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February 2005
Light blogging
I've been off most of the afternoon at a Knox County Commission meeting, which I'll have a story on tomorrow. They're also considering a new ordinance requiring dogs be secured in some fashion when people are transporting them in the back of pickup trucks. More on that later. It is item "O-05-2-104" on the agenda here. (pdf)
The Ten Commandments
Two Kentucky cases being watched closely, including in Knox County, head to the U.S. Supreme Court.
A blogger's thoughts here.
As you know, this issue has been around a while. Here's a blog posting on it from 2003.
A Rocky Top stroll
Here's some samples of talk items around the Tennessee blogosphere.
More on Bredesen for president.
Always worth a visit.
The feds lying?
Blogging and MSM
SKB has a nice post showing where I think we are going in terms of citizens' media and the main stream media. On a weekend fire in downtown Knoxville, he links to several media reports on it.
But then he also posts a picture taken by one of his readers who I guess e-mailed to SKB. Sure, the picture is a bit fuzzy but it really gives us all a nice feel for the scene early Sunday morning.
The post a good example of a one-stop meshing of media reports and an eyewitness account. Certainly not new to the Internet but a good example nonetheless.
Photo of girl in tux banned
GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. -- After a spirited discussion over a photo of a girl wearing a tuxedo at Thursday's Clay County School Board meeting, the principal's decision to ban the picture from the Fleming Island High School yearbook stands.
Kelli Davis, 18, had her senior class photo taken in a tuxedo top and bow-tie outfit provided for boys rather than the gown-like drape and pearls provided for girls. The school's principal decided it could not appear in the yearbook because she didn't follow the dress code.
More here.
"Breaking as many US laws as possible"
A UK duo plan a summer "crime spree."
Their intent in part is to highlight this.
It's good to know that in Utah you can't have beer in a container larger than two liters.
"Drastic change" needed for high schools
The nation's governors sound an alarm.
"We can't keep explaining to our nation's parents or business leaders or college faculties why these kids can't do the work," said Virginia Democratic Gov. Mark Warner, as the state leaders convened for the first National Education Summit aimed at rallying governors around high school reform.
More here.
And this from Bill Gates.
Income tax proposed?
*HB2027 by *Kernell.
Taxes, Privilege - Enacts a 1 percent privilege tax on employer's payroll and dedicates revenue to funding special payments to certain hospitals and funding some portion of a reenacted Tennessee Comprehensive Health Insurance Pool. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 6; Title 56; Title 57; Title 67; Title 68; and Title 71.
More here.
Bill here.
(Via TeamGOP) Memo to TeamGOP and others, link your press releases when you send them out!
UPDATE: A book on Tennessee's tax revolt.
UPDATE II: Blake has some thoughts.
I-40 lanes open
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) � State road crews planned to reopen all lanes of westbound Interstate 40 near the Tennessee border on Friday afternoon, the state Department of Transportation announced.
More here.
The aftermath of Hurricane Ivan caused extensive damage last September.
TN judge rules records are open
The Jackson Sun won two out of three initial legal battles with the city of Jackson in the newspaper's open records lawsuit, with a Madison County chancellor granting the newspaper access to requested police and Diamond Jaxx information while denying access to a 911 audio tape from last month's TDOT shooting.
More here.
Talon News site shut down
The publicist for Talon News says it has temporarily gone offline because the founder �can only take so much of a beating� over its political slant.
More here.
Rash of wrecks prompts action
A wreck-plagued stretch of Interstate 275 South will be resurfaced and a speed advisory extended, the Tennessee Department of Transportation announced today.
More here.
Speaking of traffic, SayUncle offers a good idea.
Wheel tax legislation dead?
Tennessee's 278th in Iraq featured
Village Voice has a long piece on the Knoxville-based Armored Cavalry Regiment.
Excerpt: "Actually, only about half of the troops here patrol anything. They're a grab bag of old-school National Guard types�white, male, middle-aged, and Southern, like Sergeant First Class William Rader, 44, of Tennessee�with some tough-as-nails active-duty soldiers like Californian second lieutenant Rick Ferrell, 33, thrown in to bring the unit up to full strength. The rest of the soldiers at Caldwell are what the combat types call 'fobbits.'"
And don't forget that a TN soldier is blogging from Iraq.
HST's widow speaks
He planned it, and killed himself while talking on the phone to her.
More here.
Another story here.
SKB has a post on the son's comments.
Convention center billing dispute
The Public Building Authority has withheld nearly $1 million from the construction manager for the Knoxville Convention Center in a dispute over payroll billing.
A routine review by PBA staff found that Clark/Denark-Smith, the joint venture formed to build the convention center, billed $831,196 in employee costs that shouldn't be paid.
Clark/Denark-Smith disputed the findings and, as allowed by its contract, has demanded nonbinding mediation to resolve the matter.
More here.
SKB weighs in.
A truly astounding statistic
This has got to be some sort of record. For the 29th consecutive year, the TN Lady Vols have won 20 games.
Coach Pat Summitt is now just 6 wins from surpassing former UNC Coach Dean Smith as the all-time winningest coach.
Frist and '08
LANSING, Mich. The early campaigning by 2008 presidential hopefuls already is beginning in Michigan.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-TN, will hit voter-rich Oakland County tomorrow to speak at the county Republican Party's annual Lincoln Day dinner at the Marriott Centerpoint Hotel in Pontiac.
More here.
Also, he's going to NH next week.
And, he spoke this morning in Cleveland.
Sperm theft
Well this is not a typical court case.
"A woman accused of using her lover's sperm to impregnate herself without his knowledge can be held liable for the unwitting father's emotional pain, the Illinois Appellate Court has ruled.
"In the ruling released Thursday, a three-judge panel reinstated part of a lawsuit against Sharon Irons, a doctor from Olympia Fields. The ruling sends the case back to Cook County Circuit Court."
More here.
Secrecy in government on the increase
So says a judge in ruling the NYT can protect sources.
NEW YORK � A federal judge ruled today that The New York Times has a First Amendment privilege to protect the confidentiality of its sources by denying the government phone records in certain instances.
Enough said
Wheel-tax legislation
Bill Hobbs has this:
Some state legislators in Tennessee are trying to make it harder for citizens to fight back against wheel-tax increases passed by their county government. Legislation currently being pushed in the Tennessee state senate would remove the right of Tennessee residents to use a petition to force a wheel tax increase to a referendum once it has been passed by the county commission.
More here.
Knox Countians know a little bit about this tax.
So do Blount Countians.
UPDATE: More here.
More on Sen. John Ford
MEMPHIS, Tenn. State Senator John Ford has filed a police report against a Memphis television station and one of its reporters.
More here.
The TennCare Bureau Wednesday received information detailing the relationship between dental administrator Doral and a consulting firm affiliated with state Sen. John Ford, who is currently involved in an ongoing controversy over alleged conflicts of interest.
More here.
The company that administers TennCare's dental program asked state officials yesterday to keep confidential its answers to questions about its relationship with a controversial subcontractor with ties to state Sen. John Ford.
More here.
UPDATE: Senators say today residency requirement vague.
U.S. Senators discover blogs
This is a good column on blogs.
"Today, political blogs get most of the attention, but make up a relatively small percentage of the eight million blogs experts estimate occupy cyberspace. You can today find a blog to cover every niche interest from every angle or perspective imaginable.
"And that's why all of this collective talk about "blogs" is ridiculous. Blogs are simply too numerous and diverse to make broad generalizations about their effect, motives or 'philosophy.'
"The idea that there's a clear line of demarcation between "blogs" and "old media" was probably false from the start, but it becomes more difficult to defend by the day."
More here.
New local blog
This is a new one on me, and apparently it will focus on local politicals.
Pro-America rally
I'm not having any success finding any media reports on this. Help me out if you can. (Link via Instapundit)
UPDATE: Here's a picture and report from the rally.
Friend of former TN governor indicted
CHATTANOOGA � John Stamps, a longtime friend of former Gov. Don Sundquist, has been indicted on federal charges of making false statements and separately on four counts of federal income tax evasion.
Stamps, a businessman from Monteagle, owned a company called Workforce Strategists, which secured a no-bid $644,000 contract from the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The indictment, released Wednesday, said Stamps used a document that contained false statements in July 2002 to convince the state to extend the Workforce Strategists contract.
More here.
Some background.
More here.
E-mail security dustup at UT
A letter to the editor is getting some blogger notice here and here.
Excerpt: "The new password rules are absolutely absurd. They make passwords so complex they are unmemorizeable to many, who will simply end up writing them down somewhere (which is a big security no-no)."
Another excerpt: "Of course, as we have learned in the past, some people DO have "gritty" e-mails in their UTK accounts... Anyone remember J. Wade Gilley (among others)?"
I did not find links to the policy so I did a little online reporting. Here's the Office of Information Technology's new policy. Here's OIT's main page.
Bush's uncle benefits
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush's uncle, who serves on the board of a U.S. defense contractor with over $100 million in business in Iraq, recently cashed in on some of that lucrative work, a government filing showed on Wednesday.
William H.T. "Bucky" Bush exercised options on 8,438 shares worth about $450,000 from St. Louis-based defense contractor Engineered Support Systems Inc. (ESSI), according to a Jan. 18 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Since 2000, the president's uncle has been on the board of ESSI, whose work for the U.S. military in Iraq ranges from providing special armor for vehicles to providing telecommunications satellite equipment.
More here.
Cap campaign contributions
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) � A leading House Democrat is calling for a cap on campaign contributions, citing a record-breaking stream of money that a wealthy East Tennessee family poured into conservative causes.
House Majority Leader Kim McMillan wants to limit an individual�s donation to a state party to $25,000 and cap donations to a PAC at $5,000 per person. There is no limit right now, she said.
Her bills cleared a hurdle Wednesday when the House Elections Subcommittee endorsed them on a unanimous voice vote.
Democrats were outraged last year at the amount of money former King Pharmaceuticals Inc. CEO John Gregory gave to Republicans, and implied in campaign ads that the donations influenced drug sales to TennCare.
Candidates blogging the TN Senate race?
Bill Hobbs is offering his services.
"A well-executed blog strategy may be crucial to unifying conservative voters behind one candidate."
Bill says the major newspapers in the state will back Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker in the primaries. I will remind everyone that in 1994, with the "six pack" running to defeat then-Sen. Jim Sasser, Corker had unprecedented newspaper endorsements all across the state. We know who won that race.
Bill goes on to say: "Blogs are the cheapest way to counter the intense and unrelenting media bias you will face, to break the Big Media info-monopoly, and to route around the Big Media filter to get your message out intact."
"Intense and unrelenting media bias" is overblown, but I agree with Bill's basic point. Blogs can easily be a clearinghouse for information on candidates, a sort of online grassroots legion. For example, I posted earlier today on a candidate's press release.
I won't be covering the Senate race for the KNS, especially if Van Hilleary gets in. He's a personal friend of mine.
But blogs won't be sitting it out and candidates would be wise to read Bill's posting.
HST planned his death
DENVER (AP) � Journalist Hunter S. Thompson did not take his life "in a moment of haste or anger or despondency" and probably planned his suicide well in advance because of his declining health, the family�s spokesman said Wednesday.
Douglas Brinkley, a historian and author who edited some of Thompson�s work, said the founder of "gonzo" journalism shot himself Sunday night after weeks of pain from a host of physical problems that included a broken leg and a hip replacement.
"I think he made a conscious decision that he had an incredible run of 67 years, lived the way he wanted to, and wasn�t going to suffer the indignities of old age," Brinkley said in a telephone interview from Aspen. "He was not going to let anybody dictate how he was going to die."
More here.
RELATED: "If you�re looking for Hunter S. Thompson memorabilia, don�t go to the Woody Creek Store."
More here.
The TN Senate attacks begin
I do wish campaigns would get more tech savvy and do something as simple as putting press releases online. In the meantime, here's an email from the Ed Bryant campaign.
FRANKLIN, TN Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker has attacked former Congressman Ed Bryant for being an attorney, despite the fact that records reveal the former state finance commissioner under Gov. Don Sundquist has taken at least $100,684 from lawyers to fund his U.S. Senate campaign. Corker leveled his attack at the Williamson County Republican Party's Presidents Day Dinner saying, "To be honest, I think the last thing the United State Senate needs is another lawyer."
Top 10 rock and roll myths
Ethics and money
NASHVILLE, Tenn. A published report in Nashville says some of the Senate Ethics Committee members who are conducting an investigation of Senator John Ford have used campaign funds for other purposes.
The paper says committee chairman Ron Ramsey of Blountville bought two used cars and paid for repeated car repairs.
It also found Memphis Senator Curtis Person used his funds to buy hundreds of dollars worth of gifts and flowers.
More here.
Here's the original story:
Some members of the Senate Ethics Committee, who are probing Memphis Sen. John Ford's financial dealings, have used campaign funds for entertaining, gifts, trips and the purchase of a car.
Ford has been criticized for spending campaign money on his daughter's wedding and other personal expenses.
Bart and the Sunsphere
The city is moving forward on the World's Fair Park, arguably a more than two-decades-old episode of The Simpsons.
SKB weighs in. And let's hope development plans do not include this.
UPDATE: Wow. Three years ago on the 20th anniversary we asked for rememberances and responses were still coming in as late as October of last year. Go here for some memory lane stuff or to add to it.
Diesel deaths
This is a staggering local story.
Diesel exhaust is blamed in a report released Tuesday for 20 premature deaths, 22 nonfatal heart attacks and 381 asthma attacks in Knox County in a single year.
"Diesel & Health in America: The Lingering Threat" ranks Knox County in the top 10 percent of counties nationwide in adverse health effects from diesel pollution.
More here.
SKB has a comment.
Dope and a dope
Great Smoky has a very funny post contrasting some recent news about marijuana use and a local SUV driver.
Narcotics cop pleads guilty
A federal judge today ordered former Campbell County narcotics investigator Gerald David Webber to jail until his sentencing in May for beating and torturing a drug dealer.
Webber, 40, answered U.S. District Court Judge Tom Varlan's questions but stood ramrod straight and quiet for most of the 30-minute hearing.
More here.
Here's the AP story:
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) � A former Campbell County investigator pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges stemming from the beating and torture of a suspected drug dealer.
Pamela Turner, the TN teacher facing sex charges
MCMINNVILLE, Tenn. A Warren County woman says her son can't go to school after the arrest of a teacher accused of having sex with him.
The woman -- not identified to protect the boy's identity -- says no matter what occurred between her 13-year-old son and physical education teacher Pamela Rogers Turner, the boy is the victim.
The mother says eyewitness accounts that her son left basketball games with Turner are false.
More here.
Our culture made us do it
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Eric Rudolph's lawyers say they can explain why their client eluded federal agents for nearly five-and-a-half years after an Alabama abortion clinic bombing: His culture made him do it.
The defense has asked a court to allow the testimony of a professor who contends Rudolph's years as a fugitive are consistent with the culture of western North Carolina, where he spent most of his life.
More here.
Free two Iranian bloggers
The Committee to Protect Bloggers has the details.
Bredesen cuts
The TN governor is proposing to cut 95 boards and commissions, or 25 percent of the 377 entities that exist. Not a bad start, and I bet most people couldn't name a dozen state boards, commissions or councils.
It's part of the Government Reduction Act requiring action by the General Assembly. Here's the House bill, and here's the Senate bill.
Guns and land
SayUncle has roundups on two big issues, here and here.
GUN UPDATE: ATF is watching.
UPDATE: "Matt Dery's family has lived in the same middle-class neighborhood of New London, Conn., since 1895. One of the four houses they own was bought 104 years ago by his great-grandmother, an Italian immigrant. But the city wants to throw them all out."
UPDATE II: WASHINGTON (AP) � Supreme Court justices expressed serious doubts Tuesday whether the court has the authority to protect some residents in New London, Conn., who face losing their homes to the city�s ambitious program for economic revitalization.
Susette Kelo and several other homeowners filed a lawsuit after city officials announced plans to bulldoze their residences to clear the way for a riverfront hotel, health club and offices. The residents refused to move, arguing it was an unconstitutional taking of their property.
The case�s outcome will have significant implications for so-called eminent domain actions.
HST the father of blogging?
"No, he didn't have a blog, but his style of 'gonzo journalism' was clearly one of the pioneering forms of writing that soon gave way to what we're doing right here and right now, on this space you're currently reading. It was the kind of random, kinetic, first-person journalism that defied editors or corporate gatekeepers. It was raw, to be sure, but it also felt like a direct line between his typing and the reader's eyes."
More here.
UPDATE: Bob Stepno has some thoughts, some of which support the above. (Via SKB)
UPDATE II: NYT has his age wrong. Here's his bio.
UPDATE III: Gonzo.org.
Breaking news
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) � A former high school valedictorian has been charged with conspiring to assassinate President Bush and supporting the al-Qaida terrorist network.
More here.
Drunk cop in a drive-thru
HAMILTON, Ohio -- A sheriff's captain and 23-year member of the Butler County Sheriff's Office was busted again for drunk driving over the weekend and is out of a job.
Hamilton police officers said they found an off-duty Greg Blankenship passed out in his car in the drive-thru of a Steak N Shake restaurant just before 3 a.m. Sunday.
More here.
Patriotism gone overboard?
A North Carolina town, in a bid to market itself as America's most patriotic town, is looking at requiring restaurants serve apple pie.
UConn shoe deal sour?
Last month, the University of Connecticut made national news by making its men's and women's basketball coaches among the most highly paid in the college game.
But behind the scenes, UConn also allows the two coaches to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra income through side contracts with apparel-maker Nike Inc. that are prohibited by some other major universities. The contracts raise questions about state ethics compliance and could be depriving UConn of lucrative financial benefits.
More here.
Another example of no more privacy
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - County officials are "99 percent sure" a confidential list of thousands of AIDS patients and people with HIV never got outside their control after it was mistakenly e-mailed to health workers, a spokesman said.
Only 10 Palm Beach County Health Department workers opened the message � which contained the names of 4,000 AIDS patients and 2,500 people with HIV � and technicians confirmed none were saved, printed, forwarded, or stored, spokesman Tim O'Connor said.
More here.
Vicious letters to the troops
Donald Sensing has the details, and the letters are from kids!
More on HST
He apparently requested that his ashes be shot out of a cannon.
Also, was it an accident or planned for quite some time?
Family ties in government
I've got a piece in today's paper that is a bit different. It looks at family connections in government that some Knox County commissioners have.
Knoxville blogger Adam Groves has a thought.
Flooding woes
Knox County is attempting to deal with the thorny and long-time issue of flooding, and the impact developments have on the problem. And excuse the bad pun, but this is not a dry issue for a lot of people.
Government taking land
This is coming up Tuesday.
"The aggressive use of eminent domain - the power of the government to condemn private property for public use - is what fuels this transformation of the American landscape. And for about 50 years, courts have agreed that eminent domain can be used not only to clear land for public buildings, but also to inspire affluent private development that's deemed to be for the public good.
"But on Tuesday, the Supreme Court will consider whether the government's powers have gone too far."
More here.
Paris Hilton hacked
I can't believe I'm doing a bimbo posting but this is just too funny. Yes, I'm aware it is probably a PR stunt.
Cops to plead guilty
Campbell County lawmen to plead guilty
Four Campbell County lawmen will plead guilty this week to the beating and torture of a drug dealer, and federal prosecutors will ask a judge to put them behind bars pending sentencing.
Story here.
Background here.
Another CNN misstep?
SayUncle is all over this one.
Glenn posted on it, too.
UPDATE: A transcript of the show.
Roving bloggers
I like stuff like the following postings where bloggers get out and report with their cameras.
SayUncle finds someone highly committed with bumper stickers.
And here's a nifty price check.
And Glenn has been hospital blogging, some admirable blogging that probably takes more courage than appears on the surface.
"Cleaner air"
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Chattanooga is going to cleaner-burning biodiesel fuel to help clear the city's air.
The city government fleet manager says beginning next week, Chattanooga will use biodiesel in all diesel-powered vehicles.
The city will initially use a blend of 95 percent diesel and five percent alternative fuel, then go to a 20 percent biodiesel blend.
The biodiesel typically has vegetable oil or animal fats mixed with standard fuel.
The Knoxville transit system began using biodiesel in 2002 and executive director Mark Hairr says the system recorded a 75 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions.
More here.
Just sick
Pakistanis order two-year-old girl must marry a man when she turns 18.
President Frist?
Sen. Bill Frist was Knoxville this afternoon and did not rule out a bid for president in '08. This story is here.
He would not be hurting for money. (Awkward pdf)
UPDATE: Memphis blogger Mike Hollihan has a long take on the '06 race for Frist's seat. (Via SayUncle)
UPDATE II: John Brown has some thoughts, too.
"Border minutemen"
This issue is only going to get bigger. Here's a link to The Minuteman Project.
WASHINGTON - Intent on securing the vulnerable Arizona border from illegal immigrant crossings, U.S. officials are bracing for what they call a potential new threat this spring: the Minutemen.
Nearly 500 volunteers have already joined the Minuteman Project, anointing themselves civilian border patrol agents determined to stop the immigration flow that routinely, and easily, seeps past federal authorities. They plan to patrol a 40-mile stretch of the southeast Arizona border throughout April when the tide of immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border peaks.
More here.
Memo to restaurant folk
We have generally had really good service and awareness dining out with our 11-month-old daughter. But a couple of times the lack of common sense has absolutely amazed me.
So I have a recommendation for some waiters and waitresses. Do not put a hot plate within reach of a baby! Also, do not put knives, forks or spoons within reach. Ditto with beverages.
"Right to hunt" legislation
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Some state lawmakers are saying Tennessee's hunting and fishing heritage will go the way of the coonskin cap if it isn't protected from animal rights activists.
So they are proposing a constitutional amendment making the tradition a basic right.
More here.
Worldwide blog day
The global web blog community is being called into action to lend support to two imprisoned Iranian bloggers.
The month-old Committee to Protect Bloggers' is asking those with blogs to dedicate their sites on 22 February to the "Free Mojtaba and Arash Day".
Arash Sigarchi and Mojtaba Saminejad are both in prison in Iran.
More here.
Related story.
HST and blogs
The death of Mr. Gonzo is prompting all kings of chatter in the Tennessee blogosphere.
"He thought his own thoughts. I never felt like he spent time preaching to the choir, like most commentators of any breed do today. Hunter spoke his thoughts. A lot of the time, those thoughts were an eloquently stated F You." More here.
Hunter S. Thompson: "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." More from SKB.
"Uncle Duke" is dead.
"File under Capote, Truman � meaning, whatever you thought of the latter-day persona, don�t forget that there was a reason he had a reputation. Read 'Hell's Angels.' That was a man who could hit the keys right." More here.
Get a life!
DENVER - Some people collect baseball cards, some collect cars. Ruben Santamaria collects shoes � Air Jordans, to be specific. He spends about $2,000 a month adding to a collection that already takes up three-fourths of his bedroom. There's just enough room left for the bed and path to it.
"Sometimes I go without eating or toilet paper. Even my girlfriend, she wants to kick me out of the apartment," said Santamaria, 27. "It's kind of ridiculous, I know."
This week, he drove nonstop for two days from San Antonio to Denver for a contest coinciding with the NBA All-Star game. The prize for the best collection of rare, pristine Nikes � from Air Jordans to Air Force 1s � was a one-of-a-kind pair lasered with the winner's name.
More here.
Geez. There's even a web site.
Sen. Ford still in the news
NASHVILLE - It had been a four-year effort: passing a bill to require state legislators and officials to publicly disclose money received for "consulting services" with any entity doing business with the state.
It won approval in 2003 in the House of Representatives, whose leaders led the push, and finally made it to the Senate floor for debate in the closing days of the 2004 legislative session.
State Sen. John Ford, D-Memphis, vehemently argued against the bill.
"This bill doesn't make any kind of sense. It is egregious to all of us as senators. It is silly; we ought to reject it and send a message. It's going to create a situation where a lot of us are not going to want to serve here. A lot of us will not serve here under these circumstances - just simply will not serve here under these circumstances," Ford repeated in the floor debate last May 10.
Moments later, then-Democratic Majority Leader Ward Crutchfield privately approached the podium and told Speaker John Wilder, in a conversation recorded by the chamber's audio system and now on file in the State Library & Archives, "Somehow we need to put this thing over until Thursday. John's mad and now he's ready to resign I'll tell you, he's upset about it."
More here.
A record number of proposed bills
NASHVILLE - Among the 2,337 bills filed in the 104th General Assembly are measures that could outlaw fighting hogs while stirring a fight over fish.
Sen. Curtis Person, R-Memphis, said he filed his bill to include hogs in the state law that bans organized animal fights after learning of "hog-dog rodeos" being held in other states from the director of an animal shelter.
The "gruesome" practice entails pulling the tusks from a boar, then while it is still bleeding, putting it in a pen to "fight to the death" with a dog that will "go for the blood," Person said.
More here.
Fake reporter considers lawsuit
Apparently Jeff Gannon, not his real name, takes offense to his real name being outed and not being able to toss softball questions anymore. He says he may sue bloggers.
Background and previous post here.
Bredesen's donors
Here's a fairly routine story on donors to the governor but it in part buries the lede.
"Of course, not every donor is a cigar-smoking lobbyist in a double-breasted suit or a special interest group looking to pass or defeat legislation on Capitol Hill. Many of Bredesen's donors in 2004 were individuals who gave $10, $25 or $100."
How many is "many?" What total dollar amount, and what percentage of that is of the overall donations? Also, compare those numbers to 2002. That's one measure of a politician's success/popularity. I'd also like to see how many of those under $100 donations came from how many of Tennessee's 95 counties. For those who like to talk him up as an '08 presidential candidate, that information would be interesting food for talk.
A variety of blogging news
A couple's success story.
"Bloggers will rescue the right."
Michael Barone on blogosphere politics.
Wait until the boss finds out.
UPDATE: Long-time blogger bows out.
Libel verdict
BOSTON (AP) � The Boston Herald was ordered Friday to pay $2.1 million for libeling a Superior Court judge in articles that portrayed him as lenient toward defendants and quoted him making insensitive comments about a 14-year-old rape victim.
In a case closely watched by the media and legal communities, a jury deliberated for more than 20 hours over five days before finding that the newspaper and reporter David Wedge were guilty of libeling Superior Court Judge Ernest B. Murphy.
Murphy claimed Wedge misquoted him as telling lawyers involved in the case about the teenage rape victim: "Tell her to get over it."
Story here.
Where's the outrage?
That's a question a columnist has about the fake White House reporter and a lack of explanation as to how it happened.
"It's not brain surgery. So you'll have to forgive me for not extending the benefit of doubt to McClellan. My problem is that he speaks for an administration with a long record of manipulating truth. These are the folks who pay pundits to say nice things about them. The ones who pressure scientists to change science that conflicts with political goals. The ones who ignore their own experts when confronted with information they'd rather not believe. And this is a president whose news conferences occur with only slightly more frequency than ice storms do in Key West."
"So planting a party stooge among the real reporters hardly seems out of character."
More here.
Useless legislation?
A Knoxville legislator is one of the sponsors of this proposed legislation, which can be found here.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) � A group of Republican state lawmakers is pushing a bill of rights for college students to protect them from political or religious "indoctrination" by faculty members.
Bills filed in the state House and Senate are similar to legislation proposed in at least 20 states and based on ideals backed by Students for Academic Freedom, a Washington, D.C.-based student network founded by conservative activist David Horowitz.
The American Association of University Professors has said it opposes Horowitz�s bill of rights, and University of Tennessee President John Petersen said he doesn�t believe the legislation is necessary.
Potlucks illegal?
An institution in my home state of Indiana is under fire due to a recently passed law. My dad has always said it's good the Indiana General Assembly is only part time.
Burglar caught on webcam
The webcam was set on the computer the thief was stealing, and the owner set it up so photos would be e-mailed to provide proof of the theft.
"Mud-wrestling soldier" tossed from service
RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Army may be showing the door to a military police private who showed too much at a mud-wrestling party in Iraq.
Her grandmother says Deanna Allen is being kicked out of the service.
A Rocky Top stroll
Students wearing radio frequency tags to monitor their movements, here and here.
More on Sen. John Ford.
For the 10th time this week, Van Hilleary is in.
Peggy Noonan on blogs.
Conservatives not happy with Bush.
"Stupid motorists"
SCOTTSDALE - The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office will invoke the state's "stupid motorist law" for the first time, after a Cave Creek man drove around traffic barricades and tried to cross a flooded street last week in his Hummer.
The driver, Paul Zalewski, 47, reportedly ignored warnings not to enter Creek Canyon Road in Cave Creek on Friday.
But "Hummers are made to float," sheriff's spokesman Lt. Paul Chagolla said. "Other people told him not to go in there, and he did it anyway," endangering himself and six passengers, including three children. advertisement
More here.
"Global warming"
Argentina's Upsala Glacier was once the biggest in South America, but it is now disappearing at a rate of 200 metres per year.
Here's an interesting set of pictures.
Evolution stickers in Memphis?
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A school board member is proposing that Shelby County schools put a disclaimer sticker about evolution on high school biology textbooks.
Wyatt Bunker, who believes the Bible is the inerrant word of God, said he's concerned that the texts teach students only scientific theories about evolution and ignore religious creationism beliefs.
More here.
Karl Rove speaks
WASHINGTON - Karl Rove, President Bush's top political strategist, on Thursday pronounced conservatism the "dominant political creed in America" and coached fellow conservatives on how to support his boss.
"The next time one of your smarty-pants liberal friends says to you, `Well, he didn't have a mandate,' you tell him of this delicious fact: This president got a higher percentage of the vote than any Democratic candidate for president since 1964," Rove said.
More here.
Mayor finally complies with codes
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) � Mayor Pete Paduch and his brother, Ben, have agreed after a six-year legal battle to bring their business up to code, and they apologized through their attorney for not getting a building permit for a loading dock.
Circuit Court Judge Tom Seeley said at a hearing Wednesday that he still felt the mayor violated his oath of office by flouting city laws since the late 1990s.
But city attorney Erick Herrin said the city was simply "pleased to finally see a conclusion to this long-lasting matter. It looks like we�ll finally have the Paduchs� building in compliance. This is all the city has ever tried to achieve, and it looks like we�re going to achieve that."
Patriotic beads lead to court
ALBANY -- A Mont Pleasant middle school student is taking her freedom-of-expression fight to federal court, claiming Schenectady school officials have no right to ban her from wearing a handmade red, white and blue necklace to class.
The beads, which Raven Furbert got as a string-it-yourself Christmas gift, symbolize love of country and respect for soldiers serving in Iraq, according to the lawsuit her mother, Katie Grzywna, filed in U.S. District Court in Albany.
But school officials contend they could be gang colors.
More here.
Moon Beam blogger
Jerry Brown is blogging.
Site traffic comparisons
Bill Hobbs has an interesting comparison of TN news sites and Instapundit, the clear leader in numbers.
The comparison, though, is apples and oranges. And I disagree with Bill's characterization that Glenn's site is a "news website." It's a blog providing ongoing Libertarian commentary, with a ton of links. It is, however, at times a very newsy site.
Glenn doesn't try to cover local crime, the TN General Assembly or many other local issues, whereas the MSM news sites do.
Having said all that, Bill's comparison is fun and interesting. But I don't see it as an "us versus them" situation. There's plenty of room under the Internet tent. As Glenn has noted before, there are niches to be carved out and that's what is happening.
BTW, Bill provided this link comparing the BlogFather to KnoxNews.
UPDATE: Instapundit weighs in. And he's right. I agree. I also agree with this from Bill:
"For another, it means that the mainstream media would be wise to cultivate relationships with bloggers, rather than attack them. MSM newspapers should encourage bloggers to link to stories, and teevee news stations should make their stories and video packages easily linkable."
"Indecency" bill passes
Apparently increasing fines is a priority in Congress.
New online food delivery service
SimpleDine is on the UT campus. Here's a story about it. (Via SKB)
Van and Harold Jr.
SKB has a snag on Harold Ford Jr.'s possible Senate bid.
And here's an AP story on Van Hilleary.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) � Republican Van Hilleary said he is leaning toward seeking the U.S. Senate seat that Majority Leader Bill Frist plans to vacate in 2006
Hilleary, a former congressman who lost the 2002 governor�s race, said he plans to make a decision "very soon."
Lefty journo on U.N. payroll
And Accuracy in Media claims others are, too.
Hot shirts
Light blogging today
We are upgrading software and I hope to return when that is done, assuming I can figure out the new program.
The 100 funniest jokes
"My grandfather always said, 'Don't watch your money; watch your health.' So one day while I was watching my health, someone stole my money. It was my grandfather. (Jackie Mason)"
More here.
"Anywhere voting"
I've got a story today on a potential drastic change in the way we vote:
"The way Tennesseans vote could be changing, including the elimination of traditional neighborhood voting locations.
"The Tennessee Association of County Election Officials is pushing legislation for a new method, dubbed "anywhere voting," that would establish "vote centers."
"A registered voter could vote at any of the vote centers in his or her county regardless of what precinct he or she may vote in, said Monroe County Administrator of Elections Randall Moser, president of the association."
More here.
A Rocky Top stroll
SKB is basketball blogging. Now that I could get used to. He's also got a good-looking recipe for lasagna. I'm sure there's something anti-Bush in the recipe but I can't find it. Maybe if you make it backwards?
Donald Sensing has details on sending coffee to the troops.
Gunner: Get government out of marriage.
A new BrainyBoy "version" is released.
Money and influence
Here's an interesting inside look at a donor's efforts to get an ambassadorship.
"The aggressive job campaign of businessman Duane Acklie � detailed in the Nebraska gubernatorial files of new Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns � provides a rare window into donors, their access and their rewards.
"And there's a twist.
"Acklie named names � including chief fund-raiser Jack Oliver � and committed to writing one of the unwritten rules of politics: Presidents for years have rewarded big donors with plum ambassadorships."
More here.
Sen. Ford and ethics
The state Senate Ethics committee is reviewing a complaint filed against Democratic Memphis Senator John Ford.
The complaint alleged the Senator violated TennCare rules by receiving $237,000 from a consultant doing business with a TennCare contractor.
"If Sen. Ford is taking $237,000 from a person who is associated with TennCare, it's the same as taking money from people who need medical care," said Barry Schmittou, a TennCare patient, who filed the first formal complaint against Ford.
More here.
An editorial here, "State government officials are finally poised to take a hard look at state Sen. John Ford, and it's about time."
Gun photo court case
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) � Citing the editors� First Amendment rights, a judge refused to delay publication of a high school yearbook while a student fights to include a photo showing him posing with a shotgun.
Londonderry High School officials told Blake Douglass, an avid trap- and skeet-shooter, that the photo could appear in the yearbook�s "community sports" section but not as his senior portrait.
Douglass filed suit, arguing the decision violated his freedom of speech and expression.
An asinine affair
I've not blogged on the Eason Jordan spectacle very much in part because the big boys have been doing that very nicely. (Summary and links galore here)
But it seems to me the end result is a victory for the little people. Jordan speaks at an elitest, economic forum at an exclusive resort in Switzerland. The session is deemed "off the record" and yet there's a videotape of the session that included, among other people, at least a couple of U.S. congressmen.
That's one of the most asinine arrangements I've ever heard of. Anything involving two or more people is not off the record. And as some people are increasingly learning, the Internet and blogs means virtually nothing is off the record.
I've always had rather simple advice for people: If you don't want to see it in print, (or in this case on a computer screen), then don't say it.
And yet, people at this Davos Conference apparently still refuse to release the videotape of Jordan's remarks. I agree with Bill Hobbs and others that clearly the tape should be released.
In the meantime, though, the common folk, including members of the U.S. military, know what was said.
Chattanooga police complaints
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) � A Chattanooga police officer was fired after hearings revealed he used excessive force on two men whose arrests were videotaped last year.
Shane Webb was the second officer disciplined in the case after surveillance cameras showed he and other officers arresting Matthew Jones, 22, and Jason McCollum, 26, for an alleged speeding violation on Interstate 75 in Georgia on Sept. 11.
"Obviously this is not a positive thing for the individual or the department," Chattanooga Police Chief Steve Parks said Monday. "It doesn�t mean he�s a bad officer, but he did make bad choices."
Charlie today
TVA land deal opposed
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- American Indian activists contend swapping Tennessee Valley Authority land to a developer for an island in Marion County is a bad deal, regardless of the island's history.
Archaeologist Lawrence Alexander says he thinks his research on privately owned Burns Island will show it is as rich in heritage as Moccasin Bend.
More here.
Former state official gets jail time
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Former state employee Joanna Ediger was sentenced to three years in federal prison Monday on charges of fraud stemming from an investigation into the awarding of state contracts by the Sundquist administration.
More here.
Newly discovered WH briefing tape
"Spokesman: Good morning. A lot of admin stuff this morning. Copies of the President's schedule will be distributed this afternoon. Copies of the vice president's itinerary are on the table in the back. Various bogus news stories and fake news briefings will be available on the web for those on our payroll, just change the names as you see fit. It's all make-believe but please make it look good. W-2s are in the mail, scribes (Laughter). Now, questions? Bill?"
Too funny. More here.
"Vote centers"
Born in Colorado, the idea of replacing traditional precincts with vote centers is catching on in TN with this proposed legislation.
But this Colorado blogger has a warning.
Baby names
This is quite cool in charting the historical popularity of baby names. (Via Blogdex)
TN judge lowers language hammer
LEBANON, Tenn. � A judge hearing child abuse and neglect cases in Tennessee has given an unusual instruction to some immigrant mothers who have come before him: Learn English, or else.
More here.
Pregnant woman kills attacker
Nine months pregnant, the KY woman kills an attacker who may have been attempting to cut out her fetus.
Free flu shots today
They are available through the Knox County Health Department. (pdf) Restrictions have been lifted and anyone can receive one.
The flu the last six days kicked my butt. I felt like I'd played Auburn, twice. Oops. Sorry, Vol fans. At one point late last week the top of my head actually hurt!
A rare sight in Knoxville
Another driving distraction?
I heard this advertised on local radio this morning. It's Admobile with brightly-lit rotating billboards on three sides. It's billed as the "weapon of mass communication."
Pulling pillows off planes
"American Airlines confirms that as of Feb. 15, it is pulling the pillows off most of its domestic routes other than the trans-continental flights and those to Hawaii. Flights to the Caribbean and Latin America will also go without the pillows. The planes will still have blankets available for customers."
More here.
What's next, padding on the seats? Oh, wait...
"Droopy drawers"
"The Virginia state house has voted to outlaw the trend of wearing trousers so low that underwear hangs over the top.
"Delegates said the habit, popular across the US and in other Western countries, was "coarsening" society."
More here.
Another story here.
A plea to a local judge
This local story of a felony animal abuse case has generated nearly four-dozen comments. And now there comes a plea to get those comments to the judge. Click and go read comments.
No potty policy
Our education reporter brings us this followup to a Knox County schools issue.
Here's a previous post and some comments on a mother using eBay to raise money for an attorney.
Noise makers and payback
My daughter is nearly 11 months old and here's a sampling of items she has, many of them from her respective grandparents, who between them had seven children. Not that I'm suggesting any sort of conspiracy in giving us a bunch of noise-making toys.
The round green track is a kiddie roller coaster and is another example of my wife running amok.
These things make noises I've never heard before, and if I hear "Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes" one more time I'm going to scream!
The point of all this is to make a recommendation to all of you. Buy stock here and here.
Controversial conservative quits
"The Talon News correspondent at the center of a scandal over his White House press credentials quit last night amid a growing online investigation into his history, including allegations of involvement with several websites appearing to support gay pornography and promote male prostitution."
More here.
UPDATE: "Today, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to President Bush asking him to 'address the matter' in light of "mounting evidence that your Administration has, on several occasions, paid members of the media to advocate in favor of Administration policies."
More here.
Online lingo
Here's a candid guide for parents on the lingo teens use.
Flu blogging
There are more than 200 bones in the body, and everyone of mine aches.
This may have something to do with it.
I picked up some of this, and this.
A drug-induced observation: Some people are moving North, and some "wise owls" are moving South.
Local eatery goes smokeless
We've got this story today.
Ruby Tuesday near Bearden and Tomato Head, among others, have already gone smoke free.
There's also this TN legislation pending.
Geez, another spilled-coffee lawsuit
The fashion to sue fast food enterprises has reached Russia. Thirty-seven-year-old Muscovite Olga Kuznetsova claimed a 100,000 ruble ($3,500) compensation from McDonald's for the burn that a spilled cup of coffee had left on her body. The suit has been filed at one of Moscow district counts.
More here.
Patriot Act debate tonight
The University of Tennessee Issues Committee invites you to attend a PATRIOT Act debate this Tuesday evening. Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby will debate attorney and professor Harvey Silverglate (former president of the ACLU of Massachusetts and a current board member). The two guests will cover the various parts of the PATRIOT Act and how it affects our civil liberties, personal rights, and academic freedoms. Join us for this informative and engaging event.
When: Tuesday, February 8th @ 7:30pm
Where: University Center Auditorium
Who: Jeff Jacoby and Harvey Silverglate
Free and open to the public
Link here.
"Big government is back"
WASHINGTON � Even as President Bush proposes significant cuts in healthcare, farm subsidies and other domestic programs, his new budget makes one thing clear about the legacy of his first term in the White House: The era of big government is back.
More here.
And this: Higher air fares to pay for border security.
And this: Budget calls for big cuts.
The Tennessee impact.
Park pollution: "We're not getting worse"
GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) � Air quality in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park remains a problem, but data collected between 1994 and 2003 show some types of pollution have not gotten worse, according to a recent National Park Service study.
The park service�s Air Resources Division studied visibility, ozone pollution and acid rain over 10 years and released its findings in a report dated Feb. 4. Most of the data showed a stable trend.
"It�s not recovery," Jim Renfro, the park�s air quality specialist, said Monday. "The park still has severe air quality concerns. (But) we�re not getting worse."
Continue reading "Park pollution: "We're not getting worse""
Uninsured children in TN
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) � The estimated number of uninsured children in Tennessee reached a five-year high in 2004, even before the impact of impending TennCare cuts fully materializes.
A University of Tennessee Center for Business and Economic Research survey found that 67,772 young people in Tennessee did not have health insurance � nearly 5 percent.
The survey, conducted last year, showed that was a 3 percent increase from the previous year.
More here.
Is CNN spamming?
This spam just showed up in one of my comments:
Here's the e-mail listed: firstname.lastname@example.com
UPDATE: This is the Aug. 12, 2004, posting where the spam comment is.
I haven't touched on the Eason Jordan situation because the big bloggers have been banging away on that quite well. But, this spam begs the question is CNN targeting journalists? Sorry, too cheap for me to pass up on!
Fast food in Iraq
US soldiers line up to order food from a Burger King fast food shop at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday, Feb. 7, 2005. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service operates 23 fast food franchises at 16 U.S. bases in Iraq, with 25 more approved and under construction. Having a chance to skip the mess hall and go to Pizza Hut, Burger King or Subway - Popeye's Fried Chicken and Taco Bell which will be added this month - makes a tremendous difference, soldiers say. (AP Photo/Chris Tomlinson)
Story here.
Park bears face layoffs
President Bush's Interior Department budget will lead to bears being laid off and the stoppage of streams flowing in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Joking aside, here's a glance at the Interior budget.
Related story.
UPDATE: Press release from the Department of the Interior.
RELATED: Friends of the Smokies.
Dress-code controversy in KY
"A mother has pulled her son out of Bullitt Central High School after protesting what she believes is an unfair application of the school's dress code.
"Lisa Whiteside began protesting outside Bullitt Central last week after learning that two Muslim students had been allowed to wear a hijab, a traditional head scarf that covers the hair and neck.
"Whiteside says her son, a senior, was given an in-school suspension for wearing a white button-down shirt."
More here.
A blast from the past
That's me in Liberia in March of 1989. I had gone there with a group of United Methodist women from East Tennessee who were helping build a pre-natal clinic. This photo was dropped off to me this morning from one of the women who was cleaning out some stuff recently. Boy, I don't miss that old Radio Shack "trash 80." And the socks were before I met my wife!
Pigs, Poland and Knoxville's former mayor
Wonder what Ambassador Victor Ashe thinks of this:
"Animex is the Polish subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, the largest hog producer and pork processor in the United States, but residents of this small village in western Poland had no clue about what they were in for until a mountain of pig manure began growing about 100 yards from the local elementary school.
"The youngsters gagged and their parents fumed, but it appears that Smithfield's industrial-scale 'piglet nursery' is here to stay.
"Using Animex and other front companies to skirt Polish laws that prohibit foreign ownership of agricultural lands, Virginia-based Smithfield Foods has become a major player in Poland. It operates 29 farms, slaughtering 1.3 million hogs a year, about 5 percent of Poland's total production. More important, its operations in Poland give it a base in the European Union."
More here.
P.S. I've e-mailed the ambassador to see if he wants to comment here.
TN Senate '06
Bill Hobbs has a wrap on the race for Sen. Bill Frist's seat, with a prediction or two.
Collecting airline napkins?
Geez. There's a site dedicated to it.
Super Bowl ads
UPDATE: View the ads here.
"Deep Throat" ill?
So says John Dean.
"Rocky turf" in TN
Gov. Bredesen's honeymoon is apparently over.
The cookie girls' defense fund
A good deed by two teens of baking cookies for neighbors costs them $900 in a lawsuit. But money is rolling in in their defense.
I posted on this Friday, and noted Nashville radio personality Steve Gill was raising money, too.
Mom uses eBay to fight potty policy
The mother of a Farragut High School freshman is seeking donations on eBay for an attorney after her daughter was not permitted to leave English class to go to the bathroom.
Christin Disler's daughter, Ashley Johnson, was given three detentions in mid-December, following a verbal spat with a teacher. Now, Disler wants visitors to the popular online auction site to donate $5 each so she can battle Knox County school officials in court.
More here.
"Adopt a sniper"
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A U.S. university in Wisconsin has blocked an attempt by Republican students to raise money for a group called "Adopt a Sniper" that raises money for U.S. sharp-shooters in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The students were selling bracelets bearing the motto "1 Shot 1 Kill No Remorse I Decide."
More here. And, adopt a sniper.
A good deed crumbles
DURANGO, Colo. (AP) � Two teenage girls who surprised their neighbors with homemade cookies late one night were ordered to pay nearly $900 in medical bills for a woman who says she was so startled that she had to go to the hospital.
More here.
UPDATE: Nashville's Steve Gill has donation information for the two girls.
Cadaver barcodes?
BERKELEY, Calif. - Shaken by scandals involving the black-market sale of body parts, University of California officials are considering inserting supermarket-style barcodes or radio frequency devices in cadavers to keep track of them.
The high-tech fix is one of a number of reforms UC is proposing to reassure people that bodies donated to science will be used as intended and treated with respect.
"We want these to be programs that really do work so we can maintain the public trust and know that we are doing everything possible to maintain and respect the great donation that these gifts represent," said Michael Drake, UC vice president for health affairs.
More here.
"Botched drug raid"
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) � A botched drug raid that left a gravedigger dead has led to questions of planted evidence, a cover-up by authorities and could ultimately cost the city more than $1 million.
The 2002 raid that killed Jeffery Robinson, 41, prompted an award of nearly $3 million in a federal civil case filed by the man�s family against three narcotics officers. A second case against the city has been canceled as both sides close on a settlement.
Jurors in the first case were convinced that officers not only wrongly killed Robinson, 41, a caretaker at Baron Hirsch Cemetery, but tried to cover it up.
Officers Mark Lucas, Albert Bonner and Jeffrey Simcox were never disciplined.
''Taking food from kids' mouths''
A sad case in Knoxville:
"Someone cut through the security fence Thursday night at Second Harvest Food Bank and stole a new truck used to deliver food to more than 2,300 underprivileged children in the region.
"The white, 2004 model 3500 Chevrolet Silverado truck with a 16-foot long refrigeration unit situated on the back was stolen between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., said Elaine Machiela, executive director of Second Harvest."
More here.
Death of a legend
Ossie Davis, 87, has died.
"It's fun to shoot some people"
I'm just catching up with this general's comment.
A Georgia "dictatorship?"
Perhaps the TN Repubs ought to try this tactic in the state Senate.
UPDATE: Here's a story on the issue. And another here.
UPDATE II: An Atlanta J-C story.
A local columnist controversy
A bad will suspension
A Goodwill attendant gets suspended for having his photo appear in a NC newspaper.
TN lottery controversy
It's Dem versus Dem as a state senator tees off on Gov. Phil Bredesen and the use of lottery funds.
A "sales tax holiday?"
NASHVILLE - Following up on a 2002 campaign promise, Gov. Phil Bredesen has proposed to give Tennessee shoppers a "holiday" from sales taxes when he is up for re-election again in 2006.
Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Jeff Miller of Cleveland, meanwhile, has filed legislation calling for a "sales tax holiday" in August 2005.
Several legislators in recent years have made similar proposals, but none has ever passed - with critics generally citing the state's tight financial situation.
More here.
UPDATE: Thanks to readers for heads up on this in Georgia and Florida.
Another great Charlie cartoon
Legal fees
They are mounting in a couple of local cases, here and in this wrongful arrest case.
Abortion clinics online
New Knoxville radio show
It's called "Left Turn" and it will be on WNOX (Scroll down). It looks like it will be a change of pace for talk radio in this Repub territory.
A sherry enema and a dead man
ANGLETON - Investigators say a Lake Jackson woman caused her husband's death by giving him a sherry enema, causing his blood alcohol level to surge to 0.47 percent - almost six times the legal intoxication limit.
Tammy Jean Warner, 42, was indicted on a charge of negligent homicide. She is also charged with burning the will of her late husband, Michael Warner, a month before his death in May.
More here.
Flu closings
Interesting that two area counties close due to the flu, but not Knox County. However, Knox County will decide later today if they'll be school on Friday.
UPDATE: Sevier County will be closed Friday and Monday, according to an e-mail press release from Director of Schools Jack A. Parton.
And a reader in comments says Morgan County was closed this morning and will be out Friday and Monday, too.
UPDATE II: Knox County will be closed Friday and Monday.
Bush's plans
Cell phones and traffic
"A new study confirms that the reaction time of cell phone users slows dramatically, increasing the risk of accidents and tying up traffic in general, and when young adults use cell phones while driving, they're as bad as sleepy septuagenarians."
More here.
Nude juice bar
There's quite a legal storm going on in sleepy South Dakota.
The lede:
The mix of nude dancers, orange juice and black-and-white independent films wasn�t in Bob Rieger�s original business plan.
Splitting voter groups
This is an interesting move.
WASHINGTON (AP) � Republican sources: Bush�s Social Security plan would leave untouched benefits promised to workers 55 and older.
That leaves most of the baby boomers on one side, and seniors on the other.
Story here.
Separated at birth?
TVA board member Bill Baxter
Homeland Security nominee Michael Chertoff
By the way, Chertoff is back in the news today.
Sen. Frist on politics
"I can play hardball as well as anybody," he said, unprompted, at the end of a recent interview. "That's what I did, cut people's hearts out. On the other hand, I do it to cure them, to heal them, to make them better."
More at the NYT. (free registration required)
Red-light cameras
Knoxville City Council approves them, but puts the yellow caution on the issue.
BACKGROUND: A previous post on this with several links.
Downtown theater move too costly
A seeming cure-all solution to both build a downtown movie theater and preserve historic buildings on the 500 block of Gay Street appears too costly and impractical, Knoxville city officials said Tuesday.
The project faces an estimated $3 million dilemma of preserving the former S&W Cafeteria as part of the eight-screen multiplex's design, or demolishing the site for the cheaper option of building the theater from the ground up.
More here.
"Millionaire Live" in Gatlinburg
GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) � A child-care provider, a mother of two and a retiree � all from West Tennessee � will be vying Saturday to become the Tennessee Lottery�s next millionaire.
The lottery�s second "Millionaire Live!" drawing for a $1 million grand prize will be televised at 7 p.m. EST across the state from a fire hall in Gatlinburg. The second and third place finalists will win $25,000 and $10,000, respectively.
Fake photo?
This image of what appears to be a captured US soldier was posted on an Iraqi militant website, Tuesday Feb. 1, 2005. According to the website, the militants threatened to behead the hostage in 72 hours unless the Americans release Iraqi prisoners. The claim could not be verified. (AP Photo)
I've been looking at this photo all afternoon and it just doesn't like right.
Now there's this.
And there's this, too, via Instapundit.
"Bizarre" firing of female coach
It's being described as a "ridiculous soap opera." An owner of the Nashville Rhythm suddenly fires the American Basketball Association's first female coach, a former Vanderbilt University point guard who was respected by her male players.
UPDATE: Thanks to a reader in comments we learn there was a 911 possible drug overdose call to the owner's home.
"The cop without a clue"
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish police officer has confessed he robbed a bank and later investigated the crime himself, telling reporters at the time police had no clues.
Story here.
Online thievery
A columnist pens an amazing first-person account on his accounts being stolen, he does some of his own snooping, and the FBI is involved.
"Never mind that this is a violation of federal privacy laws, which is why the FBI launched an investigation. A bigger question is why was the dirty deed done?
"Only the thief knows for sure, but it would appear somebody might have been getting too close to something somebody doesn't want exposed.
"The only thing any of these people appear to have in common -- me included -- is that they've all been snooping around Allied Capital, which is in the business of investing in other companies.
"I don't have any evidence Allied was involved in this. I've never heard anybody involved in the investigation, including the FBI or the U.S. Attorney's office in San Diego, ever mention Allied. Joan Sweeney, Allied's chief operating officer -- and normally its chief spokesperson -- didn't return two calls I placed to her in recent weeks, even though she was in the office both times. The most recent call, last week, included a voicemail with an explanation of what had happened and several questions. It was followed by an e-mail."
An amazing stat
Four sports reporters have covered all 38 Super Bowls.
Blogging Bredesen's budget
From SKB:
"Impressive and persuasive speech. He got emotional and almost cried at the end. Either he truly loves his adopted state of Tennessee, or he's one hell of an actor."
Much more here.
I'll be looking for others, or let me know in comments.
Adam Groves has some thoughts.
UPDATE: Bill Hobbs weighs in:
"Lost in the miasma of positive press coverage surrounding Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen's "state of the state" speech and new budget proposal released last night is this simple, unavoidable - and unaffordable - fact: Bredesen is growing Tennessee's state budget faster than tax revenue is growing, and he has been doing so since taking office in January of 2003."
Also, the governor's speech is online.
A felony animal abuse case
In a calculated campaign of domestic violence, a Knoxville man broke the neck of his stepdaughter's puppy, suffocated it and then laughed as he presented the dead animal to the girl and her mother, a warrant alleges.
Timothy David Sawyer, 40, appeared in Knox County General Sessions Court on Monday to face a charge of aggravated cruelty to animals, the first-ever felony animal cruelty case pursued locally.
Sawyer is accused of killing a 2-month-old Jack Russell terrier on Jan. 13, a crime Knoxville Police Department officers say they heard him gruesomely describe to his estranged wife.
More here.
UPDATE: SayUncle has a succinct take on this case.
UPDATE II: This case has just moved on the AP wire. No link yet but here's the lede:
"KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) � Charges against a Knoxville man accused of killing his stepdaughter�s puppy to torment his estranged wife will be sent to a Knox County grand jury in what could be the area�s first felony animal cruelty case."


text:
Mother denies reports that daughter was off piste
Emily's mother, Nicky, has said that her family are on their way to meet mountain rescue workers in order to "get a better picture of exactly what happened".
– emily watts' mother nicky
We have seen some reports that Emily was off piste and on her own - that is not true and she would never do that.
She was on piste and at the back of a group of friends.
They got to the bottom and realised she wasn't with them but, because she is such a competent snowboarder, it didn't occur to them that anything might have happened.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Craftsman C3 19.2 Volt Replacement Batteries (2 pk.)Sears Exclusive. | Item# 00911376000 | Model# 11376
Follow this item and we'll let you know when the price drops
Specifications & Dimensions
|Dimensions and Weight:
|Item Weight (lbs.):
|Overall Dimensions:
|7L x 7W x 3.5H
|Product Overview:
|Fits Brands/Models:
|Craftsman C3 19.2V
|NiCad Battery
|Battery Voltage:
|Charge Time (Hrs.):
|Number of Batteries Included:
|Warranties & Coverage:
|General Warranty:
|1 Year Limited
Ratings & Reviews
Product Description
Replacement Batteries that Pack a Punch
Quick charging, durably built and packing the power you need to run circular saws, impact drivers, sanders, work lights and more, these Diehard Batteries are a jobsite essential. Stock-up and be ready to swap between jobs like cutting and sanding, drilling and driving with the multi-handed speed that will get the job completed, fast. And with 19.2 volts of power in each battery, this pair is sure to last until the day is done.
For superior power and made to give a strong handed, balanced feel, this set uses jobsite proven NiCad chemistry to store energy and turn it into the torque you need to get through the day. Durable, tough and at a price that just makes sense, this pair of batteries provides the back-up you need for big jobs like renovations and demo work, or little ones like hanging pictures for mom. The right way to pack power to go, toss this pair of potent Replacement Batteries in your tool kit and be ready whenever duty calls.
- Includes: Two 19.2 Volt Diehard C3 batteries
- Craftsman Diehard Batteries deliver quick charging and versatile performance
- Converted from EX style to DieHard for superior performance you can count on
- Compatible with all EX items and tools
- Weight: 4.45 lbs.
- Fully assembled
- Available for Gift Wrap
Added on April 15, 2010
Overall, others give this:
Reviewers may have received a benefit, like a sweepstakes entry or rewards program points, in exchange for writing a review.
Those benefits were not conditioned on the positive or negative content of the review.
Most Helpful Reviews
via sears.com
Cheap replacement units for tools.
Dallas, TX
via mobile
Weak dont last just get the lithium one
The reviewer indicated they are affiliated with this product.
Lancaster, PA
via sears.com
I am so not impressed with non Li batteries...every time you go to use them they are dead.
Lampe, MO
via sears.com
nice way to keep working when your battery goes down....another one is always ready to go in one hour charging time. Iv's had years of service with these batteries.
Turpin, OK
via sears.com
I own 2 Of The Craftsmen 19.2 Volt Drills I have 4 Batteries And I have used them a lot over the years . They have did Pretty well for me ,. But I got a 20.0 Volt Dewalt For Christmas 2013 And I have have to say honestly The Dewalt Kicks Craftsmen **** ... The Batteries last 2 Times Longer In Between Charges . My Chances Of Buying Craftsmen in the future is pretty slim....
The reviewer indicated they are affiliated with this product.
Spencerport, NY
via sears.com
Bought two batteries at a good price on sale and saved even more with Shop Your Way Rewards points to boot. Both batteries charged up quickly and have given me great service.
via sears.com
Work great
Brownville, NY
via sears.com
I am please with my Craftsman power equipment. I would like the batteries to be cheaper as I did not think the battery life was as long as it should be based on the limited usage I gave it. Overall the cordless power equipment allows me to do jobs in areas where running power cords would be difficult or impossible. This makes it very handy.
Denver, CO
via sears.com
Develops plenty of power for most jobs. I have bought 4 sets of 2 over the past ten years to power my tool set which has been used regularly an average of 2 or 3 times a week. The longevity of this battery seems to be waning though as the first set lasted 3 years and the last set only 1 year with about the same amount of usage. Still, it's a good product for the money.
Smithfield, NC
via sears.com
I needed a battery so I bought two so to have more power when needed.
- Free shipping! Orders $59 or More Offer ends 01-Nov-2014 See details.
- Spend $199 in tools from Sears and enroll in the Tool of the Month - www.sears.com/toolofthemonth Offer ends 31-Dec-2014 See details.
- Use your Sears Card and Save! Extra 5% off Tool items Sold By Sears when you use your Sears Card Offer ends 31-Dec-2014 See details.


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A Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery center opened Thursday night in Limestone County.
The center is at Riddle's Hall on Ripley Road.
Beginning Friday, it will operate within normal business hours, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
It is a sort of one-stop-shop; the center will provide services like help with FEMA applications, guidance for disaster recovery, housing assistance, rental resource information, and more.
It is likely many Limestone County storm victims will drop by the center to speak with FEMA representatives as they continue to salvage what they can from their properties.
Steve Pendergrass and his wife weathered the storm in the closet of their old apartment on Seven Mile Post Road.
"The pressure of the wind, you could feel it," Pendergrass said. "Whenever we opened the door and looked out at the devastation... oh, man, we just couldn't believe it."
They made it through without a scratch, as did many of their belongings. However, their home is uninhabitable, their future uncertain.
"We are here to help the people of Alabama for as long as we are needed," said FEMA representative Paula Shaw.
Anyone with tornado-damaged property in Limestone County can apply. A list of questions and a visit from a FEMA inspector will determine eligibility.
"If it's their primary residence, if they are homeowners or renters, if they had insurance... those are some of the factors we look at," explained Shaw.
Pendergrass doesn't know if his family will receive the money, but said it will make a huge difference if they do.
"Life can change in a split-second, and as you can see, it's changed," he said.
Copyright 2014 WAFF. All rights reserved.
12 East Delano Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36105
(334) 288-1212
FCC Public File
EEO Report
Closed Captioning


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Bionic Women's Half Finger Fitness GlovesItem Number: 18768776
Price: $29.99
Free Shipping Eligible on Qualifying Purchases Over $49! Up to $15 Shipping Credit. (See Promotion Details)
Product Information
Customer Reviews
Feel the burn in your muscles, not your hands, as you power through an intense workout with the Bionic Half Finger Fitness Gloves. These Bionic weightlifting gloves are also great for a variety of workouts. Thumb, fingers and palm padding helps to prevent calluses and blisters and a pad system delivers durability. An anatomical pad system keeps your hands from getting worn down in a pair of workout gloves that you strap on for every workout.
- High grade, washable leathers on palm
- Pad system enhances durability
- Padding on thumb, fingers and palm prevents calluses and blisters
- Anatomical pad system stops hands from getting worn down
- Manufacturer's warranty: 60 days from date of purchase
- Style: FG13W
- Bionic
For additional information relating to the Manufacturer's Warranty, please contact 1-877-524-6642.
Country Of Origin: Indonesia
Customer Reviews
Rated 4.4 out of 5�by 18 reviewers.
Rated 5 out of 5�by lae Saves my hands I don't want calluses and I want to get a good grip on the free weights. These cover both concerns and are very comfortable. July 22, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5�by Superman919 Bionic Womens gloves Bought these for my wife. We are lifting together and she could only go so heavy on deadlifts before complaining about her hands hurting. She does not want rough hands so when the weight starts to pinch here fingers she does not go heavier. On the first day we had deadlifts and she said the relief was awesome. put some extra weight on it and it didnt even phase her grip. She also used them on bench and she noted the support on her wrist was nice too. July 14, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5�by shadski amazing gloves Absolutely adore these gloves, makes lifting worth it. May 28, 2014
Rated 3 out of 5�by Tuesday Hard to take off Very difficult to take off. It takes several minutes to peal them off my hands May 28, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5�by SWO123 Grips! Love these! Gits great and keeps my hand on the bars! May 20, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5�by Lift4LifeDeb Finally! Workout gloves that work out :) I've been lifting weights for 20+ years and have gone through a lot of workout gloves. Lately I've had trouble finding gloves that are 1) durable 2) have enough padding in the palm and 3) are comfortable. I have to say I found them. I was a little skeptical because of the longer fingers and wrists and difficulty in taking them off but that changes once you wear them in. I would highly recommend these as a solid product that gains comfort and prevents blisters. May 20, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5�by doofus customer service was excellent i knew the product was good as i have a pair. wanted a pair for my wife. first pair were too small and had to return and repurchase. you employees did all the work for me. was very pleased with their help. your store is improving. selection on rack was lousy, though. that forced me to go online. April 26, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5�by CaliHulaHoney Great pair of gloves! This is my second pair of gloves. I was a little skeptical at just under $30 (my last pair were around $15). These gloves have the perfect amount of padding for lifting and great grip. No blisters and I've used them almost daily for the past three weeks and they are holding up well. Can't say the same for my previous UA pair. April 16, 2014
Rated 3 out of 5�by Frenchie mom Ok Feel nice on the hands, but the seams in between the fingers irritate after long use (2hrs ) March 18, 2014
Rated 4 out of 5�by vick01 Comfortable Glove This glove has enough padding to prevent my hands from becoming sore while lifting heavy weights. They do run large. January 14, 2014


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Whether Obama will include music at his second inauguration, later this month, remains a matter of conjecture, but of course it's beside the point. State ceremonies at once exalt and diminish music. They offer a framework in which everyone can understand music's importance and desirability (Barber's "Adagio for Strings" at state funerals, Kiri te Kanawa singing "Let the Bright Seraphim" for Prince Charles's wedding to Lady Diana Spencer): It is there to support, embellish, illustrate or prolong the moment, or simply to offer some breathing room. But music in this context is also music at its most utilitarian: It represents art without necessarily being art. I was wrong, in 2009, to try to judge "Air and Simple Gifts" as if it were meant to be concert music; Williams, Ma and Perlman understood their assignment a lot better than I did when I first heard it.
Including music at the inauguration was an example of thinking outside the box: At past inaugurations, instrumental music had generally remained solely in the hands of the U.S. Marine Band, "The President's Own." It also turned out to be a pretty good indicator of the administration's general attitude toward the arts: at once extremely important and a little apart. Obama has emphasized the importance of the arts in education; he has hosted concerts at the White House devoted to a range of musical genres. But he is — certainly in the realm of classical music — an appreciator rather than a devotee. He very much wants to have the arts around; but for him personally — as for many, many American citizens — they are a pleasant adornment rather than an object of passion. He didn't have a favorite piece he particularly wanted played: He wanted something appropriate, and symbolic.


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After missing out on Chip Kelly, the Philadelphia Eagles are apparently turning their attention to Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, according to a report from ESPN.
According to the report, the two sides will continue discussions when Kelly returns from a trip out of the country. Kelly and the Fighting Irish finished their season on Monday with a 42-14 loss to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game. While he has been a head coach for four different college teams, Kelly does not have any previous NFL coaching experience.
Even though the Eagles and Kelly plan to continue the discussions, Philadelphia isn't the only NFL team interested in the Notre Dame coach. The Chicago Bears are also interested in Kelly, according to a report from Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
Interviews and interest are one thing, but there is also the possibility that Kelly and his representatives are discussing with NFL teams to create leverage for contract renegotiation with Notre Dame. Coming off a 12-1 season, Kelly could be in line for a raise, and interest from NFL teams is a good way to convince Notre Dame to rework his current deal.


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Your ears were not fooling you. That was indeed the NFL on FOX theme you heard over the Prudential Center PA system, and yes, it was weird. This is a hockey game, and the NHL's television partner is NBC. We're sure NBC execs weren't all that happy with the music choice, and perhaps that explains the abrupt cut off here, even if there is a legitimate reason why it was played.
@paulsen_smw Chase Blackburn on jumbotron.— Steve Lepore (@stevelepore) May 26, 2012
Chase Blackburn, of course, of the World Champion New York Giants. One dude who might just unite Rangers and Devils fans this Friday evening.
Stick with SBNation.com for full coverage of Rangers vs. Devils Game 6. For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust. For full coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, check in with SB Nation's NHL hub.


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Cozy Romantic 1915 Beach Cottage in Hermosa Beach
- bedrooms 2
- baths 1
- sleeps 4
- pool no
- hot tub no
- pets allowed no
- type Cottage
- community
rates (USD)
/ night
$ 2,100 - $ 3,400 / week
vacation rental description
Accommodations: This charming Romantic Beach House is located just one block to the beach. Perfect for a couple or family with small children.
Queen bed plus Convertible sofa sleeper (queen), and Built-in Pullout Murphy Bed (Double)
1 Bath (Large stall shower, and claw foot tub)
This quaint, cozy, and fully furnished 1915 Craftsman has been renovated to its original vintage style. Functional with all modern conveniences and upgraded features such as dark stained wood doors, window trim, built-in closets, hardwood floors, and unique antiques throughout.
Large sun deck with BBQ and Table/Chairs with umbrella. Custom curtains enclose a private seating area, the perfect spot to relax with a cup of coffee and paper. A definite must stay!
The dining room features antique dining table and side hutch with vintage chandelier.
Comfortable living room with light blue denim sofa (queen) and oversized stuffed chair, features flat screen cable TV, computer, and custom chandelier.
Romantic master bedroom (queen), has large flat screen TV, antique furniture, and large closet. Luxurious robes, towels, and linens, are all provided for your use.
Cheery kitchen (custom tiled countertops), pantry, dishwasher, vintage stove, microwave, fully stocked with pots, pans, cutlery, dishes, and glassware. Washer/dryer and refrigerator.
Large bathroom, remodeled in vintage style features stone floors. Enjoy the calming rain shower & clawfoot tub.
Separate beach shower entrance allows you to rinse off the sand after enjoying a day at the beach.
Two car garage. Bicycles, rolling ice chest, boogie boards, and beach chairs, all provided for your convenience.
vacation rental location
property availability
- dates with deals
- unavailable dates
Last modified on 05-9-2013 at 8:13 PM.
email owner view full calendar
Judi Fradkin 310-612-2031
cottage rental amenities
Electronics: Flatscreen HD TVs (2), DVD/CD, High Speed Wireless Internet
Access, Stereo/Speaker System (individual room controls throughout
the house), keyless entry security system
Appliances: Antique Gas Stove (Wedgewood), Refrigerator, Dishwasher,
Microwave, Washer/Dryer, BBQ
Amenities: Cooking Utensils, Dishes, Pots & Pans, Cutlery,
Glassware, Blender, Coffee Pot and Linens
Beach Gear: Bikes, Beacj Chairs, Volleyball, Boogie Boards, and Umbrellas
activities and attractions in Hermosa Beach Los Angeles Area
The active Hermosa Beach life is filled with many easily
walked-to popular dining spots, dancing, movies, comedy venues, live
music and theatre, bars, shopping and the historical Hermosa and Redondo Piers.
Many Hollywood films and television shows have used this
beach town as a favorite featured locale.
vacation rental rates
Jan - May $350/night.....$2400/week
June - August $500/night.....$3400/week
September 15th - December $350/night.....$2400/week
50% Deposit at booking, remaining payment in full 30 - 60 days prior to arrival
We accept visa or mastercard with a 3% processing fee
Rates posted are for 2 Adults, additional occupants subject to increased rate at Owners discretion. Rates subject to change for holidays; please inquire with owner
$150 cleaning, $1000 refundable security deposit
Accept Visa and Mastercard with 3% processing charge
Judi Fradkin 310-612-2031
accepted payment methods
Prior to paying a reservation deposit, always verify payment instructions by calling the phone number displayed on this listing page. By contacting the owner directly and paying by an approved method - credit card, paypal, check or bank transfer - your reservation payment will be protected up to $1,000.Learn more in our Security Center
Top things to do in Hermosa Beach
- Surf
- Swim
- Sun
- Shop
- Relax!
Top things to do with a family
- Bike ride on the strand
- Picnic at the Beach
- Grill on the Patio
- Take a stroll to the Pier
- Build sand castles at the beach!
Judi Fradkin , owner


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> View this now
Published on: November 26, 2012
Type of content: PODCAST
Price: FREE
Where do 2,500 of the world's top business and IT decision-makers go to learn how to harness technology and information for innovative and competitive advantage? IBM InterConnect in Singapore. Listen to the latest episode in the Smarter Computing podcast series and hear industry leaders talk about how companies from all industries and markets are using the key pillars of data, cloud and security to transform their infrastructure and make IT architecture leaner, more cost-efficient and increasingly agile.


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Success for Rose Hill's men and women (From Streatham Guardian)
Contact us: Got a photo? Text SLPICS to 80360, click to upload your story or call 020 8722 6392
Success for Rose Hill's men and women
12:40pm Monday 23rd May 2011 in Bowls
Rose Hill men secured a second Sutton & Epsom League win of the season.
Their rinks, skipped by Derek Brien, John Melham and Mike Breeden, all won in a 66-48 success over Auriol.
Rose Hill's Don Davies pipped Cheam Fields' Mike Millburn 21-19 in the National Champion of Champions event.
Rosehill Ladies won 46-32 in their first home league match of the season against Carshalton Beeches. Rink one gained a hot shot, the maximum score on one end of a competitive fours match.
Rink 1: Chris Chambers, Doris Nicholas, Anne May, Anne Singleton. 2: Pauline Bowbrick, Betty Rocliffe, Molly Littleboy, Sylvia Breeden.
Meanwhile, Rosehill won 38-35 in a close fought friendly at Merton.
Rink 1: Chris Chambers, Pauline Bowbrick, Doris Nicholas, Doreen Palmer. 2: Peggy Bailey, Joan Pyett, Anne May, Anne Singleton


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Fight Genocide.
Do Not Stand Idly By.
Congo Overview
Congo Background
Democratic Republic of Congo is still regularly listed as the site of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Congo should be rich from its gold, diamonds and minerals, yet millions of its people suffer from a lethal combination of disease and hunger caused by ongoing conflict and displacement.
Women Under Siege
The war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is formally over, but women and girls remain targets for violence. The actual number of women and girls raped in eastern Congo is unknown, but experts say the scale is enormous (hundreds of thousands have been reported).
Conflict Minerals
The conflict in eastern Congo, the deadliest in the world since World War II, is being fueled by a multi-million dollar trade in minerals that go into our electronic products from cell phones to digital cameras. The armed groups that are perpetrating the violence generate an estimated $144 million each year by trading tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold.
Child Soldiers
Children are particularly vulnerable during conflict – and nowhere in the world is this more true than in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One of the most devastating issues in this conflict is the frequent and ongoing abduction of children – some as young as nine – into armed groups.
Congo Quarterly Updates
On a quarterly basis, Jewish World Watch provides an update on the status of the genocide in Congo.
JWW RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT Projects in Congo
Action Kivu Educational Assistance
The Educational Assistance project enables war-affected impoverished children from villages in the South Kivu Province to receive an education.
Amani's Home for Pregnant Teens
The Educational Assistance project enables war-affected impoverished children from villages in the South Kivu Province to receive an education.
Animal Husbandry Project
Congo's most vulnerable women learn to raise small animals for food and fertilizer, offering a livelihood to support themselves and their families.
BVES Center for Child Survivors and Former Child Soldiers
Chambucha Rape and Crisis Center
The women of the remote region of Chambucha, Congo will have access to life-saving medical care where there was none before. Photo by Michael Ramsdell.
Generation Hope
The Generation Hope program supports the most vulnerable children of Goma, North Kivu, providing education, mentorship and spiritual leadership.
Home Away From Home Orphanage
The Home Away from Home Orphanage Project aims to ensure that the most vulnerable children participating in CAMME programs are at diminished risk through a safe housing environment.
LAV Reintegration of Former Child Soldiers
The Educational Assistance project enables war-affected impoverished children from villages in the South Kivu Province to receive an education.
Safe Motherhood Project
Women join together in Maternity Collectives and together run a small business. The profits help train traditional birth attendants and pay for each woman's pre-natal and maternity care as well.
Sons of Congo
Sons of Congo is a men's mentorship program aimed at creating a social change movement for the protection of women in Congo.
The Tumaini Project at Maison Dorcas
Women join together in Maternity Collectives and together run a small business. The profits help train traditional birth attendants and pay for each woman's pre-natal and maternity care as well.
Take Action!
Conflict Minerals Campaign
Conflict Minerals Campaign: Make your Congregation Conflict-Free
Conflict Minerals Campaign: Sign the Conflict Mineral Pledge
Conflict Minerals Campaign: Email Electronics Companies
Crisis in Congo: Implement the Framework Agreement
Hold Rwanda Accountable for Congo's Rebellion
M23 Rebellion: Escalation of Violence in DRC
COMPLETE- Demand Election Reform
Featured Media
On the Ground in Congo Part 2: Children of God
- 04:27 min
On the Ground in Congo Part 1: Congo Women Rising
- 05:21 min
Congo Survivors: Renee's Story
- 05:52 min
What I Love and/or Will Miss About Congo
Nov 13, 2009 -
Naama Haviv
Congo Curse of Riches
Nov 9, 2009 -
Diana Buckhantz
Ready When You Are
Nov 9, 2009 -
Janice Kamenir-Reznik
Maybe the World Has Not Closed Its Eyes
Nov 9, 2009 -
Diana Buckhantz
Women of Valor
Nov 9, 2009 -
John Fishel
Current Focus
Help protect religious minorities and dissidents in Iraq & Syria
Summer Solar Cooker Project Newsletter
Genocidal threat in Northern Iraq
JWW Returns to Congo: Blogging from the ground
JWW Featured on Intel's Conflict Free Website
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5551 Balboa, Encino, CA 91316 Phone: 818.501.1836 Tax ID# 20-3406211


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Seattle Sounders and Santos Laguna are set to kick off shortly, and it looks like both teams are taking the match very seriously, rolling out strong lineups. Here are the starting lineups:
Seattle: Michael Gspurning, Adam Johansson, Jeff Parke, John Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez; Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Alvaro Fernandez, Mauro Rosales; Fredy Montero, David Estrada
Santos: Oswaldo Sanchez; Aaron Galindo, Santiago Hoyos, Jorge Estrada, Osmar Mares; Daniel Luduena, Juan Pablo Rodriguez, Marc Crosas, Herculez Gomez, Christian Suarez, Oribe Peralta
For Seattle, it will be their first competitive match with new goalkeeper Gspurning, who is replacing Kasey Keller. Estrada is getting something of a surprise start considering how little he's played in his career, but he reportedly played very well with Montero in preseason matches and the other options, Sammy Ochoa and Eddie Johnson, are reportedly not ready to start.
Santos, meanwhile, has considerable firepower up front, with top forward Peralta getting the start, alongside American international Gomez. This should be an exciting battle tonight up in Seattle.


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Sep 12 2012
Saigon day tour
A quick walk through Saigon's backpacker area of Pham Ngu Lao will lead you past several locations selling tours. While most feature longer tours to popular areas around the city, like tours of the Mekong Delta and the Cu Chi Tunnels, most also sell a generic five-hour day-tour of Ho Chi Minh City. If you … read the full post


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ANDERSON — Bobbie D. Ellis, 69, passed away on June 17, 2013, at Community Hospital, Anderson.
Bobbie was born on July 19, 1943, in Shaw, Miss. She was a resident of Anderson for 45 years. Bobbie was an avid gardener. She loved flowers and plants. Bobbie enjoyed children and was a foster parent to many. She enjoyed shopping and doing for others. She loved God and her family.
She leaves to cherish her memories, son, Michael Ward and daughter, Carmon (Wayne) Staples; brothers, Willie Earl Davis and Will Mac Lee; sister, Princess Franklin; three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and a host of other family and friends who will miss her.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Willie B. Ellis; mother, Thelma Lee; father, Clinton Ward; a sister, Luticia Berry; and brothers, James, Roosevelt and Ike Lee.
Services will be at noon Saturday at Greater Light Church, 317 Marine Drive, Anderson, with the Rev. Mike Johnson officiating. Burial will follow in Maplewood Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the church.
Arrangements entrusted to Glazebrooks Funeral Services.
Post online condolences at www.theheraldbulletin.com.


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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A heroin user who was living in St. Matthews was arrested for not only having the drug, but giving it to others, according to an arrest report.
Detectives searched the apartment of 31-year-old James Patrick Headley on S. Hubbards Lane, near Kresge Way at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, police say. In the bedroom area, they allegedly found a tin of Altoids breath fresheners containing heroin residue.
Police say Headley not only admitted that it was indeed heroin, but also confessed that he had used it the previous weekend.
Officers also allegedly found a marijuana pipe in the kitchen.
Headley was taken to the St. Matthews Police Department, according to the report, and later admitted to bringing a female acquaintance back to his apartment to give her heroin on Feb. 9.
He was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and trafficking in a controlled substance, according to the arrest report.
Copyright 2013 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
624 W. Muhammad Ali BlvdLouisville, KY 40203


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Ruri Printed Silk Jersey Dress
Additional Information
The classic Ruri in a statement print of the season is simple yet sophisticated. In our seasonless silk jersey. Pull over style. Boat neck. 3/4 sleeves. Unlined. Fit is true.
- Style #: D4321001S13
- 48 cm / 19 in from natural waist
Our signature medium to lightweight silk jersey with stretch.
100% Silk Jersey


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I thought it was going to be twice the size that it was. I don't know why it's so hard to find a normal size BB these days,but it is. This thing would be perfect for a five year old, but it didn't serve its intended use: give me a comfortable place to watch a television game or golf tournament.
I ordered 2 bean bag chairs for Christmas and they both arrived with holes in them. I contacted customer service and of course they were "very sorry" and offered to help me return them but could not get me replacements in time for Christmas. The fact that I purchased 2 identical chairs and they were both defective makes me wonder about the quality of these products. I will not be purchasing from this company again.
We and all of our friends love this. We bought it for the kids tv / play room and it is exactly what we were needing. It would be 5+ if we there was a handle somewhere (made of fabric along one of the seems) to make it a bit easier to flip over etc since it is very heavy but other than that it is exactly what we were looking for. Thank you!
Leaves our warehouse in 1-5 business days. * *
Items must be returned in new or unused condition and contain all original materials included with the shipment. More details
FINAL SALE EXCLUSION: Items marked as FINAL SALE are not returnable unless the problem you experience is the result of our error.
Our standard shipping method is ground shipping. We also offer expedited shipping for most items. Your final shipping cost and estimated delivery timeframe will be available at checkout.
Standard shipping details
Expedited shipping details
* For your safety, some orders go through our loss prevention department. If we select your order for this process, we will immediately notify you that there may be up to a 3-day delay on your order.
** Most Oversize orders are delivered within 1-4 weeks. Some orders may take 6 weeks to be delivered.