Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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AUGUST 15-21, 2018 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM WEEKLY HOROSCOPE NEWS OF THE WEIRD by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication Suspicions Confirmed Among the gazillion other products and services available from Amazon is the behemoth's facial recognition soft- ware, Rekognition, marketed as provid- ing extremely accurate facial analysis. But when the American Civil Liberties Union gave it a go, the results were startling. Using Rekognition, the ACLU scanned photos of every current mem- ber of the U.S. House and Senate and came up with 28 matches to a mug shot database of people who had been ar- rested for crimes. e ACLU announced its findings July 26 and admitted it used Amazon's default settings, to which Amazon responded, "While 80 percent confidence is an acceptable threshold for photos of hot dogs, chairs, animals or other social media use cases," Ama- zon would advise customers to set the threshold at 95 percent or higher for law enforcement. e ACLU told NPR that the legislators who were falsely matched were men, women, Republicans and Democrats of all ages. However, the soft- ware did misidentify people of color at a higher rate. [NPR, 7/26/2018] Weird science You thought you were old? You're just a twinkle in a nematode's eye. Russian scientists have revived two ancient, frozen roundworms, or nema- todes, from samples collected in Sibe- rian permafrost, e Siberian Times reported on July 26. e worms, which were found in cores taken from 30 me- ters and 3.5 meters deep, are believed to be female and 41,700 and 32,000 years old, respectively. After collecting the samples, scientists slowly thawed out the worms, which eventually start- ed eating and moving. Scientists from the Institute of Physico-Chemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science in Moscow believe the nematodes have some adaptive mechanisms that may be of scientific importance. [e Sibe- rian Times, 7/26/2018] Mistaken identity Diamonds are SO 20th century. In Ja- pan, Warp Space is offering newlyweds the chance to make their union univer- sal with wedding plaques launched into space. According to United Press Inter- national, the startup company, founded by faculty members from the University of Tsukuba, will print a titanium plate with the names of the betrothed and put it, along with a few hundred other plaques, in one of a series of small cubes to be released into space from the Inter- national Space Station. Astronauts will memorialize the launching by taking photographs, which will then be sent to the newlyweds. e service costs $270. [UPI, 7/26/2018] ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, even if you believe you have a handle on all that is going on around you, some surprises are bound to pop up. Enjoy any unexpected turn of events. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, embrace your inner storyteller in the days ahead. Family and friends will want to catch up, and sharing memorable moments can be fun. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, words flow effortlessly from your lips this week, and others are captivated by your tales. You can use this power and creative streak to your advantage. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, you may have been a little preoccu- pied of late. Focus on what has been on your mind and how it is affecting your relation- ships, making changes where necessary. LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 Relationships with friends and associates have significant influence on your life this week, Leo. ey can create new business opportuni- ties and expand your social circle. VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 ere is fun to be had in the days ahead, Virgo. Embrace any opportunity to have some fun, rewarding yourself for all your recent hard work. LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, a budding relationship is ready to be taken to the next level. Devote the time neces- sary to make that happen, as doing so can further build on an already strong foundation. SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, reaching an acceptable conclusion is easier if you run ideas by others as you work out some details in your head. Discussing any doubts you have can be helpful. SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, make a concerted effort to keep lines of communication open in the days ahead. is can benefit you and your loved ones in some surprising ways. CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, you feel like you are in the driver's seat as it pertains to your love life and relation- ship this week. But a partnership requires sharing responsibilities. AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, nearly everything you do this week will be connected to your career. Stra- tegic moves come easily to you, and certain pieces may fall into place just when you need them to. PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, there is a time to share your dreams, and this week may be the perfect time to do just that. Open up to your closest loved ones. Question: With "e Big Bang eory" possibly entering its final year, Raj needs a girlfriend more than ever! Who would you pick for him from the fol- lowing list: Melanie Lynskey. Sara Rue. Danica McKellar. Judy Greer. Eden Sher. Miranda Cosgrove. Bridgit Mendler. – Kent Matt Roush: It's a fun pastime to play matchmaker to one of TV's most love- lorn characters. Many of these would be fun to see – I'd especially love to see Eden Sher tackle a new character, although I'm holding out hope for that rumored Sue Heck spinoff of "e Middle." But to be honest, should the writers look to give Raj a true romance if this next season does turn out to be the last, I'd like to see them bring back the hilarious Kate Micucci (such a hoot on shows like "Raising Hope") as the painfully shy Lucy. eir episodes in the sixth and seven seasons were among my favorite moments for Raj, and I was tickled to see her reappear last season in the episode that reunited many of his exes. A follow-up to a question about the series version of "A Discovery of Witch- es:" Streaming services Sundance Now and Shudder announced that both outlets have acquired the series for a simultaneous launch (date to be an- nounced), with SundanceTV acquiring rights for a second window to air the show on a linear platform later. To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to tvinsider.com. by Damian Holbrook Cheers to Luann de Lesseps for putting recovery before "The Real Housewives of New York City." Instead of shooting the season's reunion special, the ex-Countess checked back into rehab to address her drinking problem, which we're sure Ramona will somehow make all about herself. Jeers to "Stranger Things" for turn- ing us upside down with its new trailer. Based on the recently released promo, Season 3 may involve some supernatural scares at a so-'80s-look- ing mall in Hawkins, Indiana. Even stranger? The vid ends with a tease that implies we won't see Eleven (Millie Bobby) and her boys until summer 2019!