https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/


  • Details

    County’s Safe Water Task Force Makes Progress

    (Editor’s Note: James Martin is the county manager for Cumberland County.)
        The Fayetteville Observer, in recent editorial columns, has charged Cumberland County staff with being both “secretive” and “barely adequate” in their response to the challenge of providing potable water throughout the county, especially those areas with contaminated wells. These charges are inaccurate and perhaps even mean-spirited. The Observer fails to acknowledge the ongoing and unrelenting work being devoted to solving this problem. Public servants are often fairly and unfairly maligned, but the newspaper should not demean the very good beginning that has been made.  {mosimage}
        The Safe Water Task Force was formed immediately after the problem of well-water contamination became known at a public hearing on a zoning matter on Feb. 19. The task force brought together professionals with expertise and responsibility about water issues, and set to work right away on defining the challenge, determining the tasks needing to be accomplished to move forward, and in building a record of the task force’s findings. (The Fayetteville Observer has been provided minutes of the task force meetings, a public record, when they have requested them.) To date, the task force has met four times and made an initial and a subsequent interim report at public, televised meetings of the board of commissioners. To say the task force is “secretive” is unfair — these were legal meetings of state and county staff members. The task force meetings are no more “secretive” than the Observer’s internal consideration of how to deal with the letter from a possible murder suspect in the tragic Touma case.
        The board of commissioners has appropriated $2.25 million this fiscal year to address critical water contamination issues and begin preparing engineering design requirements to extend water in the county. Also, the county has signed a contract with an engineer to design a water line to the Southpoint neighborhood.
        The county has met with the Town of Hope Mills and PWC staff to begin a project to bring a water line to the Brooklyn Circle neighborhood.
        Preliminary engineering design work is under way to bring sewer to the Overhills Park community for which federal grant funding has been authorized, though not yet appropriated.
        In a parallel effort, the Eastover Sanitary District is undertaking a project to extend its water lines east to the Sampson County line.
        County staff has begun creating a countywide integrated digital database for water lines and water contamination problems. 
        County staff has held productive discussions with water providers in the region including PWC, Eastover Sanitary District, Harnett County, Robeson County and Bladen County, about potential cooperative efforts to extend water lines.
    Communication between state and local agencies is being addressed and has improved.
        The board of commissioners adopted a policy requiring testing of wells in new subdivisions that are within 1,000 feet of contaminated ground water sites.
        In short, there is a lot going on. A fair-minded view of all this activity shows that the board of commissioners and county staff are giving water issues their top priority and utmost efforts.
        But the Observer has chosen to focus not on progress but on maligning the county for not inviting a reporter to a task force meeting of staff members. It is both legal and the customary practice of local governments in North Carolina to exclude the media from internal staff meetings. The newspaper even goes so far as to suggest that there should have been a reporter present at my recent meeting with the public health director about communication between the health department and state agencies, even though I had released to a reporter prior to this meeting both my memorandum to the public health director on this topic and the public health director’s response.
        {mosimage}The challenge of providing clean water will take time and money — and citizen support — as every commissioner has publicly recognized. It will be an expensive challenge, one that voters must support in a future bond vote in order to pay for clean water. We all remember that voters rejected a water and sewer bond referendum in 1994. The Observer has recently reported that there are still homeowners in Cumberland County who do not want to pay for having clean water piped into their neighborhoods.
        The county’s staff is wrestling with ways to address this priority for the county’s citizens. Private meetings are not necessarily “secret” meetings, and works in progress are not necessarily “bungled efforts.” Our progress will not be accelerated by mean-spirited criticism from our local newspaper. The first, necessary steps toward solutions are well underway.

  • Details

        When you think about the world’s most important resource your mind obviously jumps to oil. Wrong answer. Scientists tell us the world’s most important resource is water — clean, potable drinking water.
        For those of us living in the United States, that seems like an absurd idea. Everybody has water — but does everybody have clean water? The answer in Cumberland County is a resounding “NO.”
        Contamination of ground water is an issue that our county is going to have to face sooner, rather than later. Already, contaminated wells are cropping up throughout the county. For those affected, there are no easy answers. And for those who live in the vicinity, I would think that sleep would not come easy either.
        Like cancer, contaminated ground water tends to seep. It doesn’t remain in just one place, it moves, and the contamination grows. So, while today there may only be a handful of wells that are affected, what will that count be in six weeks, six months or six years? {mosimage}
        Cumberland County leaders do not have time to sit and wait to find out that answer. In fact, the county as a whole has waited too long. The county first began kicking around the idea of a countywide water system in 1969. Almost 40 years later, we’re back at the drawing board — kicking around the idea.
        Cumberland County’s biggest failure over the past century has been its inability to plan for the future. Instead, we sit back and wait for it to happen, and when a problem rears its head, like the issue of clean water, we’re left standing with our pants down. It doesn’t have to be this way.
        The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners exercised responsible government when they formed the Safe Water Task Force in February. The task force will, at some point in the near future, report back to the board on what it is has found and make recommendations for the best way Cumberland County can ensure that all of its citizens have clean water.
        At that point, the board must show their political will to do the right thing for the citizens of the county, but to a grea extent it falls into the laps of the citizens of Cumberland County. The commissioners can pursue grants and they can put a bond referendum forward to help fund the estimated $120 million it will take to pay for a countywide water system. But that’s all they can do.
        Then it will be in the hands of the voters who will have to decide what is more important — is it money or their very health? Each individual is going to have to answer some hard questions. What is it worth to you to know that the water you’re drinking is clean? What is it worth to you to know that you are not unknowingly poisoning your children? What is your neighbor’s life worth?
    Think about it.

  • Details
        I last wrote you upon learning my wife had three previous husbands, not two. After enduring her lies and spending issues, plus having her deny me sex for seven years (starting with a sharp elbow in my chest when I tried to spoon), I’m out. I’m thrilled it’s over, but terrified to start a relationship and possibly repeat the horror.
           —Some Encouragement, Please

        On seven separate occasions, Bank of America’s tellers handed out a total of $12,000 of my money to thieves, including a woman with missing teeth and a fake driver’s license in my name with the wrong expiration date. Meanwhile, their spokeslady, Betty Riess, brags to the media that they have “multiple layers of security.” Uh, such as...asking a thief whether she’d like my money in $10s, $20s or $100s? You probably have a similar method for vetting women — pretty much just hoping they are who they claim to be.     The good news is, finding an honest woman isn’t a crap shoot. Just be vigilant. Listen, observe, analyze. Take your time. Most people can’t entirely hide who they are unless you help by closing your eyes and crossing your fingers — behavior that can lead to dangerous unprotected sex; in your case, spooning without a hockey goalie chest guard.

    The Course of True Love
        I work at a big supermarket. I’m 21, and have a hot co-worker who’s 42. (I love older women!) I want to tell her I’m looking for a little bit of a girlfriend and sex, and see if she’s into it. I know I should show confidence without being cocky, and be direct, but what else?
                                —Very Interested

        By all means, be direct: Perhaps mention that she’s getting on in years, but you’re kinda into the older meat. And then, just get to it: “I’m looking for a little bit of a girlfriend and sex.” Surely, she’ll take it in stride: “Oh, that’s in aisle four, next to the hot cereals.” Of course, there’s another direct approach -- ask her out for a beer. Even if she senses what you’re after, as long as it isn’t spoken, you can both pretend you’re just thirsty and wondering whether she is, too. Depending on how drinks go, either give her a friendly hug goodnight or try to kiss her in the parking lot. Whatever happens, make it your policy never to blurt out exactly what you want from a woman -- that is, unless you’re trying to see whether you can afford her services.

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

  • Details
        The European Union allows fruits and vegetables to be sold only in prescribed sizes and colors (such as its 35 pages of regulations governing 250 varieties of the apple, or rules that cucumbers must be straight and bananas curved). In June, British marketer Tim Down complained that he was forced to discard 5,000 kiwi fruit because they were 1 millimeter in diameter too small and one-fourth ounce too light. (It is illegal even to give them away, as that would undermine the market price.) “Improvements” in the EU system continue, according to a July Washington Post dispatch from Brussels: Despite 10 pages of standards on the onion and 19 amendments, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture recently issued a report urging further refinements, using 29 pages and 43 photographs.

    GREAT ART!
        Artist Michael Fernandes’ exhibit in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in June caused a commotion because it was merely a banana on a gallery’s window sill, and Fernandes had it priced at $2,500 (Cdn) (down from his original thought, $15,000). Actually, Fernandes changed bananas every day (eating the old one), placing progressively greener ones out to demonstrate the banana’s transitoriness. “We (humans) are also temporal, but we live as if we are not,” he wrote. Despite the steep price, two collectors placed holds on the “work,” requiring the gallery’s co-owner, Victoria Page, to get assurance from callers. “It’s a banana; you understand that it’s a banana?”

    GOVERNMENT IN ACTION
        In May, the school board in Barrie, Ontario, notified Children’s Aid Society to intervene with mother Colleen Leduc and her daughter Victoria, 11, because of suspected sexual abuse, angering the conscientious Leduc, who until that point had taken extraordinary measures to protect the girl, who is autistic. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the suspicion came from a teaching assistant who said her psychic had told her that a girl with a “V” in her name was being abused by a man aged 23 to 26. Leduc now refuses to trust Victoria to public schools because “they might want to take out a Ouija board or hold a seance.”


    PRISONER POWER
        The June transfer of a prisoner from lockup to Britain’s Northampton Crown Court, just across the street, required summoning the closest prison van (57 miles away) to come give him a ride. The prisoner (accused thief Mark Bailey) could not simply be walked across the street because officials feared that public, custodial exposure (a “perp walk”) would embarrass him, in violation of his “human rights.”

  • Details
        Summer is going by quickly and fall will be coming soon. This is prime time to enjoy the state by riding and camping. To help you prepare for a camping trip I’ll give you some tips on your packing list.{mosimage}
    First, you need to make sure you have bags for your bike or some way to transport the camping equipment. It does not take long to fill up a bike. Space quickly becomes prime real estate. Next, create a packing list. Write it out and make additions and deletions as needed. Here is a list of items you will want to take:  air mattress, camp saw, candles, collapsible chair, compass, cord, ground cloth, hatchet, Swiss Army knife or Leatherman, lantern, matches/lighter, sacks and/or bags, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, stakes/rope, tent and toilet paper.
        For cooking: camp stove and fuel, can opener, coffee making stuff, condiments, cooking pots/pans, corkscrew, cup(s), dish soap and pad, dish towel, drinks, food, garbage/trash bags, knife/fork/spoons, water bottle(s), coffee, salt and pepper and sugar and creamer.
        Bike items: bike cover, saddlebags, boots and socks, scarf, bungee cords, spare bulbs, cargo net, spare fuses, chain oil/wax, spare key(s), earplugs, tank bag, gloves, tire patch kit, helmet, tool kit, jackets, totes, windshield cleaner, Leatherman tool, lock/security stuff, oil, rain gear and rain gloves.
    Personal stuff: medications, brush, shampoo, casual clothes, shaving kit, chapstick, soap, comb, sunglasses, contact lenses and cleaner, toothbrush and toothpaste, dental floss, towel, waterless hand cleaner, Wet Ones, deodorant, towel/washcloth, fanny pack, backpack, Kotex/tampons and reading glasses.
        Clothing items: sports bras, sweatshirt(s), cycling shorts, swimsuit, hat/sun visor, T-shirts, jeans, tennis shoes/sandals, polypro underwear, underwear, shirts, shorts, socks, sweater(s).
        Information items: binoculars, palmtop computer, book(s), paper & pencil/pen, camera & accessories, passport/ID, cell phone & charger, phone list, cellular modem, radar detector, diary, registrations papers, drivers, license, mp3 player, GPS, tickets/passes, Insurance, travel guide(s), Intercom, laptop computer, maps, membership cards. Remember to take hard copies of your itinerary in the event you can’t get computer connections or something happens to your electronic equipment.
        Miscellaneous items: ear plugs, travel pillow, bug repellent, sewing kit, cable ties, snake-bite kit, cash/travelers check/ATM card, credit card(s), quarters, space blanket, stamps for postcards, duct tape, sunscreen, extra batteries, Super Glue, first aid kit, flashlight, freezer bags (for packing/waterproofing), Ibuprofen/Tylenol, rubber bands and poncho to cover your equipment.
        If there is a topic that you would like to discuss please send your comments and suggestions to motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE!

  • Details

    X-Files: I Want To Believe (Rated PG-13)

        Chris Carter made a bad choice. I Want to Believe (100 minutes) might have worked as a one-hour episode in the middle of a season. It does not work as a stand alone feature-length film released the weekend after Dark Knight. It is truly painful only because all the elements of the beloved series are present…. Scully’s (Gillian Anderson) hardcore skepticism mixed in with her strong religious faith, Mulder’s (David Duchovny) brilliant intuitive leaps combined with an openness to extra-normal explanations, the creepy camera work and spot on musical cues are just as they should be. The chemistry between the two leads is marvelous to behold, and rediscovering the characters is worth watching the film. Worth watching, that is, until the last 20 minutes or so, when the passable up until that point plot disintegrates into the kind of absurdity normally reserved for low budget B-movies.
        {mosimage}Six years after Mulder (Duchovny) and Scully (Anderson) left the FBI, she is working at a Catholic hospital and he clips newspaper stories about strange events. While wrestling with the moral issues inherent to treating a terminally ill child with an unproved and painful remedy, Scully is contacted by an FBI agent who wants Mulder’s assistance on an abduction case involving Father Joseph Crissman (Billy Connolly), a psychic with an unexplained connection to the case. At first, Mulder is reluctant to work with Agent Whitney (Amanda Peet) and Agent Drummy (Xzibit), but he soon becomes obsessed with the mystery and is drawn deeper and deeper into the case while Scully tries to distance herself from the violent case and focus on her medical career. As tempting as it is to offer more plot detail, if only to mock the disappointing finale, there is a substantial amount of suspense generated from the film’s early promise. If you are able to refrain from leaving the theater in disgust as soon as the credits role, than there is a post-credit scene to look forward to (which I missed).
        There are some nice secondary roles, including Battlestar Galactica’s Callum Keith Rennie and, reprising his role as Walter Skinner, Mitch Pileggi.
        References to the original series are sprinkled throughout the film, including a reference to William, Mulder and Scully’s little boy, pencils in the ceiling, and a heaping dish of sunflower seeds. Some of the less successful elements of the series are left out (i.e. alien conspiracy and Agent Moronica); even so, Scully manages to name check Mulder’s long lost sister early in the film.
        The characters have aged, no doubt about it. Mulder seems a shadow of his former self, and bits of his Californication persona show through the seams. Luckily, he is still hot, as is Gillian Anderson, who, impossible as it seems, has actually grown even more attractive since the series end.
        I Want to Believe is not an example of bad film, and in fact, it almost works despite the somewhat ridiculous premise. However, perhaps because it is based on a series with a strong mythology and truly memorable characters, it is a film that fails to distinguish itself.

  • Details

    Inspector Lynley crumbles on his way out the door

        Mystery! just ended Foyle’s War with a yawn. The Inspector Lynley series also ends this summer, but what a difference. This week’s episode, the second-to-last (Sunday, 9 p.m., PBS), is almost unbearably tense and tragic.
        When Inspector Lynley began in 2001, Detective Thomas Lynley (Nathaniel Parker) was a cool customer. Handsome, reserved, upper-crust — he was born on top of the world and seemed destined to stay there. But cracks slowly appeared in his façade, and by now it has completely crumbled. Lynley’s wife was murdered right in front of him, and he starts this season a wreck. He’s on leave from the force, drinking himself to death and seeing a psychologist. “She asked me to draw my grief,” he tells his loyal partner, Detective Havers (Sharon Small).
        Clearly, it will take more than drawing to pull Lynley out of his pit. It will take the discovery of a corpse — that of a little boy who disappeared 12 years ago. Lynley is a friend of the boy’s parents, and he throws himself into this cold case. It soon heats up again, spectacularly so, and Lynley himself gets burned. Before he knows it, a woman mysteriously dies and he’s accused of her murder.
        No, our hero will not be allowed to make a graceful exit. Fasten your seatbelts; the series finale is Aug. 17.

    CRISS ANGEL MINDFREAK{mosimage}
    Wednesday, 10 p.m. (A&E)
        Magician Criss Angel places an ad seeking people who are skeptical of his supposed supernatural abilities. He invites the skeptics to lead him to four elevator doors. Behind three of them are regular elevators, while the other one hides an empty shaft. Blindfolded, Criss must decide which of the three elevators are safe to enter.
        If he chooses wrong, he dies. If he chooses right, the skeptics must admit that he has magical powers. And that Santa Claus is real, too.

    OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY
    Friday, 8 p.m. (NBC)
        Once again, the Olympics sets up shop in a repressive country. The choice of China for the summer games has sparked worldwide outrage, and the touchy Chinese authorities may not be able to keep a lid on dissent as the international community floods into Beijing. Some of the fastest times all week may be clocked by protesters fleeing government goons.

    TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A HOLLYWOOD MADAM
    Saturday, 9 p.m. (Lifetime)
        Joanne “JoJo” Levesque walks, talks and acts like Lindsay Lohan in a TV movie about a teen actress who parties till she drops — literally, face first on the red carpet. Morgan is rushed to rehab, then to Indiana to live incognito with her regular-gal aunt (Valerie Bertinelli). You can connect the dots from there. Morgan begins her Midwestern adventure snobby and cynical, but slowly warms to normal life. The Indiana dreamboat arrives right on cue.
       

  • Details
        The Crown Coliseum has had very few sold-out shows in recent years. Coliseum officials can always count on wrestling to fill seats, and last fall they learned that country music can also pack the stands. {mosimage}
    I happened to be at both of those packed country shows last year — the CMT Tour featuring Sugarland, and again, when Reba and Kelly brought the house down. Both shows were great, but I have to say the Sugarland concert was my favorite.
        Sugarland, the Atlanta duo formed by Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, put on one heck of a show. Their energy level was through the roof and their connection to the audience was genuine. That probably comes from the years they were playing in small bars and honky tonks throughout the South. On top of all that, they were just plain fun — everything from Nettles’ over-the-top southern drawl to Bush’s crazed guitar. So, with that in mind, I was only too happy to check out their latest offering Love On the Inside. Released July 22, the new CD comes in two forms — a regular release and a deluxe fan edition. I opted for the fan edition, which has five extra songs (some of which were recorded during last year’s tour.)
        So before I give you my spin, let me be straight up and tell you that the CD has already hit the number two spot on Billboard’s Top Current Album list and has become the number one debut country album of the year. So that tells you about sales.
        Let me tell you about the album.
        Love On the Inside is a compilation of songs written by Bush and Nettles along with some of their friends. It’s a hard album to peg because the songs are so different — you have everything from the opening number “All I Want To Do,” which is really a pretty rollicking pop song, to the dyed-in-the-wool traditional country of “The Last Country Song,” to the romantic “Fall Into Me.” Having said that, I have to say that there will be songs on this offering that you will either love or hate. If you are a hardcore country fan, you’re going to think the band has sold-out with “All I Want to Do.” If you are more of a crossover country fan, then you aren’t going to like some of the mandolin-laced tunes. But you are going to find something you like.
        If I had not seen the band in action, I would probably have been turned off by “All I Want to Do.” But,  having seen their quirky, funny side, it comes across as the two just having a little fun. So I’m okay with it. I do not like it at 4 a.m. It’s way too perky.
        “The Very Last Country Song” pays tribute to the idea that if life were perfect, we wouldn’t need country music. It talks about change, loss and love – things that are pretty constant in our world. That’s probably why country music has been a constant.
        “Take Me as I Am,” a song about a hotel maid who wants to be loved just for who she is, allows Nettles’ voice to soar. Nettles’ voice is an instrument all by itself. She can hit some smokey low notes, but when she opens it up it truly fills an arena — or in my case, my Honda as I’m driving down the road. There’s a purity to her voice. It speaks of home, heartbreak and salvation.
        My favorite track on the record is “Fall Into Me.” The song is a love song, but it’s about the kind of love that makes you want to crawl into your lover’s skin and stay there until you know them from the inside out. (Not the crazy kind of take their skin off and wear it, but become so close you feel like you’re inside each other.) It talks about wanting to be the person to fill the void in the other, to be the person who you reach for first. It talks about forever and that can’t be too long.
        The other really cool part of the fan pack is the inclusion of albums recorded during last year’s tour. One song in particular (a remake of an ‘80s hit)  “Life in a Northern Town,” features all of the performers at the concert — Sugarland, Little Big Town and the new country heartthrob, Jake Owen. This track is totally out of keeping with the rest of the CD, but it’s a really, really good track. Check it out.

  • Details
    {mosimage}Dear EarthTalk: What’s going on in the music industry with all the CDs and plastic CD holders undoubtedly generating a lot of plastic waste?       
                                       — John S., via e-mail

        According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), CDs and DVDs are typically manufactured by combining various mined metals (aluminum, gold, silver and nickel) with petroleum-derived plastics, lacquers and dyes. Given what complicated beasts CDs and DVDs are — products with thin layers of different materials mixed together are nearly impossible to recycle — most municipal recycling programs won’t accept them, leaving consumers to fend for themselves in figuring out how to dispose of them. As a result, most discarded discs end up in the trash.
        These difficult-to-recycle materials can pollute groundwater and, in turn, contribute to a whole host of human health problems. But the low cost of producing such top-selling consumer items means that replacing them with something greener is not likely anytime soon.
        Research has shown that polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable plastic-substitute derived from corn and other agricultural wastes, could replace plastic polycarbonate as a disc’s main substrate, but the present high cost of using such a material makes it unlikely to catch on any time soon with those paying to produce mass volumes of CDs and DVDs.
        As for jewel cases, most are made out of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), an inexpensive petrochemical-based plastic that is notoriously difficult to recycle and has been linked to elevated cancer rates among workers and neighbors where it’s manufactured. Furthermore, when PVC is thrown in with regular recyclables it can contaminate entire batches, ruin equipment and cause human health problems. While cardboard and paper jewel cases may be all the rage among a few record labels — Warner Music Group’s U.S. division, for example, has been using 30 percent post-recycled paper for the packaging in all of its CDs and DVDs since 2005 — the high cost and low durability of such alternatives have kept them largely out of the mainstream.
    So what’s a conscientious consumer to do? Those willing to pay a small processing fee can send old CDs and DVDs to one of a handful of private companies (such as Washington-based GreenDisk) set up to recycle them into high-quality plastics used in auto parts, office equipment, alarm panels, street lights, electrical cable insulation, jewel cases and other specialized items.
        A shift in consumer preferences already underway may be just the thing that will make everyone’s personal collections of music and movies greener. Consumers are already able to download some six million individual digital songs via the 500 or so legal online music services now up and running on the Internet. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, digital sales now account for some 30 percent of all U.S. music sales and 15 percent globally. And most consumer analysts expect these percentages to grow steadily in the coming years, which is good news for the environment.
        CONTACTS: EPA’s “Lifecycle of a CD or DVD,” www.epa.gov/osw/students/finalposter.pdf; GreenDisk, www.greendisk.com; International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, www.ifpi.org.
        GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.

  • Details
        I’ve been asked how to fit a healthy fitness lifestyle into an already busy and hectic schedule. Especially now that kids are running to camps and we’re on vacation. Remember, an active lifestyle is more than visiting the gym for an hour or jumping around in the living room to an aerobics tape. If you get creative, you will find ways to incorporate movement into almost everything you do. Here are some suggestions to get you started and help you boost your activity level. If you make a conscious effort to add more activity into your daily life, it will become second nature. Give some of these suggestions a try:
        Walk as much as possible by parking the car a few blocks away from where you’re headed or walk to an appointment from your office instead of driving. Whenever you’re walking try to focus on long PURPOSEFUL strides that are quicker than normal pace. This gets the heart rate going a bit faster than just meandering along.
        {mosimage}Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk up the stairs as quickly as you can. For a little variation, try slowing down and taking two stairs at a time to further strengthen your legs.
        During breaks at work, walk the stairs, walk around the building or walk down the halls. Find any type of activity that keeps you moving during your break — you can sit at your desk and relax after the break!
    Whenever you’re walking somewhere, take the “long way around.” Use this technique to get anywhere you’re going from shopping at the mall to getting a drink at the water cooler.
        At the supermarket, if you don’t have too many bags, carry your own groceries out to the car without the shopping cart. And remember, park the car in a spot furthest from the store entrance but at night make sure it is in a well lit area.
        Work in a garden or the yard during the summer. Gardening will take your body through a whole range of movements.
        If you have children, or grandchildren, spend some quality time playing with them. Few things can jump-start your heart as quickly as trying to keep up with a child. Play catch, jump rope, play on the monkey bars, push them on the swing or have a foot race.
        Take lessons to learn how to play tennis, racquetball, golf or any other activity you think you might enjoy.
    Designate an area of your vehicle as “the locker room.” In that area (or box) put a pair of tennis shoes, clean socks, clean towel, Frisbee, tennis rackets, softball and gloves or any other items that strike your fancy. Whenever you’re out and about with a little extra time you can spontaneously stop off at a park to play catch, a tennis court for a game of tennis, or a walking path that’s calling you to explore it.
    Now stop reading this article and get out there and PLAY!

  • Details
        I recently attended a special political-discussion panel at North Carolina’s annual 4-H Congress in Raleigh. It included four stellar young panelists from the 4-H ranks and attracted the attention of hundreds of the state’s most-impressive and accomplished youth. {mosimage}
        There was a disquieting moment, however. The moderator asked the audience to identify themselves by a show of hands as Democrats, Republicans or something else. The party allegiances were roughly equal. Then, the host asked for supporters of Barack Obama to raise their hands. They did so with enthusiasm. Finally, he asked for supporters of John McCain to raise their hands. Almost as many did so, but they were jeered loudly by some of the Obama supporters. Several sitting close to me said they couldn’t believe anyone disagreed with Obama.
        I don’t relate the story to impugn anyone’s motives or preferences. Rather, I fear that many political partisans — and not just those youth who lack life experience — are letting their expectations get away from them. I know some Democrats who, like the young people I met Tuesday, will be bewildered and crushed if Obama is not elected the next president of the United States this fall.
        It’s great to believe passionately in a political cause or candidate. It’s not healthy, however, to discount or misunderstand one’s opposition and to draw unrealistic conclusions about the capacity of any one political leader to engineer radical change, for good or ill.
        With regard to the Obama-McCain contest itself, partisans ought to be cautious about assuming victory. There’s no question that the odds favor the Democrat, given President Bush’s low approval rating and general public angst. But it is entirely possible that McCain will end up winning a close November vote. A fair-minded observer would have to grant that Obama has little experience in Washington, in foreign and defense policy, or in running any large organization. His record is also one of the most left-leaning in the U.S. Senate. Swing voters could conceivably conclude that while they like the man, and would welcome the prospect of electing a non-white president, they should give McCain the edge based on experience or relative moderation.
        Similarly, while some conservatives and Republican partisans might believe that the 2006 Democratic surge was a fleeting response to bad luck and Bush administration incompetence, it would be foolish not to recognize what the available data and historical experience reveal. Political parties shouldn’t count on winning three back-to-back presidential elections in any event. Add in concern about gas prices, the economy, international tensions and other factors, and you can explain the current odds in Obama’s favor pointed, inherently. But each side ought at least to prepare itself against the possibility of shock.
        Although both men differ from Bush in important ways, neither will be capable of waving a magic wand to dispel economic turmoil or reduce energy prices. They may possess more knowledge or diplomatic skill, but neither is capable of dispelling most of today’s international tensions (Obama is personally popular abroad, for example, but some of his stated policies, particularly on free trade and Pakistan, will not be).
        The American constitutional system is dissimilar from parliamentary government in fundamental ways. Presidents aren’t guaranteed to have their legislation pass Congress intact, even when it is controlled by the same party. Elections are frequent and can be unpredictable, as the 1992-94 and 2004-06 periods demonstrate.
        It should be possible to care about politics without allowing political disagreements to become personal, or political expectations to soar so far into the stratosphere that they can only be brought back down to Earth with a devastating crash.

  • Details
        Six months ago, my first serious relationship ended. My ex, “Steve,” and I attend the same college, but rarely communicate anymore. It’s difficult, but for the best. The trouble is, my ex’s new love interest seems intent on becoming my friend. She friended me on Facebook, started calling me on my cell (a number I never gave her), and inserts herself into plans with mutual friends. She always mentions random facts about me that I don’t recall telling her, like, “Your parents have three dogs, right?” She compliments me then imitates what she compliments, like, “I love your highlights, can I have your stylist’s number?” I want to tell her things tanked with my ex for a reason, and becoming my clone, or even my friend, isn’t the best idea, but I’m uncomfortable discussing my ex with her and don’t feel over him enough to be comfortable getting close to her. For some reason, I’ve been too proud to share this with her. Yet, on my more charitable days, she seems sweet, and I don’t want to hurt her feelings. What boundaries are reasonable to set up?
        —Invaded

        When he looks deeply into the limpid pools of her eyes, does he say, “Baby, have I ever told you...my ex-girlfriend’s parents have three dogs?”
        Sure, that factoid could’ve flown out in casual conversation, but it isn’t just that factoid or others like it. It’s the combo platter of stuff — from friending you on Facebook to digging up your cell number to hijacking your hairdo — that makes this feel like a hostile takeover in the form of a girl-crush. Ok, she “seems sweet.” You know what they say: You catch more flies with honey. But, ask yourself this: How do you feel about being the fly? Go ahead and answer — if you don’t have to run off to have a latte with her to discuss Steve’s snoring.
        Of course she wants to be in your life — much like a deer tick wants to be in a dog. She’s probably not evil, but suspects she’s lacking in something he wants; something that might rub off on her if she spends enough time with you. She’s taking advantage of a tendency women have, especially 20-something women, to feel they have to be “nice” to anyone who has yet to, oh, call them a slut and push them off the roof of the student center. But, make no mistake, you’re not being nice. You’re being intimidated into a “friendship” that probably keeps you from moving on. You just broke up with your ex, and now you have to break up with his new girlfriend, too?
        Here’s a transcript of what should be the extent of your relationship with this girl: “Hey, how’s it going?” And then keep going. That probably doesn’t seem “charitable,” but I’m guessing you aren’t wearing a Santa suit and a big white beard and ringing a bell outside Target. You owe yourself first and foremost. Figure out what works for you, and if something doesn’t, don’t let it in your life. Yes, it’s that simple.

  • Details
        While Iran’s leaders saber-rattle and quote the Quran, the country’s multitudes of young adults are embracing New Age self-help, as exemplified by the best-selling books and sold-out seminars of motivational guru Alireza Azmandian, according to a June Wall Street Journal dispatch from Tehran. Though young adults in Turkey and Egypt have stepped up their religious fervor, that is not so in Iran. Said a 25-year-old aerospace engineer: “Religion doesn’t offer me answers anymore,” but “(Azmandian’s) seminar changed my life.” The Oprah Winfrey-touted book, The Secret, is in its 10th printing in Farsi; yoga and meditation are big; and advertising abounds on the virtues of feng shui and financial management.

    The Continuing Crisis
        Randall Popkes, 41, and his son Joshua Williams, 22, were arrested in West Des Moines, Iowa, in May and charged with an attempted safecracking at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club. A security officer had noted their license plate as they sped away after a frustrating session in which they had cut into the safe but could not open it.
        At press time, a court in Athens, Greece, was considering a challenge brought by three residents of the island of Lesbos in the Aegian Sea to prevent a Greek gay and lesbian organization from referring to homosexual women as lesbians, arguing that such usage insults their heritage, since Lesbos residents have traditionally been called “Lesbians.” On the other hand, Lesbos was also the birthplace of the poet Sappho, a heroic woman among gays and lesbians for her early references to her love of other women.

    Yikes!
        The Panda Chinese Restaurant in York, Penn., was already in trouble in an early June city sanitation inspection, with demerits piling up because of accumulated grease, insects in the seating area and rotting lettuce, according to a York Daily Record report. Then, in the middle of an inspector’s visit, he came upon a live snapping turtle in the restaurant’s main sink. Said the inspector, “I had to sit down and gather myself before I could speak.” The manager said he had seen the turtle outside and had brought it in for safety: “It was wrong that we put it in the sink.”

    Family Values
        Spare the Gun (Hammer), Spoil the Child: Darrell Walker, 30, was arrested in Bartlesville, Okla., in May after his 8-year-old son told police that his dad routinely shoots him (and his younger sister) in the leg with a BB gun if they misbehave.
        Robert Cisero, 46, was arrested in Medford, Ore., in June after (according to police) he hit his teenage daughter in the ankle with a hammer to feign a “skating” injury, for which she could get a prescription for pain medication, which he then commandeered.

  • Details
        Have you noticed the large number of mopeds, scooters and motorcycles on the road these days? My prediction is you will be seeing more. With the price of gas going higher and the price of insurance going up, people will be forced to find cheaper means of transportation. Two wheeled vehicles provide higher miles per gallon gas averages. Motorcycles range from 35 to 50 mpg and scooters can average up to 85 to 100 mpg.
        So what is the difference between a moped, scooter and motorcycle? A moped is usually defined by its legal classification and definitions differ state-by-state. In North Carolina motorbikes under 50 cubic centimeters are considered mopeds. Bikes that exceed 50 cc’s are considered scooters or motorcycles.
        Scooters are like motorcycles and require a license, tags and insurance. The difference between a scooter and a motorcycle is also defined by law. The big difference is capabilities. Scooters are generally less powerful and have a one-piece frame. I say generally because there are some manufactures that are producing scooters that exceed 600 cc!
         {mosimage}According to the N.C. Department of Transportation Web site, “You must be age 16 or older to operate a moped on North Carolina highways or public vehicular areas. A driver’s license is not required, and the moped does not have to be registered, inspected or covered by liability insurance. A motorcycle safety helmet is required by law when operating a moped on North Carolina highways. A moped cannot have an external shifting device or have the capability of exceeding 30 mph on a level surface.”
        Scooters are relatively easy to operate and most scooters are now automatic. If you’ve never ridden one before it is pretty easy — you just need a little balance and hand and feet coordination. When you look at the cc level, consider your travel distance and your weight and body size. The larger you are the more engine will be needed to move you. You will need to decide if you want a 2-stroke or 4-stroke engine. The 2-stroke engine requires you to mix gas and oil to run correctly. New models use oil injection systems that allow the mixture to happen automatically. Since you are burning oil and gas together you will have more smoke from this engine. The 4-stroke runs like a car and uses regular unleaded gas and is more ecologically acceptable.
        Consider storage. If you are using it to get to work you may need a place to store work items and your riding gear. The laws are also dependent on the type of bike you use. The moped is treated like a bicycle and a motorcycle. You must follow the traffic laws, you cannot drive on a sidewalk and you must wear a helmet. A scooter is treated the same as a motorcycle and the same laws apply.
        Finally, take a motorcycle class. No matter what you are driving the class will teach the rules of the road.
        If there is a topic that you would like to discuss, please send your comments and suggestions to motorcycle4fun@aol.com.

  • Details

    The Dark Knight (Rated PG-13) FIVE STARS

        Batman Begins had a better story, but in every other way The Dark Knight(152 minutes) surpasses the previous film. Christopher Nolan does everything right; Christian Bale manages to capture both Bruce Wayne and Batman; Gary Oldman plays Gordon with the perfect mix of cynicism and optimism; and, Maggie Gyllenhaal is a welcome replacement for the clunky Katie Holmes. Heath Ledger does the seemingly impossible, playing The Joker as a psychotic anarchist, without inviting unfavorable comparisons to Jack Nicholson’s take on the character. The only fly in the ointment is the somewhat inadequate characterization of Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent. In an otherwise passable film, no one would notice that Harvey Dent is poorly written, but this film is spectacular, which makes all the errors, however minor, stand out.
        Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale) continues to terrorize the criminal’s of Gotham with his intense raspy voice and newly redesigned Batsuit. Both Alfred (Michael Caine) and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) work behind the scenes, supplying him with wisdom and nifty gadgets, respectively. Lt. Jim Gordon (Oldman) has teamed up with new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart) to take a decisive stand against Gotham’s organized crime, which is working well until The Joker (Ledger) surfaces. The Joker is not interested in money, but in destroying the tenuous moral fiber of Gotham’s embattled citizenry and corrupting symbols of law and order. The primary plot is nicely supplemented by two subplots: a love triangle and a morality play. 
    The love triangle between Wayne, Dent and Rachel Dawes (Gyllenhaal) treads dangerously close to cliché, but is redeemed when it is resolved in a somewhat surprising way. There is a slight issue with Gyllenhaal’s “damsel in distress” character; even so, she manages to inject some empowerment into a relatively small role.  {mosimage}
        While The Joker represents the ultimate in murderous evil, there are shades of gray to Batman, Dent, and even average citizens. Are symbols more important than truth? Is it moral to suspend civil rights to save lives? Audiences will leave the theater pondering these types of questions, and it is safe to leave — sadly there are no nifty extras awaiting the vigilant during the credits.
        From an artistic standpoint, Gotham is filmed as a city in balance between night and day. While Batman Begins seemed to focus on the city at night, here there are some truly startling transitions between the light and the dark. There is even one scene in which The Joker is briefly shown without his makeup in the full light of day — so briefly that the entire audience seemed to gasp.     
        Despite the flawlessly balanced components, nothing is perfect. Some scenes went on a little too long without adding anything to the overall impact. Towards the end of the movie, when “Batvision” (really) is introduced, I started getting a headache. The Harvey Dent subplot is weak, and played with a little too much square jawed heroism to make the character’s action later in the film truly believable. 

  • Details

    Flashpoint shoots first and asks questions later

        The line between good and bad cop shows is often thin. At first glance, Flashpoint(Friday, 10 p.m., CBS) seems like a standard entry in the genre: The members of a Strategic Response Unit deal with conflicts at home while handling hostage situations at work. But this series is a cut above.
        You’re struck by the lack of flashy quick cuts and roaring rock music during a crisis. That’s always been the easy way to build excitement, but Flashpointchooses the hard way: getting inside the characters’ heads, both cops and criminals. There’s an eerie calm as the police surround a man with a gun and the snipers take their place on the rooftops. A trigger is pulled; a bad guy lies dead on the concrete; a sense of regret sets in. The snipers’ disorientation is palpable, and is mirrored in the filmmaking. Sound recedes and time slows. Even the criminal is granted a moment of humanity as a family member mourns over his corpse.
        {mosimage}Flashpoint is a rarity among TV cop shows. It doesn’t take killing lightly.

    The Fairly Oddparents
    Friday, 8 p.m. (Nickelodeon)
        The twisted toon about fairy godparents weighs in with a timely parody. A rogues’ gallery of supernatural creatures participates in the Fairy World Games, which are just like the Olympics. Events include cloud diving, rainbow jumping and the one-million-year dash.
        The Fairy World Games’ motto is “cheaters never win, and winners never cheat.” In that sense, I guess, they aren’t exactly like the Olympics.
     
    Long Way Down
    Saturday, 9 p.m. (Fox Reality)
        This charming series will chronicle Ewan McGregor’s 15,000-mile motorcycle trip with his friend Charley Boorman. They plan to ride from the northern tip of Scotland to the southern tip of Africa, passing through 18 countries. “Like a boy, I’m excited,” Ewan chirps, while Charley makes motorcycle noises with his lips.
        The friends’ enthusiasm is infectious. It’s also slightly mad. The first episode covers the preparations for the trip, and it’s filled with more bad omens than Macbeth. There’s trouble getting passports. A rash of kidnappings breaks out in Ethiopia, forcing Ewan and Charley to take a hostage-training course. Ewan breaks his leg in a motorcycle accident. Charlie is detained by police at an airport and misses the flight to the Scottish starting point. Finally, his wife’s lung collapses just before the trip begins.
        You’d think that would be the last straw. But nothing will stop these insanely determined adventurers. “If we canceled the trip, it would just put her under more stress,” Charley reasons.
        You can rest assured that, short of nuclear apocalypse, these two will make it to South Africa. Actually, even with nuclear apocalypse.

    The Two Coreys
    Sunday, 10 p.m. (A&E)
        The Two Coreys is about former child stars who happen to be named Corey. Nowadays, that’s enough of a hook to build a reality series around. Corey Feldman and Corey Haim were in a few movies together back in the day, and now they’re both a couple of bums. In this week’s episode, they enter therapy to try to rebuild their friendship. Later, Feldman invites Haim to his house, where Haim is shocked to discover an intervention. He denies having a substance-abuse problem and storms out of the room. Both Coreys decide that this marks the end of their fragile relationship.
        And I’ve decided it marks the end of my fragile relationship with The Two Coreys.

  • Details
        Richard Allman doesn’t have to worry about what kind of legacy he’s leaving for his son.
    Allman and his boy, Derek, have left their mark together, creating music captured for posterity on a CD entitled Temporarily Breathing.
        The Allmans, along with father and son team Allen and David Diffee, recently released the self-produced CD under the aptly titled band name Fathers and Sons. It’s a disc that crosses the generational gap, proving that good music is good music, no matter your age.
        Richard, 50, who currently lives in Raleigh, says Derek, 21, has always been interested in music, having formed a band with David Diffee called Stitch which toured and even won a battle of the bands contest here in Fayetteville, playing its own brand of Generation X rock. But then Derek attended college and learned there is much more to the musical lexicon than Staind, Chevelle and Mudvayne.
    “He went to college and ‘got educated,’” said Richard, who has been playing music off and on with partner Allen Diffee since 1980. “He came home and said, ‘you know, Dad, Bob Dylan is pretty good. The Beatles are pretty good.’”
        Derek’s epiphany about the timelessness of good music led all four to retreat to Richard’s basement studio to create a CD chock full of influences from rock’s biggest names — Dylan to John Fogerty, the Allman Brothers (no relation) to Pearl Jam.
        The resulting musical stew is a pot of feel good rock ‘n’ roll, utilizing a wide range of instruments including electric and acoustic guitars, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, harmonica and jaw harp.
        Perhaps the best track on the CD, which is consistently good from beginning to end, is “Days in July,” a rollicking number that is infused by multi-instrumentalist Richard’s rolling banjo and saturated with upbeat and heartfelt lyrics such as “With a little bit of love and patience everything will be all right/Like Days in July it will never be cold outside.”
        Fair warning: If you’re a fan of the painfully introspective beats of shoegaze rock or the kill ‘em all attitude of death metal, this probably isn’t the disc for you.
        The band keeps things percolating on “Questions for a Simple Man,” implementing a multi-guitar attack reminiscent of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Outlaws, then kicking it into Allman Brothers territory with Dickie Betts-approved licks from Richard and some excellent slide work by Derek that is reminiscent of the late, great Duane Allman.
        Derek’s plaintive fiddle stands out on “A Lot of Good People,” offset by a chiming acoustic that brings to mind Roger McGuinn and the Byrds. Again, the lyrics and feel of the song are decidedly upbeat, despite a maudlin beginning in which the singer says “he left with a 20 and the clothes on his back;” eventually, the singer finds renewed faith in humanity as he learns “A lot of good people live in this world/They help the lost people find their way.”
        The rest of the songs are pretty much in this same vein. This is not “message” music: Fathers and Sons doesn’t want to change the world or tell you who to vote for — they simply want you to rock, and when appropriate, to slow down and just roll with the good time tunes and “hurts so good” ballads that fill the disc.
        And unlike most “basement tapes,” the sound of the CD is just as warm as the lyrics; the guitars and drums and bass lines have a retro, analog feel, as if everything was played through an old Neve tube console — surprising since Richard said the project was created using PC-based software and solid state modeling amps. Despite the use of thoroughly modern production techniques, every song drips with that tube warmth and feel of an early-1970s circa LP; it’s so authentically old school that I found myself longing for a lava lamp, beanbag chair and some shag carpet. If you still have a mullet, you’re golden.
        Both the Allmans share vocals on the CD, while the elder Diffie contributes vocals, as well as keeping the beat with his metronome-like drum work. David Diffie’s bass is melodious, yet not too upfront in the mix.
        “We’d like to maybe play some gigs, maybe get down to Fayetteville for a show or two if some club will have us,” said Richard, “but we didn’t go into this thing looking for fame and fortune — it is just something that combines the love of music shared by a couple of dads and their sons.”
        I can, without hesitation, say that in this case the old bromide “like father like son” has never sounded better.
        If you would like to learn more about the band or buy the CD, check out the following Web sites: www.myspace.com/temporarilybreathing or www.kunaki.com/sales.asp?PID=PX0050L95R.

  • Details
        Dear EarthTalk: Should we expect to see “plug-in” hybrid cars anytime soon? I’ve been hearing they are on the horizon but I wonder if that means in one year or 10.       
    -— Bill A., Stratford, Conn.

        Gasoline-electric hybrids now, like Toyota’s popular Prius, don’t need to plug in — you just fill their tanks with gasoline and the battery keeps charged by the internal combustion engine and by energy generated from the wheels when braking (a feature known as “regenerative braking”). The battery then powers the electric motor when it is called into service during idling, backing-up, crawling in gridlock, maintaining speed while cruising, and for extra uphill power when needed. As such, the electric motor is essentially a back-up engine while the hybrid relies mainly on the gasoline engine.
        Plug-in hybrids take the concept further by plugging into a regular electric outlet to enable the vehicle to operate solely on its electric motor for ranges of 40-50 miles or more on a single charge. This has profound implications for commuters who need only drive short distances to and from work every day and who may be able to do so solely on electric power. The gasoline engine then becomes the supplemental one for when the car needs to travel farther than the electric engine can take it.{mosimage}
        According to researchers at the University of California Davis, the electricity cost for powering a plug-in hybrid is only about one-quarter of the cost of powering a like-sized gasoline vehicle. Other benefits include far fewer fill-ups at gas stations and the convenience of recharging at home.
        Toyota, currently the world’s largest producer of hybrid vehicles by far thanks to the success of its Prius, announced that it expects to have a commercially viable plug-in hybrid available to consumers as early as 2010 and is now testing prototype versions of plug-in hybrids at two California universities.
        Felix Kramer of the California Cars Initiative (CCI), a non-profit dedicated to promoting plug-ins, called Toyota’s announcement “stunning and very welcome,” and says that these vehicles will be the cleanest practical cars on the road in a world where gas stations dot just about every intersection. The promise of such cars, says CCI on its Web site, is that drivers will have a “cleaner, cheaper, quieter car for local travel, and the gas tank is always there should you need to drive longer distances.”
        U.S. automakers are also jumping onto the plug-in bandwagon. General Motors says that it will have mass-market plug-in hybrids — modifications of its Saturn Vue and Chevrolet Volt — on the road by 2010. Ford has also developed a small fleet of plug-ins, but is not yet ready to offer them to the public. Fisker, a U.S. start-up focusing on the creation of high performance, energy efficient vehicles, plans to sell an $80,000 plug-in hybrid sports car by late 2009. Chrysler’s Sprinter van was the first plug-in from a major U.S. manufacturer, but it is only presently available to a limited number of institutions as a fleet vehicle.
        Plug-ins have also caught on elsewhere. Chinese carmaker BYD plans to sell a plug-in hybrid sedan in the U.S. within five years. And Volkswagen hopes to have a plug-in hybrid Golf ready to roll by 2010.
        CONTACTS: California Cars Initiative, www.calcars.org; BYD, www.byd.com; General Motors, http://www.gm.com/experience/fuel_economy/news/2008/hybrids/plug_in_vue_011008.jsp; Fisker, http://jalopnik.com/344419/detroit-auto-show-fisker-karma-luxury-hybrid-only-80000.
        GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.

  • Details
        A look at the Top 40 songs in our culture today will surely prove that “love” is a predominant theme in our world. Love has been the theme of the greatest movies, the greatest songs and the greatest books. And love is the predominant theme in the Bible.
        The apostle John wrote about love in his tiny book called 1 John. And in that short, five chapter book, John tells us that, “we should love one another” (1 John 3:11, NASB). John then gives three principles of love.
        First of all, when we love one another, we show to the world that we are Christians. John says “we know that we have passed out of death into life.” Death, here, refers to the eternal separation from God; while, life refers to eternity with God. He then says, “we know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.” (verse 14.) So our love for others is a sign of our faith. John records Jesus as saying, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13.) And that is exactly what Jesus did for us.
        {mosimage}John gives a second principle, love is an action. There is a significant difference in me telling my wife “I love you” and actually showing her I love her. Love should be more than words that come from our mouths. Love is an action. John writes, “let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (verse 18). Someone once said, “Love is a verb!” Love is to be expressed in the actions of our day-to-day routine. Find someone who needs to be loved on today. Do you have a neighbor who is lonely and needs a friend? Maybe a military family that is dealing with the loss of a friend in service? Seek out a family that is struggling financially, and give them a substantial financial gift to help them along. And tell your spouse and kids that you love them … not in your words, but with your deeds.
        Finally, John gives a third principle: Love frees our hearts from condemnation. Have you ever avoided someone only to second guess your actions later? Perhaps it was the poor man on the street corner or a hungry child at the store. Later, you get home to the comfort of your house and you begin to think, “Maybe he really did need a dollar.” When we love unselfishly, then our heart will not condemn us with those guilty feelings. So let your heart be free by living the truth of loving one another. Remember, God loved you even when you were dirty with sin, unloving, ungrateful, and unwilling to change. “For God so loved the world, that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, emphasis added.)

  • Details
        North Carolina’s General Assembly went home last week without coming up with a way to deal with the projected shortfall in the state’s employee health care program.
        When the legislators come back next year they might want to take a look at some radical ideas for saving health care dollars proposed by UNC medical school professor Nortin Hadler in his new book, Worried Sick:     A Prescription for Health in an Overtreated America.
    Hadler would restrict funding for medical procedures that have not been scientifically proven to provide positive benefits.{mosimage}
        What kinds of procedures is he talking about? Surely not the ones that many think have given us better health and extended our lives like:
        •Coronary artery bypass grafts, angioplasties or stents to save lives or improve symptoms;
        •Arthroscopy for knee pain;
        •Any surgery for backache;
        •Statin therapy to reduce cholesterol and thereby save lives;
        •Newer antidepressants for situational depression;
        •Drugs for decreased bone density;
        •PSA screening and radical prostatectomy to save lives;
        •Screening mammography to save lives;
        •Many a cancer treatment to save lives;
        Hold on to your hats. These are exactly the kinds of treatments that Dr. Hadler would limit. According to Hadler, when these procedures have been subjected to rigorous scientific measurements of their impact on large groups of patients, their demonstrated favorable results are minimal or negligible.
        Hadler’s conclusions run counter to the individual experiences of many of us. We know people who have regained strength and good health after heart, back or knee surgery. We have heard testimony from people with family histories of heart disease testify to their improved cholesterol counts thanks to the statin drugs their doctors prescribed. We have seen friends suffering from depression improve after taking one of the new drugs. In response, Hadler tells us to look at the numbers — the ones that show the results, over time, of these treatments as they are compared with the results where these treatments were not given.
        In Worried Sick, Hadler sets out his version of “the numbers.” Chapter by chapter he lays out the results of “double blind” surveys that have evaluated these and other popular treatments. According to Hadler, the purported benefits of these treatments, often costly and sometimes risky, do not stand up to the scrutiny of these tests.
        In many, if not most, cases a doctor’s recommendation or performance of these treatments is what Hadler calls Type II medical malpractice. There are two kinds of medical malpractice, he explains. Type I is “doctors doing the necessary unacceptably poorly.” Type II is “doctors doing the unnecessary, albeit very well.”  
        It would probably take a well-trained statistician to evaluate properly Dr. Hadler’s summaries of the results of the multiple surveys he uses to show that these treatments are “unnecessary.”
    But assume for a moment that he is correct. If these treatments (and other similar ones) are really unnecessary, Americans are wasting a lot of money to pay for them. So is the North Carolina state health plan.
        Hadler presents a detailed proposal for health care reform. Its key feature would severely limit reimbursements for any treatment that does have significant positive benefits as measured by rigorous scientific evaluation.
        Worried Sick is a long book. Sometimes there is “TMI” (too much information) to make for easy reading and understanding of Hadler’s important main points. But anyone who wants help in evaluating any one of the treatments will welcome the details that Hadler provides.
        More important perhaps, Hadler’s challenge to the value of these treatments demands a response from the physicians, pharmaceutical companies, and others who sell these treatments’ benefits and urge us to “take advantage” of them.
        I would like to hear their rebuttal — point by point.
        And, maybe our legislators would also like to hear what they say.

  • Details
        {mosimage}The Fayetteville Public Works Commission continued its commitment to a sustainable community as it broke ground on its LEED-registered Customer Service Center Wednesday morning adjacent to the PWC Operations Complex on Old Wilmington Road.
        The 10,000 sq ft. building will be one of the first buildings in Cumberland County to be built to LEED standards and is expected to be open in mid to late 2009. LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED is designed to promote design and construction practices that reduce the negative environmental impacts of buildings and improving occupant health and well-being. The PWC Board and General Manager were joined by members of the Fayetteville City Council during the ceremonial groundbreaking as well as the designing Architect- Walter Vick, AIA of the LSV Partnership of Fayetteville and the General Contractor- Construction Management & Development Services, LLC of Raleigh. System WorCx is the project’s commissioning and LEED Consultant.
        The center will serve over 25,000 customers that visit PWC each month and is one of eight projects currently LEED registered within Cumberland County.
        When completed, could be the first local project to be LEED certified. The project meets over 25 LEED standards including:
        •Providing parking for low emitting/fuel efficient vehicles & carpool/vanpool vehicles.
        • Storm water runoff controlled through bioretention basin.
        • Located on public bus routes.
        • Use of low-flow water fixtures and waterless urinals.
        • Building features, efficient geo-thermal heat pump, electrical systems and automation systems are designed to reduce energy consumption.
        • Geothermal heat pump eliminate the use of refrigerants.
        • Solar reflectant roof surface.
        • Motorized louvers on building’s west side will minimize energy cost by adjusting to the sunlight exposure.
        • Revolving door will minimize air loss and help maintain optimal operating temperatures.
        • Use of durable, long-lasting materials minimize maintenance costs and use of cleaning chemicals.
        • Use of building materials include at least 20% recycled material.
        • Incorporates day lighting and direct/indirect lighting fixtures with lighting controls.
        • Lighting installations minimizes light pollution from building.

  • Details
        For 25 years, the Temple Theatre has been bringing professional theatre to the residents of Lee County and the surrounding area. The historic theatre, located in downtown Sanford, is celebrating its 25th season this year and plans to do it in style, bringing eight mainstage productions to the stage in its 2008-2009 season.
        “We are really excited about the upcoming season,” said Karen Brewer, marketing director of Temple Theatre. “We are bringing in a lot of shows that will hopefully bring in lots of people.”{mosimage}
        The box office season includes A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline from Aug. 28- Sept. 28; Christmas Spectacular from Nov. 28-Dec. 21; Hamlet from Jan. 8 –Jan. 25; Once On This Island from Feb. 5-22; Moonlight and Magnolias from March 12- 29, Little Women: The Musical from April 16-May 3; and Dames at Sea from May 28-June 21. 
        The Blackbox Theatre, a new smaller theatre within Temple, is a more intimate setting that seats 63 people. It features smaller productions such as Prooffrom Oct. 1-12; Stones In His Pocketbook from Nov. 12-23; Way to Heaven from Feb. 25-March 8; and Brecht on Brecht from May 6-17. Way to Heaven will be presented in English and Spanish versions. 
        “We are going to try to draw in the Spanish-speaking population,” said Brewer.
        Temple is a cultural center for Lee County and the surrounding region offering professional and children’s theatre to the area. The theatre, designed for vaudeville, seats 339 people, has an old fashioned orchestra pit, an advanced communication network and a computer-controlled lighting and sound system. 
    Some of the groups that have graced the Temple’s stage include the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, the Red Clay Ramblers, the Kingston Trio, Glenn Miller and Count Basie. 
        The Temple Theatre School provides people of all ages the opportunity to take classes ranging from acting technique, improvisation, audition technique, musical theatre, voice and diction, stage combat and other specialty classes. 
        “We also have student matinees for some of these shows,” said Brewer. “We bring students in from the area elementary, middle and high schools.” 
        Brewer added that the actors come out after the show to talk to the students and allow them to ask questions. 
        Another project the theatre is currently focusing on is a fundraiser. 
        “We are trying to raise money so we can expand our restrooms,” said Brewer. “We are really growing and we want our patrons to be comfortable.”                                                                                                           The theatre is located in the downtown area of Sanford,. Show times are Thursdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. 
        For more information call (919) 774-4155. 

  • Details
        {mosimage}Thanks to the media overkill concerning the deaths of soldiers Holly Wimunc and Megan Touma — as well as other highly publicized cases from the past related to victims that had Fort Bragg or Fayetteville ties — the area is being scrutinized and discussed in an increasingly negative light. Across the nation, folks are wondering what the military is doing wrong to create a breed of spouse abusers and batterers. Even though this perception is more myth than truth when you look at crime statistics, Fort Bragg does take measures to educate soldiers about spousal abuses and to council its victims.
        Tom Hill, the ACS-Family Advocacy Program Manager at Forth Bragg, said there is a program specifically designed to provide assessment and treatment for victims and perpetrators of family violence — including child victims — that is staffed by about 35 professionals.
        “Every instance of possible abuse is fully assessed and a treatment plan is developed for the family or individuals,” said Hill. “There are a wide variety of treatments available.”
    Hill said there are also preemptive measures to head off spousal or child abuse, providing a once-a-year workshop to provide the soldiers with information on getting help for family, relationship and parenting problems.
        Hill added that the program provides training and workshops to educate couples, parents and single soldiers on the prevention of dating violence, sexual assault, child abuse partner abuse and related problems.
        Cornell University studies effectiveness of the prevention program on a regular basis.
        According to Hill, preemptive programs that have been recently started to address this problem include: hiring a full time family readiness person for every battalion to help families cope when soldiers deploy; starting a victim advocate program where victims of partner abuse or sexual assault can call anonymously at any time day or night to get help; a new parent support program with 14 nurses who can go to the home and provide anything from advice on breast feeding to how to get a quick no interest Army loan to fix the car; the creation of an Army Community Service station inside the Cross Creek Mall to provide information about post programs; doubling the number of child care agencies on-base during the next year; and a Military One Source hotline that couples can call to get free off-post marriage counseling.
        As far as statistics showing the abuse rate of Fort Bragg soldiers, Hill says there are many factors that skew results.
        “The numbers tend to rise and fall for obvious reasons,” said Hill. “For instance, child neglect cases rise during deployments because there is one less parent in the home and the one left behind might become overwhelmed or not watch the kids as well. During deployments partner abuse cases go way down because there are less couples together, but when they return the numbers boost back up to pre-deployment levels. There’s an increase every summer partly because the children get out of school and there might be more arguments about discipline, etc.”{mosimage}
        There is also treatment for soldiers who are guilty of minor or one-time abuse, while instances of serious or serial abuse can land a soldier in prison and a discharge from the Army. Hill said that when a victim’s spouse is discharged or imprisoned for abuse, the victim and his or her children are are eligible for military pay, full commissary, PX, medical and dental benefits for up to three years after the incident. According to Hill, this policy was instituted to encourage victims to come forward who might otherwise not due to worries about ending a soldier’s career.
        And Fort Bragg is not an island when it comes to its handling of abuse. Hill said that when a child abuse report is made, the Cumberland County Child Protective Services is notified immediately about every case and is allowed free access to the family if they live on post.
        One of the civilians the military deals with in cases that need off-post attention is Lyndelia Wynn, director of the county’s Family violence program.
        Wynn said the county provides “safe houses” for the wives and children of military personnel, in addition to the general public, who are the suspected victims of abuse.
    And men.
        “People don’t think about it,” said Wynn, “but men are abused too.” 
        Wynn says her department services about 500 cases per year and that the majority of on-base abuse cases are handled by a victim advocate at Fort Bragg. She says that it’s hard to give statistics because there are so many other programs in the county that people will turn to, as well as seeking refuge with relatives or their church.
        She also says it’s impossible to pick out trends as to what time of the year abuse is most likely to occur.
        “One month you think you’ll be extremely busy it will turn out to be a slow month,’ said Wynn. “And then what you think will be slow months are busy. There’s no set pattern of when it will happen or who it will affect.”
        And certainly, no smoking gun pointing at Fort Bragg as a hotbed of abuse.

  • Details
        {mosimage}Tom McCollum was born and raised in Fayetteville. He joined the Army to get out of this town. Over the years, his opinion on the city changed, and when he hung up his uniform for the last time, it was to settle in the city of his birth.
        His life has given him a perspective on the community, its people and their relationship to Fort Bragg that many do not have. Over the past several weeks, as a spokesman for Fort Bragg, he has used that perspective to try and tell a balanced story about our community, its problems and its strengths.
        McCollum has spent much of his time over the past several weeks talking about the recent murders of two Fayetteville soldiers — Holley Wimunc and Megan Touma. He has also been listening to the voices of the Fort Bragg community, and what he has found hasn’t been fear, but rather a strengthening of a bond in the community.
        “In reality, military wives don’t need to be frightened,” he said. “These are isolated incidents that appear to be domestic dispute based. Domestic disputes happen in any community.”
    He noted that the community has a great concern for the stress placed on military families, noting that when one member of the family deploys, the other spouse is left carrying the load of the home, but also operating under the stress of a lack of sleep and a lack of someone to carry the burden. “It can become overwhelming,” he said. “That’s why we have a number of programs at Bragg to help them deal with that stress.”
        He added that many of those programs work in concert with city and county agencies. “People don’t have to be on Fort Bragg to get assistance,” he continued. “About 75 percent of our married couples live in Fayetteville.”
        Both national and local media have tried to find a tie to service in the military and violence, with some media outlets suggesting that violence perpetrated by soldiers has become a drain on the community. “Years ago the Observer did a study that found that the majority of crime is not perpetrated by, but more directed towards them (the members of the military),” he noted. “It’s not an us/ them situation. We are all one community, and it doesn’t matter who starts it, what matters is how we fight it.”
        He said the key to fighting violence, particularly domestic violence, in our community is being aware of the problem and the resources available to help those who are victims of domestic violence.
        “If you think you have a problem with violence in your relationship, you have to take care of it before a hand is ever brought across the face. You have to back away from the situation and get help,” he said.
        Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne has also had a tough few weeks. He sees the presence of the military in the community as a blessing, not a problem.
        “We are blessed to have these young men and women in our community,” he said. “They are the sons and daughters of America. The stress level in our community is not unique to Fayetteville. These deaths are tragedies, but it is an unfortunate coincidence coming so close to each other. Everyone is trying to make a connection, because it makes it more newsworthy.”
        He noted that while many are painting Fayetteville in a negative light, the facts simply don’t support that portrayal. Fayetteville’s homicide rate is lower this year than last. Crime overall has decreased over the past year. “We are making great progress,” he said. “People are happy here, we are creating a more attractive, clean and safer city. People are excited about what is happening in our community. It is our responsibility to provide an environment where people can feel safe.”
        He said that one of the biggest problems with the portrayal of the city in recent weeks by the media has been the media’s lack of interest in getting a true picture of our community. “The media is sitting around, waiting for the next news cycle, and ignoring the dozens of people who are walking by them. They don’t ask those people about their lives. They don’t recognize that the people they are portraying as violent could have been building a school, providing water or ensuring a democratic vote in a foreign country over the past year. Those stories are getting lost.”
        He noted that that was not unexpected. “We can’t be set back. Our mission is to move our community forward. We can’t be frustrated or surprised by their reports — we have to look at how we respond. We can’t just celebrate our soldiers upon their return — we have to work through all of these challenges as a community.”
        Chavonne noted that the media is trying to paint the soldiers as being inherently violent. “I don’t buy into that, and I don’t think most people do. The people I know who I’ve met who have served with multiple deployments come back with a greater appreciation of life,” he said. “If you knew these people — went to school or church with them, you would recognize the great love and appreciation they have for things we take for granted.”
        While many people try to define the community as separate — either members of the military or local residents — local leaders and members of the community recognize that there isn’t a line that separates the two.
        “Military communities have unique relationships,” said Chavonne. “We are blended. The great strength of this community is its relationship with Fort Bragg.”
        “There’s really no way to separate the two,” added McCollum. “The families are blended. It’s no longer a case of townies vs. the military. It is rare to find a family in Fayetteville that doesn’t have a relative in the military — even in the most established families, the ones who have been here since the 1700s. There is a co-dependency between the two. Fayetteville depends on Fort Bragg for its economy and Fort Bragg depends on Fayetteville for its quality of life.”
        The problem comes into play, both men agreed, when people choose to look at Fayetteville in the light of its Vietnam-era reputation. They pointed out that the moniker Fayettenam is long gone, but when Fayetteville gets national media scrutiny it is that picture that is imposed on the community.
        “Do we have a bad rep?” questioned McCollum. “Yes. Is it justified? No. It’s from people who have not spent time in this town, people who won’t take the time to come in here and take a look at it. It’s easy for people to fall back to stereotypes. This is the time for people to see our community standing shoulder to shoulder as we always have.”

  • Details
        Joyce Fillip, an artist in the exhibit titled Forsaken: Edifice and Landscape at the Fayetteville Museum of Art, commented on her own work by saying that she is “constantly looking for images that cause one to reflect and look at life though a different lens.” Her comment sums up what all three artists have accomplished in this exhibit.
        {mosimage}A blockbuster of an exhibit, Forsaken: Edifice and Landscape will remain installed in the FMoA until Sept. 7. This is an exhibit you don’t want to miss! If you have never gone to the Fayetteville Museum of Art, then let this be your first trip; if you are an irregular visitor, then make your way to the museum before summer is over. I feel confident in saying no one will be disappointed!
        The divergence of artistic styles makes the exhibit that much more interesting than if it were a one-person show. All three artists, Joyce Fillip, Rachel Herrick and Rudy Rudisill, interpret our environment — nature and the manmade. Each artist brings us close to an interpretation of places and states of being.
        Joyce Fillip is exhibiting exceptionally large scale drawings (approximately 8 feet by 8 feet) in charcoal. Fillip’s black and white images of nature’s storms immediately remind us of the power and force of nature. Standing in front of her image of a waterspout or a tsunami we realize how small and insignificant we can all become with a simple shift of weather.
        The beauty of Fillip’s work is her interpretation of natural phenomena. Her stylization of great amounts of water in different states of being becomes patterns of harmony. Fillip creates the power of nature without chaos — at the same time we are remembering the devastation we have seen on television. For me, the juxtaposition of seeing harmony and knowing disharmony is the core of the aesthetics of her work.
        I like the fact that Fillip bases her work on observation and her imagination. She is not tethered to the photograph, instead her interpretations of natural phenomena is expressive in a way that evokes more than the actual storm itself, she evokes states of being — the sublime.
        In the work titled Tsunami, as in all her work, Fillip’s compositions and use of light is masterful. She controls the viewers’ eye like the director of a play. We visually move up the great wave then stall in the white of the crest. While on the apex of the wave, our eyes are drawn to the patterns of manmade architectonic forms caught inside the wave’s curl. The crest, a point of rest (and crushing power) always compels us return to its apex, only to find ourselves repeating the search to find the remnants of humanity inside the curl.
        Where Joyce Fillip’s works are moments of imminent danger, the work of Rachel Herrick is strikingly opposite. Herrick translates architecture into places of quiet repose and reflection. The opposite of Fillip’s expressionism is Herrick’s photorealism.                                                                                                              Herrick takes photographs of architecture (a minimum of two works are places in Fayetteville). After transferring the well-composed photograph to a backing, she then begins the process of subtracting visual information and then adding her own painterly touch. Layers of reduction and addition are manipulated to evoke memories of what places can represent for someone.
        Where Fillip’s work implies a moment in the present, Herrick’s work implies the past. Herrick’s aesthetics are reinforced by her use of materials. The well-composed photograph is transferred onto a rigid backing. (Before the photograph is transferred, the artist has already mounted an original old grain, seed or tobacco fertilizer sack from North Carolina-based companies to float the image on.)
        Her transfer technique allows her to keep as much of the lettering from the fertilizer sack as she feels is necessary to evoke the past, yet keep the integrity of the architecture dominant. Encaustic wax layers are used to further obscure. The thickness of the opaque encaustic is in contrast to the watercolor effects she creates. All complicated layers  create a new interpretation of photo-realism. Crisp edges contrast with the blurred, details contrast with large minimal shapes.
        In Tires on Bragg Boulevard or Pepsi Please, as in all her work, her dwellings evoke something of the past; a place once teeming with activity is now silent. The figure is always implied.
        Like Herrick, the figure is implied in the sculptures of Rudy Rudisill. Fabricated out of galvanized steel and copper, Rudisill is exhibiting medium-sized dwellings. Layered in meaning, the conglomerates of forms are mostly closed forms, doorways are usually not present, and an opening representing a window is highly infrequent. Instead, Rudisill plays with our sense of place by creating elongated forms with simple rooflines, and then juxtaposes elongated covered porches with the same simple roof shape. In some ways, they are fortresses.
        Reminiscent of barns and straightforward towers, Rudisill’s sculptures are places we may have wanted to venture into along the roadside, but didn‘t take the time. It’s too late now. In his work he has left out the entryways, we are forever on the outside searching for a place to enter or peer into the form itself. You can sense standing on the porch-like forms (if it were lifesize), but you are still on the outside.
        Dwellings as a subject are only the starting point for appreciating Rudisill’s sculpture. He is a consummate designer in the way he uses closed and open forms, repetition, scale, implicit and explicit shapes, the use of economy and contrast. In short, he is a design lesson at its best.{mosimage}
        When viewing the show as a whole, all the artists in this exhibit are particularly strong in design. There is a sense of controlled placement of an element or elements that overrides everything; yet at the same time, the work is far removed from simple design and ascends to complicated compositions. 
        Also particularly interesting is how none of the artists have been compelled to place a person in any of their work, yet the figure is always present. The architecture in the mixed-media works and sculptures are places we remember, we place ourselves there when we view the work — each artist knowing it would have been nothing short of extraneous to have placed a figure in their work. To have included a figure in any of the pieces would only stand to diminish our private and personal experience of the moment.
        Anyone visiting the museum is sure to be moved in some way by one of the artists, if not all three. It is well worth the trip to the museum to visit Forsaken: Edifice and Landscape, remember the museum is still free. Call (910) 485-5121 for information or visit th Web site at  www.FayettevilleMuseumArt.org.

Latest Articles

  • Redeemed Pieces: Faith lessons in leftover scraps
  • FTCC: Serving Military Spouses & Dependents
  • Woodpeckers' 2026 season to start with a bang
  • New To the Neighborhood March 2026
  • Dining Guide: Women's History Month
  • Fayetteville History Museum hosts weekly artisan market
Read More
Read More
Read More
Read More
Read More
Read More

Popular Articles

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Up & Coming Weekly Calendar
  

Login/Subscribe