WINTER STORM GRAYSON…..A BOMB CYCLONE

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I sermonize to begin.

There is global warming. Those of you who do not believe look around. The past few years have been replete with huge inexplicable storms of all sorts.

An example is the winter storm upon us at the moment. Non-believers will say if there is global warming, why the snow and cold?

Educate yourselves, my non believing friends. Global warming has to do with climate and not a certain type storm at a particular time. If you wish to learn more, google global warming. Do not be a Trump. You can read. A little education never hurt.

Even winter storms now have names. The storm affecting the eastern United States has been labeled Winter Storm Grayson. Rather formal sounding.

Grayson is being described as a bomb cyclone. A phrase new to me and probably you. Ominous sounding.

Grayson an epic cold snap. Before done, a record setting deep freeze will have been recorded. The worst from North Carolina north along the eastern seaboard. Winds 80 miles per hour. Waves 26 feet. Temperatures below zero. Snow where snow has not fallen in 50 years.

The worst to begin late today. Grayson will be with the U.S. till late sunday.

I find the following dramatic: Temperatures below freezing in 92 percent of the U.S. yesterday.

Zooed penguins will not remain outdoors. They are going inside to avoid the cold. Sharks are washing up dead on the beaches of Cape Cod. Caused by unusually cold waters.

Mentioning Key West, it was cold last night. Fifty four degrees. Fifty six degrees as I write this morning. The high today 62. Same tonight and tomorrow. Long pants, sweaters and jackets the rest of the week. Heat, also.

I am becoming a recluse. Never left the house yesterday again. Worked with Sloan for several hours. Then Syracuse/Wake Forest at 7. Better watched from my bed.

Syracuse lost 73-67. The team was not at Wake Forest to play 40 minutes. They played only half the time. The last 10 minutes of the first half and the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Syracuse’s famed zone defense could not stop Wake Forest. They scored from the key and corners at will. Syracuse did not control the boards. Something I could not understand. We have one of the tallest teams in the country.

The game came down to who made the shots in the last few minutes. Wake Forest did, Syracuse did not.

As Winter Storm Grayson is arriving, Irma’s impacts still with us.

Debris removal.

Turns out the State hired contractor to handle the US 1 debris not experienced. Supposed to have the job finished by January 16. The contractor will not make it.

The side roads a problem,also. Worse. Monroe County’s contractor is working on the problem. Slowly, but deliberately. He has no time limit.

The reason for the difficulty in the clean up is that neither the State nor County were prepared for how bad Irma was. Its impact not expected. Experience a good teacher. Everyone will be ready the next time.

Two days ago, I wrote about the movie of George Bernard Shaw’s play Caesar and Cleopatra. My dear friend Diana Millikan wrote me yesterday. Another Cleopatra movie on its way.The screen writer David Scarpa, director Denis Villeneuve. SONY Studio backing the project.

The movie will be a different Cleopatra. Done from Cleopatra’s point of view. The female point of view.

Scarpa says the movie will be “dirty, bloody, lots of people swearing and having sex and all that other stuff…..a lean, mean political thriller, full of assassinations.”

Steve Bannon and Michael Wolff’s new book Fire and Fury. Wow! If only 20 percent true, wow!

The U.S. is like a ship at sea in troubled waters. Trump the captain. Trump remains in his cabin while the ship is in danger of being swamped.

Trump makes Captain Queeg of Caine Mutiny fame look like a hero.

Recall the gang that could not shoot straight. There is a country that cannot shot straight. At least on one occasion.

North Korea.

April 17, 2017. North Korea was testing an intermediate range missile. It was supposed to land in the seas past Japan. Instead, it fell on the North Korea city of Tokchon. A few miles from Pyongyang.

Details of deaths and damage withheld by the North Korean government.

It is claimed various media outlets world wide carried the news of the accidental bombing. I do not recall hearing of it.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

FRIDAY SATURDAY.

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Yesterday was friday. For me, saturday.

From the time I rose, I thought it was saturday. While reading the Wall Street Journal, I noticed it had friday’s date. I could understand. The saturday edition is normally labeled Weekend Edition.

Later, while I was at Tammy’s for a manicure and pedicure, she told me she was working tomorrow. I could not understand. She never works on sunday.

Later in the afternoon, I telephoned Liz to finalize plans for sunday evening. We are attending St. Paul’s Christmas show together. I wanted her know what time I would be picking her up “tomorrow.” She said not tomorrow, sunday.

At that point it dawned on me! Today was friday, not saturday. Wow! What a screw up! Was I losing it?

To add more humor, I was planning on attending Larry’s Smith’s Christmas show saturday night at The Studios of Key West. That would have blown me out! I would have showed up friday night to be confronted by locked doors.

Do I add this to falling down all the time?

So…..Larry Smith tonight at The Studios for Christmas with Larry. 8 pm. I will be there. You should, also. Guaranteed top flight entertainment.

Getting back to Tammy, she told me she was returning to Vietnam in June for three weeks. She and her 6 and 8 year old children. Rick staying home to work the business.

A 32 hour trip.

She is going because she has not been to Vietnam in 12 years. Her children have never met their great grandparents on both sides. Her and Rick’s parents live in the U.S.

Then to the Cuban Coffee Queen for lunch. A couple of weeks since I had been there. No Ruby. Nor the last time. A big young Australian working her job.

I spent my “friday afternoon” reading a book about Cleopatra. What I learned!

Cleopatra was of Greek origin, not Egyptian. She was a direct descendant of Alexander the Great’s right hand man Ptolemy I. Ptolemy I became governor of Egypt.

At some point, Ptolemy I appointed himself Pharaoh. Everything continued Greek. The court spoke Greek.

Ptolemy I wanted to keep the ruling class in the family. Brothers and sisters married. Cousins, also. Had to be a lot of nuts eventually!

Cleopatra was married to her brother Ptolemy XIII before her Julius Caesar marriage.

Cleopatra was not Elizabeth Taylor. Not a beauty at all. Great at sex, however. A seductress. Note Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony.

Since I was not going to see Larry Smith, I took the night off. Stayed home and watched old movies on Turner Classics. It was Myrna Loy night. A 1930s and 1940s star. I did not realize her remarkable talent till I watched her play several different roles last night.

Some followers of this blog reside in Papua, New Guinea. Almost since day one. Like 10 years now.

Papua suffered an 8.0 earthqualke yesterday. A tsunami warning has been issued. I hope God holds Papua in his hands.

Scary.

China can’t wait till Trump takes office to test the U.S. Yesterday, the Chinese stole a U.S. Navy submarine drone from South Sea waters in full view of a U.S. Navy vessel. Election hacking with Russia on the front burner. No peace for Obama in his final days.

Big day travel wise for Key West yesterday. United’s first direct non-stop flight from Newark to Key West. In January, United is going to provide a similar flight from Chicago.

I have been flying to Key West 26 years. I can recall when it was a 3-4 plane trip from Syracuse. Twelve to 14 hours. Assuming no delays. Delays guaranteed during the winter.

On this day in 1903, Orville Wright flew a power driven plane for the first time. Two thousand three was the 100th anniversary of the flight. Wright’s plane was reconstructed. Planned to be flown where Wright had flown 100 years earlier.

The plane did not fly.

Syracuse/Georgetown today at noon. On ESPN. I will be able to watch. Syracuse an 8 point favorite.

Syracuse and Georgetown were bitter enemies starting when the Big East League was formed in 1979. Always great hard fought games!

Big John Thompson Georgetown’s coach. Jim Boeheim Syracuse’s. They disliked each other from day one. Thompson especially hated Boeheim. Hated the correct word.

After Thompson retired and Boeheim was having league problems, the two made up. Actually initiated by Thompson. He came over at a game and hugged Boeheim. Just like that, the animosity of 30 plus years was gone.

Enjoy your day! Yes, I know it is saturday!