Up & Coming Weekly

January 17, 2017

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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JANUARY 18-24, 2017 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM WEEKLY HOROSCOPE ADVICE GODDESS Meme Streets My girlfriend of six years is breaking up with me. My question is: How do I let our friends and my family know? I'm thinking a mass email telling my side of the story. Then I wouldn't have to have the same conversation over and over with different people. — Glum The ability we have online to dispense a little information to a whole lot of people, immediately, effortlessly, is about the coolest thing ever — and the Frankenstein monster of our time. As I write in Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck, because all the groovy new digital tools are so fun and easy to use, we often "fall back on what's technically possible" as our behavioral standard. Our chimp-like impulse to just click already derails picky-wicky concerns we might otherwise have, such as "Hmm, wonder whether sending that might get me, oh, you know, fired, ostracized and sleeping in a refrigerator box on the corner." Consider that anything you email can be rapidly shared — and shared and shared and shared. For example, novelist and professor Robert Olen Butler emailed five of his grad students the sad (and rather creepy) details of the demise of his marriage, asking them to "clarify the issues" for other students who wanted to know. The email quickly made the rounds in the literary world and ended up in The New York Times and on Gawker, where they "clarified" that his wife had left him to become one of four women in "Ted Turner's collection." But even a less tawdry, less tycoon-filled breakup email may go more viral than one might like. Anthropologist Jerome Barkow, who studies gossip, explains that we evolved to be keenly interested in information that could have some bearing on our ability to survive, mate and navigate socially. As Barkow puts it (and as is borne out by others' research), gossip about how soundly somebody's sleeping is unlikely to be as spreadworthy as whom they're sleeping with. However, our propensity to spread gossip may be both the problem with emailing your news and the solution to getting it out there. Consider going old-school: Ask a few, um, chatty friends to put the word out to your circle, answer any questions people have, and let your wishes be known (like if you aren't ready to talk about it). All in all, you'll get the job done, but in a much more controlled, contained way — one that reflects this bit of prudence from political writer Olivia Nuzzi: "Dance like no one is watching; email like it may one day be read aloud in a deposition." Copyright Amy Alkon NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD Russian producers are planning the so-far-ultimate survivors' show — in the Siberian wilderness for nine months (temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit), with 30 contestants selected after signing liability waivers that protect the show even if someone is raped or murdered. (Police may come arrest the perpetrators, but the producers are not responsible for intervening.) The show (Game2: Winter) will be telecast live, around the clock, beginning July 2017 via 2,000 cameras placed in a large area full of bears and treacherous forest. Producers told Siberian Times in December that 60 prospects had already signed up for the last-person- standing prize: the equivalent of $1.6 million (only requirements: be 18 and "sane"). [Siberian Times (Novosibirsk), 12- 15-2016] Roundup From the World's Press With car-camel collisions increasing in Iran's two southern provinces, an Iranian government ministry is in the process of issuing identification cards to each camel, supposedly leading to outerwear license "plates" on each of the animals. Authorities told the Islamic Republic News Agency the registration numbers are needed if an accident victim needs to report the camel or to help trace smugglers. (No actual U.S.-style license plates on camels have yet made the world's news photographs.) [Daily Mail (London), 12-7-2016] Martin Shkreli became the Wall Street bad boy in 2015 when his company Turing Pharmaceuticals bought the right to market the lifesaving drug Daraprim and promptly raised its typical price of $18 a pill to $750, but in November, high schoolers in the chemistry lab at Sydney Grammar in Australia created a molecular knockoff of Daraprim for about $2 a tablet. Their sample of "pyrimethamine" (Daraprim's chemical name) was judged authentic by a University of Sydney chemistry professor. Daraprim, among other uses, fights deadly attacks on immune systems, such as for HIV patients. [Washington Post, 12-1-2017] Gazing Upon Nature as Nature Calls: To serve restroom users in a public park in China's Hunan Province's picturesque Shiyan Lake area, architects gave users in toilet cubicles a view of the forest through ceiling-to-floor windows. To discourage sightseers who believe the better view is not from the cubicles but into them, the bottom portion, up to the level of the toilet, is frosted — though that stratagem probably blurs only a pair of legs, seated. (CNN reported in October that China has at least one other such restroom, in Guilin province, viewing distant mountains.) [CNN, 10-4-2016] Copyright Chuck Sheppard ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Wishful thinking won't get you ahead, Aries. But hard work will. Don't shy away from an opportunity that comes your way, even if it seems less promising at first glance. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, you find yourself in a leadership role this week and are asked to make a lot of decisions. Wield your power carefully as others are watching you intently. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, a few variables are thrown into the mix once you think you have everything figured out. You will show your ability to problem-solve if you can handle the task. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, patience is required when a difficult situation presents itself. Resist the temptation to act before you get a full grasp of the situation and what you should do. LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 Someone close to you puts their faith in your ability to get a job done, Leo. This week devote all of your effort to completing this work, and it will only enhance your résumé. VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, it may be in your best interest to remain out of the spotlight at the next social gathering. Afford others the chance to be the center of attention. LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 It is easy to make promises and then not follow through with your intentions, Libra. But that is not the way you operate. If you say you will do something, you will. SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 Opportunities to travel present themselves in the near future, Scorpio. Pack your bags and be ready to depart at a moment's notice. You can certainly use some time away. SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, assess a situation before sharing your opinions with others. The surface details don't tell the whole story, so wait until you can get a full handle on things. CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 Many positive things are on the horizon, Capricorn. You just have to get through a few rough patches before it is smooth sailing. Pisces is a pivotal player. AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, resist the temptation to take the easy way out and challenge yourself this week. Who knows what strength you can find within yourself if you try new things? PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, put your suspicions to rest as no one is trying to hide anything. This person has shown all of his or her cards. Offer help if they need it. Amy Alkon Chuck Sheppard

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