Informer: Marriage began among Stone Age ancestors
Last Modified: Friday, July 13, 2012 9:53 PM
By Andrew Perzo / American Press
When in the Bible or in time did people start to get married — what year was it?
According to historian Stephanie Coontz, marriage dates from the Stone Age — a several-million-year-long period — when men and women got together as a way to align themselves in mutually beneficial relationships with other groups of humans.
“Marriage spoke to the needs of the larger group,” Coontz writes in “Marriage, A History.” “It converted strangers into relatives and extended cooperative relations beyond the immediate family or small band by creating far-flung networks of in-laws.”
As to the first marriage in the Bible, The Informer refers the reader to Genesis 2:21-25, taken here from the King James Version:
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof.
And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Online: www.stephaniecoontz.com; www.bartleby.com.
Three types of reverse mortgages
What are the disadvantages of a reverse mortgage?
Here are a few:
The choices — single-purpose reverse mortgage, federally insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage or proprietary reverse mortgage — can be confusing.
Fees to initiate reverse mortgages can greatly outstrip those for other loans.
The house goes to the bank, not to family, when you die.
Online: www.zillow.com; www.ftc.gov; www.aarp.org/revmort.
State issues ‘B’ plates to certain trucks
What is the “B” designation on a Louisiana truck license plate?
According to state Office of Motor Vehicles policy statement 28.05, “B” plates are for “trucks/tractors over 6,000 pounds used to transport freight, merchandise, or other property that are not used specifically for farm use, forest products, city use, or gravel hauling.”
Online: www.expresslane.org.
Charter students take LEAP tests
If taxpayer money is funding charter schools, why shouldn’t the students in the charter schools be required to take the LEAP and other tests required of public school students?
They are.
“Student performance is the primary measure of school quality. ...,” reads Chapter 11 of the state’s charter school regulations.
“Charter schools are required to administer all state assessments and are subject to the Louisiana School and District Accountability System.”
Online: www.louisianaschools.net.Woman does ads for several car sellers
Who is the beautiful blonde who does the ads for Billy Navarre Chevrolet, and what can you tell us about her?
As The Informer has said before, the woman’s name is Monique Detraz, and she’s done TV ads for car dealerships, including Billy Navarre, for more than 20 years. She is from the New Orleans area and has acted in several film and television productions.
The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098, press 5 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com
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