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"MARRIAGE" In The News
(July 2006) |
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The news articles and features presented below are simply an indication of how topical, controversial, and all-encompassing the issues surrounding marriage are throughout our society--and the world-- today. Some of the views and opinions expressed, and their respective web sites, do NOT reflect the views or opinions of The Real Proposal™ magazine. Many are highlighted largely to reiterate that the alarming statistical trends on the chaotic state of "Marriage" and "Family"--outlined in "A Mere Glimpse"--will continue unabated without a fundamental grasp and purposeful dissemination of TRUTH on the issues.
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- Gay Groups Announce Agenda 'Beyond
Same-Sex Marriage' CitizenLink.org, By Pete Winn, July 31, 2006
Marriage isn't the only 'worthy' form of
relationship, statement says. To try to counter the
family-values agenda, lesbian, gay and bisexual activist groups
joined hands recently to publicly announce a new agenda. They
issued a major statement called "Beyond Same-Sex Marriage: A New
Strategic Vision for All Our Families and Relationships." "Our
strategies must be visionary, creative and practical to counter the
right's powerful and effective use of marriage as a 'wedge' issue
that pits one group against another," the statement claims. "The
struggle for marriage rights should be part of a larger effort to
strengthen the stability and security of diverse households and
families.". . . . . Glenn T. Stanton, senior analyst for marriage
and sexuality at Focus on the Family Action, said it's now very
clear that most gay activists never really sought same-sex
marriage. What they really want is "anything goes." . . . . .
TO READ THE FULL STATEMENT: Beyond Same-Sex Marriage: A
New Strategic Vision For All Our Families and
Relationships
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Why gays are losing on
marriage TownHall.com, By Kevin McCullough, July 31,
2006
With a clearly definitive win in the Washington Supreme
Court this week, marriage advocates are on an impressive roll. . .
. But why are radical homosexual activists losing the fight? Simply
put - it's a Godless proposition they are putting forth and the
vast majority of Americans - even some liberals are not ready to
bankroll a completely bankrupt values agenda. . . . .
Lesbians lose legal marriage bid BBC
News, UK, July 31, 2006
A lesbian couple who married legally
in Canada have failed in their High Court bid to have their union
given full legal status in the UK. Celia Kitzinger and Sue
Wilkinson, of North Yorkshire, were married in Vancouver in 2003.
The pair said the UK's failure to recognise the legality of their
vows was a breach of their human rights. A judge ruled that their
union could be recognised as a civil partnership, but not marriage.
. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: THE COURT'S
DECISION
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- The Sanctity of
Marriage QueerPlanet.us, By David Johnson, July 31, 2006
Sanctity” my ass, you hypocrites! I was thinking
about all the other things that seem to screw around with this
“sanctity” that they aren’t bitching about. For
instance: - They aren’t lobbying for laws
against reality shows that turn courting into a game show like The
Bachelor, Joe Millionaire, and Average Joe.
- I haven’t heard anyone “Their
blood be upon them!” when talking about the 55 hour marriage of
Britney Spears and Jason Alexander.
How about a little peek into
the fact books of those “defenders of the sanctity of marriage”: .
. . .
Proof There's No
'Gay Agenda': Not All of Us Want Gay
Marriage Queerty.com, By David, July 31, 2006
Lest you think it's all for one, one
for all in the gay community's push for legalized marriage, let it
be known that no, not all advocates were celebrating when
Massachusetts adopted same-sex marriage. Some gay advocates – while
still pushing for civil rights – are at the same time critics of
the drive for equivalent marriage terms between gays and straights.
Wasn't this whole gay rights movement, they argue, spurned by a
want to live an alternative lifestyle?. .
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
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- Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock marry in St
Tropez Fametastic.com- UK, By LucyLastic, July 30, 2006
Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock married on a
luxury yacht in St Tropez yesterday. The actual ceremony happened
below deck but the happy couple emerged on deck afterwards to wave
to photographers. . . . Just another three weddings to go then. . .
. .
RELATED ARTICLE: Pamela Anderson, Kid Rock Tie the
Knot People magazine,
Courtney Rubin, Dana Kennedy and Nancy Wilson, July 29,
2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock to have four wedding
ceremonies Fametastic.com-UK, By HeatherHoneypot, July 27,
2006
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- Bollywood Gets Real, Taking On the Modern Indian
Marriage NEW YORK TIMES
(Free Subscription), By Anupama Chopra, July 30, 2006
. . . . .For the last decade Mr. Johar, 34, has had
a dream run at the box office, directing glossy family dramas in
which the united Hindu family is unabashedly celebrated and
propagated. “I have always played safe,” Mr. Johar said in an
interview here during the shooting of the film last March, “and
therefore never been sorry.” But with “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna”
(“Never Say Goodbye”), he enters alien, high-risk territory: the
modern Indian marriage. . . . The institution of marriage was
radically redefined in urban India after the nation’s
liberalization movement began in 1991. So much so that, as Dr.
Rajesh Parikh, neuropsychiatrist at the Jaslok Hospital and
Research Center in Mumbai, put it: “The modern marriage barely
reveals its lineage from the traditional marriage of decades ago.
Today marriage covers the entire gamut from altered gender roles,
satellite relationships, geographical separations and divorce.” . .
. . .
MOVIE REVIEW: Kabhi Alvida
Naa Kehna ("Never Say Goodbye") LycosMovies
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- Prince's
wife ABC Online, Australia By Rebecca
Keating, July 28 2006
Manuela Testolini Nelson has made the
"very difficult decision" to divorce funk rock star Prince. . . .
Lawyers for Prince say the split - after five years of marriage -
isn't what the singer wants. .
RELATED ARTICLE: Prince, Wife Are
Divorcing People Magazine, Jul 26,
2006
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- Mexico abandons marriage vows seen as
sexist Malaysia
Star-AP, Malaysia, July 28, 2006
- For 147 years, marriage vows in Mexico portrayed
women as delicate, weak and potentially
annoying. These days, judges
across Mexico are switching to versions that stress equality and
mutual support, reflecting the growing power of women in a country
still struggling with macho attitudes. . . . Even though the Mexican constitution says we are equal,
the vows put the woman in a very disadvantaged position, where the
man can make it her obligation to reproduce, take care of the
home,''. . . .
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- Till
death, or living in America, do us part
Star- Telegram, By Patrick McGee, July 27,
2006
America's immigrants have more enduring marriages than U.S.
citizens, but experts say they cannot be considered reinforcements
in the battle to maintain the traditional family in this country.
Once here, immigrants get caught in America's culture of divorce. .
. . . But many Mexican marriages don't survive in the United
States. About 12 percent of Mexican immigrant women's marriages end
in divorce in the first 10 years, and about 41 percent of married
women of Mexican ancestry born in the United States get divorced
within the same time period, according to the Journal of Marriage
and Family. . . . .
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- Parenting Issues: Sorry, but my children bore me to
death! The
Daily Mail, By HELEN KIRWAN-TAYLOR, July 26, 2006
It's the start of the summer holidays, when millions
of mothers despair at how to entertain their children for the next
six weeks. What none of them dare say is that they would rather
their children were still at school or, frankly, anywhere else.
Helen Kirwan-Taylor, a 42-year-old writer, lives in Notting Hill,
West London, with her businessman husband Charles and their sons
Constantin, 12, and Ivan, ten. Here, she argues provocatively that
modern women must not be enslaved by their children. . . .
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- Same-sex
marriage on rocks with voters
20 out of 20 times, Americans choose to protect
institution from changes WorldNetDaily, July 27,
2006
Yesterday's stunning decision by Washington's
Supreme Court upholding traditional marriage is not the only
setback dogging same-sex marriage advocates. In fact, 20 out of the
20 times it has come before voters, Americans have chosen to
protect by constitutional amendment the idea of limiting marriage
to one man and one woman. So this year as it's brought before
voters in another six – or eight – states, what do opponents plan
to do to get their first single? Obfuscate. "The best that
they (traditional marriage opponents) can do is confuse the issue,"
States Issues Analyst Mona Passignano, of the Colorado
Springs-based Focus on the Family Action, told WorldNetDaily in an
exclusive look-ahead at this fall's election season. "What they're
running up against is that people just want traditional marriage
protected," she said. . . . Colorado's potential battle already is
typical of what she expects. There probably will be four ballot
initiatives on the fall Colorado ballot addressing marriage or
civil unions and the like. One would think that would be confusing,
and Passignano said that's the plan. . . .
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- United Church of
Christ Leaders Decry Washington State Court Ruling on Gay
Marriage US Newswire (press release), July 26, 2006
-- United Church of Christ leaders
are denouncing a Washington State high court ruling on July 26 that
upholds a ban on same-gender marriage. Nineteen couples, including
a UCC clergy couple, were challenging the constitutionality of the
state's ban on same-sex marriage equality.
The Rev. Peter
Ilgenfritz and the Rev. Dave Shull, pastors of University
Congregational United Church of Christ in Seattle since 1994, have
been in a committed same-sex relationship for more than 20 years.
They also have been leaders in the fight to overturn a 1998 law
passed by the state legislature that limits legal marriage to one
man and one woman. . . . . they emphasized, the church will
continue its work in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people, including full marriage equality. . . .
.
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- Wash. court upholds gay marriage ban Houston
Chronicle- AP, US, By CURT WOODWARD, July 26,
2006
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The state Supreme Court upheld a
ban on gay marriage Wednesday, saying lawmakers have the power to
restrict marriage to unions between a man and woman. The 5-4
decision disappointed gay-marriage advocates and left Massachusetts
as the only state that grants full marriage rights to gay
couples. The decision was the
latest in a series of significant court rulings favoring
gay-marriage opponents. New York's high court dealt gay couples
another blow earlier this month when it ruled that a state law
limiting marriage to between a man and a woman was constitutional.
. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: READ COURT'S
DECISION
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RELATED
ARTICLE: Washington high Court upholds same-sex marriage
ban JURIST, By Joe Shaulis, July 26,
2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Court reinstates Nebraska gay marriage
ban Houston Chronicle- AP, By Kevin O'Hanlon, July 14,
2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: Tennessee Supreme Court allows vote on gay marriage
ban Chattanooga Times Free Press, USA- Staff
Report, July 14, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Conn. court rejects gay couples' challenge to civil-unions
law FirstAmendmentCenter.org- AP, July 13,
2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Massachusetts Has a Chance to Scrap gay
"Marriage" as Court Approves 2008 Ballot Measure LifeSiteNews.com, By Gudrun Schultz, July 10,
2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Courts in 2 states reject gay
marriage
New York decision stuns advocates; Georgia ban
upheld The Boston
Globe-US, By Amy Goldstein (Washington Post), July 7,
2006
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- The position is
contrition USA Today - By Karen
Thomas, July 26, 2006
Christie Brinkley's estranged and
adulterous husband, Peter Cook, says he's sorry. . . . More and
more, celebrities are going public in an attempt to resolve their
personal scandals. A look at how a handful of other embarrassing
public spats have played out: . . . .Jude
Law and Sienna Miller. . . . Elizabeth Hurley and Hugh Grant. . . .
Candy and Tori Spelling. .
.
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- Sex With the Boss? Honey, You Know Better
A 19-year-old's high-profile affair with the
husband of model Christie Brinkley is typical, and so is her
kiss-and-tell approach Los Angeles Times, By Anne Taylor Fleming, July
25, 2006
ONCE AGAIN we have a
full-grown woman — in this case, a 19-year-old from Long Island —
claiming to be the innocent victim in a high-profile extramarital
affair. When are women going to learn, I found myself thinking, as
I watched Diana Bianchi toss her beautiful locks and confess to one
of those pushy and obsequiously empathetic TV news reporters that
she had stumbled into an affair with her employer, one Peter Cook,
a.k.a. Mr. Christie Brinkley. . . . .
- Marriage can heal wounds if we allow
it ABS CBN News, Philippines,
By BOB GARON, July 25, 2006
In 1925 Carl Jung wrote an essay suggesting that
marriage could be a form of psychotherapy. Strange as that
might seem, there is truth to it. . . . If the marriage
does not work out, it is because the spouses are deficient.
Marriage has what it takes to heal. It can raise a couple to
incredible heights if only the spouses play by the rules and follow
instructions. We are quick to blame the institution of marriage for
our own failures. Rarely are we quick to own up to our
inadequacies. We prefer to blame others and whatever to cover up
what is lacking in our own selves. . . .
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- Two mommies and a daddy
The future of
polygamy CHRISTIAN CENTURY, By Elizabeth Marquardt, July 25,
2006
. . . . . Western family law has so far not permitted
children to have more than two legal (biological or adoptive)
parents. This limitation could soon be a thing of the past. Trends
in science, law and culture are threatening the two-person
understanding of marriage and of parenthood. Though most advocates
of same-sex marriage say they do not support group marriage, the
partial success of the gay-marriage movement has emboldened others
to borrow the language of civil rights to break open further our
understanding of marriage. . . . A different set of challenges to
the two-person understanding of marriage and parenthood is emerging
from medical labs. Scientists are experimenting with creating
artificial sperm and eggs and fusing them in unexpected ways to
create human embryos for implantation in the womb. Last year,
British scientists at Newcastle University were granted permission
to create a human embryo with three genetic parents. . . .
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- Changes Proposed to Las Vegas' 24-Hour
Marriage Licenses KLAS-TV 8, By I- Team Reporter Mark Sayre, July 24,
2006
Las Vegas is known around the world
as a "24-hour" town, and getting married is no exception!
In an effort to cut costs, Clark County wants to stop
issuing marriage licenses around the clock. The county says fewer
than 4-percent of all marriage licenses are issued during the
graveyard shift. And while it may be a bright symbol of our 24-hour
town, the shift is not immune from the budget ax! . . . .
Eliminating the graveyard shift will save the county about $150,000
a year in staff and overtime costs. . . The county is well aware that marriage is
big business. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: SEE PROPOSED
CHANGES
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- Woman wins £35,000 damages from bullying
mother-in-law The Daily
Mail, By Neil Sears, July 24, 2006
A businesswoman has been awarded £35,000
compensation after bringing a landmark legal case against her
mother-in-law who treated her like a servant. English-born and
westernised sikh Gina Satvir Singh, 26, had an arranged marriage
with fellow sikh Hardeep Sing Bhakar, 28 - and went to live with
his family in Essex. But the court heard her mother-in-law Dalbir
Kaur Bhakar, 52, who was born in India and barely spoke English,
would not give her daughter-in-law a house key, made her wash the
lavatory with her hands, forced her to have her hair cut and banned
TV. . . . . . A judge's decision to order Mrs Bhakar to pay
compensation after Miss Singh brought a case through the 1997
Protection from Harrassment Act, designed to deter stalkers, has
profound implications for families and insurance companies across
Britain. . . . . .
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- The Great Divide
When One of Two Pals Makes the Break to
Romance or Wedlock, The Friendship Faces a
Test The Washington Post, By Suz Redfearn, July 25,
2006
For five years in his twenties,
Curtis McCormick had a pal he could count on -- someone who shared
his interests, he says, in "hanging after work, going to happy
hours, going to baseball games and cruising chicks." But when
McCormick fell hard for Meg Beaver, his friend began acting
strangely: When Beaver was around, he would look past her, refusing
to address her. "Meg, of course, hadn't done a thing to him. It was
a weird jealousy thing because I was suddenly spending most of my
free time with Meg," says McCormick, now 41. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Can This Friendship Be Saved?
The Washington Post, By Suz Redfearn,
July 25, 2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: Marriage can
alter friendships
Kansas.com- Witchita Eage, By Cindy
Arora, July 9, 2006
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- Travel: How traveling alone can affect a
marriage Post-Gazette.com,
By Sue Shellenbarger, July 24, 2006
When Glenn Driver took off for a Cuban vacation by
himself a few years ago, he sorely miscalculated one thing: His
wife's reaction. During a phone call home, he realized that Anne
Driver was so angry about the trip that she was having thoughts of
splitting up. So he cut the vacation short and raced home. The
Venice, Calif., couple entered counseling, resolved their
differences and are still happily married today. But the rift
taught them much about the perils of leaving your spouse home
alone. . . . .
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- Marriage as Anti-Child-Poverty
Program
Connect for
Kids.com, By Roshin Mathew, July 24, 2006
The glowing newlyweds met me at the door. Frozen in
a blissful moment of love, the photographed couple seemed to embody
the caption they embrace under: “Marriage works.” I opened the door
to find out how. . . . . The Center wants to make it easier for
couples to commit to attending all eight classes, so they provide
dinner, child care, and transportation for each class. Those who
attend all eight lessons will also receive $100 after completing a
follow-up meeting. The East Capitol Center for Change’s Healthy
Marriage classes are aimed at couples who are 18 and older; in a
marriage, engaged, or seriously dating. . . . Marriage classes like
this one are going on all over the country with federal funding
support, teaching marriage cultivation and preservation to
low-income couples. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Government To Spend More On Marriage, Congress Sets
Aside Up To $100M A Year To Promote
Marriage CBS News-AP, July 21, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Program Seeks to Fight Poverty by Building Family
Ties NEW YORK TIMES,
By Erik Eckholm, July 20, 2006
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- Marriage proposal could be dying
out Yorkshire Post Today, UK -By Grace
Hammond, July 24, 2006
The romantic
marriage proposal is going out of fashion, according to a survey
published today. One in three couples simply "agree together" to
tie the knot. There is no getting down on bended knee, no
engagement ring produced from a pocket and no happy tears at the
words: "Will you marry me?" The surprise statistic was one of
the findings of a GMTV survey of 8,500 people. It revealed
that 31 per cent agreed to get married without a proposal from
either side. . . . .
- Couples abandon romance
News.com.au, By Leticia Makin, July 25, 2006
TRADITIONAL romantic declarations of
love are dead in Britain - and on their way out in Australia. The
down-on-one-knee proposal is increasingly a thing of the past -
with couples making a mutual, negotiated decision to marry - while
sweet nothings are more likely to be sent by text message than
whispered in a lover's ear. . . . Anne Hollonds, CEO of
Relationships Australia said the dynamics of romance had changed,
but did not entirely agree that the tradition was spent. . . .
.
RELATED ARTICLE: A
proposal to remember Rome News, GA, By Diane Wagner, July 22,
2006
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- First China alternative Website
thrives Zee News, July 24, 2006
Online marriage brokers are common in China, but a young
Chinese Website is thriving by turning the traditional idea of
marriage on its head. Called "Marriage for Asexuals"
(www.wx920.com), the site claims to be the first and biggest online
marriage broker for "asexual" people in China. It says it has
attracted 7,000 members since it was launched last year. Its
rapid success illustrates the expansion of the Internet in China,
the increasingly permissive nature of Chinese society -- and the
way in which small but growing minorities of people are stepping
away from traditions that have dominated culture for thousands of
years. . . .
- Chinese Parks Turned Into Marriage
Bureaus e.sinchew-i.com,
July 24, 2006
There are 200 or so middle-aged men and women gathered in
Beijing's Zhongshan Park, and the refrain you hear repeatedly is:
"Nan de, nu de?" "Boy or girl?" The question is uttered
sometimes with a sheepish grin, at other times with a look of
desperation. Under clusters of shady trees overlooking the
Forbidden City's Tongzi moat, they huddle, debating the merits or
demerits of a potential candidate. Some flit from group to group,
scrutinising photographs, studying posters placed on the ground and
placards hung around necks. A typical notice reads, "Girl, 28,
1.62m tall, university graduate, steady job, good pay, blood group
O+. Husband must be over 30 with steady job." This may be the age
of online dating, but for these park-goers, nothing beats
old-fashioned match-making when it comes to finding mates for their
grown children. .
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- How to survive your
marriage Belleville
News-Democrat- Hundreds of Heads.com, July 23, 2006
Married? Here's some advice on coping with challenges from
the book, How to Survive Your
Marriage,
straight from people who've done it:
"Remember that you made a
promise: Just a few years after my husband and I were married, he
had a terrible parachuting accident. His right leg was amputated
below his knee. Our marriage was almost torn apart. My husband was
in so much pain that he pushed me away. How did I get through it? I
focused on my promise. I had vowed to love him in sickness and in
health, and I reminded myself of that promise constantly. . . .
.
RELATED SITE: Hundreds of Heads
Books
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- Three-year
marriage plan Monterey
County Herald- Carl Paul Alasko On Relationships, July 23, 2006
Dear Dr. Alasko: Jake
and I just moved in together after dating for a few months and are
planning to get married this fall. Each of us has been married once
before (we have no children) but this is the first time I've been
so totally compatible with someone. All our friends see that we're
perfectly matched and say we should go for it. Do you think we're
moving too fast?. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Cohabiters, Especially Poor Women,
Are Unlikely to Wed Newswise (Press Release,
Source: Cornell University) - Jul 9,
2006
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- First comes
logon, then comes 'marriage'
The Oxford Press, By Fred Marion-Cox News
Service, July 23, 2006
. . . . Theirs is a fictional union, a digital farce. One
online personality "wedding" another. There is no legal backing
behind their union, no long-term commitment, no signed marriage
certificate, no tax benefit to reap or prenup to deal with. Just a
guy who likes an online girl and a girl who likes an online guy.
Together, they're exploring what could be the latest frontier in
relationships: online marriage. . . . . . A small number of Web
sites have cropped up allowing couples to tie the knot (and get
divorced) on public or private Web pages. Some provide printable
online marriage certificates, "chapels" for weddings and guestbooks
for witnesses and visitors. GetMarriedLive.com has logged nearly
6,000 online marriages, and hundreds more took place the first week
of June at Irom.org. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: An Exclusive Interview:
The REAL SECRET To Online Dating AmericanChronicle.com- By Stacée L. Hardiman, May 8,
2006
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- A proposal to
remember Rome News- GA, By Diane Wagner, July 22, 2006
The girlfriend said 'Yes' from an ambulance
stretcher after a plane crash that injures three people. . . . A
Silver Creek man planning a marriage proposal to remember got more
than he bargained for Friday when the plane he chartered to help
pop the question crashed at Richard B. Russell Regional Airport
shortly after 7 p.m. . . . . .
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- Government To Spend More On Marriage,
Congress Sets Aside Up To $100M A Year To Promote
Marriage CBS News-AP, July 21, 2006
. . . . . The grant money represents the latest
shift in welfare reform in the United States. For the next five
years, Congress is setting aside up to $100 million a year to
promote marriage and $50 million a year to produce committed
fathers. This year's allotment goes out before Sept. 30. Supporters
say that if the government can get more low-income parents to tie
the knot and help them work through the rough spots that inevitably
occur, then those families are less likely to need federal
assistance in later years. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Program Seeks to Fight Poverty by Building Family
Ties NEW YORK TIMES,
By Erik Eckholm, July 20, 2006
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Old Fashioned Marriage Part 3: A Community
Project The
RealityCheck.org, By Joseph C. Phillips, July 21, 2006
In the midst of writing about the need to
re-establish traditional marriage as an American institution, I
received a frantic phone call from one of my wife’s girlfriends. .
. . . She and her husband have been having a tough time of it
lately and whatever it was that upset her involved the difficulties
in her marriage. I do not know the specifics of what brought
her to my door that evening. I never asked. I figured
what happens in her marriage is none of my business. Or is
it? . . . . .
.
RELATED
ARTICLE: Old Fashioned Marriage Part 2: The New Counter
Culture TheRealityCheck.org,
By Joseph C.Phillips, July 14, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: An Old Fashioned Picture of Marriage -Part
One
TheRealityCheck.org, By Joseph C. Phillips,
July 9, 2006
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- Grrr! Sad For Christie
Brinkley? FOXNews.com, By Mike Straka, July 19, 2006
Don't feel sorry for
Christie Brinkley. Feel sorry for her children, and so many others
whose celebrity parents change "significant" others as if they were
still teenagers. I'm not sure when marriage became a game of
musical chairs, but it seems that celebrities and wedded bliss,
with a few exceptions, do not go hand in hand. . . . .I'm not
wishing them marital unrest, but I do question the exercise.
And let's be honest, that's what marriage is to celebrities — an
exercise. Fame is not conducive to marriage. Kid Rock couldn't even
date Sheryl Crow, and we know what happened to Crow's subsequent
relationship with Lance Armstrong. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Teen: Christie Brinkley's Husband
Seduced Me FOX News -AP Jul 18,
2006
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- Julie and
Hillary Goodridge, lead plaintiffs in Mass. marriage lawsuit, have
separated BayWindows.com, By Susan Ryan-Vollmar, July
20, 2006
Julie and Hillary Goodridge, the lead
plaintiff couple in the 2003 lawsuit that brought same-sex marriage
rights to Massachusetts, told Bay Windows through a spokeswoman
this week that they have "amicably separated." The confirmation
follows several months of rumors about the couple within the LGBT
community that had gained in intensity, and comes at a time when
marriage rights are once again under fire. . . . . . Breslauer said that the couple’s focus is on taking
care of their daughter, who precipitated their decision to become
involved in the lawsuit when at age four, she told them that they
couldn’t love each other because they weren’t married. “I started
pondering what it all means,” Julie told the Boston
Phoenix in 2003. “What does it mean to her that we’re not
married?”. . . . . Public
confirmation of the couple’s separation comes on the heels of a
two-week string of defeats for the marriage equality movement. . .
. .
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- House G.O.P. Lacks
Votes for Amendment Banning Gay Marriage NEW YORK TIMES, By Kate
Zernike, July 19, 2006
— House Republicans failed Tuesday in an effort to
pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, part of
a proposed “values agenda” that they hope will rally voters in
midterm elections in November. The vote was 237 to 187, with one
member voting “present,” well short of the two-thirds majority
needed to amend the Constitution. The vote was largely symbolic
because the Senate rejected a similar bill in May. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: GOP Sees
Advantage in Gay Marriage Debate Chicago Tribune-AP, By Jim
Abrams, July 19, 2006
- Procreation a losing
argument The
Advocate, By John Sonego, July 17, 2006
Those who advocate that
marriage should be reserved purely for the purpose of procreation
have argued themselves into a corner. If they truly want that as a
standard, then it should apply it to everyone. . . . .
Clearly, a lot of otherwise happy marriages might be eliminated
under this standard. But the question is, Do Americans really think
marriage is primarily about procreation? I don’t think so. . . .
.
RELATED ARTICLE: With this Bill.
. . The Senate debates marriage The Weekly Standard- By Fred Barnes, June 5, 2006-
Vol 011- Issue
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- Declining Marriage Rates Aren’t Just a
Black Family Thing – They're an American Thing BlackAmericaWeb.com, By
Joseph C. Phillips, July 17, 2006
One of the drawbacks of discussing
old-fashioned marriage –- the notion that marriage is an ennobling
institution and the best environment in which to raise children --
is the discussion invariably centers on what is wrong in the black
family. From Bill Cosby and his call-outs to conservative and
liberal pundits across the country, all behave as if declining
marriage rates and soaring illegitimacy rates only exist in the
black community. . . . . The decline of two parent households and
the social costs that accompany it is an issue that transcends race
and economics. It is an American problem. . .
.
|
- It's no game:
Secrets don't belong in marriage TimesDispatch.com, By Tequitia Andrews, July 16, 2006
I've heard it said that your spouse
should know you better than anyone else. . . . Do you know
everything about your spouse? Does he or she know everything about
you? More important, should we? Some people think that keeping
secrets about themselves adds mystery to a relationship, that it
helps keep the relationship fresh, exciting. . . . What exactly is considered pertinent? An affair?
Debt? Past relationships?. . . .
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- To Love and to
cherish: priceless Sturgis Journal.com, By James
and Audora Burg, July 15, 2006
If you’ve watched TV or flipped through a magazine
in the past year, you may have noticed the Mastercard ad campaign
that turned on the catchphrase “priceless.” A typical
sequence would list a series of events leading up to the climactic,
usually heartwarming event; alongside each leading-up event was
listed a specific price, but next to the heartwarming event was the
word “priceless.”. . . . . If you
listen carefully to the traditional wedding vows (”For better for
worse, for richer for poorer,” etc.), you’ll hear a similar
progression toward priceless. . . .
|
- Old Fashioned
Marriage Part 2: The New Counter Culture TheRealityCheck.org, By Joseph C.Phillips, July 14,
2006
. . . . In 1965, Patrick Moynihan
issued his now famous report entitled "The Negro Family: The Case
for National Action." Forty years ago, The Moynihan report was
distressed by an illegitimacy rate in the black community of 22
percent. The current illegitimacy rate among whites is 24
percent. It is 44 percent among Hispanics. In 1965, the
percentage of unwed mothers nationally was 8 percent. That figure
now stands at 34 percent. The decline of two parent
households and the social costs that accompany it is an issue that
transcends race and economics. It is an American problem. . .
. .
RELATED ARTICLE: An Old Fashioned Picture
of Marriage -Part One
TheRealityCheck.org, By
Joseph C. Phillips, July 9, 2006
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- Uncover more passionate, meaningful
sex
David Schnarch, Ph.D. analyzes the link
between sex and intimacy in his book, 'Passionate
Marriage' MSNBC.com, July 14, 2006
Below is an
excerpt of David Schnarch's book, "Passionate Marriage: Sex, Love,
and Intimacy in Emotionally Committed Relationships:
Chapter One
We came here because we had a sexual problem, but you've
helped us recognize it's something much larger. Karen and her
husband are leaving my office after our final session. Her smile
and gratitude make clear her intent. She speaks like a person who
has stumbled upon new possibilities, not like someone who has
learned she is more damaged than she thought. . .
.
|
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- Before wedding march: Running of the
Brides Baltimore Sun, By Laura Barnhardt,
July 15, 2006
With an hour left to kill,
the ladies are antsy. Fueled by coffee, tired of the all-night card
games, armed with walkie-talkies, they are ready for the doors of
Filene's Basement to open. . . . . They are taking no prisoners.
Deeply discounted bridal gowns are at stake. Just after 8 a.m., the
glass doors swing open, and the store managers stand back. . .
.
RELATED ARTICLE: Midtown Bridal Insanity
Extravaganza Gothamist- NY, Posted by Jen Chung, Jun 7,
2005
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- 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
Raising children has never been
easy. For today’s parents, however, it has become a
conspicuous source of anxiety and distress. A recent
crop of books and articles give voice to this
complaint. Likewise in recent surveys, parents report
lower levels of marital happiness than nonparents. Why is this happening? Are
parents merely whining? Or is there an objective reason for
their distress? “Life
Without Children,” this year’s essay, points to an objective reason
for parental discontent. It is a dramatic, but until now
largely unacknowledged, change in the pattern of our adult lives. .
. .
|
- The Vatican: Archbishop to promote marriage for Catholic
priests Jamaica Gleaner, July 14, 2006
EMMANUEL MILINGO, the African
Catholic archbishop and faith healer who married in the Reverend
Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church in 2001 but later returned to
the fold, has scandalised the Vatican yet again. Milingo went
missing last month from a convent south of Rome where he had been
living in near-seclusion for the past four years. He resurfaced in
Washington on Wednesday. Effectively making himself a renegade yet
again from the Roman Catholic Church, he held a surprise news
conference announcing that his new mission was to persuade the
Vatican to allow priests to marry. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: 'Moonie'
archbishop rocks Vatican BBC News, July 13,
2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Archbishop
Milingo renounces wife BBC News, Aug 24,
2001
|
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- Court reinstates
Nebraska gay marriage ban
Houston Chronicle- AP, By Kevin
O'Hanlon, July 14, 2006
LINCOLN,
Neb. — Courts handed victories to gay-marriage opponents in two
states Friday reinstating Nebraska's voter-approved ban on same-sex
marriage and throwing out an attempt to keep a proposed ban off the
ballot in Tennessee. In the Nebraska case, the 8th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals overturned a judge's ruling last year that the ban
was too broad and deprived gays and lesbians of participation in
the political process, among other things. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: EIGHTH DISTRICT COURT OF
APPEALS RULING
- Tennessee Supreme Court allows vote on gay
marriage ban Chattanooga Times Free Press, USA- Staff
Report, July 14, 2006
The state Supreme
Court said in a unanimous decision filed today that voters will be
allowed to decide in November whether they want a constitutional
ban in Tennessee. . . Gay marriage is
banned by state law, but opponents said they want to protect that
statute by putting it in the Tennessee Constitution with the
proposed Tennessee Marriage Protection Amendment. The ACLU filed an
appeal challenging the way the General Assembly adopted the
proposed amendment, saying notice of the measure was not officially
published six months before the next election, as required by the
state. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: SUPREME COURT OF TENNESSEE
RULING
- Conn. court rejects gay couples' challenge
to civil-unions law FirstAmendmentCenter.org- AP, July 13, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. — Gay and lesbian
couples have not been harmed by the state's decision to legalize
same-sex civil unions rather than grant them full marriage rights,
a state Superior Court judge ruled yesterday. . . . . The
plaintiffs plan to appeal the ruling to the state's highest court.
. . . .Connecticut became the second state in the nation,
after Vermont, to allow civil unions. In 2005, the
Democrat-controlled General Assembly passed, and Republican Gov. M.
Jodi Rell signed into law, a bill legalizing civil unions but
defining marriage as between a man and a woman. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Gay Marriage
Lawsuit Fails: A Superior Court Judge Rules Against Eight Same-Sex
Couples Seeking Right To Marry by Daniela
Altimari HARTFORD COURANT, July 13, 2006
- The New Gay
Times Townhall.com, By Brent Bozell, July 12, 2006
There was the expected wailing and gnashing of teeth from
the left when New York's state Court of Appeals ruled against
installing so-called "gay marriage" by judicial fiat, as they had
in the People's Republic of Massachusetts. The New York Times, as
expected, was stunned that the judges could find a "rational basis"
for traditional marriage, and that judges would defer to elected
legislators. . . . .But
the Times isn't just rooting for the homosexual revolution on the
outside and inside of the newspaper. . . .
.
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- Divorce Wars: Litigation as Blood
Sport ABC News.com, By
Chris Francescani and Kristen Depowski and the ABC News Law &
Justice Unit, July 11, 2006
Marital Breakups Sometimes Get More Violent Than
Name-Calling. Few aspects of civil society can devolve more
quickly and more dangerously into personal civil war than the
dissolution of a marriage. . . . Attorneys and psychiatrists told ABC News
the Bartha case is one of the worst they have ever seen. But not
the first. "When they are bad, they
can spin out of control easily and fast, and the effect snowballs
to the point where people ultimately — after exhausting all
remedies — do something seemingly as crazy as blowing up the
residence,'' said William Beslow, who has represented Tatum O'Neal,
Mia Farrow and Patricia Duff in contentious divorce proceedings.
Prominent New York divorce attorney Raoul Felder was more specific.
.
|
RELATED
ARTICLE: Divorce gets dirty New York Daily News, NY, By Jane Ridley, July 12,
2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: Real Estate and Rubble: When Marriages Go
Awry New York Times-US, By Anemona Hartocollis and Cara
Buckley, July 12, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage, home go up in flames New York Daily News, Written By Bill
Hutchinson, July 10, 2006
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- To cohabitate or not: it's increasingly
the question
MetroWest Daily News, MA -By Tom and Dee Hardie
and Cousin Key Kidder, July 11, 2006
Q:
They used to call it "living in sin." But frankly, I don't
give a hoot what anybody says if Todd moves in with me. I know
other seniors my age who live together without ever bothering to
get married. Who cares if people talk? Either they're just jealous,
or they don't have the guts to do it themselves. My marriage
to my late husband was OK. It was never a bed of roses, but we kept
it together until he died. This time I'm in it for love. My
big worry is what my family will think. . . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Cohabiters,
Especially Poor Women, Are Unlikely to
Wed Newswise (Press Release, Source: Cornell
University) - Jul 9,
2006
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- Massachusetts Has a Chance to
Scrap gay "Marriage" as Court Approves 2008 Ballot
Measure LifeSiteNews.com, By Gudrun Schultz, July 10,
2006
– A proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex
“marriage” can be placed on the 2008 ballot, the Supreme Judicial
Court ruled today. In a unanimous decision, the Court said the
Massachusetts’ constitution did not prevent citizen-initiated
amendments from seeking changes to the state constitution, even if
the changes would overrule previous court decisions, reported the
AP today. . . . With the approval of the Court and certification by
the attorney general, the ballot question on marriage now must
receive approval by two consecutive legislative sessions, receiving
support by 25 percent (50 votes) of the Legislature each time. . .
.
RELATED ARTICLE: Massachusetts
Court Clears Way to Ban Same-Sex Marriage Washington Post-AP, US, July
11, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Democracy rules even on
marriage BostonHerald.com, By Boston Herald
Editorial Staff, July 11, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Elites subtract your voice from
process BostonHerald.com, By Virginia
Buckingham, July 11, 2006
- LA Times Miffed Courts Won't Legislate Gay
Marriage NewsBusters.org, July 10, 2006
In the world of the liberal media,
there is no distinction between the judicial and legislative
branches. If a particular outcome is deemed desirable, a
court should so rule - the law and constitution in question be
damned. A good illustration of the mindset is on display in today's
editorial in the Los Angeles Times, Setback For Marriage
Justice, condemning recent state court decisions in New York
and Georgia that declined to find a right to gay marriage. . .
.
RELATED
ARTICLE: Setback for Marriage
Justice Los Angeles Times, Editorial, July
10, 2006
|
- Marriage, home go up in
flames New York Daily
News, Written By Bill Hutchinson, July 10, 2006
The demented doctor suspected of
blowing up his $9 million upper East Side brownstone yesterday
morning was on the verge of losing his beloved home in a bitter
divorce settlement - and had vowed to "die in my house." Shortly
before leveling the four-story E. 62nd St. building with a huge gas
explosion that ignited terror fears and injured 15 pedestrians and
firefighters, Dr. Nicholas Bartha sent a rambling, 14-page e-mail
aimed at his estranged wife and other targets of his fury. .
.
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- Teen relationships, pregnancy
and MARRIAGE
Authors push benefits of marriage,
stability Guam Pacific Daily News, By David V.
Crisostomo, July 10, 2006
A child born to an unmarried teen mother who has not
finished high school is nine times more likely to be poor than a
child born to an adult parent who is married and has graduated from
high school, according to authors Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and
Marline Pearson in their book "Making a Love Connection: Teen
Relationships, Pregnancy, and Marriage.". . .
. Despite a nearly one-third decline over the past decade
in teen pregnancy and birth rates in the United States:
* One
in three girls still becomes pregnant by age 20. . .
.
|
RELATED
ARTICLE: Fewer
Teens Having Babies, but unmarried births rise
SFGate.com-AP, By Stephen Ohlemacher, June
26, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: The Most
Effective Anti-Poverty Program Ever Created?
Marriage BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, Oct 10,
2005
RELATED ARTICLE: How not to be poor WorldNetDaily,
By Walter E. Williams, May
11, 2005
|
- An Old Fashioned
Picture of Marriage -Part One TheRealityCheck.org, By Joseph C. Phillips,
July 9, 2006
. . . .
A typical reaction was that of a woman in Minneapolis who
admonished me, “My mother was a single parent and she raised my
brother and me and we turned out just
fine.” Understood. Although it is also true that everyone
that smokes does not die of cancer. In fact there are those
that smoke everyday for years and live long healthy lives.
That, however, does not negate the mountains of evidence that
smoking is dangerous for your health. Nor does it discourage
the larger society’s campaign to stop people from indulging in the
habit. . . .
RELATED
ARTICLE: Marry Your Baby
Daddy!
Why are there more baby showers than wedding showers in our
community? AOL Black Voices, By
Angela Bronner, May 23, 2006
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- Could your marriage survive that? Jamaica Gleaner, July 9, 2006
. . . .
Can your
marriage survive illness and pain? We have heard similar stories to
Michael's where men become so familiar with the wife's illnesses
and vice versa that they become better caregivers for them than
even those who are medically trained. But, what about when
the source of the pain in your marriage is emotional and not due to
a physical cause? Could your marriage survive that?. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage New York Times( Free Subscription)-US, BY Amy
Sutherland, June 25, 2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: Beware
of marriage killers Northwest
Herald.com- By Dr. James Dobson, May 16,
2006
|
- Take your marriage one day at a time The Boston Globe, By Beverly Beckham, July 9,
2006
. . . .For life does not stand still, not even when
you're snapping photographs and wishing it would. The earth spins.
Molecules whirl. A wedding is a day, a marriage a lifetime. But it,
too, trundles past, the way a child grows, obviously and
imperceptibly. You see, but you don't see. And when you do, you're
stunned. . . . So how do marriages survive when people change so
much? How do two people grow tired of so many things -- food,
games, clothes, even a favorite place -- but not each other?. . .
.
- Marriage can alter friendships Kansas.com- Witchita Eage, By Cindy Arora, July 9,
2006
No one bothered to tell me that
shortly after buying the $300 bridesmaid dress and giving a tipsy
but heartwarming champagne toast in front of hundreds, I was going
lose my friend to marriage. Had I known, I would have taken advantage of the open bar
a bit more. . .
- The woman's guide to guy
speak Match.com- happen, By
Jonathan Small, July 2006
Do you speak guy? Can you comprehend all the subtle — and
not-so-subtle — nuances of his secret language? If you’re a woman,
chances are the answer is sort of, kind of, not really. And that
means you may be seriously misunderstanding the signals a bachelor
is sending your way. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Men's dating e-mails: goofy, grumpy and just plain
dumb Ashbury
Park Press- By Matt Katz, May 12,
2006
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- Pope takes on Spanish Govt. and calls to keep deep Christian
roots eitb-24.com, July
8, 2006
Asked about the role of gay marriage
in society, the pope told reporters: "According to human nature, it
is man and woman who are made for each other and to give humanity a
future." Pope Benedict XVI strongly defended the traditional
family, based on marriage between a man and a woman, during a visit
to Spain on Saturday, taking on a Socialist government that had
introduced liberal reforms such as gay marriage and fast-track
divorce in this former bastion of the Roman Catholic Church. As
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero stood nearby, staring
straight ahead. . . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: The Pope Squares Off With Spain's Secular Champion Time.com, By Jeff Israely/Valencia, July 9, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Spanish Premier Snubs Pope Over Gay Marriage The New York Sun- Daily Telegraph-UK, By Fiona Govan, July 10, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Benedict in Spain: Church-State tensions heat up Spero News, By Robert Duncan, July 5, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Banned in Boston: The Coming Conflict Between Same Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty Cover Story- The Weekly Standard, By Maggie Gallagher, May 15, 2006 Issue
|
- Marriage Matters: Here comes the Bridezilla Sturgis Journal.com, By James and Audora Burg, July 8, 2006
Guests at a wedding last month in Gloucester, England, might have hummed “Here comes the dress” when they saw the 16-year-old bride. She was encased within a 30-layer, 350-pound, dress-like monstrosity made of 131 yards of silk, a mile’s worth of tulle material, a 60-foot-long train, and dozens of steel support hoops sewn into the skirt. The scene was beyond bizarre. . . . We usually focus on the relationship rather than the fancy launch, so why are we worked up about this ridiculous spectacle? Because there’s something about the grotesqueness here, that even as we’re repulsed by its absurdity, we just can’t look away. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE & PHOTOS: Bride is married in weight The Sun Online-UK, By John Coles, June 22, 2006
- Jimmy Carter, Wife Mark 60th Anniversary ABC News-AP, By Doug Gross, July 7, 2006
— Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, fresh off of a trip to Nicaragua to monitor preparations for November's elections, plan to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary Friday with a quiet day in their Georgia hometown. In the long line of American presidents and first ladies, the Carters have the second longest marriage. . . .
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- EDITORIAL: Rational thinking on gay
marriage New York
Daily News, July 7, 2006
In declining
to find a right to gay marriage tucked away in the emanations and
penumbras of the state Constitution, New York's highest court
yesterday properly placed the issue squarely where it belongs - in
the Legislature. The long-awaited decision by the Court of Appeals
was remarkable both for its display of judicial restraint and for
the rather stunning simplicity of its logic. In a nutshell, the
court ruled that the law limiting marriage to heterosexuals was not
inherently irrational and, thus, unconstitutional. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: New York Judges Reject Any Right to Gay
Marriage
New York Times
(Free Subscription)-US, By Anemona Hartocollis, July 7,
2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Easy does it on gay unions New
York Daily News, By Errol Louis, July 7, 2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: READ THE COURT'S
DECISION
|
- Two states say 'no' to gay
marriage
New York's highest court says a
constitutional right to marry does not exist. Georgia's upholds a
constitutional ban Christian
Science Monitor, By Ron Scherer, July 7, 2006
NEW YORK – In a single day,
two state high courts have ruled that same-sex marriage is not
permitted in their jurisdictions. Thursday, both the Court of
Appeals in New York and the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that
marriage in those states will continue to be defined as between a
man and a woman. In the case of New York, any changes will have to
be made by the legislature. And, the court denied that the state's
97-year-old definition of marriage violated the constitutional
rights of same-sex couples. . . . . The state Supreme Court
reinstated Georgia's constitutional ban on gay marriage Thursday,
just hours after New York's highest court upheld that state's
gay-marriage ban. . . .
|
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- WashPost Also Centers 'Gay Marriage' Story on Gay
Lobby Newsbusters.org, Posted by Tim
Graham, July 7, 2006
Just as the New York Times firmly
centered its coverage of so-called "gay marriage" decisions from
state courts on the gay left's horror, The Washington Post
report from Amy Goldstein also presented
the issue first and foremost as a question of how "gay rights
advocates" felt. . . . As usual, the story is illustrated by a
photo of gay activists, as it almost always is. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Media
provides cover for assault on traditional marriage CNN.com, By James C. Dobson, June 28,
2006
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- Michigan U Sued for Violating Constitution by Granting
Recognition to Same Sex Marriage LifeSiteNews.com, July 5, 2006
- The Thomas More Law Center, a national, public interest
law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, today filed a lawsuit in
Ingham County Circuit Court challenging Michigan State University's
recognition of same sex unions for the purpose of providing
benefits to "MSU-recognized same-sex domestic partners." The
lawsuit was filed on behalf of the American Family Association of
Michigan, a non-profit organization that promotes the welfare of
children through the preservation of the traditional family. The
lawsuit claims that Michigan State University (MSU) is in violation
of the Marriage Amendment to Michigan's Constitution, which
provides that "the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall
be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for
any purpose," and Michigan statutes that prohibit recognition of
same-sex marriages. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Universities Prove Maggie Right PhiBetaCons- Posted by
David French, May 8, 2006
|
- Knesset rejects civil marriage
bill The Jerusalem Post, By
Sheera Claire Frenkel and JPost.com Staff, July 5, 2006
The Knesset rejected Wednesday, by 63 votes to 16,
the proposed civil marriage bill put forward by MK Yuri Stern
(Yisrael Beiteinu). According to the proposed bill, Israelis who do
not want to be married by the religious authorities or those who
are prohibited from marrying according to religious law would have
been able to enter a 'couple covenant.'. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Israel Upholds Contested Immigration
Law The Jewish Journal of
Greater L.A, CA - May 18, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: The State of Israel vs. love Jerusalem Post- By Naomi Chazan, May 18, 2006
- Ban on Homosexual "Marriage"
Introduced in Philippines Parliament LifesiteNews, By Gudrun Schultz, July 5,
2006
– Legislation that would prevent
marriage between transsexuals, and would remove current recognition
of existing same-sex unions from Philippines law have been
introduced in both the Congress and the Senate. The measures have
been brought forward as legislators react to recent local court
rulings allowing transsexuals to change their legal status from
male to female. . . .
- Czech Republic enacts same-sex
marriage SX News-
Austrailia, By Peter Hackney, July 5, 2006
The first ever same-sex marriages in the Czech
Republic have been enacted. Radio Prague reported that
several gay and lesbian couples were married this week, taking
advantage of new laws recognising their unions. The moves made the
Czech Republic the first former communist state to legalise
same-sex marriage. Radio Prague said that the new marriage
laws gave gays and lesbians most of the traditional rights enjoyed
in heterosexual marriage, including property and inheritance
rights, and the right to raise children. However, the reforms fell
short of full equal rights, with the right to adopt children
specifically excluded by the legislation. The couples have also
been excluded from receiving widows’ or widowers’ pensions.
- First gay marriage in
Austria Pravda- Russia, July
5, 2006
The father of two only recently had
requested that his birth certificate reflect the sex
change, but chose not to be divorced from his spouse. . . .
By allowing the entry change in the man's birth certificate, it
automatically lifted a former order imposed by the Interior
Ministry. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Court Opens the Door for Same-Sex Marriage in
Austria
LifesiteNews.com, By Peter J.
Smith, July 6, 2006
- Court: Law
doesn't elevate marriage over other relationships Chicago Tribune-AP, By Ryan J. Foley, July 5,
2006
MADISON, Wis. -- A state law
that hails marriage as "the foundation of the family and of
society" does not elevate marriage over other relationships, an
appeals court said Wednesday in a ruling that could add fuel to the
debate over gay marriage. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: READ THE COURT'S
DECISION
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- Sperm Donor Fathers Children of Lesbian Couples Against His
Request LifeSiteNews.com- By Gudrun Schultz, July 5,
2006
LONDON, England - A sperm donor who specified that his
contributions only be used to father children of heterosexual
couples has unknowingly fathered children for three lesbian
partnerships. The Daily Mail reported Sunday on the abuse of sperm
donors by fertility clinics who fail to honour the terms of donor
contracts—the London Women’s Clinic violated the donor’s contract
five times, neglecting to honour the man’s condition that same sex
couples would not use his sperm. The clinic's breach of contract
was found out by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
(HFEA). . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: IVF Muddle:
Black Twins Born to White Parents LifeSiteNews.com, June 24,
2004
|
- Swank Spills Lowe-down E! Online News, By Gina Serpe, July 5,
2006
Guess the Oscar speech omission wasn't to blame
after all. Though the snub heard round the world probably didn't
help matters. After months of keeping mum, Hilary Swank
has opened up about her divorce from her husband of nearly
nine years, Chad Lowe, telling Vanity Fair
that the actor's "substance-abuse" problem contributed to their
marital woes. . . . Swank, meanwhile, says she assumes some
measure of responsibility for the breakup. "It takes two make
something work or not work," she said. . . . .
|
 |
- Shark for Norman divorce The Daily Telegraph, Austrailia, July 5,
2006
GREG
Norman has hired celebrity US divorce lawyer Bill Zabel to save his
fortune. The Shark faces a potential payout of up to $200 million
to wife Laura, having filed a petition for dissolution of their
24-year marriage with a Florida court. But with Zabel _ regarded as
the best in the business _ in charge of his imposing legal team,
his estimated $278 million fortune couldn't be in better hands. . .
. Like those before him, Norman is paying big bikkies for Zabel's
service. . . . .
RELATED
ARTICLE: Shark 'bite' looms larger Melbourne
Herald Sun, Australia -May 21, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: The Big
Question: Has divorce become too expensive for the
rich? The Independent
Online- Legal- UK- By Maxine Frith, May 19,
2006
- Kenny Chesney on pain of split from Renee
Zellweger Fametastic, July 4, 2004
Kenny Chesney purposely threw himself into his work to
dull the pain after his marriage to Renee Zellweger ended after
just four months together. The couple married in May last year but
had their marriage annulled again in September, with Renee citing
“fraud” as the reason for the annulment. Kenny revealed: “I told
myself ‘I’m not the only guy who has gone through this.”. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Short Shelf Life of Celebrity Marriage
BBC
News.com, Sept 16, 2005
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 |
- Vanessa Minnillo: Nick Lachey Not Pining
Away for Jessica Simpson
National Ledger, AZ, By Lynda Johnson, July 3,
2006
No matter what, there are always going to be
reports and hope from fans that Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson
will get back together and be the 'it' couple once again. The
former 'Newlyweds' don't help matters much with
different variations of 'we still love each other' that emerge from
them and from friends as tabloid fodder.
And now a report claims that Nick's new squeeze
Vanessa Minnillo wants to make certain everyone knows that she's
making certain that Nick is not spending his nights pining away for
his ex-wife. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Nick:
'It's Time to Move On' People Magazine - By Stephen M. Silverman, Jul
3, 2006
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- Tackle and cure
marriage woes with ‘The Commitment Chronicles’ Asheville Citizen-Times, NC, By Susan Reinhardt,
July 4, 2006
. . . . Then
comes her warning. “OK ladies, listen up. All the magic of marriage
is fine and dandy for photographs and thank-you notes, but in
today’s culture, nearly every marriage more than a week old
probably has grounds for divorce. . . . She will give couples
plenty of stay-together tips in her book. Here’s one biggie — just
to whet the appetite for more. Don’t marry him to fix him. Forget
Jerry Maguire and the famous line, “You complete me.” Only you can
complete you, McClary says. “In marriage, two halves never make a
whole.”. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy
Marriage New York Times( Free Subscription)-US, BY Amy
Sutherland, June 25, 2006
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- Are
you a 'marriage biggot'? WorldNetDaily, By Daniel Avila, Esq., July
3, 2006
Has the pope issued an encyclical
that blesses racial discrimination? Did the U.S. Catholic bishops
release a pastoral letter applauding hate based on skin color? Or
have the Massachusetts bishops been campaigning for white
supremacy? Well, no, but in the eyes
of some people, the church's support for traditional marriage is
just as evil. In
early June, Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., accused backers of a federal
marriage amendment of pushing "bigotry – pure and simple" because
the amendment would limit marriage to a man and a woman. . . .
.Words have consequences. Once advocates for same-sex marriage
begin branding supporters of traditional marriage as bigots and
haters, the more likely it becomes that government persecution will
follow. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The
Senator who cried 'bigot' Townhall.com- By Maggie
Gallagher, June 6, 2006
RELATED
ARTICLE: Gay marriage
looms as 'battle of our times'
Christian
Science Monitor- By Jane Lampman, June 1, 2006
edition
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- Marriage Guidance The Daily Record- UK, By Katrina Tweedie, July 3, 2006
Marriage counselling has a reputation as the last ditch attempt to save a relationship when things go wrong, but happy couples are increasingly turning to it before they tie the knot. While most couples plan their wedding with precision, few plan their marriage. Almost 11,000 divorces are granted each year in Scotland, more than 1100 within the first four years of marriage and more than 60 within the first year, as a result of unreasonable behaviour or infidelity. . . . . When you are in the throes of love it's hard to imagine you will ever fight, fall out or forget how to communicate. But tiredness - particularly after having a family - finances, infidelity, and sexual issues can all contribute to relationships developing cracks or falling apart. It makes sense, then, that couples making a commitment know how to combat life's inevitable problems. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: After the wedding Jamaica Gleaner- News, By Karen Blair, June 26, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage Really Isn't About The Wedding Hartford Courant- Courant.com- By Michelle Gardella, May 19, 2006 |
- 3,000 seek marriage counselor
certificate China Daily, July 3, 2006
More than 3,000 people attended Shanghai's first training
course for marriage counselors over the weekend in the Huangpu
Library. After passing the course exam, the students will be
awarded professional certificates authorized by the Personnel
Department of All-China Women's Federation and China International
Marriage and Family Association. "The counselors must comprehend
not only psychological knowledge, but Marriage Law, the marriage
culture and parent-child education as well," said Zhang Hua,
director of Shanghai Marriage Instructor Training Office. . . .
"Even though they are enjoying a comfortable material life, their
souls are lonely," said Zhang. More than 30,000 couples filed for
divorce in the city last year, an increase of 12 percent from 2004.
. . .
- Louisiana extending divorce wait for couples with kids under
age 18 Sun Sentinel.com-AP,
July 3 2006
-- Louisiana married couples with
children under 18 soon will have to wait a year before they can get
a divorce -- rather than six months -- after Gov. Kathleen Blanco
signed legislation doubling the wait time for couples with minor
children. The bill by Rep. Ernie Alexander, R-Lafayette, extends
the current six month waiting period unless there are allegations
of adultery, physical abuse or sexual abuse. Childless couples and
couples with children 18 and older can get divorced after a 180-day
waiting period. . . . .
- Intimacy strengthens
marriage The
Washington Times, Rev. David Wong, July 3, 2006
. . . . The institution of marriage
is old, but that does not mean it is obsolete. There are many
factors that impact our relationships in a marriage. The many
decisions we make and our response to one another are what foster
closeness or drive us apart. A key facet of love and marriage is
intimacy. Intimacy in marriage is
often misunderstood and most times limited to sexual activity in
the bedroom. There are various levels of intimacy. Intimacy perhaps
may best be described as a relationship gained by being transparent
of our true self to another. It is being honest to the core with
our intellectual, emotional, physical, recreational and spiritual
areas of your life. . . . .
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- The
politics of the bedroom RenewAmerica.org, By
Christian Hartsock, July 2, 2006
. . . . In
the 1950s, marriage was something women looked forward to, so much
that they married at ages like 19 and 20. (Part of the reason was
because they were actually waiting until marriage to have sex,
unlike liberals, who encourage young teenagers to lick condoms and
show their "orgasm faces" in front of a camera during mandatory
"AIDS Awareness" presentations.) To a woman, a man interested in
commitment was the biggest turn-on. It was commitment that young
women longed for. . . . . But not anymore. Today
women are afraid of commitment. While they may have a soft spot for
songs with lyrics like "If you leave me now, you'll take away the
biggest part of me" or "Michelle...I need you, I need you, I need
you...," if you yourself utter those words to a woman, she will
accuse you of "overwhelming" or "suffocating" her and will
immediately dash to open the nearest window and gasp for
breath. .
RELATED ARTICLE: Will
This Marriage Last? Time magazine, By Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, Posted
June 30, 2006
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- Romney helps push for SC gay marriage
ban Boston
Globe, US, By Scott Helman, July 1, 2006
Governor Mitt Romney, a leading
campaigner to outlaw gay marriage in Massachusetts , is now
involving himself in a like-minded effort in South Carolina, where
voters will decide this fall whether to add a similar ban to their
state constitution. . . . Though Romney's involvement in South
Carolina politics is not new -- his PAC has already made thousands
of dollars in contributions to candidates and GOP organizations
there -- the governor's active role in the campaign for a gay
marriage ban illustrates the degree to which he is ingratiating
himself in the state in advance of a possible 2008 presidential
run. . .
RELATED ARTCLE: Romney said the people, not courts, should define civil
rights Boston
Globe.com, By Steve-LeBlanc- AP, June 28, 2006
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- Group Wages Battle Against Gay Culture In
Massachusetts
The
Boston Channel.com- WCVB-TV- USA, By Steve LeBlanc, July 1,
2006
BOSTON -- The minute they spotted the mannequins in
Macy's department store window celebrating the city's Gay Pride
week, Brian Camenker and the watchdog activists at MassResistance
jumped into action. The group quickly posted a photo of the window
on their Web log under the caption: "Male mannequins with
(apparently) enlarged breasts, one wearing a rainbow skirt." Within
days, Macy had removed the mannequins but left up a list of pride
week events. . . . . The group has become the bane of gay-rights
activists in Massachusetts who consider Camenker and his supporters
the "lunatic fringe" obsessed on the more extreme elements of gay
culture to deny rights for all gays across the state. But as
Massachusetts lawmakers prepare to consider an amendment to the
state constitution banning gay marriage later this month, Camenker
remains unapologetic, saying he represents the state's true silent
majority. . . . .
RELATED SITE: MassResistance MassResistance Radio Shows
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- Why Have Children? COMMENTARY MAGAZINE, By Eric Cohen
. . . . In the most modern parts of the modern world, however, three aspects of fertility do seem historically unprecedented and clearly important. First, there is no stigma attached to being childless; a woman’s worth, in this life or the next, is not judged adversely if she chooses never to have children. Second, children are no longer economic assets, as they generally were in rural and early industrial societies; rather, they are economic burdens, voracious consumers who produce virtually nothing until their late teens or early twenties. Third, fertility control is now both uneventful and virtually absolute. Those who want to avoid having children can easily do so—without restraining their natural sex drive, without putting themselves at physical risk, and without resorting to infanticide or abortion. Children are thus culturally optional, economically burdensome, and technologically avoidable. Still, having the option to avoid children is not a reason to avoid them, and for many, clearly, the economic burdens seem bearable enough. So the question remains: why do so many men and women in the most affluent societies in history seem to want so few offspring?. . . . . |
- Parenting Issues: Christian Movie's Rating Worries Lawmakers ABC News-AP, By Sam Hananel, July 1, 2006
— A Christian-themed movie about a football coach's faith in God is finding an audience in Congress not so much for its inspirational message, but for the PG rating it received. House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and other lawmakers are demanding explanations after hearing complaints that the movie "Facing the Giants" was rated PG instead of G due to religious content. . . . "This incident raises the disquieting possibility that the MPAA considers exposure to Christian themes more dangerous for children than exposure to gratuitous sex and violence," Blunt said in a letter to MPAA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dan Glickman. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Film Rating Upsets Christian Groups: 'Facing the Giants' Received a PG Rating ABC news- American Family, June 22, 2006 |
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- Friend sees marriage as path to baby ContraCostaTimes.com, By Carolyn Hax, Jul 1, 2006
Q: I have a good friend, 33, who is going to settle for a not-great guy just because her biological clock is ticking. Advice for me as her friend?. . . .
Q: One of my best friends is having marital problems. She confessed to me that they were getting a divorce and that she thinks they just don't have what it takes to make it work. I took the offered opening to give my two cents: that it seems she never thought she was good enough for him, when in my opinion he wasn't good enough for her. . . .
Q: I started seeing this really great woman. We have a great time but at the end of the night I get flustered because I really like her and don't want to screw this up. I haven't dated in five years, and the first kiss is starting to feel like a big issue. Any suggestions on bringing this up so she knows I am really interested but nervous?. . . .
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