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        The Temple Theatre picked a proven crowd-pleaser to kick off its 25th season. A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline has graced the stages of community theaters across the nation. Showcasing 20 of Cline’s top hits, the show blends theatre and music together for an evening at the theatre that appeals to people of all ages.
        The show was first put on stage by Dean Regan in Vancouver. Following a run of sold-out shows across Canada, the show was first staged in Boston, Mass., and has since enjoyed successful runs all across the nation. It is the only Patsy Cline production that is sanctioned by the Patsy Cline estate.
        The play is a celebration of Cline’s brief, but full, life and career. Cline is one of the legends of country music. She had her first audition for the Grad Ole Opry at the age of 16. She was a consummate professional, who made it her business to promote herself. Her star started to rise following the release of “Walkin’ After Midnight,” which was released 10 years after she started her career. That was only the first of a string of hits for the first lady of country music: “Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams” and “Faded Love” were among some of her hits. {mosimage}
        Cline’s life was cut short when her plane crashed on March 5, 1963. Like many of the greats, her death only brought her greater acclaim, so that even today her music tops the jukebox playlist. It is that legacy that is celebrated in A Closer Walk.
        Lisa Dames, an Ohio native, is set to star in the show. Dames has been involved in numerous productions of shows based on Cline’s life, and has performed in A Closer Walk in several states. She first appeared in a Cline show in Greensboro after receiving a call from an old college friend.
        “I told her I’d never done anything like that and that I didn’t sound like Patsy Cline. She said, ‘I know, but I think you can do it,’” she recalled.
        “It’s funny, but portraying Patsy Cline is what helped me to develop my own style,” says Dames. “While most of the other actresses who were doing these shows were so focused on sounding just like Patsy, I was focused on the emotion she put into her songs. And that’s how I try to sing everything. Without the emotion, it’s just a bunch of words. Patsy knew this. That’s why she’s timeless.”
        The Temple Theatre is located in downtown Sanford. The theatre has been bringing quality shows to the community for 25 years, and this year, in celebration of its 25th season, it has added a black-box theatre to its facility, which has allowed the company to expand its season.
        A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline will be on stage at The Temple through Sept. 28. Show times are Thursday at 2 and 7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m.
        Adult tickets are $20. Thursday night show tickets are $16, as are tickets for active duty soldiers, Lee County educators and groups of 10 or more. Children’s tickets are $10. Tickets can be purchased through the Temple Box Office, which is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and  Friday from 2-6 p.m. and Thursday from 2-5 p.m. The box office can be reached by calling (919) 774-4155 or via e-mail at boxoffice@templeshows.

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        The floor of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina is full of pallets of bottled drinking water. Unfortunately, the shelves are nearly empty of the one commodity the facility on Deep Creek Road needs the most: food.
        David Griffin, the food bank director, says the demand by hungry folks seeking emergency supplies of food has increased 59 percent over the past two years — a hike he lays squarely on the shoulders of a faltering economy and high gas prices.
        “Those factors have made it tough,” said Griffin as he surveyed the warehouse’s empty pallets and the bare freezers of a facility that serves seven counties. “In addition, our seven counties are mostly rural and they’ve lost a lot of jobs, especially in Robeson County. A lot of people just can’t make it with the increasing cost of food.”
        {mosimage}Griffin says that the ever increasing poverty rate contributes mightily to this perfect storm of hunger. He adds that Cumberland County alone has 51,000 folks listed as subsisting below the federally mandated poverty line — many of them children.
        “It’s heartbreaking to see someone with small children needing food,” said Griffin. “It really takes something out of your heart. People don’t just ask for food unless they really need it.
        “As long as I am director here, I will make sure people have plenty of food,” said Griffin. “But we need help.”
        That help is on the way in the form of the 2008 Cumberland County CROP Hunger Walk. The event — scheduled for Oct. 19 — is sponsored by Church World Service and has taken place off and on since 1980, with county residents soliciting sponsors to fund their walk for the hungry and provide money that is distributed locally and nationally — 25 percent of that money goes to the food bank.
        Michele Bedsole, the crop walk’s coordinator, said the 10K walk — which had more than 325 participants last year — raised $16,000 in 2007; however, she says this year’s walk is seeking a 59 percent increase in money raised — the exact amount the food bank says requests for food have increased.
        “We’re still looking for participants and sponsors,” said Bedsole. “So far, Methodist University, Fayetteville State University and Fayetteville Technical Community College have agreed to participate, as has Cape Fear High School. The more people and sponsors we get, the more money we raise for the food bank.”
        The walk has 2-mile and 6.2-mile options and will begin at 3 p.m. at Haymount United Methodist Church. Some runners will compete, but they will start before the walkers. 
        Bedsole says the walk is mostly symbolic, with participation by families pushing strollers and even senior citizens.
        “We had one lady who was 84 walk last year,” said Bedsole.
        Griffin says he is appreciative of any help the crop walk can provide the food bank.
        Even though the food bank, which is part of the Cumberland County Action Committee, Inc., is helped out by a long list of sponsors such as Food Lion, the Campbell Soup Company, Wal-Mart, Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Sam’s Club, more help is needed.
        “The demand continues to rise,” said Griffin.
        Griffin says the food bank generally provides food through the various organizations that identify families in need, though anyone showing up at the facility on 406 Deep Creek Road needing food will not be turned down. For more information on the food bank or to donate, call 485-8809.
        If you would like to participate in the crop walk or make a donation through that organization, check out the Web site at www.crophungerwalk.org. You can also call Bedsole at 484-6896 or contact the Rev. Laura Lupton at laura@techtutors.org.

    Tim Wilkins, Associate Editor
    COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 105 or tim@upandcomingweekly.com

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        Chris Kastner is new to downtown Fayetteville’s artist co-operative, Cape Fear Studios. She found them by happenstance, which looks like it will work out well for her and the studio. {mosimage}
        “I happened to see an ad in the paper and it intrigued me” said Kastner. 
        Her expertise is more administrative than artistic, but that’s what made her such a good fit for the administrator position. She is no stranger to nonprofit organizations, and brings years of experience from serving on and chairing the boards of Fayetteville Academy and the Cumberland County Medical Alliance Society, which is a physicians’ spouses group. “I was president of that (Cumberland County Medical Alliance Society) when we rewrote bylaws and restructured our organization and things like that,” said Kastner. “So I have a lot of leadership experience in nonprofit work.” 
        Even so, the organization has proven to be more than Kastner realized. “I didn’t really know that much about Cape Fear Studios, and I told them in my interview that to me that was one of the problems with the organization is that they’re just not that well known for all the things that they do,” said Kastner. And that is something she plans to change.
    “We’re just starting to look at doing some kind of annual campaign in the fall. We have classes here during the week, some of the instructors at Fayetteville Tech are members and their actual courses at FTCC are taught at CFS on Tuesdays.  There are all kinds of things that I never knew went on in addition to having a new artist every month for 4th Friday,” said Kastner. 
        “There is an annual pottery competition that’s coming up in September and they invite potters from all over the state to participate. The studio also gives a $500 scholarship to a local art student, and they are going to start a national competition for painters,” she added. 
        The first one of those will be in the spring of 2009. Artists from Cape Fear Studios also give classes at a local nursing home and host a children’s program at one of the transitional housing developments in town as well as participating in Santa’s Workshop in December.
        Pointing out that Cape Fear Studios has been in business for 17 years, she noted, “They were here back when Hay Street was still Hay Street, as the members like to say.”  
        One of Kastner’s goals is to get the word out about all the great programs and other activities going on at the studios, and bring in as much support as she can to help increase visibility. “I think our location is great with all the downtown renovation stuff but we need to get people to come off Hay Street during 4th Friday,” Kastner noted. “I hope that that changes as our name gets out there a little more; that we’ll become more of a destination.”
        The position is part-time right now but Kastner hopes the studio will grow enough to eventually take on some support staff. Currently, the artists provide the bulk of the support for all of the programs. 
        “Yes, they want to give their time here but they are also professional artists. My job is to help balance that,” said Kastner. “Yes, they can give their time but they need to let me support them so that they can still have time to do their art.”
        With seven artist studios in the building, anyone can walk in and watch an artist creating, check out the retail items sold by the members, take in the creative energy and ambiance and hopefully become inspired or moved by what they find there. “I just am amazed because I am not a creative person. I am an organized, logical kind of person. To wander through here and watch them creating is amazing to me,” said Kastner.
        Cape Fear Studios is located at 148 Maxwell St., downtown.

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        Gyros. The Olympics. Jennifer Aniston.
        That’s pretty much the extent of most Americans’ knowledge of Greek tradition and heritage. However, from Sept. 12-14, area residents will have the opportunity to learn about all things Greek as the 18th Annual Greek Festival is held in Fayetteville.
        The festival — hosted by Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church — will feature live bands, traditional Greek dance, vendors, arts and crafts and Greek foods and desserts. The Cumberland County Library van will also be there registering children for library cards — so they can check out books on Greece — and the Fayetteville Fire Department will have trucks on hand for kids to scramble on and into, as well as giving the kiddies a chance to aim a fire hose at a simulated fire wall; additionally, children will be treated to a trackless train, two large bouncers, two large inflatable slides and assorted games and activities. For the adults, there will be appearances by Mayor Tony Chavonne; beauty queens from the Dogwood Festival and Miss North Carolina; three Greek dance troupes from Sts. Constatine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church; Greek vendors providing religious and cultural jewelry, antiquities and art; and, there will also be a raffle, with the winner receiving two round trip tickets to Athens, Greece.
        Speaking of the “old country,” Athena Sarantoulias came to Fayetteville 39 years ago, and for years operated the old Monticello Restaurant on Gillespie Street with her husband, George.
        The restaurant was a downtown landmark and favorite hangout of judges and lawyers who worked at the nearby Cumberland County Courthouse. These judicial officials helped Sarantoulias learn English, while a thriving Greek community welcomed her with open arms and fresh bacalava — despite her geographic origins.
        “I am from the southern part of Greece and was welcomed by many from the rival northern part of Greece,” said Sarantoulias. “This was really a big deal.
        “The American people welcomed me the second day I came to Fayetteville,” said Sarantoulias. “They supported me, and my husband, all the years we operated the restaurant.”
        Sarantoulias has helped repay the kindness of strangers by helping bake pastries for the Greek Festival. She is part of a team that will bake about 60 trays of Greek desserts such as bacalava, finiki and koulakia for the 10,000 or so hungry festival goers expected to show up for the weekend.
        Litsa Derosa, secretary at Sts. Constatine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, said the pastries will be baked at the adjacent Hellenic Center. She also says that some Americans have a hard time wrapping their taste buds around the sweet treats.
        “Especially bacalava,” said Derosa, who came to Fayetteville from northern Greece 14 years ago following her husband, who is now retired from the military. “It has syrup and most are surprised at just how sweet it is. It’s not what they expected.”
        However, Derosa adds that most novice tasters love the taste of finiki and koulakia — Greek versions of cookies.
        In addition to Greek desserts, there will be plenty of other Greek specialities, including shish kabobs and gyros.
        “There will be a lot of lamb,” said Derosa. “If you haven’t had Greek food before you are in for a real treat.”
        But there will be so much more than great Greek food. Musical tastes of all genres will be sated by the Greek band Zephyros from Baltimore. Derosa is particularly excited about the performance by Zephyros, which performed at last year’s festival to much acclaim.
        “They are so popular that we had to book them for this year’s festival immediately after last year’s festival,” said Derosa. “They are more than just music — the emcee tells Greek stories and explains each song. Everybody likes them — Greeks and Americans.”
        This blending of Greek and American is the very heartbeat of the festival. While the approximately 150 Greek-American families that live in Fayetteville are as American as Freedom Fries and apple pie, they still want to honor their heritage.
        “It (the festival) means everything to me,” said retired Father Chrysostom Manuel of Sts. Constatine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. “It is my very entity, my culture... music wise, art wise. For those of us who were born there, it reminds us of the old country.”
        Sarantoulias, who sold 1,000 tickets to the event this year — the most by any individual — puts it even more succinctly.
        “I love America,” said Sarantoulias, “but I also still love Greece.”
        The Greek Festival is a major fundraiser for Sts. Constatine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, located at 614 Oakridge Ave. — the other major fundraiser being the church’s famous spaghetti dinner which will be held on Nov. 19, also at the church. The festival will be held at Sts. Constatine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church during the following hours: Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m.

    Tim Wilkins, Associate Editor
    COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 105 or tim@upandcomingweekly.com

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        {mosimage}Faster than a speeding musket ball... More powerful than a company of Hessians... Able to leap a battalion of bayoneted British soldiers in a single bound. Look... in the sky... it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s... LaFayette!
        The marquis de LaFayette was a real-life hero  — a French nobleman and officer who came to the aid of the 13 colonies during the American Revolution and from whom Fayetteville takes its name. Much is written in the history books about the Frenchman’s contributions to our national freedom; and now, thanks to a group of graphics majors at Fayetteville State University and the backing of the LaFayette 250 Committee, the school children of Cumberland County will also learn about LaFayette... the superhero.
        In an attempt to reach and teach children through alternative forms of education, a graphic novel — that’s a souped-up comic book to all you baby boomers — will be distributed throughout the school system. Illustrated by four FSU students — Stacey Robinson, Shakeam Campbell, Rebekah Holland and Robin Powell —  LaFayette: Hero of Two Worlds will be passed on to the county’s 8,000 middle and high school students in recognition of LaFayette’s annual birthday celebration to be held here Sept. 4-6, as well as giving students a valuable history lesson in a medium most children find more enjoyable than the sometimes dry and staid content of history texts.
        LaFayette: Hero of Two Worlds, edited by FSU art professor Jonathan Chestnut and Museum of the Cape Fear Director David Reid, is a loving nod to the old Classics Illustrated comic books which many a child used as a literary shortcut back in the day — reading the condensed and illustrated comic book adventures of Robinson Crusoe and Frankenstein rather than slogging through the novel.
        “When we were designing this graphic novel we talked about those Classics Illustrated comic books of the ‘50s,” said Chestnut. “They were reprinted in the ‘70s and ‘80s, so most adults know about them. We thought that by telling LaFayette’s story in comic book form we could hook some students who otherwise aren’t all that interested in history books.”
        Chestnut said the project was very close to his own heart for two reasons: he was — and remains — a huge comic book fan; and, he was one of those “special” students who was behind his classmates in scholastic achievement, building much of his vocabulary and firing up his imagination via the old brightly colored panels of Marvel and DC Comics.
        “I guess I just never outgrew those comic books,” said Chestnut.
        The project began a year ago and was started at the urging of the LaFayette 250 Committee. Each of the four graphics majors contributed to the illustrations, putting their own unique mark on LaFayette’s story.
        The book was bankrolled by the LaFayette 250 Committee, along with a substantial contribution from Piedmont Natural Gas. The Arts Council of Fayetteville /Cumberland County was also instrumental in the project.
    Dr. Hank Parfitt, president of the LaFayette 250 Committee, came up with the idea for the comic book and says he couldn’t be more pleased with the finished product.
        “We didn’t tell the students how to draw the story,” said Parfitt. “They had pictures but used their own imagination to portray LaFayette.”
        The graphic novel will be distributed to students beginning Sept. 5 as part of the LaFayette birthday celebration. About 40,000 will be printed to serve students over the next five years, said Parfitt, who added that the Cumberland County Schools sanctioned the distribution of LaFayette: Hero of Two Worlds.
        The four FSU students who drew the graphic novel are scheduled to be at a public reception Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. at City Center Gallery and Books on Hay Street. They plan to autograph the comic books that will be on sale to the public for $2.50 each.

    Tim Wilkins, Associate Editor
    COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 105 or tim@upandcomingweekly.com

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        Fayetteville has a lot to offer its citizens. And each year Up & Coming Weekly likes to put the spotlight on the best of the best that Fayetteville has to offer. The Best of Fayetteville has come to be one of the most anticipated issues of the year. So it is with baited breath that readers are awaiting the release of the 2008 Best of Fayetteville in the Sept. 10 issue of Up & Coming Weekly.
        As in years past, we have been meticulous in our counting, and our writers are already at work putting together what we hope will be an entertaining and informative issue. You can wait by the racks to get your copy and peruse it at your leisure, but you can also join us for the Best of Fayetteville Winners Party on Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at IT’Z Entertainment City.
        “The Best of Fayetteville is always a great issue,” said Bill Bowman, publisher of Up & Coming Weekly. “It gives our readers a chance to let us know who’s going the extra mile in the community.
        “It’s important for us as a quality-of-life publication to be able to recognize those businesses, people, services and products that make our community unique because of their exceptional quality and presence in our community,” he continued.
        {mosimage}Bowman likened the Best of Fayetteville issue to a compass, noting that it gave readers the direction to head when they are looking for goods and services. “We go through great pains to be able to present our readers this list of the best,” he said. “Our readers depend on and trust our publication. It stands to reason that we do this and we do it right.”
        Another thing that Up & Coming Weekly does very well is throw a great party, and this year’s Best of party will be just that.
        “We’ve always had some sort of party to recognize our winners,” Bowman explained. “This year, we’re pulling out all of the stops.”
        The party, hosted by IT’Z will feature great food, music and prizes. WKML,  a station that has been known to take home more than a few Best of awards, will be on hand to spin the music during the party. And IT’Z, which has also been known to win, will provide the food.
        During the event the winners will be announced and awards will be presented. The event is open to all Up & Coming Weekly readers. After the main event, there will be an after party featuring The Embers, one of the nation’s best beach bands. “This is going to be one party you are not going to want to miss,” said Bowman.
        Bowman said that while much of the issue is fun, there are some categories that he finds of particular importance. “The categories that I look forward to seeing are the ones that reflect how the people feel about our county and city and the issues affecting it,” he said. “ I think the community is going to be pleasantly surprised when they find out how people feel about the events that are taking place in our community.”
        So grab your Up & Coming Weekly on Sept. 10, and then make tracks over IT’Z for a party that is sure to be the Best of.

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        {mosimage}‘Tis the season to be fake. You can tell that the presidential election is getting close by watching the tadpoles of craziness metamorphosing into full-blown frogs of fakery in America’s political ponds. The rip in the time/space continuum has unleashed a phalanx of phonies onto the Earth. In short, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. If you are bored with reality, consider our candidates for Fake of the Year. Ponder this year’s worthy charlatans.
        How do I love fakes? Let me count the ways. The first nominee for the coveted Fakey trophy is Joyce McKinney. Joyce is the delightful lady who spent about 50 grand at a South Korean lab to clone Booger, her dead pit bull. Why anyone would want to clone a dead Booger is beyond the scope of this column. Let us just accept that Joyce did it. She has cloned pit bull pups who are cuter than Madonna’s bunions. There was a lovely picture of Joyce in all the papers holding up a Booger clone. With fame comes unintended consequences.
        An eagle-eyed reader contacted British law enforcement after noticing a startling resemblance between Booger Cloner Joyce and fugitive Mormon Kidnapper Joyce. Way back in 1971, alleged Mormon Kidnapper Joyce was overcome with passion upon seeing a 21-year-old Mormon dude wearing a white shirt and skinny black tie. Joyce allegedly kidnapped Mormon dude and made him her sex slave complete with mink-lined handcuffs in a quaint little cottage in England. At first, Booger Joyce denied she was Mormon Joyce. Eventually she admitted it. Joyce was charged criminally but was never convicted as she left England before the trial could be held. According to Joyce it was all a misunderstanding. The Mormon dude consented to whatever they had done. British authorities have declined to extradite Mormon Joyce.
        Unfortunately, even more troubles arose for Joyce due to the Booger clone picture. Joyce had a third secret identity as Three-Legged Horse Owner Joyce. TLHO Joyce had been charged in Tennessee with planning a burglary with a teenage boy to raise money to buy an artificial leg for her three-legged horse. Tennessee authorities are still deciding whether to try TLHO Joyce. The three-legged horse did not return numerous telephone calls for comment.
        For the first time there are joint nominees for the Fakey. Consider Matt Whitton and Rick Dyer who brought us Bigfoot on ice in August. The boys claimed they had found a dead Bigfoot in Georgia. They had him chilling like a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon on ice. At a press conference they produced a picture of Bigfoot which showed our hero looking a bit peaked with some of his internal organs grooving outside his skin. America gasped a collective “yuck,” but like Scully and Muldar we wanted to believe it was really Bigfoot. Unfortunately, when Bigfoot was thawed out, he turned out to be a rubber gorilla suit. What a gyp. Matt and Rick went missing. Once again we’re collectively disappointed that Bigfoot had escaped our grasp. Extra style points are awarded Matt and Rick for using the old gorilla suit gag.
        The third nominee for the Fakey is the government of the People’s Republic of China for having one little girl sing and another little girl lip sync at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. The People’s Bureau of Childhood Personal Attractiveness determined that while 7-year-old Yang Peiyi could really belt out the chart topping “Ode to the Motherland,” Yang Peiyi wasn’t cute enough to appear on camera. How does Yang Peiyi’s self esteem recover from being officially certified as too ugly to sing? Lip synching Lin Miaoke was attractive enough to meet Chinese government cuteness standards but couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket of river eels. Perhaps the South Korean cloning lab could mix some of Yang’s vocal chromosomes with Lin’s cuteness chromosomes and create a Chinese Shirley Temple to sing at the London Olympics. As evidenced by the Chinese women’s gymnastics team, Chinese little girls grow up so fast it would be no problem for a 2008 model cloned Yang/Lin to be 16 at the 2012 Olympics.
        The nominees for the 2008 Fakey award are all outstanding. It is a difficult to pick the biggest fake of the year from our three highly qualified contenders. Each one seems more artificial than the next. However, this is the 21st century and choices must be made. The envelope please.
        The winner of the 2008 Biggest Fake of the Year award goes to John Edwards and his alleged baby momma Rielle Hunter. See you on Father’s Day.

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        Like many Americans, I have been glued to the Dickson television sets lately, taking in the excitement and pageantry of the Democratic National Convention. I expect the National Republican Convention to be similarly riveting for Americans, though for a decidedly different demographic slice.
        At any rate, I have been struck by the participation of women in this year’s process.{mosimage}
        Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and a number of lesser-known and what we think of as “normal” American women have been front and center in this year’s political process. Both of North Carolina’s candidates for the United States Senate are women, and two North Carolina women, one a survivor of the Pillowtex plant closing in Kannapolis which cost more than 4,000 factory jobs in a single day, addressed Democratic convention goers. I will be interested to see the participation of Republican women as well.
        Watching all this sent me back to a small paperback book I purchased during an unexpected, unwelcome and long layover for a delayed flight earlier this summer. Entitled Great Quotes from Great Women and compiled by Peggy Anderson, my little book buy could have been an example of people buying anything to stave off airport boredom. I find most of the quotations fascinating, though some are comforting and familiar, while some are novel and thought-provoking. They come from politicians, writers, entertainers, scientists and humanitarians, and each is a pearl of its creator’s experience and wisdom.
        A sampling from women unafraid to shake up the status quo as they saw it:
        Eleanor Roosevelt, a wise, compassionate and much-admired first lady left us with many such pearls, these among them. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” and “It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.”
        American Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson shared her take on inner strength. “It is easy to be independent when you’ve got money. But to be independent when you haven’t got a thing, that’s the Lord’s test.”
        The English writer Agatha Christie was thinking about money from the opposite end of the spectrum when she said, “Where large sums of money are concerned, it is advisable to trust nobody.”
        Helen Keller, perhaps our nation’s most famous example of overcoming personal disabilities, said this, “I thank God for my handicaps, for through them, I have found myself, my work and my God.”
        Our first First Lady, Martha Washington, also believed in making our own happiness. She said, “I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.”
        Our entertainers share advice as well, both lighthearted and serious.
        “Sex appeal is 50 percent what you’ve got, and 50 percent what people think you’ve got.”
    — Sophia Loren
        “I don’t know anything about luck. I’ve never banked on it, and I’m afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work — and realizing what is opportunity and what isn’t.”
    — Lucille Ball
        “Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.”
    — Janis Joplin
        “I’m not a has-been. I’m a will-be.”
    — Lauren Bacall
        “Careful grooming may take 20 years off a woman’s age, but you can’t fool a long flight of stairs.”
    — Marlene Dietrich
    “Hungry people cannot be good at learning or producing anything, except perhaps violence.”
    — Pearl Bailey
        “It’s the good girls who keep the diaries; the bad girls never have the time.”
    — Tallulah Bankhead
        These pearls come from one of my favorites, Katharine Hepburn. “Plain women know more about men than beautiful ones do,” and “To keep your character intact, you cannot stoop to filthy acts. It makes it easier to stoop the next time.”
        Here are several random quotes which resonate with me. “Parents have become so convinced that educators know what is best for children that they forget that they themselves are really experts.”
    — Marion Wright Edelman
        “Death, taxes and childbirth:  there’s never any convenient time for any of them!”
    — Margaret Mitchell
        “We’re all in this alone.”
    — Lily Tomlin
        “Sometimes it takes years to grasp what has really happened to your life.”
    — Wilma Rudolph
        “In passing, also, I would like to say that the first time Adam had a chance, he laid the blame on a woman.”
    — Nancy Astor
        “I’m having trouble managing the mansion. What I need is a wife.”
    — Former governor Ella Grasso
        “I don’t know that there are any short cuts to doing a good job.”
    — Sandra Day O’Conner
        “We can do no great things — only small things with great love.”
    — Mother Teresa
        “We are living beyond our means. As a people, we have developed a lifestyle that is draining the earth of its priceless and irreplaceable resources without regard for the future of our children and people all around the world.”
    — Margaret Mead
        And finally, this reality check from former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, who said, “You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.”
        Maybe a long layover is not such a bad thing once in a while.

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        When it rains, it pours. There was some truth to that old saying this past week at the Up & Coming Weekly offices at 208 Rowan St. As the remnants of Fay made their way across the region, our office began to fill with water, lots of water.
        It was pouring through the ceiling, rushing through a closet and into our lobby and graphics department. Our staff was so busy trying to stop the flood; they didn’t have time to think about its cause. I was on the phone with Publisher Bill Bowman telling him about the flood situation when he pulled into the office parking lot. One glance at the building gave Bill the answer.
        Sometime during the previous night, thieves had paid a visit to our office. They didn’t kick in doors or break windows. Instead, they climbed on the roof and ripped the decorative, but functional, copper trim, gutters and downspouts off of the building’s façade. In doing so, their feet were as heavy handed as their deed damaging the seams and integrity of the roof. This caused the water to pool, and without any way to drain the only way was down.
        The thieves wasted no time in disposing of their take, hauling it only a mile away to Cohen & Green Salvage Company located on Glidden Street. They made a few dollars off the copper — not even 1/10 of its value. But in their grab for quick cash, they did more than $20,000 damage to our business. {mosimage}
        Unfortunately, this isn’t a new story or rare occurrence. It’s happening all over the country. You’ll be hard pressed to find a building contractor or air conditioning company who has not dealt with the issue. Copper is in demand and salvage yards are all too obliging to receive it. After all, all the thief has to do is steal it and the money is not bad.
        Unfortunately for these guys, they made a huge mistake. The copper on our building, unlike common copper wiring from AC units or plumbing, was pretty distinctive. Fayetteville Police officers knew exactly where to go to find it and “sure enough” they found our copper. However, by the time they got there, it was crushed — no longer functional or decorative.
        Salvage companies are now being held to stricter standards. In North Carolina, the legislature requires all scrap-metal dealers to keep detailed records of whom they buy copper from, including driver’s license and vehicle tag numbers. The legislation also prohibits the sale of scrap metal by minors and requires dealers to provide receipts to the police.
        Cohen & Green Salvage Company, which gets its share of stolen copper, has gone a step further. They videotape every transaction and share this information with the police. Their assistance had warrants issued for the thieves who helped themselves to our copper.
        Salvage companies need to do more to protect their fellow businesses and residents. The legislature needs to do more. Maybe the only people who should be able to sell scrap metal should be licensed contractors: Contractors, who if caught dealing in stolen metal, would lose their license. Or maybe the salvage companies should hold all copper for at least 48 hours to check recent police crime reports. Had that happened in our case, the copper taken from our building could have been recovered and repositioned on our building.
        This crime is not just about what they took physically from us. They took away the feeling of safety we have in our facility. They violated what we have built for our business and this community. We made the move downtown because we wanted to be a part of Fayetteville’s rebirth. Our building, although not on Hay Street, is an asset to the downtown community. Our partnership with the Fayetteville Museum of Art, the art sculptures and meditation garden all add to our city and quality of life.
        Our presence downtown, like the presence of other downtown businesses, says this is our community. It says come walk our streets, visit our gardens, feel safe — don’t be afraid. This is a new day. It’s a new way! Forget about barred windows and gated store fronts. We want to create a new face for Fayetteville — a safe place.
        People, like those who paid a late night visit to our building or who litter our streets and parks don’t respect this new day or new way. That’s their problem and that’s just too bad.
        We’ll weather this storm and put our building right. This is our city, and they can’t have it back.

  • Details
        Martha Padgett gave birth to quadruplets in Riverside, Calif., in July, but she only did half the work. The other two babies were born to her partner, Karen Wesolowski, using Padgett’s eggs and the same sperm donor, and whose two came along 22 hours after Padgett’s two. The women carried two fertilized eggs each only because they had failed five times before with in-vitro fertilization and just wanted to improve the odds of having at least one child between them. 

    LATEST RELIGIOUS MESSAGE
        “Someone’s getting a new spinal cord tonight!” yelled Canadian tent-revival preacher Todd Bentley in July during his crusade in Lakeland, Fla. (also telecast on GodTV and the Internet), according to an Associated Press observer. Miracles are “popping like popcorn,” he promised, punctuating each hands-on salvation with an Emeril-type “Bam!” His unorthodoxy extends to sometimes roughing up the afflicted, he admits, because that’s what God tells him to do, e.g., kneeing a “cancer patient” in the stomach, banging a crippled woman’s leg on a platform. Anyone in need of healing should, Bentley shouts often, “come and get some!” 

    SCENES OF THE SURREAL
        The president of Japan’s Osakana Planning Co. told attendees of the Japanese Seafood Show in July that his tuna makes superior sushi because his company administers acupuncture to each fish prior to its death, in order to reduce stress.
        A Welsh oil painting, “Newport Nudes,” which was mothballed 60 years ago for being too brazen for public display because the model is naked, drew fresh criticism when reintroduced in July at a public gallery in Wales but this time only because the naked model is holding a cigarette.
     
    INCOMPETENT CRIMINAL
        In June, police in Spokane, Wash., arrested Calvin Robinson, 19, who had set up inside the lockable family restroom at a mall because he needed an electrical outlet to run the color printer he had just bought for $100 (in real money) in order to make counterfeit $10 bills. Police recovered a sheet of uncut, poorly made copies, which Robinson said he had intended to use to buy “90 dollars” worth of marijuana.

  • Details
    LAW & ARDOR
        I read about a free criminal records search, criminalsearches.com. Just for fun, I put in my girlfriend’s name, and out popped a misdemeanor larceny charge from several years ago. We’re in our mid-20s, dating seriously for two years, and have discussed marriage. I don’t think this is THAT big of a deal, but it hurts and disappoints me because I’ve been totally honest about everything in my life. How do I bring this up? Or should I?
                              —Unlucky Strike
                                      
        {mosimage}Since you’ve been “totally honest” about everything in your life, don’t stop now: “You know, Honey, one afternoon, there was nothing on TV, so I thought I’d look into your criminal past. You know...just for fun.” At the moment, you have no idea whether she’s a career shoplifter or whether she and her sorority sisters got pinched “stealing” the moose head out of the frat house next door. Yet, you don’t think it’s “THAT big of a deal” — maybe because she’s shown herself to have such sterling character, or maybe because it would be a real drag if it turned out she didn’t. Love isn’t ignoring somebody’s faults; it’s facing them and deciding you can stomach them. Once you learn the real deal on hers,  you’re sure to have a question or two — either “Will you marry me?” or “What’s in your wallet (and did you happen to take it out of my wallet)?”

    ROCKY MOUNTAIN 2-STEP
        I’ve been dating my boyfriend for two years, and I’m miserable. I want to break it off, but he moved to Colorado to be with me while I finish college, and has no friends here. The last thing I want to do is hurt him. I was thinking about moving back home and finishing college there. 
                                           —Stuck

        How could you ditch him in that barren wasteland where he toils in the biting cold breaking rocks on the work gang and eating only stale crusts of bread and watery soup? All because he moved to Siberia to be with you. Oh, sorry — Colorado. No, breaking up isn’t a laugh riot, but if a guy’s going to get dumped somewhere, a mountain paradise with hordes of hot ski bunnies isn’t exactly the Gulag annex. And besides, he chose to move there. As for your idea of moving home to finish school, if it’s for educational reasons, have at it. When the U-Haul pulls up, he’s sure to figure it out.

        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
        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. 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:
        {mosimage}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, toolkit, 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/wash cloth, fanny pack, backpack, Kotex/tampons and reading glasses.
        Clothing items: sports bras, sweatshirt(s), cycling shorts, swim suit, 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 and pencil/pen, camera and accessories, passport/ID, cell phone and charger, phone list, cellular modem, radar detector, diary, registration papers, driver’s, 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 post cards, duct tape, sunscreen, extra batteries, Superglue, first aid kit, flashlight, freezer bags (for packing/waterproofing), ibuprophen/Tylenol, rubber bands and poncho to cover your equipment.
        Once you make your list, start setting items out. Sort and pack the items in a way that you will remember where to find them. Last trip I spent a lot of time looking for items throughout my bike, because I didn’t have them grouped in a logical fashion. Don’t check them off of your list until you actually pack them on your bike. Make the list work for you and your needs. Add as needed. If you don’t have room on the bike, you can always prioritize your needs and buy what you need when you get to your destination. Scrub your list to the absolutely essential, can’t live without, make the trip more comfortable items.
        If there is a topic that you would like to discuss, please send your comments and suggestions to motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE!

  • Details
        Similar to Grindhouse, Tropic Thunder (107 minutes) teases the audience with a series of trailers for movies that will never actually be made. The rest of the movie is a downhill ride compared to the satirical sophistication offered by the fakes, including a hilarious send up of Brokeback Mountain called Satan’s Alley and a spoof of Eddie Murphy’s Nutty Professor franchise, called The Fatties: Fart Two. Given the long gestation of the project (Stiller began the project in 1987), the material wears surprisingly well. Anyone who has enjoyed a big budget war movie will find something to laugh at, not the least of which was the spot on division of the leads into the archetypal war movie soldiers (the intellectual, the angry guy, the incompetent leader). Fans of Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. will especially enjoy seeing their favorites reveal some possible real-life insecurity in the way they translate the characters from script to screen.
        {mosimage}Following the opening trailer parodies and commercials for Booty Sweat (real product), the film opens on location in Vietnam, where first-time director Damien Cockburn (Alfred Molina look-alike Steve Coogan) is trying desperately to corral his prima donna cast. That cast includes the action guy, Tugg Speedman (Stiller), the award winner Kirk Lazarus (Downey Jr.), and the comedian Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black). Supporting actors include Jay Baruchel playing Kevin Sandusky (he was in Undeclared!), Brandon Jackson playing Alpa Chino, and Nick Nolte playing handless Vietnam Veteran Tayback. And that’s not all! Keep your eyes peeled for Tom Cruise in a role that is not nearly as funny or controversial as he thinks it is, and for Mathew McConaughy out-acting Tom Cruise in every scene they share.
        As shown in the trailers, the director decides he can make a better movie if he takes his cast out into the jungle and lets them act out the book upon which the movie is based. Naturally, things go horribly, horribly wrong. Speedman is taken captive when he inadvertently gets too close to the heroin producing Flaming Dragon gang. Lazarus and Sandusky concoct a plan to rescue Tuggman … whether he is ready to be saved or not.  The film’s climax involves a satisfactory level of explosions, an adequate amount of clown make-up and everyone’s hero — TIVO.
        The movie is not particularly memorable, but it is good for a laugh. As far as some of the more controversial moments, it seems like a lot of oversensitive people got riled up about legitimate parody. Downey Jr. in blackface is a deliberate joke on the kind of actor who goes overboard in becoming the character they’re playing. Stiller’s movie-within-a-movie, a parody of movies such as Rain Man and Forrest Gump, with developmentally disabled characters is a joke made in surprisingly good taste. In fact, Stiller comes off as positively enlightened when this parody is compared to, for example, the treatment of the disabled in Something About Mary. This one was pleasant and well-paced, but its certainly not going to break any box office records … it did manage to topple Dark Knight from its top spot at the box office this past weekend

  • Details

        On it’s 10th studio album, Superhero Brother, Philadelphia’s brightest musical sons, G. Love and Special Sauce, want to save the planet — one shaken-not-stirred booty at a time. 
        G. Love (aka Garrett Dutton) and his band of merry hipsters know that the true power of music has nothing to do with brokering a peace accord between Russia and Georgia or solving the Palestinian problem; no,  while G. Love may want to shine a klieg light on what’s going on in this mixed up, shook-down world, he mainly wants you to boogie down as the whole geopolitical outhouse burns down to the ground — invoking change and changing attitudes in 3/4 time.
        Never a political band in the vein of those oh-so-serious rockers from Ireland, U2, nor documentarians of the brutality and horrors of the ‘hood like the late, great NWA, G. Love and Special Sauce have always been content to stir up a musical stew of rock, folk, pop, hip hop and blues to feed the mind, not guilt you into breaking the piggy bank to feed the starving bellies of a million Ethiopians.
        {mosimage}This we-know-the-world-sucks-but-what-can-we-do attitude is reflected perfectly in the title track, in which G. Love sardonically references the glut of comic book heroes that have recently ruled the cinemas like leotard-clad saviors of society: “Well, if they called on my name don’t you know I’d do it/shine my signal over Gotham, I’ll be true/ It’s my distinct pleasure to come down from my grass/get off my front porch and save all your asses.”
        Yeah, I’ll do my part, raps G. Love over the beat of a bluesy acoustic guitar and wailing harmonica, promising to “solve the economy, the homeless problems, save what’s left of the environment/create jobs for everybody doin’ somethin’ that they wanna’ be doin’”; but in the end, G. Love knows he’s got about as much chance to save the world as Christian Bale’s Batman or Toby Maguire’s Spiderman as he sings “Well, it seems kinda’ hard but it really ain’t nothin’/all you gotta’ do is get bit by a spider or somethin.’’
        Every song on Superhero Brother percolates with this message of partying on while the ship goes down, especially on the impossibly upbeat “City Livin’”, which should jump to the top of the charts... should and would if there was any justice in a Top 40 landscape ruled by silicon- and collagen-injected pop princesses with mental problems and wannabe gangstas who grew up in comfortable middle class homes playing Grand Theft Auto instead of actually living the game.
        Another feel-good standout on Superhero Brother is “Peace, Love and Happiness.” As backing band Special Sauce simmers, harmonizing and styling with steady beats and bongos, G. Love whips out hot guitar leads and sings about surviving and striving and somehow keeping a smile on your face. It’s such an infectiously happy song that you almost don’t notice that G. Love is telling you that while you need to party like it’s 1999, you also need to keep your mind wrapped around what’s going on around you, reminding the listener “how can we eat this daily bread/when so many people starving?”
        More subliminal messages can be found in the reggae-imbued “Woncha’ Come Home Now,” which, though ostensibly written for a lover on the lam, could very well be rededicated to our soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan with lyrics like “Darlin’ I’ve been waiting while you gone and done your changin’/but you know I don’t got much time/still everywhere I go I see people waiting just like me/waiting for you to come on home.”
        Like the very best champagne, Superhero Brother bubbles along merrily while imparting a kick you really don’t notice until you stop dancing long enough to notice the room’s spinning faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a locomotive.

    Tim Wilkins, Associate Editor
    COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 105 or
    tim@upandcomingweekly.com

  • Details
        Dear EarthTalk: My body doesn’t tolerate cheese well. Are there dairy-free cheeses that will be easier on my constitution and better for the environment, too?   
                     — Steve Sullivan, Seattle, Wash.
     
        With some 30 to 50 million Americans suffering from various degrees of lactose intolerance, and an estimated 3 million of us now eating animal-free (vegan) diets for humane, environmental and/or health reasons, the production of alternatives to dairy products has started to become big business.
        But while substitutes for milks and ice creams abound, mostly soy- or rice-based blends that have come a long way since they first appeared on grocery shelves, finding satisfactory alternatives to the many varieties of cheese can be a challenge. But the choices are expanding rapidly.
        The first place to look might just be your regular supermarket’s produce section — that’s often where you’ll find Galaxy Foods’ veggie line of non-dairy cheeses. After all, they are made from soy, a crop. Galaxy’s offerings come shredded, grated, in slices and in hunks. Fans swear they taste just like the real thing. And they are all excellent sources of calcium without cholesterol, saturated/trans-fats or lactose.
        {mosimage}Galaxy also offers cheeses made from rice. And while some of both the rice brand and veggie line contain small amounts of cultured milk salt, dried skim milk protein and trace amounts of lactose, Galaxy also make two purely vegan varieties, usually found in the dairy sections of grocery or health food stores.
        A few other popular brands made with rice include Rice Slices and Lifetime Low Fat Jalapeno Jack Rice Cheese. Check the shelves of your local organic or natural food market to find one or more to sample.
        Another leading producer of dairy-free cheeses is Scotland’s Bute Island Foods. The company began making its own vegan hard cheese alternatives (sold under the Sheese brand name) in 1988, and has since expanded into cream cheese alternatives (Creamy Sheese) as well. From pizzas to sauces to sandwiches to spreads, Bute Island has vegan and lactose-intolerant cheese lovers covered.
        Some other soy-based choices that get good reviews include Good Slice Cheddar Style Cheese Alternative (great for sandwiches), vegan-friendly Tofutti Soy Cheese Slices, Follow Your Heart’s Vegan Gourmet (pizza, anyone?), and Teese (it melts with the best of them), among others.
        Do-it-yourselfers might want to experiment with making their own non-dairy cheese using ingredients such as tofu and yeast. A quick Web search will yield many recipes for making cheese and for using non-dairy cheeses in favorite dishes. Many of the best are collected in Joanne Stepaniak’s The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, available in some bookstores as well as from Amazon.com and other online vendors.
        With so many good choices, not to mention recipes for home cooked varieties, many a vegetarian may just make the leap into full-fledged vegan eating. And existing vegans can rejoice: French Onion Soup (dairy-free, of course) is back on the menu.

  • Details
        Most us need a second chance from time to time. Maybe it was at swinging a baseball bat, riding a bike, taking a test or falling in love. As we look back over life, we can all recall a time when we wish we could say, “Do over!” That is exactly the point of forgiveness.
        The Bible is filled with story after story about forgiveness. And though you would agree there are times when you need forgiveness, you would have to admit that giving forgiveness is hard to do. When a friend betrays our confidence, a coworker slanders our reputation or someone physically or emotionally abuses us, forgiveness is hard. But the exciting truth is that forgiveness can be learned; and as with all learning, forgiveness takes time and much practice.
        {mosimage}One key to learning to forgive is learning to handle your anger. The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:26, “be angry and do not sin.” Being angry is not in itself a sin. The sin comes in how we manage that anger, what we do with it. Our words can often be very damaging. Our actions and responses can also be damaging. Instead of being hurtful and harmful, seek to restore the relationship. In the same passage, Paul says to “speak the truth.” A final lesson on managing anger is learning to deal with it swiftly. Paul closes out verse 26 saying, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.” In other words, deal quickly with the issue so that anger does not brew and make you bitter.
        A second key to learning to forgive is learning to build up instead of tear down. Forgiveness is an active response. When we forgive someone, we are seeking to not only restore them, but to build them up. In Ephesians 4:29, Paul says, “no rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear.” Words can tear down, but words can also build up. This is not referring to puffing up someone’s low self-esteem. Rather, encourage them with your words. Tell them they are forgiven. Affirm their intentions although their actions may have been premature.
        And the final key to learning to forgive, which really is the first key, is to remember that God has forgiven you.         There are times when you will be hurt by someone who does not deserve your forgiveness. Perhaps their offense to you has never been paid for, restituted, or even acknowledged … forgive them anyway. Why? Remember Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:32, “forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, our offenses toward him had never been paid for, restituted, or even acknowledged by us…but he died to forgive us anyway.
        Go and do likewise this week. Find someone who needs your forgiveness, and give them a second chance. Aren’t you glad God gave you one?
        The Rev. Chris Dickerson is the pastor at Green Springs Baptist Church.

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        There is an increasing momentum, a movement in this community, to embrace the arts in new ways. What was once potential and vision is now becoming a reality. From the skateboard tree to the relocation of the museum to the downtown area, people are starting to understand that art plays many roles in a community.
        For decades, a large core of artists, art patrons, art organizations and art agencies have devotedly supported the idea of creating a more inclusive approach to integrating the arts into our community. The momentum of the art core underpinning has been augmented with a slow migration of creative people to the area.
        Artist Dwight Smith is one of many who have relocated to Fayetteville. Smith brought with him his love of art and sharing the arts with others. Smith and Calvin Sims both relocated to Fayetteville with the idea of retiring and moving from their long standing home — Detroit, Mich. Both had founded the Ellington White Project in Detroit, a nonprofit foundation to teach arts and healthy living to inner city youth.
        Retirement was short-lived as the Ellington White Project moved south. Sims has been recently employed by the Fayetteville Arts Council’s as the artist services liaison. Smith, although recently hired by Fayetteville State University, had already started coordinating the Ellington White Project in Fayetteville last year.
        {mosimage}The result was collaboration with other agencies to make it possible for over thirty children and adolescents to discover the world of visual art and participate in an exhibit at the sfL&a Architects Gallery on Burgess Street.
    A project of that magnitude takes leadership, planning and support. This year the project included grant writing, funding from agencies and volunteers from the community.
        The Department of Performing and Fine Arts at Fayetteville State University participated in the program by loaning one of their studio spaces during the summer as a place for the participants to work — a working academic studio.
    Funding was received from the Junior League of Fayetteville, a Summertime Kids Grant from the Cumberland Community Foundation, Inc., as well as funding and staff from Cumberland County CommuniCare. (Anthony Summerville from CommuniCare was there to drive the students to Fayetteville State and assist when needed.)
    Rose-Ann Bryda, a volunteer for the program, explained how “three classes of about a dozen students each met twice a week. Classes were separated by students’ ages. The teen class met on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, including at-risk adolescents from CommuniCare’s MAJORS and Prevention programs.”
        Bryda continued: “Nine to 12 year olds meet on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and older youth meet on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. These particular classes are made up of young people from the community and participants in CommuniCare’s Juvenile Assessment Center’s Summer Program.”Volunteer Noreda Hess (photographer) and Fayetteville State University visual art majors (Mike Romagano, Shantel Scott, and Kim Anderson) were there when it was time in July to give each student a Ziplock bag of art supplies (watercolor, drawing pencils, easers, scissors, glue, and osil pastels). The volunteers helped Dwight Smith throughout the summer to interface with the students and share their personal experiences about being an artist and assisting in the classroom.
        Besides the bag of supplies, Bryda noted “the participants were given a simple pre-test to gauge their art knowledge and had fun exploring a three-dimensional assembly project “Genius Kits” from Detroit’s Arts and Scraps. One field trip for one of the classes included a trip to the Fayetteville Museum of Art to see the exhibit Forsaken: Edifice and Landscape.”
        I visited the classes several times and witnessed many of the students quietly exploring the world of color and design. On one of my visits I asked students — whose ages varied between 14 to 15 years old to comment about their experiences in the program.
        Nikki said, “I am learning more about art as a profession;” while Qwon commented, “It was a program I could participate in during the summer months; I will be able to take new techniques back into the classroom when I return to school.”
        Joya said this was her first art class and she was now thinking about attending art school. Monique quickly pointed out that she would like to participate in the program next summer and she had learned new drawing techniques.
        Lauren was happy to inform me that her mother had told her about the program. “I have learned so much about shading and creating depth and also about the tints of an object and color techniques.” 
    Lastly, Valerie commented that she had learned many new techniques that added to her art experience since she didn’t take art classes at school.
        When I asked the students how to improve the program, two telling comments were shared with me” Invite more artists into the class to explain their work and find transportation for students who wanted to participate but couldn’t get there.
        I noticed FSU student volunteer Mike Romagano was there regularly to assist. Romagano commented, “It was nice to see artists at such an early stage. I was able to share my ideas with them, and they had ideas to share with me.”
        The program ended in early August.
        I could see lots of colorful work was completed during the program.
        Mediums included — but were not limited to — paper making, painting and drawing. Students took the majority of their work home, while some of their work was part of an exhibit during the August 4th Friday event at sfL&a Architects Gallery.
        Anyone interested in seeing the work completed during the program can visit the exhibit at the sfL&a Architects Gallery on Burgess Street until the third week in September. Gallery hours are regular business hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
        For further information about the success of the project and future projects, contact Rose-Ann Bryda at (910) 425-6670.

  • Details
        The United Way of Cumberland County kicked off its annual fundraising campaign Aug. 19. More than 250 community leaders gathered for the luncheon at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church to show their support for United Way and enthusiasm for this year’s campaign.
        For its annual fundraising campaign, United Way works with more than 100 companies and organizations in Cumberland County.
        “What’s so unique about United Way,” said Roberta Humphries, director of resource development, “is that people can donate through payroll deductions.”
        Humphries added, “It’s incredible to see how seemingly small amounts of money add up to make such a great difference for the people of Cumberland County.”
        {mosimage}Speakers at the kickoff included United Way’s 2008 campaign chair, Stuart Walters; board chair, Mac Edwards; and volunteers George Quigley, Patty Pittman, and Brian Morrison.
        The three volunteers spoke about the importance of advocacy, philanthropy and volunteerism. Patty Pittman, who received aid from a United Way agency when her house caught fire in 2001, told the kickoff audience, “If you were a contributor to the United Way back in the year 2000, you helped us that day. And the best part is, you didn’t even know us!”
        A phrase from the United Way’s 2008 campaign video, created by Time Warner Cable and Media Sales, Jeff Hylland, another United Way volunteer, echoes Pittman’s sentiment: “You can feel good about (your) money going to something bigger than what you could do on your own.”
        The United Way of Cumberland County was started in 1939, as a nonprofit organization working to improve the overall quality of lives in our community by addressing critical human needs, including education, income and health. Annually, the United Way supports numerous organizations in Cumberland County including the YMCA, the American Red Cross, Better Health, The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, CommuniCare, Boy Scouts, Fayetteville Urban Ministries and the Rape Crisis Center. In the 2006-2007 fiscal year, the United Way of Cumberland County gave more than $110 million in funding to community programs.

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        {mosimage}In 2007, the Lafayette 250 Committee of Arrangements and the Lafayette Society staged a celebration of the Marquis de Lafayette’s 250th birthday. Fayetteville, the first city to be named after Lafayette, was recognized last year by proclamations in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as the place “where North Carolina celebrates Lafayette’s birthday.” 
    In 2008, the Lafayette Society will sponsor Fayetteville’s annual Lafayette birthday celebration Sept. 4-6. Numerous fun and educational activities are planned and many downtown merchants will feature Lafayette Birthday Specials.
        •On Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m., the Headquarters Library will host Boston historian Alan R. Hoffman, who translated Lafayette In America: 1824-1825. This is a journal of Lafayette’s triumphal return visit to America. The free program will start off with a short documentary film on the 250th celebration in Fayetteville. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
        • On Friday, Sept. 5, there will be a bus tour of the Lafayette Trail. Participants may retrace Lafayette’s visit to Fayetteville in 1825 with live narration by city historian Bruce Daws. The tour begins at 9:30 a.m. with coffee and pastries at the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry museum on Burgess Street and ends with lunch at McDuff’s Tea Room. The tour and lunch are $20. Space is limited. Reservations may be made by calling 678-8899.
        •That evening at 6 p.m., an illustrated history of Lafayette’s life and contributions will be unveiled at City Center Gallery & Books. Illustrated by graphic arts students at Fayetteville State University, Hero of Two Worlds uses a comic book format to tell the story of Lafayette and his contributions to mankind.
         • On Saturday, Sept. 6, there will be a block party for Lafayette’s birthday around the Market House downtown. The Fayetteville Animal Protection Society will stage the Lafayette Dog Parade in front of Horne’s Café at 9 a.m. Poodles and other French breeds will be featured, but others are welcome to participate if they or their owners come in costume with a French or colonial theme. Horne’s will host a pancake breakfast for $6 to benefit FAPS, and the doors will open at 7 a.m.
        •The All-American Fencing Academy will have hourly fencing demonstrations under the Market House starting at 10 a.m. Between the matches, academy students and instructors will discuss sword techniques and the history of fencing.
        •Also at the Market House, the Sons of the American Revolution will host a display of Revolutionary War military equipment and uniforms. Methodist University will display items from its Lafayette collection, and the Fayetteville Transportation Museum will display educational panels on Lafayette’s visit to Fayetteville in 1825.
        •The Museum of the Cape Fear will offer colonial era games for children and a coloring contest in front of Dock’s. The first 100 children to color in the contest will receive a free ice cream cone from Rita’s and a chance to display their artwork that day. The museum will also host a Colonial-themed “Saturday History Special” on the museum grounds at 2 p.m.
        •There will also be a dedication ceremony at 10 a.m. for a time capsule to be placed inside the base of the Lafayette statue in Cross Creek Park by the Sons of the American Revolution and the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry. The statue was erected in 1983 with funds raised by the Lafayette Society. Items from 1983 will be on display along with items from the 200th birthday celebration in 1957.
        In addition to the activities downtown, the Lafayette Rotary Club will host The Lafayette Run to benefit the ABC Dictionary Project at 9 a.m. at Fayetteville Technical Community College. The Lafayette Run includes a 10k and a 5k race, as well as a 1-mile fun run/walk. It is a USATF sanctioned event.
        Additional information may be found in the timeline below, at  HYPERLINK “http://www.lafayettesociety.org” www.lafayettesociety.org or by contacting Hank Parfitt at 286-3979 or  hankparfitt@embarqmail.com.

  • Details
        The controversy surrounding the construction of the Fayetteville Museum of Art on the grounds of Festival Park is heating up, following the delivery of a letter signed by the president of the FMA’s board, Menno Pinnink, to Fayetteville City Manager Dale Iman on Aug. 21.
        The letter accuses the city of a breach of contract in its agreement to deed land in Festival Park to the museum for its new building, and it further requests the city “cease the conduct that breaches the agreement and that the city abide by its obligations under the agreement.”
        At issue is the proposal by freshman councilman, Ted Mohn, to appoint a task force to study the issue of locating the museum in Festival Park. Earlier this month, Mohn brought the issue back before the city council, noting that there were too many unanswered questions concerning the museum’s presence in the park, and whether or not it was a good place to build the $15 million facility.
        Mohn was not on the council in August 2007, when the city council held a special meeting and agreed to donate two acres of land inside the park for the construction of the facility. That arrangement had been made after the museum’s first choice, on the promenade at the park, was taken away by then City Manger Roger Stancil. The building that currently sits in that location, which was designed for commercial/retail space is mostly vacant.
        During its work session on Aug. 4, the council, with the museum’s agreement, elected to appoint a task force comprised of individuals from the arts community and other members of the community to discuss the location of the facility, and the ability of the museum to keep up the facility.
        The museum had initially agreed to take part in the task force and had forwarded the names of its task force members to the city prior to sending the letter to the city. The director of the museum, Tom Grubb, is on vacation and unavailable for comment; however, in an earlier interview with the Fayetteville Observer, Grubb said he thought the task force would be “too confrontational.”
        In the letter the museum argues that the city, “acting by and through persons who include elected officials, has engaged in conduct with the purpose and effect of undermining the agreement and injuring the museum’s rights under the agreement.”
        The letter further states: “The city has never offered an alternative site to the museum for its board to consider, but instead has engaged in this conduct. The museum alleges that the city has delayed the conveyance of the property; opposed the building of the new museum in the location designated in the agreement after the city determined that location is appropriate; encouraged others to oppose the agreed-upon location of the new museum; formed a task force to find a different location for the new museum and to address issues that were already settled by the agreement; and demanded that the museum take actions that are not required by the agreement.”
        Mohn, who has been the most vocal of the council, is adamant in the fact that he is not opposed to the construction of the new museum downtown. “We just want some questions answered,” said Mohn. “No one is stopping them from raising money. But if the museum is not in the right place and people don’t want to contribute money to it, then we won’t have a museum downtown.”
        Mohn pointed to the recent Fayetteville After Five event as another source of questions. Members of the Save Festival Park Committee were at the park’s entrance to try and gain signatures on their petition against the museum’s location in Festival Park. Museum officials had Fayetteville police officers make them leave the grounds of the park. The museum had, in fact, rented the park for the evening, but Mohn and others question how they will act when they have ownership of half of the park.
        {mosimage}Mohn said the idea behind the task force was to allow for full public discussion of the issues surrounding the park and the museum. He added that the museum was initially very receptive of the idea of the task force. “Now, they are saying it should be handled in a more private environment,” he noted. “It needs to be in the open rather than behind closed doors.”
       The city responded to the letter via the city attorney, Karen McDonald, who noted that the “city categorically denies that it has breached its agreement with the museum.”
        Rather than backing down from the issue, the city prepared to move ahead, appointing the members of the task force during its Aug. 25 meeting.
        “We are going to continue to try and find a way for everyone to come together and have a discussion, answer some questions and get a museum downtown,” said Mayor Tony Chavonne. “We are continuing on our track with the task force. We do not believe there has been a breach of contract.  It is in everyone’s best interest for this to be done out in the open and to have involvement from all parties.”

  • Details
        First some good news, then some bad.
        Since the federal government forced all 50 states to change their legal drinking ages to 21 by threatening to withhold highway funding, fatalities related to drunken driving among that age group have indeed gone down. Other negative behaviors, however, have skyrocketed.
        The number of college-age people who literally drank themselves to death almost doubled between 1999 and 2005, most of them on Saturdays and Sundays. That sad reality speaks to the binge drinking that college administrators confess is rampant on many of our nation’s campuses. The Associated Press says that research indicates nearly half of college students report at least one symptom of alcohol abuse or dependence. In addition, many of our students, perhaps as many as half a million according to the AP, are injured each year in accidents related to alcohol consumption, and about 1,700 die in such accidents. We have all read news accounts of drunken college students falling off balconies and other such senseless injuries and deaths.
        Two more young women were added to those grim statistics earlier this month when they were struck by a student athlete driving an SUV which ran off a Chapel Hill street. The women were hospitalized with broken bones and other serious injuries, but they are — blessedly — expected to recover. The tennis star faces DWI charges and a vastly changed educational — perhaps even professional — future.
        The 2006 allegations of rape against Duke lacrosse players were fueled by alcohol use among all parties involved. The rape allegations turned out to be false, but no one disputed the drinking.
        Bad news all the way around.
        As the mother of three young adults, each now over 21, I have seen a number of young people struggle with such issues, which is why I welcome news about the Amethyst Initiative. Under that banner, almost 100 college presidents from all across our country are calling for “an informed and dispassionate debate” on the issue of underage drinking. These educators come from some of our most respected institutions — Duke, Dartmouth, Syracuse, Tufts, Colgate, Kenyon, Morehouse and Ohio State among them, and they are on the front lines of this issue and see the situation first hand.
        The Amethyst Initiative makes a number of thought-provoking points. It says our current laws actually encourage binge drinking by pushing the issue into hiding. A widespread practice among underage students called “pre-gaming” encourages them to drink as much as possible before they go out since once they are out, they do not want to be caught with alcohol in public. John McCardell, a former president of Middlebury College in Vermont started the initiative. He says that our drinking age is “a law that is routinely evaded. It is a law that the people at whom it is directed believe it is unjust and unfair and discriminatory.” The statement released by the group addressed the lawbreaking aspect of the problem this way: By choosing to use alcohol illegally and “by choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law.” What does that say about their future respect for the law or about our tolerance for their lawbreaking behavior?
        {mosimage}Duke President Richard Brodhead writes that the 21-year-old drinking age “pushes drinking into hiding, heightening its risks.” It also prevents school officials “from addressing drinking with students as an issue of responsible choice” for fear of appearing to condone illegal activity.
        The statement also addresses an issue we see in our own community. Our laws allow our citizens who are at least 18-years-old to make all adult decisions except one. They can sign legal documents, take out loans, get married, vote, join the military and put themselves in harm’s way in defense of our nation, but they “are told they are not mature enough to have a beer.”
        Not everyone agrees with the Amethyst Initiative’s call for a national conversation.
        Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, reacted strongly. A spokesman says changing our nation’s drinking laws will lead to more highway fatalities. Other opponents accuse the presidents of wanting to avoid the problem by “defining it out of existence,” according to Henry Wechsler of the Harvard School of Public Health.
        I wish I had the wisdom to solve this painful social issue which both sides of the debate agree is a huge problem on our nation’s campuses. Prohibition did not work in the 1920s, and our current drinking age is not doing all we want it to do either. Would more stringent penalties for drunken driving — say, loss of driving privileges for five years or more — be enough to keep younger drinkers off our roads?
        Speaking like a true academician, William Trout, the president of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., puts it this way. “I’m not sure where the dialogue will lead, but it’s an important topic to American families and it deserves a straightforward dialogue.”
        It is hard to argue with that.
        How can we address a problem if we are unwilling to discuss it?

  • Details
        If downtown Fayetteville is the golden-haired child of Cumberland County, then the streets right on the outskirts of the historic downtown district are its red-haired stepchildren.
        You have only to drive down the back streets to see that the love and care lavished on Hay Street doesn’t extend very far past its borders. You won’t find business thriving on those side streets, nor will you find manicured Hurley pots or plantings. They are in fact in great need of revitalization and attention.
        The same can be said of Rowan Street. As many of you know, the Up & Coming Weekly’s offices are located on Rowan Street. Being outside of the historic district, Rowan Street does not get the attention that Hay Street does, yet tens of thousands of cars drive down this road every day.
        It is almost impossible to pump gas, stop for a bottle of water or walk down the sidewalk without being accosted by a panhandler. In fact, one of the sights I see daily is a panhandler standing in the center median at Rowan and Bragg Boulevard — his cardboard sign proclaiming his desire to work for food. Oddly enough, just a block over he would be ticketed for doing the very same thing. But, since he is a block over, Fayetteville Police officers simply drive by, ignoring the situation. I’m pretty sure it’s just as dangerous for him to stand there as it is for him to stand on the sidewalks on Hay Street; in fact, it’s probably more dangerous because of the sheer volume of cars that pass by.
        It is that volume of cars that has drawn the Fayetteville Museum of Art to Festival Park and the corner of Rowan Street and Ray Avenue. The museum sees the occupants of those cars as potential visitors and members, which begs the question: Does the city see the importance of those people?
        Because it seems to me if the city did understand the importance of those people and the impact the appearance of Rowan makes on them, they would put a little more effort into policing and maintaining the area. This became very apparent to me as I walked down the Ray Avenue sidewalk to Fayetteville After Five last Thursday.
        {mosimage}The sidewalk was littered with little brown paper bags; you know, the kind people sip beer or wine out of. The vine-covered wall that borders Ray Avenue was littered with used soft drink containers and broken wine bottles representing Mad Dog, Boones Farm and Wild Irish Rose, just to name a few. The wrappers of snack papers also littered the area. Keep in mind; this is the sidewalk directly across from the proposed Fayetteville Museum of Art location.
        It seems to me if the city did understand the importance of those people and the impact the appearance of Rowan Street makes on them, they would put a little effort into policing and maintaining the area.
        We know that litter is a big problem in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. However, this particular litter wasn’t thrown out by a passing motorist. This was litter caused by people sitting on the wall eating and drinking alcoholic beverages on a public street. And that’s a huge problem.
        I first commented on this situation following last year’s symphony in the park. My family and I, along with two other families, spent a beautiful afternoon in the park, only to be confronted by two or three drunken panhandlers as we walked back to our cars. It definitely took the shine off an otherwise enjoyable evening.
        We know the problem, but why does it persist? We’ve gotten it right on other streets, now let’s spread it out. Let’s make Fayetteville the city it should be — even if it’s one street at a time.
        PS: Out of courtesy to our readers, I did not mention an array of other debris and items found on the Ray Avenue wall. Use your imagination.

  • Details
        Television personality Dave Mordell is best known for his appearances on the reality show Last Comic Standing. On Sept. 6, Mordell will be able to add “Last Cowboy Standing” to his resume as he participates in a professional bull riding event at the Shady Acres Ranch in Gray’s Creek.
        The event will be recorded for a nationally known reality television show, though Tim Fowler — the man who runs Shady Acres — says he can’t say what network. And as everybody knows, no cowboy wants to be “branded” as a tattletale.
    “I wish I could tell you the name of the show and what network is filming it,” said Fowler, “but I promised not to. I can say it will be a show something like Dirty Jobs. Mordell is training in Montana but he’s going to come to Shady Acres for the filming in which he gets in the ring for a professional bull riding competition.”
        {mosimage}Mordell has been learning the ropes as a freestyle bullfighter at Sankey Rodeo Company in Joliet, Mont. in preparation for a reality show. And by bullfighter, I don’t mean a Spanish matador clothed in his suit of light; I’m talking about a freelance, Americanized bullfighter akin to a rodeo clown who jumps into the ring after a rider is thrown from a bucking bull during competition; it’s the job of the minder to step in and shoo the bull away so the cowboy doesn’t get crumpled — sort of rodeo clowns without the makeup.
        Fowler adds that he will have at least one genuine rodeo clown tricked out in all his face-painted glory at the event. Plus, there’s the added bonus of television cameras set on record.
    “The folks who come out to the show on Sept. 6 will not only see some great bull riding, but will also get a chance to be on TV,” said Fowler.
        The show is sanctioned by the Southern Extreme Bull Riders Association and will feature at least 30 bull riders. Fowler says there will also be a calf scramble in which a ribbon is tied to the tail of a calf that will run around the ring like an Olympic sprinter gone bovine — the kid who captures the ribbon from the little dogie wins.
        Shady Acres has been hosting these bull riding events since 1996 and is looking forward to showing off its facility and its bulls to a national viewing audience. In addition to being the center of bull riding competition in Cumberland County, Shady Acres hosts various horse and bull events such as barrel racing and bull riding every Sunday night at 6. Fowler also offers bull riding lessons for your inner cowboy; and unlike most other bull-riding schools, Shady Acres has bulls that are suitable for every skill level.
        “We have bulls for all levels of riders, from beginner to the most experienced,” said Fowler. “Most places that teach bull riding don’t do that; they say ‘here’s a bull, ride him.’ They have that old school way of thinking that bull riding is a tough sport and you start out riding whatever bull they give you.
        “We’re not like that here at Shady Acres,” said Fowler. “If you’ve never ridden a bull before you shouldn’t have to ride the same bull that professionals ride. We have women who want to learn and even children. We’ve had an 11-year-old girl and an 84-year-old man come here.”
        Fowler said he was a little concerned about the fragility of the 84-year-old; however, after you’ve allowed a blind man to ride a bull, there aren’t many other barriers to break.
    “A friend of mine was blinded when a bull kicked him in the eye,” said Fowler. “He still wanted to ride and no other place would let him do it. But we did and he was just fine.”
        Unlike the bulls Fowler will put out for novice riders, the bulls that will be in the dirt ring Sept. 6 will be of the nose-snorting, paw-the-ground, hold-on-and-pray variety — the kind of bulls that make the sport one of the most dangerous and physically demanding in the world.
        “I won’t say that bull riders are the best conditioned athletes, but I do think they are the toughest,” said Fowler, “especially the professional riders in the upper echelon. I saw in the Olympics that a Chinese athlete didn’t compete because of a fairly minor injury. I’m not knocking those athletes, but a bull rider breaks a bone and he still gets back on the bull. I saw a guy get his head split open with blood pouring down and the medics said he had to go to a hospital. He just looked at them and said ‘8 more seconds’ (the amount of time you have to stay on a bull in competition).”
        There will be plenty of toughness on display Sept. 6 — from both the cowboys and the bulls — and if you show up you just might see yourself on the TV. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the gate; tickets for children 11 and under are $8 in advance, $10 at the gate; children 3 and under get in free. Tickets can be purchased at Seasons Micro Spa and Salon and Dee’s Feed and Things. For information and tickets, call 551-8936.

  • Details
        Have you ever eaten dried, salted horse meat? Neither have I, but it’s on the menu in Florence, Italy. You can also see Italian tractor racing on TV there. The roar of a racing tractor in Italian or English sounds the same. When we weren’t watching speeding Tuscan tractors, we went to art museums and cathedrals. Italy has more culture than you can shake a VISA card at. Even our hotel bathroom had culture, featuring a sign which implored us to “Help the Nature” by reusing our towels. {mosimage}
        It’s hard work having fun. You have to walk 12 hours a day to see the culture in Italy. Italians store much culture in their museums and cathedrals. Your lower extremities develop a condition called Museum Feet, which is indistinguishable from Cathedral Feet. Tired feet in Italy feel like tired feet in America. After three days in Florence, we had consumed about as much culture as can be absorbed by the human body. Culture was oozing out of every pore. I felt like a National Public Radio station.
        Italy is the saint capitol of the universe. There are more pictures of saints in Italy than the Internal Revenue Service has received excuses from people who haven’t paid their taxes. After a while, all the art becomes a holy blur. To maintain my equilibrium by keeping myself at the low level of culture to which I am accustomed, I started taking pictures of coffee cups across Italy. For some reason I found this entertaining. There are many different types of coffee cups in Italy, most of them fairly small but filled with liquid gold. Each cup of coffee went for about $4 if you sat down to drink it.
        Florence is the Museum/Cathedral feet center of Italy. There is so much art there you feel horribly guilty if you don’t walk yourself into bilateral peripheral neuropathy. Dr. Scholl must make a lot of money in Italy. The podiatrist is king, or at least doge there. How can you pass up the chance to see two more Michelangelo statues after you’ve only walked for eight hours? It’s on to the next museum or wear the Philistine badge. Quitters never attain cultural Nirvana. It’s culture versus feet in a 24-hour Texas death match in Florence.
        Italy was our first tour experience. I was resistant to the idea of a tour as I feared it meant I was no longer young. Turns out that fear is accurate. Turns out the transition from backpacks to tour buses ain’t so bad. I didn’t have to drive in strange cities looking for a hotel. Our luggage would magically appear in our rooms. We got to know the folks on the bus. A dinner was included in each new city. Each tour dinner had a bottle of wine per table. I quickly learned to sit with Louise and Donna who did not drink wine. My wife would drink only one glass of wine, leaving the rest of the bottle for my personal edification. Italy became so much more entertaining. Louise regaled us with exciting tales of her dog Cletus at dinner as I studied the wine.
        Culture in Italy is not confined to museums. Street vendors in Florence’s town square were selling groovy, glowing frisbee flying saucers that launched from a stick. We took a day trip to Sienna where Crayola invented Burnt Sienna crayons. Sienna is a nice brown medieval town. Sienna has the Basilica of Saint Catherine where you can see her preserved head and one of her fingers. I couldn’t see the finger but Catherine looked great.
        On the way back to Florence, our bus stopped at a vineyard for a wine tasting featuring excellent grape products and the most olive oil-soaked piece of bread I have ever eaten. We were instructed on the proper method of tasting wine as a bizarre chicken with a pompadour wandered among the tourists. Our table mates were Jake the undertaker from Minnesota and his lovely bride, who were on their honeymoon.
        As a tip for future Italian tourists, never, ever use your credit card to call home from an Italian pay phone. If you think the cost of the Iraq war is impressive, wait until you see the charges for four phone calls from Italy to North Carolina. Send a post card instead.

  • Details
        I grew up witnessing my sister and close friends being chased after by many guys, some even claiming to be in love. Then there’s me, 23, never in a relationship, and barely ever sought after. I’m not unattractive, but I’ve just begun to get it together with the clothes, the hair and what not. I lost my virginity last year in a hookup on vacation. I’m now dating somebody I don’t see as relationship material, but who goes MIA, calls randomly and makes me initiate us hanging out. I’m literally STARVED for attention, tired of coming in last place, and meeting men who act interested, but turn out to be distant, sex-crazed maniacs. I feel sick to my stomach when I see how late in the game I am compared to my friends. Am I doing something wrong?
                              —Late Bloomer
                                      

        Your problem isn’t that you don’t have the perfect boyfriend right here, right now, but that you’re in a panic about it, probably making you about as seductive as a mountain lion that hasn’t eaten for weeks: “Shall I pounce on you from above, claw your heart out and eat it raw, or do you feel you need a glass of wine first?”
        You appear to be confusing your love life with The Amazing Race. Your sister, your friends and all their men are licking fondue off each other’s fingers on a plane to the Swiss Alps, while you’re in the dressing room of some dusty sporting goods store, waiting for the manager to come back from lunch and unstick the zipper of your snowsuit. And why aren’t you doing exactly what your sister and friends are doing, exactly when they’re doing it? Um...because you are not them? Sadly, there’s a good chance some of them are also better at long division, and have much shinier hair. 
    Yeah, it’s harsh out there, particularly at 23. Guys are distant because they’re 23 and not that comfortable with themselves. They’re also vats of hormones with shoes and maybe a mustache for a disguise. In other words, it’s not exactly the ideal time to find lasting love. It is, however, a great time to figure out what you want in a lasting love by trying on a lot of fleeting “love.” To do that, you’ll have to stop living like you’ll turn into a cleaning lady and your car will turn into a corn dog if you don’t land the romance of the century by midnight.
        While you’re at it, you might relax some in the “grass is greener” department. Judge the value of what you’re doing by whether it makes you happy, not by whether your friends did it by age 12. Try to remember that things aren’t always as they seem from the outside.

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

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