CHRISTMAS…..DID YOU KNOW?

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A couple of things I learned regarding Christmas in the last 24 hours.

One involves heart attacks. Medical studies indicate that more people die from heart attacks on Christmas Day than any other time of the year. In second place, the day after Christmas. December 26. Third, January 1.

Health workers call this time of the year Christmas Coronary.

Pope Francis delivered his Christmas message as usual to a throng of people in St. Peter’s Square. I have been to St. Peter’s Square several times. Big, but not as spacious as the following indicates.

It was reported that 80,000 people were in St. Peter’s Square when the Pope delivered his Christmas message Urbi et Orbi. Urbi et Orbi translated is To the City and the World.

I was surprised at the 80,000 number. I was there once when the Square was extremely crowded. For one of the Pope’s wednesday morning messages. I never realized the number could be as big as 80,000.

I mentioned last week that the Pope had ordered three showers to be built in St. Peter’s Square for the homeless. He is going to need more than that! The three reminds me of the scene in Jaws where the sheriff sees the shark for the first time. The sheriff was at the end of the boat and the shark shot up into the air  mouth wide open. The sheriff turned around and said to his two companions…..I think we need a bigger boat.

My Christmas Day was quiet. I watched a little TV and wrote a lot. I was into Growing Up Italian. Significant progress was made.

Enjoy your day!

 

CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE

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The sun is shining bright this morning in Key West. Nary a cloud in the sky. The temperature 59 degrees!

I am cold!

Today will go to 64. A heat wave!

Before my northern friends think I am crazy, please understand the following. When you live in a tropical climate all year long, your blood thins. When you enjoy the change of seasons as up north, your blood is thicker. Thinner blood means Key Westers feel the cold!

Key West is loaded with all kind of fun activities. This saturday night, the annual Lighted Boat Parade. Boats are decorated as people do the outside of their homes at Xmas time.

I have been on one of the boats several times. A fun event! It will be cold saturday night during the parade. Whatever the actual temperature is on land, it will be 20 degrees colder on the water. People will be wrapped in winter attire. Not a hard trip to experience, however. Drink and food available. Dancing on the larger boats. If you are with someone you like, a constant close embrace. Combined, these factors tend to warm.

I will miss the Boat Parade this year. The police have decided to have a traffic stop from 7 pm saturday to 2 am sunday. On US 1 and Cross Street. The only way home for me is up US 1 and across Cross Street. A gambler, I am not. I will play it safe and stay home. Perhaps have dinner at Roostica which is up from Cross Street.

Key Westers know how to play. I discovered there is a New Year’s Eve event I was not aware of. In its tenth consecutive year. It is called Dachshund Walk. Would you believe! People walk their dachshunds over a specific route. Dogs and owners playfully attired. The parade route is intentionally short to accommodate the participants’ short legs and long bodies.

There is a serious event of which I was unaware. A Homeless Persons Memorial Day. Roughly 50 homeless people died in Key West this year. A memorial service will be held at the Key West Cemetery on December 21. The remains of the 50 will be interred.

We are one human family.

Did my blog talk radio show last night. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Enjoyed doing it! I thought Pope Francis’ story re showers for the homeless in St. Peter’s Square interesting. The French not wanting anything to do with the new trade pact Obama is pushing because it would mean the introduction of GMOs into France revealing.

Then Greece. A last minute topic. Things were happening in Greece through radio time last night. Greece had riots in 6 major cities sunday. Not the orderly type. Police and protestors fighting. Tear gas smoke engulfing them. Yesterday, the Greek stock market faced its largest one day drop since 1987.

It is all tied into austerity. The Greeks borrowed too much from the European Union. They cannot pay it back. The Greek government has had Greece on an austerity program for several years to help pay the bill. Germany has been strangling Greece in its hard demands for repayment. Austerity has led to a loss of jobs. People cannot feed their families. Farmers cannot sell their produce because people do not have money to pay for them.

All this has led to a build up of the Greek Nazi party. Known as the Golden Dawn Party. They are anti-austerity and cater to the thinking of the suffering people. They are presently the third largest party in Greece.

Greece’s President yesterday announced he will be calling for new elections. There is no question in my mind that the Nazi party is a sure bet for a second place finish. Perhaps, a first. Their influence will be overwhelming.

I know Greece. I have written and talked about Greece the past three years. On my TV show, blog talk radio show, in my KONK columns. Even in my book published last year The World Upside Down. I suggested Greece was a tinderbox. I predicted if there was a third world war, it would not start in the Middle East. Greece was the place. Greeks hate Germans. The austerity Germany has imposed on them one reason. The abuse they were subjected to by the Germans during World War II another.

We live in dangerous times.

Tonight, dinner with Roger and Cheryl. We meet at the Chart Room for drinks and dinner later at the Hot Tin Roof.

I have hit 20 pounds lost on the diet. I am impressed. Only seven weeks.

Enjoy your day!

A BIRTHDAY DINNER FOR TWO

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Their birth dates crossed. Don and Jennifer. Don 60, Jennifer 30.

A birthday dinner took place last night. To celebrate the occasion for both. Some two dozen people. At Benihana. Don and Jennifer both enjoy Benihana.

A good time!

Tonight, another birthday party. For Don alone. Sixty is sort of milestone. Starting at 6 at the outside bar.

Larry and Christine will be entertaining. Together with the wonderful Kathleen Peace. A voice! I suspect Ray will be there also playing a wicked guitar.

A huge crowd is expected. Should be a great party!

I spent a lot of time yesterday working on next week’s KONK Life column. It discusses the loss of the American dream. I still have about four hours more writing ahead of me today or tomorrow.

Pope Francis did it again! He tolerates little disagreement. He fired the head of the Swiss Guard. The Pope considered him too Teutonic. That’s calling it as you see it!

This Pope continues to impress. He goes out of his way to help the poor.

Rome’s homeless have few places to bathe. The Pope ordered three showers built in the heart of historic St. Peter’s Square for them.

The saying that cleanliness is next to Godliness has to play in here somewhere.

Enjoy your day!

COLD FRONT CAME IN

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I mentioned saturday morning that another perfect Key West day was in the making. There was a cool breeze coming in off the ocean.

It was not a cool breeze. Turned out to be the beginning of a cold front. Saturday was cool. Sunday cold. Too cold. The high was only 68. Today it is cold, also. Temperature at the moment is 66 degrees. High however will be around 80. The rest of the week will be days at or near 80, with evenings around 70 degrees.

It is the beginning of Key West’s fall season. It did not begin slowly. It came almost overnight. Speaking of nights, I needed a quilt last night to keep warm.

To my dear friends up north, I appreciate you have snow already. Cold in the Keys is different. When you go weeks at 85 degrees and all of a sudden it drops to 75, you feel it. Seventy becomes very cold. The high 60s freezing. Our blood is thin.

One of the nice things about living in  Key West is that every weekend there is a new and different party. This week the power boat races. Long sleek expensive boats. Crews of several persons. Dangerous driving on the ocean.

Exciting!

The boats turn me on. Yesterday, I went over to the Truman waterfront to look at them. They were on display. Magnificent!

The sport is only for the rich or corporations. Reflects how much money goes into acquiring/making the boats and maintaining them.

I hustled over to Duval afterwards to catch a bit of the boat parade. A large crowd. Enthusiastic.

The boat races start wednesday and end next sunday. If you have the opportunity to watch, do it. An experience you will not soon forget.

There are sayings used to make a point. One is …..Is the Pope Catholic? Well, maybe not any more.

There is controversy in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis is trying to open the windows to let in the fresh air of change. Conservatives within the Church who oppose his efforts are doing everything to hold them closed.

A significant number of Bishops are at odds with the Pope. On issues such as gays, divorced persons being permitted to receive communion, etc. They are becoming increasingly vocal. Now there is talk of a schism within the Church. There has not been one in a couple of hundred years. Emotions run deep. One Church leader suggested the Pope is the anti-Christ.

There is talk among conservative Cardinals and Bishops of deposing Francis and replacing him with Benedict. Benedict resigned making way for Francis. However, Benedict remains within the Vatican walls. He lives on the Vatican grounds. Benedict was a doctrinaire. A hard ass. Church doctrine did not bend under him.

You thought only Republicans and Democrats fought hard.

The Bishops have come out of the woodwork in the past few years and are expressing themselves publicly in many areas such as abortion and birth control. I am not sure it is healthy.

What happened to peace and tranquility? What happened to love? Everyone fights.

Enjoy your day!

 

UNHAPPY WITH CATHOLIC CHURCH

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I walked outside on rising this morning. What a day! Spectacular! Bright sun. Sky perfectly blue. The weather cool. A God is in His Heaven, all is right with the world day.

However, it is not such a day. The Catholic Church has screwed up once again! Yesterday a world wide synod of bishops meeting in the Vatican stopped an attempt by Pope Francis to correct what he perceives as Church errors.

Pope Francis had proposed a welcoming of homosexuals and divorced Catholics be permitted to receive Communion. A two-thirds vote of the synod was required to approve. The correction/amendments to Church doctrine failed. More than half the bishops voted in favor. However as with the U.S. Senate on occasion, a two-thirds vote was required.

An open insult to the Pontiff. An open insult to Catholics world wide. I do not believe Catholic bishops are in tune with their flock.

Many opposing the Pope’s will were Catholic bishops. Catholic bishops have become like U.S. Senate Republicans. Similar mentalities. Catholic bishops joined with the  U.S. religious right several years ago. The two groups stand shoulder to shoulder.

I am a fallen away Catholic. Interestingly, I have been considering a return to the Church of my birth. Pope Francis the motivating influence. He was opening the windows of the Catholic Church for the first time in more than 50 years. A breath of fresh air long overdue.

Catholic Churches are empty these days. In my youth, it was difficult to get a seat at Mass. Catholic schools have closed. Only a small percentage remain open today. Churches themselves are closing. Two or three parishes joining together to make one. Poor attendance means fewer dollars to support a parish. Significantly fewer young ladies are becoming nuns. Young men not opting for the priesthood.

It will continue that way unless and until the Church recognizes what Pope Francis seeks to accomplish and support him in his endeavors. The two that failed and the more that will come. We are all God’s children.

I hope those who voted against the Pope are happy with the result. They have embarrassed their leader publicly. God’s man on earth.

Yesterday was a football day for me. Syracuse in the afternoon and the Florida State/Notre Dame game in the evening. Syracuse won! I did not expect it. Handily. 30-7. Florida State won one of the finest played college games ever. Both teams at the top of their game. Could have gone either way. Decided in the last ten seconds.

In between games, Tim Reynolds and Keith came over to set up my new flat screen TV. In the bedroom. Wow! What a picture! It was a pleasure watching the Florida State/Notre Dame game on it.

The Asia-Europe Meeting was held in Milan this past week. Interesting what happened and did not happen. Putin was to meet with Merkle. He was four hours late. He had to stop to watch a parade in some satellite country. Merkle was upset.

Later that evening, like one in the morning, Putin met with former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. They met at Berlusconi’s Milan home. Berlusconi is under house arrest for either his dalliance with a 17 year old female or income tax evasion.

The two men were together till 3:45 in the morning.

Turns out Putin and Berlusconi are friends. Close friends. For years. Putin bought a vacation home some where in Europe next door to Berlusconi’s. They have visited each other’s homes many times over the years. Their families are close.

Berlusconi remains an influential figure in Italian politics. Berlusconi is also an extremely rich man. He and Putin have large holdings in a Russian oil company. It is reported Berlusconi will be investing in further Russian oil ventures.

Fried dough. I have not enjoyed fried dough in years. I consider it an Italian delicacy. Lisa made fried dough this morning.

Robert and Ally helped. One rolled the fried dough in a bag of sugar, the other in what was thought to be a bag of powdered sugar.

Ally was the first to taste the cooked dough. She opted for the powdered sugar one. It was not powder sugar. It was flour. Someone screwed up. The incident added to the festive mood of the breakfast.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STAY OUT OF MY BEDROOM!

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Two years ago, I wrote a KONK Life column entitled Stay Out Of My Bedroom! It had to do with the morning after pill and politicians who were against it.

I find the need to write a brief bit bearing the same title. Stay Out Of My Bedroom! This time regarding the Catholic Church.

One of the topics discussed last night on my blog talk radio show involved Bishops and birth control. It was revealed monday that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had written a letter to the House of Representatives requesting THE GOVERNMENT BE SHUT DOWN, unless religious employers were given a special right to deny birth control coverage to their employees. In effect, an alteration of certain provisions of Obamacare.

I was confused. I am confused. Just two weeks ago, Pope Francis said the Church had been too obsessed with gays, birth control and abortion. Too doctrinaire. The issue required a new look.  The Bishops apparently did not hear the Pope. The U.S. Bishops are involved once again politically with regard to the birth control issue.

The Good Book says…..render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, to God the things that are God’s. Sounds like separation of Church and State to me as set forth by Jesus himself centuries ago.

I am willing to listen to my priests preach whatever they like from the pulpit. That is their venue. I am adamantly opposed to the Church becoming involved in the political arena, however.

Another part of this whole thing that bothers me involves food. The House of Representatives recently passed a bill removing $40 billion from the food stamp program. A program that helps feed the poor, old and young alike. Free breakfasts for children are on the way out. Milk for babies  whose mothers cannot afford the sustenance is being denied to babies at this very moment because of the government shutdown.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York is the President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. A very humorous man. A very fat man. Extremely. His body structure suggests he is eating. And eating well. Though many in his flock are not.

Somewhere along the way, Cardinal Dolan forgot two things. First, the Pope is his boss. How can he come out so forcefully against an item that the Pope recently said was subject to review? Second, how can he support a government shutdown that is contributing to the poor having less food available, especially milk fed babies?

Cardinal Dolan and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are wrong, wrong, wrong! They are the Tea Party of the Catholic Church.

Enjoy your day!

FIRST SNOW

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I woke this morning to learn that Montana has the distinction of being the first place in the U.S. where snow fell this year. Last night. The pics on TV showed heavy stuff.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour was yesterday morning. My TV/internet show. The topic that garnered the most interest surprised me. It was my dissertation regarding Pope Francis and his evidencing that he is a flaming liberal. I thought my comments regarding Congressional waste would be #1.

All comments concerned the Pope. Not one about Congressional waste. Could be people are so fed up with Washington that they pay little to no attention to anything about them any more. On the other hand, the Pope is a breath of fresh air. He appears to be energizing peoples of all faiths.

Per my usual custom, I visited the Chart Room first last night. Emily was back from vacation. It was good to see her. I like Emily. Even more, I like the popcorn she makes. A little extra butter and a bit more  salt. Emily spent ten days vacationing on a hilltop in Ashville, North Carolina. She showed me some photos and videos she took with her cell phone. A beautiful place!

Sheila and Corey at the bar. An English family at the table. I did my hellos. They were leaving so I could not get any background information on them. I wish they had stayed longer. I would have enjoyed talking with them.

Then a drink at Don’s Place. Don, David, Michael and John in attendance. Don and I spoke of bocce. What else! We lost all 3 games thursday. I think we are in last place. Should not be. We are a better team. A much better team. One of our problems may be we know we are good. Ergo, we do not concentrate with each shot. We toss the ball figuring it will go where it is supposed to. It does not.

Bocce continued to haunt me. I went to Publix. After 9. Quiet. A good time to shop. I ran into two different ladies at opposite ends of the store who play bocce on thursday nights, also. Of course, they wanted to talk bocce. One proudly said we won all three games thursday. The other, we won two out of three. I humbly responded each time we lost all three. Tough!

I am distressed by this morning’s news regarding Greece. I find the Greek Nazi party, the Golden Dawn Party, totally reprehensible. Bad people. However they were legally elected. The third largest group in the Greek Parliament.

The government arrested the head of the party and 17 other high party officials yesterday. Warrants out for 20 others. The arrests were without question politically motivated. The leaders were arrested for basically being bad people.

I continue to believe from my early Catholic education that…..The end does not justify the means. You just do not go out and arrest the opposition. It is the same as has been happening in Egypt. What has occurred could unleash unrest on the streets and violence. Plus whatever else .

The Euro Commission and Euro Central Bank are said to have been consulted prior to the arrests and were in support of them.

I fear bad events are in the making.

Yesterday’s Key West Citizen had an interesting item in its Keys History section. On yesterday’s date in 1955, there was a motel price war in Key West. A bad one! Prices really low! Eight motels had signs up saying free rooms to tourists.

It would never happen today!

I was playing around on the computer researching Key West history. There was a Louis in Key West at one time who owned a department store on Duval. In the early 1900s. A. Louis. He owned the Bee Hive Department Store.

A lovely day outside. Sunny and bright. A blue sky. No breeze. The water still. Can’t wait to get out.

Enjoy your day!

 

THE ROSE TATTOO

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The Rose Tattoo was a mid 1950s movie. Starred Burt Lancaster and Anna Magnani. Lancaster was a big time hero type Hollywood star of that era. Magnani was an Italian star.

Magnai played a wild woman in the film. Lancaster loving and submissive to her. An unusual role for Lancaster. The movie won Magnani the Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress.

The significance of the movie is that it was filmed in Key West.

Hal Wallis was the producer. During this week in 1954 he was in Key West scouting locations for the film.

The selected site was a small house on Duncan Street.

Duncan Street is key here.

Tennessee Williams wrote the play from which the movie was derived. Williams lived two blocks away on Duncan at the time. My lovely Lisa lives on Duncan today. Her home is three blocks from the Rose Tattoo house and two blocks from Tennessee Williams’ home.

The Rose Tattoo house still stands. Run down. Covered with unkept shrubbery. I believe it is presently a rental.

The Tennessee Williams house is owned by others now. The house looks terrific.

A lovely morning here in Key West. Sun shining. A few white clouds. Water green.

I spent my day time yesterday researching and writing. The writing has altered my life style. Most of my days lately are spent inside typing away.

It was the Chart Room last night.

Merri bartending. Notice I have spelled her name differently. One of my readers emailed me and told me her name was not spelled M A R Y. It was M E R R I. I asked Merri last night if it was so. Yes, she said. Merri is a loyal blog reader. I asked why she never told me I was misspelling her name. She said it made no difference to her.

Sat next to Brian. First time I met him. A Key West local. He works for a boat towing operation. An interesting business! I learned much from him. His company comes out to get you if you run out of gas or get stuck on a sand bar. They also do salvage work.

I wanted Italian for dinner. Stopped at Roostica on Stock Island on the way home. Enjoyed baked ziti. I have thus far eaten three pastas at Roostica. Lasagna, spaghetti and ziti. The pastas were all good. The sauce leaves something to be desired. Too light. Tends to be watery. I enjoy a thicker and more bodied red sauce. My Italian upbringing!

Roostica has been open less than a year. It is a gold mine. Always crowded. I must be the only one the sauce bothers. Actually the place is more of a pizza restaurant than pasta one.

You will recall when I returned from Italy in August, I flew Delta from Atlanta to Key West and seated next to me were Paul and his daughter Katlyn. Paul was a reservist and also a fire lieutenant in the keys. Katlyn a high school student. We had a great time. The conversation most enjoyable.

At the Key West Airport, Paul introduced me to his wife Tracey.

As I was eating, a woman came over and said hello. It was Tracey. She called over to Paul and Katlyn. Nice people all. I was happy to see them again.

Show time tonight! Blog talk radio! My show!

Join me at 9 for a half hour of interesting chatter about world events. Some topics eye openers. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

TOM DIXON IN CHINA

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I received an email this morning from my friend Tom Dixon. He, his charming wife Fran, daughter, son in law and son in law’s parents are in China. Good for them!

Tom told me they have been in four cities. All sold Beefeater Gin. He and the family have become accustomed to Beefeater martinis. Good once more!

Tom is an interesting guy. He comes from Buffalo. Still lives there. Visits Key West 3-4 times a year. He owns a piece of the Ocean Key House. A Syracuse fan. I enjoy his company immensely. I enjoy wife Fran’s company also, though she does not make all the trips.

Yesterday was Meet the Press time. I spent my morning in bed watching the political talk shows.

Lunch time found me at Higgs Beach. I needed sun. My body was looking white. My eyes required a bit of relaxation, also. Watching the bikini clad ladies.

Two hours was enough for me. I headed downtown to Duval. Poker Run festivities were still ongoing. I walked several blocks. Some had magnificent motorcycles parked one after another. I enjoyed a late lunch at one of the food stands. An Italian sausage sandwich.

Sunday dinner once again at Lisa’s. Jake went crazy when I came in. He is doing it again. I fear he is going to attack me. Then it is over and we are friends. Robert was doing last minute homework. Ally playing games on her tablet.

I changed my mind on the column for this week’s KONK Life. I wrote yesterday and early this morning about Pope Francis and why I believe he is a flaming liberal. Written with respect and admiration. Relatively short. If you have the opportunity to read it, I suspect you will agree with my characterization of the Pope.

I just heard from Dee. She is up in Boston teaching. I had not heard from her in several weeks.

Anna emailed me from Camogli. She spent yesterday in Portofino. Her son and my friend Antonio has been trying to reach me via Skype. He is working somewhere in southern Italy at the moment.

The weeks run by fast. Tomorrow is tuesday again. Tomorrow night my blog talk radio show. I will be chatting about the Pope, guns, and I don’t know at the moment what else. Join me. The show is a fast moving half hour. Nine in the evening at www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

KEY WEST POKER RUN

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This is the weekend! Key West Poker Run weekend! The 41st year for this event.

The Poker Run has Key West giving itself over to bikers. More than 10,000 motorcycles have roared down US 1 into Key West. They leave with the same noise sunday evening and monday morning.

The bikers ride in on the most expensive motorcycles. Alone or with a companion. A wife or girl friend sitting behind them and holding on for dear life.

The Poker Run is a charity event. In the area of $100,000 will be raised. One of the recipients is the Key West Rotary Club. The Rotary turns the money over to specified charities.

Eight blocks of Duval Street have been closed off. A mini Mardi Gras atmosphere exists. Tents and stands. Cold beer and food. This afternoon in front of Sloppy Joe’s there will be a stage and all kinds of entertainment.

The bikers look like tough mean guys. Black leather vests, Hitler type helmets, etc. Most are doctors, lawyers, accountants and business men from all over the United States. Most have their bikes shipped to Miami. The bikers fly down and pick up their bikes in Miami. Then the 155 mile ride down US 1 with the sun, wind and water encircling them.

It is noise time, also. Big time noise! The bikes roar! However, this weekend no one cares. It is their time! Biker party time!

Did my tv/internet show yesterday morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. I heard about it all day and into last night. Viewers were excited about my supermarket comments/expose. Rising prices, corporate farms, favorable laws, and genetically modified seeds. The genetically modified seeds really hit home.

I had a good time last night. Unusually good.

My evening started at the Chart Room. Took me a bit longer to get there from my home in Key Haven. I was behind about 30 bikers coming into town.

A new bartender. Victor. He is filling in for Emily who is on vacation. Sheila and Peter holding court.

Met some terrific people.

Trish and Tommy. They live in Marathon. Marathon is all of 45 miles away. They periodically come into Key West for a fun weekend. We had some deep conversation about the economy. Nice people.

Then Mark and Kim. Locals. High school sweet hearts who found each other again after 41 years. Kim plays booce on thursday nights. My night. I will be looking for her from now on.

David was a no show. I wanted to play billiards with him this afternoon. I did not have his number and Sheila could not remember it. So much for billiards this afternoon.

Today is David’s birthday. Happy birthday, David!

I was hungry. Desired a good meal. Walked across Duval to the Hot Tin Roof. Chatted with manager Joseph a bit. Enjoyed scallops over a bed of extra wide linguine covered with a light oil. Finished the meal off with a snifter of Grand Marnier.

At that point, I should have gone home. It was time. My body was ready. I was prepped for bed.

Instead, I went to Don’s Place. Glad I did! I had a good time there, also.

Spent time chatting with Don, Michael, Nancy, Joanie, and David. I do not know who I love more. Nancy or Joanie?

Don introduced me to two young ladies. Karen was from Buffalo. Don is from Buffalo. Actually, Karen was from Amherst which is close to Buffalo.

Karen, I loved dearly! She reads my blog every day!

She is becoming a Key Wester. Has a condo at Truman Annex. She also is an acquaintance of a lawyer friend from upstate New York. Garry Outtrim. Garry practices in Herkimer, New York. He is associated with my law school class mate George Aney. Love George! George graduated somewhere near the bottom of our class. He turned out to be a most successful attorney. The best! George frequently joked about his class standing and his success later in the practice. He would say…..So and so was smarter than me, but I made the money!

Melissa was with Karen. Melissa is from Seattle. She has been living in Key West six weeks. Working. Still looking for a place to live.

I read an article yesterday about Pope Frances. The writer referred to him as a “…..flaming liberal.” I agree. Jesus was a liberal, loved everyone. Why should his representative on earth be any different.

Syracuse plays Tulane today. The Vegas line is 17 points. Syracuse is favored.

I was critical last week of Syracuse scheduling Wagner in football. Apparently it is habit forming. Miami, a football giant, plays Savannah State today. Miami is a 60 point favorite.

Enjoy your day!