IHF sent in this link to a story from the UK Independent. It discusses some new research which is suggesting that anorexia nervosa may have genetic, not social, causes. It turns out that people with anorexia exist in remote areas of Africa where Western media has no influence. Also, it is often unexplained why anorexia affects some people more than others, suggesting causes other than social pressures. While the research is not yet conclusive, it does present another way of looking at the disorder. There was no mention if this could also affect the outlook on disorders involving male body image.

I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and to offer a hearty THANKS to everyone who visits this site and makes use of it on a regular basis. It's the diverse and loyal user base that has made The Men's Activism News Network into what it is today. Enjoy your dinner and family!

The Ottawa Citizen had a great editorial piece by Eva Saira, which lays bare the fact that under current conditions, men accused of rape and sexual harassment are basically guilty until proven innocent. The letter is a line-by-line indictment of the rape shield laws that enable false accusers to get away with their crimes without accountability. While no one can deny the importance of sensitivity in handling sex crime cases, I believe that privacy standards for those accused but not yet convicted would go a long way to reduce the number of false accusations.

"As many as three men a day are committing suicide because the nation's child-support system is driving them over the edge, according to the Lone Fathers Association Australia." This very disturbing news can be found in The Canberra Times. Click here to read it. These numbers are not official statistics but are still jaw-dropping in implications.

There seem to be lots of domestic violence stories lately, and Marc Angelucci is on top of things again, reporting: "The L.A. Times printed this article on domestic violence in the Latina/o community, and it again completely ignores male victims. Please join me in writing to them (letters@latimes.com). Anything will help, even one line. If we send enough, they might finally print something."

ABCnews printed this story about when parents abduct children abroad, and the difficulties that the parent left behind has to deal with. Often, there is no hope, as several countries have no means to find children or do not enforce their return orders. The conflicts between US and international law also complicates things.

Marc Angelucci writes "The December issue of the American Bar Association Journal, which has a circulation of 400,000, printed two letters disputing their claim that 90 percent of domestic violence victims are female. One is from me. They unfortunately didn't put the links and references I gave, but they did mention the National Coalition of Free Men under my name. A big thanks to Scott for posting the ABA's distortion on this site, and to all who wrote letters to them." And hey Marc, congrats on passing your CA Bar exam!

Rand submitted an article from the Sunday Times on domestic violence. This one is excellent in its extensive use of statistics, and directly refutes domestic violence research made popular in the UK by Betsy Stanko. Prof. John Archer again makes this conclusion: "Modern secular values, he says, have combined with the economic and sexual emancipation of women to enable them to end relationships with little cost and small risk of male aggression. The result is the rise in female violence."

Marc Angelucci sent in this article from the Orange Country Register on domestic violence. It's perspective is based on the political doublethink that we're working to change, and particularly disturbing is an example they use toward the end of the story where a man accused of domestic violence in an act of revenge by his wife goes through the treatment program and claims it has changed his life for the better. We have a very odd relationship to liberty in this country when people claim that being falsely accused of crime can have social benefits.

Today's front page of the Boston Globe had this story on Columbia University's recently enacted sexual misconduct policy. The article contains plenty of information sympathetic to supporters of the code, but also includes: "At a time when colleges nationwide feel newly emboldened to replace constitutional due process with their unique brands of discipline, the Columbia policy is seen by some students and civil libertarians as an extraordinary step toward injustice. According to Boston University Chancellor John Silber, the system has elements lifted from a Kafka novel: No lawyers. No right to face the accuser or listen to witnesses. Complaints can be filed up to five years after the alleged incident. No right to cross-examination, and no recorded transcript of what was said - of the detailed arguments or of the nuances that might influence the jury."

Commenting on the battle for marriage in the UK is Melanie Phillips, whose article from the Sunday Times tells us that the case for marriage is being debated in politics. As this quote tells us, "a battle has been raging over marriage. In the nuptial corner are Jack Straw, Paul Boateng and David Blunkett. Opposing them is the feminist hard core made up of Baroness Jay, Harriet Harman and sundry women junior ministers." Unsurprisingly, the Prime Minister sided with the feminists. And the debate rages on.

An anonymous reader submitted this link to a Utah Salt Lake Tribune article about the importance of fathers. Prof. Hawkins of BYU is working with the National Fatherhood Initiative to help pass laws that will help promote fatherhood and marriage. From the article: "The fact is that fathers are great monitors of the present and especially the futures of children's lives...More than 60 percent of convicted rapists, 72 percent of teen murderers and 70 percent long-term prison inmates are males who grew up without fathers."

George McCasland writes, "I'm George McCasland, the person that answers the 1-800-SEE-DADS line for the National Congress for Fathers & Children. I would like to invite all of you to go to the NCFC-MoKan Chapter Web site at: kidsndads.org and click on the "Shelter" link. We are in the process of putting together a domestic violence shelter for men and children in the Kansas City area. This will be the first major center of its type in the country, and we hope will serve as an example for other shelters. I would like you to review our proposal and consider donating towards this effort. If nothing else, review it, and tell others about what we are trying to accomplish. We will not be able to change the public's views on domestic violence against men and their children, until we can show more than just some studies. We need to be showing some live examples of its effects. So please, take a look and consider helping in our effort."

This news from Yahoo! claims that women feel that women's health is ignored by politicians and medical researchers, mainly because the people responsible for making these decisions are men. I find this interesting not only in light of the recent report that Men's Health research is neglected by comparison to women's, but also that as far as politics is concerned, I've seen a tremendous amount of attention devoted to it. Promoting women's health issues is one of the key components of getting the "woman's vote," which is so coveted. I guess this just goes to show that perceptions don't always reflect reality.

I received notification from Dr. Charles Corry about a novel written by Trudy W. Schuett that focuses on the reality of violent women and domestic violence against men. You can find out more about the book at this link. The book's title is Friends to the End, and is apparently available only on-line. But it's an important step forward.