I'm aware that users have been unable to submit stories to the site since the upgrade. I apologize for this and will fix it soon. However, I've been on the road and will not be able to get to this for a few days. Please bear with this, I realize how critical it is for us to be able to accept stories from you.

Via Marc A. Story here. Excerpt:

'CHARLESTON - The release of a study indicating that most of the petitions for domestic violence protection orders may be used for leverage in a divorce or child custody proceeding comes as cold comfort to those who've experienced it firsthand.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Greensboro — Three former Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of rape have filed a federal civil lawsuit against several defendants, including former District Attorney Mike Nifong and the city of Durham.

The 155-page lawsuit does not mention a specific amount of damages, but does ask for numerous reforms to the way the Durham Police Department handles criminal investigations.'

Via Boy Genteel. Article here. Excerpt:

'"Our policies are geared in one direction -- not only unfair to male victims, more importantly, it's not very effective. We're not treating the whole problem; we're only treating part of it. Right now our policies are driven by battered-women's advocates. While they certainly should have a place at the table and their voice is important, they shouldn't be determining policy. There are mental health professionals, attorneys, people involved in family law, children's advocates and social workers who have a different take on domestic violence; and their voices are just not considered in the same way as battered-women's advocates.'

Story here. Note the headline: "..had relationship". "HAD RELATIONSHIP"?? Well, yes, I guess they did, the same way a hungry tiger has a relationship with a slow gazelle. Strictly speaking, they do have "a relationship", but there are far more precise terms one can use to describe it. Excerpt:

'LAS CRUCES -- A 30-year-old Las Cruces woman was in custody Wednesday, charged with having sexual contact with an 8-year-old boy, Las Cruces police reported.

Michelle A. Tufts, 30, of the 2800 block of east Idaho Avenue, was arrested Monday and is charged with two felony counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child younger than 13 and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.'

Via Marc A. Story here. Excerpt:

'NEW HAVEN, Oct. 1 — It was a typical scene for a divorced couple: As the police tell it, Cassandra Reynolds pulled up in the driveway of her ex-husband’s home in South Windsor to pick up a few belongings.

A dispute ensued. Her ex-husband’s golden retriever approached her, so she kicked it, the police said. The dog yelped. Ms. Reynolds was arrested.

That was on Sept. 23. The next day, a Superior Court judge ordered Ms. Reynolds, 39, to stay away from her ex-husband and his new wife. The judge also ordered her to stay at least 100 yards away from Riley, the golden retriever — or face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.'

Jan Brown of the Maine-based Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women forwarded me a copy of their Fall/Winter newsletter. You can download a copy of it here. The newsletter discusses the recent DV study by the Centers for Disease Control and mentions a new public service announcement they've released.

Posted for Marc A.: This disgustingly anti-male, sexist article by Gretchen Cochran cites the old lie that 95% of domestic violence is male-on-female, quotes a bunch of gender bigots like Frank Ochberg saying it's in men's genes to use force against women, and posts the phony "power & control wheel."

Please RESPOND by writing to the editor, etc. at:

citypulse-at-lansingcitypulse.com
letters-at-lansingcitypulse.com
gretchen-at-lansingcitypulse.com
thomas-at-lansingcitypulse.com
publisher-at-lansingcitypulse.com

Story here, HOORAY!! This represents real progress in getting this hopelessly outdated practice eliminated from our list of anti-male "socially acceptable" things. And, it's in an MSM publication, two reasons to cheer! Excerpt:

'But, like an increasing number of Jews in the United States, she has decided not to circumcise her son, rejecting the traditional notion that it is a Biblically prescribed sign of the Jewish relationship with God.

"I see circumcision as a blood ritual that I can let go of," said Anderson, who lives in Southern California.

Her position is in harmony with a wider decline in circumcision in the United States.
...
Among those talking about it is a gaggle of young, male, Jewish commentators. This year alone, in books, online and in magazines, authors Neal Pollack, Sam Apple, Jonathan Safran Foer and Shalom Auslander have all fretted about doing to their sons what was done to them. The title of Auslander's memoir, scheduled for publication in October, is "Foreskin's Lament."

Via Marc A. Story here. Excerpt:

'In a May 2007 study, the Centers for Disease Control found that more than 800,000 males in the United States are raped or physically assaulted by their female partners every year.

The National Coalition of Free Men (NCFM) is expressing concern during domestic violence awareness month this October that this study has been unfairly ignored because of the media's gender stereotyping.
...
CDC studies show the gravity of IPV for men and women alike. In the year 2004, IPV resulted in 1,544 deaths with 25 percent being men. Updated in 2003, the corporate cost of IPV in the United States was $8.3 million from medical care, mental health services and lost productivity.'

Despite our heroic efforts to stop HRES 590, RADAR has just learned that the bill passed the House of Representatives last Tuesday.

HRES 590 is jam-packed (.pdf file) with half-truths, distortions, and lies. Passage of this biased resolution is a national embarrassment.

We did succeed in stopping the bill from being debated by the House Education and Labor Committee. But it appears the House leadership did an end-run on us, taking the bill out of committee directly to the House floor. Not only that, the leadership cut the debate short, requiring a two-thirds vote for a voice vote.

Yes, it was a disgraceful short-circuiting of the democratic process, but that's what they did. So we have to learn from the experience and plan to do much better next time.

What lesson did we learn? That stopping a flawed bill like this requires a MASSIVE outpouring of voter discontent. To do that, we need to substantially increase the number of people signed on to the RADAR E-lert list.

Posted on behalf of Marc A. Story here. Excerpt:

'Citizens by and large deduce that women are the primary victims -- and that remains true. But in solving the problem of domestic violence, there must be realism about its nature.

The same CDC study concludes that in about half of the cases, the violence is reciprocal between a man and woman. That's not hard to believe in examining police incident reports, where woman most times do the reporting as a victim but in which men frequently state they were attacked during the incident as well.

What surprised CDC researchers even more was that "in non-reciprocally violent relationships, women were the perpetrators in more than 70 percent of the cases," and men incurred significant injuries.'

Via Marc A. Story here. Excerpt:

'Kendrapara (Orissa), Oct 1: As women continue to storm the male bastion, quite a few men from this part of the state are crying foul and demanding protection from their aggressive spouses.

With anti-dowry law largely favouring the women resulting in its gross misuse, allegations pour in from husbands who are at the receiving end of persecution and harassment meted out to them by their spouses.

The beleaguered husbands driven up the wall have begun seeking the state women's commission to intervene and save them from rowdy wives.'

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and this year RADAR and many members of the VAWA Reform Coalition are sponsoring activities designed to counteract the fairy tales the DV industry delights in spreading around.

This year RADAR has selected the theme, "It's Time to Tell the Truth about Domestic Violence." Throughout the month, RADAR will be releasing reports that highlight how the DV myths often preclude effective approaches to reducing partner abuse, and sometimes make the situation worse!

RADAR strongly encourages you to attend at least one Domestic Violence Awareness Month event held in your area. To find a listing of local events:

1. Go to http://www.usdoj.gov/ovw/statedomestic.htm.
2. Identify the domestic violence coordinating council for your state.
3. At the coordinating council's website, look for activities listed under the Calendar of Events

Always be sure to present yourself in a polite manner. And if you really want to have fun, why not show up at the event early, dressed up as a storybook character:

Along the top of this site are links to other services I've been experimenting with offering to the community. The wiki has been very active lately, but the Planet Blog Reader is in need of some maintenance that I don't really have the time for. I'd like to know if anyone would feel upset to see it go?