Up & Coming Weekly

NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD A severe but underappreciated American drug problem (sometimes deadly and often expensive) is patients’ failure to take prescribed medications — even to save their own lives (such as with anti-coagulants or cholesterol- regulating statins). In recent pilot programs, according to a June New York Times report, compliance rates have been signifi cantly improved — by giving patients money ($50 to $100 a month, sometimes more) if they remember to take their drugs. Data show that, indeed, such compliance subsidies reduce society’s overall health care costs by preventing expensive hospital admissions. Beyond health care costs is the social benefi t when violent schizophrenics take their meds and refrain from attacking people. [New York Times, 6-13-01] GOVERNMENT IN ACTION Labor unions’ sweet, recession-proof contract with the New York City area’s severely cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority last year provided 8,074 blue-collar workers (conductors, engineers, repairmen, etc.) with six-fi gure compensation, including about 50 who earned $200,000 or more. Researchers cited by The New York Times in April found that one Long Island Rail Road conductor made $239,148, about $4,000 more than the MTA’s chief fi nancial offi cer and about $48,000 short of being the highest-paid person in the entire system. Included in some of the fat payouts for LIRR locomotive engineers was special “penalty” pay (about $94,600 in one case) for engineers who are required to move a train to a different location from its normal assignment. [New York Times, 6-3-10] Arizona (viewed by some as hard- hearted for its April law stepping up its vigilance for illegal immigrants) showed a soft side recently, implementing a $1.25 million federal grant that it believes will save the lives of at least fi ve squirrels a year. The state’s 250 endangered Mount Graham red squirrels risk becoming roadkill on Route 366 near Pima, and the state is building a rope bridge for them to add to several existing tunnels. [ABC News, 6-17-10] GREAT ART At a June concert in Australia’s Sydney Opera House, American musicians Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed performed Anderson’s 20-minute, very-high-pitched composition, “Music for Dogs,” an arrangement likely to have been largely unmelodious to humans, who generally cannot hear such high pitches, but of more interest to dogs, who can. (Dogs were permitted in the audience, but news reports were inconclusive about their level of enjoyment.) [New York Times, 6-3-10] COPYRIGHT 2010 CHUCK SHEPHERD WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM WEEKLY HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY ARIES (March 21-April 19) One branch does not control the whole tree. If you fi nd yourself obsessing over one thing that is not going as you want it to, bring your attention back to what is re- ally essential. There is much to enjoy about your life and its process. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You’ll be offering something to the world. Your offer may be projected in the form of an e-mail, an adver- tisement or an energy that’s jumping off of you. Before you send out the attention-getting message, ask yourself: Do I have the resources to respond to the opportunities or challenges I’m likely to get back?. GEMINI (May 21-June 21) Children, students and others you are responsible for may come across as being exceptionally needy this week. Look for appropriate times to encourage self-reliance. By backing off, you provide an opening for them to fi nd courage and listen to their own hearts. CANCER (June 22-July 22) Your natural sensi- tivity to what others are going through will allow you to effectively respond to the needs of others. You may even have the healing touch. The trick is to give of yourself without compromising your personal boundaries. Make sure your needs are met, too. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Your responsibilities will prevent you from doing exactly what you want. This is how it is. It makes no sense to resent the schedule. Instead, give yourself over to it en- tirely. Resolve to have a blast fulfi lling your duty. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You have dear friends whom you’ve known a long time. They have seen you grow, and they have changed, too. Your paths sometimes diverge. This doesn’t have to make such a big difference in your relationships, though. You don’t have to be alike in all things to be able to ap- preciate and enjoy one another. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Those around you will be reminded that from time to time you can be intense. It’s an attractive part of your character, but only because it happens so rarely. But know when to turn it off. For the most part, a life devoid of extremes will suit you well. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) You’ll come across some who need your gentle guidance to understand how to share. Your example of give and take may be all it takes to teach these people how best to cooperate and get along. Stay compassionate and be patient. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Every crea- ture on earth has a purpose. This is true whether or not you feel particularly on course. There will be times when you don’t — ditto for the earth- worm and the bird, and yet they do their thing and contribute to the earth’s harmony. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Because certain things haven’t worked out in the past, you now feel a greater need for control. Some things do need to be managed, and you’re the perfect person to do it. But this method will get tiring, so change your belief that others are incompetent. Expect them to be competent instead. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Misery might love company, but joy draws a crowd. Your knack for winning people over relies on a long- refi ned technique of irresistible magnetism. The magnet is powered by a basic sense of joy. You love people, and people love you back. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) You’ll heal a rela- tionship this week using one of your superpow- ers — emotional fl exibility. Like a tree bending over in a windstorm without breaking, you have gone to great lengths and compromises to make things work. Yielding is not your favorite thing to do, but for a little while, it will prove to be the most effective. By Holiday Mathis A House Not So Divided ADVICE GODDESS Home Invasion Is Where the Heart Is A girl in my college accounting class came to my mom’s house, where I live, to study with me for a test. While she was there, burglars broke in, made us strip to our underwear, then bound and gagged us. We were tied in chairs, back to back, but were able to hold hands. (We weren’t hurt, and my mom came home and untied us a couple hours later.) I’ve always been attracted to this woman, but she has a boyfriend. However, our experience intensifi ed my crush. Are feelings generated in a trauma legitimate? Should I make my feelings known? —Rope Burns Sorry I took so long answering your question, but I got abducted by aliens and they didn’t have Wi-Fi on the mothership. If you’ll believe me, I’ll believe you.              3006 Bragg Blvd. Fayetteville, NC 910.323.1791 ALL TEAM SPORTS          Mention this ad and receive 20% OFF* your next team purchase. *Restrictions apply. “TWO are better than ONE”  5613 Rockfish Road Hope Mills, NC 910.609.1791 It is possible that danger amped up your feelings of attraction. The intuitive explanation is that you bonded over a shared scary experience. It’s hypothesized by researchers (but not yet well supported by evi- dence) that there’s “misattribution of arousal”: mistak- ing revved-up feelings from a scary situation for feelings of attraction. Anthropologist Helen Fisher speculates in Why We Love that “danger is novel to most of us” and “novelty elevates levels of dopamine — the chemical associated with romantic love.” (That was your brain on accounting … this is your brain on drugs.) You can make your feelings known to this girl, but you for sure shouldn’t make an announcement. Proclaiming your interest will not only be embar- rassing for both of you, she’s sure to tell you what you already know — that she has a boyfriend — and leave it at that. Instead, take her out for drinks and try to kiss her afterward. She can always turn you down, and you can always blame it on the alcohol and go back to being study buddies. Act like it isn’t a big deal, and it shouldn’t be (avoid the temptation to lean over your textbook and ask, “Get tied up here often?”). Then again, if she likes kissing you, she might end up “confused” about her relationship — which is the gateway drug to maybe ending it and seeing if there’s anything “legitimate” with you. If girlfriend-poaching is against your principles, you could say something to her -- not in some big pronouncement-type way, but with an offhand remark: “Hey, if you ever ditch that boyfriend of yours, I’d love to take you out for dinner and a mugging.” Amy Alkon (c)2010, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. JULY 21-27, 2010 UCW 27

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