TOLSTOY’S WAR AND PEACE

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A quiet soft-peddling day yesterday. Only time out of the house was for a walk in the morning.

Spent time working on tonight’s podcast. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Intended to go to Aqua for Dueling Bartenders. Changed my mind. Instead remained home and watched a movie I last saw 61 years ago in 1956.

The move to a new home brought with it new Comcast equipment. One item, the remote control. Appears to have access to everything.

One thing that excites me is I now speak to change channels. No clicking anything. Only problem is you have to know what you want to see. Either channel name or whatever name.

One of the whatevers is a movie selected by name.

I was playing around with the remote around 5. A learning process.

In 1956, I was a junior in college. I took several Russian history courses. One required a reading of Tolstoy’s War and Peace and thereafter a paper analyzing the novel. The paper 25 percent of the final grade.

War and Peace an opus. The paperback version 1,440 pages.

I was working two jobs at the time. Six to 10 hours a day, depending on the day. Taking 18 hours. Something had to give.

I cheated. Not the usual type cheating. Cheating never the less.

The War and Peace movie had just come out. About 3.5 hours. The movie long as was the book. I went to see the movie.

Then to the library. Read a very brief synopsis and several lengthy comments.

Made notes along the way.

The time finally arrived. The paper had to be written. Sat down at my portable Smith-Corona and went to work. My recollection is the paper was about 12 pages single spaced. Redid it twice to get everything right.

I received a B+ on the paper.

I was proud and did not feel guilty.

I enjoyed the movie War and Peace last night. I had only seen it that one time in 1956. The new remote and Comcast programming permitted it.

The reason I was never able to watch it on TV over the years was it never ran. Available today as a pay film. Only $3.99.

War and Peace involves a Russian family and Napoleon’s ill fated attack of Russia in 1812. The theme song especially enchanting.

I consider War and Peace the second best Russian film I have seen. The other, Dr. Zhivago. Never read Zhivago. However, it never required reading in any course I took.

Donald Trump and Donald Trump, Jr. have a propensity to lie. Must be an asset in the construction business. Not otherwise in life.

Lying always leads to trouble. The lies have to be expanded. Each to explain the previous.

Re lying, Abraham Lincoln and Mark twain said it well.

Lincoln said, “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.”

Twain, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”

As I used to tell juries in summation in cases where I had caught a witness in a significant lie: Woe the web we weave when first we seek to deceive.

I am a bit of a hypocrite this morning. I criticize the Trumps for lying when I cheated on a paper. Not comparable. However, both immoral.

Podcast time tonight. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

Topics include the cost of housing and the dying middle class, Venezuela currency collapse, proposed U.S. Space Corps, Bernie Sanders’ wife getting unfairly beaten up.

Also, my thoughts re FBI nominee Christopher Wray, millions in the process of fleeing Somalia and Sudan for Europe, the capture of the golf course crocodile, and Hemingway Days.

Interesting material. A fast moving half hour. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

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!

 

 

MIGHTY OAKS FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW

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Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.

The old English phrase came to mind as I read this morning’s Key West Citizen. A picture of the then new Pier House Motel circa 1968 appeared on page 2. The seed of today’s magnificent hotel property.

My yesterday began with the anti-gravity treadmill. I keep saying…..love the machine!

Then to another love. Tammy at Lee Nails. Manicure time.

Tammy shared that husband Ricky’s uncle and family had visited for the weekend. Uncle, wife and two children. Lots of people. Lots of cooking and eating. Lots of fun. She was tired, but still enthused from it all.

Tammy was born in Vietnam. She has lived in the U.S. 12 years. Her weekend reminded me of the visits by Italian relatives when I was a child. The same scenario.

The Cuban Coffee Queen my next stop. A Cuban cheese toast and Cuban coffee. Read the newspapers.

Spent the afternoon working on tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics include the past week’s police fiascos, the U.S. Marshalls who raided the wrong apartment and required a mother and her two daughters to stand naked outside, a GMO update, gangs in America, free college educations, compulsory military service, and more.

The Chart Room first last night. Sheila and Jean there. Lovely people. Great personalities. The three of us a mutual admiration society. I enjoyed my time with them.

Decided to have dinner at Tavern ‘n Town. Struck gold! Met wonderful people.

Sat at the bar per my usual custom. Seated nearby were Bill and Joyce. Bill lives on Sugarloaf and Cindy on Cudjoe.

Bill originally from Pittsburg. He and his family are in the wholesale food business. Publix a customer. Bill’s company is known as Pati Petite Cookies.

Joyce a personality. Full of vim and vigor. Delightful. Beautiful. A contagious laugh. Recently retired.

There had to be a reason for Joyce’s bright honest exuberance. It finally came out. She is from Indiana!

Joyce has part time position. She is a roving security guard at Venture Out, a housing complex near Square Grouper. Roving the operative word. She rides a golf cart.

I felt a soft arm around me. It was Mary Ann Westerlund. A Key West friend of many years. Her husband Roger passed on two months ago. Mary Ann is getting along.

Bill and Joyce left. Mary Ann Westerlund appeared for a moment. Then came Lisa who sat where Bill and Joyce had. Lisa another great meet.

Lisa an orthodontist. Root canal specialist. She is from somewhere on the mainland. Has a Key West office in Perry Plaza that she visits each week.

Excellent company. Tired. Decided to stay overnight at the Marriott rather than drive back.

Lisa is married. Mother of two. Proudly showed me her children’s pictures. Her Dad badly ill. The concern heavy on her.

A lovely young lady. She is friends with my Key West dentist George Linder. I spent a few minutes boring her with the story of my implants which Dr. Linder did. Love my implants!

I finished the evening sitting alone at the bar with a snifter of Grand Marnier. Thinking what a pleasant evening, what nice people.

I wrote yesterday that Terri White would be appearing in New York on October 16 at the Kennedy Center. Did I screw the whole thing up!

Terri is appearing October 16 in Washington, DC in the Terrace Theater Upstairs at Kennedy Center. Thank you Marty from Blue Ridge for correcting me. I have not heard from Donna yet re the mistake. I am sure I will.

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!