Key West Lou / FANTASY FEST WEEK BEGINS TODAY…..GOOMBAY

Fantasy Fest Week begins today. Goombay friday and saturday.

Enjoy!

Today’s topics all over the place. What interested me, what I thought would interest you, are diverse. I tried to organize the topics as I usually do. Became impossible and frustrating. So I share them with you in the order they appear in my notes. Disorder.

Trump says he’s the “father of IVF.” He lies, lies, lies. His speech whatever is convenient to him at the moment. I find it increasingly difficult to understand how 50 percent of the people favor Trump.

There is a new millionaire class. Plumbing and HVAC (heating, ventilators and air conditioning). Interesting. Makes sense. I am old enough to remember when many skilled trade persons made big bucks.

Something that does not happen these days. Why, I am not sure. The Empire State Building was built in record time. One year forty five days was all it took. Construction began in 1930 and ended in 1931.

Height 1,250 feet, 1,454 feet to the tip. Floors 102.

Constructed on the site of what was then the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Fifth Avenue. The Empire State Building people purchased it for $20 million to demolish.

Construction is not as swift these days. I’m not sure why. Impressive however that the Empire State Building was constructed in such a short period of time back then. Almost 100 years ago.

Trump and Vance are anti-immigration. Strange. Two of Trump’s wives are immigrants. Vance’s wife is an immigrant.

The “genius” involved in “getting” Al Capone. The biggest criminal in the U.S. at the time, the government was not able to obtain a conviction. Someone came up with the genius to indict him for income tax evasion. Not a common criminal charge in those days.

The government was correct. Capone was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Citizens’ Voice yesterday: “I just watched the October 10 Key West City Commission meeting. Pray for the City of Key West. Dysfunction Junction.”

Harris did a bang up job in her FOX interview by Bret Baier. She took “no shit” and stood up to Baier’s strategically Trump favored questions.

There should be no question following her FOX interrogation that she is qualified to be President.

Before The Star Spangled Banner received its lyrics in the form of a poem by Francis Scott Key, it was a melody. A melody that came from a British drinking song.

The song a strange one. Still sung in some parts of the world. Called “The Anacreontic Song.” The source tune for the U.S. National Anthem.

What the ancient song is about is strange. Real strange. Strange the only way to describe it.

The song is about a bunch of Greek gods arguing with each other. When the poet Anacreon urges humanity to drink and screw, the god Jupiter gets angry and considers intervening. Apollo disagrees, claiming Jupiter’s mighty thunderbolts are nothing against the power of music.  A lesser-known God of laughter, Momus, chips in to say he agrees with Apollo, and Jupiter gives up, conceding hedonism the way to go.

The U.S. is “one nation under God.” Who is the God? According to the song, Jupiter, son of Saturn.

Wild, difficult to follow, but generally accurate. Where did I find this gem? A writing by Ryan Menezes on Twitter.

This seems to be a history day for me.

Came across a strange item concerning Nero. The Roman Emperor who purportedly played the fiddle while watching Rome burn. Not true. The fiddle/violin had not been invented yet and Nero was some 30 miles away from Rome at the time the burning of Rome took place.

There is an item involving Nero that does appear to have historical merit. He originated the rotating dining room. The one we sit in today at the top of a tall building which slowly continues to turn. Nero had it constructed on top of his palace on Palantine Hill. His “spinning banquet hall” was part of Domus Aurea. It revolved day and night.

Nero was a man of taste. The ceilings of his dining rooms were lined with ivory. They also had special pipes which showered perfume and flowers on his guests.

Would you believe? On this day in 1814, a beer vat burst at a London brewery. Flooded the streets with over 300,000 gallons of port ale. Killed 8, plus polluted a 9th. Cause: Alcohol poisoning. Three who died pigged themselves out on the flowing brew.

People and Key West become comingled. Some important. We never even know they were here, however. They come silently to rest and enjoy. Remain unobserved. Leave as silently as they came.

One is Mike Mulvaney. How many of you even recollect the man? Few, I suspect.

Mulvaney was a member of the House of Representatives, acting Chief of Staff to Trump for two years, and Special Envoy to Ireland under Trump. His parents or in laws had a condominium at Casa Cassalles. He frequently visited. Few knew a person of his prominence was in town. He did what the usual tourist did. A walk in the morning, lay by the pool by day, dinner generally out in the evening. No raising hell.

I knew a couple of times when he was visiting. Never met him or tried to meet him. I sensed it was not his thing.

There is a very complimentary factor I would like to share re Mulvaney. On January 7, the day after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, he resigned his position as Special Envoy to Ireland. A class act.

The University of Connecticut is reviewing 70 majors to determine which have low enrollment. Purpose to cut the University’s operating costs. A question has arisen whether such would threaten the school’s status as an educational institution.

Some Presidents had special food favorites. We know Trump is hooked on McDonald Cheeseburgers. FDR was a man after my own taste. He loved grilled cheese sandwiches. Reagan was into jelly beans. George Washington hoecakes: a cornmeal pancake which he enjoyed for breakfast swimming in butter and honey. Jefferson macaroni. Purchased his own macaroni making machine in France and brought it to the U.S. He is given credited for creating mac and cheese.

Lincoln loved apples. Multiple a day. Taft was obese. Three hundred fifty pounds plus. Enjoyed a 12 ounce steak every morning for breakfast. For Kennedy, it was waffles for breakfast and New England Fish Chowder other times of the day. Nixon cottage cheese and ketchup.

Jimmy Carter cheese grits. George H.W. Bush pork rinds with a tasty Tabasco sauce. His son George, cheeseburger pizza. Bill Clinton Jalapeno Cheeseburgers.

I close with the Al Smith Charity Dinner last night.

A traditional event. Catholic. Harris did not appear. Understandably. Catholics as a political group are pro-Republican. Cardinal Dolan has criticized Harris for her pro-abortion stance. Harris’ thinking in not attending last night: Why waste time?

Trump his usual self at what was a religious based event. He does not think. He used profanity and below the belt digs. Mispronounced Harris’ name, said she had no intelligence, made fun of her husband for an affair he had in a prior marriage (the pot calling the kettle black), questioned Governor Walz’s manhood, as well as Senate Majority Leader Schumer who was seated two seats from him, continued to emphasize Obama’s middle name Hussein, and used profanity to disparage former New York City Mayor de Blasio.

He’s a real class act!

Enjoy your day!

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