AMERICA’S SEXUAL RECESSION

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Would you believe…..America in the midst of a sex recession?

It is. Responsibility falls upon teenagers and young adults. Less sex apparently better.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Survey covering 1991-2017 startling. High school students having sex has dropped from 54 percent to 40 percent.

In other words in the space of a generation, sex has gone from something most high school students experienced to something most haven’t.

Oral sex has not been substituted. The rate for oral sex has remained steady.

Teen pregnancies down dramatically, also.  Dropped to a third of its modern high.

Two reasons why sex frequency if falling. One, the internet. Porn is being substituted by both sexes for sex with a partner. The other, young people are partnering less.

The pendulum has swung. The modern libido is down.

I am not a happy camper this morning. Two reasons. Syracuse lost and I did not sleep all night. The two unrelated.

Syracuse went down to Connecticut 83-76. It was Connecticut’s game all the way.

I don’t understand. Syracuse’s starting 5 has returned. New recruits terrific. The bench deep for the first time in years. Four players supposedly excellent 3 point shooters. Syracuse’s defense supposedly great.

Nothing helped last night.

Syracuse attempted few 3 pointers. Second game  a row. When the team did, the ball rarely went in. Connecticut could hardly miss a 3 pointer. If my recollection is correct, they made 12.

I fell asleep around 10. Woke just after midnight. No television. Comcast was down all the way. No internet e-mail, television or land line. The internet came back on at 6 this morning. TV at 8:30.

I need TV to sleep. I substituted it for book reading at bed time years ago. I leave the TV on all night. Sleep poorly. When I wake, I watch whatever is on for a while and fall back to sleep.

My crutch, the TV set, was not there.

In recent months, Comcast’s service has been sporadic. Pisses me off. We depend on its services. It should be reliable.

Comcast owns NBC. I do not see NBC suffering from glitches. Only we poor peasants who depend on Comcast for internet e-mail, TV and land lines.

I have vented!

My yesterday simple. Haircut with Lori and lunch at Sandy’s Cafe. Spent the afternoon home researching. My excitement level rising as the day reached 7 in the evening when the Syracuse/Connecticut game would begin.

Those of you who live up north laugh not. A cold spell is upon us today. The high will only be 75. That’s cold in Key West. Tonight, the temperature is expected to drop to 71. Really cold! Quilt time.

Key West has many pleasant experiences. One, its sunsets. Always a canvas. Different strokes each evening.

Water surrounds the Keys. Those living here develop a love and respect for those who live in the ocean.

Twin one year old manatees were in trouble. Their mother accidentally killed by a boat strike. Manatee calves stay with their mothers one to two years. The twins were not yet able to do well on their own.

They were found stressed out more than a year ago in waters off Key Largo. Weighed about 100 pounds each. Rescued by the Dolphin Research Center. Named Millennium and Falcon.

Transferred to the Miami Sea Aquarium. Subsequently sent to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio for rehabilitation.

All better, they were recently released back into the waters off Key Largo.

The musical Sound of Music opened this day in 1959 on Broadway. An instantaneous hit!

I saw the show the following July. Actually, July 4. My first musical.

I was in New York studying for the bar exam. Six weeks. I already had put 4 in. Seven hours a day of lecture, the rest of the time studying. Seven days a week.

We had 2 days off . The 4th and one day adjoining it.

My wife and I had not seen each other in 4 weeks. She came down for the 2 days. Our blood was boiling. Except for seeing Sound of Music, we basically stayed in bed.

Our daughter Beth was conceived over those 2 days.

Florida is one screwed up State when it comes to ballot counting. This year no different. Broward County handed in its recount numbers 2 minutes late. Election officials refused to accept them. Thousands of votes will not count if a court does not reverse the decision.

Recall 2000. Bush/Gore. It all came down to a recount in Florida. Chads!

Not the first time Florida was in such a position. The 1876 Rutherford Hayes and Samuel Tilden Presidential election ended in a mess. Tilden won the popular vote. Four States had election day problems. Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon.

Hayes Republican, Tilden Democrat.

Tilden was short one electoral vote.

The war was on!

Several months of bitter partisan wrangling. Finally, a special electoral commission was appointed to resolve the issue. Partisan politics here, also. Republicans picked the members. The commission ended up with one more Republican member than the Democrats.

Florida’s contested votes, together with those of the other three States, were awarded to Hayes.

The Democrats lost the first time. They lost again in the Bush/Gore dispute. It appears they will lose this time in the Governor and Senate races which are in dispute.

Trump an unhappy camper also today. The media tells us he has been so for several days. Deep anxiety has set in. The Democratic blue wave disheartens him. The Mueller investigation appears to be winding down. He has concern for not only himself, but also his family and friends.

He returned to tweeting about Mueller and his investigation yesterday. Trump says the Mueller investigation is a mess, there is no collusion, absolutely no collusion, Mueller and his people are shouting at each other. All a disgrace to the Nation.

Who truly is the disgrace?

Enjoy your day! Dress warm!

 

 

 

 

 

 

IT’S TOUGH TO BE AN OLD GEEZER

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A change of pace blog.

Love the title…..It’s Tough To Be An Old Geezer.

Patricia Tedesco is a friend of 50 plus years. Knew each other back in Utica. Contemporaries age wise.

We had not seen each other in many years. She now lives in another State as do I. We met again on Facebook a year ago. A new relationship began.

Frailties inevitable for persons in their 80’s. Discussed frequently by seniors. Generally in a humorous fashion.

Julie Andrews a member of our generation. Pat sent me a take off on My Favorite Things from Sound of Music. Purportedly sung by Julie Andrews on the occasion of her 69th birthday on October 1, 2005 at Radio City Music Hall.

It’s funny! The spoof words true in every respect. The lyrics changed for the entertainment of Andrews’ “blue hair” audience. What I share will be most appreciated by them. It is their life!

Keep the tune My Favorite Things in mind as you read the words.

An admonition. Stay with this blog till the bitter end. Read every word. My comments at the end especially.

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting, / Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings, / Bundles of magazines tied up in string, / These are a few of  my favorite things.

Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses, / Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses, / Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings, / These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak, / When the bones creak, / When the knees go bad, / I simply remember my favorite things, / And then I don’t feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions, / No spicy food or food cooked with onions, / Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring, / These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin’, / Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin’, / And we won’t mention our short sunken frames, / When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, / When the hips break, / When the eyes grow dim, / Then I remember the great life I’ve had, / And then I don’t feel so bad.

None of the introduction happened. All false. No Julie Andrews, no 69th birthday celebration at Radio City Music Hall, no singing by Julie Andrews.

The intro a complete and total falsehood. Yet many who read/hear of the reworded song and Julie Andrews believe it.

The truth. The song is a parody. Believed to have been written in 2001 by some aspiring humorist. Probably to cause a bit of comical mayhem. Well done. The rhythmic cadence consistent with These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things.

It was impossible for Julie Andrews to sing in 2005. She lost her ability to sing several years earlier in 1997. A simple surgery to remove a non cancerous polyp on her vocal cords went wrong. Her voice destroyed. Unable to sing again.

That my friends is the true story. Never the less, a great rendition of the song.

Thank you Pat for sharing.

Don’t forget my podcast tonight at 9. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Please join me. You will enjoy. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

EDWARD STRUNK JR…..PERSON OF ACHIEVEMENT

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Installment 15 highlights a Rotarian who was a President of the Key West Rotary and who achieved extraordinary success while a resident of Key West.

Edward Strunk Jr.

Strunk became Rotary President in 1934. Deep depression years. His achievements while President include increasing membership from 19 to 29. No small feat.

During his tenure, he supported the establishment of the Everglades National Park.

The hurricane of 1935 presented many challenges. The railroad bridges had been demolished. Strunk  and Bascom Grooms were instrumental in clearing other bridges. People and businesses needed a way to move up and down the Keys.

Such is part of Strunk’s Rotary career. What follows is the story of the man.

Strunk was 16. Not living in Key West yet. He was in Miami. He had to decide whether to return to school or go to work. He opted to work.

One of his first jobs was working at the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad offices in Marathon. The Atlantic Coast Line the Flagler railroad.

Following the railway experience, he worked several different jobs. World War I found him serving in France for a year.

He finally made it to Key West. He went to work for the South Florida Contracting & Engineering Co. After 20 years with the organization, Strunk retired a part owner.

Nineteen thirty-nine was a significant year in Strunk’s life. He opened the Strunk Lumber Yard. First located on Mallory Square. Today, 1101 Eaton Street.

Strunk lumber became a significant Key West business.

In due course, Strunk sold the lumber company to Manley – De Boer.

Strunk remained in business, however. He opened a hardware store. Known today as Strunk Ace Hardware. Same location on Eaton Street.

The Strunk lumber and hardware businesses were family owned at all times. From 1939 to present day. Strunk’s great grandson Andy runs Strunk Ace Hardware today.

An interesting story. An American success story. The tale of a man who at 16 had to choose between school and work. He chose work and ultimately became one of Key West’s biggest successes.

The Key West Film festival began last night. It runs through sunday. Burt Reynolds will be in Key West attending the festival tonight. America’s heart throb and famous movie star of the 1970s and 1980s is to receive an award.

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that an FDR book had been written by Karen Chase. It involved two years of FDR’s life when his winters were spent on a houseboat in the Florida Keys hoping the warmth would remedy his paralysis.

Chase is speaking tonight at the Custom House’s Distinguished Speaker Series at 6.

Should be interesting. I plan on attending.

Obama spent two days in Greece this week. He was not a welcomed guest. Protests both days. The first day 7,000. At one of the demonstrations, the American flag was burned.

I am surprised! I love Greece. Have spent much time there. My last trip was four years ago. For six weeks.

A more loving people I have never met. I was welcomed warmly everywhere. No question the Greek people loved Americans.

What caused demonstrations filled with hatred four years later?

It appears Russia and Greek communists. Putin thought to be the motivating force.

The reasons given for the protests speak for themselves.

One was that the United States was creating tensions with Russia and China. Another that the United States stood in the way of Russia seeking to overthrow the Ukrainian government.

How about this one? The United States is supporting Islamic extremists. Another, Obama supported the Euro Union’s stringent austerity program imposed on Greece.

All without basis. All fabrications.

Signs carried: Yankee Go Home. Five thousand police had to be called in.

I have written much re Greece. I have predicted at some point the Nazi Party aka New Dawn Party would be elected to lead Greece. I suspect it might occur in the next election.

The Communist Party small. Without significance.

I buy the belief that Putin was behind the protests.

College students all over the country are sad Hilary lost. Depressed. Universities have grieving areas on campus and have arranged for the students to receive counseling.

At the University of Michigan, students spent one of the grieving days sprawled in a college center playing with Play-Doh and coloring in coloring books.

College students should not be coddled. Their candidate lost. Tough! So did mine. That is the way it is. Go out and work harder next time.

College students of today do not know how to take responsibility for their lives. Administrators and professors should step back.

May this be the worst calamity in their lives. That Hillary did not win.

Enjoy your day!

NO MONEY NO CHEMO

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Life or death depending on money. On ability to pay.

That is where we are at with many in our country.

Donna and Terri have had some hard times the past two years. Some things had to give. One was health insurance.

Terri is sick. She has been diagnosed with a rare blood disease Little Chain Deposition. In addition, multiple myeloma.

Neither good.

The lower Keys Medical Center was terrific. Terri was there a week. Underwent all kinds of tests. Diagnosed. The hospital and doctors were advised up front that Terri had neither insurance nor sufficient monies to pay.

It made to difference to the hospital. They provided Terri with excellent care. The same hospital that has been severely criticized recently.

Terri now needs chemotherapy. The hospital does not provide chemo. She has to go to a physician’s office. One that specializes in illness such as Terri has.

The cost of the chemotherapy is $750 per visit. She needs chemo twice a week. Totals $1,500 a week. Additionally, $1,000 a month for drugs.

The chemotherapy physician’s office told her no money, no chemo. It was a for profit operation.

Terri is without choice. She will die. Obviously sooner than later.

I can understand the doctor’s office turning Terri away. He has a ton of overhead, an expensive staff of professionals, etc. If not paid, he would not be in business long. Not able to provide to any one the life saving treatment he does.

That philosophy does not help Terri, however.

Terri is too young for Medicare.

The system cries out for true universal health care. One with one payor. Like Medicare.

A fund has been established to help Terri with her initial expenses. One to get her started. The goal is $9,000. Over $5,000 has already been raised.

Please do what you can.

A Go Fund Me fund has been established: go fund me.com/terri-white-medical-fund/donate.

Help Terri today.

The City Commission voted last night to return the Tiger to the corner of White and United. The Tiger’s original site.

The original site won out by one vote. The issue has been before the Commission for months. Absolutely amazing how Key West politicos can spend so much time on a simple issue. Whereas, they have been known to authorize millions in little time and with insufficient information. Priorities misplaced.

My blog is short this morning. Between Terri and an early appointment, I am unable to get into Installment 15 of my Key West Rotary history banter. I am disappointed. It is interesting. Covers the Rotary and the Edward Strunk Jr. story. Strunk’s history in and of itself inspiring.

Strunk tomorrow!

Enjoy your day!