Historic voter turnout powered Democrats’ blue wave.
Voter turnout reached its second-highest peak in more than a century, driving surprise victories for Democrats.

Tennessee, Indiana, Oklahoma, and West Virginia had the lowest voter turnout.

What's that about? What can be done to get more Tennesseans to vote? I have to wonder if many voters feel voting is a lost cause in Tennessee.

The Rev. Earle Fisher said it best. "Good wasn’t good enough: what Tennessee’s election results are trying to tell us."

"Shelby County did good. We did significantly better than four years ago. Turnout increased. But good was not what this moment required. We needed to be great. More than 300,000 registered voters in Shelby County still did not participate. Imagine just 100,000 more of them showing up. Not all 300,000. Just one-third.
...
Conventional political etiquette designed to protect egos, personalities, relationships and future aspirations should have been subordinated to the urgency of this moment. Anything less represented a failure of political maturity, especially from people who have sworn to put the public interest ahead of their personal feelings.
...
In 2022, Republican Bill Lee defeated Democrat Jason Martin by about 32 percentage points. This week, Marsha Blackburn defeated Jerri Green by less than 3 points. That is a nearly 30-point movement in the gubernatorial margin in four years. AP analysis also found that every Tennessee county moved toward Democrats compared with the 2024 presidential election. Democrats flipped six Republican-held state House seats, their biggest multi-seat gain in decades.
...
"We did good. Next time, good cannot be good enough."

Amen.

...the new off-ramp for northbound Alcoa Highway to Cherokee Trail is scheduled to open at 6 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9. The southbound off-ramp will remain unaffected. The existing northbound exit ramp will permanently close following the shift.
...
Beginning at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8, the right lane of northbound Alcoa Highway will be closed between Woodson Drive and Cherokee Trail, and one lane will be closed on Cherokee Trail between Medical Center Way and the Alcoa Highway interchange so traffic can shift onto the new alignment.

So those of us from the South going to UT Hospital must turn sooner than before. Heads up. Be aware.

What a mess this has been. I'm quite impressed on how well the citizens south on Alcoa Hwy (129) have handled the road construction for so long. How long? Can't remember, it seems permanent, sorta like driving through Chattanooga. Some day we may say thanks. My lifetime? Not sure. I haven't been pleased with the changes through the Lakemoor Hills and Martha Washington area. Too much concrete. Not enough access. Alas.

Congratulations to Michaela Barnett. She was a superior candidate for Congress. She and all her loyal campaigners were diligent and energized. She secured more than 41% of the vote, carried the city of Knoxville, and came within just a few votes of carrying Knox County. It was the outlying counties that saved Tim Burchett. He did not "cruise to victory" as stated in the KNS. Democrats typically get only 31-32% of the vote in this district (I know from harsh experience).

I implore Michaela to run again, and stay active.

Well, Tennessee didn't do so well for the Democratic party, but elsewhere... Wow! I mean, even the Mississippi U.S. Senate election could be a Democrat. If not they did better than Tennessee could apparently even imagine.

Georgia's newly elected Governor is a Democrat. Their Democratic Senator got re-elected.

South Carolina's newly elected Senator is a Democrat.

Iowa's newly elected Governor is a Democrat. In addition, they elected a Democrat for U.S. Senator.

Ohio's newly elected Governor is a Democrat. In addition, they elected a Democrat for U.S. Senator.

Texas, Wow!, Texas. Texans ousted 3 term Governor Abbot to elect the Democrat. Texans also elected a Democratic Senator. Wow!

Maine elected a Democratic Senator, ousting nearly 30 year U.S. Senator Collins.

Democrats gain control of the U.S. House and Senate. Not enough for a supermajority in either.

Jet engines are a plentiful and untapped source. In January, the federal Energy Information Administration said that the engines from the 4,000 old military jets it parks at a single desert base in Tucson could create 40,000 megawatts of power. That’s more than the generation capacity of the entire state.

But repurposed aircraft turbines tend to be less efficient and more polluting than engines designed for conventional gas-burning plants. And data centers need more jet-powered generators to produce the same amount of electricity.

Elon Musk’s A.I. company, xAI, has installed eight converted turbines in Mississippi to power one of its massive data centers [in Memphis]...
...
The generators have state permission to emit carbon monoxide at twice the rate of other turbines at the site. The permits also allow a 25 percent higher limit for pollutants known as volatile organic compounds. Both carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds pose significant health risks.

More than three decades after serving in Operation Desert Storm, Loretta Young Thornton never expected the sounds of war to follow her home.
...
After a lifetime of work, she poured her savings into a modest, four-bedroom home built in the 1920s on a secluded two-acre lot in Memphis, near the Mississippi state line.
...
In their place rose Colossus 2, a massive data center built for billionaire Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI.
...
Now, the sounds of nature have been replaced by the drone of industrial machinery, a mechanical roar resembling a jet engine that Thornton said runs day and night.

Who cares about pollution anymore? Who cares about the health of the citizens?

Is the Federal Government sending marketing (campaign) messages to me via Email? The IRS email was from irs@ service.godelivery.com. Not even a IRS email address. It did go to Junk mail.

I'm not alone in the belief there is something wrong with these emails. Now it may be found they are violating rules/laws of the U.S. Government.

Social Security Email Praising Trump May Violate Anticorruption Law, Experts Say.
A message sent days before the midterms could violate the Hatch Act, which restricts political activity by federal employees.

Continued...

Elon Musk’s decision to abruptly impose limits on Ukraine’s use of his Starlink communications network—which is critical to the country’s efforts to fight off Russia’s invasion—is prompting U.S. allies to intensify efforts to come up with their own alternatives.

Europeans are expressing concerns about relying on a system with a built-in kill switch that gives Musk the power to deactivate a vital network without consultation.

“The more you play politics with your products, the more you damage your brand,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said...

There is:
OneWeb, a subsidiary of the French group Eutelsat.

a planned satellite-communications network run by Finnish satellite operator Iceye and networking company Nokia.

Canadian satellite-communications company Telesat has also pitched a low-Earth-orbit network, Lightspeed, as offering greater sovereignty.

The European Union has contracted with Eutelsat and two other companies to build out a sovereign satellite network of 348 satellites known as IRIS

It would seem critical to world peace and unity for there to be an alternative to SpaceX.

As Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, said Friday, the U.S. shouldn’t be “so dependent on one system, one person, one company.”

And, 1946 was immediately after a World War where there were an estimated 60-75 million deaths.

From the Wall Street Journal,

The U.S. national debt reached 100% of gross domestic product for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, hitting the triple-digit mark for the first time since 1946.
...
The annual budget deficit of nearly $2 trillion was 6.2% of GDP, continuing an unusual streak of red ink outside of wars, recessions and emergencies.

And many Republicans continue to says the current President is a good business man that we need to run our country. I don't think so. He and his cabinet have no clue.

What a beautiful couple of days. October is a good time of year to travel.

Continued...

Foothills Craft Guild Inc is at

Knoxville Expo Center
5441 Clinton Hwy, Knoxville, TN, United States, 37912.

Foothills Craft Guild 60th Annual Fine Craft Show is happening this weekend at Knoxville Expo Center!

Oct 30: 10-6pm
Oct 31: 10-6pm
Nov 1 : 10-4pm

Tickets available online or at the door.

While speaking at a rally in Perry, GA, the President said:

"Our country is making hundreds of billions of dollars because of what's happened in the Middle East, because they're coming to Texas and they're coming to Oklahoma and they're coming to Louisiana and they're taking that oil," Trump said.
...
My people say, please don't mention that, Sir, people are paying a little higher," Trump said, adding that he expected gas prices to fall.
...
"But I said, 'I don't give a damn, I'm gonna say it: We're making a frickin fortune,'" he added.

As if that isn't bad enough, "Trump said. "By the way, I looked at one hell of a beautiful ass before: Nicki Minaj... "That's hard to miss," he said of the "Pink Friday" artist, before saying, "Stand up! That's hard to miss."

I just don't understand.

How is it people can give the MAGA right wing their votes?

Barack Obama did not hold back today.

“He's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a cheesecake factory."

[image or embed]

— Andrew Weinstein (@andrewjweinstein.com) October 24, 2026 at 3:57 PM

"He’s clearly not focused on lowering prices for you.”

"Obama argues that we won’t fix our political problems unless we rediscover our moral compass first"

“How much time do you think this defense secretary spends looking in the mirror in the morning? These are not serious people” —

On Oct. 20, 2026, around 8:15 pm, "a 70-year-old man from Maryville was fatally struck while attempting to cross the road near" McDonald's annd Foothills Mall, at Foothills Mall Drive and Lamar Alexander Parkway.

Recently, WATE had a good story about "Alcoa man calls for improved sidewalks as he struggles to navigate in his wheelchair."

A 41-year-old man was struck by a car just before 6 p.m. on Wilkinson Pike, in Maryville, on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025.

Hamilton Crossing shopping center has no real pedestrian guidance. There is one painted crosswalk, but with the speeding cars, it's game of chance.

Blount County growth has made it more dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists. More pedestrian crossing lights need to be installed at non-intersections. More intersections need markings along with pedestrian lights.

What's the point of growth if the community is lost.

There have been a few instances in Middle Tennessee where people have tried to vote for a certain candidate but the voting machine shows they selected a different candidate.

Even Stella Parton reports a problem with voting, “In Tennessee last week at the Hermitage Library where I voted, I had to go back three times and correct my vote because it kept defaulting to Marsha Blackburn,” Stella wrote on Facebook."

When we were voting in Blount County there was one voting volunteer that kept hurrying people along when they were getting ready to turn over the voting slip. You should take the time to review the voting slip to ensure the candidates you voted for are the candidates listed on your voting slip.

Be aware. Take your time. Don't let anyone hurry you along. Report any problems you encounter.

We have it pretty bad when the leading contestant for governor in Tennessee is Marsha Marsha Marsha. This year the Democrats have a great opponent in Jerri Green.

Alabama has it worse in the contest between Doug Jones, Democrat, and Tommy Tuberville, Republican. I mean really, how can Alabama Republicans justify electing Tuberville. Oh, yeah. He was a football coach.

Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly will face off in the 2026 Florida governor's race.

But, then there is the Ohio governor's race. Wow! Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign "confirmed that it produced the ad and would spend $4 million to air it in the state." "Ohio’s bitter governor’s race got even uglier Tuesday when an attack ad surfaced featuring Democratic nominee Amy Acton’s long-estranged mother calling her daughter “a liar,” prompting Acton’s brother to accuse Acton’s Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, of turning childhood rape “into a political talking point.” Democrat Amy Acton responds with "Her experiences shaped her values, compassion and her "belief that every person deserves to be safe, to be heard, and to have a fair chance at a better life," she continued."

Some of the worst campaigns ever. Vote! Vote! Vote!

The Administration is so happy about giving some Senior Citizens an extra $90 to help with Medicare premiums. In addition, there is a lot of back slapping over Social Security cost of living increase.

For 2026, which is the year we are living, I've experienced a $12.37 monthly loss in SS income/Medicare cost net profit/loss.

The net profit/loss are for:
Social Security income, 2.8% increase in 2026.
Medicare Part B premium increase of 9.67%.
Medicare Part D premium increase of 100%, although the premium was $0 and increased to $3.60.
Medicare Supplement/Medigap Increase of 29.5%

The Social Security 2.8% income increase did not cover the Medicare price increases. The $90 Medicare rebate we recently received covers 7 months of the loss. The Medicare rebate was "to put healthcare dollars back where they belong – in the hands of our Medicare beneficiaries – and make coverage more affordable." Hah.

For those of you who think Medicare is free, think again. For those of you celebrating the 3.6% 2027 Social Security increase, think again. How will that add up to the Medicare price increases?

This doesn't include the ridiculous price increases for food, gas, clothing, housing, and taxes. How will survival be in 2027?

For those in their early years, don't forget to save for your Senior years. If the Democrats don't gain control for the next 10 to 12 years, the Republicans will put us all in the poorhouse.

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Tennessee Dept. of Health along with local Health Depts. are offering free flue shots.

Use the Fight Flu Event Location map to find a Fight Flu site near you for a free flu vaccine on Oct. 20th.

Knoxville, TN, locations
Knox County Health Department
140 Dameron Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917
8 am to 6 pm

Knox County Health Department West
9000 Executive Park Drive, Suite A301B, Knoxville, TN 37923
8 am to 12 pm (noon)

Lonsdale Elementary School
1317 Louisiana Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37921
4:30 pm to 7:00 pm

Mission District Safe Space
505 Depot Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917
1 pm to 3 pm

New Direction-Emerald Youth
2410 Martin Luther King Jr Ave, Knoxville, TN 37915
1:30 pm to 4 pm

Blount County/Maryville, TN, locations

Blount County Health Department
301 McGhee Street, Maryville, TN 37801
8 am to 3 pm

What: Knox SOUP Announces New Name, November 5 Community Dinner, and Call for Project Proposals
When: Thursday, November 5, 2026 - 5:30pm
Where: Knoxville First Presbyterian Church, 620 State Street

Knoxville SOUP is now Knox SOUP, a name that better reflects the organization’s commitment to supporting community-driven projects throughout Knox County. The organization has always welcomed proposals from across the county, and the updated name makes clear that its reach extends beyond the city of Knoxville.

Knox SOUP — Supporting Outstanding Unique Projects — will celebrate its continued mission at a community dinner on Thursday, November 5, 2026, and is inviting individuals and groups to submit project proposals for consideration on their website - KnoxSOUP.org.

Continued...

Nerobefehl Nation, The Nero Decree was a scorched earth policy... If I can't have it, you can't either.

Paul Krugman, Substack.

All indications are that Republicans are headed for massive defeat in election... So what will he do when Americans show what they really think of him?
...
He will, of course, claim that the election was rigged and try to overturn the results.

... trying to punish Ukraine for daring to deny victory to his friend Vladimir Putin

... suddenly cut down hundreds of trees at a public golf course in Washington

... the Kennedy Center, a national icon that Trump is destroying because he can’t put his own name on it, as the model for what is all too likely to happen to America over the next two years.
...
But one thing Democrats can do is make it clear that everyone who aids and abets Trump in his Neroism can and will be held accountable to the full extent of the law.