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"MARRIAGE" In The News
(November 2006)

Enter Our Blog Spot!

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

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

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

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


Will Kate Middleton Be the Newest Princess?

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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. . . .

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

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

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

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

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


Seal, Klum Have 2nd Child Together

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance write a book

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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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


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

  • 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