GIVE ME A BREAK!

Posted on by

I am a political freak. No question about it. I love politics!

Not all aspects, however.

Hillary announced yesterday. Several Republicans announced before her. Rubio announces today.

Hillary’s announcement was 575 days before the election. A year and a half. For that period of time, you and I are going to be bombarded with political reporting, bickering, polls, etc. Most, if not all, of little value till September 2016.

As the campaign progresses, I will feel like I am getting beat up. The same thing day in and day out.

575 days are not required to let us know what which each candidate stands for. I do not want to live with Hillary or any other politician for 575 days!

My solution is twofold: Public financing and strict time limits for Presidential elections. Such will remove the big dollars of corporations and the rich thereby guaranteeing the people will be heard. Time wise, elections should be no more than 2-3 months. Start September 1, for example.

I may write re this issue in a future KONK column. I need to do some research first. I suspect it has been tried elsewhere.

Spent a good chunk of yesterday writing this week’s KONK Life column. Iceland Jails Bankers, etc. Interesting. Iceland’s successful battle against greedy banks yesterday and today.

I was able to get out later in the afternoon. Took my tablet and went over to Salute’s. Sat outside in the shade and continued reading Elizabeth Warren’s A Fighting Chance. With an occasional peek at the bikini clad ladies, of course.

Tonight should be interesting. I am going to my first ACLU meeting. Not to join. To listen. At the Florida Key’s annual Town Hall Meeting.

I decided to go when I saw the program is chaired by my friend Michael Shields. An excellent writer. A liberal at heart.

Two items on the agenda. Police policy in Paradise. The other, treatment of minorities and the disadvantaged. Should be interesting. More interesting for me. My first formal town hall meeting.

Terri White sings for Key West tuesday night. At the Waterfront. Try to attend. You will never hear better.

The bocce rankings came out yesterday. We fell from 2nd to a tie for 3rd. Not bad considering we lost 3 games thursday night. This thursday, we play the team tied with us for 3rd place. Nothing easy at this stage of the season!

Enjoy your day!

 

CONTEMPORARIES

Posted on by

Happy Sunday!

I watched the Masters’ opening drives Thursday. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. They looked a bit aged. Palmer and Nicklaus definitely. Player could pass for a younger man. Palmer is 85. Nicklaus, 75. Player, 79.

It dawned on me! They are my contemporaries! I literally grew up with them. From early adulthood on. I am 79.

For the first time, I realized how I look. When it is your own face in the mirror and one you have seen daily for years, the aging process appears slow. It does not hit you as dramatically as it did watching the three golf greats. I do not look as young as I thought!

My day was spent doing further reasearch on this week’s KONK Life column. I will write it today. It concerns Iceland and Iceland’s treatment of bankers following 2008. Iceland did not let bankers push them around. Iceland went for the jugular.

My first stop last night was Louie’s Backyard. It had been quite a while since I was last there. The deck bar is one of Key West’s most beautiful locations.

I met Dan and Mitzie. They have been together five years. Dan has spent time in the keys about as long as I have. He is a retired Michigan marine owner.

We talked of many things. Especially, aging. We have comparable experiences. Like forgetting. The discussion was ultra humorous. I wish it could have been recorded.

Then it was to Tavern ‘n Town for dinner. The season is definitely over! The bar empty. I enjoyed some good food and Bobby Nesbitt. Judy was her usual lovely self.

I was supposed to have dinner with Donna and Terri. They backed out at the last moment.

Walgreens in the news! Walgreens plans to close 200 stores this year. Not sure where yet. Walgreens recently merged with a European drug retailer.

Walgreens is the largest U.S. drug chain. Were you aware? I was not.

Tom Cotton in  the news again. He is on a roll since his Iran letter. He was on a TV talk show yesterday. One of his brilliant comments was to the effect we should bomb Iran now and destroy its nuclear danger once and for all. He failed to see value in the negotiation process.

Cotton is 37. He speaks like a 20 year old. He worries me. Especially since he is being groomed as Presidential timber.

I am reading Elizabeth Warren’s most recent book. A Fighting Chance. I am about two-thirds through it. Great reading!

Warren is one smart woman. Comes from a humble background. Never intended to be where she is. Her efforts over the years and her ability to get things done continue to be recognized. No question in my mind, she will be a serious candidate after Hillary is done.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

 

BOB AND SUSAN

Posted on by

My base of those I call friends has expanded greatly because of this blog. Many e-mail me from all points of the world. They share with me their joys and sadnesses. I learn of their children and parents. They offer comments and political observations to what I may have written the day before.

The friendships are genuine. Though we rarely meet face to face.

One of my blog friends is Bob Saraceno from the Buffalo area. He reads me daily, e-mails every couple of months.

Bob is in Key West this week. We made arrangements to meet last night at the Chart Room. The evening turned out to be one of the most pleasant I have experienced.

Bob is here with Susan. They are a couple. They have purchased a home in Fort Myers. Key West will be their vacation spot. It is a mere four hour ferry boat ride away.

No question, I am a liberal at heart. Bob, a conservative. Our respective political leanings have never affected our relationship.

The three of us talked about everything. We were together quite a while. At least three hours.

Bob is Sicilian. I am not. My people are from the Naples area. I told him I was fearful of Sicilians. They had a reputation of cutting throats in the middle of the night. I also offered that my mother in law was Sicilian and we never got along. I attributed it to her Sicilian ways.

We drank a little too much. Laughed more. Had a great time!

They asked for a place to dine tonight. I suggested the Hot Tin Roof. I am having dinner there tonight with Donna and Terri and will probably run into them.

Key West has a reputation of being a drinking town. It is. Tourists, especially. Many indulge a bit too much. Something bad occasionally occurs as a result.

The word on the street last night was that someone had dived into the water at the Hyatt, struck his head, and could not feel from the neck down. Terrible. Potential for a serious injury. As bad as a paraplegic or quadriplegic.

The morning paper ran the story. It was not the Hyatt. It occurred at the Galleon. The Galleon’s Tiki Bar.

A 40 year old tourist dove off the pier at the Galleon. Normally shallow, it was even more shallow at the time. The tide was out. The water only three feet deep. Hard rock at the bottom.

A tragedy.

It is not easy to dive into the ocean off the Galleon deck. There is a thick rope fence/barrier. Formidable.

An article in this morning’s Key West Citizen projects an easy hurricane season ahead.  Minimal. The report worries me. I would rather it was predicted that a bad hurricane season was ahead and nothing happened.

Key West got hit bad by hurricanes for a number of years. The last big one was Wilma in 2005.

My recollection is Wilma was only a #1. It was the water that followed. Like a tsunami. About an hour after the wind departed, the water arrived. There was no warning. The water height 6-7 feet. Lisa ended up with  6 1/2 feet of water in her home. Larry and Christine were sitting on their back porch chatting about how lucky they were that there was no damage to their home. Larry says all of a sudden the water started trickling in and within seconds was one foot deep and on its way up.

I learned something from reading the article. Key West and Pensacola are the two most hurricane prone areas in Florida. One end of the State to the other. Key West to the extreme south. Pensacola is part of the Panhandle. An area to the extreme northwest of Florida.

Enjoy your day!

BARE ASS IN THE POOL

Posted on by

Nudity once again in the news. A 47 year old man went swimming in Dante’s Pool bare ass yesterday afternoon. Initially, funny. Not really, however. Half the people in the pool many times are children.

The individual was arrested. Properly so.

Nudity has its place in Key West. Private homes and private guest houses where permitted and out of sight of children. Not in one of the largest public pools in Key West!

Tourists are leaving Key West faster than I thought they would. I noticed half of those here last week gone. Makes walking and driving safer and easier.

My day was simple yesterday. Started with a haircut with Lori. Always pleasurable. Lori is good company. She has been doing my hair some 15 years. We have become friends.

Did some shopping at Publix afterwards.

Then home for what I assumed was to be rest before bocce. For whatever reason, my body became wracked with pain. Bones. The discomfort disappeared around 10. No way could I have played bocce. Did not even go.

Keith reports we lost all three games. We #2 ranked lost to #1 ranked.

I knew it would be close. If we won one game, we would have been happy. The scores were 16-12, 16-13 and 16-15. Not bad. Competitive. Not enough, however.

The #1 team is exceptionally good. Perfection. There is a big difference in this instance between #1 and #2. We were playing a team a step above.

Donna and Terri are in town! We are having dinner together tomorrow night.

The Citizens’ Voice had an interesting comment yesterday….. Old men send young men to war…..let those who vote for war be sure their children and grandchildren get to fight in that war. The best was it is “…..easy to fight a war with other people’s kids.”

I have been talking about ticket quotas and the evil of the system for three years. The Florida Senate last week passed what is known as the Waldo Bill. It would be illegal to have quotas.

The evil of quotas is not the giving of an improper ticket alone. The revenue from the fines generally goes to support the judges’ salaries and costs of operating the court system. Speaks for itself!

Harry Truman again! On this day in 1950, Truman left Key West after having spent a month vacationing here. Presidential vacations are working ones. Still better to work in the informal and relaxing atmosphere of Key West rather than Washington. Truman obviously thought so.

Today would have been my father’s 101st birthday. Happy birthday, Dad!

He did not do bad, however. Made it to 98. We should all be so blessed!

This week’s KONK Life column Money Corrupts is available also on my Key West Lou blog page. keywestlou.com.

Only one way to say what I am going to say. It takes balls! I saw advertised on television yesterday Monsanto’s pesticide Roundup. I could not believe it. Several countries have outlawed the pesticide as carcinogenic. Last week the World Health Organization said beware, possibly carcinogenic. The problem is the U.S. government loves Monsanto and supports Monsanto’s endeavors. A disgrace.

Enjoy your day!

KEY WEST BORDELLO HISTORY

Posted on by

Key West was a different island 50-70 years ago. In many ways. One was the existence of bordellos. Houses of pleasure. A place where a small fee paid brought lots of pleasure. Customer friendly operations.

Bordellos as such no longer exist in Key West. Today similar services may be available in a gentleman’s club. More expensive however before the evening is over. Less friendly. Money  and not the  customer’s pleasure key.

I tripped onto a bit of Key West’s bordello history via this morning’s Key West Citizen’s History section. Mention was made that on this day in 1953, Mom’s Tea Room was closed. Mom’s Tea Room was a house of ill repute on Stock Island. Local authorities closed Mom’s because of Navy pressure. Back then the Navy had a huge base in Key West and exerted significant influence.

My curiosity was triggered by the mention of Mom’s in the Citizen. I did a bit of searching re houses of ill repute in the Key West area. There is not much recorded.

I discovered that a Rose Rabin apparently was the proprietor of such an establishment. I am not sure she was connected to Mom’s. I suspect she was.

Rose did run a bordello on Truman Avenue before World War II. The Navy forced her out. She opened up again on Stock Island. The Navy forced her out from there.

Rose was back in Key West after the war running a place called the Imperial Club. In a two year time frame, Rose opened and closed the place two times. The Navy forcing her to close each time.

Anyone for tea?

Yesterday was the first day of a process I believe will be good for me. Because of falling frequently in recent weeks, Dr. Lefferts referred me to physiotherapy. Body Owners on Stock Island. I was impressed.

I was there for evaluation. Took most of the hour. Inquiring questions. Concern for my problem.

Heather Smith evaluated me. Turned out, she owns Body Owners. A pleasant professional personality.

Body Owners has a tread mill which will be part of my treatment. A different tread mill! It is anti-gravity. Exercise without pain. The tread mill is a bit monstrous. You are put into a bag, for want of a better description, which is tightly bound around your waist. An air chamber inflates and it appears the wind lifts the person up. The exercise is the same. Pain and tiredness at the moment, not.

I did 15 minutes. Big for me! Felt great during and immediately thereafter. When I got home, it was another story. I was exhausted! Took a two hour nap. Slept well last night. Probably because of the 15 minutes on the machine.

Heather is a nice name. Reminded me of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. A great love novel. True to form, I could not remember the name of the book. I did when I returned home and e-mailed the information to Heather.

Heather’s name significant because the book frequently speaks of the heather on the hill. A place where the lovers met.

My evening was pleasurable. Started at Don’s Place with Don, David, Stan, Clare and Grant. Bocce the key item of discussion. Big match tonight. We are ranked #2. We play #1. A tough evening ahead!

Don and I left. Later had dinner together at the outside bar at La Te Da. Tonto bartending. Debra and Patrick gone.

I have more to share. However not the time. I slept late (blame the tread mill) and have to hustle. A hair appointment with Lori.

Enjoy your day!

MONEY CORRUPTS

Posted on by
We live is a present day society where big business/corporate America controls. No longer are we a government of the people, by the people, for the people. We have been transformed into a government by the rich, for the rich.
How did we get into this situation? What has caused power to be shifted to the rich?
The answer is three-fold. It begins with the Federalist Society, moves then to Citizens United, and ends with New Jersey’s Senator Menendez.
I attended law school in the late 1950s. We were taught that the Constitution was a wondrous document because it accommodated itself to the times. It was pliable enough to meet current day needs and problems. Without altering the Constitution’s written words.
A group of conservative Republicans recognized that change had to take place. The Supreme Court’s interpretations were liberal from their perspective. Conservatism had a limited place in decisions.
The time, 1982. A group of unknown conservatives came together whose purpose was to change Supreme Court rulings. These men were backed by corporate America and the rich who felt they were not getting a square deal.
They were unknown in 1982. Today, they are recognized as giants in the conservative movement. Men such as Edwin Meese, Robert Bork, and Steven Calabresi. Soon thereafter to be joined by conservative stalwarts such as Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, John Ashcroft, Orrin Hatch, and Kenneth Starr.
The movement began at three high-ranking law schools. Harvard, Yale and Chicago. Antonin Scalia was one of the original faculty advisers when the Federalist Society was being formed.
The Federalist Society was a group of conservatives and libertarians who sought to reform the American legal system. It was to be done by interpreting the Constitution differently than it had for over 200 years. Interpretation was to be a textualist/originalists one.
States rights were to receive precedence over national rights. Since the end of the Civil War, the Constitution had been interpreted as giving power to the federal government as opposed to the states. The Federalist Society advocated moving power to the States. By doing so, conservative views would come to the forefront in cases involving the Second Amendment, campaign finance regulation, state sovereignty, and commerce clause issues.
In some 20 years, the Federalist Society has accomplished its goals. It did so by first encouraging law students to become members and think as Federalists. Then by moving Federalists up the political and government ladders rapidly.
The Federalist Society has changed the brand of the Supreme Court to conservative. It has enabled corporations and the rich to control Congress and influence the Court. It has encouraged the means whereby corporations and the rich can contribute millions of dollars to a campaign.
Money has become the influence in all chambers of government. No longer is it right over might.
During the time the Federalist Society was growing in influence and power, the Supreme Court evolved into a conservative body. The ratio generally being 5-4.
The Supreme Court decided Citizens United v. FEC in 2010. A revolutionary decision. The Court ruled corporations were people and that laws should not be passed limiting their right to make contributions. The Court reasoned that everyone had a right to free speech. Just because corporations had more money was no reason to inhibit their right to participate in the democratic process via financial giving.
Citizens United involved political expenditures by non profit corporations. It subsequently was extended to include for profit corporations, labor unions, and other associations.
Interestingly, the case involved a video critical of Hillary Clinton.
The Court in Citizens United felt limitations on corporate contributions banned free speech. That corporations and organizations had the right to use their treasury funds for advocacy purposes.
The Court was of the opinion that such contributions would not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption. What a joke! The Court was effectively saying that multi million dollar contributions by one corporation or rich person would not influence the decision of the person receiving it. Respectfully, a crock! Human nature unfortunately does not work that way. Money talks!
The 2012 Presidential race began the expose of the folly of the Court’s thinking. Newt Gingrich had a friend/supporter in Sheldon Adelson. The same Sheldon Adelson I mentioned in my Tom Cotton article two weeks ago. Adelson contributed $15 million to Gingrich’s primary race. Wyoming financier Foster Fries donated just under $2 million to former Senator Santorum’s Super PACs.
Neither Gingrich nor Santorum would have been able to stay in the primary race as long as they did without such big dollar support.
Senator Mitch McConnell is Majority Leader in the Senate. In 2010 when he was Minority leader, he said that Citizens United struck a blow for the First Amendment. I thought the decision struck a blow against the First Amendment. McConnell is almost as old as I am. I do not know what law school he went to. Apparently one that taught the rich should have power over the poor.
Citizens United immediately increased the number of Washington lobbyists. They are the people who tell Congress persons how to vote and draft legislation. .
Many said at the time of the Citizens United decision that it opened the door to political bribery and corruption in future elections.
One of the few Republicans who saw through the smoke was John McCain. He said he was disappointed by the decision which lifted limits on corporate and union contributions. He further indicated that over time there would be a severe backlash to the decision.
Permit me to portray the evil which can develop. A lobbyist suggests to a Congressman that if he votes wrong, corporations and the rich will spend unlimited amounts in the next election to beat that Congressman.
Another major evil of Citizens United is the secrecy involved with donations. Money goes through two sets of hands before it is put to use on behalf of a candidate. It is in a sense legitimate money laundering. Voters never get to know who donated what and in how much to a candidate.
Now comes Senator Robert Menendez. A Democrat who has represented the State of New Jersey since 2006. A man of influence. He chaired the Foreign Relations Committee for two years.
Menendez ran for reelection in 2012. He won.
Menendez had a doctor friend in Florida. Let me put It another way, the Senator claims the doctor was his friend. The doctor was under investigation for $9 million of Medicare over billings. He contributed $600,000 to Menendez’s campaign through a PAC. In addition, the doctor provided Menendez with a private jet for the Senator’s world wide trips and paid for his vacations at island getaways.
Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges on April 1, 2015. The doctor was also indicted.
Menendez claims he was only doing favors for a friend, that the $600 thousand, private jets, and island vacations did not influence him.
I am compelled to return to the Citizens United decision. Therein the Court said that bought influence and paid for access were not corruption standing alone. The Court’s words, not mine.
What do you think?
A final observation. Citizens United is going to be with us for at least 20 years. Subsequent decisions may eat away at it. None will totally eliminate the decision. A liberal court is needed to overcome Citizens United. That means a Democratic President till the turnabout takes place. I suspect a Democratic President will be required in 2016. Otherwise, complain not when it hits you that our government has slid into the hands of corporations and the rich.
The government claims Menendez exerted influence on behalf of the doctor re the $9 million of Medicare over billings at the time the $600 thousand in contributions were made. It is claimed also the doctor had girl friends in other countries and that he leaned on Menendez to help him obtain visas for them.
One has to be blind not to see the error in the Citizen United decision. The basic freedom to select your elected representatives is at stake. Not a Republican or Democratic thing. A basic American one.

 

MONT LA PIANA

Posted on by

The Alps. The tallest mountain range in Europe. I was fortunate on recent European trips to see and enjoy Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc is part of the Alps. It is the tallest mountain in Europe. Part of Mont Blanc sits in northern Italy.

I have visited Courmayeur often. Courmayeur is a little town half way up Mont Blanc. The homes are Swiss chalets. The people welcoming.

My friend Anna spent Easter weekend on Mont La Piana. Mont La Piana is relatively small. A little more than a mile high. Part of the Alps, it sits next to Mont Rosa. Mont Rosa is the second highest peak in the Alps.

Anna’s son Antonio has a second home on the top of Mont La Piana. Anna was the guest of her son Antonio and his wife Miriam. Antonio and I are good friends. I love his wife Miriam. Three years ago, I was in Novara on my birthday. Miriam is a chef by profession. She cooked a birthday meal for me. Outstanding! Dom Perigon included.

Miriam is a Moroccan. She is 21st century New York City! Miriam told me Morocco is not like the rest of the Muslim world. The women are respected, dress today (mini skirts), drive, etc.

It is impossible to drive to the top of Mont La Piana where Antonio’s chalet is located. You park the car at the base and take a cable car to the top. It is winter there. Pics were sent me. Snow everywhere. Covering the Swiss chalets half way to their roofs.

I wish every one could see the Alps up close. Awesome! Magnificent!

My tuesday nights are devoted to my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Ergo, I do not leave home on tuesday nights. I am able to do the show from my home. Tuesday by day is stay at home, also. I am busy with final preparations for the show.

Last night’s show was special. I covered Duke/Wisconsin, how money corrupts politicians, California water and Nestles, South Carolina and Chicago police killings of blacks, and Iceland.

Post show comments indicate the police shootings hit a tender chord.

I had intended to solely speak of the 14 year old Chicago boy killed and the strange conflicting police reports which followed. I was watching the news on TV about an hour before my show. The South Carolina shooting was being reported.

By this time you are familiar with that shooting. All the networks are carrying the story. The police officer involved has been arrested and charged with murder. A video is involved. Follow the story, as well as that of the 14 year old Chicago boy. Eye openers!

A police story appeared on the front page of the Key West Citizen this morning. Involved a 2011 incident. The officer tasered a man who fell striking his head. He suffered brain damage. To this day, he lies motionless in a hospital bed.

The Key West story is one to follow, also. It appears the police officer was innocent of wrongdoing and the individual suffered a stroke of bad luck. Further investigation may prove otherwise.

Whatever, there are too many police brutality happenings these days. When will they stop? How will they stop?

On April 8, 1928, Ernest Hemingway and his wife Pauline landed in Key West via a steam ship from Havana. Hemingway intended to stay only a few days. He stayed ten years. Good for him and good for Key West!

Enjoy your day!

GREAT BASKETBALL

Posted on by

It cannot be denied. Last night was great basketball! Both teams should be proud. Unfortunately, both teams could not win.

From my perspective, the game was won by Duke in the last 5 minutes and won because of coaching. Krzyzewski slowed his team down. They held onto the ball and did not attempt a shot till there was only 7-8 seconds left on the shot clock. Duke only had a 3 point lead when they started playing in this fashion. Turned out it was the thing to do. Duke won by 5 points.

One negative re the game. Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan’s interview comments following the game. He was hurt. Dejected. Two years in a row he had been to the final game and lost.

Ryan’s bitterness showed in his comments re the refereeing. He thought not enough nor proper foul calls were made when his guys were being pushed around.

I did not see it, could not agree. Yes, it was  a hard fought game. Neither team had a referee calling advantage or anything else, however.

Bo Ryan is a great coach. He will be back. He probably regrets his comments this morning.

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

Topics include California’s water problem and Nestles, another police shooting full of apparent lies by the police officers involved, a Monsanto employee inadvertently revealing Monsanto has a whole department dedicated to destroying anything and anyone who speaks out against Monsanto, Iceland’s dramatic success in handling banks, and more.

Sloppy Joe’s. Began at the present location of Captain Tony’s on Greene Street, then moved to its present location on Duval. The Key West Citizen’s This Date in History section indicates the move occurred on this date in 1935. I think the date is wrong. It was May 5, 1937.

Whatever, it is easy to make a mistake re historical facts. I know.

The weather has been outstanding and will continue to be so the rest of this week. Mid 80s. Still not humid.

I fell two weeks ago and injured my left hip. Would you believe, it still hurts! I could not lie in bed for 10 days. Had to sleep in  a recliner chair. Not the best, but better than the bed. The last 3 nights I have slept in bed. Only half the night. The pain moves me back to the recliner chair.

The hip was x-rayed. No fracture.

Interesting is the bruising. Note, I am on a blood thinner. The bruising began two days after the fall. It is an expanding bruise. It now covers my entire left hip and buttock. Has moved along my lumbar back and appears on the right buttock. The bruise also runs down the side of my left leg and then moves around behind the left knee. Every place a deep purple.

I have never seen such bruising on my body before. Though I have seen it. My father fell a lot and had similar bruises. No question, I am my father’s son.

Buffalo’s Bob Saraceno arrives today. A loyal Key West Lou fan. We are scheduled to meet friday night at the Chart Room.

Enjoy your day!

365 DAYS TILL EASTER

Posted on by

Another holiday behind us.

Holidays are good for the soul, bad for the body. Too much eating. I blew my diet, of course. I had planned on it. Amazing how good everything tasted!

I arrived at Lisa’s at the prescribed time. Nine. The egg hunt was over. Robert and Ally could not wait. They were into it at 7:30.

Lisa hides Easter goodies in the yard. Jake participated in the search. He found three items. Fortunately, none a hard boiled egg.

I decided Robert and Ally were on in their years and Easter baskets were no longer for them. I bought them each a book instead. They were thrilled. Robert volunteered they were too old for candy. How fast they mature!

Lisa had prepared a huge Easter breakfast. Everything good.

 

She scored big time with the cassata. Oh, my diet!

Cassata is Italian cheese cake. First time Lisa made it. I have not had a piece in at least 10 years. A winner! Just like my grandmother and mother used to make.

On the way home, I stopped at the Marriott Beachside. Needed a walk. The walk took me around the Marriott’s grounds and garages.

My day was spent at home doing this week’s KONK Life column. Money Corrupts. Concerns politicians. A cause and effect treatise. Starts with the Federalist Society. Then to the Citizens United decision. Finally ending with Senator Robert Menendez. An interesting analysis.

When I started visiting Key West more than 25 years ago, the season was over Easter Sunday. Half the visitors left Easter Sunday. The remaining half the next Sunday.

No more. The season now runs through the end of August.

Before people started visiting Key West during the several months following Easter Sunday, Key Westers would tell how quiet Duval became. The morning after Easter Sunday, there were few people left in Key West. You could throw a bowling ball down Duval and hit no one.

Big basketball tonight! Duke/Wisconsin. The final game of the Final Four. The teams are considered equal. There is no point spread. Either team can win.

I have a problem. I could not get the Friday games on CBS. There were two other streaming channels. One for Kentucky and the other for Wisconsin. I watched both, skipping back and forth.

Streaming a poor way to watch. The broadcasters on each school’s channel consistently commented in support of the school they were at. Many negative comments re the opposing team. I needed Dick Vitale!

I have Comcast. If anyone can tell me how to find CBS for the game, e mail me. It has to be somewhere, CBS something. I subscribe to most channels.

Enjoy your day!

HAPPY EASTER!

Posted on by

Happy Easter one and all! To those not Christian, Happy what ever your holiday. Such as Passover. And to those neither Christian nor Jewish, a Happy Day to you!

When my children were young, I started a family tradition. An Easter Sunday egg hunt. It was for the children. Then their children. Now for the two young ones left. Robert and Ally.

There came a time in between when the children were no longer young and the grandchildren not yet on the scene. We kept the tradition going. The older people did the searching. The first participants were my mother and father. One year, my former wife and I did the scurrying around searching.

This morning I have to be at Lisa’s at 9. For the Easter egg hunt!

The tradition is more than 50 years old.

Great basketball last night! Kentucky was not the better team on the floor. Especially in the last 5 minutes. Wisconsin deserved to win. Kentucky has nothing to be ashamed of. They had a hell of a year!

Monday night, Duke/Kentucky. I suspect it will be one of the best games ever.

On this day in 1969, President Truman and his wife Bess left Key West for the last time. The President’s 11th visit. The day he left was the 175th one he had been in Key West.

Where are you Bum Farto? When I first saw the statement many years ago, I thought it was a joke. Bum Farto? Who would have a name like that?

Bum Farto was at one time the Key West Fire Chief. He was convicted on a drug charge in 1976. He failed to show up in court for sentencing. He has neither been seen nor heard from since.

Enjoy this holiday Sunday!