BEFORE I BEGIN…..PROBLEM CORRECTED. GO DADDY HAD UPDATED ME TO A DIFFERENT SERVER. THAT IS WHERE THINGS GOT SCREWED UP. FAILED TO ADVISE ME TO CLEAN BROWSING HISTORY AND THEN TYPE IN keywestlou.com. I HAVE DONE IT. PROBLEM ELIMINATED. YOU MUST DO THE SAME.
Several years ago, I wrote a KONK Life column concerning Napoleon and why he sold the Louisiana territory to the U.s. so cheap. Mosquitoes!
Napoleon’s original intent was to use the Louisiana Territory for French expansion purposes in North America. He arranged for a part of his army to go to Louisiana and begin the conquest.
First however he had them stop in Haiti. The French were under the command of Napoleon’s brother in law.
Haitian natives had been in rebellion. He told his brother in law to first put down the Haitian revolutionaries and then to move on to Louisiana.
One problem. The French were not familiar with the mosquito problem in Haiti and its ravishes. Napoleon’s first set of troops basically eliminated. Died from malaria and/or yellow fever. As did his brother in law.
Napoleon sent more troops. Wiped out by the mosquitoes once more. Sent another group with the same result.
That did it! Napoleon was facing European nations that were preparing to do battle against France to depose Napoleon. His forces were being diminished. He had it with the Americas!
He sent emissaries to Thomas Jefferson. Their instructions were to sell the Louisiana territory to the U.S. for whatever they could get. The amount immaterial. Just get him out!
They did. Therein lies the reason why Jefferson was able to make the great buy of the Louisiana territory.
Mosquitoes continue to be a problem. Even today. In the lower Florida keys for example, there is an elected Mosquito Control Board. Helicopters, trucks, etc. Spraying on a regular basis. Property examinations also.
Timothy C. Winegard recently published a book concerning mosquitoes titled The Deadliest Hunter of Humans on the Planet.
I have not read the book. I have read excerpts.
The book profiles the creature that has changed the course of war and empire, and survived every attempt to wipe it out.
A quote from the book’s introduction succinctly dramatizes the conclusion: “The mosquito has killed more people than any other cause of death in human history. Statistical extrapolation situates mosquito inflicted deaths approximately half of all humans that have ever lived. In plain numbers, the mosquito has dispatched an estimated 52 billion people from a total of 108 billion throughout our relatively brief 200,000 years of existence.”
Onward, ever onward. Shooting deaths in the United States. Not fewer. More. With frequency.
The latest yesterday. Texas again. Seven dead, 19 injured.
When will it stop?
If Trump wants to be a hero, he should change his position re the gun control issue. He should abandon the NRA and gun manufacturers. He should join the high percentage of Americans who want effective gun control.
I doubt Trump has the courage to do it nor the understanding as to why it must be done.
The time is now!
Dorian is taking his time. Moving very slowly. Building in force, however.
At 8 this morning, it was reported Dorian was a category 5 with speeds of 160 miles per hour. Landfall probably the West Palm Beach area. Not certain, however. Could still turn slightly north and avoid most of the Florida coast.
We will know for sure tomorrow night or sometime tuesday.
Dorian is not the end of the hurricane danger. It is only the middle of the hurricane season.
Two storms are developing. One in the far eastern Atlantic close to Africa. Meteorologists tell us they will know more in 5 days.
The other is coming from the opposite direction. From the west. The Gulf of Mexico. Again too early to tell if either will grow into an actual hurricane.
Syracuse and Liberty Universities played their first game of the season last night. Syracuse won 24-0.
I was unimpressed with the score. Syracuse should have had at least 2 more touchdowns. The reason it might not was Liberty has a new coach and no film of games he has coached. Everything is important in achieving a victory of any size.
Syracuse’s other problem was at quarterback. Eric Dungey is gone. Sophomore Tommy DeVito the quarterbacking this year, He played sufficiently last year. Looked good! Not last night. He was 17 for 35.
I never got to see the game. Everything has changed!
It was carried on ESPN+. The + new. It strings the games over the internet. You watch on your computer screen, unless you buy a special hookup so you can see it on TV.
I have a terrific sports package with Comcast. The game was not available there. Comcast for once was very cooperative. The Comcast person spent a half hour with me to see if perhaps Comcast had hooked up with some other channel. No.
A pain in the ass!
I will be checking things out this week to see how it is done, cost, etc.
Numbers always interesting. Statistics generally provide an accurate picture.
Bloomberg reported this week that more people are presently leaving New York City than any other in the U.S. Two hundred seventy seven a day. Based on 2018 census data.
The U.S. city with the most dramatic immigration numbers is Phoenix. Sixty two thousand based on the same census data.
Today important in world history. World War II began this day in 1939. At 4:45 in the morning. Hitler hit the entire Polish border. Sent in 1.5 million troops, the Luftwaffe bombed Polish airfields, German warships and U-boats attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea.
A major invasion! Actually, overkill.
Hitler justified the invasion similarly to how Trump excuses some things he does. Hitler claimed the invasion was a decisive one. Big well equipped Germany against tiny Poland who still road horses into battle. Poland never threatened Germany. They would have been crazy to have done so.
Hitler also justified the invasion with the excuse that Germany needed “living space.” Germany was purportedly busting at the seams population wise. Especially following the Austrian plebiscite.
Racism was part of the justification. Hitler considered Germans “racially superior.” Germans would change the Polish area, native Slavs would be enslaved.
Enjoy your Sunday!