Video here. 15-year-old Alex Redita was found starved to death in a home he shared with his parents and 7 siblings. The boy suffered from diabetes and the family immigrated from Romania a number of years ago but moved from Calgary to Surrey, BC two years ago. While in Calgary the parents were found guilty of child neglect and Alex was transferred into foster care. The parents have been charged with 1st degree murder. A sad, sad case with many points of failure.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand met with student robotics enthusiasts at John F. Kennedy High School in Plainview Monday, touting two initiatives to boost interest and participation in science, technology, engineering and math, particularly among girls and minorities.

Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said it would take "a long time" to close the gap between boys and girls in those fields of study, but that it could be narrowed by providing female students and minorities with hands-on learning experiences.
She is lobbying for passage of two pieces of legislation that would promote science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, education, which she introduced last year.
...
Matthew Coleman, 17 and a senior, said he's glad to see the number of girls rise in recent years. "When I was a freshman, there were two female members of our club," said Coleman, the club's president.

Story here. Excerpt:

'The Ukraine-born leader of the radical feminist organization Femen, famous for its topless protests around the world, is planning to open an American branch. Inna Shevchenko’s announcement comes as the group’s reception in France, where the Femen leader sought and received political asylum in 2013, has cooled considerably.

This woman shot and killed 4 people at an Indian tribe headquarters last week after she and her son were evicted from the reservation. Warning: her mug shot is scary. Excerpt:

'CEDARVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Practically everyone in this tiny town in the high desert of northeastern California's Surprise Valley knew Cherie Lash Rhoades.

A leader of the Cedarville Rancheria, she worked in the tribe's gas station and convenience store and wore brightly colored tank tops that showed off her tattoos.

But it is tough to find anyone with a kind word to say about her.

"She bullied her way through life," said Sandra Parriott, a lifelong resident of Cedarville and owner of two downtown markets. "But I would never think she would start blowing people away in a meeting."

Police arrested Rhoades on suspicion that she did just that Thursday in Alturas, leaving four dead and two wounded in a gun and knife attack at a meeting on whether to evict Rhoades from one of the nine little houses on the rancheria.

Article here. This piece is critical of Colorado University's Office of Discrimination and Harassment for its lack of transparency and for lowering the standard of proof for sexual assault cases from "reasonable doubt" to "preponderance of evidence." Similar policies are found at other universities, primarily at the Obama administration's request. In my view, these policies institutionalize a "hostile environment" for men. Excerpt:

'We Coloradans love transparency in our public institutions. Take our sunshine laws — two members of any Colorado government body can't have coffee together to discuss the affairs of state without breaking the law. We wanna watch if they're gonna to talk about us. Boulderites' demand for a clear view into public decision making was obvious during the recent fuss over the 50-year contract to manage U.S. 36. Even though the negotiation was conducted within the law, we wanted to see it and have someone explain to us why it was such a good idea. Good for us. We expect our public institutions to be accountable to those of us they are supposed to be serving.

That is, of course, unless it involves charges of sexual harassment or discrimination at public universities. Then, public officials can make decisions that ruin peoples' lives with little or no accountability. Somehow, this part of American society, including our very own University of Colorado, has decided that, in this case, slanted justice behind closed doors is okay.
....

Article here. Excerpt:

'Jacquelyn C. Campbell, a professor in the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, is accused of fabricating “key statements [about domestic violence] and then representing the statements as findings of a government survey.” On January 14, the victim-advocacy organization Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) filed a formal complaint with the Office of Research Integrity of the Department of Health and Human Services. SAVE wants the unit to “investigate these allegations of research misconduct by Dr. Campbell and colleagues, and take appropriate corrective action.” (As of January 31, the complaint has been rejected and the rejection is being appealed.)

In two highly respected journals, Campbell and various colleagues claimed that “the leading cause of death in the United States among African American women aged 15 to 45 years” was homicide. In the American Journal of Public Health Vol. 93, No. 7, 2003, page 1089, the deaths were described as “femicide, the homicide of women.” In the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Journal 2003, page 18, the deaths were ascribed to “intimate partner violence” or domestic violence homicide.

Article here. Excerpt:

'A Harvard University feminist student writing in the campus newspaper The Crimson recently posited this:

“If our university community opposes racism, sexism, and heterosexism, why should we put up with research that counters our goals simply in the name of “academic freedom”?

The column was titled "The Doctrine of Academic Freedom – Let’s Give Up On Academic Freedom in Favor of Justice.”

Its author, senior Sandra Y.L. Korn, a joint history of science and studies of women, gender and sexuality major, called for the end of academic freedom and in its place “a more rigorous standard: one of ‘academic justice.’”

“When an academic community observes research promoting or justifying oppression, it should ensure that this research does not continue,” she wrote. “The power to enforce academic justice comes from students, faculty, and workers organizing together to make our universities look as we want them to do.”'

Things are getting a little crazy on college campuses these days. The "rape culture" mantra has taken hold, and people are doing and saying ridiculous things in the name of helping victims.

We want to reduce rape and sexual assault, too. But we also want to make sure that the accused are considered "innocent until proven guilty."

Dartmouth College administrator Amanda Childress, speaking about alleged sex offenses on campus, said: "Why could we not expel a student based on an allegation?"

And Dartmouth is defending the comment!

A spokesman said, "[S]he was not suggesting policy, but was asking a question-a provocative one-meant to generate dialogue around complex issues for which answers are necessary to continue to strengthen and promote fair and equitable processes at all colleges and universities,"

It's time to end the hysteria. This is not the time or place to be provocative.

Please contact Dartmouth president Philip J. Hanlon. Demand that the president affirm Dartmouth's commitment to due process and the presumption of innocence:

Article here. Excerpt:

'Wellesley College in Massachusetts has become embroiled in controversy over a statue – an artistic rendition of a sleep-walking man clad in his underwear (shown on the right). Hundreds of frightened students have signed a petition demanding removal of the sculpture because they say it conjures up fears of sexual assault.
...
The Wellesley incident is one of many across the nation where accusations of “rape culture” are having the effect of stripping due process protections from the accused. In California, a bill has been introduced that would require both partners to affirmatively consent before having sex. One Dartmouth administrator went so far as to ask, “Why could we not expel a student based [solely] on an allegation?”

Here another female writer for Scientific American divulges her "scientific" proof that men are "inferior". Her conclusion? "While not forgoing the push for fairness and equality, it seems wise to accept the scientific reality of male weaknesses." Excerpt:

'We can, thankfully, remove one threat to the future existence of the human male from our worry list: The male Y chromosome, after dwindling from its original robust size over millions of years, apparently has halted its disappearing act.

But don’t start cheering yet. Contrary to cultural assumptions that boys are stronger and sturdier, basic biological weaknesses are built into the male of our species. These frailties leave them more vulnerable than girls to life’s hazards, including environmental pollutants such as insecticides, lead and plasticizers that target their brains or hormones. Several studies suggest that boys are harmed in some ways by these chemical exposures that girls are not. It’s man’s fate, so to speak.

Story here. Excerpt:

Ten days in jail—not prison, only jail—for engineering the wrongful murder conviction of an innocent man who languished in prison nearly 25 years is the state of Texas’ idea of justice. That was the sentence handed down on former Williamson County, Texas, district attorney Ken Anderson, who will also surrender his law license and perform 500 hours of community service to settle allegations that he hid favorable evidence from Michael Morton, who was convicted of killing his wife in 1987.

Article here. Excerpt:

'It was bound to happen sooner rather than later. MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski issued on Monday what might be the most full-throated attack on Hillary Clinton’s opponents yet over what she considered their appeals to misogyny and sexism.

Story here. Excerpt:

University of Kansas students are required to pay the semesterly $25 student fee to offset travel expenses for women’s and non-revenue sports. Students pay between $1.2 and $1.3 million annually to the athletic department fund through the current fee.

The Senate’s responsibility to help finance Title IX, a federal law, was a main question of senators. Tetwiler pointed to the Senate’s earlier decision to forgo funding a federally required accessibility ramp at Strong Hall. The Senate questioned if students should pay for the University to meet government standards.

“Our opinion is that that’s not a responsibility of student fees,” Tetwiler said.

The committee recommended two different options to a separate Student Senate Fee Review Committee: That the student fee be eliminated entirely, or that the fee be lowered from $25 a semester to $20.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A coalition of advocacy groups wants to make the next front in the “war on women” all about immigration reform.

The new strategy, unveiled Wednesday, is yet another tactic from pro-reform groups to pressure House Republicans to pass immigration reform this year — and punish them if they don’t. And the activists believe that focusing on the influence of female voters could crack the Capitol Hill stalemate on immigration reform.
...
The women’s strategy is threefold: A series of protests and fasts involving more than 5,000 women nationwide timed to International Women’s Day on March 8; mobilizing female voters to the polls in the midterm elections; and building a base of female activists among immigrant and nonimmigrant women alike.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'From hair and makeup to resumes, today military women got a great big help from the National Charity League.

"Sometimes translating those military skills to civilian can be a little confusing and we have all kinds of people here to help with that transition process," states Julie Ballard, President of the Hills of Austin Chapter, Charity League.

Local employers were on hand to help women transitioning out of the military hone in on their work skills.

Along with several businesses they received assistance on writing resumes and how to network in today's tech savvy world.

The women were also given hair and makeup tips and a chance to pick some new work wear.'