I must admit that I am watching and reading the news reports about the trial with an amused fascination. It was fun to see the sparring between Moncier and Scoobie. There has been some interesting new tidbits of information, such as the fact that Lumpy is the only commissioner that has failed to provide his cell phone records and that he now has to get his own attorney.

We can wonder if they are going to make him the scape goat but maybe he really was key in orchestrating the events leading up to Black Wednesday.

I found this amusing note from Gene Patterson's blog:

At tonight’s Bearden-Farragut football game, Moore was on the field at halftime for a check presentation. When he was announced, rather than cheers, Moore was soundly booed by the crowd.

Perhaps this trial may finally convince Knox Co. residents of the need to change the faces of the commission.

The one that says don't click here. My twisted mind suspects it's some kind of test, but the test could be to see who clicks on it anyway. What's behind the black box? A joke saying aha! you are someone who can't resist defying orders? A pair of Mick Jagger lips giving me a raspberry?

I will resist...
I will resist...
I will resist...

Ha ha!

Test

There was a flurry of activity at the Courthouse today on the first day to pick up petitions for the Feb 5th 2008 Knox County primary election. Petitions picked up so far:

• Cortney Piper (D): County Commission 2-B
• Joseph L. Williams, Jr. (D): County Commission 2-B
• Don Sproles (I): County Commission 5-C
• Tim Greene (R): County Commission 9-A
• L.B. Steele (R): Trustee
• James R. Jones (R): Sheriff
• Bob R. McGee (R): Criminal Court Judge Div. II
• George E. Stooksbury (D): Knox County Clerk
• Amy Henley Vandergriff (D): Knox County Clerk
• Indya Kincannon (N): School Board Dist. 2
• Mike Lowe (R): Propery Assessor
• Fredrick C Cawood (I): County Commission 6-A

UPDATE: More names on the list as of 3:30.

Determine and list "the 36 nations who have troops on the ground in Iraq."

According to Bloomberg, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is leaning towards Edwards:

John Edwards has more support from Service Employees International Union members than any other presidential candidate, though not enough yet for an endorsement, said Andy Stern, president of one of the largest U.S. labor groups.

According to the article, 2000 SEIU leaders will meet in Washington next week to hear from the Democratic presidential hopefuls and conduct a straw poll that will guide the powerful union's endorsement.

UT services fail to coordinate with Family Justice Center

Despite the best efforts of local officials to insure that services are made available to victims of domestic violence, local agencies continue to fail to make the crucial connections that enable effective service delivery.

Gail (not her real name) recently required emergency services after her boyfriend of seven years beat her, stomping her head and repeatedly kicking her, causing painful contusions all over her body, including her neck, ribs, arms, and back. An observant Knoxville Police Department (KPD) officer questioned Gail when he suspected domestic violence after seeing her at a local convenience store. Because of the officer’s intervention, Gail was taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center’s emergency department where she was treated for her injuries. Miraculously she escaped permanent neurological impairment due to repeated trauma to her neck.

Read the rest here.

Read the text here:

Link...

In honor of my forebears (well, 1/8th of them at least): "Oy vey."

We posted a link to a blog reader survey a while back. The survey is over and results are posted.

(Hover your mouse over graph data points at the survey results pages to see percentages. Navigate through the pages using the links at the bottom of the page.)

The results represent responses from 966 blog readers: 59 direct responses from KnoxViews, and an additional 907 responses from the "reader pool" (readers who had already taken the survey at another blog).

The results appear similar to a previous survey taken here, except the new survey has a higher percentage of male readers.

Thanks to everyone who participated.