PARTY WITH HELL’S RANGERS TONIGHT

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Hell’s Rangers! Would you believe! Yes, here in key West. A bocce team!

Tonight is bocce. Our team (Don’s Place) is playing Hell’s Angels. Don told me last night we are going to party. Our team will be providing the liquid refreshments. The Hell’s Angels food. Sort of cook out time. I anticipate the food will be terrific.

Notice how some times bocce becomes incidental to whatever else is going on.

I shopped for Robert’s birthday gift yesterday. I did not want to buy him clothes. He has everything else…..basball glove, bat, basketball, soccer ball, books, etc. He even has his own tablet.

I finally decided on a $50 gift card for the movie theater at Sears. He is into movies. Goes with Lisa and the family. $50 will just about cover one show. Terrible!

Robert’s birthday was fun. Dinner and cake. Chocolate with chocolate frosting. Robert’s choice. I ate two pieces. We blew out the candles and sang Happy Birthday! Jake could have cared less. He aimlessly wandered around.

Dinner and cake done, it was still early. I stopped at Don’s Place. Caught Don, Hershel, and Tom. Then there was just Don and me.

All in all, a good evening.

I spent most of the day yesterday working on friday’s Key West Lou Legal Hour tv/internet show. A lot happening. I plan on talking a bit about how women in Saudi Arabia are treated as opposed to here in the U.S., the Associated Press, IRS and Benghazi of course, Greece, France and the euro, a new law that should make you uncomfortable, the Syrian rebel eating a soldier’s heart, and more.

I watched a film of the Syrian soldier incident on the internet yesterday. Gruesome!

The Pier House? I know no more. Rumors abound all over Key West. When there is something concrete, I will share it with you.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

EERIE

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I visited the Pier House around 7 last night. No particular destination in mind. Just wanted to see how things were. At midnight, the new owners were to take over.

The parking lot was basically empty. Only a few cars. Not unusual however for a monday night during off season

I passed no one as I entered the building and weaved my way through the corridors to the Chart Room.

I had anticipated the Chart Room would be closed. That was the last I knew. I was shocked. The Chart Room was open!

Inside Mary bartending and four tourists.

I was thrilled to see my favorite room alive. Chatted with Mary a bit. She knew nothing, except the Chart Room was being closed at 10:30 for inventory purposes. She told me as far as she knew, the Chart Room would be open tomorrow night (tonight).

There was a cloud hanging over the room. Perhaps it was me. I think Mary sensed it also. The unknown.

I walked down the lovely shrubbed path to the Beach Bar. Passed a lonely worker hurrying along. No hello. He kept his head down as he scurried by me.

The Beach Bar was empty. No customers. Two employees off to the side.

My destination was the Wine Galley. On the way, I had to pass through the outside/deck restaurant. One table occupied. Several employees off to the side.

No smiles. None of the usual hello….good evening…..how are you?

Then the Wine Galley!

I was pleased to see as I approached that the sliding glass doors were open. There were people inside!

Larry was there. Getting  ready to play the piano and sing. We chatted a bit. Steve bartending. A lovely lady who I assume was a waitress.

One table occupied. John and Ali from England.

Hellos said. A hug here, a kiss there.

The cloud from the Chart Room was within the Wine Galley. You could feel it!

I left and walked back to the parking lot. On the way, I ran into a security person I have known for years. He was pleasant. No smile. Hello, shook my hand and went on his way.

Strange.

The whole of the Pier House was unsettled. Awkward. Perhaps it was me and only in my mind. I do not know. What I do know is that it was all strange. Eerie is the word.

Prior to the Pier House, I became aware Kathleen Peace had been let go. It was on Facebook. I can understand. She was number 2 or 3 in the hierarchy running the Pier House. if I spent $90 million to buy a business, I would want to bring my people in and place them in top positions. That is the way business is done.

I understand from conversations with others that Kathleen’s separation was pleasant. Without rancor. I am confident she will land on her feet. Few have the talent and experience she has. In the meantime, I am sure she will enjoy her newly acquired free time!

Have a ball Kathleen!

Tonight…..Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. My blog talk radio show on the internet world wide. At 9 o’clock. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Fast moving dramatic events to discuss.

Like the U.S. government seizing two months of telephone records of the Associated Press. Wow! Freedom of the press at stake here?

Bangladesh is still in the news on several fronts. One is the refusal at this time of Gap, Walmart and Sears to sign onto a pact to help ensure/protect against future building failures and employee injuries. Clothes are going to become expensive to produce in Bangladesh!

The 813 Italian Catholics who were declared Saints by the Pope this week. They were beheaded in the 1400s by Turkish Muslims for refusing to accept Islam as their religion. Convert or have your head chopped off! 813 were beheaded.

A bit re the Syrian conflict. Specifically concerning the Syrian rebel who was filmed eating an enemy soldier’s heart.

The world we live in!

Enjoy your day!

 

LA FESTA DEL LAVORO

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We have a mix today. Italy, Key West, Afghanistan, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Bangladesh.

Today is La Festa del Lavoro in Italy. Labor Day. Actually it is Labor Day in most of Europe, Asia, Central America, and South America. Only the United States and Canada celebrate Labor Day in September.

A big time national holiday in Italy. Very few work. Rome annually has a concert this day in the Piazza San Giovanni. More than 500,000 will attend.

I visited the Piazza more than 30 years ago when I was visiting Italy with the family. My whole family. Wife, 3 of my 4 children, and my parents. The Piazza is a huge open space surrounded with medieval buildings. Beautiful! Magnificent!

The day celebrates International Workers Day. Sounds a bit socialistic or Communistic. For that and other reasons, Mussolini did away with the holiday when Fascism ruled Italy. It was only after World War II that the holiday returned. It has been an Italian holiday since 1890, except for the Mussolini years.

Let me stay with Italy for a moment.

Italy has a new Prime Minister. Latte. It is questionable how long he will last. Berlusconi’s party made it possible for Latte to become Prime Minister. However, Berlusconi has made it clear that unless Latte pushes through the return to the citizens of the additional real property taxes paid in 2012, that Latte will be yesterday’s news. He will call for a confidence vote and Berlusconi’s party will not support Latte. Latte cannot survive under that circumstance.

My day yesterday started with a CAT scan at the hospital. A quickie. Took all of 5 minutes.

Then headed over to the Yacht Club for lunch. Enjoyed a very delicious crab cake and read the newspapers while seated at a corner of the bar.

Spent the afternoon fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

Following previous shows, some complained my voice was scratchy or cutting out. I contacted the Blog Talk people. They said try a land line. I had been using bluetooth and my cell phone.

Several telephoned after the show to tell me the voice was perfect. No scratching or cutting out. I am glad the problem is behind me. I am learning that it is always something with TV, internet, and radio shows. For real. Nothing runs perfect. Nor consistently.

I talked about money last night. Labeled the topics rip offs. Where our tax dollars are being misspent, where money is being misspent.

I talked about Karzai and Con Edison in that regard.

It was reported Karazi has been receiving bags of money every month for 10 years from us.

Regarding Con Edison, after failing to effectively resolve the Sandy hurricane problems and shutting out 8,000 employess during salary/benefit negotiations last year, Con Edison’s Board gave hefty bonuses to top echelon execs for a job well done. Con Edison’s Board Chairman and President received a total of $7.4 million in compensation. At a time when Con Edioson is seeking permission to increase its rates an additional $400 million a year.

I also talked about a hearing scheduled by the government in Washington, D.C. Seven former Congresspersons have been appointed to a committee. The purpose of the committee is to study contacts made by extra terrestrial beings. Yes, you understand correctly. Creatures from outer space who may have communicated and/or visited the United States.

The hearings are limited to 5 days. They are being held at the National Press Club. The former Congresspersons are each to receive receive $20,000 plus expenses. Before these hearings are concluded and a report filed, I bet total monies exceed $300,000.

What a waste! Especially in poor economic times.

I also spent some time telling/exposing the Social Security story as I see it. No one gives it to us straight. We are getting ripped off in more ways than one.

Bangladesh and the 300 plus dead from a building failure was also discussed. Shades of the sweat shops of the 1920s and 1930s in the United States.

These issues will also be discussed on my friday tv/internet show. They are too good to let go.

Lisa took Jake to the vet yesterday. One of his back paws and part of his foot were swollen. Jake favors the leg. Vet said it probably is a broken toe. As with humans, nothing to do. If he still favors it next week, Jake is to be brought back to be x-rayed.

The Smokin’ Tuna Songwriters Festival begins today in Key West. The 18th year for this event. Country and western vocal and composing celebrities world wide participate. They come to
Key West in droves. There will be music the next several days morning , noon and night. In bars and show rooms and on the streets. Some will hang out on street corners and play.

Enjoy your day!

 

BLOG TALK RADIO TONIGHT

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The weeks move swiftly by. Just a week ago it was tuesday. Tuesday again. My blog talk radio show tonight.

I spent most of yesterday preparing. So many interesting things going on in the world! A full plate of available topics!

One or two of the following will be discussed. The Bangladesh building collapse, high cost of cancer drugs, Syria chemical issue problem. I have also discovered three rip offs that affect each of us economically. I refer to the bags of American dollars being given monthly to Karzai, the high bonus’ paid to Con Ed executives, and a committee of former congresspersons funded by U.S. dollars to study whether extra terrestrials have been here.

Some of this material will also compromise part of my friday tv/internet show.

Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou is tonight at 9. Interesting and quick moving. One half hour. An eye opener in many respects. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Spent a couple of hours in bed later in the afternoon. My back is back! What a pain! I prepared for tonight’s show standing and sitting. I have to find that spot where there is no pain.

I needed to get cleaned up and out a bit. Went over to Hogfish for a quick dinner. Packed as usual.

I learned something new at Hogfish. They have a cocktail goodies menu. Small orders of food. from 5 to 6:30. I enjoyed chili french fries. Followed by a cup of lobster bisque. I was satisfied and happy.

Need to hurry this morning. I have an early appointment at the hospital. Another heart test. One always seems to lead to another.

Enjoy your day!