One pattern that predicts relationship duration is the balance of positive and negative interactions. Positive interactions can repair damage done by negative interactions. However, negative interactions have a stronger impact than positive interactions, so couples need to engage in far more positive interactions than negative interactions to remain stable. Stable and happy couples consistently engage in at least 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction. Couples who maintain a 5:1 ratio of positive interactions to negative interactions are less likely to break up.

Very Official Needs List:

• Condiments: mustard, BBQ sauce, ketchup, dressing, soy sauce ect;
• A better CD player for Dance Party Madness!
• Bean and rice or other grains (Kasha, Oatmeal ect;)
• Pepper grinder
• Pesto sauce packets and garlic
• Waffle iron
• A Sod cutter?
• Mop, sponges, scrubbies, soap, and rags
• Storage containers/ large totes
• Numerous volunteers of the awesome variety
• Love and attention and whatever else you want to offer!

Though our steps fell on black asphalt we danced upon the whisps of clouds!!!

The obstacle is the Path --Zen Proverb

If this is going to emotionally shake some people, stop reading.

CNN: "Justices hear intense arguments on abortion law":

The graphic details of a disputed abortion procedure filled the Supreme Court on Wednesday as justices voiced concern with a federal ban on that operation.

But for the love of God, someone please correct this article if it's incorrect in the description of how the debated proceedure is carried out (the US Solicitor General replied "it may be seconds, it may be hours" when asked by Justice Stevens whether the fetus could and for how long it would survive outside the womb):

The method involves partially extracting an intact fetus from the uterus, then cutting or crushing its skull.

Also, what was wrong with the picture posted in the "Smile" thread is that the woman has "baby" on her stomach. As has been pointed out on this blog and was the term used by Justice Stevens today, "fetus" is the proper term for an object within a woman's stomach. "Baby" only perpetuates the idea that the object is human.

AP: GOP Says Rumsfeld Is Stepping Down:

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, architect of an unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years at the Pentagon, Republican officials said Wednesday.

Opinion - Stephanie Coontz: Too close for comfort - sacbee.com

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Ever since the Census Bureau released figures last month showing that married-couple households are now a minority, my phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from people asking: "How can we save marriage? How can we make Americans understand that marriage is the most significant emotional connection they will ever make, the one place to find social support and personal fulfillment?"

I think these are the wrong questions -- indeed, such questions would have been almost unimaginable through most of history. It has only been in the last century that Americans have put all their emotional eggs in the basket of coupled love. Because of this change, many of us have found joys in marriage our great-great-grandparents never did. But we have also neglected our other relationships, placing too many burdens on a fragile institution and making social life poorer in the process.

A study released this year showed just how dependent we've become on marriage. Three sociologists at the University of Arizona and Duke University found that from 1985 to 2004 Americans reported a marked decline in the number of people with whom they discussed meaningful matters. People reported fewer close relationships with co-workers, extended family members, neighbors and friends. The only close relationship where more people said they discussed important matters in 2004 than in 1985 was marriage.

Dr. Rick's prescription: OlyBlog.