People are living longer and, if you believe the rumors, divorcing more. This leaves a new group on the prowl for a partner, the retired and single group.

According the a recent article in the Chicago Tribune there are more than 30 million Americans 55 or older and single. The article explains how Census Bureau data was crunched to find the top ten metro areas with the most single seniors.

Many people buy into the cliché and assume that all the seniors retire to Florida, but they would probably be shocked to learn of all the other hotspots for single and retired people. The list is of the top ten and is ranked on the percentage of those over 55 years old who are single.

1. Pittsfield, Massachusetts: A town where more than 52 percent of the over 55 crowd is single. This works out to over 14,000 single women and nearly 8,000 single men. The overwhelming ratio of women to men is a reoccurring theme throughout the top ten areas for single seniors.

2.Florence, South Carolina: 49 percent of those over 55 are single and over 18,000 single women with around 7,500 single men.

3.Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, New Jersey: In this area, a combined 47 percent of the over 55 are single, with around 11,000 single women and 6,000 single men.

4.Jackson, Mississippi: Jackson has 47 percent of those over 55 as single with around 39,000 single women and 16,000 single men.

5. Springfield, Massachusetts: Massachusetts makes a second appearance on the list with Springfield having 47 percent of seniors single and nearly 58,000 single women and just over 16,000 single men.

6. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida: This is the largest geographic area and most densely populated area. This area of Florida has nearly 47 percent of those over 55 years old as single which works out to a whopping 474,000 single women and 224,000 single men.

7.Eureka-Arcata-Fortuna, California: From the region with the largest population of retirees on the list to the region with the smallest. This area has about 46 percent of those over 55 single and nearly 10,000 single women and around 6,000 single men.

8. Memphis, Tennessee: This area also has about 46 percent of people over 55 classified as single with more than 87,000 single women and nearly 41,000 single men.

9. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, Louisiana: The area encompassing the Big Easy has 46 percent of its over 55 population single and nearly 89,000 single women and more than 45,000 single men.

10. Columbus, Georgia: Rounding off the top ten areas for single retirees has right around 46 percent of the over-55-year-olds single and around 21,000 single women and nearly 9,000 single men.

If you find yourself in retired and single and interested in taking a vacation somewhere, then a destination on this list might increase your chances at finding love later in life.

Copyright © 2010 TotalDivorce, LLC. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

With surprising timing, Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash announces he and his wife, Alejandra, are divorcing the day after she gave birth to their son, Matteo, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The couple had been living separately for several months but are both committed to the upbringing of all of their children. The couple also has 6-year-old twin daughters, named Lola and Bella.

The Nashes have been together for nine years, and married since 2005. The Tribune reports that two seems to be going as well as they can under the circumstances, with Steve reportedly saying:

(I want) only good things for Ale going forward… I’m focused on ensuring that our children understand how much they’re adored and loved by us as they continue to adjust to these changes. I would ask that their privacy, and ours as a family, be respected as we move forward. This will be my only statement on this.

In an attempt to make good on the privacy request, crews for the radio and television broadcasts of the recent Phoenix Suns game against Sacrament were under orders not to discuss the divorce over the air. Following the game, Nash left the locker room before reporters were allowed to enter, thus avoiding the inevitable questions.

To add more change in his life, some sports websites are reporting that Nash might be traded to the New York Knicks.

Nash has gained a following off the basketball court with his outspoken criticism of the Arizona immigration law. Nash has reportedly called the law, “misguided” and said about the law, that “I think it is unfortunately to the detriment of our society and our civil liberties, and I think it is very important for us to stand up for things we believe in.”

People who agree and disagree with Nash have used his statements to either rally behind the perennial all-star, or to criticism him. Either way, it has put Nash into the public eye even more than an NBA star already is, and this divorce is sure to create more buzz around him.

Nash, a native to Canada, has also had rumors that he was going take his strong political views back to his home country. This, however, turned out to be unfounded when Nash came out and said that the statement was a hoax.

The reason for Nash’s divorce from Alejandra are unclear, part of Nash’s attempts to keep his private life fairly quiet. And with his decision to take no more questions about the matter, we may never know exactly what caused his marriage to end. All the signs are, however, that Nash is moving forward with his life and working with Alejandra to ensure that the children remain as comfortable and happy as possible.

Copyright © 2010 TotalDivorce, LLC. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

Pope Benedict XVI attacked the ease of divorces and gay marriage in Spain during a recent visit to the country, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The Pope was in Spain to dedicate the Sagrada Familia, an immense basilica in Barcelona.  While in Spain, the Pope openly criticized the marital rights of gay couples and the “fast-track” divorce, as well as the increasing ease of abortions.

The Pope emphasized that the Socialist government in Spain should “rediscover Christian teachings” and apply them to everyday life.  But the Pope’s message didn’t come uncontested.

Approximately 200 gays and lesbians staged a “kiss-in” protest.  The main focus of the kiss-in was the church’s polices that consider homosexual acts “intrinsically disordered.”  In step with this protest, several hundred women protested the church’s opposition to birth control, contending that this policy gives women a second-class status.

However, a large majority of the people out to see the Pope were in support of the him, if not necessarily his views on gays and lesbians.  Nearly 250,000 people were in attendance to cheer for the Pope when he formally inaugurated the basilica.

The Pope is known for attempting to prevent the secular trend that has been dominating Western countries and which have lead to recognition of same sex marriage or unions, and the increased availability of birth control and abortions to women.

The Pope has even gone so far as to describe the secular movement in the Spanish government as “aggressive” and anti-church movement reminiscent of the 1930s.  During the 1930s, Spain was increasing in conflict, which eventually lead to a civil war.  During this transition, the church faced violent persecution.

The gay men and women participating in the “kiss-in” all timed a kiss with the passing of the popemobile – the bubbled car that the Pope is known to be shuttled around in.

One of the participants in the kiss-in, Sergi Benavent, a 22-year-old nursing student, said he wanted to show his opposition to those “who want to love in just one way.”

The notion of same-sex rights has been a hot topic in many areas of the world, as the trend seems to be growing to allow legal rights for gay couples.  Most of the justifications for an opposition of gay rights is linked up with religious views of marriage.

Copyright © 2010 TotalDivorce, LLC. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

Charlie Sheen, the star of the wildly popular “Two and a Half Men”, has filed for divorce to end his third marriage earlier this week. Sheen and actress Brooke Mueller Sheen have been separated since a Christmas 2009 altercation that resulted in assault charges against the famous comedic actor.

Sheen and Mueller were married in May of 2008 and have twin sons together.

The timing of Sheen’s divorce filing is surprising, as it is less than one week after Sheen was hospitalized in New York after causing a ruckus in a luxury hotel in New York City, according to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune.

In his divorce filing, Sheen cited irreconcilable difference.  The divorce, filed in Los Angeles, indicates that the couple did have a prenuptial agreement.  Sheen is seeking joint custody of the twins, but is requesting to not have to pay any spousal support to his wife.

Mueller Sheen quickly filed her own petition for divorce and is seeking sole custody of the twins as well as spousal support.

The two seem to disagree on a lot, but both parties agree that the Christmas day altercation in 2009 was the date of separation.

After the altercation on Christmas, Sheen, 45, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault in Aspen, Colorado.  The prosecutors reportedly dropped more serious charges and the star was able to avoid jail time.  Instead, Sheen had 30 days in a rehabilitation center, 30 days of probation and 36 hours of anger management.

When police showed up to the scene, Brooke Sheen said that she told her husband that she wanted a divorce, at which point Sheen threatened to kill her and brandished a knife.  Sheen admitted an argument and said that he was upset that she had told him she wanted a divorce, but denied that he threatening her or that he brandished a knife.

On the 26^th of October, Sheen was hospitalized after security guards at the Plaza Hotel in New York City reporting that the star was acting disorderly and breaking furniture in his room.  According to reports, Sheen appeared intoxicated at 1:30 in the morning, and the woman with Sheen said that the two had been out drinking and partying that night.

It seems that one bad situation barely has enough time to end before a new one begins for the perennial Hollywood actor.  It seems unlikely that either of these two recent events will have an adverse impact on the star’s career.

Maybe this last incident, linked so closely to his divorce, will be enough for this celebrity to get his life on track once and for all.  Only time will be able to tell.

Copyright © 2010 TotalDivorce, LLC. (as licensee). All rights reserved.