Story here. Excerpt:

'Surrogacy experts say gestational surrogacy has increased steadily since the advent of in vitro fertilization in the early 1980s, because it provides an extra layer of emotional and legal protection for the client. The egg donor usually does not even know the client, and unlike the legally contentious "Baby M" case from the 1980s, the surrogate is not giving birth to her genetic child.

"It rises as an issue far less frequently with gestational surrogacy, because women never see it as their child to begin with," said John Weltman, president of Circle Surrogacy.

His agency, which expects more than 70 babies to be born in 2009, has seen a 50 percent growth in the number of single male clients over the past year.'

Show here. From the page:

'If you’ve paid attention to the media lately, you’ve heard that American boys are in crisis - lagging behind educationally, and disconnected from their masculinity. Others argue that these problems are no more a part of boys’ lives than snakes, snails and puppy dog tails - and that maybe it’s pressure to be stereotypically manly that exacerbates the difficulties they do experience. Join us this Wednesday when we look at the status of boys from both sides, and see what challenges are involved in raising boys today. Because this is a show from our archives, we won’t be taking calls this hour.'

Article here. People with toddler sons, take heed! Excerpt:

'Parents of newly toilet-trained boys should take a few simple steps to keep their sons' penises safe when they go to the bathroom, a team of UK urologists advises.

There's evidence that crush injuries due to falling toilet seats may be on the rise, Dr. Joe Philip of Leighton Hospital in Crewe and colleagues warn in a letter in BJU (British Journal of Urology) International.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Garcia said the male-bashing trend is also a result of the pent-up anger women still hold for men. The fact is, it wasn't long ago that it was a man's world - that women had limited opportunities and options. For some women, male bashing is a form of payback.
...
The irony is that men aren't fighting women. Most are bending over backwards to accommodate women.
...
Garcia argues that in the most extreme cases a significant social trend has occurred - that as men stumble and fall behind, they are dropping out and giving up. He says we're in a state of denial - that the faltering male doesn't do anyone any good.

"The shrinking pool of educated, eligible males only adds to the perception that men are clueless deadbeats, a downward spiral that could affect generations to come," he said.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'The woman was arrested following an incident at Priory Primary School in Tynemouth, North Tyneside, earlier this month.

Northumbria Police said the 44-year-old woman had accepted a police caution.

In a statement the force said: "At around 9.10am on Thursday December 11 police received a report of an incident at Priory Primary School, Percy Park Road, Tynemouth.

"A 44-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assault and received a caution."'

Story here. Excerpt:

"The number of women fined on-the-spot for loutish behaviour has trebled since Labour introduced 24-hour drinking.

Police chiefs last night blamed the surge in 'ladette' offences on the increased availability of alcohol since the licensing laws were relaxed in November 2005.

Figures obtained by the Daily Mail from police forces in England and Wales show that almost 37,100 fixed penalty notices of up to £80 were handed to women last year for offences such as being drunk in the street, shouting abuse or damaging property.'

Story here.

'Police said Eryn Allegra, of Port St. Lucie, gave the boy eight Advil pills to put him to sleep, then early Thursday morning suffocated him with a pillow in a hotel room. Allegra then allegedly tried to slit her wrists, but the blade she used was too dull. Police said she dialed 911 and was taken to a local hospital.

Allegra told investigators she had been having financial problems since August 2007.

It was unclear if Allegra had an attorney.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A former Cornwall-area teacher found guilty of sexually assaulting a student has been denied early release from jail.

Jennifer Dorland, 42, recently went before the Ontario Parole and Early Release Board in the hopes of being set free less than two months after she was first sent to jail. The former teacher was sentenced to six months behind bars on Oct. 28. She had been convicted on Dec. 20, 2007, on counts of sexual assault, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching involving a 13-year-old boy.

In denying Dorland early release, the parole board said the woman would pose a risk to society if she were to be released and that she is at risk to reoffend.

The board said Dorland, who now uses the surname Toews, only recently admitted being responsible for her crimes and had maintained her innocence from the time she was charged until after she was initially incarcerated.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'The name Fathers for Good has a double meaning: 1) every man in his heart wants to be a good father, even amid human frailty; and 2) once a man becomes a father, once he generates new life, it is “for good,” for the rest of his life. No matter the circumstances of his life or those of his child, that man will always bear the identity of a father. This is good news of great joy, and we try to help men live out that joy.
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CAULFIELD: The goal is to be of service to fathers in their often difficult vocation. Men in general and fathers in particular are often portrayed negatively on TV and popular media, and men need to know that their specifically male virtues and character are valued and have a place in the modern world. We also abide by Pope John Paul II’s insight that men learn their fatherhood through the love of their wives, so the relationship with their wives is key.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'HOUSTON — A Maryland woman who fled 10 years ago with her son to Mexico after a custody dispute has been arrested and flown back to the United States, officials said.

Tamara Kennedy, a U.S. citizen and her now 14-year-old son, Joseph Alexander Kennedy, disappeared from Maryland in 1998, shortly before sole custody of the boy was to be given to the child's father, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Brandon A. Montgomery.
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The boy's father, Donald Wiswell, came to Houston on Wednesday in hopes of being reunited with his son.

But Child Protective Services officials will keep the boy in custody until the investigation is completed.

"In cases like this, there have been many years of separation, and there may be allegations by the parent who fled with him that we need to look at before reuniting to make sure the transition is smooth and the child is safe," said Houston CPS spokeswoman Estella Olguin.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Meagan McCormic faced television cameras on Christmas Day to plead for the return of her missing 5-month-old son.

"I don't even know if he's dead or alive," she said.

In fact, she knew that the child had never existed, police said.

McCormic was trying to lure an ex-boyfriend back when she invented a missing-child story that triggered a statewide search this week, police said Friday.

Investigators have charged the 22-year-old with filing a false police report. If convicted, they said, she may have to pay authorities for the cost of their search.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'COVINA, Calif. (AP) - A ninth body was found Friday morning at the charred site of a Christmas Eve massacre where a recently divorced man dressed as Santa shot indiscriminately at partygoers and destroyed his former in-laws' house with a homemade blowtorch.

The attacker, Bruce Pardo, reached a Dec. 18 settlement with his ex-wife, who along with her parents was believed to be among the dead. His lawyer and a fellow church usher were among those who said they had never seen anything to indicate he was capable of such a brutal crime.
...

Pardo left the scene of the killings and was found dead Thursday, of a single bullet to the head, at his brother's house.
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Court documents show Sylvia Pardo got the couple's dog, the wedding ring and $10,000 in the settlement agreement, while he got the house. In June, the court ordered Bruce Pardo to pay $1,785 a month in spousal support and put him on a payment plan of $450 a month for $3,570 that was unpaid.

Article here. Excerpt:

'It is the special child’s time because 2,000 years ago, the story tells us, a woman and a man had a baby together and though the man knew perfectly well he was not the child’s father he nonetheless loved him and his wife and raised him to be strong, independent, brave and loving.

Lucky kid, to have Joseph for a dad. Indeed, were Jesus alive today, to have any dad at all to raise him to be a good man.

For those divorced men with children, Christmas is a travesty, a repulsive contradiction of a family holiday, of a loving celebration, of a special children’s time.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'And while women's wages have soared, wages for men have declined.

'Men are not just getting poorer, they're also getting dumber,' he says. And he's right. Beneath the lip gloss of metrosexual modern male, men are in trouble.

Men of all ages are becoming increasingly 'angry, suspicious, reactionary and isolated' because women have treated the men's natural roles without respect.

Who wouldn't become reactionary when all that you knew had been demeaned, taken from you or chipped away?

Who wouldn't feel isolated when society had institutionalised fatherlessness, thus eradicating the most vital and enhancing role any man can play in his life?

Garcia goes so far as to argue that the roles have flipped so much from the way they were, say, 50 years ago - and that men have become so emasculated and feminised - that 'men are the new women'.

Article here. Excerpt:

'There are nearly 6,000 partners in 131 big law firm offices in Washington, the nation’s second-largest law market. Less than 5 percent of the partners are part-timers, but women make up nearly three-quarters of the part-time ranks, according to a new study published by the National Association for Law Placement, a D.C.-based nonprofit group that examines hiring trends in the legal profession.
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Lawyers make their money on billable hours, which makes it hard to reward with partnership someone who is working part time.'