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"MARRIAGE" In The News
(December 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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- 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. . .
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- 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. . .
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- 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. . .
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- 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
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- 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. . . .
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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.. . .
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- 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? . . .
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- 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. . . . .
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- 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. . . .
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- Brown's
Partner Denied Access to Home
James Brown's Partner, Mother of His Youngest Son, Locked Out of
Couple's S.C. Home ABC News- AP, December 26, 2006
— James Brown's lawyer said
Tuesday that the late singer and his partner were not legally
married and that she was locked out of his South Carolina home for
estate legal reasons. . . . Brown's partner, backup dancer Tomi Rae
Hynie, was already married to a Texas man in 2001 when she married
Brown, thus making her marriage to Brown null, Dallas said. He said
Hynie later annulled the previous marriage, but she and Brown never
remarried. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Thank
You, James Brown - For Your Genius, For Your Music and For Being
Black and Proud BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Tonyaa Weathersbee,
December 27, 2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: James Brown's Wife Files For
Divorce Sound-Check
Music- UK, Sept 15,
2005
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- 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." . . . .
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- '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." . . .
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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
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- 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. . .
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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
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- 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?. . . .
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- 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.". . . . .
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- 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
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- '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
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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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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. . . .
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- 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?. . . .
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- 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. . . .
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- 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. . . .
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- 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. . .
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- 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. . . . .
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- 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
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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
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- 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. . . .
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- 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. . . .
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- 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. . .
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- 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. . . .
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- 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. . .
.
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- 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
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.
.
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- 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
. . . .
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- 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
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- 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
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- Eddie Murphy dumped Mel B
because of affair claims paper
- Private detectives followed ex-Spice Girl says
report LondonNet- UK,
December 11, 2006
Eddie Murphy dumped pregnant girlfriend Mel B
because she was having an affair - it has been claimed. The US
funnyman reportedly hired private detectives to follow the former
Spice Girl after becoming suspicious she was cheating on him. . . .
. However, Mel - who is five months pregnant - has laughed off the
latest accusations. She said: "Is that the best they can throw at
me? It just goes to show how desperate Eddie has got. I may have
met another man for entirely innocent purposes, but I was always
faithful to Eddie. He is the father of my baby and he knows it." .
. . .
RELATED BLOG:
Hollywood Unhooked (Un-Glued, more
precise) The Real Proposal magazine BlogSpot, December 11,
2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: Mother-in-law meltdown: The real reason Eddie
Murphy split from Scary Spice The Daily Mail- UK, By CAROLINE GRAHAM, December 9,
2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: Hollywood's laughing cavalier The
Guardian-Observer- UK, By Jason Solomons, December 10,
2006
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- 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
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- Recipe for
better sex:
What to eat to add spice 10 things to add to your diet and enhance
your love life MSNBC- Forbes.com, Dec 11, 2006
Need to spice up your sex life?
All the ingredients you need may be found at your local grocery
store. Like many aspects of health, our sex drive is affected by
what we put into our bodies. Certain foods affect the body in
different ways. Depending on what you consume, wining and dining a
date can induce more sleep than romance. . . There is a difference,
of course, between helping sexual dysfunction and arousing our
passions. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Little Tricks
to Make Your Marriage Much, Much
Happier WNBC.com, December 4, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: America Unzipped: Sexual
exploration goes mainstream
Seems everybody's engaging in once-fringe acts, but are we
satisfied yet? MSNBC, By Brian Alexander- MSNBC contributor, Dec 1,
2006
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- 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
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