Obviously, there’s been a slowdown of posts here over the last few months. Posting here is going to probably going to remain slow for and maybe get even slower.
Lately I’ve been posting over at scottadcox.com for the most part. The posts there are shorter, more snarky, and even less on topic. I’ve had less time to write anything lately. And quite honestly, anything I think has been written by someone smarter and more literate than me, so it’s easier to just link to them!
You can head over there and subscribe, or just follow me on Twitter, which is killing blogging. Or maybe you are enjoying the silence. That would make sense too! 🙂
“Libertarian leaning commentary from Knoxville Tennessee” probably won’t be located in Knoxville for too much longer, so now is as good of a time as any to begin the transition.
I still plan on posting here every now and then, but the post you are currently reading is going to remain at the top of the page. Anything new will be posted beneath. This blog and all of its archives will remain indefinitely for posterity and revenue!!!!
This one is truly over ground. Tomorrow night KO is hosting a gala on the 6th floor of the Sunsphere (that’s one floor above the Wig Shop). The public is welcomed to attend, just a cool $25, but there is a limit to only 120 guests.
Official KO members, KO sponsors, and members of KO affiliate organizations receive a 20% discount for this event: $20/per person includes an evening of cocktails, friends, an upbeat vibe, and inspiring speeches about Knoxville’s potential to be even more sustainable, innovative, cosmopolitan, and empowered entrepreneurial community of cultural creatives.
This is a great opportunity to meet some of the folks involved with KO, and if you aren’t a member yet, you can swing by and take this quiz to see if perhaps you should be!
Their proposal, modeled off of the top-ranked San Francisco Renaissance Center, entails using the space as a resource where startups in a variety of industries (specifically companies positioned to bring in the majority of their revenue from outside Tennessee) can grow around a community of other startups, self-employed professionals, and organization representatives that specifically serve the startup community.
If you fall into any of these categories, swing by and check it out! And, as always, there’s the weekly Wednesday open house at the coworking space on Kenesaw where you can meet cool KO people and find out more!
…the rest of life is butter if you have those two things. Really good butter.
Check out this awesome video of our ol’ buddy at ktownlowdown and his (much) better half, CouponKatie. You may have to watch the video twice, because the first time through you’ll most likely be distracted with thoughts of, “how did that guy land her?!?!?”
I don’t think such things, because I’m in a similar situation myself.
There will be live music, photographers, food & drinks, guest speakers, the Press, and silent auctions for “an hour of time with professionals, consultants, and celebrity entrepreneurs.” Tours will be provided of the new Knoxville Overground community center (for entrepreneurs & local investors) and our coworking workspace every 15 minutes from 7pm – 8pm.
If you haven’t been by, the coworking space is a great place for things like blogger meetups, tweet ups, and other social events centered on increasing technical and economic development in Knoxville. It’s also a cool place to work during the day if you’re someone who has trouble working out of the house or would like a place a little more “office like” than coffee shops.
Knoxville Overground is promoting Twestival Knoxville this Thursday at Smoky Mountain Brewery at Turkey Creek from 6:00-9:00 pm. This is an international fund raising event for charity: water. Come out and join a bunch of cool people from Twitter (and me) for some fun.
Even if you can’t make it out, you can help the cause by buying music at Testival.fm. Feel free to grab this little badge thingy and blog about it yourself!!!
I’m going to have to try and be delicate with this one…where to start?
First the background:  A Knox County Assistant District Attorney, Samyah Jubran, was done a favor by KPD Officer Hakan Dururvurur when he let her drive home even though he thought she was too impaired to do so after a traffic stop.  What the commenters over at the KNS seem to be hung up on is the idea that she was done this favor because of her position and that the same rules should apply to everyone.
Yeah, that’s true. Ă‚Â But that’s not the real problem here in my eyes. Ă‚Â People get breaks all the time for a whole array of reasons. Ă‚Â Maybe it’s because they are pretty. Ă‚Â Maybe because it is raining and the cop doesn’t want to pull them over because he doesn’t want to get out in it. Ă‚Â Maybe the cop is really trying to catch people with outstanding warrants, not traffic violations. Ă‚Â Maybe it’s because the people pulled over are just some fun-loving guys being towed down a street by a truck and a rope with smoke and sparks coming off their skis but not actually harming anyone.
When these people are private citizens, that’s one thing. Ă‚Â It may not be fair, but it’s not much worse than a nice lady at a convenience store giving you free coffee. Ă‚Â Thanks ladies.
The real problem is that this situation leaves the hint that (if not caught by the media) the prosecuter receiving the “favor” would have owed a favor back to the officer. Ă‚Â It’s not that he let her drive impaired. Ă‚Â That’s a separate issue. Ă‚Â He could have done something as simple as allowing her to park in a tow away zone or letting her into the back door of a concert whose door he was securing while moonlighting in his off hours. Ă‚Â Maybe this favor is expected to be returned when he has arrested someone he doesn’t like and the DA is riding the fence over whether or not to prosecute. Ă‚Â Maybe the return favor is a nudge toward prosecution.
I guess what I’m getting at is that we should be less concerned with the fact that the rules don’t apply to everone. Ă‚Â That is a fact. Ă‚Â It has always been that way. Ă‚Â But when you or I get a break, it’s just that–a break. Ă‚Â We should be more concerned with the fact that favors done amongst those inside the system can so easily pervert justice.
It’s not a fairness issue. Ă‚Â It’s an ethics issue. Ă‚Â And I’d bet it goes on way more than we’ll ever know.
**UPDATE**
KNS released the video today. Ă‚Â To be fair, I don’t think this officer did her much of a favor. Ă‚Â She didn’t look or sound drunk to me, and have seen and heard many a drunk in my day. Ă‚Â However, it still “looks” bad.
At least not anymore. Ă‚Â But I was out for most of the day today, at least if you consider the mall and grocery store as “out”. Ă‚Â When I say I don’t get out much, I’m talking about the house and my pajamas. Ă‚Â I mean that I literally don’t get out of my pajamas much. Ă‚Â Here are some random thoughts I had throughout the day…
The mall was insanely crowded. Ă‚Â I’m sure the cold had something to do with it. Ă‚Â That’s the only reason we didn’t go to the park for a walk instead (kid with a cold). Ă‚Â Maybe everybody was just window shopping–dunno–but somebody needs to tell these folks that we’re in severe economic straits. Ă‚Â Isn’t that why we have a media. Ă‚Â Oh wait–the media is saying that. Ă‚Â Maybe it’s just that people don’t trust what they say so much. Ă‚Â Could all of the Fox News Alerts and CNN Breaking News flashes turned them into The Boy Who Cried Wolf?
The Apple Store. Ă‚Â Honestly, I don’t get it. Ă‚Â I think Apple has great computers, mosly because of the OS. Ă‚Â But the price…seriously? Ă‚Â As far as iPods go, I own a first generation Nano that I received as a gift and like. But I couldn’t justify spending that much on a player when all I want to do with it is run, especially when you can get one of these, which are bad ass, so much cheaper. Ă‚Â I think form follows function. Ă‚Â Actually, I think form follows price, which follows function in this case. Ă‚Â I just want something small and light that plays music while I run. Ă‚Â I’m too slow to impress to impress anyone, no matter what kind of player I’m using.
On top of that, Apple store can do all it wants to make me feel like I’m in Times Square while I browse their 900 square foot commercial, but I know where I really am. Ă‚Â Even if i didn’t, I’m quickly reminded of it when I walk out of the store and see this.
Next up, girls with tight, short shorts on and Uggs. Ă‚Â It was 40-something degrees today. Ă‚Â I wear shorts all the time when it’s too cold for most people, but usually out of necessity, not as a fashion statement. Ă‚Â It was too cold for me to wear shorts today. Ă‚Â I hope you don’t wake up in 15 years embarrassed about this. Ă‚Â Don’t worry, there’s a decent chance you won’t. Ă‚Â I have a pair of Skidz shorts I bought in 1990 that weren’t even cool then. Ă‚Â Even worse, I still wear them. But I may not be the fashion example you want to follow.
And to end on a positive note, several people were really nice to me at the Kroger on Middlebrook. Ă‚Â Although I was an ace at it a couple of years ago, grocery shopping is not easy for me any more. Ă‚Â I’m grocery stupid now–back and forth across the store several times to get everythingmost of the things a few of the things on my list. Ă‚Â I was waiting in line to check out and a guy came and told me that they could check me out in a different line. Ă‚Â He could see that I was struggling to hang on to a tasmanian devil, so he took my cart for me and even unloaded it before bagging my groceries. Ă‚Â Then, just as I was finishing up loading up the car, a nice lady grabbed my cart so that I wouldn’t have to take it to the return. Ă‚Â She didn’t even work there.
I plan on going out again for the next round of early voting or to stock up on yeast and copper line.
Doesn’t matter if you’re local or not, there’re two greatstories in the KNS over the past two days that are very intriguing. Ă‚Â The story is about two possibly connected murders from 1968 and 1972 respectively. Ă‚Â Everything needed for a good novel is involved–an unsolved murder of a prominent wife whose husband was having an affair with a woman of notoriously ill repute, an unsolved murder of the husband of a prominent local madam who may or may not have been involved in the first murder, a possibly crooked police officer’s involvement in both, deathbed confessions that never happened, etc.
I love it that the KNS is featuring this type of thing. Ă‚Â There’s some great work involved in piecing together bits and pieces of information–police reports, old articles, interviews with old friends. Ă‚Â This is exactly what I meant back in January when I said newspapers can still do some reporting better than bloggers and armchair pundits ever will. Ă‚Â I’d love to see more of this, and I hope there’s a book in the making. Ă‚Â It’s a really interesting piece of local history.
Tony Basilio is reporting on air that Phil Fulmer will hold a press conference at 5:00 today at Neyland Stadium to announce he will not be returning as head coach next year. More coming, I’m sure.
**UPDATE**
This is probably a pretty smart move tax-wise.Ă‚Â With the probably tax rate on his income next year, he’d basically be working for free.
On Wednesday February 18 
Knoxville Overground
