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"MARRIAGE" In The News
(November 2006)

Enter Our Blog Spot!

"Marriage In The News" is not a representation of The Real Proposal magazine...

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.

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  • How to stay married  The Times Online- UK, By Stephanie Coontz, November 30, 2006
    As married couples become a minority, our correspondent argues that the best way to keep a marriage strong and healthy is to retain a close network of friends. . . . Now, for the first time, married-couple households are a minority in both the UK and the US, outnumbered by single-person households and cohabiting couples. In the US 49 per cent of all households contain married couples. In the UK it is even fewer — 45 per cent in 2005, a drop from 54 per cent in 1996. This has caused consternation among people who believe that we could restore the primacy of marriage in modern life if we could just get couples to invest more energy in their marriages. But the idea that a romantic partner can meet all our needs is a very recent invention. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Marriage as learned behavior: Can divorce be foretold?  Seattle Times- US, By Kyung M. Song, July 27, 2005
As married couples become a minority, our correspondent argues that the best way to keep a marriage strong and healthy is to retain a close network of friends.


Will Kate Middleton Be the Newest Princess?

  • Eva Longoria surprised by marriage proposal after work  Houston Chronicle- AP, Nov 30, 2006
    — Eva Longoria is engaged to her beau, San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker.  "Tony flew into Los Angeles last night after his game and surprised Eva at her home as she got off work," Liza Anderson told the Associated Press on Thursday via e-mail. "The proposal was romantic and perfect. The couple plans to wed in France in the summer of 2007 in what they describe as a big, happy ceremony with lots of family and friends." . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Eva Longoria & Tony Parker Engaged  People magazine, By Bryan Alexander,  November 30, 2006

  • Nicole Kidman Opens Up About Marriage To Tom    All Headline News, November 30, 2006
    - If you were to open the book to her once fairy tale life, Nicole Kidman would still be married to Tom Cruise. . . . The 39-year-old told Vogue magazine, "Honestly, I would have stayed married for the rest of my life. It's not like I regret who I was in that marriage, I don't at all. It was eleven years of my life. It wasn't 50 years, it turned out to be 11."  She added, "You get the advice, 'Don't get married when you're 22,' and you just think, 'They don't know what they're talking about!' But now I look back and think, 'Oh, there's probably some truth to that.'". . .
Nicole Kidman Opens Up About Marriage To Tom

  • Cheers, boos as South Africa legalises gay marriage  Reuters South  Africa,By Andrew Quinn, November 30, 2006
    - South Africa on Thursday legalised gay marriage, the first country to do so on a continent where homosexuality is widely taboo. "Acting President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has signed into law the Civil Union Act 2006," the presidency said in a statement, adding that the new law was effective immediately. The low-key signing of the new law reflected political sensitivities over gay marriage, which conservative and religious groups have declared immoral and out of step with African tradition. . . . "To force the morality of the radical homosexual minority on the people of South Africa through law is, in effect, to lead the masses astray," a group calling itself the Christian Action Network said in a statement on Thursday. Gay marriage has also upset social conservatives, who say that homosexuality is un-African and taboo -- attitudes which hold across much of the rest of the continent. . .


    RELATED ARTICLE:  Gay marriage uproar   Business Day, November 25, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Will traditions change with gay marriage?  Independent Online, South Africa, By Lumka Oliphant, November 18 2006


Queer Inc.  How Corporate America fell in love with gays and lesbians. It's a movement.
  • Queer Inc.
    How Corporate America fell in love with gays and lesbians. It's a movement.
      CNN Money (Fortune magazine), By Marc Gunther- Fortune senior writer,  November 30 2006
    . . . . Last June the gay rights movement quietly achieved a milestone: For the first time, more than half of Fortune 500 companies - 263, to be precise - offered health benefits for domestic partners, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Ten years ago only 28 did. Along with health benefits for their families, many workers also get bereavement leave when their same-sex partner dies, adoption assistance or paid leave if they have children and relocation assistance for their partners if they are transferred. Put another way, gay marriage - an idea that has been banned by all but one of 27 states that have voted on it - has become a fact of life inside many big companies. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Corporate America gets 'gay'-friendlier: Biggest names in U.S. business applauded for promoting alternative sexual lifestyles  World Net Daily, Spetember 20, 2006


RELATED ARTICLE:
 
America’s pro-homosexual giants: 2006  World Net Daily, September 20, 2006


RELATED ARTICLE:
 
Christian Exodus banned from Google ads- Search engine cites 'sensitive content' despite OK for homosexual firms  World NetDaily, July 21, 2005


RELATED ARTICLE:
 
Gay agenda means less freedom for all  Townhall.com- By Star Parker, May 29, 2006


RELATED ARTICLE:  AFA Chairman Urges Consumers Not to Support Pro-Homosexual Companies   Agape Press, By Allie Martin, July 15, 2005


RELATED ARTICLE:
   Companies confused over gay rights   CNN International, July 13, 2005


RELATED ARTICLE:
 
Ford Motor Company Supports Homosexual 'Marriage' Movement   LifesiteNews.com-Canada, June 2, 2005


RELATED ARTICLE:
 
Kodak fires man over 'gay' stance   World Net Daily, Oct 24, 2002


  • Who’s doing the most to attack marriage?  The Clinton Herald,  By Scott T. Holland, November 29, 2006
    The institution of marriage in this country is under attack.  I didn’t use to believe that, but I’m starting to come around. But my recent mind shift has nothing to do with the usual suspects and everything to do with three beautiful people — Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Britney Spears. I’d throw in Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson, but he’s not beautiful and I’m not so sure she’s still medically a person. Recent news accounts of the marital affairs of Cruise, Holmes and Spears are enough to make a traditionalist turn away in shame. But it’s not just that these events happened, it’s that they were treated as news and, ultimately, that the American public gobbles the information like so much leftover turkey. . . . So why lump Cruise and Holmes in the same mix? . . .  . .Think about that the next time you’re in line at the supermarket. Look at the magazine headlines and see how marriage is trivialized. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Don't Let Tom Cruise Ruin Your Marriage  Easier- UK , Nov 29, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE:   Celebrities gone wild  Townhall.com, By Rich Lowry, July 6, 2005

  • The Silence of the Wedding Bells   Opinion Editorials, By Carey Roberts, Nov 29, 2006
    Am I the only one who is worried about the collapse of the traditional American family right before our very eyes? Census Bureau bureaucrats are not in the habit of making apocalyptic pronouncements, but last year Mark Mather reported that the “dramatic decline” in the married population is “one of the biggest demographic stories of the past several decades.” . . . . For sure, the great majority of young women say they plan to get married and have kids some day. So why has Cosmo replaced Bride magazine in the supermarket check-out lines? Some experts cite the “greater economic independence of women,” as if a single mom scraping by on a welfare check is what female liberation is all about. Others argue that Americans are simply delaying the age of marriage, suggesting that women who are nervously watching their biological clocks just need to be a little more patient. But there’s one fact that’s hard to dispute: our country faces an acute shortage of marriage-minded men. . . . Now, hooking-up is replacing that quaint courtship ritual that used to be known as “dating.” . . . .
The silence of the wedding bells.

RELATED ARTICLE:  A Case for Strengthening Marriage   The Washington Post, By Leah Ward Sears, October 30, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Why falling marriage rates are bad for the culture  ScrippsNews, By Betsy Hart, October 26, 2006


  • Where's Your Daddy?  Up & Coming magazine,  By Margaret Dickson, November 29, 2006
    I read, or least peruse, two newspapers a day, sometimes more. The day before Thanksgiving, many papers carried an Associated Press story which confirms a fact of American life I have long suspected and dreaded.  It is definitely a "good news, bad news" story. . . . .We were, and are, an egalitarian generation, believing in the rights and the dignity of all human beings.  But in our sincere desire not to stigmatize or penalize the innocent babies born out of wedlock, a situation which used to be called "illegitimate," we may well have gone too far. In our tenderhearted zeal to make sure such children are welcome in our culture, we may have unwittingly consigned many innocent babies to childhoods, perhaps entire life spans, of poverty and all the hardships which accompany it.  This is not true in every out-of-wedlock birth, of course, and certainly not for the children of Madonna and Jodie Foster, . . . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    U.S. births by unwed moms at record high Chicago Tribune, By Mike Stobbe- Associated Press, November 22, 2006

  • 'Bachelor' Lorenzo Borghese: 'I decided about two hours before the ceremony' Reality TV World, By Steve Rogers, Nov 28, 2006
    Prince Lorenzo Borghese might have appeared confident in his decision to pick Jennifer Wilson over Sadie Murray during Monday night's The Bachelor: Rome finale broadcast, however according to the bachelor himself, his pick was pretty much a last minute decision. "I decided about two hours before the final Rose Ceremony and it was obviously a very difficult decision because I had strong feelings for both Jen and Sadie," told reporters during a Tuesday afternoon conference call in which the newly revealed couple met with the media. . . .
AND THE FINAL ROSE GOES TO...JENNIFER_ The Bachelor- ROME- Credit ABC

  • THE BACHELOR-ROME: THE FINALE   TV Grapevine, By Gypsyagogo (Debbie Maras), Nov 28, 2006
    Well, Monday night gave loyal viewers of the Bachelor-Rome everything they have been waiting for and more.  The 25 ladies have been reduced down to the final two, Jen and Sadie. . . . All of this civilized meet and greet comes to an abrupt halt when Lorenzo’s mother invites both of the girl’s parents to join them for brunch the following day.  Now this is where the show gets good!. . . .

Did 'Borat' Cause Pam And Kid's Split?

  • Lights, camera, nuptials!
    Celebrity weddings are big business for magazines - just ask Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
    The Sydney Morning Herald, By Andrew Stephens, Nov 26, 2006
    . . . . In Australia alone, New Idea, Woman's Day, NW, Who [People], Famous and OK! Weekly battle it out to satisfy a ravenous appetite for celebs saying their vows. The latest big marriage, of course, is that of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, who tied the knot last weekend. Already they have inspired a seemingly inexhaustible supply of stories. By having their baby before the wedding, TomKat subverted the usual sequence - engagement, marriage, baby, divorce - that is the mainstay of magazines. . . . As to why we are so interested in the stars getting married, Melbourne University professor of cinema studies Angela Ndalianis hits the nail on the head. In her book Stars In Our Eyes: The Star Phenomena In The Contemporary Era, she observes that celebrity is the new form of monarchy: megastars are seen as "truly gifted", floating above the semi-gifted who "continue to enter the ranks of stardom at an exponential (and some would say indiscriminate) rate.". . . .
Lights, Camera, Nuptials! Celebrity weddings are big business for magazines- just ask Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

RELATED ARTICLE:  AMERICA’S IDOLS Why the Obsession With the Rich and Famous?  The Real Truth magazine, By Justin T. Palm, Nov-Dec 2006 Issue

RELATED ARTICLE: 
People who need People-  Sucking up to celebs builds mag as TW money machine  Variety magazine, By Jill Goldsmith, July 9, 2006


  • Groom killed on eve of his wedding: Was police shooting justified?  7Online.com, NY, By Lucy Yang, November 26, 2006 
     The medical examiner has released its report. The question on everyone's mind: How is that five police officers showered a group of unarmed men with 50 bullets?  Our team coverage continues now with Lucy Yang. She has the latest information on the investigation from Jamaica. Crime scene investigators were at the scene a short while ago gathering evidence. Candles were lit for the shooting victims tonight, but only if it were that easy to shed light on the troubling killing. . . . Tonight, the medical examiner has released its report. According to autopsy, 23-year-old Sean Bell was hit four times on the right side of his neck, his right shoulder, right hip, and right arm. He died of perforation to larynx, lungs and liver. The young father of two was just wrapping up the bachelor's party at the topless club in Queens, and was hours away from walking down the aisle with his high school sweetheart Saturday when tragically he got caught in a police operation. . .


    RELATED ARTICLE:  
    Bloomberg believes 'excessive force' was used in deadly shooting  Staten Island Advance, By Sara Kugler- AP, November 27, 2006

Troubled by marriage, money. Along with his job, the freelance cartoonist in Friday's standoff at Miami newspaper was grappling with impending divorce and debt.
  • Troubled by marriage, money
    Along with his job, the freelance cartoonist in Friday's standoff at Miami newspaper was grappling with impending divorce and debt
       Newsday, NY (McClatchy Newspapers), Nov 26, 2006
     - Friday morning, El Nuevo Herald freelance cartoonist Jose Varela called his brother-in-law and said, "Take care of my kids. Don't let them watch TV today."  Varela, dressed in a black FBI polo shirt and concealing what turned out to be a toy machine gun, spoke to a Miami Herald Media Co. security guard, then headed up to El Nuevo Herald's sixth-floor newsroom. Once there, he barricaded himself for 3 1/2 hours in the office of El Nuevo Herald executive editor Humberto Castello before surrendering to police. No one was hurt. . . .Varela, an award-winning cartoonist and black belt in karate who will turn 51 tomorrow, had been struggling with personal problems, including a disintegrating marriage and financial difficulties. . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Man With Toy Gun Disrupts Miami Herald  New4Jax.com, November 24, 2006

  • Pakistan: The law that lets women be raped changes... a little The Sunday Times Online- UK, By Christina Lamb, Islamabad, November 26, 2006
    . . . One woman is raped every two hours and one gang-raped every eight hours, according to the country’s independent Human Rights Commission. But under the ordinance introduced in 1979 by the dictator General Zia ul-Haq as part of an Islamisation campaign, rape cases have to be dealt with in sharia courts. Victims need four male witnesses to the crime — or face prosecution for adultery. More than 2,000 women are in jail for intercourse — either victims of rape or those who have eloped to marry for love and have then been reported, usually by one of their parents. . . .

  • India: New nikahnama for Shia women   Zee News, November 26, 2006
    In a major move aimed at protecting women, the All India Shia Personal Law Board on Sunday unanimously approved a model 'nikahnama' (marriage contract) that gives them the same rights as men for divorce. . . . "It will not be obligatory," he said, adding it would be implemented with the consent of both parties to a marriage. . . . .  Terming it a "visionary and a progressive" move, Board Secretary Zaheer Abbas Rizvi said the wife would have the right to seek divorce if she is cheated and barred from her rights to education and improving her life. Women can use the nikahnama against men who get married by providing false and misleading information. They can also seek divorce if the groom disappears for two years, if he does not inquire about the wife for months together, does not fulfill her essential needs, or uses physical force or forces her to have sexual relations with other men. . . . . .

  • The Economist's moral blinkers
    Many people have traded in their brains for a subscription to world's best news magazine. Are they better off?
     
    MercatorNet.com, By Michael Cook, November 25, 2006

    . . . . More than a magazine, The Economist is an institution – a relic of the Victorian era founded upon the economics of Adam Smith and the morals of John Stuart Mill which has adapted superbly to modern times. In the post-modern age of fragmentation and doubt its business is certitude. But with flair. . . Even its rivals are glowing in their praise. . . . How could the world's best news magazine be so wrong-headed about killing babies?  The Economist prides itself upon "its objective, factual writing, rather than... emotive journalism", but on nearly every important moral issue, the ghost of John Stuart Mill whispers that morality must be dismissed as an inconvenient superstition. Should the West shower Africa with condoms to prevent AIDS? Naturally -- "morality must take second place". Same sex marriage? Obviously -- "The case for allowing gays to marry begins with equality, pure and simple." Legalise prostitution? Why not? "What consenting adults do in private is their own business." Should Olympians take drugs? -- It is "shrill" and "intolerant" to suggest otherwise. And so on. . . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      The case for gay marriage   The Economist  (Paid Subscription Required), Feb 26, 2004
The Economist's moral blinkers. Many people have traded in their brains for a subscription to the world's best news magazine.

RELATED ARTICLE:  The Washington Post Pushes Polygamy On 'Mainstream Society'  Newsbusters.org, Posted by Tim Graham on November 21, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  NY Times Magazine's Radical 'Mash Note' For the Gay Vogue  NewsBusters, By Tim Graham, Nov 20, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  By 58- 36%, Most Want Ban on Same-Sex Marriage, Yet Gibson says Public 'Evenly Split'   NewsBusters.org, Posted By Brent Baker, June 6, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Media provides cover for assault on traditional marriage  CNN.com, By James C. Dobson, June 28, 2006


  • Porn in the pews - Churchmen wrestle with addiction The Jamaica Gleaner, By Dale McNish, November 25, 2006
    There is very little or no erotica between my wife and I. When we have sex, it seems she does it out of duty. I look at images and watch movies to get sexually excited. At times I will relieve myself, other times I will go to my wife and play out a fantasy in my head. - Courtney . . . . . Male church members surfing for sexy pics, survey reveals one-in-five churchmen regularly view pornographic websites, while an estimated two-thirds struggle with their appetite for virtual sex, a survey has found. Faced with this growing problem, churches are now turning to sex education and Internet spyware to try and lessen the impact as well as promote sexual purity among their flocks. . . . The survey findings coincide with revelations from international gospel superstar Kirk Franklin who blew the cover on his own addiction to porn. His confession of sexual transgression has caused the once taboo issues of pornography, masturbation and other sexually compulsive activities to become hotly debated topics in congregations. . . .

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney Sues to Compel Vote on Same-Sex Marriage Amendment.
  • Massachusetts Governor Sues to Compel Vote on Same-Sex Marriage Amendment   NEW YORK TIMES (Free Subscription), By Katie Zezima, Nov 25, 2006
    BOSTON, Nov. 24 — Gov. Mitt Romney filed a lawsuit Friday asking the state’s highest court to order the legislature to vote on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage or to place it on the 2008 ballot if lawmakers do not take up the provision. The legislature voted 109 to 87 on Nov. 9 to recess a constitutional convention before the measure was taken up, which appeared to kill it. The convention was recessed until Jan. 2, the last day of the legislative session. More than 170,000 people have signed a petition asking the legislature to amend the state’s Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. Massachusetts is the only state that permits it. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      The people's voice on gay marriage  Boston Globe, By Jeff Jacoby, October 5, 2005

  • Marriage no longer in fashion in France  Indianapolis Star- US, Nov 24, 2006
    ... In France, the country that evokes more images of romance than perhaps any other, marriage has increasingly fallen out of favor. Growing numbers of couples build family lives without religious or civil approval of their partnerships. In the past generation, the French marriage rate has plunged more than 30 percent, even as population and birthrates have been rising. . . . . Marriage is in decline across northern Europe, from Scandinavia to France, a pattern some sociologists describe as a "soft revolution" in European society -- a generational shift away from Old World traditions and institutions toward a greater emphasis on personal independence. But French couples are abandoning the formality of marriage faster than most of their European neighbors and far more rapidly than their American counterparts: French marriage rates are 45 percent below U.S. figures. . . . .

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  • Rhode Island Judge Faces Legal Quandary as Gay Couple Seeks Divorce  FOXNEWS.com-AP, November 23, 2006
    —  A lesbian couple married in Massachusetts has filed for divorce in Rhode Island, setting up a legal conundrum for judges in a state where the laws are silent on the legality of same-sex marriage. . . . Rhode Island Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah Jeremiah Jr. has yet to decide whether his court has jurisdiction and said he believes it is the first filing for a same-sex divorce in the state. . . . . Courts nationwide could soon find themselves facing similar dilemmas, especially as more and more same-sex couples are married in Massachusetts, said Janet Halley, a professor at Harvard Law School who researches the topic. Marital status could potentially become an issue in insurance, benefit, child custody and property cases, among others. . . .

  • Six year-olds in 'wedding' in school's marriage teach-in  Inspire Magazine- UK,  November 23, 2006
    Two young pupils from Stackpole School are set to become Wales' youngest married couple ... The two, both aged six, have been picked to play the part of bride and groom tomorrow (24 November) in a full scale mock wedding. The service in Stackpole Church, Pembrokeshire, which is the brainchild of teacher Mrs Sandra Bryant, will fully replicate a normal wedding and will be followed by a wedding dinner and an evening disco at the school. . . . "It is part of our active learning approach. The children have been involved in every aspect of the preparation and fully understand the religious significance. The learning that has developed from this project has been truly fantastic. It will be something they will remember forever." . . . .


Seal, Klum Have 2nd Child Together

Little Miss Diddys' Pretty in Pink baby shower
  • Little Miss Diddys' Pretty in Pink baby shower  The Celebrity Baby Blog, Nov 22, 2006
    Who puts a an $88,000 R-class Mercedes Benz on their baby registry but thinks a $17,000 diamond-encrusted pacifier is outrageous?  Sean "Diddy" Combs and his girlfriend Kim Porter of course!  At Sunday's "Little Miss Diddys' Pretty in Pink" baby shower Diddy and Kim feted the mid-December arrival of their twin girls. . . . Something seems off about this story.  Either he's not telling the whole story - or maybe is exagerating for effect - or she waited at least 8 weeks to tell him she was expecting because that's around the time you go for the first ultrasound. . . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:  No Ordinary Love: Sean "Diddy" Combs and Kim Porter  Essence magazine, By Jeannine Amber, December 2006 Issue

    RELATED ARTICLE:  It's a pity for a man to be a Diddy  Newsday.com, By Katti Gray, November 20, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Black Teens Disheartened Toward Marriage: Poor examples are making marriage elusive in their eyes  Eurweb.com- Agape Press-CA, Sept 11, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  The ‘Seven R’s Pledge’ Reminds Us What Kind of Men We Should Be  BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, Feb 28, 2006


  • U.S. births by unwed moms at record high Chicago Tribune, By Mike Stobbe- Associated Press, November 22, 2006
    ATLANTA -- Out-of-wedlock births in the United States have climbed to an all-time high, accounting for nearly 4 in 10 babies born last year, government health officials said Tuesday. While out-of-wedlock births have long been associated with teen mothers, the birthrate among girls ages 10 to 17 dropped last year to the lowest level on record. Births among unwed mothers rose most dramatically among women in their 20s. Experts said the overall rise reflects the burgeoning number of people who are putting off marriage or living together without getting married. They said it also reflects the fact that having a child out of wedlock has grown more acceptable. . . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Moral turpitude aint what it used to be  Townhall.com, By Kathleen Parker, November 26, 2005
U.S. births by unwed moms at record high

  • When two bridegrooms go on honeymoon  Mail & Guardian Online, South Africa - By Hila Bouzaglou, Nov 22, 2006
    . . . South Africa will soon become one in only five countries in the world to legalise same-sex marriage, after Parliament gave the nod to the Civil Union Bill in November this year. Considering that South Africa may become a popular destination for same-sex couples to visit and get married, hotels are looking to tap into pink money -- the gay currency referring to an income without dependents. . . . But are South African hotels ready to deal with Mr and Mr, or Mrs and Mrs, after the rice has been thrown?. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Will traditions change with gay marriage?  Independent Online, South Africa, By Lumka Oliphant, November 18 2006 

Free Viagra spices up life in small Brazilian town
  • Free Viagra spices up life in small Brazilian town  Mail & Guardian Online (Reuters)- South Africa, Nov 21, 2006
    The mayor of a small Brazilian town has begun handing out free Viagra, spicing up the sex lives of dozens of elderly men and their partners. "Since we started the free distribution of sexual stimulants, our elderly population changed. They're much happier," said Joao de Souza Luz, the mayor of Novo Santo Antonio, a small town in the central state of Mato Grosso. Souza Luz said 68 men over the age of 60 had already signed up for the programme, which was approved by the town's legislature and has been dubbed "Happy Penis," or "Pinto Alegre" in Portuguese. But the programme has also had the unforeseen consequence. . . . . .

Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance write a book

Bigamist 'butt' busted by wife No. 4
  • Bigamist 'butt' busted by wife No. 4  Boston Globe- AP, Nov 21, 2006
    --A man who dresses up as a giant cigarette and uses hip-hop music to encourage children in Lynchburg and beyond to avoid smoking pleaded guilty Tuesday to bigamy. Phillip Dale Williams, 37, had as many as four wives at the same time, Chuck Felmlee, deputy commonwealth's attorney, said. Williams' fourth wife, Lashawn Stevenson, became suspicious earlier this year when her husband began receiving child support notices in the mail. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      Bigamist told sons their mother had died   Scotsman.con, By Steve Smith and Craig Brown in Raymondville, Texas, Nov 21, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE:  She's a bigamist many times  Al.com, By Gene Owens, October 24, 2006

  • The Washington Post Pushes Polygamy On 'Mainstream Society'  Newsbusters.org, Posted by Tim Graham on November 21, 2006
    Tuesday’s Post carried a strangely typical story on polygamy today in the bottom right-hand corner of the front page. The headline was "Polygamists Fight to Be Seen As Part of Mainstream Society." Reporter John Pomfret’s story did not offer both sides of the polygamy debate. It aired quite a bit of assertion from polygamy practitioners in Utah, matched only by local law enforcement officials that have largely accepted the practice, prosecuting only crimes around the edges, like sex with child brides. The story features no outraged feminists at the patriarchy in these relationships. There are no religious authorities or academics to take exception to it, or even non-religious critics like Stanley Kurtz of National Review Online. In short, it’s a thinly disguised testimonial packet.  Compare this article to the front-page story Alan Cooperman and Peter Whoriskey wrote last week on the churches maintaining their teachings on homosexuality as a sin, headlined "3 Christian Groups Move to Condemn Gay Sex." That story was much more balanced, with religious traditionalists debating advocates of a Jesus of "radical hospitality" toward gays. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      Polygamists Fight to Be Seen As Part of Mainstream Society  Washington Post- US, By John Pomfret, Nov 20, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE:  3 Christian Groups Move To Condemn Gay Sex  Washington Post, By Alan Cooperman and Peter Whoriskey, November 15, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE:  Associated (With Liberals) Press   Media Research Center, By L. Brent Bozell III, April 29, 2003

  • In hearing, teen bride describes marriage arranged by polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs  Court TV, By Harriet Ryan, Nov 21, 2006
    ST. GEORGE, Utah — The woman at the center of the rape case against Warren Jeffs told a rapt courtroom Tuesday that she had never heard of sex and did not know where babies came from when the polygamist leader ordered her, at age 14, to marry and "go forth and multiply" with an older man who was her first cousin. Weeping and blotting her reddened face with a tissue, the woman, now 20, testified that her upbringing in Jeffs' Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was so sheltered that she gasped in confusion and horror when her new husband unzipped his pants. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLES & VIDEO: 
    Legal Spotlight: Polygamy  Court TV
In hearing, teen bride describes marriage arranged by polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs

  • Bigamy no longer prosecuted in Utah  The Washington Times- DC, Nov 21, 2006
    Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has said his state treats bigamy laws similar to fornication or adultery laws that remain on the state's books. . . . "The thinking is this: This is a big group of people. They are not going away. You can't incarcerate them all. You can't drive them out of the state. So they are here," Shurtleff said. "What do we do about it?" However, Shurtleff said he does give focus to causes involving underage spouses and other crimes related to bigamy. . . . .

    RELATED STORY:
     
    U.S. Supreme court seeks state response to bigamy conviction appeal   ABC4, November 19, 2006

  • Special Report- Religious Affairs: Husband and Wives  Guardian Unlimited- UK, Nov 21, 2006
    Of all the difficult public relations campaigns in the world, this must be among the toughest: to sell polygamy, the practice of keeping more than one wife by one man, as a deeply Christian, rewarding activity that frees the women as much as it forwards the spiritual standing of the man.  But that is the challenge Anne Wilde has taken up, as a sort of unofficial spokeswoman for the polygamists of Utah. There is a mystery to why this woman should be devoting herself to the cause when she has no apparent personal connection to polygamy, but we will come to that later. For now, she is sitting in her kitchen in Salt Lake City, explaining why taking multiple wives - "sisterwives" - is a necessary prerequisite for reaching the highest level of Heaven. . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Husbands and Wife   CBS4,com  By  Ileana Varela  November 15, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE:  Polyamory: A Twist On Polygamy  KUTV.com- Salt Lake City, Mark Koelbel reporting, April 30, 2006

     
      

Even though 'If I Did It' is pulled, OJ 's still a fool
  • Even though 'If I Did It' is pulled, OJ's still a fool  USA Today, By DeWayne Wickham, Nov 21, 2006
    In the final analysis, sanity seems to have prevailed. Monday, News Corp., the global media company that owns ReganBooks and the Fox network, pulled the plug on a really bad idea. The company announced it has cancelled publication of If I Did It, a book in which O.J. Simpson offered a hypothetical account of how he would have killed his former wife and her friend if — as he maintains he didn't — he had carried out that gruesome 1994 crime. . . . It's unclear why, more than a decade later, the former NFL superstar would want to do a book that throws gasoline on the still-smoldering rage of those who think he got away with murder when a Los Angeles jury acquitted him of killing Goldman and Brown Simpson. Even more troubling is the reason why Judith Regan, the head of ReganBooks, agreed to this ill-fated project. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:   How Low Can You Go? Pretty low, as it turns out. Inside O.J. Simpson's new 'confessional.'   Newsweek- MSNBC, By Mark Miller, Andrew Murr and Weston Kosova, Nov 27, 2006 Issue

RELATED ARTICLE: 
Why I Did It The woman who signed O.J. to his book deal and television interview explains why   Newsweek, By Judith Regan, Updated: 4:27 p.m. ET Nov 20, 2006


  • New Tactic In Fighting Marriage Initiatives
    Opponents Cite Effects On Straight Couples
      Washington Post, By Sonya Geis- Washington Post Staff Writer, November 20, 2006
    TUCSON -- A pair of retirees keeping house in a concrete bungalow, with snapshots of their 30 grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the living room and an American flag out front, may not look like the face of gay America.  But this month Al Breznay, 79, and Maxine Piatt, 75, were pivotal in defeating an Arizona initiative that defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman -- the only one of 28 such state measures ever to fail. . . . "The majority of people in Arizona don't support gay marriage. That's clear, they do not," said Marty Rouse, national field director of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay advocacy group. "Once you say gay and lesbian, people hone in on that. We have to focus on the majority of people that will be affected by this. And the majority of people are straight couples." . . . .
New Tactic in Fighting Marriage Initiatives. Opponents Cite Effects on Straight Couples.

RELATED ARTICLE:  The Confession II “Conservative” proponents of same-sex marriage are about to overtaken by radicals.  National Review Online, By Stanley Kurtz, November 1, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  The Confession: Have same-sex-marriage advocates said too much?
National Review Online, By Stanley Kurtz, October 31, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Beyond Same-Sex Marriage: A New Strategic Vision For All Our Families and Relationships  Beyond Marriage.org,  July 31, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  The people's voice on gay marriage  Boston Globe, By Jeff Jacoby, October 5, 2005


  • The Matchmaker
    How a U.S. Official Promotes Marriage To Help Poor Kids
      The Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required), By Laura Meckler, November 20, 2006
    The notion that government can help children escape poverty by promoting marriage for their parents was once considered a fringe idea from right field. It is now federal policy. In very large part, that's due to Wade Horn, a child psychologist turned bureaucrat who has put marriage atop the Bush administration's limited antipoverty agenda. As head of the federal Administration for Children and Families, Dr. Horn has employed the zeal of an ideologue and the discipline of an academic to inject marriage promotion into a host of government programs under his purview, even before Congress authorized an official marriage program. Today, more than 200 programs are at work across the country, seeking to change public attitudes surrounding marriage, persuade teenagers to aspire to matrimony and teach relationship skills to young couples. . . .

  • Gay Donor or Gay Dad?   New York Times (Free Subscription), By JOHN BOWE, November 19, 2006
    . . . . In an effort to become a parent of a sort, R., who is gay, agreed, 11 years ago, to donate sperm to a lesbian couple aspiring to pregnancy. A few years before, R. became friendly with a woman — white and upper class like himself — through the gay activist world. They weren’t good friends, he said, “just friendly.” The woman had a partner, a middle-class black woman, whom R. knew less well but who seemed solid. . . . Since the 1970s, when gay men and lesbians began gaining wider acceptance, there has been a substantial increase in the number of children being reared by gay parents. According to the 2000 U.S. census, 34 percent of lesbian couples and 22 percent of gay male couples are raising at least one child under 18 in their home. Even allowing for a higher percentage of families willing to identify themselves as gay, these numbers still represent a large increase from the 1990 census. . . .

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes_Official Wedding Photo_Credit: Robert Evans
  • Fireworks as Cruise and Holmes wed  The Age- AUSTRAILIA, November 19, 2006
    Actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were married in a mediaeval castle near Rome in a Scientology ceremony attended by a galaxy of Hollywood stars. With torches burning from the battlements of the 15th century castle, the couple yesterday exchanged vows out of sight of the thousands of onlookers and paparazzi camped outside or perched on window ledges and balconies. A fireworks display from a castle tower later lit up the sky, winning applause from those who had braved rain to stay to the end. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    TomKat 'officialized' marriage before ceremony  CTV.ca News, Nov. 18 2006

  • Cruise pulls off third Marriage Improbable  The Times Online, By Richard Woods and Philip Willan, Bracciano, Nov 19, 2006
    AS one might expect from Tom Cruise, it was a production of Hollywood proportions. His wedding to Katie Holmes yesterday in the 15th-century Castle Odescalchi outside Rome had a budget of more than £1.2m, with guest stars including Jennifer Lopez, Jim Carrey, Will Smith and Brooke Shields, a lavish banquet, fireworks and thousands of rose-scented candles. The bride was resplendent in a fitted Giorgio Armani off-the-shoulder gown with a train in ivory silk caddis decorated with Valenciennes lace and Swarovski beaded crystal embroidery. She had also spent $4,000 on lingerie for her wedding night, said friends. . . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      A little girl's dream, or life under Cruise control?  The Sunday Times Online- UK,  Nov 19, 2006
Fireworks Display Celebrates Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' Marriage at Odescalchi Castle in Lake Bracciano, Italy

RELATED ARTICLE:  Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes Marry!  People Magazine, November 18, 2006

RELATED BLOG & PHOTOS:
  Tom and Katie Wedding Blog  People Magazine, Nov 18, 2006

RELATED BLOG: Inside Tom and Katie's Wedding  Us Magazine, Nov 18, 2006


RELATED BLOG, PHOTOS, & VIDEO:  Billy's Blog: Live From Italy For Tom & Katie's Wedding  Access Hollywood, November 18, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Top psychic says spirits are displeased with TomKat's union!  Daily India.com, By ANI, Nov 18, 2006


Marriage tips for the new Mrs. Cruise
  • Marriage tips for the new Mrs. Cruise
    On the eve of her wedding, Katie Holmes needs all the help she can get
       MSNBC.com, By Helen A.S. Popkin, November 17, 2006
    Congratulations, Katie Holmes, on your long-awaited nuptials! Frankly, we were starting to worry that maybe Tom Cruise would never “buy the cow,” if you catch our meaning. We’ll all breathe a sigh of relief this Saturday (Nov. 18) when you and the man you dreamed of marrying in high school finally tie the knot at that 15th century Italian castle in front of several hundred of your closest associates, many of whom you’ve been casually acquainted with for practically a whole year.  Do we call you “Kate” now, as Tom insists? You are, indeed the “remarkable woman,” Tom incessantly describes, bucking celebrity fashion and making your own baby rather than adopting one of those trendy third-world kids. And with so many celebrity break-ups, it takes a leap of faith to make your first Hollywood husband a guy whose first two actress wives are living happily ever after without him. . . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  What is a Scientology wedding? TomKat nuptials bring renewed focus to controversial religious sect    MSNBC- Reuters, Nov 17, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Tom and Katie: Bringing up baby   AZ Central.com, AZ -Oct 7, 2005


  • When only a helicopter to the castle will do for the big day  The Herald, By LORNA McLAREN, November 17 2006
    This weekend will see the biggest Hollywood match of the year. Blockbuster A-lister Tom Cruise is to marry actress Katie Holmes in a celebrity-packed gathering at the fairytale Odescalchi Castle on Lake Bracciano in Italy.  There's little we don't know about Tom's courtship of his young bride-to-be and mother of his baby daughter, Suri. Sometimes the 43-year-old star's romance with 27-year-old Holmes seemed like a reality show. From their initial dinner dates in Rome to his proposal on top of the Eiffel tower and then his over-excited declaration of love from Oprah Winfrey's sofa, no detail was kept private. . . . Following the TomKat nuptials, the wedding of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will similarly set the paparazzi alight.  So what is it that makes us want to share in these multi-million pound spectacles? And could any of these extravagant events filter down into real life?. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Tom & Katie's Countdown to 'I Do'   People Magazine, By Michelle Tan, Nov 17, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Celebrity weddings    InTheNews.co.uk, Nov 17, 2006


As South Africa Approves Homosexual 'Marriage' Tanzania Reaffirms Stand for Traditional Marriage


  • Child Born to Lesbian Couple Will Have 2 Mothers Listed Free Republic.com (New York Times), By Laura Mansnerus, November 16, 2006
    — A lesbian couple in South Jersey won court approval this week to have both of their names listed as parents on the birth certificate of their newborn, and the attorney general’s office said it will no longer oppose such applications. The decision, in Family Court in Burlington County, stems from an Oct. 25 ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court holding that same-sex couples are entitled to the same legal rights and protections as heterosexual couples. The court gave the Legislature 180 days either to bring gay couples within the state’s marriage laws or establish a parallel system of civil unions. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      NJ Poll: Majority Reject Gay Marriage   Institute For Marriage and Public Policy, Nov 3, 2006

A first for the region: Gay marriage legal in South Africa
  • A first for the region: Gay marriage legal in South Africa  San Francisco Chronicle-USA, By Edward M. Gomez, Nov 15, 2006
    Africa is known as the home of some of the most ugly, homophobic attitudes in the world. A few years ago, for example, Zimbabwe's strongman leader, President Robert Mugabe, demonized homosexuals. He declared them to be "worse than pigs and dogs." (BBC) Now, South Africa's post-apartheid national legislature has taken a historic step forward for human rights on a vast continent that has seen its unfortunate share of racism, tribal prejudices and human-rights abuses. . . . Kenneth Meshoe, the head of the African Christian Democratic Party (motto: "For a Bible-based South Africa"), said: "Adultery, sexual immorality and homosexuality are grave sins in God's sight....With this bill, the ruling party and all those who support it are inviting serious trouble on themselves without even considering the impact [it] will have on future generations.". . . . 

RELATED ARTICLE:  A watershed for SA’s democracy   Business Day- South Africa, By Tim Trengove Jones, Nov 14, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  The first step to same-sex marriage in SA  
Independent Online- South Africa, Nov 14, 2006

RELATED INTERVIEWS:  South Africans give their views on homosexuality  BBC NEWS, Nov 14, 2006


  • Health Issues:  HIV Testing Before Marriage Should Be Compulsory   New Vision- Uganda (Kampala), November 15, 2006
    A religious leader in one of the churches in Kampala advised a couple intending to get married to come with HIV test results before he could wed them.  The couple kept on dodging until the wedding day thinking they would get away with it. But a doctor was called in to do a rapid HIV test only to discover the couple was discordant - the man was positive and the woman negative.  HIV testing before marriage has remained an initiative by the couples intending to get married and sometimes the religious institutions like in the case above. Although the ideal scenario would be to have all couples intending to get married test for HIV, there are a number of challenges. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Volatile debate over AIDS testing  NDTV.com- INDIA, Nov 16, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    DPH requires health care providers to report HIV patient names   Boston Globe- US, Nov 14, 2006
HIV Testing Before Marriage Should Be Compulsory

  • 'Mistress' pays wife for emotional trauma  Independent Online- South Africa, By Monica Laganparsad, Nov 15, 2006
    A Queensburgh mother of two believes she has been "vindicated" after she reached an out-of-court financial settlement with the woman who broke up her marriage.  Helena Greyling said while she received R50 000 in damages, the lawsuit she had brought against her ex-husband's mistress was really about "principals, morals and standards". . . .  Greyling said this was a positive move for women. "I hope this serves as a lesson to younger women who go after older, married men. Women must learn to stand together," she said. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:  Wife sues 'mistress'  Independent Online- South Africa, By Monica Laganparsad, Nov 14, 2006

Husbands and Wife: The Key to Happiness???
  • Husbands and Wife   CBS4,com  By  Ileana Varela  November 15, 2006
    MIAMI CBS4 takes a look at a growing phenomenon that changes the traditional ways men and women interact with one another within the realm of "polyamory."   What is polyamory?"  One shouldn't feel bad if they don't know what it is. It's hasn't even been considered a term until the early 90's, but it is gaining popularity. . . . It considered an alternative lifestyle, the practice of loving and living with more than one partner with everyone's consent. It is not illegal, like polygamy, which involves men marrying several wives. It's also not considered swinging which in many cases usually entails casual sexual encounters. . . .CBS4's Ileana Varela took a deeper look into polyamory and found a little girl who lives in new jersey with her mom and two dads who she refers to as mom, dad and daddy.  . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:   First Trio "Married" in The Netherlands  The Brussels Journal Online- By Paul Belien, September 26, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Polyamory: A Twist On Polygamy  KUTV.com- Salt Lake City, Mark Koelbel reporting, April 30, 2006


RELATED ARTICLE: 
Pandora and Polygamy  The Washington Post- By Charles Krauthammer, March 17, 2006


  • New magazine brings sex to Christian women  Mail & Guardian Online, South Africa - Nov 14, 2006
    . . .  A new women's magazine will finally bridge the gap between religion and sex -- at least for religious Afrikaans women in South Africa. Intiem -- meaning "intimate" -- is a new, glossy, A5-size magazine targeting the national religious Afrikaans community that will be launched by publishers Media in Africa at the end of November. . . . According to Intiem marketing consultant Monique Deutschmann, the magazine will show "every intelligent, free-thinking, married woman and women in long-term relationships how to explore sex in a variety of ways and in so doing, discover and maintain the zest in her marriage". 
    "A lot of Afrikaans girls were brought up with the idea that sex is sin. .  .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      REAL SEX: The Naked Truth about Chastity  Breakpoint.org, By Lauren Winner, July 6, 2005

    RELATED ARTICLE:  Sexual healing   World magazine, By Gene Edward Veith, May 7, 2005 Issue

  • Parenting Issues:  As dancing turns dirtier, schools get stricter
    Educators crack down on sexual moves, but teens say adults are judging what they don't understand
      St. Paul Pioneer Press, By DOUG BELDEN, November 13, 2006
    For students at Central High School in St. Paul, this fall's homecoming was nothing like the dances of years past.  It was held in the vast space of the school's gym rather than the cafeteria, the lights were kept on, and administrators walked around shining flashlights to separate couples who got too close. . . . . . Central is one of several schools in the metro area cracking down on dance behavior that some administrators say has become borderline obscene. Inspired by popular music and videos, "grinding" or "club dancing" or "twerking" — in which girls swivel their buttocks into boys' crotches — has been around for several years. But it's become so blatant and widespread at school dances, officials say, that they're having trouble lining up adults willing to chaperone any more. . . . .
As Dancing Turns Dirtier, Schools Get Stricter

RELATED ARTICLE: Poor Parenting at the Root of Problem Teens  Atchison Daily Globe - KS, By Jeff Schmucker, May 19, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE: The power of parenting   Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, May 19, 2006


RELATED ARTICLE:  We can win  Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, May 13, 2005


Grey's Anatomy Star Ellen Pompeo Engaged
  • Grey’s Anatomy Star Ellen Pompeo Engaged  Us Magazine, Nov 13, 2006
    Ellen Pompeo, 37, and her boyfriend of nearly three years, Chris Ivery, are engaged, Pompeo's rep confirms to Us Weekly. Ivery proposed on Friday -- which was also the actress' birthday -- with a 3.5-carat emerald-cut diamond and platinum ring by Tacori.  Pompeo plays Meredith Grey on the hit ABC medical dramedy Grey’s Anatomy. She has also starred in Old School and Moonlight Mile. Ivery, 38, is a music producer. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: Ellen Pompeo, Boyfriend Fight in Monte Carlo  The Hollywood Gossip, By Free Britney, July 14, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE:  Ellen Pompeo Hesitant to Marry Longtime Beau  The Hollywood Gossip, By Free Britney, June 8, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Watch out for 'Jungle Fever'  Oregon Daily Emerald- OR, By Ty Schwoefferman, November 15, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: 
Would you allow interracial dating? Do parents today mind if their teens date outside their race?    Atlanta Journal Constitution (Free Subscription), By Theresa Walsh Giarrusso, October 25, 2006

RELATED POLL:  Social and Political Attitudes about Race: The 2004 Political Landscape   The Pew Research Center


  • 25 years later, Luke and Laura wed again  The  Charlotte Observer- AP, By DAVID BAUDER- Associated Press, Nov 12, 2006
     It's been an eventful 25 years for Laura Spencer since marrying Luke in a fairy-tale wedding seen on television by 30 million people.  She died, and was brought back to life. She killed her stepfather. She gave birth to a son by an adulterous affair, and now Nikolas is a single dad after the baby's mother died of a virus. Her other son, Lucky, is addicted to painkillers. Her daughter, Lulu, recently aborted a child after being impregnated by a stepbrother.  Oh, and Spencer spent the last four years in a catatonic state - waking up just in time to marry Luke again this Thursday on "General Hospital," 25 years to the day after their first wedding.  This is a soap opera, after all. Nothing is easy, including ABC's attempt to relive the show's glory days, which has a bittersweet feel because of the actors' conflicted feelings and the slow decline of daytime drama as an institution. . . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
     Luke & Laura 25 Years - Something Old, Something New  SoapNet
25 years later, Luke and Laura wed again

RELATED ARTICLE:   Fall TV Preview: New sitcoms don't offer much to laugh about--
Babies, weddings, old classmates, psychiatry among comedy topics
   MSNBC.com, Sept 1, 2006

RELATED REVIEW: ABC TV's "BIG DAY"
   MSNBC, By Tara Ariano, Sept 1, 2006


Liam Magill_Loses 'duped' child support claim
  • Where are honesty and justice?   The Daily Telegraph- Autrailia, By By Larissa Cummings, Nov 11, 2006
    "LOVE, honour and cherish, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live."  Honesty, that seemingly redundant moral value, is conspicuously absent from the covenant of some modern marriages. This week in the High Court, Melbourne father-of-one Liam Neale Magill found out the hard way that Australia's laws are just as evasive when it comes to the matters of disclosure and truth between spouses. Mr Magill, 56, was stripped of $70,000 compensation awarded to him for the stress and shock he suffered after a paternity test in 2000 revealed two of his three children were fathered by another man. His former wife Meredith admitted to beginning an affair 17 months after she wed Mr Magill in 1988. Although she suspected that her youngest son and daughter might not have been his biological children, she neglected to tell him until after the marriage failed. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE Court keeps nose out of bedroom  Sydney Morning Herald- Australia, By Tim Dick, Nov 9, 2006



  • Haggard and hypocrisy  Palm Beach Post Editorial, November 10, 2006
    . . . . . Haggard's homosexuality and infidelity - and even plans for his exorcism of sorts by "godly men" - would be a matter between him and his wife and his children were he not the leader of America's largest evangelical organization and the architect of the gay-marriage ban that was on Tuesday's ballot in Colorado. Because of his political agenda and the Republican Party's pandering to homophobia, Haggard's hypocrisy matters to the nation. . . . ,

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      The tragedy of Ted Haggard   
    Houston  Chronicle- Blue Bayou Blog, By John Whiteside, Nov 10, 2006
Haggard and Hypocrisy: The Tragedy of Ted Haggard


Is there marriage in Heaven?
  • Father Cantalamessa on Marriage in Heaven
    Pontifical Household Preacher on Sunday's Gospel
      Zenit.org, Nov 10, 2006
    . . . . One day, some Sadducees presented Jesus with the unlikely case of a woman who was successively the wife of seven brothers, asking him whose wife she would be after the resurrection. Jesus answered: "When they rise from the dead they will neither marry nor be given in marriage but will be like angels in heaven" (Mark 12:25). Interpreting this saying of Jesus wrongly, some have claimed that marriage will have no follow-up in heaven. But with his reply Jesus is rejecting the caricature the Sadducees presented of heaven, as if it were going to be a simple continuation of the earthly relationship of the spouses. Jesus does not exclude the possibility that they might rediscover in God the bond that united them on earth. . . .

  • Marriage is like so last season  Tonight- South Africa, By Andy Goldberg, Nov 10, 2006
    Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes will get married later this month in Italy.  No wonder they chose a setting far from the rarefied atmosphere of Hollywood to celebrate mutual love and lifelong commitment. In Tinseltown, the hot trend is divorce, not marriage. No one need weep for the broken love lives of the stars, or for their overworked and overpaid divorce lawyers. But a spate of high-profile divorces in recent days has turned Beverly Hills into Splitsville. . . . All the coverage is great business for the tabloids and the gossip blogs. PerezHilton.com is one of the most catty and provocative observers of Los Angeles and was overwhelmed with the global attention its Britney coverage received from some 2.7 million visitors. "We reached our highest number (of readers) ever, despite periods of time where the website was down for a bit because too many people were trying to view it" the site crowed. "Thank you, Britney!" . . . . .
In Hollywood, marriage is like so last season


Pelosi makes history with gay marriage stance
  • Pelosi makes history with 'gay marriage' stance; N.J. citizens oppose marriage redefinition; ...    BaptistPress, By Michael Foust, Nov 10, 2006
    --Democrat Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is set to make history next year by becoming the first female House speaker, but she'll also become the highest ranking political leader in American history publicly to support "gay marriage."  Her San Francisco district is known for its large homosexual population, and in early 2004 its mayor made headlines when he ordered the city to grant same-sex couples marriage licenses. Eventually, 4,000 were issued, although they were later deemed null and void by the state’s Supreme Court.  In March of 2004, Pelosi was asked by FOX News' Neil Cavuto, "Can same-sex couples marry?" “Yes,” Pelosi replied.  Moments later Cavuto asked, “So what the mayor of San Francisco is doing, you would approve of it?”  “Yes,” she replied. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      NJ Poll: Majority Reject Gay Marriage   Institute For Marriage and Public Policy, Nov 3, 2006


  • Gay Marriage Is Not the Threat to Black America  EURweb.com, By Jasmyne A. Cannick, Nov 9, 2006
    As a Black activist who also happens to be a lesbian, my fight has been resolute not to mainstream homosexuality as some critics wrongly and slanderously maintain, but to promote respect for and tolerance toward those with diverse sexual preferences.  . . . The recent decision by the state of New Jersey to direct their Legislature to adopt legislation making gay marriage legal was that state’s recognition that lesbian and gay couples are deserving of the same rights as heterosexual couples.  And why shouldn’t they be? Gay couples pay taxes too. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      Gay Marriage Advocates Don’t Want Tolerance, They Want Their Lifestyles to Become Mainstream  BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, November 07, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    The Dangers of Same-sex "Marriage"    BreakPoint.org- By Regis Nicoll, May 26, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Are Civil Unions a Civil Right? Accuracy In Media, DC -By Chenoa McKnight, Feb 28, 2006

  • Make marriage proposal one she will remember  The Detroit News, By Caitlin Moscatello- Columbia News Service, Nov 9, 2006
     Marriage proposals used to be easy. This is how Corinne Conover, 27, says her parents decided to tie the knot:  "Dave?" her mom said.  "Yes, Barbara?" her dad replied.  "Let's get married." "OK, Toots." Dave and Barbara Conover will be married 34 years in January. For them, getting engaged was more a mutual agreement than a formal affair. But what happens to the person who dreams of the bended-knee proposal and doesn't get it? How wrong can the question of all questions go?  . . . . .  Michael Webb, author of "The Romantic's Guide to Popping the Question," has come across thousands of proposals over the years. Webb once held a contest for the best marriage proposals from around the world. Although some of the proposals were romantic and imaginative, others were just plain bad. . . .

  • Marriage Wins
    The strategic missteps of same-sex-marriage advocates are now undeniable.
      National Review Online, By Stanley Kurtz, Nov 8, 2006
    With the important exception of Arizona, 2006 was an excellent election for those who believe that marriage is the union of a man and a woman.  Amendments defining marriage as a man-woman union passed in seven out of eight states (Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Colorado, South Dakota, and Idaho) by an average vote of 61 percent. The narrow loss in Arizona was not because voters favored gay marriage, but because of a successful campaign against the measure’s ban on domestic partner benefits. . . . There are still plenty of ways for the marriage issue to explode into a multi-state crisis. All it would take is for one state to adopt full same-sex marriage — especially if that state has no law comparable to the Massachusetts statute that prohibits couples from marrying there if their union would be illegal in their home state. A full-fledged gay-marriage state, without a Massachusetts-style statute on out-of-state unions, would create a national Mecca for same-sex marriage, and would likely launch a series of lawsuits in other states. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      Massachusetts lawmakers delay action on gay marriage ban  Boston Globe, By Steve LeBlanc- Associated Press Writer, November 9, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE:   Mass. Lawmakers Take Up Gay Marriage Ban  365Gay.com- By Newscenter Staff,  November 9, 2006
     
Marriage wins: The strategic missteps of same-sex-marriage advocates are now undeniable

  • State of Marriage  Philadelphia Daily News, By Jenice Armstrong, Nov 9, 2006
    THOSE WHO want to ban gay marriage are big on saying that their goal is to protect the sanctity of the institution. But if they really cared about preserving it, instead of focusing their efforts on keeping homosexuals from getting hitched, they would make it seem worth preserving. Because too often, the way it's treated in our celeb-obsessed culture, marriage seems as disposable as last year's fashion trend. Look no further than the ill-fated union of pop tart Britney Spears and her hanger-on husband, Kevin Federline. . . . The biggest threat to marriage isn't whether or not same-sex couples are allowed to marry, but the way some heterosexuals such as Spears and Federline treat it. . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
    Marriage Gets the Silent Treatment  Townhall.com, By Harry Jackson, Jr., September 18, 2006

 


From K-Fed to Fed-Ex: gleeful media welcomes Britney's divorce

RELATED ARTICLE:  Britney and K-Fed's Chaotic Week: Connecting the Dots  Us Weekly Online, Nov 8, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Britney Spears pre-nup details are finally divulged   Monsters and Critics.com- UK, By Stone Martindale, Nov 9, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:
  K-Fed Joins List of Boy-Toy Has-Beens  ABC News


  • Gay Marriage Advocates Don’t Want Tolerance, They Want Their Lifestyles to Become Mainstream  BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, November 07, 2006
    . . . . Changing opinions though, no matter how heartfelt, are not a valid standard by which to measure the morality of behavior. It was not changing attitudes that ended slavery for instance; it was the ascendance of the principle of equality that ended slavery and eventually led to civil rights legislation, which further codified this principle into law. To argue the reverse is to suggest that morality is the result of history. . . . It is not tolerance gay activists are after. They already have that. Generally speaking, Americans do not overly concern themselves with what their neighbors do in the privacy of their own homes. "Live and let live" is the American refrain -- that is, until one decides to expose those private behaviors to the light of day, and demands are made that those behaviors are sanctioned and condoned by the larger society. . . . .


Ted Haggard: 'I am a deceiver and a liar'

N.J. Poll: Majority Reject Gay Marriage
  • NJ Poll: Majority Reject Gay Marriage   Institute For Marriage and Public Policy, Nov 3, 2006
    The Eagleton-Rutgers poll of 809 New Jersey adults was taken Oct. 29-31. Margin of error 3.5 percent. The results are dramatically different from a widely touted June New Jersey poll suggesting majorities favored gay marriage. In this poll, only 29 percent of New Jerseyans supported gay marriage, while 40 percent supported civil unions and 16 percent no recognition at all. Most dramatically, New Jerseyans now support a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of husband and wife: 54 percent to 38 percent. . .

    RELATED POLL:
     
    Eagleton-Rutgers poll

    RELATED POLL:  June New Jersey Poll

    RELATED ARTICLE:  New Jersey High Court Leaves Gay Marriage Rights to Legislature   FOX NEWS, October 25, 2006

  • Divorce as a Marketing Tool  Poynter Onilne, By Al Tompkins, Nov 1, 2006
    The other night, my wife and I were watching TV and saw a Ford ad that seemed to be about a divorced couple and their kids. The father jumps out of a Ford Freestyle, hugs his kids and tells his ex, "Thanks for inviting me this weekend." She says a sort of sad "sure." She appears as though she could say a lot more. . . .  I think this is something of a breakthrough. I am not sure what it means, but it says something about the times in which we live. Is this ad saying that maybe the best some families can hope for is a civilized divorce? . . . .

    SEE THE AD:  FORD FREESTYLE CROSSOVER
Using Divorce as a Marketing Tool

  • Re-entering the dating scene after divorce  The Pilot-Independent, By Dr. Val Farmer,  Nov 1, 2006
    One of the shocks of being divorced is re-entering the dating scene. Enough time has passed from the trauma of divorce and you are now ready to take some risks on a new relationship. It was hard enough the first time around. What are the rules? How does it work? . . . Fear about rejection is normal. Not everyone clicks. If you are having a good time and enjoy meeting people, your fear of rejection will dwindle to a manageable feeling. It takes a thick skin to fend off some relationships while encouraging others. It is the price you pay for all the contacts you have. This isn't quite as casual as the first time. Don't waste time on relationships that are going nowhere. Remember that your goal is to find a marriage partner. . . .

Denzel Washington Says Whitney Is Now 'On the Right Path'
  • Denzel Washington Says Whitney Is Now "On The Right Path"  All Headline News- CA, Nov 1, 2006
     - Whitney Houston is ready to shock and impress audiences everywhere. Denzel Washington recently commended the diva for beating her drug problem, letting go of a stormy relationship and being on "the right path." The charming actor - who co-starred with Whitney in 1996's "The Preacher's Wife" says he has no doubt the singer will make a huge comeback and be better than she ever was before. He says the singer has been through quite enough in her life, but she's overcome her obstacles and is finally ready to stand on her own two feet alone. He insists that her comeback is going to "explode.". . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Whitney Houston Files for Divorce  People magazine, By Stephen M. Silverman, Oct 18, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:   Whitney Houston Files For Separation From Bobby Brown  Access Hollywood- CA, Sept 13, 2006


  • Denzel Washington Gets Choked Up On 'Oprah'   Starpulse.com, CT, Nov 1, 2006
    Denzel Washington fought back tears during a surprise-filled appearance on TV talk show Oprah yesterday when his football player son paid a special tribute to him. Joined on the show by his mother, the proud dad looked on as his son John David - a Morehouse college star who signed to NFL (National Football League) team St. Louis Rams in September - spoke about his famous dad. John David revealed his dad was "tough" but added, "He's a great motivator. He can bring the best out of you, the part you didn't know you had in you. Because of my dad I want to be the best in what I do." . . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    The ‘Seven R’s Pledge’ Reminds Us What Kind of Men We Should Be  BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, Feb 28, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Denzel Fights Back at Broken Marriage Reports  Holllywood.com -By WENN, Feb 24, 2006

Flavor Flav Expecting His Seventh Child

RELATED ARTICLE:  Black Teens Disheartened Toward Marriage: Poor examples are making marriage elusive in their eyes  Eurweb.com- Agape Press, Sept 11, 2006


RELATED ARTICLE:  A Father's Presence Helps Young Girls Resist Shallow, Sexualized Self-Images  BlackAmericaWeb.com- By Tonyaa Weathersbee, June 20, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Why Our Black Families Are Failing   The Washington Post, By William Raspberry, July 25, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE:  In Declining Black Families, Where Does the Buck Stop? At the Feet of Our Men  BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, July 11, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Why Virtues Still Matter   Townhall.com, By Armstrong Williams, June 27, 2005


Stars Split Up Very Carefully
  • Stars split up very carefully  USA TODAY, By Donna Freydkin, November 1, 2006
    When a celebrity couple goes bust, the handling of the high-profile announcement is as meticulously choreographed as a movie premiere. Take the case of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, who revealed their split on Monday after seven years of marriage that produced daughter Ava, 7, and son Deacon, 3. Their statement, released to celebrity news site TMZ.com, was typically courteous, asking the media to respect the couple's privacy. Here's the anatomy of a breakup, Hollywood-style. Timing of the announcement:  It's no accident that Phillippe and Witherspoon revealed their breakup after his movie, Flags of Our Fathers, had hit theaters and she had won her Oscar for Walk the Line.  . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:  OSCAR CURSE?: Reese joins ranks of uncoupled best-actress winners  USA TODAY, By Donna Freydkin, November 1, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE:  And, baby, I love you   The Observer, UK - By Barbara Ellen, May 21, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE:  The star-crossed business of divorce  New Zealand Herald, New Zealand -By Andrew Gumbel, Mar 3, 2006

  • HASSELHOFF: 'AN AMICABLE DIVORCE IS C**P'   PR inside- World Entertainment News Network, Nov 1, 2006
    Former BayWatch star David Hasselhoff is struggling to recover from his split with ex-wife Pamela Bach and insists there is no such thing as an amicable divorce. The Jump In My Car singer has been involved in a nasty divorce battle with his wife of 16 years, which was finalised in July (06). The 54-year-old tells American publication People that he is trying to make it through this difficult period, saying, "It's one day at a time. "I don't know how anybody can have an amicable divorce. I think that's a lot of crap. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Lurid Details Revealed in Hasselhoff Divorce  People magazine, October 25, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Report: Divorce development looking grave for McCartney   The Boston Herald- Herald wire services, October 30, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Sara Evans vs. Craig Schelske: Sexual Details  National Ledger- AZ, By Chris Bergman, Oct 14, 2006


RELATED ARTICLE:  Dean McDermott's Ex-Wife Blasts Him & Tori   People Magazine -By Stephen M. Silverman, May 9, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Tabloid Tuesday: Denise Richards versus Heather Locklear   National Ledger.com- By The Staff, May 2, 2006


  • Roving eye 'ended Witherspoon's marriage'   Ninemsn- AU, By ninemsn staff, Nov 1, 2006
    Reese Witherspoon's marriage was torn apart by her actor husband's wandering eye, according to Nine Network entertainment reporter Richard Reid. The final straw was Ryan Phillippe's alleged affair with up-and-coming Australian actress Abbie Cornish, says Reid. . . Phillippe, who Hollywood insiders say has a reputation for a roving eye, reportedly got cosy with 25-year-old Cornish recently as they shot Stop Loss together in Austin. . . .

  • The envelope with walking papers, please  USA TODAY, By Donna Freydkin, Nov 1, 2006
    Call it the curse of Oscar's best-actress winner. Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) isn't the first to have her love life crumble soon after taking home an Academy Award. Here's a look at others:  Hilary Swank. . . . Halle Berry. . . . Julia Roberts. . . Gwyneth Paltrow. . .
Did a 'Roving Eye' end the Witherspoon-Phillippe marriage?

Tom Cruise says his father was a 'bully and a coward'
  • Parenting Issues: Rejecting our fathers, destroying our country  WorldNetDaily, By Bob Just, Nov 1, 2006
    "He was a bully and a coward," Tom Cruise recently told Parade Magazine, talking about his own father. "He was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick. It was a great lesson in my life – how he'd lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang!" "For me it was like, 'There's something wrong with this guy,'" said the famous actor, then drawing the "life lesson" most children with father problems draw: "Don't trust him." I sympathize with Tom Cruise more than I can say, although my distrust problem was not rooted in an abusive father but in my parents' divorce. . . . A friend of mine tells a sad story about the first time she realized the extent of the father problem among young people. . . . . . .In truth, America owes an apology to its fathers – that vital part of our being. It's time (and well past time) to admit the mistakes of almost a century, and to bring the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the children back to the fathers. Otherwise, our families and our great nation will pay a terrible price. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  The War on Fathers: How the 'feminization of America' destroys boys, men – and women  WorldNetDaily- Whistleblowers magazine, June 2006 Edition




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