Doug at Reality Me has the, uh, scoop.

You could plant a garden, or you could buy futures in local farm produce according to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

"Right now is the time for people who care about locally grown foods to buy their produce for the coming season," says Tennessee Department of Agriculture marketing specialist Jon Frady.

With Community Supported Agriculture, a farmer contracts with other people in the community to provide those individuals with a portion of the farmer’s harvest. CSA's not only help consumers save money, they also help farmers plan their crops and buy the necessary seed and fertilizer.

Depending on the arrangement, you might go out to the farm to get your produce, or meet the farmer at a community drop-off site.

Consumers typically purchase a share or a half share of a producer's harvest in advance. A full share averages about $25 per week depending on the type of produce, and will usually get you a half-bushel box of produce per week, or once every two weeks for a half share.

A spring-summer CSA share typically lasts about 25 weeks, from late May until early November. The type of produce will vary depending on the season.

Some customers can also request farm fresh eggs, milk, and other local foods to be included with their share. Some area farmers pool their products to provide customers with a complete range of local foods.

To locate a CSA near you, visit the CSA farms directory at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's Market Development website.

The nearest one to the Knoxville area is Green Man Farm in Grainger Co.

Well its' been pretty quiet around here with Bubba away vacationing (a well deserved one I'm sure) so I'm gonna attempt to entertain y'all.

Here's something that made me laugh (even though I probably shouldn't have) and wanted to share it. Click over and watch the video clip if you want, it's only very mildly NSFW (it came from a local TV station).

Woman Pissed Bout New Butt Implants
This news anchor can't hold it together when reporting a story about woman who is not happy about her recent butt implants. And after seeing what they look like, I would be pissed too.

Boy am I glad I didn't have that procedure done! :-)

I think this is the highest we've seen so far. Spring break special! What are gas prices where you are? Will it be $4 in July?

I can! Our old Toastmaster toaster oven died after only four years (or more accurately it's computer got brain damaged or possessed or something) and I needed to replace it.

From the Associated Press

The pet food, which contained a mold called aflatoxin, was produced at Diamond Pet Foods' plant in South Carolina. The company will set up a fund to reimburse pet owners for the loss of their dog, veterinarian bills and the cost of any unreturned contaminated food, said attorney Jim Andrews, who represented a Knoxville, Tenn., family that sued the company.

The case involved shipments in 2005, and is not related to the more recent melamine contamination recall.

• 167,000 Starbucks Fusion Coffee Mugs. The plastic handle can detach from the body of the mug when filled with hot liquids, posing a minor burn hazard to consumers.

• 100,000 The First Years Newborn-to-Toddler Reclining Feeding Seats. The restraining straps can pull out of the waist strap slots, posing a fall hazard to young children.

• 20,000 Oscillating Ceramic Heaters. The heaters can overheat, smoke, or ignite which could pose a fire hazard to consumers.

• 68,000 Bowflex® Ultimate 2 Home Gyms. The fasteners used to secure the rod box to the frame of the equipment can come loose, allowing the resistance rods or rod box to separate and strike the user or a bystander.

• 70,000 Black & Decker® brand Infrawave™ Toasters. An electrical component in the toaster can overheat and ignite the circuit board, posing a fire hazard.

• 92,000 Built-in Combination Wall and Microwave Ovens. The door switch in the microwave oven can overheat and ignite plastic components in the control area, posing a fire hazard to consumers. The lower thermal oven does not pose a hazard.

• 22,000 Nordic Track and Reebok Inversion Benches. The ankle clamp mechanism can release unexpectedly, posing a fall hazard to consumers.

• 64,000 Holiday Figurines sold at Home Depot. Surface paint on the holiday figurines contains lead.

Happy holidays!

We were out shopping yesterday and passed by the local Wal-Mart near our house three or four times, even turning around in their parking lot once to go to Target to pick up something we remembered.

In a moment of weakness, I muttered that "I wish we could just stop at Wal-Mart. It's right here." The Mrs. wouldn't have any of it, so off to Target we went.

On the way, I said "you know, it would be nice if you could buy some sort of shopping offset or credit, like those carbon offsets, when you're in a hurry and it would be more convenient to just go to Wal-Mart."

And right then the idea for my next big business venture hit me: Socially Irresponsible Shopping Offset Credits™. Each $10 offset credit coupon would cover $100 worth of liberal guilt relating to purchases from a socially irresponsible merchant.

$8 of the credit would go to charities and other organizations that promote social and environmental responsibility. $2 would go towards administering the program (i.e. to pay me) and for postage and handling of a nice Socially Irresponsible Shopping Offset Credit™ coupon. (Ratios subject to change pending an actual, you know, business plan and stuff.)

This is a breakthrough free-market solution to the growing problem of liberal guilt shopping inconvenience.

• Running low on gas and the only nearby brand available is Exxon Mobile? No problem. Half of one SISOC™ coupon will cover a $50 fill up!

• Forgot your niece or nephew's birthday and there's a Wal-Mart right on the way to the party? No problem. With your SISOC™ coupon, you're covered for up to $100 in video games or cheap plastic Chinese imported gift items.

• That designer top is tres chic, but you're worried about reports that the company uses sweatshop labor in Malaysia. Whip out your SISOC™ coupons along with your credit card, and worry no more.

• You really, really like that teak outdoor furniture set, but you're concerned about the loss of old growth teak forests in Indonesia? No problem. Five SISOC™ coupons and you're covered for up to $500.

The possibilities are endless.

In fact, you never know what the next targeted company or product will be, so the safest bet is to purchase $10 worth of SISOC™ coupon for every $100 you spend on consumer goods and services monthly. That way, even if you didn't know that a certain shampoo contributes to clear cutting in the Amazon rain forests or that a certain dairy producer is using banned hormones, you're covered.

They make great gifts, too. Conservatives who don't know what to get their weird liberal friends and relatives for Christmas (or Saturnalia or whatever) can load up on SISOC™ coupons for the holidays - problem solved!

Watch this space for the launch of Socially Irresponsible Shopping Offset Credit™ coupons, coming soon. Don't leave home without them, and enjoy guilt-free shopping wherever you go.

	Q1 2007	Q1 2006	% INCR
ExxonMobile	$9.280B	$8.400B	10%
Chevron	$4.715B	$3.996B	18%
ConocoPhillips	$3.546B	$3.291B	8%
National Avg. Regular	$3.191	$2.848	12%

Share prices (source: Yahoo Finance):

Still waiting around for the opportunity to genuflect before the Cable Guy during an audience that was ordained to have occurred between 1PM and 5PM.

6:40PM now, no Cable Guy. Good thing I work from home and didn't have to take the afternoon off for no apparent reason...

<seinfeld>They know how to MAKE the appointments, they just don't know how to KEEP the appointments. And isn't KEEPING the appointment sort of the point of MAKING the appointment?</seinfeld>

A Tennessee blogger is being threatened with a lawsuit by a job placement outfit over a post she made about her and her husband's experience with them. Nashville is Talking has the background and a roundup. Newscoma has an extensive catalog of links.

Free speech does not mean freedom to libel, but...

Earlier in the week there was news that Chrysler's sales were down 5% for March 2007 as compared to 2006. Then came the news that DamilierChrysler was under increasing pressure from shareholders to sell the division. Then it was revealed that Chrysler was indeed on the block, followed by news of a $4.5 billion offer. Shortly thereafter it was reported that 4300 Chrysler workers accepted buyouts in a voluntary reduction in force.

Another report from earlier in the week said that "Toyota's U.S. sales jumped 11.7 percent last month, boosted by record hybrid sales and strong overall car sales, while Ford's sales dropped 9 percent, DaimlerChrysler sank 4.1 percent and General Motors slid 4 percent." The report says that Ford still managed to hold down the #2 spot behind GM, with Toyota coming in a close third.

The same report also says: "In all, Toyota sold 242,675 light vehicles in the U.S., including 140,009 cars, up 19.4 percent from the same month a year ago, and 102,666 trucks, a 2.7 percent increase. So far this year, Toyota has sold 61,635 hybrids in the U.S., up 68 percent from the first three months of last year. That includes 28,453 hybrids last month."

Honda's sales were up as well, posting a 7.3% increase over March 2006 and setting a new record for Honda. Honda only sold 3,199 hybrid vehicles, though, "including 2,813 Civic Hybrids and 385 Accord Hybrids, a combined increase of 6.7 percent over year-ago results."

A report from GreenCarCongress.com says that "US sales of light-duty hybrid vehicles almost doubled in March 2007 from the year before, reaching 34,637 units—an increase of 94% from March 2006." Most of these were from Toyota, which dominates the hybrid market, with the Prius and Hybrid Camry accounting for 70% of hybrid sales in the U.S. Toyota's hybrid sales are up 68% for the calendar year so far. Honda Civic Hybrid sales were up 26%. Even Ford had a 50% increase in Escape/Mariner Hybrid sales.

Check out this graph (the dark blue line at the top represents 2007 hybrid sales as compared to previous years):

(Source: GreenCarCongress.com - click for larger view)

There's a message here somewhere. While waiting for the government and American auto manufacturers to do something about higher mileage vehicles, American auto buyers are voting with their pocket books and Japanese automakers are selling hybrids and other more efficient cars as fast as they can make them.

(At the same time, though, Toyota is attempting to redefine and take over the pickup market with the new Tundra, which gets EPA 15/18 MPG. And they are apparently selling. Toyota sold 13,196 of the redesigned Tundras in March 2007, an 11.8% increase over March 2006.)

I don't know if hybrids are the answer (we're happy with ours, and with our Ford Freestyle crossover that is more fuel efficient than the SUV it replaced), but bigger, heavier cars and trucks with lower gas mileage don't seem to be the answer for consumers or for American automakers any more. How long will it take them to figure this out? Congress should do American automakers a favor and mandate a dramatic increase in CAFE standards so we can finally move beyond the muscle car glory days when bigger and faster were better.

We're seeing hundreds of Google hits from people looking for info on the recent pet food recall brought to our attention by CL in an earlier post.

Here are links to the manufacturer's website and lists of the brands involved:

Cat food

Dog food

An overview of the manufacturer's links to more info can be found here.

For the Iams/Eukanuba brands affected, the manufacturer refers you to their respective websites.

The Iams website appears to be down at the moment, but here's the Eukanuba notice. The recall affects only canned and foil pouch "wet" pet foods. Dry foods are not affected, according to Eukanuba.

Apparently there's a problem with contaminated peanut butter:

ATLANTA - Government scientists struggled Thursday to pinpoint the source of the first U.S. salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter, the kid favorite packed into millions of lunchboxes every day.

Nearly 300 people in 39 states have fallen ill since August, and federal health investigators said they strongly suspect Peter Pan peanut butter and certain batches of Wal-Mart's Great Value house brand — both manufactured by ConAgra Foods Inc.

Shoppers across the country were warned to throw out jars with a product code on the lid beginning with "2111," which denotes the plant where it was made.[..]

The highest number of cases were reported in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri. About 20 percent of all the ill were hospitalized, and there were no deaths, the CDC said.[..]

To get a refund, consumers should send lids and their names and addresses to ConAgra Foods, P.O. Box 57078, Irvine, CA 92619-7078. For more information, call (866) 344-6970.

The jar from our pantry pictured above is apparently from a suspect batch.

As everyone might know the Better Business Bureau "BBB" has a conflict of interest. It is funded by the very businesses against which complaints are filed. They have no obligation to the consumer. Filing a complaint with the BBB is futile and basically a waste of time.

There is another web site called "Rip-Off Report dot com."
http://www.ripoffreport.com

If someone has done you wrong you can file a complaint against them free of charge. If the accused business feels they have been unfairly or falsely accused they can file a rebuttal.

This web site has been in operation for several years. Persons in the Knoxville area seem to be just now starting to find out about it.

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Fine dining/special occasion restaurant

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Regas Restaurant
Where: Gay Street
Why: It's tradition, and it's damn good food.

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Pasta Trio
Where: Old City
Why: Its got that traditional italian atmosphere right in the heart of the Old City. Grab some pasta, a couple glasses of red wine, and a enjoy your evening in Knoxville "Farragut-Free."

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Regas
Where: Gay Street
Why: Classic fare, atmosphere, service

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By The Tracks Bistro
Where: Homberg
Why: Excellent food, exquisite preparation, great variety

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By the Tracks
Where: Kingston Pike at Homberg Place
Why: Food is always great; service impeccable.  The atmosphere is quiet and intimate.  And you can go dressed up or down - it's very comfortable.  Great value for the $$.

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Copper Cellar
Where: either Campus or West
Why: Very good food and service. Worth it.

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Regas
Where: Gay St.
Why: Great ambience, food and service.

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Riverside Tavern
Where: Volunteer Landing
Why: Menu, location, structure is interesting, outdoor seating, good food and service.

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Regas
Why: Great food. Great atmosphere. Just great!

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chops
Where: kingston pike west knoxville
Why: great menu selections, atmosphere.

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Regas
Where: Gay Street
Why: Excellent food, great staff, great atmosphere.

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By th Tracks Bistro
Where: Bearden
Why: Outstanding food, well-prepared and well-presented; excellent service; charming atmosphere

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Calhoun's
Where: On the River or Bearden Hill
Why: Tasty ribs, plus this is where my pal likes to go when he comes in from Atlanta. That's always a special occasion.

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Chesapeake's
Where: Henley Street
Why: Quality fresh seafood preparation, good service, very comfortable atmosphere.

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Sapphire
Where: Gay Street
Why: Excellent food, reasonable prices, non smoking in a cool environment.

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Regas
Where: Downtown Knoxville on Gay Street
Why: Great food, great service, nice atmosphere, good menu, and a Knoxville tradition

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Pasta Trio
Where: Old City
Why: The only Knoxville restaurant that seems worth the money. Feels like a New York City restaurant. Wonderful food. I'm poor enough that this restaurant qualifies as special occasion.

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Le Parigo
Where: 5803 Kingston Pike
Why: High quality

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The Orangery
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: Excellent food; lighter than Regas.

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Parkside/Lakeside/Riverside Tavern
Where: Any
Why: Food and service are usually great, menu selection is good, and drinks are strong. 2/3 have good views of water too. Really hot hostesses, especially downtown.

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The Orangery

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By the Tracks Bistro
Where: Kingston Pike

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The Orangery
Where: Homberg Place
Why: Inspired food and wine pairings and oh-so-elegant surroundings

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Bistro by the Tracks
Where: Kingston Pike / Homberg Place
Why: Best in town

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Foothills Milling Company
Where: Maryville, TN
Why: Excellent Food, Unusual Menu, Nice Atmosphere, excellent service

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Foothills Milling
Where: Maryville, TN

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Casual dining restaurant

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Tomato Head
Where: Market Square
Why: I'm a vegetarian...and it's good food.

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Barley's Taproom
Where: Old City
Why: Pizza a beer... is there anything else you need to know?

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Litton's
Where: Essary Road at Broadway
Why: Consistent moderately priced good food. There's nothing bad on the menu.

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Cha Cha
Where: Homberg

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Tomato Head
Where: Market Square
Why: One has to ask?

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Calhoun's
Where: Downtown or Pellissippi
Why: Chase does good restaurants. Worth it.

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Downtown Grill and Brewery
Where: Gay St.
Why: One word: the beer. We really like the microbrews (try the Nutbrown and IPA).

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Stir Fry
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: Great food and outdoor seating.

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Calhoun's
Where: on the River
Why: Best ribs around!! And great view on the river.

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Littons

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Etcetra
Where: Rocky Hill
Why: The Chef at Etcetra has created a great menu that has a litlle of something for everyone. The ruby red decor really creates a great date night atmosphere

---

Tavern on the River
Where: Neyland Drive
Why: Good food, decent staff, love the river view.

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Sullivan's
Where: Northshore
Why: local owned, AWESOME food and atmosphere with unbeatable service

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La Paz, aka Che Gueverra
Where: Suburban Center
Why: Great margaritas, consistently good food at reasonable prices, great music; the owner, Kevin, is a truly good guy and treats his staff well, as evidenced by some who have been there nearly 20 years - a home away from home.

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Tomato Head
Where: 12 Market Square
Why: Variety of entrees, healthy fare, fresh ingredients, fresh bread, friendly folks.

---

Calhoun's
Where: Knoxville Riverfront
Why: Good varied menu selections, and quality preparation with a great view of riverfront.

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sunspot
Where: cumberland avenue
Why: good food, fun atmosphere, good service

---

Riverside Tavern
Where: Volunteer Landing
Why: Nice bar, outdoor seating, interesting menu, good food, and views of the river

---

Savelli's
Where: Sutherland Avenue
Why: Like the ambience and the food is pretty good/ though uneven. A great little place to meet friends with a bottle of wine.

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Nolrthshore Brasserie
Where: Northshore Drive
Why: Vared menu, Mussels 5 ways, bread and overall quality

---

Pasta Trio
Where: Old City
Why: Good, reasonably priced food. I love their salad dressing.

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Tomato Head
Where: Market Square
Why: Great food, service, atmosphere; also, I've found it to have the best vegetarian options in the city.

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Texas Roadhouse
Where: Any
Why: Usually good and inexpensive, consistent food and service.

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Creamery Park Grill
Where: Fountian City
Why: great food, wonderful service, close to where I live and great to bring the kiddies!

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Calhouns
Where: Bearden Hill

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Sunspot
Where: Cumberland Avenue
Why: Their beer selection is expansive, the food is always fresh and you can eat meat - or not.

---

Sullivans
Where: Maryville, TN
Why: Good food, great atmosphere, nice bar, great location, fun place

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Calhoun's
Where: Multiple

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Adagio's
Where: linksview drive
Why: amazing chicken parmessan- huge portions! comfortable bistro style decor and great parking.

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Southern/home cooking restaurant

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Kitts Cafe
Where: Greenway Road
Why: Just try it...you'll like it.

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Ramsey's Restaurant
Where: Central Ave. Pike near Merchant
Why: Fried chicken and mashed potatoes can't be beat. Egg custard is outta sight. And it's all on a buffet.

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Big Fatties

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Ramsey's
Where: Merchant's and Central Ave. Pike
Why: What can I say. If you know Knoxville, you know Ramsey's

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Lunch House
Where: Magnolia near Prosser
Why: good basic home cooking at affordable prices; clean; racially diverse customers; good service.

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Big Fatty's
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: Darn good vittles. Okra.

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pete's
Where: union avenue
Why: great breakfast

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Lunch House
Where: Holston Drive
Why: Close to home cooking, outstanding fried cornbread, tuesday is butterbean day

---

Pete's
Where: Downtown

---

Pete's
Where: Downtown

---

411 Restaurant
Where: 411 South, Maryville
Why: Their cheeseburger and fries combo will rock your world.

---

Gracie's
Where: Maryville, TN
Why: Excellent food, large menu choices, fun place, hidden from the crowd, but always packed

---

Big Fatty's
Where: Knoxville, TN

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Italian restaurant

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Louis' Original Drive-in
Where: Broadway
Why: If you have never eaten at Louis'...you ain't been livin' in Knoxville very long.

---

Pasta Trio
Where: Old City
Why: Its got that traditional italian atmosphere right in the heart of the Old City. Grab some pasta, a couple glasses of red wine, and a enjoy your evening in Knoxville "Farragut-Free."

---

Italian Market & Grill
Where: Franklin Square

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Naples
Where: Bearden
Why: Good food fair price.

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Altrudas
Where: N. Peters / The Commons Knoxville TN
Why: http://www.altrudas.com/  

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Naples

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Louis's Orignial
Where: Old Broadway - North Knoxville
Why: Spaghetti w/ mushroom sauce. nuff' said.

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Saveli's
Where: Southerland Ave
Why: A brown bagger but solid dishes for us commoners

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Bridge Street Cafe
Where: Bridge Street, Hot Springs, North Carolina
Why: Rich, delectable entrees, quaint ambience.

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Naples
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: Good italian food and atmosphere.

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Naples
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: Atmosphere,Wine list and eggplant Parma

---

Naples
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: In addition to being one of the oldest restaurants in the area, the food and atmosphere are great.

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Italian Market & Grill
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: Great food, strong drinks, hot hostesses.

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Naples

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Naples
Where: Kingston Pike

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Naples
Where: Homberg
Why: Tradition, taste, service, atmosphere.

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Naples
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: The people are the best

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Altruda's
Where: West Knoxville
Why: Great food, romantic atmosphere, good service, not like a chain!

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Italian Market & Grille
Where: West Knoxville

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Mexican/Southwest restaurant

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Senor Taco
Where: North Broadway
Why: Muy Excellente! Killer salsas for appetizers!

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Cancun
Where: Broadway in Fountain City

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Los Amigoes
Where: Maryville TN

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Monterrey
Where: Merchants/Cedar Lane
Why: Great authentic Mexican food. The enchiladas rancheras (with pork and grilled veggies) are fantastic.

---

Senor Taco
Where: Broadway
Why: I had heard the recommendations for years, but just got around to vising recently. I was blown away with every aspect of the experience. Great service. Great food. Great prices. Great specials. Cool salsa bar. And a bowling alley next door. What more do you need? I ordered a seafood enchilada and the fish was nice and tender. It's so easy to overcook shrimp, but this was just perfect.

---

Pelancho's

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El Charro
Where: Bearden Hill

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El Sazon
Where: Alcoa
Why: Good food, authentic staff, great bartender.

---

La Paz, aka ChezGueverra; second choice La Costa
Where: see question 2 answers
Why: see question 2 answers

---

El Charro
Where: Cumberland Strip
Why: Good, quick Mexican food

---

la paz aka. chez gueverva
Where: suburban center
Why: great food, great service, fun atmosphere

---

El Sazon
Where: Alcoa Highway across from the airport
Why: Great food, great margaritas, great bartender, and fun decor and atmosphere.

---

El Charro
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: the cheese enchiladas. They have a good sauce.

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Senor Taco
Where: Broadway
Why: Salsa bar and overall quality and price

---

Are you kidding me?
Why: There aren't any good Mexican or Southwestern restaurants here, though Senor Taco is close. I am from the Southwest, I know!

---

Senor Taco
Where: N. Broadway
Why: I realize that this is a chain, but every time that I've visited the place, it seems like a local establishment. And for the price and quality, it can't be beat.

---

Monterrey
Where: Kingston Pike -- Farragut
Why: Cheap, fast, and good.

---

El Charro
Where: Bearden Hill

---

Los Amigos
Where: Maryville
Why: Try Hector's Special Enchiladas (Shrimp is my favorite) with a Margarita... Mas bueno!

---

Agave Zul (sp?)
Where: Western Plaza - Kingston Pike
Why: The only fish tacos in town

---

El sazon
Where: Alcoa Highway-Alcoa
Why: Great atmosphere, great food, great service, big Vol fans!

---

Pancho's
Where: Maryville and South Knoxville

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Chinese restaurant

---

Dynasty Express
Where: Broadway in Ftn. City
Why: Crab Rangoon (Mom's favorites), Veggie entrees, great veggie eggrolls, great people.

---

China Jiang
Where: Emory Road near I-75
Why: Huge portions, well cooked and seasoned, plentiful fresh veggies. And the owners (and their 3 kids) are super folks.

---

Plum Tree
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: Plum Tree isn't a place that you would consider taking a first, or second date, there is absolutely nothing fancy about the settings, but their food is quite good. Plum Tree isn't a Buffet, but when you leave, you won't be leaving hungry. The sauces that the meals are served in, are thick and full of flavor, not watered down as I have experienced in other restaurants. Their meals are served with rice literaly covering one end of the elongated plates integrated into the main course which almost covers the opposite end. Even if you are not a big rice fan, the food portions are more than adequate to fill you up. If you like spicy I recommend the Kanshaw Beef. Kanshaw Beef is thinly sliced strips of Beef served with sliced Bell Peppers and Celery, they together are covered in a dark rich spicy sauce. You'll enjoy the flavor so much you will find yourself digging through the rice searching for every escaped morsel of food. I'd also recommend the Cashew Chicken

---

Ming Tree
Where: Alcoa
Why: It's one of the few non-buffets we've discovered. Pretty good garlic chicken and hot & sour soup.

---

Hong Kong House

---

China Jiang
Where: Powell
Why: Great takeout at a great price. The owners provide great customer service

---

China Pearl
Where: Bearden Hill or Farragut
Why: Something better about the sauce at China Pearl. Above average ingredients.

---

MP Hibachi Grill
Where: Calderwood across from Midland shopping center in Maryville
Why: Nice decor, good service, decent Chinese, great prices, and a Japanese steak/seafood hibachi menu (which I haven't tried.)

---

Dragon Den
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: Because it's the only Chinese restaurant near my office. It's usually good too.

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P.F Changs
Where: Kingston Pike

---

Taste of Thai
Where: Peters Road, Cedar Bluff area
Why: It's not really Chinese, but it is the best Asian influenced restaurant I've found. You can do super spicy or tame... the offerings are authentic and tasty! The Tom Ka (sp.?) soup is outrageous.

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T-Ho's
Where: Merchants Drive
Why: OK - its not Chinese. It Vietmanese and really good

---

Ming Tree
Where: Alcoa Highway-Alcoa
Why: Have been there for years, thus great food, great service, great prices, nice-quiet atmosphere-Chinese and Thai dishes. I know one of the employees and he has been serving me Chinese food for 20 years.

---

P.F. Chang's
Where: Knoxville, TN

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Japanese/Sushi restaurant

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Wasabi
Where: Kingston Pike

---

Ginza
Where: Downtown West
Why: Most creative and freshest sushi in town. Sushi chef will make custom creations on request

---

Tomo

---

Kobe
Where: Halls
Why: White Sauce!

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Nama
Where: downtown
Why: outstanding food

---

Nama
Where: Gay Street
Why: Secret Garden, bubble tea.

---

nama
Where: gay street
Why: awesome food, great service, fun mood, gregg white

---

Nama
Where: Gay ST
Why: Quality, meade on tap

---

Tomo
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: Great service and sushi. Also, it seems more authentic or trendy than other places I've been.

---

Fuji
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: Fast, cheap, consistent, good, and near my office!

---

Wasabi
Where: Bearden Hill

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Soho Cafe
Where: Western Plaza
Why: I like the music and atmosphere there... the basil beef and shrimp is excellent.

---

Nama's
Where: Gay Street
Why: Great atmoshere and great sushi

---

Thai or other Asian restaurant

---

Stir Fry Cafe
Why: Lemon grass soup rocks

---

Taste of Thai
Where: Peters Road
Why: Great place. Best Thai in Ktown

---

Lemon Grass
Where: Maryville
Why: The food is great, particularly the curries and the pad thai. And the basil spring rolls are yummy.

---

Taste of Thai

---

Tast of Thai

---

Taste of Thai
Where: Cedar Bluff
Why: Even the soup appetizer is delicious

---

Taste of Thai
Where: The Commons, North Peters Road
Why: Pad thai is yummy, also the Phoenix (?) soup and ginger ice cream.

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stir fry
Where: galleria
Why: good food

---

T Ho
Where: Merchants Dr.
Why: Vietamese, the Crepe is the best dish in Knoxville

---

Soho
Where: Western Plaza

---

Taste of Thai
Where: Peters Road
Why: Great food.

---

Stir Fry Cafe
Where: Kingston Pike

---

Taste of Thai
Why: Oops, see above.

---

T-Ho's
Where: Merchants Drive

---

Lemon Grass
Where: Maryville
Why: I never even ask what the lunch special is anymore...I just order it.

---

Stir Fry Cafe
Where: Knoxville-The Gallery
Why: They have been in town for around 15 years, great food, nice atmosphere-much different menu-really good Thai food

---

Taste of Thai
Where: Knoxville, TN

---

Other ethnic restaurant

---

Sitar Indian restaurant
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: I love Indian food and haven't had a chance to try Kashmir yet...but this one is pretty damn good.

---

Sitar
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: Quality Indian food. The pan is delicious. Indian beer, too.

---

Sitar

---

Alex's Havana Cafe
Where: Homberg
Why: Great Cuban sandwich.

---

Sitar
Where: Bearden
Why: consistently good food, good service - yummy

---

Falafel Hut
Where: Clinch Avenue at james Agee Street
Why: Just an old favorite.

---

El Quetzal
Where: Chapman Hwy
Why: most authenic food

---

Falafel Hut and Sitar
Where: Fort Sanders and Bearden
Why: Both have excellent and authentic ethnic food. I have a lot of Palestinian aunties and cousins, and eating at Falafel Hut brings me a taste of home.

---

Nama
Where: Old City

---

Agave Azul
Where: Western Plaza
Why: Great food, awesome Sunday Buffet, great prices, fun place to eat, service is great, indoor-outdoor eating, great menu, great bar

---

Steak restaurant

---

Chophouse
Where: Fountain City

---

Chophouse
Where: West
Why: Mike Connor does a great job.

---

Riverside Tavern
Where: Knoxville TN

---

Regas

---

Regas
Where: Gay Street
Why: Steaks cooked to order.

---

Northshore Brassiere
Where: Northshore at Pellissippi Parkway

---

Ye Olde Steak House
Where: Chapman Highway in South Knoxville
Why: Sides could be better, service can be variable, but always a great steak.

---

Copper Cellar
Where: Cumberland- Downstairs

---

Edison Steak House
Where: Farragut
Why: Their seasoned beef is incredibly tender and flavorful and their wine list is outstanding. The service is typically exceptional.

---

Copper Cellar
Where: Cumberland Ave

---

Ye Olde Steak House
Where: South Knoxville
Why: No explanation necessary

---

Edison Park
Where: Knoxville, TN

---

Seafood restaurant

---

Chesapeake's
Where: Henley Street
Why: Great variety, always well prepared, quiet decor.

---

Chesapeake's
Where: Downtown
Why: Freshest, best prepared seafood in any landlocked state of the Union

---

Nothing
Where: all over
Why: they are all mediocre.

---

Shrimip Dock
Why: ...not a restaurant..but damn good sea food selectections.

---

Bayou Bay
Where: Chapman Highway
Why: Great home-cooked seafood with a cajun touch. Not exactly a classy atmosphere, but who needs to dress up to eat well? The clam chowder is the best I've ever had. And they serve alligator.

---

Chesapeakes

---

Chesapeake's
Where: Henley Street
Why: Variety, preparation

---

Chesapeake's
Where: Henley Street
Why: See special event restaurant

---

Chesapeake's
Where: Downtown Henley St.
Why: Not a big fan of seafood, but I like theirs. Nice restaurant, good key lime pie.

---

Bonefish Grill

---

Please don't pick Chesapeake's
Where: Downtown
Why: Their food is tasteless, bland, overcooked, and greasy.

---

Chesapeakes
Where: Downtown

---

Captain D's
Where: all over
Why: 'cause I haven't tried Bonefish. I'll go to Cap'n D's for some throw down fried shrimp...

---

Bone Fish
Where: Kingston Pike

---

Breakfast

---

Cracker Barrel
Where: They're everywhere
Why: Great value and enough food to hold you until dinner.

---

Italian Market & Grill
Where: Franklin Square
Why: Awesome buffet, fantastic omelets

---

Cracker Barrel
Where: various
Why: can't be beat.

---

Green Hills Grill
Where: Knoxville TN
Why: Yeah...its a chain, but they have really kick ass omlettes.

---

Market Square Kitchen
Where: Union and Market
Why: Great omelets and really reasonable prices.

---

Rankin's
Where: Central St.
Why: If you like Red Eye Gravy this is the place.

---

Pancake Pantry
Where: Parkway, Gatlinburg
Why: Fine selection of pancakes.

---

McDonald's
Where: Everywhere
Why: Don't laugh. This is the best kept breakfast value secret. Order the Deluxe Breakfast and you get scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuit, hashbrowns, AND pancakes. Add a side of gravy (which is better than Cracker Barrel's, by the way) and you're all set for about $5. (Not recommended as a daily part of your diet, with an artery clogging 1200 calories 61 grams of fat, and 136 grams of carbs. Without the gravy.)

---

Petes
Where: Downtown

---

Long's
Where: Kingston Pike

---

Cracker Barrel
Where: all over
Why: I've got to admit it, since K-ville doesn't have a great place like the City Cafe (Murfreesboro), CB serves up a breakfast that will last you all day - if you can stand the wait.

---

Round-Up
Where: Young High Pike

---

Shoney's

---

Burgers

---

Cumberland Grill
Where: UT Campus
Why: 3 dollar burger and fries on Sundays... a poor man's dream.

---

Litton's
Where: Essary
Why: The bakery fresh bread makes this burger hum.

---

Littons
Where: Fountain City
Why: Love me one of them greasy big ass burgers.

---

Downtown Grill and Brewery
Where: Gay St.
Why: Great burgers, cooked to order.

---

Litton's

---

Littons

---

Freezo
Where: Central St. across from Oklahoma/ Old Merita Bread Factory
Why: Hamburger and a nilla' cone on the picnic table at the Freezo will make any day.

---

Chilis
Where: Alcoa
Why: Guacamole on the burger as ordered, Convenience

---

Bob's Burgers
Where: Hwy 70 Midtown (I 40 exit 350)

---

Bistro at the Bijou
Where: 803 S. Gay Street
Why: Juicy, flavorful meat; an array of good cheeses.

---

Regis
Where: Gay Street
Why: Big burger, quality beef.

---

Little River Village Campground Store
Where: Townsend, near the Park entrance
Why: Great burgers, fresh ingredients. Their broasted chicken is good, too. Their fudge is as good as you will find anywhere. Stop by to get a picnic lunch to take with you on you way to the mountains.

---

Pizza Palace
Where: Magnolia
Why: old fashion cheeseburger and onion rings

---

Litton's
Where: Fountain City

---

Sam & Andy's
Where: Farragut
Why: Nothing can beat the Vol Burger!

---

Litton's
Where: Fountain City

---

411 Highway Restaurant
Where: 411 Highway, Maryville
Why: Old grill, seasoned meat, grilled onions.... Damn, I'm getting hungry.

---

Hooters

---

Pizza

---

Barley's Taproom
Where: Old City

---

Pizza Hut
Where: All around
Why: It's a national chain, but doggone their stuff is good.

---

Barley's
Where: Old City
Why: Pretty good pizza but even better calzones.

---

Tomato Head

---

Stefanos

---

Harby's
Where: North Knoxville
Why: If you've ever eaten a pizza at Harby's you know what I'm talking about. A true hole in the wall if you've ever seen one but the best dang pizza hands down. The Greek Salad is excellente' as well.

---

Pizza Palace
Where: Magnolia
Why: Thin (but not too thin) crust, good consistency, good cheese, beer delivered to car while waiting.

---

Tomato Head
Where: downtown
Why: How can you ask why? Great food...

---

Tomato Head / I Love NY Pizza
Where: Market Square/Chapman Ford Center
Why: Tomato Head for "gourmet" varieties; I Love NY Pizza for New ork traditional

---

Eulidio'
Where: Callahan Dr.

---

Pizza Palace
Where: Magnolia Ave.
Why: This is a tough one. There are lots of good pizza places. This one has been around forever and they serve my favorite style. Bonus: you can order a beer curbside while you wait.

---

Barleys
Where: Jackson Ave
Why: Tender crust

---

Harby's
Where: North Knoxville

---

Tomato Head
Where: Market Square
Why: This is by far the best pizza I've had in Knoxville.

---

Stefano's
Where: Campus

---

Adagio
Where: Ebenezer Road, West Knoxville
Why: Because the new guys need a plug. Ya'll should visit. And their pizza is quite yummy as well.

---

The Pizza Kitchen
Where: Knoxville, Northshore Drive
Why: Great food, great drinks, fun atmosphere, super staff, great variety, indoor-outdoor eating, great prices, Sunday Buffet!

---

Mangia
Where: Turkey Creek

---

Snappy Tomato Pizza
Where: Broadway in Ftn. City
Why: Just tried it and its pretty darn good. I still miss the old Godfather's Pizza that used to be in the shopping center between Tazewell Pike and Broadway in Ftn. City. That pizza was the food of the gods. But the Snappy Tomato comes pretty close.

---

Deli/sandwiches

---

Nixon's Deli
Where: Broadway in Ftn. City
Why: Good sandwiches, nice people, yummy desserts.

---

Leni's

---

Subway
Why: Cheap, quick, not greasy

---

Paul's Oasis
Where: Kingston Pike
Why: This is more a local bar & grill, but there's a great hoagie on the menu. Served hot with Italian dressing.

---

Nixon's
Where: any location

---

Lenny's
Where: Powell, Ftn Cty
Why: Lot a meat, great bread, good price

---

Frussy's
Where: Moody Road at Chapman Highway
Why: Great sandwiches put together by a true sandwich artist.

---

Jersey Mike's
Where: Cumberland Avenue.

---

Tomato Head
Where: Market Square
Why: As a vegetarian, it's hard to find restaurants where I can eat out with friends who are not, and this is the best place to find common ground.

---

Firehouse Subs
Where: Peters Road
Why: Great sandwiches, new restaurant.

---

Nixon's
Where: Kingston Pike

---

Lenny's
Where: all over knoxville
Why: Custom made. Locally owned. Decent sandwiches.

---

Lakeview Market (aka Victor's)
Where: Alcoa Hwy & Topside Road

---

Subs-n-such
Where: Maryville, TN
Why: Great Sandwiches, good prices, great sweet tea, good cookies

---

Subs-n-Such
Where: Maryville, TN

---

Desserts

---

Litton's
Why: Can't beat that Baby Jane (available every other weekend)

---

Magpies
Where: Old City
Why: Nobody makes desserts like Peggy.  Sadly, she's only doing wedding cakes these days.  I'm hoping for holiday pies - try the three nut cranberry, or the cherry.

---

Copper Cellar
Where: Cumberland
Why: The strawberry shortcake rocks.

---

Naples
Why: I LOVE tiramisu

---

Littons

---

Litton's
Where: Ftn Cty
Why: Can you say Red Velvet Cake?

---

Tomato Head
Where: 12 Market Square
Why: Cookies, pies and those great cobblers

---

Mag-pies
Where: S. Central
Why: Super quality , without equal in Knox area

---

Regas
Where: Downtown
Why: Their strawberry shortcake is fabulous. And they use real shortcake, not that crappy storebought sponge stuff!

---

Litton's
Where: Fountain City

---

Tomato Head
Where: Market Square
Why: You wouldn't ask why if you ate their peanut butter pie...

---

Blount County Library
Where: Maryville, TN
Why: Never seen anything like it! Coffee, cakes, cookies, smoothies, in a beautiful library, for a great price!

---

Vegetarian/health food restaurant

---

Tomato Head
Where: Market Square
Why: See casual dining entry...

---

Sunspot
Where: UT Campus

---

Sunspot
Where: Cumberland Ave
Why: It's legendary, and the reputation is well-deserved

---

Sunspot
Where: Cumberland
Why: Great sandwiches and entrees. My favorite is the enchilada with black beans and goat cheese.

---

Sunspot
Where: Cumberland
Why: Great menu. Great atomosphere. And with the new bar annex, there's now a smoking option. One of the only vegetarian menu's I've encountered in which I have trouble deciding what to order because it's all so good.

---

Sunspot

---

Sunspot
Where: Cumberland
Why: Consistently good food, nice atmosphere

---

Tomato Head
Where: 12 Market Square
Why: Fresh ingredients.

---

Sunspot
Where: Cumberland Ave.

---

Falafel hut
Where: James Agee St.
Why: Falafel and mid-east salads

---

Sunspot
Where: The Strip

---

Tomato Head
Where: Market Square
Why: As a vegetarian, it's hard to find restaurants where I can eat out with friends who are not, and this is the best place to find common ground. Plus, you could eat there every day of the week and have something different each time. Not a lot of other restaurants in Knoxville can boast that.

---

Tomato Head
Where: Market Square

---

Tomato Head
Where: Market Square
Why: They really strive to serve the veggie community. If only they could do something about the noise...

---

Do we have one? Probably Sunspot
Where: Knoxville-Cumberland Ave.
Why: Great chips and salsa, good food, unique menu, fun atmosphere, one of the nicer places to eat on the Strip-also considering opening in Maryville

---

Other restaurant, category not listed

---

Wishbone's - Chicken Tenders
Where: Clinton Hwy, Maynardville Hwy, Magnolia
Why: I eat a lot of chicken tenders. Zaxby's, Ruby's, Sawyer's, you get the picture. I drive miles out of my way to get Wishbone's tenders. They have got the be the meatiest tenders you can get the and the batter is to die for. Try em', you'll love em'.

---

The Lunch Box
Where: Baum Drive
Why: local owned, all foods prepared fresh and on location (or out of the catering location on Cross Park) the manager (Chris) at Baum Dr. will make special/personable deliveries to many of his customers; and, he knows them all by name!

---

Ridgewood Barbecue
Where: Bluff City, TN (near Roane Mt. Park)
Why: Could be worth the drive itself, definitely worth a stop if you're in the area visiting Roane Mt. State Park. Possibly the best barbecue you will ever have.

---

Kashmir Indian
Where: 17th St.

---

Wright's Cafeteria
Where: Middlebrook Pike
Why: Best Cafeteria Category

---

Tomato Head
Where: Downtown Knoxville
Why: All around one of the best restaurants in Knoxville. Serves vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare Opening soon in Maryville!! yeah

More PROOF the lefty EU bureaucrats are anti-capitalist scum (is it "consumer protection" or "restraint of trade"?).

Every day I get dozens of these "XYZ is going through the roof buy now!" stock tout spams hyping pinksheet penny stocks.

I was thinking it might be fun to set up a play money portfolio with the stocks mentioned in every spam to see just how much money one could lose. Then I thought, surely somebody on the internets has done that already.

So I looked around and found something even better.

Read more after the jump...

Pay attention to that Dell battery recall, folks.

Pictures here of self-immolating Dells.

My work PC (a Dell Latitude D600) had one of the defective batteries.

Oh, and if you have an Apple PowerBook G4 or iBook G4, check and see if your battery has been recalled.

Apparently, the long-life Lithium Ion batteries have a bit of a manufacturing flaw.

(So watch those digital cameras and Blackberry devices and suchlike, too. If it gets hot, turn it off and set it aside. No gadget is worth life & limb.)

Oooh. Want.

I sincerely hope that people got to take some advantage of the sales tax holiday over the weekend.

Incumbent governor and Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen chose to make some political hay, yet again showing his tendency to have a tin ear when it comes to hearing the concerns of labor and of local businesses.

Gov. Phil Bredesen flew to key Tennessee cities Wednesday, including Knoxville, to kick off the state's first sales-tax holiday, which begins Friday.

He was met by protesters who say Tennessee needs a sales-tax break every day, not just this weekend, and he said he apologized to anyone who was displeased that he selected Wal-Mart for his visit instead of a retailer based in the state.

[snip]

He said he did not consider Wal-Mart's anti-union stance when the stops were chosen. He also did not respond to a question about why he didn't select a local retailer such as Goody's Family Clothing.

"We just selected some of the big-box retailers because that's where people shop and where these items are bought," Bredesen said. "I apologize if it's an issue with anybody. It's no endorsement of Wal-Mart."

Oh? Well, how about this as an endorsement?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen wants the state to do a better job at preparing students for careers at Wal-Mart. But he's not talking about stocking shelves or checking out customers at the retail giant. Instead, Bredesen wants to tailor community college programs to offer courses on retail management.

Bredesen, a Democrat, pitched his proposal on how to address a management shortage at big-box retail stores on a recent trip to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. While no formal arrangement has been struck, Bredesen and Wal-Mart officials agreed to work on developing a curriculum.

That certainly reads like an endorsement of Wal-Mart to me. I mean, it's not bad enough that Tennessee taxpayers already subsidizes Wal-Mart's property taxes, and its health care plan; apparently, the state will now be in the business of doing its human resources work. The Tennessee Board of Regents would serve as an official Training and Outplacement Center for Wal-Mart.

So for anyone hoping that there might be tax relief in his second term, or that there might be a living wage or fair wage proposal, here's your answer.

(Yes, this is election season. Yes, I generally back Bredesen. But this is the sort of thing which I find infuriating about him on matters of policy.)

and South Korea...

Sy Schlueter, chief executive of investment house Copernicus in Hamburg, said Wal-Mart had trouble winning over German consumers, who tend to be very price-focused and would rather drive to a different store if they know they can buy something cheaper. National discounters such as Lidl GmbH and Aldi Einkauf GmbH put the heat on Wal-Mart's sales, he said, by offering the same products at competitive prices.

I thought that was what American consumers did, drive to a different store (i.e. Wal-Mart) to buy something cheaper. Either German discounters are more competitive than American discounters, or American consumers aren't really buying things cheaper.

Michael Silence has this warning for Tennessee motorists.

UPDATE: Oh, wait. Never mind. (By way of the Blab.)

I ordered some books from Amazon on July 10th. I was within a couple of bucks of qualifying for "free shipping", so I got a DVD I had been wanting. They estimated it would be delivered by the 22nd. Wow, that's a long time. But it's free, so I'll wait. Two weeks later, no stuff.

Today I was curious why I hadn't received my order. I checked the tracking info. It went out US Postal Service and was marked "undeliverable" on the 14th. No more entries, no more info, no contact from Amazon, no stuff, no nothing. I sent Amazon an e-mail, but haven't heard back.

Anyway, next time I'll forgo the "free shipping" and just pay the extra $5 or whatever for shipping via somebody reliable.

UPDATE: Looks like my bad. It was sent to an old address. I am pretty sure I changed it almost three years ago. And I don't remember seeing it on the confirmation page. When I reordered, it gave me a choice of three addresses - my old one, and two for my new one. Don't remember that before. Weird. At any rate, it was probably my error and I just wasn't paying attention.

Anyone in Blount County, particularly Alcoa, Rockford, 37803 and parts of Louisville, who is interested in home delivery of the Sunday New York Times, call Times Delivered at 696-8038. We're going to subscribe, and the more the merrier (and cost effective for the service providers). Tell a friend and tell a neighbor, too.

OK, now this bit of news feels intensely personal.

In what ranks as one of the more significant recent real estate transactions in Green Hills, five parcels of property containing numerous retail buildings have sold for about $20 million.

The bulk of the buildings is collectively known as Hillsboro Plaza, with the buyership group an entity derived from Nashville-based Brookside Properties Inc.

The deal, finalized in late May, comprises more than three acres located near the northeast intersection of Hillsboro and Richard Jones roads. It includes five buildings housing 22 retail tenants, among them Chinatown, Value Vision and Levy’s. A Brookside entity already owns the property and the building home to Men’s Warehouse.

It also houses Ginza, probably the best and baddest sushi bar in Green Hills. (Sumimasen, Shintomi! すみません!) And it also houses All-Seasons Gardening, which is about the only place in town you can go if you're a homebrewer and need those special Saaz hops or Belgian candi sugar or ready-to-pitch hefeweizen yeast. And it also houses one of the only independent donut bakeries in Green Hills -- heck, in Nashville. And it also houses Ten Thousand Villages, a fun and kitschy store with genuine fair trade goods from all over the world. And it also houses a Great Harvest Bakery, which is really the only place in Green Hills where you can go to get hearty breads fresh from the oven. There's also a good cigar store there, Uptown's Smoke Shop, if you're into that kind of thing.

Independent businesses comprise at least 80% of the trade there. Read more after the jump.

Please don't shoot anybody in the face once you read this.

Want to be sure that those pesky government auditors and compliance officials go away? Be sure to re-up your contribution to the GOP election campaigns!

President George W. Bush has bestowed on his intelligence czar, John Negroponte, broad authority, in the name of national security, to excuse publicly traded companies from their usual accounting and securities-disclosure obligations.

Sarbanes-Oxley? What's that?

I can't wait to see the next quarterly earnings reports from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Chevron, and Diebold.

Maybe even Raytheon and Northrup-Grumman can benefit. And now since the phone companies are in bed with the NSA, they can skimp on their audits too.

(Too bad this came too late to save Bush's buddy Ken Lay, huh? Who needs the creative accounting skills of Scott Sullivan and Andy Fastow when you just ... waive their compliance requirements? GENIUS!)

Oh, and of course, the grand-pappy of 'em all, Halliburton. They can't account for billions of borrowed dollars given to them by the government, so let's just wave the unitary executive wand and make the problem disappear!

I have a preview copy of the next Exxon quarterly earnings report, too. Wanna see?

The theft of private information on 26 million veterans is pretty shocking. Everybody is freaked out and everybody wants something done. The trouble is, the cows have left the barn, the cat is out of the bag, and so on. In other words, there is not much hope that anything can be done about this particular case, other than the hope that the criminals don't know what they have.

What can be done going forward is serious and strict regulation of consumer data. Instead, we have a system where private consumer data is a commodity, freely and legally traded in the open market. We also have giant holes in the security that is supposed to protect this data. This latest case is Exhibit A. It wasn't even a sophisticated, high-tech hack and crack job. It was just a simple burglary.

And what are the odds? This is either one of the most freakish statistical anomalies in history, or there are millions of computers in private homes across America containing sensitive data on millions of Americans, thus making it a statistical probability that one would eventually get stolen.

(UPDATE: Actually it happens often enough, so I guess there is just too much sensitive data floating around unsecured.)

The investigation ought to be interesting.

The VA says they are working with the Justice Department and everybody under the sun to review security policies and prevent future breaches. The trouble is, there was already a policy in place. Employees weren't supposed to take sensitive data home with them. All the policies in the world won't protect your data unless you vigorously enforce them.

And speaking of consumer protections and what Congress should be doing about identity theft, here's an interesting item.

From the Microsoft IE7 developer's blog: "We know that for customers to benefit from the work we put into the Phishing Filter, they have to trust us enough to use it." Make up your own jokes.

A citizen's health advocacy group says Sen. Dr. Frist conspired with the White House to engineer a secret midnight deal with pharmaceutical companies giving them broad protections against liability... in a defense bill.

Read more after the jump...