KEY WEST A RICH SMALL TOWN

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I did my good deed for the year during the night. Maybe for the next ten years.

I received a telephone call at 4 this morning. A friend was in trouble, needed help.  It was out of bed, into clothes, and into town.

As a result, I am dead tired. Probably will be all day.

Duval at 4 in  the morning is strange. Almost no one on the street. It was like everyone had disappeared. Only the buildings remained. Eerie.

Bloomberg Business did a survey to determine the 20 richest small towns in America. Key West one of them. Came in 13th.

I question the survey result. The survey was based on real estate values and median salaries. Real estate values have  been out of whack in Key West for years. Whether buying or renting.  The mean salary based on the survey was in the low $50,000 area. Not many making that much. There must be an unusual number of millionaires residing in Key West to raise the average to that level.

So much for the study.

Yesterday was the anti-gravity treadmill in the morning, lunch at Roostica and the Galleon’s Sunset Tiki Bar at cocktail time.

I thought I would run into Jean, Sheila and David at the bar. Generally their friday haunt. Found out Jean left town two days ago, and Sheila and David were no where to be found.

Someone put their arms around me from the back. It was Pati. We spent a couple of pleasant hours together.

JJ bartending. He previously worked the Chart Room. A great personality. He was thin. Obviously lost weight. Told me 20 pounds. How, I asked. He is building something outside. He is at it from 7 in the morning. The humidity a killer. A lot of sweating. The pounds just fell off.

I asked him for a job.

I was on my way home when I decided I was hungry. Stopped at Outback. Glad I did. Enjoyed great conversation with two guys sitting next to me at the bar.

Both in their thirties. One a government worker, the other out of work. Both extremely knowledgeable. We talked of our country, politicians, Trump, and life in general. The life we credit/blame on our political leaders.

Both would like to leave the U.S. and move to another country. One has property in Mexico on the Pacific coast.

We agreed as we left, it had been a good evening.

My KONK Life column Black Lives Matter / Play Tough is being correctly run in this morning’s E-Blast. You may want to read it.

Danny is fickle. First a nothing storm. Then a category 2 yesterday which turned out to be a category 3. We are told Danny will die after Puerto Rico. We shall see.

Market down 530 points friday. Monday will tell if the market was adjusting or we are at the start of another recession. China the culprit. All has to do with oil.

Trump announced 36 thousand for last night’s rally. He had to get a stadium to hold all the people. Turns out the stadium was only half full. Twenty thousand. Still a good number. In fact, an excellent one.

Will the Trump mania run its course and burn out?

Watched Jimmy Carter on TV yesterday announcing his medical problem. The man is a class act.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

NOT ME

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My weekly KONK Life column is reprinted one morning a week in KONK E-Blast. This week’s column is Black Lives Matter / Play Tough. The title and my name appear in this morning’s E-Blast. The column is not mine. Someone else’s. A movie critique involving pop music. Not up my alley.

I already blasted Guy deBoer about today’s E-Blast. I assume it will be corrected tomorrow.

A tragedy? Just announced! Hogfish fishing is prohibited in Florida State waters from this coming monday to January 1. State says hogfish overfished.

The ban only in State waters. Not federal waters. Federal waters begin three miles out. The ban is limited to recreational fishers only. Not commercial.

The ban does not make sense to me. If there is a problem, the ban should apply in both waters. Correct the problem forthwith. To limit it to recreational fishers appears to me a drop in the bucket.

My yesterday was simple. A haircut in the morning with Lori. Bocce in the evening. Some writing in between.

Lori just returned from a Long Island/Maine trip visiting family. Looked healthy. A tan on top of her usual tan.

We won all three bocce games last night. We played a team of lesser quality. Beat them decisively the first two games. Eked out a three point win the last game. We are now 5-1 for the season.

Jared Fogle is going to jail. Fogle is the college student who lost over 200 pounds eating Subway sandwiches each day. Subway hired him immediately as their marketing guru. Fogle made a ton of money. His fortune is estimated at $15 million.

Fogle a pedophile also. Sex with underage girls. He got caught. Everything lost. Money, position and family. His wife said she is divorcing him.

Fogle was in Key West 7-8 years ago. I was having dinner on the porch at the Reach’s Strip House. He was dining two tables away. I had never heard of him. The waiter told me who he was and what he had accomplished. The ladies were constantly bothering him for his autograph.

He was thin. Very thin. Yet dining on steak and potatoes.

Airbnb a success. Unquestionably. They are world wide providers of  cheaper vacation and business lodgings. A relatively new kid on the block like Uber.

The hotel industry is in danger. Including the overpriced Key West hotels. Key West alone is threatening to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. A drop in hotel rates is inevitable over the next couple of years. Not because the hotels will have become more reasonable. Because the Airbnb competition will have forced it.

The new female Viagra will not be blue. It will be pink and marketed as “the little pink pill.”

Banks have gotten away with murder in recent years. Wall Street caused the 2008 mortgage disaster and recession.

Our government has not pursued the bankers for wrongdoing. Former Attorney General Holder told us first that banks were too big to fail and then that they were too big to prosecute.

Bankers got a free ride. Not indicted, tried and sent to jail. Bankers have continued to play similar games to those they played leading up 2008. Getting richer as a result.

There was a column by Darrell Delamaide in yesterday’s USA today. He lays the failure to hold the bankers responsible at Obama’s feet. An administrative decision.

His column contained an interesting few lines re bankers and their present state of mind: “Bankers used to take it on faith that they were immune to prosecution. Now they know it is a fact, and that will embolden them in the future to once again violate the law with impunity.”

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

FEMALE VIAGRA

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Late yesterday, the FDA announced its approval of female Viagra. About time. Men have had their sexual enhancer for years. Equal rights demanded the same for women. Women enjoy sex as much as men. Sometimes I think even more. I am glad the moment has arrived.

The advent of the birth control pill was a major event for women. Changed their attitude toward sex. Female Viagra will do the same.

Female Viagra does not increase blood flow to the genital area. It targets chemicals in the brain. Whatever, ladies use and enjoy!

I had a debit card problem. Someone got into my card and was using it. Yesterday morning talked with Visa fraud and getting a temporary card at the bank.

Visa caught the problem. Two small charges. Roughly $50 and $20. Not my type of charge. That is what made Visa aware.

Bank told me the problem is a common one in Key West.

Stopped at Cuban Coffee Queen for lunch. Nothing fancy. Cuban coffee and toast. So good!

I spent some time in the afternoon fine tuning my blog talk radio show for last night.

A half hour before the show, I was searching the internet for any last minute news. Came up with two new police problems/incidents. Both in California yesterday.

One in San Francisco. A black 40ish man with a prosthetic leg and crutches. Someone called the police to say there was a person waving sticks. Fourteen cops showed up. Their conduct disgraceful. They knelt on his prosthetic. Apparently painful since the man had a sores problem. He was crying out re the pain. They had him face down on the sidewalk. Pulled his pants down to his knees. His ass bare for the world to see. His penis crushed beneath him. He wet. Anther officer kneeling on him and twisting his arm back. Obviously painful.

The entire episode was videoed by a standby. It is all over the internet. View it.

The other involved Stockton police. Three men robbed a bank. Took three female employees as hostages. Left in a SUV. Police gave chase. Many police cars. For 63 miles. At speeds up to 120 miles per hour.

SUV finally made to stop. Cops jumped out of their cars. Thirty two of them. Immediately shot the SUV full of bullets. Estimated at 600. With the three hostages inside. One was killed.

What is happening in this country? The police have gone crazy!

I mentioned the two police incidents at the beginning of the show.

Three interesting items shared last night.

The first had to do with the Black Lives Matter group. The thrust was the source of the money that supports their efforts.

Another was the Clintons and the house they have rented for the last two weeks of August in the Hamptons. $100,000 rent. Hillary is doing fund raisers while in the Hamptons. Bet her campaign monies pay the $100,000 and she and Bill write the rental off as a business expense.

Not a wise move from my perspective. The rental itself. Plus, I am sick of hearing how poor they were when they left the White House. Poor is relative.

Another issue was transgenders. The Defense Department said as of the first of the year transgenders will be openly accepted in the military. There are presently 12,800 in the service on a don’t ask, don’t tell basis.

One problem is medical. A study indicated some will need hormonal therapy. Some even sex change operations. Such will be done at government expense. Taxpayer dollars.

Merri is my Chart Room bartender friend. I have a problem spelling her first name correctly. First, it was Mary. Then, Meri. Actually, Merri. I was wrong the first two times.

Merri’s picture appears in this morning’s Key West Citizen. She is Citizen of the Day. Congratulations. Mary! Oops, Merri!

This week’s KONK Life hits the stands today. My column is Black Lives Matter / Play Tough. An eye opener!

Enjoy your day!

 

MOE’S WAY

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Moe Mosher recently died. A Key West icon. Moe was a barber and entrepreneur. One of the founders of Historic Tours of America.

Moe’s barber shop was and still is on the alley running along side Antonia’s Restaurant. Next to the Cuban Coffee House. The building best described as a small white house. Front had an area with a rocking chair and reading materials next to it. Used by many.

Key West recently recognized the contributions Moe made. It has been decreed that henceforth the alley will be called Moe’s Way. A fitting tribute.

Moe a local figure of note. Julian Bond a national figure.

Julian Bond died yesterday. He was 75. A contemporary. I recall his exploits clearly. I was a young lawyer in the 1960s when Bond came upon the scene.

Bond was black. Initially a militant in the 1960s civil rights movement. He moved over to become a leader in the non-violent movement. He was anti-Vietnam. A very unpopular war. His concern was not only that we did not belong there. It was also that most of the American soldiers fighting and dying were blacks.

He was elected a Georgia State Senator. White Georgia was shocked. The Senate refused to seat him. The reasons given were he was an interloper (he would be a black in a white political body) and a rabble rouser.

Today, Bond’s life is a respected part of American history.

A big sunday for me! Work wise. It took me from 11 in morning to 5 in the afternoon to write this week’s KONK Life column. Actual writing time with revisions, rewrites, etc. It is the rewriting that takes time. I call it polishing the article.

The six hours required even though I had spent parts of friday and saturday researching the material. A lot of data involved. The primary reason it took so long to write. I had to separate the wheat from the chaff.

I titled the article Black Lives Matter / Play Tough. It ties together the Black Lives Matter group, George Soros, the Democratic Presidential campaign, and Nixon dirty tricks. Interesting and revealing. You will enjoy reading it. The column publishes wednesday.

I was able to catch the last hour of the PGA. Great golf! Whereas 20 years ago we had one Tiger Woods, today we have several. The new guys are good because Woods raised the standard. They are meeting that standard as Woods unfortunately fades into the sunset.

Dinner last night at Roostica. Becoming a usual sunday thing for me. It is the sunday special. Spaghetti with meatballs and sausage in a thick pork sauce. Just like grandmother and mother made. Love it!

Amanda was on of the ladies taking care of me. Amanda a lovely blond. Pregnant. We talked about her pregnancy. She is thrilled! Five months. Feels good. Excited. It’s a boy. Has his second name picked. After a grandfather. Does not have a first name yet.

I have to hustle. The anti-gravity treadmill awaits.

Enjoy your day!

 

GREEK BREAD

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Stopped at Farmers Market yesterday morning. Had one intent. To buy Greek bread.

I purchased a loaf a few weeks ago. To try out. Excellent! Crispy crust, soft inside, loaded with cut up black olives. To die for!

I bought four loaves and a dozen rolls. Froze most of it. Picked on the rest most of the day. Toasted and buttered. Wild!

Before Farmers Market, I stopped at Blown Away for a haircut. Wrong day. Actually, correct day under normal circumstances. I forgot Lori is vacationing in Maine and will not return till next week. My appointment was actually scheduled for next week.

A new bocce season began last night! Great fun! Like opening day at any major sporting event. Handshakes, hugs, glad to see you, etc.

We won 2 out of 3 games. Lost the first 16-3. The only game I played. Not the way to begin a new season. The team came back, however. We won the second, 16-1 and the third 16-11.

Don back. Surprised to see him. He was not due till next week.

Food Network’s Curtis Stone and Beach Eats USA ran a Key West Beach eatery edition thursday evening. Hot Tin Roof was one of the eaterys featured. Sorry I missed it. The actual filming was done six weeks earlier.

Today’s KONK E-Blast carries my KONK Life column for the week. Hemingway’s First Love. Enjoyable and revealing.

A study came out concerning the Wal-Mart to be built on US 1. Claims Wal-Mart will not adversely affect traffic.

I hope so. I am all for the Wal-Mart. However the parking lot accompanying it is being constructed to hold 1,258 cars. Suggests a lot of traffic to me.

Studies have a way of screwing things up where traffic is concerned. The Boulevard a perfect example. I hope this job gets done properly.

Sal Salinero died yesterday at 73. A fourth generation Conch, Key West icon, and world famous artist. He will be missed.

Heard on TV this morning that Al Gore is or may have thrown his hat in the race for the Democratic nomination for President. Good! He got screwed the last time around. He won the popular vote by 500,000 votes, yet lost. Florida and its absurd type ballots screwed him. Actually, not correct. The Florida judicial system screwed him.

Had Gore become President, I doubt Iraq would have occurred. I further doubt the Middle East would be the cauldron it is today.

The media went crazy yesterday announcing that Warren Harding, 29th President of the United States, had fathered an illegitimate child while in the White House. The reports were not generally presented in a correct fashion. The actual story was that recent DNA testing established and verified the impregnation.

Not new news. I reported on Harding’s sexual exploits 6-7 years ago. The location motivated my comments. A West Wing closet. Would you believe! As good or bad as Clinton in the Oval Office.

The lady’s name was Nan Britton.

Harding enjoyed his escapades. He also carried on a lengthy meretricious relationship with Carrie Fulton Phillips. Harding claimed her to be his only true love.

Enjoy your day!

 

TRAINWRECK

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Went to the movies last night. Saw Trainwreck. Thought it was a wreck.

I went to view the movie because of all the hype it has been receiving. A great funny show. Contemporary sex. I was not impressed.

The first third of the movie I had trouble staying awake. The rest of the movie had its funny parts. If contemporary sex is as was represented, I have missed out on a lot. I am sure I have. It is a different world.

LeBron James is in the movie. He has a significant part. Plays himself. He is an actor! No question about it. The man has talent in a second field. The thought occurred during the movie that his performance was worthy of an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

I was right on. This morning’s news reports James signed a major Hollywood contract yesterday.

Trainwreck was the last stop of the evening. Prior to the movie, I enjoyed an early dinner at Tavern ‘n Town. Michael Emerson entertaining. Enjoyed his singing.

Hot Tin Roof’s Joseph came in for dinner. Went over to his table to say hello. I like Joseph.

Across the bar from me were two Key West lovelies I seem to be running into frequently of late. Sisters Mary and Jeneane. Friends from the Pier House. They were with a woman of Asian extraction. A beauty.

My morning began with the anti-gravity treadmill at Body Owners. For whatever reason, knocked me on my ass yesterday. I was dead all afternoon. Spent the afternoon in bed after lunching at Hogfish. I thought food would pep me up. It did not.

I plan of visiting the Farmers Market at lunch time today. The refrigerator is empty. I want to buy a few Farmers Market items before heading over to Publix.

Hemingway Days continue. Hemingway boxed. Enjoyed mixing it up. He encouraged other Key Westers to box. Neighborhood boxing matches were held at Blue Heaven. Hemingway refereed them.

In addition to fishing, boxing, and writing books, Hemingway wrote poems. As part of Hemingway Days, there will be a reading of his poems tonight at Blue Heaven. The program titled Papa’s Poems. Early. Like 5 o’clock.

Anna reports she had a great meal at Mythos last night. Mythos roasted a baby goat on a spit. Anna says it tasted like lamb. I believe it. Mythos did a goat for me on my last visit to Amorgos.

My KONK Life column re Planned Parenthood and the sale of fetus body parts hit the stands last night. It is available throughout the Keys today. I linked it to my Key West Lou website this morning. keywestlou.com. Read it and believe!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT…..

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On this day in 1940, the Battle of Britain began. The Great Air War. It lasted 114 days.

Germany’s air forces significantly out numbered the Brits. The Germans more experienced. Yet the British beat the hell out of the Germans. So much so, that Hitler pulled all German air activity away from Britain and sent the planes to Russia. He could not afford to lose planes so rapidly. Germany’s air industry was unable to replace the planes as swiftly as the British were shooting them down.

Winston Churchill was preparing comments to be delivered to Parliament regarding the great victory. He penned the words while riding in the back seat of a car. Somewhat like Lincoln who penned the Gettysburg Address while riding a train.

He ran a phrase by a friend riding with him. “Never in the history of mankind….was so much owed to so few.” The word mankind seemed inappropriate to his companion. He asked, “What about Jesus and his disciples?”

Churchill changed the wording to “Never in the field of human conflict…..” The corrected sentence…..”Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

A haircut yesterday from Lori at Blown Away. Quiet. Only Lori and another working.

Summers slow for Lori. Even though there are many tourists in town this summer. Her business is made up of locals and snowbirds. The snowbirds are gone during the summer. Many locals on vacation. I was the only customer.

Lunched with KONK Life owner and publisher Guy de Boer at Roostica. We periodically get together for no special reason. An enjoyable luncheon. He has expanded KONK Life throughout the entire Keys. Key West to Key Largo.

I had some time to kill in the afternoon. Decided to write. It was back to Growing Up Italian. Two days in a row! Good for me.

Mel Fisher Days continuing. The J. B. Magruder has been commissioned into the Conch Republic Navy. Tomorrow a big day. The Duval Street festival. Afternoon and evening. The blocks around Sloppy Joe’s will be crowded. Music. Drinking, Partying. What people do at a Key West street festival.

Enjoy your day!

 

MICHAEL HOEFLICH

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Received an e-mail from Mike Hoeflich yesterday. A voice from the past. We had not communicated in more than 25 years. Mike found me via this blog.

In the late 1980s, I was Chairman of the Syracuse University College of Law Board of Visitors. The Dean at the time resigned. A five person search committee was formed to select a new Dean. I was a member of the search committee.

We spent a year looking, interviewing, reading, etc. in our quest for a new Dean. I sometimes felt as if I was picking the next President of the United States. A trip! We wanted the best of the best. We got it in Mike Hoeflich.

As Board Chairman, I worked closely with the Dean. We were working for the good of the Law School. Mike turned out to be one of the finest people I have met. Intelligent, hard working, articulate, a leader, genuine, etc. It was an honor and pleasure to have worked with him.

Mike left Syracuse after six years as Dean. He moved on to Kansas University where he served as Dean for six years. Since 2000, Mike has taught law at Kansas. A big time professor. Chaired.

I recall Mike’s position clearly re law professors having to write and be published. He pushed the law faculty in this regard. He was a do as I do guy. Mike has published 15 books and 115 articles.

A good man in every respect!

I worked several hours yesterday fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. I decided to do a black America show. Stressed three areas.

The first was Charleston and the forgiveness thing. I believe forgiveness accomplishes nothing in solving our racial problems. I am not Jesus and could not turn the other cheek. Said why and what I thought should be done.

The next item involved the Confederate flag. Easy. Take it down! I fear the South Carolina legislature is going to delay. The legislature voted yesterday to debate the issue. Resolution could take forever, if at all.

The final item involved Josephine Baker. Traced her life. The discrimination heaped upon her. Her fight back.

Ran over to Roostica for dinner. Sat at the bar. Looked like a bum. Had not shaved in four days. I was hopeful of not running into anyone. Impossible.

Michelle joined me at the bar. Michelle and husband own Roostica. As well as Hogfish and Geiger Key. Enjoyed an interesting conversation. A I was leaving, Bobby arrived to join his wife.

Ran into Alex and Mary the other day at Publix. Alex, my horn blowing friend. A retired New York fireman, he is into his other life in Key West. He blows his horn at affairs. Many times accompanying Larry Smith. He has made several CDs and videos. He lives in Key West time.

Alex had read last week’s KONK Life column The Petticoat Affair. He was taken by it.

This week’s column publishes today. America, Land of the Free. The title selected with tongue in cheek. We are not the land of the free untill all people are equally treated.

Big day ahead! Anti-gravity treadmill at 11. Manicure at 12 with Tammy. Dinner tonight at Salute’s on the beach with friends. A typical Key West day!

Body Owners has brought me together with a new and different group of friends. All into physiotherapy. The sick, sore, lame and disabled. All ages. I am anxious to make my three times a week workouts. I want to see how my new found friends are doing, share tidbits with them.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

THE BEST TEAM WON

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The NBA Finals were exciting. As expected. It went six games. The Warriors won last night. They are the champions having won 4 games to 2. The Warriors were the best team on  the floor last night.

The Cavs went far with an injury ridden team. Two players did not even suit up for the series because of injuries. The Cavs played only 8 men. Lebron James was required and tried to carry the Cavs on his back. Even Lebron James has so much to give. He kept up the fight. However, it was easy to see his ass was dragging.

There is always next year.

I got to watch the last three quarters. Missed the first quarter. I was doing my blog talk radio show.

I spent a part of yesterday fine tuning the show. Thought the show went well. Covered five interesting topics. No critical e-mails as yet this morning.

Yesterday was difficult. Had a heart CAT scan in the morning. No big deal. Part of my annual heart check up. I see my heart doctor today to receive the report re the various tests I have been taking since thursday.

The reason yesterday was difficult was because I have an allergy to intravenous dye. Ergo, I am loaded up with benadryl. The night before and the morning before By the time of the test, I was a walking zombie.

The sleepy feeling stayed with me all day and into the late night. The show was difficult to do. I was worried I would go blank at some point. Perhaps the fear kept me awake. I fell asleep several times watching the Cavs/Warrior game.

Mosquito season is upon us. It gets worse the next several months. Fortunately, we have a Mosquito Control Board. The planes will be spraying shortly. The Mosquito Board has acquired two drones to discover mosquito beds in hard to get at places. We are at the cutting edge!

An interesting tid bit in this morning’s Key West Citizen History Section. The Panama Hotel opened in 1914 at the corner of Elizabeth and Eaton Streets. Rooms were $1, $1.50 and $2. Including running water in the rooms!

I wonder if each room had indoor plumbing. Or was it one toilet per floor? Or still the outhouse?

Whatever, we have come a long way.

This Rachel Dolezal thing has me confused. A white woman living as a black one. She wanted to. The only instances where I have seen color change attempted has been with a handful of blacks who passed themselves off as white. Rachel is the reverse.

Donald Trump announced yesterday! He seeks the Republican nomination for President. He immediately changes the tone of the Republican race. He will bring humor to the group running, who are otherwise boring.

Though Trump may have made billions, I think he is off his rocker a bit. I do not see him having any chance at success. Again however, he will trip up his competitors with his comments. A fun time ahead.

This week’s KONK Life hits the stands at 5:00 o’clock today. My column this week is The Petticoat Affair. A step back in history. A little Andrew Jackson, some Martin Van Buren, Washington ladies, and Margaret “Peggy” O’Neil.

Peggy is the main character. Her sexual prowess controlled events. The article has some David and Bathsheba.

The column clearly reflects the dominance of women in marriage. The husbands danced to the tune played by their wives.

Read the column. You will find it interesting.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

INSANITY

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Insanity continues to prevail in Key West. As regards the actions of the Key West City Commission.

I am beginning to think the City Commission considers itself omnipotent. That every issue is one for their consideration. No limits exist.

Every time the City Commission steps out of the box, time, energy and cost is wasted on an issue that is none of their business.

Road construction, trees, parking, contracts, the Police Department…..examples of what should be on their plate.

Not their most recent trip into never never land. I refer to the resolution that will be voted on regarding smoking in public places and parks. The resolution is scheduled for a vote tomorrow night.

As I understand the situation, the City Commission watched a movie regarding the dangers of second hand smoke. They were appalled. Decided a local law was required to prohibit smoking in public places and parks. Then found out they did not have the authority to do so. Smoking bans are the exclusive province of the State.

Not to be dismayed, the City Commission decided to pass a resolution instead. You can wipe your behind with a resolution. It has neither power nor effect.

The resolution asks the people of Key West to please not smoke in public places and parks…..to have consideration for others. Simultaneously, the City Commission is seeking a way to get the State to permit municipalities to rule on the issue. Not the State.

The City Commission is not elected to tell me or anyone else that smoking is prohibited in public places. It is a step too far as regards the smoking issue. Especially by a City Commission that assumes more power than it has.

Drums tonight! Not Drums Along the Mohawk as was written a few miles outside Utica. Near La Te Da Christopher’s home town also.

Tonight, it is Drums for Peace in Key West. At the corner of Truman and Duval. From 6-10. People can participate or listen. Whatever their pleasure. Drums will be provided.

I spent the better part of yesterday writing this week’s KONK Life column. It took a while for me to decide on a topic. I zeroed in on a political fray. As Tom Cruz stopped the government, so too did Washington ladies during Andrew Jackson’s Presidency. An interesting story. Shades of David and Bathsheba. Titled The Petticoat Affair.

KONK Life and the column hit the stands wednesday.

Michelle Obama is not going to the World’s Fair in Milan alone. Daughters Malia and Sasha are accompanying her. Together with grandmother Marian Robinson. The two day trip includes in addition to Milan, stops in London and Venice.

Michelle has responsibilities at each stop. Speaking in support of women’s education, health issues, and visiting American troops. A full plate for a 48 hour visit.

The Greece situation is reaching the boiling point. Perhaps one from which there is no turning back. Discussions sunday ended in 45 minutes. Nothing decided. Both sides adamant.

The unknown awaits. A European recession? A world wide one?

All interesting. Proving to the world that global activity is not necessarily in the best interests of those involved. The proposed Asian pact being another.

Today is the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta. No man above the law. Not even a king. The right to justice and a fair trial spelled out.

A freedom recognition document.

These freedoms are being trampled upon in the United States today. By Congressional decisions and Supreme Court opinions.

Enjoy your day!