Congress is still being told by the domestic violence industry that the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) must be reauthorized this month.

Today, we're asking you to make one phone call, to House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner.

Call Speaker Boehner at 1-202-225-6205 and say, "VAWA must restore the presumption of innocence!"

Details: http://www.saveservices.org/camp/presumed-innocent/

Please take action!

Teri Stoddard, Program Director
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments
www.saveservices.org

Article here. Excerpt:

'Circumcision is one of Judaism's most important laws and for generations of faithful it has symbolized a biblical covenant with God.

But in Israel, more and more Jewish parents are saying no to the blade.

"It's such a taboo in Israel and in Judaism," said Gali, nursing her six-week-old son, about the decision not to have him circumcised.

"It's like coming out of the closet," she said, asking to be identified by her first name only because she had not told her relatives yet.

Nearly all baby boys in Israel are circumcised. Be their parents ultra-Orthodox or totally secular Jews, it is by far the most common choice. Most Israeli-Arabs also keep with a practice that is widespread in the Muslim world.

Jewish circumcisions are done when the baby is eight days old. The majority are performed by a mohel, a religious man trained in the procedure carried out in a festive religious ceremony called a "brit", Hebrew for covenant.

But an increasing minority fear it is a form of physical abuse.

Article here. Excerpt:

'WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the eve of the House Republican leadership elections, supporters of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers are attempting to shore up support for her bid for Republican conference chair by touting, among other qualities, her gender.

A Republican leadership aide said McMorris Rodgers has been reminding colleagues about "her achievements with women's outreach and new media, her conservative credentials, [and] her profile as a young woman" in a last-minute pitch before the leadership elections tomorrow.

McMorris Rodgers has received an unexpectedly vigorous and public challenge from Rep. Tom Price, even as some within the House Republican leadership have attempted to persuade Price to drop his bid.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'An attempted rape reported to have occurred on campus this September did not in fact happen, Cornell police announced Thursday. Police say there is “irrefutable evidence” that the allegations were false and they may pursue charges against the person who made the attempted rape report, Chief Kathy Zoner said.

On Sept. 27, a female reported to the Cornell University Police Department that a male assailant had grabbed her on the Trolley Bridge –– which connects Oak Avenue and the Engineering Quad –– and dragged her into the adjacent woods before attempting to rape her. The female told CUPD that there she struggled against her attacker before she was able to strike him in the face and flee from the scene.

But after an “exhaustive investigation,” CUPD says the attempted rape did not occur and that the case has been closed.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Recently, health officials in Tororo said women were discouraging their husbands from undergoing circumcision, fearing that they may take long to heal, thereby denying them sex. So, should a man seek his wife’s or fiancé’s consent before going for the ‘knife’?

According to Rita Zemeyi, a student at Kyambogo University, a man should not do anything without involving his wife.

“Circumcision is a sensitive issue. It is better if both partners talk about it. How can you be so selfish not to tell her?’’

Zemeyi argues that if a man does not consult his wife, it may ‘kill’ the trust in the relationship and even go a long way in determining whether the relationship lasts or not.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'After taking offense at Aamir Khan's* TV show Satyameva Jayate* (SMJ) for "projecting men in a bad light", several men's rights activists are now taking up cudgels against his film Talaash.

I don't do this too often, but I want to endorse a book entitled No More Mr. Nice Guy by Robert A. Glover. From the outset, be assured that I have never met the book's author or communicated with him in any way, nor do I have any kind of financial interest in its sales, directly or tangentially. I am simply recommending it since it does such a very good job of explaining "Nice Guy Syndrome", examples of which abound in today's world.

Story here. Excerpt:

'BARTOW, Fla. - A Central Florida mail carrier was arrested on attempted murder charges after she tried to poison her husband's tuna fish sandwich, according to deputies.

Beth Dickison Richards, 37, of Lake Wales, was arrested Friday on charges of attempted first-degree murder, poisoning food with the intent to kill, possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to Richards' home Thursday night in connection with a poisoning case. Deputies said they met with Richards' husband, Gregory Lawrence Richards, and her step-sister, Jessica Jarvis.

Jarvis said Beth Richards told her earlier in the day that she tried to poison and kill Gregory Richards by crushing up multiple Trazodone pills and placing them in a tuna fish sandwich.'

The quotation marks are from the original story headline. Link here. Excerpt:

'A US mother has been charged with child exploitation and child pornography possession after uploading a nude photo of her 14-year-old daughter to Facebook.

Police say Indiana woman Lynda Rusk, 50, used her daughter's phone to post the graphic photo.

Rusk denied any knowledge of the photo but police determined she was in possession of the phone when it was published on November 8, 2011.
...
Rusk was charged and released on bail on Thursday.'

Link here. Excerpt:

'Posted by Emmanuel Njeuhmeli, Senior Biomedical Prevention Advisor, Office of HIV/AIDS

On November 19, the first ever International Men’s Day was celebrated in over 60 countries around the world. It was an occasion to put the spotlight on men’s health, improving gender relations, and recognize positive male role models who make valuable contributions to family, community and society. This year, we recognize and celebrate the hundreds of thousands of men in East and Southern Africa who are stepping up for Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) to protect their own health and that of their families.

We also recognize the political, traditional and community leaders who are leading the charge in their countries and local communities. For many communities, male circumcision has cultural significance representing a rite of passage from childhood to manhood. Ministries of Health are working closely with traditional leaders to ensure that male circumcision is medically safe while still respecting the meaning of the tradition. In 2011, I participated in one such ceremony with the Changaani tribe at an “initiation camp” in a remote area of southern Zimbabwe where adolescent boys learn what it means to be a man. Despite the cultural challenges, the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) with support from PEPFAR and USAID, and in collaboration with traditional leaders, was able to provide these boys with safe male circumcision services.

Article here. Excerpt:

'A volunteer minor hockey coach in Stephenville has filed a complaint with the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission about how girls are given an unfair league advantage.

Brent Watkins said there are two minor hockey leagues in Stephenville — a mixed league and an all-female league — but girls that are skilled enough to play in the mixed league are also allowed to play in the girls’ league.

Watkins said that extra ice time is giving some girls an unfair advantage when competing for spots in the mixed league.

"A team is picked based on your skill level. [It] doesn't matter if you're a female or a male," he said.

"But if we allow more ice time for a female player then they have more advantages than a male player with skill development."'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Recently, the Detroit Jewish News wrote an informative article on parental alienation: Parental Alienation: Children suffer most from their parents’ inability to resolve conflict in a healthy way. It features one of our members, and another one of our members wrote a heart wrenching letter to the editor in response to the article. Neither chose to be identified. Both are concerned about the potential response of the custodial parent and their children and grandchildren.

During the holidays, parental alienation is particularly difficult for families to deal with. Many of you may relate to the letter one of our members wrote in response to the Detroit Jewish News article. It is a story Fathers and Families hears all too often. One that Fathers and Families wishes to end with shared parenting.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'We have received a small number of complaints about a fundraising advert currently running on public transport in London and the South East of England (below) that portrays a father as a perpetrator of child abuse.

Our advertising and awareness literature represents all kinds of abuse and all kinds of perpetrators of abuse - whether male or female, young or old - and we work hard to find the correct balance in our campaigns.

The advert above happened to talk about a man, but many others talk about women.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'The study, conducted by two female researchers at Sam Houston State University in Texas (and supported by the university’s Crime Victim’s Institute) looked at the impact that education levels and employment status differences play in domestic or intimate partner violence in heterosexual couples and found that dual-incomed households were more than twice as likely to .

Article here. Excerpt:

'Forty years ago, a landmark piece of legislation, commonly referred to as Title IX, was passed in the purpose of ending discrimination. That piece of legislation paved the way for women’s athletics not only in the collegiate and high school level, but for all wanting to compete in an equal society.

Title IX allowed my mother, at the age of 14, to participate in sports on equal grounds. She was no longer shunned because she was a woman. Instead, she was given the right to enjoy sports, a joy she would soon share with her son.

When I was five years old and just beginning my first year of T-ball, it was my mother who was my first coach. At the time, she was the only female coach in Soundview Little League in Northeast Tacoma. That accomplishment, and my love for sports, spawned from the implementation of Title IX.'