There are lots of lost arts in the world — from writing in cursive to … whatever the last episode of Fresh Air talked about because I'm behind in all my podcasts.
The most under-appreciated skill, though, is the art of the "power move" — the subtle, thrilling feeling you get from telling someone else to take the last seat because you enjoy standing. Or when you ask for "just a black coffee" after your date orders a Frappuccino.
Or when you're an 18-month-old puppy named Gracie and you force the person who adopted you to do the fetching, just to remind him that his girlfriend likes you better.
No, I'm not ashamed to equate my interpersonal skills with a Labrador retriever's.
— Danny
QUICK HITS
- An upcoming decision from the National Labor Relations Board could give graduate assistants at private universities the same rights as employees.
- Officials are launching an investigation after a Raleigh police officer shot a black man four times on Feb. 29. The North Carolina NAACP is calling for truth and transparency in the investigation.
- UNC's Faculty Executive Committee is starting to get a little concerned about fellow Tar Heels' habits of setting couches on fire on Franklin Street to celebrate beating Duke.
- Alice Wilder, one of our columnists, suggests we all reconsider the value of having guy friends, or at least having woke guy friends.
IN TOWN UTILITIES
An Orange Water and Sewer Authority spokesperson says they do their best to stay in their lane. Due to some legal restraints, OWASA isn't really able to adjust utility prices for low-income residents. Its partners handle all the community assistance, like the "Care to Share" program on your monthly bill.
IN SECOND JOBS
If you work as a waiter or waitress in North Carolina, your minimum wage is $2.13 without tips. And, overall, our state ranks 35th in waiter and waitress pay — which looks decent only when compared to our position in the national rankings for public education.
IN UNC RESEARCH
After Charlie Sheen came out as HIV positive, internet searches about testing and treatment skyrocketed. Researchers from UNC and other universities have deemed it the "Charlie Sheen effect," which is a subtle nod to the power that celebrities have over literally everything.
IN FUZZY ANGELS
A Lab mix named Gracie helps her mom, junior Sarah Leck, with the stresses of college. In an interview, Leck described her 18-month-old friend as friendly, excited and really weird. In addition to helping with mental health, Gracie is the master of power-moving Leck's boyfriend into fetching for her.
IN THE BLOGS
In the spirit of the new season, which "House of Cards" character are you? I got Frank Underwood, which means little to nothing to me considering I stopped watching the show after he killed that dog two minutes into the pilot episode.
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