Winning Many Penny At Ak-Chin Casino Before Penny's Maricopa McDonald's

What you are seeing here is my current computer room in my current abode.

We have been in Arizona since Monday, but only last night did Miss Daisy learn of our arrival.

Mom called in mid afternoon, yesterday. I did not answer. A few hours later I called mom and told her we'd made it to Arizona. Mom asked where we were in Arizona. I said I was not sure, but we might not make it to Sun Lakes for a few hours. I told mom I'd told Big Ed that I was sure there would be ice cream. Mom confirmed one of her freezers had lots of ice cream.

About the time mom confirmed the ice cream supply she said a car had driven into her driveway, and that she thought it was my sister. I told mom I'd hang up so she could go open her door. Mom said no, hang on. Mom then opened the door to see me standing there with the phone. A few seconds later mom realized she'd been tricked. And that my sister was not there.

About a half hour later I found myself deep into the first incident of driving Miss Daisy. To Wendy's to get something called Four for Four. After a lot of confusion at the drive-thru I drove away with three bags of Four for Four.

Trust me on this. You do not want to have yourself a Wendy's Four for Four. I do not know why mom has developed this unseemly affection for fast food of the Wendy's Four for Four type.

And then today I had my second driving Miss Daisy experience. This time with Sister Jackie, Big Ed and Spencer Jack and Hank Frank's Grandpa Jake along. Prior to leaving mom's abode Big Ed and I put together mom's new chair transport device.

The destination today was Maricopa. First to the Ak-Chin Casino were I once again won big whilst not having a clue what I was doing. The casino experience started with my brother insisting Big Ed and I get something called something like a Player's Card, because this would give you some sort of great deal.

I got us parked on level five of the casino parking garage, then got out Miss Daisy's new wheels to elevate to the ground floor. Eventually we made it to the location  where one gets their Player's Card. I handed the Player's Card purveyor my driver's license. A couple minutes later she said I could not get a new card because I already had one.

Huh? I have never ever had any sort of casino rewards card. Ever.

And the computer data said I had acquired this card in 1996 at a Harrah's casino in Laughlin, Nevada. I have never been to Laughlin. In 1996 I did go to Las Vegas, over Thanksgiving. I told the lady that and she suggested I may have taken the short drive south to Laughlin and that I just did not remember doing so. I asked her what address the computer data said was mine. She then read off my Mount Vernon address.

Why and how would anyone get my driver's license info and use it to get a casino rewards card? Extremely perplexing. And sort of aggravating.

Somehow Big Ed was successfully able to get one of those apparently precious Player's Cards. Sister Jackie then led us to the location of the slot machines on which I had previously won big. First Sister Jackie inserted her first husband's card into the machine. I then proceeded to more than double the amount on that card, before I cashed it out. Then Sister Jackie walked me through inserting Big Ed's card. That was more complicated due to another piece of paper needing to be loaded into another slot which somehow added ten bucks to the Big Ed Player's Card account,

I then proceeded to push the play button. This was a penny slot machine. But the lowest bet was fifty pennies. Have I already mentioned I do not understand, even remotely, these new style slot machines? Time and again I was winning pennies, in copious amounts. And then I accidentally hit the 100 pennies button to the momentary horror of Sister Jackie and Grandpa Jake. But that horror soon abated because that spin turned into a ten spin automatic bonus round where I once again accrued a small fortune in pennies.

Eventually I decided I had enough pennies so I rolled Miss Daisy to the machine in which one inserts their redemption vouchers.

As we began our exit Sister Jackie decided we might like something from the bar. So, we all ended up with very spicy Bloody Mary's. Tasty. Don't worry, mom's had no vodka in it. Nor did mine.

Leaving the casino Miss Daisy directed me to drive to Penny's Maricopa McDonald's, which seemed appropriate, what with me having won all those pennies.

I think it is fair to say that, compared to Wendy's, McDonald's is gourmet fare. I only had a fish sandwich, double cheeseburger, buttermilk chicken sandwich, fries, spicy BBQ chicken strips and Coke. But Big Ed amazed all, including Penny, with the volume he consumed. He had everything I had, plus starting off with a vanilla ice cream cone, then when all the others, but I, went into ordering dessert mode, Big Ed had another cone, plus a chocolate chip frappe and a couple chocolate chip cookies.

When I delivered Miss Daisy back to her abode, and Sister Jackie and Grandpa Jake had left, Miss Daisy asked, "So, what are we gonna do this afternoon?" I told Miss Daisy it was already afternoon.

This is going to be an exhausting month....

New Suquamish Ferry Floating Sounder Rail Riding With Spencer Jack

Incoming email with photo documentation this morning from my Favorite Nephew Jason....

FUD-

Spencer took me down to Mulkiteo to ride a brand new ferry boat, the MV Suquamish.  Still smelled like fresh paint. 

After a ferry boat ride to Clinton and back, we enjoyed Ivar’s Clam Chowder, then FNSJ caught the Sounder Commuter Train up to the Everett Station.

His light rail solo ride took him only 8 minutes.

Thus he had to wait an additional 10 minutes for me to pick him up for our journey home.

Thought you would enjoy the photos.

-FNJ

_________________

Seems like only yesterday, shortly before moving to Texas, that Spencer Jack's dad, also known as my Favorite Nephew Jason, or FNJ, took me north to Canada where we boarded the Skytrain at the then most southern boarding point. We rode the Skytrain to the Canada Place Station, or whatever the cruise ship looking building which was built for Expo 86 is called, to board the Sea Bus to float across the bay to North Vancouver.

It must be some sort of genetic disposition us Jones boys share to like public transportation of the train sort.

The email information did not make clear if the below photo was taken before Spencer Jack solo boarded the Sounder train, or after he got off the train in Everett.

If FNSJ and FNJ were to come to Arizona right now we could ride the Valley Metro Rail. But no ferry boats...

Superior Apache Tear Copper Mining With Grandpa Jake

This morning, after swimming with some of the Sun Lakes Lady League swimmers, Big Ed and I drove north to Scottsdale to Casa Jake's for a lunch buffet of ham soup, fried chicken, buttery whole grain bread and strawberries.

After lunch Spencer Jack and Hank Frank's grandpa suggested seeing some superior scenery by driving to Superior, where SJ and HF's grandpa wanted to visit the World's Smallest Museum to see if there was any validity to that museum's claim to have on display the world's biggest Apache Tear.

We got to Superior to soon discover the World's Smallest Museum was closed. Jake was determined to see the supposed world's biggest Apache Tear, so we opted to visually break in to the museum via looking through a window.

Looking through the World's Smallest Museum's window Jake was able to see the Apache Tear display and was able to determine that the World's Smallest Museum's Apache Tear was bigger than Jake's biggest Apache Tear.

After the museum visit our driver pointed the under powered Honda to a hilly mountain road, with a HUGE copper mine operation our destination goal. We got to the copper mine to find the access to the copper mine scenic overlook was closed.

Even so we were able to see a lot of the HUGE mining pit and the giant piles of earth which had been removed from that pit. We explored a couple of company towns which we assumed were occupied by those who work in the various copper operations.

I have seen copper pit mining type operations before. One near Ely, Nevada comes to mind. It was also HUGE, with big trucks making their way up and down the pit. Because we could not get to the overlook today we were not able to look into today's pit to see the giant trucks. I remember mining pits in Bisbee, which is also in Arizona. And one in Lead, South Dakota.

But this mining operation today was the biggest I have ever eye witnessed.

We are planning on returning to the Superior area to hike to some caves where we get to dig for Apache Tears, hoping to find one bigger than the world's biggest, currently in the World's Smallest Museum...

Show Low Snow Switchbacking Salt River Canyon To Home In Arizona

Well. We made it to our destination. The roadtrip to that destination was far more adventurous than anticipated.

As in driving through some of the most torrential rain in memory.

And then, soon upon reaching Arizona, nearing the mountain town of Show Low.

Snow.

Snow was something I did not anticipate. Hence totally underdressed. And cold during the multiple vehicle exits.

Being cold soon abated as the elevation dropped the closer we got to the Valley of the Sun. Where for the first time since leaving Texas we saw the sun.

The biggest surprise of this roadtrip happened soon upon leaving Show Low, via Highway 60. I knew via the map that this was considered to be a scenic route. I had assumed it would be the Painted Desert type of scenic.

Again I was wrong. Instead it was the Grand Canyon type of Arizona scenic.

A few miles west of Show Low we saw we were following along a canyon. At that point the canyon did not seem too deep or big. That soon changed. A road sign advised scenic overlook ahead, so I stopped to look over the overlook. That is the view you see at the top. This was to be the first of many scenic overlooks.

Several miles later a series of long switchbacks took us to a bridge across what I then learned was Salt River Canyon. Or, what I later learned my sister referred to as Grand Canyon-lite.

That bottom of Salt River Canyon location had a rest area on steroids visitor center. I decided this was a good location for a crackers and cheese break. Til I stepped outside and decided it was too cold to sit at a picnic table.

From the rest area I look down from the over look to see what you see below.

A group at the edge of the Salt River. After a walk across the old highway bridge which had been turned into a pedestrian bridge I decided to go down the stairs you see below to join the group above for a closer look at the river.

It had been years since I had had the opportunity to run up and down stairs such as those above. Wait. Just remembered I ran up stairs summer of 2017 when I was in Arizona, in downtown Phoenix. Arizona has a lot more vertical opportunities than mostly horizontal Texas.

Above I am at the Salt River Canyon bottom, and those are those people we saw from the overlook, posing for photos. They were taking a lot of photos. Above them, on the canyon wall, that brown streak slicing diagonal is the road we had been rolling on a few minutes prior. The route from the canyon bottom up the other side looked real treacherous with multiple switchbacks.

When I was on the pedestrian bridge a guy asked me to take a photo of him and his family. I told the guy that this canyon was a total surprise to me, that I wondered why I had never heard of it. Told him it was far more impressive to me than the famous Million Dollar Highway one drives when heading north from Silverton, Colorado. Or the Highway to the Sun in Glacier National Park.

The only road I recollect driving on which was more adventurous than this Salt River Canyon drive is the Moki Dugway in Utah.

The Moki Dugway is a relatively short one way, unpaved descent. The Salt River Canyon descent and ascent was many miles long.

Above is a look from the Salt River Canyon bottom up at those aforementioned bridges. The closest one is the old bridge turned to pedestrian bridge.

Both bridges were built over water. And I suspect the construction took way less than four years. People in Fort Worth know to what I refer.

I am sort of in recovery mode now that I am settled in my new abode. Figuring out how to operate the kitchen last night was a different type of adventure from treacherous driving.

I have no clue what we are doing today. Might go see Spencer Jack and Hank F's grandpa, also known as my little brother...

Flash Flooding Lightning Striking Windy Ride To Socorro New Mexico

The morning did not start well. Somehow on Saturday I developed the delusion that the end of Daylight Savings Time was to happen today..

And so Saturday I set all my clocks back an hour.

This morning I found out I was wrong when my phone and computer reported what I thought at the time was the wrong time.

This delusion resulted in getting out of town an hour later than I had planned.

Hours of thunder booming during the night made for a tired morning. I did not look forward to a long drive.

And then, just a few miles in, on Highway 287, past Iowa Park, before the Vernon exit on to 60 a flash flood covered the road. I did not realize this had happened til a truck ahead of me hit the water, causing a giant plume. I slammed the brakes, and then slowly made it though the water. A car had flown off the road heading the other direction, landing sideways in the flood. I hope no one was hurt.

Rain poured down, super heavy at times, all the way to New Mexico. Only a few miles were relatively dry. And then, deep into New Mexico, prior to Mountainair, on 60, all hell broke loose. Lightning was striking, thunder booming. I followed a big truck leading a caravan of fellow travelers traveling at a snail pace.

Eventually, about the time we reached scenic Mountainair, the clouds lifted, making for a dry descent into the Rio Grande Valley, where the Rio Grande was a tiny trickle when we crossed it.

Getting on I-25 and heading south was a relief, particularly after stopping at the cool rest area you see above. I have seen some interesting rest areas, in various resting places. This one is easily in the Top Ten.

That is Big Ed you see walking the boardwalk in the aforementioned rest area. Today was the first time Big Ed has seen a mountain since 2002.

Tomorrow we should arrive by mid afternoon in the Chandler/Sun Lakes zone of Arizona. I am hoping for sunshine and no flooding issues....

Final Wichita Falls Bike Ride Before Arizona Mountain Climbing

On this first Saturday of the 2018 version of October the outer world at my current location is a bit dark and cloudy.

With about an hour to go before noon I opted to exit my abode so as to roll my bike wheels one more time before exiting Texas tomorrow.

In the photo documentation we are on the Circle Trail looking south over my handlebars.

Rain and thunderstorms are in today's forecast. So far I have felt no drippage, nor heard any booms.

Last night I came to my final decision as to the route for the roadtrip to Arizona. A short distance on 287 to 70, then 60 all the way to the Phoenix zone.

When I was younger I greatly enjoyed long roadtrips. Thousands of miles never vexed me. I remember the first time I saw Texas was part of a month long multi-thousand mile roadtrip. That was the summer the whole world was worried regarding who shot J.R. I did not visit Southfork at that point in time.

Now that I am semi-elderly I am not as fond of the roadtrip concept. I am sort of looking forward to doing some actual mountain type hiking in Arizona. Maybe Camelback Mountain. Maybe Piestewa Peak. Maybe South Mountain.

Or it may be too HOT with a lot of pool time being more appealing than mountain hiking.

Nurse Canecracker, aka Lil' Miss Linda, will be arriving on the 16th.

We ordered a new transport chair for my mom. Nurse Canecracker is not yet fully recovered from getting badly injured from an encounter with a car on the streets of Mount Vernon. Big Ed may come in handy if Nurse Canecracker wants to avail herself of using one of the transport chairs.

If I remember right the trail up Piestewa Peak is paved. Maybe we will be able to push both mom and Nurse Canecracker to the Piestewa Peak summit....

Will There Ever Be An All-Out Sprint To Finish Anything In Fort Worth?

Yesterday we took a Closer Look At Fort Worth Losing Federal Funding For America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Taking a closer look was prompted by two days in a row where the Fort Worth Star-Telegram published what seemed to me to be bizarre propaganda pieces about the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, more commonly known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

And now today, a third bizarre piece of Star-Telegram propaganda.

Day One we had Fort Worth’s $1B Panther Island project quietly cut from 2018 federal budget.

Day Two followed with Panther Island will move ‘full steam ahead’ despite funding slowdown, proponent vows.

And now on Day Three of this propaganda onslaught the Star-Telegram asks Can Panther Island work without federal funds? Maybe, if Fort Worth plays the long game.

Plays a long game? Wasn't the so-called Panther Island project originally touted as a vitally needed flood control and economic development scheme by those conning the public as to the project's supposed worth? And yet this vitally needed project has been limping along, under funded for most of this century, with little to show for the effort, and a lot of money literally down the drain.

And now we are looking at playing a long game?

The absurdity of this Fort Worth boondoggle, and the inept way the town's supposed newspaper of record covers the absurdity, struck me this morning whilst reading a Seattle Times article about An all-out sprint to demolish Alaskan Way Viaduct in 2019.

Around the same time as Fort Worth's blind vision began looking at nothing, as in near the start of the current century, Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct was damaged by an earthquake. Discussions ensued as to how to get rid of the Viaduct, and with what to replace it.

As is the Seattle Way, it took a lot of discussing to come up with a plan. Eventually it was decided to replace the Viaduct with a tunnel. The project was engineered, and funding secured.

And no local politician's son was put in charge.

Around the same time as Fort Worth had a TNT explosion to mark the start of construction of the town's three simple little bridges being built over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island, the world's biggest tunnel boring machine, nicknamed Bertha, began its boring course under downtown Seattle.

Bertha bored for a thousand feet, or so, and then hit a chunk of steel which severely damaged her. Fixing Bertha took about a year. The process was fully transparent, with a live camera aimed at the operation 24/7.

A year after Fort Worth's TNT explosion marking the start of bridge construction locals began wondering why nothing was happening on the bridge building locations. The local newspaper of record did no reporting as to what was causing the delay. There was, and continues to be, ZERO transparency as to what the problems are with these bridges.

And now, four years after that TNT explosion and Bertha began boring, Bertha has long finished her boring, the roadways have been installed in the new tunnel. And once the tunnel opens for traffic the Alaskan Way Viaduct can finally come down.

That is expected to be happening in the first four months of 2019.

Read the Seattle Times article about An all-out sprint to demolish Alaskan Way Viaduct in 2019.and make note of how different this article is from that which you may read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about anything to do with America's Biggest Boondoggle, particularly the slow motion bridge construction.

Notice at the end of the Seattle Times article the hundreds of comments, to an article which was only published this morning. Such is the case over and over again with articles in the Seattle Times.

Intelligent debate with opinions all over the political spectrum.

Meanwhile in a Star-Telegram article there are rarely comments. When there would seem to be so much which is comment worthy. Is this lack of comments because the Star-Telegram has few readers? Or are their readers simply shy about expressing themselves?

Very perplexing.

The price tag for the entire Alaskan Way Viaduct removal, replacement tunnel, waterfront rebuild and other parts of the project came with a multiple billion dollar price tag. Fully funded. With the project on track to completion, even after a major hiccup. And Seattle will be reaping HUGE benefits from the investment, with the town's already busy waterfront reinvigorated by its new connection to downtown with the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct obstruction.

Meanwhile in Fort Worth, currently, those pretending to be in charge, indicate the vitally needed Trinity River Vision flood control and economic development scheme may come to fruition in 2028.

Maybe.

If the federal government is foolish enough to throw some more money down the Fort Worth drain....

Closer Look At Fort Worth Losing Federal Funding For America's Biggest Boondoggle

Yesterday I wondered what With Federal Funding Cut Will Fort Worth Finally End America's Biggest Boondoggle?

Yesterday's wondering was prompted by two Fort Worth Star-Telegram articles and multiple comments on Facebook.

At the end of yesterday's wondering mention was made of the possibility that I might get around to going through those two tiresome Star-Telegram articles, gleaning out what glares and commenting.

And, so let us start with the first of those two articles and go through them to the bitter end...

Article #1 told us Fort Worth’s $1B Panther Island project quietly cut from 2018 federal budget. Let's see what we were told in that propaganda piece...

WASHINGTON 
Fort Worth’s behind-schedule $1.16 billion plan to re-route the Trinity River is no longer considered a top contender for federal funding — and the Army Corps of Engineers has quietly excluded the project from its budget.

The omission is particularly glaring for Fort Worth Rep. Kay Granger, a senior member of Congress’s powerful spending committee whose son, J.D. Granger, serves as the project’s executive director.

Granger declined to be interviewed by the Star-Telegram about the project on Capitol Hill last week. Her office also declined to provide comment for the story. She is vying for her party’s top spot on the House appropriations committee next year.

________________

So, what a shocker, Fort Worth Congresswoman and leader of the Granger Gang, Kay Granger, declined to provide a comment regarding this Fort Worth debacle for which she is largely at fault for helping cause. That and finagling to have her unqualified son installed as the project's executive director. Kay is vying for her party's top appropriations committee spot next year? Kay is also vying for re-election. If the voters of Fort Worth were not largely a flock of mindless sheep Kay would not be re-elected next month.

Moving on...

“The administration does not consider the [Panther Island] project to be policy compliant for budgeting because of the lack of an economic analysis,” said Corps spokesman Eugene Pawlik. “The project did not receive fiscal 2018 Civil Works funding and is not in the president’s fiscal 2019 Civil Works budget.”

The Army Corps “develops the work plans in accordance with the congressional guidance and generally prioritizes projects based on their expected economic, life-saving and environmental benefits to the nation,” Pawlik said. “Before the work plans are finalized and presented to Congress, they undergo policy review within the administration.”

_______________

Fort Worth's infamous boondoggle is not considered to be policy compliant because of a lack of an economic analysis?

How many people over how many years have been saying, over and over again, that this inept project is not properly designed, not properly engineered, and certainly not properly implemented? The Trinity River Vision has been limping along for most of this century. The last four years have seen the inept attempt to build three simple little bridges over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island. All it takes is a minimum iota of common sense to see that this particular Fort Worth vision is blind.

Moving on again...

So far the Army Corps has contributed $61.9 million to the project, also called the Trinity River Vision. It aims to rebuild the aging 1950s West Fork levees downtown and, in the process straighten the river channel and move it about 10 blocks north.

_______________

The project also called the Trinity River Vision? That was what the vision was originally called before other names were added, with the most recent being the bizarre Panther Island District, where there is no island and never will be an actual island of the reality based sort.

Rebuild the aging levees built in the 1950s? Aging levees which have prevented any flooding in the area they are protecting ever since. While there are other areas of Fort Worth which do flood regularly, often with deadly results.

Again, moving on...

The final product will also create a San Antonio-style riverwalk and 800-acre scenic “island” north of downtown, goals that have long angered conservatives both locally and nationally.

________________

There has never been anything documenting how this inept project would in any way resemble San Antonio's iconic Riverwalk. Let alone somehow turn an industrial wasteland into something scenic.

These imaginary goals have long angered conservatives, both locally and nationally?

Really?

Only conservatives have found those imaginary goals to be aggravating? I'm just about dead opposite of being conservative. I know many others just as non-conservative as I am who think the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision has long been a corrupt, inept, possibly criminal fraud perpetrated without actual voter approval, creating an embarrassment for Fort Worth which has been boondoggling along for years and will likely linger for years to come.

Skipping ahead past a few paragraphs...

Last week Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price flew to Washington to attend an economic summit at the White House, and discussed the Panther Island project with Trump’s government relations officials.

“We mentioned that it was a critical project for us and we would love to have the funding secured for it,” Price told the Star-Telegram after the summit.

______________

What a mayor! She mentioned America's Biggest Boondoggle is a critical project for Fort Worth and that Fort Worth would love to have the funding secured for it.

How about Betsy do what mayors in towns wearing their BIG CITY pants do? As in design a project, sell that project to the public. And then have the public vote to fund the project. You know, this should be such an easy sell, what with the Trinity River Vision being a vitally needed flood control and economic development scheme. Yet somehow never vitally needed to a level sufficient to ask voters to support the project.  Until last May, when a fraudulently worded ballot measure asked voters to approve a quarter billion bucks for flood control and drainage. Which later boondoggle officials baldfacedly touted this vote as both approval of America's Biggest Boondoggle and that the funds would go to the Panther Island Project. Not flood control and drainage.

Moving on the final three paragraphs in this article, and they are doozies...

The project’s planners, who did not publicize the omission when it was announced in July, say they’ve used local funds to keep the project on pace with their previously set schedule. They say the flood control project remains a public safety concern for Fort Worth, and they don’t plan to scale back its scope.

“We’ve been able to continue moving forward with the current schedule,” said TRV spokesman Matt Oliver, who pointed to a $250 million bond approved by voters earlier this year by voters in the Fort Worth-based Tarrant Regional Water District.

“We have the local money in hand… we have the schedule based on the situation currently, so if you have times where a particular part of that schedule might speed up or a particular part of that schedule might slow down, that’s something we’ve never shied away from,” said Oliver.

________________

Okay, in these three paragraphs we learn the Boondoggle's planners did not publicize losing the federal funds, two months after that fraudulent May vote. But they have the funds to keep the project on pace with their schedule?

What?

There never has been a project timeline schedule.

Never.

 Little happens year after year. Bridges began construction four years ago with an astonishing four year project timeline, and now, four years later, those bridges are nowhere near anything anyone could drive over, and the current completion date has been shoved to sometime in 2020.

What bizarre idiotic hubris.

They say the project remains a public safety concern for Fort Worth, and they won't scale back its scope? How many times do how many people have to tell these people there has been no flood safety concern in this area for well over a half century, due to existing flood control federal dollars have already paid for?

One of the beneficiaries of Trinity River Vision nepotism, Matt Oliver, claims they are able to continue moving forward with the current imaginary schedule due to that $250 million voters stuck in the boondoggler's hands, which voters thought was for flood control and drainage?

So, with that local money now fraudulently acquired, the boondogglers have themselves a schedule based on the current situation? Parts of which may speed up? Or slow down? Which is something they have never shied away from.

What idiotic nonsense. The Star-Telegram needs to import an actual investigative journalist. Or 60 Minutes needs to visit Fort Worth.

Part 2 Tomorrow, if I am not consumed by why bother ennui....

With Federal Funding Cut Will Fort Worth Finally End America's Biggest Boondoggle?

In a 24 hour time period the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has published two articles about that which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, without making note of that fact, yet detailing such.

Yesterday's Fort Worth’s $1B Panther Island project quietly cut from 2018 federal budget revealed the not too shocking news that the Army Corps of Engineers has determined Fort Worth's boondoggle was not policy compliant due to the lack of an economic analysis.

Hence federal funding cut.

The Star-Telegram bears some blame for helping enable this ongoing travesty via participating in the year after year after year of absurd propaganda spewed by the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, the corrupt spawn of the Tarrant Regional Water District.

The Star-Telegram has yet to publish a single honest investigative investigation of the most glaring aspect of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, that being the three simple little bridges being built over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

Construction of those three little bridges began four years ago, with an incredible four year project timeline to build three simple little bridges. Over dry land.

The Star-Telegram has not informed its readers regarding the details of the engineering mistakes and problems which have caused the bridge building delay.

The Star-Telegram has not editorialized anything along the line of someone, somewhere in the failing project needs to be held accountable.

Such as a demand for the firing of Kay Granger's boy, J.D., installed as Executive Director of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, paid around $200,000 a year, plus perks, to do a job for which he had zero qualifications.

In modern America this is known as nepotism, and is not allowed.

America's Biggest Boondoggle is rife with nepotism. How many of TRWD general manager Jim Oliver's relatives are in the TRWD or TRV's employ?

Regarding America's Biggest Boondoggle one of Jim Oliver's relatives is quoted in today's Panther Island will move ‘full steam ahead’ despite funding slowdown, proponent vows  Star-Telegram article...

Matt Oliver, Trinity River Vision spokesman, said work will still go on. “We’re going to keep moving, locally, full steam ahead,” Oliver said.

"Some of the money allocated in previous years has not been spent while other projects, like the three bridges currently under construction over dry land, are funded through the state", he said.

In May, voters passed a $250 million bond as part of the local commitment. The authority would have sought the bond regardless of federal dollars, Oliver said, and the money will still be used to fund front-end work such as design and the acquisition of land.

“The bond still going to local portions,” he said.

As part of flood control measures, work will continue on retention ponds in Gateway and Riverside parks. Those projects may not be visible to the public as part of downtown’s Panther Island, but Oliver said they’re crucial to the overall concept.

Work is expected to continue on the three bridges until about 2020, he said. At that point the Army Corps can begin digging a channel that will ultimately re-route the Trinity River and create a downtown island and urban lake.

________________

The quarter billion dollar bond, which the ballot, apparently fraudulently, said was for flood control and drainage issues, will be used for front-end work such as design and acquisition of land? And work on those pitiful bridges is expected to continue until "about" 2020? Six years after starting construction.

Has anyone seen any signs of construction of that apartment complex being built on the imaginary island? In 2017 J.D. Granger touted this incoming apartment complex as one of the signs of progress we would be seeing in 2018. Only a few months left in 2018. Is this still an imaginary apartment project not being built on the imaginary island? Or is construction underway, as Granger said it would be?

These two articles in the Star-Telegram contain multiple propaganda elements of the misrepresenting the facts sort. Is this by design? Or editors with memory issues?

In a followup blog post we will look at these two article's propaganda nonsense in detail. But right now I'm fed up with the whole thing and not in the mood to get into it any deeper at this particular moment in time...

America's Most Reviled Cuban Canadian Coming To Wichita Falls Tomorrow With Trump Jr.

The Cuban Canadian many Americans believe to be the creepiest Senator in the United States, he being Texas Senator Rafael Edwardo Cruz, who changed his name to "Ted" so as to influence apparently easily fooled Texans into thinking he was a good 'ol Anglo type Texan, is coming to Wichita Falls tomorrow, around 3 in the afternoon.

Rafael will be in Wichita Falls with the eldest son of the man who informed America that Cruz's papa was in Dallas in November of 1963 murdering President John F. Kennedy.

Yes, that's right, Rafael "Ted" Cruz is coming to town with Donald Trump Jr. to rally Cruz kool-aiders at some venue in the MPEC in downtown Wichita Falls. (Those four MPEC initials stand for Multi-Purpose Event Center).

One has to have an entry ticket to attend this event. As of this morning around 900 had requested tickets. The venue holds 1000.

There are a lot of intelligent, well-informed, decent minded, creepiness averse Wichita Falls natives who have stuck BETO signs on their yards and vehicles in support of the man America hopes kicks Cruz out of the senate, Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke.

A cadre of BETO supporters is assembling at the local Democrat Party Headquarters on Kemp Boulevard today in order to make signs to hold whilst assembling outside the MPEC venue where Cruz will be spewing his creepy nonsense, along with equally greasy, Trump Jr.

I have been asked to attend this BETO counter rally. I declined the invite. I don't think it is a good idea, this BETO counter rally, as such would seem to have multiple ways of going in a sideways direction wreaking unpleasantness.

Anyway, that meme you see at the top really does nail the Cruz hypocrisy---

AMERICA

The only country where a Canadian Latino can reinvent himself

as an immigrant-hating southern white supremacist....