Article here. Excerpt:

'Genital integrity activists from across the country are demanding that lawmakers ban the practice of circumcising boys. Popularly known as “intactivists”, these children’s rights advocates submitted the Male Genital Mutilation (MGM) Bill proposal to more than 1,800 legislators this week in an effort to require gender neutrality in federal and state laws that regulate genital cutting.

As director of MGMbill.org’s Indiana state office in Indianapolis, Jeff Cowsert wants all boys to be able to grow up with their genitals left intact. “When I was eight years old, my religious friends told me about circumcision,” said Cowsert. “I was silently outraged, and for the remainder of my childhood I mourned the fact that I didn't have a complete body. I would not have chosen to be cut if given the choice, and I strongly feel that infant circumcision needs to be banned so that men can make their own choices about their own bodies when they are mature adults.”'

Have Domestic Violence Programs Delivered on Their Promises to Women? Our recent special report exposes the fact that the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has not only failed women, it puts them in more danger.

The shocking report reviews nearly 50 research studies and articles examining the effectiveness of restraining orders, mandatory arrest policies, and no-drop prosecution: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/VAWA-Has-It-Delivered-on-Its-Promises-to-Women.

We found that among other things, VAWA-funded programs:

• Are ineffective in reducing abuse
• Promote policies that place women at greater risk
• Ensnare women in a rigid criminal justice bureaucracy
• Can lead to the removal of children from their homes

Call your senators today. Ask them to read SAVE's special report. Then tell them to reform VAWA so it is no longer dangerous.

Story here. Notice how the word 'sexist' is in quotes, in spite of the fact that the practice is clearly so. Good to see that Chinese men are protesting. Excerpt:

'A Chinese bank’s offer to automatically transfer most of a husband’s income to his wife’s account has provoked fury, with some calling it “the most atrocious banking service against men in history.”
...
Traditionally women have taken charge of household finances in China, but as the country modernizes, attitudes have changed, especially among the young, and the advertisement set off a firestorm of controversy.
...
“The CMB service is far too atrocious – it is a boon for the ladies and a deadly blow for men. I remind you gentlemen that you should never let your better half go to CMB,” said a user with the handle “gossip girl in finance.”

Another wrote: “I can’t understand the bank – does it intend to disable all men in China or dismantle all Chinese families?”'

Article here. Excerpt:

'It’s no surprise that eBook use among kids is widening, but recent numbers from Scholastic’s biannual Kids & Family Reading Report are showing just how much difference two years have made.

The number of kids who are reading eBooks has nearly doubled since 2010, up from 25% to 46%, and half or children ages nine to 17 say they would read more books for fun if they had greater access to electronic books.

Boys, who typically demonstrate less motivation to read than girls, are particularly finding more inspiration in eBooks, as the study finds that 25% of boys who have read an eBook say that they are now reading more books for fun.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'An ex-Hoover High School teacher was sentenced Wednesday to six months in Fresno County Jail for having a prolonged sexual relationship with an underage student.

Megan Denman, 30, of Fresno also will serve three years on probation but will not have to register as a sex offender when she is released.

In October, Denman pleaded guilty in Fresno County Superior Court to three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and three counts of oral copulation with a minor. The boy was 16 and 17 during the 18-month relationship.

A doctor's report said Denman doesn't have a "predatory" or "exploitive" personality. It was a major reason Judge Ralph Nunez said he ruled against sex-offender registration.

There also were several letters attesting to Denman's positive influence as a teacher from students, families and others.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A former teacher from upstate New York who spent three years in prison for having an affair with a 14-year-old student skipped out on her parole and is now on the run from police, who fear that she may be involved without another child.

Buffalo police say convicted sex offender Cara Dickey, 34, removed her electronic ankle bracelet in violation of her parole condition and vanished Wednesday.
'We know that the electronic bracelet has been detached. She has not responded to attempts to reach her,' said Peter K. Cutler, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
...
The former South Buffalo Charter School educator was found guilty of rape in 2009 after admitting to carrying on a sexual relationship with one of her students and entering into a suicide pact with him, WIVB reported.'

Article here.

'Here's a story that can offer hope and gross you out at the same time. Researchers at Michigan State University, asked men about hand washing upon leaving the restroom. The men said they washed their hands 75 percent of the time.

The researchers next posted signs in men's restrooms that read "4 out of 5 Males Wash Their Hands," with pictures of students wearing Michigan State University hats. The signs included details about proper hand-washing.

According to Health Day News, the team then tracked hand-washing by restroom users and interviewed them after they left. With the signs in place, the men were more likely to wash their hands (86 percent of them did) and run the water longer compared to when the signs weren't there.

Perhaps the next step could be a sign telling men to put the seat down.'

Article here. World's oldest profession; knows no class or educational boundaries. Even in this age of boundless opportunities for women, we still see such things. What would Susan B. say if she were alive to see this?

I read once that the wives of senators in old Rome routinely prostituted themselves for extra money and/or to just plain have a little fun, until eventually this was outlawed, possibly because it led to far too much "Who da daddy?" and the attendant inheritence disputes. Nothing much changes, does it? Excerpt:

'Don't have parents to pay for college? More New York City co-eds are turning to rich "daddies" online.

Seekingarrangement.com, a site that helps broke "sugar babies" find wealthy, older men announced in a press release that more and more young women from New York University and Columbia University are signing up.I

When the company analyzed its data for 2012, it discovered the site was seeing the fastest growth from women attending these two universities.

Article here. Excerpt:

Last week David Willetts proposed that Universities should put working class white boys in the same bracket as other disadvantaged groups, claiming that the talent of white working class boys was being wasted due to underachievement and that Universities should provide more outreach to potential students.

The sad reality is that this is too little, too late for these boys. The real issue is not that Universities do not do enough to promote themselves, it is that our society fails these boys before they are even at an age to consider University.
...

This is not merely a ‘quick-fix’ problem; it is not an issue that can be solved by more white working class boys going to University, it is a deep embedded part of our society and whilst I agree whole-heartedly that better education would improve the problem of social mobility; better education does not necessarily mean more students at University.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Wilson College's board voted Sunday -- despite protests from many students and alumnae -- to become a fully coeducational institution.

Story here. Excerpt:

'WASHINGTON — Suicides in the U.S. military surged to a record 349 last year, far exceeding American combat deaths in Afghanistan, and some private experts are predicting the dark trend will grow worse this year.

The Pentagon has struggled to deal with the suicides, which Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and others have called an epidemic. The problem reflects severe strains on military personnel burdened with more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, complicated by anxiety over the prospect of being forced out of a shrinking force.

Pentagon figures obtained Monday by The Associated Press show that the 349 suicides among active-duty troops last year were up from 301 the year before and exceeded the Pentagon's own internal projection of 325. Statistics alone do not explain why troops take their own lives, and the Pentagon's military and civilian leaders have acknowledged that more needs to be done to understand the causes.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Senior administrators at the University of Toronto and the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) continue to debate the acceptable limits of free speech on campus in the aftermath of a lecture delivered in late November by Dr. Warren Farrell.

The lecture was marked by a sizable protest and heavy police presence, during which a group of protestors blocked the entrance to the lecture hall where Farrell was scheduled to speak.

“We have at the University of Toronto a wide range of contentious events, in which views are expressed that are offensive to some,” said Provost Cheryl Misak in a December 11 statement. “Our primary aim with respect to these events is to ensure that freedom of speech is protected, including the freedom to protest, as long as the law is respected.”

Article here. Excerpt:

'In an article for today’s Daily Telegraph, Steve Webb, the pensions minister, says that the “complicated and divisive” pension system must be reformed to “reflect modern working patterns and modern patterns of family life”.

From 2017, the basic state pension will be set at about £160 a week and the complicated system of means-tested “top-ups” will be scrapped. Women who take time out of the workplace to care for children or elderly relations will qualify automatically for the pension.

Mr Webb said the reforms will “particularly benefit many older women, whose time at home with children has damaged their state pension entitlements”.

Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said on Sunday night: “The single-tier pension will mean that more women can get a full state pension in their own right, and stop this shameful situation where they are let down by the system when it comes to retirement because they have taken time out to care for their family.”'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Wilson College's Board of Trustees voted on Sunday afternoon to begin accepting men to the college's traditional undergraduate program and to adopt a series of other recommendations aimed at broadening the liberal-arts institution's educational offerings, improving its facilities, and strengthening its position in the admissions market.

The decision to admit men came over the anguished protests of some alumnae and students, but with the support of others. The goal is to increase enrollment, now below 700, to about 1,500 by 2020. The college began the current academic year with 316 women in the traditional undergraduate program and 379 men and women in the adult-degree program.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'MK Zehava Gal-On of Meretz, which was recently described by one of its Knesset candidates as a "leftist-feminist" party, decided to pull advertisements attacking female MKs from Likud.

Advertisements against male rivals appear to be fine with her, however, according to a report in Maariv-NRG.

Last week, Meretz began running internet advertisements attacking Likud MKs Moshe Feiglin, Danny Danon, Tzipi Hotovely and Miri Regev, as well as Bayit Yehudi head Naftali Bennett. The ads target voters who may opt not to vote at all, warning them that doing so means allowing more MKs like these in the next Knesset.

However, according to the report, Galon has decided not to run the advertisements that feature MKs Regev and Hotovely, who are both women. "I decided to pull the Miri Regev ad out of gender considerations," Galon explained. "I am in favor of the campaign but I will not attack women who run for Knesset."'