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"MARRIAGE" In The News
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The news articles and features presented below are simply an indication of how topical, controversial, and all-encompassing the issues surrounding marriage are throughout our society--and the world-- today. Some of the views and opinions expressed, and their respective web sites, do NOT reflect the views or opinions of The Real Proposal™ magazine. Many are highlighted largely to reiterate that the alarming statistical trends on the chaotic state of "Marriage" and "Family"--outlined in "A Mere Glimpse"--will continue unabated without a fundamental grasp and purposeful dissemination of TRUTH on the issues.
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- Parenting Issues: More teens turning to
safe sex, abstinence The
State, SC, BY Frank Greve, Sept 30, 2005
WASHINGTON — U.S. teen
pregnancy and birth rates have plummeted to all-time lows as more
teenagers delay sex, abstain from it, use contraception and use it
more effectively. Abortions also are down. The decline, to the
lowest teen birth rates since national tallies began in 1940, is a
remarkable personal health reform, sharper than U.S. declines in
smoking or increases in seat-belt use.... “Kids want to do the
right thing, and most of them understand deep down that sexual
activity is an adult thing,” . . . Whatever the reason, the latest
CDC survey reported that roughly two-thirds of males age 15 to 17
had never had intercourse. In 1988, half hadn’t. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: ACLU Attacks Abstinence
Education
Family News In Focus, CO, By Steve
Jordahl, Sep 23, 2005
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- Schwarzenegger vetoes Calif. gay marriage
bill ABC News.com, By Jim
Christie, Sep 29, 2005
California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger in a widely expected move vetoed a bill on Thursday
that would have allowed gay couples to marry. The Republican
governor had said earlier this month that he would veto the bill
passed by California's Democrat-led legislature. The bill was the
first of its kind approved by a state legislature... Schwarzenegger
said he would leave the issue of same-sex marriage to the courts
and voters, who approved a ballot measure five years ago defining
marriage as between a man and woman. "I do not believe the
legislature can reverse an initiative approved by the people of
California," he said in a written statement. "This bill simply adds
confusion to a constitutional issue," Schwarzenegger wrote. "If the
ban of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, this bill is not
necessary. If the ban is constitutional, this bill is ineffective."
. . .
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- Aston-Demi latest pairing of old and
young MSNBC.com, Sept 27, 2005
Younger man, older woman matchup a familiar
occurence in Hollywood
.
. . “The younger man is attracted to an older woman most likely
because of her poise, her social graces, her contacts. She has a
polish he hasn’t yet acquired,” Dr. Joyce Brothers says of the
younger man-older woman dynamic. “She, on the other hand, could be
attracted to his promise in their mutual endeavor — in this case
Hollywood. Or his exuberance, his fresh way of looking at the
world,” Brothers told The Associated Press on Monday. . . Tim
Robbins, 12 years younger than his companion, Susan Sarandon, has
shown for almost two decades that the power of love (and/or
liberalism) is beyond numbers. Guy Ritchie is 10 years younger than
Madonna; Sheryl Crow is nine years older than her fiance, Lance
Armstrong. Justin Timberlake. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher
wed MSNBC, Sept 25,
2005
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- All In The Family Townhall.com, By John Leo, Sept 26, 2005
It took the media a while to acknowledge that most
of Katrina's victims were black. Apparently, it will take longer to
mention that most of the victims were women and children. I noticed
three commentators who brought up the delicate subject of the
mostly missing males--George Will, Gary Bauer, and Thomas Bray,
a columnist for the Detroit News. Will noted that 76 percent of
births to Louisiana's African-Americans are to unmarried women, and
probably more than 80 percent in New Orleans, since that is the
usual estimate in other inner cities. Will wrote: "That translates
into a large and constantly renewed cohort of lightly parented
adolescent males, and that translates into chaos, in neighborhoods
and schools, come rain or come shine." A good deal of
hard evidence shows that this is so. Two decades of research
produced a consensus among social scientists of both left and right
that family structure has a serious impact on children, even when
controlling for income, race, and other variables. In other words,
we are not talking about a problem of race but about a problem of
family formation or, rather, the lack of it. .
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- Don't Worry if Bush
'Cares' -- We Should be Asking if Black Men Care
Enough BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph
C. Phillips, Sept 26, 2005
. . . During a telethon to raise
funds to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the rapper Kanye
West declared, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”
Several weeks later, Princeton University professor Cornel West
wrote that Kanye was right and the racist effects of Bush
administration policies prove it. He then went on to accuse Bush of
having no compassion. . . .It may be better for intellectuals and
entertainers to ask this: Do black people care about black people –
or, more specifically, do black men care about black people? Do
black men care enough about black women to marry the mothers of
their children? Do black men care enough about other black men not
to shoot them in the streets or push narcotics in their
communities? Do black men care enough about black boys to provide
role models of hard work and virtue? . . .
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- First Trio "Married"
in The Netherlands The Brussels Journal Online- By Paul Belien, Sept 26,
2006
The Netherlands and Belgium were the first countries
to give full marriage rights to homosexuals. In the United States
some politicians propose “civil unions” that give homosexual
couples the full benefits and responsibilities of marriage. These
civil unions differ from marriage only in name. Meanwhile in the
Netherlands polygamy has been legalised in all but
name. Last Friday the first civil union of
three partners was registered. Victor de Bruijn
(46) from Roosendaal “married” both Bianca (31) and Mirjam (35) in
a ceremony before a notary who duly registered their civil union. .
. . . Victor: “A marriage between three persons is not possible in
the Netherlands, but a civil union is. We went to the notary in our
marriage costume and exchanged rings. We consider this to be just
an ordinary marriage.” Asked by journalists to tell the
secret of their peculiar relationship. . . .
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- Sheila Johnson, Marrying Very
Well WashingtonPost.com, By Darragh Johnson, Sept 25,
2005; Page D01
The billionaire's first wedding cost
$50. She was a cheerleader at the University of Illinois, so she
got the chapel and hors d'oeuvres for free. She made her dress
herself, from a McCall's A-line "idiot-proof pattern." Thirty-three
years later, that marriage had dissolved, and last night, Sheila
Crump Johnson, who made her fortune with her ex-husband as
co-founders of the BET cable network, married the Hon. William T.
Newman Jr., the Arlington judge who presided over her divorce. .
.For the past two weeks, 350 employees have been working on this
wedding. Refrigerated trucks rolled in with 60,000 flowers --
30,000 roses and tens of thousands more hydrangea, orchids,
hypericum berries, hanging amaranthus and mums. The wedding cake, a
400-pound architectural confection designed by New York legend
Sylvia Weinstock. . .So,
naturally, she hired as the visionary of her "I do's" worldwide
wedding planner Preston Bailey. . .
RELATED SITE: Preston
Bailey
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- Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher
wed MSNBC -
Sept 25, 2005
Access Hollywood has confirmed a
People Magazine report that Demi Moore, 42, and Ashton Kutcher, 27,
said “I do” in Los Angeles Saturday night. . . This is the first
marriage for Kutcher and the third for Moore, whose previous
unions—to rock musician Freddie Moore (1980-84) and to actor Bruce
Willis (1987-2000) -- ended in divorce. . .As for the key to the
couple’s blissful bond, they curb their negative emotions—a basic
tenet of the pair’s Kabbalah beliefs—and they are also always
up-front with each other. “When I’m putting up a front, she calls
me on it,” Kutcher told Oprah Winfrey in April. “And I call her on
her crap.”. . .
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- Parenting Issues: ACLU Attacks Abstinence
Education Family News In Focus, CO, By Steve
Jordahl, Sep 23, 2005
Will parents lose
their voice in this part of their child's education?
The ACLU is putting abstinence education in the crosshairs. The
"Not in My State" letter writing campaign to school superintendents
in eighteen states attacks abstinence only education and asks them
to use condom based curriculum instead. A sample letter at the ACLU
web site states, "Research shows that these curricula... are
ineffective and dangerous...we ask your assistance in keeping these
unsafe programs out of our schools." . . . Libby Gray Macke of
Project Reality says the ACLU is not qualified to determine what
sex education curriculum belongs in your children's school. "I
think it's incredibly ironic that the ACLU in this case is acting
against freedom of speech, and that they're proposing restricting
free speech, especially among young people." . .
.The
targeted states include Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York.
Klepacki says teen pregnancy and sexual activity have reached an
all time low since abstinence education gained a foothold in the
early 90's. . .
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- Paris- Dise Lost Radar Online.com, Fresh
Intelligence, Sept 23, 2005
It’s over. After weeks of boundless speculation over
Paris Hilton’s engagement to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, a
source very close to the groom’s family says that the wedding plans
are off—and have been for months. . . The Latsises, a staunchly conservative Greek
Orthodox family that until recently was sheltered from the media
whirl, had dismissed talk of Hilton’s sordid exploits as ungrounded
gossip. But when embarrassing articles about her began appearing in
their local papers, they decided to take a closer look. .
. Enter Rick and Kathy Hilton,
arriving in sunny Greece to get chummy with their high-falutin’
in-laws. “They were supposed to meet with the Latsises, but after
Mrs. Latsis found out what was going on [from the Greek papers],
she quickly hopped on a boat and refused to meet with them,” says
the source. “For their son to even think of marrying such a woman
is an insult to the entire family. She simply looks like a
promiscuous innkeeper’s daughter to them. .
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- Adultery Is Killing the American
Family The Conservative Voice, By Nathan
Tabor, Sept 22, 2005
We hear a
lot of talk these days about the need to protect and strengthen the
traditional American family. Certainly, it is true
that the institution of marriage is under attack from every side.
But the real threat comes from the multitudes of couples that fail
to honor their marriage vows. Adultery is one of the most terrible
"facts of life" in contemporary America. . . . Americans have a
schizophrenic attitude toward adultery. . . Dr. Alvin Cooper and
MSNBC.com conducted an online poll of 38,000 people, and 10 percent
admitted that they were addicted to Internet pornography. What's
more, a lot of those Internet sex addicts eventually progress from
cyber-sex to real-time sexual affairs. Some legal professionals
estimate that as many as one-third of all divorces may have their
roots in Internet porn or online affairs. . .There is a direct
correlation between the steady decline of morals and values in
America and this more accepting contemporary attitude toward
adultery. Part of the reason is because most people have forgotten
what a marriage really is. . .
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- Gay black leaders meet to address
marriage, HIV Washington Blade, DC, By Katherine
Volin, Sept 23, 2005
Gay marriage, HIV/AIDS, isolationism,
loneliness and faith are all matters local and national black gay
and lesbian leaders have cited as areas they wish to target at the
first leaders summit sponsored by the National Black Justice
Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based African-American gay civil
rights organization. . .
Boykin said he considered the black church the biggest obstacle
black gays and lesbians have yet to overcome. “There are so many
people that are just really hurt and alienated because of their
churches,” Boykin said. “I always say the black church is the most
homophobic and homo-tolerant community in the black community. The
homophobic is usually from the minister, but if you look behind the
minister, there’s the choir members, the music directors, the
organist. There’s gay people throughout that church.”. .
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- Fidelis Calls Massachusetts 'Roman Catholic'
Group 'Destructive Dissidents' U.S.
Newswire (press release), Washington DC, Sept 22,
2005
-- In response to a
Massachusetts effort urging Catholic bishops to support homosexual
marriage, Fidelis, a national Catholic advocacy organization
described the group as "destructive dissidents" who should not be
allowed to use the title 'Roman Catholic' in their
identity." The dissident group Roman Catholics for
the Freedom to Marry reportedly held a press conference Thursday to
condemn the decision by the Boston Archdiocese to encourage
faithful Catholics to participate in the petition drive in favor of
a state constitutional amendment prohibiting homosexual marriage.
The group is organized as a project under the Religious Coalition
for the Freedom to Marry, a coalition of groups dedicated to
promotion of homosexual marriage in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. Fidelis President Joseph Cella
stated: "Such liberal groups should not be taken seriously by
faithful Catholics who follow the teachings of the Church. The
Catholic Church's teaching on marriage pre-dates the Church itself,
and cannot be changed based on the political preferences of the
day.". . ."These people are destructive dissidents who should not
be allowed to use the title 'Roman Catholic' in their identity. We
respectfully ask Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley to consider
ordering this group to cease all use of the term 'Roman Catholic.'
These groups are peddling an agenda that presumes that Catholic
teaching on marriage is open for change," Cella stated. .
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- Divorce- How To Know When Your Marriage is
Really Over Bella
Online, By Kristen Houghton, Sept 22, 2005
There is probably not one person reading this who, at
one time or another, has not thought or said that they were
contemplating a divorce. It happens to all of us. As we go through
the seasons of our marriage there are times of bliss and
impassioned feelings of love plus times of hurt and frustration. We
don’t usually give because we know that, most times, there are more
good days in our marriages than bad. . . When then do we abandon
the ship of marriage? How do we know that the time has come to just
give up on the marriage and go our separate ways hoping to build a
new life on our own? If constant fighting is occurring, is that the
time to bail? . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The Top
Ten Myths of Divorce: Discussion of the most common misinformation
about divorce, with references to social science
literature The National Marriage
Project- Rutgers University, By David Popenoe, April
2001
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- Churches push 1-day blitz on
marriage Boston Globe, US, By Scott Helman,
Sept 20, 2005
Churches from various denominations
opposed to gay marriage are preparing for what they are calling
''Protect Marriage Sunday" on Oct. 2, a one-day signature-gathering
blitz they expect will generate enough names to advance a 2008
ballot initiative banning same-sex weddings. . . Catholics,
Protestants from black and Hispanic communities, and members of
other denominations will take part in a coordinated effort to
collect tens of thousands of signatures at worship services in all
corners of the state, organizers say. Some churches will launch
petition drives this weekend, organizers say, but Oct. 2 is the
primary kickoff for a campaign to gather the necessary names to
send the measure to the Legislature. Opponents of gay marriage need
roughly 66,000 signatures by Thanksgiving; they want 120,000, to
have enough if some are disqualified. . .
- Bush's
rhetoric about race is troubling Townhall.com, By Star Parker, Sept 19, 2005
I didn't find much in President Bush's Katrina
speech that surprised me. His recovery plan carries the
characteristic stamp of this administration.
. . But, I was very
disappointed with the president's rhetoric about race. Permitting
himself to give credence to the notion that black poverty of recent
years in New Orleans reflects racial discrimination and lack of
opportunity was anything but an act of compassion toward blacks. He
is either uninformed, which of course is troubling, or willing to
bury truth for political ends, which is also troubling. . . The
truth about black poverty today, as Kay Hymowitz of the Manhattan
Institute has aptly put it, is that it is "intricately intertwined
with the collapse of the nuclear family in the inner city."
Consider that black households that are headed by married couples
have median incomes almost 90 percent that of white households
headed by married couples. The problem in the black community is
that far too few black households are headed by married couples. .
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- Parenting Issues: Dishing out
some Hart-felt wisdom Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, Sept 20,
2005
Yet book after book, magazine after magazine, could
easily lead you to believe otherwise. Oh, they don’t literally
promise perfection. But the relentless series of easy, multi-step
formulas -- designed to stop tantrums, break your kids of junk
food, get little ones to sleep through the night and avoid
screaming matches -- certainly leave you with the impression that
perfection is (more or less) attainable.
Of course, it
could be that the publishers of these books and magazines know
their audience -- and its hunger for pat answers. “We want
guarantees,” writes Betsy Hart in her new book, It takes a
Parent. “But the only thing we
really know is that we have a duty to as parents to persevere. And
in that perseverance lies the best hope for our children.”. .
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- Parenting
Issues: Dating habits of teens affect marriage
skills The Wall Street Journal, By Sue
Shellenbarger, Sept 18, 2005
When their son was a teenager, Doug and
Suzanne Schiffman worried he wasn't dating enough. Adolescence is a
time to build relationship skills, the Chevy Chase, Md., couple
believed -- but their son had just one long-term girlfriend late in
high school, and none in college. As it turns out, the lack of
dating didn't hurt. Their son married at 24 and now, at 33, is "the
happiest married person we know," Mr. Schiffman says. A growing
body of research is challenging popular notions about teen romance.
As the Schiffmans saw, lots of dating isn't necessarily a good
thing; new studies show fewer, deeper relationships are better
preparation for happy adult partnerships. The research shows teen
dating can play a unique developmental role, helping to equip teens
with the intimacy skills they need to form lasting, happy
marriages. It also holds valuable clues for parents on figuring out
how well their teens are shaping up as future spouses, and how they
as parents can best guide that development. . .
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- Charlie Sheen admits to being a
'gigantic ass' to estranged wife Earthtimes.org, Sept 17, 2005
Hollywood actor Charlie Sheen, on CBS' Late
Show on Thursday, said he might be getting back with his wife
Denise Richards. The couple had filed for divorce in March after
being married for three years. Forty-year-old Sheen and 34-year-old
Richards have two daughters –18-month-old Sam and 3-month old Lola.
Sheen also has a daughter Cassandra from ex-wife Paula Profit.
“We're working toward getting back together and fixing things. It's
the first time I got dumped in my life. I think the one thing I
would point to as a primary reason, basically, is that I was a
gigantic ass,” Sheen said. .
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- Friendship leads to
marriage Greensboro News
Record, NC, By Alxis Gines, Sept 17, 2005
ARCHDALE -- Jena Welch, of
Archdale, and Jason Coltrane, of Randleman, were pretty clueless
that they might make a good couple. Welch had known Coltrane for as long as she could
remember. To her, Coltrane was the guy who was always stopping by
to help her father on the farm. . .Coltrane and Welch weren't
looking at each other as love interests. "We were really more like
brother and sister," Coltrane said. But that would change. . . They
plan to marry today. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Ten
Important Research Findings on Marriage and Choosing A Marriage
Partner: Helpful Facts for Young
Adults The
National Marriage Project- Publications, By David Popenoe and
Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, November 2004
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- Health Issues: Fear
Is a Waste of Time Townhall.com, By Tony Snow, September 16, 2005
-- My doctor has tried manfully over
the years to talk seriously about important health matters, usually
with mixed success. But he really grabbed my attention when he
called just before Valentine's Day and said two little
words. "It's cancer." People respond in
different ways to such news. My first reaction was to think it was
cool, in a bizarre way -- as if I had been inducted into a club
known not just for its danger and darkness, but also for promising
survivors something precious and rare: a fuller glimpse of life
itself. That feeling didn't last long. Within hours, the
novelty dissolved and panic set in. My wife and I lay numbly in
bed, fretting about what might be. .
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- Short Shelf Life of Celebrity
Marriage BBC News- UK, Sept 16,
2005
Actress Renee Zellweger's four-month marriage to US
country singer Kenny Chesney is one of several short-lived
celebrity nuptials. She is seeking an annulment after a whirlwind
romance led to an equally short marriage. Other celebrities who
have had equally short marriages include:
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- Tori Spelling Splits From
Husband ContactMusic.com- UK, Sept 16,
2005
Former BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 star TORI SPELLING has split
from her husband CHARLIE SHANIAN, after just 14 months of marriage.
According The
couple exchanged nuptials on 3 July 2004 at Spelling's expansive
family home in Los Angeles. . .
- The benefits of
marriage Newsday.com, By Indrani Sen, Sept 16,
2005
In a decision gay rights advocates say is a first in New
York, a lesbian couple from Bohemia has gained recognition for
their Canadian marriage from a chapter of the Teamsters Union,
which has extended health coverage to the retired employee's
partner of 25 years. The welfare fund of Teamsters Local 295/Local
851, which represents workers at Kennedy Airport, granted spousal
rights to Marie Sardone, 59, who married Dolores Damone, 60, in
Toronto in April. It's the first union in the state to recognize
same-sex marriages performed in jurisdictions where they are legal,
according to gay advocacy groups. The Teamsters are following the
example of several other institutions, however, including the New
York City and state retirement systems and several private
companies. . .
- More gals look to untie men's marriage
knots for no-strings attached flings Mainichi Daily News-Japan, Sept 15, 2005
About two years ago, single Sayuri Shinoda started off
having a fling with a married workmate eight years her senior. It
was supposed to be a no-strings-attached romance,
but now he's getting serious. For Sayuri, her beau's sudden
willingness to commit to her is a sign to get out. . .Though her
current arrangement may be souring, she's on the prowl for a new
man -- and only a married one will do.. .
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- James Brown's Wife Files For
Divorce Sound-Check Music- UK, Sept 15,
2005
The
Godfather of Soul aka James Brown has scared his wife so much that
she has gone into hiding. Tomi Rae, the hardest working
man in showbusiness’ fifth wife is hiding out in LA as she
is sick to death of her husband’s abusive ways. The 36 year old who
married Brown in 2001 has taken her four year old son, James Jr
with her and claims she won’t be returning any time soon. . .
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- Pot, gay marriage just good
business Canada.com, By Nelson
Wyatt, Sept 15, 2005
. . . Escape to Canada,
which will premiere Monday at the New Montreal FilmFest, chronicles
the aftermath of Ontario's legalization of same-sex marriage and
suspension of the prohibition of marijuana in 2003. Some Americans
fleeing service in the war in Iraq are thrown in for good measure.
Nerenberg argues those events are helping Canada to wrest the title
of "land of the free" from its neighbour to the south. . .
Nerenberg said making the film has given him a greater appreciation
for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and he expects Canada to
continue to push the boundaries, noting the government has pondered
legalizing prostitution. He agreed there is a certain irony in the
fact that the World Stupidity Awards, which he co-founded, this
year declared Canada as having the World's Stupidest Government. .
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- Zellweger, Chesney Split CNN.com, Sept 15, 2005
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Oscar-winning
actress Renee Zellweger and country singer Kenny Chesney are
seeking an annulment after five months of marriage, a spokeswoman
said Thursday. Publicist Nanci Ryder confirmed that Zellweger and
Chesney, who stunned the entertainment world in May with a marriage
on a beach in the Caribbean, had split. . .In court papers filed
Wednesday, Zellweger listed "fraud" as the reason for the breakup,
The Associated Press reported. The term was "simply legal language
and not a refection of Kenny's character," Zellweger said in a
statement Friday. "I would personally be very grateful for your
support in refraining from drawing derogatory, hurtful,
sensationalized or untrue conclusions," she said. "We hope to
experience this transition as privately as possible." .
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- Q & A: Why put marriage before
the wedding? Newsday.com, NY,
Sept 15, 2005
DEAR AMY:
I've been dating my fiance for six years, and we've been living
together for three years. Recently my fiance said to me, "Let's run
away and get married. We can have a large wedding when we are
financially ready.". . . DEAR FRIVOLOUS BRIDE: You got it
right when you called yourself "frivolous." This is a goofy plan
and leads me to conclude that you and your fiance are confused
about what weddings and marriages are all about. People go to
weddings to witness the joyful and actual union of loved ones.
Marriage is a deeply meaningful experience (and a religious event
for many people). Throwing a wedding for yourself after you are
already married means your big wedding - the "real" one - won't
really be a wedding at all, but a party where an already married
couple goes through the motions of pretending to get married. I
wouldn't be surprised if you had trouble finding clergy or a judge
who would participate in that ceremony. . .
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- Matt Damon pops the question MSNBC, Access Holywood, September
13, 2005
Ladies, brace yourselves
-- Matt Damon is a bachelor no more. Damon, who turns 35 next
month, popped the question just before Labor Day to his girlfriend
of one year, Luciana Barroso. The couple met at the Miami nightclub
Crobar in 2004 where Barroso worked as a bartender. Matt will now
become step dad to Luciana's 5-year-old daughter Alexa, from a
previous relationship. . .
- Engaged Evacuees To Marry In
Chicago NBC5.com, IL, Sept 14,
2005
CHICAGO -- A New Orleans couple who were
making preparations to get married before Hurricane Katrina hit are
now planning to exchange vows in Chicago.
Karen Fitzgerald and Jude Boudreaux were at a
conference in Florida when the hurricane hit, and Fitzgerald was
left with only the engagement ring on her finger and a suitcase
full of clothes. . .But despite the setback, the couple is
scrambling to plan another wedding, scheduled for Oct. 8. .
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- Royals at Camilla's son's
wedding BBC News- UK, Sept 10, 2005
Tom Parker Bowles, son of the Duchess
of Cornwall and stepson to Prince Charles, has married magazine
fashion editor Sara Buys. Among the guests who braved the rain for
the ceremony in Rotherfield Greys near Henley-on-Thames,
Oxfordshire, were Princes William and Harry. They were joined by
the Royal couple, as well as ex-chancellor Lord Howe and Annabel
Elliot, the Duchess's sister. The bride, who was 15 minutes late,
wore an Alexander McQueen dress. . .
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- Four weddings and a reality cheque The Sunday
Times- UK, By Maurice Chittenden, Sept 11, 2005
EVERYBODY loves a wedding. It’s good for the
circulation. But when four come along at once it puts the paparazzi
into a dizzy tizz. . . OK! and Hello!, the celebrity magazines, had
pulled out their chequebooks, the former paying a record £1.75m for
the rights to the nuptials of Jordan, the glamour model, and Peter
Andre, the pop singer, at their idea of a fairy castle in
Berkshire. Vulgarity was kept well at bay 25 miles away
in the village of Rotherfield Greys, near Henley-on-Thames, when
Tom Parker Bowles, 31, son of the Duchess of Cornwall and food
editor of Tatler, married Sara Buys, 32, a fashion writer for
Harpers & Queen. The guest list included the Prince of Wales
and his own bride, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Would the curse of OK! doom the
Jordan ceremony? . . .
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- Katrina
evacuees' wedding inspires others to tie the knot,
too San Antonio Express (Subscription), By
Lisa Marie Gomez, Sept 9, 2005
In a noisy, cramped shelter for
Hurricane Katrina evacuees known as Building 1536, a bride named
Katrina said: "I do." . . . Then, one by one over the next 45
minutes, Smith married three other couples who had lost everything
but each other in the hurricane that swamped New Orleans, one
spontaneous wedding inspiring
another. ...
Spence married three other couples who had lost everything but each
other in the hurricane that swamped New Orleans, one spontaneous
wedding inspiring another. . . All of the men and women who were
married Thursday morning at Kelly USA, a San Antonio shelter for
hurricane evacuees, had put off their weddings until the time was
right and they could afford it. But the events of the past two
weeks had made them see that, given the mercurial nature of fate,
there's no time like now. . .
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- Katrina evacuees tie
knot in Texas shelter
CNN- AP, By Angela K.
Brown, Sept 10, 2005
-- Leo Tate never took his eyes off his
bride, Annie Lee. Beside them, Donna Mathis cried as she said her
vows to James Nelson Jr...Less than two weeks after surviving
Hurricane Katrina, the couples were married at Northside Tri-Ethnic
Community Center here Friday night. They are among 205,000 evacuees
staying in shelters and private housing in Texas. "We were thinking
how we needed something to rejoice in, something to cry happy tears
over," Mathis said. "This is a way to make our lives normal. We can
start our lives over, and we'll be together." . . . For Lee and
Tate, the wedding was 27 years in the making. The pair were
high-school sweethearts in New Orleans and later had a son, but the
timing never seemed right to tie the
knot. . .
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- Armstrong, Crow
engaged; spring wedding? MSNBC.com, Sept 7, 2005
AUSTIN, Texas - Seven-time Tour de France winner
Lance Armstrong is engaged to marry rock star Sheryl Crow, a
spokesman for the cyclist confirmed Monday. It will be second
marriage for 7-time Tour champion, first for rock star. . .The
couple met at a charity event in October 2003 and began dating a
short time later. The testicular cancer survivor has three children
from his first marriage. It will be the first marriage for Crow,
43, who has previously been linked with rock star Eric Clapton and
actor Owen Wilson. . .Armstrong, 33, has been dogged by controversy
recently when a French newspaper said six of Armstrong’s urine
samples collected on the 1999 Tour de France showed traces of the
banned substance EPO (erythropoietin). . .
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- Marriage
movement at the crossroads renewamerica.org, By Carey Roberts, Sept 5,
2005
The
Marriage Movement recently got hit with some dispiriting news. The
US Census Bureau just released a report showing that for
the first time, American
single-adult households now outnumber traditional Ozzie and Harriet
families. The Census Bureau report
comes along at the same time of new evidence that fatherhood still
continues under attack. Just view the promos for NBC's latest
reality show, "Meet Mister Mom." Or read the loony opinion handed
down last week by the California Supreme Court which concludes, "We
perceive no reason why both parents of a child cannot be women."
Now persons from both sides of the aisle are insisting that if we
hope to save families, we need to rally around fathers. On the
Right, critiques of how government welfare programs worsen the
plight of fathers have appeared in the American Conservative,
National Review Online, and elsewhere. Eagle Forum head Phyllis
Schlafly has penned several hard-hitting commentaries. And just
last week Rachel Alexander, co-editor of the Intellectual
Conservative website, released a column with the provocative title,
"Child Custody: Where Men Hit a Glass Ceiling." On the Left, former Democratic
presidential candidate Al Sharpton spoke at last summer's
legislative conference of the Congressional Black Caucus
Foundation, urging them to pay far more attention to the plight of
young urban black men. And earlier this month Washington
Post columnist William Raspberry devoted his weekly column to
the issue, complaining that "Fatherless families are America's
single largest source of poverty." But there is one voice that is
conspicuously absent in the campaign to save fatherhood — the
Marriage Movement. Sadly and inexplicably, the Marriage Movement
has largely turned its back on men. . .
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- Forced
Marriage: Abuse To be Outlawed? BBC News- UK, Sept 5, 2005
As a
consultation begins on whether to criminalise the practice of
pushing people into forced marriages, what do those who work with
victims feel about it? Shaminder Ubhi, director of east
London-based domestic violence service Ashiana, says one of the
most frightening things about forced marriage is that once the
ceremony is performed and a union formed - the abuse does not
end. Her
organisation has offered support to those on the brink of, or who
have escaped from, forced marriages. The issue of forced marriage affects south
Asian and other communities in the UK. Some young women have been
imprisoned in their own homes, not being allowed to talk to their
friends or contact anybody," says Mrs Ubhi. "They know that a ticket has been
bought, that they may be going to Pakistan, Bangladesh or India,
and they know they are going back for marriage.
"Once they are abroad it's even
harder. Even if they have been born in Pakistan or India, they
don't know the system there, and they haven't got their support
network. "Then
there's the physical violence - if they have been forced into
marriage - there's a greater chance they will be
raped. "And it
doesn't stop once the marriage has been consummated." . .
.
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- Infidelity and
Addiction Are 'Breaking Bonaduce,' But Can His Marriage
survive? PR Newswire (press
release), NY - September 6, 2005
America remembers Danny Bonaduce as the cute
but spunky Danny Partridge in the 1970's classic series "The
Partridge Family." Since then however, this former child star
has lived a life filled with dichotomy as the hard partying "bad
guy" while also trying to remain a loving family man. Meeting
and marrying seven hours into their first date, the Bonaduces, who
have been together for fifteen years, have faced addiction,
infidelity and Danny's "death wish" antics, but can they continue
to survive as a couple? VH1 endeavored to tape a show about their
unique marriage and family life but as production ensued the series
took on a life of its own. "Breaking Bonaduce" premiering
Sunday, September 11 at 10:30 PM is a dramatic, honest, and
compelling look into the complex relationship between Danny
Bonaduce, his wife Gretchen and their two children Isabella
(10-years old) and Dante (4-years old). "Breaking Bonaduce"
quickly changed from a reality show into a serious documentary of a
man and his family in crisis. For the first time on
television, viewers will get an unprecedented look at the many
attempts to save this marriage through the unique lens of the
Bonaduce's couple's therapy sessions. .
.
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- Disaster Can Strain
Marriage to the Breaking Point; Six Ways to
Cope NewsReleaseWire.com (press release),
September 6, 2005
Living
through a natural disaster, the loss of a loved one, or any
catastrophe pushes a marriage to the limit and can lead to divorce.
“Both spouses have been through tremendous stress, which may
include the loss of their home, separation from loved ones, death
in the family, illness or injury--and neither may be able to be
supportive to the other. One or both may be suffering from Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder, which makes it hard to relate and
requires treatment from a trained professional. If the strain is
not handled, a couple who survives a disaster may be at risk for a
divorce,” 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. Here are
some ways to cope with the crisis and save your marriage before
it’s too late. - Recognize
when you or your spouse is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder. Symptoms include upsetting and intrusive memories of the
event, nightmares, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, outbursts of
anger, and feelings of detachment or estrangement from others. .
.
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- New Orleans couple weds in Jackson
shelter
San
Jose Mercury-News.com (Free Subscription), By Kathy Hanrahan,
Sept 3, 2005
JACKSON, Miss. - Her hometown a sloshy, chaotic
war zone, Trenise Williams sat on a cranberry-colored quilt and
gazed at her engagement ring. A week ago, just hours before
Hurricane Katrina unleashed catastrophic damage on the Gulf Coast,
Williams, 28, and fiance Joseph Kirsh, 34, were set to get married
at Carrollton Hall in New Orleans. "With the snap of an eye, I lost
everything," she said Saturday, sitting with about 3,000 other
evacuees at the Mississippi Coliseum shelter about 190 miles north
of New Orleans. . .The only remnants of the
wedding-to-be was a marriage license Williams tucked into her
purse. Shelter resident Rochelle Smith, a Jackson-area woman who
was homeless before the storm, heard of Williams' plight on
Thursday and decided that a lack of wedding dress or cake wasn't
going to stop the couple from having their special day. .
.
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- Japanese PM keeps lost son at
bay The Sunday
Times-UK, By Michael Sheridan, Sept 4, 2005
To the adoring voters of Japan who are likely to
re-elect him next Sunday, prime minister Junichiro Koizumi is a
reforming samurai, possessed of flinty resolve and a heart of
steel. But to his unfortunate third son, Yoshinaga, that
stubborn streak has given his father a heart of stone. Separated by
the barrier of a bitter divorce and the cold rigidity of Japanese
social custom, the 23-year-old has never met his famous
father. . .His former wife, Kayoko Miyamoto, gave birth to
Yoshinaga a few months after the divorce and brought him up with
her family. In keeping with Japanese custom, however, Koizumi has
never met his third son, Yoshinaga has never met his two brothers
and their mother has not seen them for two decades. .
.The reality of divorce in
Japan is that such bleak arrangements are not unusual. The
law does not allow for joint custody. Children often live with the
parent who has won custody and never see their other one
again. . .
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- California Senate Passes Bill
Allowing Gay 'Marriage' LifeSiteNews.com, Sacramento,
CA,September 2, 2005
SACRAMENTO – The California
Senate voted Thursday to legalize same-sex “marriage,” despite a
state-wide plebiscite – Proposition 22, the Defense of Marriage Act
–which the people of California had approved and therefore already
decided the issue during the 2000 general election. Passage of
Thursday’s measure makes California’s Senate the first legislative
body in the US to approve homosexual “marriages.” The Religious
Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, which redefines the
civil definition of marriage as between two persons rather than a
man and a woman, passed by a margin of 21-15, the minimum necessary
for a motion to carry. . .But Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has
said he will not sign the bill into law if it passes through the
Assembly. “The governor was elected to uphold the laws of
California,” claimed Schwarzenegger’s spokesman, Margita Thompson.
“The people spoke when they voted in Proposition 22. It has
subsequently gone to the courts and the governor believes that is
where it should be decided. It’s an issue for the people and the
courts.”. . .
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- A backyard
wedding? Why not? Richmond Times Dispatch, VA,By
Anne Farrow,Sept 3, 2005
Getting Married at Home Lets You Customize
Ceremony in Every Way... The engaged couple looked at other venues,
but the idea of a handmade day with family and friends came to seem
most important, says Allison. . . With room under the big,
white tent and in their spacious landscaped yard, the Johns hosted
about 175 guests on a sunny, gusty Saturday in May, proving that
home weddings needn't be small, although careful planning important
for the traditional church-and-restaurant wedding -- is still key.
The two bywords for planning an at-home wedding and reception are
comfort (for your guests) and courtesy (for your neighbors). Here
are a few tips: - Rent a tent,
even though you might not need it. Some couples rent a canopy
attachment leading from the house to the tent, so that nobody need
scurry to avoid rain. . .
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- How Do You Manage?
Second marriage, trickier merger International Herald Tribune,By
Michael J. Martinez,France,Sept 2, 2005
When Erika O'Connor and her 6-year-old
daughter moved across the United States a year ago to be with her
fiancé, Dennis, she had no idea how he managed his money. "That was
a mistake," she quipped. At least she can laugh about it now. By
the time they got around to discussing their finances, a month
after Erika moved from Scottsdale, Arizona, to suburban Boston, it
quickly became a contentious issue. Having been a single mother for
six years, Erika had lived paycheck to paycheck and was very
conservative. But Dennis, her second husband, was a big spender,
though "he always managed to come up with the money somehow," she
said. . .
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- Alberta Christian Pastor Hauled Before Human Rights
Tribunal For Letter to editor on
Homosexuality LifeSiteNews.com- Canada, Sept 2, 2005
Will not pay fines or write apology
should decision go against him. . . Without the money to pay for
legal representation, Rev. Stephen Boissoin has no other
alternative but to prepare his own defense. . . The only
problem with that, he points out, is that when it’s all over he may
very well be in prison. Boissoin is being hauled before
the Human Rights Commission to answer to a complaint filed by
Darren Lund, an assistant professor at the University of Calgary.
Lund made his complaint after Boissoin published a letter to the
editor in the Red Deer Advocate, in which he denounced
homosexuality as immoral and dangerous, and called into question
new gay-rights curriculums permeating the province’s educational
system. In that letter to the editor, Boisson lamented that
“Children as young as five and six years of age are being subjected
to psychologically and physiologically damaging pro-homosexual
literature and guidance in the public school system; all under the
fraudulent guise of equal rights.”. . . For expressing that view,
however, Boissoin has been called a “bigot” and a “hate-mongerer”,
and worse. Darren Lund has likened the young pastor to Terry Long
of Aryan Nation, a local white supremacist, and James Keegstra, a
holocaust denier. . .
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- Canadian Catholic Magazine
Editor Implies Same-Sex 'Marriage' Passage May Signal Coming
'General Judgement' LifeSiteNews.com- Canada, Sept 2, 2005
In his thought-provoking editorial in September's
Catholic Insight magazine, editor Rev. Alphonse de Valk
puts the same-sex "marriage" onslaught into a perspective that
perhaps many have been thinking but have not voiced . . . The
editorial quotes the Roman Catechism (Council of Trent, 1546) as
teaching that "the general judgment will be preceded by these three
principal signs: the preaching of the Gospel throughout the world,
a falling away from the faith, and the coming of the
Antichrist." It notes that the "first has been
fulfilled". Indeed on February 21, 2001, in an address which
received scant attention, Pope John Paul II, speaking of the "signs
of the times," announced that the Gospel was "spread now in
all corners of the planet.". . .
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- Now, about
feather-brained marriage researchers Daily Review Online, CA,September
1, 2005
. . .Some time ago,
researchers at the University of Wisconsin made a study of Larks
and Owls and turned out a somewhat goofy report. For one thing, the
researchers contacted only 28 married couples as subjects. That's
not a large enough group from which to draw conclusions about
mouthwash, let alone something as complex as marriage. . .There is
an overlapping period each day, from about 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., when
we're both reasonably awake and alert, and that's when we converse
with one another. Both of us have come to feel that, if you can't
communicate in five hours, you probably can't do it in 10. Or 24. .
.
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- Wedding Ideas
& Etiquette - Couples Giving Thanks GatewayToSedona.com, AZ, By Rev. Laura Lane, Sept 1,
2005
Probably at no other time in your life will
you receive more gifts. From engagement gifts to shower and wedding
gifts every gift deserves a thank you note. While the task of
expressing your appreciation can be daunting, here are a few tips
to keep the process manageable. . .
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- India is gripped by star's real-life
marriage drama Times Online-UK, By Raekha
Prasad, Sept 2, 2005
(DELHI) THE drama is spicier than most
Bollywood films, featuring one of India’s best known actresses and
her millionaire husband. Karisma Kapoor and Sunjay Kapur are locked
in a court battle over their baby daughter that has gripped India,
filling television screens and newspaper front pages. When Ms
Kapoor, from an illustrious film dynasty, married Mr Kapur, a Delhi
businessman and childhood friend, two years ago it was said to be a
perfect match. The glittering wedding was attended by film stars,
politicians and some of India’s wealthiest tycoons. But in the past
fortnight the country has been agog with tales of marital strife
and a tug-of-love over the couple’s five-month-old daughter,
Samaira. The final act looms for the estranged couple after both
filed petitions in the Delhi High Court, taking the acrimony out of
the bedroom and into the courtroom. . . One newspaper likened it to
the Hollywood film Kramer vs Kramer, headlining its report
on the affair, “Kapur vs Kapoor”. .
.
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- Meera in Dubai to escape
marriage Daily
Times, Pakistan, By Shoaib Ahmed, Sept 2,
2005
LAHORE: Film actress Meera has moved to
Dubai after a row with her father who has been compelling her to
marry a Lahore-based guy, sources in the film industry told Daily
Times on Saturday. Sources said Meera does not want to marry for at
least three years but her father wants her to get married
early.... Meera said that she did not
want to marry for at least three years. “In case my father does not
agree with me, I won’t stay with my parents in Pakistan,” she
added. . . “There is a family
in Lahore with which Meera’s marriage talks are in progress and
hopefully Meera will agree to marry the guy I have chosen for her.
. .
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- China May Reimpose Compulsory Pre-Marriage
Physicals: Official CRI, China, September 1, 2005
A senior
health official says that the Chinese government may reimpose
compulsory pre-marital physical check-up to address a sharp decline
in couples taking the test since 2003 when compulsory check-ups
were abolished. . . The Vice Minister said that pre-marriage
physicals are not just a matter of personal choice, but effect both
partners to a marriage and also may have an effect on the next
generation. He also said that the Chinese
government is currently finalizing the compulsory items to be
covered in the pre-marital check-up, which will include HIV/AIDS.
Statistics show that the rate of pre-marital physicals being taken
reached 78.6% in cities and 59.4% in the countryside by the end of
2002. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Shanghai Offers Free Pre-Marriage Checkups China Broadcast- China
CRIENGLISH, July 23, 2005
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- Iran pours oil fund billions into wooing
disaffected youth The Independent- UK, By Angus
McDowall, September 1, 2005
(Tehran) Iran's new populist
conservative government has launched its first term with an
ambitious round of social spending, led by a $1.3bn (£720m) "love
fund" directed at the millions of low-income young couples
currently unable to marry. The hardline President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, who won elections in June with a pledge to
redistribute the earnings of the world's fourth-biggest crude oil
producer, has immediately set about wooing the two-thirds of the
population under 30. The first giveaway is the "Reza love fund"
named after a Shia imam whose shrine is in eastern Iran. Iranian
young people often complain they cannot afford to get married
because of Iran's economic woes. They are living with their parents
longer than ever before. . .
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- UK Divorce rate highest since
1996 BBC News- UK, August 31, 2005
The number of divorces granted in the
UK has reached its highest level since 1996, new statistics reveal.
In 2004, the number rose to 167,116 from 166,737 in 2003, the
Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show. In 1996 there
were 171,700 divorces. Men and women aged 25 to 29 continued to
have the highest divorce rates. . . "There's no one specific thing
but common sense tells us that this 24/7 lifestyle is a very
individualistic way of living - we look out for ourselves and we're
not as good at community as we used to be. "The pressure on
families to deliver so many different things at a time when the
instinct is to think about yourself means more people are splitting
up." . . .
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- Court allows
Muslim girl to annul marriage NDTV.com- India, By Rajan
Mahan, August 31, 2005
In a landmark judgement, the Rajasthan High Court
has allowed a Muslim girl the right to annul her marriage that was
solemnized without her consent when she was a minor. The girl's
parents had agreed to her Nikaah when she was just
seven-years old. . .Three years ago,
Jodhpur's Family Court allowed Khurshida Bano to annul the
marriage. Her husband Mustafa challenged the order but the High
Court has now upheld the earlier verdict.. . . The Court says, the
Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act of 1939 gives girls like
Khurshida, who are married before the age of 15, the right to annul
their marriage before they turn 18 provided it had not been
consummated. . . But while the High Court has ruled in her favour,
Khurshida Bano's family says the community elders have now
threatened that if she annuls her marriage, which they claim is
against their religion, they will not allow anyone to marry
Khurshida. . .
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