Did this week fly by? I noticed leaves falling last Friday night while having a beer outside with friends. Winter is coming.

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Welcome To Conceptual Beach is finally out. Seven new songs from Young Jesus that won’t hit local radio. These guys are a force of their own, I’ve been slowly picking this moody album apart. “Lark” finds them somewhere in between Jeff Buckley vocally, and Built To Spill musically. Allow twelve minutes of their entertainment to envelope your ears, and take you away to new lands.

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After all this time The Killers finally release Imploding The Mirage, their sixth record. “Dying Breed” is the last single from the album, and its chorus is a big dose of The Boss. These boys are still writing stadium songs, with big hooks.

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Who the fuck is Bartees Strange? It’s time you found out. At times he reminds me of Lewis Del Mar, but with a rap vibe. Search out “Mustang,” and his effortless flow. I’m all in!

[embedded content] [embedded content] Run River North is back with “Cemetery.” I can picture my family driving into Yellowstone with this on the radio.

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Pharell and JAY-Z give us something funky to boom on our systems, and our Boy Pablo sprinkles some saccharine into our Release Radar with “Rest Up.”

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Your jazz cut of the week is “The Lemonade Song,” from Pink Martini. A refreshing jaunt that’s not too jazzy, but a fun, summer swinger.

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Mask up, and enjoy the last weeks of summer.

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Whole foods are more than the name of a grocery store. Whole foods are foods that are minimally processed and contain little or no additives or artificial ingredients. Think of whole foods as foods that are in their natural state. Foods considered whole foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts. There is a debate whether animal products are considered whole food. If you consume animal products you should follow certain guidelines. For instance, poultry should be free-range and beef and pork grass-fed. Cage-free eggs are considered the healthiest. These animal products can be difficult to find and they usually cost more than traditionally processed products.

I know processed foods are convenient; however, for health reasons you should try to avoid or limit their consumption. The list of foods you should limit or avoid is extensive. You should avoid refined grains which include white rice, white pasta, and white bread. Avoid or limit the consumption of processed animal products which include bacon, lunch meats, and sausage. Do not consume artificial sweeteners. Packaged foods like chips, crackers, cereals bars, and frozen dinners are not considered whole foods. Fast foods should be limited or avoided. Foods with added sugars which include soda, juice, cookies, candy, and some cereals are also listed as foods to avoid or consume in moderation. Most of us consume some processed foods. When you purchase processed foods read the labels. Look for natural products. Try to purchase products without a lot of sodium, added sugars and unhealthy fats. When purchasing bread look for whole grains. Healthy grains include spelt, barley, oats and quinoa.

Consuming a diet of mostly whole foods may reduce your risk of developing heart disease, certain cancers, cognitive decline and diabetes. Whole foods usually contain more nutrients than processed foods which help with overall health. There is also a belief that eating mostly whole foods will assist with weight loss.

There are steps you can take to make eating whole foods easier. Yes, it will take time. First cook at home when you can. Cooking at home will give you more control of the ingredients in your food. Try to include fruits or vegetables with every meal. Create meal plans that include whole foods.

Chicago Tribune Columnist John Kass a man with more BARK on him than the GENERAL SHERMAN, AMERICAS BIGGEST SEQUOIA TREE, has taken on Joe Biden and the Democratic National Convention. Oh, the glee, the smiles, laughter, and the joy of it all, the multiple speeches, the obsessive Trump-bashing and the blaming of every wort and fault in America today on those nasty Republicans and the Evil Trump. By the time it was over most people who were not familiar with America’s politicians would think that all Republicans were MAD, BAD, AND DANGEROUS TO BE AROUND.

However, as Kass points out, it’s what wasn’t said at that convention, was the 20 ELEPHANTS in the room. The silence of Joe Biden and the Democrats on the VIOLENCE IN THE BIG CITIES RUN BY LIBERAL DEMOCRATS, most who could be seen doing all the babbling, dancing, and laughing while their cities are overwhelmed with rampaging rioting, looting, skyrocketing crime, shootings, and killings. In Chicago alone, the bodies of its citizens shot down by the hundreds, litter its streets and expressways, more than 40 children murdered in gun violence, seven were under the age of 10. In just a few short days Chicago will have surpassed more than 500 murders and over 2,700 more shot and not a word from a single Democrat at that convention.

The Mardi Gras atmosphere continued while the mayhem of violence continued on, totally ignored. John Kass has nailed as to why this is — Chicago is not only being called the murder capital of the world its once elite shopping areas and downtown resemble ghost towns with people afraid to leave their residence let alone shop. Macy’s is leaving the upscale Water Tower Shopping Center, United Airlines is moving out key people with safety being the reason, Boeing Headquarters have moved key operations out to try and keep people safe. Several stores are boarded up and afraid to reopen, residents have put once treasured properties on an already flooded market. To some veteran observers, it reminds them of a ghost town.

The above photo is in front of the Mayor’s house all nice and well guarded. All this happening in Chicago and the Mayor refuses the help of the National Guard to at least protect property from looting and destruction while she has over 50 of Chicago’s cops guarding her own home and family and is surrounded by security on a 24 hours basis by officers carrying guns, the very guns she wants to take away from helpless other folks. Something is very, very, wrong here and in my opinion, the voters of Chicago and Cook County elected that wrong. They could all be seen at that convention totally ignoring the chaos, WHY? Their silence speaks volumes, it speaks of cowardice and failure. There has always been the old argument of which SENSE we lose first with old age, but one thing is for sure when an elected politician loses their sense of DECENCY many innocent people suffer badly. Watching that convention I could not help to think of my old Marine Gunny who was by no means a philosopher but he knew the meaning of duty and the importance of it. He left me with these words  “I SLEPT AND DREAMED THAT LIFE WAS BEAUTY: BUT I WOKE AND FOUND THAT LIFE WAS DUTY.” RIP—–Stay safe.