The first presidential debate of 2016. Will it be calm? Will it be informative? Will it help people decide? Will it be a Monty Python skit?

From Atrios, is it really fair for the moderators to ask questions?

From TalkLeft, what would you be listening to?

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee will not sell insurance plans on the Obamacare exchange in the state's three largest metro areas next year, as the health care giant grapples with hefty losses and ongoing uncertainty on the marketplace.

(link...)

This, of course, after they were granted a 62% rate hike by the state insurance commission.

#StillWaitingOnTheHaslamPlan

It's been a while since we smoked a Boston butt. The last couple were OK but not all that great. This weekend, we decided to give it another try.

Early voting starts in 23 days. The Knox Co. Election Commission met on Friday to, among other things, set the times and locations.

We are worried about every vote. Clinton needs as many as she can get. However, we do have to keep in mind that Obama lost the white millennial vote by 7 in 2012. Thus, as many media outlets are reporting, it's not the end of the world to not get the millennial vote. We sure would appreciate the millennial vote.

Digby talks about millennials and equality..

Is it possible Clinton won't get the white millennial vote either because of some closet equality issues?

Warning, danger. You may be recorded and not know it. Unlike cellphones or GoPros, this camera is embedded in a pair of sunglasses.

Snapchat thinks people are finally ready for glasses-mounted personal recording devices.

$130, the frames ("Spectacles") will focus on looking “stylish” and recording 10-second bursts of circular video.

Will these types of recording devices deter free speech? Soon everyone will be afraid of being recorded. You should be willing to backup what you say, but you may not want it recorded for all time.

from nbcnews.com ...

A new study that examines some major health care proposals from the presidential candidates finds that Donald Trump would cause about 20 million to lose coverage while Hillary Clinton would provide coverage for an additional 9 million people.

One worrisome finding is that the number of uninsured people in fair or poor health could triple under Trump. It would rise from an estimated 2.1 million people under current laws to between 5.7 million and 7.1 million under Trump's approach, depending on which of his policy proposals was analyzed.

Trump Health Plan Would Raise Costs, Clinton's Would Insure More

Today, 3 PM.

The Vols will try to stop the Gators' winning streak

Welcome back, Florida-Tennessee.

The smell of pressure in the air.

Go Vols!

Noam Chomsky:
Requiem for the American Dream

2015, Color, 75 minutes

In a series of interviews spanning four years, linguist and social critic Noam Chomsky discusses how the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite has polarized American society and brought about the decline of the middle class.

Sunday, October 16, 7:00 pm
University of Tennessee Hodges Library 101 (Auditorium)
1015 Volunteer Blvd, Knoxville TN 37996

Free and open to the public
Discussion to follow the screening

Co-sponsors:
SocialForumFilms
Democratic Socialists of America (Knoxville)
Knoxnet
Platypus Affiliated Society (Knoxville)

...had a handgun carry permit.

It's almost time for the rumble. The first 2016 presidential debate will be Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, 9 PM to 10:30 PM.

Moderator: Lester Holt, Anchor, NBC Nightly News
Location: Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

NYT - Debate Prep

Vanity Fair - How Clinton can beat Trump

The Atlantic - When Donald meets Hillary

Could be a tough debate. How do you handle the Donald while not ending up looking like Jeb, Marco, Chris, Ted, etc.?

Ruby Tuesday announced yesterday that they are selling their Maryville Church St. headquarters property to Altar’d State, a Knoxville apparel company, for $2.8 million.

They are also moving their Restaurant Support Center to their facilities on Broadway in Maryville. News reports say that 19 operations employees will be laid off in the process. The changes are related to their recent announcement that they are closing 95 restaurants as part of their "asset rationalization plan."

CEO James J. Buettgen announced on Sept. 13th that he is resigning. He has been with the company since December, 2012 and has been unsuccessful in turning the struggling business around. Ruby Tuesday's stock has fallen 60% on his watch.

With all their talk about a "fresh start," menu tweaks, atmosphere makeovers, price adjustments, coupon promotions and so on, they still seem to be missing the basic concepts of good food and good service at reasonable prices.

Here's a recent email exchange with their CEO...

The @instapundit twitter account is currently suspended. It's not clear if it is a temporary or permanent ban. It appears his account was suspended after he retweeted a photo of protesters blocking I-277 in Charlotte and commented "run them down."

Huffington Post reports...

See also: Knoxville News Sentinel...

UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds responds...

The Mrs. has finally dumped IE and is now using Chrome on all her devices, including her desktop. Welcome to the 21st century!

Elizabeth Warren in action ....

Watch the video ...

from CNN ...

Millions of phony accounts. Fake bank card PIN numbers. Fictitious email accounts. Wells Fargo admitted to firing 5,300 employees for engaging in these shocking tactics.

The bank earlier this month paid $185 million in penalties and has since apologized.

I called the Wells Fargo ethics line and was fired

from Environmental Working Group

Knox County, Tennessee

(see systems)
Chromium-6 Testing

All 6 water systems tested positive for chromium-6. 56 out of 59 samples tested positive for chromium-6.

County-wide Statistics

Average: 0.0747 ppb

Range: ND - 0.160 ppb

California Public Health Goal: 0.02 ppb

Systems Containing Chromium-6

EWG's Interactive Map

'Erin Brockovich' Chemical In Drinking Water Of More Than 200 Million Americans

from CNN ...
New report finds 'Erin Brockovich' chemical in US drinking water

Frank Cagle is using the wrong propaganda talking points when he states in his column today that "The Tennessee Valley Authority board has voted to ban houseboats on its lakes."

RoaneViews explains...

TDOT is planning to replace the Broadway bridge/viaduct over the train tracks between Jackson Ave. and Depot St. This stretch of Broadway is expected to be closed for 2 1/2 years starting some time in 2017.

The planned detour will go east on Summit Hill to north on Hall of Fame Drive, then west on Fifth Ave. For those in the know, instead of Hall of Fame, the route for locals can be north on Gay Street or Central.

With our high pollution levels I wonder what degree of this is in Knoxville

From Lancaster University ...

Tiny magnetic particles from air pollution have for the first time been discovered to be lodged in human brains– and researchers think they could be a possible cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

Toxic air pollution nanoparticles discovered in the human brain

Air pollution particles found inside human brain

Here we go again

No excuse for six developers on MPC commission. Should be more like 2 or 3. MPC commission should be representative of the community. The mayor is way wrong on this one.

from The Shopper-News ...

“I have become aware that Mayor Burchett is planning to appoint yet another developer/builder to the MPC. The building/development community is already well represented on the MPC with at least six members, and many people believe that a regular citizen should be appointed instead.

We need someone with ties to homeowner groups, families or schools – a regular person – not yet another developer.”

BURCHETT LOADING MPC WITH DEVELOPERS