This looks kind of fun. Well, not the camping part. Or hauling all the gear. Mainly just the bike riding.
Anyone want to drive an RV around for a few weeks at 20 mph?

From today’s NOAA weather hazard advisory for Knoxville (less than 1 inch of ice/snow predicted):

ANY TRAVEL IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. IF YOU LEAVE THE SAFETY OF BEING INDOORS, YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR LIFE AT RISK.

Oh my! I’m risking my life if I walk around the block?

Last night a local official said this in support of installing traffic cameras in Knoxville (to catch “red-light runners”):

Deputy Chief Don Green added, “We’re not trying to catch people, we’re not trying to punish people. We’re just trying to prevent accidents.”

It may not be Mr. Green’s personal desire to “catch people,” but if the camera vendor gets a percentage of the fines, they’ll certainly have a desire to punish people.
A family member recently moved to a city with these cameras, and he received a ticket because the front of his car was a couple feet over the painted line when he came to a stop. He said that the company running the lights gets at least 50% of the fines collected.
Nope, no incentive there.

Putting aside the pros and cons of spanking. And putting aside the alleged 4-foot-long paddle and emergency room visit. Isn’t an an 18-year-old (or 17 for that matter) simply too old to spank?

Oh my! What will they say in Red State America?

The nation’s largest employer is expanding the definition of “immediate family” in its ethics policy to include an employee’s same-sex partner.
The Wal-Mart Stores Inc. policy change — disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday — accounts for the laws in some states that recognize domestic partnerships and civil unions, officials said.
Company spokesman Gus Whitcomb on Thursday declined to say if the change would affect employee benefits, or whether it meant Wal-Mart was taking a position on the issue of same-sex marriage or civil unions.

In practice I’m not sure how much difference this will make–how many Wal-Mart employees get benefits anyway? But I’m sure this will be good for some noisy protests and boycotts. Sad thing is that many would-be boycotters will have to drive a long way to shop somewhere else since all the other stores were driven out of business.