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 Bureaucrat's Delight: An update of the official index for classifying medical conditions (for research and quality control, and for insurance claims) was released recently, to take effect in October 2013, and replaced the current 18,000 codes with 140,000 much more specific ones. A September Wall Street Journal report noted, for example, 72 different codes for injuries involving birds, depending on the type. "Bitten by turtle" is different from "struck by turtle." Different codes cover injuries in "opera houses," on squash courts, and exactly where in or around a mobile home an injury occurred. "Walked into lamppost, initial encounter" is distinct from "walked into lamppost, subsequent encounter." Codes cover conditions stemming from encounters with extraterrestrials and conditions resulting from "burn due to water skis on fire." "Bizarre personal appearance" has a code, as well as "very low level of personal hygiene." [Wall Street Journal, 9-13-2011] Ironies Chuck Sheppard A small number of environmental and animal rights activists employ violence and physical threats in attempts to achieve their goals, and similar tactics have recently been used by another group bent on intimidating scientists: sufferers of "chronic fatigue syndrome." London's Observer reported in August that medical researchers who even suggest that the illness might have a "psychological" component have been subject to vitriolic abuse, stalking, disruptions to the scientists' workplaces and even death threats. In at least one case, the activists succeeded: A psychiatry professor said he had moved his area of research from chronic fatigue to Gulf War syndrome. "That has taken me to Iraq and Afghanistan where ... I feel a lot safer." [The Observer, 8-21-2011] Political Correctness Lives: British authorities threatened Iain Turnbull, 63, with a fine (equivalent of $1,530) in August because he refused to complete the mandatory census earlier this year. Turnbull, from Wales, was protesting that the government, intending to be progressively "inclusive," made available census questionnaires and instructions in such languages as Urdu, Punjabi and Tagalog — but not Welsh (one of Britain's native languages, spoken by a half-million citizens). [BBC News, 8-12-2011] COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK SHEPHERD WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM WEEKLY HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY ARIES (March 21-April 19) A bit of troubled past surfaces. The remedy is for you to live in the moment and simply give that piece of his- tory as little energy as possible. The bad energy will wither and fade. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You'll notice that something you used to think about an awful lot is now in your life. You used to want this with great intensity. Now that you have it, you might not be sure of what to do next — though it will come to you this week. GEMINI (May 21-June 21) An unexpected obstacle makes it temporarily impossible to continue on your path. Instead of pausing to wonder what you're going to do now, move forward without a clue. The momentum will carry you quickly through the dip. CANCER (June 22-July 22) You know who you are, but sometimes you forget. That's why you need to write down a few highlights. You're very accomplished, and yet you don't give yourself credit for the remarkable things you've done with your life so far. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Try as you might to think about your deepest needs, what will come to mind are your most shallow desires — for instance, something delicious to eat or comfortable clothing to wear. It's certainly a place to start. Meeting those needs will allow you to open up and think of the more profound aspects of your life. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You'll enter into a group association or activity, ever mindful of the pros and cons of doing so. You need to feel that you can maintain your personal integrity as part of a group, not only as far as your ethical standards go, but also in that you do not wish to be asked to alter your habits or opinions to please others. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) As much as you would like the week to unfold in a more or less predictable manner, it won't. So you'll have to adjust your expectations and shift your priori- ties. You'll slip into an adventurous mindset and make the most of each surprise. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) Your fear is in place to protect you from harm. Shedding light on the matter will allow you to make a reasonable assessment and decide once and for all whether to harbor or release your fear. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You'll have constructive ideas and methods that make you an asset to a group of people you love. You'll accept a role as leader, though you may need to be coaxed into it for the better part of the week. It will be nice to know that you are really wanted for your own unique qualifi cations. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) In the past, you've been in a situation where someone wronged you and either didn't care about the pain and inconvenience of it or didn't have the power to make things right. The situation taught you a lesson that you can apply this week. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) You have an open mind, and you're prepared to work hard. When you meet with adversity, instead of thinking that life is picking on you, you see an opportunity to grow. New challenges are beckoning adventures. You will meet special people who can help you excel in an area that stimulates your interest. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Hold on to what is valuable. Cherish it, and protect it from loss. Doing this won't guarantee that you will have the treasure forever, but it will ensure that no matter what happens you will be able to say that you did your best, appreciated what you had and enjoyed it to the fullest. In the mean- time, you'll be happy. ADVICE GODDESS Whiff the Wrong Man I admire that you often add research to your columns, so I thought I'd ask you about an article I read on birth control pills. Apparently, taking the pill can cause the "wrong" man to smell good to you — a man you might not be into once you're off the pill. Unfortunately, I experience severe mood swings when I'm not taking the pill — uncontrollable rages for about a week a month. But, now I'm worried that I'll choose a partner I'll lose interest in reproducing with when I'm off the pill. Also, I wonder whether being on it is lying about who I am. Of course, if I can't control my mood swings, it won't matter, because I'll scare every man away! — Medicated Amy Alkon By Holiday Mathis The cause of your rage probably isn't all the people saying deeply offensive things to you like "Are you using that chair?" but a nosedive in your level of "the happy hormone," serotonin. Dr. Emily Deans, a psychiatrist with the terrifi c blog "Evolutionary Psychiatry" on PsychologyToday.com, explains that your period gets launched by a drop in progesterone, "which can interfere a bit with the machinery that makes serotonin. This can lead to hunger, cravings, agitation, insomnia, irritability and rage." Deans says the pill can help alleviate these symptoms. The problem is the issue you brought up. The article you read references the research of Swiss biologist Claus Wedekind, who made a bunch of women sniff a bunch of men's stinky T-shirts to study the pill's effect on mate preferences. Women who weren't on the pill went for the smell of men with dissimilar immune systems — men with whom they'd produce children with a broader set of immune defenses. Women on the pill preferred the smell of men with immune systems similar to theirs (the immunologically redundant), probably because the pill chemically mimics pregnancy and cues a genetic adaptation that leads women to seek out kin to protect them when they're pregnant. As a possible non-drug alternative, Deans suggests magnesium malate supplementation: "Five hundred milligrams of magnesium malate at bedtime seems to help with anxiety, rage, and PMS symptoms such as cramps and headaches," she says. "Magnesium is typically low in standard American diets and not found in large amounts in multivitamins and is generally safe if you have normal kidneys." Deans adds that cycling from a low-carb diet to a higher- carb, low-protein diet three days to a week before starting your period can ease PMS symptoms, possibly by helping with serotonin uptake. Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1, 2011 UCW 23