It's a heat wave. A month before the start of summer and it's in the 90s. Can wear shorts and a t-shirt at 6am. Love it. Kinda wish we had a pool. Running through the sprinklers will have to do. Enjoy!

Washington has become the first state in the nation to pass a law allowing composting as an alternative to burial or cremation of human remains.

Washington becomes the first state to legalize composting of humans

It was something of a shock to members of the Knox County Board of Health, meeting late last month to review the proposed budget for fiscal year 2020: a 30% decrease in the funds allotted for indigent medical care.

Knox County cuts indigent health care budget

Republican Caucus members voted 45-24 for the nonbinding resolution of no-confidence in Casada.
...
Gov. Lee, said in a statement that House Republicans had "sent a clear message, and I'm prepared to call a special session if the speaker doesn't resign."

It takes a lot for the Republicans in Nashville to act. Isn't there someone else who should have resigned and never did?

If so what are his thoughts? You can call and ask local (865) 523-3772 or his DC office (202) 225-5435
GOP Michigan 3rd District Congressman Justin Amash has and said this about it today via Twitter

Here are my principal conclusions:
1. Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report.
2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct.
3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances.
4. Few members of Congress have read the report.
I offer these conclusions only after having read Mueller’s redacted report carefully and completely, having read or watched pertinent statements and testimony, and having discussed this matter with my staff, who

UPDATED MONDAY 5/20/19
GOP representative Amash keeps going making a public argument for impeachment better than current Democratic leadership

People who say there were no underlying crimes and therefore the president could not have intended to illegally obstruct the investigation—and therefore cannot be impeached—are resting their argument on several falsehoods:
1. They say there were no underlying crimes.
In fact, there were many crimes revealed by the investigation, some of which were charged, and some of which were not but are nonetheless described in Mueller’s report.

A Tesla Model 3 car involved in a fatal crash with a semitrailer in Florida was operating on the company’s semiautonomous Autopilot system, federal investigators have determined.
...
David Friedman, who was acting head of the NHTSA in 2014 and is now vice president of advocacy for Consumer Reports, said he was surprised the agency didn’t declare Autopilot defective after the Gainesville crash and seek a recall. The Delray Beach crash, he said, reinforces that Autopilot is being allowed to operate in situations it cannot handle safely.

“Their system cannot literally see the broad side of an 18-wheeler on the highway,” Friedman said.
...
“Tesla has for too long been using human drivers as guinea pigs.

It's like a lot of new technology these days. The beta versions get implemented or people are allowed to continue using the product(s) without safety precautions otherwise you're a Luddite if you don't go with the flow. Sheesh.

We're all running for President.

There are now 24 people registered to run for the Democratic nomination for President. Yeehaw!

We have a plethora of choices and lots of good choices. How will we decide?!?!? How will we decide?

Turns out the IRS publishes exactly how many. In 2016, the most recent year for which information is available, the IRS estimated there were 16,087 tax returns claiming income of $10 million or more

One in every 11,612 San Franciscans is a billionaire.

How many stinking rich people are there in the US?

Knox County Public Library invites the public to join Julie Gautreau for a consideration of American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Shane Bauer at this month's Books Sandwiched In program. Bring a lunch or pick up something at a downtown restaurant.

In 2014, Shane Bauer was hired for $9 an hour to work as an entry-level prison guard at a private prison in Winnfield, Louisiana. An award-winning investigative journalist, he used his real name; there was no meaningful background check. In American Prison, Bauer weaves a deep reckoning of his experiences together with a thoroughly researched history of for-profit prisons in America from their origins in the decades before the Civil War.

"American Prison exposes all the moving parts of our industrialized system of incarceration: its roots in slavery, its disproportionate exploitation of minorities and the poor, the complacency of the justice system and the cynicism of the legislative bodies that use it for political leverage. These troubling issues existed even before people figured out how to make money off that system by privatizing it. Bauer's research shows how incarcerated human beings have become chattel for big business and reveals the escalating indifference of corporations to the needs and dignity of workers—in CoreCivic's case, its underpaid, under-trained and overworked guards. American Prison is a study in everything that is wrong with American justice and American business," Gautreau said.

WBIR reports...

Dang, a little nippy when I got up at 5 AM, 47 degrees. Folklore says this is Blackberry Winter. Apparently there is still a possibility for Whippoorwill Winter or Cotton Britches Winter.

Happy Mother's Day to Moms everywhere!

Rhino is releasing "Woodstock - Back to the Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive." The massive box set has 38 CDs (432 Tracks, 267 previously unreleased) plus posters, photos and more. The set includes "a near complete reconstruction of Woodstock clocking in at 36 hours, with every artist performance from the festival in chronological order."

(Others who have looked at the track list say there are a couple of tracks missing here and there, but it's still pretty impressive and the most complete archive to date, at least that I'm aware of.)

This is a limited edition collection of 1969 individually numbered copies. It is available for pre-order now and will be officially released on 8/2/2019. Cost: $800.

If that breaks the bank, there is a 10 CD set with a selection of songs by every performer at Woodstock. Cost is $150.

There's also a 5 LP set with "42 of the finest performances recorded at the legendary festival." Cost is $125.

Finally, there's a 3 CD set with the same track listing as the 5 LP set. Cost is $35.

Just recently in Lenoir City, a woman helps out an older woman. The older woman was purchasing $1000 gift cards in response to a phone call where she was told her granddaughter was in jail. The younger woman intervened and called the police. Another attempted scam averted.

Then, "a Blount County woman was scammed out of more than $13,000 Wednesday from a person out of Florida who claimed to represent Publishers Clearing House, according to the sheriff's office. "

Don’t send anyone money unless you can confirm there is a legitimate need.

If someone calls you and says a family member needs money, hangup and call a member of the family that will know more about the situation. If there are no other family members to call, then call your local police department to see if they can help or recommend someone who can help.

If someone calls you and says you have won some money but need to send money to collect the winnings, hangup. You have won nothing.

If someone calls you and says you owe money, hangup. You can call the provider directly using a phone number you know goes directly to the creditor to find out if there is a debt in need of payment. Do not call a phone number provided by the caller.

Be careful out there.

On Tuesday, May 21, members of Knoxville Area Women in Black will meet as usual at 12noon at the corner of Locust and Cumberland in downtown Knoxville. The group has held weekly vigils for 17 years in front of the Duncan Federal Building. To mark the anniversary, on May 21 at 12:15pm the group will walk in a silent procession from Locust and Cumberland to Krutch Park for a brief program.

Tune it to the Community TV Channel on Friday evening at 7:30 PM for a Democratic TV program on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency and the Knox County Sheriff's Office Memorandum of Understanding known as the 287(g)program. Host Renee Hoyos discusses the ICE/KCSO 287(g) agreement with Allies of our Knoxville Immigrant Neighbors (AKIN) Co-chair Moira Connelly and AKIN activist Ann Barber.

CTV airs on the following cable channels:
Comcast Channel 12
Charter Channel 193
Wow! Channel 6
ATT U-verse Channel 99

Or DTV streams live at (here!)

After signaling his intent last year, local restaurateur Mike Chase has picked up a qualifying petition to run for Knoxville Mayor. Guess he's still pissed off about the Cumberland Ave. project.

In case you've been away on vacation to Mars or something, here's a roundup of the TNGOP House Speaker Casada scandal:

Cari Wade Gervin: Did Glen Casada (or his chief of staff) submit false evidence to the Nashville D.A.?: it’s also hard to imagine that an attorney would misread a Feb. 25 timestamp as March 1 and then subsequently file a motion based on it. Which means that someone — almost certainly either Cothren or Casada — possibly sent falsified evidence to the D.A.’s office in an attempt to get Jones’ bond revoked. And presenting knowingly false evidence to a court is a crime.

NewsChannel5: Did House Speaker's office attempt to frame activist? DA asks for special prosecutor to investigate: An exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation has uncovered new evidence - including racist text messages - that raise questions about the Speaker's $200,000-a-year chief of staff, Cade Cothren.

NewsChannel5: TN House Speaker's chief of staff admits past drug use, confirms text messages: Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada’s chief of staff has admitted to using illegal drugs – including snorting cocaine in his legislative offices – in response to text messages obtained by NewsChannel 5 Investigates.

Tennessean: Rep. Glen Casada, Cade Cothren sent sexually explicit text messages about women: House Speaker Glen Casada’s top aide has a history of sending sexually explicit text messages and making inappropriate advances toward former interns, lobbyists and campaign staffers, according to documents obtained by the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee.

Williamson Herald: House speaker chief of staff Cothren resigns; Casada implicated in sexually explicit texts: House Speaker Glen Casada’s chief of Staff Cade Cothren resigned Monday following the release of sexually explicit texts messages, including soliciting sex from women working in the legislature, according to a May 6 report by The Tennessean. Cothren has also been accused of altering emails to incriminate an activist and admitted to several publications that he sent derogatory racial texts as well as used illegal drugs at the capitol.

NewsChannel5: House Speaker knew text messages were authentic, secret recording reveals: A secret recording reveals that House Speaker Glen Casada knew that damning text messages obtained by NewsChannel 5 Investigates were authentic - even as he went on the attack, accusing the station of fabricating the story.

Tennessean: White noise machines installed in Glen Casada's office; ex-aide eavesdropped on meeting rooms: Tennessee has learned the Williamson County Republican has: a white noise machine system inside and outside his legislative office, allowed his now former chief of staff to eavesdrop on committee rooms, and caused concern among some lawmakers, leading at least three to have or plan to have their offices checked for recording devices.

Tennessean: Some Republicans call for Speaker Casada to resign: During a remarkable Wednesday afternoon conference phone call with members of the House Republican caucus, Speaker Glen Casada faced a call for his resignation and questions about his ability to continue serving. Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, who is Casada's immediate successor, called for Casada to resign while others in the 73-member caucus questioned whether the speaker can survive the current scandal.

Nashville Public Radio: Casada Attempts Damage Control, Issuing Apology And Promising Diversity Training: House Speaker Glen Casada issued a written apology Wednesday for a series of racist and sexist texts between him and a top aide and put out an "action plan" meant to restore trust in his office — all in an effort to head off a serious challenge to his leadership.

Other coverage: CNN, Washington Post, New York Times, Daily Beast, Huffington Post

[Uber/Lyft] Drivers are pushing for better treatment and improved conditions, but the specific demands vary by organizing group. For Rideshare Drivers United, they include having an elected driver representative added to the boards of Uber and Lyft, a 10% commission cap on driver earnings, introducing an hourly minimum wage similar to New York City's, and a transparent and speedy appeals process for when drivers are de-activated. (Those are just a few of the desired protections, according to a driver bill of rights posted on Rideshare Drivers United's website.)

The strikes are expected to happen across major US cities, as well as parts of the United Kingdom, Australia and South America. Participating drivers say they intend to send a message to Uber and its rivals: They want livable incomes, job security and regulated fares, among other demands.

In San Diego and Los Angeles, drivers are slated to cease working for 24 hours. In Atlanta, workers plan to log off ride-hail apps for 12 hours. And in New York City, there is a two-hour strike planned from 7 am ET to 9 am ET, which are busy commuting hours.

That's what cab drivers have/had, but Uber/Lyft, the company/contractors, didn't care. Would Uber/Lyft, the company/contractors, be so successful if they provided these demands? Is it true that soon enough the companies won't need human drivers at all?

"The Arctic is at the forefront of opportunity and abundance," Pompeo said in remarks in Rovaniemi, Finland. "It houses 13 percent of the world's undiscovered oil, 30 percent of its undiscovered gas, an abundance of uranium, rare earth minerals, gold, diamonds, and millions of square miles of untapped resources, fisheries galore."

"Arctic sea lanes could become the 21st century Suez and Panama Canals," Pompeo remarked.

Dang, never looked at climate change that way. What a salesman.