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Into the GREEN
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on March 14, 2013.]
Into the GREEN
A couple of months ago I recapped my previous year’s contributions to KONK Life. Anyone who follows this column knows that its focus rambles all over the map, rarely ever on the same topic in consecutive columns. I’ve heard from some of you that you like it that way, and I too like and follow other columns of similar ilk. But I also feel the time has come for me to concentrate my focus — and that focus should target the GREEN spectrum.
As many of you know, a while back – at the time that I embraced the Green Party — I set up a Facebook page to share news and observations of GREEN issues, local, national and global. It has featured several of my green-related columns from here (most recently the one before this one) and lots and lots of news and views from all over. That Facebook page is the “GREEN Reactor” page (also easily accessible from outside Facebook via “GreenReactor.net”). I established the page as a place to segregate the GREEN stuff that I would have posted to my own Facebook wall (timeline) — so that people on my Friends list wouldn’t have to deal with it if they weren’t interested.
But for those who do see the importance of staying informed about GREEN issues (yep, I’m trying to shame the rest of you… *smile*) it just takes (more…)
A New Gang of 3?
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on February 28, 2013.]
A New Gang of 3?
Back in the 00’s, our Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) had a trio who voted YES in lockstep on any issue friendly to Keys developers. Want ROGO relief to get a project approved? SURE. Need to widen US1 to support more traffic to new developments? WE’LL DO WHAT WE CAN. Want a variance to build a big hotel in a working seaport? NO PROBLEM. They soon were dubbed the “Gang of 3”.
Nobody was surprised when they even okayed without deliberation an ordinance written by the developer’s lawyer to allow a massive Safe Harbor project! Thankfully a strong Dept of Community Affairs (DCA) rode herd on them and blocked much of their destruction. Nowadays, since our Tea Party Governor dismantled the DCA, the Gang of 3 could rape and pillage our Keys environment and quality of life at will — but all three were booted by a cautionary electorate tired of such devilment. (more…)
Cable TV’s Nightmare
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on February 14, 2013.]
Cable TV’s Nightmare
You hear a lot about the Xfinity vs U-verse war, and DirectTV and Dish skirmishes. But Big Cable’s real enemy is IPTV (“internet protocol television”). TV that doesn’t NEED cable (other than to carry internet). Last year 1.5 million more people cut their cable & satellite than signed up, and this is growing. Recently my household joined those ranks.
I was already getting antsy about the rising cable bill even as I got more of my entertainment through other, uhhh, channels. Then this year’s annual price boost added new monthly charges for the two little “free” boxes Comcast had given us when they’d taken away direct access by other TVs in the house. It was the last straw: Bye-bye, Xfinity!
Now we’re loving the $90+ reduction in our monthly Comcast bill, (more…)
More Sides Now
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on January 31, 2013.]
More Sides Now
Last summer I wrote a BOTH SIDES NOW column here with a “point / counterpoint” discussion of a number of local hot-button issues raised in the Voice and elsewhere. Let’s do it some more…
Roosevelt Project
Point: I never see anybody working on Roosevelt Boulevard. That project probably won’t be finished until after I’m dead. And why didn’t they tell us how much trouble it was going to be?
Counterpoint: Ain’t armchair quarterbacking fun? The TRUTH of the matter is that the project is ON SCHEDULE. Just because YOU don’t see them doing what YOU think they should be doing doesn’t change that. They’re proceeding according to their plan – a plan that they very much DID make well known to anyone who bothered to listen. (more…)
Dept of Environmental Rejection
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on January 17, 2013.]
Dept of Environmental Rejection
In the 1970s, riding the wave of environmental enlightenment as the nation woke up to the escalating damage from rampant development and profiteering, Florida established its Department of Environmental Regulation (FDER) — formed from various other agencies, including the Department of Air and Water Pollution Control (established by Florida’s FIRST Republican governor) and the Bureau of Sanitary Engineering. By the 1990s it included oversight of Florida’s water management districts, and was retitled Department of Environmental Protection. Our DEP was one of the largest such protection agencies in the nation, and took its responsibilities toward our quality of life and our very future quite seriously.
Even under Florida’s next Republican governor, Jeb Bush, the DEP diligently maintained its role as the protector of our state’s precious resources, (more…)
Journey Through The Past
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on January 3, 2013.]
Journey Through The Past
Happy New Year and all that jazz…. Wow, 2013! Far out. Early Beatlemania is now longer ago than all of WWI was in those days. Time marches on… Hey, while in the retro mindset, I think I’ll look over my last year of KONK Life columns (about 18,000 words-worth)….
After introducing myself, I quickly jumped into Key West local issues with a warning about the ill effects of widening our ship channel to support bigger cruise ships. This issue ended up so hot that our City Commission punted it back to the voters, which will happen this coming year. Note that in a later column I clarified that we need not fear the ships themselves…
Other local-issue columns detailed impacts (more…)
Rebel Yell
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on December 20, 2012.]
Rebel Yell
At my home away from home in the mountains of North Carolina the old Confederate Battle Flag sore has begun festering again. Probably not so coincidental to the Tea Party bloom in that state — which was “purple” before going solidly “red” this last election — the flag has been appearing at public events lately. Those who fly them have convinced themselves that the flags are just “southern heritage” and refuse to accept the offense it brings to so many. (more…)
It Breaks a Village
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on December 6, 2012.]
It Breaks a Village
Hillary’s expression “It takes a village [to raise kids]” is turned on its head in Key West. The (grown) children of the community must work to foster the village itself – especially the oldest neighborhood on the island: Bahama Village. I ashamedly have to admit, though, that our neglect has broken this Village…
The Bahama Village neighborhood dates back to the earliest days of our settlement and once covered the westernmost quarter of the populated island (when New Town was a salt marsh). Many descendents of African/Caribbean settlers ended up in this neighborhood. Over time, (more…)
Farewell Democrats
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on November 22, 2012.]
Farewell Democrats
I proudly supported Barrack Obama against the mega-rich-financed opposition this year and am happy that he kept Romney out of the White House. Like many of my fellow ecology-minded and sustainability-seeking “lefties”, I felt that in this election the highest priority was to stop the regressive policies that Romney and the platform of the Republican Party sought to impose on our great nation. Yes, I’ve been frustrated by the less than stellar progress under Obama on vitally important issues like global warming, destructive drilling and poverty — but the stakes were just too high for me to cast a protest vote this time. (And I do believe that overall Obama has done a fine job in spite of the obstructionists.)
I have voted against the major parties in the past. In 1976 I voted for Eugene McCarthy over Ford and Carter, and in 1980 I voted for John Anderson over Carter and Reagan. Ever since, I didn’t look much to the third parties — especially after the 2000 debacle where the Ralph Nader vote in Florida (with help from the US Supreme Court) gave W the Presidency. (Many in the Green Party react fiercely to this contention, but it’s hard to NOT draw that conclusion.) (more…)
Rock Hall Travesty:Where’s CRAZY HORSE?
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on November 8, 2012.]
Rock Hall Travesty: Where’s CRAZY HORSE?
Now that the election heavy-lifting is over with, let’s turn our attention to another selection process with a festering sore: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since the first “class” (Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, etc) was inducted in 1986, there have been 279 individuals and groups given the honor. These days another 6 or 7 are added each year. But over almost 20 years of eligibility there has not even been a nomination for those icons of rock, Crazy Horse. (more…)
2016: Romney’s America
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on October 25, 2012.]
2016: Romney’s America
She closes the National Park Camping Reservations app on her cell after finding her favorite campground has been shut down to make way for exploratory oil drilling. She’d been looking forward to sharing with her kids the experience of the glorious parkland that she and her parents and her grandparents had held so dear. The kids have been heartbroken over their father’s recent tragic passing, and a visit to the pristine woodland would have done them good. Oh well…
She thinks about how their father passed away not long after his union job with health benefits had been off-shored and he’d had to accept one of Romney’s promised new jobs – barely above minimum wage with too few hours to qualify for any kind of benefits. (more…)
Nerd Culture
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on October 11, 2012.]
Nerd Culture
Historically, many have given little shrift to the nerds and geeks in their lives, preferring to focus social energy on things trendy or cozy. Why spend time with guys or gals who use funny words (like “ bit-mapped” or “pokemon” or “hot-swapable”) or do unfathomable work (like programming or engineering or “science”) or do strange activities (like cosplay, or MMO gaming or read comic books for god’s sake) when one can play ball or go clubbing or hang with the beautiful people?
But the world is changing. Partially lead by the popularity of Big Bang Theory on TV, (more…)
Unchartered Waters
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on September 27, 2012.]
Unchartered Waters
There are plenty of people who’ve attended a charter school or have kids in one, and many claim they love it. There are some good charter schools that can be held up as evidence of their value. But I will probably piss off a few people when I say that I feel we need to rethink the whole concept.
Some people don’t like public schools for whatever reason. Often it’s because they want a fourth “R” – “religion” — to be added to the 3R’s — “readin’, ritin’ and ‘rithmatic”. In the old days, they would pull their kids out and put them into a private school. I have NO PROBLEM with that. If people want to spend their own money to get away from the schools that are good enough for the vast majority of us, that’s their prerogative.
But many of them feel they should get a school-tax break since they’re paying someone else to school their kids. The problem is that we don’t pay a “fee” for the kids who are in school, we pay a TAX that’s levied on our property. (more…)
More Reactionary Voices
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on September 13, 2012.]
More Reactionary Voices
Once again I return to answering local anonymous “reactionaries” who have commented in our Island Voice column. (You can submit your own comments there by writing to “voice@konknet.com” or by calling 305-453-6804.)
“Can Commissioner Lopez ever see beyond his district? The thought of opposing the assisted living center at the Truman Waterfront because his district will not receive any taxes from its placement there is not only vulgar but just plain stupid.”
This issue is far too complex for such histrionics. One must understand that a key provision of the Navy’s conveyance of the waterfront property to the City is that there must be a component that would provide direct economic benefit to the Bahama Village community. Prior to the collapse of the Bahama Conch Community Land Trust (BCCLT) that provision was to be met by a grand plan to set up a market-place, small businesses, affordable housing and a community square that would be an extension of the Village. The BCCLT’s demise left a hole in the plan that had to be filled. (more…)
The Beast, part 3: Caged Beast
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on August 30, 2012.]
The Beast, part 3: Caged Beast
In my last two columns ( “Facing the Beast“ and “Face of the Beast“) we witnessed Christopher Cornelius Farrell’s foiled attempt to decapitate his 3-year-old neighbor, and learned how he’d tormented the community for years. But what happened after the Key West police arrested him at gunpoint on October 1, 2008?
I attended the arraignment of Farrell three weeks later, in Courtroom D of the brand new Freeman Justice Center – one of the first arraignments held there. Farrell sat among six or seven other prisoners, the only one in black and white striped (“crazy person!”) scrubs. (more…)
The Beast, part 2: Face of the Beast
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on August 16, 2012.]
The Beast, part 2: Face of the Beast
In my last column (“Facing the Beast”) I related my encounter with Christopher Cornelius Farrell, as he was attempting to cut off the head of a three year old girl on a William Street sidewalk. But who is this guy?
I can find no record of when Farrell first showed up in Key West. But by the early 1990s — in his late 20s — he was ensconced in the two story building at the corner of William and Southard Streets diagonally across from the big Albury house (now being restored after the death of the last Albury, Bonnie). Farrell seems to have always been unemployed – nobody seems to know how he could afford the place.
In the summer of 1993 Farrell went to court on a Trespassing charge and was adjudicated guilty, (more…)
The Beast, part 1: Facing the Beast
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on August 2, 2012.]
The Beast, part 1: Facing the Beast
I recently caught a YouTube video of new Spider-Man Andrew Garfield’s Comic-Con speech, where he described how Spidey shaped his life. How Spidey inspired him to do good. I too was a young Spider-Man fan. Perhaps Spidey had influenced me as well a few years ago when fate placed me in the right place at the right time.
I’d left the gym after a vigorous workout and was warming-down on my bike-ride home. Nice ride through the cemetery (before the “locked gates” brouhaha) and then down Southard. As I passed William Street I heard a girlie-squeal to my right. (more…)
The Unforgotten
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on July 19, 2012.]
The Unforgotten
Conchs and long-time locals all have their tales of our Island’s past, recalling such famous scions of Key West history as Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Shel Silverstein or Bum Farto. Those of us with a shallower history here also have memories of departed icons of the Island. Generally they’re more touristy ones — but icons nonetheless. Here’s a batch of them that have disappeared from our streets over the last decade or so…
The Cookie Lady. Marilyn Kellner sailed into Key West in the 80s and quickly started (more…)
Both Sides Now
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on July 4, 2012.]
Both Sides Now
I’ve done a few ‘reactions’ and ‘reactionaries’ columns in the past, where I answered questions and points made in our Island Voice column and other local voice columns. But sometimes the issues that are raised really need to be examined from multiple points of view. They’re not necessarily open and shut cases. Today I’ll look at some that have come up recently, and try some “point--counterpoint”… (more…)
Return of the Geek
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on June 21, 2012.]
Return of the Geek
A couple of years ago I wrote a column called Geek Speak in a local paper. It focused on various techie topics, where I’d introduce or update new and changing technologies we deal with. Topics that can be confusing when you don’t keep up with them. The river of Science and Engineering flows swiftly, so I’m again going to put on my Geek hat, and attempt to pilot you through one of those eddies. This time: Portable Music.
Just a few years ago “state of the art” was (more…)
Developers Never Sleep
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on June 7, 2012.]
Developers Never Sleep
The last week of May showed how absolutely important it is that we remain ever-vigilant in our efforts to defend our environment and quality of life in the Keys. The always-lurking developers attacked on several fronts. Thankfully — unlike our old days of Bubba-power, Navy-pressure & Cronyism — this time they have been temporarily fended off by wise and honest actions of the Key West City Commission and the Monroe County Planning Board. But these are just skirmishes in the ongoing battle.
In Key West the shady backroom campaign by British real estate giant (more…)
Cruise ships are not evil
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on May 24, 2012.]
Cruise ships are not evil
As a Director and VP of Last Stand, people are surprised that I’m not pushing to keep cruise ships away from Key West. Indeed you will find that there are Last Stand members who do NOT wish to see the cruise ships disappear from our waters. Sure, some would be gleeful if that did happen, but by no means do all Last Standers feel that way. Like many within the Key West population, I believe that our cruise-ship visitors have a place within our City’s economy. And that most of those visitors are good folks who don’t do much damage.
The problem, of course, is one of SCALE. The cruise visitors we get cost us some money and effort to deal with, but they do spend a bit while here. Studies have shown that they contribute somewhere under 10% to our city’s economy – not a big component, but significant. To the businesses that have grown to rely on the tourists disembarking from the ships, it’s VERY significant. I have friends with businesses in Old Town that sweat the days when there’s no ship in port. You know — those days the rest of us love so much… (more…)
I Need A Job
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on May 10, 2012.]
I Need A Job
Two years ago I got the wake-up call:
“Dude, it doesn’t matter that your work garners awards from the CEO, that you have an impressive project resume, that you consistently do high quality work 40% more than you’re being paid for, or that you’ve shown 30 years of loyalty in the face of other opportunities. Our bean counters think we’ll show 0.00001% more profit if we send your project overseas and force you to `retire’ now instead of letting you move over to another needy project.”
Well, the call didn’t use exactly those words, but that was effectively the message.
I documented this (more…)
Reactionary Voices
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on April 26, 2012.]
Reactionary Voices
It’s been a while since I compiled a batch of my reactions to other local reactionaries. This time I can quote the exact words I’m responding to, because the exhortations came into this very paper, in the “Island Voice” column. Off we go…
Now more than ever the community needs help and direction with affordable housing, elderly care and assistance. Whatever will happen with the dedicated 6.6 acres for Truman Waterfront. Has the community lost that, too? (more…)
Long May He Run
KONK REACTOR column
[Published in the KONK Life newspaper on April 12, 2012.]
Long May He Run
And now for something completely different….
For awhile not long ago I’d listen to Bill Becker talk and laugh on his morning show about the latest episode in his escaping beagle saga and it would give me flashbacks. And when I’d cross paths with Doug Bennet taking his two Siberian Huskies on a stroll through Old Town — or hear about their parties at the Schooner Warf — it would transport me back to the 80s and 90s when a similar pair graced so much of my daily life.
I was thinking about those days again lately, and remembered (more…)