Alert here. Excerpt:

'Short Version: A new national Associated Press article covers the heated debate over Parental Alienation. We want you to write a letter to the DSM committee explaining that Parental Alienation is very real and needs to be taken seriously by our family courts–to do so, click here. Also, please write a Letter to the Editor concerning the AP article–click here and choose the email address of the appropriate newspaper(s).

Action Alert–We Want Your Participation

Article here. Excerpt:

'In a recently published study in the journal Addiction, researchers from Bowling Green State University report evidence of an association between father’s incarceration and substantially elevated risks for illegal drug use in adolescence and early adulthood.

Story here. Excerpt:

'The blonde girl who was filmed hurling puppies into a river to drown will not face animal cruelty charges, furious animal rights campaigners have announced.

Police in Bugojna, Bosnia, have dropped plans to prosecute the youngster because they say she is not old enough to face court.

The decision was revealed by angry animal rights campaigners PETA in Germany, today (Tuesday).

They say local police and animal care groups claim all the pups were rescued from the fast flowing Vbras river by an onlooker.

But PETA spokeswoman Nadja Kutscher said: "This is outrageous. The puppies that the old woman was with were completely different ones to those thrown into the river in the video.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'ATLANTA- A year ago, after 20 years of marriage, my ex-wife falsely accused me of striking her. I didn't touch her.

As a result of her lie, I have experienced arrest, incarceration, conviction, and loss of freedom. I am penniless and lived in my car for three months. I ate out of trash cans.

I now have temporary accommodation courtesy of a Veteran's Administration program for homeless men. I am 44-years-old.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'PHOENIX - The Sojourner Center celebrated the grand opening of its newest campus for victims of domestic violence Saturday.

The Phoenix campus is a transitional facility, designed to help women get back out on their own by living in a community setting.

The campus houses 29 one, two and three bedroom apartments and a clubhouse in a gated complex.

“This brings everything together so the women can really create that sense of community, a real neighborhood where neighbors help neighbors, and women look after each other,” said Connie Phillips, Executive Director of Sojourner Center.'

Article here, as follows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqfp2aKj02w

According to an email I received these PSAs are running in Georgia. I've written to every TV station there informing them that these PSAs are not accurate. If you'd like to do the same, here are some of the addresses (the rest had fill-in forms on their websites).

Claim: Abusive fathers are successful in winning sole child custody about 70% of the time.

Analysis: This figure appears to be an embellishment of a claim in a 1989 report by the Gender Bias Committee of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court which claimed that in 70% of cases, fathers (not abusive fathers) were successful in winning some form of child custody, though not necessarily physical custody or sole custody.

Article here. This is an article I found interesting. There are women fighting for this cause as well. I am one of them. Excerpt:

'Do Men Really have Equal Rights?

It is a question I really never thought of until recently. It was just last week, in fact, that I was sitting in a court room waiting for my 18 year old son’s hearing to end. He was taken to court to pay child support for a child he did not want and did not agree to have, who he was, in fact, tricked into fathering by a dishonest young woman. Unfortunately, he was the "winner" of the paternity test (We were told it could have been one of three boys). I told my son he wasn’t a winner at all, because being the winner of the DNA test he just lost everything that he doesn’t even have yet.

Thanks for bringing attention to "She Fears You."

Here's the latest--see top headline at http://www.thefire.org/

Adam Kissel

Story here. Excerpt:

'Once virtually unheard of in the public system, single-sex schools such as University Prep are becoming more common as educators look for new ways to help students learn and to bridge the achievement gap between white and minority students. In 1996, there were just three single-sex public schools in the United States. Now, more than 540 public schools have at least one single-sex classroom, and about 100 cater exclusively to one gender.

The growth follows a wave of research that suggests boys and girls learn differently, and that educators can tap into those differences to help students do better academically. The model is becoming popular in urban school districts such as Rochester, which have struggled for years to help students — particularly African-American boys who tend to lag behind their female classmates — do better.

Article here. Excerpt:

'A free public event focusing on boys’ educational performance and needs will take place on Oct. 7 at the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus.

“Why Boys Fail: An Evening About Educating Boys,” will be presented from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium of the college campus, at 680 Sonoma Mountain Parkway.

Richard Whitmire, author of the book, “Why Boys Fail,” will be the keynote speaker and Petaluma resident Joe Manthey will give a Powerpoint presentation, “A Brain-Based Approach to Academic Success for Boys.”

The event is designed for parents and others who care for, educate or make policies affecting the lives of boys.

Manthey contends that the educational problems facing boys often are not understood.'

Albeit, in its usual convoluted, weasel-word manner. Link to statement here (.pdf document). Excerpt:

'Recently there has been renewed debate regarding both the potential health benefits and the ethical and human rights issues relating to infant male circumcision.

Circumcision is generally a safe procedure but there are risks of minor complications and some rare but serious complications.
...
Ethical and human rights concerns have been raised regarding elective infant male circumcision because it is recognised that the foreskin has a functional role, the operation is non-therapeutic and the infant is unable to consent.

Link to clinic site here. Excerpt (emphasis not added):

'The Haven Surgery now offers a circumcision service for male babies for religious or cultural reasons, from the ages of 4 - 24 weeks.

This service is not for circumcisions for medical reasons
...
She will be assisted by a female nurse.
...
Should you wish to take advantage of this special service, please contact the Haven Surgery by telephone.'

Article: Researchers at MIT showed that genes on the Y chromosomes are changing at a rapid pace. Excerpt:

'"The Y chromosome looks like it has a lot of life left in it," says David Page, an author of the study and director of the Whitehead Institute at MIT. In fact, he says, the Y chromosome looks to be "the most evolutionary dynamic part of our genome."

That's a dramatic reversal from just a few years ago, when scientists were suggesting the human Y chromosome was in trouble and might be headed for extinction. In 2000, for example, a team from the University of Edinburgh presented evidence that that Y chromosome had become "genetically degenerate."'

Article here. Excerpt:

'In going through the recent tribute here to Pat Tillman, the former NFL star that gave up a lucrative career in football to serve his country, I found myself nodding my head a lot. I also experienced a kind of sick feeling. There were many references to his bravery and sacrifice as indicators of quintessential masculinity.

In an age where men struggle to find the increasingly elusive meaning of manhood, the Tillman story should prove helpful, but only in discerning a path to avoid.
...
There is a lot of talk these days about making men good fathers, husbands and citizens. Much of this, of course, is predicated on the egregious myth that men are none of these things to begin with, and that their lives do not need or deserve compassionate attention simply for the sake of improving their lot in life. Everything we want men to be is somehow meant for the benefit of others. However well intended (and sometimes not), these efforts are doing little more than regarding men as human appliances.
...

Documentary web site here. There is no text describing it on the site, but well worth watching.