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Bob Etheridge#x2019;s campaign for governor got off to a bumpy start Monday, when he sought to clarify his positions on two of the thorniest issues of the governor#x2019;s race #x2013; raising the sales tax and a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages and civil unions.

Etheridge, the former Democratic congressman, skirted both issues on Feb. 3, his first day as a candidate, declining to take a stance at a news conference.

But on Monday, Etheridge said he would support Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue#x2019;s proposal to restore a three-quarter-cent sales tax to fund education that the legislature repealed last year.

He also said that while he opposed gay marriages, he would not support the constitutional amendment on the May primary ballot, saying the state law banning same-sex marriages was sufficient.

#x201C;I didn#x2019;t handle it as well as I should have,#x201D; Etheridge said of his earlier explanation of his position on gay marriage.

The move by Etheridge, who grew up in Johnston County, was awkward, especially for a seasoned political veteran. But in both instances, it quickly moved Etheridge more into the mainstream of the Democratic primary field that also includes Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and state Rep. Bill Faison of Orange County.

Other Democratic candidates were also weighing possible entry into the race.

Congressman Brad Miller of Raleigh, who said he would make a decision over the weekend, made no announcement on Monday. Neither did former state Treasurer Richard Moore, who ran for governor in 2008.

Etheridge, who represented the culturally conservative 2nd Congressional District for 14 years, twice voted for a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, in 2004 and 2006. But the politics on the issue has been shifting, and polls suggest the amendment has significant support among Democratic primary voters.

A statewide survey by Public Policy Polling conducted last month found that Democrats favor the amendment by a 46-44 percent margin, with the margin of error plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Even Republican Renee Ellmers, who defeated Etheridge in 2010, voiced opposition to the amendment, saying it was too broadly worded.

Earlier, Etheridge had said it was up the voters to decide the issue. But he called reporters Monday to say he was opposed to the amendment.

#x201C;We actually have a statute on the books that says a marriage is between a man and a woman, which I agree with that,#x201D; Etheridge said.

#x201C;There is no need to have a constitutional amendment that is broader than what we have and is not something I can support,#x201D; Etheridge said. #x201C;It#x2019;s too much. It#x2019;s not good for our state. We#x2019;ve already heard from our business community. It also impacts cities and towns that are already providing benefits (for same-sex couples).#x201D;

At his news conference on Feb. 3, Etheridge had criticized the Republican legislature for repealing the three-quarter-cent sales tax but did not say whether he backed the governor#x2019;s idea to re-impose it.

But that put Etheridge in an awkward position. The central plank in his campaign is improving education, but he was declining to support a tax hike, unlike his two primary opponents.

In an interview Monday, Etheridge said he hadn#x2019;t #x201C;followed through as I should have.#x201D;

#x201C;I do support the three-quarter-cent sales tax,#x201D; Etheridge said. #x201C;That was temporary to begin with. It should not have been done away with. You need to put it back on to fund education. We#x2019;ve had huge teacher cuts, and university and community colleges. There is about $270 million in federal money in these schools that is going away this year. That is why this money is needed.#x201D;

The plants and flowers were decorative, not given in memorial. No obituary had been written, no undertaker summoned. Nobody had died.

Yet given the backdrop of recent news coming out of RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co., it was difficult not to wonder about the long-term prospects for the company that made this town.

Taken together, the decision to sell its iconic building downtown the prototype for the Empire State Building in New York layoffs and an overall sales decline seem to draw a picture of a company adrift.

A once-mighty global brand now struggles with a lurching economy in a country whose views on its products have grown increasingly hostile.

Its no wonder, then, that this weekends sale of an art collection amassed by Reynolds had the feel of a yard sale hosted by a proud dowager determined to keep up appearances.

Background to a sale

Hundreds of people meandered through the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts on Friday, the opening day of a three-day sale of some 7,000 pieces of art collected over the past 100 years by Reynolds.

Last summer, the company generously offered the collection estimated to be worth $700,000 to the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, another in a long series of distinguished acts of community involvement and philanthropy.

Naturally, such a sale was bound to attract intense interest in a city that much of America assumes was named for cigarette brands and not vice versa. Despite the charitable aim of the sale, given its timing amid more bad news from the company, some of those who attended couldnt help but wonder if it werent some sort of symbolic estate sale.

While its true that Reynolds reported a 16 percent increase in profit to $304 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, its also true that its overall share of the cigarette market declined again to 27 percent and its volume of cigarettes produced dipped 5.1 percent from 2010.

Then theres the latest workforce analysis a fancy term coined by those not subject to midlife pink slips that could wind up costing a significant number of jobs. The last three times Reynolds undertook such analyses, a combined 2,715 jobs were eliminated.

Since 1983, the workforce employed by Reynolds American (and its subsidiaries) has shrunk from a robust 15,500 full-time employees to about 2,500 now.

And the Reynolds Building, too, is up for sale, and could be turned into an upscale hotel.

One of the concerns was that theyre selling the company off piece by piece, said sale attendee Marlon Hubbard, only partially tongue-in-cheek.

Symbolic of an era

Perhaps more than most, Hubbard knows of what he speaks. He moved here in 2004 to work for Reynolds.

Like the sale he attended, Hubbard, too, is a symbol. He is one of the best and brightest the company used to attract routinely, but he got laid off from his marketing job in 2009. He managed to transform himself, though, and now owns an art gallery and lives in a building downtown formerly used in the business of tobacco.

Reynolds afforded me a very good living in Winston-Salem, he said. It gave me access to boards, the symphony, all of the things we (he and his wife) are involved in. Winston-Salem is blessed to have it.

The truth of the matter is Reynolds isnt going anywhere anytime soon. A fourth-quarter profit of $304 million says so. Tens of millions continue to light up in other parts of the world even as Americans kick the habit in greater numbers.

Still, its days as ruler of the roost are over. The future, city leaders hope, is in the tech park mushrooming in the shadows of the Reynolds building, and in the hospitals that employ thousands.

The golden leaf isnt as golden as it once was.

For folks obsessed with food and dining, its only natural that taking a vacation would follow that passion. If youve ever carefully planned a meal-by-meal tour of Barcelona, you know what were talking about. However, its no longer enough to just head to Rome for pizza or Tokyo for sushi. Go somewhere unexpected on your next holiday.

Have a thing for mussels? Jet off to Prince Edward Island, Canada. Obsessed with tracking your favorite roving food trucks? Grab a Jeep and chase the ones that dot the Puerto Rican island Vieques. Weve rounded up eight of our favorite destinations that are ideal for the food-obsessed. Did we miss your favorite? Let us know in the comments.

Eugene Weston III, right, is seen in 2006 with art dealer Scott Nadeau, who three years earlier bought an Eagle Rock home Weston designed in 1953 for Norman Bilderback, then a director of design at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
(Myung J. Chun, Los Angeles Times / August 10, 2006)

Ive written recently about local places you can go to celebrate
Valentines Day, but I had a couple of readers who were looking for
something tropical. 

Here are a few suggestions: 

La Concha Resort, San Juan, Puerto Rico

For Valentines Day, the AAA Four-Diamond property is spicing
things up with the Discover Romance package, which includes
oceanview accommodations, a bottle of champagne, Godiva chocolates,
breakfast for two and a late checkout. Starting from $289 a night.
www.laconcharesort.com

The Ritz-Carlton Golf amp; Spa Resort, Rose Hall,
Jamaica

Special Occasion Package. Couples enjoy a bottle of champagne
upon arrival, chefs choice welcome amenity and breakfast for two
in the Horizons restaurant. The package must be booked by March
2012, for travel until that period. Rates start at $259 per night,
not inclusive of taxes and gratuities. For more information, visit
here.  

Isla Verde Beach Resort, San
Juan, Puerto Rico

Isla Verde Beach Resort is offering a Romance Under the Stars
package, which includes an oceanview room, a romantic dinner for
two with a personal chef, breakfast in bed and a 30-minute couples
massage. Staring at $410 a night. For reservations call
1-800-791-2553. www.sjcourtyard.com

Rendezvous, St. Lucia

 Try the Seven Days in Heaven package, starting at $596 per
couple and including spa treatments, sunset cruise, a candelit
dinner for two and more. The promotional code My Valentine must
be used when booking. www.theromanticholiday.com

Retrouvaille means to rediscover.

And for many years in Calgary, the organization has helped spouses rediscover the love they felt for each other when they were married.

In Calgary, Brian and Lee Weatherill are the new co-ordinators for the successful program.

Basically, its a lifeline for marriages that are on the rocks, says Lee Weatherill. A troubled marriage or one that communication breakdown has occurred, its a really good way to learn how to communicate as a couple again.

According to its website (www. helpourmarriagecalgary.com), Retrouvaille evolved from Marriage Encounter around 1977. Presenters in Marriage Encounter saw a clear need for a program to help and heal troubled marriages.

Retrouvaille was first presented in Quebec, spread to Toronto, the United States and then went international. Now, Retrouvaille is in 151 communities in 26 countries, taught in seven languages and its growing, says the organization.

Retrouvaille is a peer ministry which believes that every marriage, a union of one man and woman, deserves to survive, be healed and thrive as a covenant of life and love, says the website.

Although it is sponsored by the Catholic Church, we accept couples of all or no faith who have made legal, public commitment to each other in marriage.

The primary function of this ministry is to promote the sanctity of marriage, facilitated primarily through the teaching of a communication technique.

The organization in Calgary runs two weekend programs throughout the year. The first is Feb. 17 to 19.

For more information and registration, visit the organizations website.

Another weekend will be held in the fall.

Weatherill recalls a recent session in which a couple, who have been married for more than 50 years, took part.

At the end of the weekend, says Weatherill, she was in tears and he was in tears, too. He said, I just want to tell you, I thought I knew my wife. We thought we knew each other so well, but in doing this weekend and going through the process, we have learned so much about each other and were thankful to be here.

mtoneguzzi@calgaryherald.com

CARTERVILLE, IL (KFVS) – The Land of Lincoln could soon become the latest state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriages.

That is if Illinois Representative Greg Harris (D) 13th District is able to persuade enough other Illinois legislators to get onboard with his Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, or HB 5170.

Representative Harris introduced the legislation on Wednesday in Springfield. And so far three other legislators have signed on as co-sponsors.

They are Representative Deborah Mell (D) 40th District, Representative Kelley Cassidy (D) 14th District and Representative Ann Williams (D) 11th District.

But, not everyone in the Illinois House of Representatives is in favor of the measure.

I am not going to be supportive of it. I didnt support civil unions, said Representative John Bradley (D) 117th District. And I dont intend to support the gay marriage proposal. But I am sure this is going to be an ongoing battle for the State of Illinois.

The measure if passed would do away with the law that prohibits gay marriages. And it would allow same-sex couples the same marriage rights currently only available to heterosexual couples.

The proposal would also allow religious groups to decide whether or not they would perform the marriage ceremonies.

But, Representative Mike Bost (R) 115th District says there are a lot of legal differences between civil unions and same-sex marriages.

We see many problems that can occur even with the civil unions that weve already dealt with. Im afraid that gay marriage would step that up a bit, said Representative Bost. Its a bill that will be out there. Each one of us will vote our own conscience. I didnt vote for civil unions and I wont be voting for gay marriages.

Representative Harris is hoping to get the bill through the rules committee and onto the house floor for a full discussion during the upcoming Spring legislative session.

He was instrumental in getting civil unions passed in Illinois, last year.

Copyright 2012 KFVS. All rights reserved.

And this makes sense to him.

Getting a divorce is an expensive and economically risky move, Konczal said.

Now some predict that with the rebound in the economy, married couples will again have the luxury of divorce.

An NPR story showed pent-up demand for divorces were beginning to find an outlet, according to divorce lawyers.

Other than the necessary stability for couples to separate, the economic recovery will finally allow some partners to claim a more valuable share of assets.

If a person receives a business, for example, said Linda Lea Viken, president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and the other person receives a house, the value of those two assets is extremely important in determining what else happens.

An increase in people tying the knot, on the other hand, is not correlated with state unemployment increases, according to Konczal.

Although Bryan Caplan, an economics professor at George Mason University, talks in his popular blog Econlog about how marriage is often a good deal economically.

Im baffled by people who blame declining marriage rates on poverty. Why? Because being single is more expensive than being married. Picture two singles living separately. If they marry, they sharply cut their total housing costs. They cut the total cost of furniture, appliances, fuel and health insurance. Even groceries get cheaper: think CostCo, Caplan said.

Last year the The Great Recession and Marriage Report by the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia provided some research with a little less economically calculated focus.

The researchers showed that 29 percent of couples reported that the downturn has brought financial stress to their marriages while another 29 percent agreed that the recession led them to deepen their commitment to their marriages.

For some, the financial stresses associated with the Great Recession have hurt their marriages. But for others, this recession has fostered a new commitment to marriage that appears to have improved the quality and stability of their marriages, said Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project and a sociology professor in the University of Virginias College of Arts Sciences.

Sorrento

Citalia has a week-long break just outside this pretty Italian town for £395 per person. Departing on 27 April with easyJet flights from Gatwick to Naples, it includes BB accommodation at the Hotel Girasole, which boasts an outdoor pool, with views towards Mount Vesuvius. (Citalia.com)

Manama: When Fareed Ahmad Hassan first heard about sectarianism as a phenomenon ominously destroying Bahrains social harmony, the newspaper editor sneered at the idea that Bahrainis who have lived with one another peacefully and graciously for generations could drift apart on the basis of sects.

But after speaking with relatives and friends, the Shiite man married for decades with a Sunni woman was convinced the society faced a dilemma.

I was shocked to see that people dealt with one another on the basis on their sects. Gone are years of friendships and matrimonial unions. Many people over the weeks made decisions to continue or end their friendships or even marriages on the merit of the sect, he said, sipping a hot tea in downtown Manama.

Sushi marriages – the union between Sunnis and Shiites – have always formed an integral part of the Bahraini cultural, social and religious landscape. For thousands of Bahrainis, such marriages had a special charm that did not exist in other matrimonial unions and helped give a truly substantial meaning to personal gratification, compassionate tolerance and mutual acceptance.