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.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/346859
JULY 16-22, 2014 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM ADVICE GODDESS Pierre Pressure I'm an 18-year-old woman, recently asked out by a handsome, charming 34-year-old guy from France. He took me out to a nice restaurant, and everything was wonderful until he admitted that he has a girlfriend, though he explained that they always fight and break up. He said he isn't ready to leave or cheat on her, but he is very attracted to me and wants to keep seeing me platonically to see where our "relationship" goes. I believe him but feel like some second option. After dinner, we ended up making out in his car. Things were going WAY too far, so I had him take me home. I really like him, but I don't want to waste my time wanting someone who already has someone, even if he is "confused" about her. — Disturbed In addition to his being an experienced 34 to your inexperienced 18, he's also French. If there's a French national sport, it's probably seduction. (Note that nobody calls making out "North Korean kissing.") The French also tend to be more relaxed about the boundaries of monogamy. In a Pew Research Center poll, when asked whether an affair is morally unacceptable, only 47 percent of French people said it is, compared with 87 percent of Americans. Former French President Francois Mitterrand's wife even invited his mistress to his funeral, where they stood together over his coffin. Still, even in France, there are lines you just don't cross. In the words of actor Yves Montand: "I think a man can have two, maybe three affairs while he is married. But three is the absolute maximum. After that, you are cheating." Unfortunately, you missed your cue to activate the ejection seat — the point at which the guy mentioned having a girlfriend. A guy with a girlfriend is a guy who is not available. Not even if he says they're on-and-off and suggests sampling you as a way of deciding whether they should be off-and-off. The problem is, there's a time when this sort of clarity comes more easily, and it isn't when you're in the heat of the moment, having your culottes charmed off by Jean-Claude the Seducer. You need to go into a date with a set of standards — standards you come up with ahead of time for what you will and won't accept. If, for example, one of these is "Never become somebody's backup sex," it won't matter that the man in question is very attracted to you and says so with a French accent. As France's big gift to the United States, the Statue of Liberty, says on its base: "Give me your tired," not your "tired of their girlfriends." WEEKLY HOROSCOPES ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Be honest with yourself, Aries. Sometimes change can be a good thing, so take a few days to sort through all of your options. You will be glad you did. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, you may have to be clever to solve a particular problem this week. It will be challenging, but you are up to the task and your efforts will be their own reward. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, spend some time thinking about what you want rather than what others want for you. You may discover significant differences between the two, but do what makes you happy. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, it may take some time to get back on your feet after a stumble, but you will get there much faster if you ask a few friends for support. You know the people who have your back. LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, very little can disappoint you or affect your mood. Enjoy the responsibility-free week with a free spirit. This is a great time for a vacation. VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 Think through all of your options before you act, Virgo. While something may seem like a good idea at first, careful thought may reveal some bumps in the road. LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 Work hard to earn a promotion at work, Libra. While you may need to take on more responsibility and work longer hours, the payoff will be well worth it. SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, if you feel you are at a crossroads, take your time to make the best possible decision. This is a significant moment for you, and it requires focus and forethought. SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, supporting a family member who deserves it has you riding high this week. This support may be emotional in nature or even financial support if you can manage. CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, family activities are getting in the way of business prospects, and vice versa. You may need to make a difficult decision in the near future. AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, think through the pros and cons of speaking your mind at work. Your opinions are valid, but you run the risk of alienating certain people, and that should not be taken lightly. PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Approach a problem that's been puzzling you from a different perspective, Pisces. This new way of looking at things makes all the difference. NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo has a huge, 350-student "viticulture and enology" program, preparing its majors for an industry critical to the state's economy (and with a venerable international cachet) — but puritanical state law continues to hobble it. Many in Cal Poly's four-year wine-making program must arrange for a fifth year — after they turn 21 — because, otherwise, faculty and administrators could be felons for "furnishing alcohol to a minor" when they assign students to taste their own class creations. The current California legislative session is considering allowing underage wine-making students to sip and spit. [San Luis Obispo Tribune, 6-20- 2014] [Arizona Capitol Times, 6-2- 2014] [Arizona Republic, 6-17-2014] Science on the Cutting Edge On dairy farms across the country, cows bizarrely queue up, without prodding, to milk themselves by submitting to $250,000 robots that have recently become the salvation of the industry. According to an April New York Times report, this advance appears to be "win-win" (except for migrant laborers watching choice jobs disappear) — more efficient for the farmer and more pleasant for the cow, which — constantly pregnant — usually prefers frequent milking. Amazingly, cows have learned the drill, moseying up to the precise spot to engage the robot's arms for washing and nipple-cupping. The robots also yield copious data tracked from transponders worn around the cow's neck. [New York Times, 4-22-2014] Argentinian agricultural scientists in 2008 created the "methane backpack" to collect the emissions of grazing cows (with a tube from the cow's rumen to the inflatable bag) in order to see how much of the world's greenhouse-gas problem was created by livestock. Having discovered that figure (it's 25-30 percent), the country's National Institute of Agricultural Technology announced recently that it will start storing the collected methane to convert it to energy. In a "proof of concept" hypothesis, it estimates that about 300 liters of methane could power a refrigerator for 24 hours. [Fast Company, 4-15-2014] Amy Alkon Chuck Sheppard