CHRISTMAS RADIO SHOW

Part of my blog talk radio show last night was devoted to Christmas. A first time venture.

I enjoyed it. Hopefully the show was well received.

What I did was share some parts of this week’s KONK Life column An American Christmas. From the Puritans to George Washington to the Civil War. Threw in some pagan background. Particularly sources of Christmas things such as the Christmas tree, mistletoe, carols and gift giving.

The KONK Life Christmas column hits the stands tomorrow. It will be linked to my Key West Lou website thursday.

A dermatologist visit yesterday. My head looks like it has been through a meat grinder.

I spent time yesterday fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Did the show at 9. As indicated, part of the show was devoted to Christmas. I followed up the Christmas portion with a discussion of homeless children. Santa Claus will not be visiting most of them.

The greatest nation in the world has just less than three million homeless children. They live/sleep in abandoned cars, in woods, under card board boxes, under bridges, where ever. They go to school unbathe and without breakfast.

Does not speak well for our society. Does not speak well for our governmental leaders who bear the most responsibility.

Today is the anti-gravity treadmill and Christmas shopping. Tonight, probably out with Don.

Note I did not get to Christmas shop monday. Here it is two days before Christmas and there is nothing to put under the tree. Trust me, I will get it all done today. I have no choice.

Syracuse beat Montana State last night 82-60. Syracuse does not have a legitimate tall man. Neither does Montana State. Our tall man was taller than theirs, however. Helped big time.

I could not get the game on TV. It was not where I thought it would be and nowhere else.

I watched the game on the internet. Streaming. The small screen a bit uncomfortable. However, I at least got to watch the game.

On December 22, 1860, Florida officials met in Tallahassee to decide if Florida should secede and join the Confederacy. They did. Key West as a practical matter did not.

There were a number of reasons why Key West remained loyal to the Union. One was that most of the people living in Key West were transplanted New Englanders and Bahamians. Key Westers celebrated the day the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, for example.

Key West became important preventing supplies in reaching the Confederacy. Forty Union warships rested in Key West waters. They captured or sunk 200 Confederate vessels.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

KEY WEST BUSY AND QUIET

I recently mentioned it felt like the season was upon Key West. Yesterday, I was driving into town for a doctor visit. US 1, the Boulevard and Truman were jam packed with vehicles. Traffic moving slowly. Especially on US 1 and Truman.

On the return trip, I decided to use Flagler to avoid the traffic. Surprisingly, Flagler was crowded. More so than when the Boulevard construction was ongoing.

Last night, it was the Chart Room and then Hot Tin Roof.

On the way in, I noticed many people on the streets in the downtown area. Not so in  the Chart Room or Hot Tin Roof. Quiet.

It appears the tourists are here. However, not spending money. A proper observation for me to make. Key West’s lives or dies on tourism business.

I have mentioned the spending situation a couple of times this year. Nothing has changed. The tourists are coming in large numbers. Paying a big dollar at the hotels. Less at the bars and restaurants. They are buying pizzas and beer to dine on in their expensive hotel rooms.

Lynda Frechette! One of Key west’s leading persons! Sweet. Lovable. Caring.

Front page this morning’s Key West Citizen carried a large photo of Lynda and another smaller one of her and friends. Lynda was featured as a “Familiar Face.” Another way of saying an important person. Which Lynda is.

Tonight, tonight…..My blog talk radio show! Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Join me at 9 my time for a fast moving thought provoking half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics tonight include Congress opening the floodgates to foreign investment in U.S. realty, gun buying dramatically on the rise in Germany, Venezuela rejects GMOs entirely, homeless children on the rise in U.S. and England, the black cloud over Jimmy Carter, the Miss Universe debacle, Trump’s use of schlong, and more.

Speaking of schlong, I am not Jewish My understanding however is that the word can be used in several ways. The most obvious as the name of a male’s personal part. It can also be used to describe a loser or someone capable of being beaten. Though I am anti-Trump, I suspect Trump was using the later description of the word.

Never the less, Trump should be more selective in his choice of words. His gutter approach is distasteful. I for one would not want him speaking as he is during the campaign were he elected President.

On last week’s blog talk radio show, I discussed the TPP and its affect on the American shrimp industry. Thailand is a major exporter of shrimp to the U.S. and else where world wide. Cheap to buy. The reason being Thailand uses slave and forced labor. They either pay these people nothing or pennies a day.

Our shrimp industry cannot compete.

Even before TPP takes effect, major U. S. companies have been purchasing Thai shrimp. Like Wal-Mart, Kroeger Wholesale Food, Red Lobster, and Olive Garden. Chicken of the Sea shrimp sold in Safeway and Albertson stores contain Thai shrimp.

TPP is a job loser for the U.S. Our leaders never learn from the past.

On this day in history in 1860, an election was held in Tallahassee to determine if Florida would join the Confederacy. It was so voted. However, Key West did not join the rest of Florida. Key West remained basically loyal to the Union. Fort Zachery Taylor was important to the Union’s cause. Key Wester’s celebrated the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Key West remaining loyal to the Union was caused in significant part by the nature of the people living in Key West. Most were transplanted New Englanders and Bahamians.

Syracuse basketball tonight. Against Montana State. Syracuse a 17 point favorite.

Enjoy your day!

CHRISTMAS CAROLS

‘Tis the season to be jolly…..

My KONK Life column this week is An American Christmas. I went all the way back to Christmas’ beginnings in pagan Rome and traced its development to modern day America.

Christmas in Roman days was not as it is today. It involved all type of debauchery, rapes, killings, etc. An example is caroling.

Today groups dressed go home to home singing Silent Night and the like. In pagan days thousands of years ago, it involved naked people dancing around stone circles. In addition to going house to house. The frivolity included rape and other sexual abuses.

Since I had gotten my column out saturday, yesterday was basically a free day. The one exception was working with Sloan in the morning for an hour. With nothing to do, I did nothing. Laid around in a lazy fashion.

The Miss Universe contest. What a screw up! The winner was Miss Philippine. By mistake, it was announced that it was Miss Columbia. After Miss Columbia had been crowned, the mistake was revealed.

I suspect Miss Columbia will reap benefit from the mistake. Being second in this instance might be more beneficial that having come in first.

Sadness follows Jimmy Carter in his later years. Carter recently disclosed he has a terminal cancer. Last week, his 28 year old grandson Jeremy died.

Key West’s proposed Truman Waterfront Park has taken 15 years to reach the ground breaking ceremony which took place last week. A black cloud seems to hang over the project.

The groundbreaking is an indication things are ready to move forward. The first stages.

The City Commission has a new member. Richard Payne. A retired Florida Judge. An excellent jurist.

Why Payne wanted to get back into politics at the ground level by running for Commissioner, I do not understand. There comes a time to sit back, relax and enjoy.

Payne appears to screw things up. First, he did not appoint the Planning Board member who had served for years. He wanted to appoint his own. Technically, Payne had the power to do so. Not a popular move, however.

Now comes the Truman Waterfront ground breaking. Payne announces that the waterfront would make an excellent place to locate a Key West-Havana ferry service. He was aware there was an agreement with the federal government that donated the land to Key West that use of the water area itself was forbidden.

Payne suggested no problem. He was going to go over the paper work to see if the government was guilty of any breaches.

I can see another 15 years going by before anything further is done with the Truman Waterfront.

Payne should drop the issue. It is not feasible from a time perspective. I am sure other problems will reveal themselves if Payne’s move is continued.

Syracuse/Montana State tomorrow night at 7. The game is televised in Key West on ESP3. ESP3 is Comcast channel 7.

It took me a while to figure out. Hope it is helpful to some.

Enjoy your day!