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2017 October

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

The-Coconut-Telegraph-w-CoconutsPublished Tuesdays and Fridays. Letters to the editor with pictures.​ Since 0202.

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[Goodness] Out of nowhere and with no notice, the owners and staff from Sandy’s Cafe, Key West, arrived on the scene in the Winn-Dixie Shopping Plaza in a new meals-on-wheels truck. They unselfishly and generously provided hot, completed Cuban pork and beef meals, with utensils, to Lower Keys residents and the hard working disaster repair people and utility trucks. Driving all the way from Key West to Big Pine Key for this humanitarian effort was expensive for Sandy’s Café, but they showed their true colors and, I believe, support for all Lower Keys and Key West residents and workers affected by Irma. God bless them for such unselfishness
[Disaster Relief Religions] It appears the Jews and Muslims don’t do disaster relief. It appears that they leave it up to the Christians. All flavors of Christianity were represented in the Big Pine relief effort. Jews and Muslims were absent. They were probably too busy fighting each other.

 

Why aren’t they spraying for mosquitoes? It’s been a month since the hurricane and the bugs are outrageous!

(Ed: Aaarghaa! When will I receive wifi? The cable at headquarters is dangling from the eves, the library’s wifi is down, and I’m in Winn Dixie’s parking lot trying to operate an internet business. Boo hoo.)
[Port Pine Heights Update] Over 7 million people evacuated to avoid Irma in Florida. County Officials, State Representatives and FEMA are working tirelessly, from search & rescue initially, to recovery presently and ongoing to provide emergency shelter and housing to those who have lost their homes. We have had responders from all over the country helping restore power, water and infrastructure faster than had been predicted.

Because the scope of destruction is so massive, devastation in some parts of Big Pine and the Lower Keys, we are being asked for patience since it will take some time to achieve any sense of normalcy.

It is welcomed that so many agencies are willing to help, but difficult to coordinate.  Finding adequate facilities for FEMA trailers and for storage of debris from canals and cleanups is a challenge but is being addressed.  Safety and health issues are a priority.

It is unbelievably heartwarming to have neighbors helping others, while still in the process of taking care of their own needs.  And the large number of organizations, church groups, etc., too numerous to count, from all over, are willing to offer help with cleanup and asking nothing in return.  If you are fortunate to have a roof & walls, you are blessed.

NOAA has amassed data showing which areas & canals require debris removal, it is a complicated and time-consuming task not to be completed in weeks, more like months.  There is an estimated 2.5 million cubic yards of debris.

All the contractors are working seven days a week.  Communications, phone service and the internet, are now being restored; soon we will be able to pass along and receive information. Share any helpful information you may have, offer help in whatever way you can. Stay safe and try to keep a positive attitude, it is slowly getting better.  ~Bob Audette, Pres. PPHPOA

New Life Church, located at 4711 Overseas Highway in Marathon, Florida, is temporarily holding services at the Marathon Garden Club at 5270 Overseas Highway in Marathon.  Two services are scheduled for Sundays, 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

The New Life Church building was heavily damaged in Hurricane Irma.  Please check out New Life Church on Facebook for updates

Look at all the money the trash pick-up guys are sucking out of our over-taxed wallets. By the looks of it they will continue for the next generation too. Just think if another Irma hits the Keys, we are all up Shits Creek without a paddle. Vote wisely next time, not like you really give a damn anyway.
[“Dormitory/inmate style housing for service workers“] With all due respect, a whiny letter to Governor Scott from the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce isn’t going to solve the housing problem. Desperately begging for dormitory/inmate style housing for service workers is insulting to the hardworking people who work at least two, often three jobs to live here. And, I think we already have enough multi-unit condo sort of crap popping up for middle management. Why doesn’t anyone address the heart of the matter? I’ve worked quite a few $10-12/hr jobs since moving here, not so much for the money but for the contribution to the community. These are small islands with limited resources, including workers. You can’t keep throwing up one hotel after another while poorly paying people and treating them like peasants by middle management or even worse by upper management and complain about a dwindling work force.

Quit creating more work for the few people who are already working themselves to death. Pay them what they are worth to sustain your businesses here and they can afford to live here better than dormitory fashion. The small locally owned businesses mostly know the value of a good employee. Those corporate companies couldn’t care less about what they consider dime-a-dozen workers and they have a bunch of lazy, smart aleck, here for the joyride managers caring even less than that.

Most of us who live here live quite knowingly within the limits of this lifestyle but that is no reason to treat anyone without dignity and respect. Those who live here choose to live here and it’s not a choice taken lightly. Stop the class warfare and if you’re so afraid of a dwindling work force, get a second job. I guarantee it will open your eyes to whole new world. Every other high rent district in the country pays their workers what they need to sustain themselves. This is the only place I know of that expects individuals to work for small town Midwest wages while paying high dollar, east coast urban rent. And it’s truly odd that the people one hears crying out the most for affordable housing are not the low paid workers, it’s the people who fear the loss of their service people claiming the sky is falling.

Pay people what they are worth and treat them with respect and they will find their own way, or is that what frightens you? This is an in-house issue and not a state issue. As a community we need to clean it up ourselves and address all the issues facing us, not just what strikes the ego of a selfish few. “Dormitory style housing”?, jeez.

 

[“Deer rutting video”] That behavior gets them shot anywhere else.  I shot a 4-point buck in my back field on the farm as he was chasing a doe. He never knew what hit him.

[“Killer crosswalks may remain for a minimum of two years”] Are you kidding me? What idiot designed these in the first place and how much money did he make? Then ask how many people got hurt and killed without these suicide traps in a town noted for bars and party animals being drunk or incompetent while driving. Like everything else in the Keys, it’s all about the money

 

[Police Deserters] Sixteen Key West cops deserted and refused to show up for work during Irma. Internal affairs is investigating. Sheriff Ramsey is pissed.

Isaksen-2.2016
Insomnia is a fancy word for not enough booze.

 

In Friday’s post, that’s not a grinder pump. Don’t think so. Collage of a 50-gallon drum with a cardboard and trash can top perhaps? (Ed: I thought I could fool you with the garbage can in front of the Sea Center.)

[Kneeling] The Chicago Police Dept has replaced all sirens with the playing of the National Anthem to encourage fleeing suspects to take a knee. Video

Oh no, I just found out that salt water taffy has no salt water in it! It just means that the taffy is made by the seashore. Is nothing sacred?

[Africans Captured by Arab Slavers 1850] The villagers knew fighting against firearms would be hopeless; so after a few stratagems, looking for a good opportunity to bolt, the whole village took to precipitate flight. Most of the villagers were captured like myself; but of my father, or any other relatives, I never more gained any intelligence. He was either shot in endeavoring to defend himself, or still more probably gave leg-bail, and so escaped.  As soon as this foray was over, all the captives were grouped together, and tethered with chains or ropes, and marched off to Kilua, on the east coast (in latitude 9° S.) Arrived there, the whole party embarked in dhows, which, setting sail, soon arrived at Zanzibar. We were then driven to the slave-market, where I was bought by an Arab merchant, and taken off to India.
Understand that Marathon Manor has become the “Mount Trashmore” of Marathon for the debris from Hurricane Irma.  Who would have thunk?  A $7.4 million trash site?  Only in Monroe County

 

[Deer Abby] Will fogging or tenting my home kill the bugs and mold? ~Bugged out

Deer Bugged,
The bugs will die, but the mold will live on.

Who authorized the use of the land at Marathon Manor as a dump site, Mt. Trashmore?  The ultimate cleanup will be astronomical and perhaps lead to the destruction of the land and previous proposals for its use.
Johnsons-7.7.16
Could we please get the Mormons, Baptist, Catholics, Billy Grahams, etc back in to clean up the mixed trash piles of trash they piled up underneath the power lines, so the contractors can come in with the wrong equipment and pretend to pick it up. They came in with good intentions, but were not briefed on what they really needed to do. God bless them, perhaps.
[Fast Eddies’s Fabulous Football Forecast] Week 7 recap  (details following Top 10 analysis). Link

I know nothing! I report real results and I make stuff up! At the top of the blog I state that I consider the truth, but I reserve the right to ignore it. The only industries I have been occupationally involved in have been in the sporting world: horse racing and fly fishing. I played rugby at Clemson and was the president of the team for 2 years. We became pretty good during my tenure.

I do not do updates at this time. I only write a weekly summary, 7 so far. The only purpose of it is to amuse myself.  I have gotten 240 individual visitors since yesterday’s post 23 hours ago. To me that sounds good, but I know nothing about this stuff. Maybe that is bad.

It is a lot of work though. I watch games all day Saturday until 2am, and watch real-time scores on 2 devices simultaneously as well. On Sunday I spend 6 hours researching stats and writing the blog. Then I spend another 5-6 hours tweeting and promoting the blog on sites relevant to the stories I wrote about.

I’ll let you know at the end of the year if it was worth it.

[“Cheap housing at road prison”] There’s a land grab going on to fill up every available space with cheap housing so we can have more traffic and congestion. I say bulldoze the road prison and let it revert to its natural state. Oh, that’s not politically correct? We should fill up every bit of land with more junky housing?
The Lower Keys Chamber’s annual Island Art Festival is still on schedule for Sat., Nov. 25 from 9am – 2pm at MM31.  Please visit www.lowerkeyschamber.com for an application.  Artists and crafters, please support our recovery by joining us for this outdoor festival.
[Bad Cops] What always scares me was when they stick a badge on a moron who cannot hold a regular job, then hand him a deadly weapon with permission to kill, then let that moron out on the street to tell me how to live. What happened to the physic test?
[Bitterness] Cost of debris removal for the Keys is dramatically elevated. 3 to 10 times the rate. If this doesn’t show you that Florida and Monroe County are nothing but brothels nothing will! Just like the con of the FKAA and the Route 1 “beautification BS” projects. And these “officials” smile in their mirror each morning.

[Cataract Surgery] I met with Dr. Maurer and on Oct. 5 (right eye) and October 12 (left eye) he performed the surgery using what’s called the Alcon Ora System. This portion of the surgery was not covered by Medicare and cost $400 per eye. The procedures were performed at the Surgery Center of Key West. The entire experience was exception and I can’t believe the degree of my vision improvement. I no longer need glasses for distances or watching TV. I will need reading glasses but I can actually read lettering if I hold the material a foot or two away.

The outcome for the money is beyond anything I had imagined. I am so glad I did this locally as between the initial visit, surgeries and follow ups, it will take 5 weeks before I am done. I had set this up before Irma’s wrath took place and was going to cancel because I did not think I could take on more than what was already going on. My honey convinced me to proceed as it’s been 3 years of putting it off and I am so glad I did — unbelievable this Ora System produced results I thought would cost me $2500 per eye.

I know right now we’re all dealing with a lot of challenges, I just wanted you to know of my experience with this life altering vision change. Take care and thank you for putting in the effort it takes to continue CT during these testing times.

As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.  ~H. L. Mencken 1920
[KW Film Festival] Launch Party – October 17th – Free Event. Join us at 7PM this coming Tuesday at Mangoes for our.

official Launch Party for KWFF 2017. Keeping with tradition of years past, this is the event when the KWFF team and head of programming Michael Tuckman will unveil what’s at the heart of this November’s five days of film.  Be there in person to hear what films we have hand-picked for 2017, who from Hollywood and the film industry are coming to Key West, where we’ll host KWFF nightly receptions, and more.

We love this event to reconnect with you after our many months of planning!  The 30 day countdown always gets us energized for what’s to come November 15-19th!  Membership packages, VIP All Access, Individual Movie Tickets, and Event Tickets can be purchased on site that evening!  You’ll also be able to pick up your latest KWFF merchandise at this Launch Party on October 17th.

No RSVP is needed, all are welcome, and as always, bring a friend.  See you at Mangoes, one week from today and please share this Launch Party with your fellow film fans and neighbors in Key West

[Black Lives Don’t Matter] National boycott of the NFL for Sunday November 12th, Veterans Day Weekend. Boycott all football telecast, all fans, all ticket holders, stay away from attending any games, let them play to empty stadiums.

United Way of the Florida Keys is regretfully announcing the resignation of UWFK President and CEO Kate Bauer-Jones.

Like so many of us directly impacted by Hurricane Irma, Bauer-Jones has also personally been impacted, resulting in her decision to relocate closer to family on the mainland. The Board of Directors of the UWFK has been informed and is beginning the search process immediately for a replacement. The UWFK Board wants to assure the community that donations to the UWFK remain in good hands and that the organization as a whole is poised to move forward.

We appreciate Kate’s years of dedication to our organization and the Florida Keys community,” UWFK Board President Maria Jones said. “She has positioned United Way of the Florida Keys to continue to make great strides in our service to the Upper, Middle and Lower Keys, and we will do so

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