LOBSTER SEASON…..GOOD OR BAD

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The lobster season is upon us. Last year, a disaster thanks to Irma. Traps blown all over.

This year another disaster. The tariff war with China. The Keys sell millions of dollars a year of spiny lobsters to China. The Chinese love spiny lobsters! So much so that on occasion they are willing to pay anything to get them.

The Key West Weekly 8/9/18 had an excellent article on the subject. The thrust how the China/U.S. trade war will affect the Keys lobster season. Titled: Too Soon To Tell.

The facts.

Irma literally blew the season away last year. However, all was not lost. Many of the traps which were strewn all over the ocean bottom were able to be relocated. The relocated lobsters have had an extra year to grow and hopefully will be sold this season..

Ergo, an abundance of lobsters available for sale.

The problem is cost per pound. The average the past 2 years between $9.50 and $10.50 per pound. A wholesaler must sell for at least $6 to $7 a pound to break even. China is the Keys biggest customer. Tariffs imposed by both the U.S. and China the problem.

The U.S. tariff is 25 percent. China imposed a retaliatory tariff of 17 percent. The combined tariffs add 42 percent onto the normal cost of the lobsters.

A lot of money.

The Asian holidays are approaching. If China is consistent and does not care of the cost, the season will be banner one. There is something about spiny lobsters that suggests such will be the case. The Chinese love them and generally are willing to pay!

The highest per pound cost China has ever paid was $20.50.

Local wholesalers do not appear concerned. Noting however that China is the key.

Time will tell.

Chart Room first last night. I almost left when I first arrived.

A number of 40 year olds were celebrating some sort of reunion. Loud. Boisterous. Cigar smoking.

Big time noise and cigar smoke thick enough to cut with a knife a couple of steps too far. I sat it out for a while at the bar with David, Cindy and Steve.

My thought…..Deliver me!

After a while, they up and left. A new world! The quiet overwhelming. The cigar smoke soon dissipated. Everything kumbaya.

Stomach grumbling. Time to eat. Headed over to Blue Macaw. No room at the bar. Left.

Headed over to Sandy’s Cafe. Finished the evening off with a Cuban cheese toast with tomato and a large Cuban coffee.

Then to home and bed. An early evening.

Florida has early voting. Began this year August 13. Ends August 25. I will probably vote next week.

My voting place is the County Office Building on Whitehead. I vote where Key West residents vote. I am a Key West resident.

Strange.

I live at the golf course. Many many homes. Most on Stock Island. A handful totaling 40 built on Key West land. I live in one of those homes. Ergo, vote in Key West and for Key West candidates.

The weatherman’s humor showing again. Afternoon thunderstorms predicted. His add on tidbit: Afternoon wake up – loud!

Means big time thunder. Thunder by the ocean loud booming. Scares dogs and humans alike.

BOB has not written in over a week. Only one chapter left. Concerns politics and politicians. BOB’s viewpoint as one would expect. Tomorrow or the next day, BOB will finish up.

Two deaths the past few days. One after another. Yesterday, Arthea Franklin, the Queen of Soul. Fondly remembered by most. Certain anti-blacks probably did not care.

The day before, Trump took away John Brennan’s security clearance. A petty move by a small man. Brennan a former head of the CIA. A man who performed exceptionally under 6 consecutive Presidents.

A piece of America, a piece of democracy, died by Trump’s action.

Wake up America! Day by day, Trump does one or more things adversely affecting our freedoms.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

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Happy Fourth of July!

Independence Day. The birthday of our country.

Two hundred forty two years old. It was July 4, 1776 at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia that the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

We are a young nation. Compare our age to that of European nations. Still growing. Tensions abound. The Trump era crazy and dangerous.

America celebrates. Tonight, fireworks! In Key West, off the White Street Pier.

This past week has been strange politically. Relatively quiet. We have not heard from Rudy Giuliani and other Trump cohorts who were making the news. Are they quiet because of Michael Cohen on the verge of possibly flipping?

Cohen is making noise like Trump when he wants something. He is using the media. Cohen seems to be telling the Second District he wants to jump fence and play on their side. Thus far they have not picked up on his offer.

Spent yesterday afternoon fine tuning last night’s podcast. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Thoroughly enjoyed doing the show. Covered a multitude of sins. Wish I had had more time.

Casey joined me for dinner before the show. At Roostica.

Casey and his 70′ x 30′ catamaran sit in the water off Hogfish. Casey new to Key West. Been here all of 10 days. Yesterday, he took his dingy and visited Wisteria Island. He is interested in Key West lore. The day before he went out into the Gulf a bit and did some diving.

Jennifer waited on us. It has been two years since I last saw her. She was pregnant at the time and due any day. She proudly showed me her son’s picture. Two years old. A handsome little man.

Good friends Fran and Tom Dixon have arrived. Buffalo their home. They visit four times a year. Stay at Ocean Key. Tom is on the Board.

We are doing dinner tonight. Meeting at 6 at the Chart Room. My turn to host. Probably the A&B Lobster House. Plan on calling for a reservation since today is a holiday.

Fran is concerned for me. She thinks I am not well fed. She brings me food from Buffalo. Tonight, I will receive at least 4 jars of homemade sauce containing pork, sausage and meatballs. Plus low carb bread and home made candy.

Love the woman!

You have to believe in guardian angels! God, too! Two examples evidencing why.

A few days ago, the cruise liner Norwegian Gallery was 28 miles off the northwest of Cuba. A crew member fell off the ship. His fall seen. The ship backed up and searched. Could not find him. Authorities notified. Air and sea searches proved fruitless.

The next day, the cruise ship Carnival Glory was traveling in the opposite direction. Twenty one miles off the north coast of Cuba. Saw the crew member in the water. He was rescued. In good health.

The man had been in the water 22 hours. Treading. No life jacket. Fortunately the water is warm and calm this time of year. Even more fortunate, a shark did not come upon him.

Did the man have a guardian angel? No question in my mind. God was looking after him.

A Thailand event the other example.

A 12 member soccer team and their coach got lost in a mountain gave in north Thailand. The boys 11-16.

The cave is part of a huge mountain. Full of corridors of all sizes. Some entrances small. The boys had to squeeze to get through. The team was able to get down into the heart of the mountain about one mile.

Then stuck. Water all around them. The caves have flowing water in various depths.

They could not get out. Spent 10 days in the dark and without food. Searchers and divers arrived from all over the world. A total of 1,000 looking to provide assistance. Two British divers found them over the weekend.

All basically in good health. Food, water and medical assistance provided.

At this point it is clear the kids and their coach had a special guardian angel looking over them. God directing their rescue.

The rescue is not complete however. It has been raining since the team got lost. The rainy season. Every day. The rain sometimes six inches in an hour. Cave passage ways flooding.

The team will have to swim and dive in order to get out. A mile.

None know how to swim or dive. Present plans are to teach them how to swim and dive. Then take them out. Two professional divers guiding each team person.

It is estimated the plan will take months. However so far the only way determined to get them out.

Hope the guardian angels and the good Lord stay with them.

Children detained in chain linked cages. We should be ashamed! I do not understand how Trump supporters find nothing wrong with the scenario: “They broke the law.” “They brought their children into the U.S.” “They invited what is happening to them.”

For shame!

The Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis is expressing its concern and disagreement. Statues of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus sit on the lawn of the Church in a chain linked enclosed cage.

BOB says it is a holiday. He is not writing today.

Enjoy your Fourth!

 

LONG LIFE…..3 BEERS AND 1 SHOT PER DAY

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Agnes Fenton recently turned 110. Happy birthday! God bless!

The secret to her longevity was born in the early 1940s. Agnes had a brain tumor. She asked the doctor what she should do to avoid another. He told her to each day drink 3 Miller High Life beers and 1 shot of Johnny Walker Black Label scotch. She followed the doctor’s instructions religiously.

I spent a portion of yesterday fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. Two topics hit a nerve.

One involved my comments re the federal judge to whom the Tom Brady case has been assigned. I believe he is out of line in the manner he is handling the matter.

The other concerned blanket media censorship of the California class action suit against Monsanto. The people’s right to know has become a joke. We only get to watch, hear, and read what the six corporations controlling 90 percent of the media want us to.

Spent a bit of time working on a love book. A joke! Me writing a love story. My publisher however said give it a try. I feel like a fish out of water.

Three books in the works now. The other two Growing Up Italian and Greece, The First Time. I hope to finish one at some point.

Roostica for dinner before the show. Bobby has added a new desert to the menu. Salted caramel gelato. Outstanding!

I mentioned a big rain monday around dinner time. It was big! 3.4 inches.

Key West hotel business up the past five years. Forbes says the best in the U.S. In spite of the high profit levels, the hotels and tourist industry in general continue to pay small hourly wages. Most receiving $10-12 per hour.

Today’s Key West Citizen editorial says there is a food problem, also. This most of us knew. The extent, not. The editorial says there are 25,000 Key West residents. Four hundred families cannot afford sufficient food. That number equates to 16 percent of the population. A disgrace! Another example of the hotels, etc. getting fat and forgetting to take their help with them.

The same argument can be made for affordable housing. Higher wages might eliminate or lessen the need for taxpayer dollars being spent for affordable housing.

The regular lobster season begins tomorrow. Lobsterfest weekend ahead. Going to be delicious.

Some crazy people out there. Especially, politicians. They want to limit the number of births by the poor.

An Arkansas legislator has submitted a bill that would permit the State to pay unwed low income mothers on Medicaid if they get an IUD implant. Mothers fitting the description would receive $2,500.

Enjoy your day!

 

FRANCES WATSON CLARK

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Stop one last night was Don’s Place. I knew Stan and Claire would be there. Wanted to talk with them.

Then to the Chart Room. I was fortunate to sit next to Frances Watson Clark. First time we met.

She is assembling photos of people and places in Key West for her next publication Images of Modern America. Her previous works involved three separate places in Virginia.

She showed me some of the pics she had compiled thus far re Key West. Included was a picture before my time of Che and Marty Leshaw.

Frances’ husband Chris is a retired banker. Their Key West home is on Eaton Street. They bought a dwelling first constructed in 1908 and remodeled it.

Frances and Chris spend two summer months and two winter months in Key West. Their home base is Marietta, Georgia.

Frances’ work is interesting. She agrees with the Chinese…..A picture is worth a thousand words!

Old friends reunited. David came into the Chart Room. Frances said I know you. Turns out they did business together when David was manager of Fast Buck Freddie’s on Caroline.

I intended to go home, have a sandwich and go to bed. Instead stopped at Outback and enjoyed a steak.

The Lobster Mini Season is over. The Coast Guard reports an uneventful season. No accidents, no injuries, no deaths. Some arrests for diving on lobster casitas, exceeding catch limits, and not having a proper license.

Lobster Season starts August 6. Key West will celebrate the event with its annual Lobsterfest August 7-10. A big deal! Lobster every where, cooked every way.

Harry Truman’s Mother In Law unusually enjoyed. Yesterday, I was stopped several times by persons telling me they did not know, how much they enjoyed the article, etc. The column published wednesday. It is linked to my Key West Lou website. Read the article. Interesting and revealing.

I have been critical of our judicial system. Many decisions not making sense. People losing respect for the law. Laws that do not respect them.

Citizens United the obvious case. The Supreme Court decision where the Court said corporations and the rich can contribute politically as much in dollars as they want.

Recall the Aurora theater shootings July 20, 2012. Twelve killed and 70 injured. James Holmes the shooter. Sandy and Lonnie Phillips’ daughter Lonnie Ghawi killed. The parents brought a lawsuit against the four Internet suppliers of the guns, ammunition and whatever else. Holmes’ mental state not the best. The parents felt some investigation should have been made to determine Holmes’ mental state and intentions. None was.

A federal trial court ruled against the Phillips, holding the four suppliers could not have known the shooter’s intentions and mental state.

A bad break for the parents. However such is the law across the country. Such has to be changed legislatively. Good luck! National and state legislators are cut from the same bolt. Owned by the gun manufacturers.

The thorn in the decision was not the result. It was what the Judge ordered after the trial had ended. The Judge ruled the Phillips were responsible for the attorney fees of the four suppliers. $220,000. A Colorado law requires the losing party to pay such costs.

The Phillips have since sold their home and furniture and anything else they could get their hands on. They now live in a trailer. They have paid $200,000 of the $220,000 thus far.

Lose your daughter! Lose your home! A shame. A disgusting shame. The Phillips’ tragedy a clear showing of the poor state of affairs in our legislatures and the courts who enforce the laws they pass.

Looking forward to tonight. Jenna and I are having dinner at L’Atitudes.

Enjoy your day!