There was a time in ancient history when naked young woman were beaten with animal hides by equally naked men and had sex with certain of them over a 3 day period from February 13-15. Both sexes drunk from alcohol consumption.

Their play pagan frolicking. Known as Lupercalia. Consider by some as the beginning of Valentine’s Day.

Then there was Roman Emperor Claudius II. He gets to claim a part of the supposed history of Valentine’s Day because he ordered the execution of two separate men by the name of Valentine during different eras of his reign. Both were later canonized and became St. Valentines.

The two considerations mentioned both valid considerations. However only peripheral.

The valid question is when and why did Valentine’s Day become the romantic lovey-dovey day it is.

The Valentine’s Day as we know it had its beginnings in the Middle Ages. We have the poet Geoffrey Chaucer to thank. Especially two of his 14th century works: The Parliament of Fowls and The Complaint of Mars.

In The Parliament of Fowls, he wrote: “Where every fowl comes there his mate to take.”

The basis for February 14 in Chaucer’s writings was the 14th was the first day of spring, the air in Britain was fresh, birds began to mate, it was the beginning of love season for birds. Stated in today’s vernacular, “It was the birds!”

Then came Shakespeare with amorous associations in his writings.

Love letter writing was next in line to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

The mid-1800’s marked the beginning of many of the commercialized Valentine’s Day traditions. Flower sending, one. Richard Cadbury created the first heart shaped box of chocolates. A confectionary company began stamping out an early version of Conversation Hearts.

By the early 1910’s, an American company that one day would become Hallmark began distributing “Valentine’s Day cards.”

The rest is history.

Cupid is important in the development process. Cupid is a symbol of the love filled holiday. Easy to understand why.

In Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of Venus, goddess of love and beauty. He was known to shoot arrows at both gods and humans, causing them to fall in love instantly with one another.

A late afternoon manicure with Tammy yesterday. What a business she and husband Rick have. Endless cash flow. God bless them!

Wanted to have a drink. Gave a call to Steve Thompson. He and Cindy agreed to meet me in the Chart Room at 5:30.

I arrived at 5:20. The Chart Room opens at 5. Normally empty till 6. Not last night. Packed like sardines when I arrived. Noisy as hell.

Called Cindy and told her to meet me at the Pier House Beach Bar.

I walked back and found it was no different. Not a chair at the bar empty. Only one table, which fortunately I grabbed.

Not normal. I suspect it was the early crowd for the Jimmy Buffett show at the Amphitheater.

I enjoyed 2 hours with Steve and Cindy. Wonderful people.

A Bob walked by. Stopped as he was passing. Said to Steve he knew him. Steve did not recall. Bob said they met a few years earlier in the Chart Room where he began reading some of Steve’s writings of the 1970’s Key West. Then Bob recalled me. We had never met. He used to watch my podcasts. I have not done one in several years. Nice of him to recall, however.

The three of us had an interesting chat. Bob is from Ohio. Some town where alcohol is prohibited.

The “object” shot down onto the ice off shore to Alaska. No certainty yet to whom it belongs. Smaller than the balloon shot down in the Atlantic a few days ago.

The big question is who does the “object” belong to. TV media says could be Russia or China. I do not agree. Putin has enough on his hands now. No way is he going to add to his aggravations. China would not have the “balls” to send out anther balloon/object.

My guess. North Korea. Kim Jung Un is stupid enough to pull such a stunt. Recall also, Biden and Kim Jung Un do not exchange “love letters” as Trump did with the North Korea leader.

Enjoy your day!

Open today with some Keys information.

Keys sense of humor as reflected in today’s Citizens’ Voice: “The Chinese balloon has now drifted over Cudjoe Key. It’s been up there all day spying on secret lobster pots. Where is the Conch Republic Air Force when needed?”

The Monroe County Sheriff operates an animal farm: The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm.

The Sheriff is having an open house Sunday 2/12 from 1-3 pm at 5525 College Road beneath the headquarters of the Sheriff’s Office. The event is free and open to the public.

Today a significant one in the history of North Roosevelt Boulevard development. On this day in 1964, ground was broken for the 20 acre $1 million Sears Shopping Town Center.

How time changes things! The Sears portion has been closed and empty for a couple of years. There is talk of adding a floor and turning that area of the shopping center into affordable housing.

At one time, Key West was a very busy point of entry in the U.S. Third busiest in 1930 with 38,391 passengers. Only New York and Boston had more arrivals.

A Ben Harrison play opens February 15 and will run through February 25 at the Fringe Theater on White Street. The play is titled El Isleno 1921, The Untold Key West Story. Rumored to be excellent.

Following is what could happen in the U.S. if Trump is President again or some one like DeSantis becomes President.

On this day in 1936, the German Nazi Reichstag passed a law investing the Gestapo secret police with absolute authority, exempt from any legal review.

Florida’s menstruation controversy did not last long. Shot down!!!

The Florida High School Athletic Association’s 16 member Board of Directors held an emergency meeting yesterday (2/9) to discuss the proposal requiring female high school athletes to disclose information about their menstrual history. The Board voted 14-2 to scrap the controversial proposal. The Board voted instead to require students to submit a one page doctor signed paper to indicate whether the young lady was healthy enough to compete.

This one page document is a joke! The Board is covering their ass in effect by saying we took something away, but are substituting the one page doctor’s report. For what? The doctor is going to require a physical before he writes even a minimal report. He will charge for it. Who pays? Mom and Pop?

I do not know if everyone is expected to have insurance or there is insurance for minors in Florida to cover the report.

A disgraceful conclusion to a stupid idea.

Again, the proposal did not last long. Everyone was up in arms. Students, parents, doctors and others buried the Board with their thoughts: “It is a gross and an extreme sexist invasion of privacy…..Hey, what in the world are you thinking?…..Get this off your agenda and issue a press release to say you’re sorry…..The question does not have any bearing on a female being able to perform tasks. Its simple purpose: To shame and degrade females from participating in sports…..The standards do not apply equally to when a boy begins to masturbate…..Information about male students’ ejaculations also should be collected.”

The Turkey/Syria earthquake deaths are reaching 23,000. Only 5 percent of areas involved have been searched for survivors/bodies so far. Means deaths will exceed 100,000.

I watched on TV a 5 year old boy who had ben buried for 100 hours being recovered. He was alive. Thank God. Others were dead. The sadness of it all.

Love Marjorie Taylor Greene! Everything she has done to rehabilitate her image has failed.

The woman is a born loser!

Enjoy your day!

Biden names Republicans seeking changes to Social Security and Medicare.

In the State of the Union Address, Biden said some Republicans wanted to target Social Security and Medicare. Republicans in the audience jeered and decried his statements.

Yesterday in Wisconsin, Biden identified specifically some of the Republicans he was talking about tuesday night.

Note Marjorie Taylor Greene, together with others, shouted: “Liar, liar” when Biden made the representation.

Biden yesterday named Senator Rick Scott who in a printed brochure said Social Security and Medicare were “sunset” and merely required votes every five years in order to continue the programs.

Senator Ron Johnson suggested in his reelection campaign last August that Social Security and Medicare be eliminated. He claimed the programs would require annual approval by Congress as discretionary spending.

Senator Mike Lee. Biden quoted from a 2020 video that his plan was to “phase out Social Security…..and that Medicare and Medicaid…..need to be pulled up” by the roots.

Lee also told a group of voters on 2/23/2010 that he was about to “tell you one thing you probably never heard from a politician. It will be my objective to phase out Social Security, to pull it up from the roots and get rid of it.”

Trump has begun taking DeSantis serious. He has resorted to name calling, lying. Trump has begun pushing “DeSantis is a pedophile” stuff.

As mush as I dislike DeSantis, Trump’s attack is sickening. Typical of the liar he is and has been.

If DeSantis had any pedophilic tendencies, the media would have been on it long ago.

The devastation continues to mount in Turkey and Syria. Deaths now exceed 17,000. Injuries 65,000. Property damage similar to that in a war zone.

Beside human and material help being needed, prayers are in order.

Dinner at La Te Da last night. Meal and company outstanding. Joined by Fred, David, Bunny and Guy. Guy of Guy deBoer fame. He will soon be returning to the Canary Islands to pick up his repaired boat and sail it back to the U.S. He is planning another world race to begin in the fall. I love Guy, but think he’s crazy. He survived one wreck. Now, he wants to place his life in harm’s way a second time.

Chatted with Tom Luna briefly. A Key West icon. He is managing La Te Da’s restaurant and two bars.

The time has finally arrived. Ukraine’s Zelensky has been hinting and even in a half assed fashion asked for fighter jets.

The U.S. has emphatically been saying “No!” Yesterday, Zelensky asked Euro Union leaders for fighter jets. His argument: To defend Europe from Russia.

Eventually, he will get the planes. Even from the U.S.

The problem is the concern Zelensky will use them in due course to attack Russia itself from the air. Tit for tat warfare.

It may be the only way to end the war. The Russian people themselves must suffer as the Ukraines have. Such will push them to force Putin to end the war or even overthrow him.

A Key West duel 1829 style.

The duel was fought between Charles Hawkins of the Mexican Navy and William McRea the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

Four shots were exchanged. Hawkins was wounded in the wrist, McRea hit in the thigh.

Reason for the duel: Hawkins saw McRea leaving his wife’s bedroom via the window.

During dinner last night, Fred kept us up to date re the Syracuse/Florida State game. Fred, Bunny and I are Syracuse grads. The game had not ended when dinner was over. I caught the end on TV at home.

Syracuse won 76-67. Syracuse was behind at half time 35-29.

Need to move fast this morning. A noon haircut appointment with Lori.

Enjoy your day!

Biden was outstanding last night in his State of the Union Address. His performance proves once again he was and is the right person for President at this time. COVID and the Ukraine war adversely affected the U.S. and the world. Inflation one of the biggest, if not the biggest, negative.

The American people have to straighten out. Open their eyes and recognize what has happened. A significant number fail to see and understand what has occurred.

COVID and the Ukraine war, COVID especially, changed things. It is a different world today. We must accept and adapt.

I watch the American public being interviewed on TV. Young and old sing the same tune. They’re not happy with Biden. Biden for all his successes has an overall disapproval rating of 52 percent. His Democratic Party disapproval 64 percent. These people buy the MAGA lies. Criticize Biden incorrectly for failing to cross the line and try to be partisan. They insist they do not “feel” the successes of which he speaks, etc. Claim all they hear are numbers.

The problem is them, not Biden. They sound like they want everything for nothing. Babies needing to be spoon fed.

The Biden dissidents must grow up! We live in a new world. Biden saved our asses.

I ask a Reagan question in a bit of an inverted fashion: Are we better off under Biden than we would be under Trump?

The answer speaks for itself. No competition.

Deaths continue to mount in Turkey and Syria. The number of dead 11,000 plus and rising.

Horrible!

Jimmy Buffett showed his true colors when he opted to do a show for locals saturday and monday nights at the Key West Theater. The expensive Amphitheater shows are thursday and saturday.

Syracuse plays Florida State tonight at 7 at Florida State. Syracuse 14-10, Florida State 8-16. Syracuse a mere 2.5 point favorite. Understandable the way Syracuse has been playing.

I will miss most of the game. I am having dinner with some guys at 6 at La Te Da, several of whom are Syracuse grads. If Syracuse were having a great season, we would have been at Jack Flats watching the game. What a difference a season makes!

Enjoy your day!

There is sadness everywhere. Comes in small and large amounts. The saddest event I have read about in a long time involves Lian. A 6 year old boy.

His parents reported Lian has been diagnosed with a rare genetic disease called adrenoleukodsystophy. The doctors have given him 5 years to live. There is no cure. Lian will progressively lose all body functions and end up brain dead in 5 years.

His parents have asked for BOLD PRAYERS that God will perform a miracle and “heal our son completely.”

Parents ask for prayers, ask churches to pray, ask family and friends to pray.

“Lian needs all the prayers he can get!”

A picture of 6 year old Lian accompanied the plea. A typical beautiful/handsome 6 year old boy.

Pray for Lian!

Lian one sadness. A sole one. South Turkey and Syria unimaginable.

Six thousand dead. Fifteen thousand injured. The numbers representing only the beginning. There will me more. Considerably more. The pictures and videos are horrendous.

Prayers required here, also.

The opposite of sadness is joy. Certain supermarkets have discovered a way to provide a few moments of happiness to its customers.

Jumbo is a Dutch supermarket chain. Came up with a brilliant idea! Sounded far fetched initially. Worked so well however that Jumbo has extended the system to 200 stores.

The brilliant idea: Slow check outs!

Jumbo discovered people enjoy chatting while paying for their goods. Especially, the elderly. Helps deal with loneliness.

A Canadian supermarket Belmont Sobeys has introduced what it describes as a Social SLOW checkout. They also found people enjoy chatting while paying for groceries. Discovered the personal touch especially helps the elderly deal with loneliness.

Is the U.S next?

What follows may be hard to believe.

A New York woman was found breathing at the funeral home after being declared dead.

She was 82. She had been pronounced dead at a Long Island nursing home on Long Island. Discovered breathing 3 hours later at the funeral home.

No updates concerning her present condition available.

In January, a similar situation occurred in Iowa.

A 66 year old woman was in a Special Center for Alzheimer Patients and was receiving hospice care. Declared dead. Placed in a body bag and taken to the funeral home. Funeral home personnel were unzipping the bag and found the woman was alive and gasping for air. She was returned to hospice where she died 3 days later.

The State of Iowa fined the Alzheimer facility $10,000.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres addressed the General Assembly yesterday. He warned international security was in dire straights. He said, “The Doomsday Clock is now 90 seconds to midnight, or total catastrophe. This is the closest the clock has ever stood to humanity’s darkest hour – closer than even during the height of the Cold War.”

I heard the term the “Doomsday Clock, etc.” for the first time during the height of the Cold War. I was in Columbus, Ohio at a Nationwide Insurance Company function. I was seated at the head table next to Nationwide’s CEO Murray Lincoln. I was Chairman of Nationwide’s Policyholder Advisory Committee at the time.

Lincoln referred to the Doomsday Clock and minutes to midnight with regard to the U.S./Russia Cold War. His words had a chilling effect. Guterres words do not affect me the same way. Perhaps I have become accustomed to world wide problems. Don’t envision that final step to all out war.

Blog is late today. It is just after 4 in the afternoon. I had a lengthy appointment with the heart doctor this morning and another with my primary care physician this afternoon. Sorry for the delay in getting the blog out.

Enjoy your evening!

Valentine’s Day is 8 days away.

Over the years, I have written several times of the Day. The reason being the event is of such importance to many. I am sharing one of my earlier articles today as a prelude to another which I will write and publish in a few days. The for real and honest truth of the source of today’s Valentine’s Day. Not the one I share today and have in several other articles over the years. Not the one that everyone believes.

First the one that everyone believes. Reflected in a blog I published on February 14, 2019 titled: Valentine’s Day…..Debauchery And Two Saints.

Today, one of love. Romance in the air. You feel it everywhere.

Not always the case, however. Valentine’s Day at its beginnings was one of debauchery. Down and dirty. Pain and sex.

The time well before the birth of Christ.

Known as the Feast of Lupercalia. Roman in origin. Some consider it to have been religious in nature. Its activities considered a purification of women.

An annual event. Held from 2/13 to 2/15 each year.

Men and women engaging physically. The women considerably younger than the men.

It began with the men bare assed. They sacrificed goats and dogs. Then removed the hides from the dead animals.

The ladies came into play at this point. Bare assed also. The men beating the women with the hides of the goats and dogs. Men and women alike drunk at this point.

The purpose of the beatings with the skins was to make the young women fertile. So it was thought.

Following the beatings, the names of the women were thrown in a jar. The men picked. Coupled with the woman whose name had been selected from the jar. Coupled for the rest of the feast. Longer if the match worked out.

Years later came the time of Caesar. Year wise around 40 B.C. The feast had become more sensitive. A time of genuine love and concern. The goats and dogs still killed. The women beaten with the hides, though not severely.

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar begins during a Lupercalia.

Caesar’s wife Calpurnia had not been able to conceive. Marc Anthony is instructed by Caesar to strike his wife Calpurnia, in the hope she would be able to conceive.

Some three hundred years later in the third century A.D., 2 religious men named Valentine lived. One in Rome. The other somewhere in Italy.

Claudius emperor at the time. He had both men executed on February 14, though in different years. The two Valentines eventually were canonized. Two St. Valentines. It is their day of death that we celebrate today as Valentine’s Day.

Both Valentines were beheaded. Their lives and deaths had nothing to do with love. The surprise. A story I shall write about in the next few days.

Mother Nature is in a constant state of rebellion in recent years. The most recent yesterday’s earthquake in South Turkey and Syria. A big one. A 7.8 on the Richter scale. More than 1,000 killed, 1,700 buildings collapsed. Its effects felt hundreds of miles from the quake’s epicenter. As far away as Lebanon, Israel and Egypt.

I have experienced several earthquakes in my lifetime. The worst at the beginning of my first trip to Greece some 12 or 13 years ago.

I was spending the first few days with Anna in Novara in northern Italy. I was writing my blog when the earthquake hit. Never felt anything so severe before. There were 2 or 3 earthquakes over a period of several hours, with after shocks almost as strong.

I was in a building 1,500 years old. How it survived, I do not know. Many buildings around collapsed into heaps of stone.

A major earthquake is no fun. As Anna ran around the apartment screaming like a maniac, I sat there thinking I was going to die.

Another Supreme Court shortcoming has been discovered.

Justices each have two computer operations. Two emails, in effect. One for personal matters. The other a secure transmitter for sensitive data regarding cases.

Turns out some of the Justices have pushed back on using the secure email providers. New technology. They have been reluctant to learn. A source of case materials being leaked.

Bess Levin wrote an interesting article about Trump in the 2/3 edition of Vanity Fair: Donald Trump Says He Knows How To “Immediately” End The War In Ukraine But Must Keep It To Himself.

Her article is based on a Trump interview thursday night on the Right Side Broadcasting Network. Trump said, peace “can be negotiated within 24 hours” by saying “things” that “will guarantee that this war will end immediately.”

What an ass! If he was being truthful, which is always questionable when he speaks, he should reveal his “secret” in the interests  of stopping the war and saving lives. Trump’s duty is immediate to speak under the circumstances.

The Keys are composed of hundreds of islands. Many have names. The source of the names are interesting in certain instances. Like that of Looe Key.

Looe Key is at mile marker 27 going north on U.S. 1. Pass through it on the way to Big Pine.

Looe Key’s naming goes back to 1744. The HMS Looe struck and got stuck on the Florida Reef that now bears its name. The ship’s commander Captain Utting saw there was no way to save the Looe. He ordered it set afire and blown up. The crew was safely carried to Jamaica in a Spanish sloop.

That’s it for now.

Enjoy your day!

I am a creature of habit. Over the years, Key West provided me with two special haunts. One, the Chart Room. The other, Don’s Place.

Yesterday’s FEEDSPOT TODAY under its Key West/Reddit section ran a drawing of the bar at Don’s Place. Brought back memories. The drawing by Fighting McIrish.

What made Don’s Place unique was its owner Don Manaher. One of the finest persons I have met in my lifetime. They do not come better.

Prior to his Key West experience, Don was a Vice-President at a Buffalo newspaper and a publisher of another at some midwestern state. While visiting Key West, he came upon what is now Don’s Place. It was for sale. Don always wanted to own a bar. He bought it. For a cool $1 million! Named his new acquisition Don’s Million Dollar Bar.

Don’s personality, his genuine warmth, made the place an instantaneous success. Locals formed the basis of the clientele. The hard working people of Key West. Tourists and new residents like me became customers also. Returning vacationers came to Don’s Place to see their “friend” Don. He remembered everyone of them.

I played golf with Don every Wednesday. There were 8 of us. Everyone but me pretty good golfers. Most shooting in the 80’s with an occasional round in the high 70’s. My 135 was consistent.

Don took care of me on the golf course. We played for money. He made sure I got my strokes. Generally, 2 a hole except for the 3’s.

I joined his bocce team, Don’s Place. Played with the team some 15 years. I was a bit older than most. My body started getting away from me after a while. I lacked the strength on many shots to even get the ball beyond half way down the court.

Don never said a word. I knew he and the team members were not happy campers about my playing. The team had become good over the years and bocce was serious for them all. Don never said a word. Nor did anyone else. Don was the boss. I knew I was screwing things up. Finally, I quit.

I continued stopping at Don’s Place several times a week. Don was the attraction. I enjoyed sitting at the bar and bullshitting with him and the guys.

Don stopped frequenting the bar. Turned the operation over to his children. He moved to a camp somewhere as well as Chicago. Don’s Bar was not the same without Don. I stopped going. As I understand some others did also. Then COVID hit. I have not been to Don’s in 4-5 years.

In the meantime, Don got sick. Developed a bran tumor. Surgery in Chicago. God good. He survived. I hope someday when he is back visiting I become aware and can join him for a drink again.

Biden has handled the Chinese balloon in the best interests of the U.S. His short time of caution correct. The balloon was discovered over mainland U.S. Wednesday. He ordered it shot down when safe. The balloon was shot down yesterday after it reached the Atlantic Ocean.

In the few days the balloon moved over the U.S., Biden made sure it was “neutered” so it would not be a danger.

Once again, Biden’s actions in a time of danger leave me comfortable with the man. He was not “trigger happy” as some Republicans who were clamoring for it to be shot down, nor was he “sluggish” in dealing with the problem as those same Republicans were claiming.

Jim Boeheim told an ESPN reporter in an interview yesterday that he’s “probably” returning for the 2023-24 season.

Hooray!

He has 4 key freshman who will be returning. Joe Girard and Jesse Edwards have the capacity to return if they want. It will make for a hell of a season!

Syracuse played Boston College at Boston yesterday. Syracuse won 77-68.

Watched more of Pebble Beach yesterday.

Continued to bring back memories.

Finally got to see the par 3 seventh hole. A monster! Straight down. Like the Charge of the Light Brigade. Howling ocean winds on both sides of the fairway and coming in onto the green straight off the ocean.

The other 7 in our group wanted me to hit first so they could evaluate the wind, etc. An insult in itself. They were all 70-80 players. I was still 135. Never improved.

I hit my drive. Topped the ball. Somehow it made it down the hill, striking several rock formations along the way. Ended up on the green.

The other 7 were pissed off because they learned nothing from my shot. They should have. The key I told them was to hit the ball low.

I was the only one who made the green. Several went in the ocean, the others in sand traps.

I walked away with a smile thinking…..F–k you guys!

I am not sure what I am about to report is correct. I think I saw on the internet, only once this morning, that there would be no  play today because of the winds. The final round would be tomorrow.

Northeast very cold yesterday. Mount Washington in New Hampshire had a wind chill of minus 108 degrees. A U.S. record.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Key West legend Tom Corcoran died January 16.

Tom authored mystery books, was a publisher, and a photographer.

He was a Chart Room bartender in the 1970’s. A Jimmy Buffett supporter then and thereafter. Penned “Jimmy Buffett: The Key West Years” in 2006. Credited also with contributing to Buffett hits “Fins” and “Cuban Crime of Passion.”

Tom’s Buffett relationship unique. Story is Tom was bartending at the Chart Room in November 1971. The then unknown Buffett came in, sat down and ordered a beer. The relationship grew from that moment forward.

A constant photographer. His photographs are a record of Key West that hardly exists now.

Tom will best be remembered as a creator and preserver of Key West’s special years.

May he rest in peace.

The real Jimmy Buffett showed his colors once again yesterday.

Locals have been reacting with furor at the Ticketmaster prices for the Buffett and Coral Reefers shows scheduled at the Amphitheater. In the thousands!

It was announced yesterday morning that Buffet and the Coral Reefers would be doing two shows solely for Key Westers. One tonight and one monday evening. The shows at the Key West Theater. Tickets $99. Key West ID had to be presented to purchase the tickets and also to be admitted at the time of the show. Tickets limited to two to person.

The tickets went on sale at noon yesterday.

I’m sure they were sold out by 12:30.

I heard about it at 11:30. My blog had already been published. I immediately edited it. Hope some benefitted.

I did not buy a ticket. No way could I get to the Key West Theater in time to make a purchase.

I’m glad Buffett stepped up and took care of his people. Corrected an injustice. The man exudes quality.

On this day in 1906, John D. Rockefeller was staying on a private yacht in Key West. He dined that evening with friends at a local hotel.

I am altering Hope Springs Eternal a bit to Love Springs Eternal.

Elmer “Buzz” Aldrin is the second person to ever set foot on the moon in 1969. He followed his space craft mate Neil Armstrong down the ladder.

Aldrin was 93 years old yesterday. He celebrated his birthday by marrying his “long time love” Dr. Anca Faur.

The doctor is 63. She is a medical physician and also has a PhD. in chemical engineering.

I envy Aldrin. Married at 93! I would settle for a girl friend at 87!

A New York Times article yesterday reported on a Donald Trump/John Gotti comparison. The article was titled: Trump Likened To Mob Boss John Gotti In Ex-Prosecutor’s New Book. The book: People v. Donald Trump. The author Mark F. Pomerantz.

Pomerantz was an assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office early last year when he resigned in protest after newly elected District Attorney Alvin Bragg decided not to seek an indictment against Trump. The issue was whether Trump had fraudulently inflated the value of his assets to secure loans.

Pomerantz wrote in the book: “He (Trump) demanded absolute loyalty and would go after anyone who crossed him. He seemed always to stay one step ahead of the law. In my career as a lawyer, I had encountered only one other person who touched all these bases: John Gotti, the head of the Gambino organized crime family.”

January was a big month for new jobs.

It was reported the U.S. economy added 517,000 nonfarm jobs in January. Economists had estimated only 187,000 would be added.

Unemployment fell to 3.4 percent. The lowest jobless level since May 1969.

Why do people knock Biden saying he is doing a lousy job?

Hard to understand.

Enjoy your day!

Sheila Cullen published a comment on Facebook that qualifies as food for thought: “Florida is basically 1930’s Germany with theme parks.”

DeSantis is leading Florida into a Nazi themed Hell. Step by step. Be cognizant of where the State is being lead. Beware.

Many are the American flags that fly in Key West. Key Westers are proud!

The sun and salt of Key West wear at the fabric of the flags, however. There is a proper way to dispose of a tattered and worn flag. The first step is a “Flag Retirement Box.”

One can be found at the Key West City Hall on White Street. Place your “retired flag” in the box. The American Legion Post on College Road will take possession of the flag. Legion members will burn the flag in accordance with proper procedures.

Munson Island back in time was owned by John Spottswood. Munson Island is just short of Big Pine on the way north.

The World War II movie PT-109 about John Kennedy was filmed on Munson Island.

On this day in 1970, Spottswood sold Munson Island to Country Johnston of Valdosta, Georgia, for $150,000.

Munson Island was subsequently renamed Little Palm Island. Today it is the site of the world famous Little Palm Island Resort. One of the finest and most expensive in the world.

Prices begin at $3,690 for one night, not including taxes and fees. The most expensive accommodation $5,490, not including taxes and fees.

Today is Groundhog Day. The world famous site Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. What a name!

The groundhog rose this morning. Saw his shadow. Went back to sleep. The fact he saw his shadow supposedly means another 6 weeks of winter.

The event was first held in 1887. Records have been kept. The groundhog’s accuracy as a weather forecaster not too reliable. The groundhog has been correct only 39 percent of the time.

Republicans keep wanting to fight yesterday’s battles. Stepping back in time: Trump’s election loss, Hillary Clinton, Hunter Biden.

Republicans should heed Winston Churchill’s words: “If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future.”

The Federal Reserve announced yesterday a rate increase of 1/4 point. The lowest increase in quite a while. Chairman Jerome Powell acknowledged inflation was starting to ease. Therein lie the reason for the low rate increase.

The reduction represents a step at a time. However, we are gradually getting where we should be.

Bess Levin wrote tuesday re Trump’ reaction to DeSantis’ comment concerning Trump’s loss in the Presidential election. Apparently the comment did not go over well at Mar-a-Lago. Levin wrote: “Donald Trump is one day away from leaving a horse’s head in Ron DeSantis’ bed.”

Enjoy your day!