Letters to the editor with pictures since 2002.
Published on Big Pine Key’s garbage days, Tuesdays and Fridays.
The Un-social Media with 60,000 Followers
 [Concrete Spalling] When there’s cracks in the supports of the concrete under-carriage holding your house off the ground or if you have a ground level home and see similar cracking in the walls. Anyone remember “CONCH”rete where they used salt water to mix the cement? Anyone remember the repairs to the round/circular condos on Vaca Cut back in the 90’s? I know “Ralphie” does. Anyone still around from back in the day when it was alleged that building inspectors were accepting gratuities to overlook the slightest things – like illegal downstairs enclosures? Anyone purchased a house where the concrete looks patched or have you had old repairs flake off to find old damage that’s been covered up? If your house concrete has been flooded by past hurricanes and you see cracks — that’s the rebar corroding away beneath. Are there any realtors willing to fess up to selling homes in the Keys that have had spalling repairs over the years? Think of it like osteoporosis of your house – the bones are decaying beneath you – just like the condo in Surfside. There are only two types of concrete homes in the Keys – those that have spalling and those that will get it |
 |
[Folding Phone] Samsung’s about to shock us with a new foldable phone no one saw coming. Link |
| [“America not safe”] 150 people were murdered by gunfire in over 400 shootings over the weekend. This comment is directed to the cretin who used his confabulated numbers to prove America isn’t dangerous. Is 150 people shot dead in one weekend not enough for you? We need gun control because guns and people are out of control. Cretins like the poster love guns more than America. He and his ilk are the problem with their blind eyes. |
 [Rain!] I’d rather have all this rain than a hurricane. As of Tuesday morning, there hasn’t been any big wind to complain about, just a lot of rain. |
 |
| [Troops Withdraw] How we can save Afghanistan from ruin even as we withdraw American troops. Everyone from the news media to our own CIA is predicting the violent defeat of the Afghan government. But there are still ways America can help. Link |
Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before. ~Mae West |
| [Flooded Islands] Keys will be dealing with sea levels in coming decades. Sea levels are rising in the Florida Keys and that will continue and most likely accelerate in the coming decades, scientists say. Expensive mitigation measures will have to be implemented to stave off flooding but complete submersion of the island change is not a definite conclusion, though that depends greatly on worldwide cooperation to move away from fossil fuels. Link |
 [Manatee Emergency] They’re dying in record numbers from pollution and lack of food. This problem must be addressed head-on. Poor water quality has led to years of degradation of the habitat in Florida’s coastal estuaries. In the Indian River Lagoon alone, over 47,000 acres of seagrass meadows have died off. That’s a lot of manatee food there. Link |
 |
 [“Key lime pie wars”] The history of the Key Lime Pie has nothing to do with the Curry Mansion. (It wasn’t even open to the public until the 1980s when Al Amsterdam died and Ruth opened their house to the public.The pie’s origin had to do with folks moving to Key West and the Bahamas from the Colonies trying to escape the Revolutionary War. Add lemon or lime juice to egg yolks and they will turn to custard without being cooked. New England’s lemon meringue pie was first made in a pastry shell that had to be baked because Graham crackers weren’t invented until 1800. The lemon meringue pie recipe was brought down here by those folks escaping the Revolution. Limes grew better down here so they used limes instead of lemons and Graham crackers for the crust because it doesn’t have to be baked. They all used the egg whites to make meringue instead of throwing them away—a waste of good food—especially important in those days of few means. The meringue is the only reason you bake the pie–to kill germs and toast the meringue peaks |
 [Found Keys] Found a set of keys on Key Deer Blvd by the Methodist Church on July 3rd, has a key fob, car key and what looks like several house keys. Call 305-872-9153 if you think they are yours. |
| [Gulf of Mexico Fire] Huge blaze ignites on surface of the ocean. Link
Only when the last tree is cut down, the last ocean poisoned, and the last fish eaten, will you realize you can’t eat money. ~Native American Proverb |
 |
| [Concealed Weapon Permits] Emergency orders affecting concealed weapon or firearm licensees and chapter 493 licensees expired on June 26, 2021. Link |
 [Old Age] When a man starts to lose synapse, thought control, logic, reason and common sense, gets dizzy spells, loses balance, has sleep deficiencies and erection dysfunctions, then he is considered old. Beyond 65 (usually the retirement age that marks the end of efficient production) he tends to become a solid mass of protoplasm resembling a petrified blonde female of the species one third his age. Nature does not oblige us with equal rights for sure. |
| I just learned that a dentist a block away from here was arrested for dealing drugs. Shows how wrong you can be about people. I’ve been going to him for over 10 years. Never knew he was a dentist. |
 [Fairy Lanterns] They are among the most extraordinary-looking of all flowering plants. These curious, leafless plants (genus Thismia) grow in the darkest depths of remote rainforests where they are seldom seen. Link |
 |
| The July AARP calendar of activities is here. Full Menu > Ongoing Events |
[Alcoholic Ice Cream] Inventor creates a machine that turns any alcoholic drink into soft scoop ‘ice cream’. Link |
| Celebrate national grilling month by staying food safe. Link |
       |