Santa Claus will NOT be coming to Key West this year for fear of deportation. Makes sense. He is NOT a U.S. citizen. Just the type of individual ICE is seeking.

I was released from the hospital yesterday after one week. A cancer removal from my left ankle became infected. Pain like you would not believe. Still hurts, though less, now that I am home.

I have had 3 major illnesses since I was 88. Now 90. The first three heart operations at 88. The next four abdominal bleed surgeries last year. Now this cancer problem.

I thought the cancer removal would be the easiest. Not so. A horrible recovery. Still horrible, though I am suffering at home now which is easier. 

An interesting Brown University result. The person of interest has been released. Not the shooter. The culprit still being sought.

Rob Reiner and his wife found dead yesterday. Described as murders. Our country is more and more screwed up.

Trump wants Venezuelan oil, not drugs. The drug story a phony. The usual to be expected from Trump and his administration these days. I wonder if we can survive two more years of the Donald, a liar and a warmonger.

Our health care system is in crisis. What is going to happen?

Trump is losing his MAGA base. It is slowly checking out.

Saturday’s Army-Navy game exciting! Navy won it 17-16. I enjoyed it from my hospital bed.

Trump appears to “be making money on the side” while President. Not right! We do not elect Presidents to become millionaires while on the job.

Chocolate Chips cheating. Third graders in a particular school counted them. The container said 1,000. The third graders only found 680.

The U.S. Bill of Rights became law in 1791.

Can’t win them all! Gustave Eiffel: “I ought to e jealous of the tower. She is more famous than I am.”

Glad to be back.

Enjoy your day!

Today is December 7. A day of historical significance for the United States. Eighty four years ago on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States. Devastated Pearl Harbor and other parts of Hawaii. Within days attacked and conquered many Pacific islands.

The United States was at war. Big time! Unexpectedly!

Washington was concerned Japan might attack. So the surprise attack was not much of a surprise in Washington. However to the rest of the country, to the American people, to the guy on the street, to the you and me, it was a surprise.

I was 6 years old at the time. Old enough to recall the events of the day. Everyone went crazy in a fashion. People seeking friends with radios to get the news moment by the moment. Not everyone had a radio back then. My parents did. The living rom was packed.

Though only 6, I was old enough to know a calamity had occurred. The next day, most of men went to sign up for the service. Even my 27 year old father. He was turned down because he was deaf in one ear. As a child, an incompetent doctor had pierced one of his eardrums.

Everyone was concerned. All men wanted to enter the fight.

The war was our life for the next four years. My youth did not prevent me from understanding what was going on.

I write this brief history because there is little reported in the media today about that day in 1941. Not a time to forget. Most nations are capable of initiating a war with the United States. One which this time would commence with an attack directly on U.S. people and soil. Our country itself would be Pearl Harbor.

My point a simple one. We all know the danger we are in. Trump has placed us in that danger. The peace monger is really a war monger. He knows not what he does. Friends have become enemies. Everyone appears to want to take a shot at us.

Such being the case, why has the media failed today to provide a rerun of December 7, 1941. The people of our nation should be reminded, recall and discuss that day to provide a necessary sense of what could be today. Discussion and concern would help us prepare for what many believe may be an inevitable war on our shores.

I repeat that which I have written in recent days That which I have discussed with friends. I believe our next President should be Mark Kelly. A 25 year Navy veteran, an astronaut and a U.S. Senator. Trump is the last business man I may want as President for a long time.

Enjoy your day!

Mark Kelly for President!

Enjoy your day!

Today a short blog. Tomorrow no blog.

Doctoring again. Will it ever end?

No big deal tomorrow. A cancer growth on my left ankle is being removed.

One topic I wish to address today. Trump and Hegseth and the Venezuelans killed. Trump will end up blaming Admiral Bradley or Hegseth. Hegseth will blame the Admiral.

Both whores. Trump and Hegseth.

Mark Kelly being blamed for things arising directly, indirectly or not at all out of the situation.

Kelly a 25 year Navy veteran. An astronaut. A U.S. Senator. Husband to a woman who was shot in the head while running for Congress. She came close to dying. Spent 6 months in the hospital.

Kelly my man for President on the Democratic ticket. I am sick of businessmen running. I want someone who has supported the U.S. for most or all of their life. Mark Kelly is that type. MY CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT!

Enjoy your day!

Today, some short tidbits.

Christopher Columbus did not discover America. I lie not.

America was first discovered by Leif Erikson in 1021, nearly 500 years before Columbus’ 1492 journey.

The two expeditions did have one thing in common, however. Erickson was probably not looking for America either. Love this observation!

High rising cryptocurrencies suddenly moving in a different direction. Downward! Major selloff occurring.

On this day in 1955, Rosa Parks sat in a white person’s seat in the front of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Thereafter, she and Martin Luther King Jr. attacked the Alabama bus segregation laws.

Big day for American industry: December 1, 1913. Henry Ford’s first assembly line in U.S. installed to mass produce automobiles.

What did oranges used to look like? They weren’t always orange.

Oranges originated some 8 million years ago in the southeast foothills of the Himalayas. Nothing like the oranges we know today. They were smaller, bitter and came in a variety of shapes and colors.

The oranges we eat today are descendants of citrons, pomelos and mandarins. Seventy percent of the oranges we know today are a cultivated hybrid of the ancient pomelo.

Pennies in the news recently.  U.S. law has prohibited making them. Too expensive.

The Statue of Liberty’s exterior is copper. It is estimated 435 million pennies could be made from Liberty’s exterior.

Egyptians were the first “brilliant” peoples. Created many things: Tooth paste, scissors, prosthetic appendages , the solar calendar, marshmallows, and built pyramids without sophisticated tools.

The first Super Bowl halftime performers were marching bands. Generally college ones. Till 1967 when trumpeter Al Hirt blew his horn. He returned for several years.

Surprise! Super Bowl halftime show headliners do not get paid. Odd, since some shows cost as much as $13 million to produce. The stars and their staffs do receive minimum compensation on a “union scale” which amounts to a few hundred dollars.

The U.S.’ most sinful city: Las Vegas, Nevada. The U.S.’ least sinful city: Columbia, Maryland.

Japan has discovered a “human washing machine.” Just like washing clothes. Naked body lies inside and is washed via machinery. A Japanese company is presently manufacturing it.

James Baldwin: “Not everyone that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Makes sense!

Dick Van Dyke is 99 years old!

Trump has become “bubble wrapped.” He fails to meet with the public as he previously did. His reputation is on a rapid downhill trend. His activities now limited to traveling abroad, golf at his private clubs and dining with wealthy friends, business leaders and major donors. He has “deserted” the people. He knows they are no longer “his.”

Did you notice? It was Thanksgiving Week and no turkey pardons and awkward speeches.

What is happening with Trump’s remodeling of the East White House ballroom? An estimated $3 million project. Questions are being asked.

Ellen DeGeneres and wife reportedly planning on a U.S. return. Dislike England’s cold weather and lack of friends. May return to California and friends.

There is truth in “ain’t no place like home!”

Dysfunctional families are common. Tiffany Trump skipped Thanksgiving Dinner with Donald after he made some adverse claims against her. Pissed her off. Ergo, she and her son Alexander spent the holiday with her mother/grandmother Marla Maples.

That’s the way it goes. More so these days in the U.S.

I close with the lying issue.

Children lie. A tendency. Not badly. An observation. My children never lied as much as Donald Trump. Not a good sign for Donald!

Enjoy your day!

I took a week off. A vacation of sorts. Enjoyed it!

Went to Cape Coral to visit Cheryl. First time. Great home! Terrific cooking…..all week! Visited with my grandkids Robert and Ally. Watched a ton of old movies. Like Godfather 1 and 2, When Alice Meets Harry and many old favorites. Watched Syracuse get killed in the Las Vegas Basketball Tournament. Watched college football. Watched Chicago professional football. Cheryl from the Chicago area and a diehard Chicago fan.

Must compliment Cheryl. Excellent cook and hostess goes without saying. She impressed me with her knowledge of the rules of the game concerning football and basketball. Most women do not comprehend. In some instances, she knew more than me.

Drove up and back with Corey and Lisa. Corey’s folks live in Cape Coral. The homes are lovely. Medical buildings everywhere. Reason simple. The community is old old. Doctors, etc. have a built in patient base.

Russians love vodka. There was a time they ran out of it. For real! When they celebrated the end of World War II. On May 10, 1945 “it was impossible to buy vodka in Moscow, because  it (Moscow) was completely drunk.”

The Soviet Red Army was huge number-wise during World War II. Number of troops serving exceeded 34 million.

Vodka was “money” for a certain period of time in the 1900s. Rubles were down. Vodka became the new currency. A bottle of vodka would get a person the equivalent of 20 rubles. Lasted this way till the Russian economy stabilized.

Paris and the Folies Bergère. On this day in 1886, the Folies Bergère went sexy-sexsational costumes. Has remained so to this day.

Mark Twain was born this day in 1835.

On this day in 1965, Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe at Any Speed” hit bookstores. Changed automobile liability law dramatically. I was a young lawyer at the time and saw it happen.

Came across an internet article this morning re first hand the flu epidemic which struck Americans badly 1918. One of history’s deadliest pandemics. 

My grandfather Louis (for whom I am well named) was married to my grandmother at the time and came down with the flu. Bad! Almost died!

He has been dead for many years now. If still alive, would be 125-150 years old. I must write his story some day. Interesting. From Italy to the USA.

Unlike other bears, polar bears do not hibernate. Has some thing to do with the cold water.

A couple of Trump shorties.

Trump is losing Republican support. Here and there, Republicans are breaking away from him. The beginning of the end. Slowly but surely.

I close with another Trump observation.

Trump rants in a time of crisis. Ignores unity. Worst President ever!

Enjoy your day!

Don’t know the how, why or what caused this young guy from Utica, New York, to meet so many prominent persons and develop relationships with them. But happen it did!

I forgot Tony Bennett. Only recalled him when I came across his name on the internet yesterday. For shame. My shame.

We first met some 40 years ago. I was handling a number of heavy environmental legal cases in New York City. Spent considerable time in the City. I was always looking for another new good place to eat. Someone advised a hotel restaurant on the east side. I cannot for the life of me recall the name of the hotel. Not a well known popular one. Though as I subsequently learned, the hotel had a “heavy” clientele.

I went to dinner one night. Alone. No seats available in the dining room. The bar was a long one that was totally empty. So I sat at the bar to have dinner. Again, all alone.

After a short while, a heavyset gentleman came in and sat at the bar. Actually joined me. All other bar seats empty, he sits right next to me. My immediate reaction was the guy was gay.

He starts talking to me. Well spoken. Well dressed. A blazer, kaki slacks and a white unbuttoned shirt at the collar. Interesting hair do. Older than me by about 10 years. 

He looked familiar. Very familiar. Then it dawns on me. He’s Tony Bennett. Gay he is not. He lives in the hotel when in New York. Hates to eat alone. Saw me sitting alone at the bar and decided to join me. Note again with all seats available, he sits in the one immediately next to me.

Funny.

Anyhow, we spent about four hours together. Talked about everything. Enjoyed each other’s company immensely.

We decided that because we were “loners” and found each other enjoyable, we should get together again. We figured out a date when we both would be available and agreed to go for it. We continued this relationship for several years. Our meetings took place every 3 months or so.

A class act. A solid individual. A for real Italian-American. We blended!

He had a traveling act. I recall once when he appeared in Utica. Of course, I went. Took my wife and father. I knew my Dad would get a big bang out of hearing him sing in person.

I wanted to visit with him if he had the time. I left a message with his office. Utica was my home town. The theater manager a friend. Gave him a note to give Tony and tell him I would like to see him after the show. All worked out as I had hoped. We went back stage after the show. My manager friend took us to Tony’s dressing room. He was alone inside waiting for us.

Introductions, hugs and kisses. My Dad was going crazy. This was big time for him.

After about ten minutes, I made our excuses, noted he was a busy man and we would be leaving. Oh no, he said. We are going to have dinner together!

I took him to a small Italian restaurant that was one of my Utica favorites. Everyone went crazy when we walked in. Fortunately, I knew most of the people. Introduced Tony to everyone…..table by table.

We had a great evening!

Some Tony Bennett background I learned along the way.

Tony was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto.

Bob Hope gave him the name Tony Bennett.

Tony was Calabrian. His father actually was. His dad used to sing opera in Italy.

Tony’s fame “erupted” because of an event which occurred in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Whoever he was with, came across a sheet of music under some shirts in a drawer. The song, not known at the time, was “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” 

San Francisco was Tony’s next stop. It was 1962. His friend encouraged him to sing the song. Tony did and history speaks for itself. A major hit! Made him!

Tony was involved in Civil Rights. His friend Harry Belafonte got him into it.

Tony was also a painter at heart.  Landscapes and portraits his forte. He would sneak off to paint them. He painted under the name “Antonio  Benedetto.”

Frank Sinatra was impressed with Tony’s singing ability. He said, “For my money, Tony Benedetto is the best singer in the business.”

Personally, Tony was special also. He was recognized as a person of “incredible warmth.”

He died at the age of 96. God bless him!

Enjoy your day!

I shall be away all next week. A vacation of sorts. Will not be writing the blog for the week. Ergo, I am writing about Thanksgiving today. Enjoy!

One of America’s most beloved holidays dates back to 1621. Actually 1620 when a group of Protestants who had left England because of religious persecution landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The water trip was difficult.

The year 1621 was a bit easier. A banner harvest Some time between September and November, the settlers celebrated with a feast that lasted 3 days. They enjoyed Indian food and that which they raised themselves and animals they killed.

Don’t know if the term “Thanksgiving” was used at the time. However the three days were a celebration of thanksgiving.

For several years following, it was not peaceful. The Indians and settlers fought battles.

More Indians than Pilgrims attended the first 1621 Thanksgiving event. The initial 100 colonists had been cut in half by the first harsh winter. Seventy eight percent of the women also died. Left on the first Thanksgiving were 22 men, 4 married women, and 25 plus children and teenagers. The men and children cooked the first meal for their own and guests like Indian King Massasoit and his 90 men.

The first Thanksgiving, at Plymouth landing, was a “one time” affair. It would not be till 1863 for a next formal one when President Abraham Lincoln declared the day a national holiday.

As Lincoln intended and as most of us today celebrate, Thanksgiving is a day when we celebrate our blessings.

In order to make Thanksgiving a national holiday, some had to “push” the idea. One was a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale. She lobbied Congress for years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. She gets the “big credit.”

Quite possibly, Thanksgiving might never have been celebrated in November at all. Actually the first Thanksgiving in 1621 occurred in October. It was Lincoln who gave us the November holiday when he assigned it to the last Thursday in November. Possibly to coincide with the date the Pilgrims first landed the Mayflower in New England.

Some Thanksgiving features.

The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924 featured animals from the Central Park Zoo.

Thanksgiving leftovers led to the first ever TV dinner. The year 1953. The company the food corporation Swansons.

Swansons estimated there would be left over turkey meat equating 260 tons. Using 5,000 aluminum trays, they created the first TV dinner. Sold for 98 cents each. In the first year 10 million sold. They had to get more aluminum trays. The birth of the frozen meat industry!

Benjamin Franklin was very pro-turkey.  So much so, he thought it should be designated the national bird. He was disappointed when the bald eagle was selected.

There was no turkey at the first Thanksgiving in 1621 in Plymouth. Instead, everyone feasted on lobster, seal and swans.

Pumpkin pie has been baked for a long, long time. However, it is not America’s favorite pie. Apple is. Pumpkin is number 2.

The “pardoning” of a turkey has been an annual White House tradition. But no one is quite sure who started it.

Thanksgiving Day football games began in the 1870s. Yale played Princeton in the first game.

Female turkeys don’t gobble. Only male turkeys gobble. Females purr and cackle.

Moving on.

President Abraham  Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address this day in 1863.

Wrong! Disgraceful! Trump defends Saudi Crown Prince over Khashoggi killing. Trump insults the American people by so doing. He fails to be a good American President by defending Mohammed bin Salman. 

Klimt portrait sells for $236.4 million. A record for modern art.

Researchers have identified the names of five million victims murdered in the Holocaust. The study has been undergoing since the 1950s.

I close with Pope Leo XIV. Leo is a Cinephile who loves “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “The Sound of Music.”

Enjoy your day! 

Life under British occupation during the American Revolution brought hunger, plunder and violence. The British treated the Colonists poorly. The Colonial choice was simple. Flee their homes and hide or stay and endure the uneasy reality of military occupation.

Initially, British officers were polite and their soldiers civil.

The initial calm soon gave way to hardship and resentment. As the heavy hand of British martial law began to touch nearly every aspect of daily life resulting in food privation, business disruption and the constant threat of theft, destruction and bodily harm.

Cities were overcrowded and closely watched. Loyalist refugees harassed. Protection and employment difficult to find. The competition with the British for jobs unreasonable.

A constant threat of violence existed.

Military check points and street personal systems limited free movement. Family and work partners were cut off. In families and businesses where political loyalties diverged, distrust and hostility grew.

Plundering and violence also grew. Plundering by soldiers and local opportunists. Families began hiding money and valuables in cupboards, shoes and buried in their yards. The British seized everything they could. Like utility wagons and household goods. Kumbaya had not lasted long. 

For the British, the tune was simple: Plunder, plunder, plunder.

Patriot homes were seized and burned by the British merely for fun. Women and girls suffered sexual violence. The British government tried to alleviate the problem by shipping in thousands of English prostitutes.

As the occupation dragged on, British soldiers became weary of tents and barracks They commandeered the homes of local Loyalists.

Many British officers paid well however for the use of the house. Generally 20 shillings per week. Some shared food. Others only meager scraps from the dinner table.

For whatever reason, we never have heard how badly the British treated Americans in those days.

The U.S. not the only nation to cease penny production. Canada did earlier. Three years later, Canada went a step further and removed them from circulation. Removed were 6 billion pennies.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese isn’t actually from Philadelphia. Made in Chester, New York, since the 1870s. A marketing ploy. “Philadelphia” was known for good cheese and excellent food. William Lawrence, who started Philadelphia Cream Cheese, created the name and marketed it out of Chester, New York.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: “Nearly two-thirds of young Americans are thinking about getting out of here. You know you are having a bad relationship when you think a lot about leaving.”

Another Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: “A record number of Hispanics voted for Trump in 2024. Now they know better.”

Trump’s approval rating. Remember when he said, “I’m the king of the world.” Just before his ship sank!

Trump’s newest “strange.” A 50 year mortgage. Yes, a 50 year mortgage! Another proof Donald has lost it!

Modern day insanity. I remember it well. The day November 18, 1978. Peoples Temple founder Jim Jones led his followers in a mass murder-suicide at their commune in Guyana, South America. Many of Jones’ followers willingly ingested a poison-laced punch while others were forced to do so.

The first state to recognize same sex marriage was Massachusetts in 2003 in a court ruling.

Last but not least a significant Walt Disney event. The first cartoon with synchronized sound. “Steamboat Willie.” Also starred in his first cartoon Mickey Mouse. The year 1928. A significant presentation. The cartoon and Mickey. Wow!

Enjoy your day! 

Trump has fought the release of the Epstein files till very recently. Changed his mind. Release them his cry!!!

In typical fashion, he changed his mind. As he does with most things. He is now for the House releasing the files.

There must have been a value to Trump changing his mind, even if only a small one. Typical of how he functions however. Move from one side to another. Whichever is most convenient and advantageous. Whatever works best for him.

Trump decided to expand nuclear testing. China decided thereafter it must do also. Makes sense. Each side must protect itself, cover its ass. We are back into a Cold War scenario.

What is going to happen in Venezuela? I now suspect a typical Trump ploy. A lot f boasting and buffoonery. Threats of war. However, I now doubt there will be a war. Trump will sit and talk with Maduro. They will arrive at a resolution. One which was not needed in the first place or now. A false one Trump created a need for.

Let’s cut the abortion shit. Leave the issue alone. Merely another Trump/GOP erroneous scenario.

The Democrats are going to attack housing affordability under Trump next. He screwed housing costs up also.

Donald, hurry up and reduce food costs. You may not realize it, but you made them go up. You said this week you were going to reduce them. Move fast. Ordinary people are hurting big time because of them.

GOP plans to reduce Obamacare have failed. What next?

Like the song Onward Christian Soldier, Trump is Ever Onward. Word is he is now considering striking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. If so, the man is nuts.

Why is a foot 12 inches? Because it is based on the length of a human foot.

The scenario dates back to Ancient Rome. The average foot was 11.64 inches. Rounded off to 12 inches. Became the size 12 inch foot.

Number of bones in the human foot? Twenty six.

The Elizabethan Age began this day in 1558.

The Suez Canal opened this day in 1869.

Local writer Rick Boettger wrote an interesting article in this morning’s KONK Life titled “U.S. Healthcare Sucks.” I recommend its reading.

Coffee, beef and banana prices have gone up!

 Much? Very much!

Trump announced plans to make these items more affordable. He should. He caused them to go up in the first instance!

Beef has gone up $5 plus a pound. Ground roast coffee $6-8 a pound. Bananas 7-8 cents a pound. Bananas especially piss me off. I eat 1-2 a day.

We are a right handed dominant world. Most people are right handed. Why?

Right handed persons make up 85-90 percent of the world’s population.

Begins with the unborn. In the fetus. From the 15th week forward, the fetus moves the right arm and sucks the right hand thumb more than the left.

Heredity an influence also. Humans have strongly favored their right hand for use for at least half a million years.

I close with some holiday grocery observations.

I was at Publix yesterday doing my weekly, not holiday, shopping. Three items were available big time for purchase Laid out in several different parts of the store. Turkeys, stuffing and pumpkin pies. All over the place!

Enjoy your day!