DRUG TEST ELECTED OFFICIALS

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Monroe County’s tobacco testing of its employees continues to bother me. It is the law carried a step too far.

Justification for the new law is to save taxpayer dollars.  Elected officials are also on the County payroll. They should be tobacco tested. They get paid with taxpayer funds. Let them be tested. Pee in the cup. What is good for the goose, is good for the gander!

This same thought process should be applied where States and other governmental subdivisions/agencies require drug testing for welfare recipients. Again, elected officials are paid with taxpayer dollars. If one segment of our governmental process is to be subjected to abuse, let all bear the indignity.

The amusing thing about drug testing of welfare recipients is that studies have shown small numbers came up positive. Around 1 per cent, if I recall correctly.

Whatever, let the Governor as an elected official pee in the cup also to justify his continued right to be paid. Whether the Governor receives his full salary or $1.

My yesterday afternoon saddened me. Big time. Syracuse lost. Badly. 34-20.

I watched the Syracuse/Maryland game at Don’s Place with Don, John and David. John is a Maryland graduate.

I thought after watching last week’s game that Syracuse was on its way to a terrific season after a number of years of struggling. I was wrong. Syracuse got whipped.

No fun ahead for Syracuse either. Next saturday it is Notre Dame at the Meadowlands.

I got to Don’s Place at noon. Left at 5. Went to Lisa’s. Enjoyed Saturday night dinner with the family.

Then it was back to Don’s Place at 7. Keith’s 37th birthday. Party time! Jennifer had arranged for some goodies to be picked at. There was a line at the bar. Everyone celebrating the occasion.

I left at 8:30. I had had enough of Don’s Place for the day.

Enjoy your Sunday!

A SANTA CLAUS LIE

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Since my first born was able to comprehend Santa Claus, I have lied about Santa Claus. A good lie. The lie has continued to present day. More than fifty years.

Probably to boost my image in their eyes, I have repeated the same lie every year to my children and grandchildren. The grandchildren are now all adults, except for Robert and Ally. The lie is that Santa Claus is my friend. We talk on the phone all the time. I have even arranged for Santa Claus to telephone me while one or two of them were with me. It was  proof that Santa and I were buddies.

Every Christmas, I arrange for Santa Claus to visit where ever I am at dinner time Christmas Eve. The kids knew he was coming. He was my friend! They waited excitedly. When he arrived, he would talk with each of them. Of course he knew all their secrets, whether they had been good or bad, etc.

I prepped Santa Claus each year to greet me as…..Louis, my friend!….. as he embraced me.

I think it may be the end of the line. The lie may not be able to be perpetrated further.

Last night Robert and Ally sat down in front of me and asked…..Poppa, how is Santa Claus your friend? I made up some cock and bull lie. Another one. Oh, the web we weave when first we seek to deceive.

I am not sure they accepted my answer. Both were very serious during the conversation.

I have a feeling that between now and Christmas, Robert and Ally will sit me down to tell me the truth. They are 10 and 9 respectively. It is time.

Friday night in Key West was packed. Bikers in town. Beautiful big expensive bikes all over. Black leathered bikers and their ladies attired in leather. A sight to see!

I had a drink at the Chart Room. Emily told me the Wine Galley had been redone and was open for business. I took a walk over.

The Wine Galley and I go back at least 20 years. When I first went, it was Bobby Nesbitt’s room. Every week without fail. The room was smaller than it is now. However, comfortable and intimate. Then it was Larry Smith’s room. The Wine Galley was redone and made  larger.

Now the Wine Galley is no one’s room. There is neither place nor room for a piano.

The new Wine Galley is stunning. Magnificent. A cocktail lounge. Sexy. The room was packed with biker/tourists last night.

Although spectacular, the new Wine Galley cannot stand up to the room when it was Bobby Nesbitt’s and Larry Smith’s. There was something missing last night.

Stopped at Don’s Place on the way home. Jimmy was there. A different Jimmy from yesterday’s blog. Jimmy I met first years ago at the Southernmost Complex. He was  a handyman/gardener. Lisa worked there six years. They became friends. Jimmy also played bocce thursday nights for years, though no more.

Jimmy is now retired. I had not seen him in several years. He came over and greeted me with …..You’re Lisa’s father!

It was good to see Jimmy again.

At 12:30 today, the Syracuse/Maryland football game. Syracuse back to a 1 1/2 point favorite. Big deal! I have a feeling we have better team this year and we will win this game by more than a couple of points.

I will be watching the game at Don’s Place.

Today is Keith’s birthday. Happy birthday, Keith! There is a small bash as 7 tonight at Don’s Place in his honor.

Enjoy your day!

NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND A JOKE

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Tonight my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk With Key West Lou. Nine my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou. A quick moving eye opening half hour.

One of the topics involves Obama’s representation that the U.S. will have no boots on the ground. If we do not have soldiers fighting and the other nations joining us do not, who is going to wage the ground war? I suspect mercenaries. Military contractors will provide the boots.

Why is this not mentioned? Why the secret? Who will be paying the mercenaries?

Other interesting topics include the Pentagon providing college campus police with grenade launchers, Guatemala striking down Monsanto Law, and Pope Francis’ statement that World War III may already have begun.

Yesterday started with a visit to the main Post Office downtown. I did not receive mail this past week. They are looking into it. I get too much mail to miss even one day.

The Post Office is a good place to run into people. Caught David walking back to his job with his lunch in hand. Ran into Jim from Joy Gallery. He has my Jack Baron’s for sale. We had a good conversation.

Next was a business meeting at the Marriott Beachside. Every time I walk into the lobby, I think how lucky we are to have this hotel with a touch of New York City situated in Key West.

Roostica for lunch. Megan at the bar. Not working. A guest. What a beauty! Got two hugs and kisses. One when I first came in and one when she was leaving.

Worked on Growing Up Italian. Wrote a chapter, refined and rerefined. Got to get my ass in gear with the bookwriting. It comes in spurts.

Stopped at Don’s Place for a drink early evening. Chatted with Grant. Petey at the other end of the bar. Petey from saturday at JDLs. She came over and gave me a hug and kiss. I love the attention of these young beauties. Even if it is only because I am a likable old man.

Then to the Chart Room. Spent some time chatting with Che. I have not seen him in a couple of months. Che my friend with a Cuban name who is a New York City Jew. Love it!

Syracuse plays Maryland saturday. Syracuse a 2 point favorite. Which means no one knows who is going to win.

The Key West Citizen ran a front page article on tegu lizards. Every kind of lizard eventually finds its way to the Keys. Tegu is new. Was found in Key West. First one. Experts say probably a pet that the owner did not want anymore and set free.

Only four have been discovered to date in the Keys. Not nice guys. They have sharp teeth and claws and are aggressive. The one found in Key West turned out to be a honey. It is now at the Sheriff’s Animal Farm. The attendants say the lizard is docile and likes to be touched. Not consistent with its purported nature.

Enjoy your day!

JAMES FENIMORE COOPER

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Today is the birthday of James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851). A famous American author. Penned Leatherstocking Tales. His most well known work, The Last of the Mohicans.

Cooper spent most of his life in Cooperstown. The same community in upstate New York that today is the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. His father founded Cooperstown. A community which sits on beautiful Otsego Lake.

Cooperstown is a 45 minute drive from my hometown of Utica.

Father and son Cooper were men of wealth. The elder having come by it the old fashioned way. He worked for it. His son inherited substantial monies at age 21. Nevertheless, the younger Cooper worked hard. First as a seaman and then as an author.

Father Cooper built the family home on Otsego Lake. He called it Otsego Hall. His son James lived there after his father’s death. The home at some point burned down.

It was replaced in later years with what today is known as The Fenimore Art Museum. I have  visited the building many times. As an attendee at cocktail parties and as a tourist. The home sits on a small hill overlooking the lake.

A rural village and farm were constructed nearby. It is called Farmers’ Museum. America, 1845. A whole village. Small buildings for a doctor’s office, a lawyer’s office, a grocery store, a blacksmith shop, a home, a farm, farm animals and more. Very real.

The buildings and furnishings are the same as they were in 1845. People back then were smaller than today. The beds and furniture reflect the difference in size from today. Even the smallest of us would be too big for the beds.

The Farmers’ Museum is the home of the Cardiff giant. All 10.45 feet of him. The Cardiff giant was a hoax. Someone had this giant constructed from wood and other materials. The body was planted on a farm. “Accidentally” dug up a few years later. Touted as the discovery of a prehistoric man. It was several years before the statue was deemed not for real. It has no place at the Farmers’ Museum, but there it lies. I found the Cardiff giant interesting.

My father took me to visit the Farmers’ Museum. I took my children and most of my grandchildren.

On one of the visits, it was me and twin grandsons Mathew and Michael. They were 4. We passed a horse who at the moment had an 18 foot erection. Their eyes bulged. I said nothing. Just hurried them along.

A little later, we were in the Museum’s drug store. This was the time of the Clinton/Lewinsky matter. A radio news show was discussing the matter. Matthew looked up at me and said…..Poppa, he did something wrong. Didn’t he? I responded…..Yes, he did.

An observation. Cooperstown is small town America. Yesterday preserved. The Baseball Hall of Fame and the Fenimore sites have made the community neither touristy nor tarnished. Much of its condition is due to the care and attention provided by the Singer Sewing Machine family. They have resided in Cooperstown for years. It is their community. They are proud of it. They have controlled building on the lake, kept the area pristine clean and sparkling. Nothing happens with out their blessing. They are to be complimented for what they have preserved and achieved.

Yesterday was a normal Key West sunday. A visit to Walgreens and Office Max. Lunch outside at Salute’s. A mahi mahi sandwich and the sunday papers. A couple of hours at Don’s Place watching professional football. Don was in all his glory as Buffalo won. Spent a bit of time working on tuesday’s blog talk radio show. Dinner in the evening with Lisa and the family.

Enjoy your day!

 

THOSE WERE THE DAYS…..

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Today’s Key West Citizen makes mention in its Key West History section that plane fares Key West/Miami 50 years ago were $8 one way and $15 round trip. Those were the days! Today one is looking at something in the low $200 to has high as something in the $600 range.

In the 1970s, I had a condo at the Jockey Club in Miami. My Shangrila at the time. I spent at least one long weekend a month there. The airfare Syracuse/Miami round trip was $80 tourist and $100 first class. First class included a small tablecloth and cloth napkin, steaming prime rib sliced at your seat, all flavors of ice cream, etc. Again, those were the days!

I spent several hours yesterday writing this week’s KONK Life column. Mob Rule. It publishes wednesday evening. The article took much longer to compose than I had expected. The subject matter has its twists and turns. My view of things definitely controversial. I wrote what I did because I thought it had to be said.

Last night was a fun night. I did nothing but sit and sip with friends at two of my favorite Key West places.

First was Don’s Place.

Jimmy and Joanie have become parents! They adopted a dog. Four years old. His owner wanted to get rid of him. The dog has social/mental problems. He was left alone 20 hours at a time. Jimmy and Joanie had him at the bar and intend to take him to work. They will make great dog parents.

The dog sat quietly the whole time I was there. Neither a peep nor a move.

Lori is a physical therapist. I engaged her in talk re my shoulder. She was helpful. Yanked my shoulder and back around a bit in evaluating me.

Chatted with John.

Frankie was at the bar when I walked in. A king at bocce and Lisa’s neighbor. Their backyards adjoin. I like Frankie and his wife Sandy. Two great people!

Then the Chart Room. A very enjoyable time.

David was holding court at the end of the bar. I had not seen him in a while. We sat together for about two hours and chatted with each other and everyone else.

David is gay. Two lovely young ladies in black cocktail dresses walked by. Tanned, long blond hair. David told me they were ladies of the night. In from Miami for a job. I thought he was kidding at first. They kept walking around. We continued to observe them. David was hooked on the working girl thing. I finally asked how he knew. He had talked with them earlier on the street.

I am the type who could not get laid in a whore house, as the saying goes. David who has no interest in such ladies has no difficulty in engaging them in conversation.

Sheila came in. A kiss and hug. Love her!

Emily bartending and keeping up with our conversation.

Met an interesting couple from the Washington, DC area. Actually, they live in Arlington, Virginia. Shawn and Michele. One L. Shawn is a senior VP for a footwear company. Michele works in the retail field.

We buried them in places to go. Dinner, drinking, and dancing. Shawn was entering the info in his computer as fast as his fingers could move.

It is amazing. I have lived in Key West for years. Think I know everyone. Not the case. Two lovely ladies came into the Chart Room. Both locals. For many years. One is Christy. She is a massage therapist. I am embarrassed to say I cannot recall her friend’s name. I thought the friend unusually attractive. A senior with all white hair. Loved the white hair!

Two days ago, I chastised the Key West Citizen for failing to make mention of 9/11. The day was September 11, 13 years later. The topic is and will always be major in our history.

Yesterday, the Citizen made mention three times. Photos and reporting re memorial services at Mallory Square, the new Fire House on Grinnell, and the 9/11 campus in New York City. Great. However an historical rendition at the very least should have been a major front page article on September 9 itself.

Syracuse football today. Syracuse plays Central Michigan at Central Michigan at noon. I will be watching the game at John Lucas’ Big Ten Sports Pub.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

A MIXTURE

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There is much I wish to share this morning. Ergo, the title A Mixture.

My back! No better. In fact, worse. It started up again yesterday morning. I am taking pills. Gone to a heating pad. Last night, I said screw it! I had been in for several days. I decided to go out and have a few gins. I figured gin would take care of the pain.

After the first two at Don’s Place, the pain was gone. I had one or two more to make sure. Then to Tavern ‘n  Town for dinner. And a couple more medicinal gins. I know. Too much. Especially when driving.

Whatever, I was painless till two this morning. I woke with big time pain. Lower back around to the front. Down the side of my left leg to the knee. My hip was especially sore.

I was not going to drink in the middle of the night. Popped some Motron and got out the heating pad. The heating pad is almost instantaneous relief. However when the pad is turned off, the pain returns equally as fast.

I continue to hurt this morning. I have the heating pad propped between my lower back and the chair. Great! However, I can only take so much. I am beginning to cook my back end!

Don’s Place was not my first stop. It was Bottle Cap. ML is running for Fantasy Feat Queen. I support her. I had not attended one of her fund raising events yet. I decided to do so last night. At Bottle Cap.

There was a fund raiser. Not for ML, however. The Shriners were having a party. I knew no one. Smiled, said hello, and left without even having a drink.

Then to Don’s Place. Two fast pain relievers as previously indicated. Sat with Joanie, Jimmy and John. Stayed quite a while enjoying their company. Michael was bartending.

Football season has arrived. Much of the bar talk concerned football. With a little bocce thrown in. John had picked 12 out of 14 college winners last week. He asked my thoughts for this week. I told him with a 12 out of 14 record, you need no help from me!

Don fixed the air conditioning in the bar. What a relief! Thank you, Donald!

Tavern ‘n Town was quiet. Very few people. I was glad. Last month it was packed every time I went. I sat a the bar, spread out the newspapers and had some more pain killing medicine.

Mike Emerson was entertaining. Great music! I was humming to myself as he was playing. Manager Judy there. She did double duty last night. Played bartender and then returned to the floor as manager. She changes her clothes in between.

I never went out on the back deck this week. I should have. When I stepped outside yesterday, the pool was only about one third full. A leak! The man who fixes pool leaks came. He has been doing it for thirty years. He wears the black diving suit which also keeps him warm. Uses air tanks. The leak was in the deep end and he had to go underwater.

I am refilling the pool now. I am going to have a hell of a water bill this month!

There is a new U.S. Navy vessel in Key West for the weekend. It is the USS Winston S. Churchill. A guided missile destroyer. Over 200 sailors aboard. All will be on liberty in Key West. Enjoy, guys!

I read a front page article in the Key West Citizen this morning that disturbs me. Apparently birds nest in rooftops of commercial buildings in Key West. Probably all over the United States. Probably all over the world.

The law is that if a roof is under repair and a nest is discovered, construction must stop. Most of the birds are a protected species. A mid keys biologist wants Key West to adopt an ordinance requiring the contractor to check first before construction begins.

An example of over government. I was an environmental attorney. Protect water and air. I had no problem with that. However when it came to protecting some species of small animal, fish or vermin, I drew the line. As protection of this nature generally increases the cost of doing business dramatically, I was opposed. Everything in life should be a balance.

Back to Ferguson, Missouri for a moment. I listened to Attorney General Holder’s report to the nation this week. I was not impressed. His office  is examining the situation and the Ferguson police department in general for civil rights violations. There needs to be a federal investigation of the shooting itself. I do not trust the local authorities. On the other hand, I am not sure the federal government has jurisdiction to investigate the shooting as an isolated incident.

The US Post Office announced it is making price cuts. Significant ones. Hopefully to increase business. Fed Ex and UPS are upset. I use Fed Ex. However the price of doing business with them has risen to the point that it is burdensome. US postal authorities have come up with a good idea. A pleasure to see the price of a service/commodity go down instead of up.

I spent more time yesterday researching income inequality. Sounds boring. Not. I am excited and cannot wait to share with you what I have discovered in next week’s KONK Life column.

I said at the beginning this blog would be a mixture. It is. It is also longer than usual. For which I apologize.

Enjoy your day!

A GOOD TIME LAST NIGHT

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I had a good time last night.

Stopped first at the Chart Room. A quick hello to Emily and left. Did not have a drink.

Crossed the street to the Hot Tin Roof. Jenna was joining me for dinner.

Jenna was late. Joseph and I chatted a bit. The man is an intellectual. I enjoy our brief moments together. He made mention that he very much enjoyed my KONK Life column on Detroit. Thought I set forth the necessary background data and frankly represented the situation.

Jenna arrived! We had not seen each other in close to two months. It was reunion time!

We talked about everything. I enjoy her company. She, mine. Too bad she is 52 years younger than me.

I stopped at Don’s Place on the way home. Don was there. We sat and talked quite a while. Big party tonight at Don’s Place. A going away party for Hershel and Erika. They return to Indiana later this week.

Megan came over to say hello. Megan the bartender from Roostica. I have mentioned her before. An excellent bartender. Always makes sure I am well taken care of. I introduced her to Don. The three of us chatted for a while.

Megan looked terrific! Under 30 I suspect. One beautiful woman. Gracious and pleasant.

Jenna and Megan in one night. What could be better!

My day started at the bank with Yeleini. She has been my bank person for years. I needed some information.

Then to Publix. I bought nothing. Cost $51. How do families do it?

When I was in high school, I worked in what was then called a supermarket. The time 1949. Supermarkets then were not the huge stores of today. Not even close. One of my jobs was to stock the shelves. One of the items was Campbell Tomato Soup. Five cents a can. I noticed Publix was having a Campbell Tomato Soup sale. Four cans for $4.95. $1.24 a can.  Although more than 60 years later, still a major increase!

I mentioned Pine Tyme the other day. The 80 pound sick loggerhead turtle that had spent three months at the Marathon Turtle Hospital getting better. Pine Tyme was released into the ocean yesterday. With a satellite tracking device so we will know where her travels take her.

A huge crowd was present for her walk over the sand to the water. Many children. Plus Congressman Joe Garcia. A good guy. Also a politician who knew the best place for him to be yesterday.

Ferguson did not die down. One night of calm. Then Ferguson erupted again last night. Some of the armored trucks were brought out to keep the crowd at bay.

I have an interesting inquiry. Military equipment has been distributed to large and small police departments all over the country. From two sources. The Department of Defense/Pentagon. No cost. Supposedly left over and no longer needed military equipment. Also the Department of Homeland Security. The municipalities have to pay, but get a special deal.

Ferguson is a community of only 21,000 people. Key West is larger. Twenty nine thousand. Has the City of Key West Police Department received from either source military equipment of any nature? Similar to what was seen on the streets of Ferguson. What of the Monroe County Sheriff Department?

The public has a right to know. Transparency is required. Let not the first time we become aware be the day we have public disturbance and the armored vehicles suddenly appear.

Enjoy your day!

BOCCE AND SOCIAL SECURITY

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Bocce and Social Security. The two are related. Sort of.

Tonight the new bocce season begins. August 14, 2014. Exciting!

On this same day August 14 in 1935, President Roosevelt signed into law the Social Security Act. Exciting, also! Without the law, there would be no Social Security and Medicare today.

A point of information. People are always saying Social Security is broke. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If the United States honored its obligations.

President Johnson needed money for the Vietnam War. He looked at all the money sitting idle in the Social Security Fund. He legally devised a method by which the government could take the unused funds for its own purposes. The government keeps taking and never pays back.

The United States owes the Social Security Fund $2.7 trillion. Social Security is the government’s biggest creditor. Number 2 China is owed less than $1 trillion.

When people yell Social Security is broke, they either intentionally forget or do not know what I have set forth. Even today the government continues to  borrow money from the Social Security Fund. Your money and mine.

My yesterday began with a manicure at Lee Nails. Love Tammy!

I spent the afternoon researching further next week’s KONK Life column. Glory and Disgrace. About Great Britain in the early days of World War II. I plan on writing the column this afternoon.

Don’s Place was my first stop last night. Don is back. I was glad to see him.

I chatted a while with Stan and Clare and Hershel and Erika. Bocce, of course. Said hello to Grant.

Then to the Chart Room. Buffalo’s Tom Dixon is back in town! A rabid Syracuse fan. A Buffalo Bills fan, also. I asked Tom how the football team was going to be this year. He said terrific. I could not understand. Syracuse football has not distinguished itself in years. Turned out he was talking about the Buffalo Bills.

Tom’s wife Fran joined us. A charming lady.

We were together quite a while. We agreed to dine monday night at the Hot Tin Roof.

I had dinner at the outside bar at La Te Da. Always an interesting venue.

The people of the Keys and the turtles who live in its waters are lucky to have the Marathon Turtle Hospital.

Pine Tyme is an 80 pound loggerhead. In June, some fisherman found him in the ocean off Big Pine unable to dive. They got him on their boat and brought the turtle to the Turtle Hospital. Where he was named Pine Tyme.

Pine Tyme’s problem was gas in his intestines. He was not expelling it. He was full of air. No wonder he could not dive.

Pine Tyme has been treated and cured with antibiotics. He will be returned to the ocean friday.

I have been discussing on my various shows and in writing the past two years what I describe as the militarization of our police. Police departments across the country are receiving left over war machinery from the government. Police have also become cocky since 9/11. An item I discussed on my blog talk radio show this past tuesday.

Validity for my remarks is what is happening in Ferguson, Missouri at the moment. People are demonstrating. Some looting. The police have prohibited protesting in groups. Last night, the police were out in military gear. Armored vehicles. Repeating guns on top of them. The police used smoke bombs and tear gas to stop the demonstrators. At this point the demonstrators were merely walking down the street in group fashion.

You cannot defecate on a people. The demonstrators retaliated with molotov cocktails.

See the pictures and videos on television and the internet. Decide for yourself whether the police went too far, whether the police incited the retaliatory violence by the crowd.

Enjoy your day!

 

MOUNT SINJAR REVISITED

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My Sunday began with Meet The Press. Then lunch at Lisa’s with the family. They had just returned from swimming at Fort Zach.

On the way home, I stopped at Don’s Place to watch the PGA. No PGA when I arrived. It had been shut down for an hour due to rain. Chatted instead with Jimmy and John. Bocce one of the topics. Bocce season begins Thursday night.

I was not in the mood to return home yet. Went downtown to look over Lobsterfest. Lower Duval a zoo. Jam packed. Everyone enjoying the lobster brunch I detailed yesterday. Not just lobster alone. Things like lobster lasagna, paella, and mac cheese. I was stuffed from lunch and tried none of the items.

Watched most of the PGA after returning home. Fantastic outstanding golf! Five hundred plus yards and these guys are on in 2. No way could Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer have done it. It is the clubs and balls. All manufactured to go farther and straighter. Plus these guys are all physically conditioned. Did you ever see Nicklaus without a belly?

I thought playing the last two holes in semi dark and dark was wrong. An insult to the players and the PGA.

I would be remiss if I failed to comment once again on Mount Sinjar.

The number seeking safety on the mountain has gone from 30,000 to 150,000. Who really knows. The situation is being described as a Chamber of Horrors and Mountain of Death.

ISIS has changed its name. It is now IS. Islamic State.

Bad people.

They are beheading Yazidis. A soldier will grab someone and slice their head off with a hunting knife. This is also being done to children, In addition to beheading, children are crucified and amputated. IS has a thing about cutting off a person’s hands and feet.

Women and girls are raped. Wives and daughters are raped in front of the husband/father and then the husband/father is killed. The women and girls not killed are taken to be sold outside Iraq as slaves. Women and children are being buried alive.

Some corpses are beheaded and then hung on a cross. In addition to those crucified alive.

Yazidi men are lined up, made to kneel, and then shot in the head from behind. IS members not shooting watch, laugh and some take pictures.

The internet is rampant with photos and videos of the carnage. Many taken by IS members themselves and placed on the internet via social media.

Whole villages are given the option of converting from their religion to the Islamic faith. If they refuse, they die. Agreeing alone is not sufficient. A person converting must prove the conversion is sincere. Such is generally accomplished by forcing the person converting to kill non converting family members.

Sick. Wrong. Perverted.

All so bad that I cannot in good faith end this blog as I generally do. I am left speechless.

FAST BUCK FREDDIE’S

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All good things come to an end. Nothing is forever.

Fast Buck Freddie’s closed down three years ago. Support for a store of its quality no longer existed.

I loved Fast Buck Freddie’s! Great stuff! Expensive prices! Nothing cheap. It was not a place you shopped in often. Anything purchased there was a treat.

I recall 15 years ago buying my wife a mask for Fantasy Fest. A gold eye mask with big green feathers. Looked terrific! It should have. Cost me $125. The mask sits to this day on my bedroom dresser on top of a glass head. I got it in the divorce.

Whenever I made a Fast Buck purchase, it was based on impulse. I walked in one day and saw this elephant chair. Short. Heavy. I could never have lifted it. With a pair of two foot tusks. I knew immediately where it would look good in my living room. $1,000.

My Boston granddaughter Samantha was visiting. She was 12 at the time. Grandpa offered to buy her a tee shirt. Why or who or what directed us to Fast Buck Freddie’s for the tee shirt, I cannot recall. I remember however that the tee shirt for my 12 year old granddaughter cost $60.

I am not listing complaints. I loved every minute I spent in Fast Buck Freddie’s and every penny I spent. The place was the Taj Mahal of Key West!

Its street windows were long and huge. The best window displays in Key West! I doubt anyone would dispute the representation.

Over the years, the building housing Fast Bucks was owned individually or jointly or whatever by Tony Falcone, Jimmy Buffet, and David Wolkowsky.

Tony Falcone operated Fast Buck Freddie’s for 37 years. The store has been empty for three years. Falcone has done everything possible to get a Key West type occupant in the store. To no avail. CVS is going to open a drug store in place of Fast Buck Freddie’s. Falcone feels bad. However, he had no choice. No one can blame him. Money is money. He hung onto an empty store way too long.

CVS in its new location will be blight on Duval Street. Such is progress!

My house was shown two times yesterday. No one bought it.

There were two highlights in my day yesterday. A visit with Jim Wallace at Joy Gallery. He has my Jack Baron’s for sale. The other was dinner with Lisa and the family last night.

Cameron is back from Turkey. He brought Robert and Ally each a fez. Bright red with a tassel. Robert wears his all the time, except when sleeping. He looks Turkish. Ally was not thrilled. She never wears her fez.

After dinner, I did something I never do. I was driving home. Suddenly had a desire for a soft chocolate ice cream cone. Dairy Queen! Oh, so good!

Enjoy your day!