'MARRIAGE' NEWS- June 2007: The REAL Proposal For Marriage magazine

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

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

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

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. . . .

Shirley Bassey - The return of the Diamond Dame

Massive March in Puerto Rico Protests Plan to Permit Homosexual Civil Unions

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. . .

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. . . .

New Details Emerging on Life of Pro Wrestler Chris Benoit Before Murder-Suicide

Movie Review: License to Wed. From Warner Bros.

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

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

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. . . .

John Edwards, wife Elizabeth split on gay marriage issue

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. . .

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

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

Paris Hilton Leaves Jail After Serving Sentence for Driving on Suspended License

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

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

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. . .

Prince William & Kate Middleton 'reunited'?

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

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

Tiger Woods, pictured with wife Elin Nordegren and new arrival, Baby Sam Alexis. Photo Credit: Gretchen Dow Mashkuri/WireImage

'Crazy Love' documentary details infamous 1950s New York City crime of Burt Pugach against a woman, Linda, who later became his wife

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

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. . . .

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

Greg Norman, 52, filed for divorce from wife Laura in June 2006, citiing the marriage as 'irretrievably broken.' He has since been linked to Chris Evert, who has also divorced her husband, Andy Mill.

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. . . .

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

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

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

Spice is right: Scary says DNA test ID's Eddie Murphy as her baby's dad

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

Civil union denial spurs bias claim in Ocean Grove, New Jersey: Same-sex couple ceremony nixed

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. . . .

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

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.

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. . . .

Joe Kennedy's marriage annulment from first wife Sheila Rauch overturned by the Vatican

N.Y. State Assembly Approves Gay Marriage Bill

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. . . .

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. . . .

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. . . .

Bill Henkel and his wife Sharon: Inside the mind of the paedophile - and the wife standing by him

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. . . .

Women absorb up to 5lbs of damaging chemicals a year thanks to beauty products

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

Tiger has a cub: Woods becomes first-time father ESPN- AP, June 19, 2007
Tiger has a cub. Less than 24 hours after Tiger Woods finished second at the U.S. Open on Father's Day, his wife gave birth to their first child, a daughter. He announced Monday night on his Web site that Sam Alexis Woods was born early Monday morning. "Both Elin and Sam are doing well and resting peacefully," Woods wrote. "We want to thank our doctors and the hospital staff for all their dedicated and hard work. This is truly a special time in our lives and we look forward to introducing Sam to our family and friends over the next few weeks. We thank everyone for their well wishes and continued respect of our privacy." Woods said he would miss a major if it meant seeing the birth of his child. Now he won't have to, but it's not clear how his upcoming schedule will be affected. . . .

Tiger has a cub: Woods becomes first-time father as his wife Elin gives birth to a daughter, Sam Alexis

Unmarried couples lose legal benefits USA TODAY, By Marisol Bello, June 19, 2007
States that have banned gay marriage are beginning to revoke the benefits of domestic partners of public employees. Michigan has gone farthest, prohibiting cities, universities and other public employers from offering benefits to same-sex partners. In all, 27 states have passed constitutional amendments defining marriage as the legally sanctioned union of a man and a woman. A Michigan court ruled in February that public employers may not offer benefits to unmarried partners, gay or straight, because of a 2004 amendment defining marriage. Government employers there had offered benefits only to gay couples. . . . "We're in kind of a giant race, a historic race, with all these court cases," says Matt Daniels, president of Alliance for Marriage, which lobbies for a marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution. "When the dust settles, we'll have a national standard for marriage. What is going on in the states is a dress rehearsal." Gay-rights activists say they are fighting for families, too. . . .

Traveling jobs mask infidelity Ashbury Park Press, By Gary Stoller, June 18, 2007
Melissa cheats on her husband on business trips, but not in her hometown. "That would be lethal," she says. Like many frequent business travelers, she uses the protection of the road to live a secret life of romance far from spouses or partners. Their affairs range from one-night stands to relationships that last for years. They're usually with a co-worker, a business associate or someone they encounter often during repeat visits to a city. . . . While no one has specifically studied business travel and infidelity, academics and therapists say cheating is probably more prevalent on the road than close to home. And the heightened exposure of business travelers to the possibility of infidelity increases the prospects that they and their employers could be left to air the details of their affairs in the courts or in the press. The infidelities of traveling athletes, movie stars, musicians and other celebrities are standard tabloid fare. . . . But not all the affairs occurring during business travel involve co-workers, and most never make headlines. For many business travelers, the hurt they inflict on spouses and family usually outweighs the liability they create for employers. Infidelity studies show that extramarital sex occurs in up to 25 percent of heterosexual marriages in the United States, according to Adrian Blow, a Michigan State University professor who is a marriage and family therapist. The studies show that more men than women are cheating, but none have specifically looked at business travelers. That group is likely to have a higher infidelity rate, Blow and other experts say, because many factors make cheating easier. . .

Marriage and Religion: A Package Deal
New Studies Reveal Close Relationship ZENIT, By Father John Flynn, L.C., June 18, 2007
The fortunes of family life and religion may well be linked, say experts in recent studies. W. Bradford Wilcox, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, is the author of a research brief published in May by the Institute for American Values' Center for Marriage and Families. "Churches are bulwarks of marriage in urban America," he affirmed in the brief "Religion, Race, and Relationships in Urban America." Wilcox started by observing that in spite of widespread concern over the breakdown of marriage and family life in contemporary society, so far little attention has been paid on religion's influence for the family. His attempt to remedy this omission is based on a reading of data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study (FFCW), sponsored by Columbia and Princeton Universities. The dramatic changes in family structures are graphically illustrated by Wilcox:
-- From 1960 to 2000, the percentage of children born out of wedlock rose from 5% to 33%.
-- The divorce rate more than doubled to almost 50%.
-- The percentage of children living in single-parent families rose from 9% to 27%.
Poor and minority families have suffered even more. In 1996, for example, 35% of African American children and 64% of Latino children were living in married households, compared to 77% of white children. Wilcox argued that religion can influence family life in four ways. .

Marriage and Religion: A Package Deal. New studies reveal close relationship

Evangelist Billy Graham says his wife Ruth 'had a great reception in heaven'

Evangelist Billy Graham says his wife Ruth 'had a great reception in heaven' International Herald Tribune- AP, June 16, 2007
MONTREAT, North Carolina: Ruth Graham retained her beauty even in death and surely "had a great reception in heaven," an ailing Billy Graham told mourners who gathered to remember his beloved wife. "I wish you could look in that casket because she's so beautiful," the influential evangelist said Saturday as he clung to his walker. "She was a wonderful woman." Family members will hold a private burial ceremony Sunday at the new Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. Ruth Graham died Thursday at age 87 following a lengthy illness. Her husband's closest confidant, she was remembered as a spiritual stalwart and modest mentor who provided a solid foundation — both biblically and geographically — for her globe-trotting husband. . . . After preaching to more than 210 million people around the world during a six-decade career, Billy Graham, 88, is largely confined to the couple's home in Montreat by several ailments, including prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease. He wasn't expected to speak Saturday but surprised the crowd with his words, perhaps spurred by the sight of his 19 grandchildren. "God bless all these grandchildren. Some of them I haven't seen in a long time. Some of them I've never seen," he said, drawing laughter from the audience. "Lots of love to everyone, and thank you." He wiped a tear away a before leaving the auditorium. Family spokesman Larry Ross said later that "the sense of loss is beginning to settle in on him.". . . .

RELATED TRIBUTE: Billy Graham Tribute to Ruth Graham on the Occasion of her Death

RELATED SITE: View Memorial: Ruth Bell Graham 1920-2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Bereaved Billy Graham recalls wife as 'spiritual giant' Houston Chronicle- AP, By Mike Baker, June 15, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Billy Graham's wife Ruth dies at 87 USA Today, By Cathy Lynn Grossman, June 14, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Billy Graham at comatose wife's bedside Houston Chronicle, By Mike Baker, June 14, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Ruth Graham, Soulmate to Billy, Dies Time magazine, By Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy, June 14, 2007

RELATED SITE: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

You wed it well: Rod and Penny finally marry The Daily Mail, By Polly Dunbar and Nick Pisa, June 16, 2007
He's not exactly known as a shrinking violet, but when Rod Stewart made Penny Lancaster his third wife yesterday he chose to keep it intimate and romantic. While in the past the veteran rocker might have opted for a more ostentatious occasion, he instead picked a 17th Century villa in which to say "I do" with just Penny's parents on hand to witness the occasion. The football-loving singer, 62, whose hits include You Wear It Well and Sailing, had been expected to invite some of his superstar friends such as Sir Mick Jagger and Sir Elton John to the ceremony on the Italian Riviera, but decided to keep it as low-key as possible. Afterwards, asked how the wedding had gone, a grinning Rod gave the thumbs-up while his 36-year-old wife, his girlfriend of nine years, said: "I feel fantastic.". . . . Penny and Rod began dating in 1998, while the singer was still going through a public separation from Rachel Hunter. Rod's first wedding did not come until 1979 when he married Alana Hamilton, ex-wife of actor George Hamilton. But he left her and began dating model Kelly Emberg in 1983. In 1990 he got together with Rachel. They separated in 1998, the year he met Penny, and their divorce was finalised last year. When Penny gave birth to Alastair in November 2005 it was Rod's seventh child, born 41 years after his first. . . .

Hoff: I Got Full Custody of My Kids TMZ.com, CA - Jun 15, 2007
With a colossal smile plastered across his face, David Hasselhoff emerged from a Los Angeles County Superior courtroom moments ago and told our cameras he was awarded primary physical and sole legal custody of his two daughters -- apparently putting an end to one of the most bitter and public custody battles of all time. . . . Moments after the judge's decision, Hoff's ex-wife Pamela Bach was spotted crying in the hallway. She was overheard telling her lawyer Debra Opri, "What am I gonna say? I just lost my kids." Opri then escorted Bach into the restroom, where they remained for several minutes. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Hoff's Ex Gets Dinner and Movie, But Just Barely TMZ.com, June 16, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Hasselhoff: Custody Ruling a 'Bittersweet Victory' People magazine, By Mike Fleeman, June 19, 2007

Same-sex marriage survives in Boston
State lawmakers kill constitutional ban push till at least 2012 San Francisco Chronicle, By Pam Belluck-NY Times, June 15, 2007
-- Same-sex marriage will continue to be legal in Massachusetts, after proponents Thursday won a monthslong battle to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman. "In Massachusetts today, the freedom to marry is secure," Gov. Deval Patrick said after the legislature voted 151-45 against the amendment, which needed 50 favorable votes to come before voters in a referendum in November 2008. The vote means that opponents would have to start from square one to sponsor a new amendment, which could not get onto the ballot before 2012. Massachusetts is the only state where same-sex marriage is legal, although four states allow civil unions. California allows domestic partnerships, which carry many of the same benefits of civil unions. . . . About 8,500 same-sex couples have married in Massachusetts since the unions became legal in May 2004. In December 2005, opponents, led by the Massachusetts Family Institute, gathered a record 170,000 signatures for an amendment banning same-sex marriage. Patrick's predecessor, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, supported that effort. . . .

Same-sex marriage survives in Boston. State lawmakers kill constitutional ban push till at least 2012

RELATED ARTICLE: Group Warns Massachusetts Will 'Export' Marriage Destruction Cybercast News Service, By Melanie Hunter, June 14, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Gay marriage ban blocked in Massachusetts: 'Freedom to marry is secure,' governor says of narrow vote to kill measure MSNBC- AP, June 14, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The Quiet Gay Revolution Time magazine, By Michael Kinsley, June 14, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Gay Marriage Advocates Don’t Want Tolerance, They Want Their Lifestyles to Become Mainstream BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, November 07, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Gay "Marriage" Townhall.com, By Thomas Sowell, August 15, 2006

Celebrating Marriage in an era when promoting marriage is an uphill battle

Celebrating Marriage Human Events Online, By Linda Chavez, June 15, 2007
This week marks a milestone in my life: I'll be celebrating my 40th wedding anniversary (two days before I turn 60). I've been thinking a lot about marriage lately as I've been researching marriage, divorce and out-of-wedlock birth rates in my ongoing debate about Hispanic assimilation. . . . So why did we beat the odds? By refusing to give up on the relationship, even when things were tough. Every marriage goes through patchy periods. But if you have kids -- we have three sons, now grown -- you owe it to them to do everything in your power to work it out. (Of course, physical abuse, drug addiction or severe alcohol abuse can't be tolerated, but most marriages that end in divorce don't do so because of these factors.). . . . But promoting marriage is an uphill battle. We have become, in so many ways, a disposable society. Don't like washing dishes or (heaven forbid) diapers? Replace them with paper, which can be thrown away. Last year's car isn't as shiny or cutting edge as the new ones? Trade it in for this year's model, even if it puts you greater in debt. The wife is getting a little thick around the middle, or the hubby is losing his hair? There's always someone younger, better looking or more successful out there. In the past, there was social stigma attached to divorce. Now, the pressure on married couples is not to settle for anything less than perfect spouses and uninterrupted bliss. Marriage isn't like that. . . .

Marriage: A 50/50 Toledo Free Press, By Aaron Bortz, June 15, 2007
On June 13th, 2007 my wife and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. This week's humpDay Review reflects on one of the most valuable lessons I have learned about keeping a marriage strong: The 50/50 rule. Happy Anniversary Puddin'!. . . . I've decided to take up cigar smoking and I've decided where I'm going to do it: In the bathroom in the middle of our house and here's why. About 4 months ago, my wife took up sunless/boothless tanning and now I'm rebelling against it. This tanning concept is basically a lotion rubbed on the skin that tans anything and everything it touches. And it stinks…it stinks bad. . . . My palms are bronzed, I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore! So, I'm going to start smoking big fat stinky cigars in the bathroom. Look, if there's one thing I've learned in marriage it's this: share and share alike. It takes a 50/50 effort to make a marriage work and if she can use stinky tanning cream with her 50%, I can smoke cigars in the house with mine. . .

Book Review: One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding AlterNet, By Emily Wilson, June 15, 2007
Pre-World War II, many couples got married in clothes they already owned. Today, they spend thousands. In her new book, One Perfect Day, Rebecca Mead shows how the wedding industry became so powerful and who it has exploited in the process. Rebecca Mead hopes her audience will respond to her book, "One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding" the way she did to the wedding industry -- with a mixture of amusement and horror. . . . Marketing is replacing organized religion and extended family in people's lives, Mead writes, and as wedding ceremonies become more and more elaborate, there is plenty of humor -- and plenty to turn your stomach -- in the business of pledging undying love. Weddings are such big business that they now have celebrity planners who are famous in their own right and serve the fabulously wealthy. Colin Cowrie, a celebrity wedding planner, is so in demand that Mead had a hard time catching up with him. Cowrie's packed planner included commitments with Oprah's Million Dollar Wedding Giveaway and the royal family of Qatar. Mead calls him refreshingly cynical (when she asks about the success rate of people he's helped to marry, his response is, "Sweetheart, I really don't care. I just get 'em down the aisle."), but found his ideas about how to help the bride rather peculiar. . . . Empowering or not, the wedding industry rakes in $161 billion a year -- about five times the amount that the cosmetic industry makes -- and it doesn't do that just by selling sheets. Rather, it uses people like Cowrie to sell brides a whole new image. . . .

Marriage: Is love necessary?
How does the institution of arranged marriage, the culturally preferred way of Indians to establish the couple, square with the powerful dream of love? Little India, By Sudhir Kakar, June 15, 2007
Love is one of the few constants left in a world that makes a fetish of cultural relativism. Erotic passion, with love's tender discoveries, sudden torments, and consuming desires, is one of the last bastions of our common humanity. Young (and even older) Indians are no different from other human beings when they dream of capturing love's freshness and spontaneity, free of all social restrictions and internal inhibitions, of becoming one with the beloved while overwhelming forces that would dampen desire and the urge to merge. The central image of this dream of love is the couple that exerts a powerful pull on human imagination, with its deeply buried wish to be seen by the spouse as God might have done - that is, with absolute love and total understanding. How does the institution of arranged marriage, the culturally preferred way of Indians to establish the couple, square with the powerful dream of love? For in India the consensus in favor of arranged marriage through the centuries has been truly astonishing; in fact the only ancient Hindu text that considers love marriage as the highest form of marriage is the revolutionary Kamasutra. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Great Expectations Psychology Today, By Polly Shulman, March 27, 2007

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Robin Givens is forgiving about her abusive marriage to Tyson The Journal News / Lower Hudson News, June 15, 2007
Robin Givens was the smart, gorgeous breakout star of the 1980s sitcom, "Head of the Class." So when the up-and-coming actress from New Rochelle married troubled boxer Mike Tyson in 1988, the press labeled the unlikely couple "Beauty and the Beast." Headlines exploded again months later when Givens revealed to Barbara Walters - and the world - that Tyson had abused her. The news was shocking. And it wasn't even the whole story. Now, in a new memoir, "Grace Will Lead Me Home," Givens reveals stunning details about their painful, yearlong marriage. . . . . Givens says it was growing up fatherless that partly attracted her to Tyson, who showered her with gifts and attention. And her yearning for a strong male presence kept her coming back to Tyson over and over. . . . Since her time with Tyson, the now-unattached Givens became the mother of two sons: Buddy, 13, and Billy, 7. She adopted Buddy in 1993; she gave birth to Buddy, whose father is tennis player Murphy Jensen, in 1999. The family splits its time between New York and Sarasota, Fla. Givens got married again, to her tennis instructor, Svetozar Marinkovic, in 1997; they separated the day of their wedding. . . .

Robin Givens is forgiving about her abusive marriage to Mike Tyson. Photo Credit: Tom Nycz- The Journal News

Is Open Marriage the Modern Couple's Answer to Infidelity? AlterNet, By Joslyn Matthews, Sirens Magazine, June 14, 2007
Why does open marriage work for some married couples and destroy others? The answer could be that for it to work you need to be in an extremely healthy relationship. . . . Although it is slippery by definition, open marriage is generally considered a committed marital relationship between two people who, under a set of mutually-agreed upon rules, engage in sexual encounters with various partners other than their spouse. According to those who care, it should not be confused with polyamory, a lifestyle that promotes multiple romantic relationships between any combinations of people at the same time. Old or new, middle-aged or Midtown, the questions that hover around the issue of open marriage are, "Can it work?" and "Is it sustainable?" Traditionalists, which include most of the people I know, don't understand how open marriage can be successful. When I bring up the topic, I repeatedly field the following questions: Why bother getting married? What if you fall in love with another person? How long can it go on before it causes a problem due to jealousy and insecurity? "I just don't get it," says one married friend. . . .

Ruth Bell Graham, the ailing wife of Evangelist Billy Graham, dies at 87

Billy Graham's wife Ruth dies at 87 USA Today, By Cathy Lynn Grossman, June 14, 2007
Ruth Bell Graham, who gave her husband, Billy Graham, the freedom to roam the world and become its best-known evangelist while she reared their five children, died Thursday, four days after her 87th birthday. Her family was at her bedside in the Montreat, N.C., mountain-top log cabin homestead she designed herself 62 years ago. "My wife Ruth was the person to whom I would go for spiritual guidance. She was the only one in whom I completely confided. She was a great student of the Word of God. Her life was ruled by the Bible more than any individual I have ever known. When it comes to spiritual things, my wife has had the greatest influence on my ministry — she was the greatest Christian I ever knew." Throughout her last years, bedridden with painful degenerative osteoarthritis in her spine, her prayer was never for herself. It was, "God's will be done and God's name glorified," she told USA TODAY in 2005. . . ."I once saw a PBS special on Mom that never mentioned Jesus. It captured her personality but missed who she truly is. If you don't mention Jesus, you're not true to her," said Anne Graham Lotz, one of her three daughters, "I think she may have been even stronger on the inside than my daddy." . . . ."I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we've had in the mountains together," Mr. Graham continued. "We've rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven." . . .

Pastor slain by husband, police say Boston Globe, By David Abel- Globe Staff, June 12, 2007
The pastor of a historic church in Great Barrington was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband, a deacon at their church, authorities said yesterday. Police found the Rev. Esther Dozier, 65, dead at the couple's home yesterday around 6:30 a.m. and arrested her 63-year-old husband, Henry E. Dozier Sr., in a Lenox parking lot on murder charges. They took him to Berkshire Medical Center after he told police he had swallowed poison. He was released and arraigned at Southern Berkshire District Court, where he was held without bail after pleading not guilty, said Frederick A. Lantz, a spokesman for the Berkshire district attorney's office. Friends said they could not explain Esther Dozier's violent death or what might have motivated her husband. Police and prosecutors declined to comment on the motive and would not divulge other details. . . .

Savage Again Calls Gay Marriage Child Abuse Gay wired, June 12, 2007
On the June 7 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage called gay parenting, "child abuse," echoing remarks he made during the February 26 edition of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation. Savage made his comments while criticizing Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who, at a June 6 campaign event, reportedly referred to same-sex parenting as part of "the American way" and an example of "freedom of choice." Savage read from a June 6 Associated Press article reporting Romney's response to a lesbian mother who confronted him about his opposition to gay marriage: . . . Reacting to Romney's remarks, Savage said the "proper answer" would have been to tell the woman that gay parenting is "child abuse." He stated, "I need a conservative candidate all the way who would say to a gay woman: 'You know what? I'm very sorry for your children. I think it's child abuse for you to raise children.' " Savage added that his ideal candidate would have also said: "Marriage is a fragile institution and I think you're making a mockery of it in this manner by doing this." . . . . As Media Matters further noted, Savage was reportedly dropped by Hollywood's Creative Artists Agency (CAA) following those remarks--which were directed at singer and CAA client Melissa Etheridge, who thanked her wife during an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards--two days after it announced it had signed him as a client. . . .

On the June 7 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage called gay parenting, child abuse, echoing remarks he made during the February 26 edition of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation.

Jordin Sparks- American Idol champ- saving herself for marriage_Photo Credit: FOX

'American Idol' champ Jordin Sparks saving herself for marriage Reality TV World, By Christopher Rocchio, June 12, 2007
Jordin Sparks sports a platinum band on her wedding finger, but don't expect to see the American Idol sixth-season champ walking down the aisle anytime soon. "This isn't a wedding ring, and there's no boy anywhere," Sparks told Us in the magazine's June 18 issue. Instead, the 17-year-old Glendale, AZ-native said ... Instead, the 17-year-old Glendale, AZ-native said she's worn the "purity ring" with the inscription "True Love Waits" since she was 13. Sparks is the youngest Idol winner out of the Fox mega-hit's six installments, and while other Idol champs and finalists are reportedly smitten by everyone from professional athletes to television news anchors, Sparks says she isn't in any rush to get involved in a romantic relationship. . .

RELATED RESOURCE: Abstinence Pledge Card - I Am Worth the Wait - Solid facts, figures, suggestions & advice to empower University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Kelly Clarkson's Rebel Yell Hollyscoop.com, June 11, 2007
Miss Kelly Clarkson sat down with Elle magazine and talked about how she's never been in love, why she shouldn't be a Mom, and how she declined a $10 million dollar offer from Clive Davis to ditch five of her songs for more radio-friendly picks of his choosing. Here are some highlights from the interview. . . . On not wanting children: “My point of view is that I shouldn’t be a mother at all, because I’d be horrible. I’m not willing to be that selfless.”. . . . On marriage: “I’m not keen on marriage. I don’t let many people in. Men come and go. Friends are what I care about.” . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: REBEL YELL: Kelly Clarkson has never looked back since her across-the-nation coronation-- But after millions of albums sold, fistfuls of awards, and a run of hit singles, she deciding where she goes from here. Elle magazine cover story, By Allison Glock, July 2007 Issue

RELATED ARTICLE: Kelly Clarkson Fires Manager Us magazine, June 12, 2007

Kelly Clarkson: Elle Cover Story: Rebel Yell

John Daly shows up for Golf Championship with scars on his face, which he claims were inflicted by his wife Sherrie. Photo Credit: Matthew Craig, The Commercial Appeal

Daly's Wife Alleges He Assaulted Her, Hurt Himself
Golfer Claims She Attacked Him With Knife Thursday Night AOL SPORTS- AP, June 11, 2007
- John Daly assaulted his wife and then covered up the incident by scratching his own face and claiming she attacked him, Sherrie Daly alleges in court papers filed Monday and obtained by The Commercial Appeal. John Daly told authorities on Friday that his wife tried to stab him with a steak knife, and the golfer had red marks on his cheeks when he showed up to play in the Stanford St. Jude Championship. When deputies arrived at the Daly home, located on the TPC Southwind golf course where the tournament was being held, Sherrie Daly and the couple's children were not there. Deputies also could not find the knife he claimed she used. No criminal charges were filed, but John Daly sought a protective order against Sherrie Daly to prohibit any contact with him or their 3-year-old son. . . .

Dermot Mulroney Files for Divorce Entertainment Tonight, June 11, 2007
Dermot Mulroney has filed for divorce from his wife of over 16 years, Catherine Keener. The couple, who have a seven-year-old son, Clyde, separated over two years ago, but Dermot ('My Best Friend's Wedding') filed for divorce from Catherine ('Being John Malkovich') on June 8. In divorce papers obtained by ET, the reason for the divorce filing is cited as "irreconcilable differences." Dermot asks for joint custody of their son and that property rights be determined. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Dermot Mulroney Files for Divorce from Catherine Keener People magazine, June 11, 2007

After 17 years, Dermot Mulroney files for divorce from wife Catherine Keener

Paris : God Has Given Me "New Chance"
In First Interview Behind Bars, Hilton Says Her "Dumb" Act Is No Longer Cute The Showbuzz- CBS News, June 11, 2007
In her first interview behind bars, Paris Hilton says that God has given her a "new chance" and that her ordeal has inspired her to make a difference when she is released later this month. On Sunday, Hilton made a collect call to Barbara Walters and discussed her state of mind and how jail has changed her. On Monday, Walters read quotes from her discussion with Hilton on ABC's "The View." "I used to act dumb. It was an act, and that act is no longer cute," she told Walters. "It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me. I'm 26 years old now and it is a different time. I have become much more spiritual. God has given me this new chance." . . . . . Hilton said she has a spiritual adviser who told her "my spirit or soul did not like the way I was being seen. And that is why I was sent to jail. God has released me." Hilton said she has been passing the time reading The New York Times or Wall Street Journal, the Bible and other books. She said she is in a room alone and when she is not in her room she can play ping-pong. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Sheriff: Paris Hilton Was 'Deteriorating' in Jail People magazine, By Ken Lee and Lycia Naff, June 9, 2007

Paris Hilton being escorted to jail. Photo: INF

Parenting Issues: "Mom, It's Not Right" Huffington Post, By Jamie Lee Curtis, June 10, 2007
As the denouement of a really upsetting celebrity scandal came to its close, a tearful child pleaded to her mother... "Mom, it's not right." It was a painful episode to watch. A young woman, begging her mother, the person who should have taught her right from wrong, to help her, to teach her the rules of life. It was a little too late. And so she wept as the Universe was bringing the teaching and settling the score. . . . We were the generation that would take the job of raising our children and turn it into... PARENTING. We were the generation who applauded every move they made. Every step they took. "Good climbing, Brandon" was our hue and cry. We were raised by people who didn't "understand" us and now we don't "understand" why our children are so messed up. It is a national epidemic. Omnipotent children running amok or sitting amok as they watch TV and play electronic games and shop on eBay. The sad paths of the three most popular young women -- privileged but from varying backgrounds, talented, beautiful and spectacular -- have ended in prison, rehab and mental illness. I hope their mothers are worried sick and wondering, "What could I have done differently?" And our culture should be asking the same question too. . . . .

America’s Obsession with Stupid Sluts Townhall.com, By Doug Giles, Saturday, June 9, 2007
Have we, as a nation, become completely fascinated with stupid chicks—or what?!? Girls, if you want to have our society’s spotlight shine down on you for no real reason other than you’re an idiotic, drunken narcissistic whore, well then . . . this is your window of opportunity, girlfriend! (*Remember: the opportunity of a lifetime must be seized within the lifetime of the opportunity. You can get more successful loser principles from my new book, 10 Habits of Decidedly Defective People: The Successful Loser’s Guide to Life!). . . . . Americans, it seems, can’t get enough of the immoral dumb chum that emits from the splooged brains like that of Lindsay, Britney, Paris and their wannabe ogling entourage. No wonder al Qaeda calls us the Great Satan. . . . Y’know, it wouldn’t be so bad to see these whacky wenches on our air waves if the media was fair and balanced in showing an equal chunk of accomplished women who have risen to notoriety without having to shine Clinton’s apple. But that ain’t gonna happen. At least not anytime soon. Maybe after the next terrorist attack on US soil wakes us the hell up. But not for now. As a culture, we have officially traded the applause we used to give to the truly noteworthy and have bestowed it upon the nebulous tramp. . .

The more 'wives' the merrier Chicago Tribune, By Michele Gazzolo, June 7, 2007
Like most people, I was a stranger to the term "sister-wife" until I heard it on "Big Love," an HBO drama about a polygamous family living on the outskirts of Salt Lake City. Now, as "Big Love" enters its second season on Monday, the sister-wife concept has taken root on my own cul-de-sac in southwest Michigan. We sister-wives of Lynwood Drive use the term and live the life-only without the shared husband. As with most well-written dramas concerning the private lives of marginal groups, "Big Love" had a way of creating a new normal. The premise that had first seemed outrageous-a man having up to a back yard full of wives-soon became mundane. Not that we would do it, but we could understand how the characters could. We found ourselves confessing that plural marriage didn't look so terrible, even in a drama filled with suffering and intrigue. It was kind of like the Waltons, what with the big family and the red-state setting. One always had company. There was help with the children. And though the three or more women married to one man didn't seem so great, it seemed a small point. Within a few episodes, it dawned on my friends and me: We were envious. . . .

As 'Big Love' enters its second season on HBO, the 'sister-wife' concept is taking root in cul-de-sacs across America

RELATED ARTICLE: HBO's 'Big Love': What taboo? Human Events Online- By George Neumayr, Mar 20, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Pandora and Polygamy The Washington Post, By Charles Krauthammer, Mar 17, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Polygamists, Unite! They used to live quietly, but now they're making noise Newsweek- By Elise Soukup, Mar 20, 2006 Issue

RELATED ARTICLE: Big Love, from the Set National Review Online- By Stanley Kurtz, Mar 13, 2006

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

RELATED ARTICLE: Don't be manipulated by the master marketers Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, Oct 4, 2005

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

RELATED ARTICLE: Polygamy In Jewish Law Jewish Heritage Online Magazine

California: Assembly OKs bill allowing same-sex couples to marry
Lawmakers also vote to return schools to Oakland's control San Francisco Chronicle, By Mark Martin & Greg Lucas, June 6, 2007
-- For the second time in three years, the state Assembly approved legislation Tuesday allowing same-sex marriage in California in a vote that highlighted a continued and profound disagreement among legislative Democrats and Republicans on one of the hot-button social issues of the time. On a party-line vote, Democrats supported San Francisco Assemblyman Mark Leno's effort to make California the first state in the country to legislatively end the prohibition on gay marriage. The bill advances to the state Senate, but even if it is approved there, it's likely to face a veto from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. A spokesman for the governor said Schwarzenegger has not changed his mind on the issue since 2005, when he rejected a similar bill, arguing that voters had spoken against gay marriage by passing Proposition 22 in 2000. . . .

Angelina Jolie tells Parade magazine that, soon, she and Brad will stop working to focus on their brood

Jolie: Brad And I Want To "Just Live"
Actress Tells Magazine That Sooner Or Later They Will Stop Working To Focus On Brood CBS News-Showbuzz, June 6, 2006
Family-life in the Jolie-Pitt household is a challenge. So much so that the actress says she and Pitt plan to stop working in a few years to give their undivided attention to their brood — Maddox, 5, Pax, 3, Zahara, 2 and Shiloh, 1. "Brad and I have a lot of kids, and we want to have more kids," she says in the new issue of Parade magazine. "And they demand a lot of time. It takes a lot just to get all of them fed and clothed and out the door to different schools on time. It's fun, and we love it. But you can't balance everything. I think both of us only plan to work for a few more years. We'll try to just stop sooner or later, so we can be home and travel, and just live." The mother of four says she aspires to be like her own mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who she lost to ovarian cancer in January. "I am my mother's daughter," she says. "I mean, I hope but don't think I'll ever be as good as her." . . . .

Billy Graham: Let breakup be a learning experience from God Seattle Post Inteligencer, By DR. BILLY GRAHAM, June 6, 2007
Q & A: DEAR DR. GRAHAM: My boyfriend and I have been living together for a couple of years, but last month he announced it was over and told me to get out. This has been devastating, but when I moved back home with my parents, they told me I got what I deserved, and God was punishing me. Are they right? -- K.G.

DEAR K.G.: I believe the real question is this: What is God trying to teach you through this experience? To put it another way, what does He want to do in your life? It's true that when we deliberately break God's laws, eventually we'll suffer the consequences (which is what your parents are trying to say). What you and your boyfriend did was wrong in God's eyes (even if many today say otherwise. . . .

Sorry, but an Alpha woman will never be happy with a Beta man The Daily Mail- UK, By Carol Sarler, June 6, 2007
. . . . In my circle, there are legions of them: clever, confident, capable women who - given half the chance - could run the entire FTSE 100 companies single-handedly, but whose troubles start the moment they leave the office desk. Their men, they moan, are useless. Their men, they sigh, can't handle a woman's success. Their men, they grumble, are to blame for being so pathetic that you daren't risk a future and a family with them. But blame their men as they might, the Alpha women should know this: In the end, they really only have themselves to blame. They, after all, picked them. I have lost count of the times I have seen this syndrome play out: an attractive, achieving, successful woman who appears almost to go out of her way to choose a disastrous mate. He is often younger, usually dimmer and always poorer than she is; he will never be her equal - an imbalance that eventually will cause resentment on both sides - but, at least, at first, he suits her purposes. . . . No matter how generously it starts out, it is astonishing how quickly finance will poison these imbalanced relationships. . . . If a woman is constantly paying for meals, holidays, cars, Christmas gifts, clothes and sundry other expenditure, she rapidly reaches the biggest Catch 22 of all: If he minds her paying, as any man worthy of his testosterone should, he will come to resent her - the common punishment being the persistent infidelities wherein he can at least play at being a real man. And if he doesn't mind her paying, she will come to resent him for not minding - the usual punishment being her withdrawal of sexual favours, because she cannot be aroused by someone who is not a real man. . . . .

Sorry, but an Alpha woman will never be happy with a Beta man

Health Issues: Men with low levels of testosterone ‘more likely to die young' The Daily Mail-UK, By DAVID DERBYSHIRE, June 5, 2007
Men with low levels of testosterone are more likely to die young, a study suggests. They suffer a third higher risk of not reaching middle age compared with those who have high levels of the male sex hormone. The findings are further evidence that some men could benefit from "testosterone replacement therapy" – the equivalent of hormone replacement therapy in women. The researchers said it was too early, however, to recommend that vulnerable men use testosterone patches. . . . Testosterone, which is produced in the testes and triggers the onset of puberty, is closely associated with the sex drive. Levels vary widely from man to man and tend to fall with age and during fatherhood. Low testosterone levels have been linked to lower sex drive, mood swings, weaker muscles and a greater risk of osteoporosis. The decline in the levels of the hormone is called the "andropause" or "male menopause". . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: 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

Linda Gray, 48, with daughter Sarah, 25. Both have had abortions. Both have different perspectives.

Abortion: Meet the mother and daughter who have both had terminations The Daily Mail-UK, By NATASHA COURTENAY-SMITH, June 6, 2006
It's 40 years since abortion was legalised, and nearly 200,000 women undergo the procedure every year. This week, MPs were told that having a termination poses a serious risk to a woman's long-term mental health. Here, NATASHA COURTENAY-SMITH meets a mother and daughter who have both had terminations. . . . Linda Gray, 48, a housewife, lives in Hertfordshire with her partner Norman, 38, an IT consultant and children Roxanne, 13, and Connor, 11. She has an older daughter, Sarah, 25, from a previous relationship. Linda says: Though it's been almost 30 years since I had an abortion, it's only in the past five years that I've got over the shame, grief and guilt. Every year, at around the anniversary of the termination, I used to think about how the baby and what could have been. In the bleak weeks that followed, I turned to alcohol to numb my pain. I've often wondered if I hadn't had an abortion would I have developed a drink problem? The truth is it greatly affected the path of my life. When I had the termination in 1979, attitudes towards abortion were so different to today. It was all done in secret. . . . Alone and pregnant, I asked my parents if I could live with them. I wanted to keep the child and hoped my family would support me until I got back on my feet. I was a model and thought I could carry on working part-time while raising the baby. But I came under huge parental pressure to have a termination, something that doesn't happen today. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The SLED Test – Four Top Arguments Heartlink.org, By Steve Wagner
We all agree that toddlers are valuable human beings with rights. Yet the unborn differ from toddlers in only four ways, and the first letters of each of these differences spell an easy-to-remember acronym, SLED (Size, Level of Development, Environment, Degree of Dependency).

RELATED SITE: THE CASE FOR LIFE: Like You Have Never Heard It Before
Only One Issue: The abortion controversy is not a debate between those who are pro-choice and those who are anti-choice. It’s not about privacy or trusting women. To the contrary, the debate turns on one key question. What is the Unborn?

RELATED ARTICLE: What Do You Know About Roe v. Wade? Family.org, By Shana Schutte
Like many Americans, you know Roe v. Wade legalized abortion, but you may know little else

RELATED SITE: Abort73.com: The Case Against Abortion
RELATED VIDEO: This is Abortion RATED: MA (Mature Audiences Only)
WARNING: Contains graphic post-abortion pictures. Be Warned! The Visual Evidence is Disturbing.

Tenfold increase in IVF for over-40s The Daily Mail-UK, By Daniel Martin, June 6, 2007
The number of women over 40 having IVF treatment has soared despite concerns over the possible health risks to mother and baby. Over the past 15 years, the number of cycles of the fertility treatment given to women aged between 40 and 45 has increased more than tenfold. The Human Fertility and Embryology Authority, which released the figures yesterday, expressed concern over the marked increase in older women undergoing IVF. It said too few women were aware that the chances of success decline dramatically after the age of 40 and the rates of miscarriage increase. . . . National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines say that in most cases women over 40 should not be given IVF on the NHS because of the poor chance of success. This means that the vast majority of women in their 40s who try IVF pay privately, at around £4,000 to £8,000 per cycle. . . .

Can we meet again? It is surprising just how widespread it is to search out an old flame.

Can we meet again? Gulf News- The Telegraph Group, June 6, 2006
Most of us know how easy it is these days to track down past loves through the internet and that Friends Reunited, the website that turned school reunions into an industry, is chiefly famous not for its updates on how the school swot fared, but for rekindling childhood crushes. What is surprising, however, is just how widespread the urge is to search out an old flame. Or, more specifically, a first love - the person whose name and face you can recall immediately, even though you last met long ago. In a recent survey of more than 3,000 people in Time magazine, nearly 60 per cent said they often thought about their first loves. Dr Nancy Kalish of California State University, an expert on "lost loves", estimates that 10 per cent of people try to get in touch with one. And of 2,500 couples who were reunited, most did so with someone they'd loved before the age of 22. Early loves, clearly, are incredibly powerful. Researching this story was like uncovering a secret world of liaisons and fantasies about youthful romances. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Orphanage friends find love after 45 years apart Daily Mail- UK, By PAUL SIMS, May 30, 2007

Hillary Clinton says faith in God got her through Bill's infidelity The Daily Mail-UK, June 6, 2007
In a rare public discussion of her husband's infidelity, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said she probably could not have gotten through her marital troubles without relying on her faith in God. "I am very grateful that I had a grounding in faith that gave me the courage and the strength to do what I thought was right, regardless of what the world thought," Clinton said during a rare forum where the three leading Democratic presidential candidates talked about faith and values. She stood by her actions in the aftermath of former President Bill Clinton's admission that he had an affair, including presumably her decision to stay in the marriage. "I'm not sure I would have gotten through it without my faith," she said. The forum, sponsored by the liberal Sojourners/Call to Renewal evangelical organization, provided an uncommon glimpse into the most personal beliefs of Clinton and rivals John Edwards and Barack Obama. The most intimate question came about the Clintons' relationship, one of the world's most debated marriages but one that the husband and wife rarely speak openly about. . .

Hillary Clinton says faith in God got her through Bill's infidelity

7 Secrets to a long - and happy marriage

7 secrets to a long — and happy marriage
Two bachelors share wisdom from couples who have been married decades MSNBC.com TODAY, June 5, 2007
Matthew Boggs, whose parents divorced, was jaded about marriage. But he noticed his grandmother and grandfather, who had been married for 63 years, were still madly in love. To find out what was the secret to a long and happy marriage, Boggs and his friend, Jason Miller, traveled 12,000 miles around the U.S. to talk to what they call the “Marriage Masters,” couples who have been married 40 years or more. In their new book, “Project Everlasting,” Boggs and Miller share advice from the happy couples. TODAYshow.com asked the two bachelors to tell us what are the top seven secrets to a successful marriage. Here they are: 1. “Divorce? Never. Murder? Often!”. . . . 2. “There’s no such thing as a perfect marriage, only perfect moments.”. . . .

READ AN EXCERPT: Project Everlasting SimonSays.com (Simon & Schuster), By Matthew Boggs and Jason Miller
Introduction: NOW THAT'S THE MARRIAGE I WANT! -- by Mat
My favorite movie growing up was Walt Disney's animated Robin Hood -- I watched it about a zillion times. Why? Because only a hero as cunning and courageous and charming as Robin Hood could get a girl like Maid Marian. Oh, Maid Marian. (I understand that she's a cartoon fox, but she's a smokin' cartoon fox.) She had a sweet, contagious laugh that made me melt. She played badminton (extra points for being athletic). My heart literally pounded when Robin Hood and Maid Marian took a midnight stroll behind a waterfall. Robin may have had to win his archery competition against the sheriff to get a kiss, but love conquers all, right? At age ten, that's what I believed. Never for a moment did I doubt the existence of everlasting love or my ability to obtain it. Happily ever after -- isn't that what everyone wants? Cut to several years later. I was studying for my ninth-grade biology test when my mom's voice broke the silence. Family meet- ing, she announced. This meant one of two things: Someone had either done something really right or really wrong. My family is full of overachievers, so I was more accustomed to celebrations than bad news. The second I stepped into the living room, however, I knew we wouldn't be celebrating anytime soon. My sister sat on one end of our couch, my parents on the other. Mom was crying. She wiped away her tears and looked at me with eyes that said, No matter what, you'll be okay. This only worried me more. Dad, the consummate clown and entertainer, was expressionless. My parents did not touch. My mom said, "Your dad and I have something to tell you -- we're getting a divorce.". . .

Marriage of Great Benefit to the Depressed Washington Post- Health Day News, June 4, 2007
-- Depressed people get more of a psychological boost from marriage than people who aren't depressed, even though depressed people tend to have poorer quality marriages, a U.S. study finds. In the study, a team at Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus analyzed data on 3,066 single people, aged 55 and younger, who took part in the U.S. National Survey of Families and Households. The OSU researchers identified people who married during a five-year follow-up period and asked them about the quality of their marriages and changes in their psychological health. People who married and divorced during the five-year period were excluded from the study. The researchers found that, overall, participants who got married scored an average of about 3.5 points lower on a 12-item depression test (a score of 23 or higher indicated depression) than when they were single. . . . The study appears in the June issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Depression risk higher for divorced men: Statistics Canada CBC- Canada, May 22, 2007

RELATED STUDY REPORT: Marital breakdown and subsequent depression Statistics Canada, By Michelle Rotermann, May 22, 2007

Movie Review: Knocked Up- Boy Gets Girl Pregnant: Obscenely funny, and maybe disturbing

Movie Review: Boy Gets Girl Pregnant: Obscenely funny, and maybe disturbing Weekly Standard, By John Podhoretz, June 4, 2007, Volume 012, Issue 36
Ben is an ambitionless man-boy with no job, $114 in his bank account, and a serious commitment to his bong. Alison is a gorgeous, polished entertainment journalist. They meet drunk at a club, hook up, say goodbye in the morning --and eight weeks later reunite when she discovers she is pregnant. The movie about them is called Knocked Up. Alison decides to keep the baby and to try and see whether she and Ben can forge a relationship. Ben has nothing else going on--and besides, Alison is hot, so he's game. In furtherance of her goal, Alison asks Ben what he usually expects to do on a second date. He responds that he generally expects oral sex (the actual dialogue is far more explicit). And he doesn't seem to be kidding, since he tells her that's what he told his buddies he thought he'd get out of the evening. And here we have the problem with Knocked Up. How you react to this movie depends on how you react to this scene. . . .

VIEW OFFICIAL SITE & MOVIE TRAILER: Knocked Up

A Marriage That's Good Enough All Things Considered (NPR), By Corinne Colbert, June 4, 2007
My husband is not my best friend. He doesn't complete me. In fact, he can be a self-absorbed jerk. We're nearly polar opposites: He's a lifetime member of the NRA who doesn't care for journalists, and I'm a lifelong liberal with a journalism degree. On the other hand, he doesn't beat or emotionally abuse me. He doesn't drink or chase other women. He's a good provider. So I'm sticking with him. Some people would call that "settling," like it's a bad thing. But I believe in settling. . . . Alas, too many of us buy into a different adage: that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. From movies to magazines to commercials, we're told we should demand more from lives that are, for many of us, pretty good. We're supposed to look better, eat better, find better jobs, be better lovers and parents and workers. A stable marriage isn't enough; it's supposed to be a fairy tale. Perfection is the goal. But at what cost? Would I really be any happier if I took up yoga and ate more soy? If my spouse wasn't just my partner, but also was my soul mate? I doubt it. . . .

Man wakes from 19-year coma in Poland Boston Globe- AP, By Monika Scislowska, June 3, 2007
--A railway worker who emerged from a 19-year coma woke to a radically altered Poland and thinks "the world is prettier now" than it was under communism, his wife said Sunday. Gertruda Grzebska, 63, said that for years she fed her husband Jan carefully with a spoon and moved his body to prevent bed sores. "For 19 years he did not move or say anything," Grzebska told The Associated Press by phone. "He tried to say things but it couldn't be understood. Sometimes we pretended we understood." "Now he spends his days sitting in a wheelchair and last weekend we took him out for a walk in his wheelchair," she said. . . . Despite doctors' predictions that he would not live, his wife never gave up hope and took care of him at home. "I would fly into a rage every time someone would say that people like him should be euthanized, so they don't suffer," she told local daily Gazeta Dzialdowska. "I believed Janek would recover," she said, using an affectionate version of his name. "This is my great reward for all the care, faith and love," she told the AP, weeping. .

Jan Grzebski, 65, left, a railway worker recovering from a 19 year coma that kept him fully paralysed and without speech, with his wife Gertruda, 63, who took care of him, at their home in Dzialdowo, Poland

Iran Official Backs Temporary Marriage Washington Post- AP, By Ali Akbar Dareini- AP, June 2, 2007
-- Iran's hard-line interior minister is encouraging temporary marriages as a way to avoid extramarital sex, a stance many in this conservative country fear would instead encourage prostitution. A temporary marriage, or "sigheh," refers to a Shiite Muslim tradition under which a man and a woman sign a contract that allows them to be "married" for any length of time, even a few hours. An exchange of money, as a sort of dowry, is often involved. Although the practice exists, it's not very common in Iran, a Shiite majority nation where many consider it a license for prostitution. Others, however, have advocated institutionalizing the tradition, saying it would help fight "illicit" sex in a country where sexual relations outside marriage are banned under Islamic law. "Temporary marriage is God's rule. We must aggressively encourage that," state-run television quoted Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi as saying. . . . Half of Iran's population of 70 million is under 30. Taxi driver Reza Sarabi, 23, expressed the frustration of many young Iranian men who can't afford to buy a house and get married. "I have no money to set up a matrimonial life. I don't want prostitutes. What should I do with my sexual needs?" he said. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Iran backs away from temporary marriages The Journal of Turkish Weekly, June 9, 2007

Do women get pregnant because they lack information?

Do women get pregnant because they lack information? WALL STREET JOURNAL, By Naomi Schaefer Riley, June 1, 2007
A few weeks ago, a study by the Mathematica Policy Research Institute concluded that abstinence-education programs do not delay the age at which teens first have sex. . . . . . A skeptic might wonder just how many classroom hours it will take to get the abstinence message across. Teaching adolescents how not to get pregnant should take about as much time as teaching them how to make a peanut-butter sandwich. Whether you instruct them to refrain from intercourse altogether or to use a form of contraception, sex education is not an intellectual problem. . . . . Maybe the answer is obvious: Women get pregnant because they want to have babies. As Kay S. Hymowitz, author of "Marriage and Caste in America," puts it, "There isn't really a bright line between wanted and unwanted pregnancies." There are plenty of women who become careless about birth control on purpose. Whether they're suburban professionals with two sons who really want a daughter or poor inner-city women who hope their boyfriends will stay around if there is a child in the picture, women will often subvert their better judgment to fulfill a biological urge. This is not the sort of sentiment that sits well with feminists--or with anyone, for that matter, who believes women are the ones thinking with their heads instead of their hormones. But according to the Guttmacher Institute, there are about three million unintended pregnancies in the U.S. every year, and six in 10 U.S. women having abortions are already mothers. More than half intend to have (more) children in the future. These ladies know exactly how one gets pregnant, and how one does not. . . .

TB Patient's Wife Defends Decision to Travel
Sarah Cooksey Talks About Her Father's Involvement and the Public's Outrage at Her Husband ABC NEWS-Good Morning America, June 1, 2007
Andrew Speaker and Sarah Cooksey were engaged in December. Just weeks later, they learned Speaker had a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis. "It was a shock," Cooksey said of hearing the diagnosis. "He went in because he had fallen and was worried that he had bruised a rib. So he went in for a chest X-ray and they discovered this." Cooksey told Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview on "Good Morning America" she had no second thoughts about going forward with the wedding. "Oh, no, I love my husband very much," she said. "And I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't trade whatever time I have with him … no, no second thoughts, no." . . . .Cooksey and Speaker's May wedding on the Greek island of Santorini was their last real freedom before becoming health fugitives. "It was this very long walkway to get to him, and it was in San Turino which has these beautiful white domes everywhere and I came through the little gate," Cooksey said of the wedding day. "I could see him the whole time and the vows were beautiful, and it was very nice, very nice." The couple shared the traditional wedding kiss and vows to stay together "in sickness and in health." . . . .

Sarah Cooksey and Andrew Speaker spoke exclusively to ABC News' Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America June 1, 2007