NPO: Act Now to Bring Shared Parenting to New York State

Article here. Excerpt:

'With a tidal wave of shared parenting legislation sweeping the nation, New York has a golden opportunity to dramatically improve the outcomes of millions of children in the state by passing shared parenting legislation. Senate Bills 949 and 5316 would establish “a presumption of shared parenting of minor children in matrimonial proceedings.” The Bills are now in the Children and Families committee, and they need your help now to move to a floor vote.

Like0 Dislike0

Rape case against general unravels as evidence of false accusations emerge

Story here. Reported by the NY Times, no less! Excerpt:

'The most important sexual assault prosecution in the military came apart on Monday. But cracks had appeared two months earlier in the same North Carolina military courtroom.

During a Jan. 7 pretrial hearing, the sole witness to accuse Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair of forced sex — charges that could imprison him for life — took the stand at Fort Bragg to explain how she had only recently found an old iPhone that contained evidence of their three-year affair.

What might have seemed an innocuous discovery was, to General Sinclair’s civilian lawyers, a major opportunity: The witness, a 34-year-old captain, had kept text and other communications with General Sinclair on her computer and on another cellphone, some of which bolstered their contention that the relationship was consensual. They suspected this newly discovered phone contained similar messages.

As the lead defense lawyer, Richard L. Scheff, a former federal prosecutor, questioned the captain, she told a precise, detailed and unequivocal story about when and where she found the phone, and what she did with it.
Photo

But according to a forensic expert hired by the defense, her story was not true — the phone had been charged and restarted two weeks earlier than she had claimed. The military’s own experts reached a similar conclusion later.
...
This week, Colonel Pohl stopped the court-martial, sent the jury home and offered General Sinclair another chance to try to hammer out a plea agreement, presumably on lesser charges. The military, in its pursuit of General Sinclair, seemed overly concerned about politics and its public image, he suggested.

Like0 Dislike0

Female TSA officers say pat-down duty leads to workplace discrimination

Article here. Excerpt:

'Female TSA officers are in such high demand to conduct pat-downs that they get pigeonholed as checkpoint workers and miss out on chances for other experience that would earn them promotions, a top member of Congress said Tuesday.

Female officers are required to pat down women travelers and also are preferred for pat-downs for children, which means that they end up conducting more than half of the pat-downs, even though they are just a third of the TSA workforce, said Rep. Nita Lowey, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

“The result is that female TSOs are not getting the experience at other stations to be considered for promotion,” Ms. Lowey told Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.

Mr. Johnson said the conundrum was news to him, but said he didn’t doubt it was possible.

Like0 Dislike0

Judge rules mothers can keep fathers out of delivery rooms, need not inform of birth

Article here. Excerpt:

'A New Jersey court decision makes it clear, it may take two to tango but not to give birth.

“It’s well established under federal and state law that there is a privacy right when a woman’s in labor.”

Rutgers professor and family law expert Sally Goldfarb says a Passaic County judge made the right call last November in his decision, which was published this week, when he sided with pregnant woman that her ex-fiancee had no legal right to be in the delivery room.

“What this man was seeking to do was really interfere with the woman’s ability to exercise her own choices about giving birth in privacy and that to me falls outside of the rights that a father is legitimately entitled to.”

In the decision, believed to be the first of its kind, the father was also told he didn’t have a right to know when the baby was born.

Jeff Golden of Fathers & Children’s Equality says, “It’s a sad day for fathers, and for father’s and men’s rights.”

Like0 Dislike0

Salon blames the victims who were attacked by a feminist professor

Article here. Excerpt:

'Ignoring the trolls – it’s not just good advice online. It’s indispensable in real life too. You see, this should have been a slam dunk. Instead, we have a tale in which radical anti-choice protesters wind up being depicted in the media as good guys.

It begins with a group with the ridiculously named Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, a Christian group that claims that “Any person born after January 22, 1973 is a survivor of the American abortion holocaust.” On the other side is Dr. Mireille Miller-Young, a feminist studies professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, whose research “explores race, gender and sexuality in visual culture and sex industries in the United States.” It’s a story in which the self-described holocaust survivors – who do not attend the school — reportedly did not notify the university that they were coming to the campus to stage a demonstration in a “designated as a free-speech zone,” which would have provided some measure of warning to the students. In an editorial in the Daily Nexus last week, student Delyla Mayers coherently argued against the group’s confrontational use of “overwhelmingly bloody and gory pictures,” and failure to “give students the right to choose to partake in such events, stripping individuals from their choice to practice self-care in topics as deep as abortion.” And it’s a narrative in which the African-American feminist professor now winds up cast in the role of bully.

Like0 Dislike0

Debunking the so-called gender wage-gap by example

It's ironic that the so-called gender wage gap is greatest in wealthier places like Beverly Hills and much less in poor places such as Indian reservations.

Women earn $.64 on the dollar compared to men in Beverly Hills. For the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, it's $.90. So men earning more than women says nothing of how the money is spent or who benefits from it.

An even more extreme case is Buffalo County, SD, which has the lowest per capita income in the U.S. Women there earn $1.05 to the dollar compared to men. This county is made up mostly the Crow Creek Indian Reservation, and is largely a matriarchy. Many houses lack kitchens and indoor plumbing.

In contrast, Rancho Santa Fe is a wealthy enclave in San Diego County. Women there earn $.58 to the dollar for men. Rancho Santa Fe has the second highest per capita income in the U.S. and the typical house costs over $2 million. The women living there can hardly be described as suffering from the so-called wage gap.

So, high gender wage gap here vs. women earning more here.

Where are women better off? And where are they more likely to be a victim of violence? Where are children - or men for that matter - better off?

Like0 Dislike0

Australia: Position Vacant - Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in Men's Health, Adelaide University

Link here. Excerpt:

'The Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health (FFCMH) was established with the vision to enable men to live longer, healthier and happier lives. The FFCMH's mission is to pursue innovative research programs, significantly improve health services, deliver evidence-based training programs, and disseminate the latest health information and education resources.

The FFCMH is seeking an Early Career Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with a PhD in a relevant field that has application in the setting of men's health. Research Experience with a men's health focus is desirable but not essential. You must be highly motivated and have a track record of presentations and publications that demonstrate research capabilities and have a commitment to research excellence.
...
Closing date: Friday 28 March 2014'

Like0 Dislike0

UK: "No, men are not all potential paedophiles"

Article here. Excerpt:

'Red-faced and rendered speechless, I hurried away. Minutes later, I became enraged by what had just happened. I’d basically been accused of being some kind of sweet-bag-rattling nonce, drooling through the fence with a blacked out van parked round the corner. It seemingly hadn't occured to any of those observers that I did simply want to see my own son; their instinct was to view me as a sex offender.

I don't think this is an isolated incident either. Many dads I know think twice before using family changing rooms or viewing areas at swimming pools, before going to play groups, or even, like me, before waving to their own child through the school fence.

One local swimming pool backs onto its reception area, and if anyone (any men, no doubt) are seen “behaving inappropriately”, i.e. looking at children (their own or anyone else's), the receptionist presses a button which immediately blacks out the glass.

"Sorry son, I didn't see you do your first ever backstroke width because the pool staff suspected I might be another Gary Glitter."

A dad friend of mine told me recently that he was asked by a mum to stop taking photos of his son in a playground, because her daughter was on the next swing. She told him she felt it “wasn’t appropriate”.

He, like me, was consumed by an unfounded shame, as if the default position is "guilty until proven innocent".

The unsavoury truth is that these days we cannot escape paedophilia – or, more to the point, the fear of paedophilia. The wall-to-wall media coverage of child abuse scandals ensures that this fear-fuelled fire never goes out.
...

Like0 Dislike0

Charges unlikely for Houston dad accused of shooting daughter’s boyfriend, prosecutor says

Story here. The only reason why this boy is dead is because the daughter lied to her father by claiming she didn't know him. Excerpt:

'The Houston father who police say fatally shot a 17-year-old boy who was inside his daughter’s bedroom early Thursday morning will likely not be charged, an area prosecutor told MyFoxHouston.com.
...
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and a grand jury will ultimately decide if charges are appropriate. But so far it appears the father, who was only identified as a 55-year-old in reports, was awaken by one of his other children at about 2:20 a.m. He was told someone was in his 16-year-old daughter's bedroom and he grabbed his gun.

He reportedly found the teen in bed with his daughter and confronted him. His daughter apparently told him she did not know the boy.

Like0 Dislike0

Is Sheryl Sandberg's 'Ban Bossy' Campaign Bad for Boys?

Article here. Excerpt:

'After days of discussing, researching, arguing, reading and thinking about Sheryl Sandberg’s 'Ban Bossy' campaign I have to admit, I’m exhausted. And confused, because the one question that keeps popping into my head is: what about the boys?

Oh no. I'm not actually going to defend men here, am I? After all, men are responsible for building a society that is inherently biased against women. They set that glass ceiling in place. Most men don’t even bother to join conversations about gender equality. They don’t need our help, or our sympathy.
...
Despite these numbers, a nagging worry persists in my mind, especially as I see campaigns like Sandberg's. The privilege once associated with being born male seems to be dissipating. Manufacturing jobs have moved abroad. Traditional blue-collar jobs are disappearing. The days of men forgoing college and still earning a comfortable living for their families are over.
...
What do men (and boys) have?

Not much. No support groups, no Dads Night Out. No church, synagogue, mosque, country club or community institution like the ones that once provided men with some sort of a social life. No whiling away the hours on Facebook. Heck, we barely let our fellas watch a Sunday football game or enjoy a round of golf. Being a guy today seems lonely, difficult and confusing.

Perhaps I shouldn’t care that men are being displaced. Perhaps it’s good for them to know what it feels like to be the underdog. Or the forgotten. But where, I wonder, will that ultimately lead us? To more boys on Adderall? To more isolated, unhappy young men on the news after another mass shooting? As I see the many obstacles males are facing, my greatest concern is that girls and women rising will lead, almost by default, to boys and men flailing.

Like0 Dislike0

'Who belongs in the delivery room?'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Should a father be allowed in the delivery room for the birth of his child, over the mother's objections? A New Jersey judge said no last November, in a ruling that was released in writing earlier this week. "Any interest a father has before the child's birth is subordinate to the mother's interest," Judge Sohail Mohammed wrote. That has to be the right call. At the same time, I can understand why fathers' rights groups see the ruling as discrimination: It privileges motherhood over fatherhood.
....
The same logic of biology convinced me that a New York judge was wrong last year when she barred Sara McKenna, a former Marine and firefighter, from moving from California to New York, because she wanted to go to Columbia University, when she was seven months pregnant. The father of McKenna's child was the Olympic skier Bode Miller, and he tried to block her from moving across the country by asserting his paternal rights before his child was born. An appeals court quickly reversed that order. Again, fathers just cannot have rights over fetuses that interfere with a woman's freedom of choice and movement in this way. Once the child is born, the law can accord equal rights to fathers and mothers. Before birth, it just cannot.

Like0 Dislike0

Three Utah bills to change rights of biological fathers in adoption cases encounter pushback

Article here. Excerpt:

'Loopholes in Utah's adoption law have been making it possible for pregnant women to head to the state and put children up for adoption, without consent of the biological fathers. Now three bills have been introduced during the current session in the state legislature to change things, but there's pushback.

"The policy of this state is to encourage marriage," said state Representative Merrill Nelson, during a recent house committee meeting.

He was objecting to proposed legislation to share information between states about fathers who are searching for their offspring. "Our job is to look after the rights of the child primarily, what is best for the child and it's not to look after the rights of the reckless, unwed father who fathered the child," Nelson added.
...
Donna Pope, owner of Heart to Heart Adoptions, co-signed the letter. She claims only a small percentage of fathers who truly want to be involved are actually left in the dark.

Like0 Dislike0

Video: UC Santa Barbara Professor Assaults Young Pro-Life Activist

Video here. Caption:

'On March 4, 2014, UC Santa Barbara professor of Feminist Studies, Mireille Miller-Young, attacked Thrin Short, a young pro-life activist who was trained by Survivors. Miller stole Short's sign, and encouraged a group of students to violence, inciting an angry mob. Miller then took the sign into an elevator, where she repeatedly pushed, and even pulled Short, who was attempting to hold the elevator doors open until police arrived. Read the full story here: http://www.survivors.la/confrontation-with-ucsb-professor'

---
Background: College feminist professor shows again that "free speech" is only for those who agree with feminists

Like0 Dislike0

UK: Police report man's penis cut off by group of men on suspicion he had sex with one of their girlfriends

Story here. Excerpt:

'A gypsy gang chopped off a man's genitals after they discovered he had slept with one of their girlfriends, it has been reported.

Police brought a busy dual carriageway to a standstill today to hunt for a penis after he was discovered severely injured at the side of the A-road.

The 40-year-old was discovered in a distressed state on the side of the A66 dual carriageway in Middlesbrough this morning, Cleveland Police have confirmed. It has been reported that the man was seen searching in undergrowth.

A member of staff at Asda close to where the incident happened said he heard the man had suffered the horrendous injury to his groin.
...
A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault in relation to the incident was held in police custody this afternoon, where he was being questioned by officers and was bailed pending further enquiries.'

Like0 Dislike0

School district works to reduce gender imbalance in gifted math classes

Story here. Excerpt:

'With a gender imbalance showing in its gifted math classes, Deerfield Public Schools District 109 board members discussed ideas to reverse the disparity Monday at their regularly scheduled meeting.

“I was surprised,” Superintendent Michael Lubelfeld said. “We don’t like it and we want to fix it.”

”There are 120 more boys in TAP [the gifted math program] than girls,” board member Scott Kluge said. “In some schools it’s 10 to 1.”

The gifted program is for select third- through eighth-graders, and ratios vary between the four elementary and two middle schools in the district, according to Director of Learning and Assessment Services Amy Rubin.

“It’s three to one in some schools and two to one in others,” Rubin said.'

Like0 Dislike0

Pages

Subscribe to Mensactivism.org RSS