WHAT’S A LITTLE GLOBAL WARMING?

The block of iceberg that has been threatening to split from its much larger piece for years has finally done so. In the Antarctic.

Six thousand square kilometers. I tried to transfer the number into miles. I could not, even after googling the problem. The best description as to size is that it is half the size of Wales.

The block took 10 years to finally split off.

The immediate concern is that the iceberg will float into the North Atlantic and become a hazard to shipping. Long term,  contributing to rising ocean levels as it melts.

Worked on my podcast yesterday afternoon. Fine tuned it for presentation last night on Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Two particularly interesting topics concerned the Trump family and Somali-Sudan immigration into Europe.

Lying seems to run in the Trump family. Sad. The fruit does not fall far from the tree. The children grew up in their father’s shadow. They learned from him. Many things learned not nice.

We have seen the disaster which arose from Syrians fleeing their country. Hordes of immigrants. Europe overwhelmed.

It’s coming again. This time from Africa. Somali and Sudan. Projected it will be in the millions over the next five years. Many more persons than escaped Syria. War, famine, etc. the reasons.

Snuck out for a quick dinner at Hogfish before the show. Enjoyed pieces of battered fried fish.

Hogfish quiet. Off season obvious. Bar only half full.

Drinking water from the sea. A dream of man for years. Came to fruition in a small way this date in 1966 in the Keys. On Stock Island. Construction began. A desalinization plant. Perhaps the largest in the world at the time.

The plant was dedicated in 1967. A big deal. Vice-President Hubert Humphrey attended.

The plant converted seawater to fresh water. 2.62 million gallons per day. The plant was considered a marvel of technology. Now under supervision of the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, the plant is being expanded to produce 4 million gallons a day.

I do not like war profiteers nor do I like private armies. The United States has been engaged with both for years.

The privatizing of a portion of our wars began in big style under Bush 2. He did not want the citizens of the U.S. seeing large numbers of death bags nor did he want the people of the U.S. to know the true number of war dead and wounded.

Privateers are a world unto themselves. They hire, pay and train those willing to serve. To fight and die, to provide peripheral services.

Obama used privatized servicemen also.

Trump may. Probably will.

It was announced July 10 that Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner had met with the CEO’s of Blackwater and DynCorp International. The largest private army owners in the world. To discuss hiring the companies to aid U.S. in war planning.

“War planning” bothered me. What are our generals for?

These companies make money by contracting out personnel to fight. No wars, no profit. No need for the private contractors.

Trump’s concern is the Afghanistan War now in its 16th year. Trump has been indicating an increase in troops is required.

Since Trump wants to privatize everything, it is not surprising he had Bannon and Kushner sit down with these guys.

Not healthy. Not a money saver. Does not provide for direct U.S. supervision. It is like operating in a black hole. No one knows what is going on, except for the war profiteers themselves.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

KEY WEST CEMETERY

I find cemeteries a turn on. History has always intrigued me. I took to walking through cemeteries at an early age and reading tombstones. There was a lot of history to be learned.

The Key West Cemetery is interesting. From sailors who died when the USS Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor to the smart Key Wester who had inscribed on his tombstone: I told you I was sick.

This saturday, the Key West cemetery is offering escorted tours. The guides will explain the significance of certain graves. If you have not already, I suggest you take the tour. I have been through the cemetery twice with a guide and several times alone. Each time I discovered something new.

Call it global warming. Call it climate change. Whatever, it gets worse not year by year, but season by season. The abnormal amount of snow in the northeast. Now, this minus zero cold streak.

The freezing storm up north began to be felt in Key West last night. Temperature during the night about 60. Wind  blowing big time. The palm trees blowing one way. From north to south.

Today the high is 60. Tonight 50. Tonight, bocce. It will be in the mid 50s with a cold biting wind coming in off the Atlantic. I am tempted to stay home. However when I was a Key West golfer, I learned that “men” always show up to play regardless of the weather. I will be a man tonight.

Larry Smith, Christine Cordone and Kathleen Peace headed what I assume was a great show at the former Wine Galley last night. I had intended to go. Jenna was my date. I called her monday and cancelled. My excuse, I could see from the weather reports that it was going to be very cold. Social events do not have the same status as sporting ones. Manliness not an issue.

Missing Larry provided the opportunity to watch the Syracuse/Louisville game. Syracuse won 69-59. A good game all around. Syracuse pulled away in the last 5 minutes to win. The victory was the first time this season Syracuse has beat a top 25 team. Louisville was ranked #12.

My KONK Life column this week is titled What Recovery? It hit the stands yesterday. This morning, it was posted on my Key West Lou site. If KONK life is not available to you, you can find it there.

ISIS is sick! Beheadings, burying people alive and burning people to death. Now a new form of sickness. ISIS is a money making machine. The leaders are aware that big dollars are required to run their organization. ISIS is now selling body organs. Removed from captured men, women and children. Many times without anesthesia. Doctors are recruited to do the operations. If a doctor refuses, he is killed.

Body parts like hearts, livers and kidneys bring big dollars on the international black market. $100,000 to $150,000 is not uncommon.

I received two comments this morning relating what is happening to 1939. One was regarding economics. The other ISIS burnings. A relevant quote…..”It’s 1939 again. Hitler is back and he’s a  Muslim. From killing people in ovens to burning them in cages and trucks.”

Enjoy your day!