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"MARRIAGE" In The News
(November 2006) |
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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
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- Will
Kate Middleton Be the Newest Princess?
Royal Watchers Say Christmas Invite Could Mean
Wedding to William Is in the Cards
ABC News.com, Nov 30,
2006
— Royal watchers say it's likely that Prince William
and his longtime girlfriend, Kate Middleton, are set to announce
their engagement. Queen Elizabeth has invited Middleton to spend
Christmas with the royal family, and Middleton won't be staying at
gardener's cottage on the estate as she did last year. Instead, she
will be staying at the big house. For royal watchers, Elizabeth's
breaking her strict rule on no boyfriends or girlfriends at the
Christmas table can mean only one thing: A royal wedding is in the
cards. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Prince
William & Kate Middleton Mobile
phone Esato.com, By axxxr, November 20, 2006
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- 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
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- 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.'". . .
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- 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
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- 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. . .
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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
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- 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
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- 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.” . . . .
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- 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
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- '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. . .
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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!. . .
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- Did 'Borat' Cause Pam And Kid's Split?
Kid Rock Thought Pamela Anderson Humiliated Herself In Movie,
Newspaper Says ShowBuzz- CBS News, Nov 28, 2006
After less than four months of marriage, and a handful of
wedding ceremonies, Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock's marriage is
already over. A pal tells the New York Post that Rock's "male
insecurity and major anger issues," are to blame and that a big
fight over her participation in the film "Borat" caused tension
between them. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Friends
Say They're Shocked by Pam-Kid Rock
Split People magazine, By Lesley Messer and Stephen M.
Silverman, Nov 28, 2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: Us
Exclusive: Pam Anderson and Kid Rock Divorce Us magazine, Nov 27, 2006
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- 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.". . .
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- 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 |
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- 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
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- 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. . . . . .
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- 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
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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
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- 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. . . .
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- 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
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- 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." . . .
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- Seal, Klum
Have 2nd Child Together
Seal and Heidi Klum Have 2nd Child Together; Johan
Weighs in at 8 Pounds, 11
Ounces ABCNews.com, November 23, 2006
— Heidi Klum and
Seal are parents once again. Klum gave birth Wednesday to Johan
Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel, who weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces,
according to Seal's Web site, which did not say where the baby was
born. "He is healthy, beautiful and looks just like his mother,"
the posting read. . . .
RELATED SITE: Seal's web site
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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. . . . .
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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. . .
.
|
- 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." . . . .
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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. . . .
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- 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
|
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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
|
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- 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. . . . .
.
|
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
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- Will
traditions change with gay marriage? Independent Online- South Africa, By Lumka
Oliphant, November 18 2006
With the passing of the legalisation on same-sex
marriage this week, Mongezi Chirwa and his partner can now wed -
but they are now caught between culture and the constitution.
Chirwa, of Alexandra, said he and his partner - who does not want
to be identified - want to get married, but his partner's
grandmother would not hear of him paying lobolo for a man. "She
refers to it as ihlazo (disgrace) to pay lobolo for another man and
she has refused to even take the subject to his uncles," said
Chirwa. . . . . Flamboyant doctor Mveleli Gqwede, popularly known
as Dr Love, has pronounced that same-sex marriages would not work
in black communities. He has since been labelled a sellout by the
gay community and has been forced to hire bodyguards after being
threatened over his statements. His sentiments are echoed by
traditionalists, too. Nokuzola Mndende, director of the Icamagu
Institute, has said that "legalising same-sex marriages is an
insult to our culture as black people". . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Gay
Marriage Is Not the Threat to Black America EURweb.com, By Jasmyne A. Cannick,
Nov 9, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Same-Sex marriage: Hijacking the Civil Rights Legacy The
indiscriminate promotion of various social groups' desires and
preferences as "rights" has drained the moral authority from the
civil rights industry The Weekly Standard- By Eugene F. Rivers & Kenneth D.
Johnson, June 1, 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
|
- 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
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- 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.". . . .
|
- 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
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- '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
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- 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. . .
.
|
- 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
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- 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. . . . .
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 |
 |
- 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
|
- 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
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- 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
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- Woman Claims She Was 'Violated' By Comedian Cosby
Barbara Bowman Breaks 20 Year Silence After Cosby Settles
Lawsuit CBS4, Nov 10,
2006
Comedian and actor
Bill Cosby has settled a lawsuit filed by a woman who claimed Cosby
made improper advances against her. One of the potential
witnesses in that case was a woman who has similar allegations, who
was one of 13 women to come forward. She told her story to
authorities in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania last year.
Now, for the first time, Barbara Bowman is speaking out publicly,
to a reporter for CBS station KYW in Philadelphia. He is an
American icon…but to Bowman, the comedic star named Bill Cosby is
nothing like he seems. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: BILL COSBY, WOMAN SETTLE
CIVIL LAWSUIT: Woman claimed entertainer assaulted her at his
mansion in 2004 Eurweb.com, CA - Nov 9, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Bill Cosby:
African-Americans 'Not Holding Up Their End of the
Deal' ABCNews.com, June 29, 2005
|
- 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
|
 |
Confessions of
an Angry Hustler
Ted Haggard's bitter boy toy tells all
RADAR Online, By Jack E. Jett, Nov 10,
2006
On November 3,
all-American family man Ted Haggard resigned as head of the
30-million strong National Association of Evangelicals after a male
prostitute named Mike Jones went public as the preacher's former
lover and drug dealer. Jones claims he had monthly, crystal
meth–fueled sex sessions with Haggard over the span of three years.
The sequence of events that led to Haggard's stepping down followed
a rather familiar pattern. . . . .For the first time, Mike
Jones shares the intimate details about his "working" relationship
with one of the evangelical community's biggest national figures. .
. .
RELATED ARTICLE: 10
Ways to Lift Yourself Up When a Spiritual Leader Lets You
Down Beliefnet.com- NY, By Valerie Reiss, Nov 9, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Signs
of a Restorable Spirit: What are the tangible evidences of
repentance? Christianity Today, Posted by
Marshall Shelley, Nov 8, 2006
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- 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!" . . . . .
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RELATED
ARTICLE: REGINA KING TO DIVORCE HUSBAND?: New
York Post’s Page Six says couple is splitting over ‘physical abuse,
drug use, and extramarital affairs. EUR web.com, Nov 9, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: IS LISARAYE'S SHORT MARRIAGE
ON THE ROCKS?: Reports say yes, but the actress, through an
associate, says no. EUR web.com, Nov 9, 2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: Chris Rock
Files for Divorce TMZ.com, Posted by TMZ Staff, Nov 3, 2006
|
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- 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
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- 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. . . .
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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. . . .
.
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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. . . .
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- 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
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- 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
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- Flavor Flav Expecting His Seventh
Child People Magazine, By Amy Keith and Stephen M. Silverman,
Nov 1, 2006
Although Flavor Flav selected
contestant Deelishis (real name: London Charles) as the winner of
his heart on the Oct. 15 second-season finale of his VH1 show
Flavor of Love, he is expecting a child – his seventh – with
another woman, his manager confirms to PEOPLE. . . . Flav first
broke the news on radio's Tom Joyner Morning Show. He still loves
Deelishis, he said, and the baby's mother is not "a Flavor of Love
lady." Reacting to the news that Flav was about to have his seventh
child, Joyner said, "Man, you are running out of flavors." . . .
.
RELATED ARTICLE: Black
teens have bleak view of marriage... Views are influenced by broken
or unhappy relationships of people in their lives, pop
culture The Detroit News, By
Vanessa E. Jones- Boston Globe, Oct 19, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Raising
Girls That Pimps and Thugs will Hate TownHall.com, By Doug Giles, September 30,
2006
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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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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. . .
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- 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. . .
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