STONE CRABS

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U.S. politics is at its worst. The world is in turmoil. All take a back seat. Pure unadulterated pleasure the reason. Stone crab season opens tomorrow!

From my perspective, man’s finest food. I cannot wait to gorge myself tomorrow night.

Yesterday began with a noon haircut with Lori. Lori is moving. Was supposed to be this week. Told me yesterday it will be at least another month. Typical of Key West. nothing ever begins or finishes on time.

It’s the sun! Slows everything down, including people.

Lori had to take delivery yesterday of her new chairs. New place not available for storage. They are sitting on the sidewalk in front of her present place of business on Southard. Ain’t no one going to steal them. Hercules needed to move them.

A few doors down Southard is Jay’s new sandwich shop Cuzzy Bubbaz. His grand opening was to have been this past tuesday. I stopped in for lunch after my haircut. Doors locked. Looked in the window. Place a mess. Still under construction.

Ran into Jay at bocce last night. The electrical screwed up. He is required to make changes. It is in the process. He hopes to be open for Goombay.

Can’t win.

The best thing that happened to Don’s Place in bocce was my retirement. The team remains in first place. 16-2. Alone in first place.

Hell’s Rangers had already lost two when I arrived last night. I do not know the result of their third game.

Don’s Place won two without David and Norm last night. David sick and Norm out of town.

Watched Michelle Obama speak yesterday. Outstanding! Trump has to be having trouble walking today.

Several news broadcasters have mentioned that when husband Barack was first elected, she hated public speaking. No more. The woman is another Eleanor Roosevelt!

This morning’s Key West Citizen notes that Trauma Star carried 471 patients in fiscal 2016. Eighty six more than 2015.

The new helicopter has arrived. Not in use yet. The crew still training.

Trauma Star is the County’s free helicopter service for patients who need rushing to a Miami hospital. There is also a private service. Rip off big time! $60,000 a trip and not covered by insurance.

I have mentioned the past few years in this column, in my daily blog and on my podcast show that Putin has become rich as the head of Russia. He gets a piece of everything. Ten to 20 percent.

I might be wrong as to the percentage. Thomas Friedman in a recent New York Times article wrote, “Putin owns some $30 billion in property, hotels and factories.”

Trump has to be doing business in Russia. Borrowing money, especially. Whatever, Putin could own a piece of some of some of Trump’s American properties.

The Cuban missile crisis began today. A U.S. reconnaissance plane took 900 plus photos over Cuba this date in 1962. The photos identified Soviet mid-range ballistic missiles. Pointed at the U.S.

By October 23, Key West had become an armed camp. Fifteen thousand troops. Some berthed in the Casa Marina. Anti-missile weapons and machine guns on Key West beaches.

Cuba was John Kennedy’s first test. He performed well. Russia blinked and the confrontation came to an end.

A visit to Dr. McIvor late today. I continue to tire easily and sometimes gulp a breath or two.

Enjoy your day!

RALPH NADER UNKNOWN TO COLLEGE STUDENTS

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Florida played a major role in the 2000 Bush/Gore Presidential race. Actually, THE major role.

The election came down to Florida. The ballots were counted. They were referred to as chats. A joke!

It was not the chats that decided the election. It was Ralph Nader. He ran as a third party candidate. Took a significant number of votes from Gore. Had Nader not run, Gore would have won Florida and the election.

I remember Nader and the race. Many who will vote this year do not. Especially those voting for the first time. College students. Most 2-4 years old at the time of the 2000 election.

A guest on one of the talk shows this morning commented re the situation. He had visited some college campuses. Next to no one knew who Ralph Nader was and the impact he had on the 2000 race. His inquiry was part of a discussion attempting to show a vote for third party candidate Johnson could result in a Trump victory.

Let me stay with the Presidential election for a moment. Trump is threatening to get into Bill Clinton’s infidelities. What bullshit! Who cares! Yesterday’s news!

Trump has to have a long list of sexual conquests. The man probably has a sex record few have achieved. He believes he is safe from exposure. As I understand it, there are clauses written into marital and sexual settlements prohibiting women from revealing anything Trump might have done of a sexual/negative nature. If any of the ladies does, she loses the money being paid or already paid. If paid, the money has to be paid back. Silence for pay.

A few will come out from under the floor boards.

Busy middle day. Lori for a haircut. She is getting ready to move to new quarters on White Street. Visited Jay at his new restaurant to be on Southard next to Bank of America. Place still under renovation. Looks good. Jay the chef looked more like Jake the carpenter. Quick stops at Walgreens and Publix.

Howard Livingston is having a party saturday from noon to 6. At the Looe Key Tiki Bar. A social fundraiser for the Kevin Piper Memorial Fund. It’s Howard and his Friends Club.

Another hurricane. Matthew. Presently a 2. Expected to become a 3 this afternoon.

Not expected to hit Key West or the Keys. Might hit Miami, though considered remote. Expected to turn out to the ocean.

Hurricanes are fickle. Matthew has already evidenced his fickleness. Last night, Matthew was to turn northward. Instead, Matthew turned southward into the Caribbean.

Hurricanes are not dependable.

New York Times columnist Gail Collins has a sharp humorous way of writing. A recent column concerned White House pets. She concluded by getting into Trump. Her closing words: “If he wins the election, we would have the first President in history to refuse to pardon the Thanksgiving turkey.”

The Munich Agreement was signed this date in 1938. Hitler took advantage of the allies he was dealing with. They agreed to give a portion of Czechoslovakia to Germany if Hitler promised no war.

Chamberlain returned to London uttering the famous words…..”Peace in our time.” Chamberlain told the world Hitler was a gentleman. Less than two years later, Germany invaded Poland.

Contrast Chamberlain’s words re Hitler with those being presently spoken by Trump re Putin.

Enjoy your day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK WATSON

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Mark Watson, Happy Birthday!

Mark is one of the most beloved persons in Key West. Drag queen at Aqua, a Dueling Bartender, wednesday night Back Door bartender, present King of Fantasy Fest. On and on.

A nice guy besides.

I shall be sharing this day with him at a dinner party tonight.

My yesterday began with a haircut at Blown Away with Lori. My haircutter and friend of 15 years.

Lori is moving Blown Away. To a new building on White Street. Across from Fausto’s and Sandy’s. Next door to the building where I did my first radio show 10 years ago.

Then lunch at the Cuban Coffee Queen. Lovely Ruby working. The lady is talented. Hard working. Her work ethic impresses me.

Jay. Former chef at Sq. 1. Sq. 1 bought out. Jay moving on. Going to be the owner of his own operation. A sandwich shop. On Southard next to Bank of America. Around the corner from Key Lime Square. Near the Cuban Coffee Queen. Five door’s from Lori’s Blown Away.

From gourmet chef to sandwich maker. The sandwiches should be terrific!

Across the street are two coffee houses, a veggie restaurant, and Mr. T’s. A couple hundred feet up Southard, a noodle restaurant. All have been in business in the immediate area for many years. Jay should do well.

Opening, September 26.

Bocce last night. Ran into Jay. He has played bocce for years. My team Don’s Place doing well. I am the cheerleader. The team won all 3 games last night. 16-3, 16-0, 16-15.

It always happens that way. You kill the opposing team in the first two games. Then complacency sets in. An extra drink. Joking around. Concentration disappears.

Don’s was winning 14-7 in the third game. Needed only 2 points to win. All of a sudden, the game was tied 14 all. Finally, a one point victory eked out.

Norm is one of the player’s on Don’s team. A nice guy. We have been friends for years. Better friends because of bocce. One of my partner’s when I played.

Norm’s wife is involved community wise. She is a Rotarian. As was her father and grandfather before her. Rotarians have their hands in many of the Key West charity fundraisers. The Brewfest last week. She was one of the ones running the event. This week, she is working hard on Poker Run.

Ten thousand bikes start roaring into Key West today. For Poker Run Weekend. Big, expensive bikes. Drivers in black leather and crazy helmets. Look dangerous. Their ladies similarly dressed. Breasts dramatic. Intentionally so.

The humor is that most are doctors, lawyers and CPAs having what they consider a wild weekend. No more wild than any other, however. They will drink a bit too much, dine at the finest restaurants and have a great time!

You and me and the federal government are not the only one’s being hacked. The Monroe County Tourist Development Council’s website has been hacked. Florida Keys & Key West Facebook page 1.

Pics of beautiful Key West deleted. Replaced with photos of scantily clad provocatively posed women.

The Tourist Council cannot remove/delete the photos. Nor can they reach anyone at Facebook for help. Nor can they post an explanation.

My suggestion is they get a computer geek immediately to work on the problem. There are several in Key West.

The Mayflower departed England this day in 1620. Sixty six days later, landed at Provincetown. Not Plymouth as most of us have learned. Several months later, a group departed and landed at Plymouth. Of Plymouth Rock fame.

The Mayflower gave us the Mayflower Compact, Plymouth Rock, and Capt. Myles Standish.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Selective Service and Training Act into law this day in 1940. A draft law.

It is time we had a draft law again. Our professional voluntary army has been pushed too hard. Several deployments. As many as seven for some. No wonder 20 veterans a day are committing suicide.

I would require two years military service following high school graduation.

Guaranteed, I am going to receive a lot of comment on the position.

Enjoy your day!