KEY WEST LOU / HOW MARK TWAIN GOT HIS PEN NAME

Mark Twain was not his real name. It was his pen name. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. For whatever reason, he began using Mark Twain for his writings in 1863.

His pen name came from his years of working  on the Mississippi River, where river boat men would cry out “mark twain” to indicate a depth of twelve fathoms. Twelve feet. Twelve feet was a safe depth for a steamboat to navigate.

Hurricane Beryl could be a big one! It reached hurricane strength yesterday. The Caribbean is bracing for Category 3 winds.

Spaghetti lines indicate the right side of Beryl brushing the southwestern edge of Cuba. Too soon however to determine accuracy. If a bit more right, could reach Key West. Too early to tell.

As poor a governor as DeSantis is, his personal value grew last year. His net worth grew by more than 50 percent.

His net worth on 12/31/23 was $1.7 million, up from $1.1 million the previous year. Two publishers paid him a total of $785,000.

Republicans, MAGAs and Trump want everyone to forget about January 6, 2021.

Don’t!

I was going to list the lies Trump spoke during the debate. Instead I am recommending Bess Levin’s June 28 article in Vanity Fair. Better than I could do. Also, she spells out Biden’s failures.

Read Levin’s short and to the point review of the debate: “Biden’s Debate Performance Was Objectively Terrible – And Trump’s Still Trump.”

The last portion of Levin’s closing sentence important: “…..let’s be clear about what the alternative to electing Biden will be.”

My suggestion what Democrats should do. Biden is our man. Good, bad or indifferent, we are stuck with him. I agree he was terrible in the debate. Thirty seconds into it and I knew he was in trouble.

My problem is he was fine afterwards and the next day. The campaign is on. Both candidates will be speaking somewhere almost daily. The media should cover Biden each time he speaks. If he’s ok, it will help clear the debate disaster. If not, Trump unfortunately will be our next Presidnet.

I believe Biden can remedy his debate problems. Go for it, Joe!

The President is Jill Biden’s second husband. She was married for 5 years from 1970-1975 to Bill Stevenson.

They have been divorced 49 years.

Stevenson got his 2 cents in re Jill’s comments following the debate. He slammed her for encouraging her husband to stay in the race.

Forty nine years late! Still has a “hard on” over the divorce. Stupid! It took 49 years to get even, assuming such was warranted?

In 1947, the the Monroe County Health Department, along with the Tuberculosis and Health Association, began giving chest x-rays to all residents of Key West and Boca Chica 15 years or older. The program was expected to take 3 weeks to complete.

I was 12 years old in 1947. Growing up in Utica, N.Y. Then and at that time, I knew how bad TB was. It was a constant in the news and discussions. Not as bad as COVID, but the worst disease at the time bar none. Scary.

Several school contemporaries became afflicted. All ended up living in the nearby Adirondack Mountains in special facilities for tubercular patients. The mountain weather was one of the remedies. All recovered and returned to join us in school.

God bless our Mosquito Control District. Always on top of things.

Due to the recent rains, the District has scheduled aerial larviciding missions over the western portion of Key West. Tomorrow from 6:30 am to 10:00 am.

The weather at the moment is interesting. It has been pouring big time the past 2 hours.

Enjoy your Monday!

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