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/233211
NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD A Swedish TV show, "Biss och Kajs," found itself in the spotlight in November -- in Russia, where government-run television apparently used it to send a political message to Ukraine by highlighting the program's theme of teaching children about bodily functions. The episode Russia chose featured three bulkily-costumed actors sitting around talking -- with one dressed in yellow, one in brown, and the other unmistakably as a large, nude human posterior. ("Biss och Kajs" is highly regarded in Sweden; "biss" and "kajs" refer, respectively to the yellow and brown functions.) Ukraine (against Russia's wishes) is considering a trade agreement with the European Union, and, the Chuck Sheppard Russian station director said, pointedly, "There you have European values in all their glory." [BBC News, 12-3-2013] Compelling Explanations! The Bank of England, arguing before the U.K.'s Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards in October, warned against limiting the bonuses that bankers have come to expect from their lucrative deals -- because that might encroach on their "human rights." The Bank suggested it is a human rights violation even to ask senior executives to demonstrate that they tried hard to comply with banking laws (because it is the government's job to prove violations). [Huffington Post U.K., 10-8-2013] Slick Talking (1) A young woman, accosted by a robber on Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Hill in October, told the man she was a low-paid intern -- but an intern for the National Security Agency, and that within minutes of robbing her, the man would be tracked down by ubiquitous NSA surveillance. She said, later (reported the Washington Examiner), the man just "looked at me and ran away (empty-handed)." (2) A 29-year-old cafeteria worker at Sullivan East High School in Blountville, Tenn., swore to police on the scene in October that she was not the one who took money from a co-worker's purse, and she voluntarily stripped to near-nakedness to demonstrate her innocence. "See? I don't have it," she said. Moments later, an officer found the missing $27 stuffed in the woman's shoe. [Washington Examiner, 10-152013] [Associated Press via Times Free Press (Chattanooga), 10-19-2013] COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK SHEPHERD WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM WEEKLY HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY For the Week of December 25, 2013 ARIES (March 21-April 19) Two great things could happen to you. The first is that you get what you want. The second is that you don't. Rejection is the universe's protection. Later, you'll look back and say, "Whew! That was close!" LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Not usually one to have a narrow view of things, you might still get hung up on the details. A few key words from the lips of someone you care about require further investigation. There seem to be many shades of "true." TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Small talk? Don't have time. Artistry and style? After the dishes are done! Try not to be militaristic in areas that require a more nuanced approach, like romance, or you could wind up hurting feelings. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) Wherever you go, you'll make friends -- especially if you share your inherent kookiness. GEMINI (May 21-June 21) Purchases from the Internet, wholesalers, discount stores, etc. are winners. And it's not so much about the actual money you'll save. It's more that you get a sense of pride from realizing how financially capable you are. CANCER (June 22-July 22) Fortuitous meetings are featured in the p.m. Something that starts out all business turns into riotous fun. And when Aquarius or Pisces people are involved, you're even more "on" than you thought.. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Your planets bode for an upside-down experience. You may as well dream by day, because your subconscious is busy being logical by night. You have an especially comfortable time relating to a Taurus person. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Friends urge you to disclose the scintillating details of recent goings-on. Some facts about your life are no one's business but your own! The secret you keep inside grows in power, giving you fuel for what you must do next. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) The atmosphere hums with surprises and opportunity. Just because something didn't work out in the past doesn't mean it can't in the future. All relationships are picking up momentum, especially love relationships. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)If it's artificial, it won't satisfy you. You're on a mission to find purity -- raw foods, straight truth and paper instead of plastic. Tonight, you demand and get the bottom line. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Your exceptional work makes you the talk around the office. Don't worry. You can live up to your legacy. Time spent alone is personally rewarding tonight -- but the next best thing is time spent with an Aries person. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Someone you've been trying to impress is also trying to impress you. The planetary spotlight is on quality, longevity and durability. See the big picture, and let the details work themselves out for now. 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 The Rat of the Litter For two months, I've been dating an awesome guy. He does sweet things like leaving cute notes on my windshield, but I worry about how he looks up to his older brother, who isn't the greatest person. What's most worrisome is how his brother treats women like garbage, saying anything to get them into bed and then ditching them or cheating. I haven't known my apparently awesome boyfriend long, so part of me worries about whether any part of his brother has rubbed off on him or will. How much of a "family resemblance" is there between brothers? - Having Cautious Fun Younger brothers do tend to look up to older brothers, and frankly, this is hard to avoid if one's older brother is always dangling out some married woman's second-floor window. But behavioral science research finds that personality isn't transferred from one person to Amy Alkon another like cat hair from a couch to black pants. "Personality similarity between relatives seems to come mostly from their shared genes," writes behavioral geneticist and twins researcher Nancy Segal in "Born Together-Reared Apart." About your boyfriend and his brother, Segal told me, "If they were identical twins, I would worry!" Identical twins share 100 percent of their genes, she explained. But "siblings share 50 percent of their genes, on average" and "can be very different." And even with those genes they share, biology isn't destiny. The same gene that vaults into action in one brother (sending chemical signals to the brain that influence personality) might spend a lifetime napping in the other. Gene expression — whether certain genes get switched on — is triggered by environment (which includes diet, chemical exposure, and a person's experiences). And although these brothers grew up in the same family, the same environment's effect on different siblings can be different because they experience it at different ages, with a different combination of genes, and with different peer and other influences. Chances are your boyfriend looks up to his brother for historical reasons and he doesn't want to mess up his misty view with new information, like how his brother collects girls' tears in little labeled glass vials. You, however, are on the right track, "having cautious fun" instead of deciding your boyfriend's the cheese and closing your eyes to any information contradicting that. But while your boyfriend's brother is a user of people, which points to a lack of empathy, your boyfriend's behavior suggests he takes pleasure in delighting you, which suggests he truly cares about you. Amy Alkon all rights reserved DECEMBER 25-31, 2013 UCW 19