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/374314
SEPTEMBER 3-9, 2014 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM ADVICE GODDESS Beard Death Experience This adorable, smart, funny guy I'm dating was clean-shaven when we first met, but for the past three weeks, he hasn't shaved much. He has this really weird facial hair pattern (like patches on his cheeks that haven't filled in well), and I don't find it attractive. I didn't know how to bring this up, so I mentioned it to my roommate, and she volunteered to "casually" mention it. So, last week when he and I were having drinks before going out, she popped into the room and said, "Hey, Brad…still growing that beard? I think you look a lot better clean- shaven." He seemed put off, and we went out to dinner shortly afterward, but the whole evening felt a bit weird. And he still has this patchy facial hair thing going on. — Mangy Situation Maybe his facial hair is just scared. Like the groundhog, it came up, saw its shadow, and ducked, terrified, back into his face. Nobody wants to be the one to tell a guy that his attempted sexy-man scruff is a ringer for a Hobbit's feet or plant life struggling up after a nuclear winter. But as uncomfortable as saying something would have been for you, it had to be far more uncomfortable for him to have your roommate do it, especially right in front of you. As psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker points out in The Stuff of Thought, we all get that people say stuff behind our backs, but we can let it go unremarked — that is, if nobody knows that we know (that something was said about us). But, Pinker explains, once some disparagement becomes "mutual knowledge" — when others know that we know what was said — we lose face if we don't do anything about it. And unfortunately, in this case, after your roommate said something, probably the only thing he could do to avoid looking like her puppetboy was to stubbornly avoid shaving that comb-over he's been rocking on his face. Let some time pass, and then tell him yourself, in a way that doesn't come off like criticism. Pet his beard, and say you think he looks good that way but you love his skin and feeling his face is sexy. What he'll hear: He'll spend more time in bed with his chick if he spends more time in the bathroom with his Schick. WEEKLY HOROSCOPES ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, take the high road when you find yourself in the midst of a disagreement with a friend. It may be tempting to stick to your guns, but the disagreement is nothing too significant. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Much is going on, Taurus, and you have trouble zeroing in on a focal point. Unless you make a list of all you want to accomplish, you may get lost in the shuffle. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 You sometimes change your moods on a whim, Gemini. But lately you have been more steadfast in your convictions. This behavior will continue for some time. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Don't make any rash moves in the next few days, Cancer. For whatever reason your common sense meter is a little off. You may want to run ideas past a trusted friend for a while. LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, unless you try you will never be able to tell if something is within your capabilities. Do not be afraid to fail. It's better than putting in no effort at all. VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, you're wearing your heart on your sleeve this week. Don't worry, as your willingness to share your emotions will endear you to others. LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 There are only so many hours in the day, Libra. You need to pick and choose your activities accordingly. You likely will not be able to squeeze everything in. SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, if you want to get involved in something, then by all means give it your best shot. If it's something foreign to you, let others take the reigns until you're more comfortable. SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 A new perspective is all you need to feel better this week, Sagittarius. A change of scenery or even looking to an old friend for advice can make a real difference. CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 The friends you thought you could count on turn out to be the real deal, Capricorn. Just see what they have in store for you this week. You will be so surprised. AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 It is okay to have strong opinions, Aquarius. But respect the opinions of others who may disagree with your point of view. Learn how to walk away from pointless situations. PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 There's more to the story than meets the eye, Pisces. Quick judgement may land you in hot water. Wait for the dust to settle. NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD Up-and-coming Sicilian mobster Domenico Palazzotto, 28, was outed in August by Italy's L'Espresso magazine as the owner of an ineffectively pseudonymous Facebook page showing off his muscled, bare-chested body and perhaps recruiting members. One fan asked, "Do I need to send a (resume)?" "Yes, brother," came the reply. "We need to consider your criminal record. We do not take people with clean records." Palazzotto operates out of Palermo and listed among his "likes" the singer Kenny Loggins. Similarly young, body-obsessed Egyptian jihadist/gym member Islam Yaken, according to his postings on Facebook-type social media sites, is a law school graduate fluent in English, French and Arabic, allowing him to describe the particular viciousness that he and his brothers and sisters will wreak upon infidels. [Daily Telegraph (London), 8-3-2014] [Daily Telegraph (London), 8-6-2014] Can't Possibly Be True A jury's murder conviction, and the 15-to-life sentence it carried, against Daniel Floyd in Brooklyn, New York, for a 2008 killing went for naught in July when the Brooklyn Supreme Court ordered a retrial (with witnesses forced to testify all over again). The sole reason the court cited was a decision by the trial judge on the first day — to seat the potential jury pool and not Floyd's mother, who, because she was temporarily left standing that first day, argued successfully that her son's right to a "public" trial had been violated. [New York Post, 7-28-2014] I (Heart) Strangers: Two age- 30ish men knocked on the door of a Sebastian, Texas, woman at 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 3, asking for water and if they could please come inside to charge their cellphone — and the woman apparently cheerfully invited them in, later offering them use of her backyard shed to grab some sleep. She did not learn until a short time later, when a law enforcement manhunt widened into her neighborhood, that they were wanted for murdering a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Officers arrested the pair inside the shed. [KRGV-TV (Weslaco, Texas), 8-5-2014] Amy Alkon Chuck Sheppard