LIGHTS OF KEY WEST

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Key West is a small island. Both in size and population. 1 1/2 x 4 miles. 29,000 people. The population triples during the season and on special occasions.

For a relatively tiny place, big things happen in Key West. Like yesterday. Diane Nyad completed her 100 mile plus swim from Havana to Key West.

A fete! The swim took her through waters infested with sharks and jelly fish. She had to contend with turbulent tides.

The trip took Diana just under 53 hours. She said afterwards that it was early morning, still dark, when all of a sudden she could see the lights of Key West. It heartened her. She was about 10 miles from Key West at the time.

Diana’s accomplishment is a big deal! She is the first to complete the swim without a shark cage. She is 64 years old. This was her fifth try over a period of 35 years. It took that long for her to be successful. Neither the swim nor success were easy.

Diana came ashore around 2 yesterday afternoon at Smathers Beach. She appeared tired. She was sunburned. She was also thrilled.

A huge crowd awaited her on shore and in the water. People of all ages. Even babies. Boats of all sizes. Cruise ships stopped or deviated their course so as not to interfere with her swim.

There were television and other cameras all over the place.

Diana made a brief statement. Her message was threefold. Never give up, you are never to old to chase your dream, and the swim looks like a solitary sport, but it was a team effort.

Everyone, including the President, sent immediate congratulations. Most Tweeted. National television last night and this morning carried her story and pictures of Diana coming ashore in Key West.

An impressive achievement! God bless you, Diana! You made us all feel good.

Now to Greece.

It was announced yesterday by the Greek government that as of September 1 stores were permitted to sell outdated food. The only exceptions were meat and milk products. The outdated foods had to be sold within a specified time. They were to be sold at reduced prices.

That is how bad things are in Greece! People cannot afford normal process for food. It is hoped this will help. Additionally, the stores cannot sell many items because the people have no money. The program supposedly will also help the store owner.

A disgrace when a government permits the sale of what may be bad food.

Today is tuesday. Tonight, my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Three certain topics are the Greek food situation, Syria, and computer hacking as a new way to wage war.

Join me. The show is a fast moving one half hour. Nine o’clock is the start time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

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!

STATUE OF LIBERTY

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The Statue of Liberty has been in view the past few days. The Barclays Golf Tournament was played in New Jersey directly across the river from New York. Many of the television shots of the players had the Statue of Liberty in the background.

Imposing!

I visited the Statue of Liberty twice.

The first time was when I was 4 or 5 years old. My father took me. I remember the mob of people, the elevator, the long walk up a spiral staircase, the heat, and finally reaching the crown. The arm and torch were closed off.

My father had to lift me so I could look out of one of the small windows surrounding the crown.

A memorable occasion for a young boy. Here I am more than 70 years later and can still remember as if it were yesterday.

The second time was when I was a father. I took my four children to visit the Statue of Liberty. They were early grammar school age at the time. Unfortunately, all we could do was take the boat ride over and walk around the island. The entire Statue was off limits to visitors. I cannot recall why. I believe my children never the less were impressed with the majesty of the Statue.

Visited the Chart Room last night. JJ, Sheila and Frankie at the bar.

JJ asked me about Le Grand Bleu. I mentioned Le Grand Bleu in one of my blogs while on the Greek isle Amorgos. A French movie, part of which was filmed on Amrogos. JJ had come across it and recalled my having mentioned it. Today on Amorogos there is a restaurant by the name. Every wednesday evening, the restaurant plays the movie for free outdoors to induce persons to patronize the restaurant.

A family of three came in. The father was a big man. Like 6’6″. Big chested, also. A dark black beard. Big black eyes. His wife was very short. Around 5’2”. Pudgy and wore round steel rimmed glasses. The third person was their son. A teenager.

Just prior to the family arriving, two men came in. One was with the U.S. Navy and stationed in Key West. I believe he was an officer.

The big guy father of the family announced in a booming voice…..We are Russian!

We were all immediately interested in the family.

They were vacationing in Key West.

The Navy man said he once had a beer with a Russian in Korea. The father immediately came back with…..North Korea? The Navy man said no, my recollection is South Korea. Pusan.

With that, the mother said….Let’s go. And away they went saying their good byes as they left the Chart Room. It was a quick exit.

I pondered. How many Russians have I actually met? Few, when I thought of it. I know some from the former Soviet states. I have a close friend from the Ukraine. However as to real Russians, maybe only this family and one other.

The one other was Alexander Kerensky. He was Russian born and taught me Russian history for one year at Manhattan College. He was a most interesting professor. Especially as concerned the Russian revolution. He had been part and parcel of the revolution.

Kerensky was the second Prime Minister of free Russia. The Russia that existed after the Czar had been deposed. He was the boss.

Following the Revolution, the Russians were divided into two groups. The Whites and the Reds. Kerensky was a White. The two groups were not of the same thinking. Civil war began.

Eventually, the Reds took over. They were also known as Bolsheviks. The Reds were led by Vladimir Lenin.

Kerensky had to flee Russia. His life was in danger. He eventually made his way to Germany. When the Nazis gained power, he left Germany for England. Then he made it to the United States.

I took Kerensky’s course in 1956. Kerensky was teaching at Columbia University. He would take the subway to Manhattan College twice a week to teach the course.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. Tuesday means Tuesday Talk With Key West Lou. Nine in the evening on the internet. A fast moving interesting one half hour show. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

One of tomorrow’s topics involves Bruce Manning and transgenders. There is much that most people are unaware of regarding transgender persons. The discussion promises to be an eye opener.

Enjoy your day! It looks like a rainy one in Key West.

THE BUTLER…..A WINNER!

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I went to the movies last night! First time in months.

The Butler. One of the finest movies I have ever seen! Do not miss it!

It is the story of a White House black butler who served eight Presidents. The movie follows the civil rights movement.

Emotional! I was constantly shedding a tear.

The two stars were exceptional! Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey. Whitaker is the butler and Oprah his wife. Academy Award performances.

John Cusack played Nixon. Admirably!

Per my usual custom, I had dinner at Outback first. A prime rib. I have not had beef in three months. None in Europe. It was good, but too much. My stomach has shrunk.

I spent the day organizing, editing, and rewriting my book. I assure you I will publish it well before Christmas. It is not easy work. Especially when you are seeking perfection. Hopefully, there will be no Robert Clooneys in the book.

Join me tonight for my blog talk radio show. I guarantee you will enjoy. The reason is the topics I will be discussing.

I am going to hit the present Egypt situation inside and out. The media fails to provide us with the full picture all at one time. I will try.

The other topic involves breast implants and security.

It was announced late last week that terrorists have come up with a plan to avoid airport detectors and overall scrutiny in general. Breast implants in women containing high end explosives. The x-ray machines that were introduced in the last two years cannot detect anything in a woman’s breasts or in a person’s body cavity. The explosives are triggered either by a chemical or someone away from the woman with a press button device. No outside wires or anything of that nature.

I want to talk about the implants because they reflect the ineptitude of TSA and Homeland Security. We always react to something. We are never pro active when it comes to airport security.

I question why Muslim women are so willing to carry explosives. There are no 17 virgins waiting for them on the other side.

Tuesday Talk With Key West Lou is at 9 this evening. One half hour. Turn on your computer as you would a radio. I will be there. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

SUNDAY AT THE BEACH

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A peaceful Sunday. Another do nothing day.

Watched Meet The Press from bed. Spent a couple of hours at Higgs Beach in a sand chair. Read the Key West Citizen and watched bikini clad ladies romp around. Enjoyed a fish sandwich at the bar at Salute. Then home for some reading and television. Early to sleep.

To err is human. Perfect I am not. Occasionally, I make a mistake. I did in yesterday’s blog.

A lapus lingua. I called George Clooney Robert Clooney. What can I tell you? Several of you pointed out the error. Thank you. I never mind being corrected.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. My blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk With Key West Lou. Nine in the evening. One half hour. Interesting matters to be discussed. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I plan on chatting about the present Egyptian situation. All kinds of things happening. You may not be aware of some.

A second issue for discussion is the new way terrorists are planning on blowing up planes, places and people. Breast implants. For real. London’s Heathrow Airport is on alert for them at this moment.

I find many things to be irritable about regarding the breast implant situation. One is the apparent ineptness of TSA and Homeland Security to get airport screening right. Recall two years ago the furor over the new x-ray screening machine. Well folks, the machine is now obsolete. It only is able to discern things outside the body. It does not have the ability to get into a female breast or body cavity.

Enjoy your day!

SHIRREL RHOADES

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I had lunch yesterday at Azur with an extremely interesting man. Shirrel Rhoades.

After an exciting life in that other world, Shirrel retired to Key West. Busy his whole life, he needed to fill in his time a bit doing something productive. Sitting around and contemplating his navel was not an option.

Shirrel delved into his bag of experiences. One was publishing. Shirrel started a publishing business in Key West. Actually two. One is Absolutely Amazing e Books. The other The New Atlantian Library.

Shirrel’s publishing concept is simple. He publishes via e mail. As more and more people leave hard copy and go to the internet to read, he may be at the forefront of the transition’s publishing phase.

His background varied and professional. Shirrel has been a writer, publisher, professor, film maker, and movie critic. He has held high level executive positions with the Reader’s Digest, Marvel Comics, The Ladies Home Journal, and Harper’s Magazine.

He was the man who brought us the Captain Marvel comic book for many years.

I enjoyed Shirrel’s company.

I enjoyed Azur, also. I do not eat there enough. The food is outstanding. I am still on my Italian trip kick. I enjoyed a dish of rigatonis.

Stephanie Manaher was having lunch with some lady friends. Stephanie is a school teacher and wife to the infamous Don of Don’s Place. A lady.

Last night was the Chart Room. I was there for several hours. JJ bartending. Peter and I talked most of the time.

Peter can be found every morning at Fort Zachary Taylor Beach. He has a special spot near the tree line on one side of the Beach.

Female turtles have been coming onto the beach, digging large holes, and depositing their eggs. Then covering the eggs with sand. The mother is then gone, never to see her young ones.

It takes 60 days for the eggs to hatch. Each female drops about 100 eggs. Three or four will survive the hatching, trekking and swim out into the ocean.

There was a hole nearby Peter. It had been there for more than 60 days. The Park Rangers carefully removed the sand from the turtle nest in order to determine what was going on. Turns out nothing. No eggs. Whatever the mother may have done, it was a dry run.

Met an interesting couple. Cory and Brieanna. Vacationing at the Pier House. They hail from somewhere on the Florida mainland. Nice people.

Cory is an insurance broker with Allied Solutions in Boca Raton. His company deals with insurance programs for financial institutions such as banks and credit unions. Brieanna is a doctor. She specializes in end of life problems. She does much work with Hospice.

Tonight, I return to the air! After nine weeks! Blog talk radio. Nine this evening. One half hour. The entire half hour will be devoted to the rising Nazi power in Greece. You will be amazed by what I learned on my trip!

Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME…..

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I appreciate I am being repetitive. However, there is no question about it. There is no place like home!

For whatever reason, I missed Key West the past two months while running around Europe. Missed family, friends and haunts. It is good to be back!

I write this blog each morning from my kitchen counter. I sit by the glass sliding doors to the deck and ocean. Always open.

It poured heavy this morning. Stopped just a few minutes ago. It was a pleasure to hear, smell and taste the rain. Key West rain! Ain’t nothing like it anywhere!

Jet lag is still with me. Not bad. However, consistent. It will probably last another 3-4 days.

Because of the heavy head caused by the jet lag, I hung around the house by day yesterday. Did a bit of writing and a bit of sleeping.

Last night started with the Chart Room. At 5, it was only Emily and me. She makes the best popcorn in town!

A group of guys came in. One was Carl Grooms. A relatively new face in Key West. He has been here 1-2 years. Last night was the first time we met.

Carl has an interesting background. His parents were in the diplomatic service. He did not reside in the United States till he was 15. He graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy. Joined the Navy. Became a jet pilot. Retired early. Went to the Wharton School of Business for his Master’s. Now into business for himself.

Wharton makes bankers. Banking did not interest him. He went into computers and the internet. The business which he operates from Key West is known as Flying Fish Apps. He and his team have created an app that will direct everyone where to drink, eat, events, music, etc. as it happens in Key West. Press the button and you have it all! An exclusive Key West where to go, what to see app. Go#2thekeys.com.

I wish Carl good luck! He is committed. He cannot miss.

Don’s Place was my next stop. David and I sat together chatting. Bocce the big item of discussion. The new season starts thursday.

Don came in. He had just returned from his annual one month summer vacation in Indiana. It was good to see him again. Unquestionably one of the nicest guys in Key West.

Don enjoys a beer or two or more a day. However, he does not drink at all while in Indiana, except when he plays golf. He played golf three times. It was back to beer for him last night!

Mikey was bartending. It was good to see him again. I like his wife better.

I go back to work Tuesday night. My blog talk radio show will be live again. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou. A quick half hour of interesting chatter. I can tell you now that most of the show will be devoted to the increasing power of the Nazi party in Greece. The media does not talk about it. I do not know why. The situation is real and frightening.

During the eight weeks I was gone and off the air, there was no blog talk show. My old shows are archived, however. As indicated in the past, few listen to my show at the appointed time on Tuesday evenings. However around 2,000 listen to the archive during the week. Even in my absence the past two months, from 600 to 1,000 listened to an archived show at some time each week.

Sloan. A wonder! She was my girl in Key West while I was away. Anything I needed or thought should be done was an e mail message to her. Sloan performed admirably. She handled everything efficiently and expeditiously.

Thank you, Sloan.

Enjoy your day!

LAKE ORTA

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Each day is an adventure.

Yesterday’s adventure was a trip to Lake Orta.

The lake lies a one hour drive north of Novara. Go a bit further and you end up in Switzerland. An hour and a half away is France.

The trip to Orta was uphill. It took me into the Little Alps. So called because the mountains are smaller than the Alps themselves. No snow capped peaks.

The mountains, roads, trees and views reminded me of upstate New York’s Adirondacks. The same. With one major difference. The buildings. All huge and made of stone and granite. None wood. No wooden camps. Medieval Italy again. The buildings were all constructed in the 1,000 AD to !,500 AD era.

I finally ran into the Italy I experienced last year. Everything that goes down has to come up. The Orta village sits on the water at the base of a hill. Parking is near the bottom, though not quite. The last 1,000 feet is up to you.

The down trip went well. It always does. Up was another story. Shades of last year. I had to stop and rest a few times. However, I must admit I seem in better physical shape. The steps were long and twisting. Elevating at a 45 degree angle. The whole walkway only four feet wide. The buildings hovered next to and on top of each other. Built at a time when there was no vehicular traffic. Also at a time when narrow passageways were a safety factor in case of attack. The enemy would have to come drown the narrow walkways while the residents were pouring boiling oil down on them from the windows above.

I sat a couple of hours in the square. Piazza, actually. In italian, piazzetta. I am learning.

There was a tiny island about 300 feet off shore in Lake Orta. St. Giulio Island. A beauty. Completely covered with granite/stone structures 1-5 stories high. A church steeple visible off to the side.

I sat in the piazza and mellowed out on the view and a couple of drinks. Peaceful, restful.

I had dinner in a little hole in the wall restaurant located off one of the walkways. An outstanding meal! Rigatonis cooked in a light oil and mixed with small finely chopped vegetables and goat cheese.

My day started badly. Verizon sucks!

I spent hours and money getting set up for this trip. I cannot use my computer, tablet or data port. The problem is the data port. I cannot even put someone else’s wi-fi into my computer. It will not take. Verizon supposedly had everything worked out. They obviously do not know what they are doing, their store people do not know, the people they put me in touch with did not know. I am screwed. I wanted to do a number of things from Europe. Including my blog talk radio show.

I went to a computer store yesterday. Big! Like a huge super market. It was for communication items. The store made available computer geeks to help. Free of charge. Three spent over an hour with me. They finally concluded that Verizon did not know what they were doing. But they did not know, either. I had to go we elsewhere.

I did not come to Europe to get frustrated and run around trying to get my equipment to work. I am using a friend’s computer that accommodates my needs, except for tablet internet reception and being able to do my blog talk radio show.

I have not given up yet on the blog radio show. It is scheduled as usual for 9 tonight. That will be 4 am Novara time. I have a geek friend of a friend coming over later in the day to see if he can help. If so, the show will go on. If nothing, I failed in getting the problem corrected. Sorry.

Some observations.

The Italian people are very nice. Quiet. Congenial. Not boisterous. Do not raise their voices. Passive is the best term to describe them. Contrasted with Italo-Americans. Of which, I am one. We are boisterous, aggressive, know it all and in your face. I have concluded that those Italians who immigrated to the United States a hundred years ago were similarly passive, etc. as the ones today. However, being strangers in a new country they developed aggressive and loud qualities in order to survive and succeed. The new nature never left us.

Proving the point that Italians are passive, they have to be the most conquered and occupied country in the history of man. Italy’s history is replete with successful invaders. Starting with the Romans of antiquity to Attila the Hun to the World War II Germans.

The passivity was perhaps ingrained before the Roman invasion or has developed over the centuries from being an occupied country so many times.

I have not seen one beard in the three days I have been in Italy. Beard’s apparently are a local thing. Key West has them. Novara does not. I must look luck a nut when I am out walking wearing a baseball cap and exhibiting my beard. As stated yesterday, I have not seen one baseball cap either

My friend Silvio Berlusconi is in trouble again. Yesterday he was sentenced to seven years in jail for having sex with a 17 year old girl and abusing his power in trying to help her in a separate matter. He was sentenced two years ago to four years in jail for tax evasion. He is not considered convicted under Italian law until his appeals are exhausted. The process takes several years. His popularity continues. He is considered to have an excellent chance to be elected Prime Minister again.

I have a habit of saying…..Only in America! Sometimes…..Only in Key West! Now…..Only in Italy!

I discussed Napoleon yesterday and his impact on this area of Italy. Since then I have discovered that Napoleon was not French. He was born Italian. Born in Corsica of a noble family. The story is he ended up in France because he believed in freedom and equality and wanted to help the French fight for those things.

Immigration is a major issue in Italy as in the United States. In England, also. I had the good fortune to talk with a Brit last night.

The story is the same. The immigrants arrive, stay illegally and become social welfare burdens. The Italians and English have forms of socialized medicine. Because so many immigrants are eligible, care for all is delayed. Between three weeks and three months. Then there is the increased taxation to take care of the immigrant population.

A world problem.

My blog talk radio show tonight at 9. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Will I be there? The question of the moment. Tune in and see. That is the best I can do. If I am on, it should be a terrific show based on my travels and what is happening world wide.

Enjoy your day!

SLEPT!

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I finally slept. Last night Italian time. Nine to nine. Twelve straight hours. The sleep of the dead. I needed it!

I did an easy Sunday yesterday in Novara. That was all my body could handle.

I walked in the morning. For an hour. I am staying in an apartment in the old part of Novara. It is referred to as its downtown, also. The buildings are all medieval. Built between 1,000 AD and 1,500 AD. The fronts have been redone. Probably in the last 50 years. The interiors remain the same.

I am staying a few days with friends in the same apartment I was in last year at this time. The third/top floor of a medieval building.

The interior stairway impresses me. Wide, huge and attractive in its simplicity.

The apartment is 7,000 to 8,000 square feet. Many rooms. Ceilings 20 feet high. Marble floors. Baroque ceilings. From my bed, I look up at deer/stags, dogs, and flowers. All ancient. Circa 1,500 AD.

Electricity continues to be a problem. Italy is being devastated because of the euro. Everything cut back. Including power. I walk in the dark. I am required to keep lights out, only power the room I am in. Tough finding the bathroom in the middle of the night under these conditions!

However, when in Rome, do as the Romans do!

There is no vehicular traffic permitted on the roadways in this neighborhood. The wide streets appear ancient. Stones in concrete. Reminded me of the Appian Way. Old bricks in the middle.

The ground floor of all the buildings have high class stores. Even the one I am in. Top of the line. Women’s clothes especially Beautiful.

Day and night, the streets are full of people. Walking, talking, sitting at outdoor cafes, etc.

This year there is also entertainment.

Two nights ago when I came in, there was a crowd one block away. Noise and music could be heard. I investigated. A prize fight was going on. There sitting in the middle of the road was a ring set about four feet high. Two young fighters going at it. I enjoy boxing. Did a little in the past. I watched a while. I could not ascertain if the boxers were professional or amateur. My guess would be professional. They were too good to be otherwise.

Last night, I took a walk before bed time. On one street there was an area cordoned off. Inside, fencers. Young. Ten to thirteen I would estimate. Dressed all in white. The whole thing professional. The rapiers jabbing away, the feet equally fast.

I turned the corner and there was another ring type set up. Men and women dressed in dark blue from their necks to ankles to wrists. I suspect it was some sort of yoga demonstration. I never found out. It started pouring and I left.

My walk yesterday morning involved Church goers. There are three Catholic Churches in a three block radius. I visited all three while Mass was going on. I am Catholic and a former altar boy. The Latin Mass as I knew it is long gone. However, I have learned in my travels that an Italian Mass sounds just like a Latin one. So, I enjoy and was comforted.

I rested in the afternoon. The jet lag had the best of me.

Around 5, friends I met last year visited me. Antonio and his wife Miriam. Together with their children Sara and Elia. Antonio is a highway construction expert. Works for one of the major highway construction companies in Europe. Travels all over. Miriam is a chef. And a very good one! She cooked birthday dinner for me last year. A treat!

Sara is 13, Elia 8. Elia and I have bonded. We are buddies.

Antonia and Miriam are a modern world couple. He is Italian, she Moroccan.

Antonio had just returned from a one week vacation with the children in Elba. Miriam remained home. She had to work. Antonio had a lengthy video of the Elba trip. Fascinating!o

Elba is beautiful. The water clear. The greenery green. You will recall that Napoleon’s first exile was to Elba. I saw pictures of his home on the island, his bedroom, the household furnishings. Exile could not have been so bad!

I learned also that Elba is an hour boat ride from Tuscany.

Napoleon is a part of history and conversation in northern Italy. This year, last and apparently for all time. Some admire and respect Napoleon’s accomplishments. Others view him as a murderer, almost in the same vein as Hitler.

Napoleon conquered Italy and made himself King. Back in 1805. The Italy of 1805 was not the same as the Italy iof today. It was small and situated in the north central portion of present day Italy. It basically encompassed the regions surrounding Milan and Pavia.

Some speak of the good Napoleon did.

Everyone speaks of the bridges he built. They stand even today. There are many waterways in the area. He covered them all, thereby providing easy passage.

History tells us Italy was discombobulated as a nation till 1860 when Garibaldi united the provinces. Napoleon tried. He succeeded however only in the small area that was Italy during his time.

The area needed manufacturing. The French were famous for their cheeses. Napoleon arranged for factories to open to make cheeses. It was during this time and in one of these factories that the Italian famous gorgonzola cheese was invented/created.

Illness was particularly rampant. Especially diseases accessible/acquired from dead bodies. Churches were in the center of towns. Cemeteries immediately surrounded the churches. Apparently, the bodies were not healthfully buried. Napoleon ordered all cemeteries henceforth to be outside the confines of towns.

As to those who refer to him as a murderer, it is not attributable to killings which might have taken place in northern Italy. They refer to Napoleon’s conquests throughout Europe.

I thought I had everything set up to do my blog talk radio show from Europe. We tested it from Washington. Everything worked smoothly. Spent several hours afterwards with Verizon to be sure we had it. Spent additional monies and made more changes. Verizon has failed me this year as it did last. I spent two hours this morning with three computer geeks at the largest communication store I have ever seen. It is all too much for me. Tomorrow night’s show is questionable. I will know better in the morning if it can go forward and advise.

That is the end of yesterday in Novara.

Enjoy your day!