakenly think that Microsoft Office is part of Windows. It isn’t. What you get on most new PCs and laptops is a bunch of crapware that you almost certainly don’t want. A Mac arrives with the useful iLife suite already installed, allowing you to edit photos and videos as well as make music. You also get a decent email client and access to the iWork online apps. If cybercriminals ever decide to attack OS X with the same ferocity with which they’ve targeted Windows for years, Mac owners might have cause for concern. As it stands, this fact is indisputable: a Mac owner who uses no security software at all runs less risk of being infected by spyware or a virus than a Windows user who obsessively protects his or her PC. One criticism levelled at Macs is that they’re too expensive. However, Apple uses only top-quality components, which often compare favorably against PCs at a similar price. Add to that the fact that Apple optimizes both hardware and (already mentioned) software to get the most out of a machine, and you end up with a machine that looks great, feels great and runs great. That’s good value in our book. While Windows 8 is designed around a touchscreen interface, Apple has kept Mac OS dedicated to keyboard and mouse input. The sheer range of simple-to-use trackpad gestures make navigating OS X fast and friendly. The trackpad itself is also the best around which makes a massive difference on a daily basis. |
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I have been waiting for this bumper sticker for a long time, and today I finally saw it: CHECK TWICE FOR CARS AND TRUCKS. Very funny, but I would have added, “Because they are bigger.” |
![]() Guys who drank beer had lower levels of those nasty beta-amyloid plaques than the teetotalers AND those who drank liquor or wine. Now granted, this was one study of 125 guys, and it didn’t actually track them to see who developed dementia and who didn’t. (It couldn’t, because it was based on autopsies). But there’s some rock-solid science behind this one. Beer is the single best source of dietary silicon. While all beers have some, you’ll find more of it in the lighter, more bitter brews — the ones that go down so good on a hot summer day — rather than the darker stuff like Guinness. Silicon protects against exposure to aluminum, a metal that can get inside your brain and — guess what? — cause beta-amyloid plaques to form. Along with protecting the brain, the very same silicon you’ll find in beer helps build bone. And of course, a moderate alcohol habit — whether it’s liquor, beer, or wine — can also help protect the heart, fight chronic disease, add years to your life, and just plain make your evenings more pleasurable |
Kurt Vile – Pretty Pimpin’ |
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Does anyone in the area have a Nexus phone? I’m wondering about the reception because they use a different method of connecting than the big phone providers. It’s called Project Fi and uses Wi-Fi when available (in order to save cost) and T-Mobile or Sprint cell towers when there is no WiFi. Those two providers are not the best in the Keys and I’m wondering if they work okay. A big advantage of the phones, other than the $25 a month for everything cost, is that the phones will work in many places around the world and you don’t have to get another SIM card when traveling overseas. Link |
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Ways to use aloe vera. Link |
![]() WNBT, now WNBC, in New York City aired a simple ad for the Bulova Watch Co. The segment, called the “Bulova Time Check”, was a short, simple spot that focused on a watch face with its second hand ticking while a voice over told viewers what time it was. The segment was aired before a Brooklyn Dodgers game and cost the Bulova watch company nine dollars. Not a bad price for not only a good ad slot, but a page in the history books. |
ISP’s home pages are getting more and more like super market tabloids than intelligent postings of honest news. Some home pages are so bent they must be written by trannies or commies. All we read about is gay crap, sports crap, fashion crap, twisted political crap and other unimportant entertainment crap. No wonder this country is falling down |
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[“Old Seven Mile Bridge repairs”] $77000,000 for the old bridge. Think of all the good that 77000,000 beans could do. Now think about how “historic” the old bridge will look after the powers that be piss away all that money over 4 years. Remember these numbers people: $77000,000 and 4 years. I’m thinking realistically $90,000,000 and 5 and a 1/2 years. |
[Building The Path To Key West] Newsreel of an old Oldsmobile ad from Key West. Video |
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Guacamole-thick algae causes Florida State of emergency and is linked to the release of Lake Okeechobee water into waterways. Link |
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[“Debit cards”] I bank at Capital Bank, and they pay me money for using my debit card. I use it for everything. I always seem to loose cash when I carry it, so the debit card is great. |
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It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled. ~Mark Twain |
![]() [“Merge the races”] I have also noticed this being pushed more and more each year-especially in movies and TV commercials. Some will say it is representing what our country actually is- I say it is what some group (yet to be determined) wants our country to be. You could say it is paranoia but I say it is social engineering. And of course the basic response of some will be, “Racist!” |
I am not looking forward to all the equipment and material that will be needed to re-do the Old 7-Mile Bridge work. It’s going to look worse than Key Largo for four years. Total waste of 77 million (the estimate). Yeah right, watch $77.000.000 turn into $90.000.000 people. The first thing I imagine they are going to do is tear out the new steps that go under the new bridge that they put in how long ago? I wonder if the aluminum railing company gets the contract for the whole 2.2 miles. This project is definitely the winner of the biggest waste of money competition. Congratulations Marathon! |
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Bravo to Debbie with the Pink 1993 Heritage Softail. I hope she reads the ‘Telegraph and sees that people are saying thanks. |
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Can’t afford that sex change operation? Join the military, we they will pay for it. |
Habitat for Humanity of Key West and Lower Florida Keys is seeking volunteers to work on a home repair and painting project in Key West on July 14th, 15th, and 16th. Our “A Brush With Kindness” Program focuses on homes owned by seniors that need minor repairs. We are looking for folks at all skill levels to participate one or more days on this important project. If you can help, contact volunteer coordinator, Susan Kent, at volunteer@habitatlowerkeys.org. Habitat for Humanity believes that every person should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live, and welcomes all people to work with us in partnership. |
![]() DEF: Politicians n. A negative work force DEF: CT n. Coconut Terrorists DEF: Classes n. that which describes peasants by Rulers DEF: Self-Driven n. Engineered suicide DEF: Bomber n. A large toy for the insane DEF: Clinton n. A sexual innuendo DEF: Ed n. A horse person or blog owner DEF: Celebrity n. Useless eaters making fortunes from frustrated fools |
![]() How many of us have noted that the Clinton’s, their surrogates, and their sycophants are madly in love with the English language. They are masters at stroking it, fluffing it, and bastardizing it. Remember? “It all depends on what the meaning of the word “is” is. “ Remember? Hillary’s never varying mantra: “I never sent an email that was marked “classified?” (continued on the National Politics page …) |
[“Bike path bummer post”] When your pipes are too loud. Too bad you weren’t around in the 70’s. |
Please, please please, don’t do all the booger in the bag and start posting on Bigpinekey.com! (Coconut bartender)[?] |
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 |