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: https://www.epageflip.net/i/109021
NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD California activist Jonathan Frieman finally got his day in court in January, but a Marin County judge quickly rejected his argument that he is entitled to use the state's carpool lanes accompanied only by a sheath of corporate papers in the passenger seat. (During the 2012 Republican primaries, Mitt Romney famously asserted a corporation's general right under the law to be treated as a "person.") The judge decided that the state legislature's carpool law was intended only to reduce traffic clutter and that driving with no passenger except corporate papers was unrelated to that goal. Frieman told reporters that he had been carrying the papers around for years, hoping to be challenged. [San Francisco Chronicle, 1-8-2013] Cultural Diversity The U.S. Congress may suffer dismal popularity ratings (less savory than head lice, according to one survey), but it is saintly compared to India's legislatures, which contain six accused rapists at the state level and two in the national parliament. Thirty-six local officials, as well, have been charged Chuck Sheppard with sexual assault (according to India's Association for Democratic Reforms). In fact, the association reported in December that 162 of the lower house of Parliament's 552 members currently face criminal charges. The problem is compounded by India's notoriously paralyzed justice system, which practically ensures that the charges will be unresolved for years, if not decades. [Wall Street Journal, 12-30-2012] Many Japanese men seem to reject smartphones in favor of a low-tech 2002 Fujitsu cellphone, according to a January Wall Street Journal dispatch — because it can help philanderers keep their affairs from lovers' prying eyes. The phones lack sophisticated tracking features — plus, a buried "privacy" mode gives off only stealth signals when lovers call and leaves no trace of calls, texts or emails. A senior executive for Fujitsu said, "If Tiger Woods had (this phone), he wouldn't have gotten in trouble." [Wall Street Journal, 1-11-2013] China's national legislature passed a law in December to establish that people have a duty to visit their aged parents periodically. China's rapid urbanization has not developed nursing homes and similar facilities to keep pace with the population, and sponsors of the law said it would give the parents a legal right to sue their children for ignoring them. [Associated Press, 12-28-2012] COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK SHEPHERD WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM WEEKLY HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY For the Week of February 17, 2013 ARIES (March 21-April 19) Work isn't the only place where you implement new methods. Domestic life also benefits from a fresh approach. You'll question everything and restructure your daily life based on the answers. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Others may be trying shortcuts and finding loopholes, but don't waste your time with these pursuits. There is little to be gained by ignoring the rules and regulations. It's simpler and more profitable to follow the instructions. GEMINI (May 21-June 21)It seems to you a person shouldn't have to learn how to relax. Relaxation is, after all, a lack of effort. However easy that might seem, it is trickier than it sounds. But the more you are exposed to a situation the easier it will be to let down your guard and trust the flow. CANCER (June 22-July 22) You would rather your loved ones not go all soft with mushy sentimentality. What you really want to hear is true appreciation. You want to know that they see you for who you are and that they know how hard you work for a good outcome. You'll get just the evidence you need this week. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Misery is not the only emotion that loves company. It is more comfortable to be around people whose feelings resonate at either the same tone or a tone complementary to your own. This is true of any emotion. This week you'll have no problem finding people you "vibe" with. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You may feel that you are being squeezed in some way, but this is just the trigger you need to get started on that daunting task. Once you start, you'll realize that some stress is actually good for you. You'll accomplish quite a lot before the next Mercury retrograde. ADVICE GODDESS Indignation Wants to Be Free LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Learning to love yourself is harder than loving another person. It's also the single most essential thing you can do to cultivate healthy relationships. This week brings opportunities to be your own supportive parent — kind and positive, giving yourself all you need to feel happy. What are your thoughts on gently dissuading a person from making a total fool of herself on Facebook? A woman I know had her husband leave her for the woman he was cheating on her with. She's been venting about this almost daily SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) When you stop to consider what you're really afraid of, you'll discover on Facebook, in sometimes blistering that you're not afraid at all. Rather, you're falling detail, and I'm truly embarrassed for her. into a pattern of worry because it's what you've She's looking for a job, and a prospective done before. New ideas will interrupt the worry employer could see these posts (as could pattern and you'll put your energy to better use. potential future boyfriends). Shockingly, SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Put yourself in circumstances that require you to come up with not one of her 443 Facebook friends has suggested she put a lid on it. inventive answers. Socializing is a creative act. When you are being creative, you are being your — Concerned Acquaintance true self. Make it a point to spend time with those you don't know. If you saw a blind man about to step off the curb into speeding traffic, you'd probably tap him on the shoulder and say, "You know, that seems like a bad idea." A similar approach seems in order for a friend in a blind rage wandering naked into Internet traffic. With AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) The movies have Facebook's confusing and ever-changing it wrong. Real love isn't about heartache and privacy settings and complication. Real love is light and joyful. It feels every computer like sunshine and sounds like laughter. What is the user's ability to take point in fantasizing about anything else? screenshots or copy PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) It's possible for and paste text, it's people to take too many risks and live foolishly, but most people don't take enough. That's why the best to assume that Amy Alkon risk takers always stand out. They spark something everything you post daring inside all who witness their feats. You'll be has the default visibility of "everyone on such a person this week. You'll put your emotions, earth." pride and money on the line. You'll inspire. Now, it's possible that others have By Holiday Mathis privately messaged her, noting that staying connected can sometimes be the quickest way to alienate yourself from future boyfriends and employers. It's also possible many are frozen by what social psychologists call "the bystander effect" — how being in a crowd (or even just imagining being in one) seems to lessen the likelihood that people will help a person in need. People will assume that someone else in the crowd will intervene or, if they haven't, that there's good reason they haven't. (Maybe that's what went on here — or maybe all these "friends" are just too entertained by the carnage to ask her to stop.) Of course, people are also less likely to speak up when it might make somebody angry with them, which, in this case, could lead to their unfriending on Facebook and in reallifebook, too. If you're willing to risk that, message her, sympathize about what she's going through, and gently remind her that even if she isn't vying to be secretary of state, those heading the "confirmation hearings" for her next job are sure to have access to the Internet. This isn't to say employers won't look at people who engage in social media overshare, but it's best that their interest isn't expressed with "Forget her resume. Check out this YouTube video of her shoveling horse poo on her husband's car and lighting it on fire!" CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Research has proved that intermittent reward systems are a more compelling system of reinforcement than predictable ones. You crave something precisely because it's hard to come by. This week, you'll come back for another taste of what you want, but you'll have to do something new to get it. Amy Alkon all rights reserved. FEBRUARY 13-19, 2013 UCW 19