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/53454
NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD Don Aslett, 76, recently opened the Museum of Clean in Pocatello, Idaho, as the culmination of a lifelong devotion to tidying up. Highlights are several hundred pre-electric vacuum cleaners plus interactive exhibits to encourage kids to clean their rooms. Aslett told London's Daily Mail in December that people who don't understand his dedication must never have experienced the satisfaction of making a toilet bowl sparkle. [Daily Mail, 12- 28-2011] Also starting early in life, Dustin Kruse, 4, is so knowledgeable about toilet models and plumbing mechanics that the Kohler Co. presented him with an advanced-model "dual flush" commode for Christmas. Dustin, a fan of the Kohler showroom, has been known to explain toilet technology to other showroom visitors. [Kohler Co. press release, 12-22-2011] Government in Action! Predator drones are an important weapon against terrorists in Afghanistan, Yemen and other countries, but in June, an unarmed predator was employed stateside to help catch cattle rustlers. The Department of Homeland Security owns eight predators for surveillance and occasionally assists local law enforcement. The cattle rustlers had been arrested, then jumped bail and holed up on their vast ranch near Lakota, N.D., but the predator spotted their exact location on the property, leading to a raid that ended without bloodshed. [Fargo Forum, 12-11-2011] Chuck Sheppard Government Inaction: India's legendarily plodding government bureaucracy had long stymied a snake charmer named Hakkul (a villager in Uttar Pradesh state), who had sought a snake-conservation permit, which had been authorized at one level but delayed locally. In November, finally exasperated, Hakkul walked into the land revenue office in the town of Harraiya with several sacks of snakes (including cobras) and turned them loose, sending clerks and visitors climbing furniture or fleeing. Recent news accounts report that "almost all" of the snakes had been rounded up. [BBC News, 11-30-2011] A December news release from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control warned of the dangers of Campylobacter jejuni bacteria infections on a sheep ranch, but apparently only among workers who used an old-style (19th century) method of castrating the animals. CDC strongly urged that workers stop biting off the sheep's genitals and instead use modern tools. [Wall Street Journal, 12-8-2011] COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK SHEPHERD WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM WEEKLY HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY For the Week of Jan. 29 ARIES (March 21-April 19) Turn your head toward wherever you get your inspiration. Your sign mate, one of the most famous artists who ever lived said, "For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream." — Vincent Van Gogh. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Many people collect material things because it's diffi cult to collect moments. Though the more you cre- ate moments and try to capture the ones that happen naturally by somehow recording and recalling them, the less you will need so many other things in your life. GEMINI (May 21-June 21) Psychologists es- timate that people apologize an average of four times per week, mostly to friends and strang- ers. It takes a lot more emotional gravitas to say sorry to romantic partners or family members. It's partly why the sincere request for forgive- ness you deliver this week will be so effective. CANCER (June 22-July 22) You'll be deciding how involved to be in another person's life. From the outside, it may seem that this person lives in a perfect, little world that is whole and complete without you. Make no mistake; this is only one version of the scene. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Your experiences will seem unreal to those who can't relate to the life you've lived. And though the people around you may not know how to take you, you'll get something out of sharing anyway. You'll under- stand how unique your knowledge really is. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) If you feel resis- tant to the work before you or fear that you'll have trouble meeting a deadline, take a walk to clear your head. You think that you don't have time for exercise, but that's where you're mistaken. You'll be energized by deep breaths and fresh air. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) When wrapped up in a diffi cult job or a demanding domestic scene, it is easy to let your social life wither. There is something important to be gained through connection with your outer circle. The benefi t will be intangible, but it is crucial to your well-being. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) The time is right to increase your income and broaden your horizons. You'll need to expand your reach in order to bring new opportunities into your realm. It is easiest to get to know people through work or school. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Your sign mate, the legendary news journalist Eric Sevareid suggested, "Dealing with network executives is like being nibbled to death by ducks." You'll deal with your own version of the pecking order this week. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) In spite of your heavy responsibilities, or perhaps because of them, you'll feel compelled to search for greater self-knowledge. However long you can spend on yourself, it won't feel like enough. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Unless some- one rocked the boat by asking, "Why can't human's fl y?" we'd still be grounded. There are times when progress demands that you ques- tion the very rules that provide safety and order in your environment. You'll be in just the bold mood to move along an impossible agenda. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) You have an epic endeavor on your mind. Will you be able to tackle it? It all boils down to what you can accomplish in about seven hours a week, as that's probably all the time you'll be able to carve out in these early stages. See what you can do to streamline your schedule to accom- modate new activity. By Holiday Mathis Basketball Is Here! Basketballs Nylon Mesh Shorts Socks Training aids Assortment of Tops Two Great Businesses Under One Roof! 3006 Bragg Blvd. 910.323.1791 www.trophyhouseinc.com Amy Alkon all rights reserved. JANUARY 25-31, 2012 UCW 23 ADVICE GODDESS Code Goo I'm a 33-year-old nurse in a fi ve- month "friends with benefi ts" thing with a doctor co-worker. I am only 18 months out of an abusive 10-year relationship and wanted something fun and light. We get along well, but he rarely asks me ahead of time about getting together. I know he has a busy schedule, but this bothers me. He will do anything I ask (give me a ride, buy me a coffee if I work late) but doesn't make kind gestures without being asked and doesn't talk about his feelings or inquire about mine. My biggest issue is that he doesn't compliment me. He once said his friend asked him how he got such a beautiful woman. But that's it. The crazy thing is, he doesn't even possess the qualities I want in a partner! Are my feelings here simply because he's here? Can I learn to separate my feelings from what we really have? — Help, STAT Amy Alkon Although the reasoning department of your brain keeps telling you that you should be friends with benefi ts, there you are jonesing for girlfriend benefi ts. Anthropologist John Marshall Townsend explains that women evolved an emotional alarm system to read whether a man would be a good provider and to compel them to seek cues of commitment. Some women feel especially emotionally connected to their partner following orgasm, probably due to the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin, although the most conclusive research is on rats and prairie voles, and your ability to send email suggests you are neither. Regardless, Townsend's surveys on casual sex showed that even when women fully intended to use and lose some himbo, many would wake up the next morning and fi nd themselves longing for more from a guy they knew they wanted nothing more from. An apple a day … mainly keeps the creditors away from the apple growers. To keep this doctor away, let on that you're longing to use him as a boyfriend instead of just for sex. Having your sex life staffed up can help you avoid any temptation to get into a relationship, and you can instead fi gure out and fi x whatever led you to be in a 10-year emotionally abusive thing. You may ultimately fi nd casual sex too upsetting, but understanding where your feelings are coming from might help you intellectualize your way out of letting them rule you. Regularly reviewing all the ways this guy's wrong for you is another way to put the meaningless back into meaningless sex. Remember, the only aisle you should be walking down with him is the one between your bed and your dresser. As that jewelry commercial (doesn't) go: "Every kiss begins with K-Y." Gr eat pricing on uniform pack eational teams! for r ecr ages