Back in 2012, I wrote my first story for the Keys Weekly that put me on the map, so to speak. Never mind that I had already written tons of informative articles about complicated planning matters, the environment, education, etc. My “big story” was about … bugs. Yep, the millipedes. Suddenly friends and strangers, who never once mentioned reading any of my articles, were stopping me at the grocery store to talk about the yellow-banded “crunchy worms” that had shown up all over the Middle Keys. I have too many good things to say about the Keys Weekly Newspaper and Marathon community to put into...
By Capt. Michael Barber It’s another tough day in paradise; wind chill is 84 degrees and the beer temperature is 32 degrees. Music is drifting across the harbor from the bar and the sunset is a dazzling show of fire splashing into the ocean somewhere over there. The weather outlook is great for the extended forecast window. That means many of the captains and crew are making last-minute adjustments to their “sail-plan” and will be underway in the morning. The term “Captain and Crew” sounds all nautical, but for the most part it refers to a couple. Generally speaking, the husband is captain...
Jack Marchant is no stranger to change — from moving around the east coast to changing college majors — Jack has let the waves of life guide him; and it seems like they’ve been kind. Currently running a Jetsurf rental business headquartered in Marathon, his entrepreneurial spirit is on full display, evenly matched with what his clients have said is an endlessly kind and encouraging attitude. Marchant’s company provides top-of-the-line 2021 Jetsurf powered surfboards and all the necessary safety equipment with every rental. While he and the team offer instruction and assistance for groups...
The summer Olympic games are underway in Tokyo, Japan. Spectators from coast to coast have their eyes glued to the big names, the marquee events and the medal count in hopes that the U.S comes out on top. Big names like Caleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky are packing their suitcase full of medals, while American surfer Carissa Moore became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport. An Olympic experience is unlike any other. Just ask Islamorada resident and former MLB player Doug Mientkiewicz, who represented the USA in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. From defeating...
Capt. Don Fanelli could tell stories for hours on his law enforcement career that spanned 35 years. He remembers the days working in Ohio before shuttering mills and a downward economy led him and some other friends to land employment in the Florida Keys. He recalls a bit of culture shock when reaching the island chain, and looks back fondly on the years he’s worked for and alongside the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Fanelli’s one of the first K9 officers in the Keys, and he’s also the one who spent most, if not all, of his time overseeing the checkpoint in Key Largo during the...
Move over, toilet paper and make room for pepper. Really. Pepper. The pandemic just keeps giving … or in this case, taking away. In the spring of 2020 we collectively lost our minds about toilet paper and hand sanitizer and bought everything on the shelf. Well, the global crisis is winding down, only to pour salt in our wounds with continued shortages. And we’re not talking about employees or the gas crisis caused by hackers of the Colonial pipeline. (Seriously, that’s not a thing for Florida; our gas comes on shipping tankers. Please, stop panic-buying.) The list is funny, but the real-world...
I don’t know where you are, but it is a great day here on the island. It is partly cloudy, the wind chill is 84° F, and beautiful people fill my view from the tiki bar. Paradise is not constant even in paradise though. On the horizon a bank of huge thunder heads is building and it appears to be meandering this way. As they get closer a few people start to take notice. The harbor is packed with boats and I’m betting that most of them left some or all of their hatches open. I fall into that category. I’m notorious for leaving my hatches open if I’m not absolutely convinced that it will rain while...
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...
I dare to say we are all afraid of something at some point or another. The tired saying goes, “Fear keeps us safe.” Yes, I think the expression is tired. Maybe it’s new to you, but I hear that saying a lot, and I find it tiring. How is fear keeping us safe? Is avoiding something new or uncomfortable safe? I feel not trying something new leaves people stuck. Fear leaves us stuck in the same pattern, routine, relationships, etc. And stuck doesn’t feel good. I don’t know about you, but I like to feel good. Now, please don’t misunderstand and run out into traffic or swim amidst a school of sharks....
What effect do artificial sweeteners have on our weight? Since the mid-’70s, artificial sweetener consumption in the U.S. has doubled. Since the 1990s, new products have exploded, leading to more than 6,000 products being introduced from just 1999 to 2004!
Guess what else happened? We have gone from an obesity rate of 8% in the mid-1970s to over 42% by 2017. That is not a typo: forty-two percent.
Who or what is to blame? Unfortunately, it’s not likely we can blame our ‘diet’ sugars, but they may have some effect. Artificial sweeteners include sucralose, aspartame, advantame, saccharin, neotame,...