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.
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NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD In the public libraries of Seattle (as in most public libraries), patrons are not allowed to eat or sleep (or even appear to be sleeping) or be shirtless or barefoot or have bad body odor or talk too loudly — because other patrons might be disturbed. However, in Seattle, as the Post-Intelligencer reported in September, librarians do permit patrons to watch hardcore pornography on public computers, without apparent restriction, no matter who (adult or child) is walking by or sitting inches away at the next screen (although librarians politely ask porn-watchers to consider their neighbors). Said a library spokesperson: "(P)atrons have a right to view constitutionally protected material no matter where they are in the building, and the library does not censor." [Seattle PostIntelligencer, 9-8-2013] Cultural Diversity Japan and Korea seem to be the birthplaces in the quest for youthful and beautiful skin, with the latest "elixir" (as usual, based on traditional, centuries-old beliefs) being snail mucus — applied by specially Chuck Sheppard bred live snails that slither across customers' faces. The Clinical Salon in central Tokyo sells the 60-minute Celebrity Escargot Course session for the equivalent of about $250 and even convinced a London Daily Telegraph reporter to try one in July. (Previously, News of the Weird has informed readers of Asian nightingale-feces facials and live-fish pedicures.) [Daily Telegraph, 7-13-2013] Unclear on the Concept: Among people earnestly devoted to palmistry (the foretelling of the future by "expert" examination of the inner surface of the hand), a few in Japan have resorted to what seems like cheating: altering their palm lines with cosmetic surgery. According to a July Daily Beast dispatch from Tokyo, Dr. Takaaki Matsuoka is a leading practitioner, preferring an electric scalpel over laser surgery in that the latter more often eventually heals over, obviously defeating the purpose. He must be careful to add or move only the lines requested by the patient (e.g., "marriage" line, "romance" line, "money-luck" line, "financial" success line). [TheDailyBeast.com, 7-12-2013] Latest Religious Messages Iran's INSA news service reported in January that officials in Shiraz had acquired a finger-amputation machine to perhaps streamline the gruesome punishment often meted out to convicted thieves. (A masked enforcer turns a guillotine-like wheel to slice off the finger in the manner of a rotary saw.) Iran is already known for its reliance on extreme Islamic Sharia, which prescribes amputations, public lashings and death by stoning, and Middle East commentators believe the government will now step up its amputating of fingers, even for the crime of adultery. [Daily Telegraph (London), 1-28-2013] COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK SHEPHERD 46 UCW OCTOBER. 2-8, 2013 BY WEEKLY HOROSCOPES 2013 HOLIDAY For the Week of September 29, ARIES (March 21-April 19) Your spirit of adventure allows you to welcome change, and in the process, you'll make the more nervous types around you feel more comfortable with the inevitable adjustments that need to be made. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) The difference between success and failure lies on either side of your head. Listen carefully to what people need and want. You can only tweak your offerings to meet the demand if you understand what the demand is in the first place. GEMINI (May 21-June 21) When you were small someone looked out for you and kept you safe. Now you'll do the same for a person who for one reason or another needs a guardian. Knowing that you can take care of yourself and others is a very secure feeling. CANCER (June 22-July 22) It's not your fault that you were hardwired as a social creature. Besides, some degree of people-pleasing will help you get where you want to go. Just keep it in check. Moderation will serve you well. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Keep in mind that constant chatter is a sign of insecurity. If you're going to err, it's better to err on the side of mystery. Also, someone will entrust you with privileged information and expect you to stay tight-lipped. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) "Fantasy you" visits your mental landscape this week. Is this vision in your head empowering or belittling to your psyche? It depends on how far away you are from this version of you. It's likely you will have to let go of who you think you should be in order to be (and love) who you are. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Avoid trying to solve problems that no one asked you to solve. Many times people talk about their problems because they just want to let off steam. Connection is about sharing an emotion, not about fixing things. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) You are knowledgeable and have much to share, but the people you'll converse with don't need your information. What they want from you is an exchange of emotion. You'll fall into a happy rhythm and relate very well to those around you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You'll plan well and prepare for many possible outcomes. Still, there are things you can't control and predict. Living with uncertainty is a kind of art form. Throw up your hands and make something beautiful out of the unbridled energy and unexpected results. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You're looking for a strategy that will heal a part of your life that isn't working right. Back off and trust that your life is like your body: It built itself, and it knows how to mend itself, too. You just have to give it the space and time to do that. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) There are people who believe that life is messy. You go for your broom. You might not be able to permanently fix the problem, but you can arrange your emotional and physical environments in a more organized state. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Self-control is a virtue, but don't go overboard. People like the wild card — that's you. Don't worry about making a mistake. It could be what brings people together after the momentary embarrassment has passed. By Holiday Mathis Good Morning Fayetteville with Goldy & Jim W Weekday Mornings 6-10 a.m. Talk Line: 910-864-6400 Local News, Weather, Traffic & Sports ADVICE GODDESS Office Despot I just started a new job. My boss and I were having a meeting, and he started asking me about my personal life — whether I have a boyfriend, who I live with. No biggie. He then began grilling me as to why I don't have a boyfriend and whether I've ever had one. I started deflecting these prying questions back to him, and he told me that he lives only with his younger brother, so he understands me well. Weird, but whatever. Well, it turns out he actually has a wife and a 4-year-old daughter! This isn't my first experience with managerial prying, either. In a previous job, my married manager scheduled after-work "meetings" with me, delving into non-work topics. When I'd go to leave, he'd say, "Sit down! You have nowhere to be!" My exit statement every time? "Uh, well … I have to change my cat's litter." I'm definitely leaving this job. My last boss was an ethical kinda guy, and that's the kind of person I want to work for. Amy Alkon — Creep Inc. Employee Wayne State University law professor Kingsley Browne explains in Biology at Work that the hostile environment type of sexual harassment involves a work environment permeated with sexuality. Browne told me via email: The legal question is whether the harassment is sufficiently severe or pervasive, and the way you show that something is pervasive is to show that there's a lot of it. There's probably no need for things to get to that point. As for your approach, if you'd like a role model, think more Sigourney Weaver in Aliens than Bambi in Bambi. This doesn't mean you pull out your flamethrower every time some guy says, "Hey, nice dress." You just need to be firm and immediate in shutting down any situation that's uncomfortable for you, and you did a superb job of that the last time. You didn't go limp or hysterical; you coolly informed the guy that the closest he'd get to your personal life was a status update on your cat's turds. You might also consider whether you should dial back on how bubbly and open you are at the office and maybe err on the side of a vibe that says, "Talk to me about some boring work question!" And here's to finding a more admirable new boss — one whose remarkable qualities don't include the ability to make his wife and child disappear without doing jail time. Amy Alkon all rights reserved WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM