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

Celebrity: Moms Gone Wild. Pictured: Britney Spears and her mother Lynne

Parenting Issues: Celebrity: Moms Gone Wild
Sure, mothers always get blamed for everything. But—as a look at the women behind Paris, Lindsay, and Britney reveals—if your child is your meal ticket and career booster, it's hard to be the parent she needs Vanity Fair, By Judith Newman, November 2007 Issue
I'm on the phone with Lynne Spears, Britney's mother, when my five-year-old grabs a wad of cash, waves good-bye, and disappears into the elevator. "See?" says Spears as she listens to me scream at my son. "It's not so easy, is it? You can't even get your five-year-old to listen to you." True, my son had not yet publicly flashed his crotch, vomited in his limo, wiped up dog poop with a $6,700 Zac Posen gown, or accused me of forcing him into rehab. But her point is a good one. Mothers take a lot of hits. Some are unfair. Some are not. This year the mothers of Hollywood's wild girls—Paris, Lindsay, and Britney—have found themselves almost as much a part of the tabloid circus as the daughters themselves. . . . . Dina Lohan, frequently seen living la vida loca with her troubled daughter, has been pitching reality shows, and once told Star magazine that Lindsay's friends called her mother "the white Oprah" because they all told her about their problems. And then there is Kathy Hilton, Paris's mother. Kathy sobbed when Paris was sentenced to jail for driving with a suspended license, calling the 23-day stint "Paris-cide." When Paris was released, her mother came to pick her up, seated at the open window of an S.U.V. in full hair and makeup as the cameras flashed. Kathy Hilton appeared ready for her close-up. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Thanks, Britney, from all bad mothers   The Times Online, By Rosie Millard, January 20, 2008
Women struggling to live up to the myth of the perfect mother should bury their angst and just be grateful that others fail far more spectacularly.
RELATED ARTICLE: The Bad-Mommy Brigade New York magazine, By Ayelet Waldman, January 13, 2008
Britney goes to the psych ward, and mothers everywhere secretly rejoice. Why we love to hate the ultimate bogeymama.

RELATED ARTICLE: Teaching Spiritual Values AOL Black Voices- Streaming Faith.com, By Dr. Kevin B. Lee, June 26, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: "Mom, It's Not Right"   Huffington Post, By Jamie Lee Curtis, June 10, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: If My Parents had Raised Paris Hilton National Ledger, By Alan Burkhart, May 11, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Bette Midler slams 'wild and woolly slut' Britney The Daily Mail- UK, December 7, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: I (don't) want to be a Hilton   Townhall.com, By Kathleen Parker, June 1, 2005

Gay nuptials could bring tax gain to Md.
Study says marriage would net the state $3.2 million a year Baltimore Sun, By Kelly Brewington, November 29, 2007
A booming wedding industry could swell Maryland's budget by millions if gays were permitted to wed, according to a university report released yesterday. The study, by UCLA School of Law's Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, estimates that spending on gay nuptials could top $280 million the first three years, generating $14 million in tax revenue during that time. While the state would see some reductions in other tax revenue, including income, transfer and inheritance taxes, the study concludes that extending marriage benefits to gays could result in a net gain of $3.2 million a year. "The discussion on same-sex marriage is often about rights and benefits," said Lee Badgett, research director at the Williams Institute and director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. "What we wanted to add to this was that marriage is not only about rights and benefits, it's about obligations and responsibilities. This is a way of seeing how those two sides have budgetary impact." Paired with a census snapshot of Maryland's gay population, the report offers an economic prism through which to view the contentious same-sex marriage debate, a battle often waged on religious and social grounds. Both sides of the debate are preparing for a battle in the General Assembly starting in January. In September, Maryland's highest court upheld the state law defining marriage as between a man and woman. Several lawmakers plan to push legislation to legalize same-sex marriage, while [opponents] pledge to back a proposal to ban it in the state's constitution. The Williams Institute report not only makes a fiscal argument for extending marriage rights to Maryland's growing number of same-sex couples. It also assumes state lawmakers will permit out-of-state residents to marry here. The study estimates that half of Maryland's 15,600 same-sex couples would marry, and that many more would flock here to tie the knot, tourism dollars in hand. . .

Study: Gay nuptials could bring tax gain to Maryland

Anti-Gay Marriage Activists Go All Out in NJ EDGE Boston, By Kilian Melloy, November 29, 2007
Anti-gay marriage equality opponents may have jumped the gun with a barrage of phone calls and expensive radio ads in New Jersey. Fearing that a lame duck session of the New Jersey state government could see advancement of a bill to extend marriage equality to Garden State gay and lesbian families, two anti-marriage equality groups, one called The National Organization for Marriage and one called The N. J. Family Policy Council, sprang into action with emails and advertisements, reported New Jersey newspaper The Star-Ledger today. . . . . Officials in the state government and proponents of marriage equality say that there was never any intention to bring the long-dormant marriage equality bill to the floor during the lame duck session. Indeed, given that the Jan. 8, 2008 end for the session will see new legislators sworn in, some marriage proponents say that acting now would be contrary would be contrary to the best interests of marriage equality. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Opponents of gay marriage launch all-out N.J. campaign NewJersey.com- The Star Ledger, By Robert Schwaneberg and Josh Margolin, November 29, 2007

RELATED SITE: National Organization For Marriage (NOM)

LISTEN TO RADIO AD: Nation For Marriage

RELATED ARTICLE: Adult children speak out about same-sex parents TownHall.com, By Maggie Gallagher, July 7, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Collateral Damage? Children With a Gay Parent Speak Out Family.org, By Amy Tracey

DWS winner Helio Castroneves talks about his experience and fiancee Aliete. (Click for Radio Interview)

Helio Splits From Fiancée After 'DWS' Win
Follow This Lead: Castroneves and Dance Partner Kiss While Fiancee Gets the Gate ABC News, November 28, 2007
Not only is Helio Castroneves the new winner of "Dancing With the Stars" -- he's also a newly single man. Castroneves told entertainment news show "Extra" on Wednesday that he has split from his fiancée, Aliette Vazquez. There's speculation that the breakup may have been caused by a budding romance between Castroneves and his "Dancing With the Stars" partner, Julianne Hough. The two shared a kiss on Tuesday night's show. "It was the beginning of something," Castroneves told "Extra," "[but] it [the relationship] was beyond that point. It was time to let go." Earlier in the season, the racing star pushed back his engagement. If there is something brewing between Castroneves and Hough, it wouldn't be the first time "Dancing With the Stars" has sparked an on-set romance -- or an off-screen obstacle. . . . .

Pop a Bottle! Urshmeka Have Healthy Baby Boy Vibe.com, By Linda Hobbs, November 26, 2007
R&B's most hated-on couple, Usher Raymond and Tameka Foster, brought into the world a healthy 7-lb, 9-oz baby boy Monday (November 26) night. Usher Raymond V, was born at 9:59 p.m. in an Atlanta hospital. Happy dad Usher, 29, called up Atlanta's hip hop radio station V-103 to toast. "I'm officially in the club," Usher gushed to radio host Ryan Cameron. Usher, who says he helped with the delivery of his boy, met his wife Tameka Foster, 36, when she came on-board as his stylist in 2001 during the debut of his album 8701. The two reportedly bonded over their relationship woes. At the time, Tameka was in a dead-end marriage, while Usher was dropping "confessions" concerning his ongoing romance with TLC's Chili, who he dated up until the age 25. The R&B sex-symbol, whose most known professionally for turning hearts to hot lava before Justin Timberlake got his ghetto-pass and Chris Brown slid across music video screens, almost became a father before his and Chili's relationship. He got a girl pregnant, and further revealed to VIBE writer Lola Ogunnaike that he wasn't sure if the girl had an abortion or miscarriage. "I left it up to her," he said. . . . .

Pop a Bottle! Usher and Wife Tameka Have a Healthy Baby Boy

Why the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Rejected a Man's Claim for Relief from Involuntary Fatherhood   FindLaw.com, By Joanna Grossman, November 27, 2007
The "Involuntary Father": A Biological Father's Claim that the Mother of His Child Lied Both About Being Infertile and Using Contraception Just in Case. This case arose when Matt Dubay engaged in sexual relations with his girlfriend, and she became pregnant just three months into their relationship. Dubay only learned of the pregnancy after they had already broken up. After their daughter was born, a Saginaw County, Michigan prosecutor brought a paternity action against Dubay. The Michigan Paternity Act establishes the duty of unmarried parents to support their children, and empowers courts to enter paternity and child support orders once paternity has been adjudicated or admitted. Once Dubay's paternity was established, he was ordered (as any parent would be) to pay $500 per month in child support. (Under the Michigan Act, all "legal" parents owe their children a duty of support.) Represented by the National Center for Men, an advocacy group with the stated mission to "educat[e] the public about how men are hurt by sex discrimination," Dubay sued the prosecutor. In his suit, he alleged that the application of the Michigan Paternity Act to the facts of his case violated his rights against sex discrimination, as guaranteed by the Michigan and U.S. Constitutions. Dubay claimed that he should not be deemed the baby's father because he had relied on what he alleged were his girlfriend's false assurances that she was unable to get pregnant, due to a medical condition and that she was using birth control, just in case. He also claims that he told her explicitly, before they began a sexual relationship, that he was not interested in becoming a father. Legally speaking, the crux of his claim is that he was deprived of the opportunity to avoid parenthood both by his girlfriend's alleged misrepresentations and by the legal fact that men have no say over whether a pregnancy is carried to term. . .

SEE RELATED DOCUMENTS:   Dubay v. Wells.

RELATED ARTICLE: Court rejects 'Roe v. Wade for Men' suit   USA Today, November 6, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Dads: No cash for unwanted children- In lawsuit, activists argue if women have right to decide fate of fetus, fathers can decline financial role The Detroit News- David Shepardson and Eric Lacy, Mar 9, 2006

New Data Shows Men Are Giving Up Too Soon On Impotence Pill

Health Issues: New Data Shows Men Are Giving Up Too Soon On Impotence Pill Response Source-Press Release, November 26, 2007
A third of men with erectile dysfunction (ED), who are unable to perform after their first tablet, are giving up on sex, according to research presented at the 10th Congress of the European Society of Sexual Medicine. Dr David Edwards, a research author and Oxfordshire GP commented: “We know that oral treatments usually work well for men with ED, except in the most severe cases. However this research has shown that 1 in 3 men with ED are not able to have satisfactory sex the first time they take a tablet and consequently a third of them do not return to their doctor. These men could still be successfully treated by simply switching to a different tablet or increasing the dose. This study shows just how important success with the first tablet is for some patients.” PDE5 inhibitors, such as Levitra, Cialis and Viagra, have revolutionised the treatment of men with erection problems and are now widely prescribed as a first option for treatment. The finding that 1 in 3 men do not return to the surgery after a failed first attempt is a concern for doctors. ED can be a signal that a man might be developing conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, so it is important that men with ED visit their doctor regularly. . . . . Men in the study ranked ‘high success rate with first tablet’ alongside “works quickly” as the most desirable attributes that a treatment can have. Other desirable qualities included having few side effects. Authors concluded that patient desired attributes should be discussed and taken into consideration when a treatment is prescribed. . . . .

Taking Marriage Private   New York Times, By Stephanie Coontz, November 26, 2007
Why do people — gay or straight — need the state’s permission to marry? For most of Western history, they didn’t, because marriage was a private contract between two families. The parents’ agreement to the match, not the approval of church or state, was what confirmed its validity. For 16 centuries, Christianity also defined the validity of a marriage on the basis of a couple’s wishes. If two people claimed they had exchanged marital vows — even out alone by the haystack — the Catholic Church accepted that they were validly married. Not until the 16th century did European states begin to require that marriages be performed under legal auspices. In part, this was an attempt to prevent unions between young adults whose parents opposed their match. . . . . . Perhaps it’s time to revert to a much older marital tradition. Let churches decide which marriages they deem “licit.” But let couples — gay or straight — decide if they want the legal protections and obligations of a committed relationship. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage, by God or Government? New York Times- Letters to the Editor, December 2, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The Future of Marriage TownHall.com, By Maggie Gallagher, March 21, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Marriage* But Were Afraid to Ask Stephanie Coontz National Review Online, By Maggie Gallagher, February 23, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: God's Design for Marriage: Find the key to making your marriage flourish — just as God designed   Family.org, By Carol Heffernan

RELATED ARTICLE: The Covenant Marriage: How serious are marriage vows? If they are anything like an Old Testament covenant, they're very serious   Family.org, By Al Janssen

Wedded blitz
In Hollywood, marriage is so, like, whatever. But Australians are also nixing the knot Sydney Morning Herald, November 26, 2007
When the words "till death do us part" are flimsier than one of Paris Hilton's bathing suits and celebrities change spouses with greater frequency than their designer shoes, it's no wonder we've become wary of tying the knot. And nowhere is the worldwide reluctance to wed more evident than Hollywood, where the liberated are leading the way. "Hollywood women no longer seem to worry about what people think of them," explains psychologist Dr Janet Hall. "These days they don't feel that have to get married to please their parents. They also don't want to be like everyone else and have a divorce. "As long as the couple is compatible and share the same goals, it's not the recipe for disaster as many would believe it to be." Time magazine concurred, posing the question "Who Needs A Husband?" on its July 2007 cover, while The Pussycat Dolls' go-girl anthem titled I Don't Need A Man claims that modern women "don't need a ring around my finger" and "can get off when you ain't around, oh!" Charlize Theron is one such femme. . . . .Traditionally, of course, it's not just the women who shy away from commitment but the gents who put their noses in the air at the thought of settling down, preferring to gallivant about town rather than taking a wife. Also known as the man about town, scorned women call him a lady-killer. As cute as he may be, this guy breaks hearts, dirties the sheets and never keeps his promises. Sound attractive? Heck, no. Yet perhaps Oscar Wilde's theory as to why an increasing number of women are putting their trust into one such man rings true: "By persistently remaining single, a man converts himself into a permanent public temptation.". . . .

Modern love: More and more singles like Charlize Theron refuse to tie the knot

RELATED ARTICLE: Who Needs a Husband? Time magazine, By Tamala M. Edwards, July 5, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE:  Marital vows mean commitment no matter what   Scripps Howard News Service, By Betsy Hart December 14, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: How to Stay Married As Published in The Times of London, By Stephanie Coontz, November 30, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage problem? Yes, but it's not same-sex unions The Hook, By John W. Whitehead (Rutherford Institute), June 22, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: The Heterosexual Revolution   As Published in The New York Times, By Stephanie Coontz, July 5, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE: Top 10 Marriage Myths   Discovery Health, By David Popenoe, the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.

RELATED ARTICLE: What Does the Bible Say About Marriage?   About.com, By Mary Fairchild

RELATED ARTICLE: What Does the Bible Say About Divorce and Remarriage?   About.com, By Mary Fairchild

Luciano Pavarotti and wife Nicoletta Mantovani on their wedding day, December 13, 2004

Widow sues Pavarotti's friends for $50m The Sydney Morning Herald- Austrailia, November 27, 2007
The widow of opera star Luciano Pavarotti has sued two friends of the late tenor for 30 million euro ($50 million), claiming their comments about her marriage were defamatory, her lawyer said. Nicoletta Mantovani filed the lawsuit last month after warning that speculation about the state of her marriage to Pavarotti would not be tolerated, her lawyer said. Pavarotti died on September 6 of pancreatic cancer at age 71. Soon after, friends close to the tenor told Italian media he had been unhappy in the marriage, and Mantovani was fighting his grown daughters from an earlier marriage over his estate. "Since the comments did not cease - and were, in fact, reiterated - Mantovani had no choice but to file the lawsuit," lawyer Anna Maria Bernini said, confirming weekend reports in the small daily L'Informazione, based in Pavarotti's hometown of Modena. "She is doing it to protect her sense of respectability - privately for the sake of her daughter and the memory of the maestro, publicly for her image and any future professional activity," Bernini said. . . . .

Macca's dating Heather double News of the World- UK, By James Desborough, November 25, 2007
Sir Paul McCartney is secretly dating Hollywood babe Rosanna Arquette—the virtual DOUBLE of his estranged wife Heather Mills. Macca, 65, enjoyed a romantic stroll with the blonde Pulp Fiction beauty this week. And they shared a loving cuddle in the street as Paul tenderly kissed Rosanna goodbye after their day out. Our photo is sure to shock Macca's other love interest, multi-millionairess Nancy Shevell, who enjoyed a similar intimate date with him three weeks ago. Nancy was recovering from a bout of illness at her US home, unaware of Macca's date—and celebrated her 48th birthday without him by her side. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Paul McCartney Steps Out with Rosanna Arquette People magazine, By Kate Stroup and Pete Norman, November 26, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Paul's New N.Y. Honey Pie Spent Romantic Weekend in Hamptons with Rich MTA-Board Gal Pal NY Post, By Todd Venezia, Jeremy Olshan, and Bill Hoffman, November 7, 2007

Linda Hogan files for divorce from Hulk Reality TV World- AP, November 24, 2007
Linda Hogan has filed for divorce from her wrestler husband Hulk Hogan, a newspaper reported Friday. Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, told the St. Petersburg Times that he had no idea his wife had filed for divorce. He was informed by a reporter that Pinellas County court records showed that the paperwork was submitted Tuesday. "Thank you for the great information," he told the reporter. Family spokesman Adam Handelsman referred calls to another spokesman, who did not immediately respond Friday night. "My wife has been in California for about three weeks. ... Holy smokes," Bollea later told the newspaper. "Wow, you just knocked the bottom out of me." The couple star in the VH1 reality TV series "Hogan Knows Best," with their two children. Recent episodes show the normally close couple attending marital counseling, but they eventually reconcile. . . .

Matchmaker Aneela Rahman claims to be living proof that arranged marriages do work

Arrange Me A Marriage - new BBC TWO series My Park magazine, November 22, 2007
Matchmaker Aneela Rahman gets to grips with Britain's legions of unmarried 30-somethings and aims to find them a partner using the principles of a modern Asian arranged marriage, in this new, five-part series. Aneela – a bold, no-nonsense, Glasgow-born Asian woman in her thirties – is living proof that arranged marriages work. She's been married to husband Maqsood for around 15 years and has two children. Throughout the series, Aneela aims to share the secrets of her success and get an inexplicably unmarried – but desperate-to-be-married – Brit to the altar. She believes the key to successfully finding a life partner is through the principles of a modern arranged marriage in which compatibility is crucial. Only by matching up class, education, family background, life goals and earnings will it succeed. . . . .

Fulfilling relationships: The truth about middle-age sex The Daily Mail- UK, By Rosie Boycott, November 21, 2007
Earlier this summer, an elderly friend of my husband's came to tea. I get on very well with Andrew, and over the years we've become close friends. He's usually very solicitous as to how I am and how my life is going, but on this occasion he seemed both distracted and in particularly good humour. We were sitting at my kitchen table when he suddenly leaned across and said: "I have to tell you that I've fallen in love." Single friends of mine - I'm in my 50s - are always falling in love, but what was startling about this revelation was that Andrew is in his mid-80s and the woman he'd fallen for had just turned 80, too. Furthermore, she wasn't single. They'd met a few months previously at a party. Andrew's own wife has been dead for many years and he'd been living a single life ever since. In a heartbeat that had all changed. Now, they were meeting for afternoon trysts in hotels and phoning each other every evening. Their sex life, he assured me, was fantastic. Though Andrew is still a very good-looking man, I have to confess to feeling more than a little shocked as the story tumbled out. Was it the right thing to be doing - to sleep with someone in your 80s? Weren't you meant to have hung up your spurs, and be more worried about care home costs and Zimmer frames than hotel rooms and sexy undies? Well, no. The answer according to Andrew was quite different. . . .

Spain: Woman killed after rejecting TV marriage proposal The Guardian- UK, By Paul Hamilos in Madrid, November 22, 2007
A man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of his former girlfriend just five days after she rejected his marriage proposal on a daytime television show. Ricardo Antonio Navaro, 30, of Alicante, was arrested after Svetlana Orlova died on Monday from stab wounds to the neck. Navaro had a history of domestic violence against Orlova and a former partner. . . . . Orlova had been invited on the Patricia's Diary show, which is watched by around two million viewers, unaware that her former boyfriend would be appearing in an attempt at reconciliation. Going down on one knee, he presented her with a ring, saying: "I want you to marry me, you are everything to me." Looking uncomfortable, she said no. A spokesman for the programme said yesterday that there was no connection between the public rejection and the victim's subsequent murder. "At the time it appeared very romantic. We believed they had split up for financial reasons. He wasn't violent or tense, and neither was she," he said. "The law protects people's privacy and does not allow us to investigate their backgrounds. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Rejection turns to 'murder' after TV proposal snub Sydney Morning Herald, November 22, 2007

'The Bachelor's' Brad Womack's Choice? Nobody! (Click for Video)

‘The Bachelor’s’ choice? Nobody!
Womack takes his walk instead of becoming another strikeout victim MSNBC.com, By Mary Beth Ellis, November 20, 2007
At the start of this journey, we grew to truly care about Brad Womack, The Bachelor, who owned four bars and was amazing and incredible, as well as professional dance team smiler Jenni, who was, Brad reminded us repeatedly, “happy.” Then there was bartender DeAnna, also amazing and incredible, and together the three of them came to have intense feelings and hearts opening and BLAAARRRRGH. Sounds like just another season of “The Bachelor” here in FliessWorld: A forced proposal followed by bets across America as to the timing of the inevitable “we’ve decided to choose different paths” press release. But wait! What if “The Bachelor,” after an entire season of “he chooses his bride” hyping, doesn’t choose anyone? For once, a bachelor gave “The Bachelor” a great big one-finger salute — and it wasn’t by slipping a big old diamond on the left hand of a tooth-whitened real estate agent from Tampa. Brad didn’t issue a proposal, or a promise ring, or even an “I love you — I’m just not in love with you.” He rejected both finalists. . . . . . .It speaks well of Brad that he ripped off both Band-Aids while standing atop a kingly stone podium with precedent pushing him to at least temporarily anoint one woman. Unlike the premise that a man could make a lifelong commitment to one woman while presumably being in love — or, at least, fantasy-suite like — with another, Brad was fully and completely honest about his BS. . .

RELATED VIDEO: After The Final Rose ABC.com- The Bachelor

Husband, Arnim Ramdass, Wins $600,000 In Lottery, Keeps It Secret From His Wife, Donna Campbell. (Click For Video)

Husband Wins $600,000 In Lottery, Keeps It Secret From His Wife WCSH6.com, November 20, 2007
MIAMI, FL (NBC) -- A woman whose husband has kept about $600,000 in lottery winnings from her says she has a number for him: half. And Donna Campbell is suing her husband in her attempt to get it. But American Airlines mechanic Arnim Ramdass disappeared after his wife confronted him about the secret, so process servers haven't been able to hand him the lawsuit papers yet, Campbell's attorney said. "Here's a guy who for years has spent marital money on the lottery and at casinos, and he's always lost," Bruce Baldwin said. "And now he finally wins, and he's trying to keep it from his wife. That's pretty low." Campbell, Ramdass' wife since 2005 and girlfriend for five years before that, said she suspected he was hiding something when he disconnected their phone and kept their television off. A postcard offering congratulations on a new house purchase was her final clue. . . . .

Making decisions in marriage Courier Mail- Austrailia, By Elizabeth Brown, November 19, 2007
On the third day of our honeymoon, I knew I was in trouble. I should have seen it coming the minute we climbed into our little Renault Elf after landing at Brussels Airport. My husband went straight for the driver's seat. I tossed my bag into the boot and sat on the passenger's side. We kissed and buzzed off to find Belgian waffles. We were young lovers on the two-week honeymoon of a lifetime. Day 2: Rural Belgium. Fields of crops soared past the Elf's windows. So did the cutest little sidewalk cafes and bakeries that probably had warm chocolate croissants. I was hungry. "We'll stop and get some bread," he promised. I trusted him. Then another bakery passed by - and another. "We'll stop in the next town," he offered. I felt stuck in my seat. But he was happy. "We're making good time," he said, beaming, as we passed a horse pulling a cart. We crossed into France. Sunflower fields stretched for kilometres, bright yellow faces turning to smile at us. Wouldn't it be nice to stop and take a picture? "Oh, there will be plenty of places to take pictures," he said. "Let's keep going.". . . . .

Parenting Issues: Parents of MySpace hoax victim seek justice
‘No apologies’ over teen who hanged herself over failed romance, kin say MSNBC.com- Today Show, By Mike Celizic, November 19, 2007
The parents of a 13-year-old Missouri girl who hanged herself after a failed MySpace romance — later uncovered as a hoax — say they have yet to receive an apology from the family they blame for their daughter’s death. They’ve absolutely offered no apologies,” Ron Meier told TODAY co-host Matt Lauer on Monday. “They sent us a letter in the mail, basically saying that they might feel a little bit of responsibility, but they don’t feel no guilt or remorse or anything for what they did.” Rather, said Tina Meier, the people are upset with her for going public with their story. Last week, while shopping, she ran into the woman who invented the hoax, Tina Meier said. “She asked me to stop doing all of this,” she told Lauer. “I told her that we would not stop, that we were going to continue for justice for Megan because we knew what they did.” The Meiers’ daughter, Megan, hanged herself Oct. 16, 2006. The Meiers have not named the people because they do not want to identify their teenage daughter, who had once been a friend of Megan’s. After the two girls had a falling out, the mother invented a 16-year-old boy, “Josh Evans,” created a MySpace account for him, and made Megan believe he was new in town and thought she was cool. . . . . For a year, the Meiers kept quiet at the request of both the FBI and local law enforcement officials while they investigated the incident. Ultimately, investigators told the Meiers that while the hoax was cruel, it was not criminal. . . .

Teenage Megan Meier killed herself after being the victim of a cruel Internet hoax. (Click for Video)

Senior pastor of Cathedral at Chapel Hil D.E. Paulk has found out through DNA tests that Bishop Earl Paulk, his uncle and the church's founder who has been plagued with sexual lawsuits, is actually his biological father

Megachurch leader in mega-sized sex scandal
80-year-old Georgia man slept with brother’s wife, fathered her child MSNBC.com- AP, November 19, 2007
DECATUR, Ga. - The 80-year-old leader of a suburban Atlanta megachurch is at the center of a sex scandal of biblical dimensions: He slept with his brother's wife and fathered a child by her. Members of Archbishop Earl Paulk's family stood at the pulpit of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church a few Sundays ago and revealed the secret exposed by a recent court-ordered paternity test. In truth, this is not the first — or even the second — sex scandal to engulf Paulk and the independent, charismatic church. But this time, he could be in trouble with the law for lying under oath about the affair. The living proof of that lie is 34-year-old D.E. Paulk, who for years was known publicly as Earl Paulk's nephew. "I am so very sorry for the collateral damage it's caused our family and the families hurt by the removing of the veil that hid our humanity and our sinfulness," said D.E. Paulk, who received the mantle of head pastor a year and a half ago. . . . . . The archbishop, his brother and the church are being sued by former church employee Mona Brewer, who says Earl Paulk manipulated her into an affair from 1989 to 2003 by telling her it was her only path to salvation. Earl Paulk admitted to the affair in front of the church last January. In a 2006 deposition stemming from the lawsuit, the archbishop said under oath that the only woman he had ever had sex with outside of his marriage was Brewer. But the paternity test said otherwise. . . . .

Queen celebrates diamond wedding
The Queen and Prince Philip have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a service which featured a reading from Prince William BBC News, November 19, 2007
Prayers were said and the Archbishop of Canterbury asked the couple, in a blessing, to "renew in your hearts promises you made to one another". More than 30 family members were among 2,000 people at Westminster Abbey. Other guests included five choristers from the 1947 service, as well as 10 couples who married on the same day. The service was also watched by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as well as his predecessors John Major and Baroness Thatcher. The Queen is the first British monarch to reach a diamond wedding anniversary. . . . The couple's actual 60th wedding anniversary is on Tuesday when they will travel to Malta where they lived as a young married couple from 1949 to 1951, while Prince Philip was stationed there as a serving Royal Naval officer. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Prince Andrew's big regret: I let my parents down with my failed marriage The Daily Mail- UK, By Rebecca English, November 15, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Duchess of York: 'Love blinded me to pressures of being a royal' The Daily Mail- UK, November 15, 2007

Dying to Date TownHall.com, By Kathleen Parker, November 16, 2007
-- If you're younger than 30 or maybe even 35, you may not recognize the word "date" as a verb. But once upon a time, dating was something men and women did as a prelude to marriage, which -- hold on to your britches -- was a prelude to sex. By now everyone's heard of the hook-up culture prevalent on college campuses and, increasingly, in high schools and even middle schools. Kids don't date; they just do it (or something close to "it," an activity that a recent president asserted was not actual sex), and then figure out what comes next. If anything. As one young woman explained "hooking up" to Washington Post writer Laura Sessions Stepp (author of the book "Unhooked"): "First you give a guy oral sex and then you decide if you like him." This conversation took place in the family room of the girl's home. Immediately after that definition was served, the mother offered Stepp a homemade cookie. And we thought cluelessness was for teenagers. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: AIDS: The Questions They Won’t Ask TownHall.com, By Robert Knight, November 30, 2007

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Beauty of Bella TownHall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, November 15, 2007
Rarely am I so taken by the beauty and power of a movie that I want everyone I know to see it. “Bella” is a film you must see. The story (I won’t reveal too much, because I don’t want to spoil it for you) concerns a young soccer star whose career is abruptly cut short. He winds up working in his brother’s restaurant in New York City, where he befriends a struggling waitress. The story is rich in messages of redemption, friendship, sacrifice and hope. No wonder the Hollywood crowd is beginning to cut it to shreds. “Bella” isn’t for the little ones. It deals with mature themes (and is rated PG-13) revolving around a fatal car accident, an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and the subjects of abortion and adoption. But in a refreshing break from the status quo, “Bella” handles these topics in a moral and uplifting way. The film is full of all the right messages about the character qualities that everyone should applaud -- honesty, devotion, family commitment, courage. It’s a masterpiece of cinematography, writing and acting. Director Alejandro Monteverde, and the outstanding actors Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard, deliver the “feel good” movie of the year. . . . .

RELATED INFO: Find a Theater Near You

RELATED SITE: Bella-The Movie

MOVIE REVIEW: The Golden Compass Has no Moral Compass TownHall.com, By Matt Barber, November 15, 2007
With its fantasy world backdrop, sympathetic talking animals and extravagant battle scenes, the new movie, The Golden Compass, may resemble C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. But parents be advised, this film — which is very intentionally being marketed toward children — is nothing of the sort. The Golden Compass was created with the benefit of a multimillion dollar budget and big name actors such as Nicole Kidman, Kevin Bacon, and Sam Elliot. It opens December 7, and promises to be action-packed and visually stunning in the epic tradition of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings. But upon closer review, it becomes abundantly clear that both this movie and the man behind it have a very certain anti-Christian axe to grind. . . . . . . Psalm 14:1 tells us, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” With The Golden Compass, Phillip Pullman shares his heart with us — a heart that says, “There is no God.” And he clearly wants to influence your child’s heart as well. This movie’s creation — or chance materialization, take your pick — has a specific agenda. It is clearly targeted toward unsuspecting children with the furtive goal of enlisting the next generation of “fools.”. . . . .

RELATED SITE: The Golden Compass

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Parenting Issues: Must-Flee TV TownHall.com, By Cal Thomas, November 15, 2007
There are events in most of our lives that offer opportunities for us to change our ways. The strike by television writers affords one such opportunity. By its very nature, television is mostly illusion. During the golden age of television (that would be the ’50s and ’60s), real audiences laughed (or didn’t laugh) at comedy shows, which were mostly live. If you weren’t funny, you didn’t get laughs. But most shows were genuinely funny and devoid of bad language. The FCC had more influence then and there were only three television networks. Today, a laugh track laughs for you, whether or not anything is funny and most “comedy” is full of sexual innuendo. On cable, there is no innuendo. The f-word is used like a bludgeon. . . .Television was once viewed as a welcome guest in the home. Programmers were to behave as any guest, not soiling the carpet or breaking furniture, controlling their children and demonstrating sensibilities that would not offend their hosts. No more. Today’s television programs behave like uninvited guests who stay too long, eat all the food, drink too much and throw up on the new rug. Most people could live without TV if they tried. The Writers Guild strike gives them that chance. Take a walk with your daughter. Have a conversation with your wife, your husband. Eat dinner together as a family without the distraction of the television set. Read a book and immerse yourself in fictional characters or real history. Instead of being spoon-fed irrelevancies and meaningless chatter, exercise your mind. . . .

SPAIN: High-profile marriage split adds to Spanish royal family's woes The Independent- UK, By Elizabeth Nashin, November 15, 2007
Princess Elena, the eldest daughter of Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, is to separate from her husband, in the first case of marital breakdown the immediate Spanish royal family has experienced. After 12 years of marriage, the princess, fourth in line to the throne, is leaving the home she shared with Jaime de Marichalar, taking the couple's two children with her. The separation is the latest misfortune in what is becoming an annus horribilis for the Spanish royals, who had, with the exception of some minor members, avoided the domestic upheavals and embarrassing headlines associated with their British counterparts. But yesterday's front pages were awash with photographs of the couple looking glumly away from each other, as happened to the Prince and Princess of Wales before their divorce. The couple do not plan to divorce, just "a temporary cessation of conjugal living". But it has been common knowledge for months that the royal couple, who married in Seville Cathedral in 1995, have been leading separate lives for some time. . . . The couple's problems started in December 2001 when Don Jaime suffered a brain haemorrhage while training at the gym. Eighteen months later he suffered a further vascular problem. . .

UK: Women get 'virginity fix' NHS operations in Muslim-driven trend The Daily Mail-UK, By James Chapman, November 15, 2007
Women are being given controversial "virginity repair" operations on the NHS, it emerged last night. Taxpayers funded 24 hymen replacement operations between 2005 and 2006, official figures revealed. And increasing numbers of women are paying up to £4,000 in private clinics for the procedure apparently under pressure from future spouses or in-laws who believe they should be virgins on their wedding night. Doctors said most patients are immigrants or British of ethnic origin. The trend has been condemned by critics as a sign of social regression driven by Islamic fundamentalists. Some countries have made hymen reconstruction operations illegal. Dr Magdy Hend, consultant gynaecologist at the Regency Clinic, Harley Street, London, who started hymen reconstruction more than 18 years ago in the Middle East and the Gulf, said: "In some cultures they like to see that the women will bleed on the wedding night. If the wife or bride is not a virgin, it is a big shame on the family." . . . .

UK: Women get 'virginity fix' NHS operations in Muslim-driven trend

Ellen Pompeo's McWedding : 'GREY'S' Star Has City Hall Nuptials New York Post- Page Six, November 15, 2007
-- To paraphrase Mel Brooks, it's good to be the queen of a top-rated prime-time show - especially if you're getting married. And it doesn't hurt to have extremely good connections, either. "Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo, who married longtime beau Chris Ivery last Friday at City Hall, reportedly didn't have to wait in line for her marriage ceremony. And it helped that Mayor Bloomberg was one of the witnesses. . . . . Pompeo and Ivery, both 38, were engaged last November. They'd said they wouldn't "go Hollywood" for their wedding, and they kept true to their word. Their short marriage ceremony was performed by a city clerk - and, two days later, they took in a Knicks game at the Garden. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Ellen Pompeo Quietly Weds in New York People magazine, By Stephen M. Silverman and Nicole Weisensee Egan, November 14, 2007

Here's How to Have a Great Wife TownHall.com, By Andrew Tallman, November 14, 2007
“He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord,” and he who nourishes a wife preserves a good thing and maintains the favor of the Lord. God allowed you to find your wife because He believed you would take good care of His precious daughter. This is why you obtain the dual blessings of having her and pleasing Him. But what happens when you don’t take good care of your wife? A man who neglects his wife makes her miserable and then she makes him miserable. As the saying goes, “When mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” But she isn’t the only unhappy one. I believe you also anger God by betraying His confidence in trusting you with her. After all, what father is happy when his son-in-law fails to keep his darling content? I’ve been to many weddings, and I have yet to see a woman stand at the altar promising to “love, honor, and obey so long as you both shall live” while thinking to herself, “I despise this man, and I expect this marriage to make me miserable.” Not likely. She stands there with hope, anticipation, love, admiration, and the expectation of great joy in her heart. Unfortunately, if you fail to meet her needs and fulfill her hopes, she will not stay that way. The best way to ruin a good woman is to marry her and then fail to give her what she expected to receive. . . . . And all the books in the world are helpful and at the same time not. Here’s why. Women aren’t a formula.. . . .

Snoring was ruining my love life. But how could I find a cure? One man's quest for a quiet night The Daily Mail- UK, By Robin Kermode, November 13, 2007
Nearly 15 million Britons snore when they sleep. A quarter of British couples say it ruins their sex lives and 10 per cent say they've even considered divorce. Hardly surprising, then, that some people spend a fortune trying to stop it. Here, novelist Robin Kermode describes his personal odyssey to find a cure for his nightly drone... My name is Robin Kermode and I had a nasty habit that kept my partner awake. Last year, the problem got progressively worse and, although she was really understanding, I'd regularly end up in the spare room in the middle of the night. Single people snore, too, of course - it's just that there's no one there to tell them they're doing it. Jokes aside, the effects of snoring can be disastrous for a relationship. So when I read an article pointing out that snorers can have up to 30 per cent less sex than non-snorers, I rushed to my laptop and started Googling to find a cure. . . .

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Snoring was ruining my love life. But how could I find a cure? One man's quest for a quiet night

Ryan Phillippe after Reese Witherspoon split: 'I was ready to kill myself'

Ryan Phillippe After Reese Witherspoon Split: “I Was Ready to Kill Myself” Us magazine, November 13, 2007
Ryan Phillippe has said he was suicidal after his 2006 split with wife of seven years Reese Witherspoon. “After the divorce, I was a physical wreck. I wanted to die,” he told the Autumn-Winter 2007-2008 of U.K. magazine Man About Town. “I was ready to kill myself. I was not taking care of myself at all. I would wake up and cry and vomit.” The actor, 33 – who shares custody of their children, Ava, 8, and Deacon, 4 — says the experience has ultimately made him a better actor: He can cry faster on cue. “Now, it’s f---king easy," he says. "When I was younger, I didn’t have enough to cry about. But since I’ve had kids, I feel my work has become better, because my life is fuller and more complicated, and I’ve experienced so many highs and lows.”. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal come out as a couple during a romantic trip to Rome The Daily Mail- UK, October 24, 2007

Parenthood alters marriage, for better South Bend Tribune, By Scott Fowler- McClatcy Newspapers, November 13, 2007
My wife and I have been married for 10 years now. For all but the first 10 months of our marriage, we've also been parents. We don't do everything well, but we are good at being fruitful and multiplying. We have produced four kids at last count. And believe me, we count all of the time to make sure we're not missing one. When I was younger, I heard many sets of parents call each other "Mom" and "Dad" rather than by each other's first names. That's sad, I thought. They are so consumed with children that they have turned into nothing more than parental teammates. Now my wife and I refer to each other as "Mom" and "Dad" almost all of the time. When she says my first name, I know either I'm in trouble or one of the kids is. Long ago, we had time for romance. That was before I stopped sending flowers and started giving her presents like a wheelbarrow for our anniversary and a screen door for Valentine's Day (in my defense, she asked for both). . . . .

Man in India Marries Dog to Atone for Stoning to Death Mating Canines FOX News- AP, November 13, 2007
— Selva Kumar had been hounded for 15 years by the memory of a horrible act he'd committed as a teenager. As an 18-year-old he had stoned and clubbed to death two dogs he found engaged in mating. He then hung their carcasses from a tree. That's when his personal suffering began. "After that my legs and hands got paralyzed and I lost hearing in one ear," Kumar told the Hindustan Times newspaper. Kumar, now 33 and living in the southern Indian district of Sivaganga, could no longer take the physical pain of the "dog curse," so he sought the advice of an astrologer. Her cure for his maladies? "Marry a dog." Which is just what Kumar did on Sunday. . . . . Deeply superstitious people in rural India sometimes organize weddings to dogs and other animals, believing it can ward off certain curses. . . .

Man in India, Selva Kumar, marries dog to atone for stoning to death mating canines

Easy Out: Ok, maybe not easy.
But today's gay high schoolers are discovering that declaring their homosexuality- and doing it at younger and younger ages - brings little of the stigma and complications that earlier generations faced. The Boston Globe, By Alison Lobron, November 11, 2007
Russell Peck came out of the closet by accident. Ii happened at camp the summer after his freshman year at Concord-Carlisle High School: One day Peck heard several female friends giggling over an attractive older boy, and the next thing he knew, he had joined the conversation. "The girls were talking about how cute he was. I said something like 'Yeah, he is so cute,'" Peck remembers. "It just kind of came out, and I was really startled by it." But his friends were neither startled nor uncomfortable. "They didn't miss a beat," says Peck, now 19 and a freshman at New York University. "They totally accepted me.". . . . . In the relative ease of his coming out, Russell Peck represents what one educator calls the "next wave" of gay and lesbian teenagers: adolescents who have grown up with openly gay teachers, television characters, neighbors, politicians, and even parents and who take for granted the acceptance that earlier generations struggled to achieve. . . . But Kevin Jennings, founder of the New York-based Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (and a onetime teacher at Concord Academy), cautions that while life may be better for some teens in some schools, verbal and physical harassment remains a serious problem, especially in the 40 states without laws explicitly prohibiting harassment based on sexual orientation. . . .

Love on the Job: Breaking the taboo at Bay Area companies

Love on the Job: Breaking the taboo at Bay Area companies San Francisco Chronicle, By Stephanie Losee, Helaine Olen, November 11, 2007
"We met on my first day of work; we were friends for about 3 1/2 years before we started dating. He grew on me."- Esther Pearl, Pixar. . . . . "We were all basically 25 and single, and we worked long hours and went out for drinks as a group afterward - the lines between work life and social life were blurred." - Jessica Sisto, Virage. . . . "I started joining this group of people at work who would get together at lunch and Dana was one of the regulars. We sat and had lunch every day and talked about what was going on for about five years." - Sharon Hanna, Schwab. . . . These are the standard beginnings of every great office romance story in the Bay Area. And there are legions of them. A 2007 Careerbuilder survey reveals that almost half of all American workers will date a colleague at least once. And as the three no-longer-single women above discovered, 1 in 5 such couples will end up married or in some other form of a committed long-term relationship. You're not alone if this surprises you. The phrase "office romance" is so stigmatized that its very mention can elicit smirks. But the reality is about as far from its sleazy reputation as one can imagine. . . . Office romance gets a bad rap because the phrase conjures up images of Christmas party hook-ups and Clintonesque gropings, but potential couples tend to take months, if not years, to recognize and act on the vibe between them. (This is in no small part because of an understandable instinct to protect their paychecks.) As a result, people who form an emotional attachment at work often won't make a move until they're absolutely sure there's something substantial between them that might go the distance, which is precisely why it so often does. . . .

Miserable Chelsy splits from Prince Harry because she 'needs space' The Daily Mail- UK, By Katie Nicholl And James Tapper, November 11, 2007
Chelsy Davy has split from Prince Harry, telling him she 'needs space' to carve out her own identity. The party-loving Zimbabwean told friends she was having a "trial separation" from the Prince while she studies at Leeds University and he pursues his Army career. The couple began their separation in the style that has characterised their three-year relationship – partying hard at different nightclubs just a few miles away from each other in London. Chelsy's decision to split from the Prince came less than a week after The Mail on Sunday revealed that the 22-year-old was desperately unhappy in Leeds. The news is sure to cause concern to the Queen, who will be worried that the separation, following the on-off romance between Prince William and Kate Middleton, will convince the public that the young Royals, like their parents' generation, are incapable of forming stable relationships. . . . . . A friend close to Chelsy told The Mail on Sunday: "This is not an over-for-good situation. Chelsy and Harry both love each other very much but Chelsy has had a lot to come to terms with over recent months since moving to the UK and has not found the transition an easy one. . . .

Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy have called time on their relationship

It's a Boy for 'View' Co-Host Hasselbeck: Elisabeth Hasselbeck to Announce Second Child's Name on Monday's 'The View' ABC News, November 10, 2007
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a co-host on ABC's "The View," gave birth Friday morning to a baby boy at an Arizona hospital, the network announced Saturday. The baby weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and arrived without complications for the child or the television host. The Hasselbecks did not release the name of their new son in the birth announcement. Instead, his name will be shared during Monday's "The View" in a phone call to her fellow co-hosts. "Elisabeth and I are happy to announce the arrival of our son and we're thrill he arrived safely," Tim Hasselbeck, Elisabeth's NFL quarterback husband, said in a statement. "Both mom and son are happy and healthy.". . . . "It was not easy to leave my co-hosts and our crew early," Elisabeth Hasselbeck wrote in an e-mail earlier this week, "but it was more than clear to me that I want my family to be under the same roof when our baby arrived." . . . .

Juanita Bynum: I've Come This Far by Faith ESSENCE magazine, By Denene Millner, December 2007 Issue
In case you haven’t heard, Black female spiritual leader Juanita Bynum is divorcing her husband, Thomas W. Weeks III, pastor of Global Destiny Church. Weeks has been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly stomping and kicking her in an Atlanta hotel parking lot on August 21. [Weeks has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges stemming from the alleged attack.] Now, after a media baptism by fire in which her spirit and credibility have been put to the test, Prophetess Bynum tells what happened that night and how she’s trying to move forward with a new ministry and message about domestic violence that may change the Black church, forever. . . . On Breaking Her Silence:. . . . On Why She Stayed in the Marriage:. . . . On What She Says Happened With their Million Dollar Home:. . . . . On What She Says Happened on August 21:. . . . . On Previous Incidents of Alleged Abuse: . . . . On Her Marriage: . . . . On Her New Mission:. . . .

Juanita Bynum: I've Come This Far by Faith

RELATED ARTICLE: Senate Panel Probes 6 Top Televangelists: Sen. Charles Grassley Asks Ministries To Turn Over Financial Records Within One Month CBS News, By Laura Strickler of the CBS News Investigative Unit, November 6, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: An Evangelical Rethink on Divorce?   Time magazine, By David Van Biema, November 5, 2007

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RELATED INTERVIEW: Tom Joyner Interviews Juanita Bynum Black America Web, September 12, 2007

SEE RELATED VIDEO: The Juanita Bynum Interview   MyFox Atlanta, September 5, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Bishop Jakes Op Ed on Prophetess Juanita Bynum and Domestic Abuse Essence.com, By Bishop T D Jakes, September 4, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: A troubled model marriage: Popular preachers taught couples how to strengthen relationships   The News Journal, By Gary Soulsman, September 1, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE:  Pastor Rebukes Juanita Bynum, Bishop Weeks and Paula White: Apostle Brian S. Lewis warns you can't sow a seed to get out of your problems. EUR Web.com, August 29, 2007

Paul McCartney pictured here with his new N.Y. 'Honey Pie' Nancy Shevell

Paul's New N.Y. Honey Pie Spent Romantic Weekend in Hamptons with Rich MTA-Board Gal Pal NY Post, By Todd Venezia, Jeremy Olshan, and Bill Hoffman, November 7, 2007
Lovelorn Paul McCartney is putting his lonely days behind him by rushing into the arms of a married millionaire New York businesswoman. The divorcing, legendary ex-Beatle was spotted in the Hamptons last weekend sharing sweet kisses with Nancy Shevell, the vice president of her family's trucking business and a member of the MTA board. Shevell, 47, is legally separated from Bruce Blakeman, a megarich and politically connected Nassau County lawyer who is a commissioner on the Port Authority board. . . . Since 1983, Shevell has worked at her dad's New Jersey trucking firm, New England Motor Freight, which has been accused by the government of being a mob front linked to the Genovese crime family. . . .

Home-wreckers and the "Other Woman" Club Sydney Morning Herald, November 7, 2007
It was Time Magazine that once described Marilyn Monroe as this: "The bad girl and good girl combined: she's sharp and sexy yet incapable of meanness, a dewy Venus rising from the motel sheets, a hopelessly irresistible home-wrecker." And while they may have been attempting a compliment at Miss Monroe's way, those that have been in the position know all too well there's nothing nice about being labeled a home-wrecker - especially when it's splashed across the media for all the world to see. Aussie gals like Kylie and Delta haven't been immune to the label (though both have vehemently denied being one). And it's no surprise that Britney and Lindsay have both earned themselves the home-wrecker tag. Of course being made out to be the home-wrecker in a relationship is never a pleasant label to have. But these days cheating has become so rampant, Other Women are existing in abundance, much to the disdain of the ones ensconced in the relationship int he first place. And while many might tut-tut and snigger over the obvious fate of the Other, what if you hear it from the other side of the fence? What if they come clean with why they're doing it or how they've been duped into falling in love with someone already married? Does that make it okay? Do our sympathies lie with them? That was the aim of the classic tome, Women Versus Women by Shirley Eskapa which aimed to showcase "the battle between wives and mistresses examined for the first time" . . . .

Michael Hartmann's birth rescued his sister Elisabeth (left) from death

Save a Dying Child: Have Another One
Families Use Genetic Selection to Have a Baby to Save Their Other Child's Life ABC News- World News with Charles Gibson, November 6, 2007
Most parents would do anything to keep their children safe. But what can parents do when their child is sick with a deadly disease and requires a bone marrow transplant? Many in this situation are turning to a controversial procedure in which they choose to have another baby genetically selected from embryos created outside the womb to save the life of their sick child. The following are several stories of families who made the choice to have a genetically selected baby to save their child's life. . . . . When Elisabeth Hartmann was 10 years old, she got a baby brother named Michael who literally saved her from death. Elisabeth was dying of a disease called Fanconi anemia that wasn't letting her body make healthy blood. "She had very little time left," her father, John, told ABC News. Elisabeth needed a bone marrow transplant. "Without treatment she would have died," Elisabeth's mom, Martina, said. The best option for Elisabeth's survival were stem cells from a close genetic match. And that's what Michael delivered just in time by being born. . . .

Twinseperable: The twin that refused to die in mum's stomach The Daily Mail- UK, November 2, 2007
They say twins share a strong bond - but the one between Gabriel and Ieuan Jones was unbreakable. When doctors found that Gabriel was weaker than his brother, with an enlarged heart,and believed he was going to die in the womb, his mother Rebecca Jones had to make a heartbreaking decision. Doctors told her his death could cause his twin brother to die too before they were born, and that it would be better to end Gabriel's suffering sooner rather than later. Mrs Jones decided to let doctors operate to terminate Gabriel's life. Firstly they tried to sever his umbilical cord to cut off his blood supply, but the cord was too strong. They then cut Mrs Jones's placenta in half so that when Gabriel died, it would not affect his twin brother. But after the operation which was meant to end his life, tiny Gabriel had other ideas. . . . Mrs Jones, 35, a financial adviser whose husband Mark, 36, is a car salesman, said: "It really is a miracle. Doctors carried out an operation to let Gabriel die - yet he hung on. "It was unbelievable." "When I felt him kicking madly the morning after the operation, I suddenly knew that he was going to hang on. "The doctors couldn't believe it when they could still hear his heartbeat the next morning.". . . . . .

Twinseparable: Ieuan and Gabriel Jones have a seemingly unbreakable bond

RELATED ARTICLE: 'Morning After' Ruling in Wash. State: Court: Washington State Druggists May Refuse to Prescribe 'Morning After' Pill    ABC News.com, By Curt Woodward- AP writer, November 8, 2007

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RELATED ARTICLE: Baby survives attempt to end life BBC News- UK - November 5, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The Big Question: With advances in modern medicine, is it time to re-think the abortion law?   The Independent- UK, By Michael Savage, October 25, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Studies point to abortion-breast cancer link TownHall.com, By Erica Simons- Baptist Press, October 25, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Snubbing cancer study will only hurt women: Research showing link to abortion ignored by media   Chicago Tribune, By Dennis Byrne, October 22, 2007

RELATED DOCUMENTARY (TRAILER):  Lake of Fire: A graphic documentary on both sides of the abortion debate.

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.

An Evangelical Rethink on Divorce? Time magazine, By David Van Biema, November 5, 2007
On questions relating to the Bible's treatment of family and morals, one might expect assurance, if not rigidity, from Evangelical Christianity. So, it may surprise many to learn how "live" the topic of divorce remains in Evangelical circles. Last month, the cover story of the monthly Christianity Today was titled "When to Separate What God has Joined: A Closer Reading on the Bible on Divorce." The heated controversy provoked by the story showed how Biblically flexible some Evangelicals can be - especially when God's word seems at odds not just with modern American behavior, but also with simple human kindness.. . . . . Christianity Today has written previously on divorce, often bemoaning how easy it is in today's America. However, the Instone-Brewer essay appeared to be its editors' attempt to offer Evangelicals an escape from a classic dilemma. The "plain sense" of Jesus's words without quotes seems clear enough, but also inhumane: how could a loving God forbid divorce, even by omission, in cases of wife-beating, or of abandonment by a Christian spouse?. . . . Still, the controversy suggests that even the country's most rule-bound Christians will search for a fresh understanding of scripture when it seems unjust to them. The implications? Flexibility on divorce may mean that evangelicals could also rethink their position on such things as gay marriage, as a generation of Christians far more accepting of homosexuality begins to move into power. . . .

Julia Roberts On Her Kids, Green Diapers, The Paparazzi, And Wanting Britney To Move In Huffuington Post, November 5, 2007
NEW YORK, N.Y.--In a joint interview with Vanity Fair features editor Jane Sarkin and V.F. West Coast editor Krista Smith, Julia Roberts says that, at age 40, her dream is to be "a highly fulfilled and productive stay-at-home mom and wife. The highest high would be growing our food that I then make, and then composting and growing more--that kind of circle." Roberts says having her own creative outlet is important, "even if it's just silly needlework and stuff like that. To have that high-functioning fulfillment, and to have that radiate into my children so that I'm there with them, I'm connected with them, and I'm with Danny [Moder, her husband] and we're all together, and yet my motor is revving.". . . . Roberts says she isn't sure if she will publicly back a candidate in the 2008 presidential election, but admits that she is "really digging Obama. For anybody good to want this job, they must be so good. I think it just draws extremes now. It's either the so good or the so evil." Roberts tells V.F. that marrying Moder was "the most correct decision I've ever made in my life--not that it was even a decision, because it just overtakes you. My whole body knew." She also says that she still wants "to look pretty for him! But he's so great and supportive. He's a real creative force I like to be next to.... Sometimes intellectually you're on the same plane as a person, but you don't feel connected to them in your soul, or you don't like their politics or the way they tell jokes, but with Danny it's all there. It's still that way. When he comes home, I always do this [she pinches her cheeks] so I'll look pretty." . . . . .

Vanity Fair December 2007 Cover: Julia Roberts On Her Kids, Green Diapers, The Paparazzi, And Wanting Britney To Move In

How Our Sex-Obsessed Culture is Hurting Young Women TownHall.com, By Carol Platt Liebau, November 5, 2007
. . . . .The results are devastating. Giving too much, too soon can result in girls confronting emotions including regret, anxiety, guilt, shame, and lack of trust in males. In fact, recent academic research has suggested that even modest sexual experimentation increases the risk of depression for girls, so it’s worth asking: Does the widespread sexual behavior celebrated by teen culture explain in part the CDC’s latest report finding that suicide rates among preteen and young teen girls had spiked by a whopping 76%? It’s not easy to fight the pernicious messages being purveyed by the culture – but making the effort is important for the mental, physical and spiritual health of America’s girls. And as difficult as it may seem to bring about change, it is possible to create a more wholesome teen culture if people realize that their objections to the status quo are hardly idiosyncratic. . . . It’s high time for a change. After all, a culture in which someone like Tila Tequila can be vaulted even to the outermost rings of the celebrity galaxy isn’t anywhere that America’s girls belong. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Tequila Serves Up Sick Sex Act TownHall.com, By Robert Knight, October 10, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The Teenage Casualties of Casual Sex Townhall.com, By Doug Giles, September 22, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Unprotected Townhall.com, By Mona Charen, January 5, 2007

Exclusive! Dancing with the Stars Romance Revealed: 'I Absolutely Love and Adore Him!'

Exclusive! Dancing with the Stars Romance Revealed: "I Absolutely Love and Adore Him!" TV Guide, By Deborah Starr Seibel, November 4, 2007
They've been dancing around the speculation for weeks, but now, still reeling from the most shocking cut in the show's five-season history, "Cheetah Girl" Sabrina Bryan admits that she and her Dancing with the Stars pro partner, Mark Ballas, are dating. "We're going out tomorrow," says Bryan, referring to Sunday the 4th. "He's taking me out for a surprise this weekend and he won't tell me what it is. He's joking that it's our first date because we've always hung out, millions of times, millions of dinners. But this is different." . . . . . And although Byran acknowledges that people started talking about them as a couple weeks ago, she says they haven't gone down that road – until now. "We've been so focused on the competition," says Bryan. "But now that that has died down, we'll see where it goes. We haven't had a chance to do any of that [dating] or even talk about it. We didn't even realize that people would think that about us until they started asking us. Because you get so close to someone, you get so comfortable, that you don't even see it." But the dead giveaway may have been the moment when Bryan called Ballas "Baby" on the air when they said their thank-yous on the dance floor in front of millions. . . . .

The Great Uncircumcision Debate Time magazine, By Jeninne Lee-St. John, November 2, 2007
In his early 30s, Sabin Prince's libido was waning and he wasn't enjoying sex as much as he once had. His urologist checked him out and told him that everything was normal, that he was perfectly healthy and that his problems were probably part hormonal and part psychological. Don't worry about it so much, the doctor said, you're psyching yourself out. Prince took the advice, tried to relax, and eventually started enjoying sex a little more. But he never fully regained his appetite — "I would go for four or five days longing to feel sexual," he says — and, so, earlier this year he started looking for answers online. After doing a few Web searches and trolling men's health chat rooms, Prince, an actor in Los Angeles, decided that his problem had less to do with a mental trap he was in than a physical flap he was missing: his foreskin. That is, he felt that the routine circumcision he had undergone as a baby had left him, now at age 47, desensitized from the years of exposure. . . . . Many men, like Prince, restore their foreskins to improve sex; circumcision, after all, removes some of the most sensitive cells in the body. . . .

Victory for couple, Vincent and Pauline Matherick,whose foster boy was taken away after they refused to promote gay relationships

Victory for couple whose foster boy was taken away after they refused to promote gay relationships The Daily Mail- UK, By James Mills, November 2, 2007
The couple who had an 11-year-old boy removed from their care because they refused to sign new sexual equality rules have won their battle to continue fostering. Vincent and Pauline Matherick believed the regulations went against their Christian beliefs but social workers told them they had no choice but to sign them. Last night, however, the couple were celebrating after social services assured them they would not have to promote same-sex relationships. . . . . .The Mathericks, from Chard, had refused to sign the contract drawn up by the council to implement Labour's Sexual Orientation Regulations, which make discrimination on the grounds of sexuality illegal. The couple, who have fostered 28 children since 2001, were told they would be required to discuss same-sex relationships with children as young as 11 and tell them gay partnerships were just as acceptable as heterosexual marriages. They said they were told they would no longer be allowed to foster if they did not sign. Rather than face being expelled, they reluctantly gave up fostering. . . . . Mr Matherick, a 65-year-old retired travel agent and primary school governor, said last week: "I simply could not agree to do it because it is against my central beliefs. "We have never discriminated against anybody but I cannot preach the benefits of homosexuality when I believe it is against the word of God." . . . .

Shameless in Massachusetts TownHall.com, By Robert Knight, November 1, 2007
On October 22, Larry Cirignano could breathe easy again for the first time in 10 months. The pro-family Catholic activist was acquitted of assault and battery charges leveled by a Massachusetts ACLU official and backed by a local reporter. The alleged “assault,” stemming from an incident at a Worcester pro-marriage rally last December, never happened. A jury dismissed all counts. However, the Worcester Telegram-Gazette has refused to apologize for or retract its stories “reporting” that Cirignano angrily threw a counter-protestor to the pavement. And Cirignano has had to live with the accusation for nearly a year, his freedom and his license to practice law in jeopardy, while the legal charade played out. . . . . The original allegation was that Cirignano slammed protester Sarah Loy to the sidewalk at a pro-marriage rally outside the Worcester City Hall on Dec. 16, 2006. Loy, an officer with the Massachusetts ACLU, had been waving a pro-homosexual marriage sign in front of the lectern. Loy accused Cirignano of approaching her from behind, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her backwards to the ground. At the trial, only two of the prosecution’s witnesses supported Loy’s account of the “assault.” Nangle, who was covering the rally for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, and Unitarian minister Aaron Payson both testified they saw Cirignano push Loy. However, Cirignano’s defense counsel established with video and photos that neither man was close enough to have reliably witnessed the event. . . . .

Same-sex marriage opponent Larry Cirignano acquitted of assaulting gay rights activist

RELATED ARTICLE: Tripped by the evidence in Commonwealth vs. Cirignano The Pilot, By Daniel Avila, October 26, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Massachusetts jury clears Catholic activist of assault charges Catholic World News, October 23, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Same-Sex Marriage Opponent Acquitted of Assaulting Gay Rights Advocate The Advocate, October 23, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Jury finds Cirignano not guilty EDGE- Boston, By Ethan Jacobs- Bay Windows, October 23, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Fishy excuse shouldn’t get him off hook Worcester Telegram & Gazette, By Dianne Williamson, October 18, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Witness says protester tripped: Defense testimony contradicts allegation of assault at rally Worcester Telegram & Gazette, By Gary V. Murray, October 19, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Same-Sex “Marriage,” “Hate Crimes,” and the New Totalitarianism LifeSite Special Report, By Michael D. O’Brien, February 28, 2007

A New America: Unmarrieds Drive Political and Social Change GREENBERG QUINLAN ROSNER, By Stan Greenberg, Andrew Baumann, and Dave Walker, November 1, 2007
Executive Summary: In 2006, unmarried women voted for change in dramatically large numbers. On the eve of the election, more than two-thirds of unmarried women believed the country was on the wrong track, less than one-third approved of the job Congress was doing, and 54 percent said that they used their vote to voice their dissatisfaction with politics in Washington. Unmarried women were overwhelmingly against the Iraq war and the current status quo, particularly the neglect of issues such as health care and the economy. This analysis finds that unmarried women are poised to lead the charge for even greater change in 2008. The growth of this demographic is changing the social fabric of our country. Meanwhile, unmarried women are at the forefront of the demand for change in America. In fact, unmarried women may play the same role for Democrats in 2008 that white evangelicals played for George Bush and the Republicans in 2004. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Who Needs a Husband? Time magazine, By Tamala M. Edwards, July 5, 2007

More Marriage News: October 2007

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