This man is taking one small step for dads, one giant leap for mankind. His name is Mirko Fischer and he was recently subjected to a British Airways POLICY in which all men are assumed to be sexual predators. According to BA, men can not be seated next to children who aren't related to them. He was flying BA slated for an aisle seat and his pregnant wife was in the window seat. A child they were not related to -but who's parents were also on the plane- was seated between them. An flight attendant noticed this and asked Mr. Fischer to move. He objected. After a bit of loudness and threats from the attendant, Mr. Fischer eventually moved.

However, he is now suing the airline and has made the following arguments: "A plane is a public place  -  cabin crew regularly walk down the aisles and passengers are sat so close to each other. The risk of any abuse is virtually zero.

"Furthermore statistically children are far more likely to be abused by a member of their family. Does that mean that BA are going to ban children sitting next to their own parents?"

This is yet another example of bias against men and fathers. This is why we have such a difficult time becoming teachers, social workers, or daycare providers. This is why men are eyed with suspicion when taking their own children to the park. This is why only "choosy Moms" choose Jif. Dads are viewed by much of corporate America as second-class parents and perverts. We hope more of them hear the points Mr. Fischer made.

If you would like to send British Airways your opinion, please contact:

UK:
British Airways Customer Relations (S506)
PO Box 5619
Sudbury
Suffolk
CO10 2PG

US:
British Airways Customer Relations USA
PO Box 690098
East Elmhurst,
NY 11369-0098
Email Customer Relations

Source article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1243625/Businessman-Mirko-Fischer-sues-British-Airwars-treating-men-like-perverts.html

Update (Jan. 27, 2010): Edwards infidelity has now fractured his family. According to her sister, John and Elizabeth have split. None of his children will have a cohesive set of parents. Way to go Senator.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/27/edwards.split/index.html?hpt=T2

Original blog post: It seems almost decades ago that Sen. John Edwards was the golden boy of politics. He had the charm, positive message, and squeeky clean image that nearly propelled him to the White House. He even tugged at the heart strings by "helping" his wife Elizabeth as she courageously battled breast cancer.

But, that was oh so long ago. Now we have just another example of power leading to corruption. It seems he was unable to be the morally sound, religiously humbled, and emotional bulwark he wanted us to believe. He had an affair with a married staff member while his wife was being treated for cancer, he tried to bribe her husband to keep it quiet, and he denied the child he created.

Millions of men around the world fight to prove their paternity of a child on a daily basis. They want to step up and not only be a father and take on that mantle of responsibility, but be recognized for such a noble role. Courts, spouses, and the media throw obstacles in their way that are nearly unimaginable to those who have not experienced the system. They are denied a basic yet critical role of fatherhood. Despite all of that, John Edwards, a man who has drafted legislation which impacts family court proceedings and funding, had the nerve to stand before the world and deny his role, his obligation, and the child herself. Sen. Edwards uttered this phrase about the war while campaigning, "I was wrong to vote for this war. Unfortunately, I'll have to live with that forever. And the lesson I learned from it is to put more faith in my own judgment." Respectfully Senator, your judgment remained flawed long after the decision to invade.

Via released press statement, he has admitted today -nearly three years after her conception- that he is indeed the father. "It was wrong for me ever to deny she was my daughter and hopefully one day, when she understands, she will forgive me". To deny paternity can be extremely confusing and disappointing to a child. It brings a barrage of questions about self worth, importance within the family, external perception, and a need to prove something. She can now wonder why her father chose politics and popular opinion over her. He chose his career and "other" family over her. He was proud enough to claim paternity of his children with Elizabeth, but not her. The psychological impact can be astounding. Is someone ever able to understand that?

Unfortunately for the little baby now trapped amidst the poor decisions of adults, her mother seems to be of little moral help. Rielle Hunter was a married women who carried out an affair with a married man and, like Sen. Edwards, wasn't intelligent enough to prevent a pregnancy. Their juvenile thinking produced...well...a juvenile!

The media will do nothing to help anyone in this situation. They will continue to exacerbate the drama with little concern for its real and long-term impact. They will punish and humiliate Sen. Edwards far more harshly than Ms. Hunter. (Another example of an anti-male and anti-dad bias.) And worst of all, they will haunt the young girl who is innocent in all of this and ensure a far distance from anything resembling a normal and healthy childhood.

Finally accepting responsibility is a positive step from Sen. Edwards and we hope he continues to have many more and makes every effort to be a strong male role model for his newest child.

Source article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/21/edwards.baby/index.html?hpt=T2

Graco Children's Products announces recall of approximately 1.5 million strollers.

CNN article: http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/20/news/companies/Graco_stroller_recall/index.htm?hpt=T2
Consumer Product Safety Commission announcement: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10115.html

Recalled items: Graco Passage™, Alano™ and Spree™ Strollers and Travel Systems

The recalled strollers were sold at Babies "R" Us, Toys "R" Us, Kmart, Sears, Target, Walmart and other retailers nationwide from October 2004 and December 2009.

This is a great moment between a Father and son. The writer does an excellent job of describing how hard the senior Chamberlain worked for his children and the beautiful moment when a newly crowned champion of baseball cut through the cameras and reporters to hug and cry with his dear old Dad.

Take a moment to feel good, share the happiness between a Father and son, and read this article. (Thanks to Meg Colburn for letting us know about it.)

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/World-Series-moment-Joba-Chamberlain-and-his-da?urn=mlb,200353

According to a new offer from Disney, they will allow anyone who purchased a Baby Einstein DVD between June 5, 2004 and Sept. 4, 2009 a refund of $15.99. But all you parents out there, don't be fooled with the prospect of easy money back. You have to go into a store, look a minimum-wage earning teenage cashier in the eye, admit your child is still stupid and your IQ isn't much higher because you believe everything you read. Now do you still want that $15.99?

At some point we need to reverse the course of our social stupidity and return to a level of intelligence that still incorporates a modicum of common sense. There are competing arguments that Disney did or did not do this as a result of an FTC claim in which it was shown that "screen media" does not educate infants. Are you serious? I thought MTV and Hollywood were responsible for every act of child violence in America. I thought Janet Jackson and Bill Clinton exposed unprepared children to a realm of sex and deviance never before seen in human history. Didn't Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne cause the Columbine school shooting? Oh wait. I suppose not. Screen media doesn't educate infants.

So here's how this scenario plays out... Daddy Dan wants his child to be a genius. He sees a Baby Einstein DVD that makes a marketing claim to educate children. Daddy Dan thinks, "hmmm, must be true. Its in print." He buys the full 26-DVD collection for a billion dollars (Disney isn't known for thrifty prices). A month later, his kids have watched every DVD but haven't quite split the atom or cured prostate cancer. Daddy Dan is furious, throws them (the DVDs, not the kids) into a box, marches back to the Disney Store and says, "I was lied to! I'm still a moron and so are my kids! I want my money back."

Some folks got more money than sense.

Reference article from Brandweek: http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/retail-restaurants/e3i5d92320f49c835bcaac95e8f2cb9a156?imw=Y