Monroe Trout takes on the whole notion of patriotism and security vs. freedom in his Guest Column. Jack Neely wonders in Secret History why St. Paddy's Day has fallen into paradelessness, and Stephanie Piper's Midpoint concludes that real "reality TV" was Fred Rogers' domain.Citybeat
Bill Carey finds that if a business has a big enough marketing budget, there's money to be made from the visiting bowlers, and Mike Gibson reports on the town of Farragut's potential fiscal shortfalls in the face of looming state budget cuts.
Cover * WHAT'S UP IN THE SMOKIES?
Barry Henderson takes a hike through the national park's decade of volunteerism and makes the case that its fans—young and old, rich and of modest means—are doing things for the park that its parents in the federal government are shirking. Private contributions in time and money are gradually becoming the park's dominant theme, now paying a full fifth of the cost of keeping the park in shape.
Gamut * SHORT TIME FOR SMALL RECORDING STUDIOS
Small rural recording studios have made regional recording possible, allowing scores of long-forgotten acts to make albums. But with the increasing affordability of home-recording, some musicians are opting for the do-it-yourself approach. Are small studios facing the end of days? Joe Tarr visits a couple of nearby studios and asks.
Music
Leslie Wylie recounts what it's like to be a staple in local hard-rock fans' diets—as shadowWax is.
Backstage
Carousel Theatre's Midwives raises difficult questions of morality and family, Paige M. Travis learns.
Pulp
Some girls find fluffy love while others find serial monogamy in new books by Meggin Cabot and Carina Chocano, reports Julia Watts.
Movies
The Movie Guru (in this case, Jack Neely) thoroughly trashes The Guru, a sex-farce-cum-Bollywood-extravanganza. Movie Blurbs, pg. 26: The Metro Pulse movie blurbs: "Where have all the good gurus gone?"ª
SpotlightsCelebrate the 34th annual Jubilee Festival at the Laurel Theatre, visit storytimes at local bookstores, or catch Dame Darcy's weird 'n' wonderful show at the Pilot Light.
News of the Weird by Chuck Shepherd
Crossword by Montford Manassas
View from A Broad by Tamar Wilner. What's an Oxford bop?
Classifieds