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        I was reminded last week of the importance of scripts in public life. Much of what passes for political discourse these days turns out, upon reflection, to be little more than dramatic (or comedic) set-pieces in which political actors dutifully mouth some familiar lines and lazily follow the stage directions of productions that closed years or decades ago. We watch it (or perform ourselves). We feel comfortable and validated. We clap. Then we leave the theater for a while to get refreshments or relieve ourselves before taking in another pointless, predictable show.{mosimage}
        Last week’s occasion to witness political scripting came when I debated someone representing the University of North Carolina on the issue of taxpayer funding for public broadcasting. Without public TV, my adversary intoned solemnly, viewers could not possibly find high-quality programming on history, culture and the arts. Children wouldn’t see Big Bird. Citizens wouldn’t get the respected news coverage they craved. Survivor and Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers would be shown 24 hours a day on a continuous loop on every channel.
        OK, maybe I’m not remembering that last one verbatim, but you get the point. He was making the same arguments that defenders of public-broadcasting subsidies were making 10, 20 or 30 years ago. If ever valid, they certainly lack little relevance to the debate today, which is occurring at a time when most American households have cable or satellite television and high-quality programming, both fiction and nonfiction, has never been more available to more people.
        Another example of just following the script has been the way that UNC-Chapel Hill officials have responded to controversies about a freshman reading assignment begun several years ago. Chancellor James Moeser and others are bound and determined to make the dispute into some kind of book-burning episode involving Joe McCarthy, returned from the dead by a bizarre religious rite performed by Taliban-like Christian evangelicals. They view any criticism of their judgment as an attack on their “academic freedom,” and pretend that it is they who are interested in exposing students to a wide variety of people and ideas.
        So, for example, Moeser told the Herald-Sun recently that he expects protests and controversy to come from the school’s 2005 selection of a book by Timothy Tyson called Blood Done Sign My Name. It deals with a racially motivated murder in Oxford, and the violent response of the black community there. “The book may rip scabs off of wounds people may think healed long ago,” Moeser said. He apparently believes that incoming freshmen at what he often calls the finest public university in the nation are unfamiliar with the troubled racial history of the South, and that politicians and conservatives outside of Chapel Hill don’t want students to find out about it.
        It’s past time for UNC officials to, well, grow up. I don’t know any other way to put it. It is they who are living in a fantasy world, who brook little dissent or real intellectual diversity, and whose perceptions are shaped by their lack of experience with people who don’t think the way they do. The 2002 and 2003 controversies about the UNC reading assignment centered on the choice of the book, not the subject matter. It made sense for students after 9/11 to learn more about Islam and how it informs the war on terrorism. But the book UNC selected carefully left out the passages of the Qur’an that the Islamofascists distort into their divine commandment to kill, so it was unsuitable to the educational goal (though compatible with less praiseworthy ones). And in 2003, the problem wasn’t that students were examining poverty in America, but that the choice of book was a one-sided, socialist screed that provided little real insight into why poverty persists and what policymakers might do to alleviate it.
        I have no problem at all with Tyson’s book, or more generally with students learning about North Carolina’s sordid racist past. I also don’t expect it to come as a major shock to incoming UNC freshmen that segregation existed, that racism had real and tragic victims and that its legacy remains.
        Ladies and gentlemen, how about less reading from the script, more independent thought, and, most important of all, more listening.

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        I would like to take you on a trip to one of North Carolina’s too often overlooked charming little mountain towns, Saluda. It’s a few miles south of Asheville, just off I-26 and not far from the South Carolina line.{mosimage}
    Even if you live a long way from the mountains, you can still go with me, thanks to UNC-TV’s Our State program that premiered on Thursday, June 5 at 8 p.m., (with repeats at various times during the month).
        Maybe I shouldn’t tell you about why I first came to visit Saluda. Politics. I was running for statewide office. My friend George Couch was determined to help me win his home county, Polk, where Saluda is located. He arranged a campaign stop in Saluda with an overnight at the Orchard Inn. The innkeepers, it turned out, were old friends, Kathy and Bob Thompson. They took such good care of me, and the folks in Saluda were so nice that I kept coming back there to campaign, even though only a few hundred voters live there.
        By the way, although I lost the statewide election big-time, I won in Polk County by a comfortable margin.
        I returned to Saluda a few years later in search of a “home-cooking” restaurant to include in Interstate Eateries, my book about family-owned eating-places near the interstate highways. I found Ward’s Grill, which was part of a family business that had been on Saluda’s Main Street from the early 1900s. The breakfast sausages and the lunchtime hamburgers were extra tasty because they came fresh from the adjoining meat market and general store owned by the same man, Charlie Ward.
        As I learned on my recent visit with UNC-TV, Ward recently sold his business to Larry and Debra Jackson, who maintain the tradition. Larry told me, “People come in and ask for Charlie’s Sausage. I have to tell them that it is Larry’s Sausage made with Charlie’s recipe.”
        Just up Main Street from Ward’s is the M.A. Pace store. It, too, has been operating for 100 years at the same location. The Paces have been in the Saluda area since the 1700s. In fact, the Saluda community was first known as Pace’s Gap. Robert Pace has owned this store for as long as anybody can remember. He runs it much the same way his father did for many years before. The result is the opportunity for visitors to go back in time to the early 1900s and experience a general store like the one where their great-grandparents traded.
        There is a problem, though. Mr. Pace sells all kinds of hardware, groceries and local handmade items that his modern customers need. But you cannot buy some of the stock he has on display, like shoes from the 1920s or corsets from an even earlier time. “I’ve got a lot of things in here that I don’t sell,” Mr. Pace told me, “and maybe more than what I have for sale.”
        Main Street is only a few blocks long, but it is packed with local shops and good places to eat. All around are reminders of the railroad boom times in the early part of the last century. Saluda sits at the high point of the steepest railroad grade in the eastern part of the country. As a result, it was the first stopping point for trains coming from the south. Lots of visitors from South Carolina decided to spend every summer in the area.
        The railroad tracks still run through the middle of town along Main Street, and even though the trains stopped running a few years ago, some Saluda old timers still look down the tracks towards the steep grade, remembering fondly the huffing and puffing of the two engines it took to push the loaded cars up to and through their treasured town.
        They would not mind a bit if you joined them.

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        The inner monologue.
        Everyone has one, although not everyone chooses to use it. The inner monologue is that bit inside of each of us that plays a running commentary about what is going on around and inside us. It’s that voice that silently whispers, “Wow, you’re too stupid to breathe,” when one encounters someone who in fact is too stupid to breathe. Most of us have control over that inner monologue, and what happens inside our head stays there.
        In Company, the newest offering by the Cape Fear Regional Theatre, the inner monologue not only fuels the action of the play, it drives it. Opening Friday, June 13, Company brings together some of the CFRT’s favorite local performers for an all-star performance of a witty, sophisticated, thought-provoking play about relationships and marriage.
        Directing the performance is Fredrick J. Rubeck, the chair of the performing arts department at Elon University. Rubeck, who has directed nearly 100 performances throughout the United States and the United Kingdom, is a newcomer to the CFRT, but it’s something he has wanted to do for quite a while. “I serve on the N.C. Conference of Directors with Bo (CFRT artistic director Bo Thorp) and there’s an ongoing thing where everybody starts sentences with ‘When I did this play with Bo’ or, ‘I worked with Bo,’” he explained. “So when I introduced myself, I said, ‘I’m the one person who has never worked with Bo,’ she got the subtle hint and called me this spring.”
        He said he was excited when he got the call, having seen the play numerous times, he already had ideas about what he wanted and what his expectations were for the crew. “I hope I’m living up to their expectations,” he said. “A director can do a lot with this show — it’s nonlinear and you get to figure out how to make it work. There are a lot of ways to play with it and give the play a different angle. I saw a couple of bad productions, and knew I could do it right.”
        The play revolves around the life of Bobby, a 30-something single guy, who is constantly surrounded by married couples and his girlfriends. They all want to know when Bobby is going to settle down — a question he’s trying to answer himself. Bringing the role of Bobby to life is veteran CFRT performer Greg King. King explains that Company is very “Seinfeld-ish” in its comedic take and its look at life. “It’s very quirky. It’s everyday kind of life,” he said. “Aren’t we all a little like Bobby?”
        While the play itself is exciting to King, he’s even more excited about the cast. He explained that the the play was really put together as a vehicle for a group of veteran CFRT performers. “There’s a group of us who live here, work here and do theater here,” explained King. “We all get together to do theater and it’s a lot of fun.”
        That group includes theater veterans like Cassandra Vallerey, Michael Brocki, Nicki Hart, Libby Seymour, Ken Griggs and Jenny Beaver, among others.
        “This play is really built for this group that has done so much for theater in our community,” said King. “It’s all ensembles, and the play showcases a lot of what everybody does well.”{mosimage}
        The musical comedy Company opens on Friday, June 13, and runs through Sunday, June 29. Tickets range in price from $12 to $23. For times and dates, visit the CFRT Web site at www.CFRT.org or call the CFRT Box Office at 323-4233.

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        {mosimage}In preparation for the thousands of troops making their way to Fort Bragg due to BRAC reassignment, Fayetteville/Cumberland County is demonstrating its commitment to the military by creating an army of volunteer civilians known as the Army’s Army. The Army’s Army is the world’s only volunteer organization of citizens and businesses who’ve pledged their moral, physical and spiritual support to those in the military. Specifically, they’ll do everything they can to make soldiers and their families feel welcome, appreciated and safe in Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
    {mosimage}As part of a Memorial Day celebration launching the initiative, Brig. Gen. Arthur Bartell thanked the citizens who volunteered for the Army’s Army. "They stay here because you open your hearts to the soldiers and family members of Fort Bragg and also Pope Air Force Base," said Bartell. "We call that, in the Army, selfless service."
        As members of the Army’s Army, volunteers will act as ambassadors to military families around the globe. Members can participate in various activities, such as answering e-mails and phone calls from soldiers and their families interested in finding out more about the community. Participating businesses, such as restaurants, may offer special discounts or have a table reserved at all times for the military. Bumper stickers on cars and posters in local community windows will serve as a constant reminder that the citizens of Fayetteville/Cumberland County support, appreciate and welcome soldiers.
        For more information about the Army’s Army, visit the Web site at www.armysarmy.com.

    Breastfeeding Coalition seeks info
        The Breastfeeding Coalition of Cumberland County is requesting nominations for “breastfeeding friendly” places of business, restaurants, public facilities or faith-based organizations. This could be a workplace that provides time and a place for a breastfeeding employee to pump and store expressed milk, it could be a business with a written breastfeeding policy, a restaurant or store that is accommodating to breastfeeding moms, or any business, faith-based or public facility that has welcomed a mother and her nursing baby.
    Nomination forms may be requested by calling (910) 484-8570 or via email to  HYPERLINK mailto:BfCoalitionofCC@gmail.com BfCoalitionofCC@gmail.com. Deadline for submissions is July 15, 2008.
        Presentation of certificates of recognition to selected establishments will be during World Breastfeeding Week, the first week in August.

    Cape Fear Valley Call for Art
        Calling all artists! Cape Fear Valley Health System will host a juried art exhibit to acquire original works of art by talented local and regional artists.
        The art exhibit will be during Fourth Friday on July 25 at the Arts Council headquarters in downtown Fayetteville. Up to 15-20 of the winning entries will be purchased by Cape Fear Valley Health System and displayed inside the new Valley Pavilion at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.
        The competition is open to all artists 18 years and older from North and South Carolina. A maximum of four, two-dimensional original works are allowed per entrant and must be submitted electronically by Wednesday, June 18. Initial judging of all entries will be done through JPEG submissions submitted on CD, DVD or USB jump drive. There is a $20 entry fee ($15 for Arts Council members) for two entries and $5 for each additional entry.
    Works chosen for the juried exhibition will be accepted Monday, July 14, through Thursday, July 17, and on Saturday, July 19, at the Arts Council headquarters. The Fourth Friday juried exhibition and reception is Friday, July 25, from 7-9 p.m.
        To download an entry form visit the Web site HYPERLINK “http://www.theartscouncil.com/” www.theartscouncil.com. Then get your creative juices flowing.

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    "Nothing exists until or unless it is observed. An artist is making something exist by observing it. And his hope for other people is that they will also make it exist by observing it. I call it 'creative observation.' 'Creative viewing.'"
                                                                                                                                    — William Burroughs

    One of the oldest sayings in our lexicon is, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"
    One might also ask, "If an artist produces a piece of art no one sees, is it really art?"
    While we here at Up and Coming Weekly can only shake our collective head at the first riddle, we’re going to tackle the second one straight up by sponsoring a trio of sculptures by Wilmington-based artist Paul Hill at our own Gallery 208, beginning June 26.
    The sculptures, which will be on display at Gallery 208 for a year, will give the public a chance to see first-rate art that might have otherwise been unknown to them, or secreted away in a private collection or art museum — works that are truly “art for the people,” says Michele Horn, assistant director/curator for the Fayetteville Museum of Art.
    "This allows access to sculpture for those who might feel intimidated by an art museum," said Horn. "This is art they can walk by and see, or even drive by in their car and see."
    While we’d rather you come into Gallery 208 to view the exhibit, a drive-by is fine, though anathema to the subject matter of one of the three pieces — "Insatiable." This particular piece, which is a medium of steel and collage, shows America’s gluttony — as the title implies — for fuel. The sculpture includes a metallic goat wearing a collage of articles about the rising cost of oil while standing atop a 50-gallon oil drum and an old oil pump. If you look inside the barrel, you’ll find a makeshift oil valve, which artist Hill says represents “the oil is coming out of the ground, but not out of the well.”
    {mosimage}"I typically don’t make a social commentary with my art," said Hill, a 61-year-old native of Texas. "But this subject seems to be so much in the news and on just about everybody’s worried mind."
    Hill, who spent most of his career as an illustrator, took up sculpture just eight years ago, helped along by friends who gave him a crash course in welding.
    "Learning the welding wasn’t that difficult," said Hill. "It’s coming up with the ideas and executing them that takes time."
    For Hill, "executing" a piece from sketch to completion usually takes about two months. Sometimes, he stretches out the completion date by adding on to a piece that looks like a finished product. Such is the case with Natural Progression, a steel sculpture that will also be on display at Gallery 208.
    Natural Progression is an elongated, nearly life-sized — at 11 feet tall — representation of a mother giraffe and her child. Hill says the piece is a direct reflection of how he sketches.
    "'Natural Progression' comes closest to what one of my initial sketches of a project looks like," said Hill. “And it’s not finished. I plan to add the father, who will be larger than the mother, to create an archway between the two sculptures.”
    Animals are a central theme in Hill’s work. If you check out his many art works at www.absolutearts.com, you’ll find a veritable menagerie of creatures great and small.
    “I find animals to be so graceful,” said Hill. “It’s a serenity I feel akin to.”
    Hill’s third piece that will be on display at Gallery 208 is also animal-related, a mixed-media sculpture of a fish entitled "Once Too Often." Crafted out of an amalgam of aluminum, stainless steel, copper and bronze, "Once Too Often" is also an amalgam of sea life.
    "Living here in Wilmington, fish are part of the landscape, what with fishing boats and deep sea charters," said Hill. "I didn’t model this after one particular type of fish — it’s an imaginary fish made up in my head."
    Hill says the theme of "Once Too Often" is that of “ruling the roost,” as the fish is rising upward off its base, with the head topped by a rooster-like crown.
    And visiting this display at Gallery 208 might just allow you to “rule the roost” among your friends when discussing the merit of public displays of art.
    The exhibition officially begins June 26 with a premiere party at Gallery 208 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

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    As a principal of a Cumberland County School, I am aware of the importance of educating and providing opportunities for our youth. It is important that we mold, nurture and treat every child as though he or she were our own.    Tuesday, June 24, is the Jimmy Raye Foundation Day. The foundation, in its sixth year, was started with the help of Coach Raye’s late friend, Ronald “Chase” Chalmers, who also worked to help the community. Coach Raye grew up on Murchison Road and attended E. E. Smith High School. He was the second African-American to get drafted and play quarterback in Division One at Michigan State and is currently the running back coach for the New York Jets.
    The foundation was started to benefit the youth of Fayetteville.
    {mosimage}“We started it as a means to give back to the community,” said Coach Raye.
    The mission is to provide progressive educational opportunities to identified at-risk adolescents that will enhance their ability to successfully function in society and positively impact the social and physical environment in which they live. The funds are used to provide scholarships for local students and registration fees.
    “We don’t want any kids to be denied an opportunity to participate because of registration funding,” said Coach Raye. 
    This year’s event will be similar to previous events, kicking off with a luncheon at Smith Recreation Center at noon. The lunch will include a free football clinic. The purpose of the luncheon is to raise money for community youths while enjoying lunch with NFL pros. The culminating activity is the free Kids’ Football Clinic that will be held on the E. E. Smith High School football field at 3 p.m., where several current and retired NFL players and coaches will facilitate the clinic.   
     “The event has grown through the help of the Tyler Nelson Chiropractor team and other sponsors,” said Coach Raye. “Hopefully, we will be able to raise enough money to pay the full registration fee for every youngster in the community.”   
    Seating packages for the event include premier seating with sponsorship recognition for $1,500, midfield seating is $800, backfield seating is $400 and bleacher seating costs $200. Individual tickets are also available for purchase. Speakers from previous luncheons have included such past and former NFL greats as Erick Dickerson, Curtis Martin, Joe Horn and Chad Pennington.
    This year’s speaker is Jamie Dukes. Dukes played 10 seasons in the NFL as a guard and center for the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals. He is an analyst on “NFL Total Access” and hosts a 30-minute opinion-based talk show entitled “Put Up Your Dukes.” 
     “Our goal is to sell the event and have as many kids as we can at the free football clinic,” said Jeff Harris, JMH marketing agent. “It’s all about one free day for the kids.”
    All kids must be registered. Forms will be at the football clinic. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets must be purchased in advance. For more information and to purchase tickets call 482-8865.

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        For the second time in as many weeks, the Fayetteville City Council discussed the formation of a new committee to vet volunteers for the city’s numerous boards and commissions. And, following a great deal of discussion, and assurances that the council would remain in ultimate control of the process, the council approved changes to the process.
        The new process was part of  a comprehensive overhaul of the system, which, in the past, left the council little time to adequately review the applicant’s qualifications and interests. The plan calls for a three prong process: Recruitment, Selection and Appointment and Training, Retention and Recognition.
        Under the Recruitment section of the plan was a call for a comprehensive marketing plan to make citizens aware of the roles boards and commissions play in local government, with an ultimate goal of creating a larger pool of volunteers. The Training, Retention and Recognition segment of the plan would ensure that volunteers understand their duties and the rules and regulations governing their actions. {mosimage}
        At contention was the formation of an Appointments Committee. The committee comprised of four members of the council, representatives from the city manager’s office, the city attorney’s office and the city clerk, would review all applications to ensure they meet the requirements for service on the boards and commissions on a bi-annual basis, and then make recommendations to the council.
        Council members noted that they had citizens questioning the process and whether it would affect their ability to continue to serve if the process was changed. Assistant City Manager Doug Hewitt explained that the process has, in fact, not changed. He explained that the committee would only ensure that the citizens who had applied for a board or commission lived in the city, did not serve on any other board or commission and if needed, met the professional requirements for service on a particular board.
        He noted that certain boards require a specific make-up. For instance, the Historic Resources Commission calls for membership to include an architect and an attorney.
        He added that in the past, people who live outside of the city or who did not hold the professional qualifications needed for service on a particular board had come up for a vote by the council. He said the Appointment Committee would ensure that that did not happen, adding, "Council still has the opportunity to look at the applications and decide the appointments," he said.
        Councilman Charles Evans questioned the need for the committee. "We’re selecting a committee for people who are volunteering their service. I’m really trying to understand why we are selecting this committee. Do we think people are not going to be truthful or are not capable of committing to what they are asking for appointment?" questioned Evans.
        Hewett noted that the committee would be in place simply to make sure any issues related to appointment were made prior to the appointments being brought to the council.
        Councilman Bates said that the new plan would inform the community of the boards and commissions and ensure that the citizens understand fully what they are getting into.
        The council passed the recommendation, with Evans the lone vote in opposition.

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        We Americans, whatever our partisan inclinations and affiliations, have endured and resolved another long and bruising presidential primary season.
        Both Democrats and Republicans have settled upon candidates for president. Both John McCain and Barack Obama are now pondering and vetting various vice-presidential possibilities.
        In every way, 2008 is shaping up as the year of historic political firsts: The first woman to run a viable campaign for president.
        The first person of color to win his party’s nomination for president.
        The first person over the age of 70 to win his party’s nomination for president.
        One of these "firsts" will be our next president, and we now know it will not be the first woman. Hillary Clinton ran a competitive campaign but bowed out because she did not have the numbers.
        Do you see the next woman coming who will be both willing and able to mount and sustain a campaign for president? Where, oh where, can she be?
        Perhaps she is in Congress or will be. But the Congressional women who have achieved national name recognition, Senators Dianne Feinstein, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Patty Murray and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, are more toward the ends of their careers than the beginnings. Maybe she is in Congress, and we do not know her yet. The numbers are not huge, 16 percent of the House members are women and 16 of 100 Senators, but maybe she is among the younger ranks of these women. The reality is, though, that more of our presidents have come from state offices rather than from Congress, so perhaps she is serving in a state office.
        {mosimage}A recent piece in the New York Times by Kate Zernike notes that women currently make up about a quarter of state legislators and statewide elected officials. Look at our own state’s slate of candidates this year. A woman has an excellent chance of becoming our next governor, and we will absolutely elect a woman to the United States Senate as both parties’ nominees are women. Perhaps she is one of my colleagues now.
        A significant number of our presidents have, in fact, been governors, so maybe she is among those ranks or will be. Names that are being bandied about now include Governors Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Janet Napolitano of Arizona, and Sarah Palin of Alaska.
        Or perhaps we haven’t heard of her yet. Perhaps our first woman president is so far into our nation’s future that she has not been born. Even though we do not see her face yet, or perhaps because we do not, speculation abounds, both published and over water coolers throughout the nation.
        Here is how Zernike of the Times put it.
    "That woman will come from the South, or west of the Mississippi. She will be a Democrat who has won in a red state, or a Republican who has emerged from the private sector to run for governor. She will have executive experience, and have served in a job like attorney general, where she will have proven herself to be 'a fighter' (a caring one, of course).
        "She will be young enough to qualify as post feminist (in the way Senator Barack Obama has come off as post racial), unencumbered by the battles of the past. She will be married with children, but not young children. She will be emphasizing her experience, and, yes, wearing pantsuits."
        I certainly have never read any speculation like that about a male candidate for any office, which brings up another topic.
        Because she was first, Hillary Clinton was on the receiving end of media unlike that of her male counterparts. Remember when she teared up on the campaign trail? That was reported time and time again as showing her "feminine side," her "humanity," a "tender Hillary." Do you know any human being, man or woman, who has never wept over something?
        Then there were the jokes, some truly cruel. That Hillary Clinton would never get the male vote because men look at her and see their ex-wives — and then there was David Letterman’s wisecrack that when Clinton needed to raise more campaign funds she should enter a "wet pantsuit" contest.
        Did you hear that kind of thing about any other presidential candidate?
        Our first woman president may or may not be out there somewhere in America listening to all of this, and if she is, it may or may not give her pause in her own political ambitions.
        I think when the dust settles on the 2008 presidential race with all its "firsts," we are going to see and acknowledge that for whatever reasons, female candidates at the highest level are still treated and viewed differently than male candidates of whatever race, even though that may not be the case in state and local races.
        I do not see our first woman president coming yet, and she may not arrive during my lifetime. But please let me know if you get a glimpse of her striding across America toward the White House.
       

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        When individuals speak against accepted truths, they often find themselves in hot water. Folks in Europe thought Columbus was pretty crazy when he said the world was round. Councilwoman Val Applewhite drew the ire of local leaders recently when she suggested that there was more to Fayetteville than downtown. GASP! Heresy! But, I, along with a lot of people, happen to agree with her.
        {mosimage}Fayetteville’s downtown is a wonderful asset to our city. I have noted numerous times in this very space how much my family and I enjoy our afternoons in the city center. But we enjoy a lot of our time in other areas of the city as well. We love Lake Rim Park. Yeah, I know those of you who think the city drops off at the end of the city center, are asking yourselves, “Lake Rim Park? I thought the only park we had was Festival Park.” But it’s not. We enjoy shopping at the mall (don’t start your bonfire yet), just as we enjoy the shops downtown. Over the years, we’ve found some unique restaurants all over the city — that doesn’t take away from the joy we have in dining downtown. It just is.
        And Applewhite, one of the newbies on the council, has yet to learn that you don’t go around yelling “the emperor has no clothes.” She has taken to heart her charge to represent the people who elected her. And they don’t live and breathe and have their being downtown. They live in west Fayetteville.
        You know, the folks who came kicking and screaming into the city limits. They are the folks who are paying for services they don’t get — for water and sewer that won’t be their way for a number of years, for buses that come nowhere near their neighborhoods. You remember those people, don’t you?
        So when Applewhite spoke in opposition to the hiring of a downtown manager, she wasn’t doing it because she didn’t understand how important the downtown is to economic development — she did it because she saw the need in her district. She saw a sector of the city that’s getting left in the cold, but asked to pay the heating bill. And she stood up.
        Local businessman John Malzone recently took her to task for her comments at the city council public forum. Malzone is a champion of downtown, and we salute him for that. But Applewhite is a champion for the people and that carries a lot of weight. She wasn’t, and we aren’t, suggesting the city abandon downtown or investigate its needs. But what she was saying, and we can agree with, is that if our community is to grow and prosper, then all areas of the community must grow and prosper.
        She understands that if the emperor has new clothes, but the rest of the city is shoeless and in rags, we haven’t really achieved anything.

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        Earlier this year, Fortune magazine published a long — and I thought — remarkable profile of Melinda Gates.
        There is a bit of jockeying for the world’s richest person position, but her husband, Bill, is always in the Top Five, which is to say, as F. Scott Fitzgerald did, that “the rich are not like you and me.” If Fortune is right though, Melinda Gates has her own feet anchored firmly on the ground.
        Bill Gates’ story is well-known. He grew up an all-American nerd in a privileged family in Seattle, became Harvard’s most famous dropout, founded Microsoft and the rest is history. Melinda French grew up in Dallas, one of four children of a hardworking engineer father and a stay-at-home mother. At her all-girls Catholic high school, she realized that getting ahead meant being tops in her class. She emerged as a valedictorian fascinated by computers and earned both a B.A. and an M.B.A. in five years at Duke University.
        {mosimage}Melinda French, 22, and still into computers, went to work at a fledgling young company, Microsoft, where she met and eventually married the driven and still nerdy CEO. She moved, albeit reluctantly, into his gigantic techno-mansion where they are raising their three children under as “normal” circumstances as possible.
        And in the strangest twist of fate life has tossed Melinda French Gates’ way — she now presides alongside her husband over the world’s largest philanthropic foundation with assets of more than $37 billion. Together, the Gates plan to give away 95 percent of their wealth during their lifetimes.
        All this from a Texas girl who nearly two decades ago as a high school student set one goal for herself — one goal each and every day.
        Gates seemed to pooh-pooh her goal-setting, telling Fortune her targets were modest, “The goals were run a mile, learn a new word, that sort of thing.”
        I am fascinated by the concept.
        Many of us do this every day without really thinking about it. We tell ourselves, “Today I will be at work on time, go to the grocery store, make sure the children do all their homework.” These too are goals, and we may feel disappointed in ourselves if we do not achieve them, however mundane they may be.
        But to set a daily goal for conscious self-improvement is another thing altogether. It is promising oneself that whatever we may accomplish today — do our jobs, run our households, raise our children — we will also do one thing to make ourselves better in our own eyes. Melinda French’s seemingly modest goals as a high school girl — run a mile and learn a new word — surely helped mold her into the woman whose focus and determination are exerting profound and positive effects on the world’s most basic and most troubling issues, including education and Third World human health.
    What seems most remarkable to me is that this clearly smart and thoughtful woman is partnering with her husband to devote most of their time and talents to helping people far less fortunate than they all over the world. What apparently began as a self-driven, self-imposed self-improvement plan has exploded into a global improvement plan.
        The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has tackled such intransigent world health issues as malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis in the globe’s poorest countries. They offer small or “micro” loans and insurance to people who could never start a business or operate a farm without them. They fund green projects in places where subsistence is far more important than conservation. They invest in the issues that dog our nation’s public schools. Their funding handiwork can be seen in our own community at the Fuller Performance Learning Center. Here, students who have dropped out of high school for whatever reason are back in school online, fulfilling their course requirements and earning their high school diplomas.
    Melinda Gates told Fortune that her youthful goal-setting was modest, but her mind was clearly already on a much larger picture. In her valedictory address, she told her fellow graduates this: “If you are successful, it is because somewhere, sometime, someone gave you an idea that started you in the right direction. Remember also that you are indebted to life until you help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped.”
        None of us can do what the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is doing around the world, and doing so well; in fact, mega-investor Warren Buffett is giving the foundation controlled by the Gates the bulk of his fortune for philanthropic purposes as well. What we can do though, is be mindful of what we want to accomplish in our lives for ourselves and for others. A life lived without thought and direction cannot possibly have as much meaning as one lived with goals and with generosity of both money and spirit.
    The lesson of Melinda French Gates is to set goals, however modest or private, and to go for them.
        One a day.
       

  • Details

        John McCormick’s name never made the headlines. He wasn’t a mover and shaker. However, if you ever met John, you would never forget him. McCormick was a man who lived and breathed integrity and possessed an enthusiasm for life. He was a man who was committed to doing and being the best at his job, no matter what that job might be. In the process, he made many friends and provided them a worthy example. Last Friday, our community lost a man, who in his humility, walked head and shoulders above his peers. And when a man of his caliber is lost, he should be mourned.
    For the past five years, John has been one of Up & Coming Weekly’s brightest faces in the community. He directed the distribution and delivery of all three of our publications while attending to his own weekly route. He loved it! In addition, he handled a multitude of other important responsibilities at our office. We never had to tell him what to do — he took responsibility for his job and jobs that were not his. He loved being at Up & Coming Weekly, and that love was reciprocated by our entire staff. He will be missed.
    In his own quiet, unassuming way, John changed all of us for the better. General Manager Jean Bolton hired John. “John wasn’t my employee he was my friend, I loved him, and I miss him,” she said. “He loved talking about the Lord and he loved teasing me about taking a drink. John often freely gave money to people wanting to make their lives just a little better. John was a very good man, not one to be soon forgotten. If you asked him how he was, he would say ‘I’ll be all right.’ I’m sure he is all right now.”
        Sydney Darden, of Kidsville News! started at our company fresh out of college. John was one of the first people she met. She recalled how he always greeted her with a word of kindness and encouragement. “John was extremely special to me. As I made my entrance into the working world, John was there every day with kind words,” recalled Darden. “I can’t express how much it means to have a little extra support every day when you go to work. He also was a constant source of inspiration in his dedication to Up & Coming Weekly. Rain or shine, he was there with a smile and determination to do his best.”
        National Kidsville News! Editor Joy Kirkpatrick quoted Henry van Dyke when speaking of John. “Heaven is blessed with perfect rest but the blessing of earth is toil.”
        “John McCormick wasn’t afraid of hard work. He had a strong work ethic and took on all tasks with his own special joy and charisma. When you weren’t sure who else you could depend on, you knew you could count on John,” she said.
        Up & Coming Weekly’s Sales Manager, Sam Lum, recalled one of John’s favorite sayings, “From the date of your birth… ‘til you ride in the hearse… things are gonna be bad… but they could always be worse.” Associate Publisher Janice Burton noted that there are a thousand things she could say about John McCormick — but believes the way he lived his life was a sermon in itself. One of the first conversations she had with John was about his church. The next conversation she had with him was about his faith, and the next, and the next and the next. “John was a man of great faith, he lived it, and more importantly, he wasn’t afraid to share it,” she said. “When I heard the news of John’s death, the only thing I could think of was John dancing down golden streets and the light on his face when he greeted the God he longed to know. It’s right to mourn a good man when he passes, but it’s easier to celebrate when you know he’s gone home.”
        We could all go on and on about our wonderful friend. We will all miss John — his smiling face, his warm, embracing philosophies, the loving way he referenced his church and family, especially his loving wife, Barbara. He loved being a part of the Up & Coming Weekly family. Week after week, he proudly delivered the “good news” to this community; now, the “good news” is….he has been delivered. John would be the first to tell you “it doesn’t get any ‘gooder’ than that.”

  • Details

        Although the majority of the members of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) are retired from the military or are members of the local business community, the heart of their mission is and has always has been the soldier with boots on the ground.
        AUSA will put teeth in its mission June 17-18 during the annual Braxton Bragg Chapter’s annual Exposition and Symposium at the Fort Bragg Officers Club. The theme of the event is “Supporting America’s Heroes, Our Soliders and their Families.”
        {mosimage}The event is free to the public and is especially designed for military professionals, Department of the Army and Department of Defense civilians, first responders, law enforcement, defense contractors and those interested in doing business with the defense community.
    More than 58 defense-related displays/exhibits will be featured at the EXPO and Symposium, in addition to two panel discussions on the Global War on Terrorism Operations and Supplying the Force and Logistical Support of the Global War on Terrorism.
        An ice breaker golf tournament will be held on June 16 at Ryder Golf Course on Fort Bragg. The golf tournament will serve as a kickoff for the event. EXPO opening ceremonies are scheduled for 9 a.m. on June 17, and will feature a ribbon cutting by the AUSA Chapter president, Fort Bragg and local community leaders and a performance by the 82nd Airborne Division All American Chorus. The exhibits will be open daily from 9 a.m. and remain open until 4 p.m.

    June 16
    •8 a.m. — AUSA President’s Golf Tournament, Ryder Golf Course

    June 17
    •9 a.m. — Opening Ceremonies
    •9 a.m. — Exhibits Open
    •Noon — Keynote Luncheon
    •3 p.m. — Panel Discussion: Operations in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT)

    June 18
    •7:30 a.m. — Soldiers’ Awards Breakfast
    •9 a.m. — Exhibits Open
    •Noon — Presidents Luncheon
    •1:30 p.m. — Panel Discussion: Logistics Support of the GWOT
    •3 p.m. —  Soldiers Reception/Raffle
    Throughout the symposium, AUSA members will be selling raffle tickets for the winner’s choice of a car, truck or motorcycle. Tickets available from AUSA for $1 per ticket. Proceeds support AUSA’s support of soldiers and their families.


  • Details
        Hey batter, batter... swing! Don’t you just love baseball? The smell of hot dogs, popcorn and the crowd yelling after a home run?
        “We are a lot more than just baseball,” said Mark Wilderman, operations manager of the Fayetteville SwampDogs. “We are affordable, fun family entertainment.”
    Wilderman added that in today’s times, where it is hard for a family to go on vacation with $4 a gallon gasoline, their games are a great family outing.         
        The SwampDogs have a plethora of promotional events that will keep the Fayetteville community busy for the rest of the year. Friday the 13th is Freaky Friday. There will be a costume contest and trunk-or-treating inside the park.
        {mosimage}Military Appreciation night is June 14. On June 15 the SwampDogs play the U.S. Military All-Stars. The team consists of active-duty military from all over the country raising money for military charities.
        On June 20, the team will host USA Baseball’s National Team of Collegiate standouts in an exhibition contest at J.P. Riddle Stadium. The team consists of the best collegiate players in the country.
        There is an area high school all-star game on June 21 with recent graduates from the area. The MVP will receive a scholarship.
        June 28 is the SwampDogs’ first annual Green Night. It is designed to show appreciation for Planet Earth. Canvas tote bags will be given away at the event. On July 3,  there will be a  Fireworks Extravaganza.
        “This has become a staple in this area for fans to come out and see one of the best fireworks shows in the area,” said Wilderman.
        The second annual Striking Out Cancer night, hosted by the Blood and Cancer Clinic, is July 19.
        “Our players wear pink jerseys and we auction the jerseys off,” said Wilderman. “We donate the money to a local cancer charity.”
        Wilderman added that cancer survivors come out and walk around the bases during the seventh inning, making it a powerful night. Other events include a Hanna Montana night for young girls. There will also be a Bobble Head Doll giveaway on Aug. 1 for the first 500 fans.
        The SwampDogs have partnered with South River EMC of Dunn to bring three one-day camps to J.P. Riddle Stadium this summer on June 26, July 15 and Aug. 1. Camp hours are 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. Students must be between the ages of 5-13 and will receive a free SwampDogs T-shirt, lunch and a ticket to a SwampDogs game. One day of camp is $40, two days of camp is $75, and all three days of camp are $100. Space is limited.
        “We love to give back to our community,” said Wilderman. “I am so excited about all the fun things that we do for families.”
        Tickets for SwampDog games range from $3 to $7. For more information, call 426-5900 or visit www.goswampdogs.com.     

  • Details
        The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra is hosting a free concert in the park on Saturday, June 14. Don’t turn the page … conductor Fouad Fakhouri knows what kind of reputation his genre of music has, and he’s out to destroy that myth. 
        {mosimage}“Most people think that the symphony is stuffy. You have to put on your suit and go sit there and not speak and be bored. The lights are down and you have to sit in this environment that is very sterile,” said Fakhouri.
        “Why go to the symphony when you can go to a pop concert or go sit in front of a TV and watch a football game where you can eat your chips and do all sorts of stuff while you are being entertained?”
        It’s a good question, with a simple answer: it’s good music, it’s fun, and Fakhouri considers it a personal quest to bring it to anyone who wants to listen. 
    “It’s a personal love of mine to try to attract as many people to this medium as I can. Because I love classical music, I don’t think about it as a chore, I think of it as ‘This is fun for me,’” said Fakhouri, adding that introducing someone to the symphony is like making a new friend.
    “It is almost like introducing a friend of yours to another friend. This is my friend and I get along with him very nicely. How about you meet him and then we can all three be friends?’ It is that type of mindset for me.”
        Like any good host introducing two friends, Fakhouri is doing all he can to make the atmosphere enjoyable and his guests comfortable.
        This year, the concert will start at 8 p.m. It will be cooler and a little darker than last year. The theme of this concert is going to be a bit different too — all-American music. There will be Sousa marches and things of that nature along with the works of many great American composers.
        “When we give a concert like we are doing … knowing the history of Fayetteville and the majority of the people that live in Fayetteville and their affiliation to the military, etc. … if we can fit the Fayetteville Symphony to that and inspire people to come and listen to us I can guarantee that there will be people that will be very, very happy after this concert,” Fakhouri promised.
    “It is very much a patriotic American concert.”
        Unlike the stiff and rigid images that the symphony can sometimes bring to mind, this performance will be much more relaxed, which is exactly the point.
    “When you do a pop concert like we are doing in the park, the beauty of that is that people can be less formal, they can bring their food — it is a free concert,” said Fakhouri.
    “They can put their blanket on the lawn and sit and have a glass of wine or a drink and eat their food as they are listening to the music.
        “I feel that we can never do enough to continue to provide our services to as many people in Fayetteville as we can,” said Fakhouri. “It is crucial that we do this.”
        They not only perform in concert halls for a specific group of people who are really diehard fans and aficionados of classical music, but they go out and try to attract new audiences too.  
        “This is a real fun thing for me so why don’t you come and join me and see how fun it can be for you?” said Fakhouri.
        The party is at Festival Park, 8 p.m. Admission is free.

  • Details
        {mosimage}This ain’t no video game.
        On Saturday, June 14, local fighters — amateur and professional — will be exchanging uppercuts and hooks, kicks and wrestling moves, some blood, a lot of sweat and possibly tears as they compete in Close Quarters Combat in the Cage at the Crown Arena.
        It’s called mixed martial arts, and in order to be proficient at this brutal and entertaining sport that harkens back to the days of gladiators battling for life and limb in the Coliseum, you have to be good in all aspects of the competition: boxing, wrestling and the martial arts.
        “You have to set time aside to work on different aspects of the fighting styles, but then you have to set time apart to blend them together,” said Jason Kwast, a 5-10, 155-pounder from Palm Beach, Calif., who will be fighting in front of Fayetteville’s fans for the very first time. Kwast is a professional fighter with a record of 5-3; he will be tangling with Alvin Decker, known as a Kempo karate expert.
        And why would Kwast want to compete in a potentially bone breaking, potentially (though incredibly rare) fatal sport.
        “I used to get picked on a lot,” said Kwast, smiling through a gap where there used to be two front teeth.
        Kwast certainly doesn’t get picked on anymore.
        And neither does 170-pound Rhomez Brower, who is fighting in the main event against Kendrick Johnson, a grappling expert also known for his sharp martial arts skills — skills that have earned him a 19-13 record.
        {mosimage}Despite the talent of his opponent, Brower, his ripped physique pouring sweat like a human waterfall, smiled at the prospect of the Saturday night fights.
        “Hell yeah I’m looking forward to it,” said Brower, a native of Winston-Salem who works at Kim’s Barber Shop on Yadkin Road. “It’s exciting. It’s right here in Fayetteville. I never thought I’d see the day that I’d fight before the hometown crowd.”
        Helping bring Brower and Kwast’s dreams of fighting before the hometown fans is Fayetteville’s Spartan Entertainment Group, which is responsible for assembling the Close Quarters Combat fighters from all over the world, from Maine to Vermont to Guam.
    Will Clark, Jesse Drake and Jeremiah Lancaster started the organization to bring a new form of professional sports to Fayetteville.
        Clark, a soldier, has a unique perspective on the sport, as he himself has competed in the cage.
        “We love this sport — this is the fastest growing sport in the nation and we wanted to bring it to Fayetteville and bring another entertainment venue to Fayetteville,” said Clark. “In all honesty, Fayetteville is lacking in professional sports; we have sports, but we really needed to get mixed martial arts and combat skills sports here. We wanted to offer this warrior sport to this warrior city.”
        The Close Quarters Combat team had its first fight at the Crown on Aug. 12, which Clark said was a huge success.
        “The reception has been great, fantastic,” said Clark. “The walkup crowd to the Crown was the largest the Crown has ever seen. Fayetteville is a city full of fighters of one nature or another, and warriors like warriors.
        “We had a lot of compliments about the last show and our fans were on their feet the entire time,” added Clark. “I’ve seen other fights in North Carolina and I saw an absolutely different reaction here in Fayetteville.”
        And these proud warriors aren’t some punch-drunk bums from Palookaville or guys who like to get drunk on a Saturday night and wail on each other down in the parking lot of a strip club — there are champions among these bruisers.
        One fighter of particular note is Jason Palacios, a 155-pound scrapper from Guam who competed in the International Fight League and who recently flew to Japan and returned the lightweight winner of the King of Pancrase fight.
        There’s also a possible surprise for fight fans showing up at the Crown Saturday night: Rich Franklin, a contender for the 185-pound Ultimate Fighting Championship, will either be at Saturday’s match or at another CQC fight on Aug. 2.
        To spice things up, the first three fights on the card will pit local members of the Army against a trio of battling marines from Camp LeJeune, which should really get the juices of all local servicemen rocking and rolling.
        “The Marine Corps and the Army are brothers in arms and we fully expect to see the kind of friendly rivalry you see around the Army-Navy game or any time the services compete,” said Clark.
            Also added to the mix will be live music and the ever present and ever beautiful ring girls, who help out around the cage and also interact with the crowd.
    Speaking of the crowd, don’t be intimidated by the old reputation of organized fighting; the sport has come a long way since the early days of no holds barred brawling when the first sanctioned event in North Carolina, a 1994 match in Charlotte, caused the banning of the sport in the state until Aug. 2, 2007. Since then, rules have been put in place to protect the fighters, and, as one of the fastest growing sports in the nation, it appeals to a wide demographic, including 55 percent women.
        “Our last show was featured on HDNET — national network,” said Clark. “How many sports get featured on national TV?”
        Gates open at 7 p.m. with the fights starting at 8. Clark says the fights usually take about 2 1/2 hours. Tickets are $83, $63, $43, $33, $25 ($5 off for 12 and under).
        “We have some great fighters, live entertainment and some pretty ladies,” said Clark. “Really, what more do you need for a great night out?”
        If you’d  like more information about the CQC, check out their Web site: www.cqcinthecage.com, where you can even sign up to be a fighter or ring girl.
        Who knows? CQC just might be able to release the inner beast or beauty in you.

  • Details
        The most recent exhibit at Cape Fear Studios, titled Just the Two of Us, supports the idea that many artists in the surrounding area prefer to use a high key palette of color. Halftones, sepia and raw umbers have been replaced with pure colors that explode across the surface of a painting or pastel drawing.
    Joanne Gill Worth and Margie Graves, the two artists in the exhibit, are from Southern Pines and both rely upon color to express their ideas about abstraction, the still life and the landscape. Both artists have a preference for the intensity of color over the drab, bright over dull and dark to emphasize light.
    Graves’ work is mixed media and abstract. Mood is evoked by using bright colors. The surface of the painting is sometimes modulated through texture. The range of emotions being expressed is deciphered through layers of color, movement and fluidity.
        Graves has a master’s degree in social work and is licensed in clinical social work. Her abstract style has been influenced by a certificate in expressive arts therapy from Appalachian State University.
        The layering effect in Graves’ works illustrates how she fosters her own creativity and methods in the area of expressive arts therapy. Most people are very familiar with art therapy; Graves explains how expressive arts therapy “integrates and embraces all the traditional modalities, sometimes layering several art modalities of art therapy.” Graves further stated that expressive arts therapy is the “practice of using imagery, storytelling, dance, music, drama, poetry, writing, movement, dream work and visual arts, together in an integrated way to foster human growth, development and healing.”
        After understanding Graves was an expressive arts therapist, I was able to bring a new interest to her work that I did not originally experience. The lesson here is sometimes knowing about what the artist is doing can heighten our appreciation of their work. (That said, it is not always true.) 
    Grave’s abstract fluidity is in contrast to the work of Joanne Gill Worth. Gill Worth is the exact opposite in that her still lifes and landscapes are constructed through color to be solid — built up by thick mark making techniques using only oil pastels. 
        In the drawing titled Last Tangerine, viewers can see how Worth uses traditional techniques of perspective to create space. In this still life drawing, three tangerines are placed upon a highly decorative blue and white plate. The artist used a bird’s eye view point; we are above the plate and look down upon the still life from a bird’s eye view. Bird’s eye view, a technique in foreshortening, can be the shortest route to create interest for the viewer.
        Worth has the ability to create the recession of space and volume in her work. In particular, Last Tangerine is a work that truly exemplifies the artist’s talent for skill, composition and detail. Using the complementary colors of orange and blue is another technique for maximizing the use of color — one emphasizes the other and makes the other color look even brighter than it is when isolated.
       {mosimage} Worth’s other still lifes and landscapes integrate her use of technique for contrasting high key colors as well as the contrast of light to dark. It appears  Worth is preoccupied with different types of light and the way it affects color on an object or in the landscape. In her still lifes, the light can be from a direct light source or the indirect light from a window to create a backlit light affect.  
        In After the Storm, Worth captures the bold colors of a setting sun before a storm, dark clouds separating to reveal their orange-red and yellow edges through a band blue to turquoise sky. In After Hours, Worth shows us the lighting affect of street lights on a deserted rural road; the street lights spray an area with a limited distance of yellow-white light on dense foliage and a fence-lined street. 
    Both artists are well worth the trip to the downtown Fayetteville gallery. Cape Fear Studios, located on Maxwell Street, one block behind the Fayetteville Art Center on the corner of Hay and Maxwell Street, invites you to see the works of Worth and Graves. The exhibit will remain up until June 24. For information call the studios at (910) 433-2986.
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  • Details
        It’s Monday morning, you roll your solid waste and recycling carts out to the curb. When you come home, you find your trash can empty, but youour recycling cart is still full. A quick call to the city reveals that your recycling pickup day does not coincide with your trash pickup. Your frustration mounts.
        Not to worry, Jerry Dietzen, the director of solid waste, has put together a new plan that will not only merge pickup days together, but will also result in savings to the city. Dietzen unveiled the plan at the city council’s work session on June 2.
        Dietzen, who joined the city two years ago, explained that when he joined the city staff he found a great number of inefficiencies within the department. The inefficiencies were a result of substantial growth in the city from the construction of new subdivisions and annexation. Dietzen said that the department added new routes without changing existing customer’s pickup days, which resulted in the inefficiencies.
        {mosimage}The current map of the city’s waste pickup route reflects those inefficiencies. “As you can see, our drivers are all over the city on each day of the week,” explained Dietzen. On any given day the current pick-up schedule has drivers going from one end of the city to the other, while bypassing neighborhoods in the middle of the city. Dietzen said the new pick-up schedule will do two things: first, the new system combines routes into geographic locations, and second it puts the solid waste and recycling pickup on the same day. The new pick-up schedule is scheduled to go into effect on July 14.         He explained that the new routes will result in a number of efficiencies for the city, including a reduced number of routes, which will result in reduced travel time, fuel savings and maintenance costs.
    Additionally, the uniformity of the routes will allow the call center to better assist customers because garbage vehicles will be in one central area. Dietzen said representatives will be able to pinpoint problems in that area and notify the crews in the area, whereas in the past a problem might have been identified after the crews had left the area and moved onto another area of the city.
        Supervisors are currently in the field testing the new routes, which were computer generated. The new schedule will affect 75 to 80 percent of the city’s residents. Pickups will be on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Council members questioned whether any plans had been put in place to deal with problems caused by Monday holidays. No changes have been made at this time.

  • Details
        Lou Reed once musically urged people to take a walk on the wild side. I have taken the portion of his advice about walking. On my walks to Barnes & Nobles I sporadically have what for me passes as profound thoughts. (For other people these thoughts would prove mundane at best.) Walking the three plus miles of Morganton Road provides the opportunity to ponder the mysteries of the universe — and the crushed Bud Light cans on the sidewalk.
        The light and airy months of spring have morphed into the raging beast that is Fayetteville’s annual summer festival of heat and humidity. I expect to have even more profound thoughts as solar energy intensifies. In Biblical times, prophets would go into the desert to dream dreams and see visions. Lacking a desert in Fayetteville, the Morganton Road sidewalk substitutes to trigger cosmic revelations.
        Personal Theory of Life #602 holds that life is a constant battle against gravity. Gravity struggles each day to pull you down. You struggle each day to stand up. Most days you will win and remain standing. Eventually, gravity will win. You will fall down and you will not be able to get up. Visit a hospice if you doubt this theory. In order to delay the day that gravity inevitably wins, it is important to exercise. The stronger your body is, the longer you can fend off Mr. Gravity. That’s why I walk, to delay gravity’s final victory. That’s the reason some people go to the gym, do yoga or run. Other people who do not subscribe to Theory of Life #602 supersize their french fries with extra cheese and bacon bits. Mr. Gravity usually wins against these people sooner than their more active brothers and sisters.
        Walking the same route repeatedly is not boring. Obsessive compulsive maybe, but not boring. As Casey Stengel would say, you can see a lot just by looking. There are a number of interesting sights on Morganton Road. Did you know that Fred the Dead Rabbit is lying in the road close to the Fayetteville Academy? Fred has been ripening in the sun for a few weeks. He is silent but wise. Dead rabbits are natural teachers. Fred has taught me how to hold my breath when I walk past him. Fred has reinforced my concept of the difference between upwind and downwind. There is also an odd picture of a woman’s face on a telephone pole sign that cautions about being buried. The Indy 500 nature of cars going 70 mph two feet away on Morganton Road generates copious adrenalin.
         walking next to Fred the Rabbit, I pondered what Hillary Clinton wants. Obama now has the delegates to be the Democratic nominee. Hillary refuses to concede defeat. She is the dinner guest who doesn’t know when it’s time to leave the party. The hosts are yawning and want to go to bed. Hillary refuses to leave. Apparently she’s willing to pick Obama to be president as long as she gets to be vice president. My guess is that Michelle Obama may not want Hillary as VEEP. As a wise man once said, “If Mamma ain’t happy, ain’t no one happy.” The White House would not be a happy place with a cranky Michelle coupled with Hillary and Bill trying to be president.
        A number of Hillary’s supporters are peeved at what they perceive as the unfair treatment of Hillary by the Democratic Party and Big Media. They are threatening to go vote for McCain who favors appointing more Supreme Court justices like Scalia and Thomas who will vote to abolish Roe v. Wade and do other colorful things to the Constitution that you might think Hillary voters would oppose. Heck hath no fury like a Hillary supporter scorned. Like the Shiites flagellating themselves, Hillaryites are willing to cut off their noses to spite Obama’s face.  
        What is Hillary to do? Simple, she calls up John McCain and chooses him as her presidential running mate. She’ll become McCain’s vice president. A McCain-Hillary ticket would get John, Hillary and Bill into the White House. Her voters could smite Obama and the Constitution by casting their ballot for McCain-Clinton-Clinton. It’s a political menage a trois made in heaven. It’s coming soon to a ballot box near you. Let the presidential rumpus begin!

  • Details
        My boyfriend of two years has been living with his parents for four years. He’s 49, and first said he had an apartment near them but never wanted me to come over. I soon caught on, and he confessed he was ashamed of being in debt and living at home. I gave him another chance because we get along well, except for money. (I’m frugal and he can’t hang onto a dollar.) The biggie happened last week. I discovered he’d actually lived in his parents’ basement with his wife and kids for several years before they divorced. I don’t know if I’m more upset because he lied or because he put his wife and kids in a basement for so long.
                                                                          — Angry Girlfriend

        So he didn’t exactly take you on a tour of the home he lived in with his wife and kids: “And here we have the master bedroom...” and you look down on two sleeping bags zipped together on bare cement next to the furnace. “And here we have the kids’ room...” a big plaid suitcase from the ‘70s. (Hmm...maybe the baby slept in the bowling bag?)
        Even if what happened in the basement stayed in the basement, there had to be signs the guy wasn’t exactly the financial genius of our time...like, he pays the electric bill by setting up a lemonade stand, and when he picks you up for dates, instead of opening the car door, he helps you onto the handlebars.
        Men and women on the make both lie, just about different things. Because men are hard-wired to prioritize looks, women spend hours painting themselves into “natural beauties,” and squeeze into “shapewear” with names like “Lipo in a BOX.” Because women go for men with money and power, a man’s more likely to be like my friend Frank, who wanted me to take a picture of him leaning on a Porsche so he could send it to the girl he’d been chatting up online. “But, Frank, you’re going to pick her up in your late-model Nissan and take her to your one-bedroom apartment!” He pouted, “Well, it’s not like I’m saying it’s MY Porsche.”
        Come on...you’re angry because you found out the guy stashed his wife and kids in a basement? His live wife and kids, not their mummified corpses? This is the kind of thing men who are chronically broke are forced to do. Maybe what’s really eating you is what a bad investment you’ve made: putting in two years with a guy for whom moving up in the world means going from his parents’ basement into his parents’ garage. In his defense, at least he has the decency, if not to put a roof over his kids’ heads, then to mooch one.
        In your own defense, you say “we get along well, except for money.” Except for money? That’s a bit beyond “He’s into Muzak and I’m into metal.” At 49, the guy’s still working on getting his starter apartment — a reflection of a rather serious character flaw. Has he given you any reason to believe he’ll have it patched up by 50? Instead of pretending not to see the dealbreakers so you can make the deal, be honest about your standards, and hold your dates up to them from the start. If what you really want is a man who’s fiscally responsible, you’re never going to be happy with a man who might be able to bring home the bacon, but only if you give him an advance on his allowance and send him to the grocery store in your car.

    Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA  90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com)
    (c)2008, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.

  • Details
        The U.S. military operates a beachfront vacation site for its personnel worldwide and their families at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, with $42-a-night air-conditioned suites, surfing, boat rides, golf course, bowling alley and even a gift shop. One T-shirt for sale reads, “The Taliban Towers at Guantanamo Bay, the Caribbean’s Newest 5-star Resort.” News of the facility was not widely reported until a British lawyer who represents 28 of the nearly 300 detainees housed there described it to London’s Daily Mailin May.

    The Continuing Crisis
        Another Criterion for Teacher Certification: Police in Fort Myers, Fla., were called to Royal Palm Exceptional School in April and wound up arresting an 8-year-old boy named Deshawn for punching his female teacher in the face, leaving several bruises. Said Deshawn’s grandmother, Dorothy Williams, when interviewed by WBBH-TV: “He gets very upset, and he loves to hit,” but “If he was overpowering her that much, I feel like she shouldn’t be in that line of work.”
        America in Decline: One of the Internet’s successful Web sites (10 million page views a month, with $500,000 in ads from companies including Verizon, McDonald’s and General Motors) is a site that merely reports on what celebrities’ babies are wearing, in that so many mothers are apparently obsessed with mimicking those clothing choices for their own tots. A May Wall Street Journal feature said sometimes the site’s posting a photo of a celebrity baby incites a nationwide run on what it’s wearing.
        Workplace Culture: Salesman Chad Hudgens filed a lawsuit in January against his former Salt Lake City employer, charging that the boss and a “motivational trainer” used, as a “team-building” exercise, what was essentially the controversial “torture” practice of “waterboarding.” The boss allegedly said that if salesmen tried as hard to close deals as they’re trying to breathe during the simulated drowning, sales would soar. 
        British office worker Theresa Bailey, 43, was awarded the equivalent of about $10,300 by a court in Ashford, England, in May after she complained of sexual harassment by her otherwise-all-male direct-marketing team at Selectabase company. Among the “laddish” behavior was her boss’s regularly “lift(ing) his right cheek” and expelling gas in her direction.

    First Things First
        A supervisor at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services told a Billings Gazette reporter in March that some of his employees were complaining that new computers delivered to the office lacked games like solitaire, hearts and Minesweeper, and that it wasn’t fair that employees with older computers still had the games. 
        The traffic commander of the Rusafah district in Baghdad told his officers in April to start enforcing the country’s seat-belt laws. The fine is the equivalent of about $12.50.

    News of the Tacky
        The leader of the Liberal Party in the Australian state of Western Australia said in April that he would not resign even though an accusation against him was true: that at a party staff meeting in December 2005, when a female colleague got out of her chair, he playfully moved over and sniffed it.
        The Missouri Supreme Court suspended the law license of David A. Dalton II in March for allegedly arranging leniency, with a prosecutor, for one of his clients in exchange for the client’s having her godfather, retired football star Terry Bradshaw, autograph a baseball for him.

  • Details
        Each year, a group of motorcycle enthusiasts plan an annual trek out west. The group, sponsored by the Association of Free Community Papers, calls itself the Black Sheep. Based in cities all across America, riders will follow a variety of routes to get to the main meet-up point in Jackson, Wyo. The riders are expected to converge on Jackson on the evening of Friday, Aug. 1. {mosimage}
        On Aug. 2, the main thrust of the group ride will begin as riders take a trek through one of America’s most breathtaking national parks, riding through the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. The group will stay just outside of Yellowstone National Park. Riders who have participated in the event before say that this part of the ride is easy but puts some of the country’s most beautiful sites in your sight.
        On Aug. 3, the route will take riders over Beartooth Pass, through Red Lodge and Billings to the Little Bighorn National Battlefield near Crow Agency, Mont. Beartooth Pass is reputed to be the prettiest highway in America. Opened in 1936, the Beartooth Highway crosses through the mountains, and in 1989 was designated a National Scenic Byway. Charles Kuralt, who spent much of his life touring the United States, called it “America’s most beautiful road.”
        The Beartooth route originates in Red Lodge. South of Red Lodge, the road quickly begins ascending the Beartooth Plateau. Between 50 and 60 million years ago, a massive uplift created the Beartooths. At roughly 3,000 square miles, the Beartooths are one of North America’s largest land masses, rising above 10,000 feet, reaching its highest point at 12,799-foot Granite Peak. This is a land of glacier-carved cirques, high alpine lakes and fragile tundra.
        On Monday, Aug. 4, the final leg of the ride will see riders crossing Montana and arriving in Sturgis, S.D., about mid-afternoon just in time to kick off the 68th Annual Bike Week. Bike Week at Sturgis has a long and storied history. The event was started by the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club, which formed in 1936, and started the Sturgis Rally in 1938. That first rally had a lineup of only nine racers and a very small audience. These days, thousands attend the event which has grown from that one small race. The Jackpine Gypsies still organize the event and a majority of events during the week take place on the club’s 40 acres, which includes a race track, permanent seating, a clubhouse, a concession business and a campground. Each year, 12 events are held during the rally, which draws more than 6,000 spectators.
        Black Sheep riders can stay in Sturgis or nearby areas for as many or as few days as they want, returning home at their own schedule. Riders from the Fayetteville area will meet up with other riders in Nashville, Tenn., to start the cross-country trek.
        Contact Bill Bowman at Bill@upandcomingweekly.com for more information.

  • Details
        Manolo Blahniks.
    If you’re heterosexual and male, those two words are all you really need to know about the screen adaptation of Sex and the City.
        Evidently, Manolo Blahniks is a brand of very stylish and very expensive women’s shoes which also turn out to be a key plot device toward the end of this 2 1/2-hour queen of all chick flicks.
    If you are a fan of either that particular shoe brand or the now defunct HBO series, Sex and the City, then this film is probably for you.
        If you don’t know Manolo from Mazola and never got into the Sex phenomenon during its four-year run, or if you have even remotely male tendencies — such as planning your weekend around a Charles Bronson movie marathon or keeping a stack of Maxim magazines in the bathroom — I would save my time and money and go see Iron Man again.
        {mosimage}OK, full disclosure: Before I screened Sex and the City, I’d never seen a single episode of the — supposedly — groundbreaking series. Of course, through pop culture osmosis I knew that main character Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) has a shoe fetish on par with Imelda Marcos, that the girls like sex — hence the title — and they drink Cosmopolitans nonstop.
        So, I guess you legion of Sex fans think not having seen the series should disqualify me from reviewing the movie, eh? To that, I say... bad sexists! What would happen if a male film critic said female critics were not qualified to review movies, such as the aforementioned Iron Man or the Spider Man anthology, because most women did not grow up reading the comic books said films are based upon?
        That’s right, they’d be strung up by the soles of their Kenneth Coles.
        So, in a broadside for men’s right, here’s what I know about Sex and the City — the movie.
        The plot seems to revolve around Carrie attempting to tie the knot with the rich, handsome Mr. Big (Chris Noth), who leaves her waiting at the altar because, you know, men are pigs.
        By the way, I went to a Monday matinee, because, well, men are not only pigs, but we’re cheap pigs. And let me tell you, I have never, ever felt so out of place at a movie. I was the lone male in the audience and the estrogen was cascading down the aisles like some sort of mutated fog, redolent of Chanel No. 5 and contraband cocktails.
        Anyway, Carrie is so depressed following her matrimonial meltdown that she and her three gal pals flee to Mexico for a vacation in which they drink margaritas instead of their trademark Cosmos and don’t have a lot of sex — the one thing that would possibly attract males to the film. I mean, it is called Sex in the City, not Babes Bonding South of the Border.
        After that, it’s mostly a roller coaster of hormonal hijinks, including pregnancy, infidelity and a spayed dog that likes to make sweet, sweet love to pillows, chair legs and human legs.
        Samantha (Kim Catrall) is, to me, the sexiest and funniest of Sex in the City’s four stars, even if she does spend too much of the movie holding on like grim death to her much younger soap star boyfriend Smith (Jason Lewis).
        The character of Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) is the one involved in the aforementioned pregnancy. When she runs into Mr. Big on the street and starts to animatedly give him a piece of her mind over how he treated Carrie, everyone in the theater smarter than Dick Cheney immediately knew her water was going to break and Big would end up saving the day by driving her to the hospital. I mean, gee whiz... I learned that plot device about the same time I figured out any time teenagers have sex in a slasher flick, they’ve got about three minutes left to live.
        And in the end, predictability is what sinks the good ship Playtex. The writers should have taken a chance or two. Personally, I believe the real life lesbianism of Cynthia Nixon could have been alluded to, giving the film some much needed edge. For example, perhaps she could have fallen head-over-stilletos for a TV repairwoman or a hardened stripper with a heart of gold — played by either the hilarious Ellen DeGeneres, or DeGeneres’ girlfriend, the gorgeous Portia de Rossi (I’ll let you guess which one I would cast to drive the big brown truck and which one would do the pole dancing).
        Or maybe, Nixon, DeGeneres and de Rossi could have been involved in some sort of sexy love triangle.
        Yeah, that’s the ticket — nothing draws dudes to the bijou like a ménage à trois.
        Because, well, you know... men are pigs.

  • Details
        The Middleman (Monday, 8 p.m., ABC Family) is the most delightful pop-culture product since Juno. Heroine Wendy Watson (Natalie Morales) is Juno’s equal as a deadpan hipster smart aleck. But she has one talent Juno doesn’t: a knack for saving the world from machine-gun-toting apes.{mosimage}
        The Middleman is set in a satirical sci-fi universe full of comic book bad guys. Wendy is living a marginal life as an artist/temp when an ugly creature breaks out of a laboratory and grabs her with its tentacles. She calmly stabs it with a letter opener, and her sangfroid captures the attention of the Middleman (Matt Keeslar). He’s a wholesome hero type whose job is not only to save the world, but also to prevent the world from learning that supernatural phenomena exist. He convinces Wendy to be his sidekick over the objections of his cranky robot assistant.
    Wendy and the Middleman are an instant odd-couple classic. Where she’s wised-up and sarcastic, he’s a square-jawed square in the Clark Kent mode. He says things like “dog diggity” and “dag-nabit,” often while chugging a glass of milk. Creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach, who adapted the series from his graphic novels, has a ball spoofing spy movies, superhero comics, Planet of the Apes, The Godfather, Andy Warhol, The Avengers and animal-rights groups — and that’s just in the first episode.
        Is there any way I’m going to miss episode two? Not a gosh-darn chance in heck.

    Celebrity Circus
    Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. (NBC)
    NBC declares that this “thrilling new series immerses today’s top stars in the breathtaking world of the circus.” Would you really call Stacey Dash, Christopher Knight, Antonio Sabato Jr. and Wee Man Acuna “today’s top stars”? It kind of makes you wonder if the network is also stretching things with the words “thrilling” and “breathtaking.”

    The Bill Engvall Show
    Thursday, 9 p.m. (TBS)
        I dissed this sitcom last year based on the mediocre premiere. I didn’t watch it again ‘till now, and what do you know — I’m smiling.
        The Bill Engvall Show is unabashedly old school, with a laugh track, simple sets and a setup-punchline rhythm. The plots look for humor in the minutiae of suburban family life: a cell phone that gets bad reception, children who refuse to clean the garage. A million sitcoms have worked similar territory, but this one succeeds thanks to a great ensemble. Over the past year, something clicked among the actors, all of whom (even the kids) know how to put over the jokes. Engvall is amiable in the Father Knows Worst role, and Nancy Travis complements him beautifully as the Sarcastic Wife.
        I’d call Engvall to congratulate him if I could get reception on my damn cell phone.

    AFI’s 10 Top 10
    Tuesday, 8 p.m. (CBS)
        Every summer, the American Film Institute tries to find a new way to list America’s greatest movies: by focusing on actors, genres, etc. The problem is, America’s greatest movies don’t change all that much, so every year we hear about the same ones in a slightly different way.
        This time, the AFI gives us the top 10 films in 10 different genres. Think it might just be a big night for Citizen Kane and Casablanca … again?

  • Details
        Insolence is big in Japan.
        So big, that its new album, Audio War, made it to No. 6 on the charts in the Land of the Rising Sun, beating out offerings from Linkin Park and Avril Lavigne.
        The band, which hails from San Jose, Calif., also wants to make it big in Fayetteville on Saturday, June 14, when it plays at Jester’s Pub in support of its new CD.
        While my musical tastes don’t tend to skew toward hardcore bands such as Insolence — my favorite “heavy” band of the moment being retro psychedelic space rangers Monster Magnet — I do appreciate a group with energy that takes a different road.
        And Insolence qualifies on both counts, using a metal/reggae/hip-hop blend that can make your head implode and your feet explode.
        The lead track, “Danger,” starts off with the requisite heavy metal thunder of distorted power chords and screaming, indecipherable lyrics, but then segues into a smooth, reggae-style dub that catches you completely by surprise. It’s sort of like Iron Maiden meets Bob Marley. Kudos to the band for creating something totally unexpected.
    “Megumi” takes the opposite tack — leading off with a reggae/hip-hop beat and then kicking out the jams with a wall of sludgy guitar that would make Insolence the perfect house band for Ozzy Osbourne’s retirement party... or funeral, whichever comes first.{mosimage}
        The third track, “Kobra Kai “... I have no idea what it’s about and don’t know if I like it or not — sort of like the first time I tried sushi. I can’t understand a word the kids are singing, though I love its punk rock roots and it does have an interesting guitar solo. It’ll probably grow on me, sort of like that stray wild hair that inexplicably sprouts out of your ear.
    “Blue Sky” is the money track. It’s gotten substantial airplay back in the Bay Area and in Japan. It combines a funky rhythm guitar with some deft deejay scratching; bonus points — my battered and beaten, middle-aged ears can understand every word! “Blue Sky” has echoes of the late, impossibly great Sublime and is absolutely sunny compared to the other tracks, with such sweet lines as the chorus, “Blue sky sunshine, bring back the love I’m telling all of you.” It’s like discovering that lead guitarist/buzzsaw master Scott Ian of Anthrax collects teddy bears. In fact, it’s so poppish that the band just might lose its membership in the Kick Ass Rap Metal All Boys Club. Speaking of which, an excellent rap weaves into the mix so much more melodically than the offerings of hip-hop/metal standard bearers Korn and Limp Bizkit. “Blue Sky” deserves to be a Top 10 hit.
        The band goes for a Rage Against the Machine vibe on “Liberation,” preaching anarchy and riots in the streets with the chorus “take it back, take it back, liberation” amid verses such as “death squads, angry mobs... they control you.”
    Among the remaining tracks, “Kyoadai” is a real standout, fusing Guns and Roses with some Fugees-like rap and a dash of Sex Pistols-style punk.
        All-in-all, a fine effort for a band on the rise.
        If Insolence can hook me — a grizzled old 40-something fan of the Beatles and the Stones — playing music with a probable demographic of males, 14-28, they’ve definitely got something good going.
        The show begins at 8 p.m. Insolence will be opening for the Kottonmouth Kings and tickets are $20.

  • Details
        After finally getting a hold of the elusive band Stronghold, drummer David Sholter decided to give me the lowdown on the band, its dreams of fame and fortune, and a sum being bigger than its parts.
        Give me a Stronghold history lesson — how did you guys get started?
        “It’s the usual fairy-tale-garage-band-get-together. Late in 2004, bassist David West was playing with a popular local band that was beginning to lose steam. West’s in-law, Dave Sholter, had played drums with a few local rock bands ‘back in the day’ and suggested inviting friends, enemies, anybody to ‘the garage’ for jam sessions. The scraped-together sessions were fun, but sparse and going nowhere until West overheard coworker Danny Brock singing along to country radio tunes. Brock soon produced Simmy Sibbet, a guitarist then playing with pop band Clear Conscience, and a jam session ensued. The group found an immediate musical chemistry and lived happily ever after.”
        If you only had two words to describe your band, what would they be, and why?
        “How about: ‘Who gave those idiots instruments…’ wait, too many words… maybe: ‘Unlikely stepbrothers.’ When you see us together, you’ll know why.”{mosimage}
        Who came up with the name and why do you think it fits your band?
        “Bassist West singled out the word from the lyrics to ‘Addiction,’ one of our early original tunes. At the time, the name was pick-of-the-litter from a pretty uninspired short list of possibilities. Some of the runners-up are probably not fit to print.”
        Who does Stronghold look to for inspiration — who do you think did it better before you?
        “Tough one. In common, we all like rock but after that, influences start to pile up pretty randomly. One guy stands out to all of us, though: Jimmie’s Chicken Shack front man Jimi HaHa. That guy has both feet on the ground, with enough creativity and tenacity to fill a large crater. Aside from that, everybody did, and continues to do it better than us. We just hope to be walking upright by the end of the year.”
        What are your expectations for Stronghold?
        “The usual fame and fortune would be nice. Essential, actually. Short-term, we’d like to play out more, beyond our familiar turf.  We’re also looking forward to recording our first full-length CD which is waaaay overdue.”
        What compels you (collectively or individually) to play music?
        “It’s fun, period. Well, it’s mildly amazing to try something that seems beyond you, and then actually pull it off, and then find that it has metamorphosed into some unexpected state of gestalt.”
        What makes your band better then the rest of them?
        “See previous answer. OK, nobody is better or worse, just different. Hey, that’s very PC. We do what we do and a lot of people like it; we’ve never figured out why.”
        Most important music lesson? (Whether it relates directly to music or perhaps the industry.)
        “Rule No. 1 is to HAVE FUN. When you enjoy what you’re doing, it’s infectious. The whole point is to entertain. Rule No. 2: You can never learn enough.”
        Why should people get off their butts and check out Stronghold?
        “What, you gotta wash your hair or something? Besides, we’ve seen you all rubberneck at a lousy fender-bender. What would you pay to see a full-blown train wreck?”
        Coming off of playing at the Special Forces Festival it seems Stronghold is the next thing in town. See if you have as hard of a time getting “a hold” of them as I did. More info and dates are available on their Myspace: www.myspace.com/strongholdrocks.

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