Story here. Excerpt:

'(CNN) -- Keeping a cell phone on talk mode in a pocket can decrease sperm quality, according to new research from the Cleveland Clinic.

"We believe that these devices are used because we consider them very safe, but it could cause harmful effects due to the proximity of the phones and the exposure that they are causing to the gonads," says lead researcher Ashok Agarwal, the Director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Have you ever queued for a toilet? Tried changing a baby's nappy on a park bench? Slid off the alleged "seat" at the bus stop (or failed to perch on it in the first place)? If so you are a victim of anti-women urban design. Research presented last month at the Royal Geography Society's annual conference found that our cities are still being designed for the benefit of men. The report, by Dr Gemma Burgess of Cambridge University, concluded that the vast majority of town planners are ignoring the gender equality planning regulations that were brought in last year. This is significant, because if public spaces were designed with women in mind, they would look entirely different, with much more lighting, better-situated car parks and more areas where residential and office spaces are mixed, making it far easier to juggle work and childcare.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Just one in 50 teachers of the youngest primary schoolchildren in England are male, despite a government recruitment campaign, figures revealed today.

Only 2% of staff in nursery and reception classes, which teach under-fives, are men, according to figures from the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

In schools with receptions but no nurseries, this figure falls to 1%. Men account for 16% of all primary schoolteachers.

The figures led to warnings over the social impact of many boys reaching the age of 11 without a positive male role model.'

Article here. I found about this article from this report. So much for sisterhood. ;) Excerpt:

Article here. Financial ruin befalls millions and all this author can talk about is how it affects well-to-do upper-middle and upper-class women that decided to "sacrifice" and stay home while their husbands went to work long hours at stressful finance jobs. Now, of course, we should feel sorry for these poor victims and understand when they head to the local courthouse to file for divorce. You may reply that she seems to be writing with a sense of irony and a general contempt for the complaints in question, but frankly, I don't fall for it. Am I being humorless here? As always, comments welcome. Excerpt:

Remember this story? I don't know if it inspired this latest public act of prostitution, but allow me to quote Michael Meyers from his Virgin Airlines posters when I say "There are no virgins on this flight, baby!" Excerpt:

'Showgirl and men's magazine model Raffella Fico, 20, told an Italian magazine: "I can't wait to see who's going to pull out the money to have me."
...
"She's never had a boyfriend. I swear on my mother's grave. She's a devout Catholic and prays to Padre Pio every night," her brother told the magazine.

She is the not the first woman to auction her virginity for a large sum. An 18-year-old US student in San Diego, Natalie Dylan, recently told the Howard Stern show she would have sex for the first time for $1 million to pay her college fees.'

From Marc A.: Two months ago NCFM co-sponsored the San Diego premier of the film, "Support? System Down" by filmmaker Angelo Lobo. The theater was full, mostly with unfamiliar faces. Now it's playing in New York City's Millennium Film Workshop on 9/19 and 9/20. NCFM president Harry Crouch is interviewed in the film. Thank you, Mr. Lobo and all who helped on this! Article here. Excerpt:

'LOS ANGELES, Sept 16, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Why do so many people, including adult children of divorce and members of the military, find themselves involved in family court or child support proceedings? How does the family court/child support system affect today's society and U.S. taxpayers?

Is the current system broken?

Article here. Excerpt:

'As puberty kicks in, scientists believe they may start to see sons who’ve inherited the problems of their fathers, an issue that many couples may not have considered in their quest to have children.

“This is the generation we’ve created,” said Dr. Tommaso Falcone, who chairs the obstetrics and gynecology department at the Cleveland Clinic and directs the Reproductive Endocrinology Research Laboratory. “We may have tens of thousands of boys born with infertility.”

Genetic fallout for ICSI sons is still a largely unexplored issue in the field of infertility, which affects an estimated one in eight couples in the United States, or about 7.3 million people, according to RESOLVE, a national infertility group. Up to 40 percent of cases are attributed to problems with the man, including damaged sperm, low sperm or no sperm at all.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'The state is warning parents delinquent on child support payments that they risk losing drivers licenses, professional licenses and hunting and fishing licenses if they don't pay.
...
More than 7,000 licenses were revoked last year for failure to pay, and there are more than 20,000 licenses currently at risk. Professional licenses that could be revoked include those of registered nurses, real estate agents, security guards and teachers.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'NEW DELHI: This is one rule that could turn women in India Inc green with envy. The Centre has not only increased maternity leave for its employees to six months but has also cleared paid leave for two years to take care of children.

The order, effective from September 1, increases maternity leave of women employees from 135 days to a cool 180 days for each of their two children. From now on, women employees can take paid leave up to two years (730 days) during their career for "taking care" of their two children without affecting their seniority.'

Note that no such privilege has been extended to men employees. Talk about gender equality!

Story here. Excerpt:

A male delegate at the Republican National Committee's convention was drugged by a date rape drug, yet is quoted pointing out the fact that he is single (to deflect the notion that he deserved it). The female attacker also robbed him of $50,000. Excerpt:

'MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Police are trying to find a woman who apparently drugged a Republican National Convention delegate and robbed him of about $50,000 worth of jewelry, cash and other items in his hotel room.
...
"As a single man, I was flattered by the attention of a beautiful woman who introduced herself to me. I used poor judgment. If there is any good that can come from this humiliation, it is to caution others that date rape drugs can be used on men, too," he said.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'NEW DELHI: The latest Kitply commercial, in which a wife slaps her husband on their wedding night because their bed made from ordinary plywood kept creaking, has not gone down well with men organisations, who feel that the ad and its likes promote domestic violence. They have complained to the Advertising Standards Council of India asking it to ban the commercial.

“It’s a derogatory commercial, which promotes physical, emotional and financial abuse of men. Kitply may consider it a joke, but violence is not funny; be it against a man or a woman. We are sure you would find the same commercial with reversed roles revolting and so, we urge you to revoke the commercial immediately and take strong legal actions against those who promote domestic violence,” said Save Family Foundation (SFF), an organisation for harassed men, in its complaint.'

It's election season and politicians are looking for votes.

One way to convince politicians that the politics is on our side is to show them the votes they will get by supporting a given policy. RADAR has calculated that 13.5% of likely voters, or 16.5 million voters, think the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the intrusive state-level domestic violence laws that flow from it are deeply flawed [cite]. The tables at the bottom of that page [cite] show how we calculated the numbers and the number and percentage of voters in each state.

People adversely affected by VAWA, and their family members, represent a cross section of the electorate and very often feel so strongly about what happened to them that any promise to fix VAWA would override all other issues, and could well be the factor that determines which candidate they vote for.

Please contact candidates from both parties.

Story here. Except:

'Juneau, Alaska—Nine days ago, we explored whether Governor Sarah Palin had knowingly made false accusations against Alaskan State Trooper Mike Wooten, who was in a bitter custody battle with Governor Palin’s sister, Molly McCann. Based on the public records available by internet, our conclusion was that we couldn’t reach a conclusion.
...
Court records show that Judge John Suddock was concerned about persistent attacks on Trooper Wooten by Palin and members of her family. The Judge told them in October, 2005 (when Palin was still a private citizen), “Disparaging will not be tolerated—it is a form of child abuse.”
...
In summary, we still do not know whether Governor Palin knowingly made false accusations against Trooper Wooten. But it is clear that she and her family persistently attacked the Trooper’s reputation over a period of at least three years, during which the Alaska State Troopers, the Alaska Public Safety Employee’s Association, and the Court had all found that most of the accusations were unsupported.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The first children to be abandoned at hospitals by caregivers under a new Nebraska "safe haven" law are a teen and a tween.
...
Saturday, a 44-year-old woman said her 15-year-old nephew had behavioral issues that were too much for her. A mother dropped her 11-year-old boy at another hospital that same day. She claimed she could no longer care for the child.'