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"MARRIAGE" In The News
(December 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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Ziggy Marley breaks music, marriage barriers.
  • Ziggy breaks music, marriage barriers  Jamaica Gleaner, By Teino Evans, December 31, 2006
    The eldest son of reggae legend, Bob Marley, and his wife, Rita, Ziggy Marley, has indeed picked up where his father left off, breaking down barriers in more ways than one. . . . There had been widespread rumours that Marley had either converted to Judaism or was considering it, but Ziggy says that is completely false. What is true is that he is in fact married to an Israeli. "Yeah, my wife (Orly) is from Israel. She is a Jew." Ziggy says at first it was difficult for members of her family to accept the relationship, but he was not about to allow religious barriers to separate him from his true love. . . .

  • Woods makes major announcement, expecting first child this summer  PGA.com- AP, December 30, 2006
    -- Oh Baby! In a year full of great loss and great triumph for Tiger Woods, he and his wife Elin fittingly closed the year with his biggest announcement to date -- parenthood. Tiger Woods celebrated his 31st birthday Saturday by sharing some of his biggest news of the year -- his wife is expecting their first child this summer. . . .
Woods makes major announcement, expecting first child this summer.

  • Julia Roberts Back for Thirds  E! Online, by Sarah Hall, Dec 29, 2006
    Julia Roberts has a new project in development.  The Oscar-winning actor is expecting her third child with husband Danny Moder, her rep, Marcy Engleman, confirmed to E! News on Friday.  Word of the pregnancy was first reported by the New York Post's Page Six column. The couple, who wed in 2002, are already parents to two-year-old twins Phinnaeus Walter and Hazel Patricia, who were born in November 2004, after a difficult pregnancy that resulted in Roberts being confined to bed rest for the final weeks. . . .

Michael Jordan and his wife, Juanita, divorced Friday after 17 years of marriage.
  • Michael Jordan and His Wife Divorce   ABC News-AP, By ASHLEY M. HEHER, December 29, 2006
    — Michael Jordan and his wife, Juanita, divorced Friday after 17 years of marriage. "Michael and Juanita Jordan mutually and amicably decided to end their 17 year marriage," the couple said in a statement issued through their lawyers. "A judgment for dissolution of their marriage was entered today. There will be no further statements." . . . . Juanita Jordan previously filed for divorce in January 2002, but withdrew her petition a month later when the couple announced they were attempting a reconciliation. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Michael Jordan, Wife to Divorce After 17 Years  People magazine, December 29, 2006

  • Court: lawmakers defying obligation to vote on gay marriage ban  7-News Boston, December 27, 2006
     -- In a rebuke of the Legislature, the state's highest court Wednesday ruled lawmakers have defied the constitution by refusing to vote on a proposed amendment that would ban gay marriage. But the court also said it has no authority to force them to act. Gov. Mitt Romney and other supporters of the amendment, angered that lawmakers failed during a joint session in November to take a vote necessary to move it toward the ballot, sued and asked the Supreme Judicial Court to clarify lawmakers' duties under the state's constitution. In its ruling, the court said the Legislature's obligation to vote was "beyond serious debate," but said the most it could do was remind lawmakers of that duty. . . .
Court: lawmakers defying obligation to vote on gay marriage ban.

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

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  • Bride Dies in Her Sleep on Her Wedding Night  KSL TV.co,  By Amanda Butterfield, December 27th, 2006
    Doug Goodall married Jennifer Ann Bennett, the love of his life, last weekend--two days before Christmas. But their wedding night was their last night together. Doug Goodall, Groom: "And then I woke up in the morning, and she didn't." His bride died in her sleep the morning before Christmas. . . . It was a peaceful ending to a not so peaceful life.. . .

Emotional infidelity - fact or fiction?
  • Emotional infidelity - fact or fiction?   Health24- South Africa, By Susan Erasmus, December 27, 2006
    Your husband's friend Angela has just phoned again. For the third time this week. And while you're slaving away in the kitchen, you hear them laughing on the telephone and your hackles rise. Are you being unreasonable and petty, as you know they are only friends and nothing more?  "Not necessarily," says Cape Town psychologist, Ilse Terblanche. "When much of the social attention that is usually present in a marriage is diverted elsewhere, it is perfectly normal to feel betrayed in some way. Infidelity is not necessarily only sexual – it can be emotional too. And yes, this can make a marriage suffer.". . . . So when does the line get crossed between normal friendship and emotional infidelity?  Time factor. . . . Spouse not invited. . . .Too much involvement elsewhere. . . .Didn't I tell you?. . . . Duty vs. pleasure. . . . Always part of the equation. . . . Friend takes priority. . . . The friend is pitted against you. . . .  What should you do? . . . .

  • United Republic of Tanzania: Girl, 12, killed brutally after defying ’marriage’  IPP Media- Guardian, By Adam Ihucha, Ngorongoro, December 27, 2006
    The recent murder of a 12-year-old Maasai girl in Ngorongoro District, which took place after rebuffing an arranged marriage, has been described as one of the most awful deaths in recent memory. The girl, Sooi Sadira, from Soitsambu village, was killed on May 22, this year, after she allegedly refused to marry a 30-year-old man in a compulsory marital arrangement. . . . The father ordered Sooi to either ’go back’ to her ’husband’ or face a thorough beating. As it happened, Sooi would rather endure her father’s beating than the painful experience she underwent as a virgin on her first marital night. However, the father decided to apply an even more effective measure onto her daughter. . . . .

  • The Biggest Splits of '06!  The Insider, December 26, 2006
    As 2006 winds down, "The Insider" looks back on some of the biggest break-ups of the year!  REESE WITHERSOON and RYAN PHILLIPPE were Hollywood's golden couple, but after seven years of marriage, the two separated this fall. They met at Reese's 21st birthday party and later co-starred in the film 'Cruel Intentions.' They married in 1999 in Charleston, S.C., and have two children, AVA and DEACON. . . . Pop princess BRITNEY SPEARS stunned everyone by filing for divorce from KEVIN FEDERLINE this November, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split. . . .
As 2006 winds down, The Insider looks back on some of the biggest break-ups of the year!

James Brown's Partner, Mother of His Youngest Son, Locked Out of Couple's S.C. Home.

RELATED ARTICLE:  Why the legal limbo of living together can lead to disaster Telegraph.co.uk- UK, By Sarah Womack, August 17, 2005 

RELATED ARTICLE: 
How to protect yourself  The Telegraph- UK, August 17, 2005


  • Taxi Star's True Love Story   E! Online, By Bridget Byrne, December 26, 2006
    The scenario sounds as though it would make a great Lifetime movie. On Thursday, Marilu Henner married Michael Brown, whom the former Taxi star first met when he was dating her college roommate 36 years ago when they were students at the University of Chicago...Brown, now in remission from bladder and lung cancer, asked Henner to marry him after he awoke from surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung and found her at his bedside, smiling and holding his hand. "With all the emotion I could muster, I proposed," Brown told the New York Times, which featured the wedding in its Sunday marriage section. "I love her spirit." . . . .

  • 'Til wealth do us part
    Sure, love really matters in a relationship, but are you and your partner financially compatible?
      Lansing State Journal, By Abby Ellin-Tango Magazine, December 26, 2006
    . . . According to a 2006 Money magazine poll, 84 percent of respondents reported that finances caused tension in their marriages, and 15 percent said they fought about money several times a month. . . . Just as every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, every financially unequal partnership has its own special set of problems - and solutions. And just as it tends to be easier to date someone from a similar cultural, religious and educational background, it's often easier to be with someone who has similar attitudes about money. "Wealth-management people call it financial incompatibility, and it's a very real issue," Hayse says. "Money is the one remaining taboo in marriage. It used to be sex, but no more. Everyone goes into marriage expecting a good sex life. But they don't talk about money."  . . .
'Til wealth do us part: Sure, love really matters in a relationship, but are you and your partner financially compatible?

RELATED ARTICLE:   Saving a marriage: Spend, save or give? Understanding your partner can save you a trip to divorce court  MSNBC.com- Forbes.com, By Scott Reeves, May 31, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Talk About Money  Forbes.com- By Scott Reeves, Apr 10, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Family (Financial) Planning  Forbes.com- By Scott Reeves, Apr 15, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE:  What Makes Wives Happy?   WebMD - By Salynn Boyles, Mar 1, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:
University of Virginia Study Finds Commitment to Marriage, Emotional Engagement Key to Wives' Happiness   University of Virginia News, Mar 1, 2006

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:   "What's Love Got to do With It?" (pdf)


RELATED ARTICLE:
First Comes Love, Then Financial Planning  Forbes.com- By Scott Reeves, Feb 9, 2005


More Notes on Old-Fashioned Marriage.
  • More Notes on Old-Fashioned Marriage – Understanding The Numbers Game That Most Men Play  BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, December 25, 2006
    . . . . Numbers are not only vital to men in the world of sports; they are essential to us in our daily lives as well. Men keep an ongoing tally of personal statistics -- "I make X dollars per year, the house I own is worth Y amount, I can bench press Z pounds." Unfortunately, as important as numbers are to men, they are vastly unimportant to women. . . . Men are not ignorant; they just measure their kindness in the number of carats of the diamond or the square footage of the house. Women, on the other hand, are much more concerned with getting some help around the house and the last time she was told she was really rocking those jeans and boots.  Men certainly need to recognize the importance of sweet talk with no ulterior motive. Women, however, also need to appreciate our stats. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Old-Fashioned Marriage, Part 4: It’s More Than a Promise Made - It’s a Duty Fulfilled  BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, Sept 4, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: 
Old Fashioned Marriage Part 3: A Community Project  The RealityCheck.org, By Joseph C. Phillips, July 21, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:   Old Fashioned Marriage Part 2: The New Counter Culture  TheRealityCheck.org, By Joseph C.Phillips, July 14, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: 
An Old Fashioned Picture of Marriage -Part 1  TheRealityCheck.org, By Joseph C. Phillips, July 9, 2006


  • Parenting Issues: What’s Wrong With Cinderella?  The New York Times (Free Subscription), By PEGGY ORENSTEIN, December 24, 2006
    . . . Diana may be dead and Masako disgraced, but here in America, we are in the midst of a royal moment. To call princesses a “trend” among girls is like calling Harry Potter a book. Sales at Disney Consumer Products, which started the craze six years ago by packaging nine of its female characters under one royal rubric, have shot up to $3 billion, globally, this year, from $300 million in 2001. . . .  I worry about what playing Little Mermaid is teaching her. I’ve spent much of my career writing about experiences that undermine girls’ well-being, warning parents that a preoccupation with body and beauty (encouraged by films, TV, magazines and, yes, toys) is perilous to their daughters’ mental and physical health. Am I now supposed to shrug and forget all that? If trafficking in stereotypes doesn’t matter at 3, when does it matter? At 6? Eight? Thirteen?. . . . 
So, what's wrong with Cinderella?

  • Parenting Issues:  Mom's Christmas list   Capitol Hill Blue- VA, By Betsy Hart, December 22, 2006
    At Christmas I tend to assess the year that has passed, and I become reflective about what might be in the year ahead. Not on New Year's Day itself, not on my birthday. I do this at Christmastime each year. . . .  Anyway my kids keep asking me what I want for Christmas. I, of course, tell them I want perfectly behaved children. We all know I'm not getting that. And I don't really want it anyway. So then I tell them I'm just so thankful for what I have. Sure, it's hard raising four young kids on my own, but they give me such joy and energy it's like they deplete me and fuel me all at the same time, and I'm so grateful! In fact I'm thankful that my children are so boisterous and full of life, dear friends refer to having my family over as a "Hart attack.". . . . .

Paternity Test Ordered for Smith's Baby.
  • Paternity Test Ordered for Smith's Baby  ABC News - December 22, 2006
    — Anna Nicole Smith was ordered Thursday to bring her infant daughter to California for paternity tests sought by a former boyfriend who claims he is the father of the child, the man's publicist said in a statement. "Los Angeles Superior Court has ruled today that Anna Nicole Smith and 3-month-old baby daughter Dannielynn are ordered to submit to paternity testing," read the statement from Luck Media & Marketing Inc. . .  Birkhead, a Los Angeles photographer, filed a lawsuit in October claiming he is the father of Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, who was born in September in the Bahamas. If Birkhead is confirmed to be the father, he could receive visitation or custody rights and possibly a large amount of child support. The birth certificate lists Dannielynn's father as attorney Howard K. Stern, Smith's current companion. . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:  A story of modern celebrity: The trials of Anna Nicole  The Independent Online- UK, By David Usborne, September 30, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLES:  The Anna Nicole Smith Tragedy  People Magazine

  • 'Diddy' Combs' girlfriend gives birth to twin girls  Detroit Free Press- AP, December 21, 2006
    -- Call him P. Daddy.  Sean "Diddy" Combs and girlfriend Kim Porter became the parents of twin girls Thursday morning, with the hip-hop impresario flying in from a movie set in Canada for the birth at a Manhattan hospital, said Combs spokesman Robert Zimmerman. "Diddy received an early Christmas gift," said Zimmerman. "Both Kim and the girls are doing great." . . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:  
    Diddy, Kim Porter Welcome Twin Girls  People magazine, December 21, 2006
'Diddy' Combs' girlfriend, Kim Porter, gives birth to twin girls

RELATED ARTICLE:  Little Miss Diddys' Pretty in Pink baby shower  The Celebrity Baby Blog, Nov 22, 2006

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


  • Abstinence Education Advocates Criticize Results of Guttmacher Sex Study  LifeNews.com, By Steven Ertelt, December 21, 2006
    -- Advocates of abstinence education are criticizing the results of a new study of sexual habits conducted by the Alan Guttmacher Institute. The report, based on interviews with 38,000 people in a government study, claims that about 95 percent of Americans engage in premarital sex. The institute is affiliated with Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business and a frequent critic of abstinence education programs. Lawrence Finer, a Guttmacher research director who headed the study, called it "reality-check research" in an interview with the Associated Press. "Premarital sex is normal behavior for the vast majority of Americans, and has been for decades," he said. Finer said that the results of the study show the federal government shouldn't be funding abstinence education programs. . . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Study: Most Americans have sex before marriage  Jackson Hole Star-Tribune- AP, By David Crary, December 21, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  ‘95 percent’ premarital sex survey is connected to Planned Parenthood  BP News, By Erin Roach, December 22, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: 
Sex Ed and HIV Prevention Education in U.S. Schools 'Fiercely Politicized' and 'Highly Problematic,' Article Says   Kaiser Network, Dec 22, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Get Chaste: The Dawn and the Eden of a countercultural revolution  National Review Online, By Kathryn Jean Lopez, December 5, 2006

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Lara Flynn Boyle Hitched for $36.
  • Lara Flynn Boyle Hitched for $36   TMZ.com, December 21, 2006
    Lara Flynn Boyle tied the knot with businessman Donald Ray Thomas last weekend in San Antonio, TX -- and did it about as far from the glitz of Tinseltown as can be imagined. No Italian castle, no Posh in a hat, no steakhouse post-party. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:  Lara Flynn Boyle Weds  People magazine, By Stephen M. Silverman and Lisa Ingrassia, December 20, 2006

  • NJ Governor Signs Gay Civil Unions Law  CBS News- AP, NY, By Tom Hester, Jr., December 21, 2006
     New Jersey's governor signed legislation Thursday giving gay couples all the rights and responsibilities of marriage allowed under state law _ but not the title. When the law goes into effect Feb. 19, New Jersey will become the third state offering civil unions to gay couples and the fifth allowing gay couples some version of marriage. Connecticut and Vermont also offer civil unions for gay couples, while Massachusetts allows gay couples to marry, and California has domestic partnerships that bring full marriage rights under state law. . . . The Legislature passed the civil unions bill on Dec. 14 in response to a state Supreme Court order that gay couples be granted the same rights as married couples. The court in October gave lawmakers six months to act but left it to them to decide whether to call the unions "marriage" or something else. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:
      All But the Name of Marriage: New Jersey Adopts "Civil Unions" for Same-Sex Couples  FindLaw's Writ, By JOANNA GROSSMAN, December 26, 2006

    RELATED ARTICLE:  Why N.J. Civil Unions Don’t Equal Marriage New York Blade, December 22, 2006

    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


  • Same-Sex Marriage Ban Supporters Push Massachusetts Lawmakers to Vote 247gay.com, By Troy Espera, December 21, 2006
    Advocates of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Massachusetts asked the state's highest court Wednesday to push lawmakers to vote on putting the measure on the ballot. John Hanify, an attorney for Gov. Mitt Romney, told the Associated Press that supporters are asking the Supreme Judicial Court to clarify what the obligations of legislators are under a state constitutional provision that establishes the rights of citizens to petition for a constitutional amendment. Romney and others sued in November after lawmakers postponed action on the proposed ballot question until Jan. 2, the last day of the legislative session - a move both sides said likely would kill the measure. . . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE The who, what and why of a constitutional crisis  The Pilot- MA, By Daniel Avila, December 21, 2006

  • 7 Va. Episcopal Parishes Vote to Sever Ties
    Same-Sex Unions, Choice of Gay Bishop Spark Conservatives' Break From Church
      Washington Post, By Bill Turque and Michelle Boorstein, December 18, 2006
    At least seven Virginia Episcopal parishes, opposed to the consecration of a gay bishop and the blessing of same-sex unions, have voted overwhelmingly to break from the U.S. church in a dramatic demonstration of widening rifts within the denomination. . . The votes are fresh evidence of an increasingly bitter split within the U.S. Episcopal Church. Seven of its 111 dioceses have rejected the authority of Presiding U.S. Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, installed in November as the first woman to head an Anglican church. Schori supports V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man elected bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. . . . .
7 Va. Episcopal Parishes Vote to Sever Ties: Same-Sex Unions, Choice of Gay Bishop Spark Conservatives' Break From Church.

RELATED ARTICLE:  Analysis: Anglican schism nears reality  BBC News, By Alex Kirby, February 25, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE:  Defender of the Faith: Why all Anglican eyes in London are nervously fixed on a powerful African archbishop  Atlantic Online, By Philip Jenkins, November 2003 Issue


RELATED ARTICLE: 
Head to head: Gay church debate  BBC News, Oct 15, 2003


  • Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying  The New York Times (Free Subscription), December 17, 2006
    Relationship experts report that too many couples fail to ask each other critical questions before marrying. Here are a few key ones that couples should consider asking: 1) Have we discussed whether or not to have children, and if the answer is yes, who is going to be the primary care giver? 2) Do we have a clear idea of each other’s financial obligations and goals, and do our ideas about spending and saving mesh?. . . . 11) Do we value and respect each other’s parents, and is either of us concerned about whether the parents will interfere with the relationship? 12) What does my family do that annoys you? 13) Are there some things that you and I are NOT prepared to give up in the marriage?. . . .

Beck finds storybook romance: Falcons player, raised in a devout, down-to-earth household, courted his bride through letters written in his own hand. Photo: Jimmy Cribb/Atlanta Falcons.com
  • Beck finds storybook romance
    Falcons player, raised in a devout, down-to-earth household, courted his bride through letters written in his own hand.
      The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Free Online Subscription), By MICHELLE HISKEY, December 17, 2006

    Jordan Beck's dream wife would have a face he'd want to see every morning. She'd have the voice he'd want to hear every night. His career — playing linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons — wasn't going to play a role in finding her. Other players might aim for a Barbie doll to add to their status and wealth. He, though, had been raised to stick up for what was important to him, even if it was different. . . . Terry Beck, now 54, hadn't had much luck setting up her "straight arrow" when he was in college. Her son told her he lost interest after 10 minutes with some dates who were not marriage material. . . . Three months after her son moved to Atlanta, Terry Beck spoke at Mount Hermon about friendships at a seminar for home schooled teenagers. An attractive young woman in the audience impressed her with thoughtful questions, articulate answers and well-considered goals in life. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Jilted hubby claims Belichick interference in marriage vows  Boston Herald- US, By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa, December 18, 2006


  • Pakistan:  Fire, stampede kill bride and 26 others at Pakistan wedding  USA Today- AP, December 17, 2006
    — A fire broke out in a tent at a wedding party in eastern Pakistan, triggering a stampede and wall collapse that killed 27 women and children, police said Sunday. The bride was among the dead. More than 30 other people were injured when the wedding party turned into a tragedy late Saturday night in Jhok Utra, a village about 75 miles west of the city of Multan, said area police officer Khadim Hussain Khadim.  A high-powered electric light apparently sparked the fire in the large canvas tent where more than 100 women and children, many singing wedding songs, were present, Khadim said. . . .

  • UK: Two families preparing for wedding must now plan a double funeral  The Belfast Telegraph- Sunday Life, By Ciaran McGuigan, December 17, 2006
    Last-minute wedding preparations turned to tragedy when two pals were killed in a horrific road smash. Mum-of-two Lisa McFerran (25) and Claire Wakeland (23) were set to become sisters-in-law when Claire married her pal's brother William later this year.  But the close friends both died in a grim road accident as they returned home from a night out to watch an entertainment act that was due to perform at the wedding reception. . . .

  • It's a complete pantomime at the Matt Lucas wedding   The Independent- UK, By Martin Hodgson, December 17, 2006
    It's the only gay wedding in the village - or at least the only one any self-respecting celebrity will be attending this weekend. The Little Britain star Matt Lucas will marry his long-term boyfriend, Kevin McGee, today at a private civil partnership ceremony, followed by a lavish party at a 17th-century palace. As befits a performer who took fetish-wear and cross-dressing to primetime television, Lucas has chosen to celebrate his wedding in fancy dress.  The 400 guests, including Elton John and Charlotte Church, have been instructed to arrive as characters from Christmas pantomimes. . .
Matt Lucas and partner Kevin McGee and, inset from top, Elton John, Courtney Love.

RELATED ARTICLE:  Little Britain star's gay wedding  Sydney Morning Herald- AU, December 18, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Elton advocates marriage to pals  Zee News, India - Dec 14, 2006


  • Lesbian couple loses marriage case in Irish court  International Herald Tribune- By Kevin Cullen- The Boston Globe, December 17, 2006
    A judge in Ireland has ruled that a lesbian couple who met in Boston and were married in Canada cannot be considered married in Ireland, because the Irish Constitution limits marriage to a union between a man and a woman. In a 138-page ruling released Thursday, Judge Elizabeth Dunne of the High Court rejected the case of Ann Louise Gilligan and Katherine Zappone, who met in Boston in 1981, when they were graduate students at Boston College. They married in Vancouver in 2003. . . .

  • Who's Your Daddy? My Father Was an Anonymous Sperm Donor  The Washington Post, By Katrina Clark, December 17, 2006
    I really wasn't expecting anything the day, earlier this year, when I sent an e-mail to a man whose name I had found on the Internet. I was looking for my father, and in some ways this man fit the bill. But I never thought I'd hit pay dirt on my first try. Then I got a reply -- with a picture attached.  From my computer screen, my own face seemed to stare back at me. And just like that, after 17 years, the missing piece of the puzzle snapped into place. The puzzle of who I am. . . . . I am the result: a donor-conceived child. And for a while, I was pretty angry about it. I was angry at the idea that where donor conception is concerned, everyone focuses on the "parents" -- the adults who can make choices about their own lives. . . . .

Vogue magazine- January 2007 cover, Annie Leibovitz
  • When we devalue marriage  Capitol Hill Blue, By Betsy Hart, December 16, 2006
    "Angelina Speaks" might have been the title of the Vogue magazine's Angelina Jolie interview, which hits newsstands with a splash Friday. I previewed a copy of the January piece, "The Bold and the Beautiful," by Jonathan Van Meter, photos by Annie Leibovitz.  For the first time, Jolie spoke openly about her relationship with Brad Pitt, whom she met in 2004 on the set of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," when he was married to Jennifer Aniston. . . . Cut!! Let's review. This is not about Jolie and Pitt and whatever demons they did -- or did not -- struggle with, or whether or not they considered how they were impacting others. This is about how we as a culture have come to value or devalue marriage. . . . . Now forget these Hollywood players altogether. Just consider what the "players" have revealed about our culture's view of marriage: marriage has largely become an "as long as I'm happy in the moment" idea. . . .

    RELATED BLOG:
      Brangelina Triangle Tragedy: Marriage Vows Don't Count  The Real Proposal magazine BlogSpot, December 22, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  More from Camille Paglia: White Middle-Class Women Identify with Aniston's Humiliation  Us magazine, December 13, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Angelina Jolie Says Cheating Is "One Of Worst Things"  All Headline News, By Maira Oliveira, December 20, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: 
JEN TO JEZEBEL JOLIE: YOU'RE THE PITTS The London Free Press-Stargazing, By ANTHONY CARR & TONY BRENNA, December 17, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: 
ANGELINA: I Tried Not to Steal Jen's 'Best Friend'   NY POST.com, By David K. Li, December 12, 2006


  • Can you say clout?  Bay Windows, By Lisa Keen, December 14, 2006
    There are two ways to vote for candidates in the United States: through the ballot box and through the checkbook. In both, the LGBT community will always be outnumbered by virtue of the small percentage of the population which can be identified as LGBT. But even so, the gay political dollar is turning up more frequently in political races. This year, money from gay donors improved the electoral landscape for LGBT people in Congress and at least two state legislatures. It also contributed to the first failure of a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. . . .
Can you say clout?  There are two ways to vote for candidates in the United States: through the ballot box and through the checkbook. And the gay political dollar is turning up more frequently in political races.

  • The money men   Bay Windows, By Lisa Keen, December 14, 2006
    He’s not a household name, not even in gay households. But he’s gay, he’s on the Forbes list of the world’s richest people and he’s using his billions to improve the political landscape for LGBT people in Michigan and the United States. Jon Stryker, an architect from Kalamazoo, Michigan, inherited his fortune, estimated at $1.7 billion, from a medical products corporation his grandfather started in 1941. At 47, he ranks sixth on a list of largest contributors to 527 political advocacy groups . . . . As dramatic as Stryker’s willingness to put his own money into improving the political and legal climate for the LGBT community at home and around the country is, he’s not alone. Other openly gay people have been doing the same. Dreamworks billionaire David Geffen has given hundreds of thousands to the Democratic party, as has technology giant David Bohnett. Former E*TRADE executive Kathy Levinson and Hormel Foods heir James Hormel have also given large sums to Democratic candidates over the years. And there are others, including some who have yet to acknowledge to the public that they are gay. But no openly gay person of wealth, not even Stryker, has charged into the political fray as dramatically as Tim Gill of Colorado. . . .

Beyonce silences wedding rumours, insisting you cannot rush a man down the aisle.
  • Beyonce silences wedding rumours  Ninemsn.com-AU, December 14, 2006
    Beyonce Knowles has shot down marriage rumours insisting you "cannot rush" a man down the aisle. Rumours swirled last week that the 'Bootylicious' singer and boyfriend Jay-Z were tying the knot in the Caribbean. Beyonce, 25, told InStyle magazine that she does want to get hitched, but is happy to wait for it to happen. "You can't rush a man into anything, whether it's a relationship, marriage or having children," she said. "When he's ready, he'll let you know. . . . And the sexy singer told Parade magazine that her parents have set her a good example about love. . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  The Marrying Kind: Which Men Marry and Why The National Marriage Project- The State of Our Unions 2004,  By Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe

RELATED ARTICLE:  Obvious but False: Common Views of Love and Courtship Breakpoint.org, By Chuck Colson, August 08, 2005

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Ten Important Research Findings on Marriage and Choosing A Marriage Partner: Helpful Facts for Young Adults  The National Marriage Project- Rutgers University, By David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, November 2004


  • Why I Love Being Mrs.
    5 reasons to celebrate marriage
      Christianity Today, By Jane Johnson Struck, Republished December 13, 2006
    With two decades of marriage to my husband, Rich, under my belt, I've experienced my share of moments when I've decided I couldn't live with him. They've usually occurred after we've argued about something or when my hormones have been on full battle alert. Rich and I have struggled through the challenges of raising teenagers, battled cancer together, survived job stresses, a layoff, and a tumultuous relocation that didn't pan out. Over the years, tensions have run high as we've had to grit our teeth and hold tight to that commitment we made before God and our friends and family many years ago. We've been childish, selfish, and have both said things we regret. We each entered into our union with unique baggage and unrealistic expectations of each other that still crop up even after years of loving and living together.  Yet even during those moments when I'm tempted to mutter, "I can't live with him," I know I'd marry Rich again in a heartbeat. Here are five reasons why I love being married. . . .

  • Nancy O'Dell expecting her first child  USA Today, December 13, 2006
    Access Hollywood host Nancy O'Dell and her husband, Keith Zubchevich, are expecting their first child.  "My husband Keith and I are over the moon!" O'Dell was quoted as saying on the Access Hollywood website. She announced her pregnancy Wednesday. . . .

  • Tennis Star Lindsay Davenport Pregnant  ABC News- AP, December 13, 2006
    Three-time major champion Lindsay Davenport is pregnant and will miss at least the start of the 2007 tennis season. . . . . Davenport and her husband, Jonathan Leach, are expecting their first child in early summer, according to a news release issued Wednesday by her agent, Tony Godsick. There was no indication in the release whether or not the 30-year-old Davenport plans to play professionally again. . . .
Nancy O'Dell_Keith Zubchevich_ NBC Universal.jpg

  • Marriage Law: The ties that bind   Star-Telegram- TX, December 13, 2006
    From the party of less goverment comes the latest initiative emblematic of a nanny state: covenant marriage.  The Texas Republican Party adopted as part of its platform the establishment of a covenant marriage option in the Lone Star State.  Arlington state Rep. Bill Zedler stepped forward as the point man on the issue when he filed a bill this week that would allow couples to opt into such a marriage by attending state-paid premarital counseling. Should the union turn sour — as defined by adultery, physical or sexual abuse, felony conviction, or living separately for at least three years — couples would have to attend counseling and go through a two-year separation before a judge could hear the divorce case. . . . But is it an idea that every Texas taxpayer should be underwriting?. . .

  • Senate bans pastor after he condemns same-sex marriage  The Star Ledger- NJ, BY JEFF DIAMANT, Wednesday, December 13, 2006
    The Rev. Vincent Fields says he didn't plan to speak out against same-sex marriage when he offered the invocation at the opening of the Senate session on Monday. At first, he prayed for wisdom and understanding for the senators. But then, the Absecon pastor recalled yesterday, "the Holy Spirit took over, and I had to pray what he said." What Fields said next -- on a day a Senate committee advanced a bill allowing civil unions for same- sex couples -- has gotten the pastor banned from giving future Senate invocations. "We curse the spirit that would come to bring about same-sex marriage," Fields said in the Senate chamber. "We ask you to just look over this place today, cause them to be shaken in their very heart in uprightness, Lord, to do that is right before you. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
    Muzzling free speech: Why can't people speak against same-sex marriage?  The Hamilton Spectator- Canada, By Gwendolyn Landolt, December 11, 2006
     
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Don't let careers do a job on your marriage: If you're newly married, striking a balance between work and love can be a challenge.
  • Don't let careers do a job on your marriage   AZ Central- McClatchy Newspapers, December 13, 2006
    If you're newly married, striking a balance between work and love can be a challenge. Here's some advice on how to keep the five most common scenarios from taking over your marriage:
    1. One of you is always working late. You're usually home for dinner; your spouse pulls in long hours. Key to success: No one expects you to give up your career once you get married; but remember, a person is now waiting for you at home. Give your spouse a heads-up on your schedule the weekend before so he can make dinner plans. If you have to work late unexpectedly, call home so there's no need for your honey to worry. . .2. One of you is unhappy with your job. . . .3. One of you is offered a great job in another state. . . 4. You both work late. . . 5. You work together. .

  • Man whose sex drive rose after injury claims £3.5m  The Times Online- UK, By Marcus Leroux, December 13, 2006
    A Christian newly-wed has filed a £3.5 million compensation claim against his employers, saying that his marriage was ruined because his sex drive spiralled out of control after he injured his head at work. Stephen Tame, 29, from East Bergholt, Suffolk, fell from a gantry while working in a bicycle warehouse in January 2002. Although he made a full physical recovery after two years of specialist treatment, he claims that the accident led to severe sexual disinhibition, which is destroying his marriage. His wife, Sarah, 30, has had to spend nights away from him “to get some respite”, and he has resorted to using pornography and visiting a prostitute. . . . Bill Braithwaite, QC, Mr Tame’s barrister, said: “Mr Tame has a presentation which can be described as ‘fatuous euphoria’. . .
     

  • MR NICE GUY HATES YOUR GUTS
    Insights into Passive-Aggresive Personality Disorder
      UpStage magazine, December 13, 2006
     -- With its first publication to hit the market, Trophy Entertainment's publishing subsidiary, Trophylicious Books presents Mr. Nice Guy Hates Your Guts, a daring naked look at the ideal marriage gone horribly wrong when one of the partners suffers from PAPD (passive-aggressive personality disorder). The first book, penned by Author Rhonda Coleman pulls no punches as she peels away the layers of denial and subterfuge that surround this subject.  Having dealt successfully with PAPD in order to preserve her marriage to a man she says, "I love very much and have been married to for over twenty years," Coleman describes how she came to realize the problems in her marriage and what she determined to do . . . .

  • Fighting terrorists with marriage  Yemen Observer, Yemen, By Abdul-Aziz Oudah & Fares Anam, December 12, 2006
    Marriage has become the latest weapon in the war against terrorism, said Mohammed al-Ansi, director of the presidency office, and the head of National Security. Authorities in Yemen intend to marry off  arrested members of terrorist groups who have been unable to marry, to help them achieve social stability, which many of them lack. . . . Officials have already tried numerous methods of rehabilitating terrorists, including intellectual dialogue.  Dr. Saleh al-Khadri, a psychology professor, said that marrying off extremists is a step that might actually benefit the psychological and social stability of extremist young people, who will lose one of their reasons for terrorist activities. “The marriage also means a link to others, such as wife and children, and the husband will be the primary one responsible for their care. . . .

    RELATED SITE:
     Theodore's World- The Terrorists
Fighting terrorists with marriage: Authorities in Yemen intend to marry off  arrested members of terrorist groups who have been unable to marry, to help them achieve social stability, which many of them lack.

 ANGELINA: I Tried Not to Steal Jen's 'Best Friend'. Photo By Annie Leibovitz, Vogue magazine.
  • ANGELINA: I Tried Not to Steal Jen's 'Best Friend'   NY POST.com, By David K. Li, December 12, 2006
    Angelina Jolie fell hard for Brad Pitt on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" - but didn't chase Hollywood's leading hunk because he was married to his "best friend," the smoldering actress said in a jaw-dropping magazine interview. In her first in-depth words about life as half of Tinseltown's first couple, Jolie tells Vogue magazine she never wanted to ruin Pitt's marriage to actress Jennifer Aniston - it just happened that way. . . . "Brad was a huge surprise to me," she said. "I, like most people, had a very distant impression of him from . . . the media. "I think we were the last two people who were looking for a relationship. I certainly wasn't," she said. "I was quite content to be a single mom.". . . . "We both have been married before, so it's not marriage that's necessarily kept some people together. "We are legally bound to our children, not to each other, and I think that's the most important thing," she said. . . . .

    RELATED BLOG:
      Brangelina Triangle Tragedy: Marriage Vows Don't Count  The Real Proposal magazine BlogSpot, December 22, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:  Brad and Angelina set for fairytale Christmas wedding in South Africa  Daily Mail- UK, December 7, 2006

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



  • Sienna Miller's traumatic run with Jude Law  Monsters and Critics.com, December 11, 2006
    Sienna Miller says Jude Law's infidelity drove her into therapy. The 'Layer Cake' actress, who was left devastated by Jude's affair with his children's nanny, has revealed she turned to a psychiatrist to help mend her broken heart. She told Britain's Mail on Sunday newspaper: "There were times when I felt it was all too much. I needed to talk to someone about it."  However, the therapy lasted for just one session after Sienna lost her temper when she became uncomfortable by the psychiatrist's probing questioning. . . .

    RELATED ARTICLE:  
    Diaz defends "charming" Jude Law  China Daily, Dec 11, 2006
Sienna Miller's traumatic run with Jude Law: She says Jude Law's infidelity drove her into therapy.

Chili peppers can stimulate the nervous system and enhance the feelings of sexual arousal.

  • Canada: Muzzling free speech
    Why can't people speak against same-sex marriage?  The Hamilton Spectator- Canada, By Gwendolyn Landolt, December 11, 2006
    Two views of homosexuality are creating tensions in Canada. Some believe, on the basis of equality, that there should be no distinction drawn in any way by society between homosexual and heterosexual relationships. Others are opposed to homosexuality for practical, medical, moral and/or religious reasons. The "no distinction" approach has dominated primarily because of the decisions of appointed judges and human rights panellists. It was on this basis that the legalization of same-sex marriages was made.  Even within the parliamentary process, the decision on same-sex marriage has been made by a very few individuals. . . . Same-sex marriages are not functionally equivalent to opposite-sex marriages, but are different in structure, values and practice. . .

    RELATED ARTICLE: 
       Banned in Boston: The Coming Conflict Between Same Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty