This article suggests that high tech products would be better designed if more women were recruited to the information technology field. It recycles some traditional feminist myths about women’s natural abilities to enhance teamwork and understand “user interfaces…”. Excerpt:

'Women control more than 83 percent of all consumer purchases, and they outpace men when it comes to buying consumer electronics, but they hold only 27 percent of computer-related jobs...

"One of the biggest criticisms of technology today is that user interfaces are poor," explains a professor of information systems at the University of Arkansas. Men, he says, largely don’t do a great job making the products easier to use because they concentrate more on the "geek" factor of technology. "I think women have more of an intuitive sense of designing interfaces."'

Torrance, California is Site of Second Fathers' Rights Rally

"While a clear blue sky and lush green grass presented a pleasant setting for beaten down Dads to gather, the pleasantry of the setting could not take away from the serious reason for Sunday's rally. Fathers across Los Angeles County, California, and America are being grossly abused by family law courts that do little to dispense just resolutions to family law litigant Fathers who come before them."

Article here.

I remember this story being submitted on this site so here's an update: she's been given a mistrial. I'm guessing she's getting the Yates 5-star treatment. Thoughts? Excerpt:

"DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - A judge in Dayton has declared a mistrial in the case of woman accused of killing her month-old daughter by burning her in a microwave.
...
The judge heard testimony privately from a juvenile who said he was at the apartment complex of defendant China Arnold on the night her baby died in 2005. The judge did not give details about juvenile's testimony.
...
The judge continued a gag order in the case, so neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys would comment.'

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Ed. note: MANN post on this story here.

How many times have you heard of researchers who jimmy the data in order to slant their findings of partner violence? Well, this time we caught them red-handed. And this time, we're not to let them get away with their underhanded tactics! Here's the scoop ...

The federal Centers for Disease Control does a survey called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. This past Friday the CDC reported on its latest survey on intimate partner violence. This is what they reported:

• Percentage male victims: 11.5%
• Percentage female victims: 23.6%

Every legitimate survey of partner violence has found that women are at least as likely as men to engage in partner violence. So how did the CDC come up these results?

Simple.

The widely-used Conflict Tactics Scale focuses on actual acts of violence.

But the CDC researchers decided on their own to expand the questions to include any "attempts" or "threats" of violence, plus that catch-all question, "any unwanted sex," which means a lot of different things to different people.

Article here. An interesting admission that shows women often choose to not "have it all" so they can be with their families. All the while, industry is desperate to put women in top positions...and the girls are turning down the offers... excerpt:

This piece offers pro/con views about whether employers should be able to consider a woman's plans to have babies when hiring her:

(Pro) - "From a position of no equality at all, women are now granted absolute privilege. ... because an employer is forbidden from asking if a woman plans to have children, experience tells them she'll sign up then rush off and start a family, brandishing her contract as a declaration of human rights."

(Con) - "Women have different skill sets from men, not least the ability to multi-task - a skill which defeats most men. If we weren't such good multi-taskers, the human race would not have survived. A woman should be given a job on ability... nothing else matters."

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Ed. note: Before our North American readers post that "the article is dated Nov. 2, 2008, how can that be?" remember that date formats in most non-North American publications are "day-month-year" instead of "month-day-year".

An excerpt from Compelled to Give:

"It's February again. This can mean only one thing: the dreaded, compulsory Valentine's Day is just around the corner. If you forgot, fear not: the onslaught of TV and radio commercials will remind you and remind you and remind you. There is no escaping them, and they all share a common theme: women are entitled to receive; men are compelled to give. Nothing quite captures the essence of love like female entitlement.

Ask the typical woman to define romance. I'll lay odds that she'll describe a man buying and/or doing something for her, without a word about spoiling him. Why such narcissism? Simple. Most women are raised to be self-absorbed takers, and insecure men continue to tolerate and enable them.

Are men worthless? Only if they never demand fairness and reciprocity from women — and many men don't. Valentine's Day, and all of its pathetic rituals, represents the failure of men to stand up to women — who, ironically, don't respect these eunuchs and don't sexually crave them, either."

Story here. Excerpt:

"Police arrested a 13-year-old boy on a battery charge after he threw a broken pencil in class that hit another boy in the back of the head, according to a report released Thursday.
...
Two witnesses in class said the suspect, also a seventh grade student, threw the pencil piece.
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When he threw the pencil at one of the witnesses, the witness ducked and the pencil hit the victim.”

Story here. Excerpt:

'NOW-NYS President Marcia Pappas, who denounced Sen. Ted Kennedy for picking Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, calling it the "ultimate betrayal" of women, just issued a statement slamming MSNBC's David Shuster for suggesting the Clinton campaign "pimped out" Chelsea Clinton by having her make calls to superdelegates, saying: "This awful name-calling is nothing short of abusive."

"When male abusers feel they are failing to reach their spouses, they often go after their children," Pappas wrote. "Every day across the country battered women and their children suffer at the hands of abusers."'

Now the media itself is adopting this batterers' technique. This Schuster remark speaks volumes about the larger picture for mothers and their children. It's not just about hate speech; it's about power and control."

(PS - Shuster has been suspended and may likely be fired for his remark.)

In a little while I will be taking down the Mensactivism.org wiki. It's a project that I haven't had the time or energy to properly nourish, and it requires frequent attention to maintain due to its open nature.

I would not even consider taking it down if it weren't for the fact that some of the participants in that wiki have mirrored its contents at another site. So don't worry - no information will be lost. Instead, I encourage you to bookmark the Equalism Wiki and get involved there.

In particular, I'm really grateful to the folks who participated in compiling a comprehensive list of which colleges and universities have Women's Studies departments but not Men's Studies departments (or classes). That's going to be an important resource when someone finally files a lawsuit to establish Men's Studies as a legitimate academic department and major.

Story here. Excerpt:

'A Chicago teacher faces dismissal after allegedly wrapping masking tape around a special education student to keep him in his chair when he wouldn't sit down, authorities said.
...
The teacher was in a classroom of four or five students on Tuesday when one 9-year-old boy would not sit down. The teacher restrained him with the tape, Vaughn said.
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"It appears the allegations will be substantiated and we will fire her," Vaughn said.

The unnamed teacher obtained her credentials last June, Vaughn said.'

Hillary & Obama met Hollywood this past week at the Kodak Theater (home of the Academy Awards), while Fathers 4 Justice stood outside.

Story here. Imagine if this were a cadre of "flirty men vicimizing well-dressed women" how that would be presented. Excerpt:

'DALLAS - Well-dressed men at posh Dallas hotels and bars are being targeted by a ring of flirtatious women who may be drugging them before swiping their watches and other expensive items, police said.
...
About a half-dozen men have reported falling victim to the scheme, Dallas police detective Mark Jenkins said. Many were business travelers, and Jenkins suspects there are others too embarrassed to file police reports.
...
"I don't know if so much it's that the men are being attracted to them, as that (the suspects) are more or less forcing themselves on the men," Jenkins said.
...
The women have histories as prostitutes, Jenkins said.
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The women may be slipping drugs into the drinks of their victims, police said.'

Hi fellow MRAs. I recently posted a story about a Bud Light commercial, in which a man is viciously assaulted where it hurts most by a dog. I'm happy to say that the only place this ad can now be viewed is YouTube. Here's what Budweiser had to say:

"Dear Evan,

Thank you for responding to Anheuser-Busch. We apologize if your question was not answered, and also because there seems to be some confusion surrounding the ad.

For starters – no, the ad is no longer being aired. It actually has not appeared on television for a few years now, and the YouTube version was posted online without our company’s permission. This is typical of most videos on sharing sites, an in addition to not being able to control posters’ actions, we also cannot control the information they provide along with the spot.

If you have concerns about this ad appearing on YouTube, we encourage you to contact the poster directly.

Again, Evan, thank you for contacting us. Please let us know if you have additional comments or questions.

Your Friends at Anheuser-Busch

1-800-DIAL-BUD (1-800-342-5283)"

Story here. Older rich women (must be at least 35 years old and earn at least $500,000.00), are now being provided with young men as boy toys. The only criterion for men is that they be good-looking. I guess "This is Only Bad If Men Do It". Excerpt:

'Women who pursue men more than seven years their junior are sometimes derogatorily referred to as “cougars,” because of the perception that they’re on the hunt. But times are changing.
...
“At a certain age, the trophy wife syndrome is so prevalent," says Vivian Cha, a 47-year-old physician and speed-dating contestant. "The older man, in his 40s or 50s, goes for the younger blond bimbo, who’s 20 or 30 years old. We older women sort of get thrown to the dust, so I think this is a great idea.”

Attractive young men seeking their own Mrs. Robinson jumped at the chance to meet a woman with more “experience.”

“I’m definitely interested in being surprised or wowed," says Paul Janka, a 32-year-old writer who authored an online guidebook for men called "Getting Laid in NYC."