Why not Forward this Newsletter to a Friend?

Our college students are out for the holidays! Congratulations on the completion of your semester. Enjoy what we're sure is a much-earned break. See you next year!

This week's cool podcast:

On Sexting (Click the POD icon) "Sexting"--the practice of sending pornographic self-portraits via cell-phone--has become a widespread part of the dating experience among young people. Dr. J unpacks how a casual attitude toward the human body--and sexting is just one of its manifestations--sends shocks through the sexual and emotional parts of your being.
Click here to listen.

Sign up to receive the latest podcasts delivered directly to your Ipod here!

as we keep you up to date on marriage and offer FUN tips for life-long married love!!! (Click the icon above.)

• To prevent mailbox filters from deleting mailings from The Ruth Institute, add jmorse@ruthinstitute.org to your address book

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We're taking next week off, so see you next year!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tip #98 from "101 Tips for a Happier Marriage"

Notice the small things your spouse does. Express gratitude freely and frequently. It greases the wheels of the family.

Undoubtedly there are a myriad of little things you do that unintentionally irritate your spouse. They may be too minor for your spouse to mention, but they still add up. A compliment or an unexpected simple thank you count ten times more and will go far to erase the memory of prior annoyances. 

Need more tips? Find all 101 here.

Quiz Poll Results!

Thanks to all of those who took our latest quiz! Seventy-eight percent got the answer correct, with an equal spread among the other choices. Do you know the correct answer?

Question: What is the leading cause of death among African Americans?

• Violent Crime
• Heart Disease
• Abortion
• Cancer
• Complications from Diabetes

Answer: By far, the largest single cause of death in the black community is abortion. In 2004, there were 209,603 abortions performed on black women, (compared with 312,233 abortions performed on white women.) There were only 287,315 deaths from all other causes among black Americans in 2004. The largest causes of death to post-birth African Americans were:
Heart Diseases: 74,225
Cancers of all sorts: 62,499
Strokes: 18,118
Diabetes: 12,834
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 12,670
Assault (homicide): 8,135

In addition, look at how numbers of abortions compare with the numbers of live births. In 2004, there were 616,074 live births to black mothers and 3,222,928 live births to white mothers. Dividing the number of abortions by the number of live births, we find an abortion ratio of 97 abortions per 1,000 live births for white women and 340 abortions per 1000 live births for black women. Can you see why so many African-American leaders are becoming alarmed about the impact of abortion on their community?

Support Ruth