Study as hard as you played and make our county even prouder, Oliver Springs. You had a good run.

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State Rep. Susan Lynn's proposal to prohibit implanting microchips into people without their permission failed Tuesday in the House Judiciary Committee on a tie vote - 5 yes, 5 no and one abstaining.

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From our "It takes Two to Tango Department":

Previous studies suggest that flowering plants, or angiosperms, first arose 140 to 190 million years ago. Now, a paper to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences pushes back the age of angiosperms to 215 million years ago, some 25 to 75 million years earlier... Link...

It looks like this corresponds to when pollenating insects appear in the fossil record.

Do you know someone who really wants single-payer universal health but is unsure what to think about the current health bill(s)?

Michael Moore's latest letter addresses more than health care but really clarifies thinking on the current bill(s).

For a brief, thoughtful read, see: The Green They Steal, The Greed They Wear: Michael Moore's St. Patrick's Day Lament.

-- OneTahiti

Schedule for Democratic Candidate for Governor Mike Wherter's visit on Thursday, March 18th

10a-11:30a Mike will be at the Loudon County Courthouse

12:20-1:05 Lunch at Junior's Restaurant in Rockwood

1:30-3:00 Roane County Courthouse/Town Square

The Tennessee Valley Authority has announced an increase in its fuel adjustment charge. The utility said the hike will raise residential power bills between $3 and $6.50 per month, depending on how much electricity is used.

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If you haven't seen a show at Roane State this would be a good one to start with this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, March 19-21.

I think that's you in this photo.

The questions for TVA, the companies hired to take the ash and environmental regulators will not get any easier. Refusing to answer them only makes suspect claims the affected spill area will be restored to "better than it was before" the catastrophe.

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In Tennessee, median household income declined 8.2% from 2000 to 2008 while employer provided insurance premiums went up 45.3% for individuals and 63.5% for family coverage.

Randy has more that everyone getting bomabarded with anti health insurance reform email spam and push polls ought to know.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig ar chlann mhór dhomhanda na nGael, sa bhaile agus ar fud na cruinne, ar ár lá náisiúnta ceiliúrtha féin.

Why thank you, dear. Mary McAleese is the President of Ireland. Here's what she said in Tennessean...

March 16, 2009

Update from the Kingston Fly Ash Recovery Site

To Members of the Roane County CAG:

TVA Will Build By-pass for Swan Pond Circle Road just north of the plant

Looks like some low life(s) robbed anything of value from a local cemetery. First report has them parking at a TVA owned vacant house to gain access to the grave sites. More info as it is passed on to us.

The Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of men basketball players at Tennessee's universities is interesting to note:

Sixth seeded UT is 30% while fourth seeded Vandy graduates 85% of its players. Memphis is at 67%, UTC at 33%, and ETSU is a respectable 61%.

For the four number one seeds:

Morning update:

We had a well attended meeting tonight at the Roane County Courthouse. EPA's Craig Zoeller gave a good overview of the three EE/CA alternatives. TVA provided the CAG with a 3D flyby video that gave folks a better idea of what the site will look like when the smoke clears.

A problem with coal ash building up under docks just upstream of Kingston City Park was brought up by a homeowner. This problem will be looked into but several folks thought this area where the shore is exposed at low pond could be remediated. The homeowner also mentioned something far more disturbing that we need to carefully study: There were NO willow fly hatches in his area this past year. This could simply be a mechanical problem due to the amount of sediment or it could be a far more insidious problem due to selenium.

Questions were raised as to the fact that the proposed alternatives do not call for a liner underneath the coal ash, This would not be allowed under any permit application if this were a new landfill.

Water flow in and out of the proposed solutions continues to be questioned. The EE/CA alternatives have a cap that reduces rain water intrusion to a tenth of what the old facility had. This is good but does not address the issue of ground water flow or the issue of flow in and out of the dikes due to raising and lowering of the lake. This is much like the water table in tidal areas rising and falling with the tide even several miles inland. This would produce a continual flushing of the coal ash below stored at and below lake levels.

you may be my senator, but you do not speak for me, nor for more than a few others I know. Someone with your voting record on bills with reconciliation should not be throwing the words "political arrogance" around.
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The chorus frogs are going off.

Click and wait for it Speakers up!

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I'm looking for Wofford to go all the way!

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Today is Pi Day--March 14--in honor of π's first three digits. New Scientist has an excellent article with "Five tasty facts about the famous ratio."

-- OneTahiti

Daylight Savings time starts tomorrow morning. It really doesn't save any daylight. They are just trying to fool you into getting up earlier.

Do you live in a broadband "dead zone?" If so, let the FCC know right away.

Go to www.broadband.gov, click on the "I do not have broadband at home" button, and fill out the form.

The cartoon artist...(not the hack fiddle player)

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Dr. Gregory Button gets criticized for speaking factually, most recently by a TN Department of Health person in response to criticism of its Public Health Assessment (PHA) to which TVA was allowed to offer edits prior to its release to the public. The PHA contains reams of intentionally incomplete testing data which present an inaccurate picture of heavy metals releases from the TVA coal ash waste dump. Dr. Button points out that this type of misrepresentation happens on both sides.

“In the case of the TVA ash spill, there have been conflicting reports in the media and in public meetings from TVA, the Environmental Protection Agency, environmental groups, grassroots organizations, and outside researchers which have contributed to a climate of confusion and uncertainty.”

Go Read!

AT 229 PM EST AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS WAS MOVING NORTH AT ABOUT 40 MPH ACROSS CENTRAL EAST TENNESSEE AND THE NORTHERN CUMBERLAND PLATEAU. RAIN RATES IN THE HEAVIEST SHOWERS WERE ABOVE ONE INCH PER HOUR. THIS WILL LIKELY CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS, LOW SPOTS AND ESPECIALLY URBAN AREAS.

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We asked TVA for 3D representations of the three alternatives for the final remedy at the spill site so that people could get a better idea of what they entail and how the area will look when all this is done. TVA has gotten them done and we will present them at the Public Meeting Monday evening.

There's a message here: Link...

Monday March 15, Roane County Courthouse

Among other things we will see the 3D animated fly by video of the EE/CA alternatives proposed for the final ash landfill and get updates from EPA, TVA, and TDEC. Questions will be asked.

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From Roane CAG:

The purpose of this email is to invite you to attend the public meeting being held by the Roane County Community Advisory Group (CAG)in response to the Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) prepared and released by the TVA for the Kingston Ash Recovery Project.