Story here. Excerpt:

'A ROW has blown up after it emerged the Labour candidate for the Vale of Glamorgan in the next general election will be chosen from an all-female shortlist.

John Smith is standing down after representing the constituency since 1997.

Last night nine women who have applied for the vacancy met local party members in advance of a selection contest next month.

A female member of the Vale of Glamorgan party wrote to the Echo saying: “I know there is a silent majority of local Labour members who would oppose the imposition of a women-only shortlist for the selection of our candidate to replace John Smith. It is what I can only describe as bullying tactics from the National Executive which forced the local party to succumb to this policy.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'It hasn't always been sunshine and lollipops in the Emerald Isle. No, despite our oft-quoted Proclamation, we weren't quite so keen to 'cherish all the children of the nation equally'; and up until 1983, children were put clearly into two distinct camps. Legitimate and illegitimate. Yes, if your parents conceived without bothering to cement their relationship with vows first you were legally a bastard. Sins of the fathers and all that. It was the late Nuala Fennell, as a junior minister with responsibility for Women's Affairs and Family, who succeeded in gaining support to remove this hideous law.
...
Is it time to introduce quota legislation? I think so. Until we do, political groups will continue to discriminate against women in their ranks and 'women's issues' -- essential for a fair and just democracy -- will be given lip-service. Men will not willingly cede power or opportunities to women, no matter how talented or capable women prove themselves to be.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A topless photo of herself and sexually explicit comments were among the 50 or so text messages a Clarkston teacher sent to one of her special education students over the course of a year, police said Friday.

Now, Michelle Simonson, 28, of Oxford Township is facing felony charges of enticing a minor for immoral purposes and distributing sexually explicit material to a minor.

She resigned her position in the Clarkston Community Schools on Friday and is expected to appear in an Oakland County court in the coming weeks for a preliminary examination.

If convicted, Simonson could face up to four years in prison.

She is the latest female teacher in metro Detroit to be accused of preying on a male student — a crime experts say is being reported more often.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Academically, girls are outperforming boys in subjects from kindergarten through high school, a four-year review of test scores shows. In some subjects, girls have the boys beat by at least 10 percentage points.

“We recognize this is an issue ... but the answers we’re looking for don’t just jump out at us,” said schools Superintendent Jim Scales. “What we have seen is not disastrous, but it’s enough to be concerned about. Right now, we don’t have any prescription for trying to overcome it.”

And though the problem starts in elementary school, statistics show that there is a domino effect as fewer young men graduate from high school and college.

“Males become less and less represented the farther up the degree chain you go,” said David L. Wright, chief policy officer for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. “And if that’s true, it puts Tennessee in an even tougher spot in competing for those higher knowledge jobs.”'

Article here. Wait until you see the picture in this article! Excerpt:

'ONE-STOP courts to help survivors of domestic abuse are to be rolled out across the country to encourage women to prosecute abusers.

For the first time, women who give evidence against violent husbands will be able to start divorce and child custody proceedings straight away.
...
Nicki Norman, deputy chief executive of the charity Women's Aid, said: "Taking action against an abuser and having to attend court can be very traumatic, especially when there are divorce or custody proceedings to cope with as well.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'An organisation which helps women suffering domestic abuse says it has concerns over a new alarm scheme being used for the first time in Wales.

Welsh Women's Aid welcomes the Telecare scheme piloted on Anglesey, but it is worried the use of operators speaking to sufferers will stop women using it.

Victims press an alarm alerting staff who decide if they should call police.

Anglesey council said calls would be recorded and the service would be expanded if it proved successful.
...
They are given alarms which if activated, trigger a silent telephone call to the Gofal Môn control centre in Llangefni.

The operator will speak to the victim via a telecom system fitted into their home and call the police on their behalf if necessary.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- State officials have taken another step in their bid to stop a convicted teacher from continuing to draw her full salary and benefits while she is imprisoned and appealing her federal conviction for enticing a child for sex.

Charlene Schmitz, 56, is the first teacher in Alabama to continue getting paid under the state's tenure law after being convicted and put behind bars.
...
"We think it's important that this case is looked at carefully. As of July she has been paid $140,000 and she has not provided any service to the state of Alabama since August of 2007," he said.

Schmitz is serving a 10-year sentence at the federal prison in Tallahassee, Fla. She was imprisoned following a February 2008 conviction of using a cell phone and a computer to entice a 14-year-old boy for sex. She still faces state charges of rape and sodomy in Washington County for allegedly having sex with the student as many as 10 times in 2007.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'The sex scandal headlines that stood out in papers all across the West Florida region this past weekend were a shock to many. Two Jay High school teachers were charged with three counts of unlawful sex with minors. In 2008, nearly 500 of these cases were reported across the United States.

Many had to take a second look after hearing the news out of Jay. Not only were they two local teachers, but both were female. Several people can recall the Mary Kay Letourneau case in 1995. This was one of the most well known cases still to this date.
...
Unlike Jernigan, Veronica Steele of Milton said that insecurity, not discipline is to blame. “I think the reason these things happen is because people are insecure of themselves and have a low self esteem.”

Story here. Excerpt:

Story here. Excerpt:

"New Delhi - A group of harassed husbands are to meet in the northern Indian hill town of Shimla Saturday to protest against domestic violence against men and the misuse of laws intended to protect women.

Men who are beaten up by their wives and have no avenue for redress or complaint, extortion of money through false dowry cases, cruelty to parents-in-law by wives, using child custody as a tool to demoralize men - these are just some of the issues that will be discussed at the national convention organized by the Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF).

'We have organized the national convention on August 15, India's Independence Day, because we want to use the occasion to speak out about how more and more men in this country are losing their freedom and are victims,' SIFF member Virag Dhulia said.'"

Article here. Excerpt:

'THE girls have again taken the honours in Leaving Certificate results.

Female candidates have out-performed males in almost all subjects -- at both higher and ordinary level.

Girls scored more A, B and C grades and were also less likely to put in a below-D performance, according to a gender breakdown of the Leaving Cert results.

Female students aim higher to begin with, being more likely than boys to study at honours level.

The superior academic performance of females is not unique to Ireland and is an international phenomenon.

It is attributed to girls being better organised and more co-operative around their studies, while boys may fall victim to the laddish culture where school is regarded as not being "cool".'

Story here. Excerpt:

'The Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi will be more of a girls club than a boys club this weekend.

The organization will be hosting "Just for Girls" Events this evening and Saturday morning.

Girls aged 9 through 18 are invited to attend both events for free.'

First the good news from my alma mater; story here. Excerpt:

"The Focus on Fathers/Me and My Dad programs began in Cape May County about four years ago with a core group of local dads. Through research and focus groups, educational programs and activities were developed to meet the needs of fathers in their changing role within the family. Reaching out to fathers is one more way Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension is helping to strengthen families."

Now for the bad news; story here. Excerpt:

"The study involved 1,000 men who participated in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. The men were white, middle-aged and had at least a high school degree -- a narrow population that limits the study's applicability to all men.

But the research hints at the stereotypical tough-guy image having a negative effect on men's health, the lead author of the study, Kristen W. Springer, said in a news release."

Article here. Excerpt:

'Megan Fox will go to great lengths to get back at a bully.

A new Public Service Announcement Fox stars in begins innocently enough, with her saying thousands of teenagers have to endure huge amounts of peer pressure in schools.

But then Fox , using an F-bomb or two, offers her plan for retribution: "killing and eating" every boy in school.'

Note: The video contains profanity.

Story here. Excerpt:

'Police say stress may be the reason a Wisconsin woman struck her husband in the head with a rubber mallet while he was sleeping early yesterday morning.

Mary A. Claassen, 49, allegedly hit her 63-year-old husband in the head around 4 a.m. because, police said, “she was kind of frustrated with the relationship,” the Sheboygan Press reports.

Investigating officers said it appeared Claassen of Appleton was upset because her husband was not employed. So upset that she struck him a second time, after which he called out for help.'