Thursday, January 31, 2002
Marriage in Uncertain Times
Gallup.com reports, “As Americans faced a new war, layoffs, business closings, and stress over personal finances this past fall and holiday season, reports from wedding retailers showed increased sales in merchandise during a time when business for this industry normally lags. And county clerks in and around New York City and military bases where recruitment was high saw an increase in marriage license applications.”
The National Marriage Project, located at Rutgers, led by nationally prominent family experts Dr. David Popenoe and Dr. Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, reexamined the institution of marriage in America in early 2001, several months before Sept. 11.
They found 86% of young adults feel that it is extremely important to be economically “set” as individuals before marrying. And an overwhelming majority (94%) believe that a spouse should be a soul mate, first and foremost.
Gallup collected the data for the National Marriage Project study. Eighty-one percent (81%) of women reported that it is more important to have a husband who can communicate about his deepest feelings than it is to have a husband who makes a good living. Men responded to a slightly different question, but also underplayed the importance of a wife’s earning power: only 36% agreed with the statement that it is more important to have a wife who makes a good living than it is to have a wife who is a good homemaker.
The poll found that less than half of respondants (42%) believe it is important that your mate share your religion
62% of men said it may not be ideal, but it is OK if a woman cannot find the right man to marry but decides to have child and raise it on her own.
Read the entire study here
Top 10 Myths about divorce
Counties Not Ready for BioTerrorism
The Washington Post reports, “Most of the nation’s county public health departments are not adequately prepared to respond to a biological or chemical terrorist attack, with the biggest deficiencies found in small communities and rural areas,” according to a survey released this week.
The Post continues, “Many departments are so under-funded, understaffed and under-trained that they are not ready to effectively handle a major crisis,” said Javier Gonzales, president of the National Association of Counties, which commissioned the survey. The study, which involved 300 of the nation’s 3,066 counties, highlights the need for federal assistance in dealing with the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, the anthrax outbreak and the potential for additional terrorist strikes, Gonzales said. Only 9.7 percent of the counties said they were fully prepared to deal with a biological attack and only 5 percent said they were ready to handle public health needs arising from the use of chemical weapons, Gonzales said.
Law News State by State
Here is a cool website that will generate ideas for you. Law.com’s state by state law news site. In a few minutes I found several interesting ideas.
Online Lawyer Decision
One story I found on law.com says, “A decision issued in late December 2001 by the Ohio Board of Commissioners on the Unauthorized Practice of the Law (the Board) helps to define whether certain online conduct by non-lawyers is tantamount to impermissible legal practice. The decision, in the case Office of Disciplinary Counsel v. Palmer, may be worth a read by lawyers and non-lawyers alike. AMORALETHICS.COM David Palmer is the Executive Director, Chairman and only active member of the Committee to Expose Dishonest and Incompetent Attorneys and Judges. Palmer is accused of offering free legal advice on this site, and as such, is alleged to have engaged in the unlawful practice of law.
It raises interesting questions about what people can or can’t say online.
