A strange event. Public kissing banned in Naples. Makes sense, however,
On this day in 1562, kissing in public was banned in Naples. Penalty if caught: Death.
Why such an extreme penalty for a simple show of affection? Health. The plague was rampant. Throughout Europe. It was hoped the banning of kissing would delay the spread of the plague. It failed.
Abraham Lincoln finally found a “winning general.” On this day in 1864, he appointed General Ulysses S. Grant as Commanding General of the U.S. Army.
The difference between good and bad. On this day in 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called Congress into a Special Session beginning its “100 days” during which it passed 77 laws. The U.S. was in an economic death spiral at the time. In the throes of economic recession. The height of the Depression.
Trump became President January 20, 2025. The U.S. economy was healthy. Trump saw things otherwise. In six short weeks, Trump has set in motion all kinds of activities with Executive Orders, etc., which are destroying the U.S. economically.
A wise admonishment: If you are high, don’t drive.
Japan paid the price for Pearl Harbor. First Doolittle’s raid. Then the firebombing of Tokyo, the deadliest air raid of of World War II up to that time. Finally, the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Payback warranted. Valid retribution.
On this day in 1954, Edward R. Murrow criticized U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy on his “See It Now” TV program.
I write often of Syracuse University. I am proud of my alma mater.
Syracuse also had for a number of years a professional basketball team. The Syracuse Nationals from 1946-1963. The team was a member of the NBA. Won the NBA Championship in 1955.
My father used to take me to Syracuse to watch the Nationals play. Occasionally, the Nationals would play a game in Utica. Utica had built a new public high school. The Utica Free Academy. Huge. Great basketball court a part of it. The Nationals would play at UFA as it was known. Packed the place!
I was a freshman at Utica Catholic Academy at the time. On the jayvee team. A substitute. We were playing UFA at the new gym. I got into the game. Excited as hell! First time I was running down the court, I tripped on my own feet and kept tripping more than half way down the court and off it till I fell on my face.
An auspicious beginning to my basketball career!
The Nationals remained in Syracuse till 1963 when the team moved on to Philadelphia and became known as the Philadelphia ’76ers.
The tariff wars will impact the sale of toys in the U.S. also. Most toys are imported. Expect high toy prices in the Fall.
I close with some Key West information.
Searstown will finally be redeveloped. It has been closed since 2020.
The new development will open in 2028 and be accomplished in four phases. The fourth and final phase will be completed in 2031. A new Publix, covered parking and improved retail outlets.
I would have done otherwise. As I have been advocating for years, the empty Sears facility and grandiose sized parking should be used for housing. Cheap housing. A need never satisfied in Key West. And obviously will not be satisfied with the Sears property.
Enjoy your Sunday!