POOR JEAN THORNTON

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Disaster has befallen a friend. Jean Thornton. A “…there is no joy in Mudville” situation. Mighty Alabama struck out!

Jean is a die hard Alabama fan. She lives and breathes Alabama. Jean got the wind knocked out of her yesterday. #4 Auburn beat #1 Alabama. With a crazy 100 yard plus run with seconds left on the clock.

Jean, my condolences.

David, my sympathies to you also.

Syracuse won yesterday. Beat Boston College with seconds left on the clock, also. 34-31. Syracuse ends the season 6-6. Makes the team bowl eligible. A disgrace. The bowl eligibility system, that is.

The system is nothing more than a way for the colleges to make more money. A team 6-6 going to a bowl! It has become dollars over academics. There is serious talk of paying football athletes at the college level. The primary argument in support of paying is the amount of money colleges are making on their football programs these days.

I disapprove.

Keith and Jennifer were over yesterday afternoon. Helping with the overgrown greenery surrounding my home.

Decided to do the other end of Duval last night. A break in the normal routine. A change of pace.

Started at 5. My first stop was Aqua. Quiet. Then to La Te Da. Tourists. Ended up having a cheeseburger at the bar at Southernmost Beachside.

Interestingly, I knew no one at the three stops. Where there were customers, they were tourists. Even the bartenders were strange to me. Obviously, I was there the wrong time of the day. Next time I will do it later in the evening. Maybe Wednesday. It has been a while since I have enjoyed Bobby Nesbitt’s early Wednesday gig at Aqua.

The Key West Citizen carried a newsworthy item this morning. Tourism has been up during the summer and fall. I am not surprised. It has been rare that there were few visitors on the streets. Another way of measuring for me is the crowd at the Chart Room. It has been pretty steady.

Enjoy your Sunday!

KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL

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Yesterday had to be a lesson learned. No one should take my sport recommendations.

I thought Syracuse could upset the mighty Florida State. At the very least, beat the point spread. I was wrong in both instances.

Syracuse got beat by Florida State 59-3.

It happens. I have to congratulate the Florida State team. I have never seen a college football team play with such precision. Especially in the passing and receiving part of the game.

Syracuse’s time will come!

I had planned on watching the game at the Big Ten Sports Pub. Never made it. As I was showering, my stomach started rocking and rolling again. It was back to bed!

The Key West Film Festival has been ongoing this weekend. The second year the event has been held. I admire the locals who put the event together and are promoting it. In several years, it can develop into a big deal.

Star Mariel Hemingway is in Key West for the Festival. She is the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway and a film star in her own right. She participated in the writing and stars in a documentary called Running From Crazy which is being featured at the Festival. It is about mental illness in the Hemingway family and her efforts to escape it.

The Festival is showcasing 35 different films over a 3 day period.

Hemingway, Hemingway, Hemingway! He is part of the fabric of Key West. Loved and remembered.

I recall this past summer my two visits to Lake Maggiore. I visited two different cities at the Italian southern end of the Lake. The Lake sits between Italy and Switzerland. I hope to visit the Swiss side next year.

Hemmingway spent time recovering from leg wounds received in World War I at Lake Maggiore. A Farewell To Arms has as its basis certain of his experiences there.

I was thrilled to have experienced Lake Maggiore and places where Hemingway visited. Especially the ones he drank at. There were only a few. He was a creature of habit. As Sloppy Joe’s was his bar of choice in Key West.

I continue to get congrats re my recently published book The World Upside Down. Thank you one and all. I am waiting for my first comments from those who have read it. Too soon yet. It was just published last Wednesday.

The Key West Citizen is our daily local newspaper. Not too many pages for 50 cents. However, it does report most of the news. I say most because there has developed a glowing hole in its reporting as concerns local commercial events.

I suspect it all has to do with money. If an organization is running an event and has a cash flow, the Citizen would want some advertising space purchased. A business, so I understand. On the other hand, I don’t know if it is proper. We all live, work, and play in the same community.

Enjoy your Sunday!

BOOB WEEK

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I write today’s blog with all due respect to the ladies. Offensive I am not trying to be. However, this is the week of many bare breasts in Key West. It is Fantasy Fest!

There is regulation with regard to permitted nudity. You cannot run around bare ass. Though a few do.

There are two basic ordinances/laws to be followed. If not, a person is subject to arrest.

The first involves a woman’s breasts.  The nipple area must be covered. If body painted, it will be considered covered. Some ladies opt for pasties which are considered ok.

The ladies have their breasts painted. There are stands/tents all over Duval performing the service. Prices anywhere from $75 to $125. The paint job lasts a week. After the first 24 hours, a woman can shower and the paint will not come off.

Some ladies push the envelope. They wish to be as nude as possible. All nude if such can be legally accomplished. The breasts are normally painted with large palm trees, birds or fish. Shades of Key West. However, a certain number who want to cover as little as possible, have an inch or two surrounding the nipple area painted. No more.

The female genitals come into play. The area is spray painted. Not much. Just enough to cover what must be covered.

In recent years, a new gambit has come into play. The ladies have their entire bodies spray painted. Faces, also. All one color. I think mentally they believe this is closer to true nudity.

The second law/ordinance to be concerned with involves sex itself. Sex acts in public places are strictly prohibited. Makes sense. Although an adult party, people should only go so far.

I was up before the sun this morning. Dressed and out in my car. Just before 7. Still dark.

I was on my way to Publix. I have been dieting all week and had absolutely nothing I considered diet food in the house. Not wishing to screw up what thus far has been a successful five days, I decided to shop.

I was at Publix just as the doors opened. About 20 people shopping. A good time to shop. You basically have the store to yourself. I did not need much. But what I needed I had to have lest I blow my diet. I spent all of $17.

The ants have returned! In a new place in the kitchen.

There is a high dining counter at one end. I sit on a high stool. It is where I write this blog and all my writings. It is also where I eat. I suspect I may have dropped a crumb or two.

As I began this blog, I felt something crawling up my leg. It was an ant! The tiny ones. I looked on the floor and they were all over below me. TERRO houses have been laid out. I suspect the ants will be gone by tomorrow.

A pain in the ass!

The Key West Citizen reported this morning that the Florida keys are the most vulnerable to a sea rise. Caused by global warming, of course. The most vulnerable spot to be affected by rising waters in all of the United States. Perhaps, the world.

Syracuse my Syracuse! Got beat big time yesterday. 55-0 by Georgia Tech. We shall return. The trip back is painful, however.

I have to avoid the near occasions of sin when I diet. On the other hand, I have to get out. Last night I went downtown. One stop only. Irish Kevin’s for two drinks. I did not eat last night at all.

I like Irish Kevin’s, though I rarely go. It is a couple of doors down from Sloppy Joe’s on Duval. The attraction for me are the young lady customers who go up on stage and exhibit their breasts. I am a voyeur at heart.

My Friday TV/internet show, The Key West Lou Legal Hour, is You Tubed. I am having a problem. Perhaps some of you may be able to help.

The shows are not being You Tubed in order. The show consists of five segments. They do not show up on You Tube in sequential order nor are they all grouped together. Shows from three or six months ago pop up in between segments. How do I get them to show in order?

Please understand that the show cannot be You Tubed as one item. Television station personnel tell me it has to be in separate segments. I do not understand why, except that it may have to do with time at the TV station’s end.

My shows have been You Tubed for several months. I do the show Friday mornings. My show is rerun on television Saturday afternoons. It is supposed to be You Tubed at six Saturday evening. Sometimes nothing appears. Like here it is Sunday morning and Friday’s show is not yet up.

It is not easy.

The You Tubed shows in whatever order are available for viewing, never the less. Go to You Tube. Then enter Lou’s Legal Hour.

Enjoy your Sunday!

I DID IT AGAIN

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It was after 6 last night and I was working away at friday’s tv/internet show. The phone rang. It was Don of Don and Chris. They were back in Key West for a few days. We had made tentative plans to meet at the Chart Room. Where was I? I begged off. Told him I had spent most of the day babysitting and never got to work on the show.

He told me Chris was concerned I was sick because I had not published my blog yesterday.

I forgot! This is the second time in two weeks it has happened. Old age is setting in!

Plain forgetfulness. In the seven years I have been doing the blog, I do not think I have missed more than six times.

My excuse a simple one. I had a 9 in the morning appointment with the foot doctor. No time to do the blog before. I intended to do it afterwards. Afterwards for the blog never came. Lisa telephoned and asked me to babysit. Robert and Ally were off from school. They take all of my attention when I am with them. The blog never entered my mind.

My apologies.

Chris was not the only one concerned. I went to my emails and found….. where is the blog?…..are you sick? inquiries from all over. Crete, Portofino, Falmouth, Toronto, Des Moines, and Syracuse. It is nice to know people care.

The grandkids and I did Pepe’s for lunch. Robert and Ally had never been there.

Tina bartends at Don’s outside bar several evenings. I discovered she also waits tables at Pepe’s. Has been doing so for 8 years. Some days she is up at 6:30 in the morning and not to bed till after 2 in the morning. Those days when she works both places.

Typical Key West. Everyone works 2-3 jobs.

I told Robert and Ally the pirate story associated with Pepe’s. I do not know if they believed me. Robert made mention that the construction of the building appeared more recent than the 1700s. An observant young man.

By the way, my foot appears healed. Boot and everything off. I have had no pain for a week. Ever since boot, etc. put on. Doctor says it was a tendon injury.

Late in the afternoon when I was free, I started working on friday’s show.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour will be an especially good one this week. I am taking on the super markets. The prices keep going up. Corporate America now owns and operates huge ag-farms. Special laws have been passed to protect them from lawsuits for the food products they produce. Interesting information! Surprising!

I will also be discussing how lousy our economy is for the 99 per cent, some interesting Saudi Arabia information, how we upset Brazil, why Larry Summers dropping out was good for America, and more.

Join me. Ten in the morning Friday my time. Via television from Key West through Boca Raton on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. Via the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com.

This morning’s Key West Citizen announced front page that Diana Nyad would be Grand Marshall of the Fantasy Fest Parade. Diana is the woman who recently swam from Cuba to Key West.

Bocce tonight! I can play! I missed not playing last weed. Besides the game, the comradeship combines to make bocce a fun evening.

The Seven Mile Bridge is a part of US 1. A part of the bridge was destroyed in the Hurricane of 1935. One of the worst. A category 5. Hundreds killed.

A portion of the old part of the bridge remains standing. The State has been caring for it. People use it for walks and biking. A popular place.

The State wants our county, Monroe County, to take over the bridge. Renovate and maintain it. The initial cost is projected at $62 million. I say, forget it! Let the bridge remain the State’s responsibility. And headache.

Enjoy your day!

PRESIDENT’S SPEECH, 9/11 AND BENGHAZI

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I had competition last night for my blog talk radio show. The President of the United States. I doubt anyone listened to me. The show is archived if you care to listen. www.blogtalkradio.com.

Today, a double anniversary. A day to remember in both instances.

First, 9/11. Forget not those who died, forget not the persons responsible.

Benghazi is already a year old. Seems like yesterday. The same mind framed people involved. Forget not the four who died, forget not again the persons responsible.

Babysat last night. Till late. It was after 11 when Lisa and husband returned. The only one still awake was Jake. He was laying on the couch next to me.

Robert and Ally were good. As usual. Baths and everything else done. In bed at 8:30 without a complaint.

Visited my doctor yesterday for the ankle pain. She has referred me. I see another doctor this morning at 9. Interestingly, no pain yesterday. It makes me wonder.
Dr. Lefferts suspected I might have a bone spur or small fracture. Dr. Louis does not think so. I believe it to be nerve related. We shall see.

I live and learn.

I have always admired Peary Court here in Key West. Initially, Naval housing. Private rentals after the Navy pulled out. Peary Court was sold this week.

Keys History in this morning’s Key West Citizen made me aware of something I never put together. Peary Court is named after Robert E. Peary, purportedly the first man to reach the North Pole. The feat was accomplished in 1909. In the 1880s, Peary was stationed as a Naval officer in Key west.

Have to move my butt. I do not wish to be late for my doctor’s appointment.

Enjoy your day!

BEATLES AND KEY WEST

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The Beatles spent two days in Key West back in 1964. Not for an engagement unfortunately. The reason given is that they were on their way by plane from Montreal to Jacksonville. They were to appear during the half time show at the Gator Bowl. Hurricane Dora was about. It ultimately swept across the middle keys and northward.

Due to the purported Hurricane Dora change of stop, the Beatles never got to appear at the Gator Bowl.

Such was reported in the History of the Keys section of the Key West Citizen this morning.

There is more to the story.

Florida was still segregated in 1964. The Gator Bowl provided only segregated seating. The Beatles informed the Gator Bowl people they would not appear if the crowd was segregated. The Bowl personnel agreed to the Beatle demand.

Bowl seating was not the only segregation problem. Jacksonville’s hotels were segregated, also. A demand was made that the hotel cease its segregation practice at least for the game. The hotel refused.

It is claimed the Beatles resolved the problem. They used Hurricane Dora as an excuse and had their plane diverted to Key West. From which they could not timely leave to make the Gator Bowl game.

The Beatles made their first American appearance on The Ed Sullivan show. The Ed Sullivan Show was the biggest thing on television at the time. It was February 1964. If an act appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, they were not just good, they were exceptional.

Ed Sullivan introduced the Beatles to America in February 1964.

He also introduced another who became a big time celebrity. Elvis Presley. On today’s date in 1956, Elvis appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.

I was fortunate to have seen both the Beatles and Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show. America was glued to their sets for each performance.

Elvis’ appearance was a bit strange. Elvis sang standing with a guitar. He rotated his hips in the Elvis Presley fashion. Some at the time thought his hip action was inflammatory and immoral. The Catholic church being one.

When Elvis performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, the camera only caught him from his midsection up. Midsection being above his hips.

We have come a long way!

Yesterday was National Grandparents Day. How many knew? I did not till the family wished me a Happy Grandparents Day last night.

Grandparents Day has been a national holiday since 1979 when Carter signed it into law. The movement to establish a National Grandparents Day began in 1961. It was led by a Hermine Beckett Hanna.

The reason I mention Hanna is that she lived in upstate New York. A familiar locale to me and many of my friends. When I was attending law school at Syracuse University, I delivered milk in the morning starting at 4:30 for Marble Farms Dairy to its customers in North Syracuse.

Sunday dinner was with Lisa and the family. Jake continues to love me. I sat on the couch to read the newspapers. He jumped up and laid beside me with his head on my leg.

I stopped at Don’s Place afterwards. It was close to empty. The pro football crowd had left.

Tomorrow night I do my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Join me at 9 in the evening. One half hour of interesting material. The subject matter will obviously include Syria. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

THE BAND IS PLAYING

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When my children were small (oh, so long ago!) and it thundered big time, we used to tell them it was a band playing in Heaven. They came to accept the explanation and it soothed them.

Lightning was hard to explain. We let them curl up with us.

Thunder and lightning are different on the ocean. This morning is overcast and the band plays on! It has not stopped thundering for two hours. Loudly. Like the sky is going to crack open.

A couple of nights ago, I was driving home and observed bright lights in the sky. Lightning! Out over the ocean. When the lightning occurred, the sky lite up as if it were day time.

I enjoyed a treat yesterday morning. I got to watch my TV show from my bed uninterrupted. Because of technical difficulties, I was required to record my friday show thursday morning. A one time event. Worked out well for me. I was impressed with the show. First time I had seen it all, including commercials, uninterrupted. Excuse my humility.

Wrote a bit afterward.

Sloan arrived mid afternoon. It took us quite a while to figure out and eliminate the crackling sound that occurred during last tuesday’s blog talk radio show. I hope it is now ok. I will not know till the next show on tuesday night.

Big time last night! Dinner with Jenna!

Jenna and I have not been out together for at least four months. We had an especially good time!

Jenna does my ego good. She is 27 and I am 78. Besides which, she is a knockout!

We have become very good friends over the past five years.

We stopped for a drink at the Chart Room. Emily was bartending. She came over to me. She appeared concerned. Where have you been, she asked. We have been worried.

It had been better than a week since I was in the Chart Room. The last time there, I mentioned concern with my blood pressure problem. Then I dropped out of sight. She and my bar brethren thought something bad had happened to me.

Nice of Emily and nice of the others to be concerned.

Except for bocce, I did remain home every evening.

Jenna and I picked at this and that at the Hot Tin Roof. Included were a dozen raw oysters and shataki. Shataki consists sushi which you cook/heat a bit yourself over a tiny grill brought to the table.

We had fun.

The Key West Citizen made mention this morning that a prior owner of Sloppy Joe’s bought the property in 1917. It was a restaurant at the time called Victoria’s. The property was purchased for $7,800. $7 million would not buy it today!

Syracuse football tonight. Against Northwestern. Northwestern is ranked #19 in the country. I suspect Syracuse will give Northwestern a battle. Syracuse could win. Syracuse looked good last week in losing to Penn State.

How swiftly fortune passes by! Last week’s Syracuse/Penn State game was nationally televised. No national TV for Syracuse this week.

Enjoy your day!

JAKE AND I

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I think Jake and I may have finally become friends.

Lisa and family were over yesterday afternoon to swim. Jake was with them. He swam a bit. Made no fuss about it. He rested at my feet. Made no fuss about that either..

Last night was Sunday dinner at Lisa’s. Both before and after dinner, I sat on the couch reading the newspapers. Each time, Jake jumped up and laid down next to me.

I finally made it! Jake likes me!

Robert and Ally love the water. It is a pleasure to watch them dive and swim.

I spent part of the afternoon watching golf. May Sergio Garcia hold onto his lead today to win. He fell into the background after a great start his first years playing the game.

Mickelson and Woods are disappointments. On the other hand, the greats cannot be great all the time. Not in golf.

I stopped at Don’s Place. Chatted briefly with Don. A lot of people at Don’s. His bar is like a social club. His followers are there all the time.

Needed to grocery shop. Cupboard was bare again. I enjoyed the experience, as usual. Also, I find it good exercise pushing the cart up and down the aisles of the new Publix. A huge store!

Sunday’s Key West Citizen carries the bocce standings in its sports section. Surprise of surprises! Our team is tied for third place. Only 2 games out of first. We have only played 3 weeks. Two of the three we played well. The middle one a disaster. My sense is that every team is having a difficult time early in the season. There is no consistency.

Diana Nyad will add to her famous career this evening when she puts her feet down on a Key West Beach. Diana is 64. A long distance swimmer. She left Havana a couple of days ago. Her destination Key West.

This is Diana’s fifth attempt to swim the distance. It is only 103 miles. A tough 103 miles. The problems are sharks, jelly fish and the tides. She is doing the swim without a shark cage to protect her. The waves reportedly are 3-5 feet high.

It is claimed that the area between Cuba and Key West is the most difficult in the world to swim.

This morning finds Diana only ten miles off shore. I hope she makes it.

The Key West Citizen reminds us today of the Hurricane of 1935 which destroyed the Keys. The hurricane hit on Labor Day. Hundreds died. Buildings and homes were leveled. A train was actually blown off its tracks.

The hurricane was a Category 5. Winds reached 200 miles per hour. The tides were 18-20 feet above normal.

It was not a good holiday!

Tomorrow is tuesday. which means my blog talk radio show tomorrow night. Nine in the evening. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou. Join me for some interesting chatter about hacking the new way to wage war and Obama and Syria.

Enjoy your day!

CHINA OWNS EVERYTHING

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Joyous news! The giant panda Mei Xiang gave birth to a baby panda that survived! Weighed just under 5 ounces. Amazing that such a huge mother delivered such a small baby.

It is reported mother and child are doing well.

The delivery was at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

This is one of those did you know items. Were you aware…..China owns all pandas in United States zoos? China does. As well as us. The United States owes China so much money. We will never be able to pay it back.

Stopped at the Bank of America ATM yesterday. Out of order. I tried the drive in one and fortunately it worked. I was down to $2. I can recall an occasion when all of Bank of America’s ATMs in Key west were down. A tragedy.

Interestingly, Bank of America does not own and operate its ATMs. Nor do most banks. Brinks owns and operates them. I found out once when the ATM would not return my card. Bank of America was no help.

Stopped at Salute around 5 for a drink. A change moment.

Good crowd! Busy! Especially out doors.

I was impressed at the cost of my drink. $6 for a Beefeater on the rocks. Good sized. A bargain in Key West. Most places are in the $8.50-$10.00 range. Except for Don’s Place. $4.50.

Stopped next at Don’s. Only 5:30. Nate bartending. Only 4 people at the bar. I did not know any of them. Chatted with Nate a bit and left. Did not have a drink.

The Chart Room was next. Mary bartending. Me and tourists.

I enjoyed the parting conversation between two couples. They had made plans to meet tonight at Garden of Eden. They were all giggly and excited.

I have only been to the Garden of Eden twice in the many years it has been open. It is a clothing optional bar for adults on a roof top on Duval. I am a voyeur. I was disappointed. Never saw anyone without clothes! Not even a topless woman!

Since Larry Smith has stopped playing, I have not been to the Wine Galley. I walked to the back side of the Pier House to visit last night. The outdoor hostess asked if she could help. I asked if the Wine Galley was open. She said, yes. It is our formal dining room. She insisted on entering with me.

What a joke! A sad one.

The room is the same. Except for three tables and the piano. Gone. The room was deserted. It smelled strongly of disinfectant.

She was gracious. Asked if I wanted a drink. A bartender had suddenly appeared. I said thank you, but no. It would not have been the same.

The front page of this morning’s Key West Citizen had a photo of the drone the Mosquito Control Board is trying out. Small. Weighs only 2 1/2 pounds. I was impressed. Our Mosquito Control Board does a hell of a job. Were it not for them, people would find it difficult to reside in the lower Keys.

Another lapus lingua. I referred to Bradley Manning recently as Bruce Manning. Second time in a week I have made a mistake. The prior one was referring to George Clooney as Robert Clooney.

Dementia must be setting in.

Tonight Tuesday Talk With Key West Lou. My blog talk radio show. At 9. One half hour. Fast moving and interesting. Revealing on occasion, also. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I intend to speak about Bradley Manning and transgendedrism, China owning all pandas in the United States, and a proposal to urine test all high school athletes in Florida.

Join me.

Enjoy your day!