SCHOOL BOARD INEPT, INADEQUATE…..RESIGN!

Some type incompetence perpetrates the area’s public boards and leaders. Simply stated, the blind leading the blind. Gangs that cannot shoot straight.

This morning’s Key West Citizen reports as its main article front page the most recent development  in the missing $21,000 from the Monroe County School daycare program. Superintendent Porter and three other high up school officials have agreed to a five day suspension. A self-imposed suspension.

They did not steal the money. They have tried to figure out who and how to no avail. The State Attorney has been investigating. She is yet to come up with the one criminally responsible.

It appears the School Board needed its pint of blood. The public must know of our concern and that we are doing the job. So they accept Porter’s self-imposed suspension for himself and others.

The self-imposed labeling is a crock. I am sure the Board and Porter and others discussed the matter at length beforehand. The deal leaves the Board with clean hands.

Still, we do not know who the culprit is. That is the person to be punished. The delay argument, etc. does not hold water. I would expect Porter and team to initially deal with the problem internally.

Students must be laughing. The Superintendent getting a suspension. A public slap in  the face. A disgrace. The students learn nothing from the result. Those not guilty receiving a punishment?

Well are students being developed. Not important to find the guilty and punish the guilty. Let anyone take the hit. Someone has to be responsible.

Sick.

Acquaveda has been with us long enough. Throw off its cloak.

I had to move fast yesterday morning. A trip to Miami to have the car tuned.

The garage door would not open. I had to physically lift it. Me and my bad heart. The door is a hurricane one installed 16 years ago. Heavy. Today’s are much lighter in comparison.

Got it up! Got the car out. Now, to get the door down. Good luck! Heavier feeling and harder to do. Done, however.

Stopped at the Islamorada Fish Company on the way up US 1. A perfect location for lunch. Outside on a covered deck. The sun shining. A cool breeze. The view beautiful.

And stone crabs! The best so far this season.

Left at 10. Returned at 9:30 in the evening.

Tonight is my blog talk radio show. My research not complete. I worked a couple of hours into the late night working on it.

Topics include my opinion that Trump is now unstoppable, Saudi Arabia stating the beginning of World War III if Assad remains, Gates Foundation paying 12 Iowa State students to eat genetically modified bananas, a California town making more money legally raising cannabis rather than operating jails, New York State Police forcing scientists to falsify DNA testing in order to get convictions, Pennsylvania maple syrup farmers losing fight to fracking pipelines, and more.

Join me for an interesting fast moving show at 9 tonight. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I was stuck in the Cow Bridge fiasco friday for 1 1/2 hours. They are working on the bridge this week, also. We are told things will be better. Police will be directing traffic.

I ask why not do the work at night.

I drove home in the dark last night. As I was reaching mile marker 11, I observed glowing lights in the northbound lane. Glaring large lights. It was workers doing what ever had to be done to US 1 at that point.

Who is the idiot that ordered the Cow Bridge work to be done during the day?

The William Hackley saga continues. Today’s report again omits mention of a walk and bath. I suspect it was because Hackley had recently become District Attorney/State Attorney and probably did not have the time.

If so, hope he did not get too close to the judge and jurors.

I got up at 5:30 to start this blog. I have a 10 o’clock doctor appointment and the treadmill at 11. Plan on buying a new cell phone today, if I have the energy. If not today, tomorrow.

Enjoy your day!

HAVE YOU NO DECENCY?

My thoughts re the Trump/Pope Francis fiasco.

The media complains no one really takes Trump on. The Pope did it in a few words. Following which few, if any, media persons and primary candidates said good for the Pope.

Does everyone fear Trump?

Trump had balls taking on the Pope. The Pope is obviously a good man. Trump may not rise to the same level. Trump’s conduct/statements to date suggest it.

The scenario reminds me of Joseph Welch and the Mc Carthy hearings. Senator Mc Carthy was labeling everyone a communist. No one had the courage to stand up to Mc Carthy.

Welch was a Boston lawyer representing someone before the Committee.

Welch got fed up with Mc Carthy’s statements made about someone close to Welch.

Welch was a little man. He looked Mc Carthy in the eye before all America (the proceedings were televised) and in a quiet voice said, “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”

It was the beginning of the end for Mc Carthy. His power and fear inducing ability went straight down. The mighty fell. David victorious over Goliath.

No one stood with the Pope yesterday. No other Davids. Amazing.

My yesterday was busy once again. Fortunately, the weather turned warm. It was a nice day to run around.

I started the morning with the anti-gravity treadmill. Then visited Lori for a haircut. Great news while with Lori. She got married!

A doctor visit later in the afternoon. Then to Martin’s. Did happy hour with appetizers. Then to the full priced menu for stone crabs. Terrific stone crabs! Medium sized. A bit smaller than those served at Ibis. Better, however. Give yourself a treat. Go to Martin’s for stone crabs.

The issue of Hillary’s speaking transcripts came up again last night. She was asked when she was going to release them. A few weeks ago, she said she would. Last night her response was to the effect that when everyone else turns over theirs, she will hers. A you show me yours and I will show you mine response.

There is no relation between Hilary’s transcripts and those of others. Because of the monies paid to Bill and Hillary.

CNN came out with a report two weeks ago. Since 2001 through last May, Bill and Hillary received$153 million in speaking fees. $7.7 million alone from big banks. Hillary was paid $1.8 million of the $7.7 million.

The report also pointed out that a super PAC supporting Hillary took in $15 million in the last quarter.

Last year when the issue was first raised, Bill and/or Hillary said the money was turned over to their Foundation for charitable use. You don’t hear that anymore. The suspicion is it went into Clinton pockets.

I for one would like to know what Hillary’s transcripts reveal. What promises/representations were made to the big banks and corporations.

This week’s KONK Life column was linked this morning to my Key West Lou website. It also appeared in KONK E-News Blast this morning.

The E-Blast article contains 14 uncapitalized words. Generally at the beginning of a sentence. Six misspellings. In addition, the last two paragraphs are a jumbled mess.

Not my fault. I have asked Guy deBoer to run the column in corrected fashion tomorrow.

How the world has changed.

There was a time when a school teacher could not be married. This morning’s Keys History section in the Citizen told of an incident which occurred in Key West in 1902. Sarah Ann Roberts had married. She was a teacher. The Board of Education asked for her resignation. And got it! It was that or be fired.

On this date in 1942, Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed an Executive Order for the removal of resident enemy aliens from parts of the West. A disgrace since acknowledged.

Japanese primarily affected. Italians, also.

Joe DiMaggio’s parents lived in the San Francisco area. Joe had joined the U.S.Army.

His father was prohibited from traveling more than five miles from his home. Which meant he could not fish. The fish he caught were sold at his restaurant. He also could not operate his restaurant. It was more than five miles away.

Enzio Pinza was taken into custody. He was held three months and then released.

I find all this interesting. I am of Italian extraction. My mother was born in Italy. She came to the United States at the age of two months. Many many years before Mussolini ever came to power.

My mother applied for a job in a war plant during World War II. A munitions plant. It took her forever to get approved. She was investigated as perhaps being an Italian spy or what have you. She finally received approval. She examined finished rifles to make sure there were no defects.

Enjoy your day!

 

DEFEATED!

It finally happened. We lost a bocce match last night. The first of the season. Ballz Against the Wall beat us 2-1.

We killed them in the first game. Trounced them. Game 2, they trounced us just as bad in return. Game 3 was no different. They trounced us again.

I played game 2. Terribly!

We will drop one or two places in the rankings.

A Joe Liszka addendum. Iowa’s Tom and Cindy e-mailed me yesterday a video titled A Tribute To Frank Romano. It can be found on You Tube.

Frank and Joe were one. The video shows their relationship and the obvious love they had for each other. As well as the humorous nature of each.

Stone crab season opened yesterday. One of the best foods in the world. They will be enjoyed by many here in Key West this weekend.

Yesterday morning, the anti-gravity treadmill. Later this morning, once again. I will get to chat with my new found friend Dave who uses the machine just before me friday mornings.

Cuban Queen for Cuban coffee and cheese toast for lunch yesterday. Stayed well over an hour enjoying the newspapers.

My trip home from the Cuban Queen took forever. I opted to get to US 1 via Flagler. Traffic backed up many blocks. Moving an inch at a time, when it moved. I could see the Boulevard in the distance. Nothing moving.

I decided to try coming up via the Boulevard. Took a sharp left into one of the side streets. Ended up making a right onto the Boulevard at First Bank. Traffic normal.

Only for 200 feet. Then nothing moving. It seemed like forever in both lanes.

Has to be a big accident, I thought. One and a half hours later as I was turning onto US 1, I noticed neither an accident nor road construction. Many police officers, however.

US 1 up to Macdonald bumper to bumper slowly, also.

I was taxed. Not from the delay. I can handle such things. However, the anxiety from a gas tank on empty. No where on the Boulevard could I position myself to get into a gas station. I kept thinking this is no place to run out of gas!

Syracuse plays Virginia tomorrow. Syracuse a one touchdown underdog. After last week’s game, I am back to a no comment position.

This morning’s E-Blast carries this week’s KONK Life column. Worse Ever Congress.

I will be discussing the column when Guy de Boer interviews me on 104.9 at 12:10 pm. All of ten minutes! Listen in, if you can.

Enjoy your day!

 

SATURDAY

My Saturday was easy and pleasurable. It was all day and night at home, however.

I slept late. Not a bad way to start a day.

Then got started researching this week’s KONK Life column. Worse Ever Congress. I did not decide on a topic till Saturday morning. Ergo, I had a lot to do.

I worked at it till 3:30.

The Syracuse/South Florida game. A disaster! Took me through 7:30. Grabbed some left overs out of the refrigerator. Then back to the column for a couple more hours. A little fine tuning and it will be done today.

The game was horrible! Syracuse lost 45-24. Syracuse was listless in the first half. Reminded me of many recent year Syracuse games. Syracuse looked better in the second half. Decidedly better. Like the team we have come to expect this year.

Victory was not to be. South Florida played exceptional football. Syracuse’s fabled defense non existent.

Too many Syracuse running plays in the first half. The ball should have been thrown more. When it was in the second half, Syracuse looked a hell of a lot better.

The Southernmost Marathon yesterday. 26.2 miles. Impressive. Never a desire of mine to do one.

Charlotte ran. Tried to figure where she came in. However, I started getting cross-eyed going down the columns.

Bocce rankings in the paper. Our team alone in second place with a 17-4 record. First place team has a 19-2 record. In third place is Balls To The Wall. 16-4. A half game behind us.

We play Balls To the Wall this Thursday. Serious bocce. Exciting!

Stone crab season begins Thursday. Love stone crabs! Look forward to enjoying them again.

Enjoy your Sunday!

T.J. MAXX COMES TO KEY WEST

I really enjoyed a slow day yesterday. Started with the anti-gravity treadmill. Next Lee Nails for a manicure and pedicure by Tammy. Then home. Never left home the rest of the day.

Watched some TV and read in the afternoon.

I subscribe to a World War II magazine. World War II History. I was 5-10 years old at the time of the war. It remains etched in my mind. The war definitely had an impact on me.

I enjoy reading stories of the various World War II battles. Yesterday, it was a tank fight on Makin, a daring attack on Guadalcanal, insights into the Nuremberg trails, and the Hitler/Stalin pact.

My plan was to stop at Don’s Place at 6 and move on from there. Never made it. Came 5 and getting ready time and I thought…..I’m tired…..why not stay home. I stayed home.

Not the best of ideas. I fell asleep early. Woke at 2 and could not get back to sleep.

The stone crab season ends tomorrow. The season may be described as bad and good. The take this year was 3,000 pounds less.  However the net profit estimated at $11 million. Most of the crabs were larger. The big ones bringing a higher price.

I love stone crabs! The restaurant cost this season prohibitive. The cost generally $10 per stone crab. Medium/large sized.

Sunday will be a big day for Key West. T.J. Maxx opens its first store in the keys at 8 am. I am excited. The natives are excited. The store is in the Sears Shopping Plaza.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my Miami trip and stop at a Walmart. I bought some shorts and tee shirts. Dirt cheap!

Several people not familiar with Key West wrote and asked how could I shop at a Walmart. Wasn’t I ashamed?…..I had to be embarrassed telling people I even shopped at Walmart.

Key Westers and frequent visitors know that the dress code in Key West is simple. Shorts and tee shirts. Suits, jackets, expensive sport shirts, have no place.

I have $5,000 custom made suits hanging in my closet. For 10 years. In addition to custom made shirts that cost me $340-$560. Ties? Yes, I use to have them custom made also at $160 per. I even have a custom made tuxedo that cost me $6,000. All purchased during and for my other life in New York.

I have never worn any of them since living in Key West!

I am thrilled we now will have a T.J. Maxx and soon a Walmart on Rockland Key. For me and the rest of my Key West neighbors.

My KONK Life column this week is Banks Hurt People. They do! The column has been linked to my two Facebook sites. Key West Lou and Louis Petrone. Enjoy, if time permits.

Bocce tonight. The last night of the season. We are on the bubble re the play offs. If we win all 3 games, we will make it. Lose one and I do not know.

The Amtrak accident is a disgrace in more ways than one. First because safety equipment available for railroads was not installed. The other the arrogance and ignorance of the western Congressmen who appeared on TV yesterday.

A House Committee was voting on railroad funding. The vote had been scheduled prior to the accident. The Committee voted party line to cut Amtrak’s budget $251 million knowing the accident had occurred.

The same thing initially happened when New Jersey needed hurricane assistance after Sandy.

The next time a western State has a crisis and comes to Congress hat in hand looking for money, they should be permitted to look and nothing else. Give them the same consideration they give the east.

Another observation is that Congress, whether Democrat or Republican, continue failing to vote monies for infrastructure. Our bridges are going to start collapsing, roads are in terrible shape, our schools with structural cracks and leaking roofs.

Congress fails to recognize that infrastructure monies create jobs. Look what Eisenhower did. He knew the Korean vets would be coming home and needed jobs. He created the jobs at the same time building the first national highway system. Prior to Eisenhower, we had no national highway system.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

A BUSY MONDAY

I left for Miami at 7 yesterday morning and returned at 10:30 last night. A busy day. The Volkswagen was in need of a 10,000 mile check up.

After dropping the car of at DEEL Volkswagen on Bird Ave., I had four hours to kill. I was directed to Meeker Center, a 10 minute walk. Meeker is a first class lovely three story shopping mall. All the big stores. Like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Tiffany. Lovely restaurants here and there.

Meeker was an interesting experience.

Attire. I was dressed Key West style. Shorts, shirt and crocs. No one wore shorts. Forget crocs. I was a stranger in my own country. Men wore long pants, some jackets. The women all dressed neatly and attractively. The six inch heels blew me out. I discovered flats are also in this year for women.

I looked out of place.

I rarely get off the rock, as we say. As I walked through Nordstrom, it struck me I have purchased new clothes rarely the past 10 years. Not needed if you live in Key West. It is a new tee shirt or two and an occasional pair of shorts.

I was taken by the sport shirts, then shoes and finally sport jackets. The tee shirts started at $98. Sport shirts were in the $150 range. Beautiful shirts! Shoes! Wild! I can not even wear leather shoes in Key West. Yet I spent at least an hour looking at them. From $200 to $600.

I used to visit Tiffany frequently on business trips to New York City. Generally to look, not to buy. I got to do it again yesterday.

I was wearing a three day beard.

People fell all over me trying to take care of me. I suspect they thought I was a rich eccentric.

From the heights of affluence to reality. I stopped at a Walmart on the way home. Bought some tee shirts, sport shirts and shorts. All for much less than one sport shirt at Nordstrom would have cost.

Walmart will soon have a store on nearby Rockland Key. It will sell groceries also. I walked around the food section checking out prices. Walmart had everything. Prices very low. Key West’s Publix and Winn Dixie will not be able to compete. They will have to lower prices to do so.

On the way back to Key West, I stopped at the Islamorada Fish Company for stone crabs. Broke my diet. They were delicious! The best!

Everyone was dressed like me.

Monday’s E-Blast carried an article re the Waterfront brewery remodeling. The property is city owned. It is being remodeled for the two tenants who will be occupying. A brewery and restaurant.

My concern is with over costs/over runs. Everything Key West does construction wise, involves the taxpayers getting hit with additional costs for alleged unexpected problems. The brewery thus far has run into two. An additional cost of $64,000. Not much, but more.

Over costs seem to occur on every type construction Key West is involved in. Sometimes in the millions. I never ran into this situation in other areas. Key Wet calls them unexpected. I call them a series of screw ups by the city in not properly investigating and/or discovering the work initially.

Key West never seems to learn.

My blog talk radio show tonight. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. Join me for a hard hitting half hour. I rip the scabs off!

Tonight’s topics will include more on the California water drought. More than merely running out of water. Who are the real culprits and the unaware pain that occurs.

Also, Florida climate change and Governor Scott, more on police quotas, Greece soon to leave the Eurounion, the euro falling against the dollar meaning cheap European vacations this summer, and a tiny country most have never heard of that is making a ton of money as the new place to wash dirty money.

The show can be found on the internet at www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

WOE IS SYRACUSE

Syracuse basketball has been under investigation by the NCAA for a couple of years. No findings reported yet. Yesterday, it was announced by Syracuse that it was self imposing a ban on playing in any post season tournaments this year. The NCAA, the NIT, and the ACC.

The investigation goes back as far as 12 years ago and as recent as 3 years ago. Word is that it primarily involves academics. Drug use by players in the earlier years may also be involved.

The NCAA’s report will be revealed soon.

As a most interested basketball fan, if Syracuse has to be punished this is the best year. The team’s record is bad. I doubt we would have been invited to the NCAA.

Syracuse will stand tall, take the hit and move on.

Visited Lisa yesterday. Jake, too. Jake is amazing! He now respects me as one of the family. We get along well. Which was not always the case.

I stopped at Walgreens to pick up a prescription. As most seniors, I take a lot of pills. I have a complaint. Co-pays are dramatically higher this new year.

The drug companies have had a free ride too long. It is time they were reined in.

I dined at Ibis last night for the first time. It has been open about three years. Stone crabs item #1 on Ibis’ menu.

I did not enjoy stone crabs. After the lobster roll the other night, it would have been too much in one week. Someone in my party did, however. Five large stone crabs. Looked smaller than large actually. $50. If my recollection is correct, the catch has not been good again for the third straight year. Restaurants are paying a high price for the delicacy. It has to be passed on to customers.

Sharon was waitressing. She bartended at Don’s Place for years before moving onto Ibis. It was hug and kiss time.

The weather yesterday was a warm 77 degrees. Rain is predicted off and on today. It is raining at the moment. I am sitting at the kitchen counter. The glass sliding doors are open. I can smell, taste and hear the rain.

The circus has come to Key West! Every year at this time. It starts today and ends sunday. I hope to get to watch it again with Robert and Ally.

My KONK Life column was published in the paper yesterday. I posted it on my Facebook site this morning. The topic interesting and timely. Greece In The Driver’s Seat.

In line with the substance of the column, it was reported in the international news this morning that the European Central Bank is taking a tough stance regarding Greece. The Bank is refusing to loan money to Greece’s commercial banks. The economic war has begun. The gauntlet thrown.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

STONE CRABS & HOWARD LIVINGSTON

We are into the stone crab season. One of man’s finest foods. I have many times said that if I were to be executed, my last meal would be stone crabs.

I met Howard Livingston about 15 years ago. A different man at the time. Though possessed of the same basic charm as today. Howard was a Chicago executive. Wore three piece suits. Short cropped hair.

Howard had built a new home on the water on Summerland Key. We used to go out together frequently, visit each other’s homes. Howard gave a call one morning and said to come up. We were going out on his boat.

We enjoyed a delightful day on the water. If my memory proves correct, we went out to Marvin Key. We returned late afternoon. While the ladies were preparing dinner, Howard told me to join him.

We went out in a small flat boat. At a particular point, Howard stopped and threw the anchor in. Then he directed me to the front of the boat where he was standing. Howard had some stone crab traps sitting down under the water. Each had an attached buoy floating on top.

We were going to collect some stone crabs! A first time for me. Lest anyone think we were poaching, these were Howard’s traps.

We developed a system. I would lift the trap out of the water. The traps were wood strips attached in box form. Spaces in between the strips. Howard would take the stone crabs out. One at a time. Size was important. If too small, the stone crab was returned to the water.

I learned a lot that day. Only one claw can be removed. Then the crab is thrown back in the water. The claw regenerates. Amazing!

Howard did the claw removal. Ever so carefully. He held the stone crab in one hand and carefully snipped away where the claw attached to the body. He admonished me to be careful if I ever graduated to removing the claw. The claw where attached is close to the crab’s lungs. A miss cut and the crab would die.

The crab was returned to the ocean. The trap followed. However, Howard first put something in the trap. A large frozen pig’s foot. Apparently pigs feet are gourmet dining to stone crabs. The pig’s feet would attract the stone crabs and induce them to enter the trap from which there was no escape.

The day was not yet finished. We returned and had a healthy dinner. Stone crabs not included. They had to be boiled and then cooled. To be eaten another time.

It was midnight and I was still there. For what turned out to be the best part of the evening. Howard and I were seated out on the dock. My feet in the water. Howard sitting with his back to a post. Howard was playing his guitar and singing. Jimmy Buffett songs and songs he himself had written.

We were both smoking cigars. Howard had brought a bottle of Gran Marnier out on the dock. We each dipped our cigar in the Gran Marnier before smoking. We followed it with each of us periodically taking a swig out of the bottle.

A day in Key West time as Howard would later set to music.

Enjoy your Sunday!

FRIDAY NIGHT WITH JENNA

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!