It sounds like a great way to jump start opening your own small business, right? The franchisor makes a huge investment in creating the concept, the product, the business model and the national branding. For a little cash, you can hitch your wagon to their star and get trained and up and running no time, right?

If that sounds appealing, read this first:

Disenfranchised: Why Are Americans Still Buying Into the Franchise Dream?

RELATED: Quiznos preparing to file for bankruptcy

In case anyone is in Louisville, ky a couple places are pretty good I think.

Shenanigans (stays open til 2 am, really good homemade soup) close to Bellarmine.

I was told by a local the Cottage Inn was good but it closed at 9 pm so I went to Shenanigans.

Does anyone here keep bees? My neighbors hive died this winter during the cold snap. I kind of remember something about grants for new colonies or something along those lines.

Anyway, I''m just trying to help them out trying to find an avenue for them to get a low-cost (or no-cost) new colony.

Volkswagen sides with UAW on appeal

Volkswagen, in its first official statement since the UAW filed the National Labor Relations Board appeal Feb. 21, said the company doesn't support efforts by Southern Momentum and the National Right to Work Foundation to intervene in the appeal. VW employees voted 712 to 626 to not align with the union, but the UAW alleges outside pressure was brought to bear.

In a one-page letter, VW attorney Steven Swirsky said the company "does not believe there is any basis for the motions to intervene to be granted." The attorney said the letter responds to a request for VW's position by Nancy Wilson, acting NLRB regional director in Atlanta. The letter said that VW "defers to the NLRB to make the appropriate decision after considering the motions."

The UAW, meanwhile, said in its filing that neither anti-UAW group has standing to intervene.

The union said neither group purports to be a labor organization; neither was a party to the election and their reasons for intervention have no proper basis. The NLRB's proceedings are non-adversarial, the UAW said, and the board will have an independent obligation to determine whether there is sufficient factual and legal basis to overturn the election.

The FBI is ininvestigating for-profit prison operator Corrections Corporation of America for fraud in Idaho, possibly in relation to other cases.

PREVIOUSLY: Idaho taking back state's largest prison from CCA

RELATED: Haslam studying privatizing services

Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America and its executives, many of them former state or federal Republican officials, gave Haslam’s campaign some $32,375 last year, according to the National Institute on Money and Politics. That made the company Haslam’s No. 5 campaign contributor.

A week before he presented his first budget, Haslam spoke with top CCA officials, and his budget included $31 million to keep CCA’s Hardeman County Correctional Facility at Whiteville going.

Former Gov. Phil Bredesen had sought to cut it, saying it wasn’t needed.

Interactive map of US Government Benefits

And Kaiser Mortality rates

Cracking the hood on the daily show's satire.

PREVIOUSLY: Shame on you Gov. Haslam

Congrats to the Lady Falcons! This is an upset win over the No. 2 team in the state.

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum reports on their Facebook page that they had a visit this morning from FRA boiler inspectors. Mikado No. 4501 now has her new boiler certification. The locomotive, formerly known as The Green Machine, has been out of service and stored at TVRM for many years. She is now almost fully restored and sporting a mechanical stoker as well as the black livery befitting her original role as a Southern Railway freight hog. It won't be long now.

Gun talk at the Legislative Plaza — and did Rep. Womick pull out a pistol?

Keep Knoxville Beautiful (KKB) is bringing Beautification Mobs to Knoxville.

The KKB Beautification mobs will identify and beautify public locations throughout the Knoxville area with trash cleanup, landscaping, and routine maintenance, once again focusing on highly visible locations in the City and County.

Anyone may nominate a location simply by sending an email stating the details of the proposed location to KKB Executive Director Allison Teeters at info@keepknoxvillebeautiful.org.

Evidently he heard that somebody in New Jersey cares what he thinks.

(link...)

Schools Superintendent sought PR advice for State of Schools address

There are still tickets left for Saturday night’s The Kentucky Headhunters, and the Cathouse Prophets, concert at the Princess in Downtown Harriman.

Tickets are available at Rocky Top General in South Harriman, the Harriman Jewelry Exchange in Harriman, online at kentuckyheadhunters.brownpapertickets.com, or (probably) at the Princess Ticket Booth prior to 7PM!

It should be the biggest concert since Marshall Tucker! See you there!

The state Senate passed a bill yesterday (SB1771) making switchblade knives and knives with blades longer than 4" legal. The bill now goes over to the House.

What's puzzling, though, is that the legislature already passed a bill last year (SB1015/HB0581) that not only makes such knives legal but also prohibits municipal governments from passing any ordinances banning them. Gov. Haslam signed it into law.

Unless I'm missing something?*

Anyway, I wasn't aware there was a big problem with not being able to carry around a switchblade. For some reason, I thought that jobs, the economy, education, health care and stuff like that would be higher priorities.

It appears, though, that knife owners' rights are being trampled, and there's a national organization to protect them. It's endorsed by Ted Nugent and Wayne LaPierre. And apparently the movement is sweeping the nation, with Indiana, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and other enlightened places passing similar laws to liberate the knife wielding public.

*UPDATE: On closer reading, it looks like last year's bill was amended to remove the legalization of switchblades and merely prohibit local governments from regulating them. Yesterday's bill finishes off the intent of making switchblades legal and making sure local governments can't do anything about it.

From Huffington Post …

...it turns out President Obama's 2010 health law is actually putting money in Americans' wallets.

To be exact, President Obama's 2010 health law was responsible for about three-quarters of a surprising January rise in U.S. consumer spending and American income growth, according to calculations by the Wall Street Journal.

Obamacare Just Made Americans Richer Without Anyone Noticing

PERSONAL INCOME AND OUTLAYS, JANUARY 2014

Mayor Rogero is working with community and church leaders, City Council and KPD to "study issues related to violence in our local neighborhoods and to talk about how to best coordinate our resources and efforts."

More about the initiative and a recent violence prevention conference in the press release after the break....

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Terry Adams says Alexander has betrayed veterans and their families in the name of partisan politics. See the press release after the break...

IDC reports that worldwide PC sales declined 9.8% in 2013, and projects further declines through 2018. Worldwide shipments of desktop and portable PCs were 315.1 million in 2013. PC sales are getting a slight boost from XP replacements, but are otherwise facing competition from tablets and mobile devices.

IDC Expects PC Shipments to Fall by -6% in 2014 and Decline Through 2018

Bob Corker: Now the Auto Union Wants to Muzzle Public Officials

It was critical that workers knew the potential long-term economic consequences of this decision on the state. If the UAW came into our community, attracting suppliers and other prospective companies would be far more difficult.

Is this a matter of fact or opinion?