FEMALE VIAGRA

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROOSTICA!

Posted on by

Island living can’t be beat. Especially if the island is Key West!

This summer has been exceptional. The weather outstanding. Tourists many. Everyone happy. If there is a negative, it is the humidity. A bit heavy. To be expected. You get use to it after a while, however. Requires an extra shower most days.

Roostica celebrated its third anniversary monday. How quickly time moves. Seems the restaurant opened only yesterday.

Bobby Mongelli presently owns three Stock Island eateries. Roostica, Hogfish and Geiger Key. Rumor has it that he is contemplating a fourth on Stock Island.

I enjoyed dinner at Roostica last night. Ran into some bocce fans. They do not play. However show up every thursday evening to cheer teams on.

The new bocce season begins tomorrow night. Going to be interesting. We will be short staffed. People away. Only 5 players expected. I may have to play three games. I have not in years.

I spent yesterday afternoon fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

The show was limited to police incidents. Ferguson motivated. Sunday was one year since the Michael Brown shooting. Followed up Ferguson with several recent police incidents. Ended the show analyzing possible solutions.

Ferguson this year was marred with another shooting. Tyrone Harris.

My concern is with Oath Keepers. A citizen’s military group. Comprised of present and former military and law enforcement persons. A vigilante type group. Wearing military fatigues and carrying weapons.

They were all over Ferguson. The police did not interact with them. Local police were waiting for instructions from upstairs which never came.

Keep your eye on Oath Keepers. A bad situation developing. They are a law unto themselves.

Key West in recent months has had several changes suggested/under consideration. The most recent a proposed $115,000 study to see what could be done to improve Duval Street.

Turns out these recent ideas are the brain child of Thaddeus Cohen. Cohen is Key West’s new Planning Director. He has been on the job less than four months.

Cohen’s approach to the job appears to be too much too soon. Change for the sake of change is not wise. If something works, leave it alone. Do not waste money on studies Key West can ill afford. It has recently been advised Key West taxes will go up significantly as a result of the new budget..

Freedom of the press is being abused. The media is ignoring Bernie Sanders. He is bringing out crowds in the thousands. Little is reported. It gives one the feeling the media has decided who the players should be and are intentionally ignoring an upstart such as Sanders.

Trump, an upstart also, is getting great media play on the other hand.

It is wrong for the media to pick and choose candidates for us.

I am on in my years. A life time of living makes for a big experience factor. I have learned all that glitters is not gold.

China based stocks on U.S. exchanges had been doing well till recently. Extremely well. I gave serious consideration to investing in some. Glad I did not. The Chinese stocks have fallen dramatically since mid June.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

LONG LIFE…..3 BEERS AND 1 SHOT PER DAY

Posted on by

Agnes Fenton recently turned 110. Happy birthday! God bless!

The secret to her longevity was born in the early 1940s. Agnes had a brain tumor. She asked the doctor what she should do to avoid another. He told her to each day drink 3 Miller High Life beers and 1 shot of Johnny Walker Black Label scotch. She followed the doctor’s instructions religiously.

I spent a portion of yesterday fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. Two topics hit a nerve.

One involved my comments re the federal judge to whom the Tom Brady case has been assigned. I believe he is out of line in the manner he is handling the matter.

The other concerned blanket media censorship of the California class action suit against Monsanto. The people’s right to know has become a joke. We only get to watch, hear, and read what the six corporations controlling 90 percent of the media want us to.

Spent a bit of time working on a love book. A joke! Me writing a love story. My publisher however said give it a try. I feel like a fish out of water.

Three books in the works now. The other two Growing Up Italian and Greece, The First Time. I hope to finish one at some point.

Roostica for dinner before the show. Bobby has added a new desert to the menu. Salted caramel gelato. Outstanding!

I mentioned a big rain monday around dinner time. It was big! 3.4 inches.

Key West hotel business up the past five years. Forbes says the best in the U.S. In spite of the high profit levels, the hotels and tourist industry in general continue to pay small hourly wages. Most receiving $10-12 per hour.

Today’s Key West Citizen editorial says there is a food problem, also. This most of us knew. The extent, not. The editorial says there are 25,000 Key West residents. Four hundred families cannot afford sufficient food. That number equates to 16 percent of the population. A disgrace! Another example of the hotels, etc. getting fat and forgetting to take their help with them.

The same argument can be made for affordable housing. Higher wages might eliminate or lessen the need for taxpayer dollars being spent for affordable housing.

The regular lobster season begins tomorrow. Lobsterfest weekend ahead. Going to be delicious.

Some crazy people out there. Especially, politicians. They want to limit the number of births by the poor.

An Arkansas legislator has submitted a bill that would permit the State to pay unwed low income mothers on Medicaid if they get an IUD implant. Mothers fitting the description would receive $2,500.

Enjoy your day!

 

WEAPON OF MASS DESRUCTION…..KEY WEST BEACH

Posted on by

Horror never strikes at home. Or so we believe. It does, it could.

National news today tells the story of a 23 year old Key West area man arrested by federal authorities. Arrested for his intent to bury on a Key West beach a back pack filled with nails. One which could be exploded from a distant point.

The individual arrested lives on Stock Island. Stock island has two parts. The island split by U.S. 1. The Atlantic side less than affluent. Home to Hogfish and Roostica. The Gulf side, the golf course, tasteful homes and condominiums. The man arrested lived on the Atlantic side.

He is reported to be a member of the Islamic State network.

The story was carried this morning on the front page of the Key West Citizen. It also was reported on Morning Joe. Not the type of notoriety we want in the Keys. Nor any where else for that matter.

A beach explosion would have maimed/killed very young children to the very elderly. The FBI and other authorities are to be complimented for their fine work.

Yes, it could happen here. An eye opener!

This sciatica will not go away! Better this morning. And then a shot of pain!

My yesterday busy. Started with a haircut with Lori. She is off to Long Island and Maine this week to visit family. Then a manicure with Tammy. Always a pleasant experience. The sciatica followed me to both places.

Fined tuned last night’s blog talk radio show in the afternoon. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou went well last night. Post show comments indicate all topics hit a nerve. I like that.

Randy Roberts was on America’s Got Talent last night. A premier Key West entertainer. A nice guy. He did not make it. He failed to move to the next level. I feel bad for Randy. I am sure all of Key West does.

I watched the show from 8-9. Had to break to do my blog talk radio show at 9. Randy appeared during that time. I missed his performance. I understand he sang The Lady Is A Tramp. Beautifully and perfectly done.

I had an early dinner at Roostica. Spoke a while with owner Bobby. His family from southern Italy, also. He has never visited Greece. Before I could tell him, he told me he believed he had Greek blood in him. Concluded from readings. The conversation which followed was most interesting.

The two day Lobster Mini Season began this morning. Normally, there is a slew of boats going past my home on the way to the lobster happy hunting grounds. This morning, not so many. I am curious as to why.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

RUNNING OF THE BULLS

Posted on by

Pamplona, Spain and Key West were one yesterday. The Running of the Bulls!

I was there. Hemingway look alikes. Dressed Pamplona style. White shirts and pants. Red berets and waist bands. White hair and beards, of course.

The bulls machete and wood on wheels.

The race as in Pamplona. Pure chaos. If real bulls, several of yesterday’s Hemingways would be no more. Fun to watch. Exciting.

Paula Deen in Key West again this year for Hemingway Days. Her husband Michael Grover a Hemingway look alike contestant. I did not see her this year.

Lunched at the Pier House Beach Bar afterwards. Duval was too busy and hot with all the people. Chatted with Janine.

I have always had difficulty spelling Janine’s name. What I am writing today is correct. First time I have had it right. I mentioned my problem with spelling her name. I added it was fortunate her sister Mary had a simple name. Janine looked at me and said no she doesn’t. Her name is spelled Mari. With an i and not a y.

Ran into Michael at the Beach Bar. Michael was already a Key Wester when I started coming 26 years ago. I first met him at Atlantic Shores. He was a regular. Bare assed and bronzed. I had not seen him in 15 years. He is still bronzed. As to bare assed, I do not know. He was not yesterday.

Spent some time later in the afternoon researching this week’s KONK Life column. More research to do and then writing it. Will be done today. The topic/title Harry Truman’s Mother In Law.

Dinner at Roostica last night.

Lobster Mini Season a few days away. Wednesday and thursday. Thirty thousand expected for the event.

This is year 50 for Christ of the Deep. A 9 foot bronze statue of Christ was planted under water in the John Pennekamp State Park near Key Largo fifty years ago. Only 25 feet down, many have seen and enjoyed the statue. Even to the point of touching Christ’s hands and face.

Heard from Anna again. She is still on Amorgos. Has a problem. She has to be out of her accommodation 7/31. Her ferry boat reservation is for 8/5. She is having trouble finding a room. No wonder. Things are cheap in certain areas of Greece this season. Even cheaper on a small hidden away island such as Amorgos. A place that has few accommodations to start.

Maybe she will have to sleep on the beach.

Anna tells me there are many French tourists. The reason is that a good portion of the French movie Le Grand Bleu was filmed in the waters off Amorgos. The French and others visit because of the film. It was a winner when first filmed. Won many awards. Today, a cult film.

The car works. The key turns easily.

Enjoy your Sunday!

CUBA EMBASSY OPENS

Posted on by

The anti-gravity treadmill has an attached TV screen. I have become addicted to The Price Is Right. Never watched the show before the treadmill. Yesterday, no Price Is Right. Instead, the available stations all carried the opening of the Cuba Embassy in Washington.

An impressive event. More so because of its significance. Another step closer in the U.S. relationship with our neighbor. I was moved the moment the Cuban and U.S. flags were raised simultaneously in front of the Embassy.

It is probably because Key West is only 90 miles from Cuba. I have a great interest in the renewal of the relationship. I wanted to write a blog marrying everyday Key West events with Cuba. I found a Cuban organization that was putting together a Cuban/U.S. blog. They only wanted Cubans or persons of Cuban extraction however. I continue looking.

Went from the treadmill to Roostica for lunch. Had a luncheon meeting. I continue to be impressed by the business Roostica does. Quality and prices have to be the main contributing factors.

Spent the afternoon researching tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. The show interesting once again. Not because of me. Rather due to events which occurred this past week. Like Warren Buffet buying a Greek island , China moving its ass, the hourly and daily cost of the Afghan war, the newest way to transport cocaine, Trump, examples of how banks control us, a United States of Europe, and more.

Join me for a quick moving half hour. Nine my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

The Chart Room first last night. Only David and me. Then to the Hot Tin Roof for a bite to eat. Four “Chart Room regulars” at the bar. I have noticed recently a fall off of regulars at the Chart Room. For example, most are at the outside bar at the Galleon friday nights.

My imagination?

Today the start of Hemingway Days. Exhibits at the Custom House and Tennessee Williams.

Today special in another way. Today marks Hemingway’s birthday.

On July 20, 1985, Mel Fisher hit the Atocha mother lode. $400 million of gold, silver and emeralds. God bless America!

One of the two divers making the find was Andy Matroci. He is still alive and kicking. He lives on Eagle Street in Key West and captains the J.B. Magruder salvage boat.

The last day of the British Open exciting. Especially the four hole playoff. Zach Johnson the winner.

Johnson moving when interviewed afterwards. A humble religious man. Thirty nine, he was not ashamed to cry. He is a first class representative for professional golf.

I overslept. Have to move my ass. A haircut appointment with Lori.

Enjoy your day!

 

MAN ON THE MOON…..WOW!

Posted on by

Today marks a remarkable event in history. The event being the most memorable of my life. Impacted me. Man on the Moon!

On this day in 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon. I was 34 at the time. It was late night. Around midnight. I was excited. A human walking on the moon. The thing science fiction movies were made of. Not reality. Yet, it was about to happen! Live on TV in front of my eyes.

My four children were all under 10 at the time. I woke and got them all out of bed to watch. I wanted to view this moment in history. It meant nothing to them. They were merely amusing their crazy Dad. To this day, when I ask if they recall watching the event on TV, none do.

I am now 80 and nothing has matched or exceeded Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.

Today has a special significance for Key West. Mel Fisher found the mother lode of the Atocha in 1985. Changed his life! His family’s life! Jean Thornton’s life!

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog that I had been researching Margaret Sanger for this week’s KONK Life column. As I dug further, it became obvious that the recent story re Planned Parenthood selling aborted fetus baby parts superseded it. Ergo, I wrote Planned Parenthood Sells Aborted Fetus Baby Parts. Margaret Sanger gets a paragraph near the end of the column. The article publishes wednesday in KONK Life.

I was half asleep watching the British Open when the phone rang. It was Dee. Hello, how are you, etc. It was close to dinner time. I asked if she wanted to meet me at Roostica. She said ok. Meet you there in an hour. Dee lives on Cudjoe Key.

A nice dinner. Dee good company most of the time. An intelligent woman, she is interesting to talk with. She has a doctorate in Psychology and teaches at Boston University.

Olga working. My new waitress friend. She gave me a beaming smile and wave as I walked in.

It was work day around the house yesterday. For Keith and Jennifer. Not me. Keith attacked the jungle outside my house. Everything grows swiftly in the heat. The trees, bushes, etc. need to be trimmed 1-2 times a year. Jennifer was cleaning up inside. Anna is in Poland vacationing for two months and Jennifer has been helping out in her absence.

Anna’s story similar to Tammy’s. She is another who has succeeded in achieving the American dream.

Anna and her husband immigrated from Poland many years ago. Today, her husband is the Chef at Cafe Sole, one of Key West’s top restaurants. Anna cleans homes. The job may not sound dignified. The money is. Anna is busy all the time.

They have their own home. They vacation two months with their children every two years in Poland.

I love Anna’s sundays. She refuses to work. She goes to St. Mary’s in the morning and spends the rest of the day at Fort Zachery Taylor Beach.

Hemingway Days begin tomorrow. Will run through sunday. I look forward to having a god time at certain events.

Anna e-mailed me. She is settled in on Amorgos. I envy her!

I have spent much time on Amorgos. Made many friends. I was the only American on Amorgos most of the time. People would stop by to meet me. I was an oddity. They had never met an American.

Anna’s e-mail made me feel good. People were asking where Louis was.

Mythos owns my favorite restaurant on Amorgos. He and his daughter were wondering what happened to me, was I ever going to return. I would spend my afternoons at Mythos’ place sitting outside in the shade writing. Antonio at the restaurant next door wondered when I would be back. He prepared the best smelts! Just like my grandmother made. Elini whose home I stayed at was wondering if I would ever return.

Flora on Amorgos again. Cleaning rooms for the summer. An Albanian school teacher otherwise. I wrote a short story about Flora three years  which I published in my book. The title…..Flora’s Story. A sensitive tale.

The Greeks are taking a beating in the media these days. They are made to look lazy and careless. The island people are neither. They are simple happy folk living life as their forefathers did 100 years ago.

Enjoy your day!

MAIL DELIVERY 3Xs A DAY

Posted on by

Key West is presently battling whether to have garbage pick ups once or twice a week. There was a time when the number of times for anything was generous.

This morning’s Key West Citizen in its History Section notes that on this day in 1901, the Post Office began making deliveries three times a day. Early morning, mid day and late afternoon.

How things change!

Love Rick Boettger. He calls them as he sees ’em. In an article in E-Blast this morning titled The Big Story / Crash or Burn, he indicates how difficult it is to do business in Key West. A tough town to get a business started. Even tougher to stay in business.

Rick had a statement I would like to share…..Key West is a place to spend money you made somewhere else.

How true!

Starbuck’s on the Boulevard finally underway. Checkers building being demolished. I look forward to the new Starbuck’s. I love to sit inside, sip coffee, and read. The new Starbuck’s will provide that convenience.

The Citizen this morning also noted that Key West will receive its share of the BP settlement. $2.7 million. Allegedly for economic damages suffered during the spill. The oil never reached Key West. For business loss during that period because people were afraid to visit. They thought the oil would reach Key West beaches.

The $2.7 million even more interesting since earlier paper work by the City indicated Key West had only lost $630,00.

BP settlements of this nature are a rip off! I can’t fault the City for taking the money. However, it should never have been available. At some distant point following the spill, by law or regulation, rules came down permitting the type of losses to be compensated out of a pool of money made available for such purpose. The law/regs were broadly drawn. Did incorporate losses as the City was paid for.

Such does not make the payment right. Either to Key West or anyone else. Even saying BP has a lot of money does not make it correct.

Dinner at Roostica last night before my blog talk radio show. Met a new waitress. Olga. A nice lady.

Did my blog talk radio show later in the evening. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Three topics hit. How the U.S. as a society has lost its way, a Greece update suggesting watch out for the Neo-Nazi party, and my thoughts re the Iranian agreement. All interesting! Controversial in some respects.

Anna. Greece. Anna still on Santorini. Santorini continues to be packed with tourists. This week Chinese, Japanese and English. Spending money like crazy. Everything very expensive.

She wanted to spend time on my favorite island, Amorgos. Not going. Could not get a room. Amazing! Plus, all ATM machines are bare. No cash money available on Amorgos.

The show goes on! The Greece/Eurounion conflict not concluded. The next few days will reveal much. Parliament votes today whether to accept the offer. The unions are supposedly on a 24 hour strike today. No one working. Athens shut down if the called for strike successful.

Various media sources suggest Merkel may have hurt herself big time. She exercised raw “naked power.” Germany may win today. However the Greeks and other European nations will remember Greece’s treatment. What goes around, comes around. Germany some day will stand with hat in hand. Germany’s treatment at that time may be as harsh as Greece’s this time.

Enjoy your day!

WE LOST OUR WAY…..

Posted on by

I finally decided what to write for this week’s KONK Life column.

The subject concerns the loss of American values. The disintegration of our way of life.

I suspect the column will be controversial. Not all will agree with me.

The column was written yesterday. It will publish in KONK Life wednesday.

I snuck over to Publix in between writing the column. I never have enough food in the house. Glad I went. I ran into Mary Ann Westerlund in the parking lot. Her husband Roger died last week. I wrote about Roger two days ago.

Mary Ann was with one of their daughters. What can one say or do, except I am sorry and a warm hug.

Dinner last night at Roostica. The sunday night special is spaghetti in a pork sauce with meatballs and sausage. The meal close to my grandmother and mother’s cooking.

One exception. I do  not recall ever seeing spaghetti in the house. The closest we came was perchetelli. A thicker type spaghetti. My family’s favorite was ziti. Mine today are rigatonis. Known as stove pipes back then.

I subscribe to World War II History. A monthly magazine. Read two interesting articles last night.

One concerned Chuck Yaeger. He was a World War II ace. Following the war, he was a test pilot. He is best known for being the first to crack the sound barrier.

The other involved thousands of Russians who fought for Germany during World War II. In the German Army. Some as generals.

I was not aware.

The Russians were anti-Stalin. After the war, the Russians wanted to stay in Germany or some other European country. They did not wish to return to Russia. They feared Stalin would have them killed.

The Allies did not buy the fear story or did not care. Most were repatriated. Most were killed by Stalin over the next two years.

My column in last week’s KONK Life concerned Uber. A timely subject, I thought. It must have been. Unknowingly, two other KONK Life writers wrote about the same subject. Pru Sowers and Rick Boettger. Our articles did not overlap. We approached the story from different perspectives.

Yesterday or the day before, the Key West Citizen editorial concerned the subject. The message was give Uber a shot. Then yesterday morning, a one hour Miami talk show. Heavy hitters on the show. Plus, the owner of a taxi fleet. Except for the cab company proprietor, all were in accord Uber was a good thing and should be encouraged rather than fought.

The Key West Citizen and Miami TV show agreed with me. Rick disagreed. Pru took no position. Merely related the facts.

I live and learn. There is a crack down in Monroe Country re short term rentals. Less than 28 days. This I knew. What I did not know was that there is a Florida law on the books since 2011 prohibiting cities from passing local laws barring short term rentals.

How then can Monroe County be doing it? The law includes a grandfather clause. If a city banned short term rentals before the new law, the city was grandfathered in and could continue the banning.

A stupid use of the grandfather clause. Florida should be uniform on the issue.

Greece. My Greece. The word this morning is that there is a deal. It will be signed tonight. Whatever the deal, it has to be approved by the Greek Parliament.

The present Greek President was elected in January claiming he would no longer subvert Greece to the Eurounion’s demands. The deal proposed does exactly that. It is a continuance of what came before. It basically is the same document the new Greek government has been opposing. As well as a majority of Greek citizens.

I believe the proposal is not the end of the problem. The can has been kicked down the road. I say that for several reasons.

It subjects the Greek people to additional austerity. The thing that has been killing them. It does not provide for debt restructuring. Greece will never be able to pay the debt as presently structured. A portion has to either be forgiven or extended 20-30 years. Overall, the proposal will weaken rather than strengthen the Greek economy.

Greece will be kicked around a bit more. The eventuality is that ultimately Greece will leave the Eurounion. The can can be kicked only so far.

Enjoy your day!