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.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'The letter stated that in hearings for these cases, schools must adhere to a standard of "preponderance of evidence."

That means it is more likely than not that the accused committed the act. This is the lowest legal standard of evidence. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has been one of the most outspoken critics of the new mandate.

"This is too low of a standard," Will Creeley, the director of legal and public advocacy for FIRE, said. "This is the same standard used in hearings for speeding tickets."

The campus sexual harassment standards explained by the OCR letter are a part of Title IX, a U.S. law designed to ensure gender equality on campus. The letter reminded schools of their obligation to take immediate action against the harassment and address its effects.

Story here. Excerpt:

'FORT DODGE, Iowa – A woman forced a 20-year-old neighbor to write a diary framing her ex-husband in a murder-for-hire scheme and then killed him because she didn't think he could keep his role a secret, a prosecutor said Wednesday at her first-degree murder trial.

Prosecutor Douglas Hammerand told jurors in an opening statement that Tracey Richter invited Dustin Wehde to her home on Dec. 13, 2001 and forced him to create a diary claiming he had been hired by her first husband, John Pitman, to kill her and her 11-year-old son Bert.
...
The prosecutor said as part of the plan, Richter had Wehde, a loner who had spent time hanging out with her husband, back later that night and shot him nine times from two guns. Three shots that went through the back of Wehde's head would have been instantly fatal, he said.

Article here. Excerpt:

'LEBANON, Ohio -- Two female students testified Tuesday that a Mason teacher accused of having sex with five male students hatched her defense before she was ever found out.

Stacy Schuler faces 16 charges of sexual battery and three charges of providing alcohol to minors for a series of incidents that occurred between August and December 2010.
...
KD testified that she and Schuler confided in each other about everything, including the events that occurred between Schuler and two male students.

"She told me that something had happened with RS and EK (the two students). She said she was really drunk and she thought something happened with RS," KD testified.

KD said that Schuler was crying as she told her that she was afraid of losing everything if anyone found out what happened.

She also testified that Schuler told her she had already thought of her defense if anyone found out.

"She said that if anyone found out, she already had her defense, that she would claim she was insane," KD testified.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Historically, most colleges used a “clear and convincing” evidence standard in student and faculty discipline cases, to safeguard due process. As Nicholas Trott Long noted in 1985 in the Journal of College and University Law, “Courts, universities, and student defendants all seem to agree that the appropriate standard of proof in student disciplinary cases is one of ‘clear and convincing’ evidence.” (Long, The Standard of Proof in Student Disciplinary Cases, 12 J.C. & U.L. 71 (1985)).

Story here. Excerpt:

'Maria Topp, 44, from Wreckenton, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm at Newcastle Crown Court.

She bit Martin Douglas, her partner of five years, during a drunken brawl at his flat in February.

She was granted bail to be sentenced next month and Recorder Robin Mairs warned her: ''All options are open and that will include locking you up.''

Topp, a mother of four with a blonde bob, bit Mr Douglas's testicles off at his flat in Waterloo Street, Newcastle, during the early hours of February 18.

She cannot remember biting her partner, but can recall their fight, and the court accepted that violence had been used by both sides.

Caroline Goodwin, defending, told a previous hearing: "The defendant was on her back with the victim straddling her."

Mr Douglas was so traumatised by his injuries that emergency services staff struggled to understand him when he dialled 999. The 45-year-old DJ later required 19 stitches to his wound.'