Do you have a sex-ghost haunting your current love nest? My close girlfriend does. And the poor thing doesn’t know what to do. She had a wild, very passionate, tempestuous and totally unsustainable relationship with the one before the one she’s with now. Romantically, emotionally and generally speaking, that love affair had been doomed from the start. She knew it. He knew it. We all well and truly knew it. But, like a junkie with a drug, she kept going back for more.

Until, that is, she met her sweet and sobering Romeo. A lovely, charming and thoroughly decent bloke, her ‘cure’ came and conquered, capturing her heart and mind with love, not lust. Her toxic, erotic addiction seemed a thing of the past. We all breathed a sigh of relief. But the other day, as we were sharing Scotch and talking about the future, my friend confessed all was not well. She was being haunted by the memory of the man who was so bad, yet so, so good. It seemed the closer she and her new man became, the more memories of her old flame were fanned.

Read the rest of this entry »

Another negative headline concerning an elected Niles Township Charter Township board member makes the news. Mr. James Ringler, current elected Niles Township treasurer, being accused of approaching the Niles Township zoning administrator to make illegal zoning changes that could become beneficial to Mr. Ringler, a real estate broker for Grubb & Ellis/Cressy & Everett.

Mr. Ringler denies any illegality to these alleged violations of policy, or possible misconduct of an elected official.  This issue, of course, was given to our township attorney, Mary Spiegel. She just happens to be related to one of our salary elected officials. Could one say joined at the hip, and ask some questions? The investigation has been referred to a Kalamazoo law firm to minimize any thought of favoritism or bias being shown locally. If you follow the money, by that I’m suggesting, who’s paying whom? Relationships and family ties, one is entitled to question the outcome.

Read the rest of this entry »

The “three-year glitch“ has replaced the “seven-year itch” as the tipping point where couples start to take each other for granted, according to a new survey.

Weight gain, stinginess, toe-nail clippings on the bathroom floor and snoring are a few of the passion-killers that have led to a swifter decline in relationships in the fast-paced 21st century, said the study commissioned by Warner Brothers to promote the release of comedy film “Hall Pass” in UK cinemas.

The survey of 2,000 British adults in steady relationships pinpointed the 36-month marker as the time when relationship stress levels peak and points to a new trend of “pink passes“ and “solo” holidays away from partners and spouses that many Britons resort to in order to keep romance alive.

Read the rest of this entry »

Who knows why Brad Pitt chose Angelina Jolie over Jennifer Aniston or why Helena Bonham-Carter prefers to live in a separate house to her long-term partner Tim Burton?

The course of true love is a complex combination of personality, circumstance, upbringing and timing, but an eminent US anthropologist claims to have uncovered a key secret to why some relationships work and others prove to be a little more tricky.

After 30 years of studying the science of romantic love, Dr Helen Fisher is convinced that attraction is closely linked to the chemistry of your personality type and how it matches - or clashes - with that of your chosen partner.

Read the rest of this entry »

Is your ladylove better looking than you? Well, then chances are your relationship won't last, says a new research. According to the UK study, relationships in which the woman is more attractive than the man may be doomed to failure. However, having a handsome husband or boyfriend is no barrier to the couple's success, says the study.

The phenomenon was spotted by British researchers studying whether it was true people tend to pair up with those who are similarly attractive to ourselves. The researchers took photos of more than 100 couples, some together for just a few months, others for several years. The individual men and women were then rated on their looks.

Read the rest of this entry »

SA could experience an economic miracle second to none and become the wonderful country that we would all like it to be, if we recognise that our symbiotic relationship is a force for unity.

Since 1994, South Africans have fallen into two camps, one for the pessimists who tend to emphasise all the negative things happening in the country; and the other for the optimists who give inordinate prominence to the positive features.

Read the rest of this entry »

Scientists from Stirling, Chester and Liverpool universities found that beautiful women seem to realise they can pick and choose their mates, whereas an attractive man with a more ordinary woman seemed to be more content and less likely to stray.

The findings might come as scant consolation to Bernie Ecclestone, whose marriage to the model Slavica Ecclestone, ended in 2009. She is almost a foot taller than him and 28 years younger. Researchers took photographs of men and women in over 100 couples, some of whom had been together for a few months, others for many years, and they were then rated on looks.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s Facebook official: the recent launching of two new relationship statuses, “in a domestic partnership” and “in a civil union,” has shown the world’s largest social network’s willingness to recognize the LGBTQ community.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, an organization that “amplifies the voice of the LGBT community,” partnered with Facebook to make the change. With more than 500 million active Facebook users, the organization hopes that the added options will raise awareness for the LGBTQ community.

Read the rest of this entry »

MANY residents consider Bali a great holiday destination, but Rockingham’s ties with the island could soon become a whole lot closer. Rockingham councillor Paul Ellis has proposed that the city establish a friendship relationship with Bali.

The suggestion has been welcomed by Rockingham resident Made Delaveris, who has developed strong networks with the island community, including the running of a disaster appeal after the 2002 Bali bombings.

Read the rest of this entry »

So while there isn’t one “best” way to solidify your connections with referral sources, you can take a number of actions to build good will and credibility in those relationships. Here, I offer my top 10 examples that should give you some ideas and get you off on the right foot. This list isn't exhaustive, so please feel free to add your own actions to it.

1. Arrange a one-to-one meeting. Meeting a referral source in person is an excellent opportunity to learn more about his or her business and interests. Prepare questions in advance so that the conversation flows smoothly. Be ready to give an update on your business and to ask lots of questions about your source’s interests.

Read the rest of this entry »