Article here. Excerpt:

Article here. Excerpt:

'Mention the words “child support” on Twitter, and you’re likely to set off a bitter discussion. Men complain about a system that unfairly enriches women at the expense of men, while women complain about a system that fails to serve their needs as single mothers. Recently, Salon reprinted an essay by Anna March that attempted to make the feminist case that mandatory child support laws – which March termed “forced fatherhood” – are inherently unfair to men.

From an USAID mailing-list email:

'Beginning on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25) and ending on International Human Rights Day (December 10), USAID joins the global community in observance of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence.

The U.S. Government has increased awareness of gender-based violence and made the prevention and response to it a priority in foreign policy and development assistance programming. In August 2012, USAID joined other government agencies to launch the first-ever U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally [PDF, 1.8MB]. President Obama signed an accompanying Executive Order, which directed all relevant agencies to implement the strategy and created an interagency working group.

Story here. Excerpt:

'An organization advocating against circumcision of baby boys targeted a Queens doctor in its latest demonstration.

A group of about 18 protesters marched in front of the Forest Hills Gardens home of Dr. Susan Blank and along Union Turnpike, according to Anthony Losquadro, founder and executive director of the Brooklyn-based Intaction.

Blank is chairwoman of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Task Force on Circumcision, which last year updated its policy on the procedure to say that research indicates it is associated with some health benefits.

Intaction, which argues that circumcision is akin to female genital mutilation, wants the AAP to retract the policy. They believe the decision of whether to be circumcised should be left up to men when they are adults.

He said anti-circumcision activists have sent thousands of letters and e-mails to the academy, but have received no response, so they took the next step by protesting.'

From a NPO email:

A member of Congress has introduced a bill called the International Violence Against Women Act that would provide foreign aid for domestic violence programs only for women abused by men. It would ignore and marginalize men abused by women as well as LGBT victims. We have started a new petition calling on members of Congress to vote against the bill and hope you'll take a moment to sign it.

Thank you for your support.

Article here. Excerpt:

''It may seem foolish to be optimistic on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The World Health Organisation affirms that one in three women will experience violence from a male partner. A recent UN study in a half-dozen Asian countries finds that one in four men have raped.

Our optimism stems from an extraordinary change across the globe: more and more men are finally joining women to say all forms of violence against women must end. Even more critically, men around the world are saying we must play a key role in creating a future without violence against women.

Article here. Excerpt:

'When I joined the U.S. military in January 2011, a family member asked me: “Aren’t you worried about being raped?” And she wasn’t the only one. Many people cautioned me that I would be entering an institution synonymous with machismo, authoritarianism, and violence.

What I found instead was very different: professionalism, respect, and a strong presence of women in the highest ranks. I also found the most transparent, aggressive, and in-your-face Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) program I had ever witnessed.
...
So even if the preponderance of evidence fails to support a conviction for rape or sexual assault, an accused soldier may still be discharged from the military and punished for a related offense like failure to obey an order (92), cruelty toward and maltreatment of a subordinate (93), unbecoming conduct (133), fraternization (134), or providing alcohol to a minor (134).

If service members fail to obtain justice through the regular process, which is largely at the discretion of their Commanding Officers (COs), there already is a way for them to circumvent the CO and file a complaint of wrongs against the CO under UCMJ Article 138.

That is why I have been surprised to hear U.S. Senators imply that service members currently have no recourse outside their CO and that a new, parallel organizational structure is needed.

Story here. "White Knight" taken to an extreme. Excerpt:

'A woman jumped from the third deck at the O. co Coliseum after Sunday's Oakland Raiders game, injuring herself and a man who tried to catch her, an Alameda County sheriff's office spokesman said.

The woman went into section 301, an area that is closed off to the public, and moved to jump off the edge around 4:30 p.m., just after the game's end, Sgt. J.D. Nelson said.

People on the second deck concourse level below tried to persuade her not to jump, Nelson said.

"She jumped anyhow, and one guy tried to catch her," Nelson said.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A West Country woman lied to the police that a friend raped her - then spread gossip through his small town that left him and his family facing death threats.

Single mother of two Ashleigh Loder, 25, was convicted of perverting the course of justice, a crime which carries a sentence of up to seven years, for falsely accusing Fran Syvret.

But misandrist Judge Phillip Wassall, nicknamed ‘Blubber’ because of his weight, and the fact that he was who was once mocked publicly after crying during a court case in Truro , gave her just six months – of which she is likely to serve half.

Victim Fran found himself facing ruin, and suffered victimisation from gullible locals, when Loder lied he raped her.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Will fourth time be the charm for a piece of legislation seeking to eradicate violence against the estimated one-third of women suffering from abuse worldwide?

Article here. Excerpt:

'In 2002, of the 151,550 Australian students who graduated from university, 56 per cent were women. By 2012, graduation numbers had increased to nearly 195,000, of whom 60 per cent were female, a ratio likely to be higher again this year.

Article here. Excerpt:

'A Texas actress accused of mailing ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors, according to federal court documents.

Shannon Guess Richardson, 36, whose acting career included minor television roles, had attempted to blame her husband for sending the letters in May that tested positive for the presence of ricin, according to prosecutors.

Notice of the plea deal was filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Richardson's attorney, Tonda Curry, could not be immediately reached to detail the terms of the plea agreement.

Richardson was arrested in June and a federal grand jury accused her in a three-count indictment of mailing the letters to Obama, Bloomberg and Mark Glaze, the director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group founded by Bloomberg that lobbies for stricter gun laws.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Female Marines will now have more time to prepare for the pullup requirement to pass the Physical Fitness Test.

The Corps announced Friday that Phase 1 of the change requiring female Marines to complete pullups as part of the Physical Fitness Test, in which women were given the option of doing pullups or the flexed-arm hang, “will continue into calendar year 2014.” Service officials want to further evaluate and validate the assumption that pullups are an appropriate metric for assessing upper-body strength in all Marines, said Lt. Col. Neil Murphy, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon.
...
Murphy said the Corps wants to ensure that female Marines are set up for success in combat and overall fitness. The assessments it’s conducting are a collaborative effort between Headquarters, Training and Education Command, Marine Corps Recruiting Command, and Manpower and Reserve Affairs, he added.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'One thing feminists cannot complain about with a straight face is a lack of respectful public attention for women’s issues. Last week the prestigious Munk Debates mounted an event around “the end of men.” Four well-known women writers debated the resolution, “Be it resolved that men are obsolete.”

Article here. Excerpt:

'Wrestling dollars from consumers is the main purpose of advertising. And now, during Christmas gift-buying season, this is more apparent than ever. Some ads are brilliant. Others stretch the limits of good taste.

In 2005, clothing designer Marithé Francois Girbaud created a billboard that played off Leonardo da Vinci's iconic Christian-inspired painting The Last Supper. The ad featured a female Jesus Christ, female diners and a lone half-naked man with his underwear and the top of his buttocks showing. The company received almost immediate backlash against the ad from those who questioned what jeans had to do with the twisted religious imagery portrayed.

The company's primary defence was that women can only achieve equality with men if they sacrifice their femininity. The ad was meant to create a new perception of femininity by "presenting men, instead of women, in a position of fragility."
...
It's disappointing to still see the continual and objectionable sexualization of women in ads, but it's equally disappointing to see the frequent and distasteful dummyfication (yes, I made up that word) of men. Men are too often portrayed as sexual predators, crude blockheads or complete buffoons easily manipulated and incapable of doing anything without the assistance of their female partners. And the masses seem to think this is OK.
...
What this suggests is that it's not women who are coming up with these male-bashing ads. It's the men themselves, possibly in an attempt to cash in on a perceived increase in women's buying power by, to use Girbaud's words, "presenting men in a position of fragility."