Article here. Excerpt:

'LAWS protect girls from genital surgery but parents wanting to circumcise boys can "go around willy-nilly chopping up bits of their sons", a state children's commissioner says.

Tasmania's commissioner for children Paul Mason and the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute have embarked on what they say is the largest review into the legalities of male circumcision in Australia's history.

Mr Mason said a critical issue for any non-therapeutic circumcision is whether parental consent is sufficient to protect a surgeon from legal action if the child's genital autonomy is thought to have been infringed.

"The only thing that protects a doctor from an action for assault or a civil prosecution is the valid consent of the patient," he said.'

Article here. Excerpt:

"The responses to the Center for Disease Control's proposal this week to require all American boys to be circumcized are predictably hysterical. Hundreds of commenters wrote into the New York Times today to complain about "child abuse" and "genital mutilation" and one "religious sect's agenda of control" (i.e. Jews). Subsequent news stories refer to the "controversial procedure" and quote CDC epidemiologists carefully measuring their words.

But the procedure is only "controversial" because people have emotional, psychological and religious reactions to it. Scientifically speaking, it's not remotely controversial. The anti-circumcision sites always refer to the American Academy of Pediatrics' 1999 policy statement on circumcision, which declined to recommend the procedure. But that statement was issued before the most compelling studies emerged about the role circumcision plays in reducing the risk for transmission of HIV and other STD's."

Article here. Excerpt:

"I've had a bumpy ride as a single gal and have dated many guys who weren't worth my time. But that doesn't mean a girl can't be a dud, too! Case in point? That tragic and terrible VH1 show "Megan Wants a Millionaire," about a girl who's just looking for a rich guy to pay the bills.

For all you men out there, check out the 12 signs that you may be dating a loser. See someone you recognize? If you're smart, you'll lose her.

1. Dirty-flirty double standard: She flirts with dudes in front of you, shamelessly. Then, she gets super mad and makes a scene if you so much as give a cute waitress your order.

2. She needs to do everything with you: It's one thing to share experiences, but it's another thing to need someone to hold your hand all the time. When it goes beyond wanting to spending time together to demanding it constantly, you have to wonder, what's her problem?'

Article here. Excerpt:

'For years, we’ve been hearing that more contraceptive options for sexually active males may soon be a reality. But that soon is starting to feel like never. Men still only have the condom, a vasectomy or abstinence when it comes to choices of birth control. So what’s holding up their show?

Research consistently reveals that men want access to better contraceptives. A 1998 study in British Journal of Family Planning found that 80 percent of males regarded a hypothetical male pill as one of their top three contraceptive choices. A 2005 global study conducted by Schering found that 55 percent of men ages 18 to 50 are interested in a “new male fertility control.”

Still, men like these are constantly getting teased with the prospect of greater control over their fertility during sex. Already we’ve been waiting years for male contraceptives in the forms of creams, monthly or quarterly injections, daily testosterone gel, patch, sperm plugs, sperm dissolvers, heat-inducing gels, hormone therapy, twice per year synthetic implants in the arm...'

Story here. Keep in mind, boys are prescribed ADHD medications at a much higher rate then girls. Excerpt:

'CHICAGO - Calls to poison-control centers about teens abusing attention-deficit drugs soared 76 percent over eight years, sobering evidence about the dangerous consequences of prescription misuse, a study shows.

The calls were from worried parents, emergency-room doctors and others seeking advice on how to deal with the problem, which can be deadly. Four deaths were among cases evaluated in the study, published today in Pediatrics, a medical journal.
...
Researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center evaluated 1998-2005 data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers. During that time, calls related to teen abuse of ADHD drugs increased from 330 to 581 yearly, and there were four deaths.

The true number of teen abusers who have bad side effects is likely much higher, because many cases don't result in calls to poison-control centers, said study author Dr. Randall Bond.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Researchers for a leading international medical journal say South Africa's health system is failing women and children in particular, but that new leadership could solve many of the problems.
...
Studies have shown circumcision can cut the risk of HIV infection by as much as 60 percent, and some of South Africa's neighbors have made the procedure widely available. But Motsoaledi said some in South Africa have expressed fears that men who undergo the procedure might become complacent and more likely to have unprotected sex.

Motsoaledi said circumcision as a medical intervention also would have to be explained in a way that took into account differing traditions in South Africa, where some tribes routinely circumcise young men as a rite of adulthood and others do not.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A lot of things — critical thinking, comprehension, imagination — bubble up into a child's brain from a book. But none of that can happen if the book isn't cracked open.

Turning reluctant readers, especially boys, into eager ones is the idea behind a reading program that a University of Northern Colorado education professor helped develop.

Michael Opitz, a former elementary school teacher who specializes in reading and language arts, said he's hopeful the new program, called Pair-It Extreme, will get children in first through third grades hooked on reading.

Opitz said boys are 50 percent more likely to be held back a grade and three to five times more likely to have a disability placement in school. Young boys often consider reading boring or a girly activity.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'There is scientific evidence that circumcision can lead to a reduction in the risk of males contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS has been at epidemic levels in Africa and studies show that African men who have been circumcised reduce their risk of getting AIDS by half. The clinical trials performed in Kenya, South Africa and Uganda focused on heterosexual males who were at risk from getting HIV from infected female sexual partners. The studies showed they were 60% less likely to become infected with AIDS if they had been circumcised. Circumcision did not seem to have an impact on the likelihood of homosexual men contracting the disease.

Story here. Excerpt:

'An 18-year-old matriculant who ran away from home to visit her boyfriend was arrested on Monday for allegedly lying about being raped, Pretoria police said.
...
"She was taken to a doctor for treatment at the expense of the state and penetration was confirmed."

According to police she had consensual sex with her boyfriend during her stay at his house.

She would face a charge of perjury in the Atteridgeville Magistrate's Court on Tuesday. - Sapa'

Article here. Excerpt:

Article here. Excerpt:

'WELLINGTON (Reuters Life!) - Boys get better grades at single-sex schools than when they're in mixed-gender schools, where girls consistently outperform them, a recent New Zealand study shows.

The study, based on the long-term Christchurch Health and Development Study at the University of Otago, compared the educational achievements of over 900 boys and girls who attended single-sex and coeducational secondary schools in New Zealand.

For students attending single-sex secondary schools, there was a slight tendency for males to outperform females.

For students attending co-educational schools, however, there was a clear tendency for girls to outperform boys, a pattern that continued when students were followed up to the age of 25.'

Looks like the CDC employee directory is available again at http://directory.psc.gov/employee.htm. Some contact info as follows:

Dr. Peter Kilmarx, chief of epidemiology:
email: peter.kilmarx-at-cdc.hhs.gov
phone: 404.639.8998
fax: 404.639.6127

Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, Director of the CDC:
email: txf2-at-cdc.gov
phone: 404.639.7000

Article here. Excerpt:

'South Africa's policy on circumcision is still being finalised, guidelines need to be drafted and health workers trained, so the Bophelo Pele centre is the only one in the country offering free male circumcisions.

Other countries in southern Africa have already begun rolling out mass male circumcision programmes in response to evidence that circumcision, safely performed in a medical setting, lowers a man's risk of contracting HIV by about 60 percent.

In South Africa, public health facilities only perform circumcision for medical reasons; those choosing it for other reasons must pay a private practitioner.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Voodoo is an African word, but not an African monopoly. Every society has its own voodoo -- a fear of some mysterious ailment which can only be cured by magical means.

The recent comedy film Year One is noteworthy since it appears as if it is the first time in American film history that the term "genital mutilation" is used to describe circumcision as noted here (page-search on 'Year One' to find the film's entry). Excerpt:

'Many a true word is spoken in jest! This could be the first time "genital mutilation" has been used to describe male circumcision in a mainstream movie. With its exposed corona and sulcus, and dried surface, a circumcised penis is far from "sleek". Most reviews have panned the movie.'

Unfortunately the movie, despite some funny parts here and there, overall did not seem to me to be that funny. Nonetheless, this is some mainstream media exposure with regard to this issue, and given that the target market for this movie seems to have been adolescents in general, it's good they are getting some counter-message for it some place.