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

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

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

New Hampshire quietly ushers in civil unions: Celebrations planned as clock hits midnight The Boston Globe, By Stephanie Ebbert, December 31, 2007
When gay marriage came to Massachusetts, throngs of people filled the streets in Cambridge, applauding the same-sex couples emerging from City Hall with their first-in-the-nation marriage licenses. That is not exactly the plan in New Hampshire. A more subdued celebration is expected after the clock hits midnight tonight, when civil unions become legal in the Granite State. Twenty or so couples, who had to register beforehand, will gather outside the State House for ceremonies in which they will be united with their partners in a manageable, personable celebration. "It's a much more scaled-down and smaller version, more intimate, meaningful," said Jen Major, who helped organize the event and will be united with her partner, Kelley Morris, that morning. Of course, it was a major development when gay marriage came to Massachusetts nearly four years ago. In Cambridge, 227 gay couples applied to marry on the first night they had the opportunity, and 6,121 couples statewide wed that first year. In all of New Hampshire, just 109 couples have registered their intentions to unite so far. . .

New Hampshire quietly ushers in civil unions: Celebrations planned as clock hits midnight

Book Review: 'Don't You Dare Get Married Until You Read This'
Marriage guru's own wedded bliss amiss, so he writes book on divorce The Salt Lake Tribune, By Ellen Fagg, December 31, 2007
Corey Donaldson first mined his life experience 10 years ago with Don't You Dare Get Married Until You Read This, a self-published book that helped the Melbourne, Australia, native prepare to move across the world and marry his Utah-born fiancee. "I was 23 years old, coming to a country I've never been to, don't know anyone, don't know what I'm going to do for money, and marrying a woman I just barely met," he recalls. "So I wanted to know what the questions were that were beyond my experience - which was just about everything." Donaldson's list - and the backstory of his whirlwind, pen-pal courtship with his wife-to-be - became the focus of scores of radio and newspaper stories, ranging from The St. Paul Pioneer Press to The Wall Street Journal. In 2000, after the list had expanded to more than 1,500 questions, Donaldson's book was published nationally by Random House, eventually selling some 100,000 copies. It doesn't take an advice guru to guess what happened next: In 2006, Donaldson and his wife divorced. And naturally, the Utah transplant has jumped back up on the soapbox provided by his life experience. In more than 75 radio interviews over the past two months, Donaldson has launched his latest common-sense salvo, Stay Married or Get Divorced: The Rules and Questions to Consider Before, During and After Divorce. The perils of advising: In the self-help genre, the irony of an author's personal life catching up to his or her professional life isn't just the stuff of TV sit-coms, such as ABC's "Men in Trees," which stars Anne Heche as a relationship coach whose fiancé cheated on her. Every few years there's another headline-grabbing incident, such as this month's announcement of a publication hold on a Christian parenting handbook penned by Lynne Spears, mother of Britney and Jamie Lynn, the Nickelodean TV star who confessed her unplanned pregnancy at age 16. . . .

I'm pregnant' says delighted Nicole Kidman

'I'm pregnant' says delighted Nicole Kidman The Daily Mail- UK, December 29, 2007
Nicole Kidman and her husband of 18 months are expecting their first baby, the Daily Mail can reveal. The Oscar-winning actress and Keith Urban, the country and western singer she calls the "love of my life", broke the news to their families over the Christmas holiday. The 40-year-old Australian star had already spoken of "winding down" her film-making activities as much as possible next year. The baby, whose expected arrival date has not yet been revealed, will be the actress's first natural child. She adopted Isabella, 14, and twelve-year-old Conor during her first marriage to Tom Cruise. Miss Kidman was stunned when he filed for divorce in 2001. Shortly after they split, she revealed that she had suffered an ectopic pregnanacy and a miscarriage during the marriage. . . . She is due to film The Reader with Ralph Fiennes and British director Stephen Daldry in Berlin next month, but has no more cinema work planned after that. "I just want to spend as much time as possible with my husband," she told the Daily Mail. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The risks - and rewards - when motherhood begins at 40 The Sydney Morning Herald- Life & Style, By Kate Benson Medical Reporter, January 9, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Nicole Kidman Is Pregnant People magazine, January 7, 2008

Sean Penn and Robin Wright divorcing
Hollywood couple has been together 11 years; they have 2 teenage children MSNBC.com- AP, December 28, 2007
- Sean Penn and Robin Wright are splitting up. Their publicist tells People magazine’s Web site that Penn and Wright are divorcing after 11 years of marriage. She didn’t say why. Penn and Wright have two children. Hopper Jack is 14 and Dylan Frances is 16. . . .
Married ... With Children's David Faustino Divorce Is Final People magazine, By Karen Salkin, December 28, 2007
The 3-year marriage of Married ... With Children star David Faustino and his wife, Andrea, is officially over. After filing divorce papers in Feb., their petition was granted Friday on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. In the original papers, Faustino stated that he did not want to pay spousal support. Court papers released Friday reveal that a settlement has been agreed to between the parties, but was "not being attached to the judgment for privacy purposes.". . . . .
Brendan Fraser, wife end nine-year marriage USA Today, December 26, 2007
— Brendan Fraser will begin 2008 as a single man. The 39-year-old actor announced Wednesday that he and his wife, Afton, are ending their nine-year marriage. "They continue to maintain a close and caring friendship," Fraser's publicist, Ina Treciokas, said in a statement. The couple wed in 1998 and have three children. . . . .

Island I-Do's for Murphy & Edmonds? E! Online- Planet Gossip Blog, By Marc Malkin, December 27, 2007
Will Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds be married by the end of the year? It sure sounds like it. I’m told the Hollywood power couple will wed any minute now in the South Pacific. A source tells me guests and members of the wedding party are expected to arrive in Tahiti sometime today. "It’s a small, private affair," the source says. Last-minute preparations took place earlier this week. "The bridesmaid dresses are all custom from somewhere in Beverly Hills," my source reports. "They just had their final fittings." Edmonds, 40, hinted at the holiday-season nuptials back in the fall. "I’ll say it’ll be before the end of the year," she told People magazine in October. "And someplace far away and fun." This is the second marriage for both. Edmonds and music impresario Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds divorced after 13 years of marriage. They have two sons. Murphy, 46, has five children with his ex-wife, Nicole, and one with former girlfriend Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown. . .

Despite recent court rulings, the 'gay marriage' debate not over

Despite rulings, 'Gay marriage' debate not over in Md., Wash. Baptist Press, By Michael Foust, December 28, 2007
--Conservatives in Maryland and Washington state are learning that the battle about "gay marriage" is far from over, despite court rulings in their favor in the past 18 months. In both states homosexual leaders are hoping their respective legislatures will do what the courts would not do -- legalize "marriage" for same-sex couples. Both courts said the issue was for the legislative branch, and not the judicial branch, to decide. . . The Maryland Court of Appeals -- the highest court in the state -- issued a ruling in September refusing to legalize "gay marriage.". . . . In Washington state, where that state's Supreme Court ruled against "gay marriage" in July 2006, homosexual activists are pushing for additional legislation a mere five months after a new same-sex domestic partnerships law went into effect. The law grants homosexual couples some of the legal benefits of marriage. . . . . New Hampshire's civil unions law takes effect Jan. 1, and same-sex couples -- including Democratic state Rep. Gail Morrison and her partner -- are planning to have a group ceremony on the steps of the state capitol at midnight. The law will grant couples the legal benefits of marriage, minus the name. . . . Christian conservatives worried about the collapse of the natural family found another reason in mid-December to have concern when the Los Angeles Times reported the birth of a baby born essentially with two mothers and two fathers. . .

The constant in Christmas is the message: The Christ child born in a Bethlehem stable who has promised to remain with our ever-shifting family through eternity

The constant in Christmas is the message
Family groups, traditions are altered through the years Kentucky.com, By Paul Prather, December 22, 2007
My son, John, has announced his engagement to a sweet-natured, pretty young woman named Cassie. This time last year I didn't even know Cassie, and long before next year's Christmas, she'll be my daughter-in-law. My sister's son, Will, is about to become a father. Will's more like a second son to me than a nephew; he and John practically were raised as brothers. . . . . My late wife loved Christmas. Renee sent out scores of cards, shopped months in advance, bought gifts for everyone with whom we were remotely acquainted. Just after Thanksgiving, she'd put Christmas carols on the stereo, then she and John would spend hours trimming our tree, decorating our house's windows and stringing lights from its gutters. I'd sip custard as I watched the spectacle from the sofa. After the decorations were finished, Renee would stack and wedge wrapped presents halfway across the den floor. She passed away. John and I still share the same home, but we've never been able to work up much enthusiasm about preparing for the holidays. . . . Christmas, like most things in this world, changes. That in itself is neither good nor bad. It just is. Some of the changes tear your heart out. Others are joyous -- new marriages, new babies, new friendships. You mourn the old faces that will appear no more. But you also love the new faces you never expected to see. They are bright, wonderful gifts. And all the while, you try to focus on the only constant, that child born in a Bethlehem stable . . . .

Not receiving desired gift is not grounds for divorce MyWestTexas, By Mary Dearen-Midland Reporter-Telegram, December 22, 2007
I rarely choose to wrote about things that I find unbelievable, amazing or preposterous. But I am going to climb on my soapbox today in response to the Family Matters column on Dec. 16. There probably are as many reasons for seeking a divorce as there are couples seeking those divorces. But the reason posed by "Married to Scrooge" takes the cake. In her letter to Jim May she said "divorce is beginning to look good" because her husband never gives her what she wants for Christmas. She said her husband is successful and a good provider, but doesn't "know if I can stand another year like the last 12." There may be other reasons this "Mrs. Scrooge" is contemplating ending her marriage, but her letter doesn't specify any. So based on what I read, I have come to the conclusion that this woman is one of the most shallow people I ever have come across. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Secret santas brought joy to a dark Christmas Nevada Appeal, By Sue Jones- Virginia City resident, December 22, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Looking for Christmas Magic? It’s in People Stoking the Fires of Love, Laughter BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, Dec 12, 2005

Q & A: Special sex just for the holidays? Her scroogey husband only gives generously on certain occasions MSNBC- Sexploration, By Brian Alexander-MSNBC contributor, December 20, 2007
Q: Is it normal for my husband to withhold a certain way of making love that really truly works for me? He knows it’s my favorite, but he told me once that it is only for special occasions. I feel I am so sexually deprived. Most of the time it’s all I think about, right down to having affairs in my head. . . .

A: How can you leave us hanging like this? We demand details! Does your preferred technique involve major food groups? Audience participation? Not that the specifics would change this answer, we’re just curious. It's lucky for you, I guess, that we are now in the giving season, that time of year when wishes are said to come true. So here’s hoping that your scroogey husband regards this, and the coming of the New Year, as special occasions. And he is certainly being a scrooge. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLES: More Sexploration Columns MSNBC.com

Toilet paper wedding dress, designed by contest winner Hanah Kim, worn by Jennifer Cannon on her wedding day in Times Square. (Click for Related Video)

The Bride Wore Two-Ply New York Times Blog- City Room, By Jennifer 8. Lee, December 19, 2007
With the expectations and costs of weddings skyrocketing these days, both richer and poorer couples find with debt do they start. The Vows column can often feel like the adult version of My Super Sweet Sixteen. Then again, couples can buck the trend and go to Cheap Chic Weddings, a Web site that aggregates money-saving tips on catering, gowns, wedding music, flowers, among other things. Started by a cost-conscious mother and two daughters, the Web site has held a wedding dress design contest for the last three years with interesting rules: toilet paper, glue and tape only. City Room wonders, how do they 1) get, and 2) keep the dresses on without buttons and zippers? (The answer is that they tend to be single-use dresses, which at first seemed odd, but then again, in theory why would you wear a wedding dress more than once?). . . . .This year, the winner of the $500 first prize was Hanah Kim, who works in the fashion business. Ms. Kim was then commissioned to design another toilet-paper wedding dress, which was worn by Jennifer Cannon in her wedding to Doy Nichols of Lexington, Ky., on Wednesday in Times Square at the Charmin public restrooms. . .

Losing that loving feeling?
Like friendship, love can die. And sometimes the cause is just boredom and benign neglect. Malaysia Star, By Sumiko Tan, December 21, 2007
If divorces are on the rise, what does it say about society and that crazy little thing called love? That “I love you” doesn’t mean that much anymore? That values like faithfulness, commitment, loyalty and patience are in short supply? That the belief that the family is the building block of society – and marriage the foundation of the family – is being chipped away? That love is no guarantee a marriage will last? That marriage is no guarantee love will last? And that even if love doesn’t last, marriage is no longer the glue that holds couples and families together? That love between a couple can actually die? A recent study of the United States, Russia and the Scandinavian countries suggested that the traditional “seven-year itch” has been replaced by the five-year itch. In the 1950s, the rule of thumb was that amber lights would flash when a marriage hit the seven-year mark. Today, couples are at their greatest risk of divorcing just before their fifth wedding anniversary. . .

Losing that loving feeling? Like friendship, love can die. And sometimes the cause is just boredom and benign neglect

JOKE OF THE DAY: The Lighter Side

THE SILENT TREATMENT:
A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly the man realized that the next day he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and lose), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew she would find it. The next morning the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go to see why his wife hadn't wakened him when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM Wake up."

(Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.)

Niger: Where Childhood Ends On the Marriage Bed All Africa, By Niamey, December 19, 2007
Fifteen-year-old Hadjo Garbo's child-like features belie a history more tragic and life-altering than many adults four times her age will have experienced. Two years ago this petite girl, who likes to fiddle with her elaborately braided hair and once dreamed of being a housewife, was married to one of the older men in her village in the Dosso region of southwest Niger. She was just 13 years old. The marriage was consummated, and by 14 she was pregnant with her first child. But before her 15th birthday she had lost the baby - and her husband. Hadjo's anatomy proved unready for the task of delivering a baby and after an excruciating three-day labour, the unborn foetus was cut out of her, stillborn. The horrific labour left the girl with what gynaecologists call an obstetric fistula, a tearing of the tissue that develops when blood supply to the tissues of the vagina and bladder and/or rectum is cut off during prolonged obstructed labour. The condition mostly affects child victims of underage marriage. Hadjo was ostracised by her husband and his family, and forced to secrete herself away from the prying eyes and laughter of her former school friends. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Clergy failing women on forced marriage, bride price The New Vision- Uganda, By Atuki Turner, December 20, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Early marriage increases poverty, study finds Yemen Times, By Fatima Al-Ajel, December 17, 2007

Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III claims he was abused by wife, Juanita Bynum: In a one-on-one interview with the AJC, Weeks says he is suiting up for spiritual war

Bishop Weeks claims he was abused by wife
In a one-on-one interview with the AJC, Weeks says he is suiting up for spiritual war The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, By D. Aileen Dodd, December 19, 2007
. . . . Weeks, who says he is innocent, recently shared his story with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bynum, who is developing a domestic violence ministry, has held local news conferences on TV and radio to discuss her accounts of the marriage. She has said through a spokesperson that she will consider an AJC request for a one-on-one interview but she has not set a date. Weeks maintains that publications and broadcasts about his stormy marriage do not paint a complete and accurate picture. . . . Q: How did you meet Juanita Bynum? A: She came and spoke at a conference in 1998, one of my father's conferences ... Praise Power Celebration. Q: How long did you date before you got married? A: We dated sincerely about six weeks. Both of us had been through a number of things in our prior relationships ...We thought it would be best per her request, to go ahead and get married ... My family history was very clear, solid. She said out of her own mouth it's like marrying a pedigree of legacy. . . . .Q: You said she asked you to marry her. How did she pop the question? A: It was over a telephone call one afternoon. She was sharing her heart ... We got married in July [July 21, 2002] ... in Las Vegas at the courthouse ... The major TV wedding that was on TBN was in April 2003. It was Juanita's desire to do it that way. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Bishop Weeks yanks tell-all book on Bynum, apologizes in online video: "She Wanted To Be the Next Oprah at Any Cost," he notes The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, By D. Aileen Dodd, December 13, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Juanita Bynum: On Her Own Essence magazine, By Denene Millner, January 2008 Issue
Read excerpts from the conclusion of her two-part exclusive interview in the January 2008 issue of Essence magazine.

RELATED ARTICLE: Juanita Bynum: I've Come This Far by Faith Essence magazine, By Denene Millner, December 2007 Issue

RELATED ARTICLE: Christian Divorce Trends Fuel Debates Christian Post, By Lillian Kwon, November 28, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Evangelicals shift toward acceptance on divorce USA Today, By Adelle M. Banks, November 22, 2007

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

RELATED ARTICLE: Tragically Widening the Grounds of Legitimate Divorce DesiringGod.org, By John Piper, October 17, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: What God Has Joined: What does the Bible really teach about divorce? Christianity Today, By David Instone-Brewer, October 5, 2007

Baby Drama: Jamie-Lynn and a Study in Statutory Rape
America's Jailbait Sweetie Radar Online- Fresh Intelligence, December 19, 2007
Life's pretty sweet when you're teen TV princess Jamie-Lynn Spears, even if you get knocked up just after your sweet 16. It could be a hell of a lot worse, anyway. Just ask Genarlow Wilson, an African American honor student, who, at 17, got a consensual BJ from a 15-year-old during a motel room party. Wilson was convicted of aggravated child molestation and had to lobby the legislature and courts to avoid a decade in prison and a spot on the national sex offenders registry. Zoey 101 star Jamie-Lynn, the youngest sibling of Britney, not only got freak nasty with Casey Aldridge, the 19-year-old son of a Cleveland, Tennessee, paper mill worker she's been dating since she was 14—she got pregnant. The response? A comforting hug from her employer Nickelodeon, the cover of OK! magazine, and a portrayal of the events framed in the soft light of an after-school special. . . . .

Britney's 16-year-old sister Jamie Lynn is pregnant for 19 year-old boyfriend Casey Aldridge. Spears tells OK! magazine news came as a shock

RELATED ARTICLE: Innocence Lost: The Sexualization of Youth—From physical appearance to wanton behavior, sex dominates the thinking of young people. How did we get here? Is it too late to turn the tide? The Real Truth magazine, By Bradford G. Schleifer, November 29, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Dying to Date TownHall.com, By Kathleen Parker, November 16, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Sex and Schoolkids Townhall.com, By Jeff Jacoby, Oct 24, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE: Teen Pregnancy: Overview, Health Risks to the Baby and Other Consequences of Teenage Pregnancy Womens Health Channel, November 1, 2000

RELATED ARTICLE: Mom, I'm Pregnant Family Life Today, By Leslie Barner

RELATED ARTICLE: Q & A: What is the answer to curbing teenage sexual activity? Family.org

RELATED ARTICLE: What Your Teens Need to Know about Sex Family.org, By Linda Klepacki, R.N., M.P.H.

RELATED ARTICLE: Adolescence—Are You Ready for the Tough Questions? Family Life Today, By Dennis Rainey

Italian court changes baby's name Parent Dish, By Sandy Maple, December 18, 2007
As far as unusual baby names go, "Friday" is not too bad. It is short, means something, and is easy to spell. All in all, I kind of like it. Unfortunately for this couple, the Italian courts do not and have ruled that they cannot name their son "Friday." Little Friday was already five months old when his name was noticed by a city clerk. The clerk brought the matter to the attention of a tribunal, which decided the name fell into the category of "ridiculous or shameful." Claiming the name would hinder the boy from developing "serene interpersonal relationships", the tribunal moved to protect this child from a lifetime of days-of-the-week jokes. . . . . The court ordered his name be changed, but the parents refused. So, the court did it for them, renaming the child Gregory, after the saint whose feast day he was born on. "My son was born Friday, baptised Friday, will call himself Friday, we will call him Friday but when he gets older he will have to sign his name Gregory," she said. Take that, Italian courts!. . . . .

Yuletide Cleanup TownHall.com, By Rich Galen, December 17, 2007
Spring Cleaning is supposed to be a big deal in America. There is a mythology about opening the windows and airing out the house as the weather warms. I do not personally know a single person who, upon the arrival of the vernal equinox, feels the stirrings of their Clean-Up gene becoming active. In ancient civilizations there were rites celebrating the end of Winter and the coming of the Spring planting season. In modern America we engage in the Rite-Of-The-Changing-Of-The-Furnace-Filters in celebration of moving the little switch under the thermostat on living room wall from HEAT to COOL. Spring cleaning, it turns out, has nothing on the tumult of tidying which occurs as Christmas approaches. A visitor from a future time might think this activity was to make the home neat and orderly should Jesus decide to do a drop-by. Or, for those with a more secular bent, so that Santa would think "nice" (not "naughty") when he dropped down the chimney and picked out presents to leave under the tree. Nothing could be further from the truth. It all has to do with MY MOTHER IS COMING TO MY HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS! Substitute BROTHER, SISTER, NEIGHBOR, BOSS, or any of the many flavors of IN-LAW and the theory works equally well. . . .

Pamela Anderson Divorcing Rick Salomon? People magazine, By Tim Nudd and Ken Lee, December 17, 2007
Pamela Anderson filed for divorce from Rick Salomon after two months of marriage last week, but a reconciliation may already be in the works. Anderson, 40, filed for divorce Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences. The actress says she and Salomon separated the day before, on Thursday. She is seeking to have Salomon pay spousal support and attorney's fees. But two days later, she was spotted shopping with Salomon, and on Monday she posted this brief note on her Web site: "P.S. We're working things out." The former Baywatch star married Salomon, 39, at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas on Oct. 6 – during an hour-and-a-half break between two magic shows Anderson was performing. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Pamela Anderson Appears to Move Ahead with Divorce People magazine, By Ken Lee and Stephen M. Silverman, January 3, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Pam Anderson Divorcing Rick Salomon Celeb TV, December 17, 2007

Is Pam Anderson Divorcing Rick Salomon after two-month marriage?

Should we keep the marriage counsellor out of the office?

Let's keep the marriage counsellors out of the office Financial Times- UK, By Lucy Kellaway, December 17 2007
Here is a game to play with your spouse one chilly evening. Sit yourselves down with some paper, Sellotape, string and a pair of scissors. Working together, construct a paper tower that is strong and beautiful. You have 30 minutes to do it. This fun little game has been devised by the most famous marriage counsellor in the world. John Gottman has seen 3,000 couples pass through his "Love Labs" in the US and has set many of them to work on the towers. He has found that couples who co-operate well over the scissors and glue tend to have good marriages that stick. Ones that can't share the glue nicely are likely to fall apart. . . . The reason that I'm suddenly taking such a keen interest in the health of my marriage is the fault of the Harvard Business Review, which has decided that understanding how marriages work is important to the study of management. Its reasoning goes like this: being successful in business means having good relationships with people. The most important relationship is a marriage. Therefore people who have good marriages are likely to have good relationships with their colleagues too. And by understanding why marriages go wrong we get some understanding of why work relationships go wrong - which is why it went out to interview Dr Gottman for some tips. . . . . And so are there any parallels at all between marriages and work relationships? There may be a negative one: success at work may go hand in hand with failure in matrimony. Successful people have bigger egos, are in the office all the time and have lots of money and opportunity to stray. . . . .

Homo erectus extinctus The Times Online, By Lois Rogers, December 16, 2007
Is nature determined to make men extinct? Senior scientists believe that women may evolve as humanity’s sole representatives — and social and political trends are lending weight to their theories. . . . . By the extrovert standards of our parliament, it is a surprisingly quiet debate, but one that will have all manner of implications. The Human Tissue and Embryos Bill, which is expected to become law next summer, says controversially that the fathers of artificially conceived children need not necessarily be recognised by the state. Are fathers destined to become redundant? The bill is a reflection of much wider scientific and social changes. The technology to produce artificial sperm, or even create offspring from two females, is already in the pipeline; in addition, genetic evidence has shown that the Y chromosome, the only one that confers maleness, is in a long-term evolutionary decline. And if that were not humiliating enough for men, in sizable communities across the country lesbians are not only forming partnerships, but they are openly bearing and raising children together, secure in the knowledge that British society now accepts such a lifestyle choice. Do men have a future at all? . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Father or sperm donor? Court says donor 49 NEWS-ABC news.com, By Kendall Jones, October 26, 2007

The motherhood myth: The misery of being a mother The Daily Mail- UK, By WINIFRED ROBINSON, December 14, 2007
So at last the biggest secret of motherhood is out. For every woman who gives birth then sinks back blissfully into the pillows, there are scores like me who sit bolt upright, eyes wide with fear and think: "Oh my God, what have I done?" Lest you assume that I just didn't bond with my baby, let me say from the outset that I loved my son Tony from the top of his down-covered head to the tip of his tiny little toes. I loved him before he was born, before he was even conceived. I loved the idea of him, and I never lost touch with that love throughout the many miserable years of infertility and the IVF treatment that finally resulted in his birth on August 20, 1999, when I was 41. By then, as one of the doctors so tactlessly put it, I was "in the last chance saloon when it came to having kids". But however much he was loved and wanted, my baby's arrival waved no magic wand of satisfaction over my life. And as a study this week by the Institute for Social and Economic Research in Colchester attests, I am not so much the exception as the rule. The survey questioned four thousand couples and discovered that children, until the age of five - the point where most start school - make mothers less satisfied with their lives. . . . The irony of my situation wasn't lost on me: that after all those years of trying for a baby and finally achieving my goal, his arrival made me somehow unhappier than I had been before. Because what no one can convey before your own little bundle arrives is just how hellishly hard it is to be a Mum - by far the most difficult challenge most of us face in life. So why wasn't maternal love the harbinger of happiness?. . . . .

The motherhood myth: The misery of being a mother

RELATED ARTICLE: 'My joy at finally becoming a mother after losing eight babies' The Daily Mail- UK, By Lucy Laing, December 26, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Parenthood Ended Hudson and Robinson's Marriage San Francisco Chronicle- The Daily Dish, December 18, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Deciding When To Have A Child, If Ever: The Impacts Later In Life Science Daily, May 13, 2007
— How does having children or not having them affect a woman's happiness in later life? A new study examining nearly 6,000 women provides an unexpected answer —it's not so much whether you have children as when you have them.

RELATED ARTICLE: Beyond Babies: Why More Married Couples Are going Childless Newsweek International, By Stefan Theil, Sept. 4, 2006 issue

RELATED ARTICLE: Sorry, but my children bore me to death! The Daily Mail, By Helen Kirwan-Taylor, July 6, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: 'And Baby Makes Three': Realize We're All in the Same Soup AOL Coaches- Love and Sex, By John M. Gottman, PH.D., and Julie Schwartz Gottman, PH.D

RELATED ARTICLE: REPORT: Life Without Children The State of Our Unions: The Social Health of Marriage in America 2006 National Marriage Project-Rutgers University, By Barbara Dafoe Whitehead & David Popenoe

Rhode Island: Despite ruling, woman asks court for same-sex divorce Providence Journal, By Edward Fitzpatrick, December 14, 2007
Less than a week after the Rhode Island Supreme Court said a same-sex couple could not get divorced in Family Court, one of the Providence women involved in the groundbreaking case filed for divorce yesterday in Superior Court, the main state trial court. Margaret R. Chambers and Cassandra B. Ormiston married in Fall River in May 2004 shortly after Massachusetts became the first state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. And last year, the couple filed for divorce in Rhode Island Family Court. But in a 3-to-2 decision issued last Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that Family Court lacked jurisdiction to grant the divorce because under the 1961 law that created Family Court, the word "marriage" means the union of a man and a woman. Chambers' lawyer, Louis M. Pulner, filed a complaint for divorce in Superior Court shortly after noon yesterday. "The Supreme Court is telling us Family Court lacks jurisdiction, but they did not say Superior Court lacks jurisdiction," Pulner said in an interview. "They did not say this couple could not get divorced in Rhode Island. They just said they could not get divorced in Family Court because of their interpretation of statutory language from 1961.". . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: R.I. high court rules against divorce in same-sex marriages Providence Journal, By Edward Fitzpatrick, December 8, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Mass. Gay Marriages Lead To Increase In IVF 365Gay.com, December 7, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: For Some Gays, a Right They Can Forsake New York Times, By Anemona Hartocollis, July 30, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: The Myth of Monogamy: Why Gay marriage Won't Work Political Gateway, By Bud Beck, May 19, 2006

Florida Marriage Protection Amendment Makes Historic Petition Goal For 2008 Ballot

Florida Marriage Protection Amendment Makes Historic Petition Goal for 2008 Ballot EarnedMedia, December 13, 2007
Florida4Marriage.org representatives in Tallahassee today announced that the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment has exceeded the number of verified petitions to qualify to be on the November 4, 2008 ballot. "Today, the people of Florida have spoken. And they will speak again in November of 2008. Their message will be timeless and clear--Marriage is the union of one man and one woman," said Orlando Attorney John Stemberger, State Chairman of the Florida4Marriage.org Campaign. "This is the next critical milestone in the effort to protect the institution of marriage in Florida," he commented. "A super majority of Floridians believe, and the research clearly indicates, that children do best when raised by a mom and a dad." On December 12, 2007, the Florida Division of Elections Website indicated that marriage amendment petitions had been verified throughout the 67 counties of Florida. This accomplishes the final legal requirement to place the marriage amendment on the 2008 ballot so Floridians can decide how marriage will be defined in their state. Opponents of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment have already begun to disseminate false and misleading information about the amendment. The primary group opposing the amendment is the so-called "Florida Red and Blue" committee. In a recent interview on Tampa's Fox 13 "Your Turn" show, Campaign Manager, Derrick Newton disingenuously stated with a straight face, "We do not have an opinion on gay marriage." Masked as a bi-partisan coalition, Red and Blue's board and donors are actually made up almost exclusively of democrats, left wing groups and gay rights activists. . . . .

RELATED SITE: Florida4Marriage.org Contact Michelle McKinnie: 407-251-1957
RELATED ARTICLE: Flood of 'Friend-of-Court' Briefs Slows California Gay Marriage Decision GayWired, By Bryan Ochalla, December 13, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: Bill Won't Cover Attacks Against Gays: Expanded Hate Crime Legislation Dropped From Defense Policy Bill CBS News, December 6, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Why gays are losing on marriage TownHall.com, By Kevin McCullough, July 31, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Opposition to Gay Marriage is Not Discrimination Human Events Online, By Rabbi Aryeh Spero, June 8, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: There's nothing Hateful About Protecting Marriage Human Events Online, By Michael Lewis, June 7, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: The Dangers of Same-sex "Marriage" BreakPoint.org, By Regis Nicoll, May 26, 2006

Q & A: Family tradition? When a marriage is on the rocks, put your happiness first Seattle Post-Intelligencer, By Dr. Joyce Brothers- Syndicated Columnist, December 13, 2007
DEAR DR. BROTHERS: I'm in a marriage that is impossibly terrible. Both of us know it, and we're aware every morning, every hour of the day, that we've made a terrible mistake. We were just out of high school when we got married. We thought we were in love, but really it was the first sex either of us had experienced. I realize this might sound stupid and unreal in today's world. We come from a small town, a very religious community, and I think we both had parents who'd probably made the same mistake we made, but they got through it -- not happily, I might add, but neither of our parents would ever dream of divorce. It isn't and wasn't done. But we want OUT! We even went to therapy without telling our parents, and nothing's worked. -- D.K.

DEAR D.K.: If you both feel as you do -- if you believe you've tried all the other avenues that might solve your problems and they failed -- then you're going to need to be brave and break with family tradition in order to be able to have another chance at finding happiness. . . . .

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

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

US soul musician Ike Turner dies BBC News, December 13, 2007
US soul legend Ike Turner, the former husband of Tina Turner, has died at the age of 76. He died at his home near San Diego, California. There was no immediate word on the cause of death. He rose to fame in the 1960s, and is best remembered for his musical partnership and stormy marriage with Tina Turner, who said he abused her. In later years he rehabilitated his image and won his second Grammy in February for Risin' with the Blues. He shared his only other Grammy with Tina Turner in 1972 for their cover of Proud Mary. "Ike Turner passed away this morning. He was at his home," said Scott Hanover, an official at the performer's management company. 'Demonised': Michele Schweitzer, a spokeswoman for his former wife, said: "Tina is aware that Ike passed away earlier today. "She has not had any contact with him in 35 years. No further comment will be made.". . . . . Turner, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is credited by many music historians with making the first rock 'n' roll record, Rocket 88, in 1951. Broadcaster Paul Gambaccini told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "In musical terms [he was] very important. "Rocket 88 is one of the two records that can claim to be the first rock 'n' roll record, being the other being The Fat Man by Fats Domino from 1949," he said. He said the track was an "indisputable claim to fame" for Turner. "To critics he will be known as a great founder, unfortunately to the general public he will always be known as a brutal man," he added. . .

US soul musician Ike Turner dies at age 76

Eva Longoria's marriage to Tony Parker tested by model Alexandra Paressant's claims

Longoria's Marriage Tested by Model's Claims PR Inside, December 13, 2007
EVA LONGORIA's five-month-old marriage to basketball player TONY PARKER is facing its first major test -thanks to a French model who claims the sportsman is a love rat. Alexandra Paressant claims Parker slipped her his telephone number at his July (07) wedding reception and the couple embarked on a two-month affair behind the Desperate Housewives star's back. The 26-year-old, who briefly dated Brazilian soccer star Ronaldhino, reveals she was at Parker and Longoria's French nuptials as the date of another soccer hero, Thierry Henry. Paressant tells X17online Parker romanced her because, "Eva, sexually speaking, does not want to do certain things." The model explains, "She do (sic) not want to make love in front of a mirror, does not like certain position (sic) and thinks that sperm gives acne." And the model even claims Parker showed her around the mansion he and Longoria are building in San Antonio, Texas when Paressant visited him there. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Alexandra and Tony, The Text Messages X17 Online, December 13, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: I Slept With Tony Parker X17 Online, December 12, 2007

Jodie Foster comes out with emotional tribute to her girlfriend of 14 years The Daily Mail- UK, By David Gardner, December 12, 2007
Jodie Foster has finally come out as a lesbian to pay tribute to her girlfriend of 14 years. The fiercely-private actress has always resolutely refused to discuss her sexuality. But after winning an award at a Women in Entertainment breakfast, she broke her taboo to thank "my beautiful Cydney". Her emotional speech brought tears to the eyes of some of her audience at the Beverly Hills Hotel, revealing a vulnerable side to a star who has long resisted calls from gay rights activists to clarify her personal life. Miss Foster, 44, a double Oscar winner, praised her film producer partner Cydney Bernard "who sticks with me through all the rotten and the bliss". The couple met on the set of the film Sommersby in 1993 and are raising two sons, Charles, nine, and Kit, six, at their Malibu home. Although she gave birth to both boys, Miss Foster has never revealed the identity of the father or the circumstances of their conception. As with most questions about her personal life, the actress has refused to comment on gossip that the father was an old university friend from Yale, who is also gay. Accepting the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, she offered an insight into the insecurities that haunt her. . . . .

Jodie Foster comes out with emotional tribute to her girlfriend of 14 years, Cydney Bernard

Q & A: EX ETIQUETTE: Dad's help needed to get gift for ex Belleville News-Democrat, By Jann Blackstone-Ford and Sharyl Jupe- Contra Costa Times, December 11, 2007
Q: Should my husband still be getting presents with his daughter for his ex now that she has another child and a new partner? Shouldn't his ex's new partner be the one to get her the gifts with the stepdaughter?

A: From the tone of your question it appears that you think your husband's responsibilities to teach his daughter manners and respect for her mother stopped when they signed the divorce papers, and we just don't agree. Because Mom has a new partner does not mean Dad can resign from his duties. If Dad wishes to relinquish the responsibility of buying the mother of his child a present "from the child," then that is up to him, but it is not automatically implied. As we have said before, signing divorce papers severs the tie between husband and wife, but their responsibility as Mom and Dad continues. It is inappropriate, however, to buy presents for the ex "from the ex" when both have remarried. It is important to qualify this statement. . .

Is Seymour About to Vote Simon Out? AOL News, December 10, 2007
'American Idol' might be ready to kick off again, but is Simon Cowell's girlfriend ready to kick out of their relationship? A group of reports accumulated by Page Six offers some insight into the sharp-tongued judge's relationship with long-time girlfriend and 'Extra' correspondent Terri Seymour. According to Seymour, a split between the two might happen sooner than later. "He doesn’t want kids, full stop. But I would definitely love to have a baby," Seymour said to Britain’s Hello! magazine. What's Simon's critique of their relationship and what the future may hold? "I don't think it'll be happening next month. I don't know if she’ll leave me. I think she's happy. We get on fine," Cowell said to Hello! Page Six goes on to insinuate that the relationship between Cowell and Seymour is also being strained by recent reports that Cowell and 'X Factor' judge Danni Minogue have been getting close. The two were reportedly spotted holding hands in London, but Minogue's pop star sister Kylie told the Daily Mirror it was just an "angle of the camera" optical illusion. . . .

Parenting Issues: In Gaps at School, Weighing Family Life New York Times, By Michael Winerip, December 9, 2007
The federal No Child Left Behind law of 2002 rates schools based on how students perform on state standardized tests, and if too many children score poorly, the school is judged as failing. But how much is really the school's fault? A new study by the Educational Testing Service - which develops and administers more than 50 million standardized tests annually, including the SAT - concludes that an awful lot of those low scores can be explained by factors that have nothing to do with schools. The study, "The Family: America's Smallest School," suggests that a lot of the failure has to do with what takes place in the home, the level of poverty and government's inadequate support for programs that could make a difference, like high-quality day care and paid maternity leave. The E.T.S. researchers took four variables that are beyond the control of schools: The percentage of children living with one parent; the percentage of eighth graders absent from school at least three times a month; the percentage of children 5 or younger whose parents read to them daily, and the percentage of eighth graders who watch five or more hours of TV a day. Using just those four variables, the researchers were able to predict each state's results on the federal eighth-grade reading test with impressive accuracy. . . . .

Episcopal fold loses 1st diocese - in valley San Francisco Chronicle, By Ellen Lee- Chronicle Staff Writer, December 9, 2007
The Diocese of San Joaquin, a conservative fold that serves California's Central Valley and has long chafed under what it considers the increasing liberalism of its fellow Episcopals, on Saturday became the first in the nation to separate from the U.S. Episcopal Church, voting overwhelmingly to take a strong and definitive stance against how the church deals with homosexuality and other controversial issues. The diocese, which serves nearly 9,000 parishioners in an area stretching from Lodi to Bakersfield, has effectively seceded from the American wing of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and has placed itself in the hands of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone of America, which oversees the dioceses in six South American nations. From now on, its officials say, the diocese, which operates out of offices in Fresno, will report to the Most Rev. Gregory James Venables, presiding bishop of the Southern Cone and of Argentina, in his office in Buenos Aires. In response to the vote, the bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church suggested the Diocese of San Joaquin will soon have new leadership, but did not elaborate on how that might take place. . .

In 2003, the Episcopal Church ordained as bishop V. Gene Robinson, a gay man in a long-term relationship, sparking outrage among many in the church

RELATED ARTICLE: Episcopal Diocese Secedes From Church AOL News.com-AP, By Jordan Robertson, December 9, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Pro-Gay Theology: 'Jesus Said Nothing About Homosexuality' Family.org, By Joe Dallas
If the notions of truth and doctrine are becoming unimportant to Christians, can the idea of sin survive?

RELATED ARTICLE: Pro-Gay Theology: 'I'm a Believer, and I'm Gay' Family.org, By Joe Dallas

RELATED ARTICLE: Pro-Gay Theology: Scriptural and Cultural Arguments Family.org, By Joe Dallas
The pro-gay theology is much like the broader gay rights philosophy, in that it seeks legitimization -- not just tolerance -- of homosexuality.

RELATED ARTICLE: Dont be manipulated by the master marketers Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, October 4, 2005

War of words: Andy Bathie is being forced to pay for the children he fathered (one of whom is obscured for legal reasons)

Selfish or naive? The fireman sperm donor fighting against child support The Daily Mail- UK, By Barbara Davies, December 8, 2007
At best, Andy Bathie could be described as naive and gullible. At worst, the 37-year-old fireman who donated sperm to a lesbian couple has been downright foolish and irresponsible. He may rant and rave at the Child Support Agency which is now forcing him to pay £450 a month for the two children fathered with his 'gift', but it's hard to believe that he couldn't see the disaster waiting to befall him from the moment the two women handed him a yoghurt pot and ushered him towards the upstairs bathroom. "I was helping out a couple of friends," he insists. "I trusted them. I didn't think anything could go wrong. I never wanted to be a father. They are not my children. I am just a DNA donor." And, he points out, he had this convenient little arrangement in writing. "I've got text messages and MSN emails," he says without a trace of embarrassment. Incredibly, he seems utterly unabashed that he entered into something so monumental, so obviously wrought with hideous complications, with such a flimsy agreement in place. . . .

Runaway schoolgirl bride Amy Robson thinks her Egyptian husband Mohamed Al Sayed (Noby) is the 'kindest man I've ever known'

Runaway schoolgirl bride thinks her Egyptian husband is the 'kindest man I've ever known' The Daily Mail- UK, By Polly Dunbar, December 8, 2007
When Amy Robson was a little girl, she dreamed of one day marrying her ideal man in a traditional white wedding in a church close to her Cumbrian home. Last week, when she married internet cafe manager Mohamed El Sayed in Egypt, the celebrations were somewhat different. Dressed in a gold sequined gown and gold jewellery, Amy, the runaway schoolgirl from Cumbria who has just turned 18, beamed constantly as she marked her nuptials to the 30-year-old man nicknamed Noby with a party thrown by her new in-laws at their home 30 miles outside Cairo. And despite her family's fears over her future, Amy seemed in no doubt that it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Noby's friends, neighbours and dozens of family members gathered in the flat in the town of Banha to watch the couple exchange silver rings. They have spent just a few short days together, but Amy says she is in no doubt that he is the love of her life. . . . . As a young wife, she will not be allowed to go anywhere independently of Noby. And, as a fair-haired Western woman, anywhere she does go, she will receive a great deal of attention. When asked about the prospect of children, Amy confided she would prefer to wait a while. Her new family, however, cooed that children are a great blessing and said they hoped she and Noby would be blessed soon. And although he appears kind, looking after Amy as if she were a child, Noby has taken her passport from her. So if her dream does turn into a nightmare, she may find it difficult to escape. . . .

SAUDI ARABIA: Saving the Girl of Qatif TownHall.com, By Linda Chavez, December 7, 2007
President Bush seemed at a loss for words this week when he was asked during a press conference if he would use his influence to help a Saudi rape victim who has drawn international attention. The young woman was raped 14 times by seven men and now faces her own imprisonment and 200 lashes in a sentence imposed by a Saudi court. So what was the victim's "crime"? She happened to be in the company of a man who was not a close relative when she was attacked. The president hemmed and hawed . . . . . . In reality, Saudi Arabia is a prison for its female population. Women may not travel outside their homes unless accompanied by a close male relative. They may not drive; they are subject to beatings by official religious police if they don't wear the abaya and veil; and they may not receive medical treatment without the permission of a male relative. Their testimony in court is given only half the weight of a man's. Although women may study law and have recently been given licenses to practice law, they may not represent clients in court. Women may be divorced by their husbands without cause but must prove legally specified grounds if they wish to initiate a divorce. And, divorced women lose custody of their children when their sons turn 7 and their daughters turn 9. .

Saudi Arabia 's judicial system, particularly the wide latitude judges have in sentencing criminals, has come under scrutiny after the gang rape of a 19-year-old woman and her male friend (Click for Related Video)

Aisle of dreams: Our guide to weddings abroad (Click for Related Video)

Travel— Aisle of dreams: Our guide to weddings abroad The Telegraph- UK, By Francisca Kellett, December 7, 2007
Beverly King is not a woman to cross. She is standing on a path in the lush gardens of Antigua's Jolly Beach Resort with her hands placed squarely on her hips. A gang of workmen eyes her warily. . . . . Her team organises more than 300 weddings a year, 90 per cent of them for Britons. Only one Antiguan resort, she tells me, organises more - double, in fact. "They might as well be getting married on a conveyor belt," she says with a sniff, and I fancy I pale a little: conveyor-belt weddings aren't far from what I had been expecting here. Jolly Beach may be Antigua's largest resort, but Beverly insists that couples get personal service and a unique wedding. . . . . As the wedding party makes for shady lawns and sparkly drinks, I follow Beverly back past the beach and pool and sunbathers to the air-conditioned cool of her office, where she opens up neat files of detailed forms covering everything from the standard wedding package (marriage licence, bouquet, wedding cake, a bottle of sparkling wine, a tray of hors d'oeuvres) to optional extras (photographer, a steel band, a horse and carriage). Beverly interviews each couple a few days before the wedding and they simply pick out what they want from her lists. . . . It seems refreshingly straightforward. I think back to my own wedding earlier this year, and the endless tasks and lists and arguments that preceded it. Here, it seems, all the stress falls on Beverly. "It is very simple," she declares, slapping her forms down on her desk. "I say to my couples, 'You're in the Caribbean - you can chill.' And most of them do. That's why they come here." More and more are coming every year. . . .

The Girls as young as SIX who already hate their bodies: From left: Harriet Buck, Kathleen Bartha, Ilana Pecino, Maria Daly and Phoebe Asplin

Parenting Issues: The Girls as young as SIX who already hate their bodies The Daily Mail- UK, By Alison Smith-Squire, December 7, 2007
Harrriet Buck sympathises with others who battle with their weight - after all, she knows only too well just how hard it is to live with an "imperfect" body shape. With a deep sigh, she says: "My problem is the top of my legs and my bottom, which sticks out. I would like a smaller bottom because I find it difficult to fit into some jeans." Warming to her subject, she continues: "Ideally, I would like my legs to be slimmer all over and then I could wear what I wanted. "Instead, when I go shopping it's hard to find jeans that look really nice, and I can't wear very short skirts."A familiar cry, you might think - just another young woman who yearns for the perfect figure. But, shockingly, Harriet is just nine years old. At an age where other girls are happy to play with their Barbies, Harriet dreams of having the same figure as the curvy plastic doll. It's a body-obsession which horrifies her mother. But Harriet is far from alone - this week, a poll by BBC TV's Newsround revealed that 40 per cent of girls aged between six and 12 want to change their appearance. One in four wants to be thinner, while 15 per cent would like to be taller or to change their face. A quarter dislike their hair. The Mail decided to investigate by asking six girls from around the country what they really think about their looks. Their answers make disturbing reading. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Jennifer Love Hewitt's Body-Image Battle AOL TV News, December 6, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Celebs Cheer Jennifer Love Hewitt's Views on Weight People magazine, By Jeffrey Slonim and Alexis Chiu, December 6, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Jennifer Love Hewitt: 'A Size 2 Is Not Fat!' People magazine, By Nicholas White, December 2, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Fighting for our children isn't easy Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, August 9, 2005

The Church makes the case for marriage Tidings Online, By Rev. Richard Benson, C.M, December 7, 2007
Celia and George have decided to move into together after dating each other for a year. They both are working full time, have good jobs and feel ready to settle down. They haven't really discussed marriage, although secretly Celia believes that by agreeing to live with George, marriage will be a natural development that George will eventually be happy to agree to, especially when she gets pregnant. George really enjoys his relationship with Celia but believes that, since future marriage wasn't explicitly spoken about as a condition for living together, he is free to move on should this relationship sour, although he really intends to do his best to make it last. He thinks that Celia "could finally be the one." Couples like Celia and George can be found across our society --- and in a significant number of practicing Catholic families. An authentic Catholic response to the growing phenomenon of cohabitation is sought by parents who don't know what to say to their children to live in such a situation; by the couples themselves who want to know where they "stand" in the Church's eyes; and by pastoral leaders who encounter such couples in parish marriage preparation programs. . . .Since "ends" don't justify "means," even the naïve intention to engage in cohabitation in order to strengthen a future marriage commitment is morally unacceptable. The Church's teaching on the integrity of marriage as a sign of Christ's union with the Church (Catechism, n. 1617) means that such a union can never be relegated to being simply a "trial" or "practice" time. Rather, a marriage by definition is a commitment to permanent fidelity from its inception. What would be the value of a "betrothal ceremony" prior to a marriage ceremony, if there is already a commitment to marriage?. . . . .

A Holiday Medley, Off Key New York Times, By Julie Scelfo, December 6, 2007
When her sons were toddlers, Amy Manata, a Jewish woman with a Catholic husband, began conducting a silent war. In the months leading up to Hanukkah, she would ask the boys, now 4 and 6, which toys they wanted most, then bestow them at Hanukkah to ensure that it was a better holiday than Christmas. She and her husband, Frank, who live in Skokie, Ill., are raising their sons with both Catholic and Jewish traditions. Still, with so much Christmas everywhere, “Hanukkah was sort of getting lost, and I felt like I couldn’t compete,” she said. Ms. Manata willingly put up Christmas decorations, but she sometimes felt weird about the wreath on her front door and the tree in her living room. “Skokie was very Jewish when I was growing up,” she said. “I wasn’t in a house with Christmas lights until I was a sophomore in high school, and I remember feeling so uncomfortable about it, like it was a totally foreign place.” Years later, a tree in her own living room brought back some of those feelings. It is a familiar problem, widely known as the December dilemma: the annual conflict faced by millions of adults in interfaith marriages over how to decorate homes, how and when to give gifts, and which rituals to celebrate. . . . .

A Holiday Medley, Off Key: Dealing with inter-faith conflicts within our homes during the holiday season

Victoria Beckham spills bedroom secrets in her most revealing interview yet. (Click for Related Video: World's Sexiest Couple?)

Victoria Beckham spills bedroom secrets in her most revealing interview yet The Daily Maik-UK, By Natalie Trombetta, December 6, 2007
Victoria Beckham has revealed intimate details about life with David, her miserable childhood, and her limited talent in her most revealing interview yet. Posh, who describes herself as "gay man trying to get out," couldn't resist spilling bedroom secrets during the tell-all chat, revealing she sleeps naked simply because she finds her husband irresistible. She says: "I sleep naked. I'm going to be naked if I'm getting in bed with him every night.” And while the mother of three has just kicked off a multi-million pound Spice Girl reunion tour, she candidly admits she's not a born performer. She says: "It became very obvious from the start that I was never going to be the best singer or the best dancer or the best actress. I was never a 'natural'. "You know, I've never been that good at anything, to be completely honest." She's certainly well credentialed in one area - self promotion. Posh, who fronts this cover of the upcoming issue of Elle, tells the magazine: "I work seven days a week. And I so love what I'm doing. I could go shopping all day, which is what a lot of people think that I do. "That's their perception - that I'm a miserable bitch and go shopping all day and boss David about.". . . .

Rhydian and the no seX Factor The Daily Mail-uk, By Nicole Lampert, December 7, 2007
Away from the ridiculous metallic suits and pale make-up that are the talking point of every Saturday night's X Factor, Rhydian Roberts seems almost disappointingly normal. The undisputed star and favourite to win this year's series of the ITV1 talent competition, opera singer Rhydian has been dressed up in the most bizarre outfits every week by producers determined to inject some pizazz into the show. But when we meet, his lavish sequinned suits have been swapped for jeans, a sweatshirt and walking boots. His peroxide blond hair doesn't seem so strange when it has not been gelled to stand on end. His eyes which appear so steely on TV are animated. And he even has a sense of humour. . . . . While on the show he is coiffed and dressed to look a lot like a camp version of the Terminator, prompting even Sharon Osbourne (who has a bat-biting hubby) to call him "weird", but Rhydian's attitude towards life is best summed up as being old-fashioned. Brought up as a non-conformist Christian by his parents Angela and Malcolm, who live in a former farm cottage, Welsh-born Rhydian believes in working hard. He doesn't drink, doesn't smoke and doesn't have sex. . . . .

Rhydian and the no seX Factor: Rhydian Roberts, favored to win The X factor in the UK doesn't drink, doesn't smoke and doesn't have sex (Click for Related Video)

A Bundle of Joy Isn’t Enough? New York Times, By Thomas Vinciguerra, December 6, 2007
When Jena Slosberg of Bedford, N.H., gave birth in March, she endured a labor that lasted 17 hours. But her discomfort was ultimately worth it, quite apart from the arrival of her daughter, Marin. In the recovery room, her husband, Paul, presented her with a pair of diamond earrings. “I was on cloud nine,” Ms. Slosberg said. “It was the perfect present to make a frazzled, sleep-deprived, first-time mommy feel absolutely glamorous.” She added, “I wonder what 17 hours of labor will get me next time?” In a more innocent age, new mothers generally considered their babies to be the greatest gift imaginable. Today, they are likely to want some sort of tangible bonus as well. This bonus goes by various names. Some call it the “baby mama gift.” Others refer to it as the “baby bauble.” But it’s most popularly known as the “push present.”. . . . A recent survey of more than 30,000 respondents by BabyCenter.com found that 38 percent of new mothers received a gift from their mate in connection with their child. Among pregnant mothers, 55 percent wanted one. About 40 percent of both groups said the baby was ample reward. . . . .

The Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America will be evicted from a Philadelphia municipal building for refusing to denounce the organization's homosexuality prohibition (Click for Related Video)

Boy scouts lose Philadelphia lease in gay-rights fight International Herald Tribune, BY Ian Urbina, December 6, 2007
PHILADELPHIA: For three years the Philadelphia council of the Boy Scouts of America held its ground. It resisted the city's request to change its discriminatory policy toward gay people despite threats that if it did not do so, the city would evict the group from a municipal building where the Scouts have resided practically rent free since 1928. Hailed as the birthplace of the Boy Scouts, the Beaux Arts building is the seat of the seventh-largest chapter of the organization and the first of the more than 300 council service centers built by the Scouts around the country over the past century. But over the years the fight between the city and the Scouts was about more than this grandiose structure in Center City. Municipal officials said the clash stemmed from a duty to defend civil rights and an obligation to abide by a local law that bars taxpayer support for any group that discriminates. Boy Scout officials said it was about preserving their culture, protecting the right of private organizations to remain exclusive and defending traditions like requiring members to swear an oath of duty to God and prohibiting membership by anyone who is openly homosexual. This week the Boy Scouts made their last stand and lost. . . . . In 2000, the Supreme Court decided a case — Boy Scouts of America v. Dale — involving an openly gay scout from New Jersey who was barred from serving as troop leader. The court ruled in a 5-to-4 decision that, as a private organization, the group had a First Amendment right to set its membership rules. . .

RELATED VIDEO: Local Boy Scouts Face Eviction

RELATED ARTICLE: Scout Leader in California Accused of Abuse New Yok Times, By Caroline Marshall, December 7, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Boy Scouts ignore 'pay-up-or-move' ultimatum: Philadelphia threatening $199,999 rent increase or eviction World Net Daily, December 4, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Boy Scouts defeat ACLU: Court dismisses suit to bar use of military fort WorldNetDaily, April 5, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Religious Liberty, Same-Sex Marriage, and the Coming Pressure on Legislatures to Reach An Appropriate Permissive Accommodation of Religious Entities That Discriminate Against Gay Couples FindLaw, By Marci Hamilton, November 1, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Or For Poorer? How Same-Sex Marriage Threatens Religious Liberty Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, By Roger Severino, Summer 2007 (pdf doc)

RELATED ARTICLE: Religious liberty and the gay-equality movement The Hill, By Carl H. Esbeck, October 30, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Banned in Boston: The Coming Conflict Between Same Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty  The Weekly Standard- Cover Story, By Maggie Gallagher, May 15, 2006 Issue

RELATED ARTICLE:   Political bullying works Jewish World Review, By Cal Thomas, April 5, 2001

RELATED VIDEO:  Religious Liberty Under Fire

NZ wife loses as husband fails to change his gender back to male New Zealand Herald, December 06, 2007
A New Zealand woman who married an American man with "ambiguous genitalia" has had her marriage licence quashed and been refused permission to stay in the United States. The woman, who has not been named, married Stephan Thomas Calewarts - also known as Stephanie Tia Calewarts - in September 2006. But Stephanie Calewarts - whose name was legally changed in 2000 - asked a Brown County, Wisconsin circuit judge in October 2006 to change his birth certificate back to a male gender. When the judge refused, the county revoked the couple's marriage licence because Mr Calewarts' birth certificate listed him as female because same-sex marriages are illegal in Wisconsin. Because the marriage was null, the New Zealand woman couldn't get a visa to stay in the United States, Mr Calewarts told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Sexless Green Card Marriage Ends with Annulment FOX News.com, By Lisa Wiehl

'Widow' Anne Darwin Admits Knowing 'Dead' Husband John Darwin Was Alive (Click for Related Video)

'Widow' Admits Knowing 'Dead' Husband Was Alive FOXNews.com, December 6, 2007
Panama City — The wife of the “back from the dead” canoeist John Darwin last night confessed that she knew her husband was alive after being confronted with a recent photograph of the pair together in Panama. Anne Darwin, who had previously insisted she believed her husband died five years ago, said she would return home to Britain to “face the music” after confirming the authenticity of the photograph. Starting to cry, Anne Darwin said, “My sons are never going to forgive me. They are going to hate me. It looks as though I am going to be left without a husband, a home or a family now.” Citing friends and relatives, her two sons believed their father was dead, The Daily Telegraph reported. However, one of the sons left his job as a software engineer last Friday and the other son reportedly left his job in August, the newspaper reported. It was not clear if the departures had anything to do with their father. . . . . She claimed she had initially believed her husband died in a 2002 canoeing accident. She would not specify how she found out that he had not died, except to say that “it was years later.". . .

Marriage is recommended to all: Aishwarya Now Running.com, IANS, December 5, 2007
It seems newly wed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is enjoying herself completely, as the Bollywood actor strongly recommends the institution of marriage to everyone. "I am a happy girl, can't you make out?" beamed Aishwarya. "Marriage is a beautiful chapter in life. It is so blissful and wonderful...in fact difficult to articulate. I strongly recommend it to everyone. Each one of us must experience it," she told IANS Wednesday. "Everybody was teasing me when I came here to celebrate 'karva chauth' (a Hindu ritual). But I said I have to experience it," she added. The actress, who won the Miss World pageant in 1994 and started her stint in the Hindi film industry with "Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya," was in the capital to unveil the bridal collection of watch brand Longines. She got married to Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan on April 20, 2007. . . . . . "Although I have found the key to it - time management. It is imperative for every working individual to discover the ability of time management. You have to take time out for your maternal family, in-laws and for your own (husband-wife) relationship at the same time.". . .

Recently married Bollywood Star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Miss World 1994) recommends marriage to all

I pay a man for regular sex:
Every month for three years I have spent up to £600 on Justin, who makes me a calmer and happier person The Times Online- UK, December 5, 2007
I’m sure I’m not the only person who hides such a guilty secret, and I’m equally sure that anyone in my position would guard it as ferociously as I do. Once, sometimes twice, a month I meet up with Justin, a 36-year-old divorcé. We go out for a meal and maybe to a club before spending the night in a hotel. I am a divorced mum and work part time to spend as much time as I can with my four children. Justin also has four children. But what differentiates our dates from the norm is that I pay for Justin’s company, including having sex with him. This arrangement has worked very well for me for the past three years and I hope it continues. My exhusband and I get on pretty well, but I don’t want all the complications involved in getting into a relationship – I want to be able to concentrate on my children, my job and my life without introducing a man who might well walk out at some point, thus upsetting the children. . . . This way I’m very satisfied sexually, which makes me a much calmer and happier person, and I do like the secrecy element of this arrangement. I keep both lives totally separate and Justin doesn’t know where I live, what I do or even my real surname. I get a real buzz out of my elegant, controlled image and the fact that no one knows I’ve got a secret side – one that would shock everyone. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Rich English Elders Bedding Young African Men? It Seems Funny, But It’s No Laughing Matter BlackAmericaWeb.com, By: Tonyaa Weathersbee, November 28, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: When sex games go wrong The Times Online- UK, By Sean Thomas, November 30, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Watching you, watching me The Times Online- UK, By Dr. Thomas Stuttaford and Suzi Godson, October 20, 2007

Don't go get married again, Sarkozy's mother tells her favourite son

Don't go get married again, Sarkozy's mother tells her favourite son The Times Online, By Charles Bremner in Paris, December 5, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy, the newly divorced President of France, can have his pick of women but he should avoid marrying any of them, his mother advised today. Andrée Sarkozy, 82, a lawyer who brought up her three sons after their father left when they were young, also does not hold Cécilia Ciganer, his former wife, in high regard, she told a magazine. “We had a good relationship without being close. She is cold but she doesn't do it on purpose and she has always been nice to me,” she said. “Daudou”, as Mr Sarkozy calls his formidable Maman, gave her views in an unusually frank interview about her trip to China with him on a state visit ten days ago. She was asked if the President was finding life hard after his second marriage ended in October, six months after his election. “In his job, he will be spoilt for choice,” she replied. “But I hope that no one will remarry. I have had enough of brides.” Mr Sarkozy's possible love interests are the source of much fact-free gossip on the internet and elsewhere. . . . .

Breaking up is hard to do, but need it destroy you? Arizona Daily Star, By Jakob Hanes, December 5, 2007
Everyone who has had a failed relationship knows the physical and psychological toll it can take, but new research at the University of Arizona is aimed at finding out how it all works — and how to avoid being destroyed by a bad breakup. A series of ongoing studies by the psychology department is examining the physical responses people have when they think about their breakups, to discover exactly what causes the mind to have such a powerful effect on the body. "We're trying to understand how people create meaning, how people reorganize their views of the world," said David Sbarra, assistant professor of clinical psychology. Sbarra and his team of researchers are in the middle of two studies, one aimed at how people ages 18-22 deal with breakups and the other at people who recently have divorced. . . . His work has received national attention and has been featured on the Discovery Channel and in Men's Health magazine. So far the divorce study has investigated the physical and psychological responses of about 80 people, said graduate research assistant Rita Law, who administers the tests. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The State of Our Unions 2007: The Social Health of Marriage in America- Essay: The Future of Marriage in America By David Popenoe- Rutgers University- The National Marriage Project, July 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Divorce may affect health, study says The Wall Street Journal, By Sue Shellenbarger, June 17, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE & RADIO BROADCAST: The Four Horsemen: Why Marriages Fail National Public Radio (NPR) News, D.C., Marriage Education Initiative, August 30, 2005

Should Getting Married Be the Price a Man’s Willing to Pay for a Woman’s Passion? Absolutely BlackAmericaWeb.com, By: Joseph C. Phillips, December 04, 2007
I am always amused to hear baby boomers applaud themselves for being so much more in touch with their sexuality than were their parents. For them, prior generations were uptight prudes that just didn’t know how to get their groove on. Seemingly lost on these free spirits is that the “boom” in baby-boom came from someplace. As much as we might like to think that sex and eroticism is our exclusive province, the truth is that sex, lust and fun has not changed all that much throughout the ages. . . . .Sex leads to pregnancy, and that is just the law of nature. What is different is that the availability of contraception, along with abortion on demand, has meant that couples can pursue their past time without the worry of pregnancy. The new wide-open playing field has also meant that marriage is no longer the price a man pays for a woman’s passion. Women were more likely to demand marriage in exchange for sex because they believed -- quite properly, it turns out -- that any children that resulted from a roll in the hay would be healthier and happier in a stable two-parent home. This is perhaps the most significant difference between the old school idea of marriage and the new. . . . .

Katherine Heigl Talks About Marriage, Ratings Ploys, and Why She Thinks Knocked Up Is Sexist Vanity Fair Press Release, December 3, 2007
NEW YORK, N.Y.—Emmy-winning actress Katherine Heigl tells Vanity Fair contributing editor Leslie Bennetts that she thinks Knocked Up, the movie that catapulted her onto the A-list, is “a little sexist. It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. It exaggerated the characters, and I had a hard time with it, on some days. I’m playing such a bitch; why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you’re portraying women? Ninety-eight percent of the time it was an amazing experience, but it was hard for me to love the movie.” In her own life Heigl is an assertive, impatient go-getter who quickly tired of waiting for her boyfriend (singer-songwriter Josh Kelley) to propose and demanded to know what his intentions were. She even went and picked out the diamond for her ring. “I’m not really a first-move kind of gal,” she says. “I’m one of those women who always thinks it’s better to play it cool and keep them wanting more, but I really threw myself at him. I broke all the rules.” Heigl says she doesn’t have any “grand illusions about marriage. I think it’s a crapshoot. . . . . When Heigl’s Grey’s Anatomy character, Izzie Stevens, began an affair with her married best friend on the show this season, Heigl became concerned about her character’s seemingly uncharacteristic actions. . . . .

Katherine Heigl Talks About Marriage, Ratings Ploys, and Why She Thinks Knocked Up Is Sexist

Book Review: 'Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study Of Religiously Mediated Change In Sexual Orientation' NARTH.com, By George A. Rekers, Ph.D.
This is clearly the best scientific study yet conducted on change of homosexual orientation and on the question as to whether attempts at such change are inherently harmful. My academic peer review found this investigation to be the most rigorous, well-designed empirical study to date on these questions. This study meets the high research standards set by the American Psychological Association that individuals be validly assessed, followed, and reported over time with a prospective, longitudinal outcome research design. Using well-accepted, standard psychological measures, Jones and Yarhouse found solid evidence that homosexual orientation can be significantly changed. And their careful scientific search found no evidence that spiritual or psychological harm directly results from attempting such change. Because so many secular psychologists and psychiatrists mistakenly assumed the opposite of these clear scientific findings, this groundbreaking scientific study sets a new landmark in the field of therapeutic change for unwanted homosexual orientation. . . . .

RELATED INTERVIEW: Michael Glatze: A former gay activist explains how he left homosexuality (pdf.doc.) NARTH.com, Interviewed by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi

RELATED ARTICLE: Publisher of African American Magazine for Homosexuals Announces Conversion to Christ: She Publicly Rejected Her Old Lifestyle Associated Content, By Mike White, March 3, 2007

Marriage: Eco-friendlier than divorce? USA TODAY, By Sharon Jayson, December 3, 2007
Divorce isn't green, says a study being published today. The research, led by ecologist Jianguo "Jack" Liu, a Michigan State University professor of fisheries and wildlife, looked at international data comparing utility consumption and housing space per capita in married and divorced households. He found that divorce creates more households with fewer people, using more energy and water and taking up more space. The analysis, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, does not look at the environmental impact of singles who have never been married, but Liu says he plans to look at singles in a subsequent study. . . . .While divorce leads to smaller household size on average for a population, "it's not just divorce," says social demographer Ronald Rindfuss of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who has studied the relationship between population and the environment for more than a decade. "There's a whole variety of factors that have been leading to people living in dwelling units containing smaller units of people. Divorce is just one.". . . .

JAMAICA: A matter of self-control Jamaica Gleaner, By Esther Tyson- Principal, Ardenne High School, December 2, 2007
. . . . There is an urgent need for our family life to be addressed. Families form the basis of society. This should be the structure within which morals and values are taught. Self-control should begin to be practised in this context. Our family structure, however, is now fragmented because of our unrestrained sexual behaviour. There is an urgent need for persons who want to have sex to understand that this means that they are potential parents and be prepared for parenting. The Government needs to mandate parenting classes for girls and babyfathers (who need to be identified) at the stage of pregnancy. This should be continued at every level of the child's development. This is not a matter of interfering in persons' lives; this is a matter of the survival of our nation. Sex was created by God for the context of marriage. Our using sex outside of its right context has resulted in untold suffering to our people. Sex is for marriage, marriage is for adults, and, therefore, children should not be given the okay to be having sex. The fact that we have lowered the age of consent to 16 shows that as a nation, we are far from understanding the social and moral impact of unrestrained sexual behaviour. . . . "Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say 'no' to oneself.". . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Teens say no to sex and drugs The Daily Telegraph- Austrailia, By Andrew Chesterton, December 9, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Teenage Birth Rate Rises for First Time Since 91 New York Times, By Gardiner Harris, December 6, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: What makes teens tick Time magazine, May 10, 2004

Letters to the Editor: Marriage, by God or Government? New York Times, December 2, 2007
. . . To the Editor: Stephanie Coontz says we should “let couples — gay or straight — decide if they want the legal protections and obligations of a committed relationship.” In every state in the nation, if they’re straight, they already can. It’s called “marriage.” And if they’re gay, in at least some places they also can. But Ms. Coontz is arguing that in an age of high divorce, cohabitation and more, it’s not fair to determine who gets legal rights based on marriage. So how will Ms. Coontz’s “fair” system work?. . . . . . . To the Editor: Stephanie Coontz’s argument for privatizing marriage leaves the impression that the state has little interest in the institution except to hand out benefits to some and deny them to others. Nonsense. The state’s interest is to support the optimum arrangement for rearing the next generation. We have an out-of-wedlock birth rate of nearly 40 percent and a divorce rate of 40 percent to 50 percent. That’s not evidence that marriage no longer matters; on the contrary, it’s the source of serious social problems. Single-parent homes are intricately connected to high rates of crime, dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, poverty and inequality. So does Ms. Coontz believe that the state has no interest in any of those issues?. . . .

Mothers Scrimp as States Take Child Support   New York Times, By Erik Eckholm, December 1, 2007
MILWAUKEE— The collection of child support from absent fathers is failing to help many of the poorest families, in part because the government uses fathers’ payments largely to recoup welfare costs rather than passing on the money to mothers and children. Close to half the states pass along none of collected child support to families on welfare, while most others pay only $50 a month to a custodial parent, usually the mother, even though the father may be paying hundreds of dollars each month. Critics say using child support to repay welfare costs harms children instead of helping them, contradicting the national goal of strengthening families, and is a flaw in the generally lauded national campaign to increase collections. Karla Hart, a struggling mother of four here, held out her monthly statement from the county child-support office. Paid by the father: $229.40. Amount deducted to repay federal costs of welfare: $132.18. Her share: $97.22. . . . . The Bush administration has set a goal of increasing the share of collections distributed to families and reducing the amount retained by the government. But the drive to reduce the budget deficit has gotten in the way. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE:  Why the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Rejected a Man's Claim for Relief from Involuntary Fatherhood   FindLaw.com, By Joanna Grossman, November 27, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Black Men and Child Support: Should Men Be Able to Opt Out of Parenthood? AOL Black Voices- By Angela Bronner, Updated August 28, 2007

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

RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage and Caste: America's chief source of inequality? The Marriage Gap City Journal, By Kay S. Hymowitz, January 17, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: The Most Effective Anti-Poverty Program Ever Created? Marriage    BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, Oct 10, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE: Teaching Marriage To Welfare Moms   National Public Radio (NPR) News, D.C., Marriage Education Initiative, August 29, 2005

Parenting Issues: Chasing Excitement, Cheating Death Townhall.com, By Janice Shaw Crouse, December 1, 2007
Police have found another young woman’s body. They think it’s Emily Sander, a missing college student in Kansas. The 18-year-old community college student apparently led a double life. She appears to be the young teenager who was also known as Zoey Zane, who posted nude photos online, appeared in two live cam shows a week and recently signed a contract for pornographic work on the Internet. She was last seen leaving a bar with a 24-year-old man whose room was later found in disarray and drenched in blood. A friend told reporters that Emily “enjoyed” posing for the pictures because “she wanted to be in the movies and she needed the extra money.” There is an ugly thread linking Emily’s apparent death to Natalee Holloway’s disappearance while on her senior trip to Aruba and to the unimaginably gruesome death in New York City last year of Imette St. Guillen after she left a bar at 4 a.m. These sorts of tragedies bring us grief –– but our grief is mixed with rage that such a thing could happen to such beautiful young women with the potential of bright futures ahead of them. . . . . Youths will forever be prone to misjudgments and accidents. A random accident is a tragedy, but when our worst fears come true, it is unbearable to think it was the consequence of a deliberate decision to court disaster or in pursuit of a cheap thrill. How do you cope with a mind destroyed by sniffing glue, with a life damned by cocaine, with a child gone forever after a bout of binge drinking? Isn’t it time for grown-ups to teach kids how to deal with today’s awful realities?. . . . .

Authorities confirmed that a body found Thursday was that of college student Emily Sander, who also moonlighted as a web porn star

Parenting Issues: In Praise of Spanking Townhall.com, By Doug Giles, December 1, 2007
This week in the uber-liberal state of Massachusetts (y’know . . . the one Romney used to govern) another dense liberal has come up with one more dumb idea to potentially add to their states’ stack of stupidity. The brain fart the libs pulled out of their booty this time was the proposal to make it illegal for parents to spank their unruly kids’ backsides. The culprit: Democratic Representative Jay Kaufman. The proposal: House Bill 3922 which would make it unlawful for parents to use corporal discipline on their children within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It would also create a presumption that any spanking is child abuse and neglect. And this Kaufman critter is pro-abortion. Let’s see, according to Jay, it’s wrong to spank an eight year old who drowns puppies in the toilet, but it’s okay to crush the skull of a pesky unborn child. Okay, Jay. . . . . . Now, not only should we have a Non-Screaming Kid section in restaurants, but we should also make it illegal for parents to refrain from smacking their children when they behave badly. I’m a thinkin’ that most of the crap the Left comes up with is bass akwards in regard to common sense and traditional values anyway so . . . ipso facto . . . we should, as good conservatives, volley into the legislative court the proposal that if your kid acts up in public and you don’t spank them then we fine or imprison you. We could call it House Bill 666: The Anti-Little-Damien-Act. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Child Abuse Worsens as Families Change Townhall.com, By Michael Reagan, November 28, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Dishing out some Hart-felt wisdom Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, September 20, 2005
Have you ever met a perfect parent? Me neither. 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.”. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Tennessee Mother Makes Daughter Stand on Street Corner Wearing Sign Listing Bad Behavior FOX News- AP, June 25, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The politics of the Supernanny Boston Globe, By Ellen Goodman, May 15, 2005
The one reality show that I became addicted to was ''Supernanny." Week after week, episode after episode, the producers featured children who gave new meaning to the word ''brat" and parents who made the doormat look like it had a spine. Then in stepped Supernanny to perform an extreme family makeover in a week. ''Lord of the Flies" meets ''Mary Poppins." The appeal of the show to parents was the voyeuristic certainty that our kids were nowhere nearly that bad, our homes were nowhere nearly that chaotic, and we were nowhere nearly that hapless. It was months before I wondered how come all these families had only one problem: discipline. How come all the makeovers had the same solution: getting parents in charge and putting kids in the naughty circle? I was not surprised when Focus on the Family decided to sponsor the last episode. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Is Spanking a Religious Duty?   ABC News, May 3, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE: Approaches to Discipline   Focus on the Family.org
All parents seek disciplinary techniques that work. However, not all techniques work for all ages or for all children. Use this list as a guide for age-appropriate discipline. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Does Spanking Work for All Kids? There are other explanations   Focus on the Family.org, Answered by Dr. James Dobson
Q: I have spanked my children for their disobedience, and it didn't seem to help. Does this approach fail with some children?

More Marriage News: November 2007