OBAMA FAREWELL SPEECH

Posted on by

Obama’s Farewell Speech last night contained a spectacular moment. Personal and touching. His tribute to his family. Especially, Michelle. Brought a tear to the President’s eyes, tears to Michelle’s eyes. A tear or two to mine.

His words had to touch America’s hearts. Even of those who did not support him.

FBI Director James Coomey exhibited a double standard while testifying before a Senate Committee yesterday. He was asked about what might be described as compromising personal and financial information revealed earlier in the day re Trump and Russia.

The question basically was are you investigating the matter. Coomey responded he/the FBI do not respond as to whether there is an investigation or not.

What concerns me is that Coomey did not exhibit a similar reluctance when he testified before a Congressional Committee re Hillary’s e-mails.

A double standard? Coomey forgets what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Did an airport pick up yesterday. Barbara arrived for a visit.

Fine tuned last night’s blog talk radio show in the afternoon.

An early dinner with Barbara at Roostica.

I stuck my neck out re the Syracuse game last night. Got it chopped off! I thought Syracuse had rediscovered its winning ways and would beat Virginia Tech. I was wrong. Virginia Tech beat Syracuse 83-73.

Syracuse’s fabled zone defense was ineffective once again. Virginia Tech was getting the ball in the middle and under the basket. Horrible!

The game 7-9. Nine my podcast show. Great timing! Great scheduling!

The lead topic involved Harry Truman’s mother in law. Not a nice lady. Treated Truman poorly for the 33 years they lived together. An article listing the six worst mother in laws of all time contained her name. Next to that of Catherine de Medici.

Two other topics of special interest.

One involved vaccines and their safety. Additionally Robert Kennedy Jr. having accepted a position with Trump to head a vaccine safety committee which was to study the safety issue. Kennedy a vaccine skeptic.

The news of Kennedy’s designation and acceptance yesterday afternoon. Last night or this morning, Trump withdrew his vaccine committee idea.

The other topic involved a transgendered convicted murderer doing life in California. He was sick of being a man. Wanted sex readjustment surgery so he could become the female he claimed he was.

California is giving him the operation and paying for it. Taxpayer dollars, of course. The U.S. Supreme Court decided three years ago that prison inmates are entitled to “medically necessary treatment.” Interpreted to mean the best medical care. Better than most can afford. No deductibles, no donuts, etc.

The “treatment” is extended to providing female oriented items such as night gowns, scarfs and necklaces to the transgendered males awaiting surgery.

I published a book several years ago. The World Upside Down. A short story was titled Flora’s Story. Perhaps the best short story I have written.

A true story.

Flora a 40 year old Albanian school teacher. She cleaned apartments on Amorgos summers 12 hours a day 7 days a week. To earn enough money to make it through the year. Albania is a poor country. Her teaching salary was insufficient to make ends meet.

We met on Amorgos two consecutive summers.

I asked questions. She answered. Permitted me to write her story.

Some questions I asked clearly evidence her life style and that of her fellow Albanians.

One was what was the one thing you would want if you could have it. She quickly responded a car. She walks long distances. Busing is poor.

Do you dance? Yes. How often? Once a year at the year end teachers’ party.

Do you drink? Yes. How much? One glass of wine a year at the teachers’ party.

And so it went.

ISIS is making inroads into Albania. A recent thing. I spoke about it on the show last night. I have made inquiry to Flora about it, also. Yet to receive her response. We communicate via Facebook every month.

Three small Albanian villages in the southeast are recruiting and sending soldiers to Syria. Not just soldiers. Wives and children go with them.

The villages are Leshnica, Zagoracan and Rreienj.

The villages are devoid of business. Huge unemployment. Poverty. Most part time farmers. Work seasonal. Many take the Flora route and go to Greece summers to work the farms there.

Those who join ISIS and leave are described as having acquired a religious type fervor regarding ISIS.

Enjoy your day!

 

I FOUND MY BIRTH MOTHER

Posted on by

I found my birth mother. A touching statement. Made not by me, but by another.

Let me share her story.

I was in Aqua last night watching Dueling Bartenders. Jean and Joe Thornton there, also. Jean introduced me to her sister. I was not aware Jean had a sister. A half sister. Her name Laura.

Jean was 37 when she received a telephone call from Laura. Laura then 25. Jean did not know she had a sister. Laura said, I am your sister, I am looking for our mother.

Jean was in Birmingham at the time. Laura in Nashville.

Their mother had not made Jean aware she had given birth to another child when Jean was 12 years old.

Laura was taken in by another family and eventually adopted by another.

Laura told Jean she wanted to meet her mother and Jean. Jean made the necessary arrangements and in due course the three met. Their Mother told Jean she had kept the birth secret.

A glorious meeting. Tears and joy. A unit since.

Laura is in key West visiting. She will be here till the end of the month. She now resides in Louisville.

Laura told me she refers to the woman who adopted/raised her as her Mom and her discovered mother as her birth mother.

Jean and Laura loving sisters. So they appeared and acted. Jean could not wait to introduce her sister to me.

God is good. He provided the path and determination for Laura to successfully discover her birth mother and sister.

A lucky threesome.

While still at Aqua, a lovely young lady approached and asked if I was Key West Lou. Her name, Pat Grady. A Key West resident. I am fortunate. A loyal blog reader. Thank you, Pat.

Great game last night! Clemson beat the perennial victor Alabama. By a touchdown made with one second remaining on the clock. The final score 35-31.

Wild!

Tonight Syracuse/West Virginia. West Virginia a 4.5 point favorite. I will stick my neck out. If Syracuse plays as it has in its last two game, Syracuse will win decisively.

I continue to learn.

Enzio Pinza was a great singer and movie actor in the 1950s. He was vacationing at the Casa Marina.

The mood at various times of the day at the Casa can be revealing, overwhelming. At some point one evening, Pinza was seated on the Casa’s terrace overlooking the ocean and moon. He was so taken by the sight, he stood and sang Some Enchanted Evening. A song he had made popular.

The Casa and Pinza singing a fitting combination.

I am listening to Session’s Senate confirmation hearing. Just began. Two Democratic senators have already spoken who have failed the Nation. Both were supportive of his nomination. Disgusting. The man is an obvious bigot. Will work to restrict civil and voting rights. Not support them.

I am ashamed of the two Democratic senators. They lacked the courage to do the right thing.

I have to hustle. Barb is visiting for two weeks. I pick her up at the airport in an hour.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

FRAN…..WOW!!!

Posted on by

My well being is in the hands of women. Recently, especially.

They are feeding me. Though I do not think I look undernourished. I complain not, however.

Liz feeds me constantly. Cooking is her hobby. Great meals! Wonderful Christmas cookies! Dee recently brought me a big bowl of something good. I have yet to return the bowl. She keeps telling me not to forget.

Now comes Fran. Buffalo’s Fran Dixon. Wife of fellow Syracuse fan Tom Dixon.

The Dixon’s visit Key West 4-5 times a year. For years. Tom owns a small piece of the Ocean Key House.

Fran makes chocolate candies. She brings a couple of small bags to me each trip. Delicious!

Last night she out did herself.

The three of us were having dinner at Roostica. Fran said…..I have a surprise for you! Surprised I was!

She had a bag with her. Goodies for Louis.

Started with a box of home made pasta. Thin linguine. Made by Fran from scratch. Enough for two meals. Two plastic containers with Fran’s own home made sauce and meatballs. One for each meal. Bags of chocolate candies.

Fran and Tom brought it with them on the plane. The sauce was a concern. They packed it in a large container of ice which they placed in one of their bags. One that was checked. Upon arrival at Ocean Key, they placed the two sauce/meatball containers in a freezer till delivery to me last night.

Love you, Fran. Love you Liz and Dee. Continue preparing great dishes for me. At my age, it is not merely the food. It is the concern shown. Thank you!

The way Fran is going, I expect a half a cow next time! Don’t laugh. Upstate New York is a place for cows and slaughter houses. Many the time I bought a half a cow and froze the steaks, etc. Good for six months of meals.

Spent yesterday afternoon working on the introductory topic for tomorrow’s podcast show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. The subject matter involves Harry Truman’s mother in law. The tale reflects the character of Truman. His mother in law, also.

Watched the Golden Globes last night. Excellent show!

Two items outstanding.

La La Land and all the awards the show received. Musicals of the 1950-60 era have returned! I am anxious to see the movie.

Meryl Streep. America’s outstanding living female actor. Unquestionably. Her comments re the nation’s state of affairs and what she perceived as erroneous thinking on the part of Trump were right on. Her words made clear why Hollywood has turned its back on the soon to be President.

Don’t say…..Actors, what do they know! Remember that Ronald Reagan was an actor before becoming one of America’s greatest Presidents.

Tonight, Aqua first for Dueling Bartenders. Then Jack Flats or somewhere else to watch the Alabama/Clemson game.

Enjoy your day!

 

I’M HAPPY FOR A CHANGE

Posted on by

“I’m happy for a change!”

Not my words. Jim Boeheim’s. Properly so.

Boeheim spoke at a press conference following yesterday’s Syracuse/Pitt game. Syracuse has played poorly till the past few days. Horribly!

They beat Miami handily a few days ago. Yesterday, destroyed Pitt! I could not believe my eyes watching the game.

Two times in the first half Syracuse lead by 28 points. Threes were dropping in with ease. Long ones. The defense was what it should be. Pitt went something like 14 minutes in the first half without scoring a basket.

The final score 77-66. Not indicative of the size of the victory. The last few minutes Pitt was on a scoring spree. Syracuse subdued by that point.

Is Syracuse back? I think so. I hope so. If so, it is going to be a hell of a season!

I am most happy for Boeheim. A gentleman. A class act. It had to be killing him he could not get the team together the first half of the season.

The weather outside is frightful…..

When it is cold up north, the cold extends to Key West. In a different fashion, of course. No snow. The temperature not as low.

It does get cold, however. It has been in the 80s and humid for a couple of weeks. All of a sudden yesterday around noon, the cold front hit. Just like that. Huge winds. Temperature dropped 15 degrees. Heavy rain.

Stayed cold. Still cold. The temperature was a low of 57 during the night. Fifty seven at 8 this morning. Weather Channel said it felt like 52. High today 60. Will be 60 during the night, also.

I turned the heat on last night. It will remain on till the cold spell leaves.

First stop last night was Tavern ‘n Town. Went early hoping to get a bar seat. No way. I left. Sad because I wanted to hear Bobby Nesbitt sing.

Next stop was the Chart Room. Cold walking in from the parking lot. The Pier House sits on open water. The wind blowing in.

Victor bartending. Sat next to a gent from Lansing, Michigan. Max. Retired. In his other life, he put conglomerates together.

Max older than me. By one year. Eighty two. Much in common to discuss.

Too bad Liz was not with us. The conversation would have been interesting. Liz and Max both supported Trump.

Fighting the cold wind, walked over to the Hot Tin Roof. I was dressed for the cold. A heavy winter jacket.

Nevertheless, needed body heating and soul satisfying food. Lobster bisque and lobster mac and cheese.

Ran into Buffalo’s Tom and Fran at the Hot Tin Roof. They were having dinner with his brother. Tonight, they will be having dinner with me.

Tom missed the Syracuse game earlier in the day. He could not believe the story I told him. He is a die hard Syracuse fan, also.

United Airlines first non-stop flight from Chicago arrived saturday.

The airport is relatively new. Followed by an update a couple of years ago to accommodate additional arriving and departing flights. The update outgrown already.

The season is in full swing. No break in January any more. People all over. Restaurants and bars packed. Hotels getting top dollar. Tourists not complaining.

I worry. Key West is going to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Goose or chicken?

The Citizen’s Today In Keys History listed two interesting events which occurred on this date. The City of Key West was incorporated in 1828. The first traffic light was installed in Key West in 1935.

I did a search to determine where the first light was installed. Could not come up with the information. However in reading a Key West history, the year of incorporation was listed as May 1889. Don’t know which is correct.

In the last 24 hours, I read somewhere that Obama has played 333 rounds of golf while President. Sounded like…..When did he work?

I did some digging re the issue of Presidential golf. Turns out Obama is a piker as far as number of rounds of golf. Woodrow Wilson played 1,200 rounds. Dwight Eisenhower 800.

Some more robot information.

An Australian mining company is mining with robots 24 hours a day. The Rio Tinto Mining Company. Four mines located in Australia’s northwest in an area called Mars-red.

Robots are used for rock drilling. They are described as robotic drilling rigs. Autonomous (driverless) trucks and trains also used. Driverless trains haul the ore hundreds of miles to a port. The trains load and unload themselves automatically.

Rio Tinto is in the forefront re robotic/autonomous mining. The need for human miners reduced to almost nothing.

I obtained the information from an MIT article. The article failed to mention what happened to the human employees let go. An issue requiring serious attention.

Enjoy your sunday!

THE THORNTONS…..HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Posted on by

Jean and Joe Thornton…..Happy Anniversary! Forty years!

The event was celebrated with a small group of friends last night at Berlin’s. Janyne one of the party.

Bria payed Jean and Joe lovely compliments and then invited them to dance as she sang.

A lovely couple. A Key West loved couple.

I was at Berlin’s last night with Jenna for dinner.

At least two months since I’ve seen Jenna. She is always working, on the road or running.

She spent Christmas in Indiana with the family. Followed by a week in New York City as Reuben’s guest.

Jenna…..Always beautiful, always striving.

I think Anna and Everett were at Berlin’s also. Shamefully, I did not recognize them. Realized as I was leaving they were new found friends from Aqua and the Chart Room this past week.

My apologies.

Exciting days coming at the end of the month. Exciting to me.

From 1/30 to 2/2, three World War II planes will be on exhibit in Key West. Three planes that helped win the War. Three planes I played with during the War years. Making models.

The B-24 bomber, B-25 bomber, and the P-51 Mustang fighter.

The place, the Key West Airport.

The planes are on a 110 city tour.

Syracuse/Pitt at noon today. Syracuse a 3 point favorite. The game not available on TV. I had wanted to watch the game with Dan Reardon. When your team sucks, TV ignores your team.

On this day in 1789, George Washington was elected the first President of the United states. Only white men who owned property were allowed to vote. Voting restrictions existed even back then. Its purpose then and now to protect the turf of those who are part of the so called establishment.

More re the robot invasion.

IBM Watson has designed and produced robots to replace insurance claim workers at a Japanese insurance company. Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance.

Thirty four human insurance claim workers will be replaced. Beginning this month. Replaced by the IBM Explorer AI robot.

The robots will scan hospital records and other documents to determine insurance payouts, factoring injuries, patient medical histories, and procedures administered.

The robot cost $1.7 million. Plus maintenance of $128,000 a year.

Fukokou will realize a savings of $1.1 million per year on employee salaries. Providing a return on its investment in less than two years.

In addition, productivity is expected to increase by 30 percent.

Just the beginning! Time is now to worry about how human employees replaced by robots will be transitioned. Actually, yesterday was the time. We are always late.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

DRINKING LIBERALLY

Posted on by

I attended a Drinking Liberally meeting last night. Met my expectations, failed to meet my expectations.

Drinking Liberally is a political and social organization were self-identified liberals and progressives gather in bars to socialize and talk politics. It is national. Hundreds of local organizations.

I never knew of the group’s existence till last week. Saw a small notice in the Key West Citizen advising its next meeting. Did some quick research. Decided to attend.

The meeting was last night at VFW on Northern Boulevard. Five to 6:15.

I was disappointed in the drinking portion. Conservative rather than liberal. More water drinkers than alcohol.

I was impressed with the meeting itself. Grass roots. Most attendees senior citizens. With one exception. A young man about 25.

Topics covered many issues. Too many. The organization is still seeking its way. It will get there.

I was impressed with the ladies. Participated to the fullest. Greater than the men in attendance. No bashful women in the room.

The group meets the first thursday of every month at the VFW at 5. I plan on continuing. The comments were revealing.

Then to the Chart Room. John bartending. David came in. Always enjoy David’s company.

Paul showed up with a friend. Paul was merely showing the room to his friend.

Met Elaine and Ken. Elaine an exquisite beauty. Involved deeply in charitable work. Especially, the American Cancer Society.

Ken a semi-retired oncologist.

Elaine and Ken married 57 years. Award winning! Two children, 4 grandchildren.

Periodic visitors to Key West. Usually stay at Marquesa.

Ken shared an interesting experience. He was a senior at Northwestern Medical School. Senior students were sent to the homes of the poor to provide services. One was baby deliveries.

Deliveries performed right at the home. Stirrups required. Two coke bottles for each foot covered with a shower curtain. To insure a germ free environment , newspapers were laid under and over the mother to be.

Elaine and Ken leave today. Hope to run into them the next time they visit Key West.

Devin came in. I did not recognize him at first. We met several months ago in the Chart Room. I wrote about him at the time.

Devin is 40ish. From Illinois. He and his brother own and operate a large farm. They know what they are doing. Get their product grown and sold. They work with the major food corporations. Did not fight them as the food cycle changed.

Devin has a Key West condo. He is back for several months. I am sure we will run into each other again.

Tom and Fran Dixon arrived last night. we get together sunday. They left their home in cold and snowy Buffalo for the heat of Key West. In for a surprise. A cold front coming in. Monday, tuesday and wednesday. Monday evening a low of 57. Cold!!!

The Key West Citizen reported this morning of a bull shark problem in the Key West Bight. Three have frequently been seen. Divers and boaters concerned. Scared. Especially divers who clean boat bottoms.

One female, two males. The female 8-9 feet long. Weight estimated at 500 pounds.

The female was some how hooked and netted. Dragged 6 miles out and released. It is assumed the two males will leave the area. They apparently were enjoying the comforts of the female. They will leave seeking female companionship elsewhere.

Robots/artificial intelligence. Not discussed enough. A danger already arrived and anticipated to spread big time over the next five years.

I have spoken and written about robots taking over human jobs for a year. Few seemed concerned. I was beginning to think I was a voice in the wilderness. I was extremely disappointed the issue was not discussed during the Presidential campaign.

Recently, a word here and there in the media. Finally.

I shall speak to the issue the next several days. A few words.

A recent study by economists at major universities concerning middle class jobs interesting. Bottom line: Where robots take routine middle class jobs, those workers drop out of the work force. They leave the job market entirely or are pushed into low paying employment.

The study links unemployment with automation.

An interesting study observation: Robots don’t just co-occur with unemployment, they cause it.

As I have previously commented, robots and artificial intelligence already quietly replacing human jobs. Some auto assembly lines no longer use humans. Work done by huge robots. McDonald’s testing automated kiosks to take orders. Anticipated that in 18 months, the McDonald drive in window will have a robot handing you your order and change.

Tractor trailers being tested for driverless operation. Uber testing driverless cars in two states.

Foxconn is the major manufacturer  of the Apple I Phone. One million two hundred thousand employees. One million of which work at factories in China. Already let go 60,000 employees at one plant. Replaced by robots. Working towards all plants going robot by 2020.

Query: Where will robot unemployed humans find work? Requires attention.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

FRIEND PACKED CHART ROOM

Posted on by

The Chart Room last night was mostly friends. Some old, some recent, some new.

I walked into John, Sheila, Jean and Joe, Tom and Clare, Nanette and Jean Louis. Later, David, Anna and Everett, and Paul.

Sheila, the love of my life. Always happy. Joe and Jean smiling and chatting. Waiting for the Alabama game saturday. Jean will jump off a building should Alabama lose.

Tom and Clare from Aqua a couple of weeks ago. Tom a retired lawyer. Wife Clare, a former teacher and now PhD statistician. Tom and Clare were with friends from Florida’s New Port Richey. Nanette and Jean-Louis.

Nanette a retired middle school principal. Jean-Louis an energy consultant.

Nanette brought to mind a Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy musical film from the 1930s. No, No, Nanette.

Chatted a bit with everyone. I was waiting for Paul. I met Paul at Giorgio’s home the night some of us watched the Michigan game last week. Paul is retired Naval Intelligence. A good time to talk with Paul in view of the intelligence political items on the front burner in Washington. I was not disappointed in our talk. Enlightening.

Saw David at the end of the bar as I was paying the bill. Seated next to him were Anna and Everett from monday night at Aqua. Their boat named Anna Cabana. Nice people.

David, Anna and David Alabama fans also.

Headed home. Stopped at Roostica on the way for lemoncello wings. Lucked out. Sat next to a bocce opponent. His name escapes me. A tough adversary. He loved to roll first. Long. Ninety nine percent of the time, his ball was right on the polina or mere inches away.

Things that surprise me. The number of people familiar with smelts. I wrote about smelts yesterday. My favorite Christmas fish. Many responded. Many aware of smelts. I received an education re where they are available to be harvested. One spot is western New York State. I did not know.

One of yesterday’s items that I did not have room to get to involved Richard Nixon. On January 4, 1974, Nixon refused to hand over tapes subpoenaed by the Watergate Committee. It was the beginning of the end for Nixon. He resigned eight months later.

Another item held over to today involves the Marathon Turtle Hospital. A unique rare facility.

Fifteen juvenile turtles were air lifted from Cape Cod to Marathon. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. An endangered species.

The baby turtles had pneumonia. Brought on from cold Cape Cod waters. Weighed anywhere from 2-10 pounds.

Today in Keys History carries a photograph of the ground breaking for a Masonic Temple in July 1950. The building today The Studios of Key West.

A three story building. Where did the Masons go? Is there a formal Masonic Temple in Key West somewhere else? I don’t think so. Surprising.

William Hackley day. On this date in 1856, he was up and raring to go at 7 in the morning. Rain coming in  from the northwest. Hackley wrote, “It is so dark now in the office that I can scarcely see to write.”

No electricity in those days. Everything by candle light, if possible.

Candle light tough to work by. I recall one of the Key West hurricanes where I was stuck in the house for several days without electricity. Candles only. To this day, I cannot understand how Lincoln studied law by candle light. Reading tough!

Skaneateles restaurateur Dan Reardon back in town. A snowbird. Two to three months a year. A die hard Syracuse fan. We will be watching some games together.

Syracuse played Miami last night. Syracuse won 70-55. Game not televised.

I am pleased Syracuse won the game and in good stead. Miami came into the game 11-2, Syracuse 8-6. News reports state Syracuse’s fabled defense finally worked, the players crashed the boards and their offense was effective.

Pitt saturday at noon.

Roger Kostmayer is a Key West resident. I have never met him. However from his letters to the editor have come to know him. I would describe him a walking conscience.

In a recent letter to KONK E-Blast, he wrote: “Without warning or debate, in the dark of the night behind closed doors, the Republican caucus effectively killed the Office of Congressional Ethics, an act of extraordinary hypocrisy.”

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEVEN FISHES

Posted on by

Good morning!

Another lovely morning in the Florida keys!

I stepped outside to enjoy a cup of tea. The tide is out. Dramatically so. One of the lowest water levels I have seen in the 19 years I have enjoyed this home.

An interesting sight. Huge rocks rarely observed are visible. The water level significantly below mangrove roots. The water still.

Today, I share the seven fishes usually enjoyed Christmas Eve by my people. Persons whose family immigrated from southern Italy.

Before I do, I want to respond to some comments to this blog over the past few weeks.

I write the blog for me. It gives me pleasure to express myself on a multitude of issues. I do not write to please my readers. At this stage of my life, I feel honored some enjoy reading what is written.

My life is more than this daily blog. I do a weekly radio show. Up to this past summer, wrote a lengthy weekly column for a local newspaper. I am still working on a new type internet show that will be in addition to the podcast I do tuesday evenings.

I could not work the show out to please my needs. I wanted to use Key West Lou on You Tube and have a separate comment column. The Key West Lou thing screwed it up.

I have decided to utilize Facebook. A comment suggestion led me there. When I get to it, I will get to it. I am retired. I do this for pleasure. No reason for me to hurry.

I generally do not respond to comments. I did at the beginning 10 years ago. It ate up my afternoons.

I am thrilled to read your comments. It stops there however. I do not seek the back and forth responding would require.

Then there are those crude disparaging comments that do not warrant responding. Why would I waste my time! The commentor’s language speaks for itself.

I do the tuesday night podcast. I continue to write three books simultaneously. Wonder if I ever will finish another.

As to topics discussed, I get to what I want to get to in good time. If I want to. A few weeks back I was criticized for not responding to an inquiry as to what the seven fishes were. A good topic. In my good time, however.

Timing is important. The primary purpose of the blog is to describe my life in Key West. Which means I have had to do something the day before in order to have something to write about the next day.

Tuesdays are generally spent home. All day. I am fine tuning my podcast show to be presented in the evening. Which leaves me with nothing to write wednesday mornings about my Key West life the day before.

I save a seven fish story for those times. Like a wednesday. That is why seven fishes will be shared today.

I enjoy the political banter. Those in the comments section. I enjoy the play between the commentors.

My political exchanges take place at the Chart Room. Where few agree with me. So what’s new?

The Chart Room gives me Libertarian Victor. A smart guy. All smart. John the bartender, David, Che, and tourists. Marty from days gone by. I miss Marty. We were diametrically opposed politically.

Even my discourses with Liz. A year older than me. Her history includes Deanships at two law schools. A smart lady. A black hearted Republican! Even liked Trump. Disliked Hillary who she knew personally.

My point, I get my political exercise via the Chart Room and Liz.

Having expressed myself thusly, my blog for this morning will be held over till tomorrow. Except for the seven fishes.

My people came from southern Italy. My mother was born in Italy. Southern Italians brought with them the seven fishes. To be eaten Christmas Eve evening.

I am sure seven fishes has listings in excess of the seven I will be sharing with you. I only share those fishes we ate. Especially in my home.

Shrimp cocktail. With cocktails before dinner.

Fried shrimp. Delicious! Shrimp in an egg-flour batter fried in oil. We would congregate in the kitchen eating some before dinner. So good, we could not wait.

Stuffed calamari. Actually, stuffed squid. A part of the squid is like  a condom. Cleaned well during the day. Stuffed with bread crumbs, egg and parsley. Sewed closed. Cooked in the pasta sauce. Served over a large bowl of linguine. A meal for the gods. Tasted even better the next day cold.

Baccala. Actually, cod. Prepared many different ways. Cod is hard and salty. Supposedly to make people recall days when things were tough. We did not eat it hard and salty.

Baccala took three weeks to prepare. Softened in a bowl of oil for three weeks. All kinds of herbs in with the cod. By the time Christmas Eve came around, the baccala was soft and tasty.

Broiled Maine lobsters. Covered in hot butter.

Baked clams.

The final fish a piece de resistance! Smelts! I was crazy for smelts. Another dish we cheated eating as the smelts came out of the pan in the kitchen. Why wait!

Smelts are tiny tiny black fish. As long as your little finger. A third the size width wise.

Fried in oil. Came out crispy. Very crispy. Eaten bones and all, including the head.

Two more topics before I conclude.

My blog talk radio show last night. Hit hard on the theft of Social Security by our government, China moving into robots big time, and an example of Mexican immigration leading to rape.

Tonight at 7, Syracuse/Miami. Miami a one point favorite. I have no comment.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

FLU SHOT DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK

Posted on by

When it rains, it pours…..

Donna and Terri have been having a rough time of it. Battling Terri’s cancer.

Donna got the flu shot this year. Not the time to taunt the gods. Terri and the flu would not be a good combination.

Donna has the flu! Big time! The worst from her perspective. Strong coming from Donna who has had some heavy illnesses in the course of her life.

Donna has a type of influenza A. One of the influenza’s protected by the flu shot. Hit her New Year’s eve. Twice in the hospital yesterday. Temperature 103.

Donna says it is death. Even getting a little better is in the death area.

The flu shot does not always work. Some still come down from the flu. Not from the shot itself. You cannot get the flu from the shot itself. The virus injected is dead.

Hang in there Donna. Terri, stay away from Donna.

Spent yesterday afternoon preparing for tonight’s podcast. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

A major topic is the Theft of Social Security. The Fund would be sound if the government stopped taking surplus funds out every year. Presently, the United States owes Social Security just under $3 trillion.

You will find the truth interesting. It will anger you as well.

More robot discussion. China is on the way to replacing in excess of 600,000 employees at one of its plants with robots. Also, further exploration of poor veteran care at Veterans’ Hospitals. The story of a veteran who died with maggots in his wounds.

Plus, a Texas police officer who sexually assaulted a 13 year old girl, a Mexican scheduled for deportation and/or removal 19 times who raped a 13 year old girl on a bus, the Miami cop who was fired for bragging the black neighborhood was a good place for gun practice, the EPA intentionally hiding radiation in water at a number of sites, the story of a 13 year old boy paralyzed from a chicken pox vaccine, and more.

Aqua big last night! Tons of people. The season ongoing.

Many friends. Sheila, Jean and Joe Thornton, Stephanie, Liz, Mary and Josefina. Tom and Rick doing the Dueling Bartenders thing.

Made two new friends. Anna and Everett. Owners of Anna’s Cabana. A lovely 40 foot power vessel. They live on the boat when in Key West. It is presently docked near A&B Lobster House.

Anna is the Captain and Everett the first mate.

You know who is boss in that family!

They told me they were steady dinner customers at Berlin’s. We hope to run into each other.

An Alabama night. Anna and Everett Alabama residents. As are Joe and Jean. Anna and Everett plan on being at the game in Tampa on January 9. Joe and Jean will be gut wrenched here in Key West.

In distant past years, there was a drop off of tourists immediately following New Year’s day. Not in recent years. Not this year.

I had difficulty finding a parking place near Aqua.

Liz and the ladies left early to have dinner at Virgilio’s.

Liz and her friends like to whoop it up. Spent New Year’s eve at the bar at Aqua from 5:30 to 11:00.

Then to Bourbon Street to her Bria sing. The best!

Tim and Scott at the bar. Enjoyed a couple of drinks with them. Friends of Donna and Terri. Know them from the Back Door.

They work for Bourbon Street, though not last night. They told me how busy New Year’s eve was. They were still tired.

Stopped at the street level bar/restaurant under Crabby Dick’s where Alex plays tuesday nights. Chatted with Alex and his wife. Met Alex’s brother who is vacationing here.

I was energized. Not tired enough to go home yet. Walked over to Virgilio’s to chat with Liz and friends.

Virgilio’s impressed me. A good 10 years since I had been there. A night club back then. Still a night club. However, a restaurant during dinning hours. The place was packed. Had there been room, I would have joined the ladies for dinner.

Dinner was at Outback. Easy. A cheeseburger. Watched the final minutes of the USC/Penn State Rose Bowl game. A tremendous finish! Just like pro ball. The last couple of minutes everything. USC won with a field goal in the final minute after intercepting a Penn State pass.

Somewhere along the way last night, Hard Rock Stadium  came into the talk.

When first built in 1987, it was the Joe Robbe Stadium. Joe Robbe was the first owner of the Miami Dolphins. He was also the prime mover in getting Joe Robbe Stadium built.

I was in Joe Robbe Stadium in 1987. For Super Bowl XXIII. The Stadium impressed me no end. Especially the elevators.

Think of the long almost vertical elevators at the Atlanta airport. Robbe Stadium had similar elevators. Multiple ones. Side by side. You rode up swiftly to your seat before the game. The elevators took you back to ground level after the game. All elevators were down only after the game.

When Robbe died in 1990, he left a $100 million estate.

Back in the early 1970s, I had a condominium at the Jockey Club in Miami. A private club. The place to be in the those days. Fun 24 hours a day.

Joe Robbe had a condo there also. Occasionally we would enjoy a drink together at the bar. A nice guy. Willie Shoemaker would join us on occasion. He lived at the Jockey Club, also.

Enjoy your day!

 

WHAT ZONE DEFENSE?

Posted on by

There is no joy in Mudville, mighty Casey has struck out…..

Baseball. A different sport. Yet fits the feeling of Syracuse basketball fans.

Boston College destroyed Syracuse yesterday 96-81. BC made 16 of 23 three attempts. Where was Syracuse’s fabled zone defense? Non-existent. As it has been in prior games this season.

My heart bleeds not only for the team and Syracuse, but also Coach Boeheim. His post season interviews reflect his sadness. He assumes full responsibility re the team’s failure to defend/win. He is the coach/teacher.

The team is not guarding. Give an opposing player an open shot and he is going to make it.

The scenario embarrassing and perplexing.

A long season ahead. Orange blood will flow.

I watched the game at home. I died.

Liz gave me a container of her home made Christmas cookies. Delicious. I was so nervous and irritated during the game I ate them all!

Spent the day at home. The Syracuse game took the energy out of me. I did some reading. Learned something new.

Greece in many respects is the mother of western civilization. Ancient Romans spoke Greek. Not Italian. The language did not exist at the time of the Caesars.

The aristocrats spoke Greek. The rest Latin. Described as Vulgar Latin. Classical Latin the language used in legal documents, oratory and administration.

I believe I advised recently that Cleopatra was not Egyptian. Her ethnicity Greek.

Greece’s expansion of its commercial activities resulted in Greece impacting everything it touched.

I am continually critical of the Key West City Commission. Experts at wasting money.

The new City Hall at the former Glynn Archer School is scheduled for its Grand Opening tomorrow at noon.  The spendthrift politicians will be there taking bows. Final cost, $18.8 million. Took six years to complete. Overrun huge.

There was a time most Middle East countries were our friends. Includes our all time Arab friend Saudi Arabia. Especially love Saudi Arabia. They appear to have contributed to 9/11. They gave us $4 a gallon gasoline. Who needs friends like them!

Israel and the Middle East nations come into play. Bitter enemies. From day one. Seems to get worse with each passing year. Truth be told, it never gets better.

In the meantime, the United States pays.

Middle East oil was cheap in the U.S. from 1950-1972. Then came the Yom Kipper War. Israel kicked the Arabs in the ass big time.

During the time, the U.S. supported Israel. As it always has.

OPEC was unhappy with the U.S. position. They stopped exporting oil to the U.S. When the embargo was lifted, OPEC still punished the U.S. by quadrupling the price of oil.

Three significant things occurred as a result thereof.

A recession. Makes sense if oil not delivered and then the price of oil quadrupled.

Japan captured the auto market by coming out with small gas saving automobiles. Affected our Detroit.

Finally, we got a national speed limit. 55 mph. Signed into law by President Nixon in 1974. The law remained in effect till 1995. It was thought by lawmakers that 55 mph was the fuel efficient speed.

I drove the highways of this country in those years. Especially the N.Y. Thruway. 55 mph no way to go! A hare’s pace.

A second government thought was that 55 mph would curb the appetite of American drivers for driving. Good luck! Driving is in the American blood.

I have a fear that the new Republican administration will cut in some fashion Social Security. In the past 5 years, I wrote two columns in KONK Life titled The Theft of Social Security.

Our government has taken close to $3 trillion from the Social Security Fund with no intent to ever pay it back. From surplus funds left over after benefits are paid.

Social Security is not free money to recipients. It comes from payroll contributions made over the years. Not tax dollars. It is the recipient’s own money being paid back.

The national debt is close to $20 trillion. The $3 trillion owed Social Security part of that number.

Most people are unaware that our government’s biggest creditor is Social Security. Japan, who we borrow from constantly, is only $1.4 trillion.

Social Security is self sufficient if the government stopped taking surplus monies out each year and failing to pay back at any time.

This short tale I believe is unknown to many of our legislators. Most cry out how Social Security is breaking the back of the U.S. economy. Bullshit!

Enough re the issue for the moment. I mention it because tomorrow night on my podcast show Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou I will be discussing the matter at further length. Join me, if you can. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day! Your holiday!