If Homer wrote the epic poem The Odyssey, he did so almost 3,000 years ago. I write if Homer wrote it because there are those who say he did not. Also the 3,000 years ago not certain. Experts say the poem itself was written by Homer sometime between 1200 and 800 BC. The variable in the centuries because calendars were not kept then.

I have had the Odyssey experience twice in my life. The first time in a one semester college course concerning Homer which covered The Odyssey and The Iliad in detail. A difficult course.

The second time yesterday when I viewed The Odyssey movie at the Tropic Cinema in Key West. The theater garnered some donors and has been able to reopen. A good thing!

So many facts to share. Order a problem. However, you will receive all my thoughts though jumbled they may be on occasion.

The movie was released this summer. Sure to win some Academy Awards. Such does not necessarily mean I enjoyed it. The movie was similar to my college course in that it was tedious. The movie seven minutes short of three hours. Regardless of a Homer epic, no movie should be that long.

Many stars involved. So many that I will only mention two.

The star who played the role of Odysseus was Matt Damon. A terrific job. Difficult. Physical. He will possibly be the Academy Award Winner for Best Actor the next time around. He played the King of Ithaca.

Anne Hathaway played his wife Penelope the Queen. During her husband’s 20 year absence, males galore wished to marry her assuming Odysseus was dead. They wanted Ithaca’s strength and money.

Christopher Nolan the person who took the poem and made it into a movie. He was producer, director and also wrote the movie. His wife Emma Thomas assisted as Producer.

The plot’s focus is on Odysseus trying to find his way home following the Trojan War. He was lost. Between the Trojan War and he trying to get home, he was away from Ithaca for 20 years. Again the movie was not so much about the Trojan War. It can best be described as a sequel to the Trojan War. The many years trip home was everything.

The movie’s box office was an immediate success. It earned $1.77 billon dollars in a few short weeks following its opening.

The movie was not boring. Merely too long. I never dozed. Nor was I sitting on the edge of my seat. Would I recommend it? No, unless you are an historical freak and would not miss it. I finally got to see it because I am an historical freak. Majored in history in college.

Some of my college learned recollections returned because of seeing the film and reading up all these year’s later of things I learned in college. I share some with you.

Homer’s original Odyssey contained 24 chapters. A chapter in Homer’s day and today very different. I have never been able to figure it out. I have learned to express it numerically in words.

Homer’s Greek rendition totaled 120,000 words.

Roughly 121,365 words in the various English translations. Works out to about 560 pages to be read.

Little is known about Homer. Too far back in time. It is thought he was born on the coast of Asia Minor. He is known for his epic poems. The best of course The Odyssey and The Iliad. 

It is strongly believed Homer was blind. In The Odyssey there is the character Demodoka who was a blind poet and close friend to Odysseus. Many of the busts and statues to honor Homer have his eyes left blank. They are without eyes.

So much for Homer and The Odyssey. Exercise your own judgment whether you wish to view it. The decision is six of one and a half dozen of another.

Enjoy your day!

The internet reports sex is up at Cornell and eight other colleges. I view it as representative of society as a whole. Look at the number of politicians being named as having affairs. People in general appear to be enjoying sex more frequently. Why not? It’s generally free and pleasurable.

There is one exception, however. Me! I sit by the telephone waiting for it to ring as the saying goes!

Trump will leave the Presidency economically big. His government continues aiding him. It was announced yesterday that he wants to turn his West Palm Beach  golf course into a new Camp David.

Some question Trump’s mentality. I agree. It has run down, diminished. He speaks stupidly on occasion. Like his comment that Los Angeles and San Diego could be bombed with nuclear weapons. My recollection was he was referring to Iran doing it. Iran cannot yet. It dos not have the capacity to do so. However there are other countries that can reach our West Coast. What Trump has done in effect is invited them to do so if they desire.

His statement lacked wisdom.

France suffering an insurrection. Students involved big time. Thousands have been jailed.

Thomas Jefferson is known for putting out superior and new dishes at his dinner parties. However he is credited for some he served but which had already been introduced in the colonies and early U.S. I refer specifically to ice cream, macaroni and cheese, and waffles which he served at his table but neither invented nor introduced by him to our country.

England has a National Great Vegetables Championship each year. The 2026 event has concluded. It attracted 65,000 visitors. Winners included a 25 foot cucumber plant, a butternut squash, and the largest dandelion root.

South Korea has a new huge shark constantly circling Dusan. It is 11.5 feet long. Government officials have been unable to get it back to open water.

Gen-Z students are fueling a Catholic surge at 60 college campuses.

Trump had a concern re the safety of U.S. military located in the United Kingdom. He has withdrawn long range bombers because of his belief the aircraft faced a lingering threat.

Ukrainian President Zelensky said his country will intensify attacks on oil refineries in Russia, but not homes and condominiums.

Roses blossomed on American soil long before European settlers brought them to the U.S. In 1670, American colonist Daniel Denton wrote of wild roses in the woods and fields of New York.

Who invented the hole in the donut? Some thought a hole was required in the fried dough to make it cook evenly. The first was sea Captain Hansen Gregory in 1847. Dunkin’ Donuts popularized it by selling the stand alone bite-size hole as “Munchkins” in the 1970s.

George Washington was a fantastic dancer. An accomplished ballroom dancer in his teens. He honed his skills as a young officer.

The Supreme Court is back in session.

Bette Davis: “You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation.”

The first Pope to visit the White House was Pope John Paul II. He visited in 1979.

Ansar Sadat was an excellent President of Egypt. I admired him. Unfortunately, he was assassinated in 1981. He was standing in a reviewing stand. Vehicles with guns could be seen approaching him. Ready to shoot. Every one ran or dropped to the ground who were around him. He did not. He stood tall facing his assassinators. Eyeball to eyeball in effect. He was shot and killed.

Each State has a special flavored ice cream. Florida’s is chocolate.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the rose as the Nation’s emblem.

There is a belief that people get their best ideas while showering.

Germany is about to get its first far right statutory Speaker since the Nazi era.

A donor gave $3 billion to Carnegie Mellon, the largest university gift ever. A hell of a lot more than I ever gave to Syracuse University!

A 2024 Stanford University study revealed our bodies die more in certain decades of our lives. The mid 40s and mid 60s.

I slept well last night. Which means longer also. That is why the blog is late this morning. If I continue sleeping better, late will become the normal.

Left eye still blurry. Must see an eye doctor.

My directional lights got screwed up over the weekend. Saw Steve at Shifting Gears Automotive on US 1. A half hour and fixed! Good man!

I did not feel well enough to make The Grand yesterday. Had to skip.

Enjoy your day!

California scientist Dr. Karl Deisseroth learned Monday morning he had won a Nobel Prize for Medicine. His telephone would not stop ringing. Finally he stopped answering it. He had to make school lunches for his children.

Dying on the vine. Fruit to be made into juice which farmers would sell. Left on the vines to die. No market because of the way Trump has handled the economy.

Susan Collins. Supreme Court? Suggested by the Washington Post.

Paxton is presently Texas Attorney General. A Republican. A Trumpee. He is anti-vaccine. He is presently investigating pediatricians for vaccinating children.

The Amish communities in Pennsylvania and Ohio do not vaccinate. They do not believe in it. The spread of measles in their communities is making many rethink their positions.

I am having extreme difficulty with the blog this morning. My eyes blurry. Mistakes galore. Retyping words several times. Took a new pill last ight. Might be the problem. I am going to stop doing the blog. It will take me forever to complete.

Sorry.

Enjoy your day!

Six Nobel Prizes will be announced soon. Peace one of them. Two hundred eighty candidates have been nominated. Two hundred eight human, seventy two organizations.

Trump one of those nominated again. By leaders of Israel, Pakistan and Cambodia. It only takes one person to nominate. 

No way Trump will win. Ever! Trump lacks the talents and qualities to ever be so recognized.

Trump has nominated many federal judges while they are still in their 30s. Too young! A federal district court judge is the most powerful persons in the world. More so than even the President. A few more years experience as a lawyer required before getting the job. Trump has nominated them young so they will spend many more years as  judges. Guarantees these persons who Trump believes may think like him to sit longer on the bench.

Who owns the moon? An interesting question. There is a treaty. Not worth much. The major powers did not sign it. It is the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. Although more than 100 nations signed on, the U.S., Soviet Union and China did not. Ergo, the question of ownership is up in the air for all intent and purposes.

I have mixed emotions about the Cornell sex case. The facts are not clear yet. I will have an opinion when all the facts are clear.

Recall I represented Cornell in their liability cases many years ago. If it was today, I would be knee deep in the case already. 

The people of the United States are suffering economically. Gas, groceries, etc. Iran is also. Perhaps more so. Bombs are falling on them in addition.

No rain yesterday (Sunday). Fortunately! Key West needed a break from the rain. It has already rained this morning. Around 5. Heavy for a short while.

WNBA playoffs continued yesterday. Unfortunately the Indiana Fever has already been eliminated. Caitlan Clark out of the tournament. Indiana lost in a 3 game series against Las Vegas 2-1.

Many believe the best hot foot spa is a bucket of warm water.

The restaurant industry is broken. It is in a state of crisis. The industry claims it is difficult to be profitable. Many are at a severe risk of closing.

Another chaos situation that can be placed at Trump’s doorstep.

There is a measles epidemic in the U.S. Regardless of what Trump and Kennedy Jr. say. The fewer vaccines the problem. Trump and Kennedy forgot the old saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

This year alone through September 11, there were 3,294 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. The numbers don’t lie.

Twenty five percent of Americans have no faith in the vaccine.

George H.W. Bush did not and does not like broccoli. He forbad its service on Air Force One. Bush said, “I am President of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.”

George Washington’s second inaugural address was less than 2 minutes long. Only 135 words. Today the average length of an inaugural address is 2,350 words.

John Quincy Adams had a daily routine that involved early morning nude swims in the Potomac River. He continued the habit into his late 70s.

The Volkswagen Beetle was the first automobile model in history to sell 20 million cars. Its success attributed to Volkswagen’s advertising agency Doyle Dave Bernbech. They came up with “Think Small” in the 1950s and sold tons of Beetles which successfully beat out the U.S.’s “muscle cars.”

Christa Pike “may never recover” from the botched legal injections her lawyer says.

AI claims it can resurrect the dead. I don’t believe it.

The National Guard is appearing outside D.C. schools. Causes tensions to increase. It has occurred two times already.

The Pentagon says it intends to keep the National Guard in D.C. through January 2029.

The National Guard being utilized are being brought from Louisiana.

I do not understand the present need.

A couple of days ago, our area of Key West had a massive total power failure. It lasted about 30 minutes. Since then my microwave does not work. Steve and Cindy’s stove not working either. Corey could not fix my microwave. A new micro and stove obviously needed. 

Enjoy your day!

The Tropic Cinema has reopened. It reopened on October 1.

Hooray!

McDonald’s opened its first facility in San Bernadino, California, in 1940. It was a small drive thru. Today McDonald’s is worth more than $200 billion and has over 40,000 locations in more than 100 countries.

Benjamin Franklin: “Remember that money is of a prolific generating nature. Money can beget money. and its offspring can beget more, and so on.”

The U.S. jobs projected to shrink the fastest over the next 10 years include typists and word processors. Both will drop an estimated 36 percent.

Trump is expected to name a Director of National Intelligence. A new White House czar. Trump is expected to name Jay Clayton.

Two undefeated college football teams met yesterday. Alabama v. Mississippi State. Alabama crucified Mississippi State 56-23.

France is in a fiscal and political crisis. Over 400 French schools closed Friday because of violent school protests.

An Arkansas Naval reservist has made history. He has been digging for 13 years at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. He discovered a 6.03 carat  stone worth over $1 million. His name Jack Pearadin. He is the Mel Fisher of Arkansas.

Syracuse finally won its second game of the season. Defeated Connecticut in overtime 42-41. Took my breath away!

Munich’s Oktoberfest ends today. Beer the beverage of choice at the event. Beer is one of the world’s oldest human produced beverages. The first beer produced was some 13,000 years ago at what is now Israel.

Prohibition killed the beer business. Pabst Brewing Company switched from brewing beer to making cheese.

Janis Joplin: “You can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow.”

Rembrandt died this day in 1669.

Rock ‘n Roll became popular in the 1950s. Fearing the corruption of its youth, Santa Cruz, California, banned rock ‘n roll in 1956.

Cemeteries once had multiple purposes. They were used for picnics and public events also.

Apples a big phone seller! In 2024 and 2025, phone sales accounted for more than half of Apples total revenue.

Gas stations make more money from convenience items than from selling gas.

There are roughly 145,000 gas stations in the U.S.

There is one State where you cannot pour your own gas. It’s New Jersey.

Florida voters are already casting ballots by mail for the midterms. Approximately 100,000 have been cast so far.

Russia beat the U.S. into space. On this day in 1957, Russia shot Sputnik into space. It was the world’s first artificial satellite.

The Brooklyn Dodgers won their first World Series in 1955.

Trump announced he is going to provide a one time $90 payment to 20 million Americans on Medicare. I assume Trump believes $90 will sway votes to the Republicans in the midterm elections. What a fool is he!

The $5,000 payment definitely would have. Ninety dollars is peanuts in today’s economy.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts was vacationing on a Maine island. Some neighbors expressed their feelings about him. Boated by his residence with negative signs. Like “Shame on the Robert’s Court.”

The American people are not stupid.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Alito says he considers each year whether to retire. He should make up his mind AND NOW! Retire! He has  not seen things clearly for years. He is a die hard Republican too far to the right!

Is “naked” that sexy? Women’s clothes worn on the body have become significantly fewer in recent years. I enjoy viewing a somewhat naked lady. No question, a turn on. However, I believe things have gone too far. “Too little” perhaps the better way to describe it.

Enjoy your Sunday!

“Rain rain go away. Come again another day. Little Louis wants to play.”

A child’s rhyme for children. However applies even to adults when the rain keeps pouring for days at a time. As it has been for the last five days. Intersections flooded. Waist deep. Sand bags blocking restaurants like Sloppy Joe’s. I have seen people swimming in some intersections. I would not be surprised to see people in canoes at some Duval intersections beginning tomorrow.

That’s Key West when it rains and rains and rains for several consecutive days.

The U.S. added only 29,000 jobs in September. Less than expected. Unemployment is edging up. The number does not reflect robust economic growth.

Just a reminder how the Iran War began. It was morning and the U.S. bombed a school in Iran. Turned into a massacre. The Shenjareth Tayyebeh School. One hundred fifty six persons killed. One hundred twenty were children, twenty six teachers.

The school became a grave.

The U.N. claims the bombing was a war crime.

It was definitely Trump’s baby.

On this day in 1950, the “Peanuts” comic strip was born. It appeared in only 7 newspapers. Eventually would run in more than 2,600.

In addition to the 3 carriers Trump has ordered to the Middle East, he also ordered 10,000 additional troops. Sounds like a real war in the works.

Trump lies when he speaks of the Kennedy Center. The reason he wants to tear it down is not because the building is “in terrible shape” as he claims. The reason is because the Supreme Court, as well as most Americans, do not want his name on the building.

Thank you Caitlan Clark! You rejuvenated women’s professional basketball. The WNBA posted the best regular season since 2000 in the first year of its new media deal. It averaged 771,000 viewers per game nights. Fifty one evenings topped one million viewers.

In 1940, the average worker in the U.S. earned $1,368 per year. Roughly $25 per week. Sounds poor. Was not. A dollar stretched farther in those days. For example, $1 bought 3 dozen eggs. Also bought 4 pounds of bacon and 10 loaves of bread. 

A dollar buys nothing these days unfortunately. Even before the Iran War.

We have a population problem in the U.S. and worldwide. People are having less children. Primarily because of economic problems. Young people experiencing major problems. Colleges and universities suffering as a result. Some may have to close.

The decline in population is expected to continue to 2041. Why 2041, I do not understand. However that is the projection.

My solution to the problem is simple. People should have more sex resulting in more pregnancies. Otherwise the problems associated with a declining population will increase and get worse.

Florida’s dengue outbreak is now the largest in the continental U.S. in decades. So far 250 cases of mosquito-borne dengue fever have been tallied.

“Bonnie and Clyde” was one of the best movies of the 1960s and one of the best movies ever. Nevertheless the New York Times Chief Movie Critic Crowther knocked the hell out of the film on 3 separate occasions. The Times and Newsweek also panned it. 

The negatives obviously did not hurt.

In 1960, “Science” was one of the world’s leading science publications. Well respected. The publication predicted that on November 13, 2026 “doomsday” would occur. The world would end. The cause overpopulation. People would squeeze themselves to death. Self annihilation.

Interesting, especially in view of what I wrote earlier that the world is experiencing a population problem.

Ergo, worry not.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: “Trump changes his tune on China. Though he says China stole the 2020 election, he proves once again that consistency is not his strongest suit.”

Adolph Hitler was anti-press also. Extremely so.

Thomas Jefferson: “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”

Key West Airport is booming! From January 1 to August 1, 1.1 million passengers. An increase of 8 percent from the same time period the previous year.

Worked out again yesterday. I am committed to being cane free and walking straight in 2-3 months. Hope I do it!

I have not heard rain yet this morning. Hope it has ended. A couple more days of rain and even my Beatle Volkswagen will have floated away.

Enjoy your day!

October is Italian American Heritage Month. There will be many cultural celebrations in the U.S.

My mother was born in Italy. My father in the U.S. whose parents were born in Italy. I am proud to be an Italian-American.

The best hot dog in Florida is purported to be Mel’s Hot Dogs in Tampa. Proprietor former Chicagoan Mel Lone. Mel’s stand took off immediately. A hit many years ago! Mel became known as the Wizard of Wieners. His stand became a store/restaurant. Mel sold his hot dog business in 2023 to three persons. They continue to operate Mel’s Hot Dogs with the same success Mel did.

The credit card was introduced in 1950. The first card was Diner’s Club. Discrimination accompanied it. Women could not get one till 1974.

Trump planning on locating three aircraft carriers in the Middle East. Trump supporting his Iranian War effort. Remember Trump’s claims when he ran for President the last time: No wars and no war with Iran. The man speaks with a forked tongue.

The Reflective Pool case against ex-Olympian Daniel Hearn has been dismissed with “prejudice.” Which means the U.S. cannot prosecute him again.

A possible enemy tomorrow. Especially in the Middle East where no one nation can truly be trusted. I refer to our today friend Saudi Arabia. The Saudis want America’s nuclear trust. They want our help in developing nuclear weapons. We should not do it. I repeat, a friend today can easily be an enemy tomorrow.

Trump and his cohorts continue to blame higher prices on Biden era inflation. What bullshit! The higher prices are clearly the result of Trump’s ill fated and determined Iranian War.

Christa Pike still alive, but in critical condition. If she survives, her sentence should be changed to life in prison. Executions should be barred throughout the U.S.

Florida’s Governor DeSantis holds the record for death warrants this year. He has signed nineteen so far. No other Governor even close.

It’s 5 a.m. I slept poorly again last night. Up working on my blog at the moment. Raining, no pouring. Big time already. This is day 4 or 5 of heavy rain. If it keeps up, Key West will float away!

There is one benefit to the rain. My car is parked on the street. The rain keeps it sparkling clean.

Thurgood Marshall: “Each of you, as an individual, must pick your own goals, Listen to others, but do not become a blind follower.”

Mahatma Gandhi was born this day in 1869.

Rock Hudson died from AIDS related complications this day in 1988. 

Cary Grant is responsible for the chocolate on a pillow on a hotel bed. He had a secret affair at the St. Louis Mayfair Hotel in the 1950s. Left a chocolate on the pillow. The hotel manager noted the romantic gesture and copied it, thereby starting a tradition.

The internet ran a string of the “Biggest News Headline of the Year You Were Born.” I was born in 1935. The headline: “Senate Passes Security Bill.” The Security Bill referred to the Social Security Act. One of the best things Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his Democratic Congress did for the American people. You all understand. So many persons are surviving today because of Social Security.

How things change. Being a “nerd” is a hit today. Especially with adults.

Key West’s weather today: Scattered thunderstorms. Nothing changing yet. I think this is day 5 of an extra big rain. I mentioned earlier, raining heavy already this morning. Out of control rain!

Fausto’s has been a local Key West landmark for generations. It will celebrate its 100th Anniversary October 8-10. In store specials will be provided at each store. Party time!

Kimmel has a new name for Trump: Bunker Boy. The nickname spread rapidly globally. Trump is furious with the new name attributed to him.

Haircut yesterday with Lori. Snuck it in between two major thunderstorms.

Lori will be moving in a few months. She has purchased a store in the strip mall across the street from the Bank of America on Flagler. Good for her!

I have a physical with Nurse Paige at 9. Then she heads to the airport. She and a girl friend are flying to Ireland for a week of sightseeing.

Paige is always flying somewhere. I envy her. I flew the world for business and pleasure for years. Yet I have not been on a plane since 2008. Big Pine has been my furthest destination since 2008, except for my trips to Miami hospitals for major surgeries.

Enjoy your day!

Stupid is me!

I had a full day yesterday. So I was out before 8 in the morning grocery shopping. As luck would have it, it was pouring when I was ready to drive home. I waited like forever for the rain to stop. It did not. So I said screw it and went to my car with the groceries and got soaking wet.

Still pouring when I got home. Sat in the car for a while waiting for it to stop. Didn’t. Got soaking wet again. I was especially concerned with the frozen foods and ice cream.

Everything so far I would not describe as stupid. What follows was. I turned on the car lights driving home because of the rain. I forgot to turn them off after I got home. In my hurry to get into the house, I did not think abut the car lights.

Around noon the thought occurred that I had forgotten to turn the car lights off. I said no way to myself. I am not that stupid!

I was. Steve called me around 8 in the evening that my car lights were on. I went out. They were. But the battery was next to dead and would not turn over.

Finally got Corey and he and Robert came over around 9. Corey had jump cables. He got the battery to turn over. I then drove the car up and down U.S. 1 a couple of times to charge the battery further.

Stupid I had been! 

Almost every day for the past two months, the media reported Hegseth had screwed up again and was going to be fired. He still has not. Stupid likes stupid. Trump likes Hegseth.

Hegseth in a new fiery speech called for a new military base. One focused on religion and next generation weapons. He is as sick as his boss Donald.

There was a botched execution in Tennessee. A woman failed her execution. Her name Christa Pike. She received two shots of whatever was supposed to kill her. She would not die. Ended up sleeping and snoring. 

She had bad veins. She had asked to be shot by a firing squad because of the problem. What she did think might occur, did occur. She is presently hospitalized. The State is not sure what to do with her. Might try to execute her again today.

Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer is outstanding from my perspective. I am a retired trial attorney. I know what I am talking about. The woman admitted killing her 3 children. She was not found guilty. The trial resulted in an 11-1 hung jury.

It is questionable whether she will be retried.

In the meantime her attorney Kevin Reddington says the proof at the trial failed to prove she had committed a crime. He has asked the court to throw out the case against her. The man has talent!

Forget not that even though she admitted her guilt, the attorney representing her had a responsibility to do the best for her. To make the State prove they had a “legal case” against her. Every person charged is entitled to a lawyer and a fair trial. The attorney defending has the responsibility to see that such is received under the law. As I told people many times while I was practicing, a clergy man does not turn away a person who is too much a sinner, a doctor similarly does not turn away someone too sick. A lawyer’s responsibility is similar.

Pennsylvania announced its fifth measle death. The State’s total cases to date number 943.

Alaska has a Fat Bear Week. Just concluded. “Backpack” won. He received over 100,000 votes.

The world’s best employers have been announced. The top two in order: Microsoft and Delta Airlines.

Julie Andrews was born this day in 1935.

Walt Disney World opened this day in 1971.

The Post Office processes 3,684 pieces of mail per second.

Sears opened its first store in 1925. Sears operated 3,500 stores at its peak.

A big rain day again. It has already been pouring for about an hour.

I hope it stops at some point. I have a haircut appointment with Lori at noon. I’ll remember to turn my car lights off this time if it still is.

Enjoy your day!

I live and learn. Even at 91. 

I have been having difficulty sleeping. Monday night not one minute. The night before slept only 3 hours. 

I was complaining at the bar at The Grand last night about my sleeping problem. Cindy and Matt heard me and I heard from both at the same time “It’s the moon!” A statement I had never heard before. 

Did some research when I got home. Learned that the claim that people tend to sleep less and take longer to fall asleep in the days leading up to a full moon appears to be widely accepted. 

I shall pay attention to see if the moon is the problem causing my inability to sleep. I don’t think so because I go so many nights unable to sleep. 

The Reader’s Digest does the “Nicest Places in America.” The year 2026 is the tenth year it has done so. This year’s top spot is Liverpool, New York, a Syracuse suburb. Interesting!

When I was in law school at Syracuse University, I worked as a milk man early mornings before going to classes. I worked for Marble Farm Dairies. One place I delivered milk to homes in Liverpool. It was 67 years ago. I was 24 years old at the time. Liverpool was a nice small community back then also.

Yesterday was a bad day for bonds and stocks. Sales of each fell dramatically. Reflected one thing for sure. American consumer confidence plummeted!

The best smelling city in America this year is Boston.

Ted Williams served two times in the military. World War II and the Korean War. He returned to baseball after each. . He was a combat pilot.  Served as an instructor in World War II. Actually as a combat pilot during the Korean War where he flew 40 missions. He flew as  wingman to John Glenn during the Korean War.

His war participations caused him to miss 5 baseball seasons. 

An excellent baseball player. An excellent pilot.

A cataract refers to a medical condition in which the lens of the eyes become progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision. A lesser known definition refers to a large waterfall. A sudden rush of water, a downpour.

Another word having dual meanings is rhubarb. Its primary definition refers to the thick leaf stalks on a cultivated plant of the stock family, which are reddish green and eaten as a fruit after cooking. Its lesser known definition refers to a heated dispute.

John D. Rockefeller was the world’s first billionaire. He became so in 1916. He said: “The secret to success is to do the common things uncommonly well.”

The first American woman to climb Mount Everest was Stacy Allison. She completed the climb this day in 1988.

An 11 year old girl is a child chess prodigy. Her name Balhana Sivananden. She has earned the title of “Grandmaster.”

The nor’easter proved strange in Surf City, New Jersey on Saturday. A shark was spotted swimming in one of its streets. A biggie.

A “Sound of Music” opened where it all started on September 20th sixty years ago in Salzburg, Austria. Julie Andrews sang atop the hills and the world fell in love with “The Sound of Music.” A museum under that name has now opened in Salzburg.

Interesting. Sea otters hold hands while sleeping. Not as a sign of affection. They do so for two reasons. It helps them from losing track of each other and it deters potential predators.

The Trump administration is back talking about reducing fuel efficiency standards in automobiles. They claim it will reduce the price of a new car $1,300. I believe it not. Another lie. However even if it does, the impact is slight. The cost of new cars so high that the impact would be minimal.

Gas prices pushing $5 in Key West. Not there yet. I am confident it will make and exceed $5 at some point.

Alaska is already $5. And more. One gallon costs $26 in the remote of road villages where the gasoline has to be flown in.

Gene Autry was born this day in 1907 in Texas. As a young boy, I went to the movies every Saturday afternoon. All us kids did. It cost all of 2 or 3 cents. 

There were two cowboy heroes at the time. Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Every young person attached to one of those as their hero. Mine was Gene Autry!

The Chinese are requiring 9th graders to read “Jane Eyre.” They believe it shows independence and equality between women and men.

Yesterday The Grand for Happy Hour. Enjoyed it. However was sleepy sleepy. Recall no sleep the night before.

It rained heavy several times yesterday. Many intersections are flooded big time.

I slept 5 hours last night. I’ll take it! Better than nothing.

Enjoy your day!

An example of friendship between China and the U.S. occurred yesterday. Two giant pandas arrived in Atlanta. Gifts from China. They are on loan for ten years and will spend the ten years at Zoo Atlanta. 

Their names are Ping Ping and Fu Shuang. They flew to Atlanta on a Fed Ex 777 dubbed the “Panda Express.” 

Xi called the loan an example of “friendship between the Chinese and Americans.”

The nor’easter struck New York, Long Island, Boston , and other parts of the northeast. Bad, but not as bad as anticipated.

It even reached Central New York State and my home town of Utica. A glancing blow. Heavy showers and a dense fog.

A major fashion week ends today in Milan, Italy. Known as the Milano Fashion Week. It is held semi-annually. Part of the Top Four International Fashion Shows world wide. The other three are New York, London and Paris. 

I have visited Milan many times. One of my favorite places. Liked it even more than Rome. People and places top shelf.

It is probably the people that make it so special. Regardless of sex, all dressed to the T. Never saw so many persons dressed so well. Elegantly, whether day or night.

Spectacular places also. Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. A huge painting da Vinici did on a concrete wall in the cellar of what is now a Church above. In another area a large Cathedral, the Duomo di Milano. Not as sharp as Rome’s St. Peter’s. Nevertheless, magnificent! Then the buildings surrounding Milan’s key square. One from which Mussolini announced war on the United States. Clothing stores to blow you out. Restaurants the best.

I cannot speak to the hotels. I was fortunate to visit Milan each time with my friend Anna. She had a home in a Milan suburb where we stayed.

Mickey Mantle hit 536 home runs. He was a “switch hitter.”

We write English from left to right. Most languages are written thusly. Italian included.

Leonardo da Vinci was Italian. Yet he wrote from right to left.

Writing from right to left is known as “mirror writing.” Some believe da Vinci wrote right to left to make it more difficult for people to read his notes and steal his ideas.

The internet listed the five greatest years to be alive. The place and time when exciting things were happening. Athens, Greece one of the top five places. The year 432 BCE. The year one when Athens was at the height of its cultural and political power. The Parthenon was completed, Propylaea was under construction, the City was teeming with wealth and ambition. Sophocles and Euripides were producing tragedies. Socrates was engaging in debate. Athens had a thriving comic theater. 

The citizens of Athens were an active people. The men only, however. Women were second class citizens. It was a golden age for male citizens. 

Some things are hard to believe. Like McDonald’s is the world’s largest toy distributor. It has to do with Happy Meal. McDonald’s provides toys with Happy Meals. The toys total 15 billion worldwide each year. More than Hasbro and Mattel.

Miles Davis: “Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.”

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928.

Ted William is the last Major Baseball League player to end the batting season over .400. The year 1941. 

Maine is the State with the largest elderly population.

Trump is doing well. He was booed at the Tennessee/Texas football game. Texas a Republican state.

Thomas Jefferson was selected to be the author of the Declaration of Independence because of his reputation as a writer.

Samuel Morse invented the telegraph. He exhibited it on May 24, 1844. His first message was a Biblical one: “What had God wrought.”

One of the hydrogen bomb inventors was Edward Teller. He was obsessed with the development of the bomb of all bombs. On October 31, 1952 a secret test of the hydrogen bomb was underway in the Marshall Islands. Teller waited its results on a seismograph in a basement at the University of California. When noting how well the test had resulted, he announced the arrival of the most powerful weapon created by human hands by sending out the message: “It’s a boy.”

Homer is credited with being the legendary author of the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey.” Was Homer a real person? Questionable. The truth is we will never know.

A bird was trained to be a Cold War spy. The raven. The raven was trained to drop bugging devices on window sills.

A bad night sleep wise. I woke at 1 and could not get back to sleep. Today will be like digging ditches.

Enjoy your day!