Andy Srougi Challenges DV Figures

Aggrieved Father Challenges DV Figures

The Gazette: Monday, October 23, 2006

Andy Srougi isn't afraid to make people angry.

Last year, he climbed to the top of the Jacques Cartier Bridge during rush hour to draw attention to fathers' rights.

Yesterday, in Montreal outside a hotel where an international conference on violence against women was being held, he called on "Nazi" feminist groups to give back the millions of dollars they get to run shelters. He claims they are empty most of the time.

"We know that there is violence against women around the world. The problem is that in Quebec the problem is bigger against men than it is against women, and they don't want to believe it," said Srougi, 39, who is locked in a bitter custody battle to regain his 4-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son.

A member of Fathers 4 Justice, Srougi challenged statistics from women's groups claiming 34 per cent of women in Quebec have been sexually abused.

"If that were true, it would mean that there were about 1.5 million women who are sexually abused and there would be 1.5 million sexual predators on the street. It's impossible. It means that we would have a police car at every corner."

Instead, he said, "these lies are being perpetrated to get the $620 million that the government gives the feminist movement. They aren't interested in the well-being of women. They are interested in manipulating things so they get more money.

"All we are asking for is to take a real look at the figures. Don't believe us? Go to the Quebec statistics institute and look at the real figures that show that Quebec has one of the lowest rates of violence against women.

''Why lie to everybody? All you are doing is taking away from the real victims, the women who are victims of violence.

"I was a victim of my ex, who was violent against me. Because I am 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, I didn't feel a thing. But psychologically, it still had an impact on me. Now, I'm not going to go out there and tell everybody that there are millions of fathers who are beaten up, because it will discredit everybody who has really been beaten. So why do the same thing on the other side? For money. That's the only reason."

He said that if the governor- general really wants to work toward equality between men and women, "she needs to expose the truth and show that there is a small group of radical feminists that we call Nazi feminists who are not interested in the truth."

.......................

MONTREAL -- Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean was confronted Sunday by a group of fathers claiming unfair treatment by the justice system in their custody battles.

A handful of demonstrators were protesting outside a conference on violence against women and stopped Jean as she left after giving a speech.

Daniel Laforest, spokesman for the group Fathers For Justice, argued that violence against men by their spouses is also an issue that needs to be addressed and wanted to give Jean a book of statistics illustrating his point.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand children have been prevented from living with their fathers," he called out to Jean. "It's serious.

"I have studies here that say violence against men is also serious -- different, yet as serious as it is against women but no one is listening."

The Governor General listened politely as she stood on the other side of her limousine by its open door. A contingent of RCMP and Montreal police formed an additional barrier between her and the demonstrators and did not let Laforest near her.

When Laforest finished talking, Jean thanked him, got into the car and left.

Jean earlier addressed about 400 people attending the opening of the conference Violence Against Women: Diversifying Social Responses.

Before becoming Governor General in September 2005, Jean had been active in the movement against domestic violence and helped establish a network of shelters for battered women in Quebec.

She pointed out that her family fled an oppressive regime in Haiti when she was a child to find freedom in Canada.

I have made it my mission to defend this freedom vigilantly," she said in her speech. "To me, denying more than half of the world's population the most basic human rights, including the right to live in security, is the most flagrant form of subjugation and one of the worst scandals of our time.

However, she noted that some have said the institution of the Governor General is archaic and "I would do well to act as little more than a figurehead. I wonder, would the same be said of a man in this position?"

Jean said it hasn't stopped her from being an activist.

"Let there be no doubt that since becoming Governor General a little over a year ago, I have only strengthened my resolve and have made it a priority to fight violence against women."

Jean said that her travels across Canada have shown her that same resolve is evident in others.

"From what I have seen, I can tell you that not only are Canadians everywhere speaking out and identifying the problems, but there are solutions coming out of every corner of this country."

But while she would like to see an international discussion on the issue, Jean also recognized that there are still hurdles to overcome on the front lines.

"Resources are tight, the problems complex, exhaustion ever present, and yet you remain as determined as ever."

She said Canada has a vital role to play in stopping violence against women.

"Women have always understood how precious life is," she said. "Women have always endeavoured to pacify the tensions that grip certain regions of the world, just as they have chosen to build strong communities rather than embrace the `every man for himself' attitude.

"To attack the dignity of women is to fly in the face of life itself, to make a mockery of humanity."

Some Interesting Articles (4)

Super Woman To Rule Uzbekistan The glamorous eldest daughter of the dictatorial president of Uzbekistan is being tipped as his most likely successor.

Clinton's Failed Extravaganza When America's liberal elite were offered the chance to pay up to $500,000 each (about £260,000) to attend Bill Clinton's 60th birthday extravaganza tonight - with the added promise of a private Rolling Stones concert - a packed house was expected.

Russian Wives To Monitor Men's Drinking "Wives' Control Committees" will be the most effective method of deciding how dependent men are on the bottle.

Women Bullied At Work Record numbers of women are being bullied at work by male bosses who see them as a threat, research has revealed.

It shows the devastating consequences for the women who feel destroyed by the bullying and harassment that they experience at work.

They become depressed and anxious by the constant abuse, and gradually lose their confidence about their ability to do their job.

Many quit their jobs to escape the bulllying and make up an excuse for their departure, and never tell anybody about the real reason.

Mother Spared Jail For Baby Death A mother who started a fire in which her four-month-old son died has been spared jail at Newcastle Crown Court.

Danielle Wails, 22, had claimed she was tied up by intruders who set the fire at her Newcastle home.

Women To Be Paid For Work Not Done Two women police officers were yesterday handed the right to extra bonus payments for working at night - even though they only work day shifts.

Gerontophile Sought A DNA trail has brought detectives to the Caribbean where they hope to trace the family of a man who has molested many old women; a well-spoken man who may be a doctor.

Paul McCartney's Nightmare Continues

Yep; just as predicted by my good self more than three years ago, Paul McCartney was making one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

Sir Paul McCartney today reacted furiously to claims by his estranged wife that he attacked her during their stormy four-year marriage.

Heather Mills, 38, accuses him of being domineering, abusive and frequently drunk or high on drugs.

link

Here is a brief summary of her life before meeting McCartney, printed about 3 years ago ...
Paul McCartney has instructed his lawyers to look into a British documentary due to be broadcast overnight that depicts his wife, Heather Mills, as "a calculating gold-digger with a murky past", the Daily Mail has reported.

Printing a discreet picture of Mills from her days as a glamour model alongside one taken at her 1989 wedding to Alfie Karmal, the newspaper said the Channel 4 documentary portrayed Mills as "a lying fantasist who had long planned to ensnare a rich husband".

The paper said Sir Paul, 60, now on tour in Europe, had declined to comment, but it understood he had instructed lawyers to speak to Channel 4, an independent broadcaster, and that he was "infuriated".

On Tuesday, the Sun tabloid newspaper printed pictures it said depicted Mills, aged 18, baring her breasts at her first glamour modelling assignment.

The pictures, to be shown in the documentary, were apparently taken by Karmal.

In the film, Karmal says he was puzzled by his wife's frequent disappearances and at how she had once turned up in a new sports car.

Ros Ashley, described by the Mail as a "former pleasure wife" for rich Arabs, says in the documentary that she introduced Mills, then aged 18, to a number of wealthy Lebanese businessmen.

"Heather's ambition was to meet a wealthy man - whether Arab, English, Spanish, whatever would give her wealth and status," Ashley says.

Karmal's sister, Donna says: "She's very destructive. She's like a praying mantis when it comes to men."

And Mills's stepfather, Charles Stapley, says she lives in "a confused fantasy world", suggesting her claims to have slept rough in London were exaggerated.

....


And, in my view, some 5% of women are like this.

Furthermore, western governments actually provide women like this with every encouragement, incentive and opportunity to wreck the lives of many, many thousands of men and children every year.

Gender Wage Gap Myth - Australia

Herald Sun
Bettina Arndt

EVERY few years the Australian Bureau of Statistics releases data about the gender wage gap.

And every time the Labor Party announces the sky is falling in.

The fact that men earn more than women is presented as proof that the country is going backward under Howard.

The white picket fence is rising up to capture us all.

Everyone who participates in this farce knows full well that these wage-gap statistics are meaningless.

So, what if the average woman in Australia earns $300 less per week than the average man.

That statistic fails to take in account the hours worked. In fact, the average Australian Joe Blow works almost twice as many hours as the average Jenny Blow, according to data HILDA, the Household Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia survey.

Since he's putting in twice as many hours, I hope Joe Blow would earn far more.

Not only does he work far longer hours, he's also far more likely to take on hazardous jobs such as mining, construction, trucking, he's more likely to be willing to move overseas, or to an undesirable location on demand and has trained for more technical jobs with less people contact.

In fact, the wage gap hasn't much to do with discrimination, or conservative governments trying to keep women in their place.

Differences in the way men and women behave in the workplace largely determine how much they earn.

Women are more likely to balance income with a desire for safety, fulfilment, flexibility and proximity to home.

These lifestyle advantages lead to more people competing for jobs and thus lower pay.
Wage gaps tend to disappear when women put in the same hours and have the same experience, training and work history as men.

In Australia, similarly trained men and women under 30 show similar earnings. It is only in the older age groups that wage gaps start to widen, according to Mark Woden at the Melbourne Institute.

Yet men and women still tend not to have the same training.

A London School of Economics study of more than 10,000 British graduates found the men started off earning 12 per cent more than the women.

The reason? Most of the women had majored in the social sciences, while many men chose engineering, maths and computing.

While more than half the women said their primary interest was a socially useful job, men were twice as likely to mention salary.

SIMILAR patterns emerge here. Graduate women in Australia, who move into traditional male professions, often start off earning more than men.

For instance, the average starting salary for female geologists in Australia is $60,000 compared to $52,000 for men.

When women go into potentially high-earning careers, many end up earning far less than their male colleagues because of the way they structure their working lives.

Look at female doctors. To get into medicine, these women were as ambitious and hard-working as any of their male colleagues.

But a few years down the track it's a different story.

Current figures show a female GP works in her paid job only 63 per cent of the hours put in by a male, although clearly many face a second shift at home.

Women are making choices. Yes, these choices are constrained by their family responsibilities. That's the reason they work those shorter hours and seek the lower paid, but more flexible work closer to home.

Australian women still choose to take time out when their children are young, then return to part-time work. They miss out on financial rewards but are more content.

The latest HILDA survey clearly shows women working part-time are more satisfied than full-time working women.

The part-timers are far happier with their work-life balance and just as satisfied with their jobs as the full-timers.

In fact, more than half the women working full-time want to work fewer hours while just over a third of the part-timers want to work more.

Yes, there are still glass ceilings, pockets of discrimination, but the major reason men earn more than women is the trade-offs women choose to make.

So, the next time Anne Summers bleats about wage gaps, you'll know she's trying to pull the wool over your eyes. Wage gap talk is a con job.

Girlfriends Fleecing Troops Overseas

Girlfriends fleecing troops overseas
By Edmund Burke
October 15, 2006 12:00am
Article from: Sunday Territorian (Australia)

TERRITORY-based troops are returning from war zones to discover they've been fleeced by gold-digging wives and girlfriends.

A News Ltd investigation has revealed some soldiers have had up to $50,000 taken from joint bank accounts by greedy partners.

The problem has become so widespread the Defence Department now gives departing troops advice on how to protect their cash while they are overseas.

"It is out of control. You will not meet a single soldier who doesn't know someone this has happened to," one Iraq veteran said.

"It is terrible for morale because no matter how much you trust your partner ... that fear is lurking in the back of your mind. You don't want to be watching your back in some desert and worrying about what's going on back home."

A military instructor said civilian experts were brought in to warn troops of the risks.

He said he knew of at least five soldiers fleeced by their partners in the past three years.

"It's a real problem for the younger guys because they can be a bit naive where women are concerned," he said. "They might be with someone for a few months and are moved up to somewhere like Darwin and the girl comes with them.

"The next thing you know they are going overseas and sending money home to their partner. The partner feels stranded, then she sees all this money coming in and she cuts her losses and runs."

An army private can make about $2000 a week during a tour of duty in deadly war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. During a six-month deployment in a war zone, a private can make more than $50,000 tax free.

A Queensland veteran said he was three months into a six-month tour of East Timor when he returned home on a relief visit in 2001 - only to discover his partner of four years had taken $18,000 and his furniture.

"I spoke to an army solicitor and he said if I stayed to fight it I could maybe miss out on the next three months' pay and end up with nothing," the former soldier, 26, said.

...

Have Your SayLatest Comments:

All soldiers are given financial advice prior to any deployment overseas. Unfortunately some do not listen or doing anything with the information and some whole heartedly trust their spouse. I witnessed several spouses spending up large while their partners were serving overseas, but obviouly could not do anything about it except to inform the pardre, who also couldn't do anything. Any soldier who may be going overseas on deployment in the future should learn from this and allow the same income into joint accounts and the rest into another single account if they slightly suspect their spouse is not good when it comes to lack of being able to save or their relationship is not "rock solid".Posted by: Army Wife of Wagga Wagga 11:34am today

Why should the soldiers be protected from gold diggers when everyone else isn't? All separtaion laws should be changed when not envoling children. Posted by: Cameron of Rosebud 10:43am today

As private investigator, many clients from the defence forces, had wanted advise on how to retrieve their cash, from their partners, ran sacked , and cheated on, nothing new i told them, its also going on with civil life partnering, the onus is on you, the system alows ran sacking.Posted by: NICK KOUSSIDIS of BELMORE 10:34am today

that happened to a bloke I served in the navy with. We came back from an Asian deployment and he was $30,000 poorer thanks to his gold digger.
Posted by: pete 9:22am today