WOE THE WEB WE WEAVE…..

My legal career was spent in the court room. When ever I would catch a witness in a lie or a party’s case full of lies, I would start my summation to the jury by looking them in the eye and with all seriousness say…..Woe the web we weave when first we seek to deceive.

I would follow it up with the story of throwing a pebble into a still pool of water. The pebble would cause a small circle to surround it. The circle in the water would get bigger and bigger. As a lie got bigger and bigger and took in more people.

Yesterday it was Michael Cohen and Sean Hannity.

Trump’s lies ultimately bring everyone around him down. Including his children.

Will Trump throw them under the bus as he has others? Will he take the rap to save them? Interesting.

Saw Dr. Jones yesterday morning. He scheduled me for an endoscopy and colonoscopy for a week from tomorrow.

I am anxious for the endoscopy. For the past six months, food gets stuck in my throat. Cannot wash it down. Fluid shoots back out my mouth. Takes a bit of gulping to get the food to pass.

Till last night.

I was enjoying lamb chops at the La Trattoria bar. Carrie bartending. Fortunately.

A piece of meat got stuck in my throat. Carrie saw I was in trouble. She came running over and started with back blows moving to the Heimlich. Did not work. Gulping did not work.

I could breath.

I walked out. Gulped for two blocks. Finally the meat moved down.

A relief. The longest it has taken. Thank God I am doing the endoscopy next wednesday. Dr. Jones is aware of my problem and will stretch my throat and esophagus while I am under.

Lunch yesterday after the Dr. Jones visit at Sandy’s Cafe. My favorite snack. Cuban cheese toast with tomato and a large cup of Cuban coffee.

The waitresses at Sandy’s are a happy bunch. They spread that joy to the customers as they wait on them.

Last night Dueling Bartenders. Bobby Nesbitt guest performing. Tom Luna and Rick Dery doing their usual. The three singing a song together outstanding!

Many Bobby Nesbitt friends in attendance. Lynda and Bob Frechette, David, Lisa, etc.

We sang along with Tom, Rick and Bobby.

Loved it!

It was after Dueling Bartenders that I went to La Trattoria for dinner.

Marty Leshaw and I were Key West friends for years. We would meet at the Chart Room and then have dinner together somewhere. Marty left Key West. Returned to his primary residence in Fort Lauderdale.

Marty and I communicate infrequently. I heard from him yesterday. Did I hit 40 yet? Meaning pounds lost. Whatever the inquiry or statement, I always enjoy hearing from Marty. Though we disagreed on almost everything. Especially politics.

I have fond memories of our relationship.

Trump is visiting Key West thursday. For two hours. He flies into Boca Chica. Then he will be part of a caravan of cars taking him to the Truman Waterfront. He is visiting the Joint Interagency Task Force South. A military anti-smuggling center.

Some are thrilled by his visit. Others could care less.

Diana Millikan returns to Key West tomorrow. She e-mailed me she plans to stand on the corner of Truman and White and wave at Trump as he passes. She has been a die hard Trump fan since day one. Part of that 35-40 percent.

Global climate change a concern to us who live on the ocean. We have been warned for several years that the waters will rise and take away some homes built on the water.

Michael Mann is a climatologist.  He says the change is coming and sooner than thought.

All has to do with currents. Southern waters, including the Gulf Stream, will flow northward. The colder deep waters of the north will flow southward.

I do not understand this changes things. The bottom line however is that the scenario will not be good. Our water levels will increase 1.6 feet. Surface temperatures will be warmer for most of the US east coast. Europe will be colder because of changes in the Gulf Stream.

Mann says “…..we’re close to a tipping point…..the changing currents are without precedent…..the event about a century ahead of schedule.”

He also says all this may not happen. That we are dealing with systems we don’t fully understand.

Love the Citizens’ Voice in the Key West Citizen. Readers say it the way it is.

This morning’s column had a note from a local. The iguana problem the subject.

The writer had the solution. Bring in about a hundred Jaguars and mountain lions. The natural enemies of iguanas.

My  thought is the suggestion will help resolve another problem. The too many people on the island problem. Jaguars and mountain lions are the natural enemies of humans, also.

My podcast tonight. Tuesday Talk  with Key West Lou. Join me at 9 my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou. I express my thoughts as to the conduct and sins of many. Guaranteed you will like the show. A quick moving half hour.

Enjoy your day!

 

LlCENCE TO KILL / JEFFERSON STARSHIP / CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

Recollections refreshed.

Key West happenings.

James Bond. A small part of the 1989 movie Licence to Kill was filmed in Key West. The rear area of 707 South Street. A wedding reception. Bond a guest.

The home recently sold for $5 million.

Tennessee Williams again. On this day in 1955, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof opened in New York City. An instantaneous hit. Won Williams his second Pulitzer Prize.

Jefferson Starship. An American rock band. The group has been around since 1974. Not all members the same. As time moved on, older performers dropped out to be replaced by new performers.

Jefferson Starship is performing at the Key West Theater sunday. On the saturday before at 3 pm, a free greet and meet is being held at the Gates Hotel. You must be a ticket holder to attend.

Spent my yesterday researching.

Visited Tammy at 6 for a manicure. Tammy her usual charming self. For a 34 year old, she is wise beyond her years. Has to be her Asian background.

Then to bocce. All of 10 minutes.

It suddenly got dark. A huge black cloud moved over us. Cell phone weather inquiries showed a huge green mass beginning to move over the lower keys.

At the same time, the wind blew up. Not a simple 20 mph. More! Much more! Dirt and sand swirling.

Everyone ran for their cars to get out.

Most of my group headed for Don’s Place. I decided to go straight home. I do not enjoy driving on US 1 when the rain is so heavy it is difficult to see.

Beat the rain home. Beat the rain in its entirety. The wind blew for a while. The rain never came. This morning, I looked outside to see if it had rained during the night. No. Everything dry.

Key West weather strange. Storms hit quickly. People are wise. They get inside quickly. Wind and rain not a pleasant sea shore combination.

Enjoy your day!

 

STEROIDS

My sciatica problem has been acting up. After a week of Ibuprofen not touching it, I went to see Dr. Jackie Lefferts. I had the problem in  a similar acute fashion three years ago. She gave me a steroid shot in the butt. Within hours, no pain. Then a followup regime for a week of steroid pills.

I got this year’s shot wednesday afternoon. Have been on the pills since. No pain once again. Even did the anti-gravity treadmill yesterday without pain.

My physical reaction to the steroids is interesting. Three years ago and this week, the same. I feel big. Huge. Not fat. Just a tower of strength. I feel like the Hulk! I could hit more home runs than Barry Bonds!

After the treadmill yesterday, I went to the Cuban Coffee House for lunch and to read the newspapers. Peter Diamond stopped by. We chatted about the Harry Truman column re his mother in law. He enjoyed the article.

Last night a big time! Dinner with Jenna at Latitudes. Both special. Latitudes will be joining my list of special places.

Again, the service was excellent, the food outstanding! The setting without comparison. We sat inside by the window in the comfort of air conditioning.

My waitress from last week Ivellisse stopped by to say hello. She and Jenna recognized each other. Several years ago Ivellisse had a store on Duval and Jenna would stop in.

Ivellisse introduced me to Latitudes’ General Manager Susan Crocker. A pro. She handled a couple of small problems I had as they occurred. With promptness and efficiency.

I had a terrific waiter. For shame, I never got his name.

I plan on trying lunch. I would like to do as at other places. Sit at the bar, research the newspapers and make notes for a next writing. The Latitudes feeling surrounding me would add another dimension.

Jenna and I had much business to discuss. Off and on over the years, she has helped. She was the producer of my TV show that ran three years. She has assisted in my approach to reaching more people.

Jenna is on a new kick. She wants me to video my blog each day instead of writing it. Same set up. However, you will click on the video and I will share with you whatever my thoughts are for the day. Same as in the written blog.

The procedure involves a bit more work at my end that just sitting down and hitting the keys each day. If you would, please let me know what you think about the video approach. I have not yet made up my mind.

There is a picture of Jenna as part of today’s blog. She is with Key West icon Mr. Chapman. He leaves today with his family to live with other family in Delaware. He lost his Key West home in a mortgage foreclosure. I understand as much as $60,000 was raised locally to help him. It was not enough. A band aid.

Diana Nyad swam from Cuba to Key West. She trained in Key West waters. Now comes Ben Hooper. He plans on swimming from Africa to Brazil. He is training in Key West waters.

Quite a trip! Two thousand miles. It will take 4 months. If successful, it will set a world record.

Hooper will not stay in the water all the time. Evenings will be on a boat.

He is training in Key West waters because of the shark problem he will face. He is training with several shark protection experts who will make the trip. There will also be a doctor and physiotherapist aboard.

I am impressed. I wish him well.

The James Bond movie Licence Revoked was partially shot in Key West in 1988. Licence is not misspelled. That is the way it was spelled in the title.

The Key West portion involves a meeting at the Hemingway House between Bond and M.

The word “shit” was spoken in the movie. Only the second time ever in a movie.

Got to hustle. Sloan due at 10:30. We have much to do. I have a new computer that she has to set up, etc.

Enjoy your day!

DAVID’S DAY AT THE KENTUCKY DERBY

As suspected, I never made it to Don’s Place to watch the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight. By 9, midnight seemed days away. Instead, I went to bed.

Not all was lost, however. I was watching a James Bond movie. Half asleep. All of a sudden, my eyes opened wide. There was the Hemingway House. I watched Bond and two guys chasing him go through the front gate, run up the outside stairs, tussle in a second floor room, Bond jumping off a second floor porch and leaping over a wall as he made his getaway.

The movie was License To Kill.

The only scene in the entire movie shot in Key West was the one I described. The rest of the film was made elsewhere. It does not seem financially feasible to have brought cast, crew and equipment to Key West to film an episode that took less than two minutes. Money must be cheap in Hollywood. Or, was back then.

I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon with Sloan. I am from a different generation. Getting this blog linked and everywhere it must go takes a talent I have not. And which I have not been able to learn. I would be lost without her.

I did get to watch the Kentucky Derby. An exciting 2 minutes! I have been lucky to have attended all major sporting events, other than a World Series game and the Kentucky Derby. Some, several times.

I received an e-mail this morning from David Taylor of Owensboro, Kentucky. David has been a loyal blog reader for a long time. I got to meet him Easter time at the Chart Room. David, his wife, his Dad, and friends.

David wrote about his one time experience at a Kentucky Derby. I share it with you.

It was back in 1974. The day Secretariat ran and won. David had to be in college then.

He was watching the game from the infield. He described it as not a place for the faint of heart. It was hot. He had removed his shoes and shirt. He recalls seeing Secretariat go by. Only his legs. He witnessed a naked man shimmy his way to the top of the Churchill Downs flag pole.

Ready to leave, David discovered his shoes and shirt gone. Not to be found.

David said though it may have been the shortest two minutes in sports, it was the place to be that day.

I envy you, David. A suggestion. Get back there once more! Twice if you can! Enjoy the best life has to offer whenever circumstances permit. The clock never stops running.

I have to get this week’s KONK Life column out today. I still am not sure what I will write about. I have three possible topics. Ivory soap. There is a story in Ivory soap. Then there is the issue of jail gangs. A growing power in this country. They control outside activities at the same time they are in jail. Finally, Baltimore, Ferguson and most recently Denver police problems. Something along the line that Baltimore is the beginning, not the end. There will be elsewhere further improper police activities resulting in demonstrations, riots and disruptions.

One comment re the Baltimore arrests. A smart move. A tactical one. If the arrests had not been made, Baltimore would have burned that night and for several days thereafter. I doubt the charges will stick, however. They do not fit the facts. One reason being we still do not know many facts. Facts, not assumptions, are required to charge a person.

There will be some convictions. In the final analysis, any convictions stand a good chance of being overturned on appeal.

So there is no misunderstanding, the State’s Attorney did the correct thing in ordering arrests when she did. It was a practical decision to save the community from further harm. It was not the lawyer thing to do from a legal perspective. Sort of a race to judgment. I suspect at least a week more was required to collect additional facts and evaluate what charges should be brought.

Enjoy your Sunday!