Today, I hope you know, is Remembrance Sunday. A day above all all others to give a thought to those millions of men who died in war.

Almost all the men, whatever their nation, believed they were fighting for a better way of life for their countrymen, their wives or sweethearts, and their children. Those who prevailed were generally those who fought for a way of life that allowed for liberty, freedoms and an openly democratic society where conflict could be resolved through discussion and the free exchange of ideas.

I have family who have fought. Some died. Others, not dying, bore the internal and external scars for life. Probably you have family like that, too; most of us do.

For two minutes every year, we hold a silence. Just two minutes a year to remind us of the sacrifice these men made. We rightly honour these men for all they have done for us, to keep us from one dictatorial power or another.

But how well do we honour these men in the rest of the year? Do we insist on the values that they gave up so much for, that allow us to live free of tyranny?

Story here. Excerpt:

'Can you for a nanosecond imagine anyone today making a miniseries about the iniquities of women, starring a blameless man? Go on, try. We’ll call it Barista and here’s the elevator pitch: an attractive young man with a drunk, coercive girlfriend runs away from her one night with his baby boy. His mother won’t help him because she’s a drunk too. He survives by working in coffee shops but loses custody because the man-hating female judge is set against him. All the women he dates are manipulative and avaricious, but in the end he finds fulfilment in an all-male self-help group for the victims of female psychos. What do you think? Will it sell?

There is quite a long article on the BBC about Erin Pizzey, who founded the first domestic violence shelters. Excerpt:

'Erin Pizzey, the woman who began it all in a small house in west London, later developed a theory that would lead her to leave the organisation and decry feminism. She now campaigns for men's rights.

What happened?
...
Ms Pizzey parted ways with the charity in the early 1980s after a disagreement revolving around feminism and her belief it was "anti-man" and forced women into the role of victim.

Her childhood was prominent in her mind when "feminists started demonising all fathers", as she puts it. The memories of both parents "reminded me of the truth - domestic violence is not a gender issue.

"I have never been a feminist, because, having experienced my mother's violence, I always knew that women can be as vicious and irresponsible as men."

Her stance now on domestic abuse is that violence is a family issue, usually intergenerational, and men and women are equally capable and culpable of it.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Jeff Daniels thinks mansplaining "qualifies as a disease."

Just let him explain.

The "American Rust" star was asked on TODAY Friday about how he has had a successful 42-year marriage to his wife, Kathleen, in an industry famous for wrecking relationships.

"Understanding that mansplaining is a real thing and that it probably qualifies as a disease and that you should get the suitable medication," he told Savannah Guthrie and Carson Daly. "If you understand that, if you listen more than, and that’s the kind of key to mansplaining, is to just don’t speak as much and you’ll probably last longer."'

Article here. Excerpt:

'High-Tech High Heels® (HTHH) is excited to announce a partnership with the Toyota USA Foundation in the form of a $500,000 grant to further High-Tech High Heel's® mission to increase the number of girls entering into a college-level degree program in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

The Grant will be used to build a STEM pipeline program in the Dallas Independent School District focused on kindergarten through high school aged girls from underserved communities.

"This grant builds on our efforts in DFW, and throughout the country, to prepare, motivate and inspire youth to be the problem-solvers and innovators of tomorrow," said Michael Medalla, manager of the Toyota USA Foundation.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) are launching a bipartisan Women in STEM caucus focused on creating more access and pathways for women and girls to participate in science, technology, engineering and math careers.

The caucus will offer a platform for lawmakers and industry leaders to discuss solutions to address the lack of diversity in STEM, the senators said.

“We have to change the narrative for young girls, and maybe even for educators, because we want to have them be sure young girls see themselves doing these jobs and these jobs feel accessible,” Rosen told The Hill.

For Rosen, the issue is personal. She came to the Senate with a background in computer programming, and although she said the gender gap has shrunk since she started working in the industry in the 1980s, the progress has not gone far enough.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Bosses at one of the world's biggest investment firms will need to get special approval to hire white men as part of a new diversity drive.

State Street Global Advisors aims to triple the number of black, Asian and other minority staff in senior roles by 2023 as part of a drive to improve diversity within its middle and senior management.

Failure to meet the target will result in a drop in executives' bonuses, reports The Times.

State Street, which has 30 offices worldwide, including Canary Wharf in London, currently employs 39,400 people.

Jess McNicholas, the bank’s head of inclusion, diversity and corporate citizenship in London, said: 'This is now front and central for State Street — it’s on every senior executive’s scorecard.

Recruiters must now create a panel of four or five people that includes a woman and someone of an ethnic-minority background when hiring middle management staff - employees at vice-president and above.

Article here. Excerpt:

'A man working for the University of Leicester Student's Union who said he was forced out of his job for calling out a colleague's "no middle-aged white men" comment, has won an employment tribunal.

Ricardo Champayne claimed he had no option but to resign from his position in human resources after a row sparked by him warning a colleague about using such potentially offensive language.

The quarrel broke out when Ellen Rudge, then a senior manager at the Students' Union, sent an e-mail to staff on February 14, 2020.

In it, she asked colleagues to suggest high-profile figures who could be invited to open the student union's newly-extended Percy Gee Building.

In her message, however, the marketing manager specifically stated she did not want "another white, middle-aged man" for the task, as she was trying to "reflect diversity".

Article here. Excerpt:

'A primary school has asked boys as well as girls as young as three to go in today wearing skirts – to ‘promote equality’.

But the request from Castleview Primary in Edinburgh has been criticised by some parents.

It follows a similar move in Spain where teachers and children have worn skirts to show solidarity with a boy who was expelled for wearing one last year.

November 4 is now ‘wear a skirt to school day’ in Spain.

An email to parents from Castleview said it wanted children to be ‘comfortable’ taking part and that trousers and leggings could be worn under the skirts if needed.

It even offered to provide skirts for some youngsters if none were suitable at home. Teachers can wear skirts too.

One mother called Megan with a son at the school tweeted: ‘My son is five and just got this from the school! Let kids be kids.’

Article here. Excerpt:

'Beware of the college grad cad!

Men with college degrees have become so cocky that they’re ruining romance for their female counterparts, one “leading expert” alleges.

Just 40.5% of college students in the United States are male, according to the National Student Clearinghouse, meaning they’re in short supply and high demand when dating on campus.

A lack of competition has led these men to develop “golden penis syndrome” — an arrogance that stems from the assumption that a steady supply of females will be sexually interested in them.

“Golden penis syndrome” has led these smug males to engage in dastardly dating practices, such as cheating and ghosting, because they’re confident that another woman will always be waiting around the corner.'

Article here. Google the first paragraph text to jump the paywall.
Excerpt:

'The introductory letter cautions against rebuilding to "a status quo that wasn’t working for women and girls." There is no question that women still face gender-based disadvantages, particularly when it comes to balancing paid employment and family obligations. The COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted some of these problems: The closings of schools and day care centers disproportionately affected working mothers, and safety-related restrictions in the service industry affected female workers more. In 2020, women’s labor force participation dropped by 3.4%, compared to 2.8% for men.

But the Biden/Harris "strategy" resolutely ignores male disadvantages. Thus, the document repeatedly mentions areas in which Black and Latina women fare poorly, but never acknowledges that Black men have the highest unemployment rate — currently 11.6%, compared to 9% for Black women.

Less the particulars of what he's saying, more the fact that he's bringing up men's well-being as an issue at a poitical rally makes this story sigificant. Excerpt:

'Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley on Sunday night told fellow conservatives they must stop liberals from attacking masculinity and creating a nation of "idle men" who watch pornography and play video games instead of working and raising families.

Hawley delivered the speech on the "future of the American man" at the National Conservatism Conference in Orlando, calling for a return to traditional gender roles. He said liberals' "attempt to give us a world beyond men" was part of their larger effort to "deconstruct America," an endeavor that, according to the senator, includes critical race theory, economic socialism and doing away with the concept of gender altogether.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Valeria Cincinelli, an ex-NYPD officer, was sentenced to four years in prison Friday as she wept and apologized for her plot to hire a hitman for $7,000 to take out her ex-husband and her current boyfriend’s teenage daughter. Capturing 37-year-old cop involved roping in her boyfriend, John DiRubba, as an informant and the FBI staging the death of Cincinelli’s ex, Isaiah Carvalho, complete with crime scene photos. Carvalho asked the judge to give her the full five years. His attorney said, “He’s gonna be looking over his shoulder... I think her tears are because she got caught. I don’t think they’re because she’s remorseful.” Cincinelli reportedly cried as she told the court: “I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I acknowledge I was wrong, and I accept responsibility.”'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A TikTok video showing female-designated parking spaces has sparked a debate about women's safety.

User @natashagallier shared a clip of the parking lot in Perth, Western Australia, on Wednesday. Her footage showed pink signs reading "Kindly reserve this bay for female drivers," as well as walls and columns painted pink to demarcate the spaces.
...
The spaces were introduced by local authorities in Perth in 2016. The multi-story parking lot in the city center has 28 "female friendly" bays located near the entrance and exits. The areas also have upgraded lighting, additional CCTV surveillance and assistance intercoms.

Men aren't fined if they park in the bays but are encouraged to follow the guidance.

Opinions were divided about the spaces when they were introduced. The president of the National Council of Women Australia, Barbara Baikie, told news.com.au in April 2016: "I understand why that may be necessary to keep women safe, but I would think this is just a Band-Aid solution.

Article here. Excerpt:

'While we appreciate the whole-of-government approach with gender-based budgeting and efforts to close the gender data gap, we would have liked to have seen greater reference to gender impact assessments that need to be utilized at levels and stages of policy and program design and implementation. Another approach that we would recommend is using quotas and targets to accelerate change towards diversity goals. This would include mandating that senior leadership positions that have never been filled by women or people from underrepresented backgrounds be filled only by those groups, for example by mandating women-only shortlists.'