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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. . .
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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. . . . .
.
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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
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