Good Friday

He is dead.

Good Friday. The day Christ was crucified.

The Catholic Church notes the crucifixion/death with a three hour service beginning at noon. I assume Catholic Churches world wide will be packed for the three hours. Priests will speak, the laity pray.

I said assume because I have not attended such a service since high school. Shame on me! Attending a Catholic high school meant attendance was mandatory.

It was not my favorite time. The three hours took forever! Being in my teens, my mind was not necessarily where it should have been. I was prone to admire the lovely girl across the aisle.

My ribs hurt like hell yesterday. I was uncomfortable from 3 in the morning till 10 last night. Pain! Kept me on edge. I am waiting for x-ray results. My admonition….Don’t fall!

Obviously, I did not attend bocce last night. No way could I squat or throw the ball. I was not needed. Spoke with Keith this morning. We won all three games. The team is now 20-4. Hard to believe! We are tied for second.

The #1 team has lost only one game. We have not played the #1 team the the team tied with us for second place. Those games will be the moment of truth.

The Key West Library speaker series has turned me on to the Key West Library. There is a book sale saturday at the Library in the Palm Garden next door. Most books will be priced at $1. Some, a $1.50.

Libraries were a part of life when I was young. Computers and the internet did not exist. Through college and law school, it was the same. Much time spent in libraries. Took tons of time to research everything.

The internet is a wonder! A joy! Quick response to an inquiry. All the detail immediately available on screen.

A different day!

I screwed up yesterday. I admonished the Key West Citizen for failing to publish the Citizen’s usual Fools’ Day front page. Keely Brown commented that the April Fool portion of the Citizen was a whole section of the paper. It ran at the end of the usual paper. Following the want ads.

Before I start writing the blog, I first read the Citizen, E-Blast, peruse the New York Times and Washington Post, and three other news sources. Time becomes a priority. I stop reading the Citizen at page two of the Sport Section. Nothing after that is of interest to me. Yesterday was the wrong day to stop.

Thank you Keely Brown for your comment!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

LOU HARRIS A PART OF AMERICAN HISTORY

I enjoyed last evening’s talk by Lou Harris tremendously. He was the final speaker in the 2015 Friends of the Key West Library Speakers Series. Harris is 94. He has been a part of American history. He is respectfully known today as the Dean of American Pollsters.

Harris was an intimate of former Presidents. Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. He shared some Johnson quirks. Humorous. He knew Joe Kennedy very well.

He decried today’s pollsters. They give he who is paying the bill what they want. Not necessarily the truth. Romney being an example. He sees Hillary as the next President. However, the e mails will be a problem for her. He thought Elizabeth Warren would be a more exciting candidate.

Harris recognized the growing strength/power of women. They are rapidly become leaders. Simply because they are better equipped to handle problems.

Education a problem. Our children not getting a proper education. Unless remedied, it could lead to the United States becoming the biggest banana republic ever. Also, children cannot learn if 16 percent go to school hungry.

He was clear that racial problems must be fixed.

He damned corporate America.

The evening was a pleasurable experience for me.

I was with June hudson. We stopped at La Concha after the talk for a drink. Ran into Aaron and Karen. Then to the Hot Tin Roof for dinner. Did some sataki.

On the way to our cars, it started raining. Pouring a better description. We ducked into the Chart Room till the rain stopped. It poured all night also. It is still raining heavy as I write. Strange because we are no where close to the rainy season.

Met Louis Snow for the first time at the Chart Room. Snow is a retired attorney from Skaneateles, N.Y. Home also of my friends Dan and Lisa Reardon. He knows them.

Snow is a frequent visitor to Key West. His present trip for 6-8 weeks.

I hope we run into each other again this trip. I would enjoy sharing war stories with an attorney who practiced in some of the same court rooms as I did.

My blog talk radio show tonight at 9. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Join me. The topics interesting. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou..

Topics such as Russia giving Denmark a nuclear warning, Andorra becoming the new place for money to be laundered, a police impersonator who had the misfortune of pulling over a real cop, a woman who was convicted of killing her child and had served 20 plus years being released because the proof against her was grossly unreliable, the Phoenix Zoo discovering after two years that a two year old bear was a female and not male, and more.

Another morning where I have to hustle. I have a late morning appointment with my dermatologist. A routine six month check up.

Enjoy your day!

 

LOU HARRIS

Key West weather continues to be outstanding! The best! This morning everything is calm. Nothing moving. Soon the breeze will start coming in off the ocean. Then, everything moves!

I will be attending the Friends of the Key West Library Lecture Series this evening. The last presentation of the year. Lou Harris is the featured speaker. I am excited!

Lou Harris is 94. He has lived and experienced first hand much of the American political scene since 1960. Harris in his former life was a pollster. His company was known as the Harris Poll.

Prominence came his way with the 1960 Presidential election. John Kennedy hired Harris to run polls during the campaign. Prior to 1960, polls were not used.

Two years later in 1962, Harris devised the system whereby the media could project a winner immediately or within minutes of the polls closing. His system with a few modifications is still used today.

He was also a journalist and author. His respect grew and he became known as a political analyst.

I am excited because the man is history in the flesh. He has been there most of my adult life. I am finally going to see and hear him.

June Hudson is joining me. Afterwards, we will grab a bite somewhere downtown.

I did two things yesterday. Wrote Ho Chi Minh and watched March Madness. A full day. A pleasant day.

Ho Chi Minh is my KONK article for this week. It publishes wednesday. A bit of the Vietnam story and the person on the other side who led the Vietnamese forces.

A couple of upsets yesterday. What basketball at this time of the year is all about. Kentucky is still hanging in there.

People can be cruel. Age matters not as to the perpetrator(s).

Jim Boeheim has been in the news in recent weeks re Syracuse basketball. His daughter Jamie is a high school freshman. She was playing in a state wide basketball tournament in Troy over the weekend. Troy is a good 140 miles from Syracuse.

When she went into the game, the crowd heckled her with…..Where’s the cheater? She kept her head high and scored a basket within seconds of entering the game. Her answer to the chant. The crowd stopped at that moment.

A class act! As is her father!

Correction. I made a mistake in yesterday’s blog. A faux pas. I was discussing the Chicago mayoral race and said…..Garcia is also being supported by the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson. I meant to say Emanuel, not Garcia, was so supported.

I find it amazing. I proof read each blog 4-5 times. Occasionally, I miss something. Yesterday was one of those days.

Enjoy your day!

TIM AND MAUREEN HARVEY

A good evening at the Chart Room! Interesting people, fun people.

Met Tim and Maureen Harvey from Clarksville, Tennessee. Both 50ish. Tim an attorney. Maureen manages his firm. She has done so from day one. They have two married daughters.

Tim and Maureen read this blog daily. Love them!

They have visited Key West several times over the years. Qualify for snowbird status. They are presently here for one month. June Hudson an acquaintance.

Tim mentioned he was a Democrat. One of three remaining in Tennessee. I am proud of him!

Nice people! Hope we can get together again before they leave. They have been Chart Room fans for a number of years. Know Captain Peter.

I was also lucky to chat with Amy last night. She is a bartender/hostess at the Yacht Club. My former club. She started working there about the time I left. Lovely and interesting. Another person I would like to meet again.

Before hitting the Chart Room, attended the Friends of the Key West Library program at St. Paul’s Church. Novelist Les Standiford guest speaker. He has written some best sellers. Among them, Last Train in 2003. The story of Henry Flagler and the Overseas Railroad. The book is now in its 20th edition.

Standiford’s most recent book is Desperate Sons. A story of the American Revolution. The book identifies the radicals who fomented the American Revolution. Men like John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Patrick Henry.

I found most interesting his telling us that the colonists who pushed for the Revolution were not those who led the country thereafter government wise. Two separate talents. Each effective however at the time needed.

Tonight, my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Interesting and exciting topics. Eye openers. Topics this evening include my thoughts re Senator Tom Cotton who penned the letter signed by 46 Republican Senators to Iran, Venezuela being rabble roused by Maduro who tells his people the United States is on the verge of invading Venezuela, the bad guys have found another place to launder dirty money, and police quotas being for real.

I have considered Senator Ted Cruz a radical, bit of a nut. No longer.

I watched Cruz on Morning Joe today. Was I impressed! He is articulate and thoughtful. An excellent speaker. Expresses himself well. Able to respond to questions without bullshit.

Cruz seeks the Republican nomination for President. Whether he can get it, another story. Whatever, he set forth his conservative thoughts well. My problem is I do not trust these guys. As far as I am concerned, they are under the thumb of the one percent and corporate America.

Enjoy your day!

 

Syracuse No, Manhattan Yes

Yesterday was Sunday. I spent the first four hours finishing this week’s KONK Life column. Making of a Star. Re Tom Cotton. The young U.S. Senator who wrote the letter to Iran signed by 46 Republican Senators. The public should be aware of the nature of the man. A protegé of the conservative far right, he is being groomed for the Presidency. I consider him dangerous.

I was surprised at a comment by Mika Brezinski this morning. She referred to the Senators who signed the letter as “toddlers at play.” Not really. I doubt she is aware of Cotton’s background..

A guest on Good Morning Joe referred to the Congressman chairing the subcommittee looking into Hillary’s e-mails as “Gomer Pyle.”

Respect is fading in today’s society. We see it in our elected representatives. We are entitled to better from media news pundits.

After completing the column, I did yesterday’s blog.

A full morning of writing!

I took the afternoon off. I was tired from all the writing. Decided on Salute’s. Took the book I have been reading. Operation Sea Lion by Leo McKinstry. The story of England 1941 anticipating a German invasion. I finished the book while at Salute’s.

I found a table outside by the main door. Sat looking out onto the beach. Between pages, enjoyed the young ladies I felt guilty looking at the other day.

Operation Sea Lion is one of the best books I have read on World War II. I recommend it to you. The summer and fall of 1941 were very dangerous for the English. The bravery and confidence of the English people and Churchill are highly commendable. It made me wonder if we would handle a threatened invasion in the same fashion.

Last night was watching the NCAA seeds. I have no Syracuse to pull for. However, my undergraduate school made it. Manhattan College. A small Catholic college at the north end of New York near the Yonkers border.

Manhattan has a tough roll. They must play their way in. They first must beat Hampton. Their reward for winning is Kentucky. Number 1 and number 16 facing each other.

Manhattan’s coach is Steve Masiello. Played college ball for Louisville as a walk on. Got to two Final Fours, one won. Thereafter, he was an assistant coach to Rick Pitino at Louisville for six years.

Go ‘Cuse now becomes Go Jaspers!

Tonight is the Friends of the Key West Library Lecture Series. The speaker Les Staniford. He recently wrote a book about certain Revolutionary participants. Like John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Patrick Henry. I am a history freak. His talk should be interesting.

Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard have spent the past year in the Florida keys filming a new TV show. Bloodline. Thirteen episodes start this friday evening via Netflix. The show’s action takes place primarily in Islamorada and Key Largo.

Harry Truman. Key West loves Harry Truman! Truman loved Key West! On this date in 1950, he arrived for a three week vacation. One of the eleven trips he made to Key West, all of which totaled 175 days.

Enjoy your day!

 

MICKEY SPILLANE…..KISS ME, DEADLY

In the last few days, Mickey Spillane has come to my attention. I cannot recall where. The name brought back memories.

Spillane was a writer. Many mystery novels. He was the creator of Mike Hammer.

In 1952, Spillane wrote Kiss Me, Deadly. An instantaneous success. Caused a furor. It was considered a dirty book by 1952 standards. Sex was a big no no in 1952. Not as it is today. When I read the book back then, I read it for the off color passages. I was a college senior and my blood was always boiling.

An example of the off color material typical of the book is found in the first few pages. Mike Hammer picked up a female hitchhiker in a rainstorm. She was wearing a rain coat. At some point, she took his hand and placed it under the raincoat and on her thigh. She was wearing no clothes. That is as far as it went.

Don’t laugh. Such was porn back then.

The Catholic Church considered the book immoral. They placed it on the Index. Which meant it should not be read. The U.S. Congress also made damning comments about the book.

All the preceding did nothing more than to increase sales. The publisher could not print enough copies.

My dorm floor consisted of 60 students. Someone had the book! With the good pages and paragraphs marked. The book found its way into each of our hands.

I doubt the book would be a best seller today if written as it was in 1952. The juicy portions would be considered too mild. Extremely so.

Staying with book writing, I attended the Friends of the Key West Library session last night. A series of lectures by writers.

The speaker Mark Childress. I had never heard of him. He was most enjoyable to listen to. He traced his writing career. The good and the bad. He has been a Key West resident for several years now and continues to write.

His most famous published work is Crazy in Alabama. In the late ’90s, it was made into a movie starring Melanie Griffith.

I was taken by his talk. I intend to place Crazy in Alabama on my list of books to read. It may take me a week or month or year to get to it. But, I will.

The days are warm. The heat can be felt. The cool breezes gone. Sweating time. I wanted to walk. I rarely do outside. I did not feel guilty when I did my walking yesterday in Home Depot.

Home Depot was not as cool as it should have been. A bit sticky. I made comment to one of the assistant managers I knew. He said I was correct. The full system is scheduled not to be turned on till the end of the month.

It was still better than walking outside.

Had my routine checkup with my heart doctor. McIvor his name. I am alive and well as far as my heart is concerned. May I stay that way. I will see him again in three months.

Last night, the Chart Room. I ended up speaking with five bikers. Black leather, long beards and all. Most were in their 60s and retired. All from the Chicago area. Good guys. Softies at heart who like to dress bad.

Tonight, my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. A half hour of political and social commentary. The show provides the opportunity to express my opinions. Love doing it!

The show is at 9 my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou. If you miss it and would like to listen another day, the show is archived on Blog Talk Radio and You Tube. It can also be found by going to my Key West Lou page where you are reading this blog. The navigation bar on top lists Blog Talk Radio. It is my personal archive and you can listen there if you like.

Topics to be covered tonight include the letter the 47 Senators sent to Iran, a man in jail for life without parole for being involved in a $20 pot purchase, and an update on Venezuela’s President Maduro.

Enjoy your day!

JOHN HERSHEY A PART OF KEY WEST HISTORY

Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams are generally thought of when Key West authors are discussed.  There is another big name. A person of note. John Hershey.

Hershey’s winter home was Key West. He led the good life. His summer home was Martha’s Vineyard.

Hershey is famous for many books. One is A Bell For Adano for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. I am ashamed to admit I never read the book. I did see the movie it was made into. John Hodiak starred.

Hershey died at age 78 in 1983 in Key West. He is buried on Martha’s Vineyard.

I wrote this week’s KONK Life column yesterday. It took the greater part of the day. Titled Mass Killings Common. The topic was motivated by recent ISIS killings. The column places special emphasis on beheadings.

It goes back to similar killings centuries prior to the birth of Christ and up to today and ISIS. The thrust is ISIS type killings are not uncommon. Men have been doing it to each other for centuries. The difference is the internet and social media which bring today’s killings visually to everyone’s attention.

The column is interesting. Many generally unknown events shared.

I spent the rest of my Sunday doing nothing. I hung around the house watching TV and reading. Occasionally falling asleep for short periods.

The Friends of the Key West Library series continues this evening at St. Paul’s. Novelist Mark Childress the speaker. Part of his talk is dedicated to learning how to write. I plan on attending.

My heart doctor this afternoon for a routine visit. He is going to tell me what a good boy I am for having lost more weight.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

FOG AGAIN

When the sun came up this morning, there was a mild fog laying over the island. Within an hour, it was a heavy fog. Thick. It is now another hour later and the fog is lifting. Still out there, but drifting away.

About 3 weeks ago, Key West experienced fog on two different days. I mentioned how unusual it was to experience fog. Strange. Strange because it is not common to the lower keys.

Larry Smith was at his best last night! He was the speaker at Friends of the Library at St. Paul’s Church. Many in attendance. Twice as many as last week.

Larry served up a musical education. I learned some things about composing I never knew. Catherine sang some medleys which fit into Larry’s talk. I enjoyed!

Dan joined me for Larry’s talk. Wife Lisa did not. Their daughter and 5 1/2 month old grandchild are visiting.

Afterwards, we went across the street to La Concha for a drink. The bar located off the street has been redecorated. Strictly a wine place. Dan said there was another bar in the lobby. We had a drink there after which Dan left me to return to his grandchild.

I crossed the street and walked back towards the Gulf. My goal was the Hot Tin Roof. Streets crowded. People waiting in line outside of restaurants to get in. It appears to be a terrific season.

Today is tuesday. My blog talk radio show once again this evening. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou. Join me at 9 for a half hour of interesting and eye opening material.

Topics will include some background re the young girls running off to join ISIS, Home Land Security, Berwick, Pa. may soon have chickens running around like Key West, American people understanding, and more.

My diet. I have now lost 36 pounds. Not bad!

Two problems occurred recently. I got stuck at 27 pounds for 10 days and at 30 pounds for two weeks. My doctor says it was because my body discovered I was starving and was storing food. I guess I stopped starving each time.

I am not starving myself, though I am eating much less.

Syracuse/Notre Dame tonight. I anticipate Syracuse will lose. Notre Dame has an exceptional team this year. They are ranked in the top 10 nationally.

To the basketball gods, please let the basketball season end!

My home town is Utica, N.Y. The Adirondack mountains an hour drive away. I do not recall seeing any bears in Utica, though I did see many over the years when in the mountains.

I never considered the Florida keys as having bears, let alone a bear problem. This morning’s Key West Citizen reported on the problem.

Years ago, the bear population was decreasing in south Florida dramatically. The government made bears a protected species. Now Florida thinks there are too many. Estimated at 3,000. There have been four maulings recently.

The State says we are going to start hunting bears again, a few have to be killed.

I do not recall anyone ever having seen a bear in the lower keys. My recollection is that there might have been one or two seen in the mid keys. Whatever, a hunting we will go!

Enjoy your day!