GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT…..AN IRMA SHINING STAR

Posted on by

I was not a fan of Governor Rick Scott till Irma. His performance during Irma has turned me. One hundred eighty degrees.

The man has performed outstandingly. And continues to so perform.

He knew Irma was coming and his State was in danger. He prepared. Florida could not have been more ready.

That alone turned me. However, his performance subsequent to Irma proves my change of mind to have been correct.

Scott was in Marathon yesterday for a meeting with various public groups working to help Keys’ residents. Expeditiously. Matters such as debris removal, temporary housing, small business assistance, etc.

He announced at the meeting that 400 Florida National Guard were being deployed to assist with debris removal. Six thousand tarps were on the way also.

Scott’s coordination with FEMA has been spectacular. Twenty seven thousand have registered for assistance already. Ten thousand approved thus far. Those approved have been funded to the tune of $14.9 million.

More has been accomplished.

Most telling is that yesterday was Scott’s seventh visit to the Keys because of Irma. Few of the visits receiving any notoriety.

His assistance each time more than handing out a few sandwiches.

The man performs.

Duval Street. Did the tour last night again. Conditions improving, though slowly. More store fronts visible. A few additional businesses open.

The trend re open for business is running from the Gulf towards the Atlantic. The bars and restaurants closer to the Gulf the first to open. By mid-Duval, a few more. At the other end of the spectrum, La Te Da opened sunday.

It will take till Fantasy Fest for things to return to normal.

The tree/foliage debris is beginning to stink. Awful. Especially after a rain fall. The humidity adds to the odor.

The Key West Citizen is only publishing two editions a week. Not because of Irma. A business decision. Its printing shortly moving to Miami.

I miss the Citizen! I subscribe on the internet and it was one of five publications I read first thing every morning. Local news is gone. Even where the weekly publications will pick it up. Not an everyday thing.

Started my evening last night at Aqua. Jean Thornton called from Alabama to advise there would be no Dueling Bartenders, though Tom Luna might sing a tune or two.

I needed to get out. Monday is Aqua night for me. So I went.

The bar itself filled with locals. A peppy group. Tom did not sing.

Met Ray and Tom. Ray a former Virginia judge. Look forward to running into he and Tom again. Good company.

Then to the Chart Room. Shaun bartending. Met Amy. An insurance representative from the midwest somewhere. Sent to Key West to do an informal report and evaluation of damage to certain of her company’s insureds. Preparatory to the claims people coming down.

Stopped at Denny’s on the way home for a bite to eat. Denny’s not my kind of place. However, I was there for breakfast with Robert and Ally a month ago and was impressed. Big, clean, shiny and new.

Good for a quick sandwich, I figured.

Sat at the bar. The only customer at the bar most of the time. Robi the bartender. We chatted a while. She has a son now 19 who has had significant heart problems since birth. Her war stories re not having insurance on occasion and her inability to get proper medical care for him tragic to hear.

I overstayed my time with Robi. When I returned to my car, the battery was dead. I had left the lights on. Thank God for AAA. I waited only 30 minutes to get a boost.

My cell phone’s Voice Mail apparently a victim of Irma also. I woke this morning to find 8 new messages running from 9/19 to 9/22. I assume lost in never never land because of Irma.

Puerto Rico being ignored. It appears Trump and Congress have forgotten that 3.5 million American citizens live there.

Government, get your ass in gear! They are our people!

My podcast tonight. The first in four weeks. Irma prevented me from doing the show during that time.

The show a quick half hour of interesting topics. Some eye openers. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou at 9 tonight. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics include Irma, past Keys hurricanes, China’s new credit card the customer’s smile into a screen, killer robots, opioids top tobacco use in U.S., the kneeling sport dilemma, Trump’s ignoring of Puerto Rico, North Korea, healthcare, and more.

Guaranteed informative. Many times from a different perspective.

Enjoy your day!

A MESS…..PARKING AND TRAFFIC

Posted on by

As Key West’s popularity grows, so too its parking and traffic problems. To the point of exasperation!

City leaders have done their best to remedy the problem. The City Commission has spent six figure money on studies.

Nothing has worked.

The newest approach…..Let the people work it out.

The City Commission is considering approving a six member temporary commission to make recommendations re parking and traffic congestion. The committee would sit for six months. Unpaid. Each Commissioner would appoint one person to the committee.

Can’t be worse than those who have been paid. Maybe better. Those who live in Key West year round have a better handle on the problem.

My sense is the only solution must be a dramatic one. Something not thought of yet. The obvious has not worked.

An observation never taken into consideration. Key West is a tiny island. Four by 1.5 miles. The island is capable of sinking.

A humorous observation! Written with tongue in cheek.

Another consideration is the successful advertising/selling of Key West. More and more visitors every year.

If getting around becomes a problem, if the crowd becomes overbearing, people will go elsewhere. Property values will become reasonable. Key West will return to the serenity of days gone by.

Might not be bad.

Aqua last night. Dueling Bartenders. Tom Luna and Rick Dery.  Bobby Nesbitt guest vocalist.

Liz and friends at the bar. Enjoyed chatting with Liz.

Towards the end of the evening, Larry Smith showed up. I was surprised. Larry rarely frequents Aqua. He said he was driving by and saw Tom, Bobby and me. Decided to stop.

Glad he did. Larry and I rarely see each other these days.

We discussed why. Simple, I said. We have known each other 25 years. We got old. We no longer do Duval Street or go to parties as we did. We are old enough to think a night in front of the TV is fun. There are fewer and fewer of us each year.

Horrible!

Houston and the Texas gulf coast terrible! Even today people are being saved. And the rain continues. I worry about one of the dams overflowing. the water held back is inches from the top.

The past few days have been Harvey’s time. The next few will continue so. In 2005, there was another hurricane. Katrina.  A category 3. Devastated New Orleans.

I mention Katrina because it was on this day in 2005 that Katrina made landfall.

Katrina has been regarded as the worst natural disaster in our history. Harvey will replace Katrina.

Remember Paul Newman in HUD. He carried a bottle of Jack Daniel’s around most of the movie.

Jack Daniel sales shot up. Men switched for a while. All wanted to look like HUD’s Paul Newman. The tilt of the head, walk, etc.

Want to share a bit about Jack Daniel’s.

Jack Daniel’s is a whiskey. The distillery opened in 1866 in Lynchburg, Tennessee. One year after the Civil War ended and the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which ended slavery.

A co-founder of the distillery was Jack Daniel.

A former slave became an employee of the new distillery. Nathan “Nearest” Green. Nearest knew everything about distilling whiskey. He soon became head stiller. In later years, the title was changed to master distiller.

Nearest was the first African-American master distiller of record in the United States.

His descendants have continued to work at Jack Daniel’s. Three of Nearest’s sons and four grandchildren while he was still alive. Several generations of descendants. Three working at Jack Daniel’s today.

Lynchburg has another distinction. Davy Crockett lived there a while.

You may wonder at this point why I am recounting Jack Daniel’s and Nearest.

Lynchburg rests in the heart of the Confederacy. Tennessee. Left the Union. Supported the South.

The name Lynchburg  struck me as strange. Lynching of blacks so popular they named a town after it? My initial reaction was pursuant to the political correctness of today, the name would have to be changed.

Made sense. Till I researched from whence the name came.

Judge Lynch. Some sort of War of 1812 hero. I could find nothing connecting him to slavery.

Should the name still be changed? It does bring to mind a grievous act involving blacks.

I leave the judgment to those who support the removal of statues and memorials.

There is a memorial that should come down. On the lawn in front of the County Courthouse in Lynchburg rests a monument to Confederate soldiers.

No question, it should come down under present standards of political correctness.

So there is no misunderstanding, my position is to leave any remembrances of the Confederacy alone. Like it or not, regardless of color, they are a part of America’s history.

My podcast tonight. Nine my time. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

So many topics. Not sure yet which I will explore in the show’s fast moving half hour.

Enjoy your day!

MY PODCAST TONIGHT

Posted on by

Tuesday comes quickly every week. My podcast. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine in the evening my time. A fast half hour of opinionated sometimes eye opening talk. Join me. www.blog talk radio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics include Trump. His Afghanistan position, tonight’s Phoenix rally, Russia and China’s interest in Afghanistan, and challenging Pakistan.

Plus, what the Boston Common Rally really meant, India’s Supreme Court declaring Muslim three times I divorce you unconstitutional, killer robots, biggest gold discovery in history, Johnson and Johnson and baby talcum powder, and more.

A statue of Christopher Columbus was erected in Baltimore in 1792. Last nigh,t it was sledge hammered to the ground. Retribution for tearing down Baltimore’s Confederate statues and memorials?

Dueling bartenders at Aqua last night. Enjoyed Tom Luna and Rick Dery. Always a pleasurable time.

Liz there. We chatted a bit. Joe and Linda, also.

Then to the late Happy Hour at Tavern ‘n Town. Quiet. Very few people. The silence overwhelming.

I enjoyed a couple of drinks and an appetizer. Glanced through the Wall Street Journal.

An interesting article in this morning’s Key West Citizen re the amphitheater. It may be named the Jimmy Buffett Amphitheater. An appropriate name, if so.

Fantasy Fest two months away. Organizers already into the event. Friday evening at 6 at the Southernmost House, the races for King and Queen begin.

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. Police will be out in mass between now and the end of the Labor Day weekend looking for drunk drivers. Drink conservatively or not at all. Mug shots never look good.

I continue to live and learn. Were you aware dance instructor and bouncer were interrelated? Dance instructor is a euphemism for the old fashioned bouncer.

I end with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comment to the neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville…..Your heroes are resting in Hell!

Enjoy your day!

 

MADMEN BOTH…..NUCLEAR APOCALYPSE

Posted on by

Two madmen facing off against each other. Not caring about their people. Caring about their images. Ready to blow up the world.

A nuclear apocalypse in the making.

God help us!

At first I thought it was Kim Jung Un playing his usual game. Not at all. Donald Trump has welcomed the challenge. The bravado that goes with it.

Instead of calm diplomacy, Trump adds fuel to the fire daily. Terms like…..Fired and ready…..Locked and loaded.

Face is especially important in the Far East. Jung Un is being backed into a corner.

Trump in the meantime is in all his glory. Watching him on television yesterday, he was on a high. On the biggest stage in the world. He has thrown the gauntlet down. Telling Jung Un in effect…..Don’t screw with me!

If nuclear war occurs, I can see Trump and Jung Un at the end. Each sitting on top of massive death and destruction in their respective countries. Each thinking as Jack Horner once said…..Oh, what a good boy am I!

My yesterday began pleasantly. As was the whole day. A haircut with Lori.

Then to Lisa’s to pick up Robert and Ally for an afternoon with Poppa.

I walked in. Everyone looked at me strangely. Robert and Ally had friends in. I saw Robert eating a sandwich. Why are you eating? We are going out for lunch?

Yes, we are going out for lunch. Not yesterday, however. Saturday. I screwed up. It happens at my age.

Last night the Chart Room. A unique time.

At some point the Chart Room was empty. Just David, John and Louis. For about 45 minutes. The silence overwhelming.

David and I sat at the round table. Enjoyed a terrific conversation. No background noises bothering us. Not enough booze imbibed to affect our thought processes.

It was great! David a thinker. Knowledgeable.

Then to Tavern ‘n Town for the 9-11 Happy Hour. Read the newspapers and enjoyed a light snack.

Jenna called me before I went out last night. We were to go out tonight together. She cancelled. She has a shoot in Fort Lauderdale and is leaving tonight.

She loves me no more!

We agreed we would get together next week.

Donna had telephoned before Jenna. Asked if I wanted to join my lesbian wives tonight. Said, no. Going to dinner with Jenna. Ten minutes later I was on the phone asking Donna if I could join she and Terri tonight.

My dates this evening, the wives! A fundraiser first at Bottle Cap. Then dinner somewhere.

Tom Luna. The best of the best. A good guy. A fixture at Aqua for years. He is leaving. Going to bartend at The Marker wednesday, thursday and fridays from 3-7. He will continue monday nights at Aqua for Dueling Bartenders.

Joanie. Painter Joanie. Bocce Joanie. Don’s Place Joanie.

I mentioned she was sick and at Kendall Hospital in Miami.

Joanie has been diagnosed. Stage 4 liver cancer.

Pray for her!

Key West has been reading William Hackley daily the past couple of years. Thanks to the Key West Citizen that is running excerpts from his diary.

I have suspected Hackley rented slaves. Not an owner. I also suspected Hackley was a good guy. No more.

He mentions in a diary entry this date in 1856 that he whipped Spring. Never heard of Spring before. Whipped him to make him obey.

Spring skipped away and ran home. When he returned, Hackley chained him and “whipped him well.”

Spring has to be either a slave or a dog. Whipping in neither instance acceptable. Hackley no longer held in the high esteem by me.

Finally, David Wolkowsky recognition. On this day in 1968, David opened the Pier House Motel. Today the site of the Pier House Resort. Big trees from little acorns grow.

David juvinated that end of Duval. He rejuvenated other areas of Key West. The Key West we know would not have been without him.

Enjoy your day!

TODAY SUMMER SOLSTICE

Posted on by

Good morning!

A lovely Key West day in the making.

Today is Summer Solstice. the longest day of the year. the day the sun is highest in the sky.

Happens twice a year. June 20 and December 22.

Last night began with Dueling Bartenders at Aqua. Tom Luna and Rick Dery. Lovely Heather guest performer. Heather adding a special touch.

The singing outstanding! The bar crowd mostly seniors. A lot of 50’s and 60’s tunes. A 70’s or 80’s thrown in here and there.

Met Sally. a Key Wester for 8 years. In her other life, she was a San Francisco police officer. Retired a detective.

Sally wanted a life in the law. Did a year of law school. Too subdued for her. Left law school and joined the police force.

Moved on to Tavern ‘n Town. You have no idea how thrilled I am that the season is over. I can now get a seat at the bar any time I want.

Enjoyed some good food while reading the newspapers.

George Bueno has been bartending at Tavern ‘n Town for 2 years. He had 10 plus years at two other places before Tavern ‘n Town grabbed him.

George is being recognized this week. He is Bartender of the Week. His picture and column appearing in the weekly Key West Week.

Any reason for a party! That’s Key west!

The Key Lime Festival saturday July 1. An only in Key West type event. At the Key West Lighthouse. A gravity defying key lime pie drop. From the top of the Lighthouse. Also  known as the Key Lime Drop Contest.

Pies provided. Four inches in diameter.

Goal is to drop the pie to a specified target without splattering it. Pie in the best condition wins. A trophy and a crisp $100 bill.

Contestants are permitted to create a device or container to protect the pie during its fall and impact.

Finally! Key West is getting Uber! Beginning July 1. The City Commission and Bubba system prevented Uber from operating two years ago when it wanted to begin. New state law prevents Key West from keeping Uber out as long as it meets state requirements.

The City Commission has a propensity for screwing up. Especially when erecting or remodeling a building. The cost goes up dramatically. The Commission always buys some half assed excuse and pays the additional monies.

This time it is the repair of the Frederick Douglas Gym in Bahama Village. The original estimate was $1.7 million. When the bids came in, the cost went up to $2.1 million. Now has ballooned to just under $2.3 million. And the work nowhere close to being done!

Working for the City many times is like having an open check book.

Another folly. There are three sight seeing franchises in Key West. Trolley, buses, etc. All three recently renewed their contracts with the City.

Traffic is a major problem these days. Actually, the major problem. Each of the agreements contain a clause that permits duck boats. In the event the Navy changes its mind and permits them.

Why do we need duck boats? There is not enough room for anything more on Key West streets. Previous duck boats were 39 feet long and 8 feet wide.

Permission should not have been granted. All parties should have waited till Navy approval or some remedy to make the duck boats acceptable. Then an amendment to the agreements could have been negotiated. With the traffic issue a main item of contention.

Ingenuity, mostly American, exists in our penal institutions. Contraband has been smuggled into federal and state jails in increasing numbers over the past five years. Contraband consisting of mobile phones, drugs and pornography.

Drones the method of delivery. Authorities are not equipped with the necessary technology to prevent the deliveries.

One of the finest persons I have met in Key West is Betsy Dietz. A kind charming woman. A good friend of Lisa’s. We have done Christmas Eve and Christmas Day together for over 10 years at Lisa’s.

Betsy recently passed on. A Celebration of Life will be held tomorrow at 5 at the Ocean Grill in Duval Square.

I am confident the crowd paying her honor will be overwhelming.

My podcast tonight. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Join me at 9. A quick half hour of interesting topics. Many eye opening. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

BEGINNING OF THE END…..

Posted on by

June 6, 1944. D-Day. Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. American, British, and Canadian. One hundred fifty five thousand strong. Within 11 months, Germany would surrender.

This past weekend, Trump and company publicized this week would be a national tour by Trump to share with the people his infrastructure plan. To privatize infrastructure.

I support infrastructure remediation. I do not support privatization.

Instead of infrastructure, Trump appeared in the White House yesterday morning telling us about his plan for privatization of air controllers. I figured tuesday would find Trump into infrastructure.

Apparently not to be. At least not today. Trump news this morning says he wants to work on healthcare and the budget first.

Why the switch?

Aqua first last night. Tom Luna and Rich Dery singing as only they can. Destiny their guest performer. A knock out voice, also.

Liz at the bar. With girl friends Josefina and Mary. First time i have seen Liz in a few weeks. She is still with cane. Looking questionable whether her second hip surgery worked.

Photographer Larry Blackburn at the bar. We exchanged hellos and shook hands.

Then down the block to Bourbon Street. Wanted to hear Bria sing. No Bria. Discovered she has left for New Hampshire for the summer.

I was disappointed. Not for log, however.

Rocky Bottom was filling in for Bria. A terrific entertainer!

Bourbon Street is a gay bar. One of the top ones in Key West. Rocky Bottom, a female. Kept the guys entertained. Her tip bucket filled up rapidly.

Rocky Bottom sings to a different tune. A little wild. One song had fuck every other word. She sang the tune not sensuously. Hard and tough!

Joe Schroeder opened Bourbon Street twenty plus years ago. He was looking to establish a Beads, Boys and Booze operation. He succeeded big time.

Stopped at the VFW for a bite to eat on the way home. The VFW is open to the public. Prior military involvement not a requirement for admission.

I was at one end of the bar. A mature couple came in and sat at the other end. About a dozen people at the bar.

The new guy bought for the bar. He knew no one. His first time in the VFW. His name Mark and he was from Michigan.

On my way out, I stopped to thank him and shake his hand. He said, “Thank you for your service.”

I never served.

My meal was meat loaf. Mother’s cooking.

You can tell the humidity is heavy. Glasses fog up immediately when you get out of an air conditioned car.

Tomorrow at 10 am at the Custom House, Dr. Cori Convertino is giving a walking lecture telling the story of Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railway. Dr. Convertino is the KWAHS curator who devoted months putting the Flagler Railway exhibition together.

Coomey appears before a Congressional Committee thursday. Too much hype. Expectations running high. Too much may be expected. Certain of his testimony will be classified. Additionally, Special Counsel Mueller may limit what Coomey may reveal.

We shall see.

The emblem of the Democratic Party is the donkey. From whence did it come?

Andrew Jackson was running for President. The Party’s mascot at the time was the Rooster. Shades of Key West 175 years later.

Jackson’s opposition used a play on Jackson’s name to make fun of Jackson and his followers: Jackasses. Donkey in due course became the more tasteful replacement for Jackasses.

The Rooster did not completely die. The Democrat Rooster remains to this day on ballots in some states.

Tonight, my podcast. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Usually, I list topics to be discussed in the evening in the tuesday morning blog. Not this week. With Trump out there, things change hourly.

The past few weeks, I have spent my tuesday afternoons adjusting my topics to fit breaking news. Today, I am waiting till one to formulate tonight’s program.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIAL DUELING BARTENDERS EVENING

Posted on by

Some nights, some events, can be absolutely over the top. So it was last night with Dueling Bartenders at Aqua.

The room jumped!

I was supposed to pick Terri up and bring her with me. donna had to work and would be late. Lately typical, I forgot. Forgot to pick Terri up.

I was on my way into Aqua when the I remembered. Simultaneously, Donna was on the phone. Where are you? Going into Aqua. I know, I forgot to pick Terri up.

Back to car and on to mid town. Terri waiting outside for me. A lady about the whole thing.

Tom Luna and Rick Dery singing. If Terri is there, she sings also. As Terri and I walked in, Tom Luna brushed aside me and gave Terri who was behind me a big hug. Also, a microphone. Terri was welcome to sing when ever moved to do so.

Terri is special. Her vocal chords unique. the walls move when she gets into a song.

She got to me with Suddenly Seymour. Brought tears to my eyes.

A strange existence. Here she is singing and dancing while singing on occasion with Rick. You would never know she has  a heavy cancer she is battling. Been on chemo for several months now. Hopefully a special surgery in Tampa in late May.

Terri put a little joy into everyone’s hearts.

Sitting next to Terri at the bar were four young males. Off the Carnival Freedom which was docked at Mallory Square. The four from Texas, New Jersey and Los Angeles. Havord a dancer. Tim a singer, Justin a yoga instructor. The fourth, John. I cannot recall his function on the Freedom.

Terri blew them out!

Looked for Liz. No Liz.

Saw Lynn. First time in a couple of years. Lynn ran a popular optometrist business here for years. Fell off the face of the earth two years ago. Obviously has returned. She said she intends to remain.

Welcome back, Lynn!

Then came John the Baptist. The words fell out of my mouth. Someone next to me said, no. It’s Moses.

In reality Joseph Lyles. Former manager of the Hot Tin Roof. Now retired. Ninety nine percent recovered from a serious back surgery. Walking not with a cane. Rather, a six foot pole. Joseph a bit shorter. The pole and his new beard rendered him John the Baptist or Moses.

We agreed to have dinner together next week.

My yesterday morning was spent running around town taking care of some business matters.

My afternoon split between watching Love Story and preparing for tonight’s podcast. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

Love Story got to me in similar fashion as Terri’s Suddenly Seymour. A few tears. I have seen the movie many times. It still hits the soft spot in me.

Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou is at 9 my time. A quick moving eye opening half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics will include a little Trump. How can he be left out? Trump’s invitation to Kim Jong Un to visit the White House, still refusing to back off Obama a “sick and bad guy,” claiming Andrew Jackson upset with the Civil War and would have kept us out of it.

Followed Attorney/General Sessions and the Congressional bar against him prosecuting state medical marijuana laws.

Also, a Venezuelan  update, the new Fourth Reich, cobalt big money, John Tyler’s marital prowess, white people sub-human re certain black advocates, and more.

Duval not always as it is today.  Take O Duval. Where the Pier House and Ocean Key House sit today. Two magnificent resorts.

The Key West Citizen this morning in its Keys History section ran a photo of O Duval 1946. No Pier House, no Ocean Key House. Instead the beginning of a small distribution center for Gulf Oil. A very small building. Nothing more, except bare dock top.

Enjoy your day!

ANTI-SEMITISM ON RISE IN U.S.

Posted on by

The Anti-Defamation League issued a report yesterday. Claims anti-Semitism on the rise in the United States. Statistics provided in support.

In the first quarter of 2017, there have been 541 incidents. An increase of 86 percent over the same period last year.

Viewing 2016 alone, a larger number of incidents occurred over 2015. The leading states were New York, California, and New Jersey. Florida alone saw a 50 percent increase in number of incidents.

The cause? The article suggests Trump. The article accuses Trump of using anti-Semitic memes during the campaign.

2016 saw an overall increase of 34 percent over 2015. One third of the increase occurred in the last two months of 2016.

Spoken words of hatred beget hatred. Mouthing hatred encourages hatred.

Is Trump anti-Semitic? I don’t think so. He is a man with a Jewish daughter, son in law and grandchildren. I sense Trump to be a man who uses any tool to get ahead. Not actually believing what he says. Not thinking or concerned with the impact of his words.

Still makes Trump responsible for his spoken words. He creates problems whenever he opens his mouth.

By the way, anti-Semitism is down in Europe.

Spent yesterday afternoon researching tonight’s podcast show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Exciting and revealing. Fast moving. Nine my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics will include anti-Semitism, Netanyahu’s wife in the process of being indicted re using state funds for private spending, bomb attack on Monsanto plant in Italy, middle class continuing to collapse in 20 major U.S. cities, reflection on recent power outages in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles.

Also, a Venezuela update, Trump’s neocon conversion, 900 high school students searched and groped by police, former Trump county chair and Judge arrested for child sex trafficking, United and American Airlines incidents, and more.

Arrived at Aqua early yesterday for Dueling Bartenders. An hour early. Read newspapers till show time.

Tom Luna and Rick Dery singing. Tom a Notary. Married Rick and his spouse this past week. Congratulated a happy Rick re his marriage.

Liz showed up! I had not seen her since her hospitalization. Still  with cane. Looks much better. Face relaxed. The eternal hip pain gone.

We decided to have dinner at Antonia’s. Closed. I forgot it was Taste of Key West. Mangoes was open. As unhappy as I was with my last visit, it was the closest open restaurant.

I must admit, the meal was terrific. I thoroughly enjoyed a shrimp pasta. I will return. Lesson learned, I should not condemn a restaurant based on one poor meal.

Technology amazing! Moving super fast in recent years.

We are testing driverless vehicles. First probably will be marketed by the end of this year or next year. Now comes flying cars. Not driverless. A big move forward, however. Expected to be market ready in three years.

Arkansas should be credited! Tried to squeeze 10 executions into one week. Got most in. Two last night. What a claim to fame!

Actually, disgraceful!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

CACTUS DICK AND THE SANTA FE RIDERS

Posted on by

Cactus Dick and the Santa Fe Riders. A country music group. From yesterday.

American Bandstand’s Dick Clark was Cactus Dick. A live television show. Back in the early 1950’s in my home town Utica.

After graduating Syracuse University, Clark worked a year for a radio station in Rome. Fourteen miles from Utica. His uncle owned the station, his father managed it. He filled in for the vacationing weatherman and announced station breaks.

A spot opened at Utica’s WKTV  television station. Clark went for it.

The rest is history. Clark hosted American Bandstand for years, as well as other TV shows. Became a multi-million dollar producer.

An American success story. From the weather on radio to Cactus Dick on TV to American Bandstand.

I write about Clark today because of a note I saw this morning. Clark died this date in 2012.

My evening last night began with Aqua and the Dueling Bartenders. Friends Tom Luna and Rick Dey. Strangely, not one patron I knew. I did meet some new interesting people, however.

Tom introduced me to Margaret and Lou. Lou aka Bud. From Tampa. Have owned a place in Key West for years. Bought at Truman Annex’s Shipyard pre-construction. An outstanding purchase!

Good company. Sure we will run into each other again at some point.

Also met Gina and Mike. Visiting from Chicago. Second time in Key West. Gina a waitress and Mike in software. Interesting people. Spent quite a while with them.

Hungry! Decoded I needed/wanted a good meal. The diet has begun getting to me. Stopped into Antonia’s. Ate at the bar.

Antonia’s was one of two of my favorite places for years. The other Square One. Owners change. I think I have only been to Antonia’s once in 10 years.

The ambiance the same. Still. Quiet. Decor beautiful. A pleasant place to enjoy a fine meal.

Food still good. I had escargot and linguine bolognese.

Met bartender Alexis. Nice guy. From Romania.

Slept late this morning. I am two hours late in getting this blog out. You will not be getting it till after noon.

Heard from Buffalo’s Tom and Fran Dixon. They will be here from thursday through tuesday. Great people! They visit several times a year. We have become good friends.

Love Fran! She brings me goodies. Cooks all kinds of things and carries them in her luggage. The last trip home made pasta and meat sauce with meatballs. The sauce and meatballs frozen. Stayed frozen during the trip.

Immigration has always been a problem. One way or another.

On this day in 1982, the U.S. Border Patrol blocked exit from Key West and the Keys at Florida City. They believed illegal aliens were gaining entry to the U.S. via the Keys.

Traffic was backed up 15 miles.

American pride got a big boost this day in 1942. Jimmy Doolittle and his raiders bombed Tokyo. First successful U.S. attack following Pearl Harbor. Doolittle led 16 B-25 bombers on the raid. They flew off the carrier USS Hornet. From a distance 650 miles from Tokyo.

My podcast tonight. Nine my time. A fast moving and revealing half hour. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics include Donald and Ivanka Trump’s Chinese trade marks recently acquired, Afghan missile deaths up to 94, India ATMs out of cash, American liberated Libya now ISIS controlled with slave markets everywhere.

Also, a 3 month old brought in by English authorities as a terrorist, an Alabama sheriff starving prisoners, robots ready to build new homes, India uses Coca Cola and Pepsi as pesticides, Venezuela’s Maduro may be close to a fall, and more.

The lead topic will be China’s horrendous way of harvesting body organs.

Enjoy your day!

SNOWSTORMS ONCE FAMILY TIMES

Posted on by

The northeast is getting crushed under tons of snow. Most places closed down. Definitely work places and schools.

Means the family is together for a whole 1-2 days.

Time for mom, dad and children to talk to each other. Yesterday, yes. Today, I do not know.

My yesterday goes back roughly 50 years. I loved the 1 or 2 snowstorms a year. Closed the office down before the big storm hit. Went home to join the wife and kids.

No computers, laptops, or cell phones back then. People had to talk to one another. Lite the fireplace and we sat around all day. Chatted about this and that. Played cards and games. Even ate together.

Hot chocolate time, also. My wife prepared hot chocolate. It fit the day.

Today, I sense everyone is engrossed in their computers and cell phones. Even mom and dad. Little personal communication.

Everything has changed. Except for the snowstorm.

I was all over Duval Street last night.

Started with the Chart Room. Should have skipped the place. A drunk obnoxious older woman got on my case. Insultingly. Loud. I don’t think I had said ten words to her. All polite, of course.

She had a hair up her ass. Even her husband could not get her to shut up.

I finally laid a bill on the bar and walked out.

The Chart Room has a new bartender monday-wednesday. Paul. Last employer, the Gecko.

He should have handled the situation. He did not.

John, Emily of days gone by, etc. would have first asked her politely to calm down and if she did not, called security.

I left without even finishing my first drink.

Headed over to Aqua. Should have gone there in the first place. Dueling Bartenders evening.

Tom Luna back. He has been gone for three weeks.

Met Ed. Retired here. We had similar backgrounds. We arrived to this stage of our lives by different paths. But, got here!

Ed a Long Island person. Went to Bowling Green. A track man. He was familiar with Manhattan College which I attended. Manhattan had a terrific track team back then.

Basketball his game, also.

Ed was in ROTC. Took a commission. Did a year in Vietnam. Left the service a captain.

His other life spent as a high school principal.

Today, Ed serves as Adjutant Commander of the VFW on North Roosevelt Boulevard. The one with the good cooking, as he described it. He was correct. I occasionally stop by.

Walked over to Bourbon Street from Aqua. Wanted to hear Bria sing. She starts at 8. I was too early. Two drinks away time wise for me. Too much.

Hunger beset me. Stopped at Mangoes. First time at the new Mangoes. Remodeled beautifully.

Sat at the bar. Met Peter who was sitting next to me. Peter interesting. Originally from Chelsea. For the unaware, part of New York City.

Peter works at Fogarty’s by day.

Enjoyed Peter’s company.

I did not enjoy my meal. Disappointed. Ordered nothing special. Wings. Tough. Over cooked. Difficult to bite, difficult to chew.

I am going to give Mangoes a break and not say I don’t recommend it. A place that beautiful can’t be serving poor food. I will be trying it again soon.

Service was excellent.

The new health care plans sounds like a winner. Fourteen million without coverage in one year. Twenty six million in ten years. Lowers taxes for the rich. Hits the old hard. Many will end up with insufficient care at a time when they most need care. Premiums and deductibles high.

My Facebook video I will be doing in a couple of hours will succinctly express my feelings.

Enjoy your day!