GREEK FERRY BOATS

The last 24 hours have told the story of the Greek ferry boat on fire. Over 400 passengers. 110 still not rescued. Cold temperatures and cold seas. A fire below. Sufficient to melt rubber shoes on the floor above. Boat leaning. Not enough life boats.

I received an e-mail from Eleni on Amorgos yesterday. She owns the house where I stay when in Amorgos. She shared the ferry boat story with me. She was afraid it might be a Titanic in the making. I heard from her before any significant number had been rescued.

Five reported dead so far.

The only way to get from one island to another generally in Greece is by ferry boat. They are water buses. I have been a passenger on many. My concern each time was safety. Mine, first.

They pack 400-500 people on one boat. 3-4 stories. Vehicles on bottom floor. Everyone sits. Has to be 20 seats across.  Narrow isles. Leading to another narrow aisle. Leading to a narrow staircase. One way in, one way out.

I used to think how am I going to get off this thing fast if I have to. Impossible!

Greek waters are rarely mild. Not like Key west in the summer when the warm weather makes for a calm sea. Greek waves are crushing. The boat up and down in huge dips. Two thoughts constantly in mind. Try not to get sick. What do I do if a wave breaks through the huge windows?

A watery grave.

Life boats. Definitely not enough. Never. Ten, maybe 20. On many boats, inflatables.

A crew that did not seem to care. Get the passengers on and off quickly. I mean quick! The boat was moving rapidly before I was ever in a seat. Then getting my ass in a seat became a feat in itself.

I loved Greece! I love Greece! Except for the ferry boats.

Yesterday, walked Smathers Beach. Otherwise laid around and napped. Watched the Syracuse/Long Beach State game at 4. Syracuse won 85-67.

The Charles Eimers police protest took place yesterday. The Key West Citizen reports about 40 participated.

Crime pays! In a sort of round about way.

Timothy Poole is a registered sex offender. He likes little boys. Poole recently won the lottery. $3 million. His net in pocket $2.2 million.

Two young boys he molested have elected to sue him. Brothers. Lawsuit winners! With money available to pay any judgment awarded them to boot!

Enjoy your day!

PUBLIC BE DAMNED

Washington continues to abuse the American public. The funny part is we take it. Over and over again.

The latest gambit is an affront to the taxpaying public. I refer to that part of the budget bill passed by the House last night that permits bank subsidiary derivative action to be covered by taxpayer dollars in the event the bank takes a loss. A similar scenario to what occurred because of the 2008 mortgage debacle.

Dodd-Frank passed in 2010 prohibited the taxpayer guarantee. Last night’s vote does away with that portion of Dodd-Frank. It is a step back to 2008.

Permit me to portray the situation in its simplest form. Wall Street reaps big profits from derivative trading. Wall Street gets paid big bonuses for its derivative trading successes. If Wall Street makes mega dollars when it wins, I believe Wall Street should be prepared to handle any losses sustained in a downside.

Tell me any other businessman that has his action covered with taxpayer monies. Businessmen stand the risk. When things are good, they  and their businesses profit. Both live well. When business is poor, they have to stand the loss alone. No government agency steps in and bails them out.

I was impressed with Senator Warren yesterday. She sounds like a breath of fresh air. I hope she stays that way and is not contaminated by the system.

My day yesterday started with a haircut by Lori. She was number one on my hit parade. She exclaimed as I walked in…..You lost weight! At 20 pounds, it is beginning to show. Love it!

Visited Lisa afterwards. Jake greeted me. He was outside. I am amazed how we have become friends. Good friends.

By the way, Jake is healthy once more. Whatever was bothering him seems to have gone away. He looks better and acts better.

Then to Smathers Beach for a walk. The cooler weather makes outdoor walking easier.

Key West is going to stay cool for a few more days. The high today will be 67. Tonight, the temperature will drop to 62.

Christmas is two weeks away. An inexpensive gift is my book. The World Upside Down. The cover Key West. Me sitting outside under the tiki hut typing with the water and mangroves behind me. A big green KEY WEST LOU across the top.

The book’s contents interesting. I cover everything from the Florida keys woman who was shaving her privates while driving to world events to feel good stories.

The World Upside Down is available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

A WALK ALONG SMATHERS BEACH

I had a desire to walk by the ocean yesterday morning. Not necessarily for exercise. Rather to enjoy the solitude of the activity.

Mid morning, the sidewalk along Smathers Beach is not crowded. The serious walkers are out before or at the crack of dawn. To beat the heat and humidity of the later day. I walked around 10. It was not yet bad. Whatever humidity existed was negated by the breeze coming in off the Atlantic.

I walked from 1800 where I parked my car to the airport and back. Just me and my mind. The walk encourages the thought process. My mind takes me many places.

The afternoon  was spent researching material for next week’s KONK Life column. The column will concern itself with modern day crucifixions. The kind Jesus experienced 2,000 years ago. Crucifixions are back in vogue.

Last night, the Chart Room. I stayed quite a while.

If I wanted to see Don and Chris, Don e mailed me I had to be there by 6:30. They had dinner reservations. I e mailed back…..Too early! I got there at 6:10.

Don and Chris looked good! They were under some stress the last time in Key West. Obviously gone. Both happy and smiling.

Emily bartending. Sheila, Joe and Jean at the bar. I chatted with all three for quite a while. Sheila just returned from New Orleans. Vacation time. Joe returns home today. Jean here another week. Jean and I are scheduled to have dinner during the week.

Joe read my recent blog re Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He had an interest in the topic and Truman’s involvement. We agreed to spend some time together the next time he returns to discuss what occurred on two different days in 1945 which altered the course of history.

Where to eat? I opted for Kelley’s and wings. Grabbed a free newspaper from the Pier House lobby and was on my way. The wings were excellent, as usual.

Key West is quiet. Very quiet. Has been that way for almost two weeks. It will change beginning friday. It is Memorial Day weekend. Visitors will be back for the long weekend in droves.

Russia and China signed a $400 billion  30 year gas deal yesterday. Sort of solidifies their relationship. I find it interesting that in the developed world, dollars have become the bullets of today.

I have a haircut appointment with Lori later in the morning. She will be shocked when she sees I shaved the beard off. In a sense, it was partially hers. She trimmed it every two weeks for two years.

Enjoy your day!

CASSATA

Italian ricotta cake. I mentioned it yesterday as an Italian Easter favorite. I was not sure of its spelling, so I spelled it phonetically. I even added in brackets afterwards that “gzzad” might not be the correct spelling.

I have been buried in comments. Some from those who could not find it on the internet under gzzad. Most telling me it is called cassata.

What can I tell you? I have eaten cassata every Easter until recently. It was pronounced in my family  with a “d” at the end.

I thank those who corrected me.

I learned something new, also. Cassata is a southern Italian dish. Primarily, Sicily. Its source was outside Italy. Two are suggested. One is an Arab influence deriving from the Muslim Middle Ages. The other Greece. My Greece!

Recall my writings several times in the past that I thought southern Italian cooking had a great Greek influence. It may have with the cassata.

Cassata existed even before the Roman empire. It was a favorite of Magna Grecia, the Greeks living in Sicily. The Greeks who immigrated to southern Italy to establish Greek bases of commerce. They intermarried and remained. Greek customs became established and blended with Italian ones.

Cassata is probably a blend of Muslim and Greek influence. Perhaps Greek alone. Besides the Italian cassata, there is to this day a Greek cassata. It is known as Greek cassata cake.

Celebrated Easter Sunday with Lisa and the family. Brunch at Lisa’s. A big ham and everything that goes with.

It was a last minute thing on my part buying the grandkids Easter baskets. Publix was closed. Walgreen had one. Note, one. A big one. $20. Very little candy. A lot of games. I had no choice. Bought it.

I thought Robert and Ally would be disappointed. To the contrary, they were overly excited. The games! They did not care there was little candy and they were glad to share the basket.

I did good! By accident.

I spent the afternoon working on tuesday’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Great topics. Some revealing. Like Catholic Church activity not founded in the Bible, world banks wanting water to be privatized, China becoming the most Christian nation in the world, America’s 5 per cent population world wide using 50 per cent of all pharmaceutical drugs, and more.

Took a ride to Smathers Beach later in the afternoon. Private enterprise has taken hold. Lounge chairs and umbrellas are available to rent. White lounges with bright blue mattresses in a straight line as far as the eye could see. Reminded me of most European beaches where lounges and umbrellas are laid out in a similar fashion.

Conch Republic festivities began. Saturday the Queen Drag Race down Duval. In heels! Yesterday, Conch Cruiser Time. Cars and motorcycles painted wildly.

I mentioned yesterday some Italian friends who were celebrating the holiday at their Swiss type chalet near the top of Mount Santa Maria Maggiore in Italy. Twenty inches of freshly fallen snow!

What I did not know and learned after the blog had been published is that one does not drive up the mountain to the chalet. Cars are parked in a valley below. A cable car is taken to the top of the mountain. Cool!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

LES MISERABLES

 

Les Miserables.

Magnifique!

I saw the movie last night. One of the finest I have ever seen. Reward yourself. Go see it.

Anne Hathaway plays a tubercular ridden prostitute. She lost thirty pounds to do the role. An Academy Award performance!

Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman outstanding, also.

The lines are sung, not spoken.

The film was uniquely made. The actors sang live. The singing was not prerecorded and then lip synched. The first time this approach has been utilized since the musicals of the 19390s and early 1940s.

My yesterday began with a haircut with Lori. I fell asleep while she was cutting my hair. Strange! My pills?

It was a bit cool. I walked Smathers Beach afterwards. I am up to 20 pounds lost on the diet. However, I have plateaued again.

Spent some time in the afternoon finalizing today’s TV/Internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Ten in the morning my time. Available via TV on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. Available world wide also. www.tvchannel19.com.

Four interesting items involving Germany have been added. Extremely revealing.

Join me at 10.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

SOME KEY WEST HISTORY

 

Key West was not always called Key West.  Back in days of old, the island was known as Cayo Hueso. Translated, Bone Island.

Why Bone Island? There were many bones on the island. Human bones. The interesting story involves the source of the bones.

One theory is that the island was once the scene of a Native American battlefield. An Indian war.

Another is that it was a burial island.

The third is that the southern keys were inhabited with cannibals. When the meal had been captured, he/she was taken to what is now Key West for cooking and dining. The bones were all that was left following the feast. There was no clean up. The bones remained.

The most popular scenario is the cannibal one. Locals tell the story as such. I have never heard the first two, except from history books.

To be a Conch is the biggest of honors in Key West. Today, a Conch is a native born Key Wester. Only native born can claim the title. A person can live in Key West for fifty years and still not qualify for Conch status.

Conchhood is a matter of great pride.

The first Conchs were immigrants from the Bahamas. White in color. They initially were of European ancestry, settled for a period in the Bahamas, and then found their way to Key West. Many many years ago.

Typical Sunday yesterday. Quiet. Especially quiet because of my diet. No drinking or excessive eating. Some exercise. Things I find I do alone.

Walked Smathers. At mid day, there were few walking the beach. I think because of the sun.

Afterwards, I went to Sears. I noted in the newspaper that Sears was having a big sale. I was interested in upgrading my Key West attire for my soon to be new body. New tee shirts and shorts. I was not impressed and purchased nothing.

Then to Publix. Just a few things required. Diet foods.

Last night was the final showing of Boardwalk Empire.  I thought it was going to be the end of the series. It was not. It picks up with a new year in January.

The show failed to impress me. Actually confusing. Too many minor plots apparently had to be concluded with the final show. It was too much in too little time. At least for me. Made for a disappointing show.

Enjoy your day!

 

ANOTHER QUIET KEY WEST SUNDAY

 

Sunday is a do nothing day for me. The less I can do, the better it seems.

I took a walk early afternoon. Parked the car at the airport. Walked the length of Smathers Beach and back. A bright sun. A bit chilly. No humidity. Perfect walking weather.

I am back into good health. I try frequently. Succeed rarely. This time I am serious. Today is day 3 of my diet. Yes, you will have to put up with it again. Exercise is a part of it all. Ergo the walk.

Afterwards, I stopped at Lisa’s. I was shocked when I walked in! Absolute quiet. Like a church.

Lisa was on the couch reading the newspaper. What is going on, I asked. Turned out Robert and Ally each had friends over to play. They were in different bedrooms and playing quietly. Cameron had a friend in his room. Corey was upstairs doing something on the computer.

Lisa said the kids should have friends over more often!

I babysit this afternoon. Lisa and Corey have a funeral service to attend. The grandkids have swim team practice at the college at 4:30. My responsibility is to watch them practice and then return them home.

The TV/Internet show is off the ground. It has some rough edges. I am working on them.

I have long thought I would like to do a radio show. Why not! So I am going to do one. I did a practice run thursday night. Went well. Have another practice session tuesday night. This one will be a talk show. You can all call in and share your thoughts with me.

The Key West Citizen yesterday had a major front page article on Breeze. Breeze is Carnivals new big boat. It is going to make six stops in Key West after the first of the year. It will carry 3,700 passengers.

I found the article interesting and strange. There is an ongoing furor whether Key West should make the channel deeper and wider. The purpose being to handle the big boats. Big dollars!

If Key West needs bigger and deeper, how can Breeze make it in to dock?

Breeze was commissioned this past June. Has already completed an Atlantic crossing. As stated before, carries 3,700 passengers. Plus a crew of 1,300. The vessel is a 1,000 feet long. Weighs 130 tons. Has a draft of 8.5.

I have seen several pictures of Breeze. A monster!

If it does not get stuck in the channel, I question the need for widening and deepening it.

Enjoy your day!

 

MYKONOS

No internet show this morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour is off to next week. I feel like I am on vacation this morning. Normally, I would be in the studio at this time going over my notes. The morning is mine!

Yesterday began with a walk along Smathers Beach. Lovely! Nothing but blue ocean as far as the eye could see. A couple of shrimp boats off in the distance. Calm. Peaceful.

Then to Publix. Just a few things.

Follwed by a visit to my heart doctor. A regular check up. He spoke to me of a 5 year study involving fish oil and triglycerides. I signed up for it. Nothing to lose. Plus, I get free blood work and a mini physical every two months.

I only played the first game of bocce last night. Captain Dave gave me permission to leave early to watch the Vice Presidential debate.

What a game! We were getting slaughtered! Like 10-3. I figured we were a loser. All of a sudden the score was 13-12 in our favor. Game is 16. We were rolling. Don had the last shot. The other team had one ball on the polina. Don blasted. When the dust settled, we had three points. What a shot! We won the game!

The debate. Better than the Presidential one. Clearly a philosophical difference between Biden and Ryan. Each made their points. I thought Biden came out ahead.

Whatever. I evaluate the Vice Presidnetial race from one perspective. Who would I want for President? One of them could be. I ask myself who would I want to take that telephone call at 3 in the morning advising that Iran had just dropped a nuclear bomb on Israel. The answer is obvious.

What did and does disturb me are not the candidates themselves. It is the political pundits on TV. Between last night and this morning, American viewers got an education in Public Speaking 102. What bullshit! Discuss the issues and responses. Not who may have smiled too much.

Today the Mykonos photos! Eleven of them.

Let me start by saying I was not thrilled by Mykonos. The beauty of the other Greek isles was there. That was it. I found Mykonos to be a money hungry island. Everything expensive. Restaurants moving patrons in and out swiftly. Natives curt.

Mykonos was once the playground for the rich and famous. Like 50 plus years ago. No more. Now it is the home of wannabes.

I cannot deny I had a pleasant time. In spite also of being hit by a car and thrown skyward over a stone wall. However, the other islands were more to my liking.

The primary town on Mykonos bears the name Mykonos. It is a Greek custom. The biggest town on a Greek isle carries the same name as the island itself.

Two interesting pieces of information regarding Mykonos. First, the 1989 movie Shirley Valentine was shot totlally on Mykonos. The other involves drinking water. Most of Mykonos’ water is derived from desalinization of sea water. The island’s fresh water supply is extremely limited.

The first photo is of me looking at Little Venice off in the distance. Little Venice is where the town meets the sea. Back in time, the Greeks on Mykonos were taken by Italy’s Venice. They wanted homes on the water, also. Little Venice was constructed. The buildings were built on the sea’s edge with balconies over hanging the water.

The next photo is three of the many windmills on Mykonos. Landmarks. Constructed back in the 16th century. They provided power and graining use then. Some are still used for power today.

Mykonos is primarily an old town. There are some modern buildings on its perimeter. However the significant part of the town of Mykonos was built more than a thousand years ago. The old town portion is called Chora. Sometimes, Hora. The next photo is of me walking down a Chora street. Notice how narrow the street is. No cars back then.

It was hard to find top shelf gin in the Greek isles. No one had Beefeater. A few sold Tanqueray. Most sold Gordon’s. A terrible gin. It can be drunk all night with no effect.

I was walking Chora one evening and came upon a restaurant that specialized in serving Tanqueray. I was over joyed. You can tell from the next photo.

The next pic is of me sitting at an outside Greek restaurant in the evening. I had just started growing my beard.

The next photo is of me resting by the hotel pool. The sun was extemely hot that day. I covered up.

Though I was not happy with the commercial parts of Mykonos, the beaches thrilled me. Great beaches! The next photo is of me suning myself on Elia Beach. My stomach shames me. Elia’s sand and water were black. The remnants of a volcanic explosion.

Paradise and Super Paradise Beaches in the next two photos. Separate beaches miles apart. Both terrific! Fun places. Some nudity. Good for the soul! Huge semi circular bars that jumped from 5 on. Patrons dancing on the bars and that sort of thing.

The next photo is me sitting in the shade of a tree at Super Paradise Beach waiting for the bus to take me back to my hotel.

The final photo contains bird houses. All Mykonos buildings, whether old or new, have them. They are represented in the photo by the triangular openings on each side of the blue door.

Doves are a loved and protected species of bird on Mykonos. I do not know why. Mykonos also has a huge number of eagles, vultures and falcons. You can understand what was happening. The big birds were attacking and dining on the little doves. The small triangular openings provide the doves protection.

There is something going on at the home next door to mine. A TV series is being filmed. The show is called The Quest.
A Key Wester is involved. A Denise Jackson. I will tell you more about The Quest tomorrow.

Enjoy your day!

CATHOLIC CHURCH OUT OF DATE?

Loved doing yesterday’s Internet show! Why not. The week was full of wild events.

I suspected the Cairo/Benghazi stories or the Chicago teacher strike or the Catholic Church issues would prove the most popular. Instead, none were. Post show comments were primarily addressed to the overall quality of the show. Whatever, I thank you.

After the show, it was to the doctor’s office. Flu shot time.

Then a long walk along Smather Beach. Sun was a bit hot. I should have walked earlier. However, the show interferred.

I wrote next week’s KONK Life article. Catholic Church…..200 Years Out of Date. It was a reiteration of Cardiinal Carlo Maria Martini’s death bed interview. His opinions an interesting revelation. I discussed the Cardinal’s thoughts also in yesterday’s Internet show.

Spent the balance of the afternoon researching and writing.

Stayed in last night. I am still at the beginning of the diet where it tires me out. I am on Dr. Atkins. I cooked myself a steak for dinner. Proper Atkins food.

Embassy attacks are now occurring in twenty countries. Sad. They are ongoing. Even in Cairo and Benghazi. A difficult situation. I wonder how Obama will deal with it all.

A beautiful day here in Key West. As most are. Sun, blue skies and blue running water. Warm. Humid. It all feels good.

Enjoy your day!