I thought being alone for dinner this Christmas holiday was going to be a downer. Turned out not to be the case.

The food has been great. The Pope right on. Old TV movies exceptional. Interesting telephone calls with some I have not been in touch with in ages.

The food. So good I should be in solitary for a few more holidays.

Christmas Eve found me the chef. The filet mignon, as prepared by Louis, exceptional.

Christmas Day Lisa brought me left overs from her dinner the night before. For lunch, I had linguine with a great red sauce and Lisa’s home made Xmas cookies. Superior tasting.

Dinner last night were Maine lobster tails. Lisa went all out this Christmas. Outstanding! More Xmas cookies.

Today’s meals yet to come. Sloan my benefactor. She is due to arrive later this morning. Ham (cooked with the bone), potatoes and cobbler. My lunch.

Will begin tonight’s dinner with the rest of Lisa’s linguine. Followed by a shrimp dish specially prepared by Lisa. Tasted a couple cold. Different. Can’t wait to heat and try. Plus, Xmas cookies.

I suspect I will still have leftovers remaining from Lisa and Sloan to pick on over the next couple of days.

Not bad.

A frequent Commenter to the blog suggested I cook stone crabs. A special fit to Key West dining.

I love stone crabs! My favorite food. I have frequently commented over the years if I had a choice for a last meal, it would be stone crabs.

Stone crabs are common to our waters. The season runs 10/15-5/1. They are available to Key Westers all the time.

This season because of my COVID enforced incarceration, I have only had them once. Normally, once every 2-3 weeks.

The commenter suggested I cook stone crabs for New Year’s. No way then or ever.

They are so easy to purchase. Cooked, cold and shell skillfully crushed. Stone crabs can also be served warm. I had them, once. Do not recommend it. The flavor is gone.

I have enjoyed stone crabs so much over the years that on a few occasions I had frozen stone crabs flown from Key West to Utica. Invited 8-10 “lucky friends” and we pigged out.

Came across an interesting proverb this morning: “A merry heart doeth good like medicine.” Proverbs 17:22.

Cold during the night again. High today will be only be 71. Which means cold. The rest of the week will be in the high 70’s.

I feel sorry for the tourists when the weather is not the best. They come for sun and fun.

They know how to make up for it, however. Pick a bar and remain at it all day into the night. Eat oysters and drink. Before long, you and everyone around you become one happy family. As it is under normal circumstances in Key West.

Some COVID updates.

Florida achieved new record numbers for thursday and friday last week. The data is based on information forwarded by the State to the CDC.

Thursday Florida reported 31,758 new cases, friday 32,850.

Florida’s one day previous high was 27,614 in August when delta swept the State.

Florida’s positivity rate rose also in the one week time frame by 13.8 percent. The top 4 counties contributing to the rise included in the #4 position Monroe County. Our County. Up 15.3 percent. Note even higher than the State’s increase.

The surge is here in Key West. At least for last week. Why was it not reported by local news outlets? I discovered the information on a Google news item which had nationwide coverage.

Whatever, we must thank Gov. DeSantis at the very least. He has been trying to keep infection information down. He fears the truth.

Though he discouraged vaccinations, it appears he himself might have received even the booster shot. He was interviewed on TV last week and asked twice if he had received a booster shot. Each time he weasled and failed to answer the question.

The surge is evident throughout the country. Hospitals are overburdened.

Two Maryland hospitals examples of the problem. Each has declared health care a “disaster” due to the rising coronavirus tide. The hospitals are the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health and the Hartford Memorial Hospital.

Between the two hospitals, COVID cases are up 458 percent thus far this month alone.

One hospital official said, “The demand for our services has outstripped our resources, which includes staffing.” He said “burnout” and “moral distress” are fueling the staff shortages.

Another administrator said and what I consider an important item in hospital overcrowding, “Between 75-80 percent of patients admitted to the hospital because of COVID-19 infections have been unvaccinated.”

One of the regular doctors appearing on MSNBC is Vin Gupta. I have watched him for more than a year. His COVID reports clearly stated. He calls them as he sees them.

Dr. Gupta has called for hospitals to deny medical assistance and care to anyone who remains unvaccinated against COVID. He said, “Any unvaccinated person requiring medical attention should be last in line…..How do we rank – order that priority? We do it for organs, kidneys, livers, and lungs. We say ‘Did you smoke? Did you drink recently?’ If you did, you’re lower on the list even if you need it. We need to start thinking of that model.”

Back to Harry Truman again. Harry Truman loved Key West and Key West loves Harry Truman.

The President died this day in 1972.

One of our greatest Presidents.

Key West and the President are closely allied because of Truman’s love for Key West. He spent 11 working vacations totaling 175 days in Key West while President.

Enjoy your day!

I was alone last night. Fear of COVID kept me in. Rather than a sandwich, I wanted a meal. Something special.

I decided to prepare the meal myself.

I have been a bachelor for 15 years. Never did real cooking before the divorce nor since. If it can’t be microwaved or fried, I do not cook.

Decided to go for it last night.

Bought a filet mignon and frozen hash brown potatoes.

The oven was out of the question. Four years in this house and still have not used it. Needs a cleaning besides.

Tidbits of cooking wisdom have come to me this past year from Cocktails at Seven’s Cathy in Seattle. I went to cooking school with her yesterday afternoon.

Ok to pan fry the steak. A bit of oil and enough butter to to cover a piece of toast. Mix together while heating. Then comes the steak.

I read on the internet that medium was 130 degrees. I bought a thermometer. Cooking time 2-3 minutes a side.

Followed instructions precisely.

In spite of being my first self cooked meal, it was terrific. Not the 7 fishes. An excellent substitute, however.

I saved a considerable amount of money also. A filet mignon in any of the finer Key West restaurants runs in the $60-70 range. With the hash browns costing extra.

Though I drink no more, I even enjoyed a Beefeaters on the rocks before dinner.

Dessert was to be ice cream. Too full.

Opted for a cup of tea and…..You’re not going to believe this. I love Oreos. I enjoyed 4 Oreos with the tea.

I was proud of myself. Cathy was proud of me.

I will eat well again today. Lisa is dropping off last night’s meal. One item was Maine lobster. I shall enjoy cold Maine lobster tail and whatever she brings over.

I wanted to watch Midnight Mass on TV. Stayed awake. Watched Pope Francis celebrating Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s.

The mass well done this year. Francis obviously did the entire service in Latin. There was a soft spoken translator a few seconds behind him who softly translated Francis’ words into English. Made a huge difference in watching.

One negative, however. I have been doing midnight masses since I was in late grammar school. All long. Last night’s seemed extra long. The service took 1 hour 15 minutes.

The Citizens’ Voice spoke this morning: “Wow! Had a chance to go to Marathon and gas is $3.35 everywhere. Key West is 30 percent more and so close.”

I have found even where there is no gas shortage, Key West is significantly more expensive than the rest of the Keys till Florida City is hit.

New York Times columnist Eugene Robinson recently described the January 6 attackers as “an organized rabble.” Fitting words.

Robinson and his wife generally spend the month of January in Key West. I hope they are here again in the new year. Robinson walks around town. Talks with everyone. Gives some lectures. His wife is an artist. She spends a month painting at Studios of Key West.

I left home a few days ago for a manicure and pedicure at Tammy’s. Wore two masks to be safe.

A 40ish woman came in. Well known to Tammy and her husband Rick. She was near me. She told Rick she had 2 Moderna shots and Pfizer for a booster. She came down with COVID. Said it was no big deal and passed after a few days.

I get more confused each day. Three shots and people still are getting infected. Not complaining nor being critical. Merely making an observation. The virus overall is new and the whole world is fighting it like hell. Eventually the wonders of modern science will have the problem under control.

Just the News reported on an article CNBC carried on tuesday re fraud involving pandemic relief funds: “Nearly $100 billion has been stolen from pandemic relief funds, according to the Secret Service.”

Stolen money diverted from the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, and a third program created to issue unemployment assistance funds.

So far over $2.3 billion has been recovered. Roughly 100 persons have been arrested.

The government has released $3.5 trillion in COVID-19 relief money since the pandemic began in early 2020.

The Secret Service reported a new national pandemic fraud recovery coordinator has been appointed to oversee the agency.

The new coordinator is Assistant Special Agent in Charge Roy Dotson. He told CNBC: “I’ve been in law enforcement for over 29 years and worked some complex fraud investigations for 20 plus years, and I’ve never seen something at this scale.”

Repeating myself again, Harry Truman loved Key West and Key West loves Harry Truman.

Over the years, I have read many books on Harry Truman. Some were clear that Bess was a difficult woman. She made Harry’s life miserable on many the occasion.

Some have described her as a “mean lady.” The President called her “boss.”

Bess wanted to know everything going on in Truman’s work, both before the Presidency and after. She considered herself an unofficial adviser to her husband. Their relationship developed to where Bess reviewed and commented on Harry’s work at the end of every day.

Daughter Margaret Truman wrote a book about her mother titled: Bess W. Truman. One portion involved her father’s order to drop the atom bomb. The news took Bess by surprise. Her husband had not shared it with her beforehand.

Margaret reported this made her mother feel like “a spectator rather than a partner in Harry Truman’s Presidency. That made her very, very angry.”

She immediately packed her bags and went back to Independence.

Margaret indicated her mother felt “she should have known about Harry’s decision to drop the bomb.”

Even President’s have marital woes.

Bess was Anti-semitic.

In 1961, David Susskind conducted a series of interviews with the former President in Independence. Susskind picked the President up every morning at his home and drove him to the Truman Presidential Library for several days.

Susskind asked the President why he had not been invited into Truman’s home. Truman replied: “This is Bess’s home” and there had never been nor would there ever be “a Jewish guest” in the house.

Enjoy your Christmas day!

Christmas Eve Day. Santa’s on his way.

Blog short this morning. One of those mornings where everything is going wrong. Nothing serious. A big pain, however.. It is 10:30 as I start the blog. I have been trying since 7.

Observed something yesterday that was scary. Very.

I was in the golf course complex driving to my home. All of a sudden I saw a baby running around crazy. Looked like a little girl. One to one half years old. Clad in only a diaper. Barefoot. Long curly blond hair.

Running around screaming on the road, grass and into and out of the woods.

A man was chasing her slowly. Everytime he got close, she screamed louder and took off in another direction. Obviously not her father. A good samaritan, however.

I stopped. As I did an SUV coming in the opposite stopped and everyone got out. All running towards the child. Obviously the baby’s family.

By this time, I had to move on. I did so with a sense of relief.

What a horrible feeling for the parents. Somehow the child found a way out. She will never be out of their sight for years to come.

I have shared in recent days happy Christmas stories from my past. Today, though funny a not so happy one.

The children were young. We were living in our first home. I had built on a large family room. Forty feet by 20.

It was where the Christmas tree stood.

One thing I disliked was trimming the tree. Refused to do it. I left the headache to my wife and children. They enjoyed it.

It was a saturday morning. I was home alone. Wife and children off somewhere doing something Christmas.

The tree was in one corner of the room. I sat in an easy chair on the other reading the morning paper.

The tree was large width wise. Probably 8 feet height wise. Loaded with bulbs and lights.

Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw the tree move. It was. Slowly bending getting ready to fall. I leaped for the tree. We met in the center of the room. My right hand successfully grabbed the trunk.

Everything still intact on the tree. For whatever reason, I could not push it back up in place. I needed help. The telephone was 15 feet on the other side of the room. No way could I reach the phone without the tree going down.

There was no way to call anyone for assistance.

I stood there holding the tree with one arm for two hours. First laughing. It was funny. However as time moved on, it became a pain.

Finally after two hours, my wife and children came home. The first thing my wife did was shout at me: “What did you do?” I think that question began the road to my divorcing her 40 years later.

A visit from St. Nicholas. Otherwise known as T’was The Night Before Christmas. I close today’s blog with the last line from the poem: “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”

Enjoy the day!

Van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime.

On this day in 1888, suffering from severe depression, he cut off part of his left ear with a razor. Today, Van Gogh masterpieces sell for record breaking prices.

A quote attributed to Van Gogh’s life: “Success is sometimes the outcome of a whole string of failures.”

Some must wait till after death to be appreciated. Others, during their lifetime.

The overall point being made is that most have to first lose before becoming a winner.

Failures reveal to a person their wrongs so next time they will not be repeated.

I know. I lost my first 13 trials. Learned. Then became a winner on the road to a successful career.

The Vatican has reaffirmed its support of COVID-19 vaccines reiterating Pope Francis’ insistence that getting vaccinated is “an act of love.”

A Citizens’ Voice Comment to the point: “The planet Earth has a holding capacity and so does Key West. Too many people means bad quality of life for all. It’s not whether rich or poor, it is whether they are about our custom and environment.”

The tune…..”The weather outside is frightful.”

There is snow in many parts of the U.S. Never in Key West.

Cold, however. Sixty during the night. When I opened the front door at 8 this morning to see if a package had arrived, I was greeted not with a blast of hot air. Rather a cold one. It was 64 degrees. The high today will only be 70.

The beginning of winter for us southern folks.

Enjoy the day before the day before Christmas!

Love Christmas!

Did some past Christmases remembered last night on Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Christmas Eve dinner, the seven fishes, the big people’s table, the way to the big table, the years involved, watching my father and mother grow old, etc. A pure family evening.

I am going to open this morning with Christmas Eve at my Utica home before dinner. Grew to 20-30 people.The number depended what year. Dinner first began with my wife, 4 small children and my parents. Over the years it grew as my four children married and their spouses joined us. Then came the grandchildren..

I was a soft touch for the holiday. Santa Claus always visited prior to dinner. On his sleigh of course drawn by his reindeer.

My children and grandchildren were believers. Santa Claus knew them intimately. Only used 2 Santas over the years.

The dining room to our home was huge. A large old house built in 1922. The rooms expansive. Ceilings 10 feet.

The dining room especially large. Huge table seating 12 comfortably. Fourteen a little tight.

One wall was was a bay window. The whole wall. It overlooked the backyard. All kinds of trees and shrubs galore. All strewn with bright colored lights.

The young kids would wait at the window looking out for Santa Claus to arrive. His sleigh was always to land on the pool. However each year he was not able to do so because the pool was not iced up enough. He would land up the road on a flat hard piece of ground and walk in.

It was grandchildren time.

Sara was my son John’s oldest. All of 6 or 7.

All of a sudden Sara shouted, “I see him! It’s Santa Claus!” The rest of the children began yelling, “I see him, too!

They were all looking at the sky and believed they had seen Santa pass over as he flew in.

The innocence and beauty of youth.

Those days are gone. Just as the seven fish meal. Each family as it develops creates their own holiday and tradition.

A cold wave must have moved in last night. The night temperature was in the high 60’s. Tonight predicted to be 64. Heat time!

Trump announced he is having a rally on January 6 to explain it was not a coup attempt. I am sure he will utter many lies.

It is shameful Trump selects one of the worse days in American history to return and swirl his pot of tripe. Actually, he is trying to whitewash his involvement. He senses the noose getting tighter as to his knowledge, participation, his cohorts, etc.

January 6 does not belong to him. It belongs to the American people. It will be the same as if the Japanese had returned on December 7, 1942 to explain they had not intended to attack Pearl Harbor, it was a mistake.

Massachusetts continues to be buried by the surge.

Boston has banned the unvaccinated from bars, restaurants, gyms, theaters, and sport arenas.

Boston Mayor Wu made the announcement yesterday. As she was making the announcement, a group of protesters flowed in shouting “USA, USA!”

Every indication throughout the country clearly indicates the surge is greatest where there are many unvaccinated. It is primarily the unvaccinated who are getting sick and requiring hospitalization. Overwhelming hospital beds and medical staff.

There is still only one set of simple rules to follow to avoid the surges: Get 2 shots initially and then the booster shot, wear a mask indoors and outdoors, and avoid large gatherings.

Fail to do so and many will continue to get sick, some dying.

Why can’t the know it alls understand this? Such obstinacy, such stupidity.

My Key West Christmas Eves are at Lisa’s. Spoke with her yesterday re who was going to be there.

Lisa, Corey, Robert and Ally. Her in laws from Cape Coral. Corey’s son Cameron and girl friend who live in Washington, D.C., and Cameron’s mother Myra who lives in Big Pine.

As I feared. Too many people from too many places. Who would know if anyone carried the virus with them. Lisa explained all had the booster shot. She further explained they all planned on testing in the morning to see if anyone was affected.

I apologized and said again I would not be there. I am 86 and fearful  I might contract COVID. I further made her aware of the 3-4 times a week I am getting severe chest pains. Doctor says don’t worry. They are on the left side. Heart attacks have pain are on the right.

I worry.

In addition, I continue to have this painful 4 trigger fingers on my right hand. Doctor said he never saw a person with 4 trigger fingers on one hand.

Makes me worry even more.

Lisa understood. She’ll send a dish of her holiday cooking to me on Christmas Day.

Stay safe.

Enjoy your day!

The surge is on. In ascendency. Not yet having reached its high.

The country is in trouble.

Biden is speaking to the issue tonight on national television.

The problem is real. Some medics are unabashedly saying…..Get vaccinated or die! Dramatic, yet will be true for many people.

Data the past few weeks shows red counties are swamped with COVID cases, many in the hospital, and a number dying. Whereas, the blue counties have been experiencing low surges with fewer hospitalizations and significantly fewer dying.

The blue counties success is attributable to Democrats being more prone to get vaccinated. Whereas, the Republican red counties don’t believe in the shots.

My booster shot time was in November. I got it. I am a believer.

My first two shots were Moderna. It was advertised by Moderna that only a half shot of Moderna was required as a booster. Pfizer and other vaccine producers said the whole shot.

Moderna claimed the post injection ill affect would be significantly less or not at all with the half dose. A full Moderna dose was not required.

It was possible to switch to Pfizer for the booster.

I spoke with my doctor and he said not to worry. Ok to go with Moderna’s half dose.

I did.

Now a surge upon us. I am sorry I did not go with the Pfizer booster.

Trump continues his lying ways.

He spoke before a Dallas crowd of his people sunday night. He proudly claimed he had received his booster shot. The crowd booed him. He then went on to tell the crowd that he saved 10 million lives because of the way he had the three major vaccines developed during his administration.

His claim would never survive a fact check.

Governor DeSantis another two face.

He was asked in an interview this weekend if he had received a booster shot. He hemmed and hawed. Asked a second time, he continued to avoid responding.

A clear indication that he had his ass covered with all 3 shots at the same time that he has been down playing the use of vaccines. A whore!

The DOW dropped 433 points yesterday. Economist attribute the drop to what the business world believes will be omicron’s impact on the world’s economy and the shelving of Biden’s Build Back Better plan.

Recall how Trump yelled and screamed about the need for the border wall. Billions were appropriated to build it. Very little was built.

The metal polls sit in neat piles along the border. Unused. Recall also that Trump took some of the wall money and sent it to Afghanistan to help their war effort.

It was announced over the weekend that “Trump’s big border wall” now is a “pile of rusty steel.”

Trump has brought his second suit against New York’s Attorney General to have the civil lawsuit against him thrown out. He tried earlier in the year when the court said he had no grounds and dismissed his case.

Trump has come up with new grounds. I am not sure what.The case has been filed in Federal Court in the Northern Dictrict of New York in Albany. I assume for jurisdictional reasons since the Attorney General’s official office is located in the State Capital in Albany.

If the new case is not thrown out of court for legal reasons, a motion will be made by the Attorney General to move the trial to New York City.

There is a rule in the law referred to as “for the convenience of witnesses.” If a large number of witnesses in a case live many miles from where the case was sued, the court on application made will move the case to a venue where it will be easier for the witnesses to attend.

Tuesday again. Time for my blog talk radio show Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. A quick moving half hour.

Join me. My Manchin comments alone are worth the time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

Joe Manchin’s appearance on FOX yesterday clearly identified who he is: Judas. His FOX appearance solidified the type of person he is.

Judas was not the only thought that came to mind. It was Manchin’s Gethsemane. The poor man suffered so much as he explained his position.

Manchin’s “suffering” should not have been for himself. Rather the American people who he denied of a political package that would have made American lives dramatically better.

The time has come for a change in the COMMENTS portion of this blog. It has been coming for quite a while.

Effective immediately all Comments will require the name and e-mail address of the sender. Anonymous does not work anymore. Too many off handed, disgusting, personal attacks. Not on me so much. But on each other. Not by all Commenters, but the few toilet tongued.

The COVID shots turned out to be not as effective as we thought. The vaccines not yet a cure all. However, better than nothing. Note that the present surge has more people remaining at home to recover and its impact significantly less than before the vaccines.

Christmas will not be as thought. The omicron surge has people running to be tested. Properly so. Many planned large family get togethers. Many will be cancelled because of the new COVID fear.

Caution is the rule for the Christmas holiday.

The fight to survive continues. New York and Massachusetts are two states where the virus has or is on the verge of becoming overwhelming.

New York’s Mayor De Blasio is still Mayor. His term does not end till December 31. Blasio announced yesterday that “New York needs help now.”

Massachusetts is in the midst of the surge. Massachusetts epidemiologists are concerned with the timing of Biden’s address to the nation tuesday concerning the surge. A group announced yesterday that “Tuesday is too late.”

It’s that bad!

My stay at home joy yesterday was the final round of the PNC Championship.

My primary interest were Tiger and his 12 year old son Charlie. The father an established star. His son giving every evidence of being his Dad some day. In many respects, already. The kid can hit, putt and has a good iron game. On occasion, he saved a bad shot by his father.

Tiger is on his way back. Will he totally make it? Don’t know. He was very good. He and Charlie came in second, 2 strokes behind John Daly and his son. However, he rode rather than walk. His right leg difficulty was obvious on occasion. Recall 10 months ago, doctors were considering an amputation.

New York Times sports writer Kurt Streeter described Charlie in his column published last night. Charlie is “Tiger’s mini-me.”

John Daly can still hit the ball. He and his son John won the tournament.

Daly calls his son Little John.

Little John is 18 and a freshman at Arizona University.

He played like a pro. Did it all, including dropping some very long putts.

He wants to be a pro golfer. Finishing college first. A smart kid.

My hand is still killing me. Even sleep difficult. I hope the pill works. Today is only the third day I will have taken it.

Enjoy your day!

The two most powerful persons in Washington are Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Birds of a feather. Obstructionists. Powerful however since the Democrats need their two votes to get anything significant done. Like Bring Back America and killing the filibuster.

Manchin has risen this year from being just another Senator to a man in ways more powerful than the President.

He could vote for raising the debt ceiling. He cannot vote for the child tax credit. Unbelievable!

His new found power is affecting him mentally. I think he is losing it.

A perfect example is his jumping all over a reporter who asked if the child tax credit was a sticking point between him and the White House. His response was “Bullshit!”

He said, “This is bullshit. You’re bullshit. Then in a rising voice as he entered an elevator: “I’m done, I’m done! God almighty!

Manchin is now being referred to by some in the media as “President” Joe Manchin.

“Hippie Queen” Kyrsten Sinema. How lucky we are to have her in the Senate. A breath of fresh air!

I am kidding of course. She is one step behind Manchin in being intolerable.

She is opposed to getting rid of the filibuster. If the filibuster were gone, the Democrats would be able to create so many new laws they could very well control Congress for years to come.

Inconsistency in her thinking many times. She supports election reform. However will not do the necessary to work around the filibuster somehow to get the much needed reform passed.

A swell is growing in Arizona. Many who supported her are unhappy and in all likelihood will not support her the next time around. She ran one way and when elected abandoned the promises she made.

Twenty students from the University of Arizona and Arizona State have gone on a hunger strike in an attempt to change Sinema’s thinking on how to get the election bill passed..

My comments are limited today to the new Capitol stars Manchin and Sinema. I have a late morning doctor visit for a new problem. Nothing serious I suspect. A pain, however.

Enjoy your day!

Japan has stopped COVID dead in its tracks. Japan’s death rate is 5 percent that of the U.S.

COVID deaths in Japan are 18,000. Fourteen out of every 100,000 persons. Whereas, the number of deaths in the U.S. has just passed 800,000. Works out to 242 of every 100,000 persons.

Last week, Japan averaged 113 new infections a day. The U.S., 120,000 per day.

Three reasons. A vaccine rollout was a success, masks wearing considered a good idea by the people, and social restrictions at large gatherings were followed.

Nothing new. Vaccines, masks and be careful at large gatherings. Same game plan as in U.S. Except the Japanese people listened to their leaders.

Smart ass types as in the U.S. non existent.

There is presently a surge world wide. Predicted to get even greater. Most taken sick are infected with the Omicron and Delta variants.

Japan’s population is 126 million. Eighty percent of of its people are vaccinated. Includes even children 5 years old and up. The U.S. has just reached 60 percent. Sixty percent out of well over 3 million persons.

Vaccination the #1 weapon and preventive weapon. Wake up America. Those fighting vaccines and mask wearing are dangerous to themselves and others. The U.S. will never be even close to controlling COVID unless dissenting Americans get off their high horses and pay attention to the experts.

More COVID news.

Cornell University has closed its doors. Only offices and some labs remain open.

The recent surge hit Cornell big time. More than 900 students afflicted in a very short period of time.

Note Cornell is located in upstate New York. The New York area presently impacted by the surge. My hometown Utica an hour or so driving time away. Utica has been hit. Hospitals short of beds and medical staff.

A contributing factor is the cold. Upstate New York is a freezer this time of the year. Snow and very very low temperatures. COVID thrives in cold weather.

Cornell opted to close down just before final exams. Final will be taken from home online.

There is an oddity to the Cornell situation. The student population was overwhelmingly vaccinated, including booster shots.

The attacking virus are of the Omicron and Delta variants.

Cornel reports those afflicted with the Omicron variant are not significantly ill. Something we have been reading about in locations where Omicron has previously struck.

Key West’s cigar business booming in 1899.

In the week ending 12/6/1899, 14 cigar companies shipped a total of 1,042,500 cigars.

My blog has a significant Filipino following. I wish to report on a religious holiday. A Catholic one. Simbang Gabi.

Simbang Gabi is a joyous yearly celebration. A nine day Advent novena. This year it begins tomorrow 12/16 and runs through 12/24.

Catholic Churches are lit with parol, a star shaped lantern. Parol originated in the Philippines and resembles the Star of Bethlehem.

Novena services are filled with tempo vibrant music.

Simbang Gabi began in 1668. Spanish missionaries from Mexico introduced Filipinos to the religious service as part of the evangelization of the Philippines.

Services were held pre-dawn so fishermen could finish their work day and farmers who were beginning could attend.

Today Simbang Gabi services continue to be held in the early morning. Today’s Filipinos walking through the pre-dawn darkness to attend Simbang Gabi.

I wrote in yesterday’s blog re the horrendous tornados that hit 6 States. I zeroed in especially on Mayfield, Kentucky. Little left of the community.

I acknowledged my lack of tornado knowledge indicating I might err in some instances.

I did err. Not badly. One or two mistakes.

Let me correct myself.

Hurricanes are classified in categories. Tornados  by the Fujita Scale. The Scale runs from F1 to F5. F5 being the fastest moving.

Some weather experts suggest there should be an F6 because of the increased velocity of tornados. So far, the move has not been accepted.

An F5 represents wind speeds from 261-318 mph. A hell of a lot faster than a category 5 hurricane which is 150 mph.

Hurricane wind speed is measured as it passes over an area. Not tornados.

Tornados are not measured till some time after a tornado passes. Why I could not figure out. A lot of tornado info out there.

I wrote about Mayfield, Andrea Mitchell and a Professor Michael Mann.

Andrea had Professor Mann on her show monday. Mann is a Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State. He is recognized as one of the world’s premier tornado experts.

Mayfield’s speed has been “projected” by Mann at 300 mph. A guess at this time.  Others have measured it from 165 mph to some number in excess of 300.

Mann suggested a 300 mph tornado would wipe a town out. Mayfield was wiped out. He further advised that a 300 mph tornado would throw debris in the air to 35,000 feet. Note 35,000 feet is where commercial airplanes travel.

I have covered/corrected my yesterday errors and repeated some information from yesterday’s blog. Mea culpa.

Enjoy your day!