FDIA aka Munchausen Syndrome

I have never heard of Factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA), also know as Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP), before. FDIA occurs when a caregiver creates the appearance of health problems in another person – typically their child. 

Interestingly more than 90% of cases of FDIA involve a person's mother. Why is not known. You could argue that mothers are more often the caregivers or that mothers are more often non-working than fathers. But I wonder how much if it involves false allegations in divorce proceedings. It is pretty common for a parent, especially a mother, to claim that a father's behavior or even presence adversely affects the child's mental health. 

Sorry to say but I have seen it first hand. My ex-wife tried to claim that the kids were scared of me which was quite ridiculous. The reality is they always had a much better relationship with me than their mother and in fact moved  in with me full times as quickly as they possibly could. 

Garry Kasparov On Democracy

Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov who left the Russia n 2013 due to his opposition to Vladimir Putin and later founded the Renew Democracy Initiative, sees striking similarities between the rise of Putin in Russia and Trump in the United States. Not in personalities as they are clearly different but in their determination to change their respective countries from democracies to oligarchies. 

"Look, it's - as you said, is America is a democracy, but democracy is not an insurance. Democracy, the way I see it, is more like an instrument that helps you to protect the constitutional order. Back to Russia, Putin's Russia, and, of course, Russian democracy was very feeble. It's no comparison to American institutions that are nearly 250 years old, I can recognize. You destroy the state control powers and you start privatizing them. Some people have power because of the proximity to power. That's a real danger. That's oligarchy. So that's why the Trump-Musk regime is trying to form a classical oligarchy where people who control wealth directly make decisions that concern millions and millions of American citizens, circumventing the other elected bodies."

Romantic Men

 Contrary to the stereotype, men are more romantic than women. 

Women are often viewed as more romantic than men, and romantic relationships are assumed to be more central to the lives of women than to those of men. Despite the prevalence of these beliefs, some recent research paints a different picture. Using principles and insights based on the interdisciplinary literature on mixed-gender relationships, we advance a set of four propositions relevant to differences between men and women and their romantic relationships. We propose that relative to women: (a) men expect to obtain greater benefits from relationship formation and thus strive more strongly for a romantic partner, (b) men benefit more from romantic relationship involvement in terms of their mental and physical health, (c) men are less likely to initiate breakups, and (d) men suffer more from relationship dissolution. We offer theoretical explanations based on differences between men and women in the availability of social networks that provide intimacy and emotional support. We discuss implications for friendships in general and friendships between men and women in particular.

No surprise to me. But then again I am hopelessly romantic. 

The New Marriage of Unequals

Along the lines of my post from two weeks ago on women and marriage, The Atlantic has an article on women marrying less educated men. 

Once upon a time, it was fairly common for highly educated men in the United States to marry less-educated women. But beginning in the mid-20th century, as more women started to attend college, marriages seemed to move in a more egalitarian direction, at least in one respect: A greater number of men and women started partnering up with their educational equals. That trend, however, appears to have stalled and even reversed in recent years. Gaps in educational experience among heterosexual couples are growing again. And this time? It’s women who are “marrying down.”

Researchers debate whether marriage between educational equals—homogamy—is on the decline. But one thing is clear: The phenomenon of women marrying men with less education than themselves, what academics call “hypogamy,” is on the rise. In fact, women are now more likely to marry a less-educated man than men are to marry a less-educated woman.

The reasons listed in the article are:

• Political divergence - men, especially young men are moving to the right whereas women are more to the left. 
• Love - women's increasing economic security allowing them to marry who they love rather that "a good catch". 
• Availability - Fewer educated men available per educated woman. 

I would add a fourth namely that gender segregation in work. Most plumbers, electricians, carpenters and other skilled trade positions are dominated by men. Such jobs do not require college degrees but are very well paid. 

Law Firms Caving In To Trump

Perhaps not surprisingly several large law firms who  worked for clients President Trump dislikes are caving in to Trump administration pressure and agreeing to $100 million "pro-bono" work for causes he supports. So much for legal ethics. 

I wonder if these firms are thinking at all about how they will be perceived in the future. Germany went through something similar in the early 1930s and firms which aligned with their authoritarian leader did not in the end do so well. Hopefully our country won't go quite so far down the authoritarian path but I suspect that is exactly what the Germans thought nearly a century ago. Time will tell. 

There is some hope however as several law firms are resisting. 

Are Women Giving Up On Marriage?

In a Wall Street Journal article, reporter Rachel Wolfe  explains why women are giving up on marriage. It is an interesting read but it appears to be an opinion piece with few relevant facts. Indeed, one of her key facts - that more men are going to college than women is false and was corrected from the original version.

What we're seeing is that young men are really struggling across a whole host of factors, and they are having a lot more trouble finding paying jobs than they once did. Women, on the other hand, are flourishing, they're just blazing ahead. And so what that means is that women no longer are financially dependent on men to do the things that they want to do in life, including buy houses and have kids. And so more of them are doing it alone. It makes economic sense that if they don't have to settle, they won't. Which is not to say that they don't ever want to get married and find a romantic partner, but it does mean that they don't have to accept something that doesn't meet their standards.

I don't totally disagree with her, but personally I think the main reason women are marrying less is increasing gender equality which allows women who do not have an interest in marrying to not be pressured by society into doing so. And if they want to have a kid on their own, they can manage it both biologically and financially. 

I do not think it is due to a lack of good men. That is a bit silly and sexist. I wonder what Ms. Wolfe's reaction would be to reading an article stating men are marrying less because there just aren't any good women around? 

Crazy Legal System

A recent lawsuit against HP relating to an HP firmware update which prevented their printers from using non-HP ink resulted in a victory for the three litigants. Each was awarded $5000. Their lawyers were awarded $750,000. The award to the lawyers is simply crazy. It clearly shows just how out of control our legal system is. I wish I knew what the true profit margin on the "attorneys’ fees and expenses" was. I'll bet it made up the vast amount although I imagine it was all rolled into the expenses. Just like I have seen in family court. 

Northern California Family Court Corruption

As is the case with most of the country, the family court system in northern California appears to riddled with crime and corruption. 

A 2022 report by California State Auditor Michael S. Tilden exposed widespread corruption within the California State Bar, citing undisclosed conflicts of interest, misappropriation of client funds, and improper handling of judicial complaints. While this report focused on attorneys, the abuses within California’s family courts extend far beyond, affecting countless parents and children trapped in a system designed to extract wealth rather than ensure justice.

Parents in Northern California have come forward with harrowing stories of judicial misconduct, including:

Judges who have been recused continue to issue orders retroactively.

• Children being permanently removed from a parent based on hearsay allegations, without evidence or due process.
• Fraudulent restraining orders issued to manipulate custody arrangements.
• Attorneys engage in abuse of process, coercion, blackmail, and suppression of exculpatory evidence.
• Repeated violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act in family court proceedings.
• Court-appointed minors’ counsels disregard the best interests of children while benefiting from prolonged litigation.
• Children being denied the right to testify, despite legal statutes protecting their ability to do so.
• Secret hearings (“Star Chambers”) that remove children from their parents without notice.
• Systemic bias favoring wealthier litigants who can afford to game the system.

A Great Lawyer Knows The Judge

I was in the elevator at one of my sister's apartment building when a guy came on wearing a sweatshirt with, "A Good Lawyer Knows The Law - A Great Lawyer Knows The Judge" printed on it.

When you think about it, this saying is one of the most cynical sayings about our legal system there is. 

It it is also very true.

Queen Bee Syndrome

I suspect most people think bullies in the workplace are exclusively male. It might be surprising then to learn that over two-thirds of women in the workforce say they have been bullied by other women at work. Such bullies are termed "Queen Bees". 

Labelled ‘Queen Bee Syndrome’, this kind of behaviour arises when women treat their female colleagues in a demoralising manner, either by undermining them or using their social stature to manipulate others into thinking less of them.

The study, which was written by London-based consultant Cecilia Harvey, founder and chair of global showcase platform Tech Women Today, describes Queen Bee Syndrome as the “biggest hindrance to women advancing in the workplace.”

Lifespan - Men vs. Woemn

In the U.S. men live to an average age of 76 whereas women live to an average of 81. Not doubt there are many factors involved in this but one is very likely the amount of stress put on men vs women. And given  alimony payers are 98+ percent men and women are much more likely to be awarded custody of the children in a divorce, it isn't hard to see where a lot of that stress comes from. 

From the linked article:

On the other hand, Griffith says, we know very little about how the economy, stress and other factors affect men's health. He says given men's shorter lifespans, we should be invested in finding out more about this.

RICO in Texas Family Courts

Today I bring you an interesting video on corruption in Texas family Court. It always amazes me just how widespread crime and corruption by the very people who are supposed to the good guys is.

Change.org Petitions

Change.org has a whole page of petitions on Family Courts Corruption.  

The corruption is real and it affects everyone. Men, women, children, and tax payers. Indeed corruption in the family courts system is like a cancer which spreads throughout the legal system and into society generally. The realization that crime does not only pay but pays handsomely is the impetus for much if not most criminal behavior. 

Divorce and Family Law Podcast

Attorney Jonathan Jacobs podcasts about divorce issues, especially in Florida, on Amazon. Note that Florida recently reformed its alimony laws so many of the topics are especially interesting to those who live in states where such reforms have not passed. Check it out. 

The Divorce and Family Law Podcast is brought to you by Jacobs Law Firm. Our divorce podcast is about Florida divorce and Florida family law and marital law all throughout the United States. We talk about relationships, alimony reform, modifications of final judgments, property distribution, equitable distribution, paternity, prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, paternity, father's rights, child support, and child custody. Learn from us and with us as the law continues to evolve. Topics of our family law podcast include Florida family matters, Florida case law, alimony reform, child support modification, child custody modifications, uncontested divorce in Florida, relocation with minor children, domestication, and more. Attorney Jonathan Jacobs of Jacobs Family Law Firm is a Clermont divorce attorney and Winter Park divorce attorney who loves to educate and teach.

Law Firm Advertising

If you think you have seen a lot of advertising for law firms, especially ones involved with litigation, you are correct.  

The nationwide survey shows that trial lawyers and aggregators spend enormous sums of money on television, radio and outdoor advertising to recruit new clients for lawsuits.

“These latest advertising numbers show that plaintiff’s attorneys aren’t slowing down in their relentless pursuit of their next payday,” said American Tort Reform Association President Tiger Joyce. “It is clear that trial lawyers continue to put profits ahead of vulnerable members of our society who are being misled by deceptive ads.”

In 2021, more than 15 million ads for legal services aired on local television broadcast networks in the 210 media markets across the U.S., totaling approximately $971.6 million spent. By comparison, pizza restaurants spent $67.4 million on a mere 845,000 ads while furniture retailers spent $589 million on 4.8 million ads aired on local television broadcast networks. Additionally, trial lawyer groups aired more than 71,000 ads on national cable television at an estimated cost of $97 million.

“Trial lawyer groups spend obscene amounts of money on advertising because they know it’s an effective way to needlessly scare consumers and encourage them to file lawsuits,” Joyce said. “However, these advertisements too often are intentionally misleading and can lead to devastating consequences.”

I recently counted six billboards in a row for personal injury lawyers. Think of the money which drives such ridiculous amounts of advertising. Sadly much of that money is generated via unethical actions and,  often, outright criminal violations. 

British Celtic Women Lived In A Matriarchy (or at least close to it)

For those who think patriarchy is "natural" comes evidence from ancient Briton where Celtic women seen to have lived in a matriarchy. At least in one place. I suspect they will find more. 

In Britain, during the Neolithic Period (characterized by the introduction of agriculture) and the Bronze Age, which dated from about 4000 to 800 BCE, prehistoric human societies tended to be patrilocal. That's "where women move," says Cassidy. "They leave their home upon marriage, and they go join the village, the community of their husbands."

This is why Cassidy and her colleagues were surprised to find remains of a Celtic tribe that lived during the Iron Age in Britain from around 100 BCE to 100 CE where it appeared, after studying their DNA, that women were at the center of their social network. The research is published in Nature.

The Nature study can be found here. 

Demographics

Not hugely related to this site but I did find this video on by demographer Jennifer Sciubba quite interesting:

Note at 17:00 where Sciubba mentions that one of the main reasons men's life expectancy is so much lower than women's is because dangerous jobs are done predominately by men. In an equal society this would no longer be the case. I wonder how many people understand, or even care, about this. 

Kanno Sugako

People often assume feminism is contemporary and western. Not so. As proof I give you Kanno Sugako. Sugako, born in 1881. was a Japanese feminist, anarchist, socialist, and (at times) pacifist. She was executed by the Japanese government for  high treason in 1911 at the age of 29. 

Kanno Sugako (管野 須賀子, June 7, 1881 – January 25, 1911), also known as Kanno Suga (管野 スガ), was a Japanese anarcha-feminist journalist. She was the author of a series of articles about gender oppression, and a defender of freedom and equal rights for men and women.

In 1910, she was accused of treason by the Japanese government for her alleged involvement in what became known as the High Treason Incident, aimed at the assassination of Emperor Meiji. Kanno was executed by hanging on January 25, 1911, at the age of 29. She was the first woman with the status of political prisoner to be executed in the history of modern Japan.

Specific to gender equality Sugako wrote:

"In these postwar years there are many tasks facing the nation in politics, economy, industry, education, and so on. But for us women the most urgent task is to develop our own self-awareness. In accordance with long-standing customs, we have seen as a form of material property. Women in Japan are in a state of slavery. Japan has become an advanced, civilized nation, but we women are still denied our freedom by an invisible iron fence. There are women who take pride in their apparel, who are content to eat good food, and who regard going to the theater as the highest form of pleasure. We could ignore for the time being these pitiful women with slavish sentiments and hapless plights, women who give no thought to anything but their own self-interest. But women with some education and some degree of social knowledge must surely be discontented and angry about their status ..."