OPINION: SAFER CLEANER SHIPS’ PROJECTIONS ARE UNREALISTIC & DECEPTIVE

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on August 18, 2021. Posted in Cruise Ship Debate, Opinion, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage.

As Safer Cleaner Ships (SCS) seeks to convince the Key West City Commission to adopt SCS’s proposed cruise ship ordinances, which would bar almost all of our current cruise ship traffic from the port, our community needs to be made aware that SCS is providing “supporting” information and projections that simply bear no relationship to reality. The topics on which SCS has opined range from the control of infectious diseases, long-term environmental impacts, city and county economics, deep-water port operations and important legal advice. Each topic alone could keep a panel of experts engaged...

OPINION: CRUISE SHIP BATTLE MIRRORS THE ‘JUNGLE BOOK’

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on August 16, 2021. Posted in Cruise Ship Debate, Opinion, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage.

Disney’s great production of Kipling’s “Jungle Book” has a parallel in recent Key West politics. The honeyed words of the Kaa-like spokesman for Safer Cleaner Ships (SCS) were brought abruptly into clear focus at last week’s city commission meeting. Like 60% of Key West voters, the mayor and at least some commissioners have long been entranced by SCS concerning their cruise ship-restricting referenda and ordinances. They seemingly were hypnotized into believing that a group of under-informed, intolerant political activists had all the cruise ship answers. In the manner of Bagheera, the...

SPORTS & MORE: HOW MUCH MONEY IS ENOUGH?

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on August 12, 2021. Posted in Columns, Opinion, Sports, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage.

My favorite soccer team is Barcelona (or Barça, as it’s commonly known). And it’s all because of Lionel Messi. But now, Messi, perhaps the greatest soccer player of all time, is moving to Paris Saint-Germain. He says he regrets going to a rival team. I and big-time Barça fans regret it, too. There was a time when I thought I needed to know more about soccer -— European soccer, or football to be exact. At the same time, I was reading an article on Messi and became a fan. Since then, I have followed both Messi and Barcelona. And European football. I mention this because I assume many of you are...

DOCKING FOR DUMMIES

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on August 12, 2021. Posted in Columns, Fun, Miles to Go, Opinion, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage.

“Honey, honey, get the fenders ready. Port side, PORT, that’s LEFT, no, MY left! Jesus, this slip’s tight. When did this wind kick up? And where did this current come from? Oh, forget it. I can’t back in with this wind. Other side, honey, OTHER SIDE. I SAID I’m not backing in. Can you not see which side we’re about to hit? I’m NOT yelling. I’m docking. And you’re not helping. As if you could do any better. Unlike your car, this boat doesn’t park itself. Let’s see YOU park something you can’t stop or steer. They’re too low....

SETTING GOALS: HOW TO STAY ON TRACK

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on August 6, 2021. Posted in Opinion, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage.

It’s time for a bit of a mid-year check. It’s mid-year. Can you believe it? A lot is going on, too many things to list. And then you end up reading about “revenge vacation” in a Forbes article. Not a big shocker, I guess, seeing the amount of traffic here in the Keys. But let’s take a moment to reflect: are you at the place you desire to be in your life? Sit with that for a minute. Well, it may take longer, so give yourself grace. I feel good about where I am at mid-year. But I would be lying if I didn’t say it took work to get here. Now I am at a place of editing and letting things go. And...

OPINION: CRUISE SHIPS – AN UNCOMPROMISING SITUATION

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on July 27, 2021. Posted in Opinion, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage.

It is an old political truism that the best, long-lasting solutions to a contentious problem come from a compromise between adversarial parties. But there is no voice for compromise on the Key West City Commission. Striving for compromise requires political courage, open-mindedness and firm leadership by the mayor and commissioners. It mostly calls for respect for others’ opinions. Our mayor has shown none of those qualities with regard to the cruise ship debate. Unable or unwilling to oversee a civil, respectful public meeting on July 12, she made it clear she is firmly behind...

OPINION: ‘LOVE’ ISN’T A STRONG ENOUGH WORD FOR MOMS

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on May 9, 2021. Posted in Columns, Entertainment, Key West News, Miles to Go, Opinion, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage.

‘Love’ isn’t strong enough. Our language is woefully inadequate. How can the word that describes our affection for, say, a favorite sweatshirt, be the same one we use for the woman who is our everything? Not only is the word inadequate, but also shamefully overused. We need a stronger, better, more descriptive word for the love between a mother and child. Sure, “love” works for little kids drawing hearts with crayons. But as those kids become adults, we realize the sacrifices this woman has made. The worries we caused. The school projects we forgot until the night before and...

OPINION: OXITEC EMPLOYS ‘PERSUASION BY DECEPTION’

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on May 4, 2021. Posted in In Their Own Words, Opinion, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage.

It is astonishing how average people could subject others to risky experiments not of their choice, under the false pretense of “science.” Oxitec/Mosquito Control are doing just that. Their op-ed from Thursday, April 22, is an example of their half-truths and outright lies, persuasion by deception hoping that most of us in the Florida Keys are fishing or on our second margarita. In order of items in their op-ed: QUOTE: “…preparing to release Oxitec’s safe and environmentally sustainable biting male mosquitos in a field project approved by the EPA and State of Florida...

A tribute to tribute bands

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on April 27, 2021. Posted in Arts, Entertainment, Featured, In Their Own Words, Opinion, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage.

The current situation surrounding the pandemic has caused many folks to get creative in how they go about their business. Conch Records founder and TV88 Executive Producer Cliff Rydell is no different. “I have a need to keep putting on events,” said Rydell. “I just had to find a way to put on something unique involving my passion for documenting great music.” Due to safety and restrictions, it had become difficult to pull off the typical large-scale live music events that Conch Records is known for hosting. Cliff reached out to his friend Ray West, a talented local musician, to help him brainstorm...

OPINION: OXITEC MOSQUITO PROJECT REFLECTS PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

Written by Upper Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on April 26, 2021. Posted in mosquito, Opinion, Oxitec, Upper Keys Florida Mortgage, Upper Keys Mortgage.

10 years after the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) first invited Oxitec to the Keys, and in efforts to find effective methods for controlling the invasive, disease-spreading Aedes aegypti mosquito, FKMCD and Oxitec are for the first time preparing to release Oxitec’s safe and environmentally sustainable non-biting male mosquitoes in a field project approved by the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and State of Florida authorities. The project was commissioned by FKMCD, approved by the elected commissioners of the FKMCD and is managed by a joint steering committee...

Category: Opinion