THE CHICKEN PADDLEBOARDS

Posted on by

Key West and chickens go hand in hand. Tourists love them. Always snapping pictures of them.

I consider the chickens a dirty blight on our landscape.

Not all, however. Someone has a pet chicken. Yes, A pet. Called Loretta.

Loretta’s mistress is Karly Venezia.

This morning’s CBS  Miami reported the story. With videos. Loretta perched on the front of a paddleboard with Karly paddling. Other videos of Loretta following Karly around the house.

Loretta is one year old.

I was not aware chickens were trainable. Apparently Loretta was. Good job, Karly!

Loretta’s story has to be an only in Key West one!

A follow up to yesterday’s story re armed masked mercenaries walking the streets of San Juan. San Juan today. The streets of America tomorrow.

Think about it.

New York State is trying to be helpful as regards Puerto Rico. New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo behind the move.

Two days ago, 78 doctors, nurses and other health care providers were flown to San Juan. Under Governor Cuomo’s auspices. They will be deployed throughout Puerto Rico.

On October 10 and again under the direction of Governor Cuomo, 425,000 pounds of food stuffs were flown to Puerto Rico. Things like water, diapers, baby wipes, baby food, canned goods, juice pouches, solar lamps, and dry food.

Cuomo also sent his Homeland Security Commissioner Roger Parrino to supervise distribution of the supplies.

This is governor morning.

Governor Rick Scott. He impresses me more and more.

Florida’s Jewish community centers and day care schools have received increased bomb threats. Scott has asked the legislature to set aside $1 million in January’s budget to protect them. An increase from the $654,000 authorized this past year.

My Comments section has not been receiving comments the past several days. All comments barred. Good or bad. I became concerned and asked Sloan yesterday to look into it.

I have not spoken to Sloan this morning. However, it appears the problem has been resolved. Comment away, my friends! And adversaries, too!

Waiting for a book to finally be published is like waiting for a baby to be born. I am nervous and edgy. Hopefully Irma and Me will make its introduction to the world in the next few days.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

DICK MACPHERSON

Posted on by

One of Syracuse’s greatest football coaches has passed on. Dick MacPherson died yesterday. He was 86.

Syracuse’s glory days were long gone when MacPherson arrived at Syracuse in 1981. His charge was to return Syracuse to those days. He did.

MacPherson coached at Syracuse ten years. From 1981 to 1990. Two events stick out in my mind. The 1987 team that went undefeated. The other, the 1984 defeat of #1 Nebraska 17-9.

The Nebraska game sticks out in my mind. I doubt I missed being at the Carrier Dome for a football game in the years I had a private box. Except for Nebraska in 1984. A relative was being married in Utica. During the ceremony, I was sitting in the rear of Mount Carmel Church with a small radio pressed to my ear.

My blood ran orange. Still does.

MacPherson was a warm personality. A kind word for everyone. A family man. His daughter Maureen went to Syracuse Law School with my son John. She was a visitor to the box. MacPherson himself would visit during the basketball season.

Jim Boeheim said yesterday: “He was one of those rare guys that everyone loved.” Could not have been said better.

The undefeated 1987 season was recognized. MacPherson was named Coach of the Year.

Following Syracuse, he moved to professional football. Coached the New England Patriots for two years. Then returned home to Syracuse to broadcast Syracuse football games.

MacPherson will be laid out on campus at Hendricks Chapel. Final services will be held at Hendricks Chapel.

——————————————

The last few weeks found COMMENTS becoming fewer and fewer. I could not understand. Were readers leaving me?

One of you found a way to get a comment in. By representing himself as Key west Lou. I suspect Patrick. The same person mentioned two days in a row that comments were being barred for some reason.

I had Sloan check it out yesterday. Sloan’s efficiency responsible. She turned off COMMENTS. Never told me.

Sloan thought too much spam and trash were finding their way into COMMENTS. She set things up so comments were held till such time as approved.

Sloan never approved anything. Nor did I. I was not even aware.

The situation has been corrected. Comment away! I too enjoy reading them.

 

ONE LYFT IN TOWN

Posted on by

If ever a community is in need of Uber and Lyft, it is Key West. Taxi service slow, vehicles filthy. Locals and tourists alike do not receive the door to door service they are entitled to. Uber and Lyft would assist in relieving traffic congestion.

Uber tried a couple of years ago. Key West’s Bubba system won out. Taxi owners won. Uber left.

The Florida House of Representatives had a bill filed this week structuring requirements for online car service. Considered the beginning of getting Uber and Lyft on the streets of all Florida communities. The bill still has the State Senate to go through and then must be signed into law by the Governor.

Lyft is testing the waters. The bill is not required. However, municipalities have been using the excuse of waiting for State direction before allowing Uber and Lyft to provide service.

The Key West story.

Lyft is testing the waters. A Lyft vehicle has been operating in Key West since thursday. Only one.

How will Key West react to this solitary Lytle vehicle? Stop the service? Arrest the driver as they did with Uber? Let this sole driver slide into the signing of the new law?

My one day time trip away from home yesterday afternoon was to Publix. Prices continue to edge up. Amazing! We soon will have to raise our own produce and animals for slaughter (said with tongue in cheek).

I question how people can continue to afford groceries. Especially in a stagnant income situation.

Spent most of the day lying around. Being lazy. Read, slept, watched TV.

Wonderful evening! Enjoyed the company of Tim and Linda at the Hot Tin Roof. Both Madison County, New York residents. Visiting Key West. Ted lives in Cazenovia. Linda in a small town outside Canastota.

Ted is a former Court Clerk. Linda worked in the judicial system. Ted here for a month. Staying at the Banyan. Linda visiting for a week. Both good company. Enjoyed Linda, especially.

We started at 7. We were one of the last tables to leave. The sign of a great evening.

Weekends are unusually busy at the Hot Tin Roof. Extra help hired for the weekends. Most, young immigrants. Hard working! Impressive!

I do one Facebook video a day. A Key West Lou one. Number of followers increasing. Dramatically.

Interestingly, most blog readers are not video followers and vice versa.

One of the Sunday morning talk show commentators made what I consider a comically true statement re Trump. Something to the effect…..If Trump wants to find he is #1 in everything, he should buy a mirror.

Those of you who comment do so at your own risk. Some days are brutal. Today, not. An excellent review of healthcare problems. Zeroing in on one party payer, Medicare, and supplemental plans.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

 

 

WHO’S THE FAIREST ONE OF ALL?

Posted on by

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released this date 1938. The first face and words were those of the Wicked Queen. She looked in the mirror and asked…..Who’s the fairest one of all?

I saw the movie sometime in the late 1930s. I was probably 4 or 5. At a neighborhood theater in Utica. The Rialto. With my cousins Phil and Louis. Both a couple of years older than me.

The Wicked Queen scared me.

Movies in those days ran two films back to back. The second film was Gunga Din. My cousins wanted to see the Snow White film again. So we did. In those days the films were run continuously and the theaters did not empty out between shows.

Last night began with Buonasera Venezia at the Bottlecap. A Sons and Daughters of Italy fundraiser. The group does a good job. The place filled inside and out.

Liz was with me. We got there a late. Everyone eating. No seats anywhere.

I can eat standing. Liz cannot. She had a bad hip operation and is waiting a second one. I who fall all the time have to hold on to her to make sure she does not fall. The blind leading the blind!

We did not stay.

I decided on Spencer’s. The Reach’s fancy restaurant. Had not been there in several years.

The food and ambiance excellent. The open porch sits on the water. Beautiful! Steaks outstanding! Service excellent!

Pricey. If a local, the 20 percent discount makes up for it.

Ran into Peter and Holly Diamond. They were finishing dinner when we arrived. Liz and the Diamonds old friends. Josefina stopped by to say hello. One of Liz’s regular girl friends.

Syracuse/Virginia at noon. Virginia ranked #9 nationally. Virginia a 6 point favorite.

I will miss the game. Steve Attis’ services today. Begin at noon at the funeral parlor with a New Orleans funeral parade to St. Mary Star of the Sea Church. Donald and I are going to march in the parade.

Trump continues to screw the American public. Maybe the world.

His desire to weaken Dodd-Frank will result in a boon to the banking industry. Dodd-Frank was passed to ensure the financial world’s wrongdoings which lead to 2008 would not happen again.

It will, if Trump is successful in getting rid of most of Dodd-Frank. The only one benefiting will be Trump’s friends, the banks.

As a society, we never learn. We always let the fox back into the hen house.

Even the famous and somewhat powerful delayed by Trump’s immigration/refugee executive order. A former Norwegian Prime Minister was delayed when arriving in Dulles for an hour. My apologies, his name escapes me. He was in the U.S. to attend the National Prayer Breakfast. He carried a diplomatic passport.

The passport noted he had been in Iran in 2014. The cause of his delay.

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog that change in male dress was occurring in Key West. Men wearing sport jackets. Locals included.

The proof in the pudding was a picture in this morning’s E-Blast. Paul Tuppino is a conch, icon and one of Key West’s leading business persons. He was at a KWFW function at the Casa Marina. Wearing a white sport jacket!

Mark Zuckerberg was a Harvard sophomore on this date in 2004. He launched what is now Facebook that day. Active monthly users on Facebook average 1.7 billion.

Zuckerberg  in effect invented the safety pin and a better mouse trap at the same time.

My readers, a Louis compliment. The comment page can be difficult. Some days horrendous. Whether attacking me or someone else.

Today’s exchange unbelievable. Not one nasty comment. The issue at hand discussed intelligently and fairly. Thank you. I did not think it possible.

If it never happens again, I will still remember that one day when everyone was nice to each other and thought prevailed over discord.

Enjoy your day!