Good Friday

He is dead.

Good Friday. The day Christ was crucified.

The Catholic Church notes the crucifixion/death with a three hour service beginning at noon. I assume Catholic Churches world wide will be packed for the three hours. Priests will speak, the laity pray.

I said assume because I have not attended such a service since high school. Shame on me! Attending a Catholic high school meant attendance was mandatory.

It was not my favorite time. The three hours took forever! Being in my teens, my mind was not necessarily where it should have been. I was prone to admire the lovely girl across the aisle.

My ribs hurt like hell yesterday. I was uncomfortable from 3 in the morning till 10 last night. Pain! Kept me on edge. I am waiting for x-ray results. My admonition….Don’t fall!

Obviously, I did not attend bocce last night. No way could I squat or throw the ball. I was not needed. Spoke with Keith this morning. We won all three games. The team is now 20-4. Hard to believe! We are tied for second.

The #1 team has lost only one game. We have not played the #1 team the the team tied with us for second place. Those games will be the moment of truth.

The Key West Library speaker series has turned me on to the Key West Library. There is a book sale saturday at the Library in the Palm Garden next door. Most books will be priced at $1. Some, a $1.50.

Libraries were a part of life when I was young. Computers and the internet did not exist. Through college and law school, it was the same. Much time spent in libraries. Took tons of time to research everything.

The internet is a wonder! A joy! Quick response to an inquiry. All the detail immediately available on screen.

A different day!

I screwed up yesterday. I admonished the Key West Citizen for failing to publish the Citizen’s usual Fools’ Day front page. Keely Brown commented that the April Fool portion of the Citizen was a whole section of the paper. It ran at the end of the usual paper. Following the want ads.

Before I start writing the blog, I first read the Citizen, E-Blast, peruse the New York Times and Washington Post, and three other news sources. Time becomes a priority. I stop reading the Citizen at page two of the Sport Section. Nothing after that is of interest to me. Yesterday was the wrong day to stop.

Thank you Keely Brown for your comment!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

JIMMY BUFFETT RETURNS

I begin with good news and bad news.

The good news concerns Jimmy Buffett. He returns to Key West wednesday evening. He will appear at the San Carlos. The place is booked solid. No room at the inn.

Being Jimmy Buffett, he once again went a step further. He has financed the placement of a big screen on Higgs Beach wednesday night. His concert from San Carlos will be aired live on the beach screen. Free!

The beach will definitely be overloaded.

Buffett’s concert is at 7:30. His daughter is starting the Higgs Beach event at 4:30. A mini Woodstock in the making.

The bad news. The Key West City Commission has under consideration paying retired police and firemen a 13th monthly check. The union has asked for the generosity advising that the pensions of many are under the poverty level. Many are struggling on fixed incomes and most do not have health care.

My response is simple. A big NO!

There are many in Key West living on fixed incomes and do not have health plans. What of them?

The union has a hell of a nerve asking for the extra check. Why didn’t they negotiate more money and a health care plan back when?

Social Security is the sole income for many seniors. Monthly check payments for most are definitely below the poverty level. Will they get a 13th monthly check?

The problem police and fire retirees are experiencing is the same many others are in the United States. Retirees from other occupations included. It is part of the times we live in. Unless part of the 1 percent, we are all in bed together.

It is reported the City Commission is wary of the request and has tabled it for a vote. I am wary of the City Commission. They blow taxpayer dollars on a consistent basis. They spend money like they are the Koch Brothers. The difference being that with the Koch Brothers the money is theirs. With the City Commission, it is not. They are taxpayer dollars as opposed to personal monies.

Pru Sowers has written an excellent article on the request for a 13th monthly payment to police and fire retirees. The article is pure factual reporting. It appears in this morning’s KONK Life E-Blast.

Vehicle traffic is unquestionably a Key West problem. Especially during tourist season. Too many cars for too few and too narrow streets.

Today’s Key West Citizen’s Citizens’ Voice suggests a solution. Limit the number of cars permitted in certain areas of Key West.

Paris began such a system this past week. They have devised a plan used once before. It worked then and is expected to work now. It will cut the number of cars coming into Paris center by 50 percent.

The Paris problem is different from Key West’s. The solution perhaps the same. Paris has an extreme pollution problem. It is now said that Paris is the worst city in the world for air pollution. So bad, that on mist days smog completely envelops the city. The Eiffel Tower cannot be seen.

The Key West City Commission should study the Paris solution. Of course, they probably will only do so after spending $200,000 on a study. And then, they will neither use the study nor provide any solution to the traffic problem.

I spent yesterday writing this week’s KONK Life column. Things We Should Know. Very interesting! An eye opener in many instances. The article publishes wednesday.

Enjoy your day!