HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

May all enjoy this day. Good food, some drink, friends and family. Then to sleep with an overindulged stomach.

We owe the holiday to two sources. First, the Pilgrims who gave thanks with a big dinner with their then Indian friends at Plymouth in 1621. Followed by George Washington. Washington decreed in 1789 there should be a day of thanksgiving. To rejoice and thank God for the many blessings He had bestowed on the new country.

My Thanksgiving will be with Lisa and family. The big dinner at 1. I am curious how my diet will fare. The diet that now has me at a 17 pound loss.

I ran some errands mid day yesterday. Then stopped at Don’s Place. For a glass of water. Sat and chatted with Jimmy and John. House painters, the weather had rained them out.

Dinner at the bar at Tavern ‘n Town last night. Packed again. Some locals, mostly tourists. The place does a hell of a business!

Adair was at the bar. I had not seen him in a while. Adair is a trainer. His body is the best advertisement for his business. Adair is somewhere in his 60s. Looks a lot younger. Has a magnificent tight torso.

I have learned to feel sorry for the women on Thanksgiving. They are up early in the morning to get the turkey in the oven at the right time. Stuffing it first, of course. Then watching the turkey for several hours and preparing all the side dishes.

Thanksgiving is a good time to be a man. It is like child birth. It is the woman’s thing to do!

Call me a chauvinist. Though I am not.

There are two special things to celebrate today.

The hurricane season comes to an end November 30. No hurricane this year! No hurricanes for 10 years. Key West deserved it after Wilma.

Thirty turtles arrived at the Marathon Turtle Hospital. From the cold waters of Cape Code. Hypothermia. More to follow. The turtles have it made. They do not need Obamacare. They will receive the best medical care at no cost.

A question comes to mind re the Ferguson fallout. There have been 37 demonstrations in various parts of the United States in recent days. All a part of the Ferguson fallout. The demonstrations have been well organized. Similar in nature. The question I raise is who is behind these protest marches. There has to be someone or some group. Who? It concerns me.

I leave you this morning with two Louis thoughts re Ferguson. I suspect the reason Wilson was not indicted was because the local authorities were not going to let a dead black man put a white police officer in jail. The other is that what happened in Ferguson is a perfect example of might winning out over right.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving day!

 

BUSINESS PLAN AND ALL

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Yesterday’s blog appears to have touched the sensitivities of many. I received many more comments that usual. The thrust was Ferguson. Interestingly, few agreed with me.

One comment referred to me as a racist and moron. A racist I assume because I took the black position. I am not sure where moron came from. Unless the writer was of the opinion that anyone who disagreed with him had to be stupid.

American youth. We raise our children hoping they will be intelligent and successful. And honest/moral. Sometimes they screw up with the honesty/morality factor. A perfect example is Sarasota High School.

A 17 year old girl and 15 year old boy, students at Sarasota High, started a prostitution ring. The girls to be offered would come from surrounding schools. Youth was the attraction. Even virginity, though at a higher price.

They got caught and the operation exposed. They approached the endeavor in a business sort of way. Even had a business plan. They had customers before getting caught. Adult men. Four girls solicited to work as ladies of the night blew the ring in to the Principal.

A perfect example of the moral compass having gone wrong.

My yesterday began with a haircut. Lori. She has been cutting my hair for 15 years.

Then a long walk. A mistake. The humidity was horrendous! Took everything out of me.

I intended to watch Syracuse basketball in the evening. Before and after my blog talk radio show. Unfortunately, the game was not carried in the keys.

Syracuse did win. Beat Loyola 70-37. The size of the victory means nothing. Loyola was a warm up game for the season which begins in January.

Did my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. My topics were limited. I hit a few items hard.

Ferguson was the first topic discussed. Many apparently disagreed with me. My position was simple. If a group thinks they are getting screwed, they will react. I mentioned also the 12 year old black boy who was shot by a policeman and killed three days ago in Cleveland as an example that police killing blacks has become a common occurrence.

I got into GMOs.

The whole world is getting down on GMOs. Except for the United States. Other nations are recognizing the apparent dangers involved in eating foods created by genetically modified organisms. The United States has and continues to welcome GMOs because of our governmental officials. Congress specifically and the Presidents who sign the laws permitting these evil seeds. The story of corporate America, money, and lobbyists all over again.

It is amazing the companies that use GMOs that we do not know do. Like Pepsi Cola, Kellogg’s and Nestles/Gerber. The corn, soy and sugar used in the production of their products contain GMOs. Yes, even Gerber’s baby foods.

Recently, a South African court threw Gerber’s baby foods out of the country because of the GMOs. Gerber’s still sells baby food in South Africa, however. They redid their product so it contained no GMOs. Not in the United States, however.

The Marathon Turtle Hospital is in the news again. A large number of turtles took the wrong turn trying to leave Cape Cod for warmer waters to the south. They ended up on bay beaches. They are sick and dying. The cold water causing hypothermia.

There are more than a 1,000. They are being gathered up and flown to several Florida locations. Marathon Turtle Hospital is getting a number of them.

It’s a great life! Summer on Cape Cod and winter in the Florida keys. And free medical if they get sick.

The Key West Citizen’s History section had a picture of the Atlantic Shores Restaurant from 50 years ago. I enjoyed many a breakfast at the street front restaurant and many a lunch at the poolside bar in the rear. I enjoyed the rear view more. Atlantic Shores, gone but not forgotten.

Cool this morning. Very heavy rains. During the night, also. It is the tail of the northeaster that is going to bury some northern states in snow later today.

Cool by the way is about 73 degrees.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

BURN BABY, BURN

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I do not blame the people of Ferguson for their reaction to the indictment report. Their political leaders, from the police chief to the mayor to the prosecutor to the governor, should now be investigated to see if some sort of fix was in. My sense is that the thinking of the white fathers was that no dead black man was going to put a white police officer in jail.

Aggressive police work appears the order of the day. Just two days ago in Cleveland, a 12 year old black boy was shot to death by a cop. Look up the story on the internet. Another black dead at the hands of a white officer.

What next? People can only be tread upon so long. Then that rebellious feeling takes hold. Anger vented.

I worry poverty may be the next motivation for violence. The nation’s poor. The 99 percent. A group can only be defecated upon so long. Especially if their children are caused to suffer. 2.5 million children were homeless in 2013. This in the land of plenty.

My blog talk radio show is tonight at 9. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Of course, I will have something to say about Ferguson. Not much, however. The national media has said it all. The 12 year old black in Cleveland will receive comment by me,  as well as the 2.5 million homeless children, GMOs in American foods whose identity will shock you, Russia banning GMOs completely, and more. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I grocery shopped yesterday at Publix. I buy the same thing all the time. I am not an impulse shopper. Yesterday, my bill was $20 higher.

It made me question whether Publix had raised the price of food because this is a holiday week.

There was a time several years back when it was discovered that in larger cities, the chain stores were playing with the cost of groceries. Stores in ghetto/poorer areas increased prices the week welfare checks were received.

Enjoy your day!

TRAVIS McGEE

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What a spectacular morning! Everything perfect! No breeze, water still, no clouds, blue sky, sun reflecting brightly on the MTV house across the water. As I am accustomed to saying, it is a God is in His Heaven day and all is right with the world. Unfortunately, only my world in tiny Key West.

I think I am well read. More precisely, I thought I was well read.

A couple of months ago, Travis McGee came up as well as the author John D. MacDonald. I did not know who either was. My education had been neglected. I soon learned from the voluminous e mails that came in who Travis McGee was. A popular character  in a series of Travis McGee novels written by John D. MacDonald.

In this weekend’s mail, I received a hardbound copy of one of the Travis McGee books. The Deep Blue Glory. I will start reading it today.

My benefactors are Dan and Karen from the Pittsburg area. Snowboards. I mentioned them around Fantasy Fest time. They chastised me a bit re Travis McGee. They must have mentioned it to their daughter. She brought the book down when she visited Key West. For whatever reason, it never made it into my hands.

Be prepared for some Travis McGee comments.

My only time out of the house yesterday was to visit the Chalk Festival next to the Coast Guard vessel Ingham. I thought I was a good chalker when young. No way compared to what I saw yesterday. Outstanding work! Each and every drawing. The festival a big deal. Some artists traveled from Europe to participate.

I do not know if you picked up on it. I have not been going out as much lately. The reason is I am on a diet. I have been on so many. I start and rarely finish. I did not want to embarrass myself again.

I have just concluded four weeks of dieting. Fifteen pounds! Wowie!

Lisa and the grandchildren dropped off the turkey yesterday. It sits in my extra refrigerator in the garage till wednesday evening. Robert and Ally were excited. Their emotions are catching.

Syracuse played Iowa in the consolation basketball game in Madison Square Garden friday. Syracuse won 66 or 68 to 63. I did not watch. I forgot.

Syracuse plays Loyola tomorrow night. I will watch around my blog talk radio show.

I believe tomorrow night’s blog talk radio show will be unusually good. The topics. I am going to do a dissertation on beheading. I will compare the Saudi Arabia method to that used by ISIS and the reason for each. Informative, but gruesome.

Plus, the story of a 12 year old Cleveland black boy. He was playing with a pistol bebe gun in a children’s playground. Some one called 911 and reported it. However did say he thought the gun was fake. The police arrived. A rookie police officer shot the boy dead.

You can find me at 9 tomorrow evening on the internet with the blog talk radio show. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

On this day in history in 1963, John Kennedy’s killer Lee Harvey Oswald was shot to death by Jack Ruby. I saw it live at the time on television.

The police were transporting Oswald somewhere else. They were walking him out of an underground area to the sidewalk. The tunnelway was crowded with all sort of spectators. I recall thinking at the time how stupid! Someone is going to kill Oswald. Someone did. Ruby. He walked right up to Oswald and shot him.

I mention particularly this episode in history because I find it similar to Ferguson. Stupid police work!

Enjoy your day!

 

BOCCE PLAYOFFS

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Yesterday, the bocce playoffs! The games started at noon.

We were eliminated in the first round. I doubt any of us felt bad. We got killed in the first game. Came back to kill the other team in the second. Got killed again in the third game.

We played well in one of the three games. Sufficiently so that we were able to walk off the court with our heads high.

I thought we were equal to the opposing team. Most of my team mates thougt not. They were of the opinion the opposition was better.

We were missing three players. Not offered as an excuse. Merely for information purposes. Don was at his brother in law’s funeral in California, Clare and Keith working.

There is an excitement that goes along with making the playoffs. For us Key Westers, the day of the playoffs is like the World Series, Super Bowl and Final Four rolled into one. Thrilling is the only way to describe it.

Syracuse lost again yesterday. Lost a football game to Pitt 30-7. We have only won two games this season. There is one game left to play.

I have a feeling the basketball team may not be as good as in recent years. Then there is the investigation. Could be a bad time for Syracuse sports.

Things have to improve. Dramatically.

One reason is that a lot of money is involved. Millions of dollars from TV alone. The universities have come to rely on that money. However if a team is not up to snuff, there is less prime time TV involved and the dollars diminish.

2015 is going to be an interesting year for the Syracuse University sports program.

Enjoy your Sunday!

A COLE PORTER EVENING

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It could not have been a better evening! Cole Porter tunes sung by the best of Key West. To mention one or two would be remiss. There were twenty performers in all.

Cole Porter created his music back in the 1920s, 1930s and into the early 1940s. Tunes like Begin the Beguine, Night and Day, and From This Moment On.

The evening thrilled me. Everyone in attendance, also. It was obvious by the reactions to the performances. The Waterfront Playhouse is to be commended.

My seat was perfect. Third row. Jenna to my right and friend Susie to my left. The lovely Jean Carper in front. Old friend Skip behind me.

Dinner with Jenna beforehand at the Hot Tin Roof.

We made the bocce playoffs! Won 2 out of 3 games thursday night. At noon today, I will be throwing the pollina.

The playoffs are a big deal. Tents over the benches for the players. Food and drink. All for the players and free. A huge crowd watching.

I hope we win the first match. The playoffs are tough. You play the best of the best.

The Chalk Festival got rained out for today. The concrete must still be wet. I hope the bocce playoffs do not get canceled. The clay should absorb last night’s rain. The courts will be a bit slower, however.

Back to the Chalk Festival. It will be tomorrow on the promenade next to the USCG Ingham on the Truman Waterfront.

Enjoy your day!

WOE IS SYRACUSE

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Immigration, Ferguson, Ebola, bocce, nudity…..all take a back seat to the Syracuse basketball story. I mentioned recently I was concerned about this year’s basketball team. Concern being a rare occurrence. It has been many years since Syracuse has had a team not up to snuff. This may be the season.

I watched the Syracuse/California game last night. Not since Pearl Washington’s days have I seen  a Syracuse team that had neither a defense nor offense. The fabled Syracuse zone was not working. California was penetrating at will. As to the offense, there was none. Most of the time, Syracuse looked like a bunch of guys playing pick up ball. Everyone shooting. Shots forced. The ball not going in the hole.

Can Boeheim weave the team together? I think not. The talent is there. If he does, it will be the miracle of miracles.

The Syracuse basketball team is my team. Right or wrong. Good or bad. I am with them to the bitter end!

I spent much of yesterday writing next week’s KONK Life column. Why Decapitation. The story of what is behind the ISIS beheadings.

I only stayed for the first bocce game last night. I left early to watch the Syracuse/California game. We won the first game 16-15. A squeaker. Tom is back from New Jersey. He won the game for us. His last shot a bocce one. The opposing team could not knock the shot out.

My cell phone is dead. I do not know how we fared in the next two games.

Last evening was the last night of the season. Playoffs are saturday. We were on the bubble to make the playoffs. I do not know how we and the other teams on the bubble fared.

I am excited about tonight. I cannot wait. I will be attending an evening of Cole Porter music at the Waterfront Playhouse. Porter’s music thrills me.

Jenna is joining me. We will probably have dinner first at the Hot Tin Roof.

The President has spoken. An executive order is forthcoming re immigration. I think he was correct in doing what he did.

What concerns me is how off the track the Republicans are. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma was one of the worst. I have always admired Coburn. Yesterday, he had it wrong however. He said on television before Obama’s talk that what the President was going to do would cause or was anarchy and that violence could result. Violence by the people.

I think some Republicans sit in a small smoked filled room with their glasses of bourbon in hand beating the drums about what a bad person Obama is. They do it so much, they start believing themselves. Lunacy.

Gail Collins, the syndicated writer for the New York Times, had an interesting observation in a recent column. It had to do with Republicans and Democrats. I do not share it with you in that vein. I share the following as an odd ball happening in today’s world.

Collins reported that a recent South African study revealed an off the wall happening in the Antarctic. Fur seals are having sex with penguins.

I wonder if someone will blame this relatively new development on global warming.

Enjoy your day!

 

SOME PEOPLE KNOW EVERYTHING

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The cold spell leaves today. The temperature will be 77.

I feel sorry for my friends up north. Especially in the Buffalo area. Tom Dixon, who I mentioned yesterday, actually lives to the south of Buffalo. He is in the middle of it all. News reports say 4-5 feet of snow yesterday. Could be as much as 3 feet more today.

I lived with snow for 71 years. I miss it not!

The title to today’s blog is not meant for Patrick. Though it could apply. Rather, I am referring to Harry Bethel. Bethel is the leader of the pack regarding nudity and Fantasy Fest. He has taken to the task with fervor. His right.

I was reading this week’s Keynoter last night. There was an article on the Fantasy Fest nudity/sex issue. The article stated that Bethel admitted he had never attended a Fantasy Fest. A blind man leading the dissidents.

Had dinner last night at Tavern ‘n Town. Packed, as usual. There was an empty seat next to me. A gentleman took it. We ended up conversing. His company most enjoyable. His name Elias Gerth.

Gerth is a local physician. His speciality internal medicine. His office is on Flagler near Government Road.

I look forward to running into him again.

On the way out after dinner, I saw Allan Wimer and Robin Weiss. To know them is to love them. We hugged, kissed and chatted.  I see them both not often enough.

Jake has become a Key West icon in his own right. I thank the many who have e-mailed with concern for Jake and the medical attention he is receiving. Lisa reports this morning that Jake appears ok. However, he is medicated. He was sick during the night.

Jake is a fortunate animal. He has Lisa and the family. Others are concerned. Jake is loved. More than loved, Jake is lucky. He was adopted from the animal shelter about 1 1/2 years ago. Jake might have ended up being put to sleep if Lisa and the family had not discovered him. It may have been Jake who discovered them. His face says it all. He is adorable and lovable.

Syracuse basketball tonight! Syracuse plays California. The game is in Madison Square Garden. The first round in a pre-season tournament. Syracuse is favored by 5 points.

Madison Square Garden is no stranger to Syracuse. When in the Big East, many games were played there. Season and post season. I rarely missed the Big East Tournament. St. John was always a big game. I used to schedule my New York City work so I could be overnight in the City when Syracuse played St. John in the Garden.

All Garden games were exciting. It was the flavor of the place. The home of big time basketball.

In addition to the Syracuse game, there are two other biggies this evening. The President speaks at 8 re immigration. I will miss his speech. I will be playing bocce. I will leave bocce early to get home to watch the Syracuse game which begins at 9. The President I will see in one of the reruns which will be on television all night.

Let me close with Ferguson.

Both sides are getting ready for the anticipated storm. The governor already has called in the national guard. The protesters  are not standing idly by. All over the St. Louis area they are staging dry runs on how to face the police.

Nothing good can come from all this.

Enjoy your day!

 

MARY LOU HOOVER…..WONDER WOMAN

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Mary Lou Hoover can do and does do everything! Nothing is beyond her capabilities.

Her credentials are lengthy. Most prominent is Girls’ Night Out. A couple of years ago, Mary Lou thought women needed a place to meet and network. From a first meeting in a living room with a handful of ladies, it has grown into huge numbers. The ladies meet one night a month. However, in much larger quarters.

Mary Lou has also been a Fantasy Fest Queen. 2007. A tough race to the title and an even more arduous job the year following.

She is involved with Helpline. She is fund raiser and coordinator for the organization.

Mary Lou recently acquired an added interest in suicides. She came up with some figures that indicate a big time need for additional assistance in order to prevent suicides. In 2012, there were 4 homicides and 19 suicides in the Florida Keys. In 2013, there were 2 homicides and 32 suicides. Clear evidence that help is needed.

Mary Lou is working to have Helpline add to its suicide awareness efforts. A worthy and needed endeavor. She will succeed. It is in her nature to succeed. She is a woman who gets things done.

My blog talk radio show was last night. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. For those of you who may have missed and would like to listen, the show is archived and also available on Facebook and You Tube.

Post show comments indicated that my critical comments re the Keystone Pipeline and Immigration issues garnered the most interest.

My thrust was it has been 6 years that Keystone has been waiting for a vote. The final vote was last night. It took an effort of political expediency to bring about the vote. With regard to immigration, the issue has been bouncing around for 6 years also. A vote could not be reached. Now the President says he is going to move by Executive Order.

Not the way to run a government! We should not have to wait six years to get an up or down vote on the important issues of the day.

Can you believe the weather? The Key West weather. It dropped to 61 last night. It is 63 degrees as I write. The high today will be 69. Wow! Cold! A long pants day.

I will hear from many of you regarding the previous paragraph. Especially my friends up north. Where it is really cold! Tom Dixon e-mailed to tell me they already have four feet of snow in Buffalo, with more coming today. Temperatures across upstate New York are in their 20’s. So too most of the rest of the nation. This morning’s weather report says the Florida panhandle will be below freezing later today and tonight.

And not even Thanksgiving yet!

Today is the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln delivered the famous speech on this day in 1863. It was less than 300 words.

Two things I would like to share with you re the Gettysburg Address.

The first is that Lincoln wrote his speech on a ripped off portion of a brown paper bag as he rode to Gettysburg. His lunch had been in the bag. He used a stub pencil to write.

When Lincoln completed  delivering his speech, applause were minimal. There was no off the wall reaction to his words. It was subsequent to the speech that the speech’s special qualities were noted.

It continues to be a sad day at Lisa’s. Jake is still sick. Lisa continues to take him to the vet every day. They still do not know what is wrong with him. He is being tested for everything.

Poor Jake!

Enjoy your day!

 

NUDITY NUDITY NUDITY

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Sixty thousand to seventy thousand people come to Key West each year to enjoy Fantasy Fest. They come because it is an adult party. Adult means some degree of nudity.

A small handful of local citizens want to change things. They cry there is too much nudity and sex.

I have never seen open sex during Fantasy Fest. I have occasionally seen some nudity. Generally, the female vagina. Not that many, however. Maybe a total of a dozen in the 16 years I have been attending Fantasy Fest.

Local ordinances require a woman’s nipples to be covered. That means pasties. Plus, the privates of men and women. I can live with that and so can the 60,000-70,000 who come to party.

There is a vocal minority that wants to change things. How much I am not certain. They probably total no more than 40 persons. They are the squeaky wheel, however. If church goers, the ones who sing the loudest at services. They are getting a lot of attention. As evidenced by this morning’s Key West Citizen. The headline read Nudity Tops The List Of Fest Complaints.

The group sounds like the religious right. I am offended that they seek to impose their moral standards upon me and the 60,000-70,000. I  believe most Key Westers would agree with me.

Walked again yesterday. I am proud of myself! From one end of Duval to the other and back.

This weekend is the Waterfront’s Cole Porter show A Swell Party. Jenna and I will be going together. I was lucky to get tickets. The show is apparently a sell out. Someone had just canceled two adjoining seats in the third row. It is called being there at the right time.

My blog talk radio show tonight. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. A quick half hour of interesting and stimulating talk. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics tonight include Ferguson and the KKK, genetically modified potatoes approved by USDA for sale in the U.S., Obama changing his tune re immigration, a tough on drugs governor pardoning his son’s drug conviction, a British/Iranian woman who is to receive a public lashing because she wanted to attend a volley ball game, and more.

Ferguson is a hotbed in the making. A tinderbox that could and probably will erupt. Missouri’s governor announced yesterday  he was declaring a state of emergency. The national guard has been called out. The governor is getting ready for whatever occurs when the grand jury report comes out.

The governor’s move is stupid. He is sending the national guard in in advance. Such is an invitation to aggravation, dissension, and violence. It says to the black community we know you are going to blow up and we are ready for you. In a sense, a we dare you move.

Missouri’s political leaders leave a lot to be desired.

Enjoy your day!