Prosperity and Power - Experts and Resources

Al and Tipper Gore Separating: How Does Any Marriage Last A Lifetime?

Posted to by Jill Brooke on Wed, 06/02/2010 - 2:26pm

Al and Tipper Gore’s surprise separation announcement has exposed “An Inconvenient Truth.”  In today’s environment, it’s very hard to keep a marriage together for a lifetime.

There doesn’t seem to be much support encouraging the continuity of marriage if you take the temperature of commentators. The New York Times had someone call divorce an iconic baby boomer event.

On one of the morning TV shows, their so-called experts said that it doesn’t matter that Al and Tipper may be divorced since the kids are now older. Hmmm. With rationed time, it now means that elderly parents see their adult kids half as much for holidays and get togethers and adult kids have to choose between parents.

Ironically, the announcement was made at the peak of wedding season when couples will walk down the aisle making the commitment to love each other through thick and thin, sickness and health, richer or poorer.

As one reader wrote, “When young couples see that the Gores (and many others) can't quite make it work, what hope is left for them?"

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New Book Urges Wannabe Brides to Settle

Look what happened to Jenny Sanford for following that advice

Posted to by Jill Brooke on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 8:47pm

In an ironic twist, Jenny Sanford and Lori Gottlieb are hitting the bookstores at the same time. In Marry Him - The Case For Mr. Good Enough, Gottlieb says women should be less picky and settle, and now Sanford will be on the same talk shows discussing the consequences when you do.

Sanford's book is called Staying True, written because her husband wasn't True Blue. Of all her revelations, one sticks out in my mind. Jenny Sanford acknowledged that she was never in love with Mark Sanford when they got married. "It wasn't exactly love at first sight," she said. "It was more like friendship after first sight."

The former investment banker from Lezard Freres calculated that investing in a resume instead of a person would reap rewards. She did get to be the First Lady of South Carolina. But she didn't get to be the First Lady of his heart.

They produced successful campaigns as well as four adorable sons. It wasn't enough. It rarely is when love isn't the driving force in the relationship.

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Why Michelle Obama Is a Role Model for Divorced Women

Posted to by Marilyn Stowe on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 1:07pm

Leaders from around the world descended on London last week for the G-20 Leaders' Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy — and here in Europe, we were all electrified. I must say, I have never seen such public enthusiasm and blanket press coverage of what was shaping up to be just another dull meeting about international affairs.

There was one person in particular who held our rapt attention. This person inspired battle-hardened journalists to fill page after page of their newspapers with effusive praise. This person even managed to eclipse the glamorous Madame Carla Bruni Sarkozy — usually the focus of public attention — who this time around was notable by her absence.

As you may have guessed, we were well and truly swept away by the “Obama Factor." But it wasn’t the President who had everyone talking. It was the First Lady.

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Best Super Bowl Ad? The Adultery Commercial

Posted to by Maureen Dempsey on Thu, 02/05/2009 - 10:29am

Oh, did you miss that one? You undoubtedly did, unless you live in Texas. Extramarital dating site ashleymadison.com placed a $250,000 30-second commercial in the Lone Star state, says The Houston Chronicle.

Ashleymadison.com is a site for married folks to find other married individuals to date, have sex with, etc. Their tagline is "When divorce isn't an option." We know. Our first reaction was disbelief with a little bit of anger. But the interesting bit? The commercial, which aired during the most testosterone-injected televised event of the year, is clearly geared toward the unhappy, unfulfilled wife.

Mrs. Unhappy perks up when the commercials break up the monotony of the game, watches the cheating commercial, then looks over at her zombie couch potato. Maybe that marketing team is a pack of geniuses, after all. (Check out the commercial here.)

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Ellen Barkin to Star as Divorced Cougar in New HBO Series

Posted to by Jill Brooke on Mon, 02/02/2009 - 11:46am

Ellen Barkin is showing women how divorce can be mined for hilarious and profitable material. The star of "Sea of Love," who traveled through turbulent waters in her high-profile divorce from billionaire businessman Ron Perelman, has just signed a deal with HBO. Gotta love that. (Though Perelman most likely won't).

In the pilot, which was steered by Ann Blanchard (one of the forces behind FWW's own Hot Flashes), Barkin stars as a woman who struggles to find her sea legs after being tossed and turned through her divorce. Not only does she find new horizons but a new love too — and, yup — he's a young hunk.  

Shauna Cross is writing the pilot and describes Barkin's character as someone who is "in her early 50s whose life explodes suddenly. Her nerve and life experience allows her to tell the world to go screw itself, and they love her for it."

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God: I Hate Divorce

Posted to by Maureen Dempsey on Thu, 11/06/2008 - 11:22pm

Christians say the Big Guy loves you, but not your divorce. Consequently, a St. Louis area company decided to whip any divorce-pondering couples into marital shape by organizing the Institute of Marriage Boot Camp, reports the St. Louis American.

Okay, not so much a "boot camp," per se, as a series of lectures by Baptist pastors, bishops, and assorted church leaders; some serious bible quoting; and a gift bag. Our favorite sound bite:

"God hates divorce," Roach said. "God created marriage, marriage is good. The problem with marriage is the people."

The thing is, according to the article, one-third of Christians have been divorced at least once. In an attempt to salvage the remaining two-thirds of the Christian population, the Religious community reached out with the pro-marriage event.

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Sarah Palin and the He-Dude

Posted to by Jill Brooke on Mon, 10/06/2008 - 6:32pm

With the confidence of a captain of the girls' basketball team, Sarah Palin swished her way into the office of Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, took a jump shot at being Governor of Alaska, and then slam dunked the nomination for the Republican vice presidency.

Along the way, she’s accomplished a feat that often sidelines powerful women. Throughout her impressive career, she has never made her husband look diminished.

How she has dribbled her way around this challenging issue is a subject truly worthy of debate. After all, studies in Social Forces and The Journal of Marriage and Family say that women who are more successful than their husbands have higher divorce rates.

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