The End Of Marriage

It isn’t every day I read about the Republicans and the French being on the same page.

In order to settle a similar debate about homosexual marriages France implemented civil unions to be available to everyone, gay or straight.

Now, New Hampshire Republicans have introduced bill HB569, which “privatizes marriage” to the churches. If two people want the legal protections of marriage in New Hampshire, they can get a “domestic partnership” under the bill. If they want to be “married” they can go find a church.

What is amusing is that this course of action in France has led to results that would likely infuriate American conservatives. Civil unions will soon be more popular than marriage in France. Divorce scarred French lovers like that French civil unions can be dissolved in under an hour. The large secular population in French culture likes the option of being “married” without having the church having anything to do with it.

So, will Republicans end up shooting themselves in the foot with this tactic? Will they end up making civil unions the norm in the U.S. and marriage an extra religious ritual that only some people do? The opponents to gay marriage I have talked do not have a problem with civil unions, they just want the word “marriage” reserved for heterosexual people. Well, as the French have long known, you can’t control language.

If civil unions become the norm in the U.S., Americans will likely still use terms like “we’re married”, “husband”, “wife” etc even if the government gets out of the business of giving legal meanings to those terms. Gay couples will still refer to their SOs as “my husband”/”my wife” and there will not be anything the religious right will be able to do about it. All they will accomplish will be reducing marriage as institution in our country, the opposite of which, is what they claim they are fighting for. For all of the talk about defending marriage, Republicans may be the ones who ultimately finish it off as an American institution if civil unions go the way of French civil unions.

Soy Does Not Affect Fertility, U of G Study Finds

Soy Does Not Affect Fertility, U of G Study Finds

Guelph – Men no longer have to fear that eating soy-based foods will jeopardize their chances at fatherhood.

A new University of Guelph study has revealed that contrary to a widely-held perception, consuming soy does not harm male fertility.

Soy contains isoflavones, which function similarly to estrogens in the body.

“It is perceived that soy can increase estrogen levels, which is why there is a concern that it will have an adverse effect on male fertility,” said Alison Duncan, the study’s author and a professor in Guelph’s Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences.

“But we found that consuming soy on a regular basis had no effect on semen quality, which is a direct measure of fertility.”

Published recently in the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s official journal Fertility and Sterility, the study is the largest to look at the impact of soy consumption on male fertility.

As part of the research, participants were asked to drink a soy protein beverage high in isoflavones, a soy protein beverage low in isoflavones and a milk protein beverage each for 57 days each. There was a four-week break between participants switching drinks.

Duncan found the participants’ semen volume, sperm count, sperm motility and sperm morphology remained the same throughout.

Although previous studies on animals have shown soy consumption to have adverse effects on fertility, the current study reveals that this does not apply to humans, she said.

“These findings are important because soy consumption has many benefits for men such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer.”

Full Article

Pouring On The Pounds

From the BBC

Public health advocates say the country is facing an obesity epidemic, which is costing the United States $147bn (£92bn) annually in healthcare. According to the latest US government statistics, 32.2% of American adults and 17.1% of children are clinically obese.

Americans are pouring calories down their throats. Sugar-sweetened drinks can contain up to 17 teaspoons of sugar per 550ml bottle.

The advert is the latest in a series of hard-hitting campaigns used by the New York Health Department.

Soda, even diet, contributes to osteoporosis as well. The phoshphoric acid acclerates bone loss.

Click on the picture for a larger copy.