HEALTH & FITNESS EXPO

Key West is a place to enjoy life. Everywhere for that matter. However, to enjoy one must be healthy. We must take care of our bodies.

The Key West Lions Club is holding a Health & Fitness Expo. Free. A Wellness Day. On October 10, 2015 from 9 am to 12 noon. At the Lions Club on North Roosevelt Boulevard. Across from the new Starbucks which is under construction.

The purpose of the event is to help people make healthy life choices. Programs and experts will be present. Covering such problems/maladies as vitamins and supplements, chiropractic assistance, weight loss, diabetic screening, and alcohol and smoking cessation. In addition to numerous other medical problems confronting us all.

Time/space are still available for professionals who might wish to appear. Write gracy@keysinternet.com for details.

My yesterday was simple. A run to the airport, the anti-gravity treadmill and birthday dinner with Lisa and family in the evening.

We had dinner out. Then returned to Lisa’s for  cake, blowing out candles and Happy Birthday!

Robert and Ally gave their Mom interesting gifts. Robert a painting he did special for the occasion. Framed. He made the frame, also.

Ally’s was different. She purchased a jar of small seashells at Dollar Store. Thirty to 40 seashells in the jar. She took each one and wrote a small message to her mother inside. Like…..Love You!

This morning’s Key West Citizen World Almanac. Disney World opened on this day in 1971. Most interesting was the cost to attend. $3.50 for an adult. Today, $105 per person age 10 and up.

Two things re Pope Francis.

My KONK Life column this week is He Is God Like. The column was linked to my Key West Lou website this morning. keywestlou.com.

The other involves Kim Davis. It was revealed she had a secret meeting with the Pope at the Vatican Embassy in Washington during his visit. The revelation bothered me. I cannot believe the Pope is two faced.

This past year, I have been exposing the U.S. Conference of Bishops connection with the religious far right in the United States. Actually, not even a revelation any longer. Most everyone is aware.

The bishops are hand in hand with people like Jerry Falwell.

In addition to Davis, it is reported the small nun order that has sued on religious grounds the unconstitutionality of a portion of Obamacare were also present for a private audience the same day.

The U.S. Conference of Bishops are not in unison with Pope Francis’ feelings re many matters. They strongly opposed the Pope at last year’s Synod. To the point of embarrassing the Pope.

Davis is represented by Liberty Counsel. I am sure she is not paying the legal fees. Liberty Counsel is listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. They oppose homosexuality activity in general. Military, employment, same sex marriage, etc.

Liberty Counsel is tight with Jerry Falwell. Falwell started and runs Liberty University. A Law School has been founded at Liberty University. It was started together by Falwell and Liberty Counsel.

A lot of detail. Where am I going? I believe the Pope was snowballed. That he knew nothing of the relationships. I strongly suspect the bishops and Liberty Counsel arranged for Davis’ secret meeting. Perhaps the nuns’ meeting, also.

At the moment, I give the Pope the benefit of the doubt. The matter is not concluded. Truth has a way of surfacing. In due course, we will know who arranged for the secret meeting, what the Pope knew, etc.

One further point. Last week, Liberty Counsel advised that a rally of 100,00 people had taken place in Peru in support of Davis. A couple of days later, Liberty Counsel admitted the representation was a fabrication.

Russia and Syria. Cause for big concern. Russia keeps spitting in our face. Putin has no respect for Obama. My initial reaction is we get out of Syria immediately. Leave Russia to fight the war. Hopefully the same success Russia had in Afghanistan will occur again in Syria.

Bocce tonight. I am anxious to play.

Enjoy your day!

HOME CANNING TOMATOES

Last night was nostalgia time.

I had dinner at the bar at Tavern ‘n Town with Buffalo’s Tom and Fran. They return home wednesday.

Tom mentioned they had received a telephone call from their daughter earlier in the day. She lives somewhere else in the U.S. She told her parents they were needed a week from this weekend. It was tomato canning time.

That opened the door. Fran is of Italian extraction. Italian cooking obviously part of her life.

I mentioned that as far back as 3 and 4, I could remember helping my parents can tomatoes. Four or five bushels each time. My job was to skin the tomatoes after they had been boiled.

Tom and Fran are a generation behind me. She uses a machine to squish the tomatoes. I have no recollection of a machine. Everything was done by hand.

The tomatoes led to other canning experiences. We got into wine making, canning pears, canning peaches, canning peppers, and making sausage in oil.

A pleasant trip back in time.

We also chatted about Syracuse football. A great start! 2-0. Can freshman quarterback Dungey lead the team to a glorious season?

Robert and Elena Spottswood stopped by to say hello. Two of the nicest people in Key West. I see Robert about once a year. I had not seen Elena in probably five. Her beauty has not changed one iota in the 15 years I have known the couple.

My yesterday began with the anti-gravity treadmill. It was Body Owners proprietor’s first day back from her honeymoon. The Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.

Then to Tammy for a manicure. Love the lady! We talk about everything.

Lunched at home. Must grocery shop. I am down to next to nothing. Even the freezer is empty.

Today is James Fenimore Cooper’s birthday (1789-1851).

Fenimore spent most of his life in Cooperstown. Cooperstown is a 45 minute drive from my old home town Utica. Visited Cooperstown often for business and pleasure. Cooperstown primarily known as home to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fenimore was a novelist. One of his most famous works Last of the Mohicans.

His home is a tourist attraction. It sits grandly overlooking Otsego Lake. I have been in the home many times. As a tourist/visitor, with my twin grandsons, and at social events.

It is not Fenimore’s original home. That burned down sometime around 1850. The present one was built nearby by Fenimore’s daughter who used bricks and materials salvaged from the burned down home as part of the building materials..

Most visits to the Fenimore house included of course a stop at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Not a place to be missed.

Kim Davis is a religious fanatic. Sorry if I step on some toes. What she is doing is wrong. She is in effect imposing her religious beliefs on those she was elected to represent. She is also making a mockery out of the law.

I refer specifically to her changing the face of the marriage certificate. Crossed out is County Clerk and written over is by order of a federal court decision. The name of the County has been omitted also. In its place is the community where issued. Medford.

The marriage  certificate form and substance is probably by State law. Kim has no right to unilaterally change such. She is neither the Kentucky State Legislature nor Governor.

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

Topics include a bit more re Kim Davis, Afghanistan’s opium and heroin business doing well in spite of war, the European migration situation, where and when the Middle East problem got its start, a Russian bank that was discovered to be using fake gold as reserve capital, Merkel pushing for a European military, and more.

Enjoy your day!

SHERIFF’S ANIMAL FARM

One of the lesser known Key West attractions is the Sheriff’s Animal Farm. A shame. The Farm should be a must on everyone’s agenda. Young and mature alike.

The animals are varied. Some I have not even heard of. Not the typical zoo nor zoo type operation. The Farm is run by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. A deputy Sheriff in charge. Help provided by inmates.

The Farm is open only two Sundays per month. Today is one of those Sundays. From 1-3. The Farm is located on Stock Island. College Road just off U.S. 1.

There is no charge for admission. Donations appreciated.

There are so many dangers confronting society and government. Some must be dealt with. I am specifically referring this morning to Oath Keepers. A group 30,000 strong. Most former military people.

They were at Ferguson. Carrying guns. Doing whatever they wanted. Police avoided dealing with them.

They are the same group that defended the farmer in the 2014 Nevada stand off involving the Bureau of Land Management.

Oath Keepers announced in the past few days that they would protect Kim Davis from the Judge and U.S. Marshals. They planned on  having “boots on the ground” to prevent Davis from being arrested by U.S. Marshals. The group announced that Davis was under their protection stating the “Judge needs to be put on notice that his behavior is not going to be accepted and we’ll be there to stop it…..”

Not the way things should be done.

As a point of information, one of the most powerful persons in the United States is a federal district court judge. You don’t screw with them.

Fortunately, Davis’ attorney declined Oath Keeper’s offer of assistance.

Finished research re Gertrude Bell yesterday. Bell  known during her time as Queen of the Desert. She is frequently referred to today as the female Lawrence of Arabia.

I will be writing the column for KONK Life this afternoon.

Sloan here for a while in the afternoon. I have a new computer. She was helping me get everything on it.

I caught the last minute of the first half and the last three minutes of the second half of the Syracuse/Wake Forest game on TV. I was surprised it was being shown. It was on CBS.

Syracuse won 30-17. Can it be?

Living on a small island has a few negatives. One is rats. They used to be all over the place. The reason there were so many cats on the island. Almost every home had a cat.

There are few cats today. I read somewhere that iguanas have killed the cats. Apparently, rats do not scare iguanas.

One showed up dead in my home a few days ago. The smell was there. I could not find where it was coming from. The smell of a dead animal. Nor could Keith. Anna finally found the body. In a small closet under the stairs, the door off the kitchen. The rat apparently had come up from the crawl space under the house.

I am a coward at heart when it come to certain things. A rat, dead or alive, is one. It was Keith’s headache.

Keith removed the body yesterday. Washed the area down with Clorox.

The smell last night was Clorox. This morning, dead rat. The odor remains. There is a special odor item which will remove the rat smell completely. Keith’s headache. He will be at Home Depot today buying it.

There has not been a hurricane in the Keys for 10 years. Yet the biggest writer of insurance in the Keys, Citizens Property Insurance Co., wants to raise rates for wind damage. In 2013, the rates were raised 10.5 percent. In 2014, 8.1 percent.

Give us a break!

Bocce stats listed in the Sunday paper. We are alone in 2nd place with a 10-2 record. A good start! Actually, fantastic! May we continue to play well.

Enjoy your Sunday!

CENSORSHIP

I have been complaining the past few years that the media has become selective as to what we see, read and hear. When I speak of the media, I reference its owners also. Corporate America. They decide what we see, read and hear.

Freedom of the Press no longer applies solely to the right of the press to observe and say whatever they want. Assuming its is correct. Freedom of the press today refers to censorship, the right of the media to pick and chose what we shall see, read and hear. Not as the Founding Fathers intended.

A perfect example is what occurred a few days ago on Morning Joe. Washington Post columnist David Ignatius was a guest.

Joe has consistently in recent weeks referenced the Hillary e-mail problem as a bad one. Ignatius wrote a Washington Post op-ed 8/28 wherein he argued that “this scandal is overstated.”

Joe and Ignatius on opposite ends of the spectrum re the issue.

Morning Joe’s 6 am hour is rerun at 8 am.

In the 6 am broadcast, Ignatius said…..As I talked to a half dozen lawyers who do nothing but this kind of work, they said they couldn’t remember a case like this, WHERE PEOPLE INFORMALLY AND INADVERTENTLY DRAW CLASSIFIED INFORMATION INTO THEIR PHONE CONVERSATIONS OR UNCLASSIFIED SERVER CONVERSATIONS, WHERE THERE HAD BEEN A PROSECUTION. (emphasis added)

In the 8 am rerun of the 6 am hour, the emphasized portion was edited out. Note that the Ignatius paragraph above was part of an ongoing dialogue between Joe and Ignatius. More followed.

Selective reporting? Yes. The better description is censorship. The new media freedom of the press.

Everyone should be pissed off at this type thing happening!

David from Kentucky is a loyal blog follower. Also, a frequent visitor to Key West. He lives in Kentucky. He e-mailed me regarding Kim Davis, the clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. Kim Davis’ clerk office is located in Medford, Kentucky.

With David’s permission, I quote…..Morehead Kentucky has had more press in the last few weeks than they will have in the next one hundred years, whether they want it or not. I’ll go with the words of President Johnson after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and following trial, execution and imprisonment of the conspirators. “We wish to hear their names no more.” I wish to hear “Kim Davis no more.”

Today the anniversary of 9/11. May we never forget. Continued vigilance required.

Won all three bocce games last night! Keith was exceptional. He played all three games. The best bocce I have ever seen anyone play.

Excellent football. I enjoyed watching the second half of the New England/Pittsburgh game which New England won 28-21.

My KONK Life column this week is published in E-Blast this morning. About Tennessee Williams and one of his loves. Read it and enjoy.

Enjoy also your day!

 

BUM FARTO…..WHERE ARE YOU?

Joseph “Bum” Farto. The Jimmy Hoffa of Key West.

Farto was the Key West Fire Chief. He was under investigation for selling cocaine out of the fire stations and other matters.

Forty years ago today, Farto left home in his car. He did not get far. Two cars blocked his car in. One in front and one in the rear. Men in suits and ties jumped out, dragged Farto from his car to one of theirs. The two cars drove away.

Farto has neither been seen nor heard from since.

Bum Farto, where are you?

Today another big one for another reason in Key West history. The Beatles were here!

It was September 9, 1956. The Beatles plane was heading to  somewhere in north Florida for a show. Hurricane Dora got in the way. The plane was sidetracked to Key West. The Beatles spent two days at the Key Wester Motel on South Roosevelt Boulevard.

People went crazy! Understandably so.

The Beatles spent time swimming in the motel pool.

There is a story that following their departure, people were showing up at the pool and taking small amounts of the water out in bottles. Beatles holy water.

September 9 a big day in history for another reason. Elvis Presley!

It was 1956. Presley appeared for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show. I remember watching his appearance. The whole country was watching to see the new musical dynamo.

We could only see Presley from the waist up. His swaying hips were not permitted to be shown. Considered too erogenous at the time.

It was Harpoon Harry’s for a late breakfast yesterday. The best eggs in Key West!

Then to Publix to shop. Something going on at Publix besides renovations. This is the second visit in a row were there were not enough checkout counters open. Only three yesterday. Which meant waiting in long lines.

I hope Publix is not trying to make an extra buck by having customers wait. Waiting in line to check out was common years ago. Not today.

My blog talk radio show last night. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. I hit big on two very current problems. Kim Davis and the European immigration crisis.

Kim Davis on TV yesterday appeared to be a prophet talking to God…..A He is coming look. Kim standing next to Mike Huckabee with her arms extended up reaching to the sky. Her lips moving.

The lady is enjoying her 15 minutes. Huckabee and Cruz, who was in the crowd, are using this woman for their own selfish reasons.

Sick.

Woe as to what is coming in Europe! Merkel says all European nations must take these hundreds of thousands in. Makes sense. Charity and morality involved.

Few however are considering the impact on their respective countries. How do we feed and clothe them? Schools will be overloaded. Free medical will kick in. Where will they live? Will there be enough jobs?

Eventually the face of each nation will change. The immigrant impact will be dramatic.

I wanted to watch Stephen Colbert last night. Never made it. Eleven thirty too late for me.

Womenfest begins tomorrow. One of the best Key West events. The ladies and their friends elevate fun to another level. Hit the bars in the evening and you will understand.

Enjoy your day!

WE WON!

I called it wrong. I was sure we were going to lose last night. We did not. God was good! We won 2 out of 3 games. Against the #1 team for most of the past 10 years.

I am glad I was wrong. Me of little faith!

We lost the first game. We were down 11-3. Came back. Lost by one point 16-15. The next two we won. By two or 3 points each game.

It took forever to play. We were the last to finish. Everyone was done and had gone home. It was a point at a time. Both sides grinding it out.

My day began with a haircut yesterday. Lori has been cutting my hair for 15 years. We have become friends.

Then it was Cuban Coffee Queen for lunch. I had 1 1/2 hours to kill before a manicure appointment. The time was some of the best I have spent recently.

Bob Dennard came up to me and said…..You’re Key West Lou! After acknowledging my existence, Bob said he was in Key West for a few days and had been looking for me. The Chart Room evenings and the Cuban Coffee Queen at lunch time.

We finally met! Bob, one great  guy!

We could have talked all afternoon, but I had to get to Tammy’s for my manicure.

Bob presently from Fort Walton Beach. Started off in California. A career service man now retired. Widowed. Sixty four.

He has written five books. I was impressed! Two historical in hard back covers. The other three involving cruising. One of the cruise books centers in southeast Asia where Bob was stationed.

He writes a blog. kokoman.com. Not every day. Once a week, once a month. Whenever the mood strikes.

In addition to searching me out, Bob is researching to write a book about the Chart Room. I shared with him whatever I knew.

No question, we are going to meet again. Hopefully over the weekend.

Got to Tammy’s just in time. I keep repeating. She and husband Ricky personify the American dream. Tammy was born in Vietnam. Ricky in the U.S. Both work 6-7 days a week, 8 in the morning till 8-9 in the evening. No complaints. Expect nothing from anyone. Do for themselves.

Overseas Market is being remodeled. Cosmetically. New trees, new signs, things of that nature.

I remember when the site of Overseas Market was nothing but  a large empty field. The shopping center was built in 1992. I started coming to Key West in 1989. Those early years, there was no Overseas Market.

I recall an update some years later. The whole shopping center was repainted. My recollection is the original color was some shade of pink. The new color yellow.

Time moves on.

This week’s KONK Life column Private Prisons was linked this morning to my Key West Lou website. keywestlou.com.

I have been critical of the judicial system in recent years. I feel a special entitlement as I spent my life as a lawyer. My faith in the system has been restored a bit by two very recent decisions. The Tom Brady one and the Kentucky clerk Kim Davis who refused to marry same sex couples. Both decisions correct based on the issues involved. Right on. Additionally, both courts went no further than required.

I am sick of hearing Trump and further sick of hearing about Hillary’s e-mails. Neither speak to the issues. We are not being told where each stands. I blame the media. We are not being educated as to their respective positions.

College football! Syracuse plays Rhode Island tonight.

How the mighty fall! Syracuse has not fielded a good football team in way too many years. We would never have scheduled a Rhode Island in days of old.

Further discouraging is that in the friday spreads in the newspaper, the Syracuse/Rhode Island game is not even mentioned.

Whatever, go Orange! Loyalty never diminishes.

Enjoy your day!