Bogey: By President Obama, for brokering the lame-brained deal that makes the United Auto Workers the principal owner of the now-bankrupt automaker Chrysler Corp. It was the aggressive and demanding labor union -- with its exorbitant wages and cradle-to-grave benefit plans -- that helped put the storied car company on the brink of extinction in the first place. Even worse, the president's proposal dumps the secured creditors who loaned the company cash in favor of the unsecured employees -- a move that reverses decades of bankruptcy law. Here's hoping that Congress sees fit to cut off the billion-dollar bailout spigot and let us watch the spectacle of the Autoworkers negotiating with themselves.

Birdie: By artist Denise Baker, dancer Diana Turner-Forte, rock legend Craig Fuller and local band Stoney Creek for earning PineStraw magazine's coveted Piney Awards. These folks have contributed in numerous ways to the vibrant arts community here in the Sandhills. They will be honored at an event Friday at the Sunrise Theater. Congrats!