Article here. Excerpt:

'Between new billboards and new public speakers, it's becoming more clear that the next wave of the anti-choice war is to recruit men to talk their partners out of abortions.
...

“…[T]his study adds new depth to our understanding of this neglected population. The recurring meaning of abortion for the men in this study was that of profound loss and a common reaction to that loss was anger. The men experienced significant, multiple losses related to relationships with their partners, their masculine identify, their self of self-esteem or self-worth, and fatherhood. For some men, the abortion raised issues related to disappointment in their own fathers as well as to perceptions of themselves as fathers. For all of the men, abortion entailed a much more complex loss than has generally been recognized.”

Article here. Excerpt:

'Am I implying the “dumb dad” shtick and other negative stereotypes don’t exists? Not at all. However, pointing to the demigod-like fathers of the 50’s as the gold standard for pop culture paternity is a poor argument for demanding a modern reboot. In a sense, these depictions of infallible fathers were the least realistic of them all. Furthermore, to say that TV dads have only declined since is a faulty assumption too because for every bad dad shown over the ensuing decades, a good one can be found to counter it. Even today, for every Tony Soprano and Peter Griffin, there’s a Don Draper and Homer Simpson (Gasp! That’s right, Draper and Simpson. Ask me why in LA.)

Article here. Excerpt:

'CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) - There is the public perception that women sexual offenders seem to get more sympathy than if the sexual offender is a man.

Attorney Lisa Wells says the Stacey Schuler case is a prime example.

"There is a bias in this case and it is of course based on gender. If we were talking about a male teacher here it'd be that he needs to go to prison and for a very long time," said Wells.

Stacey Schuler faced up to 18 years in prison, but only got four years and could be out in as little as six months.

"If we were talking about female victims there would be all kinds of backlash about it, but since these are male athletic students who are generally assumed to be popular, who have good GPAs and are going to college, we look at her and say they weren't that scarred so there's definitely bias in her favor." said Wells.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'… It takes an almost monumental amount of effort to help my son secure a place in his life where he can just be boy. I realize that as I single mother I can not replace the absence of his father and fatherly influences so I don’t even try.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Absentee fathers are driving high levels of addition, anti-social behaviour and crime, a new report has revealed. Children growing up in fatherless families are turning to self-harm as well as criminal activity, fuelled by their sense of abandonment and lack of self-esteem.
...
Many of the youngsters interviewed for the Dad and Me report, which was commissioned by charity Addaction, said they had sought affirmation and affection from gang membership and turned to drugs to numb the pain.

The fatherless young people were found to be almost 70 per cent more likely to take drugs and 76 per cent more likely to turn to crime.

The report says: ‘Young people are struggling to find a sense of purpose within their families, schools, and community , and believe that peers provide them with what they need.

It's totally taboo even to mention it, but by the way, did you notice this earth is getting pretty crowded? We just hit 7 Billion, with a B. Why is world population out of control? Why can't we talk about this topic in polite company? Is it because having babies is considered a sacred right of all women, no matter what the consequences on the rest of the world? Is it verboten to even mention the topic because it would in some way put women at a disadvantage? Is it verboten because it would mean that individual women would have to act more responsibly? Have we once again allowed women to be selfish, and in the process damaged a wide variety of others (including animals, plants, etc.)? Is this not the de facto credo of feminism -- giving every woman a right to be selfish, no matter what the consequences on others?

Press release here. Excerpt:

'Washington, DC/October 27, 2011 – Senator Patrick Leahy’s proposed Violence Against Women Act reauthorization would trample upon the due process rights of college students, according to Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE). The bill would make into law the Department of Education’s recently issued guidelines that reduce the standard of proof in sexual assault cases to the controversial “preponderance of evidence” level.

That unusually low standard requires only that 50.01 percent of the evidence be in favor of an assault having happened. SAVE previously requested the Department of Education to rescind its guidelines, which were issued without prior notice or opportunity for public comment: http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/OCRLetter.pdf.

Via email:

Fathers and Families joined with Jane Doe Inc., The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence this week in a joint letter to protest an advertisement from the luxury shoes, clothing, and bags company Jimmy Choo Ltd. The ad, which depicts a woman stepping on a man's head as he lies prone on the floor, appears on their website, in print ads, and in many of their storefronts. We explained:

'Unwittingly, your ad both trivializes domestic violence and makes it appear that partner abuse is acceptable. The man in the photo appears to be in fear and possibly in pain or even dead, and the woman pictured seems to be about to put her full weight on the man’s skull.'

Yesterday we asked our members to call Jimmy Choo Ltd to protest. Your response has been overwhelming, and we're pleased to report that Jimmy Choo Ltd has now agreed to remove the offensive ad from all of their stores, all print media, and their website. They emphasize that they did not mean to offend, and they apologize.

We commend Jimmy Choo Ltd for understanding our concerns and acting so quickly.

Story here. Excerpt:

'UNION, S.C. (AP) — Union police say a 53-year-old woman has been arrested after she attacked her nephew because he used her toilet paper.

Authorities said they were called to a home Tuesday night by a 27-year-old man who said his aunt threw an ash tray at him that missed, then punched him in the face and pulled his hair.

The man told officers that Linda Johnson was angry because he used the toilet paper she bought.

Police say Johnson was sitting on the porch at the home and told officers she was ready to be taken to jail.

Johnson was charged with assault and battery. It wasn’t clear if she had an attorney.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Last spring, I told you that Jenna Lyons, J. Crew’s president and creative director, wasn’t just having a little, harmless fun with her son Beckett when she published a photograph of herself painting his toenails hot pink in a J. Crew catalogue—a catalogue distributed to millions of people.

The quote accompanying the image of Beckett read, “Lucky for me, I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon.”

I said Lyons was making a cultural statement about masculinity no longer being important to boys—that she was, essentially, uncomfortable with his gender.

Article here. More whining about how unfair life is to female leaders. Don't know how to break it to these women but it's just the way life is once you leave the kitchen. Even God isn't liked by everyone. Excerpt:

'"A woman who shows emotion in the workplace is often cast as too fragile or unstable to lead,” Bock said. “A woman who shows no emotion and keeps it hyper-professional is icy and unfeminine. For many women, it can be a no-win situation.”'

Kinda reminds me of what is often said about men. If they're too emotional, they're weak. If they clam up, they're told they need to show their emotions. It's often a no-win situation for men. What a coincidence.

Sen. Patrick Leahy is currently circulating a draft of the Violence Against Women Act: http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/VAWA-2011-Draft.pdf. Even though SAVE representatives met with Sen. Leahy's staff over the last 2 years, the draft VAWA totally, completely, 100% misses the mark. These are the reasons why the draft bill is Dead on Arrival:

• Nothing to make sure real victims get priority - see summary: http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/Fatally-Flawed.pdf
• Zero attention to false allegations.
• Nothing to rein in DV lies.
• Nada to address mandatory arrest.
• No attempt to make VAWA gender-neutral

Worse, the bill will take the Dept. of Education's directive on sexual assault on campus and turn the "preponderance of evidence" standard into statutory law.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Bobby Montoya is a 7-year-old boy from Denver. Unlike a lot of young boys, Bobby has no desire to join the Boy Scouts. Instead, he wants to be a Girl Scout.

We first saw Montoya's story over at 9news.com. The NBC affiliate reports that when the boy's mother, Felisha Archuleta, tried to sign her son up for Girl Scouts, a troop leader told her no.
...
We placed a call to Rachelle Trujillo, vice president of communications at Girl Scouts of Colorado, for further clarification. She replied with this statement: "Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization, and we accept all girls in kindergarten through 12th grade as members. If a child lives life as a girl and the family brings the child to us to participate in Girl Scouts, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her. Girl Scouts of Colorado respects the privacy of all girls and families we work with. When a family requests membership for their daughter, we do not require proof of gender, we respect the decisions of families."

Alert here. Excerpt:

'Fathers and Families has joined with Jane Doe Inc., The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence in a joint letter to protest an advertisement from the luxury shoes, clothing, and bags company Jimmy Choo Ltd. The ad appears both on their website and in many of their storefronts. We explained:

Unwittingly, your ad both trivializes domestic violence and makes it appear that partner abuse is acceptable. The man in the photo appears to be in fear and possibly in pain or even dead, and the woman pictured seems to be about to put her full weight on the man’s skull.

We suggest you call Jimmy Choo Ltd CEO Joshua Schulman and Chief Creative Officer Tamara Mellon and let them know that the ad is offensive and should be removed. They can be reached in their New York office at (212) 319-1111.'

---
Ed note: The image in the ad can be seen here.

Story here. Excerpt:

'NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (Associated Press) — Four children were removed from what authorities described as a filthy Nebraska trailer home where a 3-year-old boy and his 5-year-old brother were kept in a wire dog kennel, police said Tuesday.

North Platte officers went to the home late Monday after receiving a call from someone asking that police check on the welfare of the children living there, police Lt. Rich Hoaglund said. When officers went inside, they were met with the stench of urine and found trash and animal feces throughout the home, Hoaglund said.

An officer soon found two boys, ages 3 and 5, in a 30-by-42-inch wire dog kennel.

"They had a small child's mattress in there, and that's where both kids were sleeping," Hoaglund said. "The gate on that door was wired shut."

The children's mother, 22-year-old Ashly Clark, told officers she put her boys in the kennel at night to keep them from climbing out of the trailer through a window, Hoaglund said.'