THE EARTH MOTHER

IT'S ALL REALLY PRETTY SIMPLE. GIVE UP THE RACISM, THE BIGOTRY, THE HATRED, THE GREED, THE FEELING THAT YOU AND YOUR KIND ARE ALL THAT MATTERS. GRASP INCLUSIVENESS, DIVERSITY, UNDERSTANDING, COMPASSION. REMEMBER THAT WE ARE MORE ALIKE THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT. WE ALL SEEK HAPPINESS AND A BETTER LIFE FOR OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. ONCE YOU GET OVER YOU, YOU WILL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE TO SEEK THE COMMON GOOD. THAT GOOD COMES FROM ALL OF US, ALL CREATED BY GOD. WE DON'T NEED POLITICIANS TO TELL US WHAT TO DO, OR IDEOLOGIES TO INFORM US. WE ARE EACH CAPABLE OF CONTRIBUTING TO CREATING HEAVEN ON EARTH. WE SHOULD ACCEPT NOTHING SHORT OF THAT.

We Need Our Fathers and Our Mothers To Be By Our Side

We Need Our Fathers and Our Mothers To Be By Our Side

ELECTION-2016

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST. ELECTORAL VOTES: CLINTON-330 OR SO, TRUMP-220 OR SO. IN MODERN DAY TERMINOLOGY, HE GETS STOMPED. AND THE SENATE: DEMOCRATS UP TWO. THE MEDIA IS WANTING TO MAKE A  RACE OUT OF IT, BUT IT WOULDN'T WORK. WE WILL IMMEDIATELY HAVE TO START WORKING ON HILLARY. SHE IS NOT THE PROGRESSIVE I WAS HOPING FOR. SHE IS ONE OF THE "GOOD OLD BOYS," SO TO SPEAK.

MORE ABOUT OUR EATING VENUES IN AND AROUND THE VILLAGE

PREVIOUSLY, I TALKED ABOUT ELAN'S AT THE GRANADA CLUBHOUSE. THEY ARE MAKING A PLAY TO STAY ALIVE. TANNER'S IS KILLING THEM. THEY HAVE LOWERED THEIR PRICES SIGNIFICANTLY. QUALITY IS FINE, SERVICE IS GOOD. I THINK IT WILL BE A STRUGGLE FOR THEM. THEY WANT TO BE A FINE DINING ESTABLISHMENT WHICH THE VILLAGE WILL NOT SUPPORT. FOLKS HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY, PUT THEY INTEND ON KEEPING IT.

THE HOME PLATE ON HIGHWAY 7 IS VERY POPULAR. THEY GIVE YOU A LOT OF AVERAGE FOOD FOR A DECENT PRICE. THE SERVICE IS ALWAYS GOOD. WE DON'T GET THERE VERY OFTEN. IT'S A LONG DRIVE. ABOUT 30 MILES. NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE THE EFFORT VERY OFTEN.

THE ITALIAN HOUSE & GRILL IS GOOD. LOCATED JUST OUTSIDE THE WEST GATE, I HAVE NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED. IT IS CONSISTENT, ALWAYS GOOD SERVICE. PRICES ARE MODERATE. I WOULD RECOMMEND IT WITHOUT RESERVATION.

THE LAST CHANCE HAS KIND OF RUN ITS COURSE. NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED. MAYBE JUST BEEN THERE TOO OFTEN. CHICKEN IS USUALLY GOOD. THEY HAVE AN EXCELLENT GROUPER SANDWICH ON JALAPENO BREAD. (I DOUBT IT'S GROUPER). SERVICE HAS BEEN SOMETHING OF A PROBLEM. A GOOD BAR AREA, ALTHOUGH BARTENDING NOT AT ITS BEST. THEY DO HAVE FREE POPCORN. AS IS EVIDENT, I AM THUMB'S DOWN AT THE MOMENT. THEY NEED A REVAMPING.

MOLLY O' BRIANS, JUST OUTSIDE THE BALBOA GATE, HAS ALSO LOST SOME OF ITS PUNCH. PIZZA HAS BEEN GREASY, WHICH IS HARD ON MY SYSTEM. THEY DO SEEM TO BE MAKING A BIT OF A COMEBACK, BUT TANNER'S WILL ALSO HURT THEM. WE STILL GO OCCASIONALLY. ACOUSTICS NOT GOOD. IN A PINCH, WE WILL ORDER A PIZZA TO GO. SERVICE HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD.

Who says America doesn't need unions? • Hightower Lowdown

Who says America doesn't need unions? • Hightower Lowdown: In their ongoing, all-out assault to crush labor unions, corporate forces have fabricated a cultural myth to undermine popular support …



NO UNION-NO FAIR PAY. NO RETIREMENT. NO VACATION TIME. NO OVER-TIME. NO SAFE WORK PLACE. NO MATERNITY LEAVE. NO NOTHING.

SHIPROCK

SHIPROCK. ONE OF THE MOST SACRED SITES OF THE NAVAJO NATION. OUR BUS WENT RIGHT BY WITHOUT ANY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. (I TOOK THIS PICTURE FROM THE BUS). THE NAVAJO NATION RECENT SHUT OFF THE PUBLIC FROM GETTING CLOSE BECAUSE OF CLIMBERS, LITTERING, AND GENERAL MISBEHAVIOR. IT IS NOW FENCED. ONLY THE NAVAJO CAN GO TO THE BASE.

THE GRAND CANYON

“The really wonderful moments of joy in this world are not the moments of self-satisfaction, but self-forgetfulness. Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon and contemplating your own greatness is pathological. At such moments we are made for a magnificent joy that comes from outside ourselves.”  John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life

THE NEW CAR BLUES

We had to buy a new car. I'd rather go to a funeral. I hate dealing with auto dealers. It's always a screw job. They cry more than a newborn baby orangutan. Found a fairly decent deal in a 2016 Murano with 11,400 miles. At least I didn't feel quite so violated. I never was much of a car person. If it gets me there and back, that's all I'm hoping for. Our other car is a 2009 Altima with 52,000 miles. Cars are unfortunately a necessary evil. Where we live, you have to be able to drive. And we still need two cars. I blame Henry Ford. As Henry said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” That accounts for my feelings when I buy a car.