Is Neary vs. Mauldin Another Cooper vs. Dillon?

Transcription

Key West THE NEWSPAPER February 29, 2008 Page www.kwtn.com
KEY WEST THE NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 29, 2008
Pribramskys
Close Down
Reed Appliance
KWHS Culinary Program
Finally Free to Flourish
Under Bell’s Leadership
BUSINESS EMBROILED IN
DUELING LAWSUITS. TRIAL MAY
BE SET AS EARLY AS APRIL
by Rhonda
Linseman-Saunders
For five years, Holly
(Brozi) Bell was the Chef
Instructor for the Key West
High School (KWHS) culinary
program— the most successful
culinary program in the county,
and one of the best in the state.
Nonetheless, Bell was fired then
rehired by KWHS Principal
John Welsh last year.
After Bell’s contract was
not renewed for the 2007-08
school year, outrage on the
part of students, teachers and
parents sparked a Key West the
Newspaper (KWTN) investiSee CULINARY, page 8
by Dennis Reeves Cooper
“It took us 20 years to build that business,” Jerry Abreu
said this week. “It took the Pribramskys just two years to destroy it.”
He was commenting on the news this week that Steven and
Robin Pribramsky are closing down Reed Appliance & Television
Center today, Friday, February 29. The Pribramskys purchased
the business from Abreu and his partner, George Santana, in
January 2006 for $750,000. Abreu and Santana agreed to carry a
$450,000 mortgage, secured by a mortgage on the Pribramskys’
Elizabeth Street home.
But the deal almost immediately went bad. When the
Pribramskys reportedly stopped making payments to Abreu
and Santana, they sued to foreclose. The lawsuit also included
See REED, page 7
THE SEMI-SECRET CULINARY
ADVISORY COMMITTEE NOW
OPERATING BEHIND THE SCENES
RICHARD WATHERWAX
HOLLY BELL AND STUDENTS
page one commentary
Do We Learn From Our Expensive Mistakes?
Is Neary vs. Mauldin Another Cooper vs. Dillon?
COOPER VS. DILLON MADE NEW LAW. CITIZENS
(EVEN COPS) CAN NO LONGER BE PROSECUTED
FOR SPEAKING OUT ABOUT WRONGDOING IN
GOVERNMENT
CHIEF DILLON TRIED TO SILENCE COOPER—
AND FAILED. NOW CHIEF MAULDIN IS TRYING TO
SILENCE TOM NEARY
by Michael R. Barnes,
Citizen/Lawyer
Should we all have to
take a course called “Key West
History” or . . . are we doomed
to repeat it?
Take this quiz. Here’s
the background: A Key West
Police Chief is tired of his
police department problems
becoming public. The Chief is
frustrated that he can’t get his
department’s problems out of
the newspaper. Finally, he does
something really stupid. Soon
after, the City is sued. After the
lawsuit, the taxpayers are the
ones hurt. Got it so far?
Now the quiz. “Are we
describing the old case of Cooper v. Dillon or the new case of
See MISTAKE, page 4
THE ISLAND’S OLDEST INDEPENDENT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Rhonda
Relapse
by Rhonda
Linseman-Saunders
Although my self-imposed weekly deadline for page
two has passed, the piece I had
originally planned is being
preempted on the basis of an
emergency. And any woman
or gay man between the ages
of 33 and 83 will understand
completely. Rick Springfield is
on Oprah.
I know, I know. Only a few
short months ago I said that, as
a gift from God, Rick Springfield had aged 30 years over
night. I also said that I’d finally
recovered from the trauma of
being left behind at nine years
old while my four older brothers went to a Rick Springfield
concert, causing me to miss my
date with destiny. And I really
thought it was over between
us. I really did. But I’m feeling
a little vulnerable as I watch him
and listen to Rick speak with
great humility and humanity.
Oh god, he’s gushing about
fatherhood. Is there anything
sexier? I don’t think so. Oprah’s
feeling it, too, I can tell.
Okay, he’s wrapping up
his chat with Oprah. What’s
he doing? He is not going to
sing Jessie’s Girl live. Oh no,
he is not going to sing Jessie’s
Girl Live. Oh god, he is singing
Jessie’s Girl live. Oh that’s good.
Oh yeah, that’s really good. I
can’t believe all those women
on the mainland are missing
this because they have no
power today. I’ll bet it was one
of their husbands who tripped
the nuclear reactor shut-down
in Miami that caused the widespread outage.
While I’m exposing my
shallow side (and why stop
now?) Rick has definitely had
some work done--some eye
work and Botox, for sure. But
at least he doesn’t have that
stretched face look. There’s
almost nothing worse than
bad face work. His hair is long,
which I could do without, and
it is surely only surface brown.
Why doesn’t that bother me?
Any other time, that would be
enough to bring my heart rate
back to a safe level. I’m sure it’s
a temporary condition I’ll blame
on pregnancy hormones.
He’s dressed simply in a
white collared shirt and black
jacket. His guitar is black and
white, too, and equally simple.
He cannot be 58. It’s really
stressing me out, trying to reconcile his date of birth with his
appearance. To steal from Dr.
Cooper, “Surely the universe
has made some mistake.”
Isn’t there an unwritten
universal understanding, no,
it’s a law, that says we’re just
not supposed to be attracted to
men who were born within five
See RHONDA, page 6
www.kwtn.com
NEWS BRIEFS
46th Annual Conch
Shell Blowing Contest
Next Saturday, March 8, grab your conch shell and head
to the Ocean Key Resort Sunset Pier at Zero Duval Street. Join
contestants ranging from children to seniors who will pucker up
and demonstrate their conch shell-blowing talents. The competition will begin at 1:30pm and conch shells will be available for
people who do not own one.
There are no entry or admission fees. Contestants may
register for the event at the Oldest House (322 Duval) between
9-3 daily or on the day of the event between 11:00am and 1:00pm
at the contest site on Sunset Pier.
Cops Out in
Force Tonight
The Key West Police Department (KWPD) will be conducting a STAR night tonight, Friday, February 29, to promote
traffic safety and aim to reduce the number of traffic violations
aroudn town.
The Strategic Traffic Accident Reduction night will run from
5:00pm until 3:00am, marked by an increased police presence
throughout town focusing on traiffic.
Members of the KWPD, the Monroe Country Sheriff’s
Office, the Florida Department of Transportation, and even the
U.S. Border Patrol will be stationed throughout town running
radar to monitor speeds and enforcing all other traffic violations. Officers will specifically be on the lookout for speeders,
drunk drivers, drivers running stop signs and red lights, and
aggressive drivers.
STAR night will include a DUI checkpoint at the corner
of Palm Avenue and North Roosevelt Boulevard from 5:00pm
to 3:00am. The DUI checkpoint will be the main focus of the
operation.
Key West THE NEWSPAPER February 29, 2008 Page Key West THE NEWSPAPER February 29, 2008 Page www.kwtn.com
City Officials Paid Out $240,000 to Settle the Cooper vs.
Dillon Free Speech Case. Are They Ready to Do It Again?
MISTAKE, from page 1
Neary v. Mauldin?
Sadly, many people have
forgotten what happened between former Police Chief
“Buz” Dillon and Key West The
Newspaper publisher Dennis
Reeves Cooper. Past is prologue.
Pay attention. The similarities
are not a coincidence:
COOPER V. DILLON
This case began when the
Chief of Police tried to silence
a person who was telling the
truth about problems in the
police department.
• Chief Dillon was tired of
reading about Key West Police
Department problems in Key
West the Newspaper.
• One Friday, after Cooper
had again told the town about
problems in the police department, Dillon personally swore
out a warrant for Cooper’s
arrest.
• Cooper was sent to
jail.
• But the State Attorney
refused to prosecute.
• By law, Cooper was
legally wronged.
• The Chief’s clear purpose was to use his position for
personal retaliation.
• Cooper sued.
• Cooper went on “the Bill
O’Reilly Show” to tell the truth
to the world.
• The City Manager tried
to cover for the Chief in spite of
his wrongdoing.
• Some City officials
were silent while some even
condoned what Dillon had
done— allowing the damages
and the lawyers’ fees to go up
and up and up.
• In the end, the City
(that means TAXPAYERS like
you and me) paid Cooper. And
Cooper’s lawyers. The cost to
us was just short of a quarter
of a million dollars. Over and
above that, we also paid the
lawyers for the City and Dillon.
By that time Dillon had long
since been fired.
NEARY VS. MAULDIN
This case began when the
Chief of Police tried to silence
a person who was telling the
truth about problems in the
police department.
• Chief Mauldin was
tired of reading about Key West
Police Department problems in
Key West the Newspaper.
• One Friday, after Officer
Tom Neary had again told the
Chief about problems in the
police department, Mauldin
personally authorized charges
which could lead to Neary’s
arrest. Apparently, the Chief
was fearful that Neary might
go public with the problems
inside the KWPD.
• Neary was sent home
on administrative leave.
• The State Attorney re-
fused to prosecute.
• By law, Neary was legally wronged.
• The Chief’s clear purpose was to use his position for
personal retaliation.
• Neary sued.
• After the Chief publically misrepresented what
had happened, Neary went on
“the Bill Becker Show” to tell
the truth.
• The City Manager tried
to cover for the Chief in spite of
his wrongdoing.
• Some City officials were
silent and some even condoned
what Mauldin had done - allowing the damages and the
lawyers’ fees go up and up
and up.
• In the end, . . . well . . .
you get the picture.
Time out for sports. The
New York Yankees had a colorful catcher from about 1946 to
1963 named Yogi Berra. When I
was a kid, I liked Yogi because
he could murder pitches anywhere around the plate. When
I grew up, I liked Yogi because
he could murder the English
language anywhere around a
conversation.
One famous “Yogiism”
that fits here, is: “It’s like déja
vu all over again.” I’ve scattered a few more of my favorite
Yogiisms where they fit in this
article. See if you can find them.
Did you spot a similarity or
two or three or four or more
as you compared Dillon and
Mauldin?
How can a lawyer like
me, who represents Officer Tom
Neary, or a citizen like you, talk
about wrongdoing by public
officials in the newspaper or on
the radio? The answer is found
in Cooper v. Dillon and the First
Amendment.
In the Cooper v. DilCONTINUED on next page
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Why Is the Chief Still “Investigating”
Tom Neary? He Won’t Say
lon case, Dillon had Cooper
arrested based on a Florida
Statute that said, in part, “Any
person who is a participant
in an internal investigation,
including, the complainant,
the subject of the investigation
and the subject’s legal counsel
. . . who willfully discloses any
information obtained pursuant
to the agency’s investigation .
. . commits a misdemeanor of
the first degree . . . “
The final Court in Cooper
v. Dillon, disagreed that Dillon
could do that to Cooper and
said, “Because the statute is a
content-based restriction which
chills speech, that ‘lies near the
core of the First Amendment’
we REVERSE . . . and declared
the Statute unconstitutional.
In short, the Court said it
was unconstitutional to keep
someone from talking about
government wrongdoing. Cooper saw and reported matters of
“public concern.” So did Officer
Neary. You can observe a lot by
watching.
Cooper believed that you
could and should report wrongdoing by public officials. So did
Neary. Unfortunately, for both
Dillon and Mauldin, the United
States Supreme Court had
already and repeatedly sided
with Cooper and Neary.
In Cooper v. Dillon you
can read quotes from Supreme
Court cases that hold: “Crucial to the democratic task of
holding government officials
accountable and informing
the citizenry is a free press.”
(Cox v. Cohen) “The press . . .
guards against the miscarriage
of justice by subjecting the police, prosecutors, and judicial
processes to extensive public
scrutiny and criticism.” (Sheppard v. Maxwell). The Cooper
v. Dillon court said, “In a free
society, the public’s trust in an
official’s reputation is won by
greater transparency, not the
silencing of criticism.”
In the past Neary investigation, Chief Mauldin tried to
silence Officer Neary by putting
him on administrative leave. By
doing so, Mauldin thought he
could silence any defense that
Neary might make or prevent
any truth he might tell. At the
same time, Chief Mauldin,
allowed his confidential Key
West Police investigation to be
improperly “leaked” to the Key
West Citizen to accuse Officer
Neary of two criminal felonies.
As a good cop, Tom Neary was
evidently a big clog in their
machine.
That internal affairs investigation cratered when it
was proven that Neary hadn’t
committed either felony. We
sent an e-mail to Chief Mauldin
BEFORE his leak to the press,
telling him that we had already
sent information to the FBI
which showed that Tom was
innocent. Except for the senseless damage to his wife, Terri,
and his children, Kristin and
Tommy, you might say that Tom
Neary was an overwhelming
underdog.
We all know how the Dillon matter turned out. In time,
we’ll all know how the Mauldin
matter turns out. It’s tough to
make predictions, especially
about the future. But remember,
the future ain’t what it used
to be. Even Napoleon had his
Watergate.
From the taxpayers’ perspective, the money paid out
in the Cooper vs. Dillon case is
the most important thing. But
what is just as important about
that case is that a bad law was
overturned. We should all hope
the significance is that citizens,
including police officers who
see wrongdoing within the
police department, won’t be
prosecuted for going public
(or because police management fear that they might go
public).
This seems especially important in situations like Tom
Neary’s case where he tried to
work within the system and
was attacked, by the Police
Chief, for trying to give citizens
a better police department. But
then, if the world was perfect,
it wouldn’t be.
Here’s a question we
might all try to answer: Why
can’t we hire (or keep) a good
police chief? I wish I had an
answer to that, because I’m
tired of asking that question.
Additionally, it’s getting pretty
expensive to keep replacing a
Police Chief and training a new
one, but then a nickle isn’t worth
a dime anymore.
From many people’s perspective, Chief Ray Petersen
was our last good Chief. We
thanked him by getting rid of
CONTINUED on next page
Neary vs. Mauldin
him using a “Kangaroo Court.”
We haven’t had much “luck”
with the Chiefs that followed
him. We made too many wrong
mistakes. Speaking of Kangaroo
Courts and mistakes . . .
Chief Mauldin has recently
reopened yet another investigation of Officer Tom Neary. In
violation of the law and Cooper
v. Dillon, Mauldin has ordered
Tom to stay silent about it.
Mauldin is now accusing Tom
of “Unbecoming Conduct”
and “Unlawful Conduct.” Tom
and I would share with you
what those charges really mean
but, under Mauldin, the police
won’t tell us. So, if you ask me
a question I don’t know, I won’t
answer.
Since it’s fairly hard get
in trouble at home on administrative leave, I’d normally ask
Mauldin and his investigators
why the “unbecoming conduct”
and “unlawful conduct” weren’t
investigated or charged in the
last investigation. . . except, from
my experience . . . half the lies
they tell me aren’t true.
Here’s what is true: Cooper
v. Dillon reaffirmed our rights
and our responsibilities as citizens. Because of Cooper v. Dillon, if the recycled investigation
of Officer Tom Neary— a truly
“good cop”— continues, the
Supreme Court and I promise
you, it won’t continue quietly or
in the dark. Remember, “It ain’t
over ‘til its over.”
1. Read more “Yogiisms” at
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/
Yogi_Berra
2. * Mauldin is also a named
Defendant in the lawsuit Tom
Neary v. The City of Key West,
William A. Mauldin, et al.
3. Read the official Tom
Neary lawsuit filed as a public
record at: http://micklawblogspot.blogspot.com
Michael R. Barnes is an attorney who practices law in Key
West, Florida. His opinions are
not legal advice and are offered
as a bono public service. If you
have a legal problem you should
consult a qualified attorney and
follow his or her advice.
Rhonda
FROM page 2
years of our fathers? Nonetheless, I think the flame has been
reignited. I’m not happy about
it; I’m just being honest.
And in the spirit of honesty, I can assure my husband
there is nothing to worry about
because I’ve just performed the
ultimate thought experiment
and passed the test: I imagined
myself on that horrible new
show, “Moment of Truth, “ and
in my thought experiment, for a
million dollars, I was asked by
the host whether on not I would
cheat on my husband with Rick
Springfield if I was confident
he’d never find out (my husband, not Rick). I answered “no”
and the lie detector confirmed it
as the truth.
Before you get upset, Honey, perhaps you should perform
the same thought experiment on
yourself and substitute Jennifer
Aniston or Charlotte Ross as
your temptress.
Rhonda watches Oprah
occasionally, but only to stay
abreast of popular culture.
Rhonda reads her own e-mail at
[email protected]. Oprah has
people for that.
Pribramskys Close
Reed Appliance
FROM page 1
allegations of fraud and civil
conspiracy.
“Our broker to help us sell
the business was Chris Zuelch,
who is Steve Pribramsky’s partner in the accounting firm of
Pribramsky & Zuelch,” Abreu
said. “He brought Steve to us as
a potential buyer. But he never
told us that Pribramsky was
just coming out of a bankruptcy.
We would have never agreed to
carry the paper on this deal if
we had known that.”
The Pribramskys counter
sued, claiming that Abreu and
Santana had underestimated the
liabilities of the business.
The cases have been working their way through the court
system and trial could be scheduled as early as April.
This week, Robin Pribramsky told Key West The
Newspaper that closing the
store was purely a business
decision.
“For a number of months,
more money has been going
out of the store than coming in,
which is not an optimum business model and not a lot of fun,”
she said. “Also, I am pregnant
with my second child— Steve’s
sixth— and need to make my
family the priority.”
Steven Pribramsky was
elected to the Monroe County
School Board in late 2006. During
a hard-fought campaign, allegations emerged that he may have
forged Abreu’s name to several
checks totaling $90,000. That allegation is also included in the
Abreu-Santana lawsuit.
In March 2007, however,
State Attorney Mark Kohl announced that he would not
prosecute Pribramsky because
he didn’t have evidence to show
intent to defraud.
Bell and Students Receive Rave
Reviews from Congresswoman
and Dignitaries on Recent Visit
CULINARY, From page 1
gation that revealed the firing
was likely the result of a targeted witch hunt spearheaded
by Culinary Advisory Board
Chairman Richard Tallmadge,
who met with School Superintendent Randy Acevedo to
essentially push for the removal
Bell from the chef instructor
position because, reportedly,
she was not providing enough
free or cheap workers for local
restaurants.
In fact, Principal Welsh
actually described Tallmadge’s
action as a “witch hunt” in an
e-mail to advisory committee
members and others.
It seemed to many that
Principal Welsh was all but
forced to sign the letter of nonrenewal of Bell’s contract, but
he was later given the authority
to rehire Bell in the wake of local outcry and media coverage.
Welsh was fully supported
by Acevedo in his decision to
rehire Bell.
“As far as I know, the
plan under which Mr. Welsh
rehired Holly appears to be
working well,” Acevedo said
this week.
The controversy has
waned and the Culinary Ad-
visory Committee is now more
involved on a district level and
less involved at the level of
micromanagement of the local
KWHS program.
In December, the committee sponsored a field trip to
Ocean Reef, and paid for three
school buses— one from each
high school with a total of 135
culinary students making the
trip. Bell said she’s also heard
that the committee still plans to
provide some scholarships for
students, although there have
been no organized committee
meetings in which Bell has been
involved.
The culinary program
at KWHS has flourished with
Bell having the freedom to take
the leadership role she fought
for. Last year, the advisory
committee hired a highly-paid
consultant to find internship
opportunities for culinary
students, resulting in approximately three short-lived student placements.
This year, without the
committee and consultants, 26
students are getting industry
experience in the community.
Bell is also working to forge
a partnership with the South
Florida Workforce to help gain
additional jobs and internships
for her students
But there’s more to the
culinary program than internships and employment training
opportunities for students.
Twelve of Bell’s culinary students went to the ProStart regional training held at Johnson
& Wales University in Miami
this school year. In December,
the first annual cookie sale and
“Lunch with Santa” was also a
great success.
Principal Welsh reported
that last week, Bell and her
students got rave reviews
after they prepared lunch for
U.S. Congresswoman Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen and several other
dignitaries that visited the high
school.
“I haven’t had any contact
with the advisory committee
this school year and I am not certain of their current status, but
the KWHS culinary program
is operating well,” Principal
Welsh said.
Support from her colleagues and the community
has meant a lot to Bell, but she
derives her inspiration primarily from seeing her students
excel. And the inspiration is apparently mutual. Zach Arnold,
one of Bell’s students, said this
week that the program under
Mrs. Bell’s leadership continues
to be a big help to her students.
“I have learned more in this
program than anywhere else.
The program and Mrs. Bell have
helped me decide what I want
to do when I get out of school,”
Arnold said. “Mrs. Bell is really
an inspiration to us all.”
At press time, Richard
Tallmadge had not returned
a request for comment on the
current role of the Culinary
Advisory Committee.
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dolphins at public venues.
All of Dolphin Research
Center ’s Adult DolphinLab
courses are fully college accredited through Florida Keys
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in All About Dolphins, Marine
Mammal Cognitive and Behavioral Research, Marine Mammal
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Advanced Marine Mammal
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earn three college credits for
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For more information
about these classes and others
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Key West THE NEWSPAPER February 29, 2008 Page 10
www.kwtn.com
opinion
hal o'boyle
Look for Changes in Cuba
Depression
Racket
ON THE SONNY SIDE
by Charles “Sonny’ McCoy
Last Saturday a group of Cuban refugees landed
at Key West International Airport. Well, not exactly;
they actually landed at the seawall just in front of
the airport. I was reviewing something at the airport
when I spotted a gathering of people on the A1A South
Roosevelt Blvd. sidewalk. It appeared that a group
of Cuban refugees had somehow eluded detection,
presumably under the cover of darkness, and made
it all the way from Cuba to Key West.
With Fidel Castro announcing that he was
stepping down and turning over the reigns of power
to his brother Raul, it was speculated that this might
also signal a new attitude in the lives of the many
disenchanted citizens of the Cuban Island. This new
landing would seem to suggest that it hasn’t. The Straits
of Florida is an energetic and forceful constriction of
water with current flowing west to east and prevailing
winds blowing east to west. The refugees that chose to
traverse this crossing must have been very motivated
or so disenchanted with life in Cuba that they were
willing to risk their lives to escape from an Island
Country that has great beauty and history.
Just a couple hundred feet from this latest
Cuban landing is a Cuban National Commercial
Airliner that arrived at Key West International on
April Fools Day 2003 and mistaking this arrival as an
April Fool Joke, Station Manager Peter Horton at first
just laughed it off. This air craft has remained static
at the Key West International Airport accumulating
by Hal O’Boyle
Prozac was invented by the same folks who lit
up my college years with LSD, the Eli Lilly Company.
Interesting as the purple haze was, I would not recommend LSD to the mentally fragile or children under
any circumstances nor to sane adults as anything but
a risky waste of time.
The actions of LSD, Prozac and the notorious PCP
are remarkably similar. They all mess with serotonin
metabolism, a mysterious and poorly understood area
of brain function.
People with too much serotonin include
schizophrenics, psychopaths, the mentally retarded
and Alzheimer’s victims. Those who fail to properly metabolize serotonin, thus elevating amounts
in the brain, include folks with depression, anxiety,
exhibitionism, hostility, suicidal tendencies, violent
nightmares, reckless driving, compulsive drinking,
insomnia and a whole host of anti-social symptoms.
The SSRI (Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) drugs, like
Prozac, work by increasing levels of serotonin and
decreasing serotonin metabolism.
When I read about the recent Minnesota school
shooting, I thought, “I’ll bet that kid was on Prozac.”
I didn’t expect to find out through a conventional
storage fees, presumably waiting for Cuba’s Airline or news source. But the very next day an AP report of
someone, to pay these fees and pick-up their aircraft. the shooter’s interest in violent movies mentioned
See O’BOYLE page 22
This recent landing on South Roosevelt Blvd. and the
turbo-prop Cuban airliner are just reminders of the
dissatisfaction that continues to exist in our Big Sister
Island just south of us.
There is rampant speculation in South Florida
that with Fidel’s failing health and Cuba’s failing
T H E
N E W S P A P E R
economy that it is just a matter of time before there
is a change in leadership and government philosoKey West The Newspaper is published every
phy that will bring about normalization of relations
Friday, all year 'round, 52 weeks a year.
between our countries. With a friendly government
Free distribution weekly: 9,000
in Cuba, we all stand to benefit. The proximity of
News tips and letters to the editor are welcome.
Havana to Key West will entice short excursions by
Editorial and advertising office:
sea and air that will benefit our economy and renew
422 Fleming Street
an old relationship that is long overdue.
Mail: P.O. Box 567, Key West FL 33041
With an improved economy, Cuba will be
Phone: (305) 292-2108. Fax: (305) 292-1882.
stable, obviating the need for desperate Cubans to
E-mail: [email protected]
make the hazardous trip across the Florida Straits.
Website: kwtn.com
And the Cuban families in South Florida can reunite
Subscriptions: $40 for six months
and enjoy long missed family and friends. We Conchs
here in Key West can run over for the nightlife in Editor/Publisher Dennis Reeves Cooper, Ph.D.
Associate Editor Rhonda Linseman-Saunders
Havana, the beautiful beaches of Varadero and view
Photography Richard Watherwax
all six provinces of Cuba. And who knows, I might
Art Director Art Winstanley
retrieve my ski from “Ripley’s Believe It OR NOT”
Advertising Darlene Ashcroft
and make another “Ski Trip” on Sept. 10, 2008 which
Contributors Michael Barnes, Hal O’Boyle,
will be the thirtieth anniversary of my first 120 mile
Sonny McCoy, Barbara Bowers,
ski from Key West to Havana.
Meryl Berman, Jeni Alterman,
Sonny McCoy is the mayor of Monroe County
Harry Skevington, Rick Boettger
and a former five-term mayor of Key West.
Key West
Key
www.kwtn.com
ENTERTAINMENT • EATING & DRINKING • NIGHTLIFE • ATTRACTIONS • EVENTS • ARTS • SHOPPING • MAP
Chad Bradford
at Cowboy Bill’s
Hot Havana Nights
Party Next Weekend
THE HOTTEST PARTY OF THE YEAR will happen Saturday March 8th at 7 pm in the waterfall
courtyard of the Key West Tropical Forest and Garden. A ten piece Cuban orchestra, HAVANA
SOUL, will liven the dancing with rumbas and salsas. Comparsa dancers, along with other surprises, will be featured throughout the evening.. Savor mojitos and a traditional Cuban dinner.
There will be a silent auction of authentic Cuban arts and Crafts. The live auction will feature an
original oil painting by William Welch of Pinar del Rio Cuba, along with trips to the Bahamas.
Guests are encouraged to don their hottest Latin outfits! This will all benefit the Key West Botanical Garden Society as they expand the City Garden. Tickets are $125.00 for VIP’s and general
admission is $50.00. Call 296-1504 or email [email protected]. Credit cards are accepted.
Michael Dixon Band
in Concert at BottleCap
CHAD BRADFORD and his band will be at Cowboy Bill’s tonight
and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday, February 29- March
1, starting at 10.
THE MICHAEL DIXON
BAND will perform a
concert of their original rootsrock music at the BottleCap
Lounge this Saturday night,
March 1, starting at 10. In
honor of saxophonist Robin
Menard, ladies get their first
drink free, 10 ‘til midnight.
www.kwtn.com
more
more entertainment
entertainment
At the Parrot: Funk Rock
and Texas Blues
THE BURNIN’
SMYRNANS, top
photo, are bringing their
special brand of funkrock back to the Green
Parrot tonight and
tomorrow night, Friday
and Saturday, February 29
and March 1, starting at 10—
with special 5:30 “sound
checks” Friday afternoon and
again on Sunday, March 2.
THE FAMOUS
NIGHTHAWKS.
America’s Favorite Bar Band,
are in the house for three nights, Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday, March 4-6, starting at
10— with a special 5:30 “sound check”
Thursday afterrnoon.
www.kwtn.com
more entertainment
Debra & Patrick at
La Te Da All Weekend
COOL JAZZ AND
BLUES— Debra &
Patrick are at La Te Da’s
Piano Bar Friday,
Saturday and Sunday
evenings. They start at
9:30 on Friday and
Sunday; 9 on Saturday.
Fiona Back at Finnegan’s
FIONA MOLLOY is
back at Finnegan’s Wake
tonight and tomorrow
night, Friday and
Saturday, February 29
and March 1.
www.kwtn.com
www.kwtn.com
www.kwtn.com
MUSIC on the rock
Live Music On the Island
KEY WEST IS FAMOUS FOR ITS LIVE
MUSIC. HERE’S A LISTING OF SOME
OF THE TOP MUSIC VENUES IN THE
SOUTHERNMOST CITY
EDITOR’S NOTE: Music
schedules are subject to change
without notice. To be included
in this listing, venues may email
music schedules to [email protected] by end of day
Monday.
Big Uns Sports Bar Right
in the middle of the action at 218
Duval Street. Matt Avery entertains
Friday and Saturday 10-2 and on
Wednesdays and Thursdays 9-1.
B.O.’s Fish Wagon Locals
know this funky place on the corner of Caroline and William. But if
you’re from out of town, you gotta
go here just to say you’ve been.
B.O.’s square grouper sandwich
is famous around the world. On
most Friday nights. Barry Cuda
rolls in his piano about 6, invites a
few musical friends and boogies for
a couple of hours. This weekend,
there’s another party on Sunday
afternoon, noon ‘til 4, as B.O.
celebrates the 13th anniversary of
moving the wagon to the present
location. Barry Cuda and the Sharks
will be rockin’ the joint.
BottleCap Lounge One
of the oldest and most famous watering holes on the island. A block
off Duval at 1128 Simonton Street.
This Saturday night, March 1, the
popular Michael Dixon Band will
be in the house, starting at 10.
The Bull One of Duval
Street’s last open-air bars— actually
three bars: The Bull on the first floor,
the Whistle on the second floor
and the clothing-optional Garden
of Eden on the roof. Live music all
day and late into the night.
THE BULL
CAPT. TONY’S SALOON
Capt. Tony’s Saloon A
Key West landmark at 428 Greene
Street, just off Duval. Since the
www.kwtn.com
Behind Bars
RICHARD WATHERWAX
BARTENDER OF
THE WEEK
SHARLA is a bartender at
the Drunken Parrot Pub. Her
specialty drink is (surprise!)
Drunken Parrot Punch.
Tell us who your favorite
drink server is. PO Box 567,
KW 33041. Fax 292-2108.
E-mail: TheBluePaper@kwtn.
com
music on the rock
FROM previous page
1850s, the building has been an ice
house, a telegraph station, a cigar
factory, a bordello and a series of
bars, including the original Sloppy
Joe’s. This is where Hemingway
drank 1933-37. The legendary
Capt. Tony Tarrecino, a charterboat
captain and a former gunrunner,
bought the place in 1958. Tony
was the Mayor of Key West 19891991. Live music every day from
noon. The Carl Peachey Band is
the house band.
Conch Republic Seafood Company On the water at
Key West’s Historic Seaport. Probably one of the biggest bars in town.
Live music from early afternoon
on the weekends and from 6pm
Monday through Thursday.
Cowboy Bill’s Honky
Tonk Saloon Duval Street’s only
Country Bar. 610 Duval Street.
Live music Wednesday through
Saturday nights from 10. Ladies
drink free Wednesdays 9-11. Sports
venue, too. Come ride the bull.
Live music this Friday and Saturday: The Chad Bradford Band is
on stage both nights, starting at
10. Greg Gerace will provide the
music 6-9.
BIKINI BULL RIDING
AT COWBOY BILL’S
Finnegan’s Wake 320
Grinnell Street. Irish music on the
weekends. Tonight and tomorrow
night, Friday and Saturday, February29- March 1, Fiona Molloy
returns to Finnegan’s
Green Parrot Bar A Key
West landmark since 1890. A favorite of locals and visitors alike. But
even regulars were mystified when,
in May 2000, Playboy magazine
named the Parrot one of the 24 Best
Bars in America. We don’t make this
stuff up. Located on Whitehead at
www.kwtn.com
music on the rock
FROM previous page
Southard, just a block off Duval,
this is the home of great drinks
and bad art— and one of the top
venues for live music on the island.
FINNEGAN’S WAKE
GREEN PARROT
This week: The Burnin’ Smyrnans
will be here tonight and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday,
February 29- March 1, starting
at 10— with special 5:30 “sound
checks” this afternoon, Friday, and
again on Sunday afternoon, March
2. During the week, the famous
Nighthawks will be taking over
the bar for three nights, Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday, March
4-6, starting at 10— with a special
5:30 “sound check” on Thursday
afternoon.
Hog’s Breath Saloon
Another top music venue here. Live
music every day from 1pm. Duval
and Front Street.
La Te Da Famous Duval
Street music and show venue. In the
Piano Bar, live music nightly from
9:30: Debra & Patrick Thursday
thru Sunday, Black & Skabuddah
Tuesday and Wednesday, and Bobby Nesbitt on Monday. Fabulous
shows in the Cabaret every night.
Info: 296-6706 x10. 1125 Duval.
Margaritaville Jimmy Buffett’s place, but he doesn’t hang
out here much any more. Live
music nightly except Monday. 500
Duval Street.
Rum Barrel A popular
restaurant, bar and music venue
at the corner of Front and Simonton. Guirtarists Deblois and Yvan
Agbo are featured perfromers for
five nights this week, opening on
Saturday night, March 1.
SCHOONER WHARF
Schooner Wharf Bar
Another top music venue. Famous
mostly-outdoor bar located right
on the water at Key West’s Historic
Seaport at the foot of William Street.
Voted Best Locals Bar six years in
a row. “This must be the center
of the universe,” wrote newsman
Charles Kurault. The irreverent
Michael McCloud is on stage every
afternoon except Tuesday, noon
‘til 5. This weekend, Big Z and the
Sophistokatz are on stage Friday
Models &
Entertainers Wanted
$125per hour
Apply at
• No fines.
• No house fees
• No schedules
• Come and go as you please
• Keep all your money
• Free studio apts and
rooms available
The Adult
Entertainment
Club
1221 Duval St or call 305-294-3824
New ownership has taken over the property formerly known as the Scrub Club
www.kwtn.com
music on the rock
Deblois at the
Rum Barrel
DEBLOIS (rhymes with Rolls Royce) will be at the Rum Barrel
for five nights this week, Saturday through Wednesday. She will
be joined by guitarist Yvan Agbo.
FROM previous page
and Saturday nights, February
29- March 1, 7 ‘til midnight. Raven
and Bubba Lownotes entertain
Saturday afternoon, 3-7.
Sloppy Joe’s One of the
most famous bars in the world.
This was Heminway’s favorite bar
in the 1930s. Right in the heart of
the Duval Street action, at Greene
Street. Live music every day from
noon ‘til late. This weekend, VS
the Earth is on the big stage every
night at 10 through Sunday.
Willie T’s A classic Key
West open air bar on Duval Street.
Live entertainment tonight, Friday,
February 29: Toko is on stage for
Happy Hour 4-7. The Jeff Clark
Trio entertains 10-2.
www.kwtn.com
FILM
What’s On at the Tropic?
by Phil Mann
I have friends who tell
me they only read non-fiction
because they don’t have time
for novels.... meaning, I suppose, that the stuff of some
writer’s imagination can never
compete with good solid facts.
I hope these guys (and they are
almost always men) take the
time to go to the movies, where
they can see how the power of
an imaginative story-teller can
provide an understanding of
world events more evocative
and more memorable than any
historical recitation.
THE KITE RUNNER,
opening at the Tropic today is
a case in point. Based on the
best-selling novel by Afghani
emigree Khaled Hosseini, the
movie focuses on the lives of
two boys who suffer through
the turmoil of that country during recent decades, from a time
of relative freedom to the Russian invasion and then Taliban
rule. It’s not about those overarching historical events, which
are only the backdrop of the
boys’ story, and the story ends
a decade ago, but you won’t
read about today’s war without
thinking about the scenes and
events of this movie.
It’s the story of Amir, the
privileged son of a wealthy
businessman in Kabul, and
Hassan, the son of Amir ’s
father’s servant. As children in
the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys
are inseparable. They spend
idyllic days running kites and
telling stories of mystical places
and powerful warriors until
an unspeakable event changes
the nature of their relationship
THE KITE RUNNER
forever, and eventually cements
their bond in ways neither boy
could have ever predicted. A
fascinating character study
coupled with a trip to Afghanistan, all in two hours. I first saw
it at a screening in New York,
where I asked the director why
the this American-made film
had large segments in subtitled Pashtu, Urdu and other
local languages, which surely
jeopardized its broad release
in mall-plexes. He said he had
insisted on it for verisimilitude.
I think you’ll agree
Also opening this week
is THE RAPE OF EUROPA, a
documentary that lays out the
almost unimaginable scope of
the Nazi’s looting of Europe’s
art treasures. Narrated by Joan
Allen, it is an ultimately uplifting story of the heroic efforts of
art lovers and art historians who
saved this cultural heritage.
A very special event on
Tuesday is the DVD release
party for UNDERWATER: The
Making of Nutcracker Key
West. I think we all know of
Joyce Stahl’s amazing effort to
create a Key West version of the
Nutcracker, mixing local children with established stars, and
the way she managed to pull it
off in the midst and aftermath
of Hurricane Wilma. Captured
in sterling cinematic magic by
Key West filmmaker Karen
Leonard and edited by Quincy
Perkins, the film is a marvelous
chronicle of those events and the
people who made it happen.
The local premiere of the newly
issued DVD.
Full schedules, film trailers and other information is
always available at TropicCinema.com. For daily schedules
call the Tropic’s 95-Countdown
hotline: 2-95-94-93, or check
the daily ad on the Citizen TV
page.
What did you think of the
Oscar selections? Let me know
at [email protected].
www.kwtn.com
theatre
Reefer Madness!
0
$27.0 e
rs
3 Cou ht
ig
All N s
a
& Tap
LOCK UP THE CHILDREN AND COVER GRANDMA’S EYES— “Reefer Madness, the Musical”
is continuing at the Waterfront Playhouse, through March 27. This outrageously twisted musical of sex, drugs and show tunes is based on the 1936 propaganda movie. The music, lyrics and
book were the brain-child of Dan Studney (“Desperate Housewives”) and Kevin Murphy (“The
Simpsons”), who felt the campy movie was just begging to be made into a musical. Danny Weathers, the Waterfront’s Artistic Director, directs the South Florida premiere of “Reefer Madness”
and he has assembled a fantastically talented cast of fourteen performers David Black, Denis
Hyland, Mary Falconer, Marc Crow, Kristen Bussiere, Nulita Loder, Michael Aaglan, Kristen
Wilson, Laura Chaneski, Carolyn Cooper, Christine Marguerite, Rhett Kalman, Scott Shambaugh
and Phil Tabb. Tickets may be purchased through the box office at 294-5015 or online at www.
waterfrontplayhouse.com.
www.kwtn.com
O’Boyle: Results Show Almost No
Benefit Over Placebos, Still We See
Daily Ads Praising Prozac’s Wonders
O’BOYLE, From page 10
almost in passing that the 16
year old was on Prozac. A PBS
interview with the boy’s aunts
confirmed that his dosage of
happy pills had just increased
from two to three a day.
News reports of violent
crime usually mention how
drunk, stoned, or coked into a
parallel universe the perp was.
The notion that drugs or alcohol can cause people to do bad
things is hardly controversial.
But in the case of mass shootings — school shootings in
particular — how zonked-out
the child shooter is on prescription drugs is not an issue.
Understandably, school
administrators, teachers, psychologists and doctors who are
daily drugging millions of our
kids, particularly our sons, into
a grey, spiritless stupor do not
want this practice questioned,
or even examined very closely.
Everyone knows prescription
drugs are safe, right? Teachers
will tell you how well a whiff
of Ritalin works to settle raucous little boys. Psychologists
assure us that doping up little
Johnny will allow him to do his
best. They are doctors, after all.
Doctors know what is best for
us, right?
The idea that we are turning our kids into monsters with
drug therapy will never be an
easy sell. But an escalating body
count, a flood of SSRI nightmare tales and a few courageous doctors have publicized
the problem so effectively that
even Congress can’t ignore it.
A “black box” warning, the
strongest the FDA requires,
will now appear on Prozac for
the increased risk of suicide.
Unfortunately, it won’t warn us
that some Prozac patients may
attempt to slaughter the whole
neighborhood before they blow
themselves away.
Correlation doesn’t prove
causation. But at some point
correlation should get our
attention. Prozac and its spinoffs, Luvox, Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Celexa flutter like angels
of death over every peak of a
horrific geography of school violence. The violence has grown
in lock step with the popularity of these “anti-depressant”
drugs. The mind numbing
itinerary of school murder includes Littleton, Colorado, El
Cajon, California, Springfield,
Oregon, Pearl, Mississippi,
West Paducah, Kentucky, Jonseboro, Arkansas, Las Vegas,
Nevada and most recently, Red
Lake Reservation in Minnesota.
Prozac or a derivative was at
every stop.
And the school death tour
is a tiny fraction of the insane
violence associated with SSRI’s.
School incidents get more press
because child murder is more
shocking than adult violence.
But the killings and suicides
by people on these drugs are
breathtakingly violent, appallingly gruesome, and utterly
inexplicable except by a profound madness, either natural
or drug induced.
They include the famous,
like Phil Hartman, Del Shannon, the Atlanta Day Trader,
and Chris Farley, and the not
so famous, but stunningly
violent. Nick Mansies of New
Jersey was on Paxil when he
killed two little boys who were
selling cookies door to door. An
elderly man in Leyton, Utah
killed his wife and daughter
with an ax while on Prozac.
Margaret Kastanis under the
influence of Prozac killed her
three children with a hammer
before stabbing herself to death.
A mother on Luvox in Utah
murdered her sleeping teenage son with a sledge hammer
before attempting suicide by
drinking Drano.
These weren’t people
with a history of violence before taking SSRI’s. They were
feeling a little blue. They were
depressed, not murderous or
suicidal.
Murders like these are
the very definition of madness.
Drug companies have spent
uncounted millions buying
the silence of survivors in
sealed settlements. With drug
company help, prosecutors are
sending people away for life
who committed murder while
on SSRI drugs. The FDA has
been deceived or corrupted
or both.
Though clinical results
show almost no benefit to
depressed patients over that
of placebos, still we see advertisements every day for the
wonders of Prozac.
Recent actions by the FDA
and Congress to warn us about
the dangers of these drugs don’t
go nearly far enough. Britain’s
Dr. David Healy and Dr. Ann
Blake Tracy of Utah have been
fighting for years to expose the
dangers of SSRI drugs. I can’t
say it better than Dr. Tracy has
in a report on her website, “The
widespread use of Prozac and
its clones is not a statement
of either their safety or their
effectiveness. It is a statement
www.kwtn.com
Pajama Game Wraps Up
Key West Pops Season
The Key West Pops concludes it’s Ninth Season with
the Broadway musical The
Pajama Game In Concert this
Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m.
at the Tennessee Williams
Theatre.
Join The Key West Pops
Orchestra under the musical
direction of Pops Founder and
Musical Director, Vincent Zito,
as they present The Pajama
Game which follows the successes this season of Holiday
Cheer and Guys and Dolls
In Concert which, according
to enthusiastic audiences, set
BILLY PISCOPO
O’Boyle
FROM previous page
about the effectiveness of an
infinite marketing budget and
incredible advertising campaign! These drugs have very
serious physical side effects, as
well as dangerous psychiatric
side effects.”
When they were first discovered cocaine, LSD, PCP and
amphetamines were all hailed
as wonder drugs, safe and effective against many common
ills. It took years to discover
the truth for those drugs even
without massive marketing
efforts to the contrary.
It’s past time for us to stop
doping up our kids and take
a hard look at the supposed
benefits and real dangers of
“anti-depressants.” The evidence at Dr. Tracy’s website is
a good place to start, www.
drugawareness.org. The reading there is not entertaining.
It includes extensive lists of
atrocities committed by people
taking SSRI drugs. It is depressing, scary stuff that needs to be
read by sane adults before more
harm is done.
Hal O’Boyle writes from
the suburbs of San Jose, Costa
Rica. He answers email at
[email protected] You can
buy his book at www.democracythepaintedwhore.com
new artistic standards for the
Pops.
The concert will be stage
directed by Cameron Murray and choreographed by
New Yorker, Ra-Sean Holloway. Other cast members
include local favorites Bruce
Moore, Marjorie Paul-Shook,
Laurie Breakwell, Maria ZitoKaufman, Linda Greenberg,
Joaquin Romaguera, Jack
Agnew, Maj Johnson, Stephanie Leone, Nancy 3 Hoffman,
Scott Zimmerman, Mark Filosa,
Randy Thompson and former
Key Wester Eric Davis. Billy
Piscopo who has performed
with the famed Boston Pops
makes his Key West Pops debut
in the role of Sid Sorokin. Big
Apple dancers Marco Puente
and Dustienne Miller will also
be welcomed to the Pops stage
for the first time.
Tickets are available online at www.keystix.com or by
calling the Tennessee Williams
Theatre box office at (305) 2957676.
See what happens when
labor and love meet at the
Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory, on
March 1, at 7:30pm at the Tennessee Williams Theatre.
For
Advertising,
Call
Darlene
Want to put your
advertising in the weekly
newspaper that Key Westers
read? Call Darlene at
305-923-3112 or send her an
email at [email protected].
www.kwtn.com
HEALTH
Approaching Menopause
Special to KWTN from
The Florida Keys
Medical Center
Menopause is the point
in a woman’s life when her
periods end. It signals the
end of the functioning of the
ovaries and is strictly defined
as twelve months without a
menstrual period. This occurs
at an average age of 51 years in
America, however, there is great
variability in this age of onset
and in some cases, women may
start to undergo changes in her
late 30’s.
Menopause is preceded
by a period of years during
which menses become irregular in the timing of onset and
duration. Physicians call this
Peri-Menopause. Generally
the interval between periods
increases after age 45. However,
this pattern does not automatically signal the beginning of
menopause since 20 percent
of all women have irregular
cycles. Several factors can
affect the age of the onset of
menopause.
Smokers tend to enter
menopause1.5 years earlier
than nonsmokers, while those
who drink larger quantities of
alcohol may enter menopause
later than average. Women
who have had more children
usually enter menopause later
as well. Daughters frequently
experience menopause at an
age similar to that of their
mothers.
The diagnosis of menopause is established by history
and confirmed by a blood test,
which measures Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). FSH is a
hormone produced in the brain,
which stimulates the ovaries to
produce estrogen. It becomes
elevated as the ovaries age and
produce less estrogen.
Symptoms that are suggestive of the transition into
menopause include the following:
Irregular menses with
decreased flow and longer
intervals between periods;
hot flashes – a sudden onset of
body heat followed by intense
and bothersome perspiration,
commonly at night; vaginal
dryness; discomfort or pain
during intercourse; more frequent urinary tract infections,
and insomnia.
During the transition
into menopause some women
will experience many of these
symptoms, others will experience fewer, if any.
Other more subtle effects
are caused by a general decline
in estrogen. Perhaps the most
important is a change in cir-
culating levels of cholesterol.
As estrogen levels fall, total
circulating cholesterol and the
levels of harmful LDL increase.
Additionally, the levels of protective HDL fall. This combination of changes increases the
likelihood of cardiovascular
disease, which could result in
stroke or heart attack. The risk
is even higher in individuals
who smoke, are overweight,
or diabetic.
Additionally, decreasing
estrogen levels contribute to
the development of osteoporosis, or thinning fragile bones.
Osteoporosis occurs as a result
of deterioration in the bone
structure that can lead to hip
fractures or fractures of the
lower spine, and the development of a “dowager’s hump”.
Bone loss during menopause
is especially severe in thin
Caucasian women, those who
smoke, consume coffee or alcohol, or those who are poorly
nourished. Bone loss is also
more pronounced in those who
take certain medications such
as steroids, or medications for
thyroid disease.
Contrary to popular belief, falling estrogen levels do
not contribute to depression or
other psychological disorders.
Men and women have similar
incidences of depression during the middle years, which
can frequently be attributed to
changes in life circumstances
and declining physical condition.
The theory that sexuality
disappears after menopause is
also a misconception. Women
today live longer, healthier
lives that they did years ago.
The need for intimacy and
companionship is lifelong and
unrelated to estrogen levels.
The limiting factor for older
women is the availability of a
partner and her own physical
condition.
It is important to remember that as long as the ovaries
still have remaining function,
pregnancy is still possible
– the oldest naturally occurring pregnancy was reported
in a woman at age 57. Therefore, it is wise to consider the
use of contraception until the
onset of menopause is clearly
established.
Preventive health screening should be initiated during
this period and should consist
of a complete history and physical at least every five years, beginning at age 40. Annual visits
with a gynecologist should
also be scheduled and include
a breast and pelvic exam, Pap
smear, and screening for sexually transmitted diseases, if
appropriate.
Dr. Sharon Ward will be
discussing this topic further at
the First Tuesday of the Month
Doctor Talk at Lower Keys
Medical Center on Tuesday,
March 4th at 6pm in the hospital
boardroom. There is no charge
for this talk and there is a dinner
for only $2.50 with your MedKey Card in the Hospital Café
off the main lobby at 5pm before
the talk. MedKey Cards will
be available for free at 5pm in
the main lobby. Please reserve
your Dr. Talk seat(s) by calling
305-434-2803. For directions go
to www.LKMC.com
Sharon Ward, M.D. is a
board certified specialist in
Gynecology and Obstetrics
with a private practice in Key
West and also on-staff for her
patients at Lower Keys Medical Center.
www.kwtn.com
BARNES LAW: Q&A
Money and Banking
by Michael R. Barnes
What do I need to know
that money and banking?
Part I of a series
I recently uncovered, on
the Internet, several modifications to famous quotations.
Supposedly, schoolchildren
were given famous quotations
and encouraged to change
them to better fit the times in
which we live.
The quotation that pertains to this article is sometimes
called the “Serenity Prayer.”
You’re probably familiar with
it. After it was modified, it came
out, “Give me the strength to
change the things I can, the
grace to accept the things I
cannot, and a great big bag of
money. Since the children seem
to understand the importance
of money, maybe we adults
should spend little time thinking about it as well. Let’s quickly review the history of money.
The times when money was
not in use are long past. There
are still isolated the countries
where many things are directly
exchanged, or “bartered,” but
for the most part, we all have
to deal with money.
Historically, because of
their intrinsic value, gold and
silver were examples of the earliest kind of money. Both gold
and silver, provide the basis for
our monetary system today. As
commerce grew more complex,
it became inefficient to use the
pieces of gold or silver for many
transactions. Large amounts of
a gold or silver were not useful
for small purchases. Coins soon
became standard.
As you would expect,
money was soon governed by
law. Our Constitution at Article I Section 8 provides that
the Congress has the right to
“coin money” and “regulate the
value thereof.” Our Supreme
Court, in many decisions, has
affirmed the exclusive right
of Congress with regard to
“legal tender.” The various
states, which have the power
to tax or borrow money are
prohibited from issuing their
own currency.
The value of your dollar is
determined by Congress as well
as by the world market. Generally, the United States dollar,
has been a stable currency,
possibly, the most stable in the
world. As you may know, the
dollar continues to be accepted,
in many countries, which have
their own currency, because
their citizens would rather have
the American dollar than their
own money.
Because carrying currency and coins is sometimes
inefficient, most people keep
a checking account. When you
have a checking account, you
deposit money in your bank.
The Bank is allowed to mingle
that money with the money of
other depositors. A check allows you to make the payments
from your account, as you direct, by filling out your check.
As long as you have “sufficient
funds,” in the bank, the bank
must honor your check.
If you have “overdrawn”
you’re account, the bank does
not have to pay your check. The
bank’s decision to honor your
check may be based in part
on your previous history as a
depositor and what the bank
may believe you will do in the
future. In most cases, the bank
will charge a fee to cover the
cost of handling an insufficient
check. It is important to remember that you can be prosecuted
for writing a check when you
know you do not have money
in the bank to cover it.
Sometimes, after you
have paid for something by
check, you may want to call the
check back. For example, you
may have bought merchandise
which was defective. In such
cases, if the check has not
been presented for payment,
you may be able to contact
your bank and ask them to
put a “stop payment” on your
check. If the check has already
been presented for payment,
you won’t be able to stop the
check.
Similarly, if you have written a check at which has been
lost by the person, to whom
you paid by the check, you can
also put a stop payment on that
check. Normally the bank will
charge a fee for a stop payment
to instruction given by you. If
the bank makes a mistake and
pays a check, which you have
properly ordered to be stopped,
you will be able to collect the
amount from the bank. You
should check with your bank
to understand what their
procedures are with regard to
handling your checks.
Banks usually have several kinds of checking accounts.
You may have single depositor
account and only your name
will be on the account. You will
be the only one able to write
checks on that account. Many
times, for convenience, people
elect to have a joint checking account. This is an account in the
names of two persons, either
of which may write checks on
the account.
A joint taking account
is different from a checking
account established by two
or more people, for example
partners in a business. This
type of an account is usually
in the name of the business
entity. Business accounts could
require the signatures of more
than one person on a check.
If you are involved in a
joint or a business checking account, it is best to have similar
goals and interests, as well as
complete trust in the person
who joins you in the account.
If you miss this important
consideration, you may spend
more time with your lawyer
than your banker!
Next week: Different
types of checks and accounts.
Michael R. Barnes practices law in Key West, Florida.
His comments are provided as
a pro bono community service
and are not offered as legal
advice for a particular set of
circumstances. If you are concerned that you may need a
lawyer, you are encouraged to
contact one and follow his or
her advice for your individual
situation.
www.kwtn.com
the community
MILITARIA WANTED
Civil War, Spanish American,
WW1 & 2, swords, medals,
helmets, daggers, uniforms,
old guns, flags, hats, rifles,
any country. Cash, Collector.
Contact John 296-9899.
If your club or organization has something
special happening, let us know:
• [email protected]
• PO box 567, Key West FL 33041
• Fax 305-292-1882
To help us help you, try to get the
information to us by noon on Tuesday before
Friday publication.
OILY’S AUTO REPAIR
MIKE YOUNG, CERTIFIED ASE TECHNICIAN
5669 5th AVE, STOCK ISLAND• 296-6656
AMERICAN CANCER
SOCIETY RELAY FOR LIFE
EVENTS:
LAUREATE DELTA RELAY TEAM SELLING CHANGE
TICKETS--Prizes include baskets
of wines and snacks. Tickets: $1
for one or $5 for six. Call 305-2947442.
SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMIN. BUILDING RELAY TEAM
HOSTING FLEA MARKET--Sat.,
March 1, 8am-1pm at Key West
High School parking lot. Donations
of “yard sale” goods accepted.
Space is also being rented to vendors. More info: 849-0614. The
School District Admin. Relay Team
is also selling 50/50 chance drawing tickets now through Relay on
May 3. They’re also sellign tickets
for a “Romantic Night at Home or
Out”--a basket filled with chocolates, assorted food items, and
gift certificates for Outback and
Blockbuster, Drawing on March 28.
Tickets for either drawing are $1
each or 6 for $5. Info: 849-0614
RELAY FOR LIFE DREAM
MAKERS OF HISTORIC KEY
WEST INNS--Is collecting empty
ink cartridges and old cell phones
to raise funds for relay. Drop off
points: Merlin Guest House 811
Simonton St., Keylime Inn 725
Truman Ave., Chelsea House 709
Truman Ave., Alury Court 1031
Eaton St., Budget Key West 1030
Eaton St.
OLD ISLAND RESTORATION FOUNDATION SPONSORS DANCING IN THE GARDEN--Casual evening of music
and meriment, Wed., March 5,
7-10pm under the stars at the Oldest House and Garden. Music by
Skipper Krippitz. Cash bar. Event
open to public to support effor to
open the garden to the community.
“Will Call” advance tickets on sale
for $8 and $10 at the door. All tickets
include one free drink. Purchase
tickets in advance at the Oldest
House. 305-294-9501
ART & BLUES FESTIVAL--Held at American Legion
Post #28, 5610 College Rd., Sat.,
March 8 from noon-4pm. Open
to the public. Come out to peruse
and purchase art and food. Silent
auction & great raffles. Chief Billy
will entertain. Hosted by Women’s
Auxiliary. Info: 305-294-7117.
CAMP AND CAREERS
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
FOR 6TH ANNUAL PROGRAM--The Educational Coalition for Monroe County along
with the school district and FKCC
presents the Cultural American
Music Program (CAMP) and Careers 2008. Applications accepted
from 7th-12th grade students. For
non-music students: Culinary
Arts/Hospitality Management
and Film/Video Production.
CAMP runs June 14-July 19 at
Marathon High School. Transportation provided. JUNIOR
CAMP open to 4th through 6th
grade students. Program cost:
$400. Scholarships available. Info
and registration: 305-743-6215 or
[email protected].
AARP FREE TAX COUNSELING AND FILING--for low
or middle income taxpayers,
Now through April 15. You need
not be a member of AARP or a
retiree, although priority will be
given to those age 60 and older.
Locations: Key West Harvey Gov’t
Center Thursdays from 12-8pm,
Big Pine Library Thursdays from
12:30-4pm, Marathon Senior
Center Wednesdays from 1-4:30
pm, Marathon Library Mondays
from 10am-12pm. No appointment
necessary--first come, first served.
Bring copy of last year’s tax return
and all W-2 adn 1099 forms, social
security numbers for dependents,
photo I.D., and other pertinent
information.
CALL TO ARTISTS--8th
Annual Schooner Wharf Air Art
and Music Affair. Sat., March 1.
Artists of all mediums are encouraged to apply. Space is limited. For
info: schoonerwharf.com and click
“Special Events.” For applications
and questions, email swartaffair@
yahoo.com or call 305-304-2275.
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY LECTURE SERIES-Mon. March 3, 6pm at Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton St. Presentation by
well-known author Leslie Linsey
on her new book Key West: A Tropical Lifestyle. Admission is free
but seating is limited. Tickets will
be distributed beginning at 5pm.
Early arrival is recommended.
VIETNAM VETERANS
TRAVELING WALL--Any organization that would like a power
point brief and discussion on
the project to bring the traveling
Vietnam wall to Key West this Dec.
2008 should contact Mike Driscoll
at 305-293-2861.
SUDYE CAUTHEN TO
SPEAK AT FKCC LIBRARY-The author of Southern Comforts:
Rooted in a Florida Place and
founder of the North Florida Center for Documentary Studies will
speak on March 5 at 6pm in the
Florida Keys Community College
Library on College Road, Stock
Island. Info: 305-296-9081 or visit
www.fkcc.edu.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF KEY
WEST, SPECIAL EVENTS-ONGOING MEETINGS: Free HIV
testing every Tues. from 11am-2pm
at Frantz Fellowship Hall. KISS
A.A. meetings 6 evenings each
week: Sun @ 5:30pm, Mon., Thurs.,
Fri., Sat. @ 8pm. COOKING WITH
LOVE program serves 120 meals
to inbound seniors every Sat.,
www.kwtn.com
the community
FROM previous page
10am-1pm. Contact church office
for more info. 305-294-8912. www.
mcckeywest.com
KEY WEST SAIL CLUB,
5 RACE SERIES--Sat., March 8.
Registration on race day at 9am.
Captain’s meeting at 9:30. Race at
10:30. Entrance fee $20. More info:
305-923-6174 or [email protected]
3RD SEASON OF WALK
ON WINN DIXIE--First Fri. of
every month from 7-9pm at Winn
Dixie Plaza in Big Pine. Art, music,
appetizers, raffles, gifts, specials.
Info: 305-745-8402x111.
CRANE POINT SCIENCE
SATURDAY CLASSES--every
Sat.through Mar. 8. 9-11am for
kids age 6-11. Members $10, nonmembers $15. More info: Elizabeth
(305) 743-3900 or seascience@
bellsouth.net
CHILDREN’S MEMORIAL TREE GARDEN--At Crane
Point. Loved ones wishing to plant
a tree in memory of a child of any
age may contact Donna Farmer at
305-743-3297.
KEYS CHORALE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE
TO SING--Register through Florida Keys Community College,
either for credit or as Continuing
Education.
BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS--Mentor a child by becoming
a Big Brother or Big Sister. With a
little spare time, you can make a
big difference. Info: 305-294-9891
or [email protected]
HOST FAMILIES NEEDED
FOR EXCHANGE STUDENTS-Share your home and change the
world. More info: 1-866-493-8872
or www.yfu-usa.org.
FLORIDA KEYS DRAGON
BOAT CLUB--meets every Sun. at
6pm. See www.floridakeysdragonboat.com Info: 305-304-5100.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
AT TROPIC CINEMA—All areas
of operation. Flexible schedules,
free passes, pop-corn, and t-shirts.
Info: Lori Reid, 305-433-4183 or
[email protected]
CITIZENSHIP CLASSES-Literacy Volunteers offers free
Citizenship classes for intermediate English as a Second Language
students. Info: 294-4352.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
AT WILDLIFE CENTER--Key
West Wildlife Center has reopened to accept injured animals.
Volunteers and donations are
needed. Questions and info: 305292-1008.
WANT TO BE A LITERACY VOLUNTEER? More than
100 students waiting to be tutored.
You do not have to speak another
language to be a tutor. Info: Mary
at 305-294-4352.
GRANTS AVAILABLE
TO WRITERS, MUSICIANS,
ACTORS, ARTISTS--Contact the
Florida Keys Council of the Arts,
305-295-4369.
LOW COST SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS--The Florida Keys
SPCA spay/neuter clinics are held
at the FKSPCA Animal Shelter,
5230 College Road , Stock Island.
Microchips for $5 and $10 rabies
vaccinations are available for all
pets. Appointments are required
for rabies and for spay/neuter. Call
292-4600 to register.
BOATING COURSES--The
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary conducts boating courses throughout
the year. Info: 1-888-470-5566
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED-AIDS HELP, INC. needs volunteers to help with transportation,
office work, special events, etc.
Call 296-6196.
.
www.kwtn.com

Is Neary vs. Mauldin Another Cooper vs. Dillon?

Transcription

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