Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/319008
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2014 UCW 5 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Maybe it is because I have always been a girl — or a woman if that terminology appeals to you more — but it gets under my skin when I feel like a woman is being singled out unfairly, treated unequally, finds herself on the receiving end of snide behavior or otherwise gets the short end of the stick when she does not obviously deserve it. Such incidents are particularly galling when they come at the hands or from the mouths of boys grown into men. Take Hillary Clinton, for example. Even though he later tried to distance himself from his own remarks, Karl Rove did indeed suggest that Clinton might be brain damaged from a fall she sustained and received treatment for in December of 2012. What is more, the guy continues to repeat some version of his brain damage trial balloon, insisting that Clinton will have to "cough up" medical records at some point. Could this be a not-so-subtle political attack aimed at someone who may well run for President of the United States? You can bet the farm on that one. I, too, had a slight concussion from a fall last year. I tripped over Lilly the Lab in the middle of the night and conked my head hard enough to require eight stitches on my brow. Has anyone suggested I have brain damage? No, but I am not running for President either. Take Jill Abramson as another example. Until earlier this month, Abramson was managing editor of our nation's newspaper of record, The New York Times, the first and only woman to hold that lofty position. She was summarily fired by Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger, who had her escorted out on the spot. Accounts of why vary, but one leading contender is that Abramson was a bit crusty, caustic, short, too big for her britches for Sulzberger. Another contender holds that Abramson received less compensation than her immediate predecessor, a man, and asked Sulzberger about it. The Sulzberger family controls the Times, so it can hire, fire, and compensate as it sees fit. Nevertheless, something about Abramson did not suit, so out she went. Abramson herself has maintained her sense of humor, at least in public. Speaking to graduates at Wake Forest University last week, she put herself in the same shoes as many new college grads, saying she understands what it is like to be "dumped" and to be at loose ends in today's job market. My own take is that while we women may have come a long way, baby, men (and some women, for heaven's sake!) of the old guard just cannot give an "uppity" woman a pass, no matter how talented and capable she may be. ******************** The big get bigger and the small get smaller. That is definitely the case in North Carolina as our urban populations grow, and our rural ones shrink. U.S. Census figures show that while our state continues to grow briskly, 47 of our 100 counties lost population. Most, but not all, of these counties are in the poor northeastern corner of our state. The biggest winners are in and around the Triangle and Charlotte, although the coast seems to be drawing record numbers to the Wilmington area. Six of the 10 fastest growing counties lie between the Triangle and Fort Bragg. These numbers bode well for North Carolina's metropolitan areas and rightly scare the socks off boosters of small towns and rural areas. They are hemorrhaging both political clout and funding. ********************* And back to The New York Times for a moment. Gail Collins, one of its op-ed writers and a favorite of mine, recently penned a piece on state tourism slogans. Remember "Variety Vacationland," "Virginia is for Lovers" and "The Sunshine State?" Collins contends that focus group research and image consultants have so dumbed down state slogans that no one knows what they are trying to say. What the heck do slogans like Montana's "Get Lost," Texas' "It's Like a Whole Other Country," Idaho's "Adventures in Living," and Wisconsin's "Turn Up the Fun" actually mean? Several sound vaguely sinister, even scary. Another recent entry, which seems innocuous, perhaps even boring, is "Nebraska Nice." Neighboring Iowans, however, were not amused, and the next thing Nebraskans knew, Iowans were sporting tees reading, "Nebraska: Nice Try." Collins, who clearly misses the pithy slogans of yesteryear like Idaho's "Great Potatoes. Tasty Destinations" and Wisconsin's failed attempt to adopt "Eat Cheese or Die" has this to say. "After all, it's the states' wildly different self-images and sense of specialness that makes places like Congress so interesting." I think the girl is onto something. This, That and the Other by MARGARET DICKSON MARGARET DICKSON, Contributing Writer, COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com.. 910.484.6200. Contest&RequestLine: 910-764-1073 www.christian107.com KeepingtheMainThing...theMainThing. visitusonline FocusontheFamily 20Countdown Magazine Adventures in Odyssey Serving Fayetteville Over 50 Years! 484-0261 1304 Morganton Rd. Mon-Sat: 6am-10pm Sun: 7am-2:30 pm Daily Specials • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Fresh Seafood • Hand Cut Steaks • Homemade Desserts • Italian & Greek • Children's Menu Banquet rooms available up to 100 guests Until earlier this month, Jill Abramson was managing editor of our nation's newspaper of record, the New York Times, the first and only woman to hold that lofty position.