NORML

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Title spelled correctly. Did not intend to type Normal.

NORML is an organization whose mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to legalize the responsible use of marijuana. Its further mission is to serve as a consumer advocate for access to high quality marijuana that is safe, convenient and affordable.

The organization is not a Johnny come lately. It is 45 years old. Its membership consists primarily of marijuana defense lawyers.

NORMAL has a one week seminar each year. Attorneys attend from all over the U.S. It traditionally has been meeting in Key West for many years. Most often at the Pier House. The actual title of the meeting is the NORML Key West Legal Seminar.

This is their week. The Chart Room was packed last night with seminar attendees. Drinking, not smoking.

My yesterdays generally begin the same way. With the anti-gravity treadmill at Body Owners. Yesterday morning was quiet. Unusual. I went at it again with 30 seconds of high speed and two minutes slow. Supposed to strengthen my heart.

Had to rush home afterwards. Every friday at 12:30, I am interviewed on the KONK News Radio Show. The topic is the subject matter of that week’s KONK Life column. Yesterday, The Eiffel Tower.

The Chart Room first last night. Searching for Jean Thornton. She had telephoned earlier and we agreed to meet at the Chart Room for a drink. We ended up a foursome. Sheila and Stephanie were part of the group. Us in the middle of the pot lawyers.

Cheryl and Roger were at the Chart Room also. Sitting at the round table with some friends.

Decided to go straight home afterwards. About half way there, my stomach started to growl. I was hungry. Stopped at Outback for lamb chops. Outback a locals place. Good value for the money. Always packed.

We have had two consecutive days of heavy rain. More predicted for later this morning. Whoever is responsible for the rain apparently is not aware this is not Key West’s rainy season.

The Christmas Parade is tonight. Hope it is not rained out. A terrific event! Especially for kids.

I mentioned some strange nature happenings yesterday. Forgot one.

Each morning on rising, I look out my bedroom window. About a hundred yards distant at the entrance to Cypress Lake sits a buoy of sorts. A warning post. It marks low water. Boats are warned to avoid the area.

I have lived in my Key West home 16 years. Look out the window each morning when I rise. Always see the thing bouncing in the water. A couple of days ago, it was different. I could actually see the ground holding it. The tide must have been out. However, the water level lower than normal for low tide. There was a circle of land exposed around the warning buoy. Ten feet in diameter.

Which raises the question. Sea levels have been rising for years. Why was this the first time I saw land exposed?

I mentioned several weeks ago La Trattoria was closed and would be reopening after Fantasy Fest. It finally opened last night at 5. Remodeling the reason for the closing and delay. There was a sinking problem in part of the first floor not anticipated which required more time for the project to be completed.

Syracuse/Georgetown at 1. On FOX. Georgetown a 5 1/2 point favorite.

This will be the first of 9 games Boeheim will be sitting out. Hopkins will be coaching. Hopkins perfect to assume the responsibility. He has been waiting years. When the time comes that Boeheim retires, the head coaching job is his. It has already been agreed in writing that Hopkins will succeed Boeheim.

OPEC crying about oil prices being dramatically low. Too bad. Let them cry. They got fat off the rest of the world for decades. Never forget, they gave us $4 a gallon gasoline.

The couple who did the shooting in San Bernardino. Something I do not understand. Traditionally, children always come first. One’s own children especially. The couple had a six month daughter who they left with the grandmother when they went out to terrorize.

The couple had to know they would die. Or be jailed for years. Where was their concern for the child? How could their Islamic beliefs outweigh that responsibility?

Enjoy your day!

 

 

TOGA TOGA TOGA

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This is the night! Perhaps the best of Fantasy Fest! Toga Party!

The place Sloppy Joe’s. Inside and out. The street packed.

Men and women wearing white togas. More women than men. Togas skimpy.

It is negotiation time. The key for the ladies is to get as many beads as possible. The men want to see and the women are willing to show. First, the breasts. Then a move downward, front and back. Each a separate transaction. The lower the body part exhibited, the more expensive. Breasts go for one ring of beads. The southern exhibits, two or more.

Ain’t nothing under the toga or covering the privates.

I suspect I enjoy Toga Party best for three reasons. First, I am a voyeur. What a bad boy am I! Second, I am a man. Men are visual. We enjoy looking at naked women. Third, I never got to a toga party while in college. Remember the movie Animal House? I went to a Catholic college and we did not do those things.

Years ago, I would not have missed the Toga Party. In recent years, they are not as important any more. Tonight, I have bocce. Bocce supersedes toga. An age thing, I suspect.

I watched the Republican debates last night. Each Republican debate is worse than the previous one. I don’t understand. There is much talent on the stage. The moderators are a major problem. Last night’s were the worst. The questions stupid, no respect for the candidates, not fair with follow ups.

Mike Huckabee got into something close to my heart. Social Security. He talked about the $3 trillion the government in effect stole from the Social Security Fund.

My day yesterday began with the anti-gravity treadmill. The power went out while I was on the machine. About 10 minutes into my workout. Power failure common in the Keys. Some people left. Never know how long these things last. I waited it out. Locked into the treadmill. Power returned in fifteen minutes. I was glad I waited.

My next  chore was to get the flat fixed. The tire was sitting on my back seat. With a rim in it, the tire would not fit in the Volkswagen Beetle trunk.

Got to Sears at noon. Told it would take to 4 or 5 before car was done. I suspected it would take that long. I was like 88th in line!

I left the car. Walked over to Regal Movies. I figured I would have lunch and then go to the movies. That would kill the 4-5 hours.

No afternoon movie available at the theater.

Enjoyed a two hour lunch at Outback. Read the newspapers. Left at 2. How long could I sit there? I even ordered a dessert to kill time.

Then to T.J. Max and Sears. Looked over men’s clothes. Not much time killed. Looked at everything else, except ladies’ underwear.

It was now three o’clock. Where was I to go? I was at the Sears Shopping Center without a car. I opted to return to the tire facility. My car was still in the lot. Had not been touched yet. Asked the guy about when. He said many still ahead of you. About five o’clock.

Went into Sears’ waiting room. Air conditioning not working well. Slept off and on.

Finally, the car was finished at 5:30. They could not find a hole. Did not know why tire went flat. Cost, $24.

I am concerned it will go flat again. We shall see. The tire is only six months old.

I hurried home to watch the debates which began at 6. First thing I did was pour myself a gin. Then blended into the recliner chair to watch.

I was tired.

Never got to watch the Royals/Mets game. Mets down 2. Next two games in New York should be interesting. The Royals almost won the World Series last year. I think they are committed this year and will be difficult to deny.

This week’s KONK Life column Boudicca, Warrior Queen linked to my Key West Lou website this morning. keywestlou.com.

Syracuse plays Florida State saturday. Syracuse a 20.5 underdog at the moment.

Bocce tonight. Play Larry’s team. We are tied with his team in third place. Serious business tonight.

Enjoy your day! If you are in Key West, add to it. Visit Toga tonight at Sloppy Joe’s!

JOE LISZKA

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One of Key West’s finest passed on yesterday. Joe Liszka. A gentleman.

Joe and his partner of many years Frank Romano started Key West Aloe. The business took off. It became a multi million dollar world wide operation.

Joe was one of the founders of Fantasy Fest. Way back when Key West was dead in October. Frank thought Fantasy Fest was a way to bring tourists in during the slow season. How right he was.

I have only known Joe for two years. We met at WeBeFit. Joe had been working out a while when I started. He was way ahead of me. Tougher, also. I did not last too long. Had to quit after I popped two ribs.

Joe and I were neighbors in Key West. I was welcome in his home.

I last saw Joe two weeks ago. He did not look well. I asked how the gym was going. He said he was not doing it any more. I did not press for details. It was obvious his time was limited.

Joe’s obituary is in this morning’s Key West Citizen. I suggest you read it. A family obituary. A niece talking about her uncle. A warm remembrance.

Last night and this morning, the national news is mentioning an upstate New York Republican Congressman who commented that the sub-committee investigating Benghazi/Hillary had gone too far afield re Hillary. The Congressman, Richard Hanna.

Richard would be my Congressman if I were still living in Utica. I knew Richard as one business person to another. We did not have a personal relationship.

Richard was a contractor. Excavations primarily. The son of dairy farmers. A straight arrow. Only way to describe Richard. Soft spoken. Always up front. A no bullshit guy.

Though I was not close to the Congressman, I was close to one of his best friends. Albert Mazloom. Albert cut from the same cloth as Richard. I always thought no wonder they are so close. A birds of the feather flock together thing.

My yesterday began once again with the anti-gravity treadmill. I keep increasing  the speed. A bit each time. I have not adjusted yet, however.

Stopped at the Marriott Beachside bar for lunch. Outside by the pool overlooking the ocean. The ambiance brings me to the place.

Last night, Don’s Place for quite a while. Don, Stephanie, David, Keith, John and Jimmy. Bocce a big part of discussion for Don, David and me. Tonight a big match. The team is only a 1/2 game behind us in the rankings. A test for us.

On the way home, I stopped at Outback for something to eat.

This week’s KONK Life column Worse Ever Congress linked to my Key West Lou website this morning. keywestlou.com.

Enjoy your day!

 

AVERAGE AMERICAN EARNINGS SUCK

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The average American earns less today than 40 years ago. We need to be reminded of this occasionally. We get used to things. We accept what is.

Everything we buy has become more expensive over time. Gas, food, housing, clothing, college educations, etc. More money needs to be earned each year to maintain existing standards of living. Raises that are not stagnant. Raises that keep up with inflation.

Whatever way you look at it, the existing situation a pay cut for most.

Workers are making more than 40, 30, 20, 10 years ago. Inflation has wiped out the increases.

Workers do not share in gains made over the 40 years. Only the very wealthy. A small group. The 1 percent/99 percent thing.

I mentioned yesterday that Key West food sales might be down. Today another thing that is obvious. At least to me. Key West is quiet this week. Unusually so.

There was a time when the summer and early fall were dead ass. Over the years, it changed. People now generally visit Key West all year long. I cannot recall in recent years the town being so quiet the first week of October.

Yesterday was screw off day for me. I started with the anti-gravity treadmill. Then treated myself to a manicure and pedicure at Lee Nails. Love Tammy! Rested in the afternoon. Napped a bit.

Don’s Place first last night. Spent time chatting with Don, David, Keith, John and Jimmy. Bocce the #1 topic. Dinner at the bar at Outback. Ran into Frankie and Sandy and their grandson. Sandy a member of the bocce team that beat us one game last week.

Frankie and Sandy’s backyard sets against Lisa’s. Their grandson has been playing with Robert and Ally for years, even though a couple of years older.

The young man had just come from the high school javeee football game. He plays center. The team had won and he was excited. Frankie and Sandy were, also. Proud of their grandson a better way to say it.

This week’s KONK Life column The Doctors Killed The President was linked this morning with my Key West Lou website. keywestlou.com.

Syracuse football again this saturday. The team drew a bye last saturday. Syracuse now 3-1. Play South Florida saturday. Syracuse a 2 1/2 point underdog.

Enjoy the day!

 

 

 

SATURDAY NIGHT AT DON’S PLACE

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I am late getting to the blog this morning. Sorry. Bed too comfortable.

Spent a couple of hours in the early evening at Don’s Place. With David, Keith and Joanie. Thought I would run into Don. Had not seen him in a week. He was home babysitting his two grandkids. Wife and daughters out somewhere.

Lisa would not let me babysit Robert and Ally early on. She said my attention factor was lacking. Finally, one night she allowed me to show my stuff.

Robert went to bed early to sleep. Ally could not sleep. She came into the living room and sat on the couch watching television. I was watching TV also. For a while.

When Lisa returned home, I was asleep in the chair. Ally wide awake watching television. Of course, Lisa ripped into me. See…..I told you so….etc. I meekly responded there was no problem. Ally was watching Robert and me!

My response was not appreciated. It was another year before I was permitted to babysit again.

Stopped at Outback on the way home for dinner. I have always liked Outback. Good food at fair value. Not last night. I had a filet with potato and veggies. The menu indicated a special. Shrimp could be added for $7.50. Unlimited in amount. Why not!

A rip off. The shrimp were fried in batter which is what I expected. However not one piece was larger than a quarter. Each one more batter than shrimp. For shame! I ate 2-3 pieces and left the rest.

My yesterday began with the anti-gravity treadmill. Next week, I go to four times a week. I have added thursday to my schedule.

I have another radio show! A small one. Very small.

KONK has one hour of news monday-friday at noon. KONK News with Guy deBoer. He has five different speakers, each allotted 10 minutes. I have been blessed with friday, 12:20-12:30. 104.9 The X in Key West.

Nothing fancy. I lead off with a brief synopsis of my KONK column for the week. Then spend 6-7 minutes on a topic of my choosing. Something I  believe needs to be said.

Yesterday, it had to do with poverty in the U.S. I was motivated by the cry to help those leaving Syria.

My thrust was lets take care of our own first. We are doing a lousy job at it. Then be generous with others.

We have 1.5 million households living on less than $2 a day per person, food stamp recipients have increased 16.5 million under Obama, and 2.5 million homeless children living in abandoned cars, cardboard boxes, the woods, etc. who go to school unbathe and without breakfast.

The U.S. already takes in 70,000 refugees a year. Obama has indicated he will take in an additional 10,000. That’s enough for the time being!

This is Poker Run Weekend in Key West. Ten thousand motorcycles in town. Party time, big time! They were roaring into Key West all day yesterday on U.S. 1. Sometimes as many as 20 in a group. Marlon Brando in the lead!

It is black leather attire tonight on Duval!

I live and learn. Eighty years old and still learning.

I thought sparkling wines and champagne were different. Turns out they are not. Both produced the same way. The difference is in name only. Champagne is produced in the Champagne region of France. Sparkling wines everywhere else.

The sparkling wine bubbly is cheaper in many instances and just as good. So I read.

Syracuse/Central Michigan today. Win #3 in the making for Syracuse? Syracuse a six point favorite.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

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!

 

 

FRANCES WATSON CLARK

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Stop one last night was Don’s Place. I knew Stan and Claire would be there. Wanted to talk with them.

Then to the Chart Room. I was fortunate to sit next to Frances Watson Clark. First time we met.

She is assembling photos of people and places in Key West for her next publication Images of Modern America. Her previous works involved three separate places in Virginia.

She showed me some of the pics she had compiled thus far re Key West. Included was a picture before my time of Che and Marty Leshaw.

Frances’ husband Chris is a retired banker. Their Key West home is on Eaton Street. They bought a dwelling first constructed in 1908 and remodeled it.

Frances and Chris spend two summer months and two winter months in Key West. Their home base is Marietta, Georgia.

Frances’ work is interesting. She agrees with the Chinese…..A picture is worth a thousand words!

Old friends reunited. David came into the Chart Room. Frances said I know you. Turns out they did business together when David was manager of Fast Buck Freddie’s on Caroline.

I intended to go home, have a sandwich and go to bed. Instead stopped at Outback and enjoyed a steak.

The Lobster Mini Season is over. The Coast Guard reports an uneventful season. No accidents, no injuries, no deaths. Some arrests for diving on lobster casitas, exceeding catch limits, and not having a proper license.

Lobster Season starts August 6. Key West will celebrate the event with its annual Lobsterfest August 7-10. A big deal! Lobster every where, cooked every way.

Harry Truman’s Mother In Law unusually enjoyed. Yesterday, I was stopped several times by persons telling me they did not know, how much they enjoyed the article, etc. The column published wednesday. It is linked to my Key West Lou website. Read the article. Interesting and revealing.

I have been critical of our judicial system. Many decisions not making sense. People losing respect for the law. Laws that do not respect them.

Citizens United the obvious case. The Supreme Court decision where the Court said corporations and the rich can contribute politically as much in dollars as they want.

Recall the Aurora theater shootings July 20, 2012. Twelve killed and 70 injured. James Holmes the shooter. Sandy and Lonnie Phillips’ daughter Lonnie Ghawi killed. The parents brought a lawsuit against the four Internet suppliers of the guns, ammunition and whatever else. Holmes’ mental state not the best. The parents felt some investigation should have been made to determine Holmes’ mental state and intentions. None was.

A federal trial court ruled against the Phillips, holding the four suppliers could not have known the shooter’s intentions and mental state.

A bad break for the parents. However such is the law across the country. Such has to be changed legislatively. Good luck! National and state legislators are cut from the same bolt. Owned by the gun manufacturers.

The thorn in the decision was not the result. It was what the Judge ordered after the trial had ended. The Judge ruled the Phillips were responsible for the attorney fees of the four suppliers. $220,000. A Colorado law requires the losing party to pay such costs.

The Phillips have since sold their home and furniture and anything else they could get their hands on. They now live in a trailer. They have paid $200,000 of the $220,000 thus far.

Lose your daughter! Lose your home! A shame. A disgusting shame. The Phillips’ tragedy a clear showing of the poor state of affairs in our legislatures and the courts who enforce the laws they pass.

Looking forward to tonight. Jenna and I are having dinner at L’Atitudes.

Enjoy your day!

 

FRIDAY NIGHT WITH JENNA

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A very pleasant evening with Jenna last night. Dinner and the movies.

Dinner at Outback. It was a stretch to stay on my diet. However, I made it.

The movie was American Sniper starring Bradley Cooper. Excellent! Received six Academy Award nominations. I can understand why.

The movie was first shown for a full weekend last week. Grossed over $100 million. This being the second week, I assumed the theater would not be crowded. I was wrong. Not a seat left in the house. Jenna and I had to sit in the fourth row. The spread of the screen was wider than my eyes could encompass.

Jenna has a new Audi. Big and sleek. Black. With Jenna behind the wheel, it looks like the car was made for her.

The history portion of the Key West Citizen mentions Sally Rand. A fan dancer in days of old. Made 26 movies from 1925-1938. Danced at the World’s Fair in 1933. Danced for the astronauts and their wives at a Right Stuff party in the late 1960s.

More importantly, she was a part time resident of Key West.

I met Sally Rand. Enjoyed 10 private minutes with her. It was 1964. I was at a Police Conference PBA convention at Grossinger’s in the Catskills. I was counsel to the organization at the time. Rand did her famous fan dance for the conventioneers.

Afterwards, there was a private cocktail party. I was there. She was there. I got roughly 10 minutes alone with her. Which meant we were so engrossed in whatever we were talking about that no one interrupted.

She was on in her years. Still the perfect body. The face showing a bit of aging. The aging was not apparent while she was performing. Whether the distance of the stage or make up, I do not know.

I was 29 years old at the time. I found her exciting. I wish I could remember what we talked about.

The Key West Craft Show this weekend. On Whitehead in the area of Caroline. One of Key West’s top events. About 150 white tents with various hand made items for sale. I bought my first Jack Baron years ago at the Show. A black Madonna and Child.

Syracuse/Miami at 4. Syracuse a 3 1/2 point favorite. I don’t know. I have no opinion. I will be watching the game. I am not sure from where.

About six weeks ago, I wrote a column for KONK Life concerning Theodore Roosevelt. Somehow, I lost it in the computer’s never never land. Somehow, it reappeared this week. The article is Theodore Roosevelt the Phrase Maker. It publishes next Wednesday in KONK Life. It has already been posted on Facebook.

I have concluded that the battle against GMOs has been lost. The only fight left is labeling. While the world slept, the international food corporations snuck genetically modified seed grown foods into our diets.

Seventy countries presently grow, import and/or use genetically modified foods. All of north and central America. Only two countries in south America forbid it. France, Germany, Russia, Hungary, Greece and Poland oppose. The tide is obvious however.

Certain central American and south American countries have fought and continue to fight the use of GMOs legislatively and in the courtrooms. With a degree of success. However, giants such as Monsanto fight back in appellate courts. In the meantime, GMOs move ahead in those countries.

We were not vigilant. Some may have been. Others did not pay attention.

My concern and opposition was based on the fact that no one knows the long term consequences of eating such foods. In the next 10-20 years, we will find out.

Enjoy your Sunday!