Op-ed here. Excerpt:

"Is work/family balance a "women's issue"? I suppose men just love slaving away 12 hours a day in mind-numbing jobs and cramped cubicles so they can come home to their bitter, exhausted wives and already-sleeping children.

Did I miss the memo that humans are now able to asexually reproduce? Otherwise I would assume reproductive rights also affect men - who, I was under the impression, often play a somewhat vital role in procreation.

And on the flip side of the coin, is "the war on terrorism" -don't even get me started on those semantics - a "men's issue"? Were the 160,500 American women who have served thus far in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East since 2003 merely playing dress up?"

Can any of you guys verify the "160,500" statistic?

Article here. Excerpt:

'When activists want to make the case that their society is riddled with sexism, the first statistic they typically serve up is the one comparing earnings: In most Western countries, working women earn significantly less than working men.
...
The idea that factors other than discrimination drive pay discrepancy got a boost this week from across the Atlantic. On Wednesday, the European Commission released a new report showing that, despite Europe's progressive politics and famously intrusive workplace regulations, women still earn 15% less than men on average -- virtually unchanged from the 17% figure of 1997.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A WEALTHY retired builder won his appeal today over a court ruling that he must pay more money to the woman he divorced nearly 30 years ago.

Dennis North, 70, was ordered last year to pay his first wife, Jean £202,000 by a family judge who heard she had "fallen on hard times" after embarking on a lifestyle she could not afford.'

---
Ed. note: This is a follow-up to a piece posted June 28, 2007 here on MANN.

Article here. Excerpt:

"A U.S. health expert urged governments worldwide Tuesday to endorse circumcision to slow the spread of HIV, saying men without the procedure have a greater risk of contracting the virus from infected female partners.
...
Robert Bailey, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois, said studies in Africa showed that uncircumcised men were 2 1/2 times more likely to contract HIV from infected female partners, though many health officials were still unclear about its benefits."

I think the professor should be taught about its strong drawbacks. Very likely, he was mutilated himself as a child and has no idea. Sad, yet another victim who supports what made him a victim.

Story here. Excerpt:

"The two boys tore down the hall of Patton Middle School after lunch, swatting the bottoms of girls as they ran -- what some kids later said was a common form of greeting.
...
Now, Cory Mashburn and Ryan Cornelison, both 13, face the prospect of 10 years in juvenile detention and a lifetime on the sex offender registry in a case that poses a fundamental question: When is horseplay a crime?
...
The outlines of the case have been known. But confidential police reports and juvenile court records shed new light on the context of the boys' actions. The records show that other students, boys and girls, were slapping one another's bottoms. Two of the girls identified as victims have recanted, saying they felt pressured and gave false statements to interrogators. "

The article is here. Excerpt:

'A judge ordered an Orange County man to continue paying $1,250 a month in alimony to his former wife — even though she's in a registered domestic partnership with another woman.

State marriage laws say that alimony ends when a former spouse remarries. So Ron Garber thought he was off the hook for the payments when he learned his ex-wife, Melinda Kirkwood, registered her new relationship under the state's domestic partnership law.'

She's in a new committed relation (could this also have something to do with the marriage breakup?) and still gets support from her ex. What a deal!

At least it is alimony which is deductible for the payer and taxable for the payee.

Interestingly, the comments lean towards support for the ex-husband. Now remember this is in left-leaning San Francisco.

"THERE IS NOT AN EPIDEMIC OF ROGUE PROSECTORS IN AMERICA," claims a recent news release from the National District Attorneys Association, following the disbarment of North Carolina district attorney Michael Nifong.

According to NDAA president Mathias Heck, "The vast majority of prosecutors take their responsibilities very seriously. They seek out truth and justice, wherever it leads." (http://www.ndaa.org/newsroom/pr_duke_case_june_17_07.html)

If that's true, then the NDAA - the group that represents 30,000 district attorneys around the country - has some explaining to do. Because in two weeks, the National District Attorneys Association will be holding a conference called the National Institute on the Prosecution of Sexual Violence. Research shows that about half of all rape claims are false. That means that each year, 47,000 American men, disproportionately Black men, are wrongfully accused of this heinous crime: http://www.mediaradar.org/research_on_false_rape_allegations.php

Story here. Excerpt:

'Many men now only join their families for a short part of the summer holiday.
...
These days, father is more likely to keep in touch by text or email, and mother is probably juggling summer childcare with a demanding freelance career, but otherwise, it seems, the long summer break - much of it spent without Dad - is back in fashion.
...
Absence of a parent can also have a detrimental effect on children, especially on young boys, if it's the father who's away. An interim report from the Children's Society, published last Monday, said that the UK has the longest working hours in Europe, and that 21st-century stresses are "pulling families apart".'

Story here. Excerpt:

'The number of prescriptions for antidepressants and other mind-altering drugs given to children under 16 has more than quadrupled in the last decade, according to official figures released today.
...
The new figures are revealed amid growing concern about rising levels of childhood depression and pressures faced by young people.
...
A Department of Children, Schools and Family spokeswoman said: "The government's Every Child Matters agenda commits to supporting every child to have a happy and healthy childhood.'

Really? Destroying the family and stripping children of their father is not going to help.

Story here. Excerpt:

"A mother who conned £30,000 in benefits by inventing 17 children has been spared jail as she suffers from post-natal depression and is pregnant with her third child.

Charlene Ostle claimed that by the age of 26 she had given birth to three sets of twins and two sets of triplets."

What a surprise. No jail time for the poor little lamb. And another surprise, it was really a man's fault. More:

"Alison Whalley, defending, said her client endured a lack of support from her partner and that, combined with pride, left her unable to ask for help."

So it was the fault of that deadbeat dad. Typical man! He should be in prison for this!

View the current list of media and bloggers that are covering the EQUAL Parenting Bike Trek! The media frenzy continues! Help us spread the word of this event. Not just in the U.S. but world wide! No matter where you live - it is the fundamental right of a fit and willing parent to be an EQUAL parent after divorce!

We have only 19 days left...we need your active help in contacting any and all media which you think may be helpful.

Be sure to check out the two videos when you click on the Fox News 17 link!!

Please welcome Robert Pedersen and Robb MacKenzie when they arrive in Washington, D.C. on August 18th 2007. http://www.dcrally2007.com/

Article here. Excerpt:

"This is where Mortenson's third theory comes in: the declining presence of men in the home. While it's true that girls are as likely as boys to be raised by single moms, research suggests the absence of a father is more damaging to boys. In many homes, there is not only no male to offer guidance, there is no good male role model anywhere around."

Article here. Excerpt:

'The senator's claim of unequal pay is exaggerated and distorted. Worse, her remedy might cause employers to favor hiring men, to avoid the possibility of being sued or boycotted under federal "guidelines."
...
Although the guidelines in the Clinton bill would be "voluntary," this can be a slippery slope that leads to compulsory standards. President Hillary Clinton could instruct federal agencies to do business only with those firms that meet the guidelines.'

...I find that last sentence the most disturbing...

Story here. Excerpt:

"An attorney who represented one of three Duke lacrosse players prosecuted on false rape allegations appeared Friday before a special committee examining the Durham Police Department's handling of the case.

Durham Mayor Bill Bell and members of the Durham City Council called for the 12-member panel in May following an internal police department report that found, in part, that a tense relationship between then-District Attorney Mike Nifong and defense attorneys had hampered the investigation and that detectives had done nothing wrong."

Article here.

This is an interesting article. MGM as it relates to female sexuality. No mention of the psychological or physical impact it has on the man. No mention of common deformities related to circumcision. When it has an affect on the female, it becomes an issue. In this case, an entire book was written on the subject. Excerpt:

"For her book, O'Hara surveyed 139 women, drawn through classified ads in various publications. By a margin of 9 to 1, she says, they preferred the natural penis over his maligned, circumcised cousin. When the man is cut, O'Hara found, women are "almost five times less likely to achieve vaginal orgasm."