Tarheel Tavern #6

The way I see it, North Carolinians have three things to be thankful for this Sunday. The Tarheels are going to beat Illinois in the NCAA title game; it's a beautiful Carolina blue sky day, with the Bradford pears in bloom; and the sixth edition of the Tarheel Tavern has arrived.

It's the kind of day when a Chewie's heart soars, grateful that she lives here rather than, oh I don't know, Texas. Or Nebraska. Or New Jersey.

Sprinkled liberally (!) throughout our state are talented men and women who share their thoughts via blogs. It's my personal privilege to present some of their best work of the week here at Chewie World Order. Enjoy.

Rusty Sheridan gives us an amusing - and infuriating - glimpse at what happens when you take the time to contact your elected officials. Rusty, a filmmaker, is opposed to the North Carolina legislature granting special incentives to the film industry -- a fact which so befuddled some legislators that they thanked him for taking exactly the opposite view.

Al Redman of Satori In Stereo takes on the film Secret Window (based on a Stephen King novella, directed by David Koepp, starring Johnny Depp), and immediately takes it to task for doing something The Shining already did - and not doing it nearly as well.

The US Soldier is stationed in Iraq, and posts to Diary of a Soldier with the administrative help of his friend, blogger Patrick Eakes. This week the Soldier's attention is divided between the inexperienced soldiers who are learning about combat "on the job"; a memorial service - military style - for a fallen soldier who was killed while escorting his unit; and life back home, where a different kind of memorial, this one for a family member, is underway.

Bora Zivkovic of Science and Politics makes a comparison I bet you haven't thought of -- Bush and Milosevic -- in "Comparative Wingnuttery." Can politics trump science? It happened in Yugoslavia, says Bora, and it can happen here.

Jon Lowder's week started in the crappiest of ways, and perhaps moods. But witness the power of a few simple ingredients: kids, Kool-Aid, and hysterical laughter, and you have the makings for some of the greatest moments of your life.

Through the lens of his TV camera, Lenslinger bears witness to the funny, the tragic, the inane, the incomprehensible. On a good day, it must be like being a rock star. On bad days, it must be like being the tax collector. On days like this, I am glad that he's there. Not because he's acquiring the footage, but because he reminds me that there is still such a thing as journalistic ethics, and for that, I'm really grateful.

The Dirty Greek says that we should be afraid - very afraid - of capitulating to those who would like the "theory" of evolution to just go away - this time, from our IMAX screens.

Ron Hudson of 2sides2ron recounts the hot, humid day he was just doing his job, and got dragged into the middle of a decades-old score that had never been settled in "Have You Got the Time?" It's a story of a pocket watch, a bet, and race relations in eastern North Carolina.

Lance McCord sees Greensboro, day and night, through his camera lens. No matter how long you've lived here, you've never seen it from this perspective.

Pratie Place is always a nice place to visit, pull up a chair, and set a while. This week Melinama speaks with Gene Medler about the origins of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble, and uncovers an amazing story of how life sometimes just happens to you, despite your plans otherwise, and leads you to somewhere you are needed, appreciated, and meant to be.

Over at Nearest Distant Shore, April 1st triggers memories, both near and distant, of a child who is anxious to grow up, but who has inherited his family's love of reminiscing; and of the great-grandmother he never got to meet, but whose love and presence seems especially evident in the spring, the "season for growing things."

Phin's father taught him that "there's no need to get into a pissing contest with a skunk" -- yet there's no way that he can let the skunk have the last word on this one. Proving that you don't have to sink to the skunk's level by spraying back, Phin instead chooses the weapon of rational language to point out that blaming others for your problems, and generalizing about half the population of the planet, isn't likely to win converts to your argument.

[Smack!] If you're hungry, you'd better avoid the pictures and the descriptions offered up over at Pirate's Cove. If you're a recently transplanted Yankee, you'd better go there, now, and learn about the proper preparation and grammatical usage of the sacred noun, "barbecue". Pork shoulder. Fork. Bun. Hush puppies. Slaw. Brunswick stew. Sweet tea. PIGGIE. I'm hungry. See what you did, William?

Mark Childrey and Ken Echols host a live program every Monday night at 9pm on WGSR-TV in Reidsville. This week, on the show's official blog, Mark gets the word out about a Ponzi scheme (translation: scam) involving a Reidsville insurance agent and a company called Mobile Billboards of America. Nationwide, this scam has cost its victims $60.5 million - including $28,500 from the pocket of a Reidsville retiree. The purpose of Mark's post is "to keep others from getting into the same situation," and it includes a link to the Reidsville Review's coverage of the same story. Thanks Mark.

Ogre, of Ogre's Politics and Views, must be smiling today. The sun is shining, the sky is a beautiful Carolina blue, and the temperature is in the balmy 60's. It's exactly as he describes it: the weather in North Carolina can't be beat. For those unfortunate enough to live elsewhere, he even provides the meteorological data to back up his assertion. Me, I just opened my window and let in some beautiful Carolina air. Who could argue with that?

Over at Suspended Reality, Scott has grown just a wee bit tired of the "food police" who would like to control his food choices - say, by eliminating items such as the new Enormous Omelet Sandwich from Burger King. What's wrong with all things in moderation, Scott asks, even the EOS? And besides -- railing against food porn just gives fast food outlets what they really crave the most -- publicity.