"MARRIAGE" In The News
(January 2006)

The news articles and features presented below are simply an indication of how topical, controversial, and all-encompassing the issues surrounding marriage are throughout our society--and the world-- today. Some of the views and opinions expressed, and their respective web sites, do NOT reflect the views or opinions of The Real Proposal™ magazine. Many are highlighted largely to reiterate that the alarming statistical trends on the chaotic state of "Marriage" and "Family"--outlined in "A Mere Glimpse"--will continue unabated without a fundamental grasp and purposeful dissemination of TRUTH on the issues.

• Coretta Scott King Dead at 78
  Widow of civil rights leader advanced his legacy for more than 35 years  MSNBC.com-AP, Jan 31, 2006
  ATLANTA - Coretta Scott King, who worked to keep her husband’s dream alive with a chin-held-high grace and serenity that made her a powerful symbol of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s creed of brotherhood and nonviolence, died Tuesday. She was 78. King died in her sleep during the night at an alternative medicine clinic in Mexico, her family said. In a statement released Tuesday, the King family said she in Mexico “for observation and consideration of treatment for ovarian cancer. She was considered terminal by physicians in the United States. Mrs. King and her family wanted to explore other options.”. . .

• Parenting Issues: Children’s Laughter Reminds Us How Powerful – and Fleeting – Innocence Is    BlackAmericaWeb.com- By Joseph C. Phillips- Jan 31, 2006
  . . . Ahh, childhood. A time when puddles are for stomping in, running is just so we can feel the wind in our face and a hug and a kiss will cure most anything that ails you -- a time that disappears all too quickly. Age often brings more than just wisdom; it brings cynicism as well.   Perhaps we suffer too much heartbreak. Maybe it’s just that we no longer have boundless reserves of energy. But as we get older, what was possible becomes impossible or not worth the effort. We avoid puddles, lest we dirty our shoes, run only so we can lose weight, and, for my money, we don’t hug or kiss nearly enough. We recognize how precious those qualities are. As adults, we bust our humps to provide safety and security for our children and are outraged when anything or anyone acts to rob them of their innocence. Yet, often we become so focused on protecting them that we forget to enjoy them. . . .

• 'The Bachelor': An open letter to poor Moana   Entertainment Weekly- PopWatch- Posting by Michael Slezak, Jan 31, 2006
  Other than signifying the collapse of the women's movement, what is this show good for? A fun letter to contestant Moana:
  Dear Moana,
  I'm not going to pretend I wasn't disappointed to see you break down in tears on last night's edition of The Bachelor, but at least for the first few episodes, you tried to conduct yourself with some self-respect. . .  What was your crime again, Moana? Oh, that's right, failing to declare your love for a man you've been dating for less than two weeks, the same man who's simultaneously courting at least five other women. . .

• Marriage and Faith: They really do go together  Townhall.com, By Chuck Colson, Jan 30, 2006
  It’s becoming increasingly clear that strong families depend on churches, and churches depend on strong families. That statement sounds obvious to some folks. But in fact, it challenges the conventional wisdom. For a long time, misinterpreted statistics made it seem that the connection between strong faith and strong families had weakened. . . Well, now researchers are discovering that Sider’s data is flawed. . . There are all kinds of important conclusions that can and should be drawn from this [new] data. But what really caught my attention is how valuable this information is to pastors. They should encourage pro-marriage and pro-family attitudes within their congregation, provide marriage counseling, and make the effort to understand family issues and attitudes toward marriage. And of course, they should join in efforts to preserve the definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman. . .

• Twins for Angela Bassett and Courtney Vance   People Magazine- By Stephen M. Silverman, Jan 30, 2006
  Angela Bassett and her husband, fellow actor Courtney B. Vance, are the parents of twins – a boy and a girl – born on Friday, according to their Los Angeles-based publicist. The babies were born to a surrogate mother, the rep, Alex Dubee, tells the Associated Press. . . That December they announced their engagement. And while Vance never revealed details, he did say that he made his proposal "down on one knee – the normal way.". . .

• Gay Marriage and the Nigerian Society   AllAfrica.com, Washington - By Francis U. Ekeanyanwu, Jan 30, 2006
  In recent times, the glamorization and legalization of gay marriages have been on the upsurge in the developed world. It all started with the recognition of homosexuality as a socially acceptable lifestyle unlike in the past when it was viewed with revulsion by refined minds. Emboldened by this social acceptability, the homosexuals now started agitating for gay marriages recognized by law. . . Some homosexuals argue that they have an inborn, irresistible tendency to be sexually attracted to persons of same sex. Others say they simply enjoy it and are, therefore, entitled to their lifestyle. This is preposterous. Such strange, unnatural sexual feeling is indicative of demonic influence or personality disorder which requires either divine deliverance or psychotherapy, not complacency. . .

• Ex- Ex- Ex MEN: The Remarrying Kind  NYTimes.com- By Kate Zernike, Jan 29, 2006
  FOR  Ronald O. Perelman, Forbes magazine's 34th-richest man in America, marriage would seem to be getting expensive: last week, he announced that he was divorcing his fourth wife, the actress Ellen Barkin, and would pay out the $20 million promised in their prenuptial pact — having paid $8 million, $80 million and $30 million, respectively, to Wives 1, 2 and 3. While matchmakers among the ultrarich are already speculating about who will be wife No. 5, others might reasonably ask why Mr. Perelman and other serial grooms in his jet set don't take the actor George Clooney's "never again" approach: Date ferociously, but don't marry. . . "They love the institution, they want to do it again," said Janis Spindel, a matchmaker in New York who said she charges $100,000 for what she calls her "power elite clients" to find a spouse. "They think three times is the charm."  Of course, marriage to a certain kind of woman — a movie star, a socialite — can also be about conquest, ambition, cachet. . .

• Recently Separated or Divorced? 10 Useful Tax Tips When Filing Your Return   Carolina Newswire.com- By Jessie Danninger, Rosen Law Firm, Jan 31, 2006
  If you’ve recently divorced or separated from your spouse, here are a few things you should know for the upcoming tax season:
• 1. What is my filing status? (Married, Single, Head of Household) Marital standing at year end determines your filing status for the entire year. If you have a decree of divorce or separate maintenance, signed by a judge, you should file as single. Regardless of whether you have a signed decree you may be able to file as head of household. Filing as head of household may reduce your income tax obligation, but to qualify the following conditions must be met:
     • You paid more than ½ the cost of keeping up your home for the tax year,
     • Your home was the main home for your child for more than ½ the year,
     • Your spouse hasn’t been a member of the household for 6 months. If you can’t file as single or head of household, then you must either file as married filing joint or married filing separate.
  2. Should my spouse and I file as married, filing separate or married, filing joint?. .
     
     

• Pay attention to your RRSPs (IRA's) during a marriage breakdown  Globe and Mail (Subscription), Canada Jan 28, 2006, By TIM CESTNICK.
  Not all marriages work out. But I admire those that last for the long haul. A woman we know has been married for 65 years. She doesn't go out at night with her husband any more. "The only thing he takes out at night now is his teeth," she always tells me. Still, they wouldn't have life any other way. But  if you're one of the thousands of Canadians who is separated, divorced, or thinking about it, take the opportunity to think about who you've named as beneficiary of your registered retirement savings plan. After all, it's RRSP season and your plan may be top of mind. And be mindful of the Gaudio court decision. Let me explain. . .

• The Marriage Mecca of Middle America  Quad City Times- IA, By Bill Wundram, Jan 28, 2006
  T HE words appear repeatedly in 60-year-and-beyond wedding anniversary notices: “ ... married in Kahoka, Mo.”  Why Kahoka?  Return with me to the innocent years when this was a land of love, cupids and Evening in Paris perfume and every bride looked like Joan Crawford or Claudette Colbert... Kahoka was the marriage mecca of the plains, and particularly for lovers from what then was the Tri-Cities. It was conveniently just down the road a pike, past Fort Madison and west of Keokuk and across the border to Missouri.  On any romantic day of the early 1940s, 85 or 90 couples would be joined in bliss, hurrying off to loveland (the nearest tourist cabin) with the world’s first version of bumper stickers — “Just Married at Kahoka” — on their 1940 Chevys. At the courthouse, the record for Kahoka marriages was 97 in 24 hours. . .

• Marriage made in heaven must be tended on earth    Brunswick News US, By David Yarborough, Jan 28, 2006
  Did you know that marriage was made in heaven? It is just too bad that for so many it seems like "hell on earth." Marriage is never an easy relationship, but I know God has great desires for our marriage because it was his idea to start with. In the beginning God created the man and placed him in the garden to work. Genesis records what God did next: "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'" (Gen. 2:18).  Up until this point, the Bible records that everything God did was good. This is the first time something was not good, and God himself is the one that declared it was not good. What was it? The fact that man was alone. It is not that God had this sudden realization he had never had before. The story is setting us up for what is to come – the first wedding. God's declaration tells us that we were made with a relational need in our lives. It has always amazed me that God declared this even before sin has entered the world. At this point, man has no barrier in his relationship with God. Nothing was hindering his complete fellowship with God, and yet, God saw that man needed more. . . .

• SEXUAL HEALING
  Scots experts say sex is good for stress but that's not all folks...  Glasgow Daily Record, UK - By Brian McIver, Jan 27, 2006
  GOOD news folks -scientists have discovered another great reason for having sex. A study into the health benefits of making love found that the more often you do it the less likely you are to suffer stress. Experts at the University of Paisley also discovered that people are better at public speaking if they have sex the night before. During intercourse a hormone called oxytocin is released and it is believed this has a long-lasting calming effect. But it has to be the real thing -other forms of gratification don't produce as good results. The study in New Scientist magazine is the latest to show the benefits of a healthy sex life, which can also improve mental health, boost the immune system, reduce risks of certain cancers and help with pain relief.

1 LOOKING YOUNGER:  A PHYSICAL love life can not only help you live longer, but can also help you maintain your health, quality of life and those good looks during all those extra years you get to enjoy as a result.  Scientists from the Royal Edinburgh Hospital have said the well-sexed person looks an average of 10 years younger than their less active counterparts. . . . 

• Marriage fight erupts in Maryland
  Jugde nixes state's gay ban; Mfume backs full equality  Washington Blade, DC -By Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg, January 27, 2006
  Less than a month into the 2006 election year, Maryland politicians are being forced to clarify their views on same-sex marriage following a Baltimore Circuit Court judge’s ruling last week that Maryland’s heterosexuals-only marriage law is unconstitutional. So far, the statements from area politicians running for U.S. Senate and Maryland governor range from vague to opposed to unequivocal support for the ruling. Kweisi Mfume, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Paul Sarbanes, said this week that he supports equal marriage rights for gays couples-—-the only leading candidate to do so. . . A Baltimore Circuit Court judge ruled that a 1973 state law limiting marriage to a man and woman is unconstitutional. . . The court also found no "sufficient differences" between the gay marriage case and the landmark Loving vs. Virginia suit, which challenged Virginia’s ban on interracial marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the prohibition against interracial marriage in 1967. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: On The Record  Washington Blade, DC- Fri Jan 27, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Mfume backs gay marriage for Md.  Washington Blade, DC, By Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg - Jan 23, 2006

• Husbands, Your Wives Want You to Read This   ABC News.com- Good Morning America, Jan 26, 2006
   —  Dr. Scott Haltzman admits that his 17-year marriage has its flaws (as does everyone's, he says), but you can still learn plenty from him. Haltzman, author of "The Secrets of Happily Married Men: Eight Ways to Win Your Wife's Heart Forever," shared his tips on "Good Morning America." In case you're wondering, Haltzman does follow his own advice:
    Make Marriage Your Job: Treat your marriage like it's your top priority. Use the problem-solving skills you learn at work on your marriage. If there's a problem in the marriage, react the way you would if you had a problem at work: Break it up into small doable tasks, hatch a strategy and stick to it.
    Know Your Wife. . .
  
  READ EXCERPTS: "Secrets of Happily-Married Men"

• Parenting Issues: The Elephant in the Room While Black Kids Misbehave? Single Parent Homes   BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C Phillips, Jan 24, 2006
  A recent report on Seattle schools reveals a clear correlation between the high disciplinary rate and the number of black students living in single parent homes. . . A two-parent household does not guarantee a child’s success, but the evidence continues to mount that children living with both parents in the home are at an advantage.  We can either march forward under the illusion that a discipline gap exists because teachers are a bunch of racists, suspending black children more than white for no other reason than the color of their skin, or we can finally realize that a breakdown in the traditional family structure and an embracing of the destructive social behavior and attitudes that have accompanied it, are playing the devil with our children. . .
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  The case for Black marriage Rabble.ca, Canada-  By Tricia Hylton  - Dec 28, 2005

• Parenting Issues: Biology's Revenge  Townhall.com, By Rich Lowry,  Jan 24, 2006
  The surest way to get attention in American society is to become a crisis. Boys are now on their way to achieving this dubious but indispensable distinction with the new cover of Newsweek, "The Boy Crisis."  It is to be hoped that the crisis establishes a simple truth that is astonishing anyone ever forgot — boys and girls are different. Or as Newsweek puts it, "Boys are biologically, developmentally and psychologically different from girls — and teachers need to learn how to bring out the best in every one." . . .  "One of the most reliable predictors of whether a boy will succeed or fail in high school," Newsweek reports, "rests on a single question: Does he have a man in his life to look up to?" It continues: "An increasing number of boys — now a startling 40 percent — are being raised without biological dads. Psychologists say that grandfathers and uncles can help, but emphasize that an adolescent boy without a father figure is like an explorer without a map." . . .
  
  REALATED ARTICLE:  The Trouble with Boys  Newsweek Society- MSNBC.com, By Peg Tyre, Jan 30, 2006 Issue

• Year of the Dog "good for marriages"  Xinhua, China - Jan 24, 2006
  BEIJING, Jan. 25 -- Lovers in China are rushing to get married in the Lunar Year of the Dog because it's considered an auspicious year for weddings. . . In the Year of the Dog, which will start from January 29, the lunar cycle will last 385 days until February 17, 2007 a phenomenon that occurs only 12 times between 221 BC and 2100. The last 385-day lunar year was 1944. . . The year also has two lichun, or beginnings of spring, on February 4 of 2006 and 2007. . . "As the Chinese proverb goes, double beginnings of spring and 13 months make a perfect year for weddings." . . .

• Sharpton chides black churches over homophobia, gay marriage   New York Blade, NY, By Dyana Bagby - Jan 24, 2006
  Former presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton fired up a crowd of some 150 people gathered at a forum in Atlanta Jan. 20, urging them to "turn up the heat" in black churches to combat clergy who preach anti-gay messages from their pulpits. . . Sharpton said his participation in the summit, as well as his desire to urge the black church to address homophobia, came from having a lesbian sister as well as his friendship with Bayard Rustin, a gay man who worked with Martin Luther King Jr. . . . Sharpton also criticized some black churches that he said were manipulated by traditionally white religious conservative organizations to support efforts in 2004 to ban same-sex marriage. Sharpton criticized those moves as creating a wedge issue to boost votes for President Bush’s re-election. . .

• Times, they are a'changing in France   Canada.com, Canada, Jan 27, 2006
  PARIS -- France may still be the land of love but the country's traditional tableau of marriage and the baby carriage has changed dramatically in three decades, said a parliamentary report released Friday. Nearly one-half of children are now born out of wedlock and the marriage rate is down by 27 per cent compared with 1970 -- prompting calls for reform of France's widely used civil unions. . .
  
  
• Canada may revisit gay marriage
  But new leadership says issue is not among top priorities   San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - By Wyatt Buchanan, Jan 25, 2006
   Canada's newly elected Conservative government has promised to revisit same-sex marriage less than a year after the country became just the third in the world to legalize such unions. But it won't happen soon, and the effort may be hindered by the Conservative Party's narrow victory Monday, which will force compromise among the major parties. And reopening the issue seems to contradict the sentiments of most Canadians. Prior to the election, a nationwide poll found that 66 percent felt the issue was settled. . .
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Gay, lesbian marriages in Canada seen under threat ABC News.com
  

• Mfume backs gay marriage for Md.  Washington Blade, DC, By Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg - Jan 23, 2006
  Leading Maryland Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume supports equal marriage rights for gay couples, he told the Blade Monday. . . "As someone who was raised to believe in traditional marriage, it does not mean others cannot have different beliefs," the former congressman and past president of the NAACP said in a telephone interview. "I recognize [civil union] laws don't cover all the benefits and all the rights that could and should be accrued to same sex couples." Mfume has in the past supported civil unions and opposed efforts to amend the federal constitution to block states from marrying gay couples. . .

• Cultural death wishes  Townhall.com, By Debra Saunders, January 20, 2006
  When social conservatives argue that legalizing same-sex marriage could lead to legalized polygamy, same-sex marriage advocates either laugh or sneer. It's a scare tactic, they say. It'll never happen.  Last year, however, as Canada legalized same-sex marriage, Prime Minister Paul Martin commissioned a $150,000 study to debunk the polygamy argument. Big mistake: The study confirmed the scare tactic by recommending that Canada repeal its anti-polygamy law.  It also suggested that a legal challenge to Canada's anti-polygamy laws would succeed. . . Confession time: I am one of those who, for years, has argued that legalizing same-sex marriage would not open the door for polygamy. The limit for marriages would remain two, I argued. Two doesn't mean three or four.  Wrong. In these politically correct times, do-gooders expand definitions until words -- or institutions -- lose all meaning. Marriage can mean what you want it to mean. . .

• When marriage isn't God's will   BP News, TN, By Mark Coppenger- Baptist Press, Jan 17, 2006
  . . . I never stop marveling at the way in which those who profess Christ will barge ahead with romances and even marriage plans where the Bible gives them no encouragement whatsoever. When the “love” bug bites, they will toss aside scruples, ignore Scripture, alienate their believing friends, horrify their family and embarrass the church. They will even fornicate and cohabitate as they slide into marriage. And though they may make a gesture or two toward breaking it off, they’ll then mope around as martyrs, only to spring back into each other’s arms at the slightest prompting from their fevered brows. As a ministerial colleague volunteered last week, there’s virtually no talking them out of it. . . Relationships can be wonderful -- unless, that is, they violate God’s counsel. But God’s counsel is usually displaced in this culture, relegated to the back shelves, well behind the prime stock of affections, affirmations and commiserations. Even in church. Some call it the “Oprahfication of America.” . . .
  

• Want to Be Wealthy? Try Marriage  CNNMoney.com, January 18, 2006
  NEW YORK - Saying 'I do' is supposed to be for love, but recent research suggests that it is also a way of building wealth. The study, published in the Journal of Sociology by Ohio State University researcher Jay Zagorsky, revealed that individuals who get married and stay married have a net worth almost twice as great as their single or divorced counterparts. . .

• Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown heading for divorce court?   GameSHOUT, January 18, 2006
  After a 14-year marriage, it is reported that singer Bobby Brown is divorcing Whitney Houston. Brown, 36, has been telling colleagues  and friends that he is planning to divorce Houston. . . A backstage source told the Daily News, "While flirting with a bunch of women, they asked, 'What's up with your wife?' Bobby said, 'We ain't together no more. We're getting a divorce.'" . . .
  

• Andie MacDowell to wed   People magazine, January 18, 2006
  Only a year ago Andie MacDowell seemed resigned to being a single mother, but now the actress is preparing to walk down the aisle with her new fiancé, businessman Kevin Geagan. . . Another thing they have in common: parenthood. Geagan has three daughters, while MacDowell is mom to Justin, 19, Rainey, 16, and Sarah Margaret, 11, by her first husband, model-turned-contractor Paul Qualley, to whom she was married for 13 years before their 1999 split. In October 2004 MacDowell's second marriage, to former high school classmate Rhett Hartzog, also ended. . .
  
  
• Hilary Swank Hopes to Save Marriage  ABC News, January 18, 2006
  --Hilary Swank and her husband, Chad Lowe, recently announced their separation, but the Oscar-winning actress says they hope to rescue their eight-year marriage. "We're still trying to save it," Swank told syndicated TV entertainment show "Access Hollywood" at the Golden Globe Awards, which were presented Monday in Beverly Hills, California. "It's not over, we're not divorced. We've been together for over 13 years, and there's a lot of love there.".
  
  
• David Hasselhoff Files for Divorce  Spotlightingnews.com, Jan 17, 2006
  According to late reports, Baywatch star David Hasselhoff announced yesterday that he decided to file for divorce from his wife, actress Pamela Bach, after 16 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. . .

• Gay marriage - - where do teachers stand?   Renewamerica.us, D.C., By Sharon Hughes, Jan 17, 2006
  While pundits are debating whether "Brokeback Mountain" may herald acceptance of gay marriage, many taxpayers and teachers may be surprised to learn that almost a year ago the California Teacher's Association (CTA) endorsed AB19 supporting gay marriage. . . The Capitol Resource Institute asked, "What is the CTA doing lobbying for gay marriage? Why are union dues being spent to support this venture? The CTA's own mission statement limits their involvement to issues affecting teachers as professionals. How is gay marriage an issue that professionally affects teachers?" In Collins' letter he states that the endorsement was "voted by some 800 teacher-delegates from throughout the state." But does this endorsement represent the majority of California teachers? . . .

• Study proposes legalizing polygamy  Today's Family News- CANADA, January 18, 2006
  Parliament should decriminalize polygamy because the courts would likely strike down the law banning it as unconstitutional, according to a government-funded study by three Queen’s University law professors. . . Focus on the Family Canada, which has been working hard to promote traditional marriage in Canada, is not surprised that the institution is under further assault. “There is little comfort in saying ‘I told you so,’ said Focus on the Family Canada senior vice president Derek Rogusky. “However, whenever anyone raised polygamy as an issue in the debate over the definition of marriage, they were quickly accused of being a fear-mongerer and out of touch. Now we have three professors from Queens University with a government-funded study telling us that polygamy should be legal in Canada, too. Unfortunately, this doesn’t come as a shock because the supporters of polygamy are advancing the very same arguments that allowed marriage to be redefined in the first place.” . . .
  
  RELATED STUDY:  Polygamy in Canada: Legal and Social Implications for Women and Children – A Collection of Policy Research Reports  Last updated Jan 13, 2006
  
  
• (Austrailian) Govt defends block to same sex marriage The Age, Australia - Jan 17, 2006
  Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has defended his department's action in attempting to block a legal same-sex marriage overseas. The Australian Embassy in Vienna refused Melbourne man Peter Kakucska a certificate confirming his single status once it became clear he needed it to marry his male partner Markus Muehlmann, an Austrian national. . . Australian embassies provide this proof in the form of a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage, or a Single Status Certificate. . . The embassy issued him with a statement that read: "Following the advice of the Australian Attorney-General's Department we herewith certify that Australian law does not allow the issue of a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage to persons wishing to enter into a same-sex marriage.". . .

• Marriage and Caste
  America's chief source of inequality? The Marriage Gap  City Journal, By Kay S. Hymowitz, January 17, 2006
  For a while it looked like Hurricane Katrina would accomplish what the NAACP never could: reviving civil rights liberalism as a major force in American politics. There it was for the whole world to see: the United States was two nations, one rich, one poor and largely black, one driving away in the family SUV to sleep in the snug guest rooms of suburban friends and relatives, the other sunk in the fetid misery of the Superdome. . . But what two-America talk doesn’t get is just how much these ominous trends are entangled with the collapse of the nuclear family. While Americans have been squabbling about gay marriage, they have managed to miss the real marriage-and-social-justice issue, one that affects far more people and threatens to undermine the American project.  We are now a nation of separate and unequal families not only living separate and unequal lives but, more worrisome, destined for separate and unequal futures. . . But one can’t disentangle the economic from the family piece. Given that families socialize children for success—or not—and given how marriage orders lives, they are the same problem. Separate and unequal families produce separate and unequal economic fates. . .

• Feminism isn't dead, but a new book wounds it badly Townhall.com, By Mona Charen,  Jan 13, 2006
  Some women protest, "I'm a feminist, just not a radical feminist." Kate O'Beirne is impatient with such qualifications. She is not any kind of feminist, and when you finish her sparkling new book "Women Who Make the World Worse," you won't be one either. . . Feminists now claim that they were never against marriage and family. But O'Beirne has kept the quotes in her files. In 1971, Ms. Magazine founder Robin Morgan called marriage "a slavery-like practice," adding that "We cannot destroy the inequities between men and women until we destroy marriage." Australian feminist guru Germaine Greer recommended that all women leave their husbands in search of more satisfying "rambling organic structures" (sounds vaguely unhygienic). And Jessie Bernard, a Pennsylvania State University sociologist, asserted that the "destructive nature" of marriage was both figuratively and literally making women sick. . .
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Debunking militant feminist orthodoxy  TownHall.com, By David Limbaugh, Jan 31, 2006

• Report: Jolie and Pitt Expecting Baby  ABC News.com, January 11, 2006
  — People magazine is reporting that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are expecting a child together. People, which hits stands Friday, features exclusive photographs of a visibly pregnant Jolie, 30, getting off a plane in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with Pitt, 42, and her two children, Maddox and Zahara. Galina Espinoza, senior editor at People, said a friend who met Jolie at the airport on Monday noticed her bump and asked whether she was expecting. Jolie said she was, adding she was due in the summer. Espinoza said the story was confirmed by both Pitt's and Jolie's representatives. . .
  
  RELATED ARTICLE:  Angelina Jolie Pregnant  People magazine, January 11, 2006

• Eminem, Ex-Wife Apply for Marriage License  ABC News.com, January 11, 2006
  — Slim Shady and his ex-wife are going to get married again. Kim Mathers has applied for a license to marry Marshall Bruce Mathers III, aka Eminem, the Macomb County clerk's office said Wednesday. The license was to be ready on Thursday. The couple has 33 days from the application date to remarry in Michigan. . .
  
  
• Pink Marries Motorcross Racer Carey Hart   MSNBC.com, January 9, 2006
  - Singer Pink and motocross racer Carey Hart tied the knot in Costa Rica on Saturday. More than 100 guests attended the wedding, which was held on the beach at the Four Seasons resort, People magazine reported. . .
  

• Here’s Hoping Black Men Recognize Their Sisters’ Divinity in the New Year  BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Deborah Mathis, January 8, 2006
  This is for the untold numbers of sistahs who are hoping that 2006 will be the year they find the love of their lives -- and for the brothas who need to recognize that the gold diggers, the skanks and the hoochies are sorely outnumbered by the millions who have only the best of intentions. Most of us want romance and devotion. Some of us just would like the promise of it. The possibility of it.  A bit of assurance that, one day soon or right now if we’d like, there will be another kind of dazzle in our nights other than fleece coverlets, warring lions and hyenas and a pint of fattening goodness from Baskin Robbins. One of these days, there will be a man, whether at the door, in the parlor or a phone call away. A man who makes us laugh, who can handle the little girl, the vixen, the bitch on wheels, the sophisticate, the domestic goddess, the careerist -- all that we are. . .

• My Resolution for 2006? Keeping the Counter – and My Life – Clutter-Free   BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, January 9, 2006
  . . . That’s it. Nothing fancy. This year, I decided to keep it simple and do something I could easily accomplish, something I could focus on and where success was easily gauged. Upon hearing this declaration, my wife sucked her teeth. She, of course, had expressed an earnest desire to make more money, start her new business and deepen friendships. How dare I respond with something as pitiful as keeping the counter clean? Well, sometimes it is the little things in life that make the biggest difference. Of course, the kitchen counter is only a metaphor. As I explained to my wife, this year I intend on simplifying my life. . .

• Marriage from hell  Local Government International Bureau, UK - Jan 6, 2006
  Registry offices in towns across Holland have been flooded with marriage requests from couples who want to get hitched on the somewhat satanic date of 6/6/06. The Book of Revelations refers to 666 as the ‘Number of the Beast’. In the Dutch city of Enschede, 17 couples have already applied to get married on 6 June 2006, up from two or three on an average Tuesday, while Rotterdam has had 14 requests, compared with its usual figure of six to eight. . .

• 'The perfect ending to the perfect marriage'   Kansas City Star, MO, By Steve Rock - Jan 6, 2006
  This is how their love story ends. There was no other way, really. Walter and Eleanor Seigler of Raytown spent the best 60 years of their lives together. They were practically inseparable, their kids say, and had a storybook romance that bore seven children and a lifetime of happiness. Best friends, they were. Confidantes for life. So when Dad passed away in mid-December after his organs shut down at age 88, the kids figured Mom wouldn’t be with them much longer. She died peacefully in her sleep just 13 hours later.... She died peacefully in her sleep just 13 hours later. . .

• Q & A: He can't see cracks in broken marriage  Lowell Sun, MA - Jan 6, 2006
  DEAR AMY: I discovered that my husband of 35 years has been in contact (for several years) with his high school girlfriend via e-mail. I happened to see an old e-mail that was saved on the computer, which had terms of endearment in it and referred to their recent times together. After asking him about the e-mail and his actual contact with her, he said that I was overreacting, and that if he really wanted to be with her he would have left me. I've requested that we go into therapy, and he has said no because he hasn't done anything wrong. Needless to say, I am so hurt. -- Feeling Betrayed
  A: DEAR BETRAYED: Your husband seems to have confused therapy with the penitentiary. You don't go to therapy when you've done something "wrong." Therapy isn't the last stop for incorrigible husbands.  

• Chinese hire private eyes before marriage  United Press International, Jan 5, 2006
  The Chinese are increasingly turning to private detectives to check out prospective spouses before they tie the knot. China Daily reports that in some cases parents are the ones who want to make sure that their children will not get any nasty surprises after marriage. "Marriage is not kid's play," said George Huang of the Shanghai Tondorer Private Detective Co. "Those parents just hope to see their children make the right choices." The detectives check available financial records, shadow targets and sometimes try to socialize with their friends to find out how others view them. . .

• Marriage is great equalizer for blacks   USA Today, By Roland Warren, Jan 5, 2006
  As a happily married man, I have been troubled by the oft-stated myth that the institution of wedlock has never been central to the African-American heritage. Unfortunately, this view has permeated the African-American community and society at large. Now, it may be single-handedly holding back blacks in their pursuit of social, economic and educational progress. . .  . Alex Haley wrote Roots based on the belief that he was the descendant of an African slave named Kunta Kinte. Roots tells the story of his family, starting with Kunta's birth. Although some of Haley's research has been contested, Roots can teach us some valuable lessons, including one that few seem to discuss. . .

• Update 2: Quirky Prenup Deal Doesn't Save Marriage   Forbes.com- AP, Jan 5, 2006
  Sally Erickson and Renzie Davidson thought they had the secret to marital bliss. But the eccentric list of demands outlined in their prenuptial agreement, including mandatory backrubs and a $5 nagging fee, still couldn't save their marriage. Now Erickson is suing Davidson for fraud, alleging he divorced her in secret more than two years ago, according to Seminole County court records. Before exchanging vows in 2001, the couple agreed to a quirky prenuptial agreement. Erickson promised to cook breakfast at least four times a week, and, in return, "Renzie will not wake Sally up on her 'off days,'" according to the document. The agreement also required Davidson to rub Erickson's back three times a week for five minutes.
  

More Marriage News: December 2005

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