OUTSTANDING FLAGLER RAILWAY EXHIBIT

Slept late. Bed followed by a meeting. Ergo, blog late today. Sorry.

I went to the opening of the Flagler Railway Exhibit at the Custom House last night. Outstanding!

Curator Dr. Cori Convertino performed well. She was in charge of the exhibit. A permanent one. A lot of work and time had to be involved. The finished product made it worthwhile.

I could not find Nicky’s drawing of Flagler. It’s there. I will return when there is no crowd and I can take my time looking.

Dr. Convertino in attendance, of course. All decked out in long. Looked terrific! A hug and a kiss of congratulations.

Ran into George. George is a female. She bartends at Hogsbreath. For at least 15 years.

I had not seen her in years. She never changes. I told her so. Looks the same as when I first met her at Lisa’s wedding 13 years ago.

Walked over to the Chart Room following the exhibit. Another fun evening.

Sheila was there. First time in three months that I have seen her. Sat next to her.

Linda Cunningham seated next to Sheila. She contributed to making it an enjoyable evening. In her other life, Linda was an editor. In Key West, she is a Board member of The Stars and Stripes.

Kevin and Holly at the other end of the bar. Chatted with them briefly. Holly her usual lovely self.

Met Grace and Steve. They reside in one of the Villages. Visiting Key West for the holiday weekend.

Grace into legal case management. Steve a former crane operator. Now, retired.

Nice people. Steve especially expressive.

John handled the bar well. Joined in the conversations when he could.

Zbigniew Brzezinski died. Eighty nine years old. A distinguished American. He was National Security Adviser under President Carter. He succeeded Henry Kissinger in the position.

Brzezinski’s family escaped Europe before World War II. Amazing the heights Brzezinski attained.

He is the father of Mika Brzezinski, one of the Morning Joe hosts.

The Rainbow Flag. One and a quarter miles long. From one end of Duval to the other. An expression gay pride.

A portion of the flag is referred to as Section 93. It has been exhibited in several parts of the U.S. and as far away as Australia.

On January 11, Section 93 will participate in a unity and pride parade in Washington, DC. The Equality March for Unity and Pride. It will lead the parade.

Big time sailboat races no more in Key West. For thirty years, the Key West Race Week held in waters off Key West. A big deal!

Unfortunately, participation has dwindled. In 2001, 326 boats. In 2016, 130. This past January, 90.

The numbers explain the cancellation determination.

At a Trump rally in March, Senator Jim Kane’s son was present. Senator Kane was Hillary’s Vice-Presidential running mate.

The son is Linwood “Woody” Kane.

Young Kane was opposed to Trump. He and friends disrupted the rally. One threw a smoke bomb.

That was March. He was arrested this week for his activities at the rally. My question: Why did it take two months to arrest him? Does not make sense.

You can always find an outside the box event in the Keys. This afternoon a dog wash fundraiser. Sponsored by the Sheriff’s Department. Being held at the Keys Animal Hospital. The proceeds go to the Florida Keys SPCA.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

TERRI ON THE MEND

It was back to the Lower Keys Medical Center at 8 yesterday morning for the CAT scan. Properly home medicated before hand.

I thought I would have to go through Admissions again. I had no order form this time. No papers. I felt like my grandfather when he was getting off the boat from Italy.

Not a problem. The radiologist was waiting for me at the door to the hospital. She took me by the hand and lead me to her department. Telling me I needed nothing. She was using monday’s paper work.

The whole thing took 15 minutes. The radiologist was Mechelle. I spelled it correctly. That is the way her parents spelled it. A Navy family.

I was wobbly when I got off the table. Continued to walk a bit unsteady. Into the elevator and up to the third floor. Wobbly walk continued as I entered Terri’s room.

The radiologist told me not to drive. I might feel that way. I did.

Donna a good friend. She picked me up and after returned me to my home. Donna was with Terri. The hospital is 5 minutes from my home. Donna was happy to get out of the hospital for a few minutes. She has been sleeping overnight on a chair in Terri’s room.

Terri looked terrific! She looked like death warmed over monday. The doctors still do not know why her kidneys were screwed up. A high number. Now coming down.

Her immediate problem was blood. they discovered tuesday night she was losing blood. Gave her two pints. That is why Terri was herself when I saw her.

She was hungry when she woke. First time she ate while in the hospital. She was sitting up in bed paying her bills over her cell phone when I arrived.

Don’s Place first last night. Chatted with David, Toni and Becca.

Then to the Back Door at Aqua and Mark Watson. Mark very concerned about Terri. They are close.

Quiet. Three guys in drag walked through.

Parking is a gigantic problem during Fantasy Fest. Does not exist. Lucky to find a spot 8-10 blocks away. To visit Back Door, I park in the public lot behind the new fire station. Not last night. Signs all over the place…..No Parking.

A pain in the ass. Obviously the City is preparing to use the lot for the remainder of Fantasy Fest for something else. Probably the buses bringing in out of town tourists who come in for a day from Miami. Typical City Commission attitude. Screw the locals!

I finally found a spot on the street after driving around a few minutes. City meter. $2 an hour. Same as in the parking lot. Much less convenient, however.

Then to Tavern ‘n Town for something to eat. Quiet. Every one downtown.

Soup and an appetizer. Followed by Key Lime pie. I had not had a piece in a while.

Michael entertaining. He took a long break and we chatted at the bar. Presidential politics.

Two guys sat next to me for a drink. We talked constantly. Primarily, Presidential politics.

One of the men was Bill Glowka from the Mecca, California area. A CPA. He was all aglow telling me about his participation with Galilee Center in California. He is a board member. The organization assists the needy.

Take a look at their website. An interesting operation. www.galileecenter.org.

I have begun asking people who they favor for President. Seems more Trump than Hillary. Many not voting. Several doing write ins.

The Trump supporters are middle aged men with out a college education. Blue collar workers. The women decidedly for Hillary. Those not voting think both are so bad that neither is worth their vote.

William Hackley has been writing the past several days of his hunting exploits. Must be the way food was put on the table in 1855. He generally shot ducks, teal and goose.

I finally get my flu shot today. Later than normal. I totally recommend the flu shot. Started 16 years ago. No flu since then. Prior to that time, I was good for three attacks a year.

USA Today ran an article yesterday saying that women will earn as much as men in 170 years. Don’t buy it! Today’s women will not stand for it. Equality will be achieved in the next decade.

Enjoy your day!

 

GOD IS GOOD

I have not been feeling well the past few days. Yesterday was no different. I decided to stay home and relax.

My planned event for the day was to watch the Syracuse/Virginia Tech game at 3:45. I had no expectation of Syracuse winning. A seventeen point underdog. Virginia ranked #17 in the country.

Syracuse won! Decisively! 31-17.

I felt better! Decided to shower and go out.

Ended up at Berlin’s. I craved stone crabs. First day of the season. Enjoyed three jumbo ones.

A Syracuse victory and stone crabs! The Lord was good to me.

Guy deBoer was at Berlin’s enjoying a cigar. We had dinner together.

The nuisance flooding Key West is experiencing is a twice a year event. Spring and Fall. It is called King Tides. The flooding caused by the location of the Earth, moon and sun. Resulting in the highest ocean tides of the year.

The screwworm invasion a burgeoning problem. Locals met at the Big Pine Key Park recently with officials. More and more Key deer are suffering and being euthanized. Also several home pets. The authorities are on the problem. The cure is known. Everything in the works. Time and patience now.

Orchid growing popular in the Keys. Orchids grow well in our climate.

Many homeowners plant orchids on the trunks of their palm trees. I had it done when I purchased my home 18 years ago. A few months later, beautiful orchids! The orchids renewed themselves each year. Mine lasted 10 years till for whatever reason they stopped appearing.

The Orchid Society is having a presentation of their home grown orchids today at West Martello. I have seen the event a few times over the years. Beauty to behold. Worth seeing.

The Presidential election continues to give me concern. No question, I am anti-Trump. The man is demented. How can he talk or suggest the election is rigged, rebellion, assassination, if he loses he will not accept the results, and most recently that Hillary was on drugs during the last debate.

Add to it Trump and Bill’s sex lives. What happened to issues, the economy, fair wages, international problems, the Affordable Care Act, etc.?

“John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave.”

On this date in 1858, John Brown attacked Harpers Ferry. He was captured, tried and convicted. Hung December 2, 1858. Buried December 8, 1858.

No prolonged appeals in those days.

John Brown was buried in front of his home in Lake Placid, New York. Actually the village of North Elbo, a part of Lake Placid.

Fifteen years ago, my former wife and I were visiting Bruce Evans and his wife at their second home in Lake Placid. Bruce lived in the Utica area.

Bruce was my golf partner at our local golf club. He quietly put up with my poor playing for several years.

Bruce belonged to a golf club in Lake Placid, also. He invited me up to play in that club’s member-guest tournament.

We won our flight by the way. It was hard to lose with my gigantic handicap.

We were rained out one day. We took a ride on the back roads. Lake Placid is part of the Adirondack mountains. High up. Cool in the summer. Freezing cold in the winter.

We came upon John Brown’s home and grave. Bruce had not seen it before, either. The grounds now a New York State Historical Site.

Brown was buried in front of his home.

The home tiny. Rectangular. Simple. Two floors. Two rooms downstairs and one up.

Brown fathered 20 children. Thirteen by his second wife Mary Ann Day. His first wife died. When Brown was home, he lived in the small house with Mary Ann and thirteen of his children.

Tight quarters. Everyone had to sleep tight against to each other. Not a bad scenario in the winter when the cold wind and snow came storming down from Canada.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

ONCE AGAIN…..DAVID WOLKOWSKY

Key West forgets not David Wolkowsky. Without him, the Key West of today would not have been.

David today is 97 years young. He has vim and vinegar. The body may have slowed a bit. The mind, not.

This morning’s Key West Citizen honors him in its Familiar Faces section. Page 1. There sits David holding a painting done by his friend Tennessee Williams.

The Citizen describes David correctly: Mogul, visionary and developer.

We owe you much, David!

My podcast tonight at 9 my time. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Join me. I guarantee you will enjoy the quick paced half hour.

Topics tonight include Trump’s purported locker room trash talk, what the U.S. may be considering re Syria, how Big Pharma censors the internet, compensatory contraception, Rothschilds throw a $100,000 a plate dinner for Hillary.

Also, the cozy relationship between Epstein and Bill Clinton, babies born with opiate addiction on the increase, NYCPD do not wear body cameras, opium growth in Afghanistan on the rise, robotic bees to be used for pollination purposes, and more.

Dueling Bartenders at Aqua last night. Tom and Rick. Plus, a talented young lady. Heather Mae. Tom introduced me to her when I arrived. What a voice! A visitor, I suspect.

Liz and Mary, also. Good to see the both. Enjoy talking with Liz. A mind. Taught security regulations before becoming a law school Dean.

Then Publix. A nice way to end an evening. I keep running out of food. I should buy more.

I have been my own grocery shopper for 11 years. Groceries have gone up! Decidedly! More than doubled during that time.

Trump’s locker room talk is bullshit. I have been in many locker rooms. Never heard that kind of talk. The man is demented. About himself. Men who talk about their sexual prowess are generally lacking in that regard.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

JUDY WOOD…..HEART ATTACK

One of Key West’s nicest persons is Judy Wood. Always a smile and a cheery hello. Judy is one of the bartenders at Tavern ‘n Town.

Last week, Judy had a heart attack. In Winn-Dixie. She is presently in intensive care at the Lower Keys Medical Center.

A prayer is in order.

A tough lady, lets hope she makes it.

Last night was Tavern ‘n Town for me. Bobby Nesbitt time.

The three ladies at the corner of the bar closest to Bobby Nesbitt. Lizabeth, Mary and Josefina. They  must show up at 3 in the afternoon to get the seats. A brief hello and peck on Liz’s cheek.

I sat at the other end of the bar.

Liz came over later to chat. A lovely lady. A knock out. In a black dress. Sexy. A compliment to her 82 years.

Lori and her husband arrived for dinner. Lori has been doing my hair at least 15 years. I had a full head when we started. Always sweet. Takes care of Lisa and the grandkids, also.

Met Jamis. She was sitting one seat away at the bar. An empty seat between us. Stayed empty the entire two hours we were together.

Not sure if I liked her.

Her background not a problem. She presently lives in Apollo Beach, near Tampa. A retired high  school teacher. In Key West for a second time. Other in 1993. Considers herself a Key West virgin. Three children. One with the Federal Reserve. Another an Army major. The third in cyber security.

She turned me off early on when she indicated a dislike for Joe Paterno. Thought he deserved what he got. I have always believed he got screwed.

She got into the conversation at some point that she was a Trumpee. She described herself as such. She sees no danger in a Trump victory.

She said she was waiting for her son. He was upstairs. They were staying at the Beachside. She telephoned him several times. No answer. Must be sleeping, she said. Had a menu. Never ordered. She was waiting for her son. I am not sure if she had more than one drink.

The empty seat bothered me. They are at a premium. If one asked if the seat was taken, she said her son was coming.

The son never appeared nor could she make contact with him.

I question whether a son was ever to appear. I think she wanted an empty seat next to her so she would not be crowded.

Twice I opted to stop talking with her. I found her aggravating. The first time I turned away and went back to reading the newspapers. The second time occurred when I was taking some info for my blog. I forget what she said. Closed my notebook, turned away and said she would not be in the blog. I was not being humorous. She had struck a sensitive cord for whatever.

Her tuned  changed immediately. She obviously wanted to be in the blog. And so she is. Getting more space than entitled. Yet so deserving as she pissed me off. Not easy to do.

Notre Dame walloped Syracuse 50-33. Notre Dame a top team. I was impressed. Everything about the team great. Syracuse had flashes of brilliance. Not enough yet. Not there yet. This season turning out to be a tune up for next year.

Sloan’s picture was in Facebook. With her twin sister. Did not know she had a twin. I was astounded. Could not tell them apart.

Hurricane Matthew not nice. Reached a category 5 yesterday for a brief time. Now back to a category 4. Still heading for Jamaica. Next Haiti. Then Cuba.

A 4 or 5 will do massive destruction. A 5 a total wipeout. Nothing left standing. Key West included. I hope Matthew turns back to sea before hitting the keys.

Immigrants a problem of sorts even in the 1855 days of William Hackley. A local election. Hackley did not vote. The “foreign element is too strong.” Key West had a population of 2,000. Only 200 hundred white. The rest he described as not native born Americans.

The campaign is turning into a sex-along. What about jobs, the economy, Syria, etc.? Even immigration has been forgotten.

Trump’s fault. He apparently relishes in sexual discourse.

On an early morning TV news show today, a video of Trump was shown. Re something he said yesterday. He spoke of Bill Clinton’s misdeeds. Then suggested Hillary had her problems. Suggesting he might have to get into them.

The man is disgusting.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

My bocce team is doing well without me. Tied for first. 11-1.

This week’s Keynoter has an excellent article on lice. The little bugs that end up in children’s hair. Especially during school times. I remember the problem with my kids. Most recently with Robert and Ally a few years ago. Ally especially. Lisa was patient and spent hours combing and picking the bugs out.

There is now in South Florida a chain for lice treatment and removal. Appears successful.

I was impressed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has lice under study all the time. We are now into super lice. The super lice are resistant to usual medical/chemical treatment.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

A PEEK AT THE TRUTH

Sometimes my weekly KONK Life column takes longer than anticipated. Yesterday, I thought it would  be a breeze to get out. I was wrong. It took a couple of hours in the morning and four more in the afternoon.

The research had been done the day before.

It is not the basic writing that takes tine. It is the rewriting and editing. Especially, the rewriting. A word here, a line there, reorganization of paragraphs, etc.

Screwed up my day. I missed Don’s Place and watching pro football with Don and friends.

This blog reaches persons world wide. My podcast has a smaller audience. I suspect it is made up of  some blog readers but most are those that only listen to the show.

The KONK Life column is a different story. It reaches several thousand persons who I suspect neither read the blog or listen to the podcast.

There is sometimes an overlapping of material. I want to share what I consider the good stuff with everyone.

This week’s KONK Life column is A Peek At the Truth. Seven topics of misdeeds, wrongdoing, disagreeable activity, whatever. Some already commented on in this blog or my podcast. Some new. Each eye opening to some degree.

The William Hackley saga continues. Baby apparently well. No comment re Baby in two days. However, William’s leg a problem. Continues to be swollen from ankle to knee. He’s walking. It hurts. Used a liniment on it during the evening.

I had the problem once. Horrendous! Same area of the leg. Thought my leg was going to explode. A blood pressure problem for me. No mention of blood pressure in Hackley’s writing .

Medical care obviously and understandably not great in 1855.

Hillary is sick. She was diagnosed friday with pneumonia. Told few. Continued with her campaigning.

I watched her in an interview friday. Mentioned in saturday’s blog she did not come over well. Seemed to have slowed down. Thought it might be to contrast Trump. I mentioned at the end she could be sick.

She is sick. May she recover quickly.

Hopalong Cassidy died this day in 1972 at age 77. Hopalong’s true name was William Boyd. Boyd was a leading cowboy actor in movies of the 1930s.

TV superceded the movies in the years following World War II. Boyd played Hopalong Cassidy in a half hour TV show. His following primarily children. In 1950, Hopalong Cassidy was the seventh most popular TV show in America.

I did not contribute to Boyd’s success. I was a Gene Autry/Roy Rogers fan.

Tonight, Dueling Bartenders.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

A FIRST FOR ME

A first for me. A Key West first.

I was getting a manicure with Tammy yesterday. A woman nearby was getting a pedicure. Her dog, a pedicure also.

The dog a tiny one. Not tiny tiny. About 2/3 the size of a Jack Russell. Lying on her (I assume) back on her mother’s lap. Feet straight up in the air.

There was a separate woman doing the dog’s nails.

I said to Tammy…..Look! She said it was nothing. Many women bring their dogs in for a pedicure. Color, too. The dog I saw was having her nails colored.

Only in Key West? I don’t know. I was not aware dogs received pedicures and their nails colored in a human’s nail establishment.

Lunch at the Cuban Coffee Queen. Cuban cheese toast and cold Cuban coffee. Ruby is back.

AAA is losing money on me. Last week a call for a dead battery. Last night, a flat.

I was on my way to Back Door. To meet Donna and Terri. I got about a half mile towards town on US 1 and I had a flat. Not just a flat. A hole the size of a golf ball in the side of the tire. I have no idea what I drove over. Back to Sears today for a new tire.

Had to wait an hour for AAA to show up. They use Arnold’s. I had to wait two hours when the battery was dead.

It got dark as I waited. Had the blinker/warning lights on. First time I have ever used them. Better safe than sorry. Keith saw the car on the side of the road. He came over. Spent most of the waiting time keeping me company.

We discussed bocce. Big game tonight against Hell’s Rangers. The match will be interesting. I plan on being there. Only as a spectator.

Never made it to Back Door. Went home instead to listen to the Trump/Clinton forum. Too late for Hillary. Picked some of her comments up later in the evenings in reruns.

Did get to see Trump. I was impressed and unimpressed. He looks good and spoke well  when questioned by Matt Lauer. Trump’s problem….He does not answer questions.

The reruns of Hillary reminded me of her negatives I have seen for a long time. She is too serious. Answers too long. She tends to ramble.

Between the two, no question Hillary the more knowledgeable. Trump lacks the  knowledge and experience required for the job.

Sometimes, public officials fail to wear their thinking hats. The third Zika case has been reported in Monroe County. Not contracted here. From out of the country.

The public official was asked where in Monroe County does the third person reside. The response…..I can’t tell you.

Note, not who, not what address, only the community/area.

The Mosquito Control Board continues to exhibit a large degree of insanity. The Board last night approved the $4.9 million construction of a new building. Such requires an immediate 41 percent raise in taxes.

Something does not make sense. The Board pushes Oxitec’s genetically modified mosquito and the new building. With vigor. Why?

The Key West City Commission voted on the side of the angels last night. Voted against a resolution to support the introduction of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Keys. Finally did something right!

Sick people out there. An Oklahoma woman was arrested for marrying her daughter. Daughter of age. Charge: Incest. Several years ago, the mother was charged with incest for having married her son. The problem went away when the son divorced his mother on the grounds of incest.

Comcast is pissing me off! No TV reception since 2 this morning. I sleep with the TV on. No TV, I have been awake since 2.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

SCREW OFF WEDNESDAY

Wednesday again. Screw off Wednesday for me. Starts my three day weekend.

I do have a bit of work this evening for about an hour, however. Around six. Sloan will stop in. Miscellaneous things to deal with. Will go out when she leaves.

Spent parts of yesterday fine tuning last night’s podcast. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Did the show at 9. Trump and Hillary took up the first half. I could not avoid political talk. Especially after Trump’s comment re the Second Amendment and Hillary.

I was watching live on TV. My immediate reaction was that Trump was espousing doing away with Hillary. My vision was Klu Klux Klanners in the night, guns drawn, riding to attack her.

An early dinner at Roostica. Holly Ann took care of me.

Discovered Holly Ann has had some interesting years. She lived two in Sicily. Said it was outstanding!

Country living. Drank a lot of wine, ate a lot of food, and just enjoyed.

Key West is located in Monroe Country. Monroe County announced its first Zika case. A woman in Marathon. Marathon is a 1.75 hour drive north from Key West.

The report indicated she did not acquire the disease here. She was infected while traveling outside the U.S.

I forgot about the Big Latch On. This past weekend. Women nationwide breast fed their children at the same time. The purpose to encourage breast feeding.

The event was held in Islamorada and Key West. Only 9 mothers and their infants participated. I thought their would be more.

Nationwide, 17,223 mothers breast fed. A record breaking number.

The Big Latch On leads easily into William Hackley’s life this date in 1855. His new born still suffering from a lack of milk. A Spanish woman was to have stepped in to breast feed tree times a day. No mention of her today.

What is mentioned is that Hackley bought a canister of solidified milk. $4.50.

Sounds like a forerunner of some sort of formula. Formula 1855.

The Department of Defense’s budget for fiscal year 2016 is $585.3 billion. Big bucks!

With all the dramatic tax cuts Trump is advocating, I wonder where the money would come from to meet such a Defense budget and all other budgets. Lower taxes require cuts in all budgets.

Enjoy your day!

 

IOWA SURPRISES

Late night!

Iowa surprised. No question about it.

Trump came in second. Cruz won. Rubio one point behind Trump.

Rubio has the momentum. New Hampshire going to be interesting..

Sanders deserves all kinds of accolades. Ran a dead heat race against Clinton. I think Clinton won by two tenths of one percentage point..

The polls were off. Lets see how they do in New Hampshire.

My friend Tom in Iowa was correct. He always is. He told me yesterday Rubio would make an excellent showing.

Last night a run around. No question. Season is here. In full force.

I went to Hogfish for dinner. A line waiting to be seated. Went into the bar. I generally can find a seat there. It has always been catch as catch can. The bar has some tall round tables. Sure enough, got one.

Sat down. Hostess came over and said all tables in bar now seated by list. I talked to her a bit and thought I had sweet charmed her. She walked away.

Two minutes later this big waitress with a distinctive harsh voice told me to sign up and wait. She made it clear I would not be waited on.

Not wanting to wait, I took a chance on Roostica a few minutes down the road. Anticipated the same problem. I was lucky. Walked in and a table available in the bar room.

I will be making reservations from this point forward till the season ends.

Too many people! I fear the island will sink from the sheer weight of them.

My blog talk radio show tonight at 9. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Interesting topics. Iowa, of course. In addition, the danger of anti-American citizen groups, military spending, destruction of the middle class, cost of a college education, and more. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Syracuse/Virginia Tech tonight at 8. I will be able to watch most of the first half. Vegas spread has Virginia Tech winning by 10.

Short blog. Have to move my ass. An early morning visit with one of my doctors. I wish I was being paid for these doctor visits.

Enjoy your day!

CITIZENS’ VOICE

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!