Looking for fresh strawberries and/or humanely-raised local meat? If you're interested in learning more about local food (and the people who produce it), the Market Square Farmers' Market is launching a monthly series of farm tours. The "To the Source Farm Tour" series kicks off on Sunday, May 18, with a visit to three farms in Meigs, Rhea, and Monroe counties.

The tour will visit Tidwell's Berry Farm, a family-owned "ready pick" berry farm in Spring City, Tennessee. The next stop on the tour is River Ridge Farm in Ten Mile, Tennessee, to tour the farm where Dave Waters and his family raise beef, pork, chickens, and other goodies. Regulars to the Market Square Farmers' Market are familiar with Dave as the market's "meat guy." The tour will conclude with an opportunity to pick your own strawberries at Strawberry Knob Farm in Madisonville.

"Eleanor" and I will be going as we continue to explore our local food options. Cost of the tour is $20 per person and shuttle vans (provided by CAC) will depart from Market Square at noon on Sunday, 18 May. The shuttles will return approximately 6:30 p.m. Advance registration is required by Wednesday and space is limited. So, contact Charlotte Tolley at the Farmers' Market booth on Market Days (today or Wednesday) or visit the new MSFM web site at www.marketsquarefarmersmarket.org for additional information in the "Special Events and Programs" section. "Eleanor" and I will be manning a booth for the MSFM this morning at the Beardsley Community Farm's Farm Fest and we'll also be signing interested people up. Other volunteers will be at the farm fest booth in the afternoon to get you signed up, also.

See you on the farm!

Can anyone explain the need for a constitutional amendment?

According to the Legal Notice appearing on page A12 in Sunday, May 4, issue of the Knoxville News-Sentinel we will be voting on the following:

"The citizens of this state shall have the personal right to hunt and fish .... Traditional manners and means may be used to take non-threatened species."

“The most visited national park, up to 10 million people, offers free entry,” said Keith Bellows, editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler. “You’re going to have to kiss that goodbye.”

Link

I don't know if Mr. Bellows is familiar with the history of the Park, why fees are not collected, or the political firestorm that would ensue if a fee proposal were to become serious. My bet is it will never happen. The Park will be allowed to die first which, umm, is pretty much what's happening right now. The image was taken Tuesday morning on the pothole-infested Cades Cove Loop Road.

In looking at the Look Rock web cam Link..., it looks like there may be a fire between the Top of the World community and Rich Mountain. Does anyone have any information on this? I hope the appropriate authorities are aware of the problem.

Chris Kromm has an interesting report about North Carolina's new same day registration and voting system.

(While you're over there, take a look at my post today about unemployment around the South.)

Found this via the Metro-Pulse Earth Day issue. Take the home energy audit to learn how you can be more energy efficient in your home (and get free "stuff"!).

TVA Offers Energy Efficiency Kits With Home Energy Audit

Take the Home Energy Audit before June 30, 2008, and TVA will send you an Energy Efficiency Kit with tools to help you save energy and money. [Kits are mailed in four to six weeks.]

The kit includes the following items:
Two compact fluorescent bulbs
Outlet and light switch gaskets
A filter whistle
Two faucet aerators
A hot water temperature gauge
A home thermometer
"How to Save" brochure

Check out Tax Day by the Numbers by Sue over at Facing South.

See also Sue's post on the Texas polygamist sect's federal contracts.

(And while you're over there, see my post about the recent "Dying for Coverage" report.)

Through Sat. April 26, 2008 8:00 PM

Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22, 2008

East Tennessee area Earth Fest will be held Saturday, April 26, 2008, at Pellissippi State Technical Community College off of Hardin Valley Road.
11am - 7pm
There will be "food, fun, entertainment, and lots of environmental education opportunities. Admission is FREE!"

Check out UT Knoxville's Earth Month Events.

In Blount County, the Cities of Alcoa and Maryville along with Maryville College, The Little River Watershed Association, and many others are holding an Earth Round-Up on Saturday, April 19th, 2008. The events begin at 8AM with a clean up of Little River and Blount County Roadways and culminate with festivities at the Maryville College Campus from 5PM to 8PM

Join people around the world in celebrating our Earth in the numerous ways you can help to save our Earth.

WATE:

This spring, crews are replacing all 14 of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's entrance signs with new ones.

The report doesn't say if they will be digital LED signs.

The report also says Enola Contracting of Chipley, Florida was contracted to install the signs. There aren't any companies in Tennessee or North Carolina qualified to install signs?

Frank at Left of the Dial has a report with commentary.

RELATED: 60 Minutes coverage of Remote Area Medical's Knoxville clinic.

Commemorating the upcoming 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision clearing the way for completion of the Tellico Dam, Robert Wilson takes a look back at the controversy in today's Knoxville News Sentinel.

Opposition to the Tellico Dam was one of my first forays into political activism. There were the land grab aspects. And the inundation of ancient, historical Native American gathering places and sacred burial sites. And the snail darter. All of which are covered in Wilson's article. But I was mainly opposed to destroying one of the South's premier trout fisheries.

Which is why I sent Pres. Jimmy Carter a telegram...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has increased its surveillance of Louisiana's Mississippi River levees as the swollen river continues to rise.
...
"We don't expect any problems in the (levee) system," he said.

Hah! Sad to say, the Army Corps of Engineers has lost a lot of credibility. I pray the levees hold and there are no problems in Louisiana. However, the Corps of Engineers doing their "job" probably doesn't give much confidence to the citizens of that area.

Charges stem from kissing incident at school

by Beth Maples-Bays
Equality Herald - Editor and Publisher

UNIONVILLE - A 16-year-old lesbian Bedford County student faces potential rape charges stemming from a kissing incident at Community High School (CHS) in Unionville. Reports indicate that Jane Doe Minor (not her real name) is currently being held in the Bedford County Juvenile Detention Center pending a hearing before General Sessions Court Judge Charles L. Rich. The proceedings are scheduled to take place on Monday, April 7, in Shelbyville, the Bedford County seat.

Read the rest here.

(Cross-posted at TennViews.)

Today is the last day to for you to call or e-mail Governor Bredesen directly so that he can help push LEAF's state bills through subcommittee in order to halt mountain top removal (MTR) practices in Tennessee. The governor is said to already support the legislation, but our Attorney General publicly spoke negatively toward it, citing constitutionality concerns over potential conflict with federal mining laws that supersede the state's.

Fortunately, the wording in the bills has since been tweaked, as I understand it, to emphasize the critical water quality protections needed by the state which should overcome those objections and give teeth to the legislation.

However, the first of the bills (senate version) goes to subcommittee vote tomorrow and in order to survive the subcommittee, a critical push is needed from the Governor himself. It would also help to call and write the Senators in the subcommittee (via here) and urge them to attend and to vote in favor of the bill. The coal lobby is pressuring senators from even showing up, which is equivalent to flipping their votes from Yes to No. Don't let them get away with it.

Here is the latest Urgent Action Alert, copied in its entirety:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It is critical that Governor Bredesen gets phone calls (615-741-2001 or 615-532-4562) and e-mails (phil.bredesen@state.tn.us) IMMEDIATELY from everyone who cares about Tennessee's mountains.

All you need to say is`: My name is ---, and I'm from ---- county. I'm calling to ask the Governor to publicly support the Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act and help facilitate its passage. The bill numbers are Senate Bill 3822 and House Bill 3348. Thank you.

The few minutes it takes you to call could help save Tennessee's mountains forever! If you'd like to review the bill or read supporting arguments for ending mountain top removal (also called cross-ridge mining) in Tennessee, go to Link....

LEAF has attached a double copy of this alert so you can easily print it out, cut it apart, and post it or pass it on to friends. If each LEAF action team member will call the Governor, and then prompt 5 friends or family members to call, we will have a big impact. Please forward this alert to your e-mail address book. We need as many calls as possible. Today [is the last chance critical] time-frame for this action.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Please also read the details in this update posted here by Betty Bean. More info. and background is here.

Thanks for your immediate attention to this.

(link...)

Since this is National Girl Scout Month, we thought this was a good story to share with everyone. There is a real Knoxville connection. "Izzie" was Elizabeth Ijams the daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Harry Ijams. She was a member of Mohican Troop 8 by 1923. There were one-day camps weekly at the Bird Preserve at the Harry Ijams house. This became Ijams Nature Center. Mrs. Harry Ijams joined the first Girl Scout Council in Knoxville in 1923. In Jan. 1930 Elizabeth Ijams, daughter of Mr.and Mrs. Harry Ijams, was hired as director of Knoxville council and later director in Nashville and then on to National. Mrs. W.E. Ijams was very active in GS, Her father, Col. Townsend, donated property of a GS camp in the Smokeys. After the gov. wanted the land for the national park, this camp became Camp Tremont.

The Knoxville News Sentinel had a bold headline on the front page of today's local section proclaiming "Electronic exchange of patient info close" with the sub heading "AT&T and Tenn. create system for accessing, sharing medical records." The opening paragraphs state:

AT&T Inc. is partnering with Tennessee to provide the country's first statewide system to electronically exchange patient medical information, the telecommunications company will announce today.

The system is designed to securely transmit detailed patient information between medical professionals.

It will allow doctors to access medical histories, prescribe medicines over the Internet and transfer images like X-rays, MRIs and CT scans.

The problem is that the system is not a medical records system and it does not manage patient histories or medical imaging as one might conclude from reading the article.

Instead, if you read closely it says that the system allows "exchange" and "access" and is designed to "securely transmit" information. That's all it does, as far as I can tell. But what do you expect from a cut and paste wire report rewrite of an AT&T press release?

It's like the cable guy coming in to your home or office and setting up a broadband modem and a VPN ("virtual private network") for you and then giving you an 800 number to call if you have a problem. That's what they're selling.

TVA adds 5% fee on top of rate hike

The combined impact of the two rate hikes could add as much as $12 to the average customer bill from distributors...

This latest increase is called a fuel cost adjustment, and it changes quarterly based on the costs of fuel.

The article says the rate hikes will help fund $2.5 billion for the Watts Bar nuclear plant expansion.

In related news, TVA is purchasing another gas-fired power plant at fire sale prices.

Ron McMahan, editor of the Knoxville Journal in the '80s, passed away Tuesday morning.

Ron was editor during the paper's Gannett ownership, then bought it himself. He was a throwback, old-school newsman who also served as Howard Baker's press secretary during the Watergate years.

He told the best stories of anybody. I wish he'd written a book.

Ron was a big, gruff guy who could sometimes be absolutely infuriating, but working for him was a privilege for which I will always be grateful. It was so much fun I couldn't believe I was getting paid.

Link...

Link...

This article by Christopher B. Leinberger Link... in the March issue of The Atlantic magazine presents a different view of development patterns in the not-to-distant future, compared to conventional wisdom and present planning practices. Our attempts to plan for the future sometimes seem to be the practical equivalent of driving our cars by masking the windshields and looking in the rearview mirrors for guidance. It's essential to understand where you've been, but it's no guarrantee that such an understanding will serve you well enough in determining what's ahead. Whether Mr. Leinberger has zeroed in on the absolute truth in this piece isn't the main question. What we should be asking ourselves is, has he made a good enough case to warrant serious discussion and careful consideration of the key concerns that are raised? We need to know if much of what we've been building over the last half century is destined to decline or even decay. We've got to look at it in a serious and thoughtful way, and with an appropriate level of commitment. There's too much at stake to handle it in any other manner. We have access to too much good information, and too many good tools, to claim that "we just didn't know" when the next couple of generations ask us why we made so many bad decisions.

As a Tennessean, I am disturbed by the stunt being played out right now by the Georgia legislature, attempting to move the Tennessee state line a mile in order to “share” water from the Tennessee river.

With apologies to the late Sam Kinnison, I submit the following:

"I'm like anyone else on this planet -- I'm very moved by the Georgia drought situation. I see the same commercials, with those little kids, THIRSTING TO DEATH, listening to John Mayer on their iPods at the Buckhead Mall, and very depressed. I watch those kids and I go, ‘Dang, I know the FILM crew could give this kid a Dasani!' There's a director five feet away going, 'DON'T GIVE IT TO HIM YET! GET THAT DASANI OUTTA HERE! IT DOESN'T WORK UNLESS HE LOOKS THIRSTY!!!'

Enlist in the militia before its too late...fight off them scoundrels in GA trying to take our land!

"The only way you'll get my water is if its dripping through my cold dead hands"

Two Georgia legislators want Tennessee to share water from its river with Atlanta.

Republican Senator David Shafer of Duluth and Republican Representative Harry Geisinger of Roswell say they will introduce legislation that would in effect move Georgia's northwest boundary a mile north. That would mean a section of the Tennessee River would flow into Georgia.

More info here... Link...

Apologies for linking my own story, but this one features one of the smartest, best people I know. What she's doing this winter could make history.

Link...

My latest commentary at Facing South...

And while you're over there at Facing South, read this report on human rights in New Orleans for a reminder of how real people are still suffering while the nation is distracted by the sport of presidential politics.

This ought to be interesting...

Link...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 AM EST THURSDAY.

A MIXTURE OF SNOW AND SLEET WILL DEVELOP BETWEEN 8 AND 10 PM THIS EVENING. THE PRECIPITATION WILL MIX WITH AND CHANGE TO LIGHT RAIN BEFORE ENDING THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE ANTICIPATED. A BRIEF PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE.

Are the stores crowded? Are the shelves empty? Got your chains and snow shovels ready? Are schools closed? Can I get out of going to work tomorrow? Or at least be late? Yeehaw!

Think again. From WATE:

Plans to add a new hospital in Roane County hinge on the votes of just five people.

That's because the proposed site where Covenant Health wants to build is located outside Harriman's city limits. The city needs to annex some county property in order for the deal to work.

WATE is not clear on why the properties need to be annexed for the "deal to work," but a hospital is a great asset for any community.

I guess the question is why it has to be inside city limits (we're guessing it has to do with infrastructure and/or tax incentives). Maybe WhitesCreek Steve can help us out here?

At any rate, here's a case where two or three votes matter. So the moral of the story is, vote!

Memo to Flock:

Buy just three shares of Microsoft. Donate one to the church (through the AGN Financial Network). We will then use our newfound stockholder clout to thwart the evil giant's penchant for enabling the ungodly.

"We're not trying to hurt Microsoft or their shareholders, nor are we calling for a boycott of their products," volunteer spokesman Dennis Sullivan said. "We are trying to get Christians to buy their shares."

No I guess you wouldn't want to hurt Microsoft. Not if you own enough shares to influence policy.

I guess we now have to ask, what else is in all these Chinese products Wal*Mart imports that aren't being inspected?

The Road to Nowhere has officially reached a dead end. Read all about it at TennViews.