Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/422861
NOV. 26 - DEC. 2, 2014 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM WEEKLY HOROSCOPES NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD In October, another premier world sports event reached its climax, with one team left standing, rewarded for months of grueling practices, to the cheers of adoring, frenzied fans. The "world series" of professional team computer games was settled on a stage in a packed, 40,000-seat stadium in Seoul before three gigantic TV screens and an Internet audience of millions. The powerhouse Samsung White team out-moused and -keyboarded the Chinese champions at "League of Legends" (which 27 million gamers worldwide play every day), using its fantasy characters to destroy opponents' bases. The winning team took home $1 million of corporate money, but future earnings should escalate when idolized world-class players unionize and swing merchandising endorsement deals. [New York Times, 10-19-2014; Playboy, November 2014] Can't Possibly Be True Carnell Alexander at one point owed about $60,000 in child support for a kid he did not father (according to a DNA test) and knew nothing about, but despite "successfully" challenging the claim 20 years ago, he still owes about $30,000. The mother who accused him long ago admitted lying (in that naming a "father" was necessary to get welfare benefits), and while a judge thus wiped out Alexander's debt to her, the state of Michigan nonetheless still demands that Alexander repay benefits it had paid to the mother. [WXYZ-TV (Detroit), 10-27-2014] America's largest pornography website, PornHub.com, decided recently to erect a public billboard prominently encouraging the use of its service, first selecting as its location the New York City neighborhood formerly the smut epicenter of the city, Times Square. However, that area is now respectably tourist-friendly, and the billboard had to be relocated — to Los Angeles' West Hollywood, near the headquarters of PornHub's parent, MindGeek. The sign features a person's two thumbs and fingers forming a rough version of a heart, beside the message (inspired by a Beatles song), "All You Need Is Hand." [LA Weekly, 10-31-2014] ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 It's time for you take action, Aries. Your energy level is perfect for getting things done at home and at work. The faster you go, the more you can accomplish. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 You could be prone to panic this week, Taurus. Settle down as best as you can and take a few deep breaths. Lean on friends if you need a little extra support. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 It's been difficult keeping in touch with a friend who lives far away. Make an effort to reconnect and plan some time to get together and enjoy each other's company. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, the value of your portfolio may increase considerably this week. Keep your eyes on your accounts and the market. Fortune awaits. LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, communication needs to be open between you and someone you love to avoid conflict. Set aside some time when the two of you can talk this week. VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 Many things are looking up for you, Virgo. This week could be the catalyst for positive change. Keep an open mind as you forge ahead in all you do. LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 You may get some excellent career news this week, Libra. It is just the type of information that you have been seeking and could provide the boost you need to make some changes. SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 Relationships with family and friends are thriving this week, Scorpio. You may have found your niche and all things fall into play. Enjoy this renewed sense of camaraderie. SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, obstacles are cleared this week and you have an entirely new perspective on your love life. Put that information to use with a romantic date or by engaging in a couples' activity. CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, money matters should be going well for you, so much so that you can make one of those big-ticket purchases without much hesitation. Enjoy the results. AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 Relationships of all kinds are strengthened this week, Aquarius. Whether you hang out with friends or go on a date night, you will enjoy the experience immensely. PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Your imagination is soaring this week, Pisces. Keep your feet a little closer to the ground so you do not get carried away. Amy Alkon Chuck Sheppard ADVICE GODDESS Lord of the Lies In social situations, my boyfriend will often pretend to have read books I know he hasn't. He doesn't just fake it with some casual "Yeah, I read that." He will try to say something deep and philosophical but can end up not making much sense. He's too smart to need to do this. Is there something I can say to persuade him to stop? — Embarrassed Obviously, if you're at the English depart - ment's afternoon tea and you don't know your Homer from your Homer Simpson, there's a problem. But, the truth is, not ev- ery intelligent person is well-read. People show their intelligence in how they solve the problems life throws them. And actu- ally, as psychologist Carol Dweck observes in Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid, the people most likely to squander the intel- ligence they have are those who measure their self-worth through their intel- lectual performance — "(caring) so much about looking smart that they act dumb." Dweck finds in her research that this thinking comes out of a "fixed mindset" — the self-improvement-stunting belief that intelligence and ability are set and not changeable, rather than what seems to be the case: that you can work to improve yourself (the "growth mindset"). With the growth mindset, you're motivated to learn and grow, and failure is just a sign that you need to keep trying. For fixed-mindset people, success is about proving they're already smart and talented, and the need to work to accomplish things is a sign of being dumb. Fixed-mindsetters actually have a dislike for hard work, which Dweck says makes sense, because if you think ef - fort is for idiots, what else is there to do but avoid it? Sure, your boyfriend could simply be lazy — wanting to look smart but think- ing he'd take a shortcut getting there. But chances are, there's more to it than that. Build him up — tell him you respect his mind, and then tell him you can't bear to see him faking it. Explain Dweck's think- ing, and lay out her advice (from her most recent book, Mindset) for escaping the fixed mindset: First, listen for the fixed- mindset voice, and talk back to it with the growth mindset voice: "Hey, Self … you succeed by working to learn, not pretend- ing you've got the Library of Alexandria in your baseball hat!" Next, take growth- mindset action: Risk admitting that you haven't read something, and note how people shrug or maybe respect your hon- esty; they don't get up on furniture and pelt you with old fruit. Finally, get reading — perhaps with a 15- to 20-page nightly quota — and enjoy the reward: having something meaningful to say instead of having to get by on a guess that The Catch- er in the Rye is the coming-of-age story of a food inspector at a bread factory.