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/24822
NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD Do Ask, Must Tell (and Show): The WEEKLY HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY Turkish military’s legendary homophobia (rare among NATO countries) comprises both zero-tolerance for homosexuality by service personnel and the requirement of rigorous proof by anyone applying for exemption from service by claiming to be gay. (Homosexuality is the only disqualifier from compulsory service for able-bodied men.) In personal experiences recounted for Foreign Policy magazine in December, some gay men seeking exemptions were ordered to verify their claims by producing witnesses to their homosexual acts, or by photographing themselves fully engaged — and to be persuasive to authorities, the conscript had to be depicted in the “receiving” position in sexual intercourse. [Foreign Policy, 12-4-2010] The Entrepreneurial Spirit! Introduced at a New York food fair in January (and planned for U.S. distribution later this year): Great Scot International’s potato-like chips in the “flavor” of Scotland’s “national delicacy” (yes — haggis chips!). [United Press International, 12-10-2010] Burger King U.K.’s Christmas-season special this year (available briefly in December): a regular Whopper, garnished with a generous helping of brussels sprouts. [Marketing Magazine (London), 12-23-2010] The notoriously isolated North Korean economy only permits new products to be sold as needs arise, and in December (according to a report by Agence France- Presse), the ministries began allowing Western-style “skinny jeans” (having relaxed the rule requiring female workers to wear skirts). Also recently for sale: human fertilizer (owing to the attrition of the animals that previously produced manure for family gardens). [Australian Broadcasting Corp. News, 12-29-2010] The SEGA video company’s Japan division began test-marketing its new Toylets game in January, designed for men’s urinals. With sensors in the basin and a video screen at eye level, men score points based on the strength and accuracy of their streams. Among the suite of games: sumo wrestling (squirt the opponent out of the circle), graffiti-erasure (strong streams wipe out more graffiti), and skirt-raising (the stronger the stream, the higher a woman’s skirt is “blown” upward). [The Guardian (London), 1-19-2011] The Redneck Chronicles In a December incident near Orlando, a former Ku Klux Klan “Cyclops,” George Hixon, 73, and his son, Troy, 45, and Troy’s girlfriend fought, resulting in Troy’s allegedly firing gunshots toward the woman’s feet and the subsequent arrests of the two men. According to Osceola County deputies, the altercation was precipitated by the girlfriend’s unhappiness that she got the “cheap beer” while the men kept the “good beer” (Budweiser) for themselves. [Orlando Sentinel, 12-23-2010] COPYRIGHT 2010 CHUCK SHEPHERD WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM ARIES (March 21-April 19)You’ve been knocking yourself out for your loved ones, and hopefully you know it won’t make them love you any more. It’s the work they do for you that makes them appreciate you. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You’re almost ready for a change, but not quite. You have to be the driver of this venture, and you’ll resist anyone who tries to push you before you’re ready. Gather as much information as you can this week. GEMINI (May 21-June 21) A dear friend has been less than loyal in some regard. You may even feel that this person owes you something, and you could be right. This is the perfect week to either get to the bottom of your feelings on the matter and make a request of your friend, or let it go altogether. CANCER (June 22-July 22) You’re so gung-ho for a new relationship that you may commit yourself in ways you will later question. When you follow your strong feelings, they will lead you on an adventure. Whatever the outcome, your fun along the way — and the stories you’ll tell later — will make it all worthwhile. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Go on and leave a job undone. This may be diffi cult for you, but rest assured, it doesn’t mean you’re irresponsible — quite the contrary. It may instead mean that you are reading the current signs accurately and there is more that must develop before it’s appropriate to move on. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You’ll have fun this week, but you’ll never lose sight of what is really going on. You see the bottom line when others around you only see the gains of the mo- ment. Exciting companionship will be a major feature at week’s end, and you’ll make new friends, too. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) When you act for the sheer adventure of it, you will confuse people who usually do not operate in that way. In your opinion, looking too hard for a reward at the end will prevent you from enjoying the reward as you go. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) This week, you need lots of room so that you can stretch out your arms and embrace life. Loved ones who adore you may unintention- ally make you feel crowded. You’ll receive money from out of the blue in March. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)You will make important decisions about money this week. You’ll need at least three different opinions in order to make an informed choice. The perfect book, magazine article or personal adviser will guide you well. Also, a Pisces will understand your strong points and promote you. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) There’s a good reason for why you’ll choose to toss out a few of your inhibitions: You want to make every effort to keep your relationships interesting and lively. Loved ones will appreciate the personal risks you take and the expense you go to in your efforts to keep everyone amused. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) As far as your talent goes, you’re better than you think you are. You’ll be compelled to invest in yourself, and you certainly should do so. Any extra tools you can acquire this week will be worth the investment of time and money required. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) You’re a dreamer, and yet you can be realistic about what will be involved in making your dreams come true. You know that everything you want will take plenty of hard work, and you’re willing to put in the time. Deals come up. The fi rst offer will not be the only one or the best one. By Holiday Mathis ADVICE GODDESS Queasy Credit My girlfriend and I are planning to get married this year. Her fi nances are in perfect order (she’s frugal, with no debts, while I owe $8K on credit cards), so we agreed that she’d manage our money after marriage. But recently, something happened that has me worried. I bought a ski jacket and asked her opinion on it (color, style) and bragged that I’d gotten it for only $40. We both love deals, and she likes to have input into how I dress. But, she turned what used to be a fun moment together into a lecture about how I Amy Alkon don’t need another jacket and should be clearing my debt instead of spending. I’m afraid I’ll see this escalating after marriage. — Hammered Unfortunately, one man’s el-cheapo ski jacket is one woman’s quilted nylon warning sign. The way you see it, it’s not like you did a P. Diddy and splurged on some one-of-a-kind parka they had to kill 20 ostriches and a baby seal to make. The way she sees it, there’s always going to be a $40 something-or-other twinkling at you from a store window, and instead of the voice of fi scal prudence, you’ll hear “Visa: It’s everywhere you want to be!” (Modeling cut-rate ski-wear in bankruptcy court?) A person’s relationship with money is complex: It comes out of how they were raised, experiences they’ve had, and their genetics. You and your girlfriend are overdue for a frank discussion about how you each view money (Hopes! Fears! Dreams!), the origins of your thinking, and where you think your shortcomings are. Opening up about your money issues should help you have compassion for each other’s fears: in her case, living pawn ticket to pawn ticket; in your case, spending a lifetime having your allowance docked by your mother. You can probably come up with reasons for buying that ski jacket (“No sooner did I come home than she was raining on my parade!”). But, since you’re about to enter a partnership, it would be a show of good faith to act more like a partner — like your actions have bearing on the whole. You and she should probably have a joint account for mutual expenses (bills, trips, savings) and separate accounts to use as you wish. As long as you’re paying off your debt and aren’t racking up more, you two should have a deal that she doesn’t get to lecture you or even give you an eye roll about what you buy. But, before you marry, be sure that you can accept each other’s differences. For a relationship to work, you need to fi nd “that thing your partner does” endearingly annoying as opposed to annoyingly annoying … even if you can’t buy into their notion that the fundamental human needs are air, water, food, shelter and bugging the dog with the coolest new battery-operated, radio- controlled helicopter. (c)2010, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. FEBRUARY 9-15, 2011 UCW 25