Story here. Excerpt:

'Even as the U.S. confronts two long wars, neither Sen. John McCain nor Sen. Barack Obama believes the country should take the politically perilous step of reviving the military draft.

But the two presidential candidates disagree on a key foundation of any future draft: Mr. Obama supports a requirement for both men and women to register with the Selective Service, while Mr. McCain doesn't think women should have to register.

Also, Mr. Obama would consider officially opening combat positions to women. Mr. McCain would not.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A woman jailed for life for stabbing her de facto husband 37 times, skinning him and cooking his body parts as a meal for his children has lost an appeal against the severity of her sentence.
...
She then decapitated him and put his head in a pot on the stove, baked flesh from his buttocks and cooked vegetables and gravy as side dishes to serve to Mr Price's children.'

This story is a classic example of the double standard. This woman brutally stabbed her sister in the neck, killing her, allegedly in an argument over a hair straightener. And yet, the article lists just about every excuse you can imagine - here is a collection of quotes, pulled out:

'Friends...said she was extremely close to Susan but had recently lost her job and was struggling at university. Friend Sarah Allender said Kathleen was the victim of bullies and had felt as though she lived in Susan's shadow.
...
"Her entire (life) Kathleen was bullied about being obese and later lost weight at the gym," Ms Allender said. "Her sister was considered to be the perfect one and that often upset (her) that she was always getting the attention."

This story from Australia explains how a woman "had sex with" two underage girls (14), and filmed them to make a porn DVD.

First shock (not) is that she got a two year good behaviour bond, no jail time. Of course - she's a woman, after all, she shouldn't actually be PUNISHED.

Second shock (not) is that she feels she should have her conviction quashed - to allow her to work with children! Excerpt:

"A NEW South Wales woman, who made lesbian pornography with teenagers, will ask the High Court to clear her name so she can work with disadvantaged children. Rebecca Jane Clarke will seek to have her conviction erased, based on a controversial ruling that sex offenders can be acquitted if they "honestly believe" their victims are more than the age of consent.

...
Clarke, 23, who stars in a pornographic DVD she made with two girls, both 14, will argue her name should not appear on the national sex-offender register. If the High Court does not quash her conviction, she will be banned from working as a counsellor."

This video seems to me to be a good instruction on what to say and what not to say when a point one makes about differences between the sexes gets challenged. At once Hitchens stays calm and centered and sticks to his points with no digression. That is the up side. The down side is his use of offensive slang to describe lesbians ("butch/bull dyke"). That isn't something to be condoned. He also mentions religious affiliation at one point ("...female comedians are either... or Jews..."). That also wasn't necessary nor is it even true, and even if it was, it wouldn't be a relevant distinction (as it also isn't relevant to mention sexuality). So this clip of Hitchens has its value in both regards. His primary point that a woman need not be funny to get attention though is true. Men do have to work harder to attract mates or even get consideration in some cases. How much of that is human biology in action vs. social construction is a fair topic for debate.

Story here. Excerpt:

'Michele Mallin said she was "100 percent sure" when she identified Timothy Brian Cole as the man who raped her.

Story here. Excerpt:

'LOS ANGELES -- A plea deal was accepted today by a woman accused of stalking actor John Cusack.

33 year-old Emily Leatherman pleaded no contest to a felony count of stalking Cusack which will keep her out of state prison. The Judge immediately sentenced her to five years' probation and mandatory psychiatric counseling. Leatherman was also ordered to stay away from the 42-year-old actor for the next 10 years.
...
In a rambling statement Friday morning, Leatherman claimed she was the victim of sex crimes and thought Cusack could help her.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'FULLERTON -- The estranged wife of an Orange County teacher and her boyfriend will stand trial for allegedly trying to frame the woman's husband on drugs and weapons charges.

Devon Eileen Abbott, 33, of Mira Loma, and Soloman Brian Silver, 42, of Portland, Maine, are charged with conspiracy to falsely charge a crime, false imprisonment by fraud, conspiracy to falsely report a crime, and transportation of marijuana, said Deputy District Attorney Keith Bogardus.

Abbot and Silver are accused of planting a shotgun and drugs in a vehicle parked on a high school campus to get the woman's estranged husband arrested.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'HENDERSONVILLE – Starting at 6 tonight, men will wobble in women’s high-heeled shoes through downtown Hendersonville to support violence-free homes. Proceeds from sponsored walkers in the event will go to Mainstay, Henderson County’s domestic violence prevention agency and emergency shelter.

The walk is open to male community members and leaders will proclaim their solidarity in support of violence-free homes by marching in high heels. Elected officials, educators, students, law enforcement officers, and others are expected to participate. The Blue Ridge Roller Derby girls will lead the walk.

Registration starts at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Mainstay’s Purple Ribbon Thrift Store. The walk will proceed up 5th Avenue to Main Street, and will end in the front of the old historic courthouse. Men are encouraged (but not required) to walk in women’s shoes and participants are being asked to get sponsorships.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A men's health consultant says men are becoming more interested in their health needs but there is still more work to be done to improve outcomes in Queensland.
...
Mr Millan says men often do not seek help for depression or anxiety.

"In every age range in Australia more men die than women," he said.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'KISUMU, 9 October 2008 (PlusNews) - Health facilities in Nyanza Province in western Kenya are struggling to meet the demand for medical male circumcisions since politicians threw their weight behind efforts to promote the procedure as a way of reducing HIV infections.

The campaign initially faced opposition by community elders of the ethnic Luo community that makes up the bulk of the province's inhabitants and does not traditionally practice circumcision. But local leaders, swayed by calls from Kenya's Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, and research demonstrating the HIV prevention benefits of being circumcised, have since said they would set an example by undergoing the procedure themselves.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'I was very surprised by the people pushing back on the story, because I didn't come to the story as an advocate one way or the other, just as a reporter who started to look at national data at how broadly boys were not thriving across race and class lines. There are people who feel we shouldn't focus on boys, that it's somehow part of the feminist backlash. I don't agree with that. I try to lay out in the book why I think this is an important issue for all people, whatever their political orientation. I consider myself a strong feminist and I am the mother of sons. I don't feel that my looking at this is taking oxygen away from very serious issues that still need to be addressed, like gender equity in the workplace, that there are not enough women in Congress, equal pay for equal work. These are real issues, but we need to separate them from what is happening to schoolboys.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A deaf Hamilton woman who falsely claimed she was raped and beaten during a home invasion has been described as a devout Christian and model citizen.

Kohine Dallas Pania Turanga appeared in the Hamilton District Court for sentencing on Monday after earlier pleading guilty to a charge of willfully attempting to pervert the cause of justice.
...
Defence counsel Gina Jansen had told the court that Turanga suffered from depression and had sought professional help in an attempt to understand her actions. She said Turanga deeply regretted wasting police time and described the 41-year-old cleaner as a model citizen and committed Christian.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Williamson County deputies have arrested a Lampasas woman and accused her of lying about being sexually assaulted.

The Sheriff's Office says several weeks ago, Deborah Ann Keen-Papp, 43, told them she was attacked on Highway 29 after she had pulled over with car trouble.

She gave police a description and deputies released a sketch of the alleged suspect.

But Friday deputies took Keen-Papp into custody on the charge of false report to law enforcement.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Just over one quarter (26 per cent) of primary seven boys are completely happy coming to school, compared with 44 per cent of girls, according to a survey carried out by Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster.

The Kids’ Life and Times Survey found that boys in Northern Ireland were less happy than girls with writing, reading, spelling, working by themselves and coming to school. The survey also found that just over half of primary seven children think pupils in their school have been bullied.'