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/964044
APRIL 11-17, 2018 UCW 31 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM WEEKLY HOROSCOPE NEWS OF THE WEIRD by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication I am not dead yet! Constantin Reliu, 63, appealed unsuc- cessfully to a court in Barlad, Romania, in March to overturn a death certificate that his wife had obtained after not hearing from him for more than a decade. Ac- cording to e Guardian, Reliu left Roma- nia for Turkey in 1992 to look for employ- ment, but neglected to keep in touch with his family. In 2003, Reliu's wife, believing he had died in an earthquake in Turkey, argued in court for a death certificate, which didn't come to light until Reliu was deported back to Romania because of expired papers in Turkey. Upon his arrival, immigration officers explained to Reliu that he had died in 2003. His appeal failed, as the court maintained he was too late, and the rul- ing is final, leaving Reliu in an odd state of limbo. "I am officially dead, although I'm alive," Reliu told Romanian media outlets. "I have no income, and because I am listed dead, I can't do anything." [e Guardian, 3/16/2018] Divine intervention Destiny Church in Columbia, Mary- land, tried a novel approach to attract new members to its congregation. On March 4, the church gave away five used cars to "demonstrate God's unbelievable, no-strings-attached goodness," accord- ing to e Washington Post. e idea was hatched to increase attendance at the church's new location after several years meeting in a high school auditorium. "Who doesn't need a new car?" asked Sandy Dobson, who came with her son. "Different people have different things that bring them to Christ, to church. It doesn't always have to be traditional methods." Pastor Stephen Chandler added that Jesus himself taught that giveaways are guaranteed to draw a crowd: e biggest gatherings Christ preached to came on the two times he distributed free loaves and fishes. [Washington Post, 3/4/2018] Restoring faith in humanity The Rev. Alex Santora of Our Lady of Grace Church in Hoboken, New Jersey, called local police on March 14 when a suspicious package was delivered to the house of worship. But after officers from the Hoboken Police Department declared it to be safe, church staff found a surprising delivery inside: a baby Jesus statue that had been stolen from the church's Nativity scene about 90 years ago. WPIX-TV reported that an unsigned note inside the package explained: The statue was stolen when the note- writer's mother was a young girl, and it became a sort of heirloom in her family. When she died, it was passed on to the note-writer, who thought it should be returned. [WPIX-TV, 3/16/2018] ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, you may have to admit that the master plan you have set up has a few flaws. You don't have to abandon it, just modify. ese modifications may be relatively simple. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Pisces, you may think that you have missed an important opportunity, but don't get too worried just yet. With a few new strategies, you can regain your momentum. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, you may be easily swayed this week by someone who is smooth-talking. Figure out if this person can be believed or not, but give them a chance. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 You may find yourself in a position where you can take on a leadership role, Cancer. Do not hesitate to jump onboard because this can be just what's needed for your career. LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 Responsibilities will soon be easier to handle, Leo. Not because the tasks are less difficult, but because you have more people on your side helping you out. VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 Planning a vacation can be almost as fun as traveling, Virgo. When someone asks for your help drawing up a travel itinerary, put all of your effort into the task. LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 Some sort of breakthrough in your life is soon to become a reality, Libra. It may be a finan- cial windfall or a new job opportunity. Keep your eyes open to any and all possibilities. SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 You can achieve great things this week, Scorpio. Ultimately, your accomplishments depend on how much you can focus on the tasks at hand. e ball is in your court. SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, you are on the move this week, but it is best to have a plan and not leave things to chance. Look ahead to all the pos- sible scenarios that have the potential to trip you up. CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, it is easy to get carried away with an idea. Just do not mistake obsession for focus. You need to pace yourself if you are going to be effective. AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 You may need to postpone something you had hoped to finish this week, Aquarius. As long as it does not get pushed too far onto the back burner you should be fine. PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, a setback of some kind may occur this week. Don't get too worried just yet. Adver- sity can be a learning experience. Question: I have noticed that "SEAL Team" is now showing the team dog [Cerberus, played by Dita, a Belgian Ma- linois] a lot more. I really enjoy it, even if it is just a group shot of the team mov- ing somewhere. Do you think that since "Downward Dog," producers are noticing that people like the dog involvement? – Unsigned Matt Roush: It's fair to say that dogs make everything better, and K9 war dogs are a special breed deserving of attention--I recommend the HBO documentary War Dog--but I'm pretty sure none of this has much to do with my beloved Downward Dog. Question: A reader suggested there be a show about a "quirky interesting woman" helping a man solve a crime – isn't that Jessica Fletcher on "Murder She Wrote"? – Unsigned Matt Roush: Well, maybe. I considered this in answering that part of the ques- tion, but the subject was more about the formula nature of crime-fighting teams. And while Jessica (the great Angela Lans- bury) did have allies among the various sheriffs of Cabot Cove and police depart- ments wherever she traveled, she was really more of a lone wolf (fox?). And I agree with those in the comments who called out "Bones" as an exemplar of the "quirky" female expert helping what was essentially the straight man (in Booth) solve crimes. To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com. by Damian Holbrook Cheers to "Nailed It!" for, well, nailing it! Between hilariously fresh host Nicole Byer and the amateur cooks who just can't stand the heat, Netflix's bakingfails competition is the kind of TV treat that begs to be binged and will leave you craving even more. Jeers to "Rise" for falling flat. NBC's drama about a high-school produc- tion of the racy musical "Spring Awakening" comes from the folks behind "Friday Night Lights," but the weird mix of song, dance, preachy speeches and downer plots (boozy teens, homewrecker moms) makes this thing feel more like an off-key "Glee" gone bad.