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"MARRIAGE" In The News (March 2007) |
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The news articles and features presented below are simply an indication of how topical, controversial, and all-encompassing the issues surrounding marriage are throughout our society--and the world-- today. Some of the views and opinions expressed, and their respective web sites, do NOT reflect the views or opinions of The Real Proposal™ magazine. Many are highlighted largely to reiterate that the alarming statistical trends on the chaotic state of "Marriage" and "Family"--outlined in "A Mere Glimpse"--will continue unabated without a fundamental grasp and purposeful dissemination of TRUTH on the issues.
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- How Wives Can Kill Their Marriage: Part
Two TownHall.com, By Doug Giles, Saturday, March 31, 2007
From the negative
reaction I’ve received from cranky women and toxic feminists, as
well as the tremendous positive responses/confessions from honest
and repentant ex- men emasculators, I think I’m on to something
with my “How Wives Can Kill Their Marriage” series. In regards to
screeching female critics of my column, you and I both know that if
I went to town on husbands (which I have many times . . . check my
archives) everything would be cool. I would be loved and hailed by
all the misandrists far and wide. Yes, the man haters would be
giddy. However, when I turn my guns on the girls for their garish
behavior towards their husbands, all of a sudden I’m a sexist, or a
homo, or a . . . a . . . a something. What’s the matter? Can’t take
the heat? Listen, little Miss Can’t Do Wrong, I’m here to tell you
that, believe it or not, you’re capable and oft times culpable for
creating for your mate a living hell that is only surpassed by an
eternal one. . . .Having covered 1) Nag Your Husband and 2)
Disparage Him in Public in my last column, I now offer you, the
man-eater, points three through six for your bitter arsenal. . . .
. .
RELATED
ARTICLE: How
Wives Can Kill Their Marriage: Part One TownHall.com, By Doug Giles, March 24, 2007
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- The (futile) pursuit of
happiness The Daily Mail- UK, By HELEN KIRWAN-TAYLOR, March 30,
2007
Throughout my whole
life, I have striven to be happy. Indeed, on the surface, I have
everything required to reach such a state of contentment: a loving
husband, beautiful children, a nice house, the absence of debt or
physical impediments. However, despite all this, despite my best
attempts to remain positive, most of my waking life is spent in a
state that is far, far short of euphoric. Not that I would ever
dare admit to anyone that I am anything less than blissfully happy.
For in the 21st century, being openly negative, miserable or even a
little unhappy in today's glossy, airbrushed, size zero, Hello!
magazine world, has become a taboo of unspeakable proportions. . .
. . . One of my friends now regrets her divorce, and admits: "I
indulged in how I was feeling in the moment - which was deeply
unhappy - and convinced myself everything would be fantastic if I
just left the marriage, when I should have taken the long view and
put up with some unhappiness." . . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Great
Expectations Psychology Today, By Polly Shulman, March 27,
2007
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- LDS singles are delaying
marriage
Growing trend mirrors national census
data Deseret Morning News, By
Nicole Warburton and Leigh Dethman, March 30, 2007 . . . . . The average age of first marriage for LDS Church
members is approximately 23, said Jason Carroll, assistant
professor of marriage, family and human development at Brigham
Young University. That may not sound old, but the LDS Church
teaches that marriage and family are an important part of
progression both now and in the afterlife. Young adults in the
faith traditionally married as early as 18 during the last half of
the 20th century. Nationally, the average age of first
marriage jumped from 20 for females and 23 for males in 1960 to 25
and 27 in 2000, respectively, according to the most recent Census
data. If the present trend continues, some national
demographers believe that fewer than 85 percent of current young
adults will ever marry, according to the National Marriage Project
at Rutgers University. The study found that nationally, men don't
commit because they want to avoid divorce and want to enjoy the
single life. Foremost, it said the availability of sex outside the
bond of marriage and enjoying the "benefits of having a wife by
cohabitating" were the top reasons for delaying the commitment to
marry. . . . During spring commencement at BYU in 2005, Elder Earl
C. Tingey, then a member of the presidency of the Seventy, called
on singles to take on the adult responsibilities of marriage and
family. He referred to an article in Time Magazine that called
singles who avoid marriage "'twentysomething Peter Pans' who never
'grow up,"' preferring to play and work after college graduation. .
. . .
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- Singer Marie Osmond Getting Divorced
Singer Marie Osmond, Record Producer Husband Brian
Blosil Divorcing After 20 Years Of
Marriage CBS
NEWS- AP, March 30, 2007 Marie Osmond and
husband Brian Blosil are divorcing after 20 years of marriage, the
pair announced Friday. Osmond, 47, and Blosil, a record producer,
have eight children, some of whom are adopted. The two married in a
Mormon ceremony in October 1986, and briefly separated in
2000. "Though our marriage is ending, we continue to have a
very amicable relationship. Our marriage has always been a faithful
one and neither of us is assigning fault for the divorce," they
said in a statement released by Osmond's publicist. . .
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- Britney and K-Fed Settle Up E! Online, By Natalie Finn, March 29, 2007
Now there's yet another thing no longer hanging over Britney Spears' head. Attorneys representing the shorn pop star and estranged hubby Kevin Federline said Thursday that the couple have reached a "global divorce settlement on all issues of their marriage," including custody of their two children. A day after visiting the dentist for the second time in a week to get a painful tooth checked out and a little more than a week after checking out of rehab, Spears met with Federline and their lawyers for five hours, after which they signed off on their agreement, a spokesman for K-Fed's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told E! News. The terms of the settlement remain under wraps, but sources close to the situation told E! that a TMZ.com report stating Federline walked away with $1 million and joint physical custody of the kids is not accurate. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Britney Spears & Kevin Federline Reach Divorce Settlement People magazine, By Frank Swertlow, March 29, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: The Top Ten Myths of Divorce: Discussion of the most common misinformation about divorce, with references to social science literature The National Marriage Project- Rutgers University, By David Popenoe, April 2001
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- Navy doc goes from magazine
cutie to TV’s latest
‘Bachelor' Marine Corp Times, By Mike Hughes, March 29, 2007
Navy Lt. Andy
Baldwin, TV’s latest “Bachelor” reality star, seemed headed for a
steady, stable life. He was on a farm near Lancaster, Pa. “I
grew up with a family with modest means,” he says. “Our neighbors
were Amish.” Life moved at a peaceful pace. Then his world
expanded. Baldwin, 30. has gone from Pearl Harbor to the Persian
Gulf, from mountain villages in Laos to a “50 hottest bachelors”
spread in Cosmopolitan. And now he’s the next “The Bachelor” on
ABC. “I had no idea how difficult (it is),” Baldwin says. “I’ve
done the Iron Man six times, but this is hard.”. . . . . One
assumes he could attract a woman without the help of a reality
show. Still, Baldwin says this is logical. “There are people
falling in love in stranger ways.” The track record for the show
has been mixed so far.
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- Halle Cops to Suicide
Attempt E!Online News, By Gina Serpe, March 29, 2007
Halle Berry may be
the image of independence and confidence today, but, of her own
admission, that wasn't always the case. The Oscar-winning
actor has confessed to Parade magazine that she tried to commit
suicide shortly after the demise of her first marriage, to Atlanta
Braves ball player David Justice. Berry, 40, told the weekly
magazine that she attempted to gas herself in her car but pulled
out after realizing how "selfish" the act would be. . . . .Things
went better, though not much, with her second marriage to confessed
sex addict Eric Benet. The twosome married in 2001 and divorced
four years later in the wake of Benet's widely publicized
confession. Berry described the marriage as "really horrific" and
told Parade she wishes she'd gotten out of the ill-fated
relationship a lot sooner. "We were in sex rehab after one year. .
. .
RELATED ARTICLE: Berry
Upset with Suicide Story Hollywood.com, By WENN, April 7, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Halle
Berry - Web Exclusive: PHOTOS &
INTERVIEW Parade.com, March 29, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Halle Berry's Ex-Husband
Fights Back. . . against actress' slurs... Entertainmentwise, By Lowri Williams, June 27,
2006
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- Maine Couple
To Celebrate Their 80th Marriage Anniversary
Together All Headline News, By Shaveta Bansal, March 29,
2007
- Kathleen
and Waldo Tarbell are just three years junior of the couple that
holds the world record for the longest marriage among living
people. Now being married for almost 80 years, the Maine couple has
all the memories of their youth still afresh and plans to celebrate
their big day on Saturday at the Oceanview Nursing Home. Waldo, 101
and Kathleen, who turns 100 in June, met at a dance party in
Charlotte and fell in love at the very first sight. The couple
married in 1927 and since then has been together. . . .
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- Defining
Marriage Down . . . is no way to save it The Weekly Standard, By David Blankenhorn, April 2,
2007- Volume 012, Issue 28
Does permitting same-sex marriage weaken marriage as
a social institution? Or does extending to gay and lesbian couples
the right to marry have little or no effect on marriage overall?
Scholars and commentators have expended much effort trying in vain
to wring proof of causation from the data--all the while ignoring
the meaning of some simple correlations that the numbers do
indubitably show. . . . When it comes to the health of
marriage as an institution and the legal status of same-sex unions,
there is much to be gained from giving up the search for causation
and studying some recurring patterns in the data, as I did for my
book The Future of Marriage. It turns out that certain clusters of
beliefs about and attitudes toward marriage consistently correlate
with certain institutional arrangements. The correlations crop up
in a large number of countries and recur in data drawn from
different surveys of opinion. Take the International Social Survey
Programme (ISSP), a collaborative effort of universities in over 40
countries. It interviewed about 50,000 adults in 35 countries in
2002. What is useful for our purposes is that respondents were
asked whether they agreed or disagreed with six statements that
directly relate to marriage as an institution: 1. Married people are generally happier than unmarried people. 2. People who want children ought to get married. . . .
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- Same-sex marriage opponents rally The Indianapolis
Star- IndyStar.com, By Bill Ruthhart, March 27, 2007
Hundreds of people
attended a rally at the Statehouse this afternoon in support of a
constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The event was
organized by Advance America, a conservative group that has pushed
for the amendment. The group's founder, Eric Miller, called for
House Democrats to allow a vote on the controversial amendment
without making any changes to the proposal. Same-sex
marriages already are illegal in Indiana, but Miller and other
supporters of the amendment say it's necessary to keep activist
judges from creating civil unions, which could carry the benefits
of marriage. .
RELATED ARTICLE: Gay
Marriage Ripe for Court Decisions in Three
States Pew
Research Center Publications, By Christine Vestal, March 1,
2007
- Lilly against gay marriage
ban The
Indianapolis Star- IndyStar.com, By Mary Beth Schneider, March 28,
2007
Eli Lilly and Co. today became the
latest large Indiana employer to oppose a proposed constitutional
amendment banning same-sex marriage. Tony Murphy, Lilly's senior
vice president for human resources, sent a letter to House Speaker
B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, and other legislators saying the
amendment could hinder Lilly's ability to attract employees and
also paint an image of Indiana as an intolerant state. Murphy said
in the letter that Lilly, which employs nearly 16,000 people in
Indiana, has offered domestic partner benefits since January 2004.
. . . The proposed amendment passed the Indiana General Assembly in
2005, but must pass a second time before going to voters for their
approval. The Senate approved the amendment earlier this year, and
now it is awaiting action in the House. It is highly unusual
for Lilly to weigh in on an issue with such large political and
social overtones. And the fact that Lilly doesn't usually speak out
gives its comments this time even greater weight in the Statehouse.
. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: 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
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- The Bee In My Bonnet: We care about what J.Lo thinks -
not! Arkadelphia Siftings Herald, By Dolores Harrington, March 28, 2007
They did it again.
The magazine section that comes with the state newspaper on Sunday
featured a cover photo of Jennifer Lopez this past Sunday. I
know little about Lopez, really just that she's a CELEBRITY. That,
of course, means she's paid major money to do something that will
not make a particle of difference in the scheme of things.
Certainly, the effort that makes her a celebrity won't improve the
quality of life on this planet. The photo on the front is just the
beginning. There is a big spread in the center of the magazine
offering Lopez' words of wisdom (duh!) on a variety of subjects. I
didn't read the story (I have better things to do), but I saw
enough to believe that the woman actually purports to have found
the path to a happy life. I learned from an informant that
Lopez has been married at least three times and has been involved
in several relationships besides her marriages. Now the woman has
been married for under two years, and she's an expert on
everything. Look, if I want advice - or even information - about
love and marriage, I won't be consulting Lopez or any other
"celebrity.". . . . .
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- Wynonna Judd seeks divorce after husband's
arrest The Washington Post- Reuters,
By Pat Harris, March 28, 2007
Country music singer
Wynonna Judd filed for divorce on Tuesday after her husband was
arrested on what police said were sexual battery charges involving
a child under 13. Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said
Judd's estranged husband, Dan. R. Roach, was arrested in Abilene,
Texas, as a fugitive after his indictment by a Nashville grand jury
last week. "The indictment is the result of an investigation by the
(local police department's) sex crimes unit that began in late
February of this year," Aaron said. Roach will be returned to
Nashville in the next few days, he said. The sexual battery charges
against Roach were defined as inappropriate fondling and touching
but not penetration, Aaron said. . . . .
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- The Elizabeth
Effect Washington Post Blog- The Fix, By Chris Cilliza, March
27, 2007
During an interview on "60
Minutes" over the weekend, former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) told
Katie Couric that the return of his wife's cancer should play no
role in whether or not voters support him. "There's not a
single person in America that should vote for me because Elizabeth
has cancer," Edwards said. "Not a one. If you're considering doing
it, don't do it. Do not vote for us because you feel some sympathy
or compassion for us." But, just five days removed from the public
acknowledgment that Elizabeth Edwards's cancer was back, it's clear
that her illness -- and the couple's decision to keep the campaign
going -- is having a profound effect on how John Edwards is
perceived. Witness a speech Edwards gave this morning to the
Communication Workers of America in Washington. . .
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- Great
Expectations Psychology Today, By Polly Shulman, March 27,
2007
Has the quest to find the
perfect soul mate done more harm than good? Psychologists provide
insight into how the never-ending search for ideal love can keep
you from enjoying a marriage or a healthy relationship that you
already have. . . . Long live the new marriage! We once prized the
institution for the practical pairing of a cash-producing father
and a home-building mother. Now we want it all—a partner who
reflects our taste and status, who sees us for who we are, who
loves us for all the "right" reasons, who helps us become the
person we want to be. We've done away with a rigid social order,
adopting instead an even more onerous obligation: the mandate to
find a perfect match. Anything short of this ideal prompts us to
ask: Is this all there is? Am I as happy as I should be? Could
there be somebody out there who's better for me? As often as not,
we answer yes to that last question and fall victim to our own
great expectations. That somebody is, of course, our soul mate, the
man or woman who will counter our weaknesses, amplify our strengths
and provide the unflagging support and respect that is the essence
of a contemporary relationship. The reality is that few marriages
or partnerships consistently live up to this ideal. . . .
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- Maybe it was death from
overexposure Miami
Herald, By Fred Grimm, March 27, 2007
. . . . .The size of the media mob. The number of
officials and cops clustered around the podium. The thicket of
camera tripods. The tone of the mean deputy's voice. All indicated
history in the making. I asked a woman next to me in a distressed
T-shirt and stretch pants why she had braved this unruly mob, most
of whom had the excuse of being paid to be there. She gave me a
dismissive look and a terse answer. ``This is historical.'' I'm
pretty sure, unless she was a time traveler, she meant historic. .
. . Yet . . . it felt counterfeit. Faux historic. More like a TV
reality show -- a cheap production from the ratings-desperate
Bravo-A&E-FX-E-USA end of the cable spectrum. A tacky reality
show gone amok. . . . Perper rattled off an astounding bouquet of
antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, painkillers, antibiotics, a
flu drug, vitamin V-12, immunoglobulins and human growth hormone,
some of which had been injected into her buttocks, leading to a
needle infection and yet another complicating factor. Anna Nicole's
mad drug medley brought to mind the deadly combinations found in
the one-time king of pop culture, three decades ago. . .
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- Anna Nicole Smith's death
accidental, Florida officials say International Herald Tribune-
Americas, By John Holusha, March 26, 2007
Anna Nicole Smith died from an accidental overdose
of drugs, officials in Broward County, Florida, said Monday. They
said no criminal activity was involved and they did not expect to
file charges against anyone. Charlie Tiger, chief of the
Seminole Police Department, which had jurisdiction in the case,
said there was "no evidence of illegal drugs" and "no foul play" in
the case, which has been closed. . . . Blonde and curvy, Smith was
a Playboy centerfold, actress and television personality whose life
was marked by financial and legal struggles, an improbable marriage
and tragedy. Her son Daniel, 20, the product of her first marriage,
died on Sept 10, 2006, three days after she gave birth to her
second child, Dannielynn, whose paternity is still in dispute. He
died in his mother's hospital room in the Bahamas, and a medical
examiner hired by the family found the cause of death the
accidental result of the interaction of methadone and
anti-depressants. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Drug Overdose Killed Anna Nicole Smith; Inquest
Into Son's Death Begins This Week AOL Entertainment- The
Daily Pulse, By CHRIS FRANCESCANI- ABC News, March 27,
2007
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- The Ups and Downs of
Testosterone
Testosterone levels are high when men are single, go
down when they marry, and rise when they
divorce Psychology Today, By Annie
Murphy Paul, March 26, 2007 Men who worry
that marriage will tame their wilder impulses may not be far wrong.
Levels of the hormone testosterone, which is thought to contribute
to aggressive and dominating behavior, are high when men are
single, go down when they marry, and rise when they divorce.
Although some men have consistently higher levels of testosterone
than others, hormone levels in all men respond to changes in
status. In anticipation of a competition, for example, testosterone
goes up; after it's settled, the testosterone of the winner rises
further still, while that of the loser goes down. Researchers have
found a similar process in marriage. . . .
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- From Here to
Paternity
Robert Jones has a sales pitch for D.C.’s
marginalized fathers. First, he has to find them. Then, he has to
get them to buy it.
WASHINGTON CITY PAPER, By Amanda S.
Miller . . . . . “Employment has
always been a major impediment,” says McRae. “Most guys,
particularly young guys, when they have children, if we can find
them employment and get them some life skills—you’ll see they won’t
run away from their obligations. When employment is not there, they
say forget [the mother] and the children. That’s just how men
function.”. . . . Jones grew up in Brooklyn and Queens with a
mother he describes as a very attractive woman who didn’t know how
to pick good partners. When his mother had “company,” she would
lock him and his siblings up in a closet “until that nigga left.”
Jones says his mother was hardly around. She had nine children by
seven men; Jones never even met his father. . . . Out of more than 200 fatherhood grants nationwide,
the state of California got the most money, followed by Maryland,
home of the National Fatherhood Initiative. Third in line: the
District of Columbia. So why are the feds throwing all this money
at D.C.’s dads? In 2004, the latest year for data, more than half
(53 percent) of District children lived with families headed by a
single woman. Study after study shows children living with single
women are more likely to fall into poverty and crime and repeat the
cycle. . . . .
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- Let's talk about sex Belfast Telegraph, By Grainne McCarry and Chrissie
Russell, March 26, 2007
What are young women's
attitudes to sex? And does anyone here really still insist on
walking down the aisle before jumping into bed? Grainne McCarry and
Chrissie Russell ask some very personal questions indeed. . . . I
have had around 40 sexual partners: Aine Kelly (26) lives in
Belfast with 15-month-old daughter Stella and works as a gallery
assistant. She says: I became sexually active when I was 12. I
wasn't in a relationship at the time and I suppose now I wish I'd
waited a bit longer. A lot of my friends were older and they were
all doing it and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm not
one of those people who thinks sex is a beautiful thing that people
should wait for. I've had around 40 sexual partners - I had a bit
of a mad time at university. . . . If you haven't had it, you don't
miss it . . . . .Sharing a bed with someone means a lot. . . . I'll
most likely marry in my early thirties. . . . Ulster attitudes to
sex are so old-fashioned. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Sex and sensibility The Age- Austrailia, By Sophia Cunningham, March 10,
2007
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
RELATED ARTICLE:
The State of Our Marital Unions: For Better or
Worse . . . Mostly Worse Breakpoint.org, By Chuck Colson, July 24, 2002
- How Wives Can Kill Their Marriage: Part
One TownHall.com, By Doug Giles, March 24, 2007
“The wise woman
builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own
hands.” - King Solomon, Proverbs 14.1. . . . . If some of you
ladies want to know how you can suck the life out of your marriage
and drive your husband to insanity . . . or to the bar . . . or
into the arms of another woman . . . or to a divorce attorney . . .
or just shrivel him up into a conquered quail who inwardly loathes
you as he dies a slow, emotionally tortuous death, well then . . .
this is your lucky day. Here are 10 surefire principles that’ll
make your husband more miserable than Donald Trump being forced to
watch Rosie O’Donnell River Dance naked. They are . .
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- Extreme
Fathers of the Bride Real Clear Politics, By Kathleen Parker, March 23,
2007
Those darned patriarchal
Christians are at it again. With "purity balls'' back in the news
-- dress-up affairs during which fathers and daughters profess
their allegiance to sexual purity -- evangelicals once again have
become America's favorite whipping boys. Are these guys weird, or
what? Well, yes, a little. But then again, not really. Purity balls
are an inevitable offspring of a permissive culture that at times
seems more predatory than liberating. The dads and daughters who
"date,'' dance and exchange purity oaths are merely a reactionary
response. Every extreme invites another. . . . Most fathers
generally hope that their daughters will postpone sex until
adulthood, if not marriage. They may know that's an unlikely
proposition, especially once their daughters hit college, where
virginity is considered a sign of abnormality. But sane parents
prefer that their daughters (and sons) not waste themselves on
random hook-ups where sexually transmitted diseases are more likely
to be exchanged than last names. Critics of the purity balls
marshal the usual feminist arguments. The fathers, they say, are
trying to keep women in their subordinate place, reiterating the
oppressive patriarchal structure of Christian homes and the broader
society they seek to control. This position is always offered as
though women have no choice in whom they marry or what religion
they practice.
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SEE RELATED
VIDEO: CARENET PURITY BALL
RELATED ARTICLE: Would you pledge your
virginity to your father? Glamour magazine, By Jennifer Baumgardner, January 2007
Issue
RELATED
COUNTERPOINT: Father-Daughter Purity Ball Iowa Underground Forum Index: The Chimperor's Lost
Clothes
RELATED
ARTICLE: Study: Abstinence pledges may trigger risky sexual
behavior USA Today, March 18, 2005
RELATED ARTICLE &
STUDY: Teens Who Make Virginity Pledges Have Substantially
Improved Life Outcomes The Heritage Foundation-
Center for Data Analysis, By Robert E. Rector, Kirk A. Johnson,
Ph.D., and Jennifer A. Marshall, September 21,
2004
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- Sweden Proposes Moving from Civil
Unions to Legalizing Homosexual 'Marriage' LifeSiteNews.com, By
Gudrun Schultz, March 23, 2007
- A one-person committee appointed by Sweden's government
recommended Wednesday that same-sex couples be given all the rights
of marriage, the Associated Press reported March 21. While the
country permits homosexual civil unions under legislation passed in
1994, same-sex marriage is not allowed. "Two men or two women
should be able to wed, and in the future be called spouses," said
Hans Regner, who carried out the commission. "All the rules for
heterosexual spouses will be applied also to homosexual couples."
Under the proposed legislation, same-sex couples already in civil
unions would automatically be considered married. The new law still
needs Parliamentary approval, but with homosexual "marriage"
receiving widespread support in the country the measure is expected
to pass. . . . .
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- Dungy's stand on gay marriage
reverberates Indianapolis
Star- AP, By Michael Marot, March 23, 2007
Tony Dungy is a deeply religious
man who puts his faith first in his life, even above family and
football. So his support of a proposed gay-marriage ban likely
surprised few. What was surprising is the Indianapolis Colts' quiet
coach shared his position publicly, sparking discussion about the
impact of the Super Bowl winner's comments. Dungy caused a stir
Tuesday when he accepted the "Friend of Family" award from the
conservative Indiana Family Institute. The coach told the audience
he supported the group's efforts to amend the Indiana constitution
to define marriage as between one man and one woman. . . . Dungy is
not the first public figure to draw fire for anti-gay comments.
Former NBA star Tim Hardaway apologized twice after responding to a
question about his reaction to a gay teammate by saying "I hate gay
people." Actor Isaiah Washington, of the hit television show
"Grey's Anatomy," sought counseling after using a gay slur when he
referred to another cast member. Author-columnist Ann Coulter was
chastised for repeating the slur when referring to Democratic
presidential candidate John Edwards during a speech to a
conservative group.
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RELATED BLOG: Is Tony Dungy Like Ann Coulter and Tim Hardaway? AOL SPORTS- NY, Posted By Michael David Smith, March 23, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: The Crime of Conviction: General Pace and Morality Breakpoint.org, By Chuck Colson, March 15, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: I’m not Homophobic; I’m Chick-O-Centric TownHall.com, By Doug Giles, February 24, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Moral absolutes: Judeo-Christian values: Part XI TownHall.com, By Dennis Prager, May 3, 2005
RELATED ARTICLE: Same-Sex “Marriage,” “Hate Crimes,” and the New Totalitarianism LifeSite Special Report, By Michael D. O’Brien, February 28, 2007
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- South Carolina Bans Gay Marriage EDGE Boston, MA, By
Seanna Adcox-AP, March 23, 2007
South Carolina officially banned
gay marriage Thursday as legislative leaders ratified a
constitutional amendment approved by voters in November. New
Hampshire, meanwhile, moved in the opposite direction, with a state
House panel endorsing the creation of civil unions for same-sex
couples. South Carolina was among eight states with gay marriage
bans on the ballot last year. The measures passed everywhere except
Arizona. Nearly four out of five South Carolina voters approved the
amendment, which reads, "A marriage between one man and one woman
is the only lawful domestic union that shall be valid or recognized
in this state.’’. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: House
panel endorses New Hampshire civil
unions EDGE
BOSTON- AP, Mar 23, 2007
RELATED
ARTICLE: Gay
Marriage Ripe for Court Decisions in Three States Pew Research Center Publications, By Christine Vestal,
March 1, 2007
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- In Secret, Polygamy Follows Africans to
N.Y. New York Times, By NINA BERNSTEIN, March 23, 2007
She worked at the
Red Lobster in Times Square and lived with her husband near Yankee
Stadium. Yet one night, returning home from her job, Odine D.
discovered that African custom, not American law, held sway over
her marriage. A strange woman was sitting in the living room, and
Ms. D.’s husband, a security guard born in Ghana, introduced her as
his other wife. . . . . Polygamy in America, outlawed in every
state but rarely prosecuted, has long been associated with Mormon
splinter groups out West, not immigrants in New York. But a fatal
fire in a row house in the Bronx on March 7 revealed its presence
here, in a world very different from the suburban Utah setting of
“Big Love,” the HBO series about polygamists next door. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Fathers
of Bronx fire victims unite USA Today-AP, March
9, 2007
- Defining marriage: Judge must decide whether transsexual
can marry La Crosse Tribune, By CARRIE
ANTLFINGER- AP, March 23, 2007
— By law, marriage in Wisconsin is
described as a union between one man and one woman. But what if the
man is a transsexual? That’s what Barbara Lynn Terry, 58, is
trying to find out. Terry, who changed her name from Ronald
Francis Terry, and Australian Nicole Winstanley, 22, received a
marriage license from Milwaukee County. They have a meeting with a
judge this morning to determine whether he will marry them in a
formal ceremony. There have been similar cases in a handful
of states across the nation, said New York Law School professor
Arthur S. Leonard, an expert in sexual-orientation law.
Judges or appellate courts usually base their decision on the sex
on people’s birth certificates, unlike in Great Britain where
transsexuals can obtain new birth certificates and marry in their
adopted gender, he said. . . . .
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- Judy,
Judy, Judy New York
Sun Politics Blog, Posted by Ryan Sager, March 23,
2007
So, yesterday Judith Giuliani
made it known that Rudy Giuliani isn't her second husband, he's her
third. . . . However, while I've written before about Mrs. Giuliani
as a potential liability, I don't see how this latest disclosure
could do much damage. Republican primary voters know the
mayor's personal life is a mess. Given the magnitude of what people
already know, this doesn't even constitute a drop in the bucket.
And they've gotten it out of the way early. My favorite quote from
Mrs. Giuliani, however, is this: "Rudy and I believe very strongly
in the institution of marriage." Of course they do. They'd have to,
with five marriage between them!
RELATED ARTICLE: Political Video of the Day: Team Rudy &
Judy New York Sun Politics
Blog, Posted by Ryan Sager, March 14, 2007
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Judi Giuliani's Secret Husband
Revealed The New York Post, By
ANDREA PEYSER and MAGGIE HABERMAN, March 22, 2007 -- Rudy Giuliani's wife Judith revealed a
shocker yesterday - the thrice-married Republican White House
hopeful isn't her second husband, he's her third. "Something
I will share with you is that, since I haven't done (many)
interviews .. Rudy and I have both been married three times," Mrs.
Giuliani told The Post in a sit-down interview yesterday, the first
time she has disclosed the bombshell personal information. Even
long-time Giuliani supporters had thought he was her second
husband, not her third. . . . . Mrs. Giuliani described the pair as
having "a great respect for the institution of marriage." . . .
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- JUSTIFYING
MARITAL VIOLENCE: A German Judge Cites Koran in Divorce
Case Spiegel Online International, By Veit Medick and Anna
Reimann, March 21, 2007
He beat her and threatened her with murder. But
because husband and wife were both from Morocco, a German divorce
court judge saw no cause for alarm. It's a religion thing, she
argued. The case seems simply too strange to be true. A
26-year-old mother of two wanted to free herself from what had
become a miserable and abusive marriage. The police had even been
called to their apartment to separate the two -- both of Moroccan
origin -- after her husband got violent in May 2006. The husband
was forced to move out, but the terror continued: Even after they
separated, the spurned husband threatened to kill his wife. A quick
divorce seemed to be the only solution -- the 26-year-old was
unwilling to wait the year between separation and divorce mandated
by German law. She hoped that as soon as they were no longer
married, her husband would leave her alone. Her lawyer, Barbara
Becker-Rojczyk agreed and she filed for immediate divorce with a
Frankfurt court last October. They both felt that the domestic
violence and death threats easily fulfilled the "hardship" criteria
necessary for such an accelerated split. In January, though, a
letter arrived from the judge adjudicating the case. The judge
rejected the application for a speedy divorce by referring to a
passage in the Koran that some have controversially interpreted to
mean that a husband can beat his wife. . . .
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- TV Review: The Tudors
When Royals Become Rock
Stars TIME Magazine, By REBECCA WINTERS KEEGAN, March 22,
2007 A handsome, charismatic young star is bored with his
marriage and worried about his legacy. He distracts himself by
bedding young lovelies, throwing extravagant parties and hanging
out with friends who keep him out of trouble--at least until the
wrong girl comes along. If this sounds like an upcoming episode of
Entourage, then adjust your cultural references back about 500
years and add some tights. The young celeb: Henry VIII. The first
wife: Catherine of Aragon. The friends: Cardinal Wolsey and Sir
Thomas More. The temptress: Anne Boleyn. Sound familiar?. . . . . .
For audiences who like their history juicy, relatable and full of
comforting moral certainties--which is to say pretty much everybody
without a Ph.D.--there may be no better subject than young Henry.
He was a rock star in a glittering, perilous age, an intellectually
curious, athletic charmer who became a uxoricidal, paranoid
turkey-leg chomper, pursuing a male heir through six wives. It's a
wonder it took the entertainment industry so long to fully exploit
him--and the other Tudors too--since the period was one of the most
scandal plagued in British history. . . . . .
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- Terry McMillan Sues Her "Little Fag" Ex The Smoking Gun, March 22, 2007
In the latest chapter of Terry McMillan's legal battle with her ex-husband, the best-selling author yesterday filed a $40 million lawsuit charging him with conspiring to destroy her reputation during their contentious divorce and subsequent legal actions. McMillan's complaint against Jonathan Plummer (and his lawyer Dolores Sargent) follows recent restraining order applications filed by both sides in California's Contra Costa Superior Court. As seen on the following pages, McMillan, 55, and Plummer allege that finalization of the couple's divorce did not lead to a cessation of hostilities. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Terry McMillan Sues Ex-Husband for $40 Million People magazine, By Brian Orloff, March 22, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Can the British Still Call a Cigarette a Fag? TownHall.com, By Doug Giles, March 10, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: I’m not Homophobic; I’m Chick-O-Centric TownHall.com, By Doug Giles, February 24, 2007
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- TV Review: Tori and Dean
Fans, Start Your Engines for Extreme
Marriage New York Times, By VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN, March 20,
2007 . . . . Similarly,
reality-television fans are fast acquiring scholarly insight into
celebrity relationships. Surely some pricey marriage clinic could
use our wise analysis of famous couplings. Years of rigorous
training — studious attention to Nick and Jessica, Carmen and Dave,
Britney and Kevin, Travis and Shanna — have, in fact, produced a
sacred algorithm that lets us tell within minutes whether a
marriage conducted largely on television is going to last. (A hint
for the uninitiated: no = zero = 0 = {null set}.) . . . . . Around
Dean, Tori showboats, running even to vaudeville. She uses a high,
little-girl voice, as when proposing sex, and she prances around
for cameras and fans. What’s more, her wiglike hair and giant face
— swollen to clown size in pregnancy — work well for comedy, and
the effect is pretty, in a rag-doll way. Her patchwork image is
heightened by the overalls and brightly patterned clothing she opts
for as maternity wear. It’s hard to imagine that she ever took
herself seriously. Did she? And did anyone ever take her seriously
enough to dislike her, let alone admire her?. . .
.
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- Halle
Berry Happy Without a Ring Daily Blabber, ivillage, March 20, 2007
You can't really
blame Halle for not wanting to walk down the aisle ever again. The
girl married some real shmucks in the past. Even though Hal has
been dating that cutie model Gabriel Aubry, and is very happy with
him, she's done with making it official. . . . Although marriage
may be out of the question, little Berrys are a good possibility.
"I definitely want children. Very much." . . . Comments. . .
. What a good example she is setting --- live with some dude --
have a baby --- no wonder the younger generation is so mixed up on
values and morals . . . .
RELATED
ARTICLE: Halle Berry
Says No More Marriages People magazine, By Stephen M. Silverman, March 19,
2007
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- Movie Review: I think I Love My
Wife MeeVee- By BlogCritics, March 19, 2007
Chris Rock thinks
he loves his wife. To top that, he also has the delusion that he
has what it takes to make his fans love him for more than just
being a comedian. He is under the impression that he is also a good
writer and director; a thought that has him headed for disaster.
That potential disaster is a little film called I Think I Love My
Wife, which coincidentally was written, directed by, and stars the
iconic comedian as a bored married man who is no longer intimately
acquainted with his wife and it is starting to get to him. Rock
plays Richard Cooper, a successful financial broker with a wife
(Gina Torres), two lovely children, and all the problems that every
married man is faced with: a monotonous routine and worst of all,
no sex. The no sex part is something that Richard was learning to
deal with, that is until the day that Nikki (Kerry Washington)
popped into his life. . . .
ALTERNATE REVIEW: Rock
grows up, on and off the screen San Francisco
Chronicle, By Michael Ordoña, Sunday, March 18, 2007
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- Financial Vows in Marriage:
Did you promise to love, honor, and save for
retirement? Motley Fool.com, By Elizabeth Brokamp, March 19,
2007 When my husband and
I were on our honeymoon, we decided to write private wedding vows,
which were a bit different than the typical "I do's" we'd exchanged
at the church. Why? We hadn't relished the idea of sharing our
innermost thoughts with the 100+ friends and family who bore
witness to our marriage, and flowery promises just aren't our
style. Besides all that, it would have been downright embarrassing
to utter the words, "I vow never to wear big-bottomed undies," in
front of the priest, our parents, colleagues, and former boss. . .
. . In addition to promising to forego the "granny panties"
(although the mental picture still makes me laugh), our private
vows included this wish: that when we are staring at retirement,
we'll focus less on sadness over our empty nest and more on the
joyous opportunity to be a couple again. I fancied us very wise to
think so long term ("forever" seemed synonymous with retirement at
that point), but like so many things about marriage, this promise
was but a beginning. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: For
Richer or Poorer Mother Jones, January/February 2005 Issue
- Who is and isn't marrying, and
why Seattle Times, By Michelle Goodman, March 17, 2007
Move over,
marriage. When it comes to romantic commitment, you're not the only
game in town. While the culture wars rage on — conservatives doing
their darndest to ban same-sex marriage, domestic partners gay and
straight clamoring for the same legal rights as their married
neighbors, and singles shouting, "Hey, where's our piece of the
government pie?" — a funny thing happened: Marriage slipped off its
pedestal. . . . Love still may be a many-splendored thing. But now
that women don't need marriage to secure a roof over our heads
(thank you, Mom, for marching in the '70s), we can afford to be
choosy about whom we commit to, when we commit and if marital vows
figure into the picture at all. The result? Many of us remain
single. Others cohabit. Some shun traditional marriage for a
commitment ceremony. And for those who do get hitched, playing
"wife" thankfully looks nothing like the repressive gender role
many of our mothers were cast in. In other words, when it
comes to commitment these days, we've got options galore. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Wedded
to Marriage: Invest now or pay later? National Review Online, By Wade F. Horn, Aug 9,
2005
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
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- Jolie Good Boy: Meet Pax Thien Jolie, Angelina's Newest
Adopted Tot FOX NEWS, Friday, March 16, 2007
Meet Pax Thien Jolie, the 3-year-old boy Angelina
Jolie adopted Thursday from an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam. The boy's name was originally Pham Quang Sang, which means
"brilliant" and is common in Vietnam. But Jolie immediately changed
his name to Pax Thien Jolie, a fusion of Latin and Vietnamese
meaning "peaceful sky." The boy takes Jolie's last name, since
boyfriend Brad Pitt, the father of her two adopted kids and one
biological child, was not listed as a parent on the child's
adoption papers. In Vietnam, couples who are not married are not
allowed to adopt, so Jolie made the trip without Pitt. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The Tale
of Angelina's New Son TIME magazine, By Kay Johnson/ Hanoi, March 22,
2007
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- Affair with teacher leads to
slaying Boston Globe- AP, By Duncan
Mansfield, March 16, 2007
--In a tragic twist to a familiar story, a teenager
who had sex with his married 30-year-old teacher was fatally shot
outside the woman's home, and authorities have charged the woman's
husband. "You see all this stuff with teachers involved with their
students. It just comes up time after time on the national news,"
said Norman McLean, father of suspect Eric McLean. But this time,
he said, someone "actually died over it." McLean's wife, Erin, had
completed half of a one-year teaching internship at West High
School, where she met the 18-year-old Sean Powell last fall. . . .
The attorney for Eric McLean, 31, acknowledges that McLean killed
Powell. "So this trial is going to be about what really did happen
and why -- not who," attorney Bruce Poston said. Poston said McLean
is in a "state of shock. Like watching a deer caught in the
headlights. Literally wondering, 'Have I made a decision that will
ruin the rest of my life as well as others?'". . . . .
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- Tell Me
- What's So Wrong With A 'Purity Ball'?
National Ledger, By Pam Frantz, March 16,
2007
A 'Purity Ball' is an event held
by fathers for their daughters. They are fancy affairs, with the
girls dressed in formal attire. The young women sign pledges to
remain virgins until marriage. So, why is the media so upset?
The first "Purity Ball" was held in 1998 by the founders of
Generations of Light, a popular Christian ministry in Colorado
Springs. . . . . . The movement’s latest mission is to make
abstinence cool (it’s been called “chastity chic”). I find
the whole idea wonderful. That is how it was intended since the
beginning."Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother
and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." The
act of intercourse actually meant something once. It wasn't just
recreational. It wasn't just "something to do" if you like a guy.
So, I ask you, what is wrong with encouraging a young woman to
maintain her purity until marriage? Apparently, there seems to be a
major problem with this concept among the media. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Would
you pledge your virginity to your
father? Glamour magazine, By Jennifer Baumgardner, January 2007
Issue
RELATED
COUNTERPOINT: Father-Daughter Purity Ball Iowa
Underground Forum Index: The Chimperor's Lost Clothes
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RELATED
ARTICLE: 75% - Casual Sex Among the
Young Pew
Research Center- The Databank, February 23, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Generation Confused: Cancer vaccines, birth
control, emergency contraception -- with all these options, are
teens any sexually healthier? San
Francisco Chronicle, By Heather Boerner, February 11, 2007
RELATED
ARTICLE: Study: Abstinence pledges may trigger risky sexual
behavior USA Today, March 18,
2005
RELATED STUDY:
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
RELATED ARTICLE &
STUDY: Teens Who Make Virginity Pledges Have Substantially
Improved Life Outcomes The Heritage Foundation-
Center for Data Analysis, By Robert E. Rector, Kirk A. Johnson,
Ph.D., and Jennifer A. Marshall, September 21, 2004
RELATED ARTICLE: The State of Our Marital Unions: For
Better or Worse . . . Mostly Worse Breakpoint.org, By
Chuck Colson, July 24, 2002
RELATED
STUDY: Why Men Won't
Commit
The National Marriage Project, Publications: The State of Our
Unions: The Social Health of Marriage in America, 2002- Summary of
focus groups of young men 20 to 33 conducted around the
country.
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- The Crime of
Conviction: General Pace and Morality Breakpoint.org, By Chuck Colson, March 15,
2007
Heaven forbid that our nation's highest ranking military
officer should believe in morality - or that the military should
uphold the highest standards of integrity. . . . .Our nation’s top
military officer, a veteran decorated with no less than forty-eight
military awards and a very distinguished career, made a startling
revelation this week: He has moral conviction. The world gasps,
hurls insults, and demands an apology. How dare one of the top
leaders of our land have a moral belief and share it when
questioned! But that’s exactly what happened this week when the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—the first Marine general ever
to hold that position—General Peter Pace, commented in a
wide-ranging interview with the Chicago Tribune, “My upbringing is
such that I believe that there are certain things, certain types of
conduct that are immoral. I believe that military members who sleep
with other military members’ wives are immoral in their conduct,
and that we should not tolerate that.” But then Pace went on to
tell the Tribune, “I believe that homosexual acts between
individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral
acts.” Well, stop the presses. . . . .
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RELATED
ARTICLE: What about the morality of homosexual
behavior? Townhall.com, By Janice Shaw Crouse, March 20, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Clinton, Obama:
Homosexuality Not 'Immoral' CNS NEWS.com, By Randy
Hall, March 16, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Rudy OK with Pro-Gay
Marriage Tag RADAR Online- Fresh
Intelligence, March 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Conservatives Rally
Around General Pace CNS NEWS, By Nathan Burchfiel,
March 15, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Moral absolutes:
Judeo-Christian values: Part XI TownHall.com, By Dennis Prager, May 3,
2005
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- Furor
Over Baptist's 'Gay Baby' Article Gay.com- AP, By DAVID CRARY, March 15,
2007
The president of the leading
Southern Baptist seminary has incurred sharp attacks from both the
left and right by suggesting that a biological basis for
homosexuality may be proven, and that prenatal treatment to reverse
gay orientation would be biblically justified. The Rev. R. Albert
Mohler Jr., one of the country's pre-eminent evangelical leaders,
acknowledged that he irked many fellow conservatives with an
article earlier this month saying scientific research "points to
some level of biological causation" for homosexuality. Proof of a
biological basis would challenge the belief of many conservative
Christians that homosexuality -- which they view as sinful -- is a
matter of choice that can be overcome through prayer and
counseling. However, Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., was assailed even more
harshly by gay rights supporters. They were upset by his assertion
that homosexuality would remain a sin even if it were biologically
based, and by his support for possible medical treatment that could
switch an unborn gay baby's sexual orientation to heterosexual. . .
. .
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- Blankenhorn: A family guy with a
cause USA Today, By Sharon Jayson, March 14,
2007
David Blankenhorn may be best
known as an advocate for the importance of fathers, but the
51-year-old think-tank founder and author is about to step onto the
firing line with a much more controversial issue: gay
marriage. The Harvard-educated Mississippi native is a former
VISTA volunteer and community organizer who has made a career of
thinking about big issues and telling others what he believes. He's
written scores of op-ed pieces and essays, co-edited eight books
and written two: the 1995 Fatherless America, which attributes many
of society's ills to the lack of involvement of fathers in
children's lives, and now, The Future of Marriage. In it, he argues
kids need both a mother and a father, and because same-sex marriage
can't provide that, it's bad for society and kids. . . . .
RELATED VOTE: Should
same-sex couples be allowed to adopt?
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RELATED
ARTICLE: Children need both a mother and a
father Rocky Mountain News, By James C. Dobson, Focus on the
Family, February 28, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: About
Isabella Washington Post magazine, By April Witt, February 4,
2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Mary Cheney defends same-sex parenthood- Vice
president's lesbian daughter says baby not 'prop' San Francisco
Chronicle, By Katharine Q. Seelye- New York Times, February 2,
2007
RELATED
ARTICLE: Two Mommies Is One Too Many. Mary Cheney is
starting a family. Let's hope she doesn't start a
trend Time magazine, By JAMES C. DOBSON, December 10, 2006
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- French High Court Rejects Gay
Marriage Guardian Unlimited- UK, March 14,
2007
- France's highest court Tuesday
rejected as unlawful the first marriage by a gay couple in France,
annulling the union of the two men. Stephane Charpin and Bertrand
Charpentier were married in a civil ceremony on June 5, 2004, in
Begles, a town in the southwest Bordeaux region. The government
immediately said the union was outside the law, and a series of
court decisions unfavorable to the couple followed. . . . The
couple said after the 2005 appeals court ruling that they would
take their case to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.
It was not immediately clear whether they would do so. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: France
high court rules same-sex marriage
invalid JURIST Legal Nrews & Research, By Brett Murphy, March
13, 2007
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- Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff Calls Homosexuality
'Immoral' FOX News-AP,
March 13, 2007
— The
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday he considers
homosexuality to be immoral and the military should not condone it
by allowing gay personnel to serve openly, the Chicago Tribune
reported. Marine Gen. Peter Pace likened homosexuality to adultery,
which he said was also immoral, the newspaper reported on its Web
site. "I do not believe the United States is well served by a
policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way," Pace told the
newspaper in a wide-ranging interview. Pace, a native of Brooklyn,
N.Y., and a 1967 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, said he based
his views on his upbringing. . . . With Democrats in charge of
Congress, Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., has introduced legislation
to reverse the military's ban on openly serving homosexuals.
. . . .
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- Partner Adopted by an Heiress Stakes Her
Claim New York Times, By PAM BELLUCK and ALISON LEIGH COWAN,
March 19, 2007
. . . . Recently, though, the
Watson name has surfaced in a different context, a most unusual
lawsuit. It concerns Olive F. Watson, 59, granddaughter of the
I.B.M. founder and daughter of Thomas J. Watson Jr., the company’s
longtime chief executive; and Patricia Ann Spado, 59, her former
lesbian partner of 14 years. In 1991, Ms. Watson, then 43, adopted
Ms. Spado, then 44, under a Maine law that allows one adult to
adopt another. The reason, Ms. Spado has contended in court
documents, was to allow Ms. Spado to qualify as an heir to Ms.
Watson’s estate. But less than a year after the adoption, Ms.
Watson and Ms. Spado broke up. Then in 2004, Ms. Watson’s mother
died, leaving multimillion-dollar trusts established by her husband
to be divided among their 18 grandchildren. Re-enter Ms. Spado with
a claim: Because she was adopted by Olive F. Watson, she said, she
is technically Thomas J. Watson Jr.’s 19th grandchild and is
therefore eligible for a share of the trusts. . . .
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- Shaun Alexander Was the 24-Year-Old
Virgin NFL Fanhouse, By Michael David Smith, March 12,
2007
This information isn't really
new, I guess, but it's new to me so I thought I'd share. Shaun
Alexander has written an autobiography, and this review notes
something interesting: "Alexander says he was a virgin until he married Valerie Boyd in
2002 and that they never even kissed until they stood at the altar
and directed to do so by the pastor. He was 24 years old..."
RELATED
ARTICLE: Book
Review: Alexander book gives rare insight into a
star The Seattle Times, By
Cathy Henkel, July 30, 2006
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- Parenting Issues: The Real Solution: How to Help
Our Kids Succeed Breakpoint.org, By Chuck Colson March 12,
2007
It’s an argument that has gone on
almost as long as we have had public schools: What makes children
succeed in school—and what makes them fail? In a recent New
York Times column, David Brooks offers a big part of the answer: If
kids have a chaotic home life, he writes, it is much harder for
them to succeed in school. Brooks mentions programs in which mature
women visit mothers under stress to offer “the sort of cajoling and
practical wisdom that in other times would have been delivered by
grandmothers or elders.” If we want better students, Brooks
concludes, the government ought to fund more of these programs. The
next president, he suggested, could win on such a platform. I
admire David Brooks, but he is dead wrong on this. He is addressing
symptoms, not the sickness: The sickness is broken and unformed
families. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Want
Better Schools? Get Better
Parents Arizona Republic, Mike McClellan, March 2,
2007
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- Parenting Issues: The prince
married a man, and lived happily ever after
Religious groups attack circulation of books raising gay issues
among primary school pupils The Guardian Unlimited, By Anushka Asthana, March
11, 2007 A pilot scheme introducing books
dealing with gay issues to children from the ages of four to 11 has
just been launched in England's schools. It is being argued that
the books, one of which is a fairytale featuring a prince who turns
down three princesses before falling in love and marrying a man,
are necessary to make homosexuality seem normal to children.
Fourteen schools and one local authority, backed by teaching unions
and a government-funded organisation, are running the controversial
scheme, which has been attacked by Christian groups. . . . . Tahir
Alam, education spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain,
agreed: 'This is not consistent with Islamic teachings and from our
point of view many parents would be concerned.' Other parents felt
that children aged four and five were too young for the books. 'I
don't know of many younger primary school children who would really
understand what homosexuality is,' said Andy Hibberd, co-founder of
the support group, the Parent Organisation, who has sons aged seven
and nine. 'I don't have a problem with what happens between
consenting adults, but I don't believe it needs to be forced on
young children.'. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: How public schools have
changed Townhall.com, By Phyllis Schlafly, August 15, 2005
RELATED
ARTICLE: Controversy Over Kid's Book
Depicting Gay Marriage CBS4Boston, Boston - Apr 20, 2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: Since same-sex marriage is
legal in state, administrator says no parent ok
needed WorldNetDaily, OR -Apr 19, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: District lifts ban on parent over pro-'gay' book-
Father allowed on campus, but notification policy
unchanged WorldNetDaily, OR -Nov
23, 2005
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- Time To
Come Clean CBSNews, By Steve Chaggaris, March 9, 2007
Thanks to the
Internet, political candidates are having a harder and harder time
running from their mistakes. Take Sen. Joe Biden's (D-Delaware)
comments in January when he described fellow candidate Sen. Barack
Obama (D-Illinois) as "the first mainstream African-American who is
articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." A
recording of that answer from an interview with a New York Observer
reporter hit the Internet and created a firestorm, prompting Biden
to issue an apology soon afterwards. This week, fully aware of the
increased impact past and present transgressions can have thanks to
the Web, two politicians actually made pre-emptive strikes
regarding some sketchy past acts. Turns out, right before Obama
announced his presidential run, he felt the need to clean up a
little mess that had been festering for about 20 years: a load of
unpaid parking tickets. . . . . And now today, former House Speaker
Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia), who is considering a presidential bid,
made an effort to answer questions about one of his past
transgressions: adultery. . . . .
|
RELATED ARTICLE: Newt's
Disappointing Admission TIME magazine, By WILLIAM KRISTOL, March 15,
2007
RELATED ARTICLE: He's
Back: Newt Gingrich left Congress in disgrace but now he ponders a
presidential run. Rallying the right Wall Street Journal, By JUNE KRONHOLZ, March 10, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage, Divorce and the Secret Affairs of Presidential
Candidates Associated Content, By
Delores Williams, March 09, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE & TRANSCIPT: ELECTION
2008: Newt has 'sought God's forgiveness' WorldNetDaily, March 8, 2007
|
- War Divorces 'Marriage President' From
Reality US
News & World Report, By Bonnie Erbe, March 9, 2007
Of all the
depressing statistics emanating from President Bush's invasion of
Iraq, this obscure but important figure stands out: 60,000
marriages rent asunder by this war. The Marriage President, who
proposed spending billions of federal dollars on a healthy-marriage
initiative, may well be doing more to destroy formerly healthy
marriages by sending hundreds of thousands of Americans off to war
and then not properly counseling them on how to deal with
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when they come home. . .
.
RELATED ARTICLE: 'Marlboro Man' Marine, wife divorcing USA TODAY.com, Posted by Michael Winter, June 26,
2006
RELATED ARTICLE: THE WAR
WITHIN: Miller returns home San
Francisco Chronicle, By Matthew B. Stannard, Jan 29,
2006
|
- Sex and
sensibility The Age-
Austrailia, By Sophia Cunningham, March 10, 2007
. . . . There were people who had
started off having sex five times a night every night of the week
and three years later weren't having any at all. There were people
who hated sex. There were people with toothbrush fetishes (don't
ask). Some couples dealt with inequities of desire and staved off
boredom by having affairs or joining swingers groups. However, the
couple I was most struck by had a marriage that had been arranged
and had lasted 50 years. . . . . Love - and to that I would add sex
- is an erratic driver. The two don't always drive in the same car
and we often don't know which turn they will take. Some
couples will have a marriage where sex is a ritualistic and
pleasurable enactment of their devotion to the other. Some like a
quickie and some have no sex at all. A lot of people have affairs.
Words can be erotic. Sex can be soulless. A good laugh, for many,
is more important than good sex. What's normal? ". . . .
.
|
 |
- The Work of
Marriage MoorPark Acorn, By Deborah Barber, PhD, March 9,
2007
. . . What does it mean to
"work on a relationship?" Is it like going to work every day and
putting in the time and effort, sometimes without result? Is it so
devoid of fun and full of sacrifice that only the most determined
can make it? I don't believe so. In fact, I know a few couples who
make it look easy and have fun together while doing it. As I have
observed these couples, I've noted some similarities. First, they
know themselves pretty well individually. . . . . Second, their
attitude in relationship is anything but selfish. . . . .
- Worth Wedding For:
Does America Have a "Marriage
Gap"? Breakpoint.org,
By Anne Morse, March 9, 2007 The Washington Post ran a story
last weekend announcing that “Numbers Drop for the Married With
Children,” in which staff writer Blaine Harden quotes demographers
who “peg the rise of a class-based marriage gap to the erosion
since 1970 of the broad-based economic prosperity that followed
World War II.” Marriage with children has become an exception
rather than the norm, she writes. The piece bothered me for a
number of reasons. . . . . Harden notes that many poor, cohabiting
couples think they cannot afford marriage. Why not? Apart from a
one-time fee for the marriage license, how is marriage more
expensive than shacking up? Unless these couples think marriage is
about having an obscenely expensive wedding, why do they think
marriage is going to cost them more than living together does? . .
.
RELATED ARTICLE: Numbers
Drop for the Married With Children Institution Becoming The Choice of the Educated,
Affluent Washington Post, By Blaine Harden, March 4,
2007
RELATED
ARTICLE: Wedded to
Marriage: Invest now or pay later? National Review
Online, By Wade F. Horn, Aug 9, 2005
RELATED
ARTICLE: The State of
Our Marital Unions: For Better or Worse . . . Mostly
Worse Breakpoint.org, By Chuck Colson, July 24,
2002
|
 |
- Salma Hayek Gets Engaged, Expecting A
Baby The Gossip Girls, March 9, 2007
After romances with
the likes of Edward Norton and Josh Lucas, Salma Hayek did not have
very much relationship talk surrounding her. Now the actress has
landed a double whammy on fans with not only news that she is
engaged, but that she also happens to be pregnant. Talk about a
whirlwind year! It was recently announced that Salma has been
dating Francois-Henri Pinault, a big moneymaking businessman.
Although it is still uncertain how long the two have been smitten
with each other, Pinault is set to provide his fiancee and future
child with the good life. The business mogul is chairman of PPR, a
conglomerate that owns Gucci and Yves Saint Lauren, according to
AHN. . .
|
- Mills needs $24000 per day to 'get
by' Ninemsn- Australia, March 8, 2007
Heather Mills has demanded a
whopping $24,000 per day from estranged husband Paul McCartney,
saying she needs the money just to "get by". As their courtroom
divorce battle becomes increasingly bitter, a friend of the
ex-Beatle tells The Sun magazine that her request is simply
"amazing". “When you consider her humble beginnings, £10,000
(A$24,000) a day is a phenomenal sum to cover her needs. It's as
much as some Premiership footballers earn. Many people have to work
a year for what she wants to bank in just one day." . . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: McCartney and Mills Come Together in
Court E!Online, By Sarah Hall, March 1, 2007
|
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- A Long
Way Backwards TownHall.com, By Suzanne Fields, March 8, 2007
The latest flavor of
feminism is exhibitionism. "You've come a long way, baby, but
you're dancing backwards." Betty Friedan is spinning. . . . Alarmed
by the sexual saturation of images influencing young girls, the
American Psychological Association identifies the influence of
these images in different developmental stages: "We have ample
evidence to conclude that sexualization has negative effects in a
variety of domains, including cognitive functioning, physical and
mental health, and healthy sexual development." That's Ph.D.
language for "this trash is bad for young girls in nearly every
way." The report links the omnipresent sexual images with the three
most common mental health problems confronting girls and women:
eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression. . . Lewd and
lascivious trump love and marriage. Emotional vulnerability is
sacrificed to sexual conformity and exhibitionism. Shakespeare, the
deadest white male long since exiled to the periphery of the
campus, nevertheless got it right. What fools these mortals be. . .
.
RELATED ARTICLE: Gloria
Steinem: 'India represents the world better than the US'
Rediff.com- India, By Sheela Bhatt,
March 9, 2007
|
 |
- NC Rally seeks vote on gay marriage
ban EDGE- Boston, MA, March 8, 2007
Buoyed by the recent passage of
similar legislation in seven states, several thousand people
rallied Tuesday to urge lawmakers to let them vote on
constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. "It’s not right
for them to be here, sent by the voters, and not represent the
desires of the voters of North Carolina," said Rev. Ron Baity, a
Winston-Salem Baptist pastor and leader of the Return America group
that organized the rally. Supporters of the idea said citizens
shouldn’t be denied a chance to vote to change the N.C.
Constitution to allow marriage only between a man and a woman.
Democratic leaders have declined to take up similar questions over
the past three years, saying no changes in state law are needed and
that more important issues should take precedence. . .
. . State law says that a valid marriage is one "created by
the consent of a male and female person." A 1996 law also states
that North Carolina doesn’t recognize gay marriages performed in
other states. But supporters of an amendment fear that
same-sex couples who have received marriage licenses elsewhere
could try to force North Carolina in court to recognize their
partnerships, or that a judge could find the statute
unconstitutional. . . .
|
- Gay marriage: How comfortable are you with it?
MORE CALIFORNIANS OPPOSE IT THAN BACK IT, BUT MARGIN
CLOSING San Jose Mercury News, By Kate Folmar-Mercury News
Sacramento Bureau, March 8, 2007 - More receptive
attitudes among younger Californians are a key reason why state
residents increasingly accept the idea of allowing gay couples to
wed, according to an analysis of 20 years' worth of polling data
released today. While more Californians still oppose same-sex
marriage than support it, the margin is closing fast and
approaching an even split. Last year, 50 percent of state residents
were opposed and 43 percent approved, the analysis of Field Poll
data concluded. In 1985, 30 percent were supportive. Asked to
choose whether gay couples should be allowed to marry, enter
domestic partnerships or get no legal recognition, about one-third
of Californians choose each category. . . .
RELATED
ARTICLE: Study
on gay marriage finds that age accounts for differences in
Calif. Boston Herald- AP,
March 8, 2007
RELATED FIELD
POLL: FIELD
POLL REPORT #2223: While
individual attitude changes are partly responsible for the rise in
support for same-sex marriage in California over the past 20 years,
most of the change derives from generational replacement. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE & POLL RESULTS: Survey:
Departure from God is Cause of America's Moral
Decline Christian
Post, By Audrey Barrick, March 8, 2007
|
- Graying divorce has
many 'whys' HeraldNet, By Linda Bryant Smith-Herald Columnist, March
6, 2007
In the past few weeks there's been a spate of news reports
and TV sound bites about an increase in divorce among older
Americans. Frequently they include the story of a couple in
their 90s seeking a divorce. When asked "Why now?" they explained
they were waiting for the children to die. Most of the women in my
quilt group had heard that joke when I brought up the subject at
lunch. . . .If the divorce rate among our peers is increasing, the
obvious question is "Why now?" One woman recalled having the
"Why now?" conversation with her mother. . . . . What will never
change is the pain that comes with divorce, especially if children
are involved. The "why" comes whether they're adults with families
of their own, or too young to express the range of emotions tearing
at their hearts. The answers are rarely adequate. "Compared
to other losses that may occur at midlife or older," the AARP study
reports, "people age 40 and older generally feel that divorce is
more emotionally devastating than losing a job, about equal to
experiencing a major illness and somewhat less devastating than a
spouse's death." . . . .
|
|
- Flossing, aspirin, marriage a few tips to
living to 2071 The Bluffton News-Banner, By Justin Peeper, March
6, 2007
. . . . Just as surprising, however, is the reminder
that many of the factors affecting how long we will live are things
we can control, excluding accidents and the unforeseen. Not only
does the doctor’s program tell you how long you are expected to
live, but it also gives some personalized suggestions on how you
can add years to your life expectancy based off your responses.
Some of those suggestions surprised me: • Looks like I need to get married, as being married could add
three years to my life expectancy. As a man, being married will
likely improve my chances of living to 100, the test told me. . .
.
RELATED ARTICLE: A SPECIAL REPORT: How long will you live? USA Weekend
Magazine, March 4, 2007
|
 |
- Rudy Defends Judi After Family Estrangement Goes
Public FOX News, March 06, 2007
Republican presidential candidate
Rudy Giuliani on Monday spoke in glowing terms about his third wife
Judith Nathan Giuliani after his son Andrew said the former New
York mayor's latest marriage had distanced him from his dad.
"My wife Judith is a very loving and caring ... mother and
stepmother. She has done everything she can. The responsibility is
mine," Giuliani told reporters gathered outside the Los Angeles
County Sheriff's headquarters. "I believe that these problems with
blended families, you know, are challenges — sometimes they are,"
he said. "The more privacy I can have for my family, the better we
are going to be able to deal with all these difficulties. And the
best way to kind of handle that is to make as little comment about
this as possible.". . . . . In the Times article Saturday, Andrew
alluded to Judi Giuliani. "There's obviously a little problem that
exists between me and his wife." Andrew, a Duke University student
who aspires to be a professional golfer, later told ABC News' "Good
Morning America," "I got my values from my mother. She's a strong
influence in my life. She's a strong woman. I have problems with my
father, but that doesn't mean he won't make a good president." . .
.
|
Rudy's Family
Values Yahoo! News, By Maggie Gallagher, March 6, 2007 Back when he was mayor, Rudy Giuliani made a very
good point: "75 percent of adolescents charged with murder grew up
without fathers. ... "(I)f you wanted a social program that would
really save these kids ... I guess the social program would be
called fatherhood." This week Rudy made another good point:
"(B)lended families are challenges, sometimes they are. And the
challenges are best worked on in private." Painful is the only word
to describe what it was like for the rest of us to watch as Andrew
Giuliani, America's mayor's 21-year-old Duke sophomore son, stepped
up to tell his truth to The New York Times: that he would not be
campaigning for his dad. . . . Yes, remarriage, and the blended
families it creates, can bring new possibilities of warm family
relations, and the many divorced fathers and stepparents who've
succeeded in rebuilding warm family ties deserve credit. But too
often the blending process produces painful loyalty conflicts
instead. What can be more painful for any child than feeling that
your father has chosen his new wife over you?. . . . . For the rest
of us, who are not all politics all the time, there's a different
bottom line. Rudy was right back in the '90s: Fathers matter. And I
hope he finds a way to make this thing right, too. There's a big
truth on painfully public display: It's hard to be both a good
husband and a good father if you're not married to the mother of
your children. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Rudy's Family
Values The New York Sun, By
MARC HUMBERT- AP, March 10, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage, Divorce and the Secret Affairs of Presidential
Candidates Associated Content, By
Delores Williams, March 09, 2007
|
- Qatar reformed by a modern marriage
The ultimate power couple brings the trappings of democracy – Al
Jazeera, the vote, debate – to their remote
nation Christian Science Monitor, By Danna Harman, March 6, 2007
edition . . . . The pretty Qatari
commoner who caught the crown prince's eye all those years ago has
transformed herself over time into a royal wife the likes of which
the conservative Arab region has never seen before. To begin with,
she is seen. The second of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani's
three wives, Sheikha Mozah is the first and only ruling spouse here
to show herself in public. But that is just the start of it. . .
. Focused, energetic, and hardworking, the glamorous mother
of seven of the emir's 27 children rivals her husband in terms of
influence in this land. "Her Highness is the best thing that ever
happened to Qatar," states Esra al-Ibrahim, a young Qatari student,
matter-of-factly. "She totally inspires us. Since she came to
power, Qatar has changed 100 percent." The sheikha laughs at that.
It's the emir, she says, who inspires her. . . .
|
 |
- 'Chauvinistic' Husbands in Japan Change to Keep Their
Wives ProgressiveU.org, By Ada Castellon, March 6,
2007
"A group of Japanese men say they
have the answer to marital bliss. In September, they gathered in
suits and ties outside a busy train station in Tokyo and chanted
their Three Principles of Love: saying "sorry" without fear, saying
"thank you" without hesitation and saying "I love you" without
shame. . . . These formerly old-fashioned husbands are serious
about becoming modern-style spouses and aim to give men a chance to
learn how to communicate better with their families, have a
relationship based on equality and become loving husbands. . . .
They even hope they'll help curb the nation's declining marriage
rate, fueled not only by an increase in divorce but also by delayed
marriage among women, whose mean age for marrying has increased 2.5
years in the past two decades, according to the Ministry of
Internal Affairs and Communications. The more educated a Japanese
woman, the more likely she will wait for wedlock; among women aged
25 to 29, 40 percent are single, but among university graduates of
similar ages 54 percent are single. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Japanese PM keeps lost son at bay The Sunday Times-UK, By Michael Sheridan, Sept
4, 2005
- Rontrell's Choice
Why a South Carolina
teen has to work his way through high
school OpinionsJournal, The Wall Street Journal, BY BRENDAN
MINITER, March 6, 2007 JOHNS ISLAND, S.C.--At 16 years
old, Rontrell Matthews has a better idea than most of his peers
what an education is worth. This past summer, he made his way
through this rural, poor community not far outside of Charleston to
show up at the doorstep of Capers Preparatory Christian Academy. In
his hand was his first paycheck, a meager sum of $32.86 that he'd
earned making sandwiches at the local Subway shop. Spurring him
along was a determination to buy his own way out of one of the
state's many failing public schools. . .
|
 |
- Kelley takes plunge in 'Wedding Bells' USA TODAY, By Gary Levin, March 6, 2007
Spring brings wedding season, and producer David E. Kelley is back with a new take on nuptials in The Wedding Bells, a romantic comedy about three sisters and their family wedding business. Bells premieres Wednesday on Fox (9 ET/PT) before settling into a regular Friday-at-9 time slot. "There's something just very familiar and inviting about a wedding," Kelley says. "It brings back pleasant memories; you go to a wedding with a certain degree of optimism about love and idealism, about the institution of marriage itself.". . . . Stories veer from the bride-of-the-week guest star to personal stories of the three Bell sisters, played by Teri Polo, KaDee Strickland and Sarah Jones, owners of the Wedding Palace. . . .
|
- Employees from hell: Drunken forklift
driver CNNMoney.com - Fortune Small Business, March 6,
2007
-- You can't fault Clark Glavé's
interviewing process. When hiring a driver for his storage facility
business, Glavé, 44, grilled several candidates using a seven-page
questionnaire that asked about such topics as job expectations and
potential ethical dilemmas. When he pinpointed the best candidate,
Glavé checked that person's references, driving record and health
record and then asked for a drug test. As an offsite employer -
Glavé lived in Richmond; his warehouse was in Raleigh - he had to
be careful. His new driver passed all his screens. . . . . But
after Glavé returned home, he says, all hell broke loose. Glavé
remembers showing up on a Monday morning for a surprise visit and
finding that his office resembled a bachelor pad: "The place was
filthy, there were six cases of empty beer cans and bottles in my
dumpster, and the warehouse was an absolute mess." . . . . First,
he should have paid attention when Jerry started talking about his
marriage problems. . . . .
|
- Pilot crashes into in-laws'
house USA Today, March 5, 2007
— A pilot took his 8-year-old
daughter up in a small plane Monday and crashed it into his former
mother-in-law's house in southern Indiana, killing himself and the
girl, authorities said. A preliminary crash investigation leads "us
to believe that this was an intentional act," Indiana State Police
spokesman 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten said. The crash in Bedford, about
20 miles south of Bloomington, killed Eric Johnson, 47, of Bedford,
and his daughter Emily, Bursten said. Emily did not go to school
Monday, and Johnson's ex-wife, Beth Johnson, went to Bedford police
headquarters about 11:30 a.m. to say she believed he might have
abducted the girl, Bursten said. . . . .
|
 |
- The Motherhood
Experiment New York Times Magazine, By SHARON
LERNER, March 4, 2007
To the dismay of pundits
and politicians alike, women in industrialized countries and
elsewhere have been bearing fewer and fewer children. More than 90
states have fertility rates below the replacement level of 2.1
children per woman, and the trend, which began in the early 1960s,
is already leading to fewer workers, graying populations and dire
predictions about vanishing peoples. While scholars blame several
phenomena, including greater access to birth control, later
marriage and a drop in what one researcher calls “hopefulness about
the future,” many researchers agree that at least part of the
problem is due to the particular burdens women face in the work
force. If becoming a mother requires a woman to take a huge
financial and professional hit, the thinking goes, she will be far
less likely do it. . . . .
|
 |
- Hurley
marries in secret Sydney Morning Herald- Australia, Mar 4,
2007
Model and actress Elizabeth
Hurley married Indian businessman Arun Nayar in a secret ceremony
on Friday, a day before the couple were due to host a lavish
wedding party, British media reported on Saturday. The Daily Mirror
newspaper said Gloucestershire's county superintendent registrar
Anne Williams conducted the civil ceremony at Sudeley Castle in the
west of England together with another registrar in front of two
witnesses. The Reverend John Partington told the newspaper he would
bless the couple later on Saturday at the castle, describing his
blessing as "a celebration of their wedding.". . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: & PHOTOS: Liz
Hurley and wedding party prepare for party
marathon The Evening Standard- This is London, March 5,
2007
|
- Angelina Jolie's adoption of a Vietnamese boy
breaks Vietnam law Bosh- NY, March 5, 2007
The 'Good Shepherd' star
filed papers with Vietnamese and US officials to become the child's
guardian as a single parent last week. Under Vietnamese law single
parents who are co-habiting cannot adopt. International adoption
official Tatiana Beams said: "This is a clear contradiction of
Vietnamese law, and such situations would not be allowed for other
couples. "Most co-habiting couples who try to adopt as a single
parent are either turned away from agencies or face difficulties."
The US department dealing with the matter insists it abides by
Vietnamese rules when it comes to adopting from the country, but
has not opposed Angelina's action. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE:
Official: Angelina Jolie Files to Adopt in
Vietnam People magazine, March 2,
2007
RELATED
ARTICLE: Star in baby-buy furore The Age- Austrailia, By Mark Baker,
July 6 2002
- CHRIS ROCK AND WIFE RELEASE
STATEMENT: Couple done with taking the ‘high road’ amidst
rumors. EURweb.com,
March 5, 2007
*Chris and Malaak Compton Rock
are completely through with recent media reports of their marriage
being unstable. Still together despite reports last November of the
actor beginning divorce proceedings, the couple released a
statement to People magazine that attempts to put the matter to bed
once and for all. . . . We remain, as always, very happy and
committed to our marriage and the beautiful family that we have
built.”. . . .
RELATED
ARTICLE: MARRIAGE RUMORS STILL FOLLOW
CHRIS ROCK: Was he asked to hold off divorce until after his new
film opens? EURweb.com,
March 2, 2007
|
- Numbers Drop for the Married With Children
Institution Becoming The Choice of the Educated,
Affluent Washington Post, By Blaine Harden, March 4,
2007 -- Punctuating a fundamental
change in American family life, married couples with children now
occupy fewer than one in every four households -- a share that has
been slashed in half since 1960 and is the lowest ever recorded by
the census. As marriage with children becomes an exception rather
than the norm, social scientists say it is also becoming the
self-selected province of the college-educated and the affluent.
The working class and the poor, meanwhile, increasingly steer away
from marriage, while living together and bearing children out of
wedlock. . . . . Married couples living with their own children
younger than 18 are also helping to drive a well-documented
increase in income inequality. Compared with all households, they
are twice as likely to be in the top 20 percent of income. Their
income has increased 59 percent in the past three decades, compared
with 44 percent for all households, according to the census. As
cohabitation and out-of-wedlock births increase among the broader
population, social scientists predict that marriage with children
will continue its decades-long retreat into relatively high-income
exclusivity. . . .
|
 |
RELATED
ARTICLE: Census
Numbers Show Shift In American Family All Headline News, By Nicole King, March 4, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Why Do Married Couples Have More
Money? Huffington Post, By Bella
DePaulo, March 4, 2007
RELATED
ARTICLE: Americans Love Marriage. But
Why? Time magazine, By John
Cloud, February 8, 2007
RELATED
ARTICLE: Separate and
unequal WorldNetDaily, By Rebecca Hagelin, February 1, 2007
RELATED
ARTICLE: The State of
Our Marital Unions: For Better or Worse . . . Mostly
Worse Breakpoint.org, By Chuck Colson, July 24,
2002
RELATED
STUDY: Why Men Won't
Commit The National Marriage
Project, Publications: The State of Our Unions: The Social
Health of Marriage in America, 2002- Summary of focus groups of
young men 20 to 33 conducted around the
country.
|
|
|
- Health Issues:
Without Health Benefits, a Good Life Turns
Fragile New
York Times (Free Online Subscription), By ROBERT PEAR, March 5,
2007
— Vicki H. Readling vividly remembers the start of 2006.
“Everybody was saying, ‘Happy new year,’ ” Ms. Readling recalled.
“But I remember going straight to bed and lying down scared to
death because I knew that at that very minute, after midnight, I
was without insurance. I was kissing away a bad year of cancer. But
I was getting ready to open up to a door of hell.” Ms. Readling, a
50-year-old real estate agent, is one of nearly 47 million people
in America with no health insurance . . . . . Ms. Readling is
engaged to be married in June, to another real estate agent. But
she said she may postpone the wedding because she would not want
her husband to be legally responsible for her medical bills. “I am
scared to get married because I don’t have insurance,” Ms. Readling
said. “If I have to go to the hospital and I can’t pay my hospital
bills, what happens? Do they go after him? Can they take your
home?” To collect unpaid medical bills, health care providers
often obtain judgments against a patient’s spouse, as well as the
patient, and file liens against their homes. Ms. Readling says she
does not own a house, but her fiancé does. . . .
.
|
- Publisher of African American Magazine for Homosexuals
Announces Conversion to Christ
She Publicly Rejected Her Old
Lifestyle Associated Content, By Mike White, March 3, 2007 The publisher of a magazine targeted toward African
American homosexuals announced her conversion to Christianity on
the magazine's website. Her conversion was announced on the news
website, www.onenews.com yesterday. In her article, the publisher of
Venus Magazine rejected the lesbian lifestyle she has lived her
adult life. In the actual article on the website of the magazine,
Charlene E. Cothran said that although "over the past 29 years of
my life I have been an aggressive, creative, and strategic
supporter of gay and lesbian issues" and have "organized in
countless marches, and various lobbying efforts in the fight for
the equal treatment of gay men and lesbians," she must now come out
of the closet herself-as a Christian. . . . .
|
 |
- A Date With
Destiny The NEW YORK TIMES (Free Online Subscription), By
MICHELLE HIGGINS, March 2, 2007
CHRISTMAS. New Year’s Eve. Spring
break. There are certain dates on the calendar when travelers know
that hotel rooms in prime vacation spots will be nearly impossible
to come by, even if they try to book months in advance. This year,
add another day to the list: Saturday, July 7. That’s because
that date — the almost numerically perfect 7/7/07 — is being sought
after by couples around the country as the ideal day for a wedding.
More than 31,000 couples have already signed up with theknot.com, a
wedding-planning Web site, saying they plan to marry that day, a
figure that is roughly triple the number for any other Saturday
that month — and nearly 20,000 more than the number of couples who
got married on the corresponding weekend a year earlier. . . . .
The number 7 has held a special significance at least from the time
of the ancient Babylonians, who revered the seven sacred planets,
and it is a crucial numeral in the Bible, as in the seven days of
the Creation to the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. . .
.
|
 |
- Parenting
Issues: Whose Bed Is It Anyway? New York Times, By PENELOPE GREEN, March 1,
2007
. . . .“I used to get hysterical
and wonder, what is this new life of stumbling around in the middle
of the night?” Ms. Costello said. “Now it’s just so oddly part of
the routine. Paul and I wonder, will we ever sleep together again?”
The Costellos are not alone in not being alone in their bed. But
they are also not the happy hosts of the so-called family bed
that’s been inching its way into the mainstream. . . . More than a
decade after the infant sleep expert Dr. Richard Ferber horrified
parents by warning against co-sleeping and advocating a cry-it-out
approach, and four years after the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development published a survey in which 12 percent
of respondents reported sleeping with their babies anyway, never
mind Ferber, it would seem that those babies have grown into
children, and those children are not at all tempted by the princess
and airplane beds their parents have so hopefully prepared for
them. Child-sleep consultants say their practices are swelling, and
that they are treating the parents of “ambulatory” children just as
much as the parents of infants. . . .
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- A Disconnect on Hooking
Up The New York Times,
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM, March 1, 2007
WHEN Laura Sessions Stepp warned
of the potentially damaging effects of “hooking up” in a new book,
some people scoffed — particularly those who believe they were
unscathed by their own unfettered years of casual sex. Others,
though, were incensed. In “Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex,
Delay Love and Lose at Both” (Riverhead), Ms. Sessions Stepp, a
Washington Post reporter, writes about how smart, ambitious young
women do emotional damage to themselves by getting physical —
making out to having sex — with men they are not dating or may have
met for the first time. . . . .To critics, the book, which was
published on Feb. 15, is an odd throwback — not only retro in its
point of view, but also out of sync with the current climate of
high-achieving girls who are usually applauded for focusing on
their careers and their female friends, rather than on finding Mr.
Right. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Get Chaste: The Dawn and the Eden of a
countercultural revolution National Review Online, By Kathryn Jean Lopez, December 5,
2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: Why so many singles can't find love MSNBC.com- Today show, Feb 8,
2006
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- Spears Fuels Reconciliation Reports with
Wedding Band Hollywood.com, By WENN, March 1, 2007
Britney Spears
stepped out for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting last night wearing
a band on her wedding ring finger, fuelling rumors she is
reconciling with estranged husband Kevin Federline. The "Toxic"
singer left the Promises Treatment Center in Malibu, California,
for her first supervised outing. The 25-year-old filed for divorce
from Federline in November and kept her wedding ring finger bare
while dating, but has been wearing a band on her left hand over the
last week. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Britney Steps Out With Band
On Wedding Ring Finger Us magazine, March 1, 2007
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RELATED ARTICLE: Britney's
Ex-Husband Reveals Shocking New
Claims FOX
NEWS- The Big Story w/ John Gibson, February 27, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Britney
Spears, America’s Troubled Girl Child TownHall.com, By Janice Shaw Crouse, Tuesday, February
27, 2007
RELATED
ARTICLE: Girls Gone
Bad- Paris, Britney, Lindsay & Nicole: They seem to be
everywhere and they may not be wearing underwear. Tweens adore them
and teens envy them. But are we raising a generation of
'prosti-tots'? Newsweek- MSNBC.com, By Kathleen
Deveny with Raina Kelley, February 12, 2007 Issue
RELATED SITE:
Britney
Spears: Everything you need to know about Britney
Spears People Magazine
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- Argentina Moving Toward Gay Marriage
Rights 365Gay.com, By Newscenter Staff, March 1,
2007
(Buenos Aires) Legislation will
be presented in Argentina's Parliament this fall that would give
same-sex couples all of the rights of marriage. Currently the law
limits marriage to opposite-sex couples. However the country does
afford gay and lesbian couples some rights including inheritance,
adoption and survivor pensions. Two regions of the country permit
civil unions - the province of Río Negro and the federal district
of Buenos Aires. . . .Same-sex marriage is currently legal in the
Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa and the state of
Massachusetts. At least 18 countries offer some form of legal
recognition to same-sex unions. . . .
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- Gay Marriage Ripe for Court Decisions in Three
States Pew Research Center Publications, By Christine Vestal,
March 1, 2007
Three years after its historic court ruling
legalizing same-sex marriage, Massachusetts stands alone in
blessing gay marriages -- 6,500 to date -- and its example has
spurred no imitators but lots of backlash. Following the festive
scenes of gay and lesbian brides and grooms waiting in long lines
to wed in the Bay State on May 17, 2004, 23 states -- for a total
of 27 -- fortified their state constitutions to withstand judicial
edicts like the Massachusetts one. Massachusetts itself is
considering a proposal to end its experiment with same-sex unions.
Gay-rights groups can point to some progress in expanding legal
acceptance of same-sex relationships. . . . Even if the number of
gay weddings in the United States is minimal so far, the uproar
over same-sex marriage has been deafening. The issue has rocked
every state capital and inflamed passions in Congress and
presidential politics, as advocates of equal rights for gays and
lesbians are pitted against religious and other socially
conservative groups committed to protecting traditional marriage. .
. . .
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