Article here. Excerpt:

'UTICA — Local advocates for the rights of fathers are asking New York Governor David Paterson to form a human rights commission to look at what they call unfair treatment of fathers in divorce proceedings in the state.

“I am calling upon you to assemble a non-partisan commission of New York residents to study and remedy ongoing violations of human rights in our domestic relations courts,” National League of Fathers Director John Kalil Jr. said in a letter to Paterson dated Monday.

He cited what he termed “the systematic removal of mainstream fathers from the lives of their children,” and said the way the laws are structured now create a financial incentive for governments to perpetuate the system.

Laws relating to custody and child support are often biased toward mothers, New Hartford resident Kalil said.

Utica-based lawyer, Leon Koziol who is the organization’s attorney, agreed.

“They are bankrupting fathers and forcing them out of their children’s lives,” he said.'

Via Jeremy S.: A very brave Irish Journalist, Kevin Meyers, who wrote the two columns below and has coined the term “Lifeboat Feminists” may be subjected to a negative email campaign by feminists who oppose his writing style. He has requested letters to his editor to provide him support independent.letters-at-independent.ie, kmyers-at-independent.ie

I think all of you could understand a man writing this would be subject to a great deal of hate mail. As Barbara Kay, a Canadian female journalist, who writes about similar subjects, points out not many editors would allow their male columnists to continue dealing with these topics under the circumstances. I am asking the MRAs so inclined to write a letter to his editor as shown in his email and mine already completed, to provide solace and encouragement to Kevin. We are not likely see this kind of writing by a man in North America very often, if at all. Links to his articles with respect to feminists are ">here and here and in the columns.

Of note Una Hardester’s mother now has a blogspot blog with a statement to the press on the circumstances surrounding the false allegations. It is here.

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Kevin Meyers writes:

Sorry to add to your burdens, and I am extremely grateful for your support, but I have just learnt that a major e-mail campaign against me is being organised on this issue.

The Honorable Judith Sheindlin has made it clear that the no-nonsense judge will not tolerate the manipulation of the judicial system by litigants who try to use restraining orders and false allegations of domestic violence to their advantage.

During the April 30, 2009 episode of Judge Judy, Her Honor told her audience of 10 million people that the female defendant was not about to "put one over" on her. "That's how well I know your game," she told the defendant. "... you may get over on a judge tomorrow, but you're not getting over on me today ... I am going to tell you what you did wrong ... you didn't play fair!"

This episode can be viewed at YouTube: Part 1 and part 2.

Judge Judy is viewed by 10 million people daily. That is a quick and efficient way to spread the word to the masses that the this type of abuse should not and will not be tolerated.

Story here. Excerpt:

'A Regina woman who left her baby in a stroller in the bitter cold has changed for the better, according to presentations made during a sentencing hearing on Friday.

Natacha Araya, 22, should not be behind bars according to submissions from both the Crown prosecutor and defence lawyer on the case.

Araya had already pleaded guilty to failing to provide the necessities of life after leaving her six-month-old son inside a baby stroller on a Regina sidewalk on a winter night.

It was 1:10 in the morning of Feb. 28, 2008, with a temperature of –20 C, according to information provided to the court on Friday.

Court was told how Araya was seen struggling to make her way as she pulled a stroller along a snow-clogged street, at one point dragging the baby carrier behind her like a sled.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'As male students decline in proportion in almost every field across US undergraduate and graduate/professional schools, little attention has been devoted to systematically exploring the causes of this trend; or, in an age in which education is vitally important, its implications for men's roles in American society, culture, economics, and politics more generally. This breakfast discussion, involving practitioners and a range of academics from NYU and elsewhere, will help launch such a sustained investigation of these vital themes. The breakfast will include an announcement regarding forthcoming fellowships for scholars focusing on men's studies and related issues.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Educators are expressing concerns about the trend, which is backed up by National Education Association reports showing that only one in five public school teachers are men, with that number being even more disproportionate (one in nine) for elementary school educators.

An NEA report formulated using survey information from education departments in all 50 states estimates there are 785,151 male teachers in public elementary and secondary schools across the nation, compared to 2.4 million women counterparts.
...
She also suggests having middle and high school male students be encouraged to job shadow teachers to help steer them into a possible career in the classroom.

"It is an unfortunate truth that men commit the majority of violence in our country, often toward each other. Until we demonstrate that men can teach, be productive and help our children succeed, everyone will lose," Washington wrote.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'The good news is that reading scores for 9 and 13-year-olds are the highest ever according to results released this week from the 2008 National Assessment of Educational Progress.

The bad news is that boys trail girls in reading performance at all age levels. The gap at age 9 is 8 points, at age 13 is 8 points, and at age 17 is 11 points. This is not a new trend—boys have been scoring lower than girls on U.S. Department of Education reading tests for more than 30 years.

The reading gender gap spans every racial and ethnic group, and categorically finds boys underperforming girls regardless of income, disability, or English-speaking ability.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Rather than home economics, in the minds of most people I know women's studies means militant, obnoxious feminism that is filled with man-hate and rubbish/rot academic courses preached to the closed ranks of a male-bashing all-female choir.

Unfortunately, what started as a good idea with noble aims was politicized by radical elements to become a female version of a good-old-boys club.
...
In short, women's studies programs in most U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities have become radicalized, exclusionary, impractical, and dangerously self-isolated. That is a recipe for demise. Women's studies does NOT allow us to evaluate the world through women's experience because it does not reflect the attitudes, beliefs and lives of a great majority of women in this world.'

Survey here. Main page reads:

'Thank you for agreeing to participate in this short survey, conducted by researchers from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Your participation is very important to us.

Our study examines how people choose to resolve interpersonal problems.

You are about to be presented with a short story describing a situation. After reading the story, you will be asked to answer a few multiple choice questions regarding how you would deal with the situation.

The survey is anonymous, and all your answers will be kept confidential. Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you may exit the webpage at any time. The survey should not take more a few minutes to complete.

Please only complete the survey once.

Thank you very much!'

Article here. Excerpt:

"A COURT has denied the former wife of a rich City financier all access to their three children after she was found to be turning them against him.

In an extraordinary ruling, the woman, who was also judged to be too indulgent a parent, has been legally barred from seeing her children for three years. She was jailed for approaching one of them in the street and telling him she loved him in breach of a court order. She is facing a possible return to jail this summer for posting a video about her plight on the internet.

The woman judge presiding over the case justified banning contact between the mother and her children because they were being placed in “an intolerable situation of conflict of loyalties resulting in them suffering serious emotional harm”.

During supervised visits with her, the children made serious allegations about their father which were later shown to be unfounded. Social workers believed the mother was either prompting them to make the claims or they were saying them just to please her."

Story here. Excerpt:

'PONTIAC, Michigan -- A former Holly High School vocal music teacher could spend time behind bars for having sex with two students in her home and at the school.

Ranee S. Proper, 42, on Friday pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct before Oakland County Circuit Judge Edward Sosnick.

Under a plea agreement, five counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct -- which carries a mandatory prison term -- were dismissed. Proper, 42, could still face prison time, but Sosnick will have the option of giving her a lesser sentence under this plea. Proper will be sentenced June 3 at 1 p.m.
...
"If it was a male I think a male would have gotten a more strict penalty."
...
"Leniency is a good thing in this case, although I have to say she's in a position of trust as a teacher," he said.

"The boys are old enough to have some decision making but they are still minors."'

Article here. Excerpt:

'WEST PALM BEACH — The former Jupiter Christian School teacher charged with sending sexually explicit messages to a 14-year-old student blamed her behavior on bipolar disorder.

Geneva Henry, 29, is accused of sending messages such as "I want to rip all your clothes off" and "I want to kiss you all over" to a student through a MySpace account over a two-month period beginning in December.

School administrators were made aware of the messages by at least one student.

Jupiter police said she admitted to school administrators that she sent inappropriate text messages and resigned her position as an English teacher after the allegations surfaced.

In an interview with police, she blamed her behavior on a medical condition. Her lawyer said her client told her she suffers from bipolar disorder.

Story here. Excerpt:

'BELVIDERE — A former Belvidere High School teacher and volleyball coach was sentenced to probation today for having sex with a 15-year-old student in December 2007.

Loren Leoni, 25, was sentenced by Judge Joe McGraw at the Winnebago County Courthouse to 48 months of probation. She will undergo mandatory counseling and will register as a sex offender for the rest of her life.

“Sending her to prison isn’t going to restore him to the boy he was before this happened,” McGraw said in court while detailing the factors in his decision, which included a sex offender evaluation that said recidivism was unlikely.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'TULSA, OK -- It turns out a report from a woman found under a porch was mostly false. The woman had claimed she was kidnapped and raped. Tulsa Police say much of her story was a lie and they are frustrated they spent so much time and effort on the case.

The story was heart-wrenching and scary all at the same time. A man and his mother found a woman crying out for help underneath their porch. She told them and police she'd been walking when she was kidnapped, held for two days and sexually assaulted inside a nearby house.

Police say she wasn't kidnapped. Several witnesses confirm the man picked her up at her home. Detectives say they can also prove she wasn't assaulted inside the home, either. The man involved, saw the story on the news and went to police before they even called him.
...
Advocate groups estimate only 2% are false, but police departments believe it's much higher, in some places, half or more. Detectives don't usually make a big deal out of it because they don't want real victims to be reluctant to come forward.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'IS this women-friendly car park Britain's best-kept secret?

Bolton council decided in 2002 to introduce `ladies only' bays at the town's Bow Street car park.

The ground-floor spaces are well lit and close to the multi-storey's security checkpoint.

Officials say they provide reassurance and make sure women feel safe when they return to their cars.

And customers we spoke to were quick to give them their seal of approval.

But despite their success in Bolton it appears as though the idea has failed to catch on with the rest of the region.'