YES! Weekly - January 27, 2021

TRIAD BUSINESSES THRIVE THROUGH THE UNEXPECTED

WS THEATRE ALLIANCE

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JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021 VOLUME 17, NUMBER 4

10 5500 Adams Farm Lane Suite 204 Greensboro, NC 27407 Office 336-316-1231

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Fax 336-316-1930 Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com EDITORIAL Editor CHANEL DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com YES! Writers IAN MCDOWELL MARK BURGER KATEI CRANFORD

While many businesses have had to shutter their doors, cut staff, or shut down operations within the past year, there are a few BUSINESSES THAT FOUND GROWTH and others that decided to take the plunge in the middle of the whirlwind that we call 2020. At least two new businesses in the Triad area will focus on food and entertainment - when venues are again open to full capacity - while another company, which has been a long-time fixture in west High Point, is looking to spread its wings and offer services to others in another city.

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DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT KYLE MUNRO SHANE MERRIMAN ANDREW WOMACK We at YES! Weekly realize that the interest of our readers goes well beyond the boundaries of the Piedmont Triad. Therefore we are dedicated to informing and entertaining with thought-provoking, debate-spurring, in-depth investigative news stories and features of local, national and international scope, and opinion grounded in reason, as well as providing the most comprehensive entertainment and arts coverage in the Triad. YES! Weekly welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however YES! Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. YES! Weekly is published every Wednesday by Womack Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free, all additional copies are $1.00. Copyright 2021 Womack Newspapers, Inc.

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A common phrase in theater worldwide is “the show must go on,” and it has been doing just that the past few years for WINSTON-SALEM’S THEATRE ALLIANCE. But this time, the curtain will close on a permanent home for the non-profit vacating its location of 12 years at 1047 Northwest Boulevard as it moves to its new downtown location at 650 W. Sixth Street, formerly home to the Bluebird Cab Company.

5 I have lived through the last 17 PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATIONS, including one I attended in person and another that I was assigned to cover. In each case, I was struck by the majesty and awe of the occasion, and that includes our most recent inauguration, despite its scaled-down nature.

7 In the 80 years since it was made, Citizen Kane (1941) remains one of the most debated, discussed, and celebrated films of all time. Is there any more to be learned about the making of the classic that revolutionized moviemaking and

scandalized Hollywood? Filmmaker David Fincher evidently thinks so. Working from a screenplay by his father, Jack Fincher, MANK is a highly stylized dramatization of the events surrounding the inception of that seminal film...

12 “If you want to know what a hero is, you look at what FRED COX did,” Crump said. The family plans to hold another march on February 18.

13 An email by Greensboro City Attorney Chuck Watts continues his history of making controversial statements about the ongoing Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit over MARCUS DEON SMITH. In a Dec. 8 email to Democracy Now activist Hester Petty, a longtime speaker at city council meetings who has fact-checked statements by former police chief Wayne Scott, Watts wrote that the judge is likely to dismiss the case.

14 THE DUNE SEA is drifting through genres, defining themselves as artists and producers, pushing ahead in the wake of their fifth full-length release, “Living Daydreams,” out now via streaming platforms.

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A Show Stopper: WS Theatre Alliance finds permanent home

A

common phrase in theater worldwide is “the show must go on,” and it has been doing just that the past few years for WinstonSalem’s Theatre Chanel Davis Alliance.

But this time, the curtain will close on Editor a permanent home for the non-profit vacating its location of 12 years at 1047 Northwest Boulevard as it moves to its new downtown location at 650 W. Sixth Street, formerly home to the Bluebird Cab Company.

“We were going very strong with our campaign in March before everything slowed down,” said Artistic Director Jamie Lawson. “We’ve been able to kind of ride it out more or less, as far as our operating expenses when we can’t perform. Hopefully, we’re on the downside of that.”

No longer having to share a location with Hops Burger Bar and a dental office, as it did at its Legacy Venue, the newly renovated site is expected to include a 160-seat theater, a larger lobby and box officer for customers, a backstage area, and prop and costume shops. There will be a dedicated space for set construction and an all-in-one comprehensive space, as well.

“We’re very close, and it’s really exciting. I have a friend who’s involved with the construction, and he’s sending me pictures of the work they’re doing during the day,” Lawson, who has been director since 2001, said. “The transformation is just incredible.”

Since it began its “Homecoming” Capital Campaign in the fall of 2019, the goal has grown to $1.5 million needed to realize the dream of a new theatre. Despite the world’s current state of affairs, they’ve been able to come up with the bulk of the campaign monies, including the most recent gift of $25,000 from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

While they’ve already purchased the sixth street building, they still need $750,000 to finish the renovations and complete the transformation by the deadline of May 2021. The Legacy Venue, a long-term rental the theatre acquired in 2008, had already been renovated from an 88-seat house to a 120-seat house.

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“Even while we stopped performing, our renovation kept going. I’m going to miss the old space in a way because we have a lot of good memories there and great neighbors in the West End. I’m also excited to move to this side of town because it’s officially part of the Downtown Arts District. It’s kind of a dream come true for us,” Lawson said of the transition. “We have our own parking lot, it’s a fenced-in area, so that helps with security and we have all our operations under one roof.

For years we bounced from seam shop to seam shop. We had to stop in that area and that area so we could perform.

Finally, it’s great to have a place to call home and have everything right there together.”

While costs have been high to make sure this dream happens, spirits to make sure it’s realized have been even higher.

Founded in 1983 by then-director Fred Gorelick, the Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance’s Mission is to “inspire, transform, and unite the Triad through unique, diverse, and unconventional theatrical experience.” The vision is to “combine a small stage with a big heart to provide outstanding live theatre for all people,” something they’ve had no problem doing these last few months, according to Lawson.

Members of the all-volunteer theater have performed outside at the Sixth Street location during the summer before moving to the Northwest Boulevard location and performing until December to

Construction has begun at the new downtown location at 650 W. Sixth St. ensure they were complying with social distancing guidelines.

“It’s been a challenge. We have to bring the set in after every performance because anything we leave out was suspect to disappear – and that happened a few times. Not to mention it (the set) would be submitted to the weather itself. It was a challenge dealing with the elements.

We had to cancel sometimes due to rain,” Lawson said. “Our audiences have been real troopers to, enduring the elements like the heat and cold. It’s been a learning experience, but it definitely makes us appreciative of what we have had and will have again soon.”

While there are a few virtual productions in the works, these dedicated thes-

pians are slated to resume the outdoor performances in March.

“Once things level off and we feel like we can safely bring people back into the venue, even if it’s at a limited capacity, then we’ll do that, but we have to be ready,” Lawson said.

Because, of course, the show must go on!

For more information on the theatre alliance, performances, or how to donate to the campaign, visit www.theatrealliance.ws. !

CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.

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Celebrating transfers of power

have lived through the last 17 Presidential Inaugurations, including one I attended in person and another that I was assigned to cover. In each case, I was struck by the Jim Longworth majesty and awe of the occasion, and that includes our Longworth most recent inauat Large guration, despite its scaled-down nature.

My family’s history with Presidential inaugurals dates back to January 1953, when my parents were invited to attend General Dwight Eisenhower’s first swearing-in. Mom and Dad were life-long Republicans, and Dad had even been one of Ike’s campaign directors in North Carolina. I still have the engraved invitations that my Dad received to attend the ceremony and formal Ball that year.

Publicly, Eisenhower made history by taking the oath on two different Bibles, one that had been used by George Washington, and the other that Ike had kept from his days at West Point. Behind the scenes, there was tension between the Eisenhowers and the Trumans. Ike agreed to ride with Harry to the Capitol but refused to

come in for refreshments beforehand.

Still, President Truman observed tradition and attended his successor’s big event.

Back then, outgoing Presidents didn’t dare break protocol. Not so today.

Sixteen years later, on Monday, January 20, 1969, I accompanied my parents to Richard Nixon’s first Inauguration. It was 35 degrees outside, and the rain wasn’t the only thing freezing that day. After about a half-hour, I could no longer feel my feet. Those were the days before TV weather forecasters talked about wind chill, but it felt more like 10 degrees than 35. On that day, Nixon gave the nation hope that he would end the Vietnam War, and he made good on that promise. In doing so, he probably saved me from coming home in a body bag. During his six years in office, Nixon would do many other good things and one very bad one. I first met Richard Nixon when I was just a child, at which time I told him that I had been his campaign manager for a mock election held at my grade school in 1960. I scored a win for Nixon at Brunson Elementary, but JFK won the national election. Upon hearing of my service to his campaign, Mr. Nixon touched his finger to my face and told me that one day I would become President. It was the first time that a President ever lied to me, and, as it turns out, it wasn’t the last.

Perhaps the busiest news day in inaugu-

ral history was on Tuesday, January 20, 1981. As Ronald Reagan prepared to take his oath of office, 52 American hostages, who had been kidnapped a year earlier, had just been released by Ayatollah Khomeini and were on a flight bound for Washington D.C. On that day, CBS was short-staffed, so the network hired me to stake out the State Department and cover any announcements that might be forthcoming. I had covered candidate Reagan during the campaign, but this was different. It was inauguration day, and history was unfolding on two fronts simultaneously. As it turns out, the hostages landed safely, and my journalistic services were barely needed. However, I did get to see a lot of celebrities who paraded in and out of the State Department to attend a pre-inaugural party. Among them were Jimmy Stewart and Ginger Rogers, the latter of whom I had met when I was 12 years old. On that occasion, I had told Ms. Rogers that she had great legs. On the day of Reagan’s inauguration, I reminded her who I was, and believe it or not, she remembered the incident and laughed loudly during our brief reunion. That evening, I watched fireworks from my

hotel room and reflected upon what had transpired on that historic day.

I suppose I’ve watched every inaugural ceremony since then, but only from a distance. Still, I felt a personal connection to the recent Biden/Harris festivities, almost as if I had worked on their campaign or was a friend of the family. The reason is that, like millions of Americans who witnessed the Capitol insurrection, which occurred just two weeks earlier, I was heavily invested in wanting those thugs and the rest of the world to see that our institutions and traditions were still in place.

That’s why, on that day, Lady Gaga’s rendition of our National Anthem held a special meaning for me. On that day, Joe Biden’s speech gave me hope that we could defeat two pandemics at a time one medical, one social. And on that day, I was reassured that America would have many more inaugurations in her future.

To paraphrase our new President, we endured, and we prevailed. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15).

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Actress Carter Start of a riddle Singer Fitzgerald Grove sight Certain boxing stat Mil. bigwig Pale-looking Riddle, part 2 Kilmer of film Alley- — Lion’s foot Fellow’s wig Actor Estevez Sega’s hedgehog Look up to Riddle, part 3 Lyric-writing Gershwin Globes “Ixnay” “Take this” Brainstorms Parsley bit Riddle, part 4 Kay Thompson title girl Native Kiwi Fluctuated greatly Riddle, part 5 Odor French port in Brittany Outing ruiner Afflicted Poses Inflated self

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McEntire of song Hair removal brand Riddle’s answer Deli sandwiches, for short Grow pale Oct. follower O’Hare approx.

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Fincher’s Mank raises Kane

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n the 80 years since it was made, Citizen Kane (1941) remains one of the most debated, discussed, and celebrated films of all time.

Is there any more to Mark Burger be learned about the making of the classic Contributor that revolutionized moviemaking and scandalized Hollywood?

Filmmaker David Fincher evidently thinks so. Working from a screenplay by his father, Jack Fincher, Mank is a highly stylized dramatization of the events surrounding the inception of that seminal film from the point of view of Herman Mankiewicz, who worked on the screenplay with director/star Orson Welles. In fact, the only Oscar won by Citizen Kane was for Best Original Screenplay.

Commonly known as “Mank,” Mankiewicz is played by the immensely talented Gary Oldman. It’s a showy turn in a showy role, with Oldman at full tilt embodying the boisterous, boozy, and intermittently brilliant Mankiewicz.

By now, it’s common knowledge that Charles Foster Kane was based on media mogul William Randolph Hearst (played here by Charles Dance) and that Hearst did everything in his considerable power to suppress the film. It’s also common knowledge that Mankiewicz was acquainted with Hearst and his starlet mistress Marion Davies (played by Amanda Seyfried), having spent time at Hearst’s Xanadu-like retreat in San Simeon, where Hearst didn’t so much host parties as preside over them.

Abetted by cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, making his feature debut after collaborating on the Netflix series Mindhunter, Fincher has done everything to make Mank look, sound, and feel like a film of its time, right down to black-andwhite cinematography and a florid (but not overbearing) score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. That the film is so technically impressive is hardly surprising to anyone who’s seen Fincher’s previous work. Mank is many things – some good, some otherwise – but its presentation is very becoming.

The first half of the film, while not without fault, is its best. The satirical jabs WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

at Hollywood are both funny and knowing. Fincher is not a filmmaker renowned for his comedic touch, but there are some genuinely sharp nuggets here. It’s also an opportunity to present a “Who’s Who” of vintage show-biz, with such real-life notables as David O. Selznick, Ben Hecht, Josef Von Sternberg, Louis B. Mayer, and Mank’s younger brother Joseph L. Mankiewicz paraded through, if only briefly or in passing.

Appropriately, both Hearst and Davies are introduced with a flourish but then don’t reappear for long periods. Others, including Mankiewicz’s wife Sara (Tuppence Middleton) and his nurse/stenographer Rita Alexander (Lily Collins), who initially appear to figure prominently, simply fade into the background, sometimes awkwardly.

As for Orson Welles (Tom Hodge), his is a shadowy presence that hovers above the proceedings, yet he has so little time onscreen that he barely registers. Admittedly, the name of the movie is Mank and Mankiewicz is undoubtedly the pivotal character, but Welles gets short shrift here. After all, he’s the one who hired Mankiewicz to write the Kane screenplay.

This was Welles’s big Hollywood break, but here he’s relegated to the periphery of the story. It doesn’t ring fair, and it doesn’t ring true.

Mankiewicz clearly shows disdain for Hearst’s politics, to say nothing of his political influence, but never seems quite outraged enough that it would fuel his script for Kane. However, it does permit Fincher to toss in some digs at contemporary politics, which may be relevant but seem somewhat extraneous in this context.

For a film that both appropriates and embraces ‘40s-era melodrama, Mank eventually becomes bogged down in talk, losing momentum and gaining pretentiousness as it lurches precipitously toward its conclusion. Still, for its faults, Mank is certainly worth a look for nostalgia buffs and Citizen Kane completists. That the overall film could be classified as an interesting failure does not detract from the all-important “interesting” facet of that description. It’s nothing if not interesting.

– Mank is currently streaming on Netflix !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2021, Mark Burger.

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leisure [NEWS OF THE WEIRD] TOO HOT TO HANDLE

The Sun reported on Jan. 18 that a woman in the United Kingdom suffered an “inferno” in her living room after a candle exploded as she was lighting it. Jody Chuck Shepherd Thompson, 50, won the candle, labeled “This Candle Smells Like My Vagina,” in an online quiz from Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website. “The candle exploded and emitted huge flames,” Thompson said, “with bits flying everywhere. The whole thing was ablaze and it was too hot to touch.”

Thompson and her partner “eventually got it under control and threw it out the front door.”

IRONY

Esequiel Robles, 40, was caught after a traffic stop in Williston, North Dakota, with methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia on Jan. 14. The Smoking Gun reported that Robles was on probation for narcotics possession at the time, following a 2019 conviction for meth possession. Notably, however, when Robles was arrested, he was wearing a T-shirt with the message, “Don’t Do Drugs.” Do as I say, not as I do.

UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT

Nicholas Debetes, 18, was finally placed in handcuffs in Titusville, Florida, on Jan. 14, after Brevard County officers chased him as he drove “at an extremely high rate of speed” to his mother’s trailer. Debetes, Click Orlando reported, had a unique excuse: “If I would have tried to stop quicker I would have crashed the vehicle,” he told police. He went on to say that his mother wanted him home for an unknown reason.

Debetes had an outstanding warrant and was driving a stolen Hyundai Elantra.

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS

-On Jan. 7, police received a call from a 7-Eleven store in Lehi, Utah, where earlier in the day a man wearing a “sheriff’s deputy” jacket stole a doughnut, then left in a white pickup truck. KUTV reported that Lehi police examined surveillance video and tracked the truck to a nearby motel parking lot, where they knocked on the door of 47-year-old Daniel Mark Wright, who was staying there. As officers spoke with Wright, they saw a Salt Lake County Sheriff’s jacket hanging in the room’s closet. They arrested Wright for impersonation of an officer and theft, along with receiving or transfer of a stolen vehicle in relation to the truck. Wright, his

companion, Christian Olson, and another accomplice are also under investigation for racketeering.

— Leobardo Hernandez, 32, of Pomona, California, went to extraordinary lengths on Jan. 16 to evade police after allegedly stealing a car. As Hernandez ran from officers, he entered an apartment complex and found an unlocked door, the Daily Bulletin reported. The apartment residents were not at home, so Hernandez moved right in, shaving his face, changing clothes and even cooking tortillas to make it seem as if he lived there. Unfortunately, he also burned the tortillas, summoning the fire department. Hernandez eventually surrendered and was charged with burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle among other offenses.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Before social distancing and masks became the world’s norm, CBS News reported on Jan. 12, Paul O’Sullivan of Baltimore was noodling around on Facebook one night, searching for other Paul O’Sullivans. Several of those he found accepted his friend request, which was when he noticed that some were musicians, as he was. Baltimore Paul, as he’s known, reached out to others, and eventually he and three others formed the Paul O’Sullivan Band. Manchester Paul plays bass; Pennsylvania Paul is the percussionist; and Baltimore Paul and Rotterdam Paul play guitar and sing. They recorded a single at the beginning of 2020, but when the chaos hit, they thought it was a great opportunity to make a whole album. “It feels great to be able to contact people on the other side of the world when you’re in lockdown because you don’t feel alone at the moment,” commented Rotterdam Paul. “If you learn to play an instrument, it can help you through some dark times,” said Manchester Paul.

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION

Bigfoot hunters in Oklahoma will be happy to know that their pastime could get its own season, KOKH reported. State Rep. Justin Humphrey introduced a bill on Jan. 20 asking the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission to establish a Bigfoot hunting season, “set annual season dates and create any necessary specific hunting licenses and fees.” Southeastern and southcentral Oklahoma is infamous for Bigfoot sightings, including a large festival. If passed, the bill would become effective in November. !

© 2021 Chuck Shepherd. Universal Press Syndicate.

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

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An Upturn in Downtown

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hile many businesses have had to shutter their doors, cut staff, or shut down operations within the past year, there are a few businesses that Chanel Davis found growth and others that decided to take the plunge Editor in the middle of the whirlwind that we call 2020.

At least two new businesses in the Triad area will focus on food and entertainment - when venues are again open to full capacity - while another company, which has been a long-time fixture in west High Point, is looking to spread its wings and offer services to others in another city.

Perhaps an indication that businesses are looking toward the future and not just how to adapt to the changes that the last year has brought with it but business beyond for years to come.

Roar Winston-Salem The 1920s themed food, and entertainment venue is ready to swing into the already diverse Downtown WinstonSalem area.

Making its home in the former 45,000 square foot Twin City Motor Building, Roar, is slated to open May 1. The building, located at 633 N. Liberty Street, is currently undergoing renovations to prepare for its spring opening. The building, built in the late 20s for the purpose of manufacturing, repairing, and selling Ford cars, has been on Mayfair Street Partners’ radar for a while now, according to Joseph Correll, food and beverage director for the new venue.

“We love adaptive-reuse of historic buildings. We’ve had our eye on that building for a couple of years and put in place a plan to get an operating business back inside it,” he said. “We’re very excited about it. It’s a revitalization. It’s a resurgence. We’re finding ways to bring the past back to life.”

According to Correll, the past will be on display throughout the building, with the 20s theme evident from the decor to the woodwork.

“We even have a refurbished model T Ford car that will be part of the host stand on the top floor.”

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The old Twin City Motor Building on N. Liberty St. is designed around a concept called “Roaring Social.” The roaring social will be an entertainment entity with a rooftop bar that encompasses Duck Pin Bowling lanes, a Putt-Putt experience, full swing golf simulators, and a restaurant named RoSo, an elevated prime rib chophouse.

“There’s a nice cherry wood-grain cocktail style prohibition bar that we’re developing a great cocktail program for, in particular,” he said.

The middle floor, which can be accessed

by Liberty Street, is home to Est! Est!!

Est!!! The Italian restaurant will boast a beautiful brick oven as a display piece and have a little herb garden inside the restaurant that will spill out into a 30 by 60 patio beer garden. On the east side of the second floor will be Ford’s Food Hall, offering patrons various cuisine choices in a communal dining atmosphere with dishes from DragonFruit Asian Fare, Joey Correll’s American street food, Arepas To Go Latin American cuisine, Blue Crab Seafood Bar, Global Sandwich, and desserts from Coco Mocha’s.

“We’re partnering up with some local chefs and businesses to create a locally driven, organically introduced food hall concept,” Correll said. “It’s a unique opportunity with a good group of people. We have a good mix, and we feel like we have something very special.”

Those looking to get a taste before the grand opening can sample a food concept thru February 26 at Sir Winston’s Wine Loft at the Indigo Hotel, located at 104 W. Fourth St. While the basement’s use has yet to be determined, Correll said he could guarantee residents one thing.

JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021

Roar released this rendering on its Facebook page.

“Roar will be the perfect location for corporate groups and weddings of any size.”

He also promises that there will be music, of some kind, in the building.

“Each floor is going to have a stage for music. There will be different acts of music varying from dueling pianos to DJs to all different styles of entertainment genres at least three nights or more,” he said. “We’re not locking ourselves into any one category. There truly will be something for everyone. We want people from all walks of life, all cultures and backgrounds to have a place where they truly feel like they can be themselves and enjoy themselves with their families and friends.”

A Winston-Salem native, Correll is excited about returning to the city and playing an instrumental part in the revitalization of downtown, first with Hotel Indigo and now with Roar.

“2020 caught us all by storm, but we feel confident in our community and in the country as a whole that we’re going to storm back in 2021 and pick up right back where we left off. There’s a buzz in the air that you can feel. We’re at the beginning of a very special time for Camel City. It’s going to be amazing to see what can be accomplished with the next ten years.”

While the crazy economic roller coaster of 2020 touched many lives worldwide, the venue went unscathed in the mix partly due to the late opening.

“Of course, it presented some challenges, but we were under construction then, and we really haven’t had to halt our construction timeline at all,” Correll explained. “As for now, we’re sticking to

our plans and not pushing back our opening. You always have to be positive. This life deals some unfair hands and some tough situations. It’s just a test of how you can come together as a community. You can either focus on the negative, or you can focus on the positive, and we choose to focus on the positive.”

This is probably a good thing after the first Ford’s Food Hall tasting at Sir Winston’s Wine Loft at Hotel Indigo garnered roughly 300 hundred people over the three-day Arepas To Go Latin American cuisine tasting event.

“It was just a tremendous turnout.

There’s not a lot of Arepas in the area, and it’s something new and different.”

It is a testament to the “new and different” that the venue will bring to the Triad area once it opens.

“We believe that there’s a lot of energy in Winston-Salem. It’s an amenity that downtown Winston-Salem, and WinstonSalem as a whole, has been begging for, and we think not only will we be supported well by the locals, but we also expect people from Kernersville, Lewisville, and as far as High Point and Greensboro to come over as a family and enjoy it,” he said.

For more information, visit www.roarws. com.

DeBeen Espresso Expansion High Point This local woman-owned and operated coffee shop, located at 709 W. Lexington Ave., is truly unique. With local art gracing the walls, a relaxing atmosphere, free WIFI, and a yoga studio - Pure Light Studio - nestled inside, there’s no question as

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to how this shop withstood the powers of big-box businesses since its conception in 1997. A worldwide pandemic wasn’t going to stop their growth either.

“We decided over a year and a half ago that we were going to explore our expansion into Winston-Salem,” said Owner/ Operator Debbie Maier. “I thought about expanding for quite some time, and the right opportunity became available, and we just couldn’t turn it down.”

Offering everything from a plain cup of joe, gelato, and baked goods to smoothies and frozen treats, the cafe has everything one could imagine when stopping to either start their day or to refuel at their halfway mark.

Maier is hoping for the same success at the second location located on East Fifth Street in Winston-Salem’s bustling downtown. Despite the 17-foot high ceilings, cold brew and kombucha on tap, and other apparent differences in the locations, Maier has incorporated the same wall color, water features, cabinets, local art on the walls, and menu to keep the same feel as the High Point location.

“We’ve incorporated a lot of the same elements so that people recognize us when they come to the second location,” she said. “The coolest thing is that there is a lot of people from High Point who work in the area or a lot of people who work in High Point and live in Winston-Salem. So we’re still seeing 30 to 35 percent of our regulars, and it’s really nice to see a lot of the same faces.”

Despite the circumstances, the rising cost of materials, shipping delays, and expansion challenges, Maier said that opening during this challenging time has “been a blessing” and that support the DeBeen Espresso

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business has received from the WinstonSalem community has been phenomenal.

“This has been an all or nothing deal.

You invest a lot between sweat, equity, and any finances that you have out there.

We just had to put the pedal to the metal and make sure the businesses were up, working to keep High Point buzzing and working on the expansion,” she said.

“Thank God for yoga. It’s helping keep my mind as steady and open as possible during a time that we’re at our lowest.”

For more information, visit www. debeenespresso.com.

One Thirteen Brewhouse + Rooftop Bar Greensboro Offering up bourbon, whiskey, and a cold brew to Greensboro’s downtown area is One Thirteen Brewhouse + Rooftop Bar. The new business, located at 113 N. Greene St., where Greene Street Nightclub used to be, offers patrons live music, craft beer, and their choice of top-tier spirits. Owner/Operator Toby Leasure is no stranger to the area or the craft beer business, also having ownership in Oak Ridge Craft and Vine, said that the more than $1 million worth of renovations to bring a Nashville/Charleston style bar to the area began in November 2019. Renovations lasted for a little over a year, ending in December 2020, and include new floors, restrooms, and custom-built furniture on the rooftops.

“We had a vision that we wanted to bring to the people of downtown Greensboro. We just followed our vision out,” he said. “We felt like there was a need for an upper-class event center. A classy atmosphere that they can go to.”

PHOTO BY NATALIE STARR

One Thirteen Brewhouse + Rooftop Bar

Despite the world’s current state, the venue owner said that they didn’t run into any issues with renovation or ordering supplies. He said that, “we were fortunate with that, thankfully.”

“It gave the construction guys something to do, sort of speak, because they were a little slow, so it was actually good timing for them, as well,” Leasure said.

“We weren’t doing anything structural to the place. It was mainly cosmetic things and just giving the place a beautiful facelift.”

Billed as a bar and event space, the multi-story venue has an option for each patron. The floor will have four bars and 16 craft beers on tap and features a large stage for live performances that opens out to Greene Street. According to Leasure, a garage door behind the stage can open up, allowing passersby and patrons out on a planned patio to enjoy the music.

“In March, the city will start construction to make Greene Street a two-way street, and Zack (Matheny) is actually letting us build a patio out there so people can enjoy their drinks and still hear the music.”

The second floor will feature a Bourbon and Whiskey Bar highlighting local and top-shelf bourbon and whiskey. The final floors are open-air rooftop spaces that give customers a view of downtown as they enjoy the night.

“I plan to have beer and wine up there, as well, but I’ll also have acoustic music

up there on the rooftop in the evenings,” Leasure said.

While he hasn’t looked into it yet, Leasure plans to tap into the regional brewery and distillery market to stock the bar.

“I want to support local as much as I can, especially the distilleries and breweries. I’ll have some local beers on my taps, for sure,” he said.

While he could open the doors to his establishment at limited capacity right now, Leasure said he wants to “ride things out” and see if restrictions ease a bit first.

As of right now, he is expecting to open the first week of March.

“I don’t want to lose the excitement that builds behind a grand opening to having a limited capacity and only serving drinks until 9 p.m. Everybody’s excited for us to open and bring some foot traffic to downtown Greensboro,” he explained.

“I know it’s a rough time to open right now, and that’s kind of why we’re setting things back, but we look forward to opening soon and giving everybody in Greensboro a classy, unique place to go.”

For more information, including changes to opening dates and contact information, visit the venue’s Facebook page. !

CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.

JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021

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#FredsLifeMatters: Family seeks justice in son’s death “He was a protector, and he was protective. He cared about everybody and everybody that he loved he’d die for,” said an emotional Jakayla Crawford, 19, when describing her cousin and former Chanel Davis Southern Guilford High School classmate 18-year-old Editor Frederick Cox. Protecting is exactly what many say Cox was doing when he was killed on the afternoon of November 8, 2020. Protecting others and making sure a young boy and his mother reached safety inside Living Waters Baptist Church, located on 1300 Brentwood Street in High Point, and away from a hailstorm of bullets.

Roughly 150 people showed up to honor young Cox’s short life and memory on January 22 while calling on the Guilford County District Attorney to hold the officer responsible for ending his life accountable. The family and High Point’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter organized the event.

“We’re here in the dead of winter braving, once again, COVID-19, confusion 2020 to bring change in 2021,” said Rev. Greg Drumwright, pastor of The Citadel Church.

“We’re here with a grieving family that deserves our utmost respect and support, not just today but for the long haul, to get justice for Fred.”

Cox was shot by a Davidson County Sheriff’s Deputy, who was in plainclothes and attending Jonas Thompson’s funeral at the family’s request, when shots were fired from several vehicles following the end of the funeral, according to the media release.

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Rev. Greg Drumwright prays as Attorneys Ben Crump and Allen Rogers (center right) comfort Teneka Shannon, Fred Cox Jr.’s mother (center) and family.

Wearing blue shirts and masks that read #FredsLifeMatters, attendees took to the street chanting “Fred’s life matters” and “Fred shouldn’t be dead!”, marching from the old Brentwood Elementary School to the Guilford County Courthouse on Green Street, carrying a banner and signs showing pictures of the slain father, brother, son, and friend to many.

“My son didn’t deserve to lose his life as he saved two other lives. They killed my baby. The police killed my baby,” said Teneka Shannon, Cox’s mother. “He took part of my soul. Detective Hill, we demand you be charged for the murder of my baby.”

(Editor’s Note: The officer involved has not been offiically named.)

Nationally-known and civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Allen Rogers, legal counsel for the family, answered questions on Friday and posed a few of their own.

“Fred Cox was shot in the back while protecting others. He was a hero,” Crump

JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021

said. “And you just can’t kill a hero and act like we don’t have to give respect to him because he was a negro. That’s not going to be acceptable. He held the door and took those bullets to make sure others got to safety.”

High Point Police Department report that two vehicles were fleeing from the scene and were informed by witnesses that multiple shots were fired from “the two vehicles toward unknown persons in the crowd.” Officers also report that someone from the crowd shot back at the two vehicles.

According to the release, the DCS deputy was still on the church property when this occurred and, “at some point during the incident, discharged his firearm which resulted in the death of Frederick Cox” and the need for N.C. State Bureau of Investigation to be called. The DCS deputy has not officially been named, and neither the SBI nor HPPD have formally closed the case.

HPPD treated the incident as three different crime scenes due to the amount of gunfire and size of the property, where they located and estimated 70-shell casing from a 9mm, .40, .45, and a .223, according to the release.

Crump said that the Cox shooting is another in a long list of murdered black people due to excessive force and police not being held accountable, and families not getting answered.

“Now we come to High Point, North Carolina, where Fredrick Cox Jr.’s name joins that roll of our teenage black boys who have been killed and nobody has been held accountable,” Crump said. So we are coming here today to demand justice for Fred!

In a release, High Point Police have stated they “suspect the unknown person was from a rival gang” that began shooting into the crowd. However, Shannon said her son wasn’t into gangs and didn’t have a permit to carry a gun.

“My son wore red. He wore blue. He wore white. He wore purple. He even wore pink because he knew who he was. So that’s an allegation that is a lie,” Shannon said. “They will do anything, and they will say anything to make my child somebody that he’s not. My child is a hero. Gangs are not heroes.”

Rogers said there is no evidence that he was a gang member.

“A nice narrative to kill the story is that there was a gun somewhere, and he must be a bad guy,” Rogers said.

“If you want to know what a hero is, you look at what Fred Cox did,” Crump said.

The family plans to hold another march on February 18. !

CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.

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Greensboro City Attorney claims Marcus Smith’s life worth ‘less than six figures’ An email by Greensboro City Attorney Chuck Watts continues his history of making controversial statements about the ongoing Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit over the death of Marcus Deon Smith, Ian McDowell the 38-year-old Black man fatally hogtied Contributor by eight white GPD officers during the 2018 North Carolina Folk Festival.

In a Dec. 8 email to Democracy Now activist Hester Petty, a longtime speaker at city council meetings who has fact-checked statements by former police chief Wayne Scott, Watts wrote that the judge is likely to dismiss the case. He then alleged that, even if the Smith family should win their lawsuit, Marcus Smith’s lifestyle, illnesses, employment history, and earning potential mean that any settlement is “not likely to be a large number, probably less than six figures.”

Watts wrote this email in response to questions asked by Petty and retired civil rights attorney Lewis Pitts during a city council session, in which both pointed out that the city has spent almost half a million dollars defending the case and will likely have spent four or five times that amount when the case is done. Pitts cited instances of police misconduct in which settlements were between $6 million and $13 million.

As of Dec. 30, 2020, the City of Greensboro had paid $493,000 to Greensborobased firm of Turning Point Litigation / Mullins Duncan Harrell & Russell PLLC (despite his repeated public statements on the matter, Watts is not part of the legal team defending the city). As the Plaintiff attorneys recently told YES! Weekly that they have so far done about one-fourth of their intended depositions, a projected total expenditure of several million seems likely.

Last Friday, YES! Weekly asked attorney Flint Taylor of the People’s Law Office of Chicago, who is part of the Smith legal team (who has successfully co-litigated a settlement from the 1979 Greensboro Massacre and assisted in proving who assassinated Black Panther Party president Fred Hampton), to comment on the following passage from Watts’ email: Lawsuits are not guarantees of victory.

In the context of this litigation, there is a WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

likelihood that this case will get dismissed on summary judgment. The judge signaled as much when she dismissed most of the case on our motion to dismiss. If this case goes to trial, given the video evidence of the incident and the officers’ defenses under the law, it is my view that there will be a verdict for the Defendant, thus giving the Plaintiffs nothing. Should the Plaintiffs clear both of those hurdles, the court is likely to award the Plaintiffs the actuarial assessment of Marcus’s earning potential over his expected life span. Given his illnesses, lifestyle, and employment history, that is not likely to be a large number, probably less than six figures.

It would be unprecedented for Plaintiffs in North Carolina to receive anything in the range of the comparables listed by Mr. Pitts.

That is not to say that it won’t happen, but it is highly unlikely. So, if the Plaintiffs are looking for that high a sum in a settlement, then you might understand why the city will likely continue to pay outside counsel to defend itself and its taxpayers by pursuing this litigation to conclusion.

Flint Taylor responded with the following statement: In his email to Hester Petty, Mr. Watts has displayed a deep and willful lack of understanding about the Marcus Deon Smith civil rights lawsuit, and a profound contempt for the worth of Marcus’ Black Life and for the courage and dignity of Mary Smith and the Smith family.

First, in almost all material respects, Judge Biggs DENIED the motion to dismiss that the City’s publicly-financed lawyers brought on behalf of the City of Greensboro and the eight GPD police hog-tiers. This includes constitutional claims for the brutal hogtying itself, the failure to intervene to stop the hogtying, and the failure to provide prompt medical care. As significantly, Judge Biggs upheld our claim that the hogtying was caused by a gross failure to properly train the defendant officers. She also denied the officers’ attempt to shield themselves behind the highly criticized doctrine of qualified immunity.

Second, pre-trial discovery has so far only strengthened our case. While the City has hidden much of this evidence under a veil of secrecy, suffice it to say that this evidence further establishes and strengthens the unreasonable nature of the officers’ actions, that these actions were driven by their training and supervision, and that successive GPD chiefs were involved in the cover-up. Thus, Mr. Watts’ confidence in ultimately winning the Marcus Smith civil rights case is badly misplaced.

Third, to claim that Marcus’ life, and painful death at the hands of the GPD, is worth “less than six figures”- - - less than $100,000 - - - in North Carolina is profoundly contemptuous of the value of Black and Brown lives in general and Marcus’ in particular, and of the humanity of a fairly selected North Carolina jury, and reflects a misunderstanding of how the value of a life is calculated in a civil rights case lawsuit versus some sort of actuarial insurance table. The City has already paid $550,000 to defend this case and will pay at least another $1.5 to $2 million more before trial. So, is Mr. Watts contending that Marcus Smith’s life that was taken by a brutal hogtying is worth 1/25th of the City’s lawyers’ pretrial fees? Less than 1/65th of Eric Garner’s life that was taken by a police chokehold in New York? Less than 1/120th of Breonna Taylor’s life that was taken in a police raid in Louisville? Less than 1/130th of Fermin Valenzuela’s life that was taken by a police officer’s carotid artery hold in California? Less than 1/???? of George Floyd’s life that was taken by a police knee on his neck in Minneapolis?

YES! Weekly also asked Lewis Pitts Jr. to respond to Watts’ statement. It should be noted that there is no love lost between Watts and Pitts. At the June 16, 2020 meeting of the Greensboro City Council, Watts stated that “there is no stay being requested” by the City in the Smith case, “absolutely no stay whatsoever,” even though the Defense had requested a joint motion to stay the start of Discovery four days earlier. At a press conference in Government Square, Pitts accused Watts of misleading the city council by “lying.”

In a June 17, 2020 email to Betsy Fox, Chair of the Guilford County Democratic Party, Watts stated that Lewis Pitts was part of the Marcus Smith litigation team.

After repeating this false assertion, Watts said, “Mr. Pitts’ efforts to make this civil litigation matter into a public cause and to fan legitimate flames of discontent in the wake of Mr. George Floyd’s murder is deplorable.”

On June 18, when this writer asked Watts about his repeated assertion that Pitts was “behind” the protests and press conferences actually organized and led by multiple Black ministers, including the Reverent Nelson Johnson of the Beloved Community Center, Watts stated, “I think they’re being pimped.”

Watts later apologized to Johnson for this remark, but not to Pitts.

Last Saturday, Lewis Pitts sent YES! Weekly a statement, which began by referring to the unsuccessful 2019 attempts

by Watts and Mayor Nancy Vaughan to prevent public speakers from criticizing specific city employees for addressing matters under litigation.

The email renews my concern about the City Attorney’s stability and, therefore, his advice. Among his striking history of bad advice is the colossal error of advising the Mayor that she could legally ban speakers during the Public Comment Period from mentioning specific litigation against the city or even criticizing city employees by name. The policy developed pursuant to his advice was immediately and roundly criticized by legal experts as violating the constitutional rights of Free Speech and quietly revoked.

Similarly, in his email to Hester Petty, he claims the federal judge “signaled” that here is the likelihood of the case being dismissed on a summary judgment motion; he further claimed the judge had dismissed “most of the case” on the city’s motion to dismiss.

Both assertions are wrong. The heart of the civil rights case, that (1) the police officers engaged in unconstitutional excessive force and (2) that they did so pursuant to the city’s unconstitutional policy and training, all were upheld by the judge in response to the city’s motion. The proof of those claims has already come out after four officers on the scene and participating in the homicide testified under oath in recent depositions that everything they did that night was pursuant to city policy and their training.

Further, Attorney Watts wildly speculated in that email that if the case did go to trial, the judge would “likely award…the actuarial assessment” of “less than six figures in compensation based on Marcus’s “illness and lifestyle.” It would be sad if Watts is advising city council to devalue Marcus’s life because he had a mental illness. Moreover, comparable settlements of similar police misconduct cases have reached settlements between $6 million and $13 million.

Maybe Attorney Watts is providing the legal advice he thinks council members want to hear, in the style of Rudy Giuliani. But such cold-hearted insurance lawyer calculations are certainly not in the public interest, nor do they reflect that Black Lives Matter. Meanwhile, the city has paid at least $493,000 to their private lawyers to argue the case should be thrown out. !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021

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tunes

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HEAR IT!

Drifting with the Dune Sea

T

he Dune Sea is drifting through genres, defining themselves as artists and producers, pushing ahead in the wake of their fifth full-length release, Katei Cranford “Living Daydreams,” out now via streamContributor ing platforms.

Eyeing an expansion into electronica, the Greensboro-based quartet continues its development, blending psychedelic lofi alternative elements with notes of blues and funk in a persistent departure from their origins as a duo.

“We’d mostly do covers of songs by our favorite bands at the time, like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine,” vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, Spencer Underwood, recalled of the early days with guitarist Jake Kremer. “In 2018, I started singing more and got pretty fo-

cused on songwriting, so we put our skills together and started recording as a duo.”

Aiden Foley soon joined on bass, followed by Pierce Felt on keys. While the group doesn’t have a fixed drummer, they get by with a little help from their friends—Wolfgang Willard and Julian Creech-Pritchett—who fill-in during shows and in the studio. The group sees this dynamic as a way of keeping songs unique, translating the various genres they encompass.

It’s a thought process that goes beyond instrumentation. “The fact that we didn’t all join at the same time helps us to figure out our respective roles as members,” Foley explained of their fluidity, to which he lends elements of production and graphic design. Meanwhile, Kremer takes on managerial aspects, and Underwood’s songwriting works to tell their story.

“I’ve always tried to focus on the visual representation of our band. For me, it is just as important as the music itself,” Foley added, listing Bon Iver’s “22, A Million” as an example. “I dream of having the opportunity to extend our creation

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The Dune Sea into a physical object you can look at and experience.”

Visually, the Dune Sea rides with a skeleton cowboy—based on a doodle Underwood drew years ago. “We all say ‘howdy’ a lot,” he noted, “so, we’re basically a cowboy role play band.” For Kremer, it’s not exactly role-play. “I’ve always considered myself a cowboy, of sorts,” he said, “so that really fits the vibe I look to create.”

With their lineup intact and aesthetic in place, the Dune Sea drifts through the plains of the genre—like cowboys—across the dusty pop culture planet from where they take their name.

“I’ve always had a love for music of all kinds,” Kremer noted of the ways his various musical obsessions translate into the variety of sounds the Dune Sea explores—which generally range the likes of Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, Cage the Elephant, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.

“We’re all very open-minded music listeners,” Underwood echoed. “We take songs in whatever direction we think would be interesting and go from there. It keeps our writing process fun and spontaneous,” he added, noting the layered vocals and lush harmonies from Julian Casablancas (of The Strokes) have primarily shaped his singing.

“We’ve always tried to combine ideas from a variety of different genres,” he continued, contrasting vibes between classic rock stylings of their songs like “Ride the Wave” versus the “slow burn electronic” pace employed in “Psychosomatic” (which was loosely inspired by Kanye West.) “We kinda go all over the place stylistically,” he said.

Nodding to Daft Punk and Haywyre, the Dune Sea intends to tread into more electronic waters for their next EP—a shift likely steered by Foley. “I feel a strong connection to electronic music,” Foley said, explaining the impact of seeing Skrillex use “nothing more than a laptop and headphones” piqued his interest in making music as a kid.

An appreciation for electronica, and the gear involved, yields more than influence, as the group utilizes DIY digital home studios for their releases. “We’re able to combine our ideas without having to pay for studio time or even be in the same location,” Foley said, boasting the benefits of their in-house process.

Kremer likewise praised the DIY element of their work. “Sometimes not having the best acoustic environment gives a certain texture to the songs that define our sound,” he said of the process that’s already churned-out five full-length releases in their short history—with an upcoming split with Sweet Dream on the way.

As for their next LP, Kremer intends for it to sound unlike any other. ”I want all the songs to sound like they belong together but at the same time be drastically different,“ he explained, noting the full-length will come after their electronic-based EP (currently in the works) and the folkbased EP they intend to follow.

For now, the Dune Sea drifts along to “Living Daydreams,” available now, via streaming platforms. !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who hosts “Katei’s Thursday Tour Report,” a radio show spotlighting area artists and events. Thurs 5:30-7 p.m. on WUAG 103.1FM. #ksttr

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last call

[THE ADVICE GODDESS] love • sex • dating • marriage • questions

EMILY POSTAL

Bright red lipstick is my trademark.

It makes me feel attractive and confident: ready to take on the world. A female friend criticizes me at parties about my leaving a Amy Alkon lipstick mark on my glass, even when it’s Advice a plastic cup. She says it’s disgusting, Goddess often when guys are listening. Is this her problem or bad etiquette I need to change?

—Girl Unpowered According to annoyed caterers ranting online, lipstick on glass has staying power second only to nuclear garbage and nightmare party guests (“But there was no checkout time on the invitation!”). So, it’s possible this woman is a well-meaning etiquette activist acting on behalf of beleaguered dishwashing staff everywhere.

Except — wait, she also bashes you when you’re drinking out of a plastic cup, and I’m guessing the garbagemen don’t get miffy when there’s a lipsticked Dixie cup next to the corpse in the dumpster they’re emptying.

Your experience reminded me of a meangirling a friend got when she was 11.

A cute French boy sat next to her during the school assembly. She was basking in crushy happiness when the girl in front of her turned and gave her the dagger-eye.

“You’re ugly,” she announced and turned back around. Luckily, French Boy was kind

of awesome, and as my friend sat there speechless — feeling head-to-toe soggydiapered in shame — he pointed at the mean girl and made the hand-twirly “she’s nuts” sign.

Girls and women are rarely so direct — so openly and transparently aggressive.

Though men compete openly and even proudly for mates, jobs, and social status, psychologist Anne Campbell finds that female competition is usually “covert” (meaning hidden or camouflaged and easily denied or explained away). Basically, it’s like poison gas. You only learn you’re under attack when you’re writhing on the floor seeing the tunnel at the end of the light.

Campbell believes this strategy — avoiding direct confrontation that could lead to physical retaliation — evolved to protect women’s reproductive machinery and keep them alive to feed and care for children.

Women’s indirect aggression plays out in sneaky sabotage tactics like using malicious gossip to get another woman ostracized and noxious criticism like you’re experiencing (often dressed up as “I just want to help!”) to shame hot women in sexy little outfits into going around in more tarplike attire.

As for how you get a meangirl to stop meangirling on you, there’s a bit of a problem. Psychologist Joyce Benenson explains that “women honestly do not believe they compete with one another.” This belief helps them compete far better — with more social and psychological leeway to do rotten things — than if they were aware of their competitive nature. Benenson observes, “Nothing works better than self-deception” to give a woman the upper hand in conflicts of interest with other

women while helping her avoid retaliation.

While from boyhood war games on, to be male is to be openly competitive, Benenson finds that girls and women get outraged when they see another being unapologetically ambitious. Sure, there are social alpha girls, girls who have more power — like to choose which new girl in school will be the group’s kickball for the year — but girls long to be seen as “nice,” and nice girls don’t stand out above the others. Girls who dare show superiority or boast set themselves up as targets of girlgroup punishment.

Looking at your situation through the lens of female competition suggests an approach: pulling her aside and being assertive one-on-one. If you instead do this publicly, it gives her an audience to play to, allowing her to act all wounded that you’re so “mean” to her when she’s, yes, just trying to help! Supposed public meanness on your part might also energize her to seek revenge, like with post-event whispers about your attention-seeking with the “trashy” lipstick that reels in all the boys.

Assertiveness is at its most powerful when it’s brief, firm, and unapologetic. A helpful guiding principle is security expert

Gavin de Becker’s line, “No is a complete sentence.” So, for example, you could say: “Stop making comments about my appearance. My lipstick or whatever. Now. No more.” Expect her to make excuses, but don’t engage with her. Just say: “We don’t need to talk about it. Just stop.” This shows her you won’t be a compliant victim.

Ideally, this experience will serve as a template for dealing with ugly “helpfulness” from women. Despite women’s reputation as the kinder, gentler sex, we just come off that way because female aggression goes around in a disguise. If the Miss America pageant really wanted to showcase women’s special abilities, they’d have a talent competition with each contestant using sneaky psychological warfare to destroy her social and romantic rivals — like by suggesting a competitor heal the world with some comfort-eating. (“Give pizza a chance!”) !

GOT A PROBLEM? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com). Follow her on Twitter @amyalkon. Order her latest “science-help” book, Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence. ©2021 Amy Alkon. Distributed by Creators.Com.

answers [CROSSWORD] crossword on page 6

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The Sportscenter Athletic Club is a private membership club dedicated to providing the ultimate athletic and recreational facilities for our members of all ages. Conveniently located in High Point, we provide a wide variety of activities for our members. We’re designed to incorporate the total fitness concept for maximum benefits and total enjoyment.

We cordially invite all of you to be a part of our athletic facility, while enjoying the membership savings we offer our established corporate accounts.

3811 Samet Dr • HigH Point, nC 27265 • 336.841.0100 FITNESS ROOM • INDOOR TRACK • INDOOR AQUATICS CENTER • OUTDOOR AQUATICS CENTER • RACQUETBALL BASKETBALL • CYCLING • OUTDOOR SAND VOLLEYBALL • INDOOR VOLLEYBALL • AEROBICS • MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM WHIRLPOOL • MASSAGE THERAPY • PROGRAMS & LEAGUES • SWIM TEAMS • WELLNESS PROGRAMS PERSONAL TRAINING • TENNIS COURTS • SAUNA • STEAM ROOM • YOGA • PILATES • FREE FITNESS ASSESSMENTS FREE E QUIPMENT O RIENTATION • N URSE RY • T E NNIS L E SSONS • W IRE L E SS INT E RNE T L OUNGE

JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 3, 2021

YES! WEEKLY

15

Req's separate subscription/login for HBO Max,

SAY HELLO TO Watch your favorite entertainment in one place.

Plus,

included for a year.

CHOICE™ PACKAGE

64

$

99 MO.

For 12 mos. plus taxes & Regional Sports Fee.

• Stream on your phone, tablet and TV - anytime, anywhere.

Available only in the U.S. (excl. Puerto Rico & U.S.V.I.). Req’s compatible device & data connection. Limited to 3 concurrent streams.

• Access HBO Max, Netflix and more on Google Play.

Req's separate subscription/login for HBO Max, Netflix. Google login required. Google is a trademark of Google LLC.

HBO Max Offer: Access HBO Max only through HBO Max app or hbomax.com. HBO Max also includes HBO channels and HBO On Demand on AT&T TV. Data rates may apply for app download/usage.

AT&T TV: *$19.95 ACTIVATION, EARLY TERMINATION FEE ($15/MO.) FOR TV FOR EACH MONTH REMAINING ON AGMT., EQUIPMENT NON-RETURN & ADD’L FEES APPLY. Price incl. CHOICE AT&T TV Pkg. 1 AT&T TV device included for well-qualified customers; otherwise $120. New residential customers only, excluding DIRECTV and U-verse TV customers. Restr’s apply.

Get AT&T TV Today!

1-336-962-2615 AT&T TV: AT&T TV requires high speed internet. Recommend minimum 24 Mbps for optimal viewing (min 8 Mbps per stream). Limit 3 concurrent AT&T streams.

CHOICE: Ends 1/16/21. 1st & 2nd year Pricing: $64.99 for first 12 mos. only. After 12 mos. or loss of eligibility, then prevailing rate applies $110/mo. for CHOICE Pkg, unless cancelled or changed prior to end of the promo period. Includes: CHOICE Pkg. Req’s 1 AT&T TV device, included for well qualified customers; otherwise $120. Add’l devices avail for $120 each or on installment; non-qualified customers must purchase additional devices up front. Additional Fees & Taxes: Price excludes Regional Sports Fee of up to $8.49/mo. (which is extra & applies to CHOICE and higher Pkgs), and certain other add’l fees & charges. AT&T TV: Subject to AT&T TV terms and conditions. Avail. in the U.S. only (excludes Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands). AT&T TV service will continue monthly at the prevailing rate charged to your payment method on file, unless you cancel, subject to any early termination fees. If you cancel in the first 14 days of order, you must return the included AT&T TV device within 14 days of order to avoid $120 non-return fee. Additional devices purchased on installment agreement subject to additional terms and conditions. See cancellation policy at att.com/help/cancellation-policy-att-tv.html for more details. Once you’ve canceled, you can access AT&T TV through the remaining monthly period. No refunds or credits for any partial-month periods or unwatched content. Compatible device req’d. Residential customers only. Pricing, channels, features, and terms subject to change & may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Some offers may not be available through all channels and in select areas. Regional Sports & Local Channels: Not available in select areas. Channels vary by package & billing region. Device may need to be in billing region in order to view. GENERAL: Limit 3 concurrent streams per account. Programming subject to blackout restrictions. Taxes may apply. See your Order Confirmation email and att.com/legal/att-tv.html for more details. HBO Max: Access HBO Max through HBO Max app or hbomax.com with your AT&T log-in credentials. Compatible device or browser required. Use of HBO Max is subject to its own terms and conditions, see hbomax.com/terms-of-use for details. Programming and content subj. to change. Upon cancellation of your video service you may lose access to HBO Max. Limits: Access to one HBO Max account per AT&T account holder. May not be stackable w/other offers, credits or discounts. To learn more, visit att.com/hbomax. HBO Max is only accessible in the U.S. and certain U.S. territories where a high-speed broadband connection is available. Minimum 3G connection is requiredfor viewing on mobile devices. HBO Max is used under license. Offers may not be combined with other promotional offers on the same services and may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Other conditions apply to all offers. ©2020 AT&T Intellectual Property. AT&T and the Globe logo are registered trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property. All other marksare the property of their respective owners.