Bacon/ Infidelity / Divorce & the Economy/ Crist to Wed /Florida Marriage Commission - 7/13/08

Sun Jul 13 16:12:02 EDT 2008

- BRINGING HOME THE BACON: I CAN SMELL A NEW REALITY SHOW
- INFIDELITY COMMENTARY
- DECLINE IN DIVORCE WITH DECLINE IN ECONOMY?
- FLORIDA GOV CRIST TO WED
- BUMMER NEWS FROM FLORIDA
- DO YOU LIVE IN FLORIDA? THE SOUTHEAST?
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-  BRINGING HOME THE BACON: I CAN SMELL A NEW REALITY SHOW

I bet this contest could be turned into a reality show we could support! -
diane 

Couples hope to bring home the bacon in marriage ritual

LONDON (AFP) ‹ A bizarre ritual dating back to the 12th century in which the
couple who can prove to a mock-court that they have the happiest marriage
wins half a pig takes place on Saturday.

The Dunmow Flitch Trials in Essex, feature a judge and jury of "six maidens
and six bachelors" who hear each couple tell the story of their marriage,
from how they met to the proposal and how their families reacted.

The trials -- mentioned in medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury
Tales" -- are held every four years and this time will feature five couples
who have been married for at least "a year and a day", in line with the
rules.

Jeff Dotts from the US, who is taking part with wife Erin Albers, told BBC
radio: "The story was just too much for us to pass up -- what better way for
you to express your love for your wife than by trying to win bacon?"

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- INFIDELITY COMMENTARY

> Dear Diane,
> If you think there might be interest, let the list know that I posted a
> response on my website to the recent USA Today article on Infidelity which you
> shared with the list.
> Anne Bercht
> Beyond Affairs Network (BAN)
> Website:http://www.beyondaffairs.com

Reading this article I find myself both happy and frustrated at the same
time. Thank God someone has finally gotten the message that affairs happen
in good marriages too. It¹s a message I have been sharing for years. We had
a good marriage when my husband got caught up in an affair. . . .

I¹m frustrated by the comments in the USA today article, because informed
people, like Mira Kirshenbaum, believe that ³boredom in marriage² is the
cause of affairs. And even an expert like Douglas Snyder still believes ³a
lack of closeness and passion² is to blame for an affair  unless the
article misquoted them, which is possible. (Snyder¹s book ³Getting Past the
Affair² is very good by the way.)

While both these things are often contributing factors, they are not always
factors . . . . 

-------------------------
Anne is the Director of BAN which was recipient of the 2008 Smart Marriages
Impact Award. To read her full response to USA Today:
http://beyondaffairs.com/weekly_surviving_affairs_newsletters.htm

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- DECLINE IN DIVORCE WITH DECLINE IN ECONOMY?

Hmmmmm.....I've seen articles claiming that the recession has caused an
INCREASE in divorce filings and just as many articles that credit the
downturn with a DECREASE in filings like this one that attributes an 18%
(!!) reduction to the recession.  In any case, this is another factor to
keep in mind as we claim what we're doing has any affect on the divorce
rate.  I was on CNN on this topic today/Thurs July 11. There was no time to
alert list to watch and I'm glad I didn't as I was on so briefly - like 5
mins.....but gotta practice what I preach and take every chance we get to
help the media get our message out there. Dash down if/when they call.-
diane 

> As the national economy takes a downturn and homes become harder to sell,
> another measure of American life is on the decline in South Florida.
> 
> In Miami-Dade County, almost 1,300 fewer divorces were filed from January
> through May this year than in the same time period in 2007, a decrease of
> about 18 percent, according to Zoila Miranda, the court operations officer in
> charge of family filings.

For full article: 
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/597013.html

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- FLORIDA GOV CRIST TO WED

Maybe this is because he heard Smart Marriages is coming to Florida next
year..... ;) - diane

The Wall Street Journal
July 4, 2008
Gov. Crist to Wed
Elizabeth Holmes reports on the presidential race.

Charlie Crist, the governor of Florida and a name on the shortlist for John
McCain¹s running mate, is engaged.

The 51-year-old proposed to Carole Rome at his St. Petersburg apartment,
according to several media reports. Crist met the 38-year-old mother of two
in New York last September and asked for her hand in marriage Thursday
morning with a blue sapphire and diamond ring.

³I¹m very happy and couldn¹t be more pleased. What a great way to celebrate
America¹s birthday,² Crist said, according to the Associated Press. ³We¹ve
been talking about it for quite a while. I asked her while we were looking
out over Tampa Bay and I couldn¹t think of a better place to do it.²

Crist was married in 1979 and divorced shortly later. His bachelor status
has been a point of discussion of late, given that he is in consideration as
McCain¹s vice presidential pick. His endorsement of McCain shortly before
the Sunshine State¹s Jan. 29 primary is widely regarded as the reason for
the Arizona senator¹s crucial victory there. Crist¹s ability to deliver
Florida in the general election is his strongest selling point for a
McCain-Crist ticket. (Read about his prospects in this previous blog post.

Rumors have circulated since he entered the gubernatorial race in 2006, at
which point the Miami Herald addressed the rumors: ³His status as a single
man has led to public questions about his sexual orientation, and on several
occasions has responded that he is not gay. Though he has been engaged once
since his marriage, Crist says the sting of divorce from his first marriage
has made him gun-shy about giving marriage a second try.²

Crist and Rome plan to wed in a September ceremony.

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- BUMMER NEWS FROM FLORIDA

This couldn't come at a worse time, just as Smart Marriages is heading to
the state......

Dear Diane,

Due to the Florida Legislature's elimination of our funding, the Commission
on Marriage and Family Support Initiatives will be officially closing our
doors today, June 30, 2008. 

The commission thanks the Ounce of Prevention of Florida for providing a
home and administrative oversight to the commission for nearly 10 years as
we addressed the issues of responsible fatherhood and HEALTHY MARRIAGES. 
The list is too numerous, but we extend our appreciation and thanks to the
many individuals and organizations that assisted the commission with our
mandate. The commission collaborated with over 60 community-based
organizations, non-profits, and faith-based organizations. 

The struggle is far from over and it is now up to each of us who has a
passion for strengthening marriages to continue to keep this issue in the
forefront.  

Sincerely,
JC Gamboa 
Executive Director

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- DO YOU LIVE IN FLORIDA? THE SOUTHEAST?

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