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 ofTRUTH on the issues.
Many see marriage as a positive
force for stabilizing emotional and financial life -- yet half of
all American marriages end in divorce. Today, we profile the
federal government's Healthy Families Initiative, a $1.5-billion
federal fund to help educate people on how to be "better
married."
SmartMarriages: Devoted to Saving Couples NPR News, D.C., Marriage Education Initiative, August 31, 2005 Part three of the Day to Day series on marriage education profiles a traveling conference called SmartMarriages. A diverse collection of people have devoted their careers to teaching people how to have a successful marriage -- but their ideologies and approaches often clash on the exhibit floor. Some see marriage and divorce as a public health issue, but others emphasize religion -- primarily Christianity -- as the key to a healthy, successful union. Still, liberals and conservatives alike agree on one thing: marriage is more than a simple piece of paper, it's an institution that needs to be preserved.
The Four Horsemen: Why Marriages Fail NPR News, D.C., Marriage Education Initiative, August 30, 2005 The second installment of the Day to Day series on marriage education examines the 20 years of research providing the intellectual underpinning of a federally-backed marriage education curriculum. Psychologists have identified four key problems that lead to divorce: criticism, defensiveness, contempt and stonewalling. And the worst of these? Contempt for a partner. But identifying the root cause of a problem in a marriage is only half the battle. . .
Teaching Marriage To Welfare Moms NPR News, D.C., Marriage Education Initiative, August 29, 2005 When President Bush announced in 2001 that his administration was going to devote $1.5 billion to promote marriage, his critics said the initiative was one more way the president was trying to advance the cause of his conservative supporters. However, in the first of a series ofreports on teaching marriage skills, Alix Spiegel profiles an Oklahoma program to instruct women on welfare the difference between infatuation and a lasting relationship. . .
Diana death marked eight years
on BBC News, UK - Aug 31,
2005 Tributes to Diana, Princess of Wales have
been placed at Kensington Palace on the eighth anniversary of her
death. Flowers, photos and messages adorn the gates of her London
home, as they did in 1997 after she and Dodi Fayed were killed in a
car crash in Paris. A Scotland Yard investigation into the crash is
due to end later this year. . . Others said it was important to pay
their respects to the "Queen of Hearts" in the year that her former
husband, Prince Charles, married Camilla Parker Bowles. .
.
'Camilla's rubbish...' News24, South Africa - Aug 31,
2005 London - Princess Diana's most loyal
fans gathered outside her former home on Wednesday to remember the
eighth anniversary of her death and to revile the woman who
succeeded her as the wife of Prince Charles. . . Many of those who
came to Kensington Palace on Wednesday were upset that Charles
married Camilla Parker Bowles - the woman the princess had blamed
for the failure of the marriage. . ."She (Diana)
is our queen of hearts. You never forget your queen of hearts,"
said delivery driver Raymond Nurse, 44. "Camilla - they will forget
her, she's rubbish - but not our Diana." . .
.
Iran
Leader to set up 'Love Fund' BBC news, UK, August 30, 2005 Iran's government is planning to set
up a billion dollar fund to help young couples from poor families
get married. The so-called Love Fund is the first piece of
legislation by the new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It is not
known how the $1.3bn pot, funded by Iran's oil revenue, (£700,000)
will be distributed. Correspondents say weddings can be very
expensive in Iran, where many people stage elaborate celebrations
and invite a large number of guests. .
.
Canada recognises 'gay
adultery' BBC News, UK, August 31,
2005 A Canadian
woman has won a legal battle allowing her to divorce her husband
for having an affair with another man. A court had earlier told the
woman she could not file for an immediate divorce because her
husband's actions did not legally constitute adultery. She won her
divorce after her lawyers argued that the definition of adultery
cannot be limited to extra-marital sex between a man and a woman. .
. The divorce was finally granted after the woman's lawyer argued
that "the historic definition of adultery... was
anachronistic"...
Judge Rules Adulterous Buggery No Grounds
for Divorce in Gay Marriage' Canada Lifesite-
Canada,August 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a case which aptly captures the complete loss
of sanity in the Canadian legal system, a Supreme Court judge in BC
has ruled that a woman cannot be granted an immediate divorce from
her husband on the grounds of adultery since he buggered another
man, rather than having adulterous sex with another woman. Divorce
laws in Canada allow for an automatic divorce after a year of
separation, however immediate divorces are granted on grounds of
proven adultery or cruelty. The case is ideal for homosexual
activists who have just won the battle to enforce homosexual
'marriage' on an unwilling Canadian public. .
.
Downey Jr marries film
producer BBC News, UK, August 30,
2005 Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr has got
married to film producer Susan Levin. The ceremony is reported to
have taken place at a house on Long Island, near New York, on
Saturday. . .The couple met on the set of 2003 movie
Gothika. Keanu Reeves, Billy Joel and Sting were among the guests,
according to People magazine. . .
7 tips for a great
marriage Fort Wayne News Sentinel- IN, By
Jeff Herring, Aug 29, 2005 (KRT) - Congratulations on getting married,
making the commitment you have just made and the new life you have
just begun. Or as the theme song from the TV sitcom Mad About You
put it, your "jump into the final frontier." You may have noticed
by now that marriage changes things. Even if you knew each other
for a long time or even lived together, getting married does change
things. My wife and I knew each other for over three years and
lived only a mile apart during the year we were engaged. We spent a
lot of time together. Yet, I am embarrassed to say, somewhere in
the first month of marriage I found myself thinking this awful
thought one night: "You know what, she is never going home!" Having
said all that, here are 7 tips for a great first year of marriage:
. . .
Empty Nest Syndrome: More Dangerous to Your Marriage
Than Ever NewsReleaseWire.com (press
release), August 30, 2005 Opening Love's Door: The Seven
Lessons... The kids are off to college,
emptying nests all across the country. And while research shows
that mothers are not experiencing as much depression and loss of
purpose as before, there is even more danger for empty nesters’
marriages. “Now that many women work outside the home and email
combined with cheaper airfare/phone rates make it easier to stay in
touch, many women do not suffer the same sense of emptiness in
their lives as they did when sociologists popularized the notion of
the empty nest syndrome in the ‘70s. But the current age-phobic,
youth-obsessed culture puts empty-nesters at greater risk for
having affairs and divorcing,” says Dr. Diana Kirschner, a top
psychologist who is one of the nation’s leading authorities on love
and marriage and author of the hit book, Opening Love’s Door: The
Seven Lessons. . .
With nest empty, some don't think the
marriage will last; Aberdeen American News- SD, By Jeff Bahr, Aug 27,
2005 The pressure is on. Uh-oh. Now I'm
in trouble. Our youngest child has left for college, which means my
wife has no one to live with but me. For years, she's told me that
I'm going to have to be on good behavior once the kids are gone.
Because there's another place where she would be perfectly happy. .
. Ultimatums are so unbecoming. She says she envisions her mom's
house as our retirement home. But I'm not buying it. For one thing,
I'm still in my 40s. Who's thinking about retirement? No successor
in mind. At least I don't have to worry about being replaced. "I
don't think I have the energy for a next husband," she says. Why
should I be concerned? Because she can't remember why she needs me
around. Even I'm not sure. . . With the kids gone and her options
open, I face a big challenge every day. It's like I've got to win
her over again. And that's just the way she likes it. . .
Q & A: It's not a balanced marriage if
you're equally miserable Inside
Bay Area- CA, Aug 25, 2005 Dear Carolyn: My husband of 11/2
years is a grad student at a prestigious university. I have a nice
paying job, but a terrible commute keeps me out of the house
60-plus hours a week. While we would both prefer that he be the
breadwinner, I knew going into the marriage that I would support us
while he finished up. However, this summer he decided he would not
get a job because it would take away from our time together, and
our tax bracket would keep him from bringing home much money. While
I credit him with studying most of the time he is home, it really
bothered me that he was perfectly happy to have me go off to work.
After many conversations, he finally took a job at a local grocery
store. Now I come home to an unhappy husband who is miserable to be
around. I can feel us growing more and more apart because of this
job. Should I never have mentioned that I think he should work when
he has the chance to? . . .
Aruba Must Register Lesbian
Marriage Guardian
Unlimited- UK, By Margaret Wever, Aug 24,
2005 ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) - A lesbian
couple has the right to register their marriage in Aruba, a court
ruled Tuesday, rejecting a government appeal in a case that
has exposed a cultural rift between Holland and its former colony.
Aruba's Superior Court confirmed a lower court's December ruling
that the Caribbean island should register the marriage of Charlene
and Esther Oduber-Lamers, who were wed in Holland in 2001. ``The
Dutch marriage can be inscribed in the register,'' read the
decision. ``Since Aruba is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,
it must comply with demands of the Kingdom.'' .The Aruban
government now has three months to take the case to Holland's
Supreme Court, which it has promised to do. ``We give neither legal
nor moral recognition to same-sex marriages,'' Ruben Trapenberg,
spokesman for Aruban Prime Minister Nelson Oduber, said Tuesday. .
.
Q & A: Marriage should be equitable
arrangement Sarasota Herald-Tribune- FL,
Aug 22, 2005 Dear Annie: "Harold" and I have been
married for two years -- both second marriages. We are in our 50s,
with children from our first marriages. I help one son with some
college tuition and living expenses, but he also works and gets
loans and scholarships. Harold has three children in college whom
he supports entirely. When we married, I sold my little house and
moved into Harold's huge place. I do all the housework, laundry,
most of the shopping and cooking, and some of the maintenance.
Harold does the yard work. We both work full time, though he makes
roughly five times my salary. I continue to pay all my own
expenses, including clothes, insurance, car expenses, etc. I buy at
least half of the household groceries and pay the insurance
premiums for both of us. I never ask Harold for a penny, nor do I
spend any of "his" money or use his credit cards. Harold pays for
our vacations, dinners at expensive restaurants, and the mortgage,
maintenance and utilities. (The house is in his name only.) . . .
Is this fair?
Health Issues: A
diagnosis of cancer is trying for any marriage Boston Globe,United States, By Judy Foreman, August 22,
2005 ... Obviously, when cancer strikes, there's no
easy role in any marriage, whether you're the patient or the
spouse. What makes some marriages fall apart under the strain of
cancer and others get stronger? That's a tough one, but researchers
are finding some clues. . . When it's the man who has the cancer,
the sheer fact of having a partner -- regardless of the quality of
the relationship -- is linked to better survival and quality of
life, according to a recent study of men with prostate cancer, by
Dr. Mark Litwin, a professor of urology and public health at the
Jonsson Cancer Center at UCLA. But when it's the woman who has
cancer -- and that's the scenario most frequently studied -- the
quality of the relationship may matter more, perhaps because of the
challenges to traditional gender and care-taking roles, said Laurel
Northouse , a professor of nursing at the University of Michigan
School of Nursing. . .
'Peace Mom's' marriage a metaphor for
Dems Chicago
Sun-Times- US, By Mark Steyn-Sun-Times Columnist, August 21,
2005 Cindy Sheehan's son Casey
died in Sadr City last year, and that fact is supposed to put her
beyond reproach. For as the New York Times' Maureen Dowd informed
us: ''The moral authority of parents who bury children killed in
Iraq is absolute." Really? . .. If a
13-year-old wants to have an abortion, that's her decision and her
parents shouldn't get a look-in. If a 21-year-old wants to drop to
the broadloom in Bill Clinton's Oval Office, she's a grown woman
and free to do what she wants. But, if a 22- or 25- or 37-year-old
is serving his country overseas, he's a wee "child" who isn't
really old enough to know what he's doing. . . The politics of this
isn't difficult: The more Cindy Sheehan is heard the more obvious
it is she's thrown her lot in with kooks most Americans would give
a wide berth to. Don't take my word for it, ask her family. Casey
Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins put out the
following statement: . . . Ah, well, they're not immediate family,
so they lack Cindy's "moral authority." But how about Casey's
father, Pat Sheehan? Last Friday, in Solano County Court, Casey's
father Pat Sheehan filed for divorce. . .
Gay Marriage Rankles Conservative
Aruba Los Angeles Times- CA, By Peter
Prengaman, August 20, 2005 ORANJESTAD, Aruba -- When two women
tried to register as a married couple in Aruba last year, people on
this Dutch island threw rocks at them, slashed their car tires and
protested against gay unions outside Parliament. The hostility
eventually led Charlene and Esther Oduber-Lamers to flee the
Caribbean territory, which refused to recognize their marriage even
though the couple legally wed in the Netherlands four years ago. .
. The strong emotions ignited by the couple's legal fight
seeking to force Aruba's government to recognize their marriage has
underlined a deep cultural rift between liberal Holland and its
conservative former colony. "If we accept gay marriage, would we
next have to accept Holland's marijuana bars and euthanasia?"
government spokesman Ruben Trapenberg said. "They have their
culture, we have ours." . . .
History or herstory? Words reveal much about our attitudes concerning
marriage Philadelphia Inquirer- PA, By Robert F. Willson
Jr, August 21, 2005 . . .The words of wooing and marriage likewise
permeate our everyday conversation. Many have become so commonplace
that they readily serve other purposes. In business, for instance,
we “woo” clients to “consummate” deals; the Middle English root,
however, meant “to court for the purpose of marriage.” Insulting a
client could be “courting disaster,” but the French verb
courtiser referred to acts of gentility and manners that set
courtiers apart from commoners.A “marriage of the
minds” has become a cliché. The Latin root noun maritus
translates “a male,” suggesting that the ceremony was supposed to
focus on the groom. By contrast, the formal-sounding “nuptials”
seems to give the edge to the woman: the Greek source nymphe
meant “bride.” “Bride” and
“groom” have revealing roots as well and further reinforce the
belief that marriage was designed to benefit the husband and his
family. . .
Marriage, family often mean going for
broke Boston Globe (Free
Subscription)-US, By Scott Burns, August 21,
2005. In case you haven't figured it out, the reason you
always feel broke is that you are married, with children. It's that
simple. Yes, you probably put too much on your Visa bill. And, yes,
it's incriminating that you know the exact price of
a Starbucks Grande Mocha. But when push comes to shove, such
indulgences are minor compared to the real cause. Children. For
better or worse, we're clueless about the financial commitment we
make when we take our wedding vows. You can understand exactly why
it's difficult to make your paycheck cover your expenses if you'll
spend a few minutes thinking about a tool once used by the
Department of Labor. It's called the ''Revised Equivalence Scale,"
and it is one of the many devices that have been used to sort out
the differences in cost of living for households of different age,
size and composition. While academics continue to debate the best
tools, a revised equivalence scale that's more than 20 years old
tells the story. . .Whatever the job, no workers get raises
because they are parents and need the money. Many young couples,
armed with visceral knowledge of this reality, decide to have fewer
children. Some -- an increasing number -- decide to have none. What
about the others? Are they dumb? No. They are heroes, real everyday
heroes. . .
Fresh-Brewed Romance: Coffee shop meeting
leads to marriage Longmont Daily Times-Call- CO,
By Pam Mellskog, August 21, 2005 LONGMONT — Las Vegas
has honestly earned its reputation as Sin City. But a young
Longmont woman enjoyed the most innocent romantic beginnings there
overcoffee...“I remember the first time Tess came in, I told
everybody at work, ‘Oh, man, this girl has gorgeous eyes,’” said
Jarrod Renaud, a lanky Starbucks employee with rough-cut hair and
thick, black-framed glasses. . .Coincidentally, Jarrod’s parents
made a coffee run around that time and met Tess, too. “You guys are
going to think I’m crazy, but you met my wife tonight,” he said to
his folks when he got home that night. .
.
'Britney's a bigamist,' claims
Bacon Daily Mail -UK, August 21,
2005 TV presenter Richard Bacon claims he could
be legally married to pop princess Britney Spears. ... Bacon, 29,
said that he legally wed Britney, who is expecting her first child
with husband Kevin Federline, while interviewing her in a hotel
room for Channel 4's The Big Breakfast.He claims that the marriage
could make Britney, whose marriage to her childhood sweetheart
Jason Alexander lasted less than three days, a
'bigamist'. . . "I'm walking off with the marriage
certificate down the corridor when this massive security guard
comes hurtling after me, takes it out of my hand and tears it up as
he realised what I'd done and that it was legally binding. "You
can't just get rid of it by tearing it up," Bacon said, "which
means I actually could still be legally married to Britney Spears,
which means her marriage to Kevin doesn't exist and that Britney
Spears a bigamist." But a spokesman for the 23-year-old star
rubbished the claims. . .
Poll shows
increasing support for marriage equality Washington Blade- DC, By Eartha Jane
Melzer, August 19, 2005 The
latest Pew Research Center poll on views about same-sex marriage
shows 36 percent of Americans favor allowing same-sex couples to
marry and 53 percent support legal recognition that would offer gay
couples many of the same rights and responsibilities as married
straight couples.The numbers represent a 4
percent increase among those who support full marriage rights for
gays and a 6 percent jump among those who back some form of legal
recognition of same-sex relationships since the last poll was taken
in December 2004. . .In a sign that support for a federal
marriage amendment may no longer be seen as politically
advantageous, Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.), told the Associated
Press last week that she is putting her work on the marriage
amendment on hold as states and the courts battle over the issue at
the state level. Musgrave, who is beginning a re-election campaign,
was the original sponsor of the marriage amendment in the House
last year. The AP reported that the GOP has rated Musgrave as one
of the 10 most vulnerable Republicans in the country. Musgrave said
that gay rights activists and other groups spent $2.5 million on
television advertising attacking her during her last campaign. .
.
Lockyer's Bias Against Protecting Marriage
Exposed Christian News
Wire (press release), DC -August 19, 2005, SACRAMENTO, CA -- VoteYesMarriage.com,
the statewide marriage protection coalition that is sponsoring the
Voters’ Right to Protect Marriage Initiative, is vowing to pursue
judicial remedies as far as possible in seeking a fair and
impartial Title and Summary to place on petitions to be signed by
California voters.In a partial victory for
marriage rights, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Raymond Cadei
ruled yesterday that the summary written by Attorney General Bill
Lockyer was “overly broad” and “misleading.” Elections Judge
Cadei ordered the Attorney General’s office to rewrite the summary
and appear back in court on September 1 ifVoteYesMarriage.comdoes not agree with the revised
summary. . .
'Marriage amendment' advocates announce
signature goal Tallahassee Democrat.com, By
Bill Cotterell- Political Editor, August 19, 2005. TALLAHASSEE, FL-- A
constitutional amendment petition that would define marriage
appears poised for hearings by the Florida Supreme Court. A
constitutional amendment petition that would define marriage
appears poised for hearings by the Florida Supreme Court. The head
of the Christian Coalition of Florida, joined by an executive of
the Florida Catholic Conference, said at a news conference in
Tallahassee today that more than 60,000 voters have signed the
petition. By early next week, Christian Coalition chief Bill
Stephens said, his "Florida Coalition to Protect Marriage" will be
ready to take its case to the high court. . .The proposed amendment
defines marriage as "the legal union of one man and one woman" and
provides that "no other union which is treated as marriage or the
substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized" in
Florida. . .
Cross of ‘Desperate Housewives’ engaged MSNBC, August 19, 2005 NEW YORK - “Desperate
Housewives” star Marcia Cross is engaged. Cross last weekend
accepted a proposal from her boyfriend, stockbroker Tom Mahoney,
the actress’s publicist, Heidi Slan, said in a statement Friday. It
will be the first marriage for both Cross and her 47-year-old
fiance. . .
Jenny
McCarthy Ditches Hubby E!Online.com, By Gina Serpe, August 19, 2005 After nearly six years of
marriage, former Singled Out host Jenny
McCarthy is ready to be single again. McCarthy and her
husband, director John Asher, have filed for divorce, her
publicist confirmed to E! Online Friday. The rep for the former
Playboy Playmate chalked up the split to the usual deal
breaker, "irreconcilable differences." . . .
Parenting issues: Terrifying 'Teen Choice'
champions National Ledger, By
Brent Bozell, August 19, 2005 The annual "Teen Choice Awards" recently broadcast
on Fox celebrated the winners of an online poll operated by Teen
People magazine for 13- to 19-year-old voters. In between the
incessant screaming of 13-year-old girls for every winner,
presenter and commercial break came the award winners, and if this
isn't enough to send shivers down the spine of any parent, nothing
will. Start with "Choice Rap Artist," which went unsurprisingly to
white rap "artist" Eminem, who keeps on teasing and promising us
he's going to retire from his so-called musical career, something
that couldn't happen fast enough. . .
Judge orders summary of proposed Calif.
gay marriage ban amended Washington Blade- DC, August 18,
2005 SACRAMENTO, CA-- A judge ordered California's
attorney general on Thursday to take another shot at summarizing a
proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay
marriagein the state and strip same-sex couples
of domestic partnership rights.. . . The suit
claimed that the proposed petition language inaccurately described
the amendment by highlighting its effects on registered domestic
partners instead of explaining that its chief purpose was to
preserve marriage as a union between a man and a woman. .
.
After 17-year marriage, reporter who
thought herself 'not the marrying kind' has come full
circle San Francisco Chronicle- US, By
Marianne Costantinou, August 18, 2005 The end was as sudden and
rushed as the beginning. We were married a year to the day after
our first date/our first kiss/our first you-know-what. We were
divorced on July 1, just a year after I asked a question as we lay
in bed in the dark:"Honey, you seem so unhappy
lately. What, you want a divorce?"Ha ha
ha!Silence. Hello? Had he fallen asleep?"Yes," a disembodied voice said finally. "I think it's
time."I always did ask too many
questions.I was stunned. And yet, looking back on
our 17-year marriage, I had always known it wouldn't last. .
.
Why the legal limbo of living together can
lead to disaster Telegraph.co.uk- UK, By Sarah
Womack, August 17, 2005 The four million couples who live together without marrying
are given warning today of the "disastrous situations" that can
occur if their relationship ends. Living Together, a
Government-funded campaign group, said it wanted to eliminate the
phrase "common law marriage" from official forms and daily usage so
that cohabiting couples were not misled over their
legal rights. It said that failing to draw up wills,
check pension arrangements or make partners "next of kin" had
expensive and emotionally painful consequences for those who
cohabited rather than married. But the campaign has been criticised
by some family values groups because it does not encourage
marriage. . .
Marriage First,
Sex Later Harrisonburg
Daily News Record, VA, By Luanne Austin, Aug 17, 2005 This summer I attended three weddings.
Although the three young couples were quite different in their
family and religious backgrounds, education, careers and
lifestyles, there was one thing they had in common. They
all waited until they got married to have sex. That’s an
“unrealistic expectation” for young people, said Dr. Shari Brasner,
an obstetrician/gynecologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New
York, in a recent Associated Press story. That’s the prevailing
wisdom, isn’t it? . . . In his book, “Ask Me
Anything: Provocative Answers for College Students,”
University of Texas professor J. Budziszewski compares sexuality to
duct tape. “The first time you use it, it sticks you to whomever it
touches,” he writes. “But just like that duct tape, if you rip it
off and then touch it to someone else, it isn’t as sticky as it was
before. When you go from one partner after another, you just don’t
stick anymore. Your sexual partners seem like strangers, and you
stop feeling anything.”. . .
Parenting
Issues: Are your kids reading rot? Townhall.com,
By Rebecca Hagelin, August 16, 2005 Reading isn’t always good for our kids. How’s that
for an opening sentence to stir a little controversy among the
educational elites? We’ve been bombarded by so many messages about
how reading expands the mind, excites the imagination and enhances
the vocabulary that many parents have forgotten that the benefit of
reading for our children very much depends on what they’re reading.
And, I’m afraid that many children spend hours reading what often
turns out to be pure rot. With school starting all over the country
between last week and just after Labor Day, it’s time for a reading
warning: Parents, beware. In many cases the very liberal American
Library Association exerts great influence over what reading
materials teachers assign their students. But that material may be
highly inappropriate for your child. Don’t let the following
scenario unfold in your home: . . .
Parenting Issues: How public schools have
changed Townhall.com, By Phyllis Schlafly,
August 15, 2005 Parents are on the warpath about the way 63,000 public
schools are now starting their fall term in August, some even in
hot July. Thousands of parents have organized Save Our Summers
campaigns, and protests in Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and
Florida have hit the national media. I wish them well with their
demands for schools to return to their traditional post-Labor Day
opening. But I also wish those parents would show as much concern
about what is being taught in the classroom. . .The NEA
convention handed a big victory to its large Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual
and Transgender Caucus by easily passing its proposal calling on
the NEA to "develop a comprehensive strategy" to deal with the
attacks on gay curricula, policies and practices by what the NEA
calls "extremist groups" (that's the NEA's term for parents).
. .
Health
Issues: The 'serving size' myth Townhall.com, By John
Stossel, August 17, 2005 On countless food packages, serving sizes have
become a confusing joke. I bought a frozen "personal pizza." That's
what it said on the package, in big letters. From the name
(and its size-it's not very big), you would think a "personal
pizza" is for one person -- say, you. But according to the small
print, it can feed both you and some other person: The serving size
listed on the label is half a pie. . . Why should we care what
sleight-of-hand a company pulls on its label when describing
serving sizes? Because people worried about their health need
information -- and the information on the label is all based on the
serving size. Unless people take their calculators with them when
they shop, it's easy to get confused. . . Most shoppers would
probably pick up a Swanson's Hungry-Man turkey potpie at the
grocery store and assume it's a single serving. After all, it's
supposed to feed a hungry man. Yet the label says there are
approximately two servings per pie. (Approximately two? I'm sharing
my potpie with an approximate person now?). .
.
Washington state awaits 'marriage'
ruling Washington Times- DC, By Cheryl
Wetzstein, Aug 15, 2005 If Washington
becomes the second state to legalize same-sex "marriage," as some
think might happen in a few weeks, it will spark lawsuits in other
states, said advocates for and against same-sex "marriage." .
. . A decision to legalize same-sex "marriage" in Washington
would have "more dramatic effects on the nation" than a
Massachusetts court's 2003 decision because Washington has no
residency requirement for marriage, said Steven O'Ban, a Seattle
lawyer defending the state's marriage laws. If same-sex
"marriage" is legalized by the court, then couples from anywhere in
the country could marry in Washington, return home "and face the
challenge of having that marriage recognized in their home state,"
said Lisa Stone, executive director of the Northwest Women's Law
Center, which is representing Heather Andersen and other homosexual
plaintiffs in the lawsuit. . .
Halle Berry's Ex Talks
About Sex Addiction Therapy NewsNet5.com- OH,
August 15, 2005 WASHINGTON -- Desperate times call for desperate measures.
And Eric Benet said that's why he decided to go have sex addition
therapy. He described his marriage to Halle Berry as being like a
sinking ship and that seeking help was his way of showing he was
"willing to do and go and be and say anything to make this work."
Of course, it didn't. . . Benet said he knows some of the stuff
people have been saying about him since his breakup with Berry. And
while he's reluctant to talk in detail about it, he said not all of
it is true. He denied that he tried to hit Berry up for alimony or
any other kind of financial support. He said the only things that
he thought he deserved were the assets he had going into the
marriage. . .
Broken hearts in Hollywood These stars make Brad and Jen look
civil Canoe.ca- Canada, By Tara Merrin- Calgary Sun, Aug
14, 2005 --After months of silence, it appears the inevitable public
catfight between Jennifer Aniston and her soon-to-be ex-husband
Brad Pitt is under way. In an interview withVanity Fair, Jennifer says she still loves Brad, she
always will, blah, blah, blah and, oh yeah Brad, "Billy Idol called
- he wants his look back." Ouch! Seems Jen didn't like Brad's
bleached locks, which, oddly enough, he has now dyed black. Though
incredibly childish, the Pitt-Aniston bust-up and Jen's following
insult is minor-league compared with many celebrity splits. Here's
a list of a few star-packed uncouplings that proved to be a little
more toxic:BRITNEY SPEARS & JUSTIN
TIMBERLAKE . . .
Divorce,
Corporate American Style New York Times (Subscription), By
Geraldine Fabrikant, Aug 14, 2005 When Jeffrey W. Greenberg was forced out as chief
executive of Marsh & McLennan, the big insurance broker, amid a
bid-rigging investigation of the company last year, journalists
raced to call his ex-wife, Nikki Finke, a journalist
herself. . .As awkward details trickled out,
Jeffrey Greenberg joined the list of high-powered executives, from
Rupert Murdoch to John F. Welch Jr., who have discovered that
sprawling homes, palatial offices and corporate jets cannot
completely insulate them from public scrutiny - and embarrassment.
Because, in the end, no corporate chieftain is a master of the
universe to his ex-wife. With community-property laws and other
changes giving them more favorable divorce terms, even
once-accommodating corporate wives can be surprisingly aggressive.
. .
How to keep your computer activities out
of divorce court USA Today-CyberSpeak, By Kim
Komando, August 15, 2005 Employing a private investigator isn't the only way to
gather evidence in divorce or child custody proceedings.
Clandestine keylogging and tracking programs installed on home
computers can provide digital proof. You should know the downsides
before you install this type of software. (Related item:Ask
Kim). Take
the case of Beverly and James O'Brien. Beverly installed snoopware
on her husband's computer. She attempted to admit the information
she obtained as evidence in divorce proceedings. In March, a
Florida judge ruled that the information couldn't be admitted
because it violated a state law involving "intercepted"
communications. Don't let Beverly's experience lull you into a
false sense of security. The use of computer evidence in divorce
proceedings is a legal quagmire. In other situations, it has been
successfully admitted in court. To protect yourself, it's best to
err on the side of caution. .
. .
Make marriage
No. 2 -- and the finances --
work MSN Money-
Moneycentral.com, By Janine Latus Musick, Aug 11,
2005 Optimists heading for a second marriage --
and most people who divorce will do just that -- carry mountains of
personal and financial baggage. To succeed, you have to clear up
money issues... When you get
into the new marriage, you're typically dragging three suitcases of
old baggage:
Preexisting
debt
Old spending and budgeting
habits
Financial obligations to a former
family
Plus, most people have
at least a carry-on of insecurity and distrust left over from the
separation of assets at the end of their prior
marriage....
For 'better'
marriage, deal with its 'worse' Arizona
Republic- AZ, By Lauri Githens, Aug 10,
2005 How does that verse go? Love is patient,
love is kind . . . Love is never selfish, never quick to take
offense. Love keeps no score of wrongs . . . Yeah, right.
Wait until love leaves its dirty socks on the floor, criticizes
your driving and wants to blow $1,200 on an icemaker, and then see
how you feel. How Jennifer Jeanne Patterson feels now is extremely
contented. But two years ago, having just chronicled her first year
of marriage to Matt Samuel - having chronicled their fights, to be
precise - she felt all sorts of things: Older. Wiser. Fulfilled.
Amazed. And a bit wistful about earlier mistakes. . . Jennifer's
unblinking gaze at their marriage, combined with Matt's willingness
to have their life held up for scrutiny, makes her book, 52
Fights: A Newlywed's Confession (Berkley Books, $14), one of
the few to address the biggest, yet most unasked question in the
married mind: When the preacher said, "For better or for worse,"
exactly how worse is worse? . . .
Wedded to Marriage National Review Online, By Wade F.
Horn, Aug 9, 2005 The recently released
report from the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University —
"The State of
Our Unions, 2005" — is
the latest in a series of such reports to document our cultural
retreat from marriage.. . . research consistently finds that
cohabiting relationships are far more unstable than marriage.
Wherever one finds family instability, an increased risk of
problems for children follows with all the associated impacts on
social institutions and the demand for more (and more expensive)
governmental interventions. .. . . It
doesn't take a Ph.D. to understand that controlling the growth of
these programs depends on preventing problems from happening in the
first place. One way to accomplish that — not the only way, of
course, but one way — is to help couples form and sustain healthy
marriages. . . . . . One of the main goals of welfare reform is to
increase the proportion of children growing up in two-parent
married households. The president's Healthy Marriage Initiative, by
offering voluntary marriage-education services to those who can't
afford them, will strengthen marriage and prevent expensive,
painful and oftentimes intractable social problems for children.
It's a common-sense ounce of prevention that will help temper the
demand for a poundof costly social interventions
later. . .
Parenting Issues: Fighting for
our children isn't easy Townhall.com, By Rebecca
Hagelin, August 9, 2005 As I travel the country speaking about my
book, Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture that’s Gone
Stark Raving Mad, I’m met with nearly universal desperation
from parents who are sick and tired of the battle for their kids’
hearts, minds and very souls.As the mother of three teens,
I admit that I sometimes “fall back” in my own war with the
culture. It’s often tough, tiresome and even tedious. But raising
children who will tower above the culture makes the battle well
worth my unwavering commitment. So where to start? Here are five
basics: ....
Is a "Domestic Partnership"
the Same as a "Marriage"? Findlaw.com, By Joanna Grossman, August 9,
2005 No, but the
California Supreme Court Says a "Domestic Partner" is the Same as a
"Spouse". . . . Should the registered domestic partner of a country
club member be able to take advantage of "spousal" benefits like
free golf? Last week, the California Supreme Court said yes,
inKoebke v. Bernardo Heights Country
Club, a decision that explores the
intersection between the state's domestic partnership law and its
anti-discrimination laws. . .In Pursuit of Golf:
The Dispute that Gave Rise to the Koebke Case: Birgit Koebke and
Kendall French are a lesbian couple, registered as "domestic
partners" under California law, and "avid golfers." Koebke had been
a member of the Bernardo Heights Country Club (BHCC) for a couple
of years when she first sought spousal privileges for French.
Koebke was a full member of the club -- which, according to the
club's bylaws, means that she, a legal spouse, and any unmarried
children under age 22 may play unlimited rounds of golf without
paying any additional greens fees. (The club permits guests to play
golf, but under much more restrictive conditions. Guests can play
only six times per year and must pay a usage fee each time.)
Koebke's initial request was rejected, based on the club's policy
of denying privileges to non-married members' significant others.
Subsequently, Koebke made additional requests to the club's board -
for instance, when she and French first registered as domestic
partners with the city of San Diego and later, when they registered
with the State of California. Each time, their request was denied.
. .
Obvious but False: Common Views of Love and Courtship Breakpoint.org, By Chuck Colson, August 08, 2005 Ask the typical college student, What’s love? That’s a no-brainer—love is a romantic feeling, right? And what’s the purpose of sex? Pleasure, of course. What else could it be? In his book Ask Me Anything: Provocative Answers for College Students,University of Texas professor J. Budziszewski tells students that both of these “obvious” answers are dead wrong. Take the idea that love is a feeling. If that were really true, then how could people getting married promise to love each other until they are parted by death? Feelings come and go; you can’t promise a feeling. What you can promise is a commitment of the will to the good of the other person. And that’s what love is. Or take that other “obvious” but wrong answer that the purpose of sex is pleasure. “False,” says Budziszewski. Of course, sex is pleasurable, but that doesn’t make pleasure its purpose....
Coming Soon to a Book Store Near You – ‘Men, Come
Home’ BlackAmericaWeb.com, By
Deborah Mathis, August 7, 2005 ...Granted, my childhood began in the 1950s and
morphed into the teenage years in the 1960s when, as we now know
from Phil Donahue, Oprah, Jenny Jones and Sally Jesse Raphael, was
not exactly the era of domestic bliss, despite the myths
perpetuated by the TV families on “Father Knows Best,” “The Donna
Reed Show” and “Ozzie and Harriet.” Those, after all, were the
years that supplied the talk show fodder of incest, alcoholism,
spousal abuse and philandering which, theretofore, had been
hush-hush, so the touted “intact nuclear family” was sometimes
nuclear in a different sense. Still, the presence of so many family
men in the community had, overall, a salient effect. I know that on
my block, with its passel of kids, we all felt safer knowing there
was a daddy in just about every house, and, after his own
household, he had an unspoken duty to defend us
too.... By the time my own
children were in their late teens and early 20s, not only were
unwed mothers commonplace, but there was a trend developing whereby
the fathers were not only absent from the home, absent from the
trips to the pediatrician, absent from the grocery store checkout
line, but absent altogether. Many a young woman has bounced a
toddler who had her lover’s eyes, his mouth and his smile, but who
would never ever know him....
Eddie Murphy's wife
files for divorce MSNBC.com, August 5, 2005 LOS ANGELES - Actor Eddie Murphy’s
wife of 12 years, Nicole, filed for divorce from the star Friday,
his publicist said. No further details were disclosed. Murphy, 44,
issued a statement saying, “The welfare of our children is our main
concern, and their best interests are our first
priority.”...
Black pastors seek
gay marriage ban amid family
issues Townhall.com, By Star Parker, August 8, 2005 -- I've been in Dallas for
the last few days attending a conference on the state of the black
family convened by the Not On My Watch Coalition and the
Cornerstone Baptist Church. The coalition is a group of 40 black
pastors, representing congregations numbering in the tens of
thousands throughout the state of Texas, who support the Federal
Marriage Amendment. The conference concluded with a 10-point
resolution pointed toward encouraging behavior in our communities
aimed at the task of reconstituting the black family unit. Nine of
the 10 points aim exclusively at an internal re-focusing in
communities on education and mentoring on the importance of
traditional moral behavior in matters of sex and marriage. We are
talking here about moral ABCs such as discouraging pre-marital sex
and cohabitation, emphasizing the importance of marriage fidelity
and the role of the community in providing support, such as male
mentoring for our many fatherless children.... A CNN / Gallup
poll done in May showed 56 percent opposition to legalization of
gay marriage and 53 percent in support of the marriage amendment.
Yet the values of the American people and the democratic process
have been hijacked by left leaning elitist liberal judges. What we
are watching in America today is a convergence of our courts and
Hollywood... The support of the black community for the federal
marriage amendment reduces to one word.
Survival...
PREGNANT? Delay Divorce CBSNews.com- AP, August 4, 2005 In a case that outraged women's rights
groups and prompted a change in state law, an appeals court has
sided with a judge who voided a woman's divorce because she was
pregnant. The appeals court ruled Spokane County Superior Court
Judge Paul Bastine was correct in vacating the divorce order
because Carlos Hughes and the state had not been properly notified
of Shawnna Hughes' pregnancy... The state objected to Hughes' petition to be granted a divorce
while still pregnant, on the grounds that the split could leave the
state unable to identify a father for repayment of welfare money
used to support the
child....
Tribal court dismisses
lawsuit Muskogee Daily Phoenix- OK, By
Clifton Adcock, August 4, 2005 A lawsuit preventing a Cherokee Nation
lesbian couple from filing a tribal marriage license was dismissed
Wednesdayby the tribe's high court, putting the women one
step closer to being the first legally married same-sex couple in
the state... The tribe issued the couple a marriage license in
May 2004, and a ceremony was performed in Mohawk Park in Tulsa.
However, the tribe did not certify the license and a tribal law was
passed later defining marriage as between one man and one
woman...
Psychiatric board backs same-sex marriage in 14-1
vote Sovo.com- Southern Voice, By
Dyana Bagby, August 4, 2005 The American Psychiatric Association’s
board of trustees voted July 31 to approve a position statement
that supports civil mar
