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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NOVEMBER 16-22, 2016 UCW 27 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM WEEKLY HOROSCOPE ADVICE GODDESS Mothership Of Fools This will sound crazy, but…should I tell my girlfriend, the love of my life, that I was abducted by aliens? It happened a long time ago, and I have no proof — just my own recollection. Yes, it could've been a dream, but even so, it changed how I see things and opened me up to new possibilities. My girlfriend is a schoolteacher and probably wouldn't believe me. Whether she'd still stay with me, I don't know. I want to be completely honest with her. Is that crazy? — UFO-napped Like you, science historian and Skeptic magazine founder Michael Shermer felt like he had a little meet-'n'-greet with some outer space dudes. However, he realized that his supposed abduction was just the effects of "sleep deprivation and physical exhaustion" because he had just cycled 83 straight hours in a bike-athlon. Shermer notes that UFOs and alien abductions are "1. unaccepted by most people in astronomy, exobiology" and SETI (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence), "2. extremely unlikely (although not logically impossible), and 3. … largely based on anecdotal and uncorroborated evidence." However, Shermer explains, "the human capacity for self-delusion is boundless, and the effects of belief are overpowering" — leading many people to swear that they actually did go on a ride with the little green men. But such "memories" are probably due to what memory researcher Elizabeth Loftus and her colleagues call "imagination inflation." This describes how repeatedly imagining an experience can, over time, lead us to forget that the particular event — "heyyy, how 'bout them aliens!" — came out of our imagination or a dream. We can start to believe it really happened. This makes sense, considering cognitive psychologist Robert Bjork's finding that "using one's memory shapes memory" — meaning that the more we recall something the bigger and stronger it grows in our memory. Also consider "cognitive dissonance" — the discomfort from simultaneously holding two opposing beliefs, like thinking that your worldview was transformed by UFOs while also thinking that it's stupid to believe in UFOs. We tend to smooth out the clash by going with whichever belief works best for our ego. As for what to tell your girlfriend, if you mention the alien thing at all, explain it in light of the science on how our memory likes to dabble in fiction writing. Copyright Amy Alkon NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD Kids as young as 6 who live on a cliff top in China's Atule'er village in Sichuan province will no longer have to use flexible vine-based ladders to climb down and up the 2,600-foot descent from their homes to school. Beijing News disclosed in October, in a report carried by CNN, that a sturdy steel ladder was being built to aid the 400 villagers after breathtaking photographs of them making the treacherous commute surfaced on the internet earlier this year [http://cnn.it/2f2PCon] [CNN, 10- 26-2016]. Round Up The Usual Suspects ("Youth Pastors") Sentenced to six years in prison for sex with teenage girls (September): former Youth Pastor David Hayman, 38 (Hackensack, New Jersey). Sentenced to six months in jail for sending inappropriate texts to teenage boys (August): former Youth Pastor Brian Burchfield (Shawnee, Oklahoma). Charged and awaiting trial for impregnating a 15-year- old girl (October): Youth Pastor Wesley Blackburn, 35 (New Paris, Pennsylvania). Sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl (September): former Youth Pastor Brian Mitchell, 31 (North Olmsted, Ohio). Charged and awaiting trial for luring teenagers into prostitution (October): Youth Pastor Ron Cooper, 52 (Miami). Sentenced to 90 days in jail as part of a sex assault case involving a 13-year-old girl (September): former Youth Pastor Christopher Hutchinson, 37 (Parker, Colorado). [The Record (Hackensack), 9-23-2016] [KFOR-TV (Oklahoma City), 8-24-2016] [Associated Press via Washington Post, 10-15-2016] [Cleveland.com, 9-8-2016] [WFOR- TV (Miami), 10-19-2016] [KMGH-TV (Denver), 9-30-2016] An "Ant" Version of Hell Researchers in Poland reported in August the "survival" of a colony of ants that wandered unsuspectingly into an old nuclear weapon bunker and became trapped. When researchers first noticed in 2013, they assumed the ants would soon die, either freezing or starving to death, but, returning in 2015 and 2016, they found the population stable. Their only guess: New ants were falling into the bunker, "replacing" the dead ones. Thus, ants condemned to the bunker slowly starve, freezing, in total darkness, until newly condemned ants arrive and freeze and starve in total darkness — and on and on. [Science Daily (8-30-2016) via WeirdUniverse. net (9-16-2016)] COPYRIGHT CHUCK SHEPPARD ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, you may be caught off guard by certain events, but it's best not to overreact. The excitement will die down soon enough, and soon you will find yourself on top of your game. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, a hectic pace this week could sweep you along with the current if you're not careful. Stand on solid ground as much as possible. Do your own thing if need be. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Deep bonds and relationships from the past may come into play this week, Gemini. You may have to separate your past from a particular situation to arrive at the most honest conclusion. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, you are aware of what you need to do to get things accomplished. Prioritize the most pressing matters and then tackle the things that can wait a little longer. LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 You may find yourself floundering for a little while, Leo. Once you find stronger footing, you can regain your leadership role and get things moving in the right direction. VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, in spite of your passion for certain tasks, everything will not always go smoothly. Devote your full attention to the various tasks that pop up along the way. LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, speak up now rather than letting a problem go unaddressed, even if speaking up figures to be uncomfortable. Letting things go is not an option in this situation. SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 Share your thoughts this week, Scorpio. Others are waiting for you to chime in and that's a sign of just how respected your opinion is. Offer a thoughtful response. SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, a new relationship may be move along more slowly than you are accustomed to. If you're rekindling a romance, allow things to redevelop organically. CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, you're always willing to stand up for a just cause. Just be careful how much effort you devote to something, as this week your energy levels may be fleeting. AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 Expect some important negotiations to reach an impasse this week, Aquarius. It may be up to you to push ahead and resolve things once and for all. PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, get to work on a strategy that will help you realize your ambitions. If necessary, pull back a little to gain a broader perspective. Amy Alkon Chuck Sheppard