LARRY SMITH EXTRAVAGANZA

It is 5 am. I am up early getting today’s blog out. I have a 10:30 appointment.

Tonight, another Larry Smith extravaganza. Christmas with Larry. 8 pm. The Studios of Key West. Larry’s Christmas shows are always the best!

A long night at the Chary Room. David and John.

I got into South Roosevelt Boulevard and the stupidity of the whole thing. David countered with leave the City and its planners alone. Look at Caroline Street.

David rides a bicycle. He does not have a car. I drive a car. He thought the City would do a fine job with South Roosevelt Boulevard, also. Intimating a resolution favoring bicyclists.

I did take a look at Caroline  on the way home. Blocks of Caroline Street no longer have parking spots on one side. To make room for a bicycle path. All marked out. A completed project.

Where home owners and business’s park, I have no idea. Another example of idiocy having impacted the City Commission.

I do not recall reading anything recently re Caroline and a several block long bicycle path.

I did some digging. This bicycle path/Caroline Street issue had its beginnings in 2009. A public hearing. Most opposed. Peter Batty very vocal against. Mayor Cates and Commissioner Jimmy Weekly in support.

Mark Redding at the Chart Room. Met him for the first time. He is a designer and archaeologist. Been in Key West six months. Presently preparing a design plan for a portion of Mangoes.

Mark was involved a few years ago with the Richard Cornell Cemetery. I suspect in New York City. Richard Cornell the brother of the founder of Cornell University.

Mark has done work for the New York Landlord Preservation Committee and has been financed by its Foundation.

Mark told me he is talking with Guy deBoer about possibly doing some work for KONK Life. Mark is an investigative reporter, also. He is interested in writing a series on the Bahama Village drug problem.

I have dragon flies. Hundreds in my kitchen two nights ago when I returned home. Attracted from the outside by the kitchen lights which I leave on when out in the evening.

Got Orkin in. The dragon flies are living in my pool. Fortunately, neither I nor anyone else have used the pool in ages.

The solution a big time shot of chlorine. Being done today.

Googled dragon flies. Good for humans! Harmless as regards humans. The enemy big time of mosquitoes.

A brief note re artificial intelligence. Uber continues to be a step ahead in what it does. Driverless cars are being tested at the moment in San Francisco.

Aleppo. Sad. A shame.

Obama is criticized because he will not get the U.S. involved in the Syrian quagmire. Many countries involved. Some changing sides occasionally. Deaths in the hundreds of thousands.

I commend Obama. He knew it would be a long battle with little being resolved. Why get our boys and girls involved? Thousands of our military would already be dead had Obama not remained adamant.

Syria is worse than Vietnam ever was. And the people of the U.S. were almost unanimously against the war.

Give credit where credit due. I support Obama’s decision.

Enjoy your day!

PHILIPPINE’S DONALD TRUMP

Interesting blog talk radio show last night. Some topics revealing.

One of the topics involved the Philippine’s new President Rodrigo Duterte. Elected May 1. The Philippine’s Donald Trump.

Duterte decided to eliminate drugs. Immediately upon taking office. Secret forces searched for dealers and users. Yhey were not arrested. Rather, killed on sight. No trial, no nothing.

Duterte has been successful. 1,500 killed so far. 400 for drugs. The rest for various reasons. All killed forthwith.

Duterte has a toilet mouth.

The UN criticized him for the killings. Violated human rights.

The US Ambassador complained also. Duterte called the US ambassador an “annoying, homosexual, son of a bitch.

Re the UN, “If you’re a rude son of a bitch, we’ll just leave you.” My way or the highway.

RE the UN again, “I don’t give a shit about them…..they are the ones interfering.”

Re human rights violations in the US, Especially police/black killings, “The Americans are killing the black people there, shooting them down when they are already on the ground…..if just 2 or 4, it’s still human rights violations.”

Another topic involved 5 year old Ormon Daqneesh. The boy seated on an orange seat in an ambulance, What appeared to be blood splattered on the sie of his face. His eyes sad.

A 2 minute video. Pictures made therefrom. Viral over the internet with over 700,000 viewing.

Some believe the video/pics are phony. Planned. Not blood on the boy’s face. A multitude of other reasons.

It is claimed the photographer has no other videos or pics listed anywhere in the world on the internet. Who is he? The claimed name is Mahmoud Roslan.

Which story is correct? I don’t know. Is the issue being discussed? Yes.

Yesterday was a tough day for me. I did not sleep well the night before. Felt like a zombie all day.

Caused my fine tuning, etc. of last night’s show to take 2 extra hours.

The rainy season is definitely upon Key West. Poured all day yesterday. Intermittently, but extremely heavy. All night also. This morning, too. With lightning and thunder big time.

My fellow senior citizens, recognition of a sort awaits. A helpful one. September is Healthy Aging Month. Exercise, proper eating, etc. Can’t hurt.

Today is screw off day for me. The start of my weekend. Love wednesdays!

History repeating itself today. On this day in 79 AD, Italy’s Vesuvius exploded. The volcanic eruption buried Pompeii. Today, a major volcanic eruption hit central Italy. Many villages destroyed. Look like our Baton Rouge. A strong quake.

Recall several years ago on my first trip to Italy. I was staying at Anna’s apartment in Novara. Third floor. Working in the library. All of sudden, things started moving. Pretty good. I could hear Anna screaming. Between shocks and after shocks, the quake kept up several hours. Fortunately, Novara was on the periphery.

I must admit, I was concerned. I thought the 1,500-year-old building I was staying in was going to collapse. The shock sensations were that bad.

Another day in the life of William Hackley. This day in 1855, his diary mentions “Baby is a little unwell.” Matilda’s boil on a breast broke. Another has developed on her other breast. “I think her milk much affected and disagrees with the baby.”

Not easy to feed a baby back then. Nor easy for a mother to breast feed.

I continue to worry about Baby.

Mosquitoes, Zika, in the news daily. Properly so.

I read something this morning that the French take care of the mosquito problem by opening their windows and placing flower pots of geraniums on the windowsills. Keeps the mosquitoes out.

Geraniums carry an oil with a scent. Citronella. A natural mosquito repellent.

KONK Life hits the stands today. My column this week is Teaching to the Tests Fails. About the education of our young. You will find it revealing.

Enjoy your day!