A strange event. Public kissing banned in Naples. Makes sense, however,

On this day in 1562, kissing in public was banned in Naples. Penalty if caught: Death.

Why such an extreme penalty for a simple show of affection? Health. The plague was rampant. Throughout Europe. It was hoped the banning of kissing would delay the spread of the plague. It failed.

Abraham Lincoln finally found a “winning general.” On this day in 1864, he appointed General Ulysses S. Grant as Commanding General of the U.S. Army.

The difference between good and bad. On this day in 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called Congress into a Special Session beginning its “100 days” during which it passed 77 laws. The U.S. was in an economic death spiral at the time. In the throes of economic recession. The height of the Depression.

Trump became President January 20, 2025. The U.S. economy was healthy. Trump saw things otherwise. In six short weeks, Trump has set in motion all kinds of activities with Executive Orders, etc., which are destroying the U.S. economically.

A wise admonishment: If you are high, don’t drive.

Japan paid the price for Pearl Harbor. First Doolittle’s raid. Then the firebombing of Tokyo, the deadliest air raid of of World War II up to that time. Finally, the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Payback warranted. Valid retribution.

On this day in 1954, Edward R. Murrow criticized U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy  on his “See It Now” TV program.

I write often of Syracuse University. I am proud of my alma mater. 

Syracuse also had for a number of years a professional basketball team. The Syracuse Nationals from 1946-1963. The team was a member of the NBA. Won the NBA Championship in 1955.

My father used to take me to Syracuse to watch the Nationals play. Occasionally, the Nationals would play a game in Utica. Utica had built a new public high school. The Utica Free Academy. Huge. Great basketball court a part of it. The Nationals would play at UFA as it was known. Packed the place!

I was a freshman at Utica Catholic Academy at the time. On the jayvee team. A  substitute. We were playing UFA at the new gym. I got into the game. Excited as hell! First time I was running down the court, I tripped on my own feet and kept tripping more than half way down the court and off it till I fell on my face.

An auspicious beginning to my basketball career!

The Nationals remained in Syracuse till 1963 when the team moved on to Philadelphia and became known as the Philadelphia ’76ers. 

The tariff wars will impact the sale of toys in the U.S. also. Most toys are imported. Expect high toy prices in the Fall.

I close with some Key West information.

Searstown will finally be redeveloped. It has been closed since 2020.

The new development will open in 2028 and be accomplished in four phases. The fourth and final phase will be completed in 2031. A new Publix, covered parking and improved retail outlets.

I would have done otherwise. As I have been advocating for years, the empty Sears facility and grandiose sized parking should be used for housing. Cheap housing. A need never satisfied in Key West. And obviously will not be satisfied with the Sears property.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Key West has changed over the years. Everything and everyone changes. Such is life.

I love listening to Steve Thompson talk about the Key West he discovered when he arrived in the mid 1960’s. And others speak of the 1970’s and 1980’s when they arrived. My recollections of the Key West I knew when first I came in the 1990’s. And the changes that have occurred since that time.

Change is like death. A certainty. One can only hope Key West continues to change slowly and some remnants of the old remain.

Which brings me to a Citizens’ Voice comment published this morning: “Key West: Where the iguanas outnumber the rum runners and pina coladas flow like holy water, and the ghosts of Hemingway’s six toed cats judge us from the shadows. Sure, you could focus on the potholes and parking woes, or you could embrace the fact you live in a place where pants are optional, time is an illusion and every sunset feels like a cosmic wink. Please don’t lose your weird – it’s the only thing keeping us from turning into the mainland.”

Another Citizens’ Voice comment today. One that deserves attention. A possible Key West Airport fire: “The Airport is so proud of their record number of passengers. Record number of  flight delays and cancellations? Let’s see those numbers. Do the math, they are exceeding the legal number of people in the holding pen. Add the delayed flights, see the photos. Where’s the Fire Marshall?”

A bit of Key West history. On this day in 1952, Harry Truman arrived in Key West for his 11th working vacation and last as President. As I have written for years, Truman loved Key West and Key West loves Truman.

Wow, did the weather change overnight!

I was up at 4 this morning. Was it cold! Turned on the heat. The temperature was 63 degrees. The weather report said it felt like 54 degrees. The high today projected to be 73. For us locals, still cold. The cold took me by surprise.

Trump is proving unreliable. Europe has no choice. It is rushing to firm up its defenses on its own.

One of Trump’s motivations is to destroy NATO. To satisfy one of his friend Putin’s greatest desires. 

NATO will survive without the U.S. European and other nations will do the necessary to survive and succeed on their own.

The question is how will the U.S. survive if its most powerful friend is Russia? Do not think Putin will not want to take over the U.S. also. Greed and power are at the core of his being. What a feather in his cap should he also end up controlling the U.S.

The word behind the scenes is many Republicans are encouraging Trump to make up with Zelensky. They favor providing money and military aid to Ukraine and also intelligence. Something no one talks about are the jobs. The jobs that will be lost in U.S. defense plants if the 80 percent of American support money which technically goes to Ukraine but spent in U.S. plants making war equipment for Ukraine no longer is available. Because Trump cut off aid to Ukraine!

Trump screwing his own people once again.

 He never thinks beyond step one. There are always further ramifications to everything done.

Democrats are not doing enough to block Trump’s wrongdoings. On the other hand, I wonder what could be done at the moment. Perhaps Trump left alone will destroy himself.

However, one thing does bother me. The censure of Democratic Congressman Al Green because he was interrupting Trump’s speech. I recall when a Republican Congressman at a State of the Union Address called out to the Democratic President: “You lie!” I think it was Presidnet Obama. Whoever, immaterial. The point I am making is no censure of the Republican Congressman was sought by the Democrats at the time.

Republicans never play fair. Democrats generally do. As I consistently have written, Democrats have to begin playing down and dirty as their Republican counterparts do. You do not win wars being a nice guy.

Defense Secretary Pee Hegseth seems to have his hands full with things non-defense. Typical of a Trump appointee.

His recent “gem” is banning images of the “Enola Gay.” As part of his quest to nix all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from Defense websites and online posts.

Enola Gay was Col. Paul Tibbetts’ mother’s name. Tibbitts was the pilot of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Tibbitts had named his plane “Enola Gay” in honor of his mother.

Twenty six thousand such images have been flagged for deletion so far in the Defense Department. The number could reach 100,000. Doesn’t Hegseth and Defense have better things to do?

I close with blood all over the place. 

The past week has been a time for minor injuries to affect me. There was my infected ankle. Blew up and turned red. Painful. Still on antibiotics which are working. I also broke my nose a few weeks ago. Did not pay any attention to it till I saw Dr. Norris for my ankle. He verified I had broken it. However healing, bump tiny, discomfort slight.

My last problem occurred wednesday morning. My back an ongoing problem. Getting in and out of cars simply stated hurts. Causes me to strike the door jam with my left arm.

I take blood thinners. Already had a half dollar sized blood clot on the arm when I struck it wednesday. Thought nothing of it, other than it hurt a bit.

I was tired so laid on the bed for a nap. When I woke, my sheet and quilt were covered in blood. From where? Turned and saw it was my left arm. The blood clot had opened and was flowing. Yes, flowing.

Ran to the bathroom sink. Blood on the floor trailing behind me. The sink a bloody mess. The shirt I was wearing likewise.

In a matter of two hours following, I bled through 4 large band aids. Called Dr. Norris. Come right over, he said. I drove with my arm wrapped in a towel.

He did not even take off the last large band aid. He wrapped my arm over and over with a large bandage and then one of those things that tighten around a bandage. His instructions were to call him in 6 hours re the bleeding and skip my next blood thinner.

I was still bleeding six hours later. Blood dripping here and there everywhere. Could not believe it!

It was much less than when I had seen Norris, however.

Norris told me to remove the bandages the next morning. I did. What a mess. I bled heavy through the voluminous bandaging he had done and more on my sheets and quilt as I slept. 

It stopped later in the day.

Fun! This getting old has all kinds of bullshit problems built in. The bleeding not serious, but a gross inconvenience.

What next?

Enjoy your day!

President Trump’s Address to a Joint Session of Congress last night was a disgrace. His words fraught with danger. His thoughts scary. 

He has been a failure as a President, a failed businessman, and a failed human being.

Trump wants everyone to believe the U.S. is a failed nation and he is going to save us. The failed one is he, not the U.S. However if he is successful  continuing as he has the first six weeks of his second Presidency, he is going to bury not only the the U.S. but the entire world. Economically and militarily.

His audience was equally disgraceful. Republicans and Democrats alike. The Republicans cheering a leader who will fail in the end. Fearful of the man who leads their party. Afraid to stand up for what is right. Afraid to oppose wrong.

The Democrats befuddled. They know not what to do. The “enemy” different from any they have ever known.

As the U.S. fails, so will the rest of the world. First, economically. Trump’s tariffs will give birth to inflation and a major recession worldwide. As bad as the one that began in 1929.

Loyalties are changing. Yesterday’s friends are becoming today’s foes. Yesterday’s foes today’s friends. The U.S. and Russia a perfect example.

The Republicans and Democrats as seated last night reminded me of nations waiting to do battle centuries ago. Facing each other on a battlefield. At an appropriate moment, moving forward against each other.

We are not a nation in decline. We could become one under Trump’s Presidency, If Trump seeks personal success, he will find it if he destroys what was a great nation with his wayward judgment, lies and mistruths.

Food for thought.

First he threatened. Put the fear of economic gods in everyone. Backed off to show he was a good guy. Now drops the bombs. Tariff bombs. Pure insanity. No nation wins. Trump’s ill advised bravado actions will hurt the U.S. as much as other nations.

China said it would retaliate. Trump’s tariff’s on China went into effect today. China immediately announced a 15 percent tariff on some U.S. imported goods and 10 percent on others. On top of which some 20 U.S. companies were blacklisted. They can only do business in China with China’s permission.

The 15 percent China imposed retaliatory tariff will primarily affect U.S. farm products such as soybeans, meats and grains. The 10 percent tariff chickens, wheat and corn.

Most of the U.S. products come from MAGA red states.

Trump last week accused Ukraine of perhaps starting World War III. It will not be Ukraine and Russia so much as the US. screwing around with China.

Canada and Mexico have yet to announce their retaliatory tariffs. 

The DOW dropped 650 points yesterday. The DOW had significantly bad numbers last week. Americans with money in the stock market are going to begin growing uncomfortable. More and more each day. Trump’s “brilliant” tariff move is going to affect them greatly.

Trump advised yesterday a “pause” in the delivery of military aid to Ukraine. He had to play that dirty card! He is trying to force Ukraine into a “peace deal” that would leave them no protection in the future. All to benefit Putin.

We know Trump does not know what he is talking about. We know his Cabinet and aids dance to his tune. “Yes” people. Even the Republican Senate who should be standing up to him at the moment.

Woe is we. Woe are European democratic nations. The time is upon Euro nations to stand firmly behind Ukraine. Less talk of support. An actual show of support with immediate big time military aid. Including boots on the ground, if necessary. Russia can’t fight the whole world. It will back off of its retaliatory threats.

Trump can’t leave anything alone. He wants the federal government to take over Washington, D.C. The federal government can’t seem to properly take care of the nation. I suspect even a smaller city would be too much for it.

Putin has issued a new threat. War with the U.S. and NATO if either gives missiles to Ukraine. Trump’s buddy threatening the U.S.! The world has evolved into a creepy chaotic place in the first five weeks of Trump’s Presidency.

Trump does not always speak the truth. He has assured the American people that Social Security and Medicaid were off the table. Someone failed to tell Musk. He appears to be gearing up to go after Social Security.

Musk was on the Joe Rogan show friday for three hours. He said, “Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”

Why? How?

Pope Francis does not appear to be getting better. He is back on a ventilator after his respiratory problems got worse. I fear he will soon be joining his Maker.

Bum Farto back in Key West news today. Actually, the phrase/question that has become synonymous with his name: “Where is Bum Farto?”

Farto disappeared this day in 1976. The Key West Fire Chief had been convicted in federal court of drug charges. He was on his way to Miami for sentencing. He has never been seen since.

Last year was not the best for me health wise. This year a couple of maladies. Minor ones, fortunately.

I saw the good Dr. Norris yesterday. I have not seen him for several months. The best of the best when it comes to primary care.

Two problems.

My left ankle is infected and swollen. A growth accidently was knocked off two weeks ago at physiotherapy. The relatively tiny wound became infected. Began bothering me over the weekend. Norris said an infection. The growth not cancerous. A common type that comes with age. He placed me on an antibiotic for a week. I took the first one this morning.

Turns out I broke my nose also. About a month ago. Thought nothing of it and did nothing, including having it checked by Norris. I did not consider it broken. 

Taking care of myself in my old age has its built in problems. My ironing board would neither close nor open. It got stuck at mid point. I was screwing around with it to make it close. It did! Swiftly and suddenly! Snapped up and hit me hard on the upper right side of my nose. Swelled a bit, hurt a bit. No big deal. Three days later some dried blood dropped out of the nostril.

The nose has continued to hurt a bit. Getting better, however. Since I was seeing Norris for the ankle, I mentioned my nose to him. Before he even looked, he said I had broken it. Then he got out his instruments and took a look inside. Yes, it had been broken. No big deal. Was healing well.

Such is life. I prefer no problems. If I must experience some, may they be minor. Last year’s heart attack, three heart surgeries and 5 1/2 weeks in Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami was enough.

Enjoy your day!

I came across a detailed story about the Netherlands on YouTube yesterday. Most interesting! Permit me to share a bit with you.

The Netherlands favorite color? Not red, white or blue. Orange. The Dutch even have a national holiday which celebrates the color. King’s Way. April 27. Everyone parties dressed in orange.

The Village of Giethoorn is located in the Netherlands. Unique. Affluent homes. No roads. Transportation is via canals.

Amsterdam an exciting city. It has a world wide special section called Dwallen. The sex neighborhood. Night times packed. Strictly adult entertainment. Two thousand workers. Houses of ill repute referred to as “entertainment houses.” Three hundred seventeen entertainment houses in Dwallen.

Window women a primary attraction. Cost $43-$53 for 15-20 minutes.

Flowers obviously a main Netherlands’ attraction. Not just tulips. All kinds of flowers. As far as the eye can see in different colors. The view has been described as a place where “nature becomes art.”

Flower auctions are held daily. In huge numbers. Great volumes sold for delivery world wide. Auctions different from what are held in other parts of the world. The auctioneer sets a high number and then the bids are in lower numbers.

Van Gogh did his famous Starry Night painting in June 1889 from his asylum room window facing east at Saint-Remy Province. The painting depicts a scene just before sunrise. Van Gogh painted in an imaginary village. The painting’s home is the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

In recent years in honor of van Gogh and his work Starry Night, an illuminated bike path that glows in the dark was created. 

The bike path is one kilometer long. It is located in the City of Eindhoven.

Illuminated with thousands of twinkling stones that feature glow in the dark technology and solar powered LED lights.

Finally of course there are the many windmills the Netherlands are famous for. Several hundred years old. Still in working condition.

Appears the Netherlands is worthy of a visit.

Greg Sterling is Dean of the Yale Divinity School. He recently commented re Trump’s USAID cuts and the millions of Africans it affects. Sterling pointed out 20 million African lives were saved from AIDS. Trump’s dramatic cuts will remove U.S. provided AIDS assistance to 6 million in the next four years. Making death inevitable.

Sterling said, “Trump’s cuts are anti-Christian at the core.” Right he is! Trump cut neither thinking nor caring what the affect would be.

As suggested by Sterling, care for the poor is a prerequisite to our Christian commitment. Christ said: “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.” Matthew 25:40.

Stated simply, how we treat the least among us will impact our eternal value. Christians are shown to be who they are by their care for others who are in need.

I close with a growing Florida problem. Perhaps not a problem. In reality, a benefit long awaited. The issue has to do with housing and its outrageous costs in recent years.

The Florida housing market is in the process of collapsing. Contracts are failing. Property taxes sky rocketing.

Numbers speak loud and clear. Forty one thousand home purchase agreements fell through in January. The number equals 14.3 percent of homes under contract in January. The number up by 13.4 percent compared to one year earlier. The highest contract failure rate for the same time period since 2017.

Hang in there. House prices may still come down dramatically!

Enjoy your day!

The weather warmed up beyond expectations yesterday. Hit 87 degrees.

I was at Brady’s Irish Pub at noon for the Syracuse/Virginia Tech game. Sat in my usual kitchen chair at a table in the back. Me alone with the TV set.

Syracuse played a hell of a game. For 35 minutes. Then blew it!

With 4 minutes left in the game, Syracuse was up 13 points. I was confident a Syracuse victory in the making. Virginia Tech went on a run. With 4 seconds left, Virginia Tech was winning by 3. Death awaited! Surprisingly, Syracuse made a 3 pointer and the game went into overtime.

Overtime was a disaster for Syracuse. My team was outscored 19-13. Syracuse lost a game they had led most of the way and were decisively ahead with 4 minutes to go. The final score was 101-95.

Dejected does not adequately describe how I felt.

On top of the defeat, my back went when Syracuse was winning by 9 with 10 minutes to go. Why, I don’t know. But it hurt like hell! I was tempted to leave and take my pain home with me. I did not want to miss a Syracuse victory, however. So I suffered terribly till the end of the game and worse thereafter. The defeat and my back!

This definitely has not been Syracuse’s year when it comes to basketball. Thank God the football season went 10-4 in Syracuse’s favor.

My back bothered me all night and still bothers me this morning. Sometimes you just can’t win for losing.

Lets move on to politics. International ones.

Euro and other democratic nations met in England yesterday with Zelensky. They all talked strongly in favor of support for Zelensky and Ukraine.

Talk can be cheap, however. Negotiations seemed to be the thrust. I believe the nations supporting Ukraine must be prepared to fight militarily if push comes to shove. It may. The U.S. appears to be supporting Russia and ready to dessert Ukraine militarily. Other nations will be subject to Russian attack thereafter. Putin’s game plan. The return of the Russia of old!

The free nations of the world must be ready immediately to step in. No wasted time. Strike if something adverse occurs. Swiftly. Such readiness alone might be sufficient to discourage Russia from taking further steps.

Readiness to do battle the key. 

This coming tuesday a big one for Trump. If he is true to his word, his plan re tariffs will go into effect. He will hit Canada and Mexico with 25 percent and impose an additional 10 percent tariff charge on imports from China. The three nations the U.S. does the most business with.

Keep it up, Donald! Hit whoever you want with tariffs. Friend and foe alike.

Guaranteed a tariff war will be a loser not only for those imposed upon, but for the U.S. also.

Another way to describe the Zelensky, Trump, Vance meeting is the Trump team rooting for Putin…..in a gross betrayal of the West.

During the campaign, Trump promised the moon. Everything! Anything to be elected! Lied like hell! He was the “day one” guy. Promised to do this and that on day one.

Like not cutting Social Security, protecting Medicare, free in vitro fertilizations, disavow the heritage Fund’s Project 2025, promising he had nothing to do with it.

He promised he would lower the cost of housing, groceries and other necessities. He promised cheaper eggs.

Basically, he has generally delivered nothing but pain so far. 

He is still game for his tariff plans which will raise the price of goods for most Americans.

The best yet…..The fantasy that has developed that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency will distribute stimulus checks  drawn from supposed savings to taxpayers. From what? Grossly exaggerated erroneous savings numbers?

What will be Trump’s reaction if a recession occurs? The result of his misdeeds and failure to keep promises made.

An example of a Key West price indicator moving in the wrong direction. The per gallon price of gasoline. From saturday to saturday this past week, the price increased 24 cents a gallon.

The Custom House in Key West was built around 1898. Construction completed near the time of the Battleship Maine explosion in Havana Harbor. It was a federal building back then.

A Naval Court of Inquiry was was arranged to investigate why the Maine exploded on March 1, 1899. The Inquiry was held at the recently completed Custom House.

I close with a major store closing in many states. Not a healthy reflection of what is happening with the economy.

Macy’s announced it was closing sixty stores in 2025.

Enjoy your day!

Trump and Vance achieved one of two possible goals yesterday. Achieving nothing for themselves or world pace in the process.

The two must have believed they had Zelensky and the Ukraine by “the balls.” Otherwise they would not have proceeded as they did. To embarrass the President of another nation and then in effect throw him out of the White House.

Zelensky did what he is charged to do. Protect his country. Because Trump trusts Putin, no reason for Zelensky to do so. No reason why  other national leaders would either. Putin a two faced liar. His promises totally unreliable. Only a Trump would buy his representations. Trump a person who wants other dictators as his friends and not tried and true American friends of more than 80 years.

Trump and Vance succeeded in embarrassing Zelensky. Making themselves look like asses in the process. I did think Zelensky handled his end of the confrontation poorly. He lost his cool. Who could blame him, however. 

Another dictator, Turkey’s Erdogan, is apparently now going to take a shot at interceding to bring an effective peace between Ukraine and Russia.

Should he fail, the European nations will be required to step in and provide U.S. type assistance to Ukraine. They already are to some degree. More I suspect will be required. Like boots on the ground.

During this “negotiating” there is no guarantee of success. World War III could result. At some point a frustrated and upset Putin may use his nuclear weapons. Then all hell will break loose. Including U.S. involvement. The “ocean” no longer a valid protection argument. My fear, and it is one that should affect the thinking of all Americans, is that our young ones will be fighting in a major conflict and that civilians and cities will be killed and destroyed. Visualize Ukraine and Gaza as they stand today to understand.

I spoke with Robert a couple of days ago. I told him if things did not work out between Ukraine and Russia, he and Ally could be in the military fighting for the U.S. He agreed such could occur.

Are American college students discussing this possibility?

Trump’s election was a mistake in every respect. Everything he has touched in the slim five weeks he has been President is turning into a disaster. Can we survive the 4 years it will take for his term to end?

Yesterday and today should be days of thought. Hope you are thinking and concerned. Under the circumstances, I cannot end my blog today with…..Enjoy your day!