Article here. Excerpt:

'It could soon be a crime for Malaysian men to call their wives ugly, a women's rights group claimed this week.

The Women's Development Department, which is a branch of the government, plans to ask Parliament to ban 'emotional violence' against women. Physical violence is already illegal.

Campaigners said offenders who 'demonstrate a pattern of causing mental and psychological damage' should face counseling, fines and jail terms.
...
About 90 percent of some 800 women who called Malaysia's Women's Aid Organisation for help last year reported being psychologically abused, though some were also physically assaulted.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Does this remark make you want to head for the hills?

"I would hope that a wise Caucasian man with the richness of his experiences would more often than not reach better conclusion than a Latina woman who hasn't lived that life."

A male faculty member who made such a claim would be laughed off of any college campus. But a slightly-revised version of that remark actually was made at the University of California at Berkeley. This is what Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor had to say at a Law and Cultural Diversity lecture she gave in 2001:

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

Punctuating that loopy logic, she then opined,

"Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences,...our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging."

Story here. Excerpt:

'Prosecutors believe that the Pennsylvania woman who was found with her daughter at Disney World after claiming they were abducted by two black men may have been taking actions due to domestic tensions with her second husband.

“They’re still looking into the motive behind this. We believe it may have to do with some domestic problems she may have been having with her husband,” Bucks County (Pa.) district attorney Michelle Henry told TODAY’s Natalie Morales Thursday. Henry said the couple may also have been facing financial problems.

Henry said that Bonnie Sweeten, 38, of Feasterville, will be charged with false reports and identity theft, both misdemeanors, and would be extradited from Florida to face the charges. Her 9-year-old daughter, Julia Rakoczy, was being interviewed by investigators and was to return home with her father and Sweeten’s ex-husband, Anthony Rakoczy.'

Hmmm...
"...after claiming they were abducted by two black men..."
"...domestic tensions with her second husband..."

Article here. Excerpt:

'“If children without fathers fare worse than children in two-parent families, say defenders of single mothers, the answer is better pay for women and better social programs. Yet even in Sweden with its generous welfare state, a major 2003 study found that children raised in single-parent homes were at significantly higher risk for addictions and serious psychiatric problems.”

A nice piece from Cathy Young in the Boston Globe–Single mothers and the baby boom (5/26/09). She writes:

"In the past 10 years, with my biological clock winding down and no husband in sight, I have been asked quite a few times if I had considered having a child on my own. What used to be scandalous is now practically a conventional life choice.

Story here. Excerpt:

Article here.

'A British teacher reportedly has been fired for publishing a novel describing sexual encounters with some of her students.

The fictional work "Stop! Don't Read This" focuses on five of Leonora Rustamova's "favorite" students at Calder High School and addresses the 39-year-old's growing struggle to view her students as "kids." She also writes about her tendency to flirt with students and allow them to flirt with and fantasize about her, according to the Daily Telegraph.

In addition, the expletive-filled book featured stories of students drinking, skipping school and possibly using drugs. It also named other faculty members, including the school's headmaster Stephen Ball, the Daily Telegraph reported.

When she was suspended in January over the book's release, more than 250 students and parents demonstrated in support of Rustamova, saying she was only try to encourage the students to read, the Telegraph reported.

The school announced on Wednesday that she had been terminated following a disciplinary hearing into her conduct.'

See the Chicago Tribute article here. Excerpt:

'A group of University of Chicago students think it's time the campus focused more on its men.

A third-year student from Lake Bluff has formed Men in Power, a student organization that promises to help men get ahead professionally. But the group's emergence has been controversial, with some critics charging that its premise is misogynistic.

Others say it's about time men are championed, noting that recent job losses hit men harder and that women earn far more bachelor's and master's degrees than do men.'

Join the Facebook group here to show your support.

Article here. Excerpt:

'In a speech published in the Berkeley La Raza Law Journal in 2002, Judge Sotomayor offered her own interpretation of this jurisprudence. "Justice [Sandra Day] O'Connor has often been cited as saying that a wise old man and wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases," she declared. "I am . . . not so sure that I agree with the statement. First, . . . there can never be a universal definition of wise. Second, I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

Story here. Excerpt:

'PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia news outlets are reporting a suburban mother who claimed she and her 9-year-old daughter had been abducted were spotted on video surveillance at Philadelphia International Airport boarding a plane to Florida.

The Philadelphia Inquirer and WPVI-TV, citing unidentified sources, report Wednesday that 38-year-old Bonnie Sweeten, and her daughter Julia Rakoczy, were shown boarding a plane to Tampa on Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators say they can now conclude that the two were not abducted by a pair of men following a traffic accident in suburban Philadelphia.'

I am curious to see the details when the full story comes out after the police catch up with them.

Story here. Excerpt:

'Women's groups that had been urging President Obama to select the fourth female Supreme Court nominee in American history greeted his choice of Judge Sonia Sotomayor with enthusiasm.
...
The National Organization for Women also cheered the nomination of Sotomayor and president Kim Gandy said it would launch a campaign to ensure her "swift confirmation."

"Judge Sotomayor will serve the nation with distinction. She brings a lifelong commitment to equality, justice and opportunity, as well as the respect of her peers, unassailable integrity, and a keen intellect informed by experience. President Obama said he wanted a justice with 'towering intellect' and a 'common touch' and he found both in Judge Sotomayor," Gandy said in a statement calling for Sotomayor's confirmation before the Senate's August recess.'

Video report here. Truth once again is stranger than fiction. Continental Airlines is suing some pilots who "faked" their divorces so they could get their pension distributions early rather than take the chance that their employer will go out of business and eat the pension fund.

The bigger picture here, aside from jobs being in danger and people acting thusly, is the fact that these kinds of policies encourage couples to split up rather than stay together. As for the comments regarding the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, I doubt most people believe this, even if it is true, in the face of so many institutions considered solid just a year ago turning out to have feet of clay.

Article here. Excerpt:

'A Maine East High School teacher is being held on $50,000 bond after she was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse as a result of an eight-month relationship she admitted to police she has had with a former student, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said.

Jennifer Espinosa, 38, of Park Ridge, told Cook County Sheriff’s Police investigators she “loves” the 16-year-old boy, who was expelled from Maine East in September and is a known Sureno 13 gang member, investigators said.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A former assistant attorney general alleges in a whistleblower suit filed May 18 that the Texas Office of the Attorney General fired her in 2008 for reporting that two OAG attorneys in the Dallas child support office tried "to suborn perjured testimony" from her about a Dallas judge.

This story on the Sydney Morning Herald caught my eye this morning, with the headline "Bedroom ad ruled offensive to men". Quote:

'The Advanced Medical Institute (AMI) has been forced to pull a television commercial for longer lasting sex because it "vilified and shamed" men.

But the AMI says it is appealing the "bizarre" ruling on the advertisement, which features former A Country Practice police officer Sergeant Frank Gilroy entering a couple's bedroom after what is perceived to be a rather short love-making session.
...
"The ruling from the ASB says this ad is discriminating against and vilifying men who are suffering serious health problems such as premature ejaculation," he said.

"Of course they're serious problems - these are the very men we're trying to reach with this ad.

"It wouldn't be very effective advertising if we were upsetting the very people we're trying to talk to about available help, so we're planning on appealing this bizarre decision."

Article here. Excerpt:

'Feminists will probably jump all over me, but here's the real deal.

Many of us joined the women's movement decades ago without looking ahead to see what repercussions our actions would have on both our families and the economy. Now, most of us have to work, which leaves our husbands and children angry because no one is at home tending the hearth.

Our choice to be independent of men financially and of the family structure creates a wide range of problems in our children. And many men feel displaced and angry now because women are competing with them at work.

Far too many women are willing to go it alone and risk poverty and instability for shallow reasons of "self-empowerment" rather than trying to work out their marital challenges. Families need both parents in the household - not just economically but also spiritually and morally.