Article here. Excerpt:

'Male representatives on the Sormland County Council in Sweden should sit rather than stand while urinating in office restrooms, according to a motion advanced by the local Left Party.

Known as a socialist and feminist organization, the party claims that seated urination is more hygienic for men -- the practice decreases the likelihood of puddles and other unwanted residue forming in the stall -- in addition to being better for a man's health by more effectively emptying one's bladder, The Local reported.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Society puts great importance on the male genitalia. But at birth, the penis faces its first true test: to circumcise or not to circumcise. For generations, the question was a no-brainer because most fathers want their sons to “look like them.” At the peak of its practice in the 1970s, an estimated 80 percent of American parents circumcised their newborn sons, removing what would be nearly four inches in adult foreskin and 20,000 nerve endings.

Like the man in the video, Eddy, 38, is also restoring. He said he suffered from a “growing lack of sensitivity” after being “modified” as a child. ... The men who opt to restore do so because, like women who were circumcised, they didn’t have a choice and feel their bodies have been altered for the worse.

Press release here. Excerpt:

'WASHINGTON, June 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following the release of Brian Banks after 5 years in jail on a false rape conviction, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is calling on the media to report rape allegations in a responsible and ethical manner. Media accounts of alleged rape cases often highlight the accusation but fail to report exonerations in the same manner, SAVE says.

Brian Banks was a 16-year-old football star with a full scholarship to the University of Southern California when he was accused of rape by Wanetta Gibson. Fearing a life sentence, Banks agreed to a plea bargain, even though there was no medical evidence or witnesses to support her claim.

Banks spent over five years in jail. In the meantime, Gibson received a $750,000 settlement from the school for not defending her from the alleged assault. Recently Gibson admitted during a taped interview that her accusation was fabricated. On May 24, 2012, Banks was exonerated.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'In an interview with Norwegian daily newspaper Dagbladet published today, a representative of Norway's Center Party has argued that circumcising a newborn boy for religious reasons should be made illegal.

Citing how circumcising a girl is already prohibited, justice policy spokeswoman Jenny Klinge and the Center Party — a junior member in Norway's coalition government — reportedly believe it is time to extend this law to include males.

Her comments have already caused quite a stir in Norway and abroad with doctors and politicians coming forward to express their disapproval or support for Klinge's comments.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'ST. PETERSBURG -- Danielle Harkins told the kids they needed to rid their bodies of demons as the group gathered before dusk Saturday around a small fire near the St. Petersburg Pier. They should cut their skin to let the evil spirits out, police said she told the children. Then, they needed to burn the wounds to ensure that those spirits would not return.
...
Harkins, 35, a literacy teacher at Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center, was booked in jail Tuesday morning on child abuse charges in connection with the bizarre ritual. She was held in jail Tuesday night on $55,000 bail.

Police said the ritual was attended by seven teenagers, all of Asian ethnic background, whom Harkins had taught a few years ago in her job at the center. At least two were injured, police said.
...

Records show that Harkins was the defendant in a sexual violence injunction that was dismissed in January. In August, she filed a domestic violence injunction against her husband, which was also dismissed.

Article here. Excerpt:

'When it comes to the impact of a father's love versus that of a mother, results from more than 500 studies suggest that while children and adults often experience more or less the same level of acceptance or rejection from each parent, the influence of one parent's rejection -- oftentimes the father's -- can be much greater than the other's. A 13-nation team of psychologists working on the International Father Acceptance Rejection Project has developed at least one explanation for this difference: that children and young adults are likely to pay more attention to whichever parent they perceive to have higher interpersonal power or prestige. So if a child perceives her father as having higher prestige, he may be more influential in her life than the child's mother. Work is ongoing to better understand this potential relationship.

Article here. Excerpt:

'HANDIGARH: The Mewat district in Haryana, where Muslims are in majority and which is also one of the most backward areas of the state, has witnessed a surge in false cases of rapes and molestation, allegedly for settling personal scores.

According to Mewat superintendent of police, Pankaj Nain, police have so far cancelled 32 false FIRs of rape in the last five years while investigations into 19 other cases were presently on. In most cancelled cases, the complainants were Muslim women, he said.

"The cases which have been cancelled by us so far included those registered by vested interests, who wanted to settle scores with their rivals. In some cases, the complainant did not join investigations after registration of case or turned hostile at the time of recording of statements by judicial magistrate," said Nain.

"However, as provided under law, we have started taking action against such complainants, who are misleading police to settle personal scores," he added.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A young woman was seriously emotionally unstable when she falsely claimed she had been raped, counsel for 20-year-old Sarah Louise Jenkins, unemployed, told the Dunedin District Court yesterday.
...
Mr Miller acknowledged the complaint had been "disturbing". But although it caused difficulties for the young man, it was "at the low end". The defendant was truly sorry for what she had done. She was having ongoing counselling and was stable at present, Mr Miller said.

Judge Michael Crosbie told Jenkins the victim had gone through "a very bad situation" as a result of the false allegation. He had liked her, although he knew she had "issues".

Then it seemed her friends became involved and made threats against him. Although angry and upset about what happened, the victim had since "moved on", the judge said.'

Article here.

'Left Party members of a Swedish county council said they want to encourage men using the council's toilets to sit during urination.

The Left Party in Sormland said it wants the Sormland County Council to pass a motion requiring toilets reserved for stand-up urination to be labeled, Swedish news agency TT reported Monday.

The party said sit-down urination is more hygienic and reduces the risk of bathroom users having to negotiate their way around puddles en route to the toilet.

The supporters of the motion said sitting during urination also has medical benefits, including reducing the risk of prostate problems and leading to a healthier and longer sex life.

Viggo Hansen, a substitute member of the council and author of the motion, said he wants it to eventually lead to sitting-only bathrooms.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'All women of childbearing age could benefit from being routinely screened for intimate partner violence, a government-appointed panel of experts said today.

Whether or not women have any signs or symptoms of abuse, they would be screened under the proposed recommendation released today by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

An estimated 1.3 to 5.3 million women yearly experience violence at the hands of their partners, though these numbers are likely underestimates, because such violence often goes unreported, according to research cited by the panel.

If a screening test revealed a woman to be the victim of intimate partner violence, she should be referred for an intervention, according to the draft.

Brian Banks was a 16-year-old star high school football player when he was falsely accused of rape by a female acquaintance. Ten years later, after spending over five years in prison, he was recently exonerated.

Banks now looks forward to playing for the Seattle Seahawks...and telling his story. Planning on producing a documentary, he writes, "I hope my story can serve as a catalyst for change."

Using kickstarter, Banks needs to raise $40,000 by June 28. He has received $11,369 as of this writing. Banks: "I am asking from the deepest part of my heart, will you help me? I will not be able to do this without you."

With reference to this petition, MANN admins received the following:

'Hey, everyone. Thanks for signing. We reached our goal of 500 signatures and then some thanks to you.

Unfortunately, Silverthorne Clinic is not responding so, I'm asking you to send them an email (info-at-highcountryhealth.com), write them a letter (265 Tanglewood Lane Ste E-1, Silverthorne, CO 80498), or call them (970.468.1003) to let them know that you want them to stop performing infant circumcision. Thank you for your continued support.'

Remember, please be polite and avoid any nastiness regardless of how you contact them. Just let them know you are aware of the effort to petition them to stop performing routine neonatal circumcisions, that you support it, and you want them to stop doing it. That's all.

Article here. Excerpt:

'The United Nations is increasingly concerned at the spread in Europe of "baby boxes" where infants can be secretly abandoned by parents, warning that the practice "contravenes the right of the child to be known and cared for by his or her parents", the Guardian has learned.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which reports on how well governments respect and protect children's human rights, is alarmed at the prevalence of the hatches – usually outside a hospital – which allow unwanted newborns to be left in boxes with an alarm or bell to summon a carer.
...
"There is growing evidence that it is frequently men or relatives abandoning the child, raising questions about the mother's whereabouts and whether she has consented to giving up her baby," he said. "You also have to ask whether an anonymous drop allows the authorities to check whether there's a chance for the baby to remain with its family in the care of other relatives."'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Delaying fatherhood may offer survival advantages, say US scientists who have found children with older fathers and grandfathers appear to be "genetically programmed" to live longer.

The genetic make-up of sperm changes as a man ages and develops DNA code that favours a longer life - a trait he then passes to his children.

The team found the link after analysing the DNA of 1,779 young adults.
...
Experts have known for some time that lifespan is linked to the length of structures known as telomeres that sit at the end of the chromosomes that house our genetic code, DNA. Generally, a shorter telomere length means a shorter life expectancy.

Like the plastic tips on shoelaces, telomeres protect chromosomal ends from damage. But in most cells, they shorten with age until the cells are no longer able to replicate.

However, scientist have discovered that in sperm, telomeres lengthen with age.

And since men pass on their DNA to their children via sperm, these long telomeres can be inherited by the next generation.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Police chief David Ainsworth, under investigation for alleged sexism, including commenting on a female colleague’s “nice buttons”, was found hanged after convincing himself his force was “gunning for him”, an inquest was told.

Mr Ainsworth, 49, the deputy chief constable of Wiltshire, was removed from his duties after up to 24 allegations emerged against him from female colleagues.

The officer, who earned £110,000 a year, was accused of looking at one woman in a tailored blouse and commenting: “Nice buttons.”

He feared he would lose everything and was found hanged at his cottage in Potterne, Wilts, in March last year. Jo Howes, his girlfriend, told the inquest yesterday of a conversation less than a month before his death.

“David was very distressed and outlined why he thought he had nothing left to live for,” she said. “He thought his employer was gunning for him and he did not know why.