No blog today. I have poison in my pen. Better I write nothing at all.
NO BLOG TODAY
CHRISTMAS CAROLS
‘Tis the season to be jolly…..
My KONK Life column this week is An American Christmas. I went all the way back to Christmas’ beginnings in pagan Rome and traced its development to modern day America.
Christmas in Roman days was not as it is today. It involved all type of debauchery, rapes, killings, etc. An example is caroling.
Today groups dressed go home to home singing Silent Night and the like. In pagan days thousands of years ago, it involved naked people dancing around stone circles. In addition to going house to house. The frivolity included rape and other sexual abuses.
Since I had gotten my column out saturday, yesterday was basically a free day. The one exception was working with Sloan in the morning for an hour. With nothing to do, I did nothing. Laid around in a lazy fashion.
The Miss Universe contest. What a screw up! The winner was Miss Philippine. By mistake, it was announced that it was Miss Columbia. After Miss Columbia had been crowned, the mistake was revealed.
I suspect Miss Columbia will reap benefit from the mistake. Being second in this instance might be more beneficial that having come in first.
Sadness follows Jimmy Carter in his later years. Carter recently disclosed he has a terminal cancer. Last week, his 28 year old grandson Jeremy died.
Key West’s proposed Truman Waterfront Park has taken 15 years to reach the ground breaking ceremony which took place last week. A black cloud seems to hang over the project.
The groundbreaking is an indication things are ready to move forward. The first stages.
The City Commission has a new member. Richard Payne. A retired Florida Judge. An excellent jurist.
Why Payne wanted to get back into politics at the ground level by running for Commissioner, I do not understand. There comes a time to sit back, relax and enjoy.
Payne appears to screw things up. First, he did not appoint the Planning Board member who had served for years. He wanted to appoint his own. Technically, Payne had the power to do so. Not a popular move, however.
Now comes the Truman Waterfront ground breaking. Payne announces that the waterfront would make an excellent place to locate a Key West-Havana ferry service. He was aware there was an agreement with the federal government that donated the land to Key West that use of the water area itself was forbidden.
Payne suggested no problem. He was going to go over the paper work to see if the government was guilty of any breaches.
I can see another 15 years going by before anything further is done with the Truman Waterfront.
Payne should drop the issue. It is not feasible from a time perspective. I am sure other problems will reveal themselves if Payne’s move is continued.
Syracuse/Montana State tomorrow night at 7. The game is televised in Key West on ESP3. ESP3 is Comcast channel 7.
It took me a while to figure out. Hope it is helpful to some.
Enjoy your day!
MISSED DEBATE / FELL ASLEEP
The best laid plans…..
I had dinner with Jenna last night at Sq. 1. An early one. I wanted to get home in time to watch the Democratic debate. Got home in time. Laid back in my recliner to watch the show. Next thing I knew, it was 2 in the morning. I fell asleep and missed it all.
Dinner with Jenna was a pleasant experience. As always. She complained that she was 29 and next year would be 30. Mentioned 30 like it was a disaster. I laughed. I’m 80! And you’re worrying about 30?
Jenna is a talented woman. She has grown in her work. I enjoy our little meetings. She updates me on her progress. The good and the bad.
Sq. 1 was packed. Like it was season! Exciting!
I was especially taken by the Christmas decorations. In good taste. Just enough. I shared my feelings with manager Mandy.
It was Syracuse/Cornell at noon yesterday. Syracuse won 67-46.
The first half was terrible. Syracuse played poorly. You could sense Cornell smelled an upset. The second half was a different game. Cornell went on an 8-0 run immediately. I was disgusted. Then Syracuse went on a 20-4 run. That was it! Syracuse played top shelf basketball the rest of the game.
My basketball buddies are lining up. Dan will be here January and February. Don and Chris arrive December 30 for a week. All Syracuse fans. We watch the games together.
I spent considerable time writing this week’s KONK Life column yesterday. Around the basketball game. In the morning and later in the afternoon.
A Christmas column. An American Christmas. The intent was to trace Christmas from its earliest beginnings in pagan Rome to today. I worked with deliberation and got the whole thing done yesterday. My Sunday is free!
Learned something re Christmas I never knew. Where a red suited and rosy cheeked Santa Claus came from. Coca Cola. Would you believe!
In 1931, Coke wanted to be associated big time with Santa Claus. Its advertisers were told to come up with something that would go with the theme “Santa Claus Coke.” Coke thought a robust red suited Santa with rosy cheeks would be appropriate.
Ralph Nader was in Key West yesterday. He was on a cruise ship vacation and had scheduled a speech while his boat was in town. He also did a book signing.
I appreciate that in some circles Nader is considered a bit of a nut these days. He is. However, America and the wold owe him much. He stood up against the automotive industry when no would else would.
In 1965, Nader published Unsafe At Any Speed. An expose of the reluctance of the American automobile industry to introduce safety features in its designs. He hit Chevrolet’s Corvair hard.
Nader made a ton of money for himself with the book. Properly so. His work turned the automobile industry around. Safety began to be incorporated into auto design.
Nader’s book also formed the basis for several big dollar verdicts against Chevrolet and its Corsair. Many Corsair drivers/passengers had been killed or severely injured because of a design defect.
I repeat myself in this regard frequently: Harry Truman loved Key West and Key West loves Harry Truman.
The Keys History section of this morning’s Key West Citizen notes that on this day in 1949, Truman left Key West to return to Washington after a three week vacation.
Enjoy your Sunday!