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For some, blogs are a way of life...

Two women drowned in a Mercedes...
Posted:Feb 22, 2020 6:17 am
Last Updated:Feb 26, 2020 7:30 pm
216082 Views
Fisher Island, off the coast of Miami Beach is a haven for the very wealthy. Listed as the wealthiest zip code in America, the only way to get to Fisher Island is by boat, helicopter or ferry.

The ferry service runs 24 hours a day and requires a pre-arranged security clearance.
Earlier this week, 2 women (ages 63 and 75) became victims as they were both sitting in a Mercedes that slipped off the ferry shortly after the boat left the Miami Beach shore. Both women drowned. Their bodies recovered from the water later that evening. I read the incident occurred around 4pm.

I've seen the preparation for cars on the ferry. You pull up, single file, put your vehicle in park, apply the parking brake, attendants use wheel chocks so the vehicles don't move from rough seas. For safety, you must exit your vehicle and sit in an air conditioned passenger booth until the ferry reaches it's destination.
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6 Comments
Seafood...
Posted:Feb 18, 2020 4:26 am
Last Updated:Feb 24, 2020 3:18 am
195677 Views
There's a new seafood place in town!
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1 comment
I was shooting sparks today...
Posted:Feb 16, 2020 8:49 pm
Last Updated:May 3, 2024 6:1 am
183649 Views
grinding pipe for the recycle...
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0 Comments
Wuhan: building a 1000 bed hospital in 10 days...
Posted:Jan 31, 2020 10:35 pm
Last Updated:Feb 16, 2020 8:48 pm
175363 Views
Earlier in the week, China announced they would build a 1,000 bed hospital in Wuhan city within 10 days as necessary for the corona virus.

The media in the first few days showed lots of photos and videos of earth moving equipment clearing land at the site. the for that is "A and pony show"

How did it happen so quickly?
Design and prepare engineered drawings.
Find suitable land for construction.
Clear the land.
Dig trenches for sewer drains.
Pour a cement slab and wait for it cure.
Erect buildings with plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning.

I'm skeptical about the whole thing, but I've read it's been done before.

After several days of the media playing the videos over and over, it became annoying see no progress.

Checking the news on Friday the 31st repeated the completion date is February 3rd.

By now they had slabs, steel support columns, stacks of prefabricated rooms, sewer trenches.

It's early morning in city and I found a live video link the construction and it shows rows of rooms, open corridors. While unconventional, the areas in the video have a good amount of work done on the outside.
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I added a 3rd photo Sunday 2-2-2020 that shows some steel beams in the lower left of the image. They need more than 10 days to complete this project.
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3 Comments
Uhura had the first Bluetooth...
Posted:Jan 24, 2020 10:09 pm
Last Updated:Jan 24, 2020 10:10 pm
160329 Views
Star Trek came in 1966 and Uhura was the communications officer aboard the USS Enterprise.
Her claim to fame is having the first Bluetooth.
It was massive by today's standards as it looked like it had it's own radiator!

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0 Comments
Gung Hay Fat Choy...
Posted:Jan 23, 2020 7:44 pm
Last Updated:Jan 25, 2020 6:29 pm
160671 Views
Chinese around the world are celebrating a year!
I'm told it's the year of the rat... okay and a week long celebration.

Depending on you ask, Gung Hay Fat Choy loosely translates : Congratulations make a fortune.
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10 Comments
Street sign...
Posted:Jan 1, 2020 5:37 pm
Last Updated:Jan 7, 2020 6:52 pm
149270 Views
I always questioned the stability of those would stand on a corner wearing signage so small the audience cannot read.


0 Comments
The smell of car tires...
Posted:Jan 1, 2020 7:23 am
Last Updated:Jan 1, 2020 3:34 pm
148928 Views

Flashback to the winter of 1970 and I was in a band performing at a nightclub in Daytona Beach. The gig was a week long and the management provided us a small apartment to stay at.
It was a two story building, living quarters on top and a business on the ground floor.
We were told it once was funeral home. The owner and his family occupied the apartment above.
Inside the kitchen hall was a small door in the wall that had a shelf connected by a chain that could be raised or lowered between the 2 floors. Commonly called a dumbwaiter, the access was blocked off since the apartment was no longer connected to the business below. Possibly the intent was the send food from the kitchen down and not used as a trash chute.
The business below us was a tire store and the aroma of tires leaked into the ductwork via the access door. It was a really unusual smell. Something I have not forgotten, especially connected with a musical career at the time.
As a high mileage car owner, I am buying or getting tires serviced every few months and when I smell tires, I remember the first experience from the tire store/funeral parlor.
Yesterday, was no different. The weather beautiful with temperature around 65 and I am out running errands. On my list was to get my car serviced and one tire patched that had a slow leak from a nail.
Always in a hurry, I neglected tire rotation (possibly a few times) and the service adviser mention the 2 rear tires were good but the 2 front tires were down to the the wear indicators... one of those tires had a nail too close to the edge and unable to be patched.
Time for new tires... I decided on 4 and not 2 as the rear tires had developed and oscillation that I recognize from previous experience. they work, but have some road noise. They still have some life to them... and no nails, so I packed them in the hatchback and will schlep them to Miami today. I need to decide if I want to keep them or give to my neighbor as his car uses the same size tire.
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1 comment
Puerto Rican Lightening...
Posted:Dec 19, 2019 1:13 pm
Last Updated:Mar 13, 2023 5:16 am
144276 Views
When a failing business (especially in New York) has a mysterious fire in the night destroying the place including all the records and the owner claims enough insurance to start a new business, it comes under the heading of "Jewish lightening"

Legally, it's arson. In the old days investigators didn't have reliable means of determining the cause of such fires... unless it was obvious like a few empty cans of gasoline found in the premises leading to arrests, the insurance companies still had to make payouts on claims.

Today in the news, Latin singer Marc Anthony (Marco Antonio Muñiz) of Puerto Rican descent suffered a great loss when his 0 foot long yacht estimated at $7 million caught fire and capsized in a Miami harbor off Watson Island last night.

According to news, it took more than 45 firefighters two hours to control the blaze and thankfully no one was injured.

Some of the readers reactions to the story were a bit revealing:

"a lot of times, fires like that are caused friction. friction between the payment book and the insurance papers!!"
"The yacht was up for earlier this year. Didn't . Boom, fire. We see what you did there, Marc. *wink *wink"
"Was for , guess it was a fire ."
"Fire $ale since nobody else wanted to purchase the pit in a normal $ale."
"On a good note the fire was extinguished when it capsized."
"Mark, here’s some advice. If your worth is $80M, don’t spend a tenth of it on a yacht. You’re welcome."
"Two best days of a boat owners life: the day they get the boat, and the day it burns up in flames so they don't have to for it anymore."
"Anthony’s boat, which was for earlier this year..."
"Hmmm...can't wait for the investigation to reveal arson. Insurance ."
"Too much Salsa, huh?"
"I am guessing fire investigators will see if the fire was caused arson. These multi-million dollar yachts don't just catch on fire. This is a rare event and stirs a lot of suspicion as to the cause."
(I like this last one)
"Was it arson? I need to know, tell me girl cause I need to know."
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4 Comments
Going abroad to meet a broad...
Posted:Dec 14, 2019 6:21 am
Last Updated:Dec 15, 2019 7:24 am
141151 Views

Dating sites always have questions about traveling other countries meet a possible mate.

Long distance relationships have their risks at any level.
I have known lots of people who have traveled domestically a few hundred miles only be disappointed...
Would traveling ten thousand miles increase your odds of finding love? Of course not.

My suggestion is be sensible in your decisions and planning. Know what you want accomplish and make a back up plan in case your first plan gets changed.

It is a good thing if you speak English going an English speaking country. If not, you could have barriers, especially as many customs officers only know a handful of words in English. Large cities often cater to tourists. Taxi and hotel support often speak English. Make sure you have an idea of the route as some taxi drivers will circle you around the city or take the long way adding minutes to the drive that raises the fare.

Currency... do not exchange at the airport, they have the highest fees. Do your transactions at a bank.
You may find someone hanging around the front of the bank offering better than the bank. Consider the you receive could be counterfeit. I would not consider risking it. I also would not consider doing a transaction on the street as you could be robbed or arrested as the police in some countries do not allow private exchange.

Do as much research as you can... be comfortable with laws as many places do not allow photography in public, so that perfect sunset between some statues could get your video equipment confiscated... or worse.

If they drive on the opposite side of the road than your country forget renting a vehicle. Going to Italy? Forget driving there as every driver on the road is a Mario Andretti. Also, if the car in front constantly speeds up and slows down and is totally annoying DO NOT PASS HIM. Many do this as a ploy to videotape you and send it to the authorities. They make commission for turning you in. Their gain and your loss.
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3 Comments

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