Reuters marries compatible personalities to satisfaction, finding that good marriages come from good behavior. Susan Heavey writes (excerpt): “Being in a committed relationship entails regular interaction and requires extensive coordination in dealing with tasks, issues and problems of daily living,”…
Still smiling after all these years
The Detroit News spotlights Oakland County’s efforts to help parents help their children cope with divorce. Jennifer Chambers’ article includes a sidebar with these tips from the SMILE Program (Start Making It Livable for Everyone): Parents should tell children about…
Gender — not race — is biggest factor in violent behavior
Since The Grand Rapids Press featured an article on black men killing black men, people have weighed in with their analyses of the problem. They’ve presented a myriad of causes such as poor education, poverty, ineffective parenting, racism, etc., but…
Doing things of value
The Grand Rapids Press notes the passing of retired Judge Stuart Hoffius, Kent County’s Chief Judge for 28 of his 29 years on the bench. Ken Kolker writes (excerpt): “He never said a mean word to anyone when he sentenced…
Father-son car rides
The New York Times tells us what a teenager really learned on the long drives to therapy. Michael Parker writes (excerpt): I don’t remember a thing about my psychiatrist except that he asked me questions, and as usual, my answers…
Parents, grandparents and harm to children
Michigan’s newly enacted grandparentting time statute is 2004 Public Act 542, amending MCL 722.22 and 722.27b. A grandparent involved in such a dispute will be required to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the parent’s decision to deny…
Separation of powers
The New York Times Editorial highlights the federal state of the courts report (excerpt): Without naming names, Chief Justice Rehnquist spoke of a troubling “new turn” in recent years that has seen some conservative Republicans in Congress cross the line…
Go Outside and Play
When I am out walking or running in my neighborhood, I marvel at the rare sightings of 11-15 year old children playing outside in some fashion. Playing games such as pick up basketball, hide-n-seek, or eeny-inny-over. Before you call me…
Because Iraq and Afghanistan are not romantic getaways
AP/Findlaw reports on the Army’s attempt to reduce the 21 percent divorce rate when one spouse has been sent off to war. Kimberly Hefling writes (excerpt): One program being implemented Army-wide teaches couples forgiveness and the skills to communicate. It…
My, flashing really does work
Lycos published its Top 100 search terms of 2004 (with last year’s rank in parentheses). Included in the top 10 are items related to marriage, divorce, annulment, custudy disputes and other relationship matters: 1. Janet Jackson (-) 2. Paris Hilton…
Alberto Gonzales and divorce clients
Slate examines President George Bush’s relationship to his Attorney General, passing along some general comments on lawyering along the way. Dahlia Lithwick writes (excerpt): One of the most striking legacies of my brief foray into the wonderful world of divorce…
Examining the human condition
The New York Times celebrates Garrison Keillor’s anniversary with Prairie Home Companion with a glimpse of the man behind the microphone. David Carr writes (excerpt): Mr. Keillor is a version of the American personality who ends up stapled to something…
How Not To Practice Law
Here’s an example of how not practice law, folks. The recent case of Robert J. Blaha, Jr. v Faupel & Associates, P.C., unpublished per curiam opinion of the Court of Appeals, issued December 2, 2004 (Docket No. 250241) is a…
Teaching publicly, parenting privately
The Sixth Circuit issued a 2-1 decision in Barrett v Steubenville City Schools (No. 03-4373; November 15, 2004). The panel–faced with a challenge by a public school teacher who sent his children to Catholic schools–reaffirmed that parents have a constitutionally…
Things you wish you knew before the ceremony
Reuters reports on a woman who fainted at her wedding: An Israeli man who refused to provide child support to his ex-wife for nearly eight years finally had to start paying up when he remarried and police raided the reception…
Divorce arbitration
The Michigan Court of Appeals is publishing Miller v Miller, a 2-1 decision on domestic relations arbitration (Case No. 242470; November 30, 2004). The issue was whether a domestic relations litigant was bound by an “arbitral awardâ€? when the arbitrator…
In search of definition
The BBC shows what a dictionary publisher can do with its online search data: The term “blog” has been chosen as the top word of 2004 by a US dictionary publisher. Merriam-Webster said “blog” headed the list of most looked-up…
Search and You Will Find
Two new search utilities help you find what’s missing on your computer’s hard drive. Computer hard drives have become so large in recent years that finding a misplaced file, email message, or document can be next to impossible – unless…
Phishing – Don’t Get Caught!
Phishing attacks use ‘spoofed’ e-mails and fraudulent websites designed to fool recipients into divulging personal financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords, social security numbers, etc.
See Dick and Jane
The New York Times notes the passing of Nancy Larrick at 93. Jennifer Bayot writes (excerpt): Dr. Larrick considered the standard reading workbooks of the 1950’s, with their picture games and stories about Dick and Jane, insulting to even a…