Since 2002. Published Weekly
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![]() ![]() Pictured here in this abused photo is Sister singing “Jamblaya” with Curly and Lil at Captain Conch’s Patio at Mallory Square in the mid 70’s |
[Cuba No Longer Terror Sponsor] The Obama administration formally removed Cuba from the U.S. terrorism blacklist Friday, a decision hailed in Cuba as the healing of a decades old wound and an important step toward normalizing relations between the Cold War foes. |
![]() Welcome to hurricane season which ends November 30. Here’s hoping there isn’t any. |
[Homeless] Honolulu began closing popular Waikiki beachfront parks at midnight to stop homeless people from settling. Violators receive a criminal citation, which could become a warrant if they do not show up in court. Those who pay the fine will have a criminal mark on their record, and that could cause non-citizens to be refused entry to the U.S. if they return. The morning after her 21st birthday in late March, Jalisa Jose and several friends from Idaho were on Waikiki Beach around 2 a.m., during their spring break from college. Police officers approached the group and wrote citations, she said. Jose said they didn’t realize they were breaking the law by sitting on the world-renowned beach, even though there are signs posted about every 50 yards along the sidewalk. “A couple nights before we were on a beach where it was OK to be on late at night, so we didn’t really know,” Jose told Hawaii News Now from her home in Lewiston, Idaho. The citation set a court date of May 27, which she missed. That could lead to a criminal warrant |
[Homeless Part 2] A homeless man was charged in a violent stabbing Sunday, the second such incident in as many weeks around Key West. |
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[Environment] I am sorry to hear what you have heard about the Cuban reef and Gardens of the Queens from a few people. Maybe this is the case. I am always looking for a little ray of sunshine in a murky, clouded, dead ecological system. I still hope it is true. I am a logical person, I operate on logic, not what I am told by others, by the government, by the news media. It simply makes sense to me, that a not so developed society would not have yet killed everything off and screwed everything up like has happened to so much of the US. Over-development means unhealthy living conditions, poor health and an eventual death to the food chain – of which we are a part. There are many reasons I have spent well over 10 years researching and traveling, looking for ‘home’. We like what many consider “third” world countries – it often means a much better, happier, healthy life.We have 5 things we look for in a country: 1. What kind of a political system do they have? Is it safe? Is anywhere safe these days? 2. The currency. Is it stable? Compared to the US dollar you will get much debate. Some think the dollar is king, others see the world beginning to use other currencies for trade, and leaving the US and the dollar out of those conversations. Some think the next bubble will be related to the market and currencies of the world. Only time will tell. I’m not betting on the dollar long term. I think more like Jim Rodgers – agriculture! You can’t eat money, gold or silver. 3. Geography and climate. We don’t want to any longer live with hurricanes! Nor massive flooding, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc – yeah there are places in the US that maybe have better climate than the Keys, but they don’t have the other important aspects of life we require. And I don’t need someone telling me about the earthquakes in Panama – I know where the fault lines are and I am not worried 4. Affordability. Here is where key west scores a zero and much of the US for that – at least once you have discovered, lived in, and enjoyed some other countries. And 5. which can not be left out – how do the people of the country being considered as home, feel about Americans – not America, but Americans? Actually you should not say you are an American to them, their response is a puzzled look and they will respond we are all Americans, can you not refer to your self as something else? Cental America, South America, North America – all Americans! My friends in Central and South American suggest I am a Norte Americano! Ok but what about the Canadians – oh, they are Canadians – lucky bunch!I’d like to through in one more consideration as we have looked for home it has to do with spending. What does a country spend on education, the military, and how does their GDP compare with government spending? A country that sees its least fortunate are schooled with a good education as well as free access to good health care – that says a lot about what a country thinks of its people, and that’s a country I want to call home. Some call that OMG … Socialism! I call it humanity. Common sense |
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Just because my place of worship happens to be the liquor store doesn’t make my religion any less valid than yours. |
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[Energy Independence] I’m sure you’ve noticed the skyrocketing price of beef lately. I wondered so I did some investigating and found two villains. The drought/water shortage is a major player, but the Lex Luther in this scam is our government tinkering with energy. The push to use more and more ethanol is causing farmers to gravitate away from feed sales to producing for ethanol. This obviously is causing meat producers’ costs for feed to go thru the roof. You know the results, cutbacks in production, rising prices. This forecast is to continue thru 2017. So taking away a major world food source so someone in the oligarchy can get rich is not surprising. |
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[How Phony Can You Be] I like Jeb Bush. He’s on just about every news show and has been raising enormous amounts of money, visits key primary states, and on interviews says he doesn’t know if he’ll run for President. Huh? Well, what the hell is he doing raising so much money? Is he just trying to skirt election laws so he doesn’t have to comply once he declares? Do you think we’ll ever have a politician who is truly honest and speaks the truth? |
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Tuesday there were 4 bomb threats on different airlines. If I were a terrorist group like ISIL I’d call every airline around the world and threaten every plane. It would cripple the world because authorities have to check out every threat. |
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[“Iraqi Army running”] That’s reminiscent of Vietnam and the ARVN soldiers in 1972 and 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1973. 58,286 of our soldiers wasted–for nothing. Now the hawks want to send more American troops to fight against ISIS, another war that can’t be won with guns. |
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[Doom] What the hell happened to America? A kid stubs his toe at school and the parents want to hang the teacher? A woman spills boiling coffee and burns herself then sues for millions? A religious group wants to take over the country and the bleeding hearts want to give them welfare? Actors, Athletes, Politicians and other useless drones get millions of dollars for what and a farmer gets the shaft? Millions of illegal invaders are now in control of major areas and want free everything? No wonder this country is the laughing stock of the planet and we are not going to make it! |
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“To make a long story short …”, Said no woman ever. |
![]() [“Willie should get a new guitar”] Willie Nelson and His Famous Guitar: The Tale of Trigger. Video |
Study shows sailors really do make better lovers (of course this is from a sailing website). Link |
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[Failure] Undercover people tested the TSA’s security at airports around the country. The TSA had a 95% failure rate. (That’s similar to the NSA’s gathering of all our communications which has been proven to be very ineffective too.) It turns out taking your belt off doesn’t mane anyone safer. |
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[The Missing Waterfront Park] The Navy in 2002 gave the city the 32-acre waterfront property, which remains almost entirely undeveloped. |
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[Religion] I recall sitting in a Methodist Sunday school class on Sunday near Helen, Georgia, in June 2004, and the Sunday school teacher, a leader of a Bikers for Christ club, which rode their motorcycles around northern Georgia, and elsewhere, say, he wished all Muslims were dead! He got a number of amens from class members. It kept going that way, until finally I shouted, “What’s wrong with Christians, don’t they read the Bible?! In Genesis, God tells Abraham that Ishmael’s seed (which became Islam), will become a great nation, and it will cause Isaac’s seed trouble (Isaac’s seed became Judaism and Christendom). Ishmael was Abraham’s son by his concubine Hagar, whom Abraham’s wife Sarah had selected to bring forth the child God had promised Abraham. Sarah was old and barren, so she did that. Then, she conceived and Issac was born. I told the Sunday school class, all of whom knew that passage in Genesis, if God predicted what now is going on between Islam, Judaism and Christendom, which is what 911 was about, why are you making such a big fuss about it? Much the same story is in the Koran. Muslims believe Ishmael was the promised son. Jews and Christians believe Isaac was the promised son. They’ve been squabbling and fighting about it a long time. Sibling rivalry, they are brothers with the same father Abraham. |
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[Booze & Downers] George Maichin, 66, a Little Torch Key man was discovered Monday afternoon floating in a canal near his home. The roommate told deputies Maichin had been drinking alcohol and was taking pain medication for an injured shoulder. |
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NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary will hold a public meeting of the Sanctuary Advisory Council in Marathon, Fla., on Tuesday, June 16, Hyatt Place, 1996 Overseas Highway.The focus of the meeting will be a discussion on marine events and concentrated uses such as party areas, raft-ups, and boat races to determine whether there are any management issues in need of potential action. Representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Coast Guard will bring their experiences before the council, including any existing permitting requirements and conditions, management issues, and enforcement challenges. |
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[Drunk Pennsylvania Man Sets Up Fake DUI Checkpoint, Is Promptly Arrested] An added bonus are the Florida mug shots following the story. Link |
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[Keys Logic] Sin, wash, repeat. |
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[Just a Common Soldier] This is not quite what you think it is in spite of what it says below. Give it a minute or two of your time, and you will be hooked. It makes some very good points and put the concepts in an interesting perspective and context. Video |
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Submit anything of a positive nature, unless it’s breakthrough stuff to island@bigpinekey.com |