Though sex robots are not yet a widespread commercial item, a campaign against them launched this week, head by Kathleen Richardson, a robot anthropologist at De Montfort University. Currently, the "world's first sex robot," "Roxxxy" (by the company True Companion), sells for close to $7,000, and gets increasingly expensive, depending on customization. True Companion says on its site, "Roxxxy [can] be your loving friend. She can talk to you, listen to you, and can even have an orgasm." The website continues, "...But she knows that you're having sex with a $7,000 doll, so she's not expecting much."

GlobalPost online news service conducted a year-long investigation, discovering that the US Catholic Church has been letting priests accused of sexually abusing children to continue practicing in poor parishes in South America. One priest who fled to Brazil is now under investigation for sexually abusing the children at an orphanage he founded. In response to high volume of sex abuse cases within the Catholic church, US Bishops declared a "zero-tolerance" policy in 2002, stating that clergy members who sexually abuse are not allowed a second chance in the clergy. Before "zero-tolerance," the Church's official policies were "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," "Maybe a Little Tolerance," and "You Break It, You Buy It."

Two republican state legislators wrote a bill this week, attempting to revoke the US Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage in Tennessee. The "Tennessee Natural Defense Marriage Act" states that marriage between a man and a woman "remains the law in Tennessee, regardless of any court decision to the contrary." According to "Knox News," four days after the Supreme Court ruling, half of the state's Republican lawmakers met in Nashville to compose a legislative response that would prevent gay marriage in Tennessee, but did not reach a consensus, as it was detailed that they were all too busy blowing each other.

THIS WEEK'S ADVICE

Dear TWIS,

After a three year hiatus with my now ex-boyfriend, I recently moved back to the city and got a new job at one of the hottest restaurants in town. Recently a Veteran co-worker asked me to share a bottle of his ‘special’ wine after my shift. At first I was reluctant to oblige because I don’t like to shit where I eat, but then I found out (from another co-worker) that the bottle happened to be a ‘97 Cabernet Sauvignon he’d been sitting on for nearly two decades, giving his grapes a retail value of a whopping $1000. I was smitten; not to mention wasted, and with every sip and every pour, things just got better and better. There’s a catch, however—the guy is fucking ancient. Like, meat off the bones old: twenty-one years my senior with salt in his hair and probably some form of bad sciatica. The fact that I was eight when he bought the bottle should have been enough of a warning for me to take the bus home, but instead I drank more, and more, and more, eventually going back to his apartment (which was some kind of amazing super loft, by the way). Long story short, I did not sleep with him, but I did make out with him, only after we snorted a few rails. Then I repeated this behavior three times over the week. Truth is, I feel really bad about it, like I’ve gone and spoiled my reputation at work, or betrayed my ex, or even derailed my own moral compass? Please tell me everything will be O.K.
- Lost on the Agean sea

Dear Lost,

There are some key details missing from this story. How are you betraying your ex if you've been broken up for three years? Are you back together? Is this silver-haired fox married, or in a relationship? If you're both single, I'm not entirely sure what sort of damage you're inflicting. Doing coke three times in a week seems more worrisome to me than hooking up with some dude you happen to work with who owns expensive bottles of wine. Do you feel like you're being taken advantage of? Does he exhibit especially reckless, rude, or controlling behavior? These might be some warning signs, and if you've noticed them, could be a reason behind your feeling bad. It seems like your rendezvous with him, between the sex, drinking, and coke, all give you a high that you might have been missing from your life recently, and that could also be what's not sitting right with you. As far as hooking up with co-workers go, restaurants are an incubator for sex with coworkers. (Have you ever read this?) As long as you're taking responsibility for the consequences, practicing moderation, and listening to your gut (which is different than self-judging or worrying what others will think of you), then I'd say, go ahead and enjoy the wine, while it lasts.

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