Iran reformists dance in streets for new president

Supporters of the Iranian presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani, shown in poster at center, attend a celebration gathering in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 15, 2013. Moderate cleric Hasan Rowhani was declared the winner of Iran's presidential vote on Saturday after gaining support among many reform-minded Iranians looking to claw back a bit of ground after years of crackdowns. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Supporters of the Iranian presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani, shown in poster at center, attend a celebration gathering in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 15, 2013. Moderate cleric Hasan Rowhani was declared the winner of Iran's presidential vote on Saturday after gaining support among many reform-minded Iranians looking to claw back a bit of ground after years of crackdowns. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A female supporter of Iranian presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani, flashes a victory sign as she holds his poster during a celebration gathering in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 15, 2013. Moderate cleric Hasan Rowhani was declared the winner of Iran's presidential vote on Saturday after gaining support among many reform-minded Iranians looking to claw back a bit of ground after years of crackdowns. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Pedestrians watch and wave to supporters of Iranian presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani, as they attend a celebration gathering in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 15, 2013. Moderate cleric Hasan Rowhani was declared the winner of Iran's presidential vote on Saturday after gaining support among many reform-minded Iranians looking to claw back a bit of ground after years of crackdowns. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Passengers in a public bus flash victory signs in a reaction of supporters of the Iranian presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani, as they attend a celebration gathering, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 15, 2013. Moderate cleric Hasan Rowhani was declared the winner of Iran's presidential vote on Saturday after gaining support among many reform-minded Iranians looking to claw back a bit of ground after years of crackdowns. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A female supporter of Iranian presidential candidate Hasan Rowhani flashes a victory sign as she holds his poster during a celebration gathering in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 15, 2013. Moderate cleric Hasan Rowhani was declared the winner of Iran's presidential vote on Saturday after gaining support among many reform-minded Iranians looking to claw back a bit of ground after years of crackdowns. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Wild celebrations broke out on Tehran streets that were battlefields four years ago as reformist-backed Hasan Rowhani capped a stunning surge to claim Iran's presidency on Saturday, throwing open the political order after relentless crackdowns by hard-liners to consolidate and safeguard their grip on power.

"Long live Rowhani," tens of thousands of jubilant supporters chanted as security officials made no attempt to rein in crowds ? joyous and even a bit bewildered by the scope of his victory with more than three times the votes of his nearest rival.

In his first statement after the results were announced, Rowhani said that "a new opportunity has been created ... for those who truly respect democracy, interaction and free dialogue."

But in Iran, even landslides at the ballot box do not equate to policymaking influence.

All key decisions ? including nuclear efforts, defense and foreign affairs ? remain solidly in the hands of the ruling clerics and their powerful protectors, the Revolutionary Guard. What Rowhani's victory does is reopen space for moderate and liberal voices that have been largely muzzled in reprisal for massive protests and clashes in 2009 over claims the vote was rigged to deny reformists the presidency.

Rowhani's supporters also viewed the election as a rebuke of uncompromising policies that have left the Islamic Republic increasingly isolated and under biting sanctions from the West over Tehran's nuclear program. The 64-year-old Rowhani is hardly a radical ? having served in governments and in the highly sensitive role of nuclear negotiator ? but he has taken a strong stance against the combative international policies of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others.

"I've never been an extremist," Rowhani said on state TV shortly after the official results were announced. "I support moderation."

"I thank God that once again rationality and moderation has shined on Iran," he continued. "This is the victory of wisdom, a victory of moderation and a victory of commitment over extremism."

His emphasis on outreach could sharply lower the political temperature between Iran and the West ? including Israel ? and perhaps nudge the ruling establishment toward more flexible approaches in possible renewed nuclear talks with the U.S. and world powers. Rowhani also has added leverage with his political godfather and ally, former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was blocked from the ballot but now can exert significant influence from the wings.

Alireza Nader, a senior policy analyst at the Rand Corp. who follows Iranian affairs, described Rowhani as a de facto hero for reformists who couldn't support any of the other five candidates on the ballot.

"It remains to be seen how much room will be given to Rowhani by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard," he cautioned.

But clearly for Iran's leadership, the resounding strength of Rowhani's victory underscores the resilience and reach of the opposition that coalesced four years ago around the now-crushed Green Movement.

In the divided country, it also may provide a bit of buffer. The outcome could ease some of the opposition anger and be used by the ruling clerics to try to bolster their image and legitimacy.

"They counted my vote, they counted my vote," some supporters sang in reference to the protest slogan of four years ago: "Where is my vote?"

On social media, many supported quickly posted images mixing the Green Movement colors with the signature purple of Rowhani's campaign with the boast: "We won!"

Some cried: "Ahmadinejad, bye bye."

Others chanted slogans not heard openly on Iran's streets for years: calling for the release of political prisoners including Green Movement leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and opposition figure Mahdi Karroubi, both candidates in 2009 and both under house arrest.

"It's the spring of freedom, too bad Neda isn't here," some yelled in memory of Neda Agha Soltan, a young woman fatally shot during the 2009 unrest and whose dying moments ? posted on the Web ? became an enduring symbol of the bloodshed.

Just a week ago, Rowhani ? the only cleric in the race ? seemed greatly overshadowed by candidates with much deeper ties to the ruling theocracy and Revolutionary Guard, including hard-line nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. Many reformists, demoralized by Rafsanjani's rejection by election overseers, planned to boycott.

But Rowhani gained momentum: first with endorsements from Rafsanjani and another moderate-minded former president Mohammad Khatami. Then artists, activist and opposition leaders joined. In the span of a few days, Rowhani was drawing huge crowds and the race ? once seen as firmly in the control of the ruling system ? was suddenly transformed.

The size of the groundswell even appeared to put Iran's election authorities off balance. Partial results were released in a slow drip over the day even as Rowhani's supporters both basked in the lead and nursed lingering fears from the alleged vote-rigging in 2009.

In the end, Rowhani narrowly cleared the margin that would have forced a two-candidate runoff. The Interior Ministry said Rowhani took 50.7 percent of the more than 36 million votes cast, well ahead of Qalibaf with about 16.5 percent. Jalili ? who said he was "100 percent" against detente with Iran's foes ? came in third with 11.3 percent, followed by conservative Mohsen Rezaei with 10.6 percent.

Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said the turnout was 72.7 percent, suggesting that liberals and others abandoned a planned boycott as the election was transformed into a showdown across the Islamic Republic's political divide. Iran has more than 50 million eligible voters.

"After weeks of speaking and hearing, it's time to work," Khamenei said on state TV, which gave no mention of street celebrations.

The White House congratulated Iranian voters for "their courage in making their voices heard" despite clampdowns that included severe restrictions on the Internet, a key tool of Iran's opposition. Washington urged Tehran's leadership to "heed the will of the Iranian people and make responsible choices," while noting the U.S. remained open for direct dialogue with Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Rowhani now has the opportunity to keep his promises to the Iranian people "to restore and expand freedoms for all Iranians."

The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement with a reminder that Khamenei and his inner circle control Iran's nuclear program and "Iran will continue to be judged by its actions, in the nuclear sphere as well as on the issue of terror."

Israel has led accusations that Iran could secretly be trying to develop an atomic weapon, and has warned a military option is possible if negotiations with world powers go nowhere. Israel also strongly condemns Tehran for its backing of anti-Israel Islamic militant groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Iranian officials, including Rowhani, insist the country's nuclear efforts are only for energy and medical purposes.

While the nuclear issues are ultimately under the wide powers of the ruling clerics, one of the top duties of Iran's president is guiding the economy.

This could quickly become a huge burden for Rowhani's government with new U.S. sanctions set to take effect July 1 ? about six weeks before he officially takes over.

Western sanctions have shrunk vital oil sales and left the country isolated from international banking systems. The new American measures will further target Iran's currency, the rial, which has lost half its foreign exchange value in the past year, driving prices of food and consumer goods sharply higher.

The election result gave an immediate boost in a rare show of optimism. Tehran's stock exchange index rose 2 percent while the rial strengthened 9 percent against the U.S. dollar.

The street celebrations also put an emphatic stamp on the end of Ahmadinejad's eight-year era.

He leaves office weakened and humbled after attempts to encroach on the powers of Khamenei and the ruling clerics. He has been quiet on his future, but options remain open to start a political movement and seek a comeback in the future.

"Rowhani who has won the trust of the majority of the nation," Ahmadinejad said in a message that appeared to hint about his own political troubles. "I hope ... the opportunity will be provided, more than before, to serve and work for justice and the development of the country."

___

Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Aron Heller in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-15-Iran-Election/id-daab66d7905048f19681dcb29b1216a5

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Dramatic loss in snowfall for Los Angeles-area mountains predicted

June 14, 2013 ? By midcentury, snowfall on Los Angeles-area mountains will be 30 to 40 percent less than it was at the end of the 20th century, according to a UCLA study released today and led by UCLA climate expert Alex Hall.

The projected snow loss, a result of climate change, could get even worse by the end of the 21st century, depending on how the world reacts. Sustained action to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions could keep annual average snowfall levels steady after mid-century, but if emissions continue unabated, the study predicts that snowfall in Southern California mountains will be two-thirds less by the year 2100 than it was in the years leading up to 2000.

"Climate change has become inevitable, and we're going to lose a substantial amount of snow by midcentury," said Hall, a professor in UCLA's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. "But our choices matter. By the end of the century, there will be stark differences in how much snowfall remains, depending on whether we begin to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions."

"This science is clear and compelling: Los Angeles must begin today to prepare for climate change," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "We invested in this study and created the AdaptLA framework to craft innovative solutions and preserve our quality of life for the next generation of Angelenos."

Less snowfall in general and a complete loss of snow at some lower elevations doesn't just have implications for snow enthusiasts who enjoy skiing and sledding in the local mountains; it also could mean sizeable economic losses for snow-dependent businesses and communities. Less snow could also mean changes in the seasonal timing of local water resources, greater difficulty controlling floods, and damage to mountain and river ecosystems.

The impact to actual snow on the ground may be even greater because the researchers quantified snowfall but not snow melt, said Hall, whose previous research found the region will warm 4 to 5 degrees by midcentury. By then, researchers estimate, the snowpack could melt an average of 16 days sooner than it did in 2000. "We won't reach the 32-degree threshold for snow as often, so a greater percentage of precipitation will fall as rain instead of snow, particularly at lower elevations," Hall said. "Increased flooding is possible from the more frequent rains, and springtime runoff from melting snowpack will happen sooner."

"As a California resident, I spend my winters snowboarding in mountains throughout our amazing state," said Jeremy Jones, founder of Protect Our Winters, an environmental nonprofit composed of winter sports enthusiasts. "It breaks my heart to see America's great natural resources harmed by climate change. We must, immediately, begin to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There is no choice."

The UCLA study, "Mid- and End-of-Century Snowfall in the Los Angeles Region," is the most detailed research yet examining how climate change will affect snowfall in the Southern California mountains. The report was produced by UCLA with funding from the city of Los Angeles, and in partnership with the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.

The study examined snowfall in the San Gabriel Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, San Emigdio/Tehachapi Mountains and San Jacinto Mountains. The research team scaled down low-resolution global climate models to create high-resolution models with data specific to towns such as Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear, Wrightwood and Idyllwild. Hall's team included UCLA researchers Fengpeng Sun and Scott Capps, graduate student Daniel Walton and research associate Katharine Davis Reich.

The researchers used baseline snowfall amounts from 1981 to 2000 and predicted snow amounts for midcentury (2041 to 2060) and the end of the century (2081 to 2100) under a "business as usual" scenario, in which greenhouse gas emissions increase unchecked, and a "mitigation" scenario, in which the world significantly reduces emissions. By the end of the century, the contrast between the scenarios would be dramatic. In the mitigation scenario, midcentury snow levels would be 31 percent lower than baseline, but would remain relatively steady at only 33 percent below baseline by the end of the century.

In the business-as-usual scenario, 42 percent of the snow is expected to disappear by mid-century before dwindling dramatically to a 67 percent loss of snow by the end of the century.

"The mountains won't receive nearly as much snow as they used to, and the snow they do get will not last as long," Hall said.

The snowfall study is the second part of UCLA's ongoing research project, "Climate Change in the Los Angeles Region." Through the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability, the city of Los Angeles obtained a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to study and share climate research, with $484,166 for UCLA's climate-change studies. Additional funding came from the National Science Foundation. Future studies will cover other elements of climate change including precipitation, Santa Ana winds, soil moisture and streamflow.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/ubwy6bpnVuc/130614125649.htm

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Microsoft got more than 6,000 U.S. data requests in second half 2012

Bill Cosby does not suffer foolish parents gladly. In a recent interview with ABC News, the legendary comic, actor, writer and educator mused on the parenting philosophy behind his seminal television program, ?The Cosby Show.? Drawn from his own life experiences, the show allowed Cosby to correct something he saw and disliked in popular culture: [...]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-got-more-6-000-u-data-requests-031755897.html

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Officials: NSA programs broke plots in 20 nations (The Arizona Republic)

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2 die as Philippine ferry sinks, but 54 rescued

MANILA, Philippines (AP) ? Two people died early Friday after their ferry sank in Philippine waters, but 54 passengers and crew were saved when rescuers pulled them to safety.

The ferry was going from Albay province in the center of the Philippines to the nearby province of Masbate when it sank. Coast guard and navy vessels and helicopters were searching the area, aided by local fishermen.

Officials were not sure of the exact number on board. The ferry's manifest listed 35 passengers and 22 crew, but provincial disaster official Bernard Alejandro said there were likely five more on board.

Coast guard rescuers reached most of the people about 1 nautical mile (1.6 kilometer) from the shore, where the ferry sank, said Chief Petty Officer Bayani Belesario, the deputy coast guard commander for Masbate province. Some were picked up by fishermen.

Amadeo Tan, a village chief in Masbate's Aroroy township, said his wife called him from the ferry when it was sinking.

Tan told ABS-CBN television that he alerted local authorities and set off to the area.

"When we got there, we could no longer see any part of the boat. It had already sunk," he said, adding some passengers were in the water wearing life vests or in a lifeboat.

The weather was calm and apparently did not cause the sinking, according to the ferry's captain, who was among those rescued.

Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, badly maintained boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations.

In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the Philippines, killing more than 4,341 people in the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-die-philippine-ferry-sinks-54-rescued-100736126.html

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Analysis: Transforming Syria's war could take more than arming rebels

By Peter Apps and Myra Macdonald

WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - - If the United States and allies genuinely want to change the course of the war in Syria, it may take considerably more than simply supplying the faltering opposition with weaponry.

Western officials say they still believe the ultimate endgame - and possibly the exit of Bashar al-Assad - will be through a negotiated settlement.

In the meantime, however, they say the war is increasingly tilting in what they see as the wrong direction, with Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters entering the fray on Assad's side. With government forces advancing on Aleppo, time may also be running out.

That, some analysts and officials believe, may now push Washington and others towards much more direct military action, perhaps targeted airstrikes or a limited "no-fly zone" over rebel held areas near the Jordanian border.

What happens next may come down to a personal decision for President Barack Obama.

Russian opposition makes a Libya-style U.N. resolution authorizing force seem unlikely, but Britain, France and others are increasingly signaling they might be willing to act anyway given a strong U.S. lead, like in the Kosovo war in 1999.

The Obama administration has yet to fully explain what it meant when it announced on Thursday that Bashar al-Assad's limited use of chemical weapons had prompted it to decide to extend "military support" to the opposition.

In a conference call, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes refused to specify what kind of support might be made available - although he said one key priority was to help ensure the rebels could act in a more cohesive, coordinated manner.

"We have not made any decision to pursue a military operations such as a no-fly zone," Rhodes said. "We still believe that the best thing we can do in terms of affecting the situation on the ground is to strengthen the opposition."

A no-fly zone, he said, would bring with it "considerable open-ended costs to the United States and the international community" and would be far more complex than in Libya.

He said the United States had contingency plans for much more direct military action - but specifically ruled out "boots on the ground" - a ground campaign involving U.S. troops.

The White House statement, some analysts say, may have been as much about signaling to Assad as anything else - warning him further chemical weapons usage would almost certainly spark much more serious action.

Western officials say that some of the equipment requested by the opposition - particularly portable missiles that can shoot down planes - remains off the table, given worries over growing Islamist influence and fears they might end up in the wrong hands. But it is not clear whether the weapons the West would be willing to send would be enough to tip the balance.

AIR STRIKES

"Small arms and ammunition will certainly not change the military balance on the ground inside Syria," says Mona Yacoubian, a former US State Department official now Syria analyst at the Stimson Centre in Washington DC. "The provision of sophisticated, heavy weapons could begin to change (that), although that option is fraught with risks."

The use of targeted airstrikes, she said, would be a bolder and perhaps more effective strategy.

Syria's largely Russian-built air defenses, Western officials and defense analysts say, would be amongst the best Washington and its allies have faced since the 1999 Kosovo war - even without the more potent S-300 missile system Moscow has threatened to supply to make any foreign intervention harder.

Nevertheless, three Israeli bombing raids in recent months have shown that it can be penetrated.

U.S. B2 Stealth bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles could penetrate Syrian airspace with relative impunity - but a more concerted no-fly zone would probably require an onslaught in its first few days to destroy radar and missiles.

Whether the United States and allies have the appetite for that kind of operation is far from clear.

The United States has considerable air power in the region, above all at its airbase in Incirlik, Turkey. There are two aircraft carrier groups in the Arabian Sea and one a short sail away in the Atlantic.

In the past weeks Washington also sent F-16 jets, Patriot missiles and more than 4,000 troops to Jordan for a military exercise, saying it might leave the assets in place.

"NO-FLY ZONE LITE"

Some current and serving officers and officials have long suggested such weaponry could be used to enforce a "no-fly zone-lite", firing anti-aircraft missiles into Syria from Turkish and Jordanian airspace to stop Assad's aircraft attacking rebel areas near the two respective borders.

Syria's radar coverage is widely seen as patchy, concentrated around the Russian naval base at Tartus and its border with Israel, making intervening in some areas easier than others.

A "safe zone" pushing some 20 km inside Syria might, some experts say, be relatively easy to defend - although it might require air strikes on Assad's ground forces to stop them moving forward in the zone.

Preventing Assad's forces from moving on Syria's second city of Aleppo, however, is seen much tougher. In Libya, a handful of French airstrikes proved enough to stop the forces of Muammar Gaddafi from taking Benghazi. Syria, however, is a much more geographically complex country with many more roads and routes.

With fighting increasingly close to the Turkish border, attempting to enforce a no-fly zone there might quickly degenerate into outright warfare with Syria. Even if it were successful in grounding Assad's planes and helicopters, Saddam Hussein demonstrated in 1991 that it was entirely possible to ruthlessly crush an uprising under U.S.-controlled skies.

Many of Assad's anti-aircraft and artillery units are also located close to civilian areas, raising the prospect of collateral damage. Some Western officials also worry Russian advisers and personnel might be caught in strikes, ratcheting up an already worsening proxy war with Moscow.

"It's pretty clear the U.S. has only been dragged to this stage kicking and screaming," said David Hartwell, a former British Ministry of Defense official and now Middle East analyst at IHS Jane's. "You could argue the fact that it's come to this is basically a sign that their previous policies - or lack of them - have simply failed outright."

(Writing by Peter Apps; Editing by Peter Graff)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-transforming-syrias-war-could-more-arming-rebels-160013036.html

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Father's Day: Why a 'superhero' father wants to join the Mothers Association

Where are the fathers? In my neighborhood, the Mothers Association gets things done. Too many men want to avoid the thankless tasks that women have performed for hundreds of patriarchal years. They're also missing out on the beautiful intimate mundanity of nurturing a human being.

By John Kaag,?Op-ed contributor / June 14, 2013

Two year-old John Aubrey Earnheart waves his flag from his father's arms during a Memorial Day observation in Tunica, Miss. Op-ed contributor John Kaag says fathers should 'lean out' ? 'be willing to forego certain career opportunities in order to be more engaged as parents.'

Stan Carroll/The DeSoto Appeal/AP

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On this Father?s Day I want only one thing: to join the Mothers Association.

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I have my reasons.

The association is the not-so-secret society that runs my neighborhood. It has about 1,000 members, who, on most summer mornings, take their children to one of three playgrounds in our neighborhood.

On some mornings, however, they park their fleet of strollers on the sidewalk and have coffee and breakfast together at any number of undisclosed locations. Of course, they take their children with them ? wherever they go. I can only imagine what they talk about. I suspect it has something to do with how to actually raise their kids. On those mornings, my daughter and I have the parks to ourselves. And it is on those lonely, quiet mornings that I sometimes wish I could join the association.

Saturday is supposedly a particularly good morning for me, since it?s one of the few times that fathers take their little ones to the playground. I guess the members of the association need to sleep. So we talk about work, or sports, or how lucky our wives are to be sleeping.

But if the parks need to be cleaned, the association takes care of it. If the schools need to be rezoned, the association takes care of it. If the grocery store needs a facelift, the association is on top of it. If the children need to be breastfed, the association is right there.

I?m not sure how it happened, but the fathers ?association,? if that?s what you want to call it, is nothing like this. It?s orders of magnitude smaller. Just a handful of guys who play basketball on Wednesdays, play golf on Saturdays, and drink occasionally on Fridays ? as if being a father, by definition, involves leaving your kids at home and reclaiming your college glory.

Don?t get me wrong, this is better than nothing, but I can?t shake the feeling that our association has nothing to do with being a father and everything to do with not being one.

Last month, I heard an interview with Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg about ?Lean In,? her controversial book that suggests that women need to take their careers as seriously as men do. This claim, however, is not as radical as a closely correlated one, namely that men need to ?lean out.? Of course, this entire discussion needs to be prefaced by the admission that the whole question of ?work-life balance? is a first-world problem that millions of people would love to have.?

Still, leaning out, if I understand it correctly, means that men would be willing to forego certain career opportunities in order to be more engaged as parents, the type of parents that fill the parks on a Tuesday morning and talk about diapers. And they would not see this as a sacrifice or necessary evil, but rather as just part and parcel of equally shared parenting.

Many fathers already lean out in this way, but I can tell you that they often feel alone in their communities. Admittedly, these men are often praised for being exceptional parents (even when they?re just doing what one might expect, pulling half the parental weight). They?re identified as exceptional partners (I can report that my partner seems happier with her relationship than many mothers do with theirs).

Still, the life of a ?superhero? is notoriously lonely. You end up at the park by yourself, wondering where all the other fathers are, wondering why they don?t want to be superheroes, too.

I guess they think that being a superhero-father isn?t all that it?s cracked up to be. Maybe they think that it amounts to assuming the thankless tasks that women have performed for hundreds of patriarchal years, or opting out of a career, the one institution that modern culture still regards as meaningful. Maybe they?re right.

But maybe not. Maybe they?re missing out on something that has escaped men for hundreds of patriarchal years: the fleeting opportunity to take part in the beautiful intimate mundanity of nurturing a human being.

Maybe one day the fathers will have an association that is worth joining. Unfortunately, for the near future, I think I have better chances with the Mothers Association. Hopefully they will let me in. For now, I?ll keep pushing my daughter on this swing. Because today we have the park to ourselves.

John Kaag is an assistant professor of philosophy at UMass Lowell and lives in Charlestown, Mass., with his partner, Carol, and daughter, Becca.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DcWbjzzkxX8/Father-s-Day-Why-a-superhero-father-wants-to-join-the-Mothers-Association

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