Story here. Excerpt:

'The Maine East High School teacher and former soccer coach charged with having sex with a 16-year-old former student known to be a gang member now has been fired by District 207.

That means Jennifer Espinosa, 38, will not get any retirement benefits. She had been a tenured teacher with 15 years at the district.

Espinosa, of Park Ridge, was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse as a result of an eight-month relationship with a former student, according to a Cook County Sheriff's office release.

Espinosa told police she "loves" the 16-year-old boy, who was expelled from Maine East in September and is a known gang member, the release said.'

The Daily Herald reports that the Maine Township High School District 207 school board voted unanimously earlier this month to terminate Espinosa's contract.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'FARMINGTON, Utah (AP) - A former Bountiful Junior High School teacher has reached a plea deal in a case that accused her of having sex with an underage boy.

Linda Nef, 46, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in 2nd District Court to attempted aggravated sex abuse of a child, a first-degree felony.

She had been charged with rape of a child and sodomy on a child, both first-degree felonies.
...
A second teacher, Valynne Bowers, 40, has pleaded not guilty to rape and forcible sodomy in a case involving the same boy when he was 14. She is due in court on June 29.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Here's a piece on the Second Conference on College Men that took place at the University of Pennsylvania back in May (Inside Higher Education, 5/22/09). The article discusses a couple of studies done by Frank Harris and Keith Edwards into "the gendered experiences and identities of men in college." Overall, the people presenting the papers seem fairly sympathetic to men on campus, so you might ask why they open with statements like this:

"When we think about acts of violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment on college campuses, overwhelmingly the perpetrators of those acts on our campuses are men."

Now, there are several studies, like this one from the University of Florida, that contradict those claims. That showed that 32% of UF women surveyed said they were perpetrators of dating violence, versus only 24% of men. Another survey showed that 58% of UF stalkers were women.
...

Tellingly the article goes on to say,

Article here. Excerpt:

'AUSTIN — Today's fathers may well take parenting as seriously as their mates, but unlike many moms, dads don't view it as a competitive sport. Instead, the new attitude of 21st-century fatherhood is hands-on and involved, but with a hint of playfulness.

"All of these social expectations have developed over decades about what moms are supposed to do. We don't have a new picture of what involved dads are supposed to look like," says Will Courtenay, a psychotherapist in Berkeley, Calif., who is on the advisory board of The Center for Men and Young Men at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Those who study fatherhood say today's dads are forging a new identity, as working women press for a more egalitarian home life, and telecommuting and workplace flexibility make it possible for dads to have more time with the kids. Also, dads today are no longer the stuffy or clueless fathers portrayed on TV.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A judge this morning found that some of the claims raised in a civil lawsuit by a man who was wrongfully incarcerated for 19 years for rape can move forward, though two others cannot.

Thomas Doswell filed a federal lawsuit against Detective Herman Wolf, his supervisors and the city of Pittsburgh, in June 2007, alleging among other things that he was the subject of a malicious prosecution.

Today, Chief U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose threw out both Mr. Doswell's state and federal claims of malicious prosecution, finding that at the time of his arrest, the state did establish probable cause.

Mr. Doswell was convicted of rape and sentenced to 13 to 26 years in prison stemming from the March 13, 1986, attack of a woman who worked at Forbes Hospital. However, the conviction was vacated in August 2005 when DNA testing of seminal fluid in the case showed conclusively that Mr. Doswell was not her attacker.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'The Egyptian parliament passed a law Sunday adding 64 seats reserved for women to the lower house of the legislature. The quota creates 32 new constituencies with two seats each for women candidates only. It will take effect during next year’s elections and raises the number of seats in the People’s Assembly from 454 to 518.

Egypt's Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mufid Shehab stated that the law "ensures parity for women and promotes their role in society, as stipulated by the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which Egypt has signed," reported Agence France Presse. Shehab also indicated the law will be effective for just two five-year parliamentary sessions in hopes that after that period, the number of women in parliament will increase without affirmative action.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'As the New York Times reported yesterday, Judge Sotomayor has informed the Senate that (in NYT’s phrasing) the Belizean Grove, the “all-female networking club” she belongs to, “did not discriminate in an inappropriate way.”
...
As Jennifer Rubin points out, the “we let the guys come to party” defense “is reminiscent of the ‘we let women be social members’ excuses that exclusive men’s clubs routinely gave for decades—and which were scorned by women’s groups.” Further:

[T]he line about “no one ever asking to join” is rich. Certainly if one declares the organization to be “all men” or “all white” or “all anything” those not in the “all” group are going to be dissuaded from seeking membership. Isn’t the mere statement of exclusivity enough to raise concerns?'

Article here.

'The Moscow metro is not going to follow the example of Beijing authorities to introduce women-only carriages to prevent the sexual harassment of women.

“We have never considered such a question,” the chairman of the press service of the Moscow metro, Pavel Sukharnikov, told RIA Novosti.

The official added that there were no complaints from female passenger of the metro. However, this subject receives a lot of attention on the Russian Internet. Many bloggers write on their web-pages that every woman was subjected to sexual harassment in public transport at least once in her lifetime.

Psychologists say that public transport provides a perfect environment for that: many people, availability and an opportunity to avoid punishment. Up to 40 percent of female passengers of the Moscow metro were subjected to sexual harassment.
...

Dmitry Gayev, the chairman of the Moscow metro, previously said that there would be no VIP carriages in the underground. The idea to introduce such carriages appeared in St. Petersburg.

Story here. Excerpt:

'TOKYO (Reuters) - Many women taking the crowded train in Tokyo opt for women-only carriages during the rush hour to avoid gropers.

Now, for fear of being accused of groping, some are asking for carriages reserved for men as well.

Ten shareholders of Seibu Holdings, which runs trains in the Tokyo area, have petitioned for carriages reserved for men.

"There have been many cases of groping, as well as false charges of groping, on Seibu Railway," the shareholders said in a notice seeking a vote at the company's annual meeting next Wednesday.

"While measures against groping, such as setting women-only carriages, have been effective to a certain extent, no measures have been taken against false charges of groping... In the spirit of gender-equality, a male-only carriage must be introduced."'

Story here. Excerpt:

'SEATTLE - A 12-year-old girl could face criminal charges after hitting a boy with a backpack at school.

That boy was knocked unconscious, but the girl claims the real crime is relentless sexual harassment at school.

Yesterday, 12-year-old Mark Smith was hit in the head with a backpack that some say was filled with rocks. He fell to the ground and lost consciousness after hitting his head. "I heard a thump and then I heard another thump and I woke up in a hospital bed," the sixth-grader said.
...
She says the incident came only after suffering a year's worth of relentless sexual harassment and bullying by boys at Seattle’s Denny Middle School. She says she had to stand up for herself.
...
Alexis Austin now faces a possible 90-day suspension from school, which would take effect next fall.

Police plan to send the case to King County prosecutors to see if they want to press charges.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'There is much criticism of the No Child Left Behind Act. Some authors and experts are now calling the act No Child but Boys Left Behind Act. As a male teacher in the education system, I feel it is decidedly not male friendly. We can debate whether the gender bias is intentional later.
...
Peter West believes schools fail boys for many of the same reasons I see boys fail Boys are in perpetual motion. They are aggressive, even when young. Classrooms are not places of toleration for kinesthetic behavior. We expect even normal boys to sit still for long periods. Aggressive play is involved in young males sense of mastery, a critical part of their development. This is normal male behavior yet in classrooms there is little toleration for it.

When boys are boys we often tend to bring on the medication, not to address behavioral deficits, but to handle our desire for sedate managed classrooms.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'GENEVA — A woman was convicted on Wednesday of murdering one of France's richest men by shooting him four times while he was dressed in a latex suit and tied up in a chair during a sex game.

A 12-member jury at Geneva's Court of Assizes found former mistress Cecile Brossard guilty of killing her lover Edouard Stern four years ago. Brossard, 40, admitted killing the banker but said it was because he enraged her by suggesting she was a $1 million prostitute.

The jury accepted the prosecutor's assertion that it was murder, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The sentence is expected Thursday.
...
"I am not a thief. I am not poisonous," she told the court. "I am just desperately in love with a man and I will be forever."'

Also via ACFC's recent update email. Link here. From the note:

'Two years ago this August in conjunction with the Family Preservation Festival in Washington DC, ACFC hosted an event at the National Press Club promoting Angelo Lobo's documentary Support: System Down. One member of the panel was John Cole who relayed his Virginia child support experience.

John's battle with cancer ended last week with his passing on June 11th. As you watch his video note the fact that even though John and his ex had reached an agreement over his support the state would not honor their agreement and continued to hound John, now literally to death....

John's story is preceded by comments of another Shared Parenting warrior who past last year minister Ron Smith. Thanks to William Wagener for posting this video.'

Via ACFC's recent update email. Link here.

"We are meeting near you soon!

* June 19, 2009 - Springfield - Fatherless Day Rally in Springfield IL.
* July 18-19, 2009 - 2009 Family Preservation Rally, Washington DC

Come out and spend a little time with us."

Article here. Excerpt:

'Hey, dads, what you sow now, your daughters will reap later.

How a woman feels about herself as a woman goes back to how dad treated his little girl, report experts.

"Behind every great woman, you will find her dad" -- that's if he was an engaged, present, involved dad, says Dr. Mary Jo Rapini.

"If dads are able to admire their daughters achievements, character and interests and not their looks, the daughter will grow up to be confident and self assured. She will choose men who treat her with the same admiration and respect as her dad did," adds Rapini, a psychotherapist and author.

According to Rapini, a dad has so much power over his daughter.

"If he gives her gifts and focuses on her looks he will raise a girl who is more materialistic and thinks love and affection comes in a gift box.'