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/27670
NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD New York University arts professor Wafaa Bilal had his camera surgically removed in February — the one that was implanted in the back of his skull in November to record, at 60-second intervals, the places he had left behind (beamed to and archived by a museum in Qatar). The camera had been mounted under his skin, braced by three titanium posts, but his body very painfully rejected one of the posts, and his temporary solution is to merely tie the camera to the back of his neck (even though that work-around is unsatisfactory to him because it represents a less-personal “commitment” to the art). In the future, he said, communication devices like his will routinely be part of our bodies. [Chronicle of Higher Education, 2-7-2011] The Entrepreneurial Spirit Till Krautkraemer’s New York City beverage company MeatWater creates dozens of flavors of water for the upscale market of hearty gourmets who would like their daily salads, or shellfish, or goulash from a bottle instead of from a plate. Among his new flavors introduced in January, according to an AOL News report, were poached salmon salad water and a Caribbean shrimp salad water that can double as a vodka mixer. Old standbys include Peking duck water, tandoori chicken water, bangers ‘n’ mash water, and Krautkraemer’s favorite, German sauerbraten water. [AOL News, 1-25-2011] Sell What You Know: In December, a company in eastern Ukraine (a country known for hard drinking) announced a “drinking buddy” service in which, for the equivalent of about $18, it would supply a barroom companion for the evening, “qualified” to discuss politics, sports, women, etc., and even to offer psychological counseling if appropriate. [Agence France-Presse, 12-14- 2010] Not Your Father’s Scotch: The Panamanian company Scottish Spirits recently introduced a straight Scotch whisky in 12-ounce cans, for a market of mobile drinkers who prefer not to invest in a whole bottle. The international Scotch whisky trade association expressed alarm. [Daily Mail (London), 1-17-2011] At Clive’s, of Victoria, British Columbia, Glenfiddich Scotch whisky is only one ingredient in the signature cocktail “Cold Night In,” which, according to a January New York Times review, combines “molecular mixology” and comfort food. An especially buttery grilled-cheese sandwich is soaked overnight in the Scotch, along with Mt. Gay rum and Lillet Blanc wine. Following a brief freeze to congeal any remaining fat, and double-straining, it is ready to serve — with a celery stick and other garnishments. [New York Times, 1-25-2011] “Vulva Original,” from a German company, VivaEros, is the “scent of a beautiful woman,” reported in Harper’s magazine in August 2010, and selling as a fragrance concentrate for the equivalent of about $35 for a small roll-on container. (Its promotional video is of a lavishly photographed gym scene, with a handsome male, observing a beautiful female working out on a stationary bike, followed afterward by the male’s gently sniffing the seat.) “The female smell of intimacy,” promised VivaEros, “triggers sexual attraction and desire,” which men can address “more intensely during self-stimulation.” [Harper’s, August 2010] COPYRIGHT 2010 CHUCK SHEPHERD 26 UCW MARCH 23-29, 2011 WEEKLY HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY ARIES (March 21-April 19) Some people can’t seem to help but do exactly the opposite of what you tell them to do. Try reverse psychol- ogy. You’ll get what you want by asking for the opposite. It doesn’t make sense, but it will work. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Sometimes it is possible to promote yourself and build a rela- tionship at the same time. Not this week. If you act out of self-interest, the relationship might suffer. And if you choose to build the relation- ship, you will need to swallow some of your pride and soften your stance. GEMINI (May 21-June 21) You may wonder where a relationship is going. You have more control over this than you think. Your unyield- ing kindness and unconditional love will guide this relationship to a stable place. But you can only truly project those qualities if you are satisfi ed inside yourself. CANCER (June 22-July 22) Listen only to the voices that will do you the most good. Weed out any unhelpful noise so that you can easily home in on the best, brightest, most cheerful and loving guidance available. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) You will be observed by someone who will consider how you might fi t into an organization or personal network. Your talents and assets — as well as the smallest details, like the micro-expressions of your face or the position of your body — will make a difference in this assessment. It is your chance to shine. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Not wanting to be so foolish, you’ll face life head on, handle what needs doing and confront all obstacles directly. Because of this, you’ll increase your good fortune this week. ADVICE GODDESS LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) When painting a wall, using a primer may seem like a step that could be skipped. It is actually essential to a quality outcome. The same is true in matters of communication. Start with commonalities. Lay a positive groundwork as a kind of conversa- tional primer. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) You’ll experi- ence the kind of intensity of feeling that is so characteristic of you. You may even feel like your survival is based on another person. You’ll quickly recover, though, and realize that this could not be further from the truth. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You have a way of casually introducing potentially touchy topics and making it safe for others to com- municate honestly. You stay positive so that you will not trigger any resistance or fear in others. You’ll be promoted for these talents this week. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You under- stand others by their actions and behaviors, not by what they declare. You know better than to fall in love with the potential of people instead of the current reality. Share your wisdom. You’ll save another person from heartbreak and improve your own love life in the process. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) You determine what you want in your personal life, and you take action to make it happen. It may frustrate you when others react to your choices as though they should be consulted as to your every move. For you, freedom to create your own life is a basic need. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) You’ll be delighted when you encounter people whose lifestyles, backgrounds and points of view seem worlds away from your own. You’ll be inspired by uniqueness, and you’ll appreciate your own individuality, as well. WE’RE ALL Barenaked Laddies According to you, most women aren’t inter- ested in seeing pictures of naked men. To quote you, most would “run past a naked man to get to shoes.” So, how do you ex- plain all the women who go to clubs to see male strippers? Looks like somebody has to admit she’s wrong! —Gotcha! Men and women go to strip clubs for different reasons. But, don’t just take it from me. Let the Wiggle Willy Head Bopper do the talking. It’s a headband with two glitter-fl ecked plastic penis antennae sprouting out of pink marabou feathers that women wear to strip club bachelorette parties. Just wondering … when’s the last time you saw a man enter a strip club with a big plastic vagina strapped to his head? A man’s goal in going to a strip club is getting turned on and maybe having strippers grind in his lap — not having all his friends laughing in his face. If women were wired like men and could get physically aroused just by looking at the opposite sex, you’d see something you never do, the lone woman at a male strip joint on her lunch hour, nursing a whiskey and clutching a wad of ones. According to researcher Beth By Holiday Mathis Montemurro, who watches women watch men strip, women show up in giggling herds because they mainly go to bond with their girlfriends. For women, Montemurro found that the stripper is less a sex object than a source of humor. Yes, it’s just like in all those pornos for guys where they replace the moaning and screaming with the laugh track from Two and a Half Men. Amy Alkon EARS While a guy will spend the week’s Questions? Comments? Story Ideas? Let us know how we're doing. Your opinion is something we always want to hear. Call or email us your feedback. grocery money trying to get a stripper to ride him like a pony, Montemurro observed women gingerly touching a male stripper’s butt, then pulling their hands back as if burned. Some women fi nd the strippers hot, but most describe them and the experience with words like “disgusting,” “mortifying” and “humiliating,” writes Montemurro in Something Old, Something Bold: Bridal Showers and Bachelorette Parties. One woman she interviewed had root canal-like enthusiasm for seeing a stripper, deeming it “something you should probably do once and then you don’t have to do it again.” Don’t tell me — that’s exactly the sort of dread men feel at the prospect of watching naked girls gyrating around a greased pole. Beyond the research, just look to the 208 Rowan St. Fayetteville, NC 28301 910.484.6200 marketplace. There are eleventy bajillion strip clubs for men and the occasional one for women. Women often feel compelled to go to these places on their girls’ night out — as a rite of passage, a hazing for a bride-to-be, or a way to get even with a fi ance for having a bachelor party. But, the neon signs across North America most effective at separating women and their dollar bills are the ones that say “Nails, Nails, Nails!” not “Live Nude Males.” Sure, some women love to fi nish their girls’ night out with a lap dance, but probably loads more would rather fi nish with a coat of clear polish. (c)2010, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM www.upandcomingweekly.com