CITIZENS’ VOICE

Posted on by

The Key West Citizen at page 2 prints the Citizens’ Voice each day. A place where readers can complain about anything and everything.

A comment this morning: “On Big Pine, the Key deer are endangered, but in Key West the locals are far more endangered. Enough!”

My good friend Sheila Cullen is responsible for the column. It is her responsibility to sift through the many comments received and select those she deems worthy of publication. She takes her job seriously.

As Sheila constantly tells me, she tries to select both sides of an issue for print. I smile each time. She sounds fair and balanced like FOX. Fair and balanced she is. FOX she is not.

I did some background digging re the place where the Paris shootings took place. Bataclan. General consensus is ISIS attacked because of France’s participation in Syria. The Times of Israel suggests another reason in addition. Israel/Judaism.

Bataclan was owned for 40 years by a Jewish family. In 2011, a high member of ISIS is reported to have said, “We plan an attack against the Bataclan because its owners are Jews.”

The group playing at the time of the attack were the Eagles of Death Metal. The group played in Tel Aviv’s Barby Club in July.

The family sold Bataclan in September. They now live in Israel.

Merely sharing.

Fine tuned my blog talk radio show Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou for broadcast last night. I threw in the Bataclan story just shared. I also shared some portions of this week’s KONK Life column Sex Tales of Old. Post show comments indicate the Betsy Ross and Ben Franklin stories the most popular.

KONK Life hits the news stands today. Read my column Sex Tales of Old. A change of pace article. I had to get away from the heavy stuff.

The Comment section of WordPress was buried yesterday with multiple Chinese I don’t know what. Could not translate, so do not know what was said. Turned out to be spam. Sloan cleaned the section up and hopefully we will not be bothered by the problem again.

My evening was busy. Syracuse/St.Bonaventure basketball 7-9. Tuesday Talk at 9. I caught all but the last minute of the game.

Syracuse won 79-66.

I was not impressed with Syracuse the first three quarters. I had bad vibes. A poor basketball season? Syracuse then turned it around with 15 minutes to go. Went on a 34-14 run.

Recognition must be given St. Bonaventure. An excellent team. Especially good for a small school. I was impressed.

Love that Syracuse is now in the ACC. I no longer have to run around town finding a place with a TV carrying the Syracuse game. Every Syracuse football and basketball game thus far have been televised and were available to me in Key West. I watch the games from home and couch.

The Havana Thunder Challenge is having a hard time getting off this week. Winds too strong and waves too high. Three boats left yesterday and made it to Havana. Three more plan on leaving thursday. Nine have withdrawn from the event.

That I am not a fan of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been obvious. I was unaware till this morning the group was active back in 1966. At that time, the Bishops eliminated the rule against eating meat on friday.

You have no idea the fear imposed on me by the no friday meat rule. I was 7, 8, 9 years old while the rule was in force. Occasionally, I would cheat and have a slice of bologna or something on friday. On saturday, I would stand in line waiting to go to confession scared as hell. In Church! I was afraid of what the priest was going to say to me because of my sin.

My wrongdoing generally ended up in three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys.

Point. The meat thing was a man made rule and could be changed. Much of what the Pope wants to correct/change today involve man made rules. The U.S. Conference of Bishops hold hard in opposition to the Pope’s position.

Wednesday is screw off day for me. My heavy research and writing days are saturday through tuesday. Wednesday, my first day free from responsibility.

Love wednesdays!

Enjoy your day!

 

SYRACUSE BASKETBALL RETURNS

Posted on by

Syracuse basketball is back! Love it!

Already won one game. Play St. Bonaventure tonight. These early games mean little. The big guys play the little guys in warm up games.

Soon Syracuse will be off to a tournament in the Bahamas. There they play against other competent teams. The tournament provides an early look at the quality of the team.

The Boeheim penalty phase begins with the ACC games. Boeheim is prohibited from coaching the first nine games. He has an appeal pending that may minimize the penalty.

It was back to the treadmill yesterday. The Anti-Gravity Treadmill. I was away a week. It felt good to be on the machine again. There were no problems. My shoulder/ribs held up.

Won something to do with the treadmill. The AlterG “PT of the Month” award.

Jenny is my physiotherapist. She mentioned that AlterG, the manufacturer of the anti-gravity treadmill, had a contest. Needed a letter from the patient as to why using the machine, what was expected to be accomplished, etc.

The competition a national one.

Jenny asked me to participate with her. I agreed. Told her to worry not. We would win.

I wrote about my inability to climb to the top of the Santorini volcano. Actually, a funny story.

The story did it. We won. Won what? A couple of tee shirts and something else. Plus, AlterG will be carrying my submission in its next blog. Together with pics of Jenny and me.

After the treadmill, I was off to Publix. In desperate need of groceries. Surprisingly, Publix was packed. Unusual for a monday.

Yesterday afternoon was spent preparing for tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics touched upon will include Hillary’s Wall St. comments, the Paris/Bataclan attack, federal government’s fining several major pharmaceuticals for wrongdoing, Germany’s immigration problems causing a member of Parliament to call for compulsory labor, some parts of this week’s KONK Life column including sexual pursuits of Caesar, Columbus, and Ben Franklin. Betsy Ross too, if I have time. Hers one of the most surprising.

Dinner last night at Goldman’s Deli. Desired a pastrami on rye sandwich.

I made a mistake yesterday. I stated voting age was 21. It is not. It is 18 and has been so for many years thanks to the 26th Amendment. What can I say? Sorry. Sometimes I get things wrong. I spend 30-35 hours a week researching and writing. I try to be accurate. Mistakes occur, however.

I thank the reader who brought the error to my attention.

Certain things are not within my job description. Running the country one. I must comment. I am extremely unhappy with Obama’s attitude and decision re taking on ISIS further. Brings to mind the late 1930s when many closed their eyes to German aggression hoping it would go away.

ISIS is not going away. They have to be destroyed. I am with those who think we will be fighting them on U.S. soil if we do not do more. Significantly more.

One of Key West’s loveliest ladies is Holly. Peter Diamond’s Holly. At the Gardens sunday night, she took me aside. She had an article she wanted me to read. Thought it was worthy of comment. Had to do with an unusual amount of seagrass running up onto Atlantic beaches the length of the U.S. She said she would get the article to me.

Her comments made me recall a recent news story that the upper end of Smathers Beach had seagrass out a distance into the ocean.

Researched the situation. The seagrass is called Sargassum. Also known as beach wrack. It is decaying seaweed. Smells like rotten eggs.

Interestingly, seabirds, crabs and certain type insects feed off the seaweed.

Its origination unknown. Some suspect the 2010 Horizon oil spill. The chemicals put into the water at the time.

The creatures that suffer the most are baby turtles. The hatchlings. They cannot reach the water. Confusion big time! Most die.

I am repetitive in the following regard: Key West loves Harry Truman and Harry Truman loved Key West. On this day in 1946, Truman arrived in Key West for his first vacation here. Glad he enjoyed Key West. He returned ten times more. His total time in Key West 175 days

Enjoy your day!

VETERAN’S DAY

Posted on by

A major holiday today. Veteran’s Day. To honor all military personnel who fought for their/our country.

November 11 is the official date for the holiday. The reason why November 11 is interesting. World War I ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. How about that!

The most important event today in Key West is the dedication of the new Vietnam Veterans Living Memorial at Bayview Park. Long in coming. Well deserved. Our Vietnam vets have long been forgotten. They never received their just due acclimation wise when they returned home.

The dedication is at 11. I was there for the groundbreaking. I hope to be there this morning for the dedication.

Cannot have a holiday without a parade. The parade on Duval and Truman is at 4 this afternoon.

My blog talk radio show interfered with my watching all of the Republican debate last night. Missed a half hour.

Love political debates! Trump still has me in a I don’t know place. He’s a bully. Question is whether he has the demeanor and intelligence to be President. My mind remains open.

H. L. Mencken was a famous American writer during the first half of the 20th century. He wrote something worthy of repetition on July 26, 1920 in the Baltimore Evening Sun.

“As democracy is perfected, the office of the President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.

On some great and glorious day, the folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be occupied by a downright fool and complete narcissistic moron.”

Fits Trump. Trump is a fool and narcissistic. I disagree that he is a moron. Whether properly intelligent a question. Is he Presidential timber?

An article in today’s Key West Citizen indicates the hotels were not full for Fantasy Fest. Somewhere around 81 percent. However, the hotels did not get hurt. Room rates were higher this year.

Last year, the average cost of a room during Fantasy Fest was $238 a night. This year, $413.

Quite a hike!

I fear the hotels will kill the chicken that lays the golden egg. Restaurants and bars, also.

My ribs still bothering me. I cancelled the anti-gravity treadmill monday. The condition was aggravated by the treadmill friday. Still hurting. Cancelling the rest of the week on the treadmill. Wish the pain would go away.

This week’s KONK Life hits the stands at 5 this afternoon. My column this week is Dracula in the Operating Room. Love the title! The column is about the U.S. government and the student college loan program. The government Dracula and the loan program the operating room.

Why all the seaweed at Smathers Beach? Unusual.

Belly dancing. I remember a birthday party for a judge friend of mine back in Utica many years ago. At a point in the party, his wife came in dressed in belly dancing attire. She sat her husband in the middle of the couch. Then proceeded to dance for him. He alone. She had learned specially for him. Her birthday gift.

There is a belly dancing event soon in Key West. On November 16 at 5:45. 1511 Truman.

Womankind is involved. Event titled: Belly Enhancing with Belly Dancing. Should be fun. Go. I would, except my belly is too large for correction.

Almost forgot. I have had for several years two ugly growths on the top of my head. The dermatologist never wanted to cut them out. Yesterday the big one was oozing. I went to his office. He cut them both out. I am walking around with three bandaids on the top of that portion of my head that is bald.

Enjoy your day!

OBSERVATIONS FROM THE BAR

Posted on by

Last night was interesting. I ate at the bar at Hogfish. My View From The Terrace.

Four couples at the bar. The ladies  had to be fish women. Each a beauty. Each with tanned and weather beaten faces that only come from being out on a boat all the time.

One of the ladies had a tiny dog. Not the smallest of dogs. A step up. The dog quietly sitting in her lap. The dog then sat in her man’s lap. Seated on the other side and next to the man was another lady.

The dog had his nose in the side of the woman’s breast. She turned around suddenly. I knew what was coming. She thought the guy was feeling her up. She started to say something and then paused for a second. Then laughed when she realized it was the dog. She said to the man next to her…..I thought you were feeling me up!

The bartender was young. He knew one of the couples. They said they had not seen him around town in a long time. He said yes, two years. He spends his days with his two year old. Nights working. Another on the way. My life is different, he said. And I don’t mind it!

One of the couples 50ish. Must be a relatively new relationship. Hugging and kissing away.

Another couple came in. Two guys. One a woman, I suspect. No, I would put money on it. A woman trying to pass herself off as a man.

Blond short cropped hair. Discernible breasts. A white man’s shirt. Kaki pants. Shirt tucked in. Tight waist. Spread hips.

They enjoyed a couple of drinks. She then pulled out a cigar. A large thick one. Lite up and puffed away. Knew how to smoke it.

Spent my afternoon yesterday working on tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. A quick half hour of interesting topics. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics tonight include six year old Jeremy Mardis and the court ordered gag on the case, the reason why the cost of food has soared the past three years, police organization planning to retaliate against Hollywood filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, the Catholic Church very similar to the U.S. Congress, Donald Trump and H.L. Mencken, and more.

This morning’s Key West History section had an interesting item. Bagatelle’s building was not always on Duval. Until 1974, the building was at 716 Fleming next to the library. It was moved at that time.

Weather very calm this morning. Nothing moving. A bit eerie.

Syracuse plays Clemson this saturday. Clemson is #1 in the country. Oh, well.

The Republican debates tonight 7-11. I will miss the first part of the first team’s responses. My blog talk radio show at the same time.

I cannot believe the debate by the #1 team will be any better than in the past.

We shall see.

Enjoy your day!

 

ROSE TATTOO / TENNESSEE WILLIAMS / DUNCAN ST.

Posted on by

The time is this week 1954. The place Duncan Street in Key West. The filming of the movie The Rose Tattoo began.

A great movie. Loved it! Starred Burt Lancaster and Anna Mangani. Mangani won the Academy Award for her performance.

The movie was an adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play. Tennessee Williams lived on Duncan St. He wrote the play while living on Duncan St. The house where the movie was filmed was on Duncan Street. Two doors up from Tennessee Williams’ home. Both Williams and the Rose Tattoo houses still stand on Duncan.

Lisa lives on Duncan. Her home is 1 1/2 blocks from the Williams home.

Key West loves Harry Truman. Harry Truman loved Key West.

On November 2, 1948, Truman was elected President. He defeated New York Governor Tom Dewey. Truman was not favored to win. A big underdog. No one gave him a chance. Except Truman himself.

Congress at the time was Republican. They blocked him at every move. Some what like today’s Congress and Obama. Only worse. Truman campaigned against the worst Congress ever, as he put it.

Corporate America disliked Truman. Vehemently.

An example is what occurred while Truman was campaigning. Campaigning was done from the back platform of the last car on a train in those days. The train traveled all over the country.

Truman was short on funds. Again, he was not expected to win. Few were contributing to him. The train and crew were leased. The bill was overdue.

The train was stopped by the railroad somewhere in the middle of nowhere between two towns. Truman was told the bill had to be paid in full. If not, Truman and his entourage had to get off.

Truman threw in what he had in his pocket. His supporters did likewise. They had just enough to pay the bill. Truman proceeded on his way.

The distaste the railroad owners had for Truman obvious. Doing this to a President of the United States! Disrespectful!

Politics played the same all the time. Hard ball.

Did my blog talk radio show last night. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Love dong the show!

One of the topics clearly reflects government waste.

The Department of Defense built a gas station in Afghanistan. Nothing special. A run of the mill gas station. The contracted cost for construction $3 million. A lot for a gas station. Especially since a similar one had been built the previous year in Pakistan for $500,000.

The final cost of construction was $43 million. Wow! $3 million for the construction. $40 million for overhead.

The gas station built was a compressed natural gas automobile station. So built because of the great supply of natural gas in Afghanistan.

The only problem was the people had cars that were petroleum operated. They had no use for the new station. Making the necessary adjustments to change over to a natural gas operated vehicle was not financially feasible. The cost was more than the average Afghanistani made in a year.

The Defense Department had a task force in charge of spending with regard to the closed gas station. When the Department was asked why the increase, they said they did not know/ could not tell because the task force had closed down in March.

And they want to cut Social Security! Cut waste!

I would like to know who made out on this Afghanistan gas station.

Last week, I reported on my radio show that the Muslim immigrants in Germany were overloading the hospitals. One problem was they refused to be treated by female personnel. Doctor, nurse, or otherwise.

Yesterday, it was announced that Muslims presently in camps in Germany would not accept food from women.

Beggars can’t be choosers. They should be grateful they are receiving free medical and food.

European banks are beginning to hurt. Good! May their American counterparts do likewise.

European banks are cutting costs. A large Spanish bank with 2,300 branches     now cleans windows only six times a year instead of twelve. Another Spanish bank with many branches kills the electricity at 7 pm. Another bank requires staff to clean their desks every wednesday. Called Wet Wipe Wednesday. Office space is being reduced.

One hundred thousand banking jobs in the Eurounion have been cut since 2012.

My left chest which I injured in a fall last week started hurting big time again last night. I don’t know why. Kept me up all night. Not one moments sleep. A pain pill did not help. Feels better at the moment.

I am going to skip the treadmill this morning. Will keep a noon manicure appointment with Tammy, however.

Enjoy your day!

 

PRE-SEASON BASKETBALL POLL…..AN INSUILT

Posted on by

Yes, my blood does flow orange! I am furious this morning. The Associated Press pre-season poll came out. Nowhere is Syracuse listed. Not in the top 25 or at the bottom re those teams that received even one vote.

I am not going to dwell on the NCAA findings and judgment. Syracuse will survive and excel. This year’s team is as talented as prior teams. With or without Boeheim for the fist nine ACC games, Syracuse’s coaching staff is experienced and deep.

Screw the numbers, Syracuse will be in the mix at the end of the season.

Spent yesterday afternoon working on tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

Interesting topics. Highlight’s of my Looting of Social Security article, a tea party Congressman retiring after only five years because he wants more time spent with family even though Congress only works one week on and two off, religion and politics, Saudi Arabia afraid U.S. becoming anti Saudi Arabia, a Monsanto update, and more.

Join me at 9 o’clock my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Dinner with Don and Chris at Marquesa last night. Good people. Return to Key West several times a year. Don is presently spending a lot of time working in South Korea.

Fantasy Fest is over. It was obvious last night on Duval. Quiet like a cemetery.

Parrot Heads arrive wednesday. Convention time. Jimmy Buffett people. Strange as it may sound, Howard Livingston has been asked to entertain the group saturday evening at the Casa Marina.

Seaking of Howard, the front page of today’s Key West Citizen carries a photo of Howard. A detailed complimentary article. Tells Howard’s story yesterday and today. A terrific human being!

An interesting news bit in the Citizen, also. Keys Energy has a large abandoned building in Bahama Village. It has not been used for over 50 years. Keys Energy wants to give it to Key West. The facility was formerly a diesel generator plant.

Louis says, beware of Greeks bearing gifts. The building is an economic disaster waiting to hit.

Keys Energy admits there are some environmental problems. The some are gigantic. I have not seen the paperwork nor the facility. However, I spent my legal career as an environmental attorney. my work included facilities such as this one. the contamination has to be fantastic It will run down into the soil itself. Contaminated soil is one of the most expensive things to remove.

A point to be considered also is that the law generally requires the owner at the time of a cleanup to be responsible for the cost.

The building is no bargain.

The last play of the Miami/Duke game will not be forgotten. Ever. What bothers me is that post-game, the ACC suspended the referees for two games. The ACC determined post-game that the refs had not made calls it should have made during the play.

Wrong on the part of the ACC. The determination on the field is the last call. In all sports, collegiate and professional. Confusion the only guaranteed outcome of the ACC’s decision and what will follow.

Enjoy your day!

FANTASY FEST NUDITY

Posted on by

The issue comes up every year. Nudity at Fantasy Fest. It is an issue because a handful of locals who believe nudity is terrible, not God like, bad for children, etc. Key West fathers unfortunately to some degree pay attention to the squeaky wheel.

My recollection two years ago is that the leader of the dissenting pack admitted he had never attended Fantasy Fest. The blind shall lead you…..

The issue is at the forefront once again. The police have warned that violation of the local nudity laws will not be tolerated. No showing of genitalia. What happens to those that do not know what genitalia means?

The genitalia thing applies even if painted.

Plus, no exposed female nipples. Nor pubic hair. I was under the impression pubic hair was a yesterday thing. Of course, no public sex.

Finally, no fun.

There is a full moon. During Fantasy Fest week. A contributing factor to the nudity problem. Those arrested  can claim they were temporarily deranged because of the full moon.

You may have noticed I do not do all ten days of Fantasy Fest. Twenty years ago, I did. Too much for this old body now. Even my eyes are bad. I have difficulty seeing the bare bodies. Ergo, no sense in going.

I do one to three nights. Goombay is one. Sedate. Quiet. Everyone clothed. I have one to two nights left, or perhaps none at all. Depends on how I feel.

Tonight definitely no Fantasy Fest. The Republican debates. I will enjoy watching the debates more than some ladies running around with their breasts exposed. The old age factor could be affecting my judgment.

I spent a part of yesterday fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou at 9.

Immigration the big topic. Well received based on comments. Germany’s hospitals overrun with immigrants. A bad situation. Worse than anything Arizona ever experienced. Shocking what is happening.

The show is archived on Blog Talk Radio and You Tube. It will be linked to my Key West Lou website tomorrow morning. keywestlou.com. Listen to it. The Germany/immigrant thing an eye opener. Especially since most of the media is not running with the story.

Snuck in two chapters of Growing Up Italian. Wrote, edited and polished each chapter. I thought I would have the book out by Christmas. Not this Christmas. Definitely/hopefully next year’s.

I did not catch much of the Royals/Mets game last night. Missed the early part of the game because of my show. Started watching around the sixth inning. Fell asleep at some point. I was not aware the game went 14 innings. Missed the fun parts.

Accidents happen in war. Innocents are killed. Recently, the U.S. bombed a Doctors Without Borders hospital. Yesterday, the Saudi coalition bombed a Doctors Without Borders facility in Yemen.

It happens. The solution is not criminally trying the guilty country for a war crime. The more appropriate solution is to stop wars entirely. Only then will the problem go away.

My ribs and chest still ache. Though less. I am going to try the anti-gravity treadmill this morning.

Enjoy your day!

 

SLING SHOT COURAGEOUS WEAPON

Posted on by

A weapon from Biblical times. A rerun of David and Goliath.

Modern warfare involves the use of modern day weapons. Guns, armored vehicles, etc. Apparently not always.

A West Bank scenario.

This morning’s Key West Citizen carries a picture of a Palestinian fighter. In front of him fire, black and gray smoke. I assume beyond unseen Israeli soldiers, armored vehicles, whatever. Something.

The Palestinian fighter is using a sling shot as a weapon. He is viewed swinging a sling.

My observation. A person willing to face the enemy and modern weapons of war with a sling shot has courage. Great courage. In addition to a solid belief in the righteousness of his cause. He will never be beat. He will never win. He will hang in there through everything.

The lesson to be learned simple. Israel and the Palestinians better make peace. Otherwise this mess is going to turn into a 100 year war. One that no one wins.

The weather the same as the past two days. With two exceptions. The wind less strong. There are no white caps. Though the trees are still bending. The sun is shining brightly. It has not for two days.

Hurricane Wilma hit Key West in October 2005. A bad result. Big time flooding. As high as 6-7 feet in many homes.

Lisa had moved back into her house three months before. It had been extensively remodeled, new furniture purchased.

The water was 6 1/2 feet deep in Lisa’s home. The walls had to be ripped out up to 6 1/2 feet. Wet furniture thrown out. Mold the problem. The trashing required to be done immediately.

Lisa also lost her car.

Most families moved into trailers provided by the government. Most lived in them for 1-2 years. Lisa and family moved into my home. They were here a year. The problem was not the insurance payment. It was getting the contractor to do the job. Contractors had more work than they could handle.

Wilma did not touch my home. The house is built on top of eight feet of soil. The driveway pitched.

My blog talk radio show last night. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. I was on a soap box. Venting about things that bothered me. Two especially.

The Republican screw up in the House of Representatives. Disgraceful. I would say the same if they were Democrats. The Republicans must get their act together and govern. That is why they were sent to Washington.

The other is the sex scandal that has hit Louisville and Rick Pitino. Pitino says he did not know. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, he will still lose his job. I assume the same theory that was applied in Boeheim’s case would be applied to Pitino: If you did not know, you are still responsible because as coach you are #1, head of the program and required to know everything about the team.

I do not agree. Nor did I agree with what happened to Boeheim. The NCAA is as bad as the hierarchy of the NFL when it comes to running things.

On the other hand if Pitino knew, he should be fired.

Per my usual routine, Roostica for dinner before the show.

Saturday football coming up again. Syracuse plays Pitt. Pitt a six point favorite. I say no more.

Enjoy your day!

 

LA TE DA

Posted on by

I had dinner last night at La Te Da. Crispy Duck. The best duck in Key West! Enjoyed it at the outside bar.

The wind blew big time all day. However not felt in Key West. The buildings and trees cut the wind. It was comfortable sitting at the outside bar.

I have been either visiting or living in Key West more than 25 years. It was on my second trip I discovered La Te Da. In those days, my former wife and I would spend the afternoon at the beach, change into fresh clothes behind the car, and head out for cocktails.

La Te Da was a discovery!

There was a small enclosed bar on the second floor. An intimate setting. On the pool side of the building. Back from the front of the building about 10 feet. I would place it square in the middle of the down stairs bar.

Great place for cocktails! Free hor d’oeuvres. Most hot. Served with a small plate, clothe napkin and heavy weighted silverware. The company excellent. Mostly gays. Always a fun time.

With one of the renovations, that small upstairs bar was removed.

How La Te Da acquired its name is interesting.

In 1868, the Ten Years War ended. A war between the Cuban people and Spain. Spain was exercising colonial rule over Cuba. The Cubans lost the war.

Many Cubans left the island. Seeking political freedom and economic opportunity. Key West became home to many of the Cuban exiles. The influx continued through the 1870s, 1880s and into the 1890s.

Jose Marti was a popular Cuban hero/leader. He would frequently visit Key West to raise money and invite the exiles to join him in overthrowing Spain.

The Cuban Key Westers loved Marti. Each Marti visit began the same way. Five thousand would gather to greet him at the boat landing . Always a band and Cuban and American flags. The group then would parade down Duval to La Te Da with Marti in tow.

Present day La Te Da at the time was owned by Teodoro Perez, a wealthy cigar factory owner and friend of Marti. Marti would speak to the crowd from the second floor front porch of Perez’s home.

Cubans came to call the porch Marti’s Terrace. In Spanish, La Terraza de Marti. The Spanish version was shortened to La Te Da.

Marti and a number of his Cuban followers invaded Cuba in 1895. Marti was killed in the first battle. Three years later, the Battleship Maine was blown up in Havana harbor marking the beginning of the Spanish-American War.

Yesterday’s weather is today’s. Wind still blowing strong, trees bending, white caps on top of a fast moving ocean.

I spent most of yesterday preparing for tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. One half hour. Fast moving interesting subjects. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics tonight include problems facing the returning House of Representatives this week, Monsanto buying college professors, German bishops and U.S. bishops differing at the Synod, some revelations in this week’s KONK Life column Lincoln The Man, the story of a 2 year old homeless boy found after midnight barefoot and alone in a Philadelphia park, and more.

Wonder of wonders! Words from a musical whose name escapes me. Words that fit what I am about to write.

It was revealed on Morning Joe this morning that Donald Trump in a book published 19 months before 9/11 advised that the U.S. was in danger of a terrorist attack. He further stated it would be led by an Osama bin Laden. The book: The America We Deserve.

Perhaps I have not fairly considered Trump.

Enjoy your day!

 

I FORGOT

Posted on by

I’ m losing it.

Yesterday was Larry Smith’s birthday. There was a party for Larry at The Little Jazz Room where he was playing. I planned on going. Never made it. I forgot.

Mea culpa, Larry. Happy birthday!

Instead bored and not certain what to do, I stopped at Schooner Wharf for a couple of drinks and then dinner at the bar at Pepe’s.

My day yesterday began with the anti-gravity treadmill. I have made a new friend. We both treadmill. His name is Dave.

Spent the afternoon working on tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Great topics!

Today is National No Bra Day. An interesting topic for discussion.

Key West had a crocodile visitor at Smathers Beach recently for a week. I thought the croc’s visit dangerous. Some did not. Came up with an interesting article re crocodiles. Safe! In some parts of the world, people actually swim with them.

The EPA spends $75 million a year on military weapons. Why?

Male Americans went crazy in 1953 when Playboy printed its first nude center fold. Soon, no more. Playboy will shortly be dropping nudes.

Detroit is dying/dead. A well known fact. Ford has built ten plants in China and recently announced it will build three more there. Like turning your back on someone who raised you.

The Catholic Church Synod of Bishops in confusion and chaos. Much like the Republican Party. The Pope has his hands full.

These are some of the topics. All interesting.

Join me at 9 my time tonight. A quick half hour. Guaranteed you will enjoy. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I enjoyed the sunrise this morning. I was up early and sat on the deck sipping a cup of tea. The sun came up behind me. Soon it shown on the MTV house across the way. The impact of the sun on the pastel yellow, pink and blue of the house magnificent. A joy to behold!

Enjoy your day!