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 Chinese Education Values: To get to their school, 80 children (aged 6 to 17) in the mountaintop village of Pili, China, near the borders with Tajikistan and Afghanistan, make a 120-mile journey that includes 50 miles on foot or by camel. The most dangerous parts of the route are an inches-wide path cut into a cliff (over a 1,000-foot drop), a 600-foot-long zip-line drop and crossings of four freezing rivers (easier in winter when they are frozen solid). The kids must make the chaperoned treks four times a year — coming and going for each of two long sessions. According to one teacher, Ms. Su, the kids generally enjoy the adventure. The government is building a road to the village, but it will not be finished until 2013. [Daily Telegraph (London), 11-15-2011] Cultural Diversity WEEKLY HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY For the week of Dec. 25. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Being a top performer comes with a responsibility. You'll be able to handle the pressure when it comes. So go ahead and excel this week. After all, it's what you were meant for. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You'll be taking stock of your assets and possessions. These mean far less to you than being able to provide for the future needs of your loved ones and yourself. Peace of mind is what you're after. GEMINI (May 21-June 21) Author Og Man- dino said, "A day merely survived is no cause for celebration." The statement overlooks the fact that many are in dire circumstances and are doing all they can to get through tough times. Whatever anyone around you can give and do will be reason enough to celebrate. Chuck Sheppard CANCER (June 22-July 22) You uphold the virtue of modesty. And though you wouldn't brag to others, there's something to be said for being privately proud of your accomplishments. Keep track of what you've already done as a way of reminding yourself that you can be quite determined when you want to be. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) To avoid being boring, you'll spend several hours of the week follow- ing your own interests and delights. This is not an indulgence, not in the least! In fact, it's one of your success secrets. It's what makes you a treat for others to be around. Globally (except in Japan), family- run businesses underperform those run by professional managers. Japanese corporations often seem to have a talented son to take over for his father. The main reason for that, according to an August Freakonomics radio report, is that the family scions usually first recruit an ideal "son" and then adopt him, often also encouraging their daughters to marry the men. (Japanese adage: "You can't choose your sons, but you can choose your sons-in-law.") If the man is already married, sometimes he and his wife will both get adopted. In fact, while 98 percent of U.S. adoptions are of children, 98 percent of Japan's are of adults. [Freakonomics.com, 8-9-2011] At an October ceremony in the Satara district in India's Maharashtra state, 285 girls were allowed to change their names, as each of them had originally been named the Hindi word "Nakusa," which translates to "unwanted" (expressing their parents' disappointment at not having had a son). In Satara, only 881 girls are born for every 1,000 boys, reportedly the result of abortion, given the expense of raising a girl (whose family is expected to pay for any wedding and give a dowry to the groom's family). [Yahoo- AP, 10-22-2011] Swedish Judges Get Tough: A court dismissed charges against two 20-year-old men in October, accused of having bared a passed-out, 18-year-old woman's breasts at a party and taken photographs. Since the woman was not "aware" that she was being molested, the act was not a crime, ruled the Stockholm District Court. [The Local (Stockholm), 10-21-2011] COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK SHEPHERD WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Whether or not you enjoy a job is irrelevant. You enjoy having a purpose and making a contribution. Maybe this isn't ultimately what you want to be remem- bered for, but it does make a difference in the world. Don't discount your current position as you move toward using your talents in a way that pleases you. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Your strong logical sense will sometimes be overridden by your subconscious mind whirring in the back- ground while making intuitive connections. Avoid mistakes by keeping distractions at bay. Stay in control of your time and attention. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) Where does love come from? Is it something you have to create, or was it always there, just waiting to be received? You'll be feeling love differently and pondering your affections from a philo- sophical as well as a spiritual point of view. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You'll be sensitive to inner personal dynamics, and you'll consciously decide who brings out your best. The ones who don't seem to readily attract your higher qualities will be the teachers who provide the practice necessary to develop into the person you want to be. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Though you won't be able to control how you feel, you will be able to direct your attention in a way that's likely to lead to happiness. Also, you can choose your reaction to feelings. You will often select a response that will bring about the best outcome. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Often, you'll fi nd yourself living in the moment, as though nothing in the world could bother you. Sure, there's still plenty of work to be done to make your life go right. But it's nothing you mind doing. Your easygoing ways will attract fans and followers. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) You'll call things the way you see them — that is, when you're asked to make a judgment. You're careful not to assert your opinion unless you're invited to do so, though, conscious of the dangers of over- sharing. Your tact is one of the things that make you so popular this week. People trust you. By Holiday Mathis ADVICE GODDESS The Cad Catalogue Three years ago, I was divorced six weeks from a 22-year marriage when I got involved with a married co-worker and persuaded him to divorce his wife for me. He has been married fi ve times and cheated on all of his wives. I have reason to believe he's still having sex with his ex- wife. I'm not sure what to do. I refi nanced my house a few months after meeting him and paid off his and his wife's $14,000 credit card debt (my idea, to help him out of the marriage). He's been repaying me $250 a month, although I also usually pay for his plane ticket here. (I moved for work.) He's a pretty bad alcoholic. Not a mean one, just a goofy one. I know he has a bad marital track record, but he's Amy Alkon in his 50s; his marriage-hopping has to stop…you'd think. Crazy as it seems, I'm madly in love. He is charming, is generous, and shows me he loves me in little ways — cards, phone calls, etc. Really, I'm not dumb. I'm a librarian with a master's. But, tell me: How bad is this? — Shhhh… Three years ago, you were just- divorced and probably panicking about your prospects, when you spotted your Mr. Right (aka an age-appropriate, conveniently located, attractive man with a pulse). Hellooo, confi rmation bias! That's a common human irrationality — the tendency to snuggle up to information that confi rms what you want to believe and to ignore any information that doesn't. Before long, you were slammed with "cognitive dissonance," the clash of two simultaneously held opposing beliefs — your belief that this is a worthy love thing versus how this guy goes to the altar more often than some men go to the carwash. To reduce the psychological friction of cognitive dissonance, you're prone to justify whichever belief shines up your ego. The more some choice costs you the more driven you'll be to defend it — like when you've abruptly thrown 14K at the idea that you can change a man who thinks soul mates come in six-packs. Keep in mind that the term "madly in love" refers to a state where you aren't making rational decisions. You need to get in the habit of standing back from your life and assessing what you're doing — especially when you're at your neediest. If you can accept yourself as human and fallible, you won't feel so compelled to toss less-than-fl attering facts in the hall closet behind the badminton net. Be open with yourself (and even your friends) about your fl aws and fears and you should start managing them in healthier ways — instead of paying off a bunch of pantsuits a guy's wife bought fi ve years ago at Macy's and telling yourself you've found love. Amy Alkon all rights reserved. DECEMBER 21-27, 2011 UCW 23