The state of marriage, world-wide

I was reading an article about marriage equality. Our progress in the US seems to proceed at a snail's pace, but then I have to contrast that with the fact that same-sex couples were unable to marry anywhere during my childhood; and it was a crime punishable by imprisonment to be gay in the UK right up to 1968, when I was already 16. So the current state of marriage world-wide tells me that we are in fact making progress toward full equality:

Completely equal status: Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Spain, Norway, Sweden, South Africa

Pending equality: Nepal, Portugal (both have announced their intention to equalize marriage law in the next few months)

Under consideration: Iceland, Slovenia, Luxemburg (all likely to move in the next year)

Australia: Federally, same-sex marriage is banned, but 'registered partnerships' are being floated in some provinces.

Israel: Courts decided that the state must recognize same-sex marriages granted in other countries, though there is no legislation supporting this position.

There are various bills, acts, and legal cases working through other cities, states and jurisdictions. Of particular interest is the progress being made in South America, where various states and jurisdications have passed or are considering domestic partnership or civil union legislation. The United Kingdom, in its own muddled way, created Civil Unions for same-sex couples, that are mostly equivalent to marriage, although they cannot be formalized in a church!

A list of various countries/provinces/cities that have passed some type of domestic partner/civil union type legislation: Andorra, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, New Zealand, Switzerland, Uruguay, Argentina (some districts), Mexico (Coahuila and Federal District).

So in 50 years since our cry for equallity started, we have come this far. Eventually, the US will follow.

Jo Caulfield's inventions

Jo Caulfield is a UK comedian; I'm listening to her radio show. She's doing a segment on useful inventions that haven't hit the shops yet. Some of my favorites:

• A fridge that talks, and tells you exactly where that disgusting smell is coming from


• A washing machine that automatically re-washes the moldy clothes you left in it for the last three days


• An iPhone app that stabs the user in the ear if they talk too loudly in public places


• A TV that automatically adjusts the volume to drown out the sound of your crying baby

Any other suggestions?