‘Twas the night before Christmas…..visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.

The day before Thanksgiving similar. Food!

This is my third week of dieting. Diet simple. Three days on, four days off. Tomorrow is the first of the four days off. I can eat!

For the past three days, my mind has been blocked with visions of turkey, potatoes and stuffing buried in gravy. I can’t wait!

Diet evenings, I generally stay in. Food and drink my enemy. I am weak. Ergo, I cannot tell you of my dining, bar hopping, chatting with friends, etc. Non-existent. Sorry.

The diet seems to be working. In 2 1/2 weeks, 10 pounds. I feel I deserve more because of the hunger fest.

A long blog today. Crete’s Jim Brown wrote a second e-mail re the Obama visit and demonstrations. An extremely long e-mail. Detailed. I am going to share it with you piece meal. Will take 3-4 days.

Worth following. The background info interesting.

Cannot forget Rotary history. Today, nine years of a Rotary organized Key West Boy Scout troop.

My blog talk radio show last night. For the third consecutive week, I commented on how the technological revolution is making humans obsolete. I feel like a voice in the wilderness. Not many pay attention to the problem.

Syracuse basketball! Syracuse met its first somewhat credible opponent last night. South Carolina. Syracuse won 101-59.

Go ‘Cuse!

This day in 1984, a big one in college football history. A happening  that may never occur again. Doug Flutie’s Hail Marry Pass for Boston College. One second left. Boston losing. Flutie threw a 64 yard pass hoping a Boston player would catch it. Arms up everywhere. A Boston player caught the ball! Boston College won 47-45.

Drama!

Jim Brown’s e-mail.

U.S. papers reported the 7,000 person demonstration communist inspired. Jim tells me no. It was anarchists.

The communists were involved, but to a lesser degree. Not the Communist Party itself. Instead, PAME. PAME the communist party labor union.

The Athens riot was peaceful till the anarchists threw rocks and molotov cocktails. Police retaliated with tear gas and stun grenades.

The rioters ended the evening at the Athens Polytechnic campus. A haven. By law, police are not permitted to enter university grounds unless invited by the chancellor.

There were no injuries or damage to private property.

In spite of the demonstrations, the Greek people, including anarchists, communists, and nazis, hope Obama’s visit will aid economic recovery. Sounds strange. Not. Greeks are a strange breed as you will comprehend after having read more.

Tomorrow, more re the demonstrations and the Greek thought process.

Installment 20 based on Wright Langley’s History of the Key West Rotary. Boy Scouts. Covers a 9 year period. 1937 to 1946.

“On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country…..” Opening lines to the Boy Scout oath.

Scouting was a big deal in the years discussed. It represented America. The best of America. The Key West Rotary understood and did their best to bring scouting to Key West and thereafter support scouting.

The Rotary assisted in forming the Key West Scout troop. So much so that the troop was referred to as Rotary Troop 52. Troop 52 was organized in 1937.

Scout master was Victor Larsen. The first meeting of the Troop was held in the basement of the Bayview Park Bandstand.

August 1, 1938, 18 Key West scouts were loaded on the back of a large truck. The destination Bartow, Florida. To participate in a 10 day scout jamboree.

Upon arrival, the scouts pitched their tents.

The Key West scouts excelled in the swimming meet. Comment is made that they did so in spite of the fact they found it hard to get use to fresh water.

A week after the Bartow camporee, Key West scheduled their own. Invited were Bartow and Miami scout troops. The Bartow scouts would pitch tents on Naval Station grounds and the Miami ones on Naval Hospital grounds.

In these formative years, Key West Rotary worked hard to make sure scouting in Key West was on  a solid basis and would be permanent.

January 1, 1946 found 25 scouts and leaders hiking to Stock Island for a weekend outing. The hike began at White and Division Streets. Division today Truman Avenue.

The date February 22, 1946 significant in Key West scouting history. Scouts from Troops 50, 51 and 52 involved. Troops 50 and 51 from other Keys areas.

They attended a three day camporee on West Summerland Key. The site the old Civilian Conservation Camp. It was a work camporee.

The scouts cleaned up the site. It was a mess. They knew however they were cleaning what would soon become their own scout camp site. The Monroe County Scout Camp.

Stats this morning reveal more people read this blog yesterday than any other day in November. Thank you.

Enjoy your day!

s