LA FESTA DEL LAVORO

 

We have a mix today. Italy, Key West, Afghanistan, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Bangladesh.

Today is La Festa del Lavoro in Italy. Labor Day. Actually it is Labor Day in most of Europe, Asia, Central America, and South America. Only the United States and Canada celebrate Labor Day in September.

A big time national holiday in Italy. Very few work. Rome annually has a concert this day in the Piazza San Giovanni. More than 500,000 will attend.

I visited the Piazza more than 30 years ago when I was visiting Italy with the family. My whole family. Wife, 3 of my 4 children, and my parents. The Piazza is a huge open space surrounded with medieval buildings. Beautiful! Magnificent!

The day celebrates International Workers Day. Sounds a bit socialistic or Communistic. For that and other reasons, Mussolini did away with the holiday when Fascism ruled Italy. It was only after World War II that the holiday returned. It has been an Italian holiday since 1890, except for the Mussolini years.

Let me stay with Italy for a moment.

Italy has a new Prime Minister. Latte. It is questionable how long he will last. Berlusconi’s party made it possible for Latte to become Prime Minister. However, Berlusconi has made it clear that unless Latte pushes through the return to the citizens of the additional real property taxes paid in 2012, that Latte will be yesterday’s news. He will call for a confidence vote and Berlusconi’s party will not support Latte. Latte cannot survive under that circumstance.

My day yesterday started with a CAT scan at the hospital. A quickie. Took all of 5 minutes.

Then headed over to the Yacht Club for lunch. Enjoyed a very delicious crab cake and read the newspapers while seated at a corner of the bar.

Spent the afternoon fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

Following previous shows, some complained my voice was scratchy or cutting out. I contacted the Blog Talk people. They said try a land line. I had been using bluetooth and my cell phone.

Several telephoned after the show to tell me the voice was perfect. No scratching or cutting out. I am glad the problem is behind me. I am learning that it is always something with TV, internet, and radio shows. For real. Nothing runs perfect. Nor consistently.

I talked about money last night. Labeled the topics rip offs. Where our tax dollars are being misspent, where money is being misspent.

I talked about Karzai and Con Edison in that regard.

It was reported Karazi has been receiving bags of money every month for 10 years from us.

Regarding Con Edison, after failing to effectively resolve the Sandy hurricane problems and shutting out 8,000 employess during salary/benefit negotiations last year, Con Edison’s Board gave hefty bonuses to top echelon execs for a job well done. Con Edison’s Board Chairman and President received a total of $7.4 million in compensation. At a time when Con Edioson is seeking permission to increase its rates an additional $400 million a year.

I also talked about a hearing scheduled by the government in Washington, D.C. Seven former Congresspersons have been appointed to a committee. The purpose of the committee is to study contacts made by extra terrestrial beings. Yes, you understand correctly. Creatures from outer space who may have communicated and/or visited the United States.

The hearings are limited to 5 days. They are being held at the National Press Club. The former Congresspersons are each to receive receive $20,000 plus expenses. Before these hearings are concluded and a report filed, I bet total monies exceed $300,000.

What a waste! Especially in poor economic times.

I also spent some time telling/exposing the Social Security story as I see it. No one gives it to us straight. We are getting ripped off in more ways than one.

Bangladesh and the 300 plus dead from a building failure was also discussed. Shades of the sweat shops of the 1920s and 1930s in the United States.

These issues will also be discussed on my friday tv/internet show. They are too good to let go.

Lisa took Jake to the vet yesterday. One of his back paws and part of his foot were swollen. Jake favors the leg. Vet said it probably is a broken toe. As with humans, nothing to do. If he still favors it next week, Jake is to be brought back to be x-rayed.

The Smokin’ Tuna Songwriters Festival begins today in Key West. The 18th year for this event. Country and western vocal and composing celebrities world wide participate. They come to
Key West in droves. There will be music the next several days morning , noon and night. In bars and show rooms and on the streets. Some will hang out on street corners and play.

Enjoy your day!

 

GAS PRICES UP…..AGAIN!

 

Nothing changes. History repeats itself. What goes around, does come around.

The price of gasoline is up again!

I filled the tank yesterday. $4.15 a gallon. Terrible! A newspaper article this morning said gas has gone up dramatically in the past 30 days. The article also stated the national average was $3.75 a gallon.

Not in Key West!

Tuesday Talk With Key West Lou made its evening debut last night. The number of listeners was better. Much better. Like 500 per cent better. However, no one called in to chat with me. What is the problem? I do not mind doing a blog radio show where only I speak. I would like this show to have some give and take, however.

Hershel, where were you? You are into politics as I am. I thought sure you would be there. We would have had an interesting conversation.

I got into Syracuse basketball. Thought maybe I would hear from Bob Marks in Las Vegas and Tom Dixon in Buffalo. Die hard Syracuse fans. Nothing.

Hershel, Bob and Tom, I mentioned the three of you on the show last night also. Asked where you were. Since no response, I assume you were not able to listen in. Hopefully you can get together with me next week. And any one else who would like to call in and chat. I get lonely.

My blog talk radio show is archived immediately. It is also splashed all over the internet. Facebook, Twitter and the like. A total of 8 social media sites. Click on and listen. The January numbers for those listening to the archived shows were significantly higher than those listening to the show itself.

Other than the show last night, I spent the day writing two short stories. I am prodding along. Definitely a book this year.

Sloan was here at 4 for a couple of hours. She understands machinery. I do not. A generational thing. She has taught me much and continues to do so. I appreciate her assistance.

Syracuse basketball tonight. The Orange play Providence. Syracuse should win. This season however it is difficult to project the outcome of any college basketball game.

I will be at the Big Ten Sports Pub at 8 to watch the game.

Friday is almost here again. Two days away. Friday morning at 10 my time the Key West Lou Legal Hour on TV and the internet. A good show in the making once again. The show is available on television from Key West northward through Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. It is also available world wide via the internet. www.tvchannel19.com.

My interest and concern with Europe continues. See what the two months last summer in Europe did!

Italy is a mess. Financially and politically. Only Greece is worse.

Elections are this sunday. Italy has a coalition style government. The political war is between Berlusconi and Monti. It was thought Berlusconi was going to make a come back. Now it is not certain. Monti seems to be favored. The Communist Party has thrown its support behind Monti.

As with the Greeks, Italians are extremely upset with Germany. One of my Italian friends e mailed me and said, “Germany has found a modern way to kill people, making them die at home instead of in concentration camps.”

The lack of jobs and higher taxes are contributing to a poorer and poorer Italian society with each passing day.

Permit a moment concerning Greece.

Things are worse in Greece. Yesterday, another strike. A one day strike. This one covering all of Greece. Tens of thousands demonstrating in Athens.

People are complaining about low wages and high taxes. In austerity to pay what is owed the Germans, employers cannot afford to pay the salaries they were. Salaries continue to be slashed. Some employees do not get paid for weeks. In the meantime, taxes of all sorts continue to go up.

The people are down to a basic necessity. Food. They cannot afford it. Families are next to starving. It was reported that one of the demonstrators, a woman, said the feelings and demonstration were all about food. Many do not have money to buy any.

Everyone joined in the strike. Hospital workers, doctors, ferry boat workers, subway workers, taxi drivers, bank employees, dock workers, and more.

I wrort a column in this week’s KONK Life. Greece A Tinderbox? The match could be struck igniting a war.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

DAYS 31 and 32

I am back! Missed a day. Yesterday. Big traveling day.

I am sad to say I left Amorgos. It is like Key West in my feelings. Twenty five years ago on my first visit I knew some day I wanted to live in Key West. Amorgos leaves me with the same feeling. No way, however. Key West is home and I am happy there.

I am in Athens. A big vibrant teeming city. After spending more than three weeks on three different Greek isles, I needed a return to the normal world.

I am doing my two days in Athens big time. Staying at the world famous Grande Bretagne. It is civilization. Opulent. Service till you fall over it. Tons of fresh clean towels. A woman to give me a manicure. A real shower. Not one of those small confines with a hand held shower head. Big bed with a great mattress. Clean sheets every day.

The modern conveniences!

My last day on Amorgos was spent doing exactly what I liked. I sat in my bathing suit with my feet propped on another chair on my terrace. A baseball cap on my head backwards. And read. Except for an hour in the afternoon when I went in to take a nap.

Dinner was with Demetrius. He made a fuss. I told him…..I shall return!

Yesterday was a new experience. My 9 hour boat trip to Athens. I was not excited. The starting time was too early. The length off the trip too long. I expected an old beat up trawler with a handful of people.

What surprise! The boat was fantastic!

Big. Three stories. Long. A ferry boat in effect. The first floor for cars. Don’t know why. There are not that many cars in the Greek isles to fill the mammoth space. Two floors for passengers. Roughly 400. The second floor all economy class. The third, half economy and first class. The other half business class.

I was in business class. Explanation time. Classes when traveling are not the same as in the U.S. Whereas first class is tops, in Greece business class is. The Greek first class is comparable to our business class.

You would not believe the business class salon. Easy chairs and sofas. That’s all to sit on. Pure comfort. Always a table nearby for a drink or whatever. Service. Waiters. A small bar with little goodies to eat. Only half full.

The trip was a treat! Rather than the dreaded experience I thought was before me.