PALM SUNDAY

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Palm Sunday is significant in most Christian churches. It was in the Catholic Church I knew.

Key West probably never had a problem with palm sufficiency. Up north in Utica, I can recall a time when palms were scarce for some reason. Either costly or unavailable. Instead of getting all the palms you wanted at Mass, one had to settle for a single branch.

Palm Sunday was special in the Italian tradition. Palms were exchanged. Family and friends would come to our house and exchange palms with us. Followed by coffee. We went to certain homes and exchanged palms.

It was family dinner time! In and of itself should not have excited me. Every Sunday was family dinner time at my grandparents’.

I had an uncle who was talented in manipulating the palm branches. He could make crosses of all sizes, little hats, etc. It was always good to see him as I would walk away with a lot of “loot”.

The celebration of Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Palm branches were placed in his path.

When palms were plentiful, my neighborhood Catholic Church had many palms left over. When the shortage hit, I assume they kept some. The reason being that this year’s left over palms are needed for the next year’s Ash Wednesday. The left over palms burned. The ashes used to put  thumbprints on the foreheads of the faithful.

This morning’s Key West Citizen’s Keys History section carries a post card picture of  Little White House and Naval Station circa 1910. What a difference from today

The Little White House had an excellent ocean view. There were no buildings between the Little White House and ocean. Condos, other buildings and the boardwalk  not yet built. The water was a short uninterrupted walk out the back door of the Little White House.

I spent yesterday afternoon researching this week’s KONK Life column. About things most people are not aware, but should know. I will write the column today. I have not decided on a title yet.

Last night was me and a busy Key West. Tourist driven.

I went for dinner to Tavern ‘n Town. Wanted to listen to Bobby Nesbitt, also. No way, Jose! the place was mobbed. Not a bar stool available. Bobby said it was crazy. I agreed and left.

My next stop was the Chart Room. I figured to run into some people I knew and quietly drink the evening away. No luck, again! The Chart Room was packed. Very much so. No locals. I was not in the mood to meet and chat with strangers.

Turned around and walked over to the Hot Tin Roof. Same situation. Tons of tourists. No problem, however, a table in the bar area was waiting.

Spoke with Joseph a bit. Joseph is the Hot Tin Roof manager. He is also the warden at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. A good man. We talked about St. Paul’s.

Then home. Could not sleep in bed again. My hip. Spent the night in the recliner chair. No problem. slept like a baby!

Enjoy your Sunday!

MODERN DAY HEMLOCK REFUSED

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Monsanto, GMOs…..The cross society is being forced to bear.

The latest development regarding Monsanto’s super duper pesticide Roundup was in the news this past week. A Dr. Patrick Moore was appearing on a French talk show. Moore is pro-GMOs and anti-global warming. In many quarters, he is considered a spin doctor and truth bender for big oil, pesticides and GMO agribusinesses.

Dr. Moore said re Roundup, “You can drink a whole quart of it and it won’t hurt you.” The interviewer had a bottle of Roundup with him. Twice he offered  Dr. Moore a drink. Twice Dr. Moore refused. Dr. Moore prematurely concluded the interview with “I am not crazy” and “You are a complete jerk.” Following which Dr. Moore upped and walked out.

The American media continues failing to report negative GMO happenings. Newsweek and Huffington Post reported the interview. Plus, some ultra liberal publications. My question is where were other major media organizations? I have written and discussed this problem before. TV and the written media avoid knocking Monsanto and GMOs. A fact I attribute to corporate America controlling/owning both.

Socrates drank the hemlock with full knowledge of its dangerous composition. Dr. Moore refused to drink his hemlock.

There is a video of the interview floating around on the internet. Easy to find. Interesting to watch.

Crazy weather beginning yesterday afternoon. The day’s high was 86 degrees. Around supper time, the wind picked up, the shy darkened, thundering occurred, and the deluge was upon us. It remained so all night.

The temperature this morning is 67 degrees. The high will be 74. A 12 point drop from yesterday. Cold this morning and expected to be cold all day.

Most winds come from the north. The northwest to be precise. About six times a year, the wind comes from the south. The south wind is a sure sign a storm is on the way. Yesterday afternoon, the wind started coming in heavy from the south.

I can tell which way the wind is driving by how my palm trees bend.

The upstairs air conditioner required fixing. It had leaked big time the night before. It took Sub-Zero six hours to correct the problem. This is while the temperature was still 86 degrees. The upstairs was hot! I felt sorry for the Sub-Zero person.

Saw the doctor and had x-rays of my left hip. No fracture to either the hip or pelvis. Aleve and heat recommended. If it still hurts tuesday, return.

It still hurts. However, much less. I could not lie in bed last night. Spent the evening sleeping in the recliner lounge in my bedroom.

Amanda Knox is finally free free. The highest Italian court determined she and her boy friend were not guilty. The reason for the decision was not included. Under Italian law, the court has 90 days to deliver its written decision.

I remained home last night. The hip and I in the recliner from early evening. A good evening, however. Man of La Mancha on Turner and NCAA basketball on CBS. I was flipping back and forth between the channels. A most enjoyable time!

Enjoy your day!

 

OH, THE PAIN

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I hurt. The fall two days ago.

I woke yesterday morning sore all over. Tried bocce last night. Played only one game.

My night in bed was difficult. Could not find a spot without pain. It was my right hip. I could feel it swollen under the skin, but no discoloration.

This morning an abomination! Cannot sit, lay down or walk comfortably. My breath is taken away.

I am waiting to call the doctor. I can see x-rays or a CAT scan afterwards. I hope it is nothing more than a muscle pull.

Getting on in years is not a cup of tea!

Bocce last night went well. We won all three games. Record now 15-4. We are probably in second place. What a start!

My day started with a haircut. Lori always good company. We had a laughing conversation as she clipped away.

Another Harry Truman tid bit. On this day in 1952, he left Key West after a three week vacation. The second three week vacation I have reported recently. Part of the 175 days he spent in Key West.

I read an article yesterday to the effect that the number of Chinese coming to the United States for college educations had reached an unprecidented level. The report did not surprise me.

Many people read this blog. One is a Chinese mother presently living in San Francisco. She was here with her son who was a college student. When his education is complete, they would return to China. They were in the United States for the specific purpose of her son’s college education.

She told me the best educations were available in the U.S. She wanted her child to have the best. When they returned to China, her son would be better equipped for life than those his age who remained in China for college.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

HO CHI MINH

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The Vietnam  War was the worst of times for the United States. The War was extremely unpopular in the United States. Sixty thousand Americans killed.
Riots and demonstrations everywhere against the War. Veterans returning home from the fighting not receiving a hero’s welcome. In many instances, ill treated.
The United States involvement was from 1955 to 1975. It increased every year during that time. Kennedy had a minor build up. Johnson the biggest. Johnson wanted to be a President that won a big war. He wanted to be Roosevelt. He bombed the hell out of North Vietnam.
The War technically ended in 1973. However, as a practical matter it continued into 1975.
I admire and respect the men and women who fought for us in the War. However, as brave and as daring as they were, my impression is that the United States lost the War. This is best exemplified by the last two days the United States was formally in Vietnam.
The U.S. Embassy in Saigon was under siege. Only the Marines and a wall and metal gates kept the hordes of North Vietnamese from taking over the compound.
We left with our tails between our legs. On April 29, 1975 and into the next day April 30, U.S. helicopters were landing on the Embassy roof removing American personnel and military. The roof was the only way out. Those Vietnamese who worked for the Americans tried to get out via the helicopters. There was no room. They were left to the mercy of the North Vietnamese. There was no mercy.
Chaos best describes the evacuation. I recall watching on television. It was a shame. A disgrace. Our people were minutes from capture and/or death as the last helicopters left. Removing the American flag from roof was an act of bravery by those who did it. A few minutes later, with no Marines guarding the walls and gates, the North Vietnamese gain access to the Embassy and its grounds. The whole scenario embarrassing.
Why were we in Vietnam in the first place? Immediately after World War II, the United States and Russia were enemies. I can remember the era clearly. We feared the Russians were going to drop an atomic bomb on us. It was a cold war, however, We all feared a hot war.
In the schools, we were taught to crouch under our desks or in a corridor with no windows if there was an attack. Washington recommended that shelters be built in backyards. For 30 plus years, there existed a current of uneasiness.
The draft was in operation. Many families were sending their sons to Canada to avoid the draft. The War was not popular.
We fought proxy wars. First in Korea, then Vietnam.
It was really not the Koreans or Vietnamese we were fighting. It was the Russians and China. The theory on both sides was that it was better to fight a war against each other and with other peoples in a far off place rather than at home.
The North Vietnamese were tough. Just as our boys were. They fought us in the woods. They lived and operated from underground tunnels extending miles. It was guerrilla warfare at its best.
Their leader was Ho Chi Minh, aka Nguyen Ai Quoc. Difficult and unbending. He and his people were ready to fight forever to kick the Americans out. Sort of like
Harrison Ford when he threw the bad guy off his plane while saying…..Get off my plane. The North Vietnamese were saying…..Get out on my country!
The purpose of this column is to share Ho Chi Minh’s rise to the top. During the War, he served at various times as Prime Minister, President, and military leader. He is the one who inspired his people to fight on against the white devils. Surprisingly, a number of black Americans fought and died on behalf of the United States.
His first trip out of Vietnam was as a student in France in 1911. He got to France by working as a kitchen helper on a ship.
1912 and 1913 were spent in the United States. He lived in Harlem and Boston. Worked as a baker at the Parker House Hotel in Boston. When not a baker or pastry chef, he accepted any  menial job.
Fast tracking, he spent time in the United Kingdom working as a waiter and pastry chef. Later in Moscow as a university student. Followed by a trip to China. His time in China was spent organizing revolutionary people. While there, he met and married a young Chinese woman.
In 1927 and 1928, he helped defeat Chiang Kai-shek’s anti-communist group.
Then it was back to traveling. He stayed a while in each place working and learning the habits of the people. His trips took him to Russia once again, followed by Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.
Minh spent World War II fighting the Vichy French and Japan in Vietnam. He was a recognized successful military leader.
American intelligence (OSS) had a team called Deer that parachuted into North Vietnam.  Minh was seriously sick. The team saved his life. In return, Minh agreed to provide intelligence and rescue downed American pilots. He wanted consideration for his efforts however in the form of ammunition, weapons and military training. He received everything he asked for.
By 1945, he was a popular Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader. At that time, he helped establish the Communist ruled Democratic Party of Vietnam.
After World War II, Minh’s people were fighting for independence from the French. Minh asked the World War II intelligence team to intercede for him. He wanted the United States to take a stand against France and support his group.
A year later, Minh personally pleaded with President Truman for help against the French. Truman turned him down on the basis that Minh’spolitics were looked upon with disfavor by the United States.
Minh’s group defeated the French in 1954 and established in its place the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
The rest is the history outlined earlier.
Minh died in 1976.
He left his hand prints on Vietnamese and world history. He led his country in defeating France and the United States.
A soap box point. I believe one of the reasons we got beat in Korea and Vietnam is that the United States stopped fighting wars as they did during World War II. Back then, we fought to win. Since then, the battles are smaller. There is more bombing. We do not send overwhelming force any longer to defeat an enemy. We also must be careful of the people by not doing anything that would harm a civilian population.
Wars are not won that way. If the decision is made to fight, then the United States should go in and beat the hell out of the opposition. We are supposedly the strongest nation in the world. It has been a long time since we used that power. The result is that every two bit leader fears us not as he should..

 

GUINEA PIGS

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Mosquitoes have always been a problem in the Florida keys. Fortunately there has existed for years a Mosquito Control Board in the keys that controls the problem. Not cheap to do.

Genetically modified organisms are on the scene. Male mosquitoes will be genetically modified which ultimately will result in very few mosquitoes being born. Mosquitoes which specifically carry dengue fever. Dengue fever is the concern.

A British company called Qxitec has come up with the GMO mosquito process. The process has only been tested in one place. Africa. Results not yet known.

The Mosquito Control board wants to test the use of  GMO mosquitoes. The Board plans to use Key Haven as its testing ground. I live in Key Haven. It is a relatively small island 2.5 miles outside Key West.

I believe money is the Board’s primary motivation. I recall reading somewhere a year ago that the use of GMO mosquitoes would dramatically reduce the costs of operation.

Qxitec and the Board have yet to receive necessary federal approvals to proceed with what in fact would be a test. It is anticipated the feds will give permission.

The dengue fever problem is not of consequence in the keys. 2009 and 2010 saw 22 and 66 cases respectively. There have been no dengue fever cases since. World wide, the cases are in the millions. Also there have been outbreaks in the past two years of consequence in the Miami area.

I dislike being a guinea pig for the GMO mosquitoes. I do not want the test to be conducted on and over Key Haven. My concern is a health one. No one knows what the consequences will be. I am worried the process may have a bad consequence. What happens 10 years from now if after effects are experienced? Cancer for one.

The plan is not for me and my grandchildren who play and swim at my home. Selfish, but that is the way I feel.

I sat with real writers yesterday. Rick and Cynthia Boettger and Pru Sowers. We met at Rick and Cynthia’s for a drink and some chatter. I enjoyed the experience.

I fell again. Second time in three weeks. As I entered the house for the first time and walked through the living room into the kitchen, I did not notice there was step down into the kitchen. Down I went! Embarrassing. This morning my whole right side hurts.

I have to stop falling down. It is either old age or I do not march where I am walking. I suspect it is the latter. What really bothers me is that I am my father’s child. He started falling down at my age.

Afterwards, stopped at Don’s Place. Chatted with Don, David, Stan, Clare, Nate and John. The topic bocce. What else?

We play bocce tonight. The team is doing great. We are 12-4. The best start ever. Hope we can keep it going.

It was John’s birthday yesterday. Belated greetings, John!

Stopped at Tavern ‘n Town for dinner on the way home.

The Republicans are on a roll. Their proposed budget includes cuts in Social Security. I would like to see members of Congress trying to live on $1,000 to $1,500 a month. They also want to cut food stamps. 46.5 million are presently on food stamps. Food stamps do not buy much. Whatever, the Republicans apparently want those less fortunate eat bread.

Enjoy your day!

OBAMACARE?

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I had a strange experience yesterday. One you may have had.

I was scheduled for my annual dermatologist visit. When I arrived, the waiting room was empty. Unusual! Generally full, sometimes standing room only.

I signed in for my 11 o’clock appointment. I could see from the sign in sheet that there had already been many patients treated before me. I sat and waited to be taken. Less than 2 minutes. Again, unusual.

I was taken into the examining room. A nurse asked me a few questions. Took less than a minute. Then, a brief wait alone till the doctor came in. However, the doctor did not come in. A nurse practitioner or comparable professional did.

I said I always see the doctor. She told me no problem. I will get him. I am not offended. I opted to stay with the nurse practitioner.

Warmth was not one of her virtues.

She examined my body, up and down, sideways, etc. Nothing was found. See you in a year.

Her exam took all of a minute. Two at the most.

I was done. I had gone into the examining room at 10:55 and was out at 11:02.

The whole thing was cold, efficient and brief.

Is this the new way? In and out quickly? Has Obamacare affected a doctor’s charges that dramatically?

I blame neither the doctor nor his staff. There was something different involved however. Dramatically. I could only think of Obamacare.

Interestingly, my primary care doctor and heart doctor still take the usual time to perform their duties. I do not walk out of their offices feeling cheated and wondering if the exam was sufficient.

My blog talk radio show last night. I spent a lot of time discussing Lou Harris and Ho Chi Minh. The Ho Chi Minh portion having more to do with how we fight our wars. The show is archived and available on Blog Talk Radio, You Tube, and the Key West Lou Facebook page.

Will we ever learn? When will the public and/or our political leaders recognize a rip off in the making?

I refer to the proposed changes re building heights and flood insurance.  I sense the changes will pass.

Unfortunately, the program is a rip off. No bargain for homeowners. To save $1,000 to $2,000 a year will require at the very least a $25,000 improvement to property to lift the house 1-5 feet. The dollars do not work.

As to insurance savings, by the time the homeowner pays off the cost of the property lift, insurance rates will have naturally gone up. The anticipated savings will no longer exist.

The Brooklyn Bridge is being offered.

Pru Sowers has an excellent and more detailed review of the issues involved in her column in today’s KONK Life’s E-Blast. Sowers lays it out factually. Takes no position.

KONK Life hits the stands today. Read my column for this week. Ho Chi Minh. A story of the Vietnam War.

Enjoy your day!

 

LOU HARRIS A PART OF AMERICAN HISTORY

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I enjoyed last evening’s talk by Lou Harris tremendously. He was the final speaker in the 2015 Friends of the Key West Library Speakers Series. Harris is 94. He has been a part of American history. He is respectfully known today as the Dean of American Pollsters.

Harris was an intimate of former Presidents. Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. He shared some Johnson quirks. Humorous. He knew Joe Kennedy very well.

He decried today’s pollsters. They give he who is paying the bill what they want. Not necessarily the truth. Romney being an example. He sees Hillary as the next President. However, the e mails will be a problem for her. He thought Elizabeth Warren would be a more exciting candidate.

Harris recognized the growing strength/power of women. They are rapidly become leaders. Simply because they are better equipped to handle problems.

Education a problem. Our children not getting a proper education. Unless remedied, it could lead to the United States becoming the biggest banana republic ever. Also, children cannot learn if 16 percent go to school hungry.

He was clear that racial problems must be fixed.

He damned corporate America.

The evening was a pleasurable experience for me.

I was with June hudson. We stopped at La Concha after the talk for a drink. Ran into Aaron and Karen. Then to the Hot Tin Roof for dinner. Did some sataki.

On the way to our cars, it started raining. Pouring a better description. We ducked into the Chart Room till the rain stopped. It poured all night also. It is still raining heavy as I write. Strange because we are no where close to the rainy season.

Met Louis Snow for the first time at the Chart Room. Snow is a retired attorney from Skaneateles, N.Y. Home also of my friends Dan and Lisa Reardon. He knows them.

Snow is a frequent visitor to Key West. His present trip for 6-8 weeks.

I hope we run into each other again this trip. I would enjoy sharing war stories with an attorney who practiced in some of the same court rooms as I did.

My blog talk radio show tonight at 9. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Join me. The topics interesting. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou..

Topics such as Russia giving Denmark a nuclear warning, Andorra becoming the new place for money to be laundered, a police impersonator who had the misfortune of pulling over a real cop, a woman who was convicted of killing her child and had served 20 plus years being released because the proof against her was grossly unreliable, the Phoenix Zoo discovering after two years that a two year old bear was a female and not male, and more.

Another morning where I have to hustle. I have a late morning appointment with my dermatologist. A routine six month check up.

Enjoy your day!

 

LOU HARRIS

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Key West weather continues to be outstanding! The best! This morning everything is calm. Nothing moving. Soon the breeze will start coming in off the ocean. Then, everything moves!

I will be attending the Friends of the Key West Library Lecture Series this evening. The last presentation of the year. Lou Harris is the featured speaker. I am excited!

Lou Harris is 94. He has lived and experienced first hand much of the American political scene since 1960. Harris in his former life was a pollster. His company was known as the Harris Poll.

Prominence came his way with the 1960 Presidential election. John Kennedy hired Harris to run polls during the campaign. Prior to 1960, polls were not used.

Two years later in 1962, Harris devised the system whereby the media could project a winner immediately or within minutes of the polls closing. His system with a few modifications is still used today.

He was also a journalist and author. His respect grew and he became known as a political analyst.

I am excited because the man is history in the flesh. He has been there most of my adult life. I am finally going to see and hear him.

June Hudson is joining me. Afterwards, we will grab a bite somewhere downtown.

I did two things yesterday. Wrote Ho Chi Minh and watched March Madness. A full day. A pleasant day.

Ho Chi Minh is my KONK article for this week. It publishes wednesday. A bit of the Vietnam story and the person on the other side who led the Vietnamese forces.

A couple of upsets yesterday. What basketball at this time of the year is all about. Kentucky is still hanging in there.

People can be cruel. Age matters not as to the perpetrator(s).

Jim Boeheim has been in the news in recent weeks re Syracuse basketball. His daughter Jamie is a high school freshman. She was playing in a state wide basketball tournament in Troy over the weekend. Troy is a good 140 miles from Syracuse.

When she went into the game, the crowd heckled her with…..Where’s the cheater? She kept her head high and scored a basket within seconds of entering the game. Her answer to the chant. The crowd stopped at that moment.

A class act! As is her father!

Correction. I made a mistake in yesterday’s blog. A faux pas. I was discussing the Chicago mayoral race and said…..Garcia is also being supported by the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson. I meant to say Emanuel, not Garcia, was so supported.

I find it amazing. I proof read each blog 4-5 times. Occasionally, I miss something. Yesterday was one of those days.

Enjoy your day!

SATURDAY NIGHT AT TAVERN ‘N TOWN

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Tavern ‘n Town has become a locals’ hang out saturday nights. The food is good and Bobby Nesbitt entertains. Many saturday nighters are Bobby Nesbitt fans. Yours truly, one.

A lot of hellos. Last night Bob Frachette. A little later, his wife Lynda. Peter Batty stopped by. Besides being a businessman, Peter serves as a Deacon at St. Mary’s by the Sea. His religious dedication impressive.

Met two interesting gentlemen who were seated next to me at the bar. Cal Collier and his son, Cal Collier, Jr. The father now lives in Charleston, the son Atlanta.

The senior Collier is Calvin J. Collier. He was Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission under President Ford. Son Cal is a marketing consultant. I also sensed he might be a sport fisherman.

They visit Key West 3-4 times a year. Both love Key West. The conversation suggested they might some day buy a home in Sugarloaf.

They are staying at the Marriott Beachside and expressed their great pleasure with the hotel and its facilities.

Key West people in the making. Soon hopefully with us full time.

My day yesterday was spent researching this week’s KONK Life column. I have to get it to the editor today for wednesday publication.

The subject is Ho Chi Minh. Prime Minister, President, and military leader of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. His experiences as a young man and in early adult life especially interesting. The molding of a leader.

Since mid season, I have been mentioning Villanova as perhaps winner of the Final Four. Coach Jay Wright had put together a spectacular team. They only lost 3 games during the season and were a #1 seed in the big tournament.

Last night, Villanova lost. To North Carolina State, a #8 seed. An upset!

I caught Coach Wright’s comments after the game…..We were beat by a better team tonight…..they played better than us tonight. The emphasis on tonight.

That’s how it goes!

Howard Dean is a doctor turned politician. He served as Governor of Vermont. He has been a candidate for the Democrat nomination for President. I have wondered why Obama did not put Dean on his team.

I may have come upon the reason yesterday. Dean may be a bit of a loose cannon in more ways than merely ranting and raving.

Obama’s friend and former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is running for his second term as Chicago Mayor. The election was recently. There is a run off. Jesus Garcia and Emanuel. A David v. Goliath race.

Dean should be supporting Emanuel. He is not. He is supporting Garcia.

Emanuel is being supported by the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson. Big hitters. Money men with the Republican right.

A strange election! Politics does make for strange bedfellows.

Enjoy your sunday!

IT’S A DOG’S WORLD

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I was doing a bit of shopping yesterday at Publix. There was a big woman in the aisle with me. She had two tiny dogs on leashes. Both wearing red vests. We moved into the next aisle. I paid no particular attention to her or her dogs. All of a sudden, the loudspeaker said there was a small dog wearing a red vest at the check out counter. The woman went flying by me yelling in a panic…..I am coming darling!

This was not the first time I had seen a dog in Publix. Many times. All sizes.

Key West is dog friendly. Very. Our four legged friends are welcome in many bars, restaurants and stores. First State Bank keeps dog biscuits on the counter. Dogs even have their own beach. Properly called Dog Beach. It sits next door to Louie’s Back Yard. Used daily by dogs for sun and bathing.

My yesterday began with a manicure and pedicure with Tammy. Crowded. All women and me.

Last night the bar at Hogfish. Chatted with various fishermen. The real kind. They have been working the shrimp boats and other type vessels for many years. Some as much as 25. Most are bearded. Some missing a tooth or two. Their faces tanned and haggard. Good company!

The morning news tells us of the man who attacked a TSA agent in the security area yesterday at the New Orleans Airport. He was waving a machete and sprayed one agent’s face with wasp killer. He was shot. Three times. Lived. Now in the hospital.

Frankie and Sandy were in the New Orleans Airport yesterday. They own and operate Frankie the Plumber. Frankie is my former bocce partner. Their plans were to spend a couple of days in New Orleans and then enjoy a two week Caribbean cruise.

If Frankie and Sandy were there at the time of the incident, they should have been ok. They would have been downstairs waiting for their bags and not upstairs where the attack occurred.

Some 30 years ago, I was in Italy for a month with my wife, children and parents. When leaving, we checked our bags and had our tickets reviewed at a particular counter. The next day, several terrorists shot up the same counter we were at the day before, plus two others.

You never know.

The following episode bears out that remark.

My friend Anna from Novara telephoned yesterday to tell me about the Tunisia ISIS attack at a museum in Tunis. Twenty tree killed. Four were Italians. One of the Italians lived near her, though she did not know him personally.

She told me however that my friends Germana and Mini knew the man and his wife. Germana and Mini are the couple that own what may be the biggest rice fields in northern Italy, a golf course, and live in a castle. I mentioned them when I visited Novara.

The dead man was Francisco Caldara. Sixty four. He was with his wife Sonia Reddi who was wounded. They were on a cruise. Tunis was a stopping place so they could visit the museum which apparently is world famous.

Anna told me that later in the day, the ISIS terrorists Twittered the world that they are on an Italian crusade and would soon arrive in Italy.

Our world gets smaller and smaller.

Enjoy your day!