After Comey was fired, McCabe says he ordered two investigations of the president himself. They asked two questions. One, did Mr. Trump fire Comey to impede the investigation into whether Russia interfered with the election. And two, if so, was Mr. Trump acting on behalf of the Russian government.

(link...)

Given that the cost of installing the equivalent solar power capacity is less than the operating cost alone, this is not surprising. It will heavily affect the local communities who will lose the jobs.

(link...)

David Taylor – Colored Rockwood Resident On South Pole Expedition. Rockwood will have the distinction of having a representative in Admiral Byrd’s party on the trip to the South Pole. David Taylor, colored, whose home is in Rockwood and who joined the Navy two years ago, has been detailed for duty to mess attendant with the Antarctic service to accompany the polar expedition it was announced by the Navy department in Washington last Friday. Taylor is a brother-in-law of Roy Barnett who works at the home of Dr. G.E. Wilson. He graduated at the colored school here and then spent two years in a school in Cincinnati. He is 25 years of age. From: The Rockwood Times, Thursday, 30 Nov 1939.

Posted by our Roane County Historian on fB... I appreciate Robert Bailey!

Time: Sat Feb 09 6:45 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 49°, Appears: 10° above NW, Disappears: 11° above ESE

6 Minutes is a long time to be visible. When it fades out you are watching the International Space Station experience sunset.

Some 5 million people live in the watershed of the Tennessee River, according to a working report co-authored by Fath and Knoll, among others, compared to around 56 million people living in the Rhine’s watershed.

Despite an order of magnitude’s difference between the two populations, Fath found that microplastic levels in the Rhine amounted to just 200 particles per cubic meter, meaning that levels in the Tennessee River were some 80 times higher.

(link...)

According to a survey from the Yale Climate Change Communication program, 81% of voters backed its description of a Green New Deal.

With Republicans in control of the White House and Senate, any climate change legislation would be dead on arrival. But supporters of a Green New Deal say Democrats need to lay the groundwork for a plan that could achieve what scientists say is necessary.

(link...)

Classy lady, well deserved.

(link...)

Captain Rosemary Mariner, a military trailblazer who lived in Anderson County, was laid to rest Saturday after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She died at the age of 65 on Jan. 24...

As she was laid to rest Saturday, another historic first took place in her honor. The Navy held its first-ever all-female flyover at her funeral -- officially referred to as the 'Missing Man Flyover.'

Four fighter jets flown by women offered an aerial tribute to the pioneer and legendary military leader.

"She was very proud of the fact that women followed her and that she wasn't the only one to walk through that door. That legacy shows that door stayed open," her husband Tommy Mariner said.

(link...)

Asked what appetite exists among the constituents in East Tennessee, GOP caucus chair Ken Yager said there was support for medical marijuana but none that he knew of for recreational marijuana — a contention that drew a fair amount of skeptical jesting from the media as well as his leadership colleagues.

"These teams are playing like they know the winner has to go to the White House."

Signed up online but apparently cannot cancel online. Sent them a message and got this...

I apologized for the issue that caused you, this is not the service that we want you to have. Moving forward, we are disappointed to hear that you wish to cancel your subscription. We are glad to assist, however, we are unable to cancel via email at this time. Please contact Customer Service at the telephone number provided in the signature below. One of our customer service specialists will be happy to assist you. Thank you for your readership!

Customer Care Member Specialist
ww.usatoday.com
ww.knoxnews.com

Shorter KNS: "We are a newspaper that cannot use correct English and are happy to assist but will not assist you"

More

Tennessee is home to an amazing diversity of, well, everything! Shouldn't we be all about protecting our natural wonders?

Update: The new specimen was collected from the type locality of the species — Berry Cave in Roane County.

Researchers at UT have discovered the largest individual of any cave salamander in North America, a 9.3-inch specimen of Berry Cave salamander. ..

Salamanders are one of only two vertebrate animal groups to have successfully colonized caves. The other is fish, said Gladstone.

Uh oh...I'm thinking I know someone who has a cave shrimp named after him. That ain't no fish! But Aha! Shrimp are not vertebrates.

(link...)

Q: Did Obama say we "are no longer a Christian nation"?

A: He said we are no longer "just" a Christian nation, but a nation of many other faiths as well. A chain e-mail drops that key word and thus changes the meaning.

(link...)

This kid won his science fair claiming that he "proved" that Tom Brady cheated because it's easier to throw and catch a 5 pound football than a 9 pound football. When I get to be emperor of the Universe I will require that people who judge science fairs pass a basic test on the scientific method.

A 10-year-old boy in Kentucky set out to discover through hard science one of history’s most debated questions: Is Tom Brady a cheater?

The method Ace used was nothing short of objective. The fourth-grader tested three different footballs in four categories: throwing, catching, accuracy and distance. He tested a five-pound ball, a seven-pound ball and a nine-pound ball in each category.

Throughout his experiments, he found that it was easier to catch and throw the football that weighed five pounds compared to the two other balls.

Therefore Brady cheated.

This is just plain stupid. It's like proving that lighter cars with more horsepower go faster than heavier cars with less horsepower, therefore the officials blew the call in the Saints game and the Rams should win the Super Bowl. I am no Tom Brady fan and I'm pulling for the Rams. But, letting things like this go forward contributes to the ignorance in America that will ultimately destroy us if not corrected.

Lack of critical thinking skills leads to voting for Republicans. It has to stop or we're doomed!

(link...)

From Earth and Sky:

(link...)

President/CEO
The Roane Alliance

Seeking a talented, experienced leader for a county-wide economic development organization in Roane County, TN, a scenic East Tennessee county with a population of 53,000 within five communities/cities. Roane County is home to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Manhattan Project National Park and Watts Bar Lake and is located just 30 minutes from Knoxville, 45 minutes from the Smoky Mountains, and 1.5 hours from Chattanooga. The Roane Alliance is a high-functioning, highly-professional umbrella organization over the Chamber, the County Industrial Board and the County’s Visitors Bureau. For more information about Roane County and the Alliance:
(link...)

When and where to watch:

This unique total lunar eclipse will begin on January 20 at 10:35 p.m. ET and end at 1:51 a.m. ET on January 21.

"Viewers will see a normal full moon at first starting at around 10:35 p.m. Eastern time," said Walter Freeman, assistant teaching professor at Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences' physics department. "At that time, the Earth's shadow will begin to pass in front of the moon, blocking almost all of the sun's light from reaching it. Observers will see the moon appear to be progressively 'swallowed up' starting from the lower left. This process will end at 11:40 p.m., when the Earth's shadow covers the whole of the moon's surface; this is the beginning of 'totality.' This will last until around 12:40 a.m., when the motion of the Earth's shadow will carry it past the moon, and the moon will gradually again be lit by the sun. At 1:45 a.m., the moon will be fully visible again."

(link...)

"Penny (Schwinn) is a nightmare come true. Lee is a disappointment and I hate to think of the decisions he will make after this stupid appointment. It is hard enough for sensible people to deal with an immoral and evil President. Now, again, we have to survive a governor that is terribly misguided and against the interests of our children and favors the interests of the elite."

(link...)

That is the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission. Apparently power boaters don't like having to deal with paddle powered craft on Tennessee waterways. I suppose the lack of noise and pollution offends people who think you need to run 80 miles per hour in a boat to catch a fish. The plan is to regulate (tax) rental boats, even rental boats that are operated by municipalities such as Kingston.

Commissioners made it clear Friday's action is just the first step of an ongoing process with potential changes, including fees, to come in the future.

(link...)

Rick has been an asset to Kingston and a great person to work with. He's moving on to pursue other opportunities and says Kington is a great place to live and work and he's loved his 12 years as Parks and Rec Director, but it's time to move on.

Replacing Rick Ross is a tall order.

Bizgrrl does some good research over at KnoxViews.com:

Starting Jan. 1, a new federal rule requires the nation’s hospitals to post all their full-price charges on their websites. The idea is to introduce transparency into the world of hospital charges. But these newly-published price lists may end up leaving consumers even more confused than ever before.

(link...)

Yes, Delbert returns Saturday, March 16th, at 8PM.
https://princesstheater.blogspot.com/2019/01/just-announced-delbert-mcclinton-march.html

If Trump has no Russian collusion that installed him in the Presidency, and no financial obligations that make him a Russian Asset puppet, why won't Trump testify under oath? And just as important, why are Mitch McConnell and the other high ranking Republicans so adamant in blocking the Russian investigation?

The real question is what, if anything, would the President be doing differently if we knew for Certain that he was a Russian asset or agent?

(link...)

We have beautiful native trees and shrubs. Use natives in landscaping for a healthy yard ecosystem.

Insect-eating birds that depend on the availability of high-calorie, high-protein cuisine — namely caterpillars and spiders — during the breeding season to feed their young are finding the menu severely lacking in backyards landscaped with even a small proportion of nonnative plants... This reduction of food availability has led to a decline in the breeding success and population growth of the Carolina chickadee, the study found.

“Landowners are using nonnative plants in their yards because they’re pretty and exotic, they’re easy to maintain, and they tend to have fewer pests on them...But it turns out that a lot of those insects they see as pests are actually critical food resources for our breeding birds. For landowners who want to make a difference, our study shows that a simple change they make in their yards can be profoundly helpful for bird conservation.”

(link...)?

Recommended Native Plants for Tennessee

Glad to see cucumber tree on the list. This is a classic yard tree much used for landscapes back in the day. It's native to Roane County, one of several magnolias that are!

This is nothing short of an outrage!

Despite calls from protesters — and the previous House speaker — for his resignation, a state lawmaker accused of inappropriate sexual conduct against multiple teens has been named chairman of an education subcommittee.

Rep. David Byrd, R-Waynesboro, has been assigned by newly-elected House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, to lead the education administration subcommittee.

(link...)

This blows my mind!

In 1958, CBS aired an episode of Trackdown in which a con man attempted to sell a town a “wall” in order to protect them from the fake threat of a meteor shower.

Guess what the con man’s name was? Trump.

(link...)

Thanks to Rneal at KnoxViews for the heads up!

Which means that you and I are orbiting a super massive black hope as well. Is the Universe weirder than we CAN know?

A team of scientists have analyzed pulses of radio waves coming from a magnetar – a rotating, dense, dead star with a strong magnetic field – that is located near the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy. The new research provides clues that magnetars like this one, lying in close proximity to a black hole, could perhaps be linked to the source of fast radio bursts, or FRBs. FRBs are high-energy blasts that originate beyond our galaxy but whose exact nature is unknown.

(link...)

Also: It shines with a brightness equivalent to 600 trillion suns