A TYPICAL KEY WEST DAY

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A typical Key West day should be one where you do nothing. Not the case. There is always something that happens, that you do.

Yesterday was one of limited activity. However, it consumed my whole day.

A doctor visit was first. I have said it before. You move on in years and it seems most of your time is spent in doctors’ offices. No big deal yesterday. A back check up and a flu shot. If you have  not had a flu shot, get it. Do not be foolish. I used to get the flu 2-3 times a year. Fifteen years ago, I started receiving an annual flu shot. I have not had the flu since. Amazing!

Lunch was at Salute’s with new found friends Karen and Dan from the Pittsburgh area. They visit Key West several months each year. Enjoyable people. It was a two hour lunch. We were having a good time.

Bocce last night. We won all three games. The first time this season we won all three. David was happy!

In between lunch and bocce, I wrote next week’s KONK Life column. Our Legal System Is Disintegrating. It took forever. Longer than usual to do. The reason was the length. It was three times the usual number of words. As a result, the column will be featured over two weeks. A Part I and a Part II.

Two happy events occurred yesterday.

It was announced Malala Yousafzai would be one of the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala is the Pakistani teenager who was shot in the head by a Taliban because she supported education for women. Vocally and in her blog. She survived and has been promoting the cause worldwide. She was 15 when shot. She is 17 today. An unusual young lady.

The other worthy event were the two court decisions handed down throwing out voter ID laws in Texas and Wisconsin. The Texas decision was by a Federal District Court Judge. She wrote a 150 page decision. She held that an ID request was comparable to a poll tax. She further stated that the purpose of the ID law was to suppress minority voter turn out.

The Wisconsin decision was by the Supreme Court. Supreme Court Justices Scalia, Alito and Thomas dissented. No surprise. These three Justices have done much injury to the American way of life. It will take years to turn around most of their decisions.

I am on my soap box a bit this morning. I apologize.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyaku appeared on Face The Nation sunday. He was generally supportive and had kind comments regarding his recent meeting with Obama. He did have a negative, however. He was openly critical of Obama with regard to one matter.

The criticism is immaterial. What happened to it is.

CBS edited out the criticism. It bugs me! I have been complaining increasingly that the media is censoring the news. We are only provided with what they want us to know. Direction in this regard generally comes from the corporations that own TV and radio. Perhaps this time it was from the White House itself.

The people’s right to know is and has been under silent attack. Transparency is out the window.

Enjoy your day!

 

GOOMBAY COMING

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Goombay begins a week from friday. Besides being a feast unto itself, the event marks the beginning of Fantasy Fest.

Goombay is a Bahamian celebration. Its origins trace back to around 1825 when 30-40 wrecking ships yearly began arriving in Key West from the Bahamas. Later in the 1800s, many Bahamians moved to Key West to work in the fishing, sponging and turtling businesses.

Goombay is held in the heart of Key West’s Bahama Village. The feast itself is held on Petronia Street where it runs off Duval. Stands erected on both sides of the street offering all sorts of exotic foods and trinkets. Typical Bahamian music will be from a bandstand at the far end of Petronia.

The word gombay is derived from the musical instrument Bahamians played. The same type which today are played by many all over the world. The small wood cylinder covered with a material which responds to hands beating on it while held between the player’s knees.

Petronia Street will be jam packed for the event. Crowded. Little walking space. Everyone moving at a crawl. The event reminds me of the Italian San Gennaro feast held every year in Little Italy in New York. Same narrow street. Mulberry. Stands on both sides. Hundreds of people.

Bahama Village is and has been primarily a marginal area. However in recent years, many fine restaurants and shops have opened. Most doing a thriving business.

I spent yesterday afternoon finalizing last night’s blog talk radio show. Half the show was devoted to what I described as the disintegration of our legal system. I enjoyed doing it. I plan on putting it to print today or tomorrow and submitting the topic as next week’s KONK Life column.

This week’s KONK Life column hits the streets at 5 today. Banks Divorce Porn Stars…..Hypocrisy. You will enjoy the article.

Spent a lot of time running around yesterday, accomplishing nothing. At 5, I stopped at Don’s Place for a drink. Ran into Jimmy, Joanie, and John. Jimmy still ranting about the new parking ordinance. He is right in everything he is saying. However nothing anyone can do about it. The powers to be in Key West have ruled.

My ankles are coming down. About half way there this morning. A water pill a day and keeping my feet up as much as possible.

Read something interesting on the internet yesterday. The Pentagon or Department of Defense gave a rifle, hand gun, and humvee to a local coroner somewhere in this country. Tell me why a coronner needs the guns and the humvee. If he wants a Humvee, let him go out and buy one!

Enjoy your day!