MEASURING DICKS

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We live in dangerous times. You do not need me to tell you.

A recent crisis that has the capacity to bring matters to the boiling point is Turkish planes shooting down a Russian jet. Russia’s Putin and Turkey’s Erdogan are issuing inflammatory statements. Each threatening the other.

Turns out Putin and Erdogan do not like each other. There is personal animosity between them for other reasons. These guys will go nose to nose.

Pavel Felgenhauer is a defense analyst. He bluntly described the situation as follows: “Right now they’re measuring dicks, and that’s very dangerous.”

My yesterday began with a doctor visit. I decided to have breakfast out following the visit. Tried Sq. 1 sitting outside. Years since I have done it. I was pleased. Good food. A great place for people watching.

The Key West Aloe store is on Duval just around the corner from Duval Square. I stopped in. Wanted to try their shaving gel. No shaving gel.

I thought how sad the old Key West Aloe store on Front street is gone. The new owners moved the store and everything else several years ago to another spot in Florida. The new Key West store tiny. Well done in brown and white colors, as are the tubes of aloe products. No aroma.

A lovely place. However, nowhere as large and as nice as the one I remember.

Yesterday was Syracuse basketball again. The final game of the Atlantis tournament being played in the Bahamas. Syracuse beat Texas A & M 74-67. An excellent victory.

The other three teams in the tournament were all ranked. Syracuse, not. Syracuse will be when the new rankings come out monday.

Good wins for Syracuse. The two games tested Syracuse. We still lack that one extra tall muscle bound big guy unfortunately.

An interesting season ahead.

The Keys Coral Reef is bleaching. Not good. Could be bad, though not necessarily. Depends on things I am not familiar with. Extreme warm water doing it. Second consecutive year the bleaching has occurred.

The hurricane season ends in a couple of days. November 30 to be exact. Vultures have returned. Large congregations of them.

We do not need the date to tell us the hurricane season has ended. The return of the vultures signifies the end of the hurricane season. Nature telling us.

I continue to be repitious. Truman loved Key West, Key West loves Truman.

On today’s date 1949, Truman, wife Beth and daughter Margaret arrived for a three week vacation.

Two China items of interest.

China has a large growing middle class. They want all the things the middle class of any nation expects. One is good food. Beef to be precise.

China does not have enough beef to satisfy its middle class. No problem. A 14,000 square meter factory is being built at a cost of $313 million. Its purpose, to clone cows. The plant is expected to produce 100,000 embryos a year.

Reports indicate cloned beef ok to eat. Tastes like the real stuff. A question arises. Is this another GMO situation?

China continues to expand militarily. China is establishing its first military base in Africa. In a little country called Djibouti. The base is the first expansion of China’s military power beyond the Asian Pacific.

Bocce playoffs today. A big deal, as I continue to tell you. Exciting. We play at 3. If we win, at 6. If we win again, tomorrow.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

MASQUERADE MARCH

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Fantasy Fest continues!

Two biggies today. The Masquerade March and the Bourbon Street Pub Tea Dance.

The Masquerade March has grown over the years. Initially, it was a bunch of locals and tourists dressed in costumes who walked from the cemetery to Duval. Now numbers in the thousands. A second route had to be added several years ago.

Both groups will leave from the cemetery. One takes the old route up Fleming. The other, the new way. People party in front of their homes and on porches. The marchers are cheered on.

I have never marched. However, I have enjoyed several great porch parties over the years.

Key West’s gay intersection is Duval and Petronia. Two popular gay bars are cross cornered from each other. 801 and the Bourbon St. Pub. A big event starting at 1 this afternoon at the intersection. The event is called the Bourbon Street Pub Tea Dance.

A scaffold is erected in the center of the intersection. Two levels plus the street. The two levels have music makers.

There is a guy in black leather with his butt exposed playing a guitar on top every year. Ladies climb the scaffolding to dance. People dance in the street. Where room can be found. The intersection is packed throughout the event.

Bocce last night. Missed the toga party for it.

We played Larry’s team. We were tied with them for third. I am happy to announce we won all three games! Everyone on our team played well. We had to if we were to beat the opposition.

My yesterday began with the anti-gravity treadmill at Body Owners. Then grocery shopping at Publix. I enjoy grocery shopping. I meet old friends and make new ones.

An attractive woman and I kept running into each other. Finally, she jokingly said…..I’m stalking you. I responded…..Please do!

I will be on the radio for 15 minutes at 12:30. 104.9. KONK News. Guy deBoer will be interviewing me re this week’s KONK Life column Boudicca, Warrior Woman.

It was announced yesterday that China is changing its policy from one child per family to two. Some news persons said it was because China needed added workers for its developing manufacturing industry.

Not correct. I did a TV show on the topic four years ago and wrote about the issue one year ago.

Four years ago, China announced it was studying whether to go from one to two children per couple. It took till now for China to make the decision.

The reason four years ago was who was to take care of the elderly. In China, the young always had taken care of the old. By limiting the number of children, China had limited the number available to care for elderly parents.

Last year, China discussed another problem. Under the one child rule, more girls than boys had been born. A significant number. The boys are now young men. There were not enough ladies to go around for marriage or sex.

Single Chinese men are traveling to the Korean border to engage in sex with Korean prostitutes.

In addition, a new business was born. The men wanted wives. The prostitutes sold themselves for an entire year agreeing to live as a man’s wife.

Such did not solve the problem entirely. Still not enough ladies. Multiple partners were born. Two to four men contract with one prostitute who would be the common wife of all of them for one year.

Enjoy your day!

 

JEAN ESTHER CRABTREE…..GOTCHA

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She was raised in the Madison/Hanover area of Indiana. Popular. Went on to become a school teacher. Found emeralds and gold with Mel Fisher. Became known as the Key West Golden Girl. Married Joe. Became a mother. Then a grandmother. Loved by everyone.

First known as Jean Esther Crabtree. Then and now Jean Thornton.

I first visited the Chart Room last night. Met Paula and David. Presently reside in Louisville, Kentucky. Paula raised in the Madison/Hanover area. Paula knew Jean. In a subordinate way. Actually, Paula’s sister Sheila was one of Jean’s best friends. Jean and Sheila went to grade school together. Paula is six years younger than Jean.

Paula has not seen Jean in 46 years. Last in 1969. They are Facebook friends, however.

Paula shared all the secret poop about Jean. Ho ho!

Jean, glad you married Joe. Thornton a more attractive last name than Crabtree. Funny, you are the farthest thing from a crab. A shining Key West star, you bring a bit of joy to everyone you touch.

Your long ago “friend” Paula a lovely lady. She now works for Duke Energy. Her job sounded important. Paula’s husband David is a retired accountant. He did not know the Jean we were talking about.

At the other end of the bar sat two lovely ladies. Nina and Mary. Both retired. Both had visited Key West previously. Having a wonderful time!

My day yesterday began with the anti-gravity treadmill. Had to wear my yellow slicker to get there. Raining big time!

For whatever reason, I was tired. Spent the afternoon lying around. Sleeping a bit, watching Pope Francis a bit.

After the Chart Room, finished the evening with a leisurely dinner at the Hot Tin Roof.

Key West is extremely quiet at the moment. Very few tourists. The weekend was boisterous with the bikers. Activity will pick up this weekend.

In between the treadmill and collapsing on the couch, I got to chat with Susan Wadia-Ells. A charming interesting lady. A full time Key West resident since 2012.

Susan is into the prevention of breast cancer. She has been working at it for eight years. She has researched breast cancer ad infinitum and traveled far speaking with experts.

Susan has come up with what she describes as a metabolic theory re cancer. Not a treatment. Treatment comes after a woman develops breast cancer. Her theory is to prevent breast cancer from even occurring. Stop the cancer before it starts!

Her program involves three basic steps. Diet, sufficient in take of vitamin D3, and no progestogen based drugs.

She has written a book spelling out her thoughts. Soon to be published. Busting Breast Cancer A Revolution. She also will be scheduling Busting Breast Cancer Workshops.

Pope Francis’ visit continues to be an emotional experience for me. As far as the Pope is concerned, respect has gone out the window. Many conservative and far right Republicans are knocking the hell out of him. One referred to the Pope as “…..just a guy with a funny hat.”

The Pope speaks at 10 this morning before a Joint Session of Congress. I hope all listen to his words and pay him the respect his due.

I spoke on my blog talk radio show tuesday night about Martin Shkreli. He had purchased a generic drug company and increased the cost of a highly used drug 5,000 percent overnight. He was porky about having done it when being interviewed on TV.

Twenty four hours later, the bad publicity must have been too much for him. He announced he would reduce the cost of the generic. He did know yet by how much. Claimed he had to study the numbers.

Shkreli is only 32 years old. He has had an interesting business career in the short time he has been working. He is a former hedge fund manager. At some point in his career, he took a stock company public. The company was insolvent. Shkreli has been sued for $65 billion dollars.

Bocce tonight.

This week’s KONK Life column U.S. War Ready? linked this morning to my Key West Lou website. If you are unable to read the column in the paper, you can find it there.

I view China as a problem in the column.

China’s President Xi Jinping is in the U.S. this week seeking business for China and to meet with President Obama.

While this kumbaya visit and meeting with Obama is to take place, China announced it will shortly launch a new vessel carrying new intercontinental ballistic missiles, each capable of carrying two nuclear warheads.

The new missiles are capable of targeting any area of the U.S.

I wrote about the new vessel(s) and missiles in my column re whether we are war ready. I also pointed out that the U.S. did not have the present capacity to ward off the missiles.

Enjoy your day!

U.S. WAR READY?

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It recently was mentioned that United States ground forces will be the smallest since the end of World War II. Four hundred twenty thousand. Strange. At a time when the U.S. is confronted with hostile forces and hostility in many places, ground troops may not be sufficient in the event of a major conflict. Some experts say two conflicts in different places definitely will create a situation the U.S. cannot handle.

 

How did all this come about?

 

The U.S. is a war weary nation. Seventeen years of fighting somewhere. Often more than one place. Troops are tired. The American people sick of war. Sequestration cutting heavily and disproportionately into the military budget.

 

ISIS is with us everywhere. Americans have to be vigilant militarily and personally. ISIS is not the major concern, however. The concern is with Russia and China. Who is not war weary. While the U.S. has been fighting here and there for 17 years, Russia and China have not.

 

There are trouble spots in the world today. Hot spots. Tinderboxes. A spark which can ignite world conflict. Even a World War III.

 

The four sensitive areas are the South and East China Seas, the Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Arctic.

 

China has decided to flex its muscle. Primarily, in the last five years.

 

China is making claim to significant portions of the South and East China Seas. Areas that historically and by treaty have generally belonged to Japan.

 

China is building islands where no land previously existed in these areas. Similar to erecting an oil rig in ocean waters. However, a bit larger. Airfields are being constructed on these manmade islands. China wants the capacity to project its power beyond the borders of its homeland.

 

There are a series of islands in the South and East China Seas. China now claims title. Japan says no, they are ours by treaty and historically. China ignores Japan’s claims. The situation is becoming heated. The islands are valuable because of the gas and oil reserves in their off shore waters.

 

By several treaties, the U.S. is duty bound to defend Japan in case of conflict with another nation. Would the U.S. meet its obligation? Many think not. If the U.S. did, a confrontation would be triggered between world powers.

 

Russia is in the China game. Russia and China have become bedfellows the past several years. While the U.S. and other nations have been sanctioning Russia heavily, Russia and China have become closer. They have entered into agreements regarding oil, gas and railroads spreading across two continents.

 

If the U.S. were at war with China, the U.S. could be at war with Russia also.

 

Until five years ago, China’s navy was insignificant. In the past five years, it has grown monumentally. China’s navy today may very well be more sophisticated than that of the U.S.

 

Today, China has 300 surface ships. Constructing more rapidly. The ships have high speed anti-ship cruise missiles. An expanding armada of guided missile warships, submarines and vessels. They are building carriers at a faster rate than the U.S.

 

China is building new naval vessels at the rate of 60 a year. The U.S. nowhere near that number. U.S. naval strength is numbered at 430 ships. Older and behind the times. Nowhere as up to date as China’s. The 430 number includes reserve vessels. Those not in use, sitting somewhere for the day they may be needed again. China’s 300 are active, not on a reserve list.

 

Some experts believe that the new missiles would be hard for the U.S. to guard against. The U.S. has yet to come up with a plan to answer China’s new found naval strength.

 

There is another reason why the U.S. has fallen behind China in addition to the reasons set forth earlier. U.S. intelligence. It appears to be the type of intelligence that got Bush 2 into Iraq.

 

It is said the U.S. does not understand. Perhaps so. Fifteen years of intelligence continues to suggest China’s military is merely for defensive purposes and focused mainly on the conflict with Taiwan. U.S. intelligence apparently never saw China’s new navy coming. China’s naval development in the last five years and the sophistication of its equipment.

 

China appears to be building its naval forces for eventual global power projection. Only the U.S. has been able to do it thus far. If China continues as it has the past five years, it will have to be feared.

 

Let’s look at Russia for a moment.

 

Russia is the thorn in the Ukraine and the Middle East. Russia generally takes a position in opposition to that of the U.S. and supports anyone whose interests are opposed to that of the U.S.

 

Russia is a half million military personnel behind the U.S. That is counting active military. If active military, reserve military and paramilitary are combined, Russia is 700,000 persons ahead of the U.S.

 

The Russian navy is no competition for the U.S. Its big ships are aged. Russia cannot afford to replace them. The Russian fleet has been described as a geriatric maritime giant. Old and unreliable.

 

Whereas the U.S. spends $600 billion a year on its military, Russia only $60 billion.

 

Russia does not seem to worry about the numbers or overall condition of its forces. Not if it can depend on China.

 

In July, Russia did come out with a new vessel. One that exceeds anything the U.S. has. A ship designed to conduct electronic warfare.

 

Russia recently spread its wings into Arctic waters. This past July, Putin announced Russia was claiming over a half million square miles of the Arctic Sea. Arctic waters have acquired a value of their own. Global warming has a part in it.

 

The Arctic Sea contains untapped gas and oil reserves. Also important, new shipping lanes are opening as Arctic ice melts.

 

Readiness is involved. Russia has 40 icebreakers operating in the Arctic Sea. The U.S. only 2.

 

The solution to the U.S. problems as described must start with Congress allocating more monies to the military budget. If conflict comes. it will be on our shores this time. An expanded 9/11. It will not be as with Pearl Harbor where the U.S. was able to convert its peacetime plants to the production of war equipment.

 

Another concern is the type of military. The U.S. has a volunteer military. It has worked well. However in any major conflict, more military personnel will be required. It will not come in the numbers needed voluntarily. The U.S. should start thinking draft again. Everyone for two years  out of high school. Unpopular. However better than living under Russian and/or Chinese domination.

 

The U.S. must not be caught with its pants down. Too many lives, too much of everything at stake.

POST ERIKA

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Sorry to feature Erika three consecutive days. However when you live on a sub-tropical island subject to all kinds of tropical storms, weather is all important.

No more Erika after today. I promise.

Key West was supposed to experience heavy rain and winds yesterday. Can’t always trust the weather man. There was a heavy rainstorm for about 10 minutes in the morning. That was it. Gray all day. Minimal wind. No more rain.

I stayed in and lounged around all day. I did not want to be somewhere with streets flooded and I would find it difficult to get back home.

It appears it did not rain during the evening. The sun is breaking out this morning,.

Two banks of clouds. A white one on top. A gray one below. An hour ago, the white ones were moving south and the gray north. Just now, both moving north. Direction important. Most adverse weather comes from the north. Rarely from the south. Yesterday and today so far, most items moving south to north. The remnants of Erika.

Fred is still off the coast of Africa. Over the Cape Verde Islands. A category 1 already. Expected not to make the U.S. Anticipated it will peter out somewhere over the Atlantic.

We shall see. Wind is fickle.

Part of yesterday was spent composing this week’s KONK Life column. Private Prisons. Publishes wednesday.

Interesting material. The column covers prison slave labor as constitutionally protected by specific words in the 13th Amendment. The observation that private prisons are proving not to be financially feasible for governmental agencies. Wall Street investing heavily in private prisons.

Corruption. A judge recently sentenced to 28 years because he took $1 million in bribes to send over a five year period 2,000 plus youngsters to private detention centers. The 2,000 plus young people did not commit anything warranting detention time.

Gene Thornton wrote a comment to yesterday’s blog re American Pharoah. Note, not Jean Thornton. Gene Thornton.

I used to enjoy Saratoga when I lived up north. I enjoyed betting at the track. Generally losing. The cost to watch beautiful horses run.

Gene gave me an education. I thought when a horse was put out to stud, he wandered around grass fields having fun impregnating female horses. I was wrong.

What I learned. Gestation period for a mare is 11 months. Most mating takes place in February. Mating takes place in a special stall inside, not outside in the fields. There was wisdom in continuing to run American Pharoah after his Triple Crown victories. American Pharoah should be run through the Breeders Cup late in October.

I would repeat the comment in its entirely. However, it is too long. If you wish to read it, it can be found under Comments following yesterday’s blog on WordPress.

Thank you, Gene Thornton.

We are into lobster season. Eighty percent of the spiny lobsters caught in the Keys are shipped to China and other Asian markets. Big business!

This morning’s Key West Citizen in The World Almanac section published its quote of the day. William Sayoran in one of his writings said, “Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success…”

True. From my experience. I have always maintained that you have to be a loser before you can be a winner. Winning is a learning process. We learn from our mistakes. So it was in my life.

Enjoy your day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROOSTICA!

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Island living can’t be beat. Especially if the island is Key West!

This summer has been exceptional. The weather outstanding. Tourists many. Everyone happy. If there is a negative, it is the humidity. A bit heavy. To be expected. You get use to it after a while, however. Requires an extra shower most days.

Roostica celebrated its third anniversary monday. How quickly time moves. Seems the restaurant opened only yesterday.

Bobby Mongelli presently owns three Stock Island eateries. Roostica, Hogfish and Geiger Key. Rumor has it that he is contemplating a fourth on Stock Island.

I enjoyed dinner at Roostica last night. Ran into some bocce fans. They do not play. However show up every thursday evening to cheer teams on.

The new bocce season begins tomorrow night. Going to be interesting. We will be short staffed. People away. Only 5 players expected. I may have to play three games. I have not in years.

I spent yesterday afternoon fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

The show was limited to police incidents. Ferguson motivated. Sunday was one year since the Michael Brown shooting. Followed up Ferguson with several recent police incidents. Ended the show analyzing possible solutions.

Ferguson this year was marred with another shooting. Tyrone Harris.

My concern is with Oath Keepers. A citizen’s military group. Comprised of present and former military and law enforcement persons. A vigilante type group. Wearing military fatigues and carrying weapons.

They were all over Ferguson. The police did not interact with them. Local police were waiting for instructions from upstairs which never came.

Keep your eye on Oath Keepers. A bad situation developing. They are a law unto themselves.

Key West in recent months has had several changes suggested/under consideration. The most recent a proposed $115,000 study to see what could be done to improve Duval Street.

Turns out these recent ideas are the brain child of Thaddeus Cohen. Cohen is Key West’s new Planning Director. He has been on the job less than four months.

Cohen’s approach to the job appears to be too much too soon. Change for the sake of change is not wise. If something works, leave it alone. Do not waste money on studies Key West can ill afford. It has recently been advised Key West taxes will go up significantly as a result of the new budget..

Freedom of the press is being abused. The media is ignoring Bernie Sanders. He is bringing out crowds in the thousands. Little is reported. It gives one the feeling the media has decided who the players should be and are intentionally ignoring an upstart such as Sanders.

Trump, an upstart also, is getting great media play on the other hand.

It is wrong for the media to pick and choose candidates for us.

I am on in my years. A life time of living makes for a big experience factor. I have learned all that glitters is not gold.

China based stocks on U.S. exchanges had been doing well till recently. Extremely well. I gave serious consideration to investing in some. Glad I did not. The Chinese stocks have fallen dramatically since mid June.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

THE WORLD IS UPSIDE DOWN…..

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I watch Morning Joe every day. Religiously.

Joe’s opening lines this morning sort of paraphrased the title of my book. The World Upside Down.

Joe opened with…..”The world is upside down. The political world is upside down.” The reference to media handling of Trump. Anti-Trump pitch, incorrect quote reporting and failing to recognize the mood of the country.

I have had similar thoughts the past two weeks. The media seem to want to take control of the election. Influence the electorate. Not the way things are supposed to be done. An unencumbered free press delivers information to the people. Influencing/controlling not the media’s responsibility.

I am normally up and at the computer between 5 and 6 in the morning. Not yesterday. My Saturday night went so late that I overslept. Woke at 8:30. I had to hustle to get yesterday’s blog out.

Sunday is writing day for me. My weekly KONK Life column. It is due at the publisher’s by Sunday. This week’s article concerns a Hemingway love affair. His first. Titled Hemingway’s First Love. Took several hours.

It’s good! Sorry to say so myself. It tells the whole story. The tale does not end soon after Hemingway left Italy. It involves events which occurred in Key West in the 1960s following his death. Revealing.

Dinner at Roostica last night. Spaghetti with meatballs and sausage special. The sauce the closest to that which my mother and grandmother made. My only complaint is that pork pieces are not available. The pork falls apart in the Roostica preparation. Pork adds to the flavor of the sauce. I miss having  pieces to eat.

One thing I continue considering odd.  My people called sauce sauce. Everyone in Utica called it sauce. I never heard gravy till Roostica opened. I raised the issue with other Italian-Americans here in Key West. All only knew sauce as gravy. Interesting.

Terri White coming east! She has a solo performance scheduled at The Kennedy Center in New York City on October 16. I hope she and Donna can find the time to shoot down to Key West for a few days afterwards.

I have mentioned here and on my blog talk radio show several times this past year of China’s move into the South China Sea.

China has been in the business of what might be described as land reclamation. They are building small islands where water previously existed. The purpose to erect airfields on the islands. It greatly extends China’s ability to exert dominance in the area.

Also involved is China’s naval buildup the past five years. China has swiftly constructed a large navy. Superior to anything the U.S. can place in the area. Our Navy has not received sufficient funds in recent years. We are spread too thin to counter China’s buildup in the South Seas area.

Time to pay attention.

Ferguson in the news again. Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death. Seems just like yesterday. There were demonstrations. Police in battle equipment again.

Things got out of hand. A black was shot. He is dead.

Reports this morning tell us that some blacks were yelling…..We are at war!

Bothersome. Apparently things have not improved in Ferguson.

Enjoy your day!

OH, THE PAIN

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I hurt. The fall two days ago.

I woke yesterday morning sore all over. Tried bocce last night. Played only one game.

My night in bed was difficult. Could not find a spot without pain. It was my right hip. I could feel it swollen under the skin, but no discoloration.

This morning an abomination! Cannot sit, lay down or walk comfortably. My breath is taken away.

I am waiting to call the doctor. I can see x-rays or a CAT scan afterwards. I hope it is nothing more than a muscle pull.

Getting on in years is not a cup of tea!

Bocce last night went well. We won all three games. Record now 15-4. We are probably in second place. What a start!

My day started with a haircut. Lori always good company. We had a laughing conversation as she clipped away.

Another Harry Truman tid bit. On this day in 1952, he left Key West after a three week vacation. The second three week vacation I have reported recently. Part of the 175 days he spent in Key West.

I read an article yesterday to the effect that the number of Chinese coming to the United States for college educations had reached an unprecidented level. The report did not surprise me.

Many people read this blog. One is a Chinese mother presently living in San Francisco. She was here with her son who was a college student. When his education is complete, they would return to China. They were in the United States for the specific purpose of her son’s college education.

She told me the best educations were available in the U.S. She wanted her child to have the best. When they returned to China, her son would be better equipped for life than those his age who remained in China for college.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

FROM A SIX YEAR OLD TO DAVID IGNATIUS

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Yesterday was a pleasant uneventful Sunday.

The day started with Sloan in the morning. We worked long and hard on You Tube. I had thought we would be ready to go live by the end of the week. Now it looks like some time next week. There is a lot more to it than I had thought. Lighting, where I sit, introduction, etc. I was under the impression I would download or whatever You Tube and speak.  It is that simple. But not if you want the product to have a quality to it.

Walked. The Casa Marina area. Parked my car and started with a walk through the Casa Marina grounds. The Casa Marina is one of Key West’s finest hotels. Then around the neighborhood. I ended up at Salute’s, a beach side restaurant near the Casa. Sat outside at a little round table and watched the ladies in their swim wear. A pleasurable activity for a senior citizen!

Sunday dinner once again at Lisa’s. Ally is six years old. In the first grade. She was doing homework. She had to write a sentence using the word “grip.” She did not know what the word meant. She did not ask anyone. She walked over and picked up this big blue book. I asked what the book was and what she was doing. She said I have to write a sentence using the word grip and I do not know what it means. The book was  a dictionary.

Some TV commentary.

I love Mad Men. It is a 1960s story. I started practicing law during that decade. The show has been a hit for several years. Last night I got the feeling it might have run its course. The show is becoming unreal.

I watch at least the first hour of Morning Joe every morning. A guest this morning was The Washington Post’s David Ignatius. He was being interviewed about a column he recently wrote. It had to do with where the United states would be/could be by 2020. Only eight years away.

A couple of his opinions I found interesting and informative.

Ignatius says that our national gas production will be so significant by 2020 that the United States will be exporting natural gas to the same extent that Saudi Arabia is oil now.

Another was that international companies are beginning to change their minds about opening plants in China. Labor in China is 60 per cent of what it would cost in the United States. There has been a slowly  increasing cost to Chinese labor.

So why the United States over China for a new plant? Productivity. United States workers turn out more and better. The difference in labor costs is overcome by the productivity factor.

Both of these opinions is dependent on a separate and distinct factor. Washington must get its act together. It will only happen if the politicians work together.

My day is starting rapidly. Lisa telephoned that Robert is upchucking. Buy popsicles. Yesterday one of my implants broke and the teeth don’t stay in. I just called the dentist. I have to be in his office at nine.

Enjoy your day!