'MARRIAGE' In The NEWS- March 2008: The REAL Proposal For Marriage magazine

ABC Follows 'Born Gay' Script to a T Townhall.com, By Robert Knight, March 28, 2008
ABC’s Good Morning America hit a grand slam today for the homosexual activist movement by airing a profoundly misleading segment that asks, “Can a Baby Be Gay?” A longer segment is slated for tonight’s 20/20. Convincing the public that some people are “born gay” is a central strategy of homosexual activists, who are being aided by a compliant media that routinely fails to examine such claims. If sexual behavior is hard-wired like race, then moral considerations can be swept aside, homosexuality declared a “civil right” and governments can move against people who believe homosexuality is wrong. The Good Morning America story follows the script proposed in the gay strategic manual After the Ball, by Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen. The two Harvard-trained PR experts set out to “overhaul straight America,” which was the title of an article out of which After the Ball was born as a full-length book in 1989. The authors tell activists to use the media to portray homosexuality as in-born, and homosexuals as victims. The heavies in the drama are proponents of traditional morality –especially Christians—who are to be depicted as ignorant at best, and haters and bigots at worst. The authors further advise that under no circumstances should the public be informed of actual homosexual behavior. Over the years, the media rarely have veered from the script, and Good Morning America is no exception. Host Diane Sawyer begins the Good Morning America segment by proclaiming the advent of a “truly landmark study” (whose results won’t come out until later this year) about “biology and being gay. . . . And of course, what about the people who still believe that homosexuality is a choice?” Wink, wink. These are the same folks who still believe in a flat earth. . .

RELATED VIDEO: Are you born gay? ABC News: 20/20, March 28, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: The "Gay Gene" Controlling The Media The Real Proposal magazine, April 1, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Is There a 'Gay Gene'? Scientists Hope to Demonstrate Genetic Link to Sexuality ABC News, By Lynn Sherr and Jeff Diamond, March 26, 2008
It's a medical mystery, one of the biggest debates of our time: Is there a gene that determines whether you're gay or straight? Some scientists think so, saying sexual identity is mostly biological. Others say it's a learned behavior.

RELATED ARTICLE: "Gay" Activists Risk Your Life. Tolerate It! Townhall.com, By Matt Barber, March 28, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Responding to Homosexuality & Gay Marriage: “Love the Sinner. Hate the Sin" The Real Proposal magazine, March 21, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: The Best Research Yet: Two psychologists show that homosexuals should not be discouraged from seeking change Christianity Today, By Tim Stafford, September 13, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: "Homosexuality Is Not Hardwired," Concludes Head of The Human Genome Project By A. Dean Byrd, Ph.D, MBA, MPH, LifeSiteNews.com, March 20, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Born or Bred? Science Does Not Support the Claim That Homosexuality Is Genetic. Homosexual activists love to insist that. CWA, By Robert H. Knight, December 21, 2005

How America Went Gay Leadership U, by Charles W. Socarides, M.D.
. . . Gays said they could "reinvent human nature, reinvent themselves." To do this, these reinventors had to clear away one major obstacle. No, they didn't go after the nation's clergy. They targeted the members of a worldly priesthood, the psychiatric community, and neutralized them with a radical redefinition of homosexuality itself. In 1972 and 1973 they co-opted the leadership of the American Psychiatric Association and, through a series of political maneuvers, lies and outright flim-flams, they "cured" homosexuality overnight-by fiat. They got the A.P.A. to say that same-sex sex was "not a disorder." It was merely "a condition"-as neutral as lefthandedness. This amounted to a full approval of homosexuality. Those of us who did not go along with the political redefinition were soon silenced at our own professional meetings. Our lectures were canceled inside academe and our research papers turned down in the learned journals. Worse things followed in the culture at large. Television and movie producers began to do stories promoting homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle. A gay review board told Hollywood how it should deal or not deal with homosexuality. Mainstream publishers turned down books that objected to the gay revolution. Gays and lesbians influenced sex education in our nation's schools, and gay and lesbian libbers seized wide control of faculty committees in our nations' colleges. State legislatures nullified laws against sodomy. If the print media paid any attention at all, they tended to hail the gay revolution, possibly because many of the reporters on gay issues were themselves gay and open advocates for the movement. And those reporters who were not gay seemed too intimidated by groupthink to expose what was going on in their own newsrooms. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: An Older, Wiser Ex-Gay Movement: The 30-year-old ministry now offers realistic hope for homosexuals. Christianity Today, By Tim Stafford, September 13, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Redeemed! 10 Ways to Get Out of the Gay Life, If You Want Out Venus Magazine, By Charlene E. Cothran- Venus Magazine Publisher, March 5, 2007

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

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

RELATED ARTICLE: 'Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study Of Religiously Mediated Change In Sexual Orientation' NARTH.com, By George A. Rekers, Ph.D.

RELATED ARTICLE: How Ohio State University is marketing evil World Net Daily, By David Kupelian, April 28, 2006

Marriage: it's a class act
We have become psychically insecure, which explains our reluctance to commit Times Online- UK, By Melanie McDonagh, March 28, 2008
The Office for National Statistics, in its deadpan way, dropped a bombshell this week with its revelation that the marriage rate is the lowest ever, or at any rate, in the past 144 years. It was one of those times when it dawns on you that we've parted company, in quite fundamental ways, from the habits of the past. A couple of generations ago, it would simply not have occurred to anyone that marriage could go out of fashion. Marriage was synonymous with being grown-up and heterosexual, and though obviously people engaged in extramarital sex and had extramarital children, this was a matter for censure or compassion or a rebellion against convention. People married and gave in marriage by way of being normal. Back then, even progressives got married after living together, people like John Lennon who fancied themselves as subversive; now even the Queen's granddaughter cohabits and doesn't care who knows it. . . . Those who marry today tend to be older and wealthier. It seems that society is separating along socioeconomic lines and the common experience of marriage no longer exists in the way it used to.” Ms Tyler was not, I think, trying to frighten the horses but she scared me. Because the truth is that marriage is coming perilously close to being a matter of class, along with church attendance, home cooking and male employment. . . .The Emperor Augustus took a dim view of the flight from marriage. His solution was a tax on bachelors. I think he was on to something.

Parenting Issues: Is political correctness stopping police ending the misery of the teenage sex slaves? The Daily Mail- UK, March 27, 2008
Their faces remain shadowy, but Jane clearly remembers the sheer, terrifying numbers of men who would be brought to her bed at night. "It happened every night. There were loads of men involved." Her voice cracks. "You couldn't keep count." It was like a conveyor belt, she recalls. A conveyor belt of men all expecting sex. She was only 14. The very idea seems medieval, a horrific nightmare. But this was 21st-century Yorkshire, and Jane's experiences as a child prostitute were all too real.In fact, it's believed as many as 5,000 under-age British girls have been groomed for prostitution by ruthless criminal gangs. . . . Tonight, an eight-month investigation by the BBC's flagship current affairs programme Panorama reveals evidence of a growing number of young girls being sexually abused and brutalised, pimped by gangs of criminals and recruited to a life of degradation and shame while barely into their teens. All are left irrevocably damaged by what they endure, while in certain quarters the police stand accused of failing to protect them from the sexual predators who stalk Britain's regional centres. . . . Little wonder her pimps "worked" her hard: for them, Jane meant big money: according to the Metropolitan Police, a pimp can make £300,000 to £400,000 a year selling a 16-year-old girl - and, as David Barratt, a professor of applied sciences at the University of Bedfordshire and author of several books on child prostitution, points out, the younger the girl, the more money they make. "The criminal network can receive very significant money," he says. Jane, or course, did not receive a penny, instead accruing "debt" by the day, a trap heightened by the fact that she was by now addicted to drugs. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Police: Teen pimp lures girls into illegal sex WFAA TV, Reported by Rebecca Lopez, March 24, 2008

US Police in Dallas, TX: Teen pimp lures girls into illegal sex

RELATED VIDEO: Dallas Police: Teen pimp lures girls into illegal sex WFAA TV, Reported by Rebecca Lopez, March 24, 2008

Bruni's pert pillbox hat was perfect. Poor Camilla looked like a pheasant crash-landed on her head...

Bruni's pert pillbox hat was perfect. Poor Camilla looked like a pheasant crash-landed on her head... The Daily Mail- UK, By Amanda Platell, March 27, 2008
Not since Anne Boleyn has a woman curtseyed so deeply, so demurely or so calculatedly before a British monarch. When Carla Bruni-Sarkozy swept in to London to meet the Queen yesterday on her very new husband's presidential jet, she was part Grace Kelly, part Jackie Kennedy, part Princess Diana. But let's not fool ourselves. France's First Lady was only ever playing a part. Carla arrived in a long, demure, soft-grey Christian Dior coat, flat black suede pumps, matching Dior handbag and leather gloves. Some were surprised that a former supermodel - famous for bedding rock stars and a voracious sexual appetite - was so, well, covered up. But if you had appeared naked, as she had, in almost every television bulletin and newspaper in Britain that morning, you'd want to cover up, too. It might have been a 15-year-old modelling picture being opportunistically auctioned at Christie's, but it did rather remind one that this was a girl with a past. One hell of a past. . . . . While all this was a triumph of understatement for Carla, spare a thought for poor Camilla. Imagine waking up yesterday and knowing this was the day your picture would be splashed across the world's media alongside a former supermodel. In the end it looked as though she had given up hope, dressed in what appeared to be an aged cleaning lady's old brown coat, and topped with a hat that looked like a beret upon which a dead pheasant had crash-landed. With wild feathers sticking out in every direction, that wasn't a hat, it was roadkill. Yet despite this, Carla has more in common with Camilla than she ever will with Princess Diana. .

Thomas Beatie- a transgender - now a married man who used to be a woman, is pregnant with a baby girl

Thomas Beatie, a married man who used to be a woman, is pregnant with a baby girl Times Online- UK, By James Bone, March 26, 2008
A married man who used to be a woman says that he is pregnant and will give birth to a baby girl in July. “How does it feel to be a pregnant man? Incredible,” wrote Thomas Beatie, 34, from the Pacific North West of the United States, in the latest issue of the gay magazine The Advocate. “Despite the fact that my belly is growing with a new life inside me, I am stable and confident being the man that I am.” Mr Beatie was born female, named Tracy Lagondino, but had gender reassignment surgery and is now legally male and married to a woman. He decided to carry a baby for his wife, Nancy, because she had a hysterectomy years ago. He was able to get pregnant because he kept his female organs when he switched genders. “Sterilisation is not a requirement for sex reassignment, so I decided to have chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy but kept my reproductive rights,” he writes. “Wanting to have a biological child is neither a male nor female desire but a human desire.” The couple, who have been together for ten years, run a custom screenprinting business in Bend, Oregon, where neighbours do not know that Mr Beatie was once a woman. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Labor of Love The Advocate- The Award-winning LGBT News Site, By Thomas Beatie, March 26, 2008
Labor of Love: Thomas Beatie gives The Advocate a first-person account of how it feels to be pregnant and carrying a child for his wife and himself. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The "Gay Gene" Controlling The Media The Real Proposal magazine, April 1, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Reproduction and Public Discourse First Things, By Ryan T. Anderson, February 28, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Wanted: Someone to Play God Time magazine, By Nancy Gibbs, February 21, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: A “Gay Man” Trapped in a Woman’s Body and Other Nonsense Townhall.com, By Matt Barber, December 26, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Homo erectus extinctus The Times Online, By Lois Rogers, December 16, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The prospect of all-female conception The Independent- UK, By Steve Connor, April 13, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The Parent Hood: How technology and social progress are turning procreation into self-actualization. The Daily Standard, By Claudia Anderson, December 4, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: The Revolution in Parenthood: The Emerging Global Clash Between Adult Rights and Children's Needs AmericanValues.org

RELATED ARTICLE: Surgical Sex First Things.com, By Paul McHugh, November 2004
Mental health professionals like Paul McHugh at Johns Hopkins University believe that all the social, medical and psychiatric resources employed in turning men into women are “a misdirection of psychiatry.” and partly at the his urging, Johns Hopkins no longer performs sex reassignment surgery. He became convinced that to provide a surgical alteration to the body of these unfortunate people was to collaborate with a mental disorder rather than to treat it.

RELATED ARTICLE: Psychiatric Misadventures By Paul R. McHugh— Henry Phipps Professor and Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

RELATED ARTICLE: Paul McHugh on transsexualism Transsexual Road Map

A clump of cells? Or a living being with a soul? The Independent- UK, By Jeremy Laurance, March 26, 2008
Embryo research has pitted scientists against bishops, caused a cabinet split and divided the country. Religion, politics, medicine and ethics all collide in a debate that boils down to the question above: Is a bunch of cells just that: a bunch of cells, as scientists would have it, or is it, as the Catholic Church insists, a human being with a soul? It is the dispute that lies at the heart of the controversy over the Embryo Bill and it is as fundamental a difference of opinion as it is possible to imagine. Gordon Brown performed a political climbdown yesterday and promised Labour MPs a free vote on the most emotive measures in the Bill, in effect throwing open the debate to the entire country. It is a piece of legislation that challenges our deepest notion of what it is to be human and what it is right to sanction in the interests of scientific progress. . . . At its heart lie three issues on which Mr Brown has now granted MPs a free vote, although Labour MPs will be required to back the Bill as a whole when it is voted on in principle at the third and final reading. The specific issues are: allowing research into possibilities such as making sperm from bone marrow that might mean women could become "fathers"; allowing the creation of "saviour siblings" (babies created with the correct tissue match to treat a sick brother or sister); and the creation of so-called hybrid animal/human embryos to aid stem cell research. . . .

A clump of cells? Or, a living being with a soul?

Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick charged with perjury amid yet another political sex scandal: Scandal grows to historic magnitude (Click for Related Video)

Mayor charged: Scandal grows to historic magnitude Detroit Free Press, By Jim Schaeffer and M.L. Elrick, March 25, 2008
Kwame Malik Kilpatrick, once heralded as the bright future of the city that reared him, instead became the first sitting Detroit mayor to face criminal charges -- eight felony counts, the fallout from a text message scandal. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, in a 23-minute speech Monday that was more stern civics lesson than announcement, likened the 37-year-old mayor's actions to an unrepentant child's. She then read a 12-count complaint charging perjury, conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office against Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty, his former chief of staff who announced her resignation in January. "Even children understand that lying is wrong," Worthy said in a news conference covered live on national television. "Honesty and integrity in the justice system is everything. That is what this case is about." Kilpatrick, in his own news conference in his office shortly after Worthy's, reaffirmed he would not resign -- his stance since the Free Press broke the scandal in January. He said he expected "full and complete vindication" of the charges. . .

RELATED VIDEO: Prosecutor Kym Worthy announces charges against Mayor Kilpatrick Detroit Free Press, By Alexandra Bahou

RELATED ARTICLE: You Made Your Bed, Kwame – Now Lie in It Without Likening Yourself to Men Like Ossian Sweet BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Gregory Kane, March 27, 2008
Oh, no, this Negro didn’t. Somebody please tell me that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick did not play the race card in his recent state of the city address. Please tell me that he did not compare himself to Dr. Ossian Sweet, the famous Detroiter who, in 1925, held off, by force of arms, a riotous white mob threatening to drive him and his family from their home. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Time to learn lessons and leave Detroit Free Press, By Stephen Henderson, March 25, 2008
In her harshest moments Monday, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy conjured Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick as an unruly man-child who never learned the lessons that are imbedded in most people by kindergarten age and form the basis of our legal system.

RELATED ARTICLE: Worthy: Resignation alone not enough to spare mayor The Detroit Free Press, By M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaefer, March 25, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Eliot Spitzer Sex Scandal: A Public And A Private Betrayal The Real Proposal magazine Blog Spot, March 11, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: In tough times Carlita Kilpatrick stands by her husband The Detroit Free Press, By Suzette Hackney, January 30, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Kilpatrick’s Misdeeds Ultimately Hurt the People Who Elected Him – Poor Blacks in Detroit BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Tonyaa Weathersbee, January 30, 2008

RELATED VIDEO: Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick addresses text-message scandal The Detroit Free Press
Addressing the text-message scandal for the first time, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick apologized repeatedly to residents, supporters, opponents, his wife and sons for what he called “the embarrassment and disappointment” of the past few days.

FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE: Kwame Kilpatrick: A mayor in crisis The Detroit Free Press

Sarkozy's mocked by French press as ex-wife marries man she left him for The Daily Mail— UK, By Annette Witheridg, March 24, 2008
French President Nicolas Sarkozy was mocked as a figure of fun again yesterday as his ex-wife's marriage to her PR executive lover drew sneering headlines. Former first lady Cecilia wed in New York's touristy Rainbow Room after guests took in a performance of Abba-themed musical Mamma Mia! The hurried nuptials – seen as an act of "revenge" against Sarkozy for his whirlwind ceremony to model Carla Bruni seven weeks ago – were derided in the French media. . . Cecilia, who has reverted to using her maiden name Ciganer-Albeniz, and her Moroccan-born lover Richard Attias, were whisked in a black limousine into an underground car park at the Rockefeller late on Sunday afternoon in preparation for the dusk ceremony. The 150 guests – who had been treated to a weekend of events included a visit to see Mamma Mia on Broadway – were sworn to secrecy and ordered to hand over mobile phones and cameras. Socialite Cecilia, 50, had intended to marry Attias, 48, in the summer but moved the ceremony forward after her ex wed Miss Bruni in February – less than four months after their divorce. Celilia, who has an 11-year-old son Louis by the French president, has admitted she felt humiliated by Sarkozy's high-profile romance, branded him a "stingy womaniser" and claimed the affair was merely a "rebound" after she had left him. "Carla Bruni won't make him forget me in a hurry," she said, taking a pot shot at the brunette 10 years her junior. . . .

French President Nicholas Sarkozy is mocked by the press as ex-wife Cecilia marries the man, Richard Attias, she left him for

No need to have and to hold the most lavish wedding and reception ever seen

No need to have and to hold the most lavish wedding and reception ever seen i c Wales, By Carolyn Hitt, Western Mail, March 24, 2008
My diary is in nuptial gridlock. I’ve got three weddings on three consecutive weekends. One in Caernarfon, one in Pentyrch and one in Holland. No sign of a funeral, Hugh Grant or Simon Callow in a kilt, thankfully, but three weddings is still something of a marital marathon. So here comes the bride… in triplicate. Two old school friends and a former work mate. I always sniffle a bit when school chums get married. There’s something strangely poignant about seeing them looking stunning in ivory silk and lace to the strains of Handel and remembering them in white socks and whiffing of Clearasil to the sound of Kajagoogoo. There’s another reason people cry at weddings. The cost. . . . Outfit shopping also lures you into sartorial realms best avoided. People wear things to weddings they wouldn’t dream of donning anywhere else. Men start resembling emperor penguins in brocade waistcoats, while small boys are humiliated in Little Lord Fauntleroy’s satin breeches. Women put stupid things on their heads. Not just hats that need a pew to themselves but netting moulded into abstract shapes or those funny little feather hair bands. They’re called “fascinators”, apparently. I’ve just bought one. I thought it was the height of occasion-wear chic until I gave it a trial run in front of my friend Pricey. She fell off the settee in hysterics, squealing about Penscynor Bird Park. But that is nothing compared to the screaming fit the average pricey wedding bill must now induce. According to figures released last week, the cost of getting hitched has soared to £18,500 – a rise of more than five times the rate of inflation. The huge expense of the Big Day is forcing thousands of couples to postpone their wedding or even abandon it. . .

Marriage Does Not Lower Blood Pressure -- Reading Matrimaniacal Media Accounts Raises It Huffington Post, By Bella Depaulo, March 24, 2008
Feeling stressed? Worried that your blood pressure may be soaring? The media have a solution for you -- get married! You've seen the headlines: "Marriage may lower blood pressure." "Walk down the aisle for lower blood pressure, but be happy!" What you haven't seen, if you have relied on summaries of the relevant study by ABC, CNN, MSNBC, the Associated Press, or just about any other media source, are the actual results of the study. HERE'S WHAT THE BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY REALLY DID SHOW. . . . If getting married really did make people healthier, and did so in a way that no other close relationship or set of relationships or meaningful life experiences could approximate, that would be a story worth reporting and reading. But to make marriage-hyping claims that are exaggerated, misrepresented, or just plain wrong -- well, that's just acting like a matrimaniac. Obviously, it would be good for singles if there were less singlism (singles-bashing) and matrimania. What may be less obvious is that if reports were more accurate and less caricatured, that would also be good for anyone who is, or wants to be, coupled. When singles are stigmatized, there is a risk that some people will be tempted to couple and marry for the wrong reasons - to escape the cultural muck that comes with being single. When singles are no longer marginalized or demeaned, then people who want to couple can do so from a position of strength. Rather than running away from singlehood to escape the stigma, they can move toward marriage or coupling as something they want to embrace. . .

Marriage does not lower blood pressure. Reading Matrimaniacal Media Accounts Raises It

Teenagers copying surgically enhanced celebrities DOUBLE the number of breast enlargements in one year

Parenting Issues: Teenagers copying surgically enhanced celebrities DOUBLE the number of breast enlargements in one year The Dail Mail- UK, By Daniel Martin, March 24, 2008
Teenagers are rushing to have breast enlargement surgery in an attempt to copy their celebrity idols. The number of girls having the procedure has more than doubled in one year. But experts warn that young people are putting themselves at mental and physical risk, because in many cases their bodies have not finished developing. Figures from the country's largest three cosmetic surgery chains show that almost 600 teenagers had their breasts enlarged last year. One company has reported a fivefold increase on the year before. Transform has a chain of 22 clinics and offers surgery on interest-free credit. Last year it performed 169 breast enlargements on girls aged 18 and 19, up from only 31 the year before. Spokesman Shami Choudhry said credit deals made the procedure, which costs up to £5,000, more attractive to teenagers. . . . Kafeh Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon at St George's and the Princess Grace hospitals, both in London, carried out a breast augmentation on a 19-year- old last week. He said: "This young woman wanted the procedure to enhance her confidence about her body image when going on beach holidays. Her parents funded the procedure." Most British cosmetic surgery clinics do not operate on women under the age of 18. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: 'All I want for my birthday is a boob job like Mummy', says Alicia Douvall's 12-year-old daughter The Daily Mail- UK, By Donna McConnell, April 15, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Outrage at Miss Bimbo website  Times Online- UK, By Steve Bird, March 25, 2008
The internet game, aimed at girls aged 9 to 16, gives users 'bimbo dollars' to buy lingerie, diet pills and nightclub outfits. It has attracted 200,000 members in Britain . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Sarah Jessica Parker Revisited: When Maxim Attacks Washington Post, By Liz Kelly, March 25, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Boca teen dies from complications after corrective plastic surgery  wp TV- NBC, March 24, 2008
A West Boca Raton High School Senior died from complications after undergoing corrective breast surgery at a doctor's office. 18 year-old Stephanie Kuleba underwent a corrective procedure Friday with board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Stephen Shuster along with an anesthesiologist. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The Girls as young as SIX who already hate their bodies The Daily Mail- UK, By Alison Smith-Squire, December 7, 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 & VIDEO: The Gift of Breast Implants? Rise in Parents Paying for Their Teenage Daughters' Plastic Surgery ABC News- 20/20, By John Stossel, June 16, 2007

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

RELATED ARTICLE: Co-ed Settings Skew Body Image: Why women have poor body image when men are around. Psychology Today, By Kimberly Shearer Palmer

Why gorgeous girls are happier with plain guys The Daily Mail- UK, By Liz Hull, March 23, 2008
He's had many an unkind comment about his looks when set against the radiant beauty of girlfriend Sienna Miller. But Rhys Ifans seems likely to have the last laugh because psychologists reckon that happier marriages result from attractive women who wed uglier men. And women who marry handsome men had better watch out. Men who saw themselves as better looking than their wives were more likely to be disgruntled and have negative feelings about their marriage, experts found. The University of Tennessee study leaves 40-year-old Ifans set fair if, as expected, he marries 26-year-old Sienna this year, and it might also explain a few other couples such as Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas and Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller. The Tennessee team tested 82 newly-wed couples for facial attractiveness and the quality of their marriage. Their results, in the Journal of Family Psychology, suggested most men who married attractive women were happy to bask in the glory of their partner's beauty. But Professor Jim McNulty reported: "Men who were more attractive than their partner demonstrated a tendency to offer less emotional and practical support to their wives." . . .

Why gorgeous girls like Sienna Miller are happier with plain guys like Rhys Ifans

The Queen Elizabeth School arranged morning-after pills for girls of 14 after end-of-term party descended into drunken orgy

Parenting Issues: School arranges morning-after pills for girls of 14 after end-of-term party descends into drunken orgy The Daily Mail- UK, By James Tozer, March 22, 2008
Teachers had to arrange morning-after pills for girls as young as 14 after a class party degenerated into an orgy of binge-drinking, drugtaking and underage sex. The school said yesterday that "a disturbingly high" number of pupils had unprotected sex while drunk as up to 200 teenagers ran riot at a village hall. In stark terms, it warned parents of the risk of pregnancy and sexually-transmitted disease, telling them: "Assume the worst." During the unsupervised party the hall was badly damaged and nearby residents were horrified when the revellers spilled out into the street, among them a boy stripped to his boxer shorts and scantily-clad girls. The local pub landlord said he was threatened when he refused to sell them alcohol and cigarettes. It went so far out of control that the school has taken the dramatic step of writing to all parents graphically describing what went on. . . Parents and hall officials are believed to have been told there would be adult supervision, but the teenagers had apparently forged signatures. . . The deputy head said many parents wrongly assumed that because the party was being held at a village hall, there would be a responsible adult involved, and urged them to be more careful in future. . . .

Known as the 'Shameless' family among horrified neighbours, the McFadden family 'boast' three generations of adults who are not working

Meet the families where no one's worked for THREE generations - and they don't care The Daily Mail- UK, By Sadie Nicholas and Diana Appleyard, March 21, 2008
Known as the "Shameless" family among horrified neighbours, the McFaddens "boast" three generations of adults who are not working. All ten members of the clan share a council house and live off benefits amounting to around £32,000 a year. And very happy they are, too. Matriarch is grandmother Sue McFadden, 54. "Our neighbours are so snobby - they call us the "Shameless" family and say that we ought to go out to work. But how can we work when we have all these children to look after? "The only problem is," she says without a hint of irony, "that we're living in a three-bedroom council house, which is ridiculous. "I'm asking the council for a ten-bedroom home for all of us. We need more space. It's awful sometimes when all the children are squabbling. Still, we do have a big TV with Sky, but we need some relaxation." Of course they do, poor lambs. What a damning verdict on our claim-it-all society, a grotesque mirror of the dark television drama Shameless. . . . But the really disturbing aspect of the McFaddens' lifestyle is that they are far from alone. Six million Britons are living in homes where no one has a job and "benefits are a way of life", according to a report by MPs. Shock figures also revealed that 20,000 households in Britain are pocketing more than £30,000 a year in state benefits. With thousands of children growing up in families where their parents and grandparents have never worked, a senior government adviser warned this week of a "terrible legacy" of youngsters who had no expectation of ever getting a job. . . .Steven left school 23 years ago and has worked for only five years in that time. It's 12 years since he last had a job. Steven lives in Swansea with partner Donna, 24, who's never worked, and their daughter Celsea, three. His eldest daughter from a previous partner, 17-year-old Jessica, is also on benefits. Steven says: "Mum never really made us think about work. I did do a plumbing YTS scheme after school. They paid £27 a week, but it was so boring looking at pipes and sinks all day. When I told my dad I was bored, he said I should never stick with a job I didn't like. . . But is it inevitable that generation upon generation of unemployed families just follow their parents into lives of idle nihilism? Is it the fault of a system which offers benefits too easily - or the fault of parents who fail to encourage their children to aspire or succeed? . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Life is not a defined benefit Townhall.com, By Star Parker, November 5, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Liberals love the sin and hate the sinner Townhall.com, By Star Parker, September 10, 2007
In an article in the latest issue of Commentary Magazine, Lawrence Mead, a professor of politics at New York University and author of seven books on poverty and welfare reform, surveys thinking over the last 50 years about the causes of poverty and concludes: "Although impediments to working may still affect some people, poverty is overwhelmingly a result of dysfunctional patterns of life. Families are poor in America in 2007 typically because unmarried parents have children and then do not work regularly to support them. ... It has become difficult to avoid the conclusion that serious poverty in America is rooted in the culture of the poor."

RELATED ARTICLE: The Collapse of Marriage and the Rise of Welfare Dependence The Heritage Foundation, By Jennifer A. Marshall, Robert Lerman, Ph.D., Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, Ph.D., Hon. Wade Horn, Ph.D., Robert Rector- Heritage Lecture #959, August 15, 2006 (Delivered May 22, 2006)

RELATED ARTICLE: Mothers' and Children's Poverty and Material Hardship in the Years Following a Non-Marital Birth FRAGILE FAMILIES RESEARCH BRIEF- Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing- Princeton University, Social Indicators Survey Center, Columbia University, January 2008

Obama pastor backs gay rights
Rev. Wright supported gay ministry, but failed to adopt ‘affirming’ status for church The Washington Blade, By Lou Chibbaro Jr., March 20, 2008
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s controversial ex-pastor in Chicago has largely supported gay rights and has welcomed gays into his 8,000-member congregation at Trinity United Church of Christ, according to activists who know him. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who recently retired as the Trinity Church pastor, has been hit with a firestorm of criticism after news media outlets began airing video recordings of some of his fiery and racially charged sermons, including one in which he blamed U.S. foreign policy for the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In a speech in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Obama distanced himself from Wright’s strident political positions but refused to “disown” his pastor of nearly 20 years, reiterating his praise for Wright as his spiritual mentor. . . . . But the Rev. Ruth Garwood, executive director of the United Church of Christ Coalition for GLBT Concerns, said that while Trinity Church has the reputation of being gay-supportive, Wright and other church officials never accepted an invitation from her office to become an official UCC “open and affirming” congregation for the GLBT community. . . . About 80 percent of the church’s General Synod voted to approve a same-sex marriage resolution giving all United Church of Christ congregations authority to perform same-sex marriages. The resolution explicitly allows each church to decide on its own whether or not to endorse or perform such unions. Monroe said Wright spoke out against the Synod’s position, which she said prompted “LGBTQ parishioners to leave” the church. . . .

Obama pastor Re. Dr. Jeremiah A Wright backs gay rights, supported gay ministry, but failed to adopt 'affirming' status for church

RELATED ARTICLE: Responding to Homosexuality & Gay Marriage: “Love the Sinner. Hate the Sin” The Real Proposal magazine, March 21, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE (PDF doc): A Message From Our Pastor: Maybe I Missed Something By Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., Senior Pastor

RELATED ARTICLE: The Jeremiah Wright affair: The trouble with uncles The Economist, March 19, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: If Obama can throw his pastor under the bus, what will he do to us? The Bilerico Project, Filed by Rev Irene Monroe, March 19, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Congregation Defends Obama's Ex-Pastor: Criticism Seen as Attempt to Silence Voice of Black Church The Washington Post, By Eli Saslow, March 18, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Obama’s Speech on Race   New York Times, March 18, 2008
Interactive video and transcript of Senator Barack Obama’s speech in Philadelphia on March 18.

RELATED ARTICLE: A Candidate, His Minister and the Search for Faith   New York Times, By Jodi Kantor, April 30, 2007

RELATED BLOG: Historical Christianity Can Not be Reconciled with Gay Christian(*a) Theology Scripture Refiner's Fire- Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth in Love, January 26, 2008
(*a) The terms "Gay Christian" and "Gay Christianity" are used in this report to describe same-sex practicing unrepentant gays that call themselves Christians and refuse to acknowledge that gay sex is sin. . . . We believe God can forgive any sin including gay-sex, and we believe gays should be accepted in the church body like any other sinners. However, we do not accept their brazen attempt to legitimize immoral conduct that the Bible never commanded us to accept. It is not required for a sinner to repent first before they attend church, and they are welcome to attend, but it is required that they must abstain from injuring the church body by trying to legitimize immorality. In our opinion the gay Christian Movement is a Trojan horse to launch the gay-political agenda into the church. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Responding to Pro-Gay Theology Leadership U, By Joe Dallas
This three-part series will address the pro-gay theology by dividing its arguments--or tenets--into three categories: social justice arguments, general religious arguments, and scriptural arguments. Joe Dallas, Founder of Genesis Counseling, is the author of three books on homosexuality: Desires in Conflict, Unforgiven Sins, and A Strong Delusion: Confronting the "Gay Christian" Movement. A former gay rights activist and staff member of a Metropolitan Community Church, he has worked with hundreds of men and women struggling with homosexuality and related problems.

RELATED BROADCAST: How Should We Respond to Homosexuality? Part 1 Focus on the Family.org, Speaker: Joe Dallas, March 18, 2008
The Bible tells how the prophet Jonah had great disdain for the people of Nineveh - he resisted God's command to preach a message of judgment to the Ninevites, and he became angry when God compassionately held back His wrath after the people of Nineveh repented. Author and counselor Joe Dallas says many Christians are afflicted with the "Jonah Syndrome," meaning they hold homosexuals in contempt and resist demonstrating to them the love of Christ. Dallas - a former homosexual - calls on the church to repent of its sin and to reach out to the gay community with a message of grace that is compassionate, consistent and clear.
"I believe as we address the issue of homosexuality that God would call us to repent of whatever hostility exists within the church .. and recommit ourselves to bold love." - Joe Dallas

RELATED BROADCAST: How Should We Respond to Homosexuality? Part 2     Focus on the Family.org, Speaker: Joe Dallas, March 18, 2008
Most Christians have heard the phrase, "hate the sin but love the sinner." Unfortunately, many homosexuals feel like evangelicals hate them as people because of their behavior. How has the church gone wrong in responding to the gay community? Author and counselor Joe Dallas cites examples as he admonishes believers to repent of their hostility towards homosexuals. Dallas also describes how Christians can achieve a proper, balanced approach of showing Christ's love to gays and lesbians while still declaring the biblical truth that homosexuality is a sin.
"The gay and lesbian community is looking to the church for some verifiable evidence that we love them as we say that we do ... [that we] value them as people, not just as objects to be converted." - Joe Dallas

Cheryl Burke, Drew Lachey deny 'Dancing with the Stars' affair report

Cheryl Burke, Drew Lachey deny 'Dancing with the Stars' affair report Reality TV World, By Christopher Rocchio, March 19, 2008
While Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke's chemistry in the ballroom can't be questioned, it apparently ended there -- as the Dancing with the Stars' second-season champs are denying a tabloid report that they had an affair during the show's recently concluded North American tour. "The story that Cheryl is involved with Drew Lachey started two years ago when they were partners on Dancing with the Stars. It wasn't true then and it isn't true now," Burke's representative told People in a Wednesday report. According to Star Magazine's March 31 issue, a Dancing with the Stars - The Tour "insider" claims Lachey -- who is married with a 2-year-old daughter -- and Burke had an affair while on the road this past winter. "They didn't go very far to cover it up," "one tour insider" told Star. "Cheryl was constantly draped all over Drew. They held hands, had their legs intertwined and were always touching inappropriately." In early February, Burke's publicist said the Dancing professional and Matthew Lawrence -- her boyfriend of more than a year -- had "quietly ended their relationship a few weeks ago," however no reason for the split was given. . . .

Parenting Issues: Decline of marriage is destroying our pupils, say teachers The Daily Mail- UK, By Laura Clark, March 19, 2008

• They're too mixed up to learn
• They've more eating disorders
• They're more prone to suicide

The decline of marriage is leading to widespread underachievement and indiscipline in schools, teachers warned yesterday. Children with "chaotic" home lives turn up at school too troubled to learn, wrecking their prospects of success in exams, they said. Growing numbers are being brought up in splintered families by mothers with children by different fathers, leading to behaviour and mental health problems including eating disorders and suicidal thoughts, a teachers' conference heard. They are more likely to lead "dysfunctional" lives themselves, creating a "toxic circle" that no amount of investment or initiatives directed at schools can reverse. Members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers demanded a proper recognition of the impact of family breakdown on education and called on ministers to do more to promote marriage. They said research from around the world showed that lack of stability at home can hamper children's learning. Secondary school teacher Phil Whalley told the ATL's annual conference in Torquay that 40 to 50 per cent of youngsters born in Britain this year face a greater risk of failing at school because they will be born to unmarried couples or single parents. . . .

Decline of Marriage is destroying our pupils, say teachers

RELATED ARTICLE: Britney Spears' parents 'back together' for the sake of their daughter The Daily Mail- UK, March 19, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Toll of Divorce on Children, Lindsay Lohan The Christian Post, By Nathan Black, October 26 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The Divorce Dilemma: Sociologist finds that even amicable divorces are likely to have negative effects on children University of Texas at Austin- By Michele Bryant, Mar 30, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE:   Divided they fall   TownHall.com, By Jennifer Roback Morse, October 17, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE:    Child's-eye view of divorce The Telegraph- UK, July 12, 2005

RELATED ARTICLE: Unexpected Legacy of Divorce PBS.org, December 19, 2000
Judith Wallerstein discusses her latest book, "The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce," an analysis of the long-term effect of divorce on children.

RELATED ARTICLE:   Dr. Bad News   Salon.com, By Cathy Young, October 3, 2000
After conducting a massive 25-year study, Judith Wallerstein concludes that children of divorce are hit hardest after they grow up.

RELATED ARTICLE: Transcript From Chat with Dr. Judith Wallerstein   PBS.org, April 18, 2001

For better or worse: The good divorce guide

For better or worse: The good divorce guide The Independent- UK, By Virginia Ironside, March 18, 2008
We may get hitched with the best intentions, but it doesn't always turn out happily ever after. As Sir Paul Despite clearly desperate attempts on Paul McCartney's side to ensure that everyone kept their gloves on during his acrimonious divorce from Heather Mills, inevitably each ended up trying to portray the other in as dark a colour as possible. But now the whole thing seems finally to be crawling to a close, with vast sums of money changing hands – and, almost certainly, vast sums being passed on to the lawyers as well. No, it hasn't been a "good divorce". But is there really such a thing as a "good divorce"? Surely that would be an oxymoron – the term has always sounded to me as weird as having a "good murder", or even a "good death". Obviously, there are some couples who sail through divorce. They both agree that the marriage isn't working out, they divide the goods and chattels without acrimony, and when they're all done and dusted they go out for a blissfully unromantic dinner. But, for most couples, it's a painful business – and the agony starts long before the proceedings are even instigated. Indeed, divorce can be rather like a bad cold; however horrible the snuffling and coughing, it's nothing to the days of fatigue and the feelings of ickiness that one has to endure before it. So there's a moment at the start of the process when the moving out of one partner or the other is usually met with relief. At least the bickering is over – the tension, the agony, the whispered arguments so as not to wake the children. But, after the brief moment of elation that comes with initial separation (the "Free at last! The world's my oyster," feeling), most people find that the world isn't actually their oyster. It's a bleak and often unfriendly place. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The divorce-ometer: What the stars have paid - by the hour - for their broken marriages The Daily Mail- UK By Claudia Connell, March 19, 2008

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

RELATED ARTICLE: 10 frequently asked divorce questions: Get answers to some of the most important questions about separation and divorce Homemakers.com, By Anne Bokma, September 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: How to get divorced without losing your shirt The Times Online- UK, By Sue Bland and Anna Wagstaff, July 26, 2007
Marriage on the rocks? Two big money divorce lawyers tell you 20 ways to make the split less painful.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Top Ten Myths of Divorce: Discussion of the most common misinformation about divorce, with references to social science literature The National Marriage Project- Rutgers University, By David Popenoe, April 2001

Judge awards Heather Mills £24.3 million in divorce ruling The Times Online, March 17, 2008
Heather Mills claimed she was "so, so happy" today after being awarded £24.3 million in her divorce with Sir Paul McCartney – despite the award being one fifth of what she originally sought. In an emotional statement often laced with anger on the steps of the High Court, Ms Mills said the former Beatle had offered her £15.8 million, so she considered today's award of £24.3 million to be a victory. She did, however, claim for £125 million. . . . . Launching a scathing attack on the legal establishment and her estranged husband, Ms Mills hotly disputed the judge's decision to revise the ex-Beatle's assets down from £800 million to £400 million. She claimed that this was designed to reduce her award and was part of a plot to prevent litigants-in-person succeeding in court. . . . Legal experts claimed that the verdict was generally fair, did not set any startling legal precedents, and would leave Sir Paul satisfied. They said it would have been much smaller if no children had been involved. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Mills was 'less than candid', says judge The Independent- UK, March 18, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Full text: McCartney- Mills Divorce Judgment The Times Online- UK, March 17, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: After 21 months of 'silence' Heather Mills Rants Outside the High Court The Times Online- UK, March 17, 2008

Judge awards Heather Mills ÃÂ£24.3 million in divorce ruling from ex- Beatle Paul McCartney

RELATED ARTICLE: Heather's £55m deal: Sir Paul ready to buy her silence with a record pay-off The Daily Mail- UK, By Richard Simpson, February 9, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: How we help the rich win at divorce, by Sir Paul McCartney's legal team The Daily Mail- UK, By Dominic Carman, February 16, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Avarice, cruelty and what this tawdry case tells us about the injustice of modern divorce The Daily Mail- UK, By Amanda Platell, February 14, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Heather Mills: the 'insatiable' sex maniac Sydney Morning Herald, February 12, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Mills will claim McCartney turned violent after binges NEWS.com.au, February 11, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Mills needs $24000 per day to 'get by' Ninemsn- Australia, March 8, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The Big Question: Has divorce become too expensive for the rich? The Independent Online- Legal- UK- By Maxine Frith, May 19, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Anatomy of a Violent Relationship Psychology Today, By Neil S. Jacobson, John M. Gottman, Last Reviewed August 30, 2004
Some batterers are like pit bulls, other like cobras.

THE MCGREEVEYS' SECRET: Former Driver: I Had Threesome With Jim & Dina New York Post, By Jeane MacIntosh, March 16, 2008
-- A former driver and aide to former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey yesterday made the bombshell claim that Dina Matos McGreevey must have always known her husband was gay - because he was the other man in bed with them. In an explosive interview with The Post, the McGreeveys' self-professed man in the middle, Teddy Pedersen, gave explicit details of three-way sex romps that he claimed to have had with the now-divorcing duo, starting during their courtship and continuing into the marriage. Pedersen - who said he had already spilled the beans on the ménage a trois arrangement under oath in a deposition for the couple's divorce battle - hinted that he thinks his presence was required to get Jim's motor running for Dina. Matos McGreevey's basic argument in her divorce war with the former gov is that he covered up his homosexuality and tricked her into a loveless marriage. Pedersen - who is named in Matos McGreevey's court papers - agreed to talk about the alleged unconventional relationship after Dina sounded off to the media last week about Eliot Spitzer's sex scandal. "It's frustrating to hear her call Gov. Spitzer a hypocrite while she's out there being as dishonest as anyone could be about her own life," said Pedersen, 29. "She's framed herself as a victim - yet she was a willing participant. She had complete control over what happened in her relationship," he said. "She was there, she knew what was happening, she made the moves. We all did. It's disgusting to watch her play the victim card.".

THE MCGREEVEYS' SECRET: Former Driver Claims to Have Had Threesome With Dina and ex NJ governor Jim McGreevy, who resigned over a homosexual affair with an aide came to light

RELATED ARTICLE: McGreeveys Remind Us It's Time to Reintroduce Concept of Shame Into Our Culture FOX News, By Greg Gutfeld, March 19, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Up Close and Politically Personal: Remorse is the True Measure of Private Redemption Townhall.com, By Suzanne Fields, March 17, 2008
. . . How pathetic, for example, to watch Dina Matos McGreevey, whose former husband was forced to resign as Governor of New Jersey when his homosexual liaison with one of his staff was exposed, go on television to "commiserate" with Silda Spitzer. Naturally, McGreevey had a book to sell. She said she "stood by her man" at the podium when he confessed all only "for her daughter's sake." (Was she thinking of her daughter when she brought it all back to the public again?) We've lost the sense of the sacred that comes from reticence. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Stand by Yourself New York Times, By DINA MATOS McGREEVEY, March 12, 2008
As someone who has stood by her politician husband during his public — and anemic — mea culpa, all I can say is: It’s a personal decision. There’s no right or wrong answer. . .

Halle Berry Has a Baby Girl People magazine, March 16, 2008
Halle Berry – who only recently said, "I want to stay pregnant forever" – had a baby girl Sunday and "is doing great," her rep has confirmed. The father is Gabriel Aubry. Berry, 41, and the 32-year-old model met while shooting a Versace ad in Los Angeles in November 2005 and first stepped out publicly together three months later at the February 2006 opening of a Versace boutique in New York City. Berry first announced her pregnancy in September last year, when she was three months along. During her pregnancy, the Oscar, Emmy and Razzie winner told InStyle she felt "fantastic" thanks to eating right and keeping fit with yoga. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Halle Berry Says No More Marriages People magazine, By Stephen M. Silverman, March 19, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Declining Marriage Rates Aren’t Just a Black Family Thing – They're an American Thing BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, July 17, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: The Verdict on Cohabitation vs. Marriage Marriage & Families, By Jeffry H. Larson, January 2001

RELATED ARTICLE: Reversing the Trend- Avoiding the Myths of Cohabitation Marriage & Families, By Thomas B. Holman, January 2001

The power of sex The Jamaica Gleaner, By Ian Boyne, March 16, 2008
Another one bit the dust this past week, joining myriads of others whose careers - often illustrious, larger than life and grand - have been consigned to the dustbin of history. Eliot Spitzer is the latest victim's name. . . . But as sensationalist and scintillating as these juicy sex scandals and gossip stories are, could we really sustain some hard questioning on some things we have taken for granted? It always fascinates me how smug we are in our conclusions on certain matters, oblivious to the fact that other things we are equally smug about and take totally for granted contradict those things. Let me explain. People talk about morality and standards, but who really determines right and wrong in sexual matters, for example? . . . . There was a time when divorce was a disgrace, but today it is not; when having a child out of wedlock was scorned, and now it is not; when living together without marriage was frowned upon as lower-class behaviour, but now accepted as hip; when abortion was seen as a mortal sin and murder, but now seen as pro-choice; when homosexuality was seen as sodomy and abomination, but now that kind of language is termed 'hate speech'. Could we one day relax our views on call-girl services so that an Eliot Spitzer could keep his job and status? Might we change our views on prostitution? . . . .

Christian sex magazine in demand IOL South Africa, By Justine Gerardy, March 15, 2008
Demand for an Afrikaans sex magazine that targets married, Christian women and shatters prissy Calvinistic stereotypes has increased so much that an English version will hit the shelves next month. The launch edition of Intimacy - which features lap-dancing, submission and a tricky question about parental sex on the cover - follows a 300 percent growth in demand for Intiem magazine, which was launched in 2006. "We strive to empower Christian women not to feel guilty for enjoying this God-given pleasure which is sex, but rather to embrace it," said managing editor Liezel van der Merwe. Writing on sex from a Christian perspective had been a difficult challenge, with sex and religion both highly sensitive topics and few guidelines in the Bible, said Van der Merwe. "You won't find any information on, say, masturbation, oral sex or how to spice up your sex life in the Bible. So the only thing one can do is to take the general guidelines that were given to us and apply it to the best of our knowledge and with guidance from the Holy Spirit.". . . . The magazines were not Christian publications, but written from a Christian perspective, she clarified. This meant monogamy was endorsed and marital affairs condemned. And while experiments with oral sex might be encouraged, no articles written for gay couples would ever be found. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: SEX AND RELIGION: Tampa church helps married couples rekindle intimacy Miami Herald, By James H. Burnett III, March 15, 2008
A Tampa pastor hopes his 30-day Sex Challenge will help members of his congregation rekindle their passion and strengthen their romances.

RELATED ARTICLE: Unzip American Sexuality and What Do You Find? Tech Wired- Commentary, By Regina Lynn, March 14, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Pastor Prescribes 30-Day Sex Challenge For Married Couples. Author Hopes To Help Combat Divorce Rates NBC6.net, February 19, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Holy inappropriate! Britain's first Christian sex shop The Daily Mail, By Jenny Johnston, February 2, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: One preacher's message: Have hotter sex MSNBC.com, By Brian Alexander, December 4, 2006
Minister Joe Beam says good Christian marriages walk on the wild side. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: The Passionate Marriage Family.org, By Al Janssen
It's the inspiration for every great love story ever written. And it's a reflection of what God intends for your marriage.

RELATED ARTICLE: America Unzipped: On the Road with Sexploration MSNBC.com, By Brain Alexander
With churchgroups offering hotter sex seminars and housewives hosting erotic toy parties, has sexual experimentation come bourgeois? Sexploration goes behind closed doors to find out who's doing what - and whether they're getting satisfaction. . .

Developer is foe of same-sex marriage
Manchester, others help fund initiative San Diego Union Tribune, By Bill Ainsworth, March 15, 2008
Developer Doug Manchester and other prominent San Diego County businessmen have given significant financial support to an initiative that would ban same-sex marriage targeted for the November statewide ballot. Manchester's $125,000 donation has prompted a gay-rights activist to urge a boycott of the Manchester Grand Hyatt and the Manchester-owned San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina. In addition to Manchester, Mission Valley developer Terry Caster has donated $162,500; Robert Hoehn, owner of Hoehn Motors in Carlsbad, has given $25,000; and La Jolla businessman Roger Benson has given $50,000, state records show. Manchester said he was motivated by his strong Catholic faith. “I personally believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman,” he said. Donations from San Diego residents make up a significant part of the $1 million raised for the initiative. . . . . “Support for traditional marriage is a mainstream view,” Pugno said. “I can't imagine that efforts to boycott businesses with mainstream views are going to be successful.” Manchester said his hotels and restaurants welcome gays and lesbians as employees and as customers. “I don't want to offend anybody,” he said. But Manchester said he decided to donate because he has heard that schools that teach that marriage is between a man and a woman could be sued for discriminating against gays and lesbians. “When they say that we cannot say that a marriage is between a man and a woman, that's where I draw the line,” Manchester said. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Responding to Homosexuality & Gay Marriage: “Love the Sinner. Hate the Sin” The Real Proposal magazine, March 21, 2008

San Diego Developer Douglas Manchester, others help fund initiative against same-sex marriage.

As parent David Parker found out in Massachusetts, if same-sex marriage becomes the law in California, homosexual fairy tales like King & King could become the norm in schools

Norwegian government proposes law allowing same-sex marriages, adoptions

Norwegian government proposes law allowing same-sex marriages, adoptions International Herald Tribune- AP, March 14, 2008
The Norwegian government proposed a new marriage law Friday that would give gay couples the same rights as heterosexual pairs, including church weddings, adoption and assisted pregnancies. It was not immediately clear whether the proposal would make it through parliament without changes. Even though the Labor-led coalition has a majority in the legislature, one of the three parties, Center, has said its representatives will be allowed to vote according to their consciences. "This new marriage law is a step forward along the lines of voting rights for all and equality laws," said Minister of Children and Equality Anniken Huitfeldt. The new legislation would replace a 1993 law that gives gays the right to enter civil unions similar to marriage, but refuses them the right to church weddings or to be considered as adoptive parents. Like parliament, the three-party coalition was split on key points of the new law. For the first time since Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg's government took office in October 2005, there was open dissent in the Cabinet over a legal proposal. . . . The proposed law gives couples the right to a church wedding, but does not require any clergyman or religious organization to perform the ceremony. It said couples wanting to be married in church can do so in churches that accept gay marriage. . . .

The Emperor's Wife Townhall.com, By Debra J. Saunders, March 12, 2008
. . . . The Emperors Club VIP. Ha. The escort service's name says it all. Deep down, the reformer didn't want to be the Sheriff of Wall Street -- he wanted to be Nero. . . . As the cigarette ad used to say: You've come a long way, baby. Look at the cream of the crop of my generation's feminists. They fought hard to win workplace equality with men, and in many corners, women have achieved parity or come close to parity. Sort of. Look at today's political marriages among this first wave of widespread American feminism, and you see that in some marriages women are equal to men, but their men will always be dogs. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE (pdf doc): Blaming Mrs. Spitzer: Adding Injustice to Injury   JoeDallas.com, By Joe Dallas, March 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Silda and Feminism Huffington Post, March 18, 2008
. . .The irony is, of course, that if Silda Spitzer had stayed in her high-powered job, critics would now be writing that if she'd been a stay-at-home-mom, more attentive to her hubby, he wouldn't have had to run around paying for sex. It's a game in which women just can't win, because the needs, quirks and self absorption of powerful men is all about them, not their wives. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Mrs. Spitzer a Behind-The-Scenes Force Townhall.com, By Michael Gormley, March 14, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Becoming His Doormat was her sin, her crime, and her failing   NY Post, By Andrea Peyser, March 13, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Stand by Yourself   New York Times, By DINA MATOS McGREEVEY, March 12, 2008
As someone who has stood by her politician husband during his public — and anemic — mea culpa, all I can say is: It’s a personal decision. There’s no right or wrong answer. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Spitzer, Stop Torturing The Wife, Townhall.com, By Maggie Gallagher, March 12, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Stand By Your Womanizer Townhall.com, By Janet M. LaRue, March 11, 2008
Maybe fallen politicians would cease exploiting family members at these mea culpa press conferences if some reporter stood up and asked, “I’d like to know how you’re going to regain your wife’s trust when you’ve subjected her to public humiliation by bringing her here today.” Enough.

Ashley Alexandra Dupre, aka Kristen- The prostitute at the center of the Eliot Spitzer scandal

"Non-Judgmental" Nonsense Townhall.com, By Thomas Sowell, March 12, 2008
What was he thinking of? That was the first question that came to mind when the story of New York governor Eliot Spitzer's involvement with a prostitution ring was reported in the media. . . . Many in the media refer to Eliot Spitzer as some moral hero who fell from grace. Spitzer was never a moral hero. He was an unscrupulous prosecutor who threw his power around to ruin people, even when he didn't have any case with which to convict them of anything. Because he was using his overbearing power against businesses, the anti-business left idolized him, just as they idolized Ralph Nader before him as some sort of secular saint because he attacked General Motors. What Eliot Spitzer did was not out of character. It was completely in character for someone with the hubris that comes with the ability to misuse his power to make or break innocent people. . . . . . What is almost as scary as having someone like Eliot Spitzer holding power is having so many pundits talking as if this is just a "personal" flaw in Governor Spitzer that should not disqualify him for public office. Spitzer himself spoke of his "personal" failing as if it had nothing to do with his being Governor of New York. In this age, when it is considered the height of sophistication to be "non-judgmental," one of the corollaries is that "personal" failings have no relevance to the performance of official duties. What that amounts to, ultimately, is that character doesn't matter. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Ashley Found in Girls Gone Wild Video Vault   People magazine, March 18, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Is the High Class Call Girl a Myth? Townhall.com, By Janice Shaw Crouse, March 15, 2008
Many people see a big difference between high-class call girls and prostitutes in a brothel, but beneath their glossy exteriors, the high-priced call girls have more in common with the girls in the brothels than with the women who are wife material for the wealthy and powerful. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE & COMMENTS: Thanks, “Kristen" — An Open Letter Townhall.com, By Kristen Fyfe, March 12, 2008
An open letter to “Kristen”: Are you happy, dear? You’ve achieved your 15 minutes (plus) of fame and had your name bandied about in practically every media outlet in America. Of course you aren’t being painted as a villain at all, which must be a comfort. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: When Did Hiring Hookers Become Decent?   Townhall.com, By Ben Shapiro, March 12, 2008
. . . That Americans actually have to question whether Spitzer will resign demonstrates one deeply perturbing fact: We have lost our sense of shame. Whether it's the incessant whining of the self-esteem movement, or the general move toward normalizing deviance, society has decided that no one should ever be ashamed of what they do. Those who engage in repulsive behavior maintain their social status, even after the public discovers their dirty laundry. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Ashley Alexandra Dupre: For an Aspiring Singer, a Harsher Spotlight   New York Times, By Serge F. Kovaleski and Ian Urbina, March 13, 2008

RELATED BLOG & COMMENTS: Web Video: Mashup Culture Takes On Ashley Dupré and Her Music The Wall Street Journal, Posted by Tom Weber, March 13, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Why do so many modern women think being a sex object is cool? The Daily Mail- UK, By Rosie Boycott, September 24, 2007

Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring New York Times, By Danny Hakim and Wlliam K. Rashbaum, March 10, 2008
- Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning. Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides inside his Fifth Avenue apartment early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He had scheduled an announcement for 2:15 this afternoon after inquiries from the Times. But his appearance was delayed by at least 45 minutes. Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children. Just last week, federal prosecutors arrested four people in connection with an expensive prostitution operation. Administration officials would not say that this was the ring with which the governor had become involved. But a person with knowledge of the governor’s role said that the person believes the governor is one of the men identified as clients in court papers.The governor’s travel records show that he was in Washington in mid-February. One of the clients described in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, the Emperors Club VIP on the night of Feb. 13. . . .

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is linked to prostitution ring

RELATED ARTICLE: Eliot Spitzer Sex Scandal: A Public And A Private Betrayal   The Real Proposal magazine Blog Spot, March 11, 2008

RELATED BLOG: Mrs. Spitzer Stands By Her Man AOL News Blog— Political Machine, By David Knowles, March 11, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: The Spitzer Scandal: Lust Plus Pride New York Times, By Nathan Thornburg, March 11, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Client Number Nine   Townhall.com, By Rich Galen, March 11, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: N.Y. Governor Unveils Gay Marriage Bill Washington Post, By Marc HUumbert- AP, April 27, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Assembly OKs Gay-Marriage Measure New York Post, By Kenneth Lovett, June 20, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Randall Tobias: Another GOP Hypocrite Bites the Dust   Huffington Post, By Roy Sekoff, April 28, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: Senior Official Linked to Escort Service Resigns ABCNews.com— The Blotter, Brian Ross and Justin Rood Report, April 27, 2007 8:58 PM

RELATED ARTICLE: Spitzer Vows to Push for Gay Marriage   New York Times, By Danny Hakim, October 7, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: The Effects of Prostitution on Marital Sex Adjustment JSTOR, By Maurice J. Karpf—Marriage and Family Living, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Feb., 1953), pp. 65-71 doi:10.2307/348192

Sex has a Price Tag: Sex Infections Found in Quarter of Teenage Girls

Parenting & Health Issues: Sex Infections Found in Quarter of Teenage Girls New York Times, By Lawrence K. Altman, March 12, 2008
The first national study of four common sexually transmitted diseases among girls and young women has found that one in four are infected with at least one of the diseases, federal health officials reported Tuesday. Nearly half the African-Americans in the study of teenagers ages 14 to 19 were infected with at least one of the diseases monitored in the study — human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, genital herpes and trichomoniasis, a common parasite. The 50 percent figure compared with 20 percent of white teenagers, health officials and researchers said at a news conference at a scientific meeting in Chicago. The two most common sexually transmitted diseases, or S.T.D.’s, among all the participants tested were HPV, at 18 percent, and chlamydia, at 4 percent, according to the analysis, part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Each disease can be serious in its own way. HPV, for example, can cause cancer and genital warts. Among the infected women, 15 percent had more than one of the diseases. Women may be unaware they are infected. But the diseases, which are infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites, can produce acute symptoms like irritating vaginal discharge, painful pelvic inflammatory disease and potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy. . . . The Food and Drug Administration has said in a report that latex condoms are “highly effective” at preventing infection by chlamydia, trichomoniasis, H.I.V., gonorrhea and hepatitis B. The agency noted that condoms seemed less effective against genital herpes and syphilis. Protection against human papillomavirus “is partial at best,” the report said. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Tell Congress to Fund Programs that Work Townhall.com, By Janice Shaw Crouse, March 26, 2008
A study in the American Journal of Health Behavior indicates that students in abstinence programs are 50 percent less likely to engage in sex. In contrast, the longstanding comprehensive sex education program that prevails in most public schools was studied by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last year and found to have no impact on teens’ behavior.. . . .But never mind the facts.

RELATED ARTICLE: Law Can't Prevent Underage Sex Townhall.com, By John Stossel, March 26, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Shocked Townhall.com, By Dr. Miriam Grossman, M.D., March 17, 2008
That so many American girls have a sexually transmitted infection should come as no shock. Rather, the shock should be at the madness in our country that we call sexuality education.

RELATED BROADCAST: Sex Has a Price Tag (Part 1)   TruthsThatTransform.org
What have you always wanted to tell your kids about sex? "If you are not married, don't do it. If you are married, go for it with the person you are married to." That is according to author and speaker Pam Stenzel. . . .

RELATED BROADCAST: Sex Has a Price Tag (Part 2)   TruthsThatTransform.org
What does every parent want their teenage daughter to know? If you want respect, you have to demand it. If you demand respect, you get it. That is not something you are going to hear in the popular media but it needs to be told! Pam Stenzel tells you and your teens what you need to know about the facts of life. . .

RELATED BROADCAST: Sex Has a Price Tag (Part 3)   TruthsThatTransform.org
Guess who is having the best sex in this nation? Married Christian monogamous women! What a message for our teenagers! Sadly, they won't hear it in the mainstream media! So, how do you share this vital information with your teen? Pam Stenzel shows you how. . .

RELATED DVD TRAILER: Sex Still Has A Price Tag Featuring Pam Stenzel

Parenting Issues: A Boy Named Sue, and a Theory of Names New York Times, By J. Marion Tierney, March 11, 2008
During his 1969 concert at San Quentin prison, Johnny Cash proposed a paradigm shift in the field of developmental psychology. He used “A Boy Named Sue” to present two hypotheses:

1. A child with an awful name might grow up to be a relatively normal adult.

2. The parent who inflicted the name does not deserve to be executed.

I immediately welcomed the Boy Named Sue paradigm, although I realized that I might be biased by my middle name (Marion). Cash and his ambiguously named male collaborator, the lyricist Shel Silverstein, could offer only anecdotal evidence against decades of research suggesting that children with weird names were destined for places like San Quentin. . . . . . . Some of these mental problems might have been genetic — what kind of parent picks a name like Golden Rule or Mary Mee? — but it was still bad news. Today, though, the case for Mr. Cash’s theory looks much stronger, and I say this even after learning about Emma Royd and Post Office in a new book, “Bad Baby Names,” by Michael Sherrod and Matthew Rayback. . . .

Men as the Head of the Household Doesnât Mean Relegating Women to Second-Class Citizenship

Men as the Head of the Household Doesn’t Mean Relegating Women to Second-Class Citizenship BlackAmericaWeb.com, By: Joseph C. Phillips, March 11, 2008
The argument truly came as a surprise. I was speaking before an audience at Kansas State University and confessed that I am what is known as old school. I believe that men should be the head of the household and that God should be at the head of the house. I explained that I wasn’t referring to a division of power -- of men being the boss of the house. I have been married far too long to talk crazy. My wife and I are partners. We work shoulder to shoulder for the family’s mutual benefit, but we have different roles. When men talk of being the head of the household, they are referring to filling the role of protector of the home and community, a respecter of womanhood and provider of a proper model of manhood in the neighborhood. I have given this speech a dozen times, always with the same explanation. That is usually sufficient to calm fears of outdated sexist ravings. But I was on a college campus after all, and in such places, ideas increasingly seem to become convoluted and twisted to mean all sorts of things. . . . . Perhaps in a few years, my feminist friend will be of a different mind. I have known many women who began as revolutionaries, only to become a true feminist after giving birth. When they look into the eyes of their children, their priorities change. . . .

What’s on TV Tonight? Humiliation to the Point of Suicide New York Times— Editorial Observer, By Adam Cohen, March 10, 2008
. . . Humiliation TV has been around for some time. “The Weakest Link” updated the conventional quiz show by installing a viciously insulting host, and putting the focus on the contestants’ decision about which of their competitors is the most worthless. “The Apprentice” purported to be about young people getting a start in business, but the whole hour built up to a single moment: when Donald Trump barked “You’re fired.” But to hold viewers’ interest, the levels of shame have inevitably kept growing. A new Fox show, “Moment of Truth,” in a coveted time slot after “American Idol,” dispenses cash prizes for truthfully (based on a lie-detector test) answering intensely private questions. Sample: “Since you’ve been married, have you ever had sexual relations with someone other than your husband?” If the show is as true as it says it is, questions in two recent episodes seemed carefully designed to break up contestants’ marriages. . . . Reprehensible as “Moment of Truth” is, it doubtless falls into the venerable category of verbal grotesquery protected by the First Amendment. The producers of “To Catch a Predator”, however, appear to be on the verge — if not over it — of becoming brown shirts with television cameras. If you are going into the business of storming people’s homes and humiliating them to the point of suicide, you should be sure to have some good lawyers on retainer. . . .

'Moment of Truth' host Mark Walberg grilling another contestant willing to bare it all for money

The Church of England writes its marriage guide

Church of England writes its marriage guide The Telegraph- UK, By Jonathan Wynne-Jones. March 10, 2008
There was a time when the vicar's role in a marriage stopped at the church gate after the confetti was thrown. Now, however, clergy are to offer advice on everything from financial planning to who should do the ironing. They will even venture into the bedroom. Worried by the high numbers of divorces, the Church of England has produced its guide to the perfect marriage, called Growing Together, to help couples prepare properly for the rigours of modern marriage. In 120 pages, the guide advises couples to make priorities among their goals in life, including sex, children and sport, even suggesting that they consider who does the cooking and who cleans the lavatory. It tells prospective husbands they must learn to improve their capacity to listen, while prospective wives need to be honest about how they intend to spend their money. It also says the couple should talk openly about their love life. "Sex, far from being naughty, is something holy and wonderful and something to be celebrated. Like any other skill, it has to be learned, and their task is to be each other's teacher," it says. . . . Although the book, the Church's first on the subject of marital guidance, is aimed primarily at vicars, to help them prepare couples before they make their wedding vows, it is also available to those who want to go through the advice on their own. "We are not just interested in the wedding but in the marriage," said the Rt Rev Nick Baines, the Bishop of Croydon. . .

'My mother's affair, my secret father and the truth about my past', by Julie Andrews The Daily Mail- UK, By Tahira Yaqoob, March 10, 2008
From Mary Poppins to The Sound of Music, she has been the epitome of wholesome, family values. But a racy secret lies in the past of Dame Julie Andrews. She was born of an illicit affair. The 72-year-old actress, whose image has always had its roots in a sweet, English primness, has told how she learned of her mother Barbara's passionate liaison when she was introduced to her real father at the age of 14. She was taken by her mother to perform at a friend's house in 1949, shortly after making her stage debut at the London Hippodrome. Dame Julie said: "After I had sung the owner of the house approached me. He was tall and fleshily handsome and I recognised him as a man who had come round to visit The Meuse [the family home] once or twice in earlier years. "That, evening the man came and sat on the couch next to me. "I remember feeling an electricity between us that I couldn't explain." On the journey home, her mother asked if she had liked him and the teenager replied that he had "seemed pleasant". When she asked her daughter why she thought she had been taken there, she was left dumbstruck when her mother told her: "That man is your father.". . . .

Sound of Music star Julie Andrews with the 'father' who raised her, Ted Wells

Matt Damon & Wife Expecting! People magazine, By Elizabeth Leonard, March 09, 2008
Matt Damon's family is expanding: The actor and wife Luciana are expecting another baby, his rep Jennifer Allen tells PEOPLE exclusively. "They couldn't be happier," says Allen. "They're so excited!" The current PEOPLE Sexiest Man Alive, 37, and his wife, 32, stepped out Sunday night at the Empire Film Awards in London – with Luciana glowing (and sporting a baby bump). . . .
Kimora Lee Simmons & Djimon Hounsou: Baby on the Way? People magazine, By Bethany Lye and Sharon Cotliar, March 09, 2008
Is Kimora Lee Simmons going to be a mom again? The New York Post's Page Six reports that she and actor boyfriend Djimon Hounsou are expecting a baby. The Post cited an unnamed source confirming the baby news. A rep for Simmons tells PEOPLE: "I have no comment at this time.". . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Kimora Lee Simmons on Tabloid Talk: Lies! People magazine, By Kate Klise, March 15, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Kimora Lee Simmons & Djimon Hounsou Talk About Romance People magazine, By Gerri Miller, January 16, 2008

UK: Ministers consider the 'ultimate incest'- allowing babies to be conceived with sperm and eggs made from one person's tissue

UK: Ministers consider 'ultimate incest' allowing babies to be conceived with sperm and eggs made from one person's tissue The Daily Mail- UK, By Jane Merrick, March 9, 2008
Controversial plans allowing babies to be conceived from artificial sperm are being considered by Ministers, it emerged last night. A cross-party group of MPs is calling for a relaxation of the ban on human pregnancy from so-called artificial gametes. The group is led by Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris - dubbed "Dr Death" for his contentious views on euthanasia. But the move has been branded the "ultimate incest" by critics because an individual's tissue could be used to create both sperm and eggs to make a human life, making them the father and mother of the child. . . . . Supporters claim it would transform IVF treatment and help those who are infertile, from cancer treatment or the menopause, to have children genetically related to them. Artificial human sperm has been created in the laboratory using stem cells, but creating a pregnancy has been restricted to mice. Seven pregnancies were successful but all died prematurely. It is believed scientists are a decade away from creating a safe human pregnancy. Yet Dr Harris said: "There is no good explanation for not allowing this option for people who have survived cancer and cannot have children. . . . . "There are some who are saying and I think these are strong arguments - that it does raise some profound ethical questions." Josephine Quintavalle of Comment on Reproductive Ethics said lifting the ban could lead to "the ultimate incest", and said it was "quite ridiculous" to rely on a technique still in its infancy. She added: "If you turn the focus around from infertile adults and think about what you are creating, you always get the perspective you should adopt. "I think we are becoming extremely selfish in our attitude to the children we produce.". . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Peer and Church clash on embryos BBC News- UK, March 24, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Embryology Bill: Bishop's ‘Frankenstein’ attack smacks of ignorance, say scientists Times Online- UK, By Mark Henderson, Ruth Gledhill and Francis Elliott, March 24, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: In quotes: The ethics of embryos BBC News- UK, March 24, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Solution sought over embryo vote BBC News- UK, March 23, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Mother gives birth to baby using frozen sperm from husband killed by cancer FOUR years ago The Daily Mail- UK, By Luke Salkeld, March 19, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Reproduction and Public Discourse First Things, By Ryan T. Anderson, February 28, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Wanted: Someone to Play God Time magazine, By Nancy Gibbs, February 21, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Homo erectus extinctus The Times Online, By Lois Rogers, December 16, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The prospect of all-female conception The Independent- UK, By Steve Connor, April 13, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The fertility lottery Sunday Business Post- Ireland, By Jennifer O'Connell, January 14, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: 'Embryo Bank' Stirs Ethics Fears: Firm Lets Clients Pick Among Fertilized Eggs The Washington Post, By Rob Stein, January 6, 2007

RELATED ARTICLE: The Parent Hood: How technology and social progress are turning procreation into self-actualization. The Daily Standard, By Claudia Anderson, December 4, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: Where is Technological Reproduction Taking Us? COMMONWEAL magazine (Subscription required), By Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, October 20, 2006

RELATED ARTICLE: The Revolution in Parenthood: The Emerging Global Clash Between Adult Rights and Children's Needs AmericanValues.org

Parenting Issues: Home schooling takes a hit in Calif. USA Today, By Heather Terwilliger and Greg Toppo, March 9, 2008
A California court ruling that challenges parents' legal right to teach their children at home is angering home schoolers, who hope the state's Supreme Court will overturn the decision. Otherwise, advocates say, thousands of families may be forced to abandon home schooling. Meanwhile, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is vowing to challenge the "outrageous" ruling. He says that if the high court doesn't reverse the appeals court's decision, he'll support home-schooling legislation ensuring parents' rights. The court on Feb. 28 upheld provisions in the state's education code that say parents must enroll their children in a public or private school. If they're being home schooled, they must be taught by a credentialed teacher or face possible fines or criminal charges. The ruling was a shock to the state's home schoolers, which number as many as 166,000, according to the Pacific Justice Institute, an advocacy group. Many families have long operated through a loose interpretation of the state code. . . . The case began as a child welfare dispute in Los Angeles County. Phillip Long, a father of eight, faced allegations from one of his children of "physical and emotional mistreatment," according to court documents. While taught at home by their high school-educated mother, the children were registered at the private Sunland Christian School, which periodically monitored their progress but didn't actually instruct the children. Many California home schoolers follow such an arrangement, officials and advocates say. . .

Home schooling takes a hit in California

Dave Kendall made a vow to his wife Diana 'In sickness and in health', and he intends to keep it

The Vow
When Dave Kendall promised to love Diana 'in sickness and in health,' he meant it Washington Post magazine, By Lisa Mundy, March 9, 2008
She might have seen a shimmer on the water, or something else could have triggered her reaction. All Dave Kendall knew was that one minute he was sitting in the stern of his fishing boat, steering, during an excursion on the Occoquan Reservoir about a decade ago. The next minute Diana, his wife of more than 20 years, had fallen from her seat near the bow. She was on the floor of the boat, limbs flailing in what looked like a violent seizure. . . . . Dave felt reasonably optimistic while they were waiting for the results. Doing some Internet research, he learned that Huntington's is a hereditary disorder, and they didn't know of anyone in Diana's family who had it. The life the Kendalls had built together -- decades of hard work that had allowed them to leave behind impoverished childhoods in rural Virginia for the middle-class comforts of suburban Washington -- felt secure. But when they returned to the neurologist on August 6, 2000, they learned that the future wasn't secure at all. The test had come back positive. "This is really bad news, isn't it?" asked Diana, turning to Dave. She was strikingly calm and dry-eyed. It was the beginning of a transformation in her; deterioration, yes, but also acceptance and what can only be described as grace. It was also the moment -- Dave realizes in retrospect -- when she entrusted herself to his care. It was the end of married life as they had known it, the beginning of marriage in an entirely new form. Same contract, radically altered circumstances. "She put her life in my hands," he says. . . .

RELATED PHOTO ESSAY: The Caretaker Washington Post
Through the exhausting trials of Huntington's disease, a Northern Virginia couple, Dave and Diana Kendall finds meaning in their marriage. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Old-Fashioned Marriage, Part IV – It’s More Than a Promise Made - It’s a Duty Fulfilled BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Joseph C. Phillips, , September 04, 2006

Help for the Sexually desperate. More and more Christian men are admitting they've been caught in a vicious cycle

Help for the Sexually Desperate
More and more, Christian men are admitting they've been caught in a vicious cycle. Christianity Today, By John W. Kennedy, March 7, 2008
One by one, men trickle into the unadorned upstairs church classroom for their regular Thursday night meeting. But the gathering isn't to discuss plans for evangelism outreach, worship-song selection, or expanding the nursery. "I'm Kevin and I'm a recovering sex addict," one of the eight men seated around the table says shortly after the meeting begins. Each man talks uninterruptedly for up to five minutes about how he's faced a myriad of sexual temptations. No one is allowed to advise, criticize, defend, or excuse the behavior of another man during this faith-based, 90-minute, 12-step recovery meeting called Operation Integrity. These aren't convicted pedophiles or registered sex offenders. They are churchgoers, businessmen, and seemingly model husbands. Throughout the country, there are men by the millions sitting comfortably in church pews every Sunday who haven't told anyone about their sexual addiction. But the men in this room have come to terms with their own powerlessness over destructive sexual habits. . . .

Lawmaker's anti-gay comments attract attention News 9.com, By Audrey Esther and Darren Brown, News9.com INsite Team, March 7, 2008
An Oklahoma lawmaker's anti-gay comments are attracting national attention. "The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation; it's just a fact," Rep. Sally Kern is heard saying on a YouTube video posted Friday. In an exclusive interview with News9.com Kern (R-Oklahoma City) admits it is her voice on the recording and stands by her comments. She said she's just stating the facts on what she believes. "I'm not gay bashing, but according to God's word that is not the right kind of lifestyle," she said. "It has deadly consequences." The YouTube video was released by Washington-based political action committee The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. Their Web site reads: "While this speech is remarkable in its statements, it is not unique. For every bit of hateful rhetoric we hear, scores of other anti-gay statements go unchallenged." Rep. Kern said the gay community, especially in Oklahoma, should not be surprised by her comments because she's made similar statements in the past. Kern said the attention isn't necessarily wanted, but she says she won't shy away from her opinions and beliefs, either. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Responding to Homosexuality & Gay Marriage: “Love the Sinner. Hate the Sin” The Real Proposal magazine, March 21, 2008

Oklahoma Lawmaker Rep Sally Kern draws the ire of the homosexual community for her 'anti gay' comments (Click for Related Video)

RELATED ARTICLE: MRSA Outbreak Among 'Gays'- Let the Whitewash Begin Townhall.com, By Matt Barber, January 24, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE & COMMENTS: A New ‘Gay Disease’? A drug-resistant strain of staph is infecting some gay men, but experts say a lot of the media coverage got it wrong   Newsweek, By Karen Springen, January 18, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Health Issues: New Bacteria Strain Is Striking Gay Men   New York Times, By Lawrence K. Altman, January 15, 2008

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RELATED ARTICLE: Till Death Do Them Part: The Deadly Consequences Of Homosexual Unions Catholic Citizens.org, By Dr. Brian Kopp, December 5, 2003
According to Dr. Kopp, "The best scientific evidence suggests that putting society's stamp of approval on homosexual partnerships would harm society in general and homosexuals in particular, the very individuals some contend would be helped. A large body of scientific evidence suggests that homosexual marriage is a defective counterfeit of traditional marriage and that it poses a clear and present danger to the health of the community. . .

RELATED ARTICLES & INFO: HIV/AIDS and Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) Centers For Disease Control and Prevention

RELATED ARTICLE:  The Health Risks of Gay Sex    Catholic Education Resource Center, By John R. Diggs, Jr. M.D.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Negative Health Effects of Homosexuality   Family Research Council- Issue No.: 232, By Timothy J. Dailey, Ph. D.
Homosexual activists attempt to portray their lifestyle as normal and healthy, and insist that homosexual relationships are the equivalent in every way to their heterosexual counterparts. Hollywood and the media relentlessly propagate the image of the fit, healthy, and well-adjusted homosexual. The reality is quite opposite to this caricature which was recently conceded by the homosexual newspaper New York Blade News. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Emergence of Multidrug-Resistant, Community-Associated, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clone USA300 in Men Who Have Sex with Men Annals of Internal Medicine, 19 February 2008- Volume 148 Issue 4

RELATED ARTICLE: MRSA Infection New York Times- Health Guide

RELATED ARTICLE: Homosexuals and Same Sex Marriage WPAAG.org
Subjects Addressed in This Document:
Homosexual Promiscuity
Promiscuity Quotes by Homosexuals
Homosexual Health Problems
AIDS Health Costs to Taxpayers
Homosexuality and Children
Same Sex Marriage and Religious Speech Freedom

The world of real party animals: The internet gatecrashers who drug dogs, have group sex and trash homes

Parenting Issues: The world of real party animals: The internet gatecrashers who drug dogs, have group sex and trash homes The Daily Mail- UK, By Paul Bracchi, March 7, 2008
The tour of Julia Anscomb's once beautiful home on the Sussex coast began in the kitchen. "This is where we found Bailey," she explained. Bailey is a lovable, shaggy-haired mongrel puppy and much loved family pet. When Mrs Anscomb and her husband returned from a weekend away recently, Bailey was lying unconscious on the floor. . . . As for what happened to the washing machine (or, to be more accurate, on top of it), Mrs Anscomb, 37, could barely bring herself to say; she has been told it was where "group sex" had taken place. All this . . . and the "tour" of Mrs Anscomb's home had only just got under way. The dog, the fridge, the washing machine, it's just the start. In the lounge, Mrs Anscomb's once pristine cream carpet is still covered in stains."When we first got back, it was literally black," she said. "It was soaked through with alcohol, mud, cigarette ends and chewing gum.. . . . . The bill for the damage is still being counted. It will run into "many thousands of pounds". Two laptops were also stolen, along with an iPod, expensive jewellery and a passport. Oh yes, and 57 calls were made using the house phone. How Mrs Anscomb, who works in advertising, now bitterly regrets taking her husband Robert - Gemma's stepfather - to a West End show for his birthday and leaving her 15-year-old daughter in charge of the house. She thought Gemma could be trusted. She thought she was a good girl. "She gets all As and Bs at school...she has never been a problem before . . . she has always been responsible..." Of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing. But if Mrs Anscomb had taken a peek at Gemma's page on the social networking site Bebo, perhaps she would not have needed hindsight. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Now the bishop at centre of affair row discovers his daughter are binge-drinking ladettes The Daily Mail- UK, March 11, 2008

More Sex Please, We're French Time magazine, By Bruce Crumley/Paris, March 7, 2008
What could be more French than sex? More sex, as it turns out — especially if you happen to be a woman. Nearly 40 years after France's May 1968 revolution spawned the slogan "pleasure without obstruction," a new study finds that the French of both genders are engaging in more varied and frequent sex than ever before — and both earlier and later into life. Yet, perhaps the most significant finding in the report is that French women have been playing serious sexual catch-up with their male counterparts since the last national sex survey in 1992. According to the new 600-page "Study of Sexuality in France," commissioned by France's National Research Agency on AIDS, both the number of partners and diversity of sexual activity has significantly increased in France in the last decade. That's perhaps not surprising, given how much more sex there is in entertainment, on the internet, and in public discussion. Less expected, however, is how thoroughly French women have closed the gap with men in terms of number of lovers, age of initiation, and variety of acts engaged in. In some measures, women have overtaken men for the first time. . . . But all that increased friskiness doesn't necessarily mean the French are happier and better adjusted in the sack. . .

'Dirty Dancing' star Patrick Swayze has cancer. He is pictured here with wife Lisa Niemi

Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze has cancer Times Online- UK, March 6, 2008
Patrick Swayze, the actor famed for his role in the 1987 hit movie Dirty Dancing, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Swayze was said to have undergone radical chemotherapy in California in January. However, there were claims that the disease had already spread to the 55-year-old’s other vital organs. Swayze’s spokeswoman declined to comment last night but the New York Post said that a representative for the actor had confirmed his illness. Swayze, who is married to Lisa Niemi, an actress, capitalised on the film’s popularity to become one of Hollywood’s most famous leading men. . . . Most patients die within six months of pancreatic cancer being diagnosed because symptoms may not appear until it is very advanced. Last month, it was reported in a New York newspaper that Swayze had undergone surgery for a serious “gastro-intestinal procedure”. George Fisher, the doctor treating Swayze, said: “All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side-effects are absolutely untrue.” Dr Fisher added: “We are considerably more optimistic.”. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Pancreatic Cancer Mayo Clinic
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most serious of cancers. It develops when cancerous cells form in the tissues of your pancreas — a large organ that lies horizontally behind the lower part of your stomach. Your pancreas secretes enzymes that aid digestion and hormones that help regulate the metabolism of carbohydrates. . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Low survival rates for pancreatic cancer Times Online- UK, March 6, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Patrick Swayze may have cancer. But don't write him off yet. CTV- Canada- Showbiz Blog, March 6, 2008

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Should cancer spending be focused on the most common cancers? Or the most deadly cancers?

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RELATED VIDEO: Randy Pausch Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams You Tube.com, Added December 20, 2007
Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: A diagnosis of cancer is trying for any marriage Boston Globe, By Judy Foreman, August 22, 2005

Julianne Hough On The Temptations of Hollywood ET Online, March 5, 2008
"Dancing with the Stars" cutie JULIANNE HOUGH opens up in the upcoming edition of CosmoGIRL! about trying to fit in in Hollywood, her love life and how she is still a virgin. "I want to be with that special person," she tells the magazine, out March 11. "I think the decision to have sex before marriage is an individual one, but if you're just with one person, it's only for one good reason, and [waiting to have sex] will strengthen that relationship. I'm not trying to preach consequences here, but I think when you say no, down the line it will be a better decision." Julianne says she broke up with her fiancè last year because she was young and wanted to experience the Hollywood life, but now she admits she doesn't know if she totally fits in. "I tried to go out and mingle with people in the industry and date people, but I felt I was different than most of them," she says. "I don't drink, smoke or do drugs, so those things immediately separate me. It's all very enticing, though." She says it's her dad who helps keep her grounded. . . .

Julianne Hough on the temptations of Hollywood and her decision to remain abstinent

Study: Power in marriage unrelated to who is breadwinner Jerusalem Post, By Ruth Eglash, March 5, 2008
The spouse who is more satisfied with the relationship in a marriage is more likely to give in to the demands of his or her partner, regardless of their respective economic or educational backgrounds, according to new research published this week by Ariel University Center of Samaria. Dr. Ya'arit Bokek-Cohen examined the decision-making process of 192 Israeli couples from varied religious and socioeconomic backgrounds who were planning their annual vacations. Bokek-Cohen, marketing-area coordinator of the university's Economics and Business Administration Department, found that one of the classic views of marital power - that the partner who contributes more economically is more influential - does not really apply. Bokek-Cohen added that it was also mostly men who reported being satisfied with their marriages and giving in to their wives on key decisions. "All these findings were among the males in the study," she said. "Objective and subjective variables were not as predictable among women." Elaborating on her findings, Bokek-Cohen gave an example of a business executive husband bringing home a salary of more than NIS 50,000 a month, who turned out to be less dominant in his marriage than his wife. "The spouse who is more satisfied has much fewer alternatives [because he/she loves his/her partner so much]," Bokek-Cohen told The Jerusalem Post, adding that the findings contrasted with previous international research on relationship behavior. "That was a really big surprise for us." . . .

Gay marriage debate argued in Calif. Supreme Court

Gay marriage debate argued in Calif. Supreme Court The Chicago Tribune- AP, By Lisa Leff, March 4, 2008
- The national gay marriage debate shifted to California on Tuesday, as the state's highest court heard more than 3 1/2 hours of arguments on the constitutionality of a voter-approved law banning same-sex marriage. Gay rights advocates sued to overturn the ban four years ago after the court halted a months-long same-sex wedding spree that saw thousands of couples marry at City Hall. . . . The court heard arguments in six cases that were filed after the court stopped the same-sex marriages in the winter of 2004. More than 4,000 couples exchanged vows at the direction of Mayor Gavin Newsom months before gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts, although the high court ultimately voided the unions. The seven justices asked whether California already protects the civil rights of gay and lesbian couples through domestic partnerships. They also wanted to know if a ruling 60 years ago legalizing interracial marriages in the state gave them a precedent for striking down the same-sex marriage ban. . . . The California Supreme Court has 90 days in which to rule following the hearing. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Responding to Homosexuality & Gay Marriage: “Love the Sinner. Hate the Sin” The Real Proposal magazine, March 21, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Christian couple told: 'You can't foster if you think it's wrong to be gay' The Daily Mail- UK, By David Wilkes, February 27, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Gay Split Makes NY Herstory: Judge OKs Gay Divorce New York Post, By Dareh Gregorian, February 26, 2008
There's no such thing as gay marriage in New York - but a Manhattan judge says that doesn't mean there can't be gay divorce. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Brooks to appeal same-sex marriage decision Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, By Erica Bryant, February 23, 2008
Though same-sex weddings cannot be performed legally in New York, the state must — at least until a Monroe County appeal is heard — recognize the marriage of Chili residents Patricia Martinez and Lisa Ann Golden. . .

RELATED ARTICLE: Canada's Human Rights Beef With Catholics: Magazine Investigated for Offending Homosexuals ZENIT, By Pete Vere, February 5, 2008
Catholic Insight, a Canadian magazine known for its fidelity to Church teachings, has been targeted by the Canadian Human Rights Commission for publishing articles deemed offensive to homosexuals. . .

Honey, you're out of date: Why 1950s wives are brilliant The Daily Mail-UK, By Olinka Koster, March 4, 2008
In 1955, being the perfect wife meant dinner on the table, a pretty ribbon in your hair and a sympathetic ear for tales of your husband's very important day. These days it is more likely to mean making sure there's enough wine in the fridge so you can have a drink together when you both get home. Or getting the shopping done so he can start on the dinner if he arrives first. Modern wives, it seems, are a long way from the regimented unselfishness of the idealised wife featured in the classic 1955 Good Wife's Guide. In fact a survey carried out for this year's Daily Mail Ideal Home Show has found women who stand up to their husbands, have a strong grip of household finances and enjoy a drink are regarded as today's good wives. The ability to bake cakes, on the other hand, left most modern men cold. The original guide, published in Housekeeping Monthly in 1955, contained such gems as: "Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return.". . . . . The Ideal Home Show survey asked men what made a perfect wife and women what they imagined men saw as important qualities in a woman. Two thirds of men said they longed for a woman who could manage the family finances - a job that was traditionally the man's role in a 1950s household. Food remains the way to a man's heart with 48 per cent admitting they considered cooking as the top skill in a perfect wife. Half also depended on their wives to remind them of details such as their mother's birthday. . . . It seems not all the advice from the 1950s should be dismissed. . . .

Honey, you're out of date: Why 1950s wives are brilliant

Before Sending Your Child to a College, Ask these Questions

Parenting Issues: Before Sending Your Child to a College, Ask these Questions Townhall.com, By Dennis Prager, March 4, 2008
Before you take out a second mortgage or otherwise deplete your savings in order to pay for your child's college education, you might want to ask the colleges to which your child is applying some questions: 1. Can one obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree at your college without having read a single Shakespeare play, one Federalist Paper or one book of the Bible? If so, why attend such a college?. . . . 2. Does the college allow military recruiters on its campus?. . . . 7. Would a typical graduate of your university be able to say anything intelligent about Josef Stalin, Louis Armstrong, Pope John XXIII or Pope John Paul II, differences between Protestantism and Catholicism, Cain and Abel, the Gulag Archipelago, Franz Josef Haydn, Pol Pot, Martin Luther, Darfur, how interest rates affect the dollar, dark matter, and "Crime and Punishment"; explain what the Korean War was about and when it was fought; identify India on a map; and know the difference between the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council? If not, why not? How could someone be considered in any way educated and not be able to intelligently answer all or nearly all of those questions? If they don't know about such essential and basic things, what do they know? Movies? The supposed dangers of global warming? The importance of race, gender and class? The meaning of menage a trois (or "threesomes")? Great gay writers?. . . .

After being dumped by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales on his own website, Rachel Marsden put his clothes up for auction on eBay

Fury of a woman scorned – on Wikipedia The Times Online- UK, March 4, 2008
It was a boy meets girl story for the web 2.0 generation. But when it all turned sour the recriminations resounded through the blogosphere while the dirty laundry was put up for sale on eBay. She was Rachel Marsden, 33, the Canadian right-wing political pundit used to airing the tangles of her personal life online. He was Jimmy Wales, 41, the co-founder of Wikipedia, the web encyclopaedia that aims to provide up-to-date “user-generated” information. On Saturday Ms Marsden logged on to discover that her own particular affair had also been updated. She had been dumped on Wikipedia. Mr Wales posted a statement on the site noting that: “I am no longer involved with Rachel Marsden.” In response Ms Marsden did what any self-respecting scorned cyber-pundit would do. She dug out the shirt and jumper that her former lover had worn during what was apparently their only night together and put them up for sale on eBay. “Hi, my name is Rachel and my (now ex) boyfriend, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, just broke up with me via an announcement on Wikipedia,” she wrote. By last night bidding on the T-shirt, complete with stubborn stains, had reached more than £150 while bids on the jumper had climbed past £200. She also sent a transcript of their passionate conversations on an instant messenger service to a California technology blog. . . .

The Dad-Vocates
A vocal group of lawyers says the family courts reflect gender bias against fathers California Lawyer magazine, By Bill Blum, March 2008 Issue
Being a divorced dad doesn't necessarily make David C. Stone an effective advocate for fathers. But it certainly doesn't hurt. "I understand what they're going through," says the 57-year-old sole practitioner, whose family law practice caters almost exclusively to men. "I've been married three times; I've given away houses. I also had visitation rights with a son who had moved to Arizona. I realize how difficult and painful divorce can be. The only reason I pursue this line of work is that children need two actively engaged parents." Stone is a trim, athletic-looking man with a neatly cropped beard. He employs two paralegals and a secretary in an 800-square-foot suite within sight of the superior court in downtown Orange. He also maintains a website (www.help4dads.com ) and advertises on ESPN radio. Stone's ads tout his experience, effectiveness, and ethical standards; one includes the reminder to all dads listening that "Your kids deserve to have you in their lives.". . . . Despite their varied backgrounds, all share a strong belief that on such emotionally charged issues as child custody and visitation, the family-court system is stacked against men. "When it comes to custody, there's an old adage," observes Mitchell, who no longer practices family law but still operates the website www.dadsrights.org: " 'Mom gets the kids. Dad gets to pay.' " Stone echoes the sentiment. "The average man," he says, "basically feels as though he has no chance in a custody battle.". . . .

Most marital problems revolve around why the wife is unhappy with her husband

'Most marital problems revolve around why the wife is unhappy with her husband' Men's News Daily, By Glenn Sacks, March 4, 2008
Men certainly create their share of problems in marriages, but I believe that a significant percentage of divorces are caused by some women's hypercritical nature. In my co-authored Chicago Tribune column Men Blamed for Marriage Decline but Women's Relationship Wounds Often Self-InflictedÂ (1/21/07) I wrote: "To what, then, do we attribute women's discontent with marriage and relationships, and the fact that they initiate the vast majority of divorces? A new Woman's Day agazine poll found that 56% of married women would not or might not marry their husbands if they could choose again--why? "Nobody would dispute that, in selecting a mate, women are more discerning than men. This is an evolutionary necessity--a woman must carefully evaluate who is likely to remain loyal to her and protect and provide for her and her children. If a man and a woman go on a blind date and don't hit it off, the man will shrug and say 'it went OK.' The woman will give five reasons why he's not right for her. "A woman's discerning, critical nature doesn't disappear on her wedding day. Most marital problems and marriage counseling sessions revolve around why the wife is unhappy with her husband, even though they could just as easily be about why the husband is unhappy with the wife. In this common pre-divorce scenario there are only two possibilities-either she's a great wife and he's a lousy husband, or she's far more critical of him than he is of her. Usually it's the latter...

Hollywood on the Offensive: Child abuse hits the silver screen. The Weekly Standard, By Kevin Kusinitz, March 4, 2008
It was a bold move. The movie industry, long condemned as purveyors of every conceivable offense for the sake of a buck, was taking a stand. We will not abide by this rot anymore, it said, pounding a fist into its hand; the time has come to take the high ground, no matter the financial consequence. And with that, it was announced . . . James Bond would no longer smoke cigarettes. Who says show biz has no morals? With this dust-up settled, we can nosh on the veggie platter while enjoying the latest trend in movie entertainment: child abuse. Two movies at last year's Sundance Film Festival got the ball rolling. The first, Hounddog, starred Dakota Fanning as a 12 year-old raped by an Elvis Presley fan in Alabama during the 1950s. . . . .OK, been there, done that. What about something really challenging, like the second pride of Sundance, An American Crime starring Catherine Keener and Ellen Page. Again, let's turn to Mr. Lumenick:

["An American Crime"] is based on a 1965 Indiana murder case that shocked the nation. Keener's single mother of six took in two teenage boarders--and tied up one of them, played by Page, in the basement. All manner of abuses are visited upon the teenager by this frightening woman, her children and their friends--as the victim's sister, who has polio, watches in horror. The injuries include multiple cigarette burns, scalding baths and violation with a soda bottle."

Now I'm all for artistic freedom, but for the love of Goddard, is there anyone out there who finds these movies enticing? If so, remind me to call a cop next time I see you hanging around my kid's school. . . .

The Real Housewives of New York City, from left to right: Ramona Singer, Jill Zarin, Lu-Ann DeLesseps, Bethenny Frankel, and Alex McCord.

TV REVIEW: Poor excuse for N.Y. 'Housewives' New York Daily News, By David Hinckley, March 3, 2008
Just a few more programs like "The Real Housewives of New York City," and television will be able to start a whole new 24/7 channel. We'll call it "Ridicule the Rich." Only thing is, it would be nice if future programs in the genre would be a little better than this one, which is as shallow as its subjects. "The Real Housewives of New York City" follows five women through their New York lives, which isn't a bad premise, except that saying these women represent "New York housewives" is like saying Alex Rodriguez represents the New York working class. All five live in multimilliondollar homes, move in high social circles and never suggest money is something they even have to think about. . . . For the proverbial average viewer, who might as well be living on another planet, the impact of watching these lives is presumably divided. On one hand, Ramona isn't all wrong when she says "everyone aspires" to live like her and her friends. There are moments in all our lives when we'd love to buy two dogs named Aston and Martin and then a car to go with them. On the other hand, the show portrays them as so superficial and self-absorbed that the same viewer looks around his or her average home, with the squabbling kids and the stack of bills, and thinks, y'know, I enjoy my life as much as they do, and I don't have to waste half my waking hours on their phony rituals. . . .

The 'afterwards' of abortion The Jamaica Gleaner, By Esther Tyson, March 2, 2008
Amid the debate that is raging concerning the rights of the child as against the rights of the mother and on whether life begins at conception or after 12 weeks, I want to introduce a story - the story of women who have faced the choice of abortion and what they went through afterwards. I remember being on the UWI, Mona campus in the 1970s and a friend of mine became pregnant in her second year. Her boyfriend, a medical student, wanted nothing to do with a pregnant girlfriend. She was advised to abort it by the boyfriend and the boyfriend's parents, who had no intention of having their son disrupt his medical career by this ill-timed baby. She, on her side, had a father who advised her to abort the baby and a mother who was not around for her. She was in the United States. She, a normally bubbly, vivacious sophisticate became a confused, desolate girl. She was not sure she wanted to do the abortion. Why? She had already had one. She already had to go to the psychiatrist for treatment for the post-traumatic distress she was experiencing from doing the first abortion. She could not face the thought of doing another abortion. After going through much struggle she decided to keep her baby. She left campus, had her baby and returned later to complete her degree. There are many such stories out there, many cases of women who are undergoing serious psychological problems such as suicidal thoughts. . . . The pressing call for abortion is due to society's desire for a free sexual lifestyle. This breeds the need to destroy an unwanted baby, the outcome of sex, limb by limb. Let's look back and destroy the root cause, not the offshoot of the problem. . . . .

RELATED ARTICLE: I had one of Britain's first legal abortions ... 40 years on, I'm still torn apart by guilt The Daily Mail- UK, By Natasha Courtenay-Smith, March 5, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Artist hanged herself after aborting her twins The Telegraph, February 26, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE & COMMENTS: The Suicide of Emma Beck and Silence No More Townhall.com, By Michelle Malkin, February 27, 2008

RELATED BLOG: Real Inconvenient Truths.... About Abortion The John Birch Society, By Selwyn Duke, February 26, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: 2 Christians 9 abortions Jamaica Observer- Jamaica, February 23, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: Abortion: An "inconvenient truth" within Marriage The Real Proposal Magazine, January 26, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE: The Negro Project: Margaret Sanger's EUGENIC Plan for Black Americans Life Education And Resource Network (L.E.A.R.N), By Tanya L. Green
Margaret Sanger aligned herself with the eugenicists whose ideology prevailed in the early 20th century. Eugenicists strongly espoused racial supremacy and "purity"," particularly of the "Aryan" race. Eugenicists hoped to purify the bloodlines and improve the race by encouraging the "fit" to reproduce and the "unfit" to restrict their reproduction. They sought to contain the "inferior" races through segregation, sterilization, birth control and abortion.

RELATED ARTICLE: The SLED Test – Four Top Arguments Heartlink.org, By Steve Wagner
We all agree that toddlers are valuable human beings with rights. Yet the unborn differ from toddlers in only four ways, and the first letters of each of these differences spell an easy-to-remember acronym, SLED (Size, Level of Development, Environment, Degree of Dependency).

RELATED SITE: THE CASE FOR LIFE: Like You Have Never Heard It Before
Only One Issue: The abortion controversy is not a debate between those who are pro-choice and those who are anti-choice. It’s not about privacy or trusting women. To the contrary, the debate turns on one key question. What is the Unborn?

RELATED ARTICLE: What Do You Know About Roe v. Wade? Family.org, By Shana Schutte
Like many Americans, you know Roe v. Wade legalized abortion, but you may know little else

RELATED SITE: Abort73.com: The Case Against Abortion

RELATED VIDEO: This is Abortion RATED: MA (Mature Audiences Only)
WARNING: Contains graphic post-abortion pictures. Be Warned! The Visual Evidence is Disturbing.

Health Issues: Take a Break and Meditate Townhall.com, By Jackie Gingrich Cushman, March 2, 2008
While hard work gets us ahead, there appear to be limits. It’s often the times of rest and recovery that provide us with the energy we need to work hard. In today’s ultra-connected worlds of Blackberrys, iPhones, e-mail and Twitter (an internet service that allows people to constantly text where they are and what they are doing to the universe at large or a group of friends) – it is often hard to get even a few moments to oneself. The constant feeling of connectedness and activity might lead some people to become anxious and stressed. Possibly it is the constancy of the connectedness rather than the connectedness itself that is making the difference. . . . My experience with never-ending stimulus comes in the form of my two children, whose constant chatter and verbal requests of “Mommy! Mommy!” occasionally drives me to places I don’t want to go – especially while cooking dinner (or breakfast) or trying to get to an after-school activity on time. Maybe the overloaded feeling in my head is simply a response to too much noise. There might be a simple way to combat this constant state of on – turning off the mind. Though this may seem simple to accomplish, it is not. The good news is that, according to “Train your Mind, Change your Brain,” by Sharon Begley, (Ballantine Books, 2007) our brains have the ability to not only grow based on mental training (i.e., thinking) but we can alter how our brains work and connect based on mental training through meditation. This means that we can train our brains and thereby affect our emotions. . . .

Is it the beginning of the end for marriage? Hannah Betts reveals why she is part of the new generation who will never tie the knot

Is it the beginning of the end for marriage?
Hannah Betts reveals why she is part of the new generation who will never tie the knot The Guardian- UK, By Hannah Betts, March 2, 2008
The bouquet curves towards me in a hideous slow-motion arc. I back away from the throng of scrambling womanhood, but, nightmarishly, the more I endeavour to elude this marital missile the closer it looms, until it hits me square on the head, sliding down my body to rest at my feet. Appalled, I shudder backwards, arms planted at my sides. A stunned silence prevails as the entire wedding party regards me with clinical fascination. Finally the chief bridesmaid tuts, bends forward, scoops up and dusts down the bouquet, before brandishing it half-heartedly in the air. . . . . Gamophobia - fear of marriage - is a little-used term to mark a still less acknowledged concept. I hold my hands up to it, not waving but drowning under the rampant gamomania of society at large, where £20,000 is the average nuptial spend and nothing blinds like the glare of a white frock. I am wedding-phobic, but no less averse to the institution itself. According to my own peculiarly fundamentalist secular beliefs marriage is lazy, anachronistic, morally bankrupt. Moreover, in the same way that if there were a God, He is not one I'd wish to have any truck with, so if marriage were the only thing holding a union of mine together, then I'd rather let it pass. . . . 'In the past, marriage was something one did en route to adulthood. These days it often comes after one's got the house and the car, when the job is going well, when you've had the baby, as the sign to those around you that you've made it. People aspire to and idealise marriage, only wanting to do it when all the pieces have fallen into place and everything's perfect - and because of this, marriage has become identified with the wedding.'. . . . . There's no business like nuptial show business. As Penny Mansfield remarks: 'In Alan Bennett's Untold Stories, he recalls his parents getting married at 8am because they wanted to avoid the spotlight. But in our celebrity culture, everyone wants to show off.' This exhibitionism is one of the many aspects of knot-tying that repulses 36-year-old Southampton researcher Tom Richards. 'The spectacle involved in modern marriage is in inverse proportion to its meaning. The more devoid of content the institution becomes, the more a grotesquely postmodern, style-over-substance principle applies. The entire event becomes a swaggering parody of some bygone society wedding.' John Amery, who is in his early forties, lays the blame for such orgiastic consumption squarely with the bride. 'I gaze with horror at the way women hold out their hands screeching with excitement about the engagement while everyone gawks at the rock and judges the absent man by the size of the ring, and thus his salary and, by extension, his penis. The three months' salary thing, women selling themselves as chattels... it's all so base.'. . .

Obama: America's first Gay President? Townhall.com, By Kevin McCullough, March 2, 2008
If William Jefferson Clinton was America's first "black" president, could it be that Barack Obama is positioning himself to be the nation's first "gay" president? His supporters have argued vehemently for months that Barack Obama does not represent the interest of the radical homosexual activists. Chicago "South-side" radio talk show hosts declare with confidence that Senator Obama has said he would oppose the redefining of marriage to include unions that only the imagination could cook up. Obama has blindsided black clergy across America with the con-game that they should not worry about his views on homosexuality. . . . Yet as someone who has followed his career since long before he was a national stage player, I have warned that his aggressive support for the radical homosexual activist agenda in America is a part of the overall picture of who he is. In this way he may be more "gay" than Clinton was "black" - and by a wide margin at that. For all the shell game that Obama was able to juggle in the run for President to date on the issue of his real, underlying views on the radical homosexual agenda - this week he removed all doubts. In an alarmingly pointed written statement Obama signed his named to the personal promise of greater advance against the institution of marriage of any candidate to ever run for the highest office. Pointedly so he gave his full pledge to overturn, or repeal, the federal Defense of Marriage Act. . . .

The Nest from the Knot: How Did You Find Me and Will You Please Go Away? Huffington Post, By Morra Aarons-Mele, March 1, 2008
. . .Did you mysteriously receive a magazine called The Nest? Yesterday, I was mailed the new magazine, created by The Knot, the yuppie wedding empire of websites, magazines, and wedding planners that include anxiety-inducing to-dos such as "60 days out: plan your undergarments" and "10 days out: hand-make table favors." One of the worst things about having a wedding was the bridal magazines and the pressure of the perfect neo-yuppie lifestyle they portrayed. . . . I was embarrassed that I took these seriously because nowhere in this flood of consumerism did magazines address the real values of marriage and family, the underpinnings of the ceremony and frippery of Your Perfect Day. . . . . . And, stepping back, the consumerist message doesn't work so well here. The Nest is not a design magazine whose purpose is to sell products. It claims to be a magazine about new marriage, building a home and a life. Sure, most of us are fortunate enough to couple new marriage with a shiny new Kitchen Aid. But there's more to it than that. Magazines are a powerful reflection of, and influencer of our modern lives. Glossy mags provide very concrete images to which we're supposed to aspire. And their reach expands- unlike newspapers, audience for fashion and lifestyle magazines is growing. There's a style guide for every lifestage. New entries include raising chic little ones (Cookie), and now the time immediately post-marriage. These pages provide an ideal type script and storyboards for the narratives of our lives. So, the copy of The Nest goes in the pile next to the copy of The Complete Organic Pregnancy one wishful-thinker sent me. . . . .

The Nest from the Knot: How Did You Find Me and Will You Please Go Away?

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