BICYCLISTS AND THE BOULEVARD

The new North Roosevelt Boulevard is terrific! A pleasure to travel!

There are a few problems. Some in the process of correction. Others, not.

One is that the driving lanes on both sides are open to bicycle traffic. Bicycles are actually painted on the road way signifying A-OK. Envision it. Bicycles driving down the middle of a Boulevard lane.

A disaster in the making! Not yet, however.

Yesterday, the wrong of permitting the bikes was evident. Traffic is exceptionally heavy this week. A holiday week. Many tourists. Families.

Traffic was unusually slow on the Boulevard going into town. I thought there might be an accident. There was not. It was a family riding their bicycles.

Each helmeted. The only safety feature taken into consideration.

The father in the lead bike. A small child sitting in the basket in front. This is going to sound like the Three Bears story. Mama bicyclist on the second bike. Then three smaller bikes with three children riding them. The oldest could not have been ten. All in a straight line, one behind the other. Oblivious to the traffic hold up they were causing and the danger the family was in.

Publix’s parking lot was a no parking zone. I had to go around the lot three times to find a spot.

I had a noon appointment with Tammy for a manicure. Lee Nails was packed! Locals and tourists. I was the only male. The ladies obviously getting ready for New Year’s Eve. A lot of chatter and laughing.

I wrote one more chapter to Growing Up Italian. Concrete Sidewalks Grass Backyards. Who had a backyard?

Then spent considerable time preparing for tonight’s blog talk radio show. A good one. Some things are in my craw. Bothering me. Tonight,  I will vent. Tomorrow, some will write and tell me I’m crazy.

Some of the topics of note include my analysis of the New York City Police Department  problem, a lawsuit being filed against the New York City Police Department every 2 1/2 hours, Greece on a collision course with Germany which perhaps could result in war, some consider Ukraine the prelude to World War III, and the U.S. purportedly being out of Afghanistan.

My analysis of the NYPD situation and Obama’s comments re finally being out of Afghanistan are guaranteed to stir the pot.

Join me for an interesting and challenging half hour. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine this evening. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

BURN

You are wrong if you think today’s blog is about the Ferguson/Garner demonstrations. There is enough hype in the media. This blog concerns itself with another burning.

Luoyang City is in China. The city burns money for power. To make electricity. Coal is not used.

The money consists of old and damaged banknotes. Instead of burning and trashing the worn out dollars, they are used to save money. Help the enviroment, also. Every 1.32 million kWh of electricity produced via this method is equivalent to 4,000 tons of coal being burned.

You have to give the Chinese credit! Other Chinese cities should take heed and follow in Luoyang’s steps.

My yesterday began with a manicure. Tammy always good company. Many I know now get their manicures and pedicures at Tammy’s Lee Nails. It solved my Christmas buying problem. I got them all gift certificates for Lee Nails.

I spent the afternoon working on tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Topics include the rules for sex handbook the Islamics handed out to Iraqis, Lee Trevino and the Ryder cup, torture being a manifestation of who we are, cops raiding a wrong house and shooting and killing a grandfather laying face down, if derivatives fail how there is not enough U.S. dollars to cover the loss, and more.

A quick moving revealing half hour. Join me. Nine o’clock tonight. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Last night was Don’s Place first. Enjoyed David’s company while there. Then off to Tavern ‘n Town for dinner. No room at the inn. The bar was jam packed 3-4 deep. I turned around and went home where I prepared something to eat.

I have a friend Anne in upstate New york. She originally lived in Ithaca. Most recently in Syracuse. Ithaca is the home of Cornell University.

This past weekend Ithaca held its annual winter carnival. At the downtown Ithaca Commons. A three day ice carving contest. Contestants from all over the world. $9,000 in prize money.

Something like Key West’s chalk and sand contests.

Anne sent me a picture of the outdoor bar. Sculpted in ice. Twelve feet long. Bar stools and all. Not part of the contest.  A place where beer and wine were sold. Dancing, too. The only admonition was to dress warm. In the background of the photo, mounds of snow were evident.

My diet is working. 21 pounds this morning. I am into my ninth week.

Some have asked what the diet is. I have dieted my entire adult life. A yo yo. Probably done every diet. This diet is a composition of what I considered the best parts of each.

It’s working!

Enjoy your day!

TONIGHT THE POPE, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE AND CHERNOBYL

Tonight, my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

I spent most of yesterday preparing for the show. Topics include Pope Francis continuing to upset the Vatican old guard, the President of France saying no to the new trade pact over GMOs, a return to Chernobyl 28 years later, the U.S. dropping birth rate since 2007, Wall Street trying to put taxpayers on the hook for bad derivative trades, China buying up Detroit properties, and more.

The show tonight at 9 my time. Please join me. I guarantee you will enjoy the comments, even though you may not agree with some. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I was up early yesterday morning. Visited Dr. Lefferts to get my latest blood test results. She noted a possible kidney problem on the last one. The new test showed the kidney to be normal. Fortunately. At my age, I am always concerned.

I have to vent. Price of prescription drugs again. I had to pick up a 30 day supply of the blood thinner prescribed for me. $121. And I have one of the best AARP supplemental drug programs!

There is no generic. The blood thinner came out in 2009.

It is the donut again. You who are over 65 will especially understand. I have been in the donut since June. I telephoned the insurance company last month. They said I could get out of the donut if I paid $4,000 odd dollars.

The drug companies and insurance companies continue to rip us off. Neither Obamacare nor anything else helps. The drug companies have continued to receive basically a free ride under Obama.

The weather up north has started going bad again. A northeaster coming in. Wind and snow. Whenever it is cold up north, we feel it in Key West. The high today maybe 70. Tonight, 59. Cold! Comparable weather the next two days.

My diet is working. Seven weeks in two days. Nineteen pounds. I am proud of myself!

The diet is my own. I may publish a book when I have concluded. The Key West Diet.

Mark Howell is a Key West author of note. He has an interesting article on Tennessee Williams in this morning’s KONK Life E-News Blast.

One of the special things about living in Key West is the people who lived and worked here. Especially, authors. Tennessee Williams’ home of 40 years is on Duncan street. Friends now own it. They restored the house. It is magnificent in a quiet sort of way. Lisa lives 1 1/2 blocks down the street. Every time I drive past the house, I get a thrill. The same for when I drive past Hemingway’s home on Whitehead.

The women of Saudi Arabia may be able to vote for the first time next year. They started complaining big time in 2011. Even drove cars in defiance of the regime as part of the protest. The King gave in re the vote. They still are not allowed to drive cars however.

The vote is more than symbolic than anything else. They can only vote in local elections for local officials.

Most of the religious hierarchy are opposed to the vote. King Abdullah could have given them the right in 2012. However, he opted to grab a few more years to placate those against his decision. I would not be surprised if next year comes and for some reason the right to vote is delayed again.

I close today’s thoughts with Vera Schiff. Vera is in her 80s. Originally from Pennsylvania, she has lived in Key West as a snow bird forever. She is sweet and top shelf. Throws a great party. She is known as the Auntie Mame of Key West. She also contributes quietly and unselfishly to a multitude of charities.

It was announced this week that Vera is going to receive the Unsung Hero Award. A Key West big deal! She is much deserving.

Enjoy your day!

JOANNA LEARY

Mark Howell is an author/writer extraordinaire!

Today’s KONK E-News Blast carries a touching story written by him. It concerns Key West’s beloved Peter Anderson and a former wife Joanna Leary. It also speaks of Johanna’s recent book involving her psychedelic relationship with Timothy Leary. Leary was the LSD guru of my day.

Joanna’s hippie days provide the setting.

Mark wove it all into a loving tale.

This morning’s Key West Citizen carried an interesting article about a Dan Zimmerman. A hero in his own right.

Dan suffered a massive stroke in 2005 at age 41. Right side paralyzed, left side of brain damaged. Recovery a long way back. Dan refused to give up.

On June 29 this year, he left a little town in Washington state on a three wheeled low slung bicycle. 5,200 miles later, he completed his trip to Key West. He arrived this past saturday.

He labeled his journey Road to Margaritaville. The first thing he heard as he came out of his stroke induced coma was Jimmy Buffett singing.

You have to admire the guy!

My yesterday was busy. An early morning appointment for a fasting blood test. Then a manicure with Tammy at Lee Nails. I fell asleep while she was giving me the manicure. Can’t believe it!

In the afternoon, another doctor appointment. With my heart doctor. I was experiencing some pain and swelling in the my legs. Some tests were done recently to see if I had a blood clotting problem. I love getting old. Turns  out, no problem.

The doctor’s office was busy. Many in and out. Surprisingly, I seemed to know everyone and they me. Several of them, I had not seen in years.

The heart doctor was running late. It was close to 7 by the time I got out. I decided on a drink. My diet permits it. Stopped at Don’s Place. Chatted with Jimmy and John a while. Then home after only one drink.

Syracuse basketball tonight. Love it! Syracuse plays Michigan at 7:30. The game is being shown on ESPN. I will be able to watch the first half at home. Then I have my blog talk radio show to do. I will miss the second half. Syracuse is a 4.5 point underdog.

Most of tonight’s blog talk radio show is prepared. Interesting and timely topics. Tonight, the St. Louis Ram’s five players and their support signal for Ferguson, Obama and corporate America, France’s President rejecting Obama’s plan which would result in a global oligarchy, the loss of the American dream, a white business protected by blacks in Ferguson, and more.

Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou airs at 9. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

 

BUSINESS PLAN AND ALL

Yesterday’s blog appears to have touched the sensitivities of many. I received many more comments that usual. The thrust was Ferguson. Interestingly, few agreed with me.

One comment referred to me as a racist and moron. A racist I assume because I took the black position. I am not sure where moron came from. Unless the writer was of the opinion that anyone who disagreed with him had to be stupid.

American youth. We raise our children hoping they will be intelligent and successful. And honest/moral. Sometimes they screw up with the honesty/morality factor. A perfect example is Sarasota High School.

A 17 year old girl and 15 year old boy, students at Sarasota High, started a prostitution ring. The girls to be offered would come from surrounding schools. Youth was the attraction. Even virginity, though at a higher price.

They got caught and the operation exposed. They approached the endeavor in a business sort of way. Even had a business plan. They had customers before getting caught. Adult men. Four girls solicited to work as ladies of the night blew the ring in to the Principal.

A perfect example of the moral compass having gone wrong.

My yesterday began with a haircut. Lori. She has been cutting my hair for 15 years.

Then a long walk. A mistake. The humidity was horrendous! Took everything out of me.

I intended to watch Syracuse basketball in the evening. Before and after my blog talk radio show. Unfortunately, the game was not carried in the keys.

Syracuse did win. Beat Loyola 70-37. The size of the victory means nothing. Loyola was a warm up game for the season which begins in January.

Did my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. My topics were limited. I hit a few items hard.

Ferguson was the first topic discussed. Many apparently disagreed with me. My position was simple. If a group thinks they are getting screwed, they will react. I mentioned also the 12 year old black boy who was shot by a policeman and killed three days ago in Cleveland as an example that police killing blacks has become a common occurrence.

I got into GMOs.

The whole world is getting down on GMOs. Except for the United States. Other nations are recognizing the apparent dangers involved in eating foods created by genetically modified organisms. The United States has and continues to welcome GMOs because of our governmental officials. Congress specifically and the Presidents who sign the laws permitting these evil seeds. The story of corporate America, money, and lobbyists all over again.

It is amazing the companies that use GMOs that we do not know do. Like Pepsi Cola, Kellogg’s and Nestles/Gerber. The corn, soy and sugar used in the production of their products contain GMOs. Yes, even Gerber’s baby foods.

Recently, a South African court threw Gerber’s baby foods out of the country because of the GMOs. Gerber’s still sells baby food in South Africa, however. They redid their product so it contained no GMOs. Not in the United States, however.

The Marathon Turtle Hospital is in the news again. A large number of turtles took the wrong turn trying to leave Cape Cod for warmer waters to the south. They ended up on bay beaches. They are sick and dying. The cold water causing hypothermia.

There are more than a 1,000. They are being gathered up and flown to several Florida locations. Marathon Turtle Hospital is getting a number of them.

It’s a great life! Summer on Cape Cod and winter in the Florida keys. And free medical if they get sick.

The Key West Citizen’s History section had a picture of the Atlantic Shores Restaurant from 50 years ago. I enjoyed many a breakfast at the street front restaurant and many a lunch at the poolside bar in the rear. I enjoyed the rear view more. Atlantic Shores, gone but not forgotten.

Cool this morning. Very heavy rains. During the night, also. It is the tail of the northeaster that is going to bury some northern states in snow later today.

Cool by the way is about 73 degrees.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

BURN BABY, BURN

I do not blame the people of Ferguson for their reaction to the indictment report. Their political leaders, from the police chief to the mayor to the prosecutor to the governor, should now be investigated to see if some sort of fix was in. My sense is that the thinking of the white fathers was that no dead black man was going to put a white police officer in jail.

Aggressive police work appears the order of the day. Just two days ago in Cleveland, a 12 year old black boy was shot to death by a cop. Look up the story on the internet. Another black dead at the hands of a white officer.

What next? People can only be tread upon so long. Then that rebellious feeling takes hold. Anger vented.

I worry poverty may be the next motivation for violence. The nation’s poor. The 99 percent. A group can only be defecated upon so long. Especially if their children are caused to suffer. 2.5 million children were homeless in 2013. This in the land of plenty.

My blog talk radio show is tonight at 9. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Of course, I will have something to say about Ferguson. Not much, however. The national media has said it all. The 12 year old black in Cleveland will receive comment by me,  as well as the 2.5 million homeless children, GMOs in American foods whose identity will shock you, Russia banning GMOs completely, and more. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I grocery shopped yesterday at Publix. I buy the same thing all the time. I am not an impulse shopper. Yesterday, my bill was $20 higher.

It made me question whether Publix had raised the price of food because this is a holiday week.

There was a time several years back when it was discovered that in larger cities, the chain stores were playing with the cost of groceries. Stores in ghetto/poorer areas increased prices the week welfare checks were received.

Enjoy your day!

A COLE PORTER EVENING

It could not have been a better evening! Cole Porter tunes sung by the best of Key West. To mention one or two would be remiss. There were twenty performers in all.

Cole Porter created his music back in the 1920s, 1930s and into the early 1940s. Tunes like Begin the Beguine, Night and Day, and From This Moment On.

The evening thrilled me. Everyone in attendance, also. It was obvious by the reactions to the performances. The Waterfront Playhouse is to be commended.

My seat was perfect. Third row. Jenna to my right and friend Susie to my left. The lovely Jean Carper in front. Old friend Skip behind me.

Dinner with Jenna beforehand at the Hot Tin Roof.

We made the bocce playoffs! Won 2 out of 3 games thursday night. At noon today, I will be throwing the pollina.

The playoffs are a big deal. Tents over the benches for the players. Food and drink. All for the players and free. A huge crowd watching.

I hope we win the first match. The playoffs are tough. You play the best of the best.

The Chalk Festival got rained out for today. The concrete must still be wet. I hope the bocce playoffs do not get canceled. The clay should absorb last night’s rain. The courts will be a bit slower, however.

Back to the Chalk Festival. It will be tomorrow on the promenade next to the USCG Ingham on the Truman Waterfront.

Enjoy your day!

WOE IS SYRACUSE

Immigration, Ferguson, Ebola, bocce, nudity…..all take a back seat to the Syracuse basketball story. I mentioned recently I was concerned about this year’s basketball team. Concern being a rare occurrence. It has been many years since Syracuse has had a team not up to snuff. This may be the season.

I watched the Syracuse/California game last night. Not since Pearl Washington’s days have I seen  a Syracuse team that had neither a defense nor offense. The fabled Syracuse zone was not working. California was penetrating at will. As to the offense, there was none. Most of the time, Syracuse looked like a bunch of guys playing pick up ball. Everyone shooting. Shots forced. The ball not going in the hole.

Can Boeheim weave the team together? I think not. The talent is there. If he does, it will be the miracle of miracles.

The Syracuse basketball team is my team. Right or wrong. Good or bad. I am with them to the bitter end!

I spent much of yesterday writing next week’s KONK Life column. Why Decapitation. The story of what is behind the ISIS beheadings.

I only stayed for the first bocce game last night. I left early to watch the Syracuse/California game. We won the first game 16-15. A squeaker. Tom is back from New Jersey. He won the game for us. His last shot a bocce one. The opposing team could not knock the shot out.

My cell phone is dead. I do not know how we fared in the next two games.

Last evening was the last night of the season. Playoffs are saturday. We were on the bubble to make the playoffs. I do not know how we and the other teams on the bubble fared.

I am excited about tonight. I cannot wait. I will be attending an evening of Cole Porter music at the Waterfront Playhouse. Porter’s music thrills me.

Jenna is joining me. We will probably have dinner first at the Hot Tin Roof.

The President has spoken. An executive order is forthcoming re immigration. I think he was correct in doing what he did.

What concerns me is how off the track the Republicans are. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma was one of the worst. I have always admired Coburn. Yesterday, he had it wrong however. He said on television before Obama’s talk that what the President was going to do would cause or was anarchy and that violence could result. Violence by the people.

I think some Republicans sit in a small smoked filled room with their glasses of bourbon in hand beating the drums about what a bad person Obama is. They do it so much, they start believing themselves. Lunacy.

Gail Collins, the syndicated writer for the New York Times, had an interesting observation in a recent column. It had to do with Republicans and Democrats. I do not share it with you in that vein. I share the following as an odd ball happening in today’s world.

Collins reported that a recent South African study revealed an off the wall happening in the Antarctic. Fur seals are having sex with penguins.

I wonder if someone will blame this relatively new development on global warming.

Enjoy your day!

 

MARY LOU HOOVER…..WONDER WOMAN

Mary Lou Hoover can do and does do everything! Nothing is beyond her capabilities.

Her credentials are lengthy. Most prominent is Girls’ Night Out. A couple of years ago, Mary Lou thought women needed a place to meet and network. From a first meeting in a living room with a handful of ladies, it has grown into huge numbers. The ladies meet one night a month. However, in much larger quarters.

Mary Lou has also been a Fantasy Fest Queen. 2007. A tough race to the title and an even more arduous job the year following.

She is involved with Helpline. She is fund raiser and coordinator for the organization.

Mary Lou recently acquired an added interest in suicides. She came up with some figures that indicate a big time need for additional assistance in order to prevent suicides. In 2012, there were 4 homicides and 19 suicides in the Florida Keys. In 2013, there were 2 homicides and 32 suicides. Clear evidence that help is needed.

Mary Lou is working to have Helpline add to its suicide awareness efforts. A worthy and needed endeavor. She will succeed. It is in her nature to succeed. She is a woman who gets things done.

My blog talk radio show was last night. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. For those of you who may have missed and would like to listen, the show is archived and also available on Facebook and You Tube.

Post show comments indicated that my critical comments re the Keystone Pipeline and Immigration issues garnered the most interest.

My thrust was it has been 6 years that Keystone has been waiting for a vote. The final vote was last night. It took an effort of political expediency to bring about the vote. With regard to immigration, the issue has been bouncing around for 6 years also. A vote could not be reached. Now the President says he is going to move by Executive Order.

Not the way to run a government! We should not have to wait six years to get an up or down vote on the important issues of the day.

Can you believe the weather? The Key West weather. It dropped to 61 last night. It is 63 degrees as I write. The high today will be 69. Wow! Cold! A long pants day.

I will hear from many of you regarding the previous paragraph. Especially my friends up north. Where it is really cold! Tom Dixon e-mailed to tell me they already have four feet of snow in Buffalo, with more coming today. Temperatures across upstate New York are in their 20’s. So too most of the rest of the nation. This morning’s weather report says the Florida panhandle will be below freezing later today and tonight.

And not even Thanksgiving yet!

Today is the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln delivered the famous speech on this day in 1863. It was less than 300 words.

Two things I would like to share with you re the Gettysburg Address.

The first is that Lincoln wrote his speech on a ripped off portion of a brown paper bag as he rode to Gettysburg. His lunch had been in the bag. He used a stub pencil to write.

When Lincoln completed  delivering his speech, applause were minimal. There was no off the wall reaction to his words. It was subsequent to the speech that the speech’s special qualities were noted.

It continues to be a sad day at Lisa’s. Jake is still sick. Lisa continues to take him to the vet every day. They still do not know what is wrong with him. He is being tested for everything.

Poor Jake!

Enjoy your day!

 

NUDITY NUDITY NUDITY

Sixty thousand to seventy thousand people come to Key West each year to enjoy Fantasy Fest. They come because it is an adult party. Adult means some degree of nudity.

A small handful of local citizens want to change things. They cry there is too much nudity and sex.

I have never seen open sex during Fantasy Fest. I have occasionally seen some nudity. Generally, the female vagina. Not that many, however. Maybe a total of a dozen in the 16 years I have been attending Fantasy Fest.

Local ordinances require a woman’s nipples to be covered. That means pasties. Plus, the privates of men and women. I can live with that and so can the 60,000-70,000 who come to party.

There is a vocal minority that wants to change things. How much I am not certain. They probably total no more than 40 persons. They are the squeaky wheel, however. If church goers, the ones who sing the loudest at services. They are getting a lot of attention. As evidenced by this morning’s Key West Citizen. The headline read Nudity Tops The List Of Fest Complaints.

The group sounds like the religious right. I am offended that they seek to impose their moral standards upon me and the 60,000-70,000. I  believe most Key Westers would agree with me.

Walked again yesterday. I am proud of myself! From one end of Duval to the other and back.

This weekend is the Waterfront’s Cole Porter show A Swell Party. Jenna and I will be going together. I was lucky to get tickets. The show is apparently a sell out. Someone had just canceled two adjoining seats in the third row. It is called being there at the right time.

My blog talk radio show tonight. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. A quick half hour of interesting and stimulating talk. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics tonight include Ferguson and the KKK, genetically modified potatoes approved by USDA for sale in the U.S., Obama changing his tune re immigration, a tough on drugs governor pardoning his son’s drug conviction, a British/Iranian woman who is to receive a public lashing because she wanted to attend a volley ball game, and more.

Ferguson is a hotbed in the making. A tinderbox that could and probably will erupt. Missouri’s governor announced yesterday  he was declaring a state of emergency. The national guard has been called out. The governor is getting ready for whatever occurs when the grand jury report comes out.

The governor’s move is stupid. He is sending the national guard in in advance. Such is an invitation to aggravation, dissension, and violence. It says to the black community we know you are going to blow up and we are ready for you. In a sense, a we dare you move.

Missouri’s political leaders leave a lot to be desired.

Enjoy your day!