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"MARRIAGE" In The News (June 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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- Key to a good marriage? Share housework San Jose Mercury News- AP, By David Crary, June 30, 2007
—The percentage of Americans who consider children "very important" to a successful marriage has dropped sharply since 1990, and more now cite the sharing of household chores as pivotal, according to a sweeping new survey. The Pew Research Center survey on marriage and parenting found that children had fallen to eighth out of nine on a list of factors that people associate with successful marriages—well behind "sharing household chores," "good housing," "adequate income," a "happy sexual relationship" and "faithfulness." In a 1990 World Values Survey, children ranked third in importance among the same items, with 65 percent saying children were very important to a good marriage. Just 41 percent said so in the new Pew survey. Chore-sharing was cited as very important by 62 percent of respondents, up from 47 percent in 1990. The survey also found that, by a margin of nearly 3-to-1, Americans say the main purpose of marriage is the "mutual happiness and fulfillment" of adults rather than the "bearing and raising of children.". . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The artful dodge of housework Christian Science Monitor, By Marilyn Gardner, July 5, 2005
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RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage and Parenting: Drifting Apart Pew Research Center, July 2, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: "Desperate Feminist Wives": Does the Quest for Marital Equality Doom Marital Happiness? FindLaw.com- By Joanna Grossman and Linda McClain, Apr 4, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Desperate Feminist Wives: Why wanting equality makes women unhappy Slate.com- By Meghan O'Rourke, Mar 6, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: What Makes Wives Happy? WebMD, By Salynn Boyles, Mar 1, 2006
RELATED STUDY: What's Love got to do with it? Equality, Equity, Commitment, and Women's Marital Quality By W. Bradford Wilcox, University of Virginia, Steven L. Nock, University of Virginia |
- Shirley Bassey - The return of the Diamond Dame The Daily Mail-UK, By Alison Boshoff, June 29, 2007
. . . . Dame Shirley Bassey, now 70 years old, wowed the crowd with her 45-minute performance at last weekend's rain-lashed festival. Supported by an orchestra of 23, who were dressed in improbably perfect black tie, she presented a crowd-pleasing set: Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, The Lady Is A Tramp and Big Spender - twice. . . . Dame Shirley says she likes Monaco because she is able to walk home at 3am in her furs and diamonds without fearing that she will be mugged. There is no whiff of a new man on the scene, and hasn't been since a brief yet headlong romance with debonair film and theatre producer Greg Smith in 2003. She said in an interview: "I'm not lonely. I don't miss cuddles. I'm not a tactile person - I never have been, even as a child. "When things go wrong, I don't need someone to comfort me. I want to be on my own. I sometimes miss the romantic bit of a relationship. But I don't miss the involvement. My bad times with men have gone. It's the men in my life who have given me the problems."Few would argue with that assessment: her first husband Kenneth Hume was homosexual and allowed her to have an open marriage, during which time she fell pregnant. . . . . . Dame Shirley has had three children. The eldest, Sharon, was born when she was only 16 (Bassey has never revealed who the father was) and was raised for the first nine years of her life by one of Shirley's sisters, believing that her mother was really her aunt. . . .
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- Massive March in Puerto Rico Protests Plan to Permit
Homosexual Civil Unions
LifeSiteNews.com, June 29,
2007
Two weeks ago 20,000
Puerto Ricans took to the streets in San Juan to protest
legislation seeking to permit homosexual civil unions.
Coalicion de la Familia, the island's largest pro-family
organization, organized the march and rally and invited US
pro-family activist David Parker to speak to the crowd. In April,
2005, David Parker of Massachusetts was arrested and brought to
jail after protesting the refusal of school officials to notify him
when homosexuality or transgenderism was to be discused with his
son in kindergarten. The incident made national news in America,
and the continued refusal of Lexington, MA school officials to
allow parental notification has brought on a federal civil rights
lawsuit from the Parkers and another family. . . Parker warned the
citizens that elevating homosexual behavior to a status equivalent
to marriage would bring a flood of homosexual books, lessons, and
other indoctrination into the schools - as has happened in
Massachusetts. "You must have zero tolerance for this," said
Parker, "or they will be marketing sodomy to your children. .
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RELATED ARTICLE: 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
RELATED ARTICLE: Controversy Over Kid's Book Depicting Gay Marriage CBS4 Boston, April 20, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Since same-sex marriage is legal in state, administrator says no parent ok needed WorldNetDaily, April 19, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: District lifts ban on parent over pro-'gay' book- Father allowed on campus, but notification policy unchanged WorldNetDaily, Nov 23, 2005
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- New Details Emerging on Life of Pro Wrestler Chris Benoit
Before
Murder-Suicide Voice of America, By Ray MacDonald, June 29,
2007
In the days before killing
his family and committing suicide, professional wrestler Chris
Benoit reportedly argued with his wife over the care of their
mentally retarded seven-year-old son. World Wrestling Entertainment
attorney Jerry McDevitt said "I think it's fair to say that the
subject of caring for the child was part of what made their
relationship complicated and difficult, and it's something they
were both constantly struggling with." McDevitt said the WWE
learned from the Benoits' friends and relatives that the couple
were struggling with where to send the boy after his recent
graduation from kindergarten. He said Benoit's wife Nancy, while
not urging him to quit wrestling, wanted him to spend more time at
home with their son Daniel. . . .
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- Movie Review: License to
Wed Variety magazine, By Brian Lowry, June 29,
2007
Unleashing Robin Williams
in the least flattering possible manner, "License to Wed" squanders
the modest chemistry between its appealing central couple -- Mandy
Moore and "The Office's" John Krasinski -- uniting its elements in
an astonishingly flat romantic comedy, filled with perplexing
choices. Tossed into the summer season, pic is at best a relatively
harmless way to enjoy air conditioning for those who admire
Williams' ability to riff, even at his most irritating; otherwise,
Warner Bros. should see its theatrical stay quickly annulled.
. . Sadie (Moore) and Ben (Krasinski) meet cute at Starbucks,
court and get engaged, all in the first 10 minutes. Giddily happy,
they immediately consent when her blue-blood family insists the
ceremony be performed by Rev. Frank (Williams), who forces the pair
to fulfill an expedited "marriage preparation course" before
marrying. What transpires after that, alas, is a series of unfunny
scenes that, as directed by Ken Kwapis ("The Sisterhood of the
Traveling Pants"), tend to drag on interminably. Inexplicably
flanked at all times by an equally annoying young boy (Josh
Flitter) who he's mentoring, Rev. Frank seemingly does everything
he can to torpedo Sadie and Ben's relationship -- demanding they
forgo sex, insisting (in perhaps the most inane sequence) they care
for life-like robot babies and planting a bug in their apartment. .
. .
WATCH THE TRAILER: LICENSE TO WED
RELATED REVIEW: License
to wed Hollywood Reporter, By Kirk Honeycutt, July 2,
2007
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- Stork due at house of Usher New York Daily News, By Rush & Molloy, June 28, 2007
Usher will be changing diapers by Christmas. The Grammy winner and his fiancee, Tameka Foster, have confirmed to us exclusively that they're expecting a bundle of joy. "We are extremely excited at this point in our lives, planning our wedding and the joy that comes with expecting our first child together," they told us. . . . Just last week, responding to pregnancy reports on Essence.com, Foster answered with a not-so-cryptic, "I do plan to have children with Usher." But will producing an Usher heir bring Foster closer to the star's mother, Jonetta Patton?. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Usher Speaks Out on the Rumors About His Relationship People magazine, By Tiffany McGee, July 12, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Usher's Fiancee Tameka Foster Speaks Out on the Rumors, Romance and the Rock: Tameka's Turn - PART I Essence.com, By Keyna N. Byrd, June 21, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Usher, Stylist Girlfriend Are Engaged People magazine, February 23, 2007
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- Church blasts premarital sex
proposal USA Today,
June 28, 2007
— The Omaha Archdiocese has severed ties with a
Jesuit university's family center after two researchers urged the
church to allow unmarried couples to live together and have sex and
children as long as they are engaged. The Creighton University
researchers' essay, published in the June issue of U.S. Catholic
magazine, said that more unmarried Catholic couples are living
together today, and that they doubt the claim that the couples are
living in sin. "It would appear closer to the truth that they are
growing, perhaps slowly but nonetheless surely, into grace,"
Michael Lawler and Gail Risch wrote. The essay prompted a letter to
the editor from Omaha Archbishop Elden Curtiss. . . . "The teaching
of the Catholic Church about fornication is clear and unambiguous;
it is always objectively a serious sin," Curtiss wrote. . . A
spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the
proposal was an appalling attempt to gain the benefits of marriage
without getting married. . . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Archbishop Severs Ties with University’s Center for Marriage and Family over Sex Before Marriage Proposal LifesiteNews.com, By Elizabeth O'Brien, June 29, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Teaching Spiritual Values AOL Black Voices- Streaming Faith.com, By Dr. Kevin B. Lee, June 26, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Unmarried couples lose legal benefits USA TODAY, By Marisol Bello, June 19, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage and Religion: A Package Deal. New Studies Reveal Close Relationship ZENIT, By Father John Flynn, L.C., June 18, 2007
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- Edwards, wife split on gay marriage USA Today, June 26, 2007
— There's a split in John Edwards' household over gay marriage, but he says his difference of opinion with wife Elizabeth hasn't created any awkward moments. "It's not the only thing we disagree about," the Democratic presidential candidate quipped Monday on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. "She actually says what she thinks," Edwards said. Elizabeth Edwards kicked off San Francisco's annual gay pride parade Sunday by declaring her support for legalizing gay marriage. "I don't know why someone else's marriage has anything to do with me," she said. The former North Carolina senator, with his wife at his side on Leno's couch, said he was unaware of her position on gay marriage and was surprised to learn about it while reading the newspaper. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: What about the morality of homosexual behavior? Townhall.com, By Janice Shaw Crouse, March 20, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Dodd asks: What if your child were gay? USA Today, By Philip Elliott- AP Writer, April 24, 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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- CNN's Nancy Grace expecting twins Celebrity Baby Blog, Posted by Sarah, June 26, 2007
CNN anchorwoman and lawyer Nancy Grace, 48, has announced that she is four months pregnant -- with twins. The babies are due in January. "I kept [the pregnancy] quiet because I wanted to make sure all would be healthy. I've worn loose-fitting clothes and I guess [audiences] just thought I was getting heavier!" Nancy declined to reveal if she used fertility treatments, but said, "You tell women out there that there is hope." Of being an older mom, Nancy reveals, "I always said I wanted a family. I grew up in happy, loving family [and] I wanted it too. But until now I just thought it wasn't meant to be for me. And as part of God's mysterious plan, I'm given this wonderful blessing late in life -- and I could not be happier." However, she isn't feeling so hot. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Nancy's Secret Wedding...And She's Having Twins New York Post, By Michael Starr, June 26, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Tenfold increase in IVF for over-40s The Daily Mail-UK, By Daniel Martin, June 6, 2007
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- Paris Hilton Leaves Jail After
Serving Sentence for Driving on Suspended
License FOX
News- AP, June 26, 2007
— Paris Hilton left
jail Tuesday after a bizarre, three-week stay in which the hotel
heiress was briefly released to her Hollywood Hills home, then sent
screaming and crying back to a county lockup. The 26-year-old
celebutante walked out of the all-women's jail in Lynwood to an
enormous horde of cameras and reporters after midnight. She had
checked into the jail, largely avoiding the spotlight, late June 3
after a surprise appearance at the MTV Movie Awards. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Parenting Issues: "Mom, It's Not
Right" Huffington Post, By Jamie Lee Curtis, June 10,
2007
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RELATED ARTICLE: America’s Obsession with Stupid Sluts Townhall.com, By Doug Giles, Saturday, June 9, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Celebrity Media, Heal Thyself Townhall.com, By Brent Bozell III, May 11, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: If My Parents had Raised Paris Hilton National Ledger, By Alan Burkhart, May 11, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Bette Midler slams 'wild and woolly slut' Britney The Daily Mail- UK, December 7, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: I (don't) want to be a Hilton Townhall.com, By Kathleen Parker, June 1, 2005
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- Parenting Issues: Tennessee Mother Makes Daughter Stand on Street Corner Wearing Sign Listing Bad Behavior FOX News- AP, June 25, 2007
— A Tennessee mother fed up with her daughter's misbehavior took an unusual tack in for latest punishment, making her stand on a busy street corner with an attention-getting sign. Tashara Wilkins, 13, held a sign Sunday reading, "I don't obey my parents, I'm a liar. I steal from my mom. I have a bad attitude." "All other resources haven't worked, so I'm making her be publicly humiliated today," mother Cherie Wilkins told WMC-TV in Memphis. "I hope this works for her. I love my child. ... I could be beating her to death, but I'm not." She said her daughter's bad attitude Sunday morning led to the public display. Tashara said having to wear her offenses was eye-opening. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Is Spanking a Religious Duty? ABC News, May 3, 2005
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- When marriage became a 'hate
crime' Jewish World
Review, By George Will, June 25, 2007
Marriage is the foundation of the natural family
and sustains family values. That sentence is inflammatory,
perhaps even a hate crime. . . At least it is in Oakland,
Calif. That city's government says those words italicized here
constitute something akin to hate speech, and can be proscribed
from the government's open e-mail system and employee bulletin
board. . . . Some African-American Christian women working for
Oakland's government organized the Good News Employee Association
(GNEA), which they announced with a flier describing their group as
"a forum for people of Faith to express their views on the
contemporary issues of the day. With respect for the Natural
Family, Marriage and Family Values." The flier was distributed
after other employees' groups, including those advocating gay
rights, had advertised their political views and activities on the
city's e-mail system and bulletin board. When the GNEA asked for
equal opportunity to communicate by that system and that board,
they were denied. Furthermore, the flier they posted was taken down
and destroyed by city officials, who declared it "homophobic" and
disruptive. The city government said the flier was "determined" to
promote harassment based on sexual orientation. The city warned
that the flier and communications like it could result in
disciplinary action "up to and including termination.". . . . The
flier supposedly violated the city regulation prohibiting
"discrimination and/or harassment based on sexual orientation." The
only cited disruption was one lesbian's complaint that the flier
made her feel "targeted" and "excluded." So anyone has the power to
be a censor just by saying someone's speech has hurt his or her
feelings. . .
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- William and Kate
‘reunited' The Times Online- UK, By Alan Hamilton, June 25,
2007
Nobody will be more
pleased than Woolworths at a Sunday newspaper report that Prince
William and Kate Middleton have been seeing each other again. So
convinced was the chainstore that the second in line to the throne
and the accessories buyer for the Jigsaw fashion store were a
permanent item that it commissioned a range of more than 20
commemorative wedding souvenirs including mugs, plates and a
special edition mobile phone. Disaster struck the souvenir industry
in April when it was disclosed that the couple had ended a
relationship forged when they were young undergraduates at St
Andrews University. Now, according to a somewhat breathless report
in The Mail On Sunday, the couple were reunited at an Army party at
Bovington, Dorset, danced intimately, and vanished early to the
Prince’s private quarters. . . It’s such a nightmare because she
knows that if they do get back together, there’ll be no turning
back. There will have to be an engagement and then marriage.” . .
.
RELATED
ARTICLE: Is
William trying to woo back Kate?
The Daily Mail-UK, By Rebecca English, June
24, 2007
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- Tiger's Tiny Tot: First Photos of Baby Sam NY Post.com, June 25, 2007
-- Tiger Woods and wife, Elin, introduced their first child, Sam Alexis, to the world today. The couple posted images on Tiger’s web site of the doting dad clutching the tiny infant as well as the happy three-some together. Woods released a statement accompanying the images that his wife and daughter are healthy and resting. "This is truly a special time in our lives," Woods wrote. "We look forward to introducing Sam to our family and friends over the next few weeks." . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Tiger Woods Calls Fatherhood 'A Dream Come True' People magazine, By Susan Mandel, July 3, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Tiger Woods's Baby Revealed! People magazine, By Stephen M. Silverman, June 25, 2007
RELATED PHOTOS: Photo gallery of Sam Alexis Woods Golf.com
RELATED SITE: TigerWoods.com
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Movie Review: Crazy
Love Monsters and Critics.com, UK By Ron Wilkinson Jun 24,
2007 Simply stated, some
documentaries write themselves. The love story of Burt and Linda
Pugach is such a tale; a story of such compelling humanity that all
the documentarist has to do is assemble the archival footage and
interview the subjects and a hit is born. The documentary takes on
a life of its own as the subjects reveal themselves on the screen
and prove, again, that the truth is definitely stranger than
fiction. . . . . So from Burt’s point of view, paying someone
to disfigure Linda’s face was the only chance he had. But until you
hear the interviews with Burt and Linda forty years after the fact,
you will not believe the story; how Burt did his 14 years in Attica
and won early release by sending Linda money that he earned by
overturning fellow inmates’ convictions (at least three convicted
murderers were released as a result of Burt’s legal work in
prison), and how he proposed to Linda on TV as she sat in her home
listening to the program, blinded by the lye Burt’s paid thug threw
in her eyes. They have been happily married for several decades
now---you have to hear it in the words of Burt and Linda to believe
it. Only in America. . . .
RELATED SITE: CRAZY LOVE
DOCUMENTARY
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- The hardest job in the world
It may look like the ultimate cushy number, but the
life of the celebrity wife is not for the faint
hearted TimesOnline-UK, By Wendy Holden, June 24, 2007 . . . .
Their existence seems blissful: they are golden geishas who don’t
have to work, whose time is spent shopping or flying around the
world. However, the evidence is that marrying a rich and powerful
husband comes with its own high price tag. . . . It is perhaps
surprising, in the age of self-help manuals on every conceivable
subject, that there exists no handbook on being the perfect wife to
a rich, high-powered and possibly famous husband. But the
information required probably wouldn’t fill a book. There are few
rules for the perfect power wife (PPW) to remember. The first and
most important is: indulge your husband in all things, always.
Particularly in his right to be, however powerful he is
professionally, a helpless baby at home. . . . So determined was
Lancaster on this score that she went out for dinner with Stewart
the same night she gave birth. “Looking back I don’t know how I
managed to walk from the car,” she said. “It must just have been
the postbirth euphoria.” No, just observance of the first PPW rule.
. . .
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- Great wife Shark bites off
$100m The Age- Austrailia, By Reid Sexton, June 24,
2007
GREG NORMAN'S wife, Laura,
will get an estimated $100 million after the couple's bitter
divorce battle was mostly settled. The Australian golfer, who
according to BRW magazine is worth about $325 million, was in
Australia when the agreement was reached in Florida. A smiling Mrs
Norman confirmed a settlement had been reached. "It's over," she
said outside the courtroom on Friday, Florida time. "We signed a
settlement agreement, but we also signed a confidentiality
agreement and I can't talk about it." Norman, 52, filed for divorce
from his wife last June saying the marriage was "irretrievably
broken". He has since been involved with former tennis star Chris
Evert, who accompanied him to Australia last week to inspect golf
courses he is designing. . . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Chris Evert's Ex Wishes Her, Greg Norman 'Happiness' People magazine, By Jeff Truesdell, January 3, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Chris and Greg admit they're a team This is London- ShowBiz News, January 1, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Save your energy and sanity: just stay faithful The Observer-UK, By Cristina Odone, August 20, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Couples first, lawyers last The Independent-UK, May 28, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Wealthy? Don't get married, lawyers say Times Online- Law, By Alex Spence, May 24, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: The Big Question: Has divorce become too expensive for the rich? The Independent Online- Legal- UK- By Maxine Frith, May 19, 2006
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- Why we love to ... cheat Sunday Herald-UK, By Peter Ross, June 24, 2007
21st-century couples are kissing goodbye to monogamy. So is one partner not enough? MONOGAMY IS a notion to which Britain, among other nations, has remained faithful for a very long time. Anthropologists estimate that around four million years ago the brains of our hominid ancestors began to hum and throb with romantic feelings distinct from the primitive sexual urge; they formed couples in which to raise their offspring and this became the new model for a successful and happy life. . . . . In the early years of the 21st century, however, it's arguable that monogamy has outlived its usefulness, has in fact become dysfunctional, and that western society is developing a sort of 900-year-itch. Could - and should - we embrace a model that isn't based around two people forsaking all others, but encompasses the idea of sexual freedom? . . . . ."I'm drawn to the French refusal to be shocked by adultery, and to their belief that an affair doesn't automatically mean that the marriage is over, or that it's been a lie," says Druckerman. "The French haven't mastered adultery. It's always messy. But I'm intrigued by the French approach because it's so different from that of my own culture. The idea that confrontation isn't the best response to an infidelity is a bit of a relief, given the agony that's brought on by the American approach.". . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Q & A: Double Take: I'm Not Over His Cheating. Short Marriage Troubled By Pre-Wedding Straying Local10.com, June 19, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Traveling jobs mask infidelity Ashbury Park Press, By Gary Stoller, June 18, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Is Open Marriage the Modern Couple's Answer to Infidelity? AlterNet, By Joslyn Matthews, Sirens Magazine, June 14, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Adultery Is Killing the American Family The Conservative Voice, By Nathan Tabor, Sept 22, 2005
RELATED SITE: Surviving Infidelity.com
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- Spice is right: Scary sez DNA test IDs Eddie Murphy as
her baby's dad New York Daily News, June 23,
2007
Eddie Murphy's hefty
child-support bill is about to get ...scarier. A DNA test shows the
divorced father of seven is also the dad of Melanie (Scary Spice)
Brown's 2-month-old daughter, Brown's rep Liza Anderson told the
Daily News yesterday. Murphy could not be reached for comment, and
a rep for the "Shrek" star punted: "We don't comment on Eddie's
personal life." Brown, 32, dated Murphy last year, but when the
former Spice Girls singer became pregnant, he publicly expressed
doubts he was the daddy. . .
RELATED
ARTICLE: Mel B: DNA
Proves Eddie Murphy Fathered Her Baby People magazine, By Stephen M. Silverman, June 22,
2007
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RELATED ARTICLE: Melanie Brown: 'Eddie Is A Poor Role Model For Black Fathers' Femailfirst-UK, May 3, 2007
RELATED BLOG: Hollywood Unhooked (Un-Glued, more precise) The Real Proposal magazine BlogSpot, December 11, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Melanie Brown: 'Eddie Is My Baby's Father' People magazine, December 7, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Eddie Murphy demands paternity test after he dumps Mel B This is London- UK, Dec 5, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: 'Tracey Edmonds: I'm Dating Eddie Murphy' People magazine, December 4, 2006 |
- Little civility in the US on gay marriage
debate Belfast Telegraph- UK, By Alf McCreary, June 23,
2007
. . . . In my opinion,
civil partnerships between people of the same sex are necessary to
protect the legal and human rights of each individual. However, I
also support the view of the churches that marriage is a union only
between a man and a woman, and I firmly believe that there is no
such thing as a 'gay marriage'. During my lifetime the words
'homosexual' and 'lesbian' have retained their clear meaning to
describe people of one-sex orientation, and I regret that the word
'gay' has been hijacked by a determined and vociferous group of
people from that community. As I write this, however, I am aware
that members of this lobby will accuse me of being homophobic,
which I am not. Nevertheless, I object to the fact that people who
do not agree with the term 'gay marriages' are branded as being
narrow-minded and conservative. The situation has now arisen where
many so-called liberals are distinctly illiberal in their outlook,
to the point where people who oppose their views are often wary of
speaking their minds. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE:
Episcopalians risk split from fellowship by rejecting
overseas demands CNN.com, June 22, 2007
RELATED ARTICLES &
SPECIAL REPORTS: Uncovering
America: Fighting For Acceptance. A focus on the gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered
community CNN.com
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- Civil union denial spurs bias claim in Ocean Grove
Same-sex couple ceremony nixed Asbury Park Press- NJ, By Bill Bowman, June 21, 2007 - A same-sex couple has filed a civil rights complaint against the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, claiming it discriminated against them by denying their request to hold their civil union ceremony in the boardwalk pavilion. The complaint is the first filed over a disputed public accommodation since civil unions were recognized in the state earlier this year, said Frank Vespa-Papaleo, chairman of the state Division on Civil Rights. Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster of Broadway in Ocean Grove contend they were refused permission in March to hold their ceremony, scheduled Sept. 30. The Camp Meeting Association is a Methodist ministry that owns all the land and boardwalk in the oceanfront enclave that is now part of Neptune. . . . . The association faces a variety of potential penalties if judged to have violated the couple's civil rights, including a fine of up to $10,000 for the first offense. . . .
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- Summer Wedding Wear: A Decoder's Guide Forbes.com, By Hitha Prabhakar, June 20, 2007
Never before have brides invested so much time and effort stage-managing their own weddings, including, most especially, what their guests are wearing. "The way I see it, you only get married once. I wanted it really nice, and I wanted to make sure everyone was clear on how they should look, as well," says Zora Mullholland, a 25-year-old bride in Dublin, Ireland, of planning her 2008 wedding. "I wanted it very upscale." Mullholland is so concerned about the sartorial state of her guests that she will include detailed instructions in her invitations explaining what exactly she means by "black tie." She will stipulate that women wearing short dresses should also wear stockings and heels. She will instruct men to wear tuxedos. . . . Unfortunately, for today's wedding guests, few brides are as clear or direct. Khrista Vagnozzi, senior editor of bridal Web site TheKnot.com, says couples striving to be clever are coming up with phrases such as "yacht chic," "garden chic," "city formal" and "beach formal" to describe how they want guests to dress. Such phrases leave many guests confused. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: In Pictures: Summer Wedding Wear: A Decoder's Guide Forbes.com
RELATED ARTICLE: One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding AlterNet, By Emily Wilson, June 15, 2007
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- JOKE OF THE DAY: The Lighter Side
Dear Wife: I'm writing you this letter to tell you that I'm leaving you forever. I've been a good man to you for seven years and I have nothing to show for it. These last two weeks have been hell. Your boss called to tell me that you quit your job today and that was the last straw. Last week, you came home and didn't even notice that I had a new haircut, had cooked your favorite meal and even wore a brand new pair of silk boxers. You ate in two minutes, and went straight to sleep after watching all of your soaps. You don't tell me you love me anymore; you don't want sex or anything that connects us as husband and wife. Either you're cheating on me or you don't love me anymore; whatever the case, I'm gone. Your EX-Husband P.S. Don't try to find me. Your SISTER and I are moving away to West Virginia together! Have a great life!
Dear Ex-Husband: Nothing has made my day more than receiving your letter. It's true that you and I have been married for seven years, although a good man is a far cry from what you've been. I watch my soaps so much because they drown out your constant whining and griping. Too bad that doesn't work. I DID notice when you got a hair cut last week, but the first thing that came to mind was 'You look just like a girl!' Since my mother raised me not to say anything if you can't say something nice, I didn't comment. And when you cooked my favorite meal, you must have gotten me confused with MY SISTER, because I stopped eating pork seven years ago. About those new silk boxers: I turned away from you because the $49.99 price tag was still on them, and I prayed that it was a coincidence that my sister had just borrowed fifty dollars from me that morning. After all of this, I still loved you and felt that we could work it out. So when I hit the lotto for ten million dollars, I quit my job and bought us two tickets to Jamaica. But when I got home you were gone. Everything happens for a reason, I guess. I hope you have the fulfilling life you always wanted. My lawyer said that the letter you wrote ensures you won't get a dime from me. So take care. Signed, Your Ex-Wife, Rich As Hell and Free! P.S. I don't know if I ever told you this, but my sister Carla was born Carl. I hope that's not a problem.
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Yes, that politician
from Massachusetts IS a polygamist! News Bloggers-AOL, Posted by Mo Rocca, June 20,
2007 I'm referring, of course, to former Congressman Joseph
Kennedy II, the eldest son of Robert Kennedy. Okay, he's not
exactly a polygamist. His marriage to first wife Sheila Rauch ended
in divorce in 1991. Then the marriage was annulled, or invalidated,
shortly thereafter by the Catholic Church. The annulment was
granted in secret, unbeknownst to the Episcopalian Rauch, who only
found out in 1996, three years after Kennedy had married his former
aide, Beth Kelly. Rauch was ticked off and appealed for a reversal
of the annulment. She believes, not unreasonably, that a failed
marriage needs to be acknowledged - not conveniently erased from
memory. Now Time Magazine reports that she has gotten what she
wanted. . . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: The
rules of annulment: DIVORCE | Religious notion is little more than
theological sleight of hand
Chicago Sun Times, By Cathleen Falsani, June
29, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE Kennedy
marriage annulment overturned by the
Vatican Belfast Telegraph- UK, By Rupert Cornwell, June 22,
2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Joe
Kennedy's First Marriage: Still
On TIME magazine, By Jeff Israely/Rome, June 19, 2007
RELATED
ARTICLE: Divorce,
Kennedy-Style: A New Book And Another Scandal May Finally Hit the
Kennedys Where It Would Hurt-- In The Ballot
Box TIME
magazine By Margaret Carlson, June 20, 2007
RELATED
ARTICLE: How did
Nicole Kidman re-marry in a Catholic church? BBC NEWS- UK, June 26, 2006
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N.Y. State Assembly Approves Gay Marriage
Bill 1010 WINS, June
19, 2007 -- Legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in New York,
sponsored by the openly gay brother of entertainer Rosie O'Donnell
and supported by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, was approved 85-61 by the
state Assembly Tuesday after an often emotional three-hour debate.
Despite the victory for supporters of the legislation, the bill is
not expected to be acted on any time soon in the Republican-led
state Senate. In opening the Assembly debate, Manhattan Democrat
Daniel O'Donnell told his colleagues that civil union, a process
permitted in neighboring Vermont, wasn't good enough. "It will not
provide equality for people like me," he said. But Assemblyman
Brian Kolb, taking note of "the nuns who taught me in grammar
school" and his marriage in the Catholic Church, said he could not
support the move. . . Democrat Dov Hikind, an Orthodox Jew from
Brooklyn, warned the measure could lead to other proposals he found
objectionable. "Maybe we should include incest in the bill and sort
of deal with the whole package at one time," said Hikind. . .
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- Poll shows split support for
same-sex marriages WSTM-TV- NBC 3, June 19, 2007
-- As New York considers whether to legalize gay marriage,
a new Cornell University poll shows many New Yorkers still have
trouble accepting the idea. The Empire State Poll asked 800 New
Yorkers whether they would favor or oppose a close relative
marrying someone of the same sex and found statewide that 52
percent of respondents said they would be against it. That
sentiment was equally prevalent both upstate and downstate. . . . .
A separate poll out Tuesday from the Quinnipiac University Polling
Institute found 35 percent of registered voters supported gay
marriage while another 35 percent supported civil unions but not
same-sex marriage. Twenty-two percent of voters said there should
be no legal recognition of same-sex unions. . . .
- NJ State panel studying civil unions' success
Group to look at how well the idea is
working Star- Ledger, By Robert Schwaneberg, June 19,
2007 A state commission
convened yesterday to study whether civil unions in New Jersey
really do provide all the benefits of marriage. A total of 1,092
same-sex couples have applied to form civil unions in New Jersey
since a new law allowed them four months ago, the New Jersey Civil
Union Review Commission was told yesterday. During a brief
organizational meeting in Trenton, the commission elected J. Frank
Vespa-Papaleo, the state's director of civil rights, as its
chairman. He said the commission was formed to answer seven
questions about civil unions, ranging from whether they are working
to their recognition by other states to how they affect children
and the state's finances. It also must determine whether same-sex
couples need additional legal protections and whether an existing
law on domestic partnerships should be repealed. . .
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- Inside the mind of the paedophile - and the wife standing
by him The Daily Mail, June 19, 2007
NOTE: Many
will find this article deeply disturbing. But as a paedophile ring
is smashed, one man jailed for child porn offences gives a brutally
honest insight into his warped desires... and his wife reveals why
she's standing by him.
Bill Henkel and his
wife Sharon sit close together on a sofa in their bright,
immaculate detached home in a quiet corner of eastern England. They
are active members of their local church. They sing in old age
homes and Henkel, 47, likes to help the elderly of the parish with
D.I.Y. jobs. On the surface, there is nothing remarkable about the
couple. The same could be said of their home. Observant visitors,
however, might note the absence of any computers - a clue to the
fact that this is no ordinary marriage. In June 2003, Henkel was
caught downloading child pornography at work. He was prosecuted,
sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment in March last year and
released at the halfway point in October. In the wake of the
smashing of Britain's largest internet paedophile ring, reported in
yesterday's Mail, Bill's account of his desires and his battle to
control them makes compelling reading. It offers a chilling insight
into the mind of a paedophile. . . .
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- Q & A: Double Take: I'm Not Over His Cheating.
Short Marriage Troubled By Pre-Wedding
Straying Local10.com,
June 19, 2007
Q: Dear Double Take, My husband and I have been married for two months after being in
an eight-year relationship. Two months before our wedding, he
admitted to me that he had a one-night stand with a woman two years
ago. He said that he could not marry me unless he told me the truth
about it. Upon hearing this from him, I was devastated. I've always
trusted my now husband, and I never would have expected this from
him. I had never accused him of cheating throughout all of the
years we dated, nor have I ever had any reason to suspect that he
would. At first, I told him that the wedding was off and that I
could not marry him knowing what he had done. But after a very
short separation, I thought that I could forgive him and we could
move on with our wedding plans. . . . None of my family
or friends know about what happened, so this has all been bottled
up inside of me. How can I get over what he did, and how can I stop
him from accusing me of cheating? I don't want to be miserable the
rest of my married life! Marriage is supposed to be about trust,
and right now, I feel like there is none. . .
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- Health & Beauty Issues: Women absorb up to 5lbs
of damaging chemicals a year thanks to beauty
products The Daily Mail- UK, By Fiona Macrae, June 19,
2007
It takes cleanser,
moisturiser, make-up and a favourite lipstick to ensure the average
woman is ready to face the world. But a daily routine like this
leaves her with more than a polished appearance. She also absorbs
almost 5lb of chemicals through her skin every year. Some of the
man-made compounds have been linked to cancer, while others may
irritate the skin or even cause it to age prematurely. Biochemist
Richard Bence warned that the chemicals found in everyday beauty
products could be doing untold damage. Mr Bence, who has spent
three years studying the ingredients in cosmetics and toiletries,
said: "There is a growing amount of research questioning the
ingredients found in conventional beauty products. . . . Among the
chief chemical suspects are parabens - preservatives widely used in
skin and hair products, including soap, shampoo, deodorant and baby
lotion. Capable of stopping bacterial growth, parabens are also
thought to mimic the effects of the female sex hormone oestrogen,
which is known to help tumours grow. . . . Other potential
irritants include benzyl alcohols, which are used to scent and
preserve perfume, makeup and hair dyes. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The
baby boomers who are in worse health than their
parents The Daily Mail- UK,
By Peta Bee, June 19, 2007
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- Julia Roberts gives birth to 3rd
child Boston Globe- AP, June 18,
2007
--Julia Roberts has welcomed her third child, a boy
named Henry Daniel Moder. Henry was born Monday in Los Angeles. He
weighed 8 1/2 pounds, s
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