Picked just now, 10", 1lb 9oz. Not biggest we've had, but pretty big.

Thus, all is well in the garden.

Although, from George Will,

This sad, embarrassing wreck of a man

America’s child president had a play date with a KGB alumnus, who surely enjoyed providing day care.

Like many of you, I’m terribly disturbed by what’s happening to Latin American refugees at our southern border. In doing a little research, I was shocked to find out that there are numerous companies that have sprung up, and which are each making many tens of millions of dollars a year based on a business model that literally requires immigrant family breakups. These companies are being given massive incentives by the Trump administration to delay and deny immigrant parents’ reunification with their children. I have a new blog post up about what I found HERE.

Also, FYI, I’m back on Twitter after a prolonged absence and would love to connect there with any and all other KnoxViews-ers. You’ll find me @thekatieallison

Join Knoxville City Councilman Marshall Stair for a consideration of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein. Bring your lunch or pick up something downtown. Drinks are available for fifty cents. Reading the book is optional.

"As the City of Knoxville turns its attention to improving the zoning code, I thought it was important for the community to take an historical look at some of the negative consequences of government regulations, specifically attempts to increase segregation," Stair said. "I hope reading and discussing Color of Law will give us a better understanding of these harmful policies as we modify our code to increase affordability and diversity."

From DJ Anam, WOZO:

WOZO radio 103.9 low power FM is a local community radio station, run out of the Birdhouse (at the corner of 4th and Gill), and is Knoxville's only all volunteer and most widely diverse (including DJ staff and shows) progressive community radio station running now for three years here locally.

We're having our Third Annual WOZOfest this coming weekend, July 21 - 22. We've expanded it significantly to two nights and are now including a full range of musical genres (punk, folk, rock, alternative, trap, hip hop), plus an additional night of comedy, spoken word and beats.

WOZOfest will be at Barley's Tap Room on Sat. July 21st, 9PM and at the Pilot Light on Sun. July 22nd, 7PM. Admission is only $5 at each venue.

More info...

Amazon's Prime Day sale starts at 3PM today for a day and a half of deals. If you are not a Prime member, you can get a free 30-day trial to take advantage of the sale. Keep checking the Prime Day page for new deals as they pop up.

More info:

• Prime Day guide
• Prime free 30-day trial
• Prime Day deals

Some sample deals:

• Amazon Echo Dot, $30
• Fire TV Stick, $20
• Kindle Paperwhite, $80
• Fire 7 Tablet, $30
• Fire HD 8 Tablet, $50

Regarding Putin from the NY Times in 2007;

The world needs a “new architecture of international economic relations based on trust and mutually beneficial integration,” he said. “Today protectionism, which the W.T.O. is meant to fight, often comes from developed economies.”

He said that more than 60 percent of the world’s output was produced outside the G-7 countries: the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada.

(link...)

With Russia marginalized globally, it'd be tough for the Russian president to disrupt NATO, the EU, the IMF, the G7 and the WTO to get the new economic relations he's sought for over a decade.

If only he had somebody to do the disrupting for him.

According to the Tennessee Dept. of State Election Division, more than twice as many Republicans (30,262) have voted as of 7/14/2018 than Democrats (12,205).

Blount County
Democrats 225
Republicans 619

Knox County
Democrats 956
Republicans 1,986

Only a few counties have recorded more Democratic voters than Republicans.

Davidson County (Nashville)
Democrats 764
Republicans 312

Hardeman County (East of Memphis)
Democrats 281
Republicans 182

Haywood County (West of Jackson)
Democrats 146
Republicans 125

Lauderdale County (North of Memphis)
Democrats 204
Republicans 178

Van Buren County (Between Chattanooga and Cookeville, near Fall Creek Falls State Park)
Democrats 31
Republicans 30

Knox County voting opportunities

From July 13-28, for 14 days, 106 hours, at 10 locations that tens of thousands? of people drive by
during those time periods. Maybe 5-6 days a week. How many people will spend 10 minutes, or less, to stop in and vote?

Or, on August 2, 2018 there are 89 locations to vote. Located close to peoples homes, open from morning until 8 pm.

How many will vote?

Knox County election

From the Tennessean/News Sentinel...

FYI, both Fitzhugh and Dean say they support federally funded Medicaid expansion. All the Republicans are opposed.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Also, Harwell appears to be the most rational Republican candidate. And probably the most qualified among that bunch. I guess that, and the fact that she isn't kissing Trump's butt, is why she doesn't seem to be getting much traction.

Anyway, Democrats have two great candidates.

Democratic TV will feature interviews of Justin Davis and Alex Dunn, Democratic Candidates for Tennessee House District 14 on the DTV show at 7:30 PM tonight, July 13th.

Early voting has begun. Ask for a Democratic Ballot as you go to cast your votes in the Federal and State Primary Election.

DTV can be seen on your computer, tablet, or phone (here!)
Or on your local cable channel

Comcast NBCUNIVERSAL Channel 12
Charter Chanel 193
Wow! Channel 6
AT&T Unverse Channel 199

He has said at least twice in the past couple of days that "Germany gives vast sums of money to Russia in exchange for 70 percent of its energy and therefore, they are a "captive of Russia" and are the ones betraying the NATO charter." I heard him say it today while speaking in the United Kingdom.

He was wrong on the facts. Germany gets about 9 percent of its energy from natural gas, which is the energy in question, and about 70 percent of that comes from Russia. Big difference between 70 percent and 9 percent don't you think? It would even be less than 9 percent since they only get 70 percent of the 9 percent from Russia.

He said , "The United States has been paying a tremendous amount - probably 90 percent of the cost of NATO"

Wrong again, "The United States, which spends more than twice as much on defense as the second biggest-spending country in the world (China), currently covers about 22 percent of the cost of NATO."

Then, he does an interview with a reporter from The Sun, a UK publication, slamming British Prime Minister Theresa May’s handling of the Brexit deal.

A couple of hours later in a public speaking opportunity with May, he denies what he said to the Sun reporter and called it fake news, even though there is an audio recording of his remarks!

We could go on and on. It never ends. We need to get out and vote his supporters out of office. Please!

Filings with state regulators on Wednesday state BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee plans to reduce its average rate by 10.9 percent next year, while Cigna plans to reduce its rates by an average 4.8 percent.
...
BlueCross spokeswoman Mary Danielson says the rate reduction would have been larger if the federal government hadn't suspended certain Obamacare payments.

Ah, yes...

The Trump administration took another major swipe at the Affordable Care Act, halting billions of dollars in annual payments required under the law to even out the cost to insurers whose customers need expensive medical services.

In a rare Saturday afternoon announcement, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it will stop collecting and paying out money under the ACA’s “risk adjustment” program, drawing swift protest from the health insurance industry.

Many of us are barely able to hold on to our health insurance. The Trump administration is taking us back to the bad old days. Very sad.

I'm giving Deezer HiFi a spin. Until recently, it was only available in the U.S. on certain devices such as Sonos and selected receivers. I saw they now support Chromecast and there's also a beta desktop app so I thought I'd sign up for the 30 day free trial.

In 1788, Alexander Hamilton wrote:

"It was desirable that the sense of the people should operate in the choice of the person to whom so important a trust was to be confided. This end will be answered by committing the right of making it, not to any preestablished body, but to men chosen by the people for the special purpose, and at the particular conjuncture.

It was equally desirable, that the immediate election should be made by men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station, and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice. A small number of persons, selected by their fellow-citizens from the general mass, will be most likely to possess the information and discernment requisite to such complicated investigations.

...It was also peculiarly desirable to afford as little opportunity as possible to tumult and disorder.

...Nothing was more to be desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue, and corruption. These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally have been expected to make their approaches from more than one quarter, but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union? But the convention have guarded against all danger of this sort, with the most provident and judicious attention. They have not made the appointment of the President to depend on any preexisting bodies of men, who might be tampered with beforehand to prostitute their votes; but they have referred it in the first instance to an immediate act of the people of America, to be exerted in the choice of persons for the temporary and sole purpose of making the appointment."

It appears the Electoral College has failed its purpose. Time to eliminate the Electoral College.

Early voting starts today in the most important election since the last one. Democrats have more qualified candidates on the ballot than we've had in recent memory. I don't know whether to credit Mary Mancini or Trump. Anyway, vote like your life depended on it, because it very well could.

Here are the Knox Co. early voting locations and times. Here's the sample ballot.

For Blount Co., here are the early voting locations and times, and here's the sample ballot.

Make sure to bring an approved photo ID.

You can look up your registration status here, which includes info on your districts.

There is still time to request an absentee ballot. Persons 60 and older can vote absentee, no questions asked. Here's the Knox Co. application, and here's the Blount Co. application.

Finally, here's the list of Democrats on the ballot with links to their info.

Smoking won't be allowed inside public housing here in Knoxville and across the nation starting July 31st.

KCDC took it a step further banning smoking across all KCDC property.

KCDC to enforce HUD ban on smoking on public housing property

Former President Barack Obama highlights the damaging effects of partisan and racial gerrymandering on our democracy and calls on Americans to get engaged in the 2018 mid-term elections as it is a critical year for redistricting and restoring fairness back to elections.

President Obama on Gerrymandering, Redistricting, & the 2018 Midterm Elections

Obama stars in new anti-gerrymandering video for Eric Holder's organization

Trump, of course, is a large part of the reason why the Republican gubernatorial primary has descended to the level it has. Despite historically low approval ratings nationally, Trump’s approval rating in Tennessee in May was at 58 percent. That’s the sixth-highest of any state in the nation, and just three points lower than it was in Tennessee when he was inaugurated.

Black, Lee, and Boyd all want to be like Trump.

Do the Democratic candidates have a chance? It would be nice if they did.

Are there buildings in Knoxville that do this?

"We all know the air outside is highly polluted, what we don't realize is that that same air goes into the building," explains Power. "What we are doing is taking the polluted air that would otherwise be coming in the ventilation system and making that completely clean."

The filter creating bubbles of clean air in London