equalitarian62 writes "A commercial for Dish Network shows a man and his wife at a swimming pool. The man reads the newspaper while a woman in a bikini bends over in front of him. The man doesn't see this, and says "Wow," presumably due to a Dish Network ad in the paper. The wife, thinking he's referring to the woman in the bikini, strikes him in the jaw. I'm sure that the ad was meant to be humorous. It wasn't for me." Thanks also to Thundercloud for submitting news of this ad. The web site for Dish Network is here and they have a feedback form on this page. This is certainly deserving of some feedback.

A new bill in the Pennsylvania legislature, Senate Bill 1276, would mandate joint physical and legal custody to divorcing parents by default. A web site has been set up in support of the bill, and if you're a PA resident, you may certainly want to get involved in this effort to help the cause of father's rights.

After catching up on the admin@mensactivism.org messages, I now see that an attempt is being made to flood MANN with bumper sticker requests, many which are obviously bogus. It is clear from the 30+ requests for free stickers each day starting around August 14 that there is a concerted effort being made to have me send stickers at my expense to people who will not be displaying them. It's likely that many of the requests are being made to random addresses, particularly overseas, to incur the greatest expense to me. Due to this problem, which I've been aware of the possibility of for some time, I must now discontinue our policy of sending the stickers at no cost. I will look into a reasonable pricing rate for the stickers, one for domsetic requests and one for international ones, and payment will only be accepted from valid PayPal accounts. I guess it was fun while it lasted... Update: The new bumper sticker prices and requirements have been updated. Click here for more info.

To my complete shock, the admin@mensactivism.org alias was never set up to forward to my account after the system crash in early August. I am just now sorting through those messages, which weren't bounced but sat in a mailbox that I had never bothered to look at. To all the people who have been trying to contact me via that address, I sincerely apologize for not getting back to you. I hope to get through all of the e-mails this weekend.

Robex writes "I was sent a link to a bona fide medical infant
circumcision. It's here. Ignore the rest
of the site - it requires a particular taste for the
macabre/gory/tasteless.

However, you will see that on the listsing dated (2002-08-22), there is a file called circumcision.asf.

I don't want to shock or offend over this topic, but after seeing this video, I'm shocked beyond belief. In fact, I've found it very difficult to concentrate today after seeing it. I would go as
far as to say that I'm actually nauseated each time I
think about it.

I do feel pretty strongly about this mutilation without consent - and I do realise more than ever that it is all about consent after seeing this." Please do NOT watch the video if you are sensitive to this issue. I would recommend it instead to people who have never really felt circumcision was a big deal and don't quite understand the importance of the issue. This video will drive home that point.

Glenn Sacks and Dianna Thompson co-authored an article related to father's rights with regard to adoptions. They discuss a new Florida law that would require mothers to take out newspaper ads to inform absent fathers of the decision to give up their child for adoption, to allow the father the opportunity to raise the child himself. While opponents of the law say that it humiliates mothers, Sacks and Thompson don't deny this fact but instead compare it to the importance of a father's right to raise his child.

That's what Robert Glover author of No More Mr. Nice Guy! has to say about what
the mindset men should have. His work involves battling what he calls "Nice Guy Syndrome."
or as he puts it: "A Nice Guy is a man who has been conditioned by family and society
to believe that he has to be good in order to be loved." There is much more to his
writings than that, so click this link to find out more.

Dr. Mic Hunter, author of Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims Of Sexual Abuse, is seeking the true stories of men and women who were sexually assaulted while in the military, either in combat or from comrades. He also seeks stories of hazing and sexual harassment of military personnel by other military personnel. These will be included in a book on sexual abuse in the military. He would also like to hear from treatment professionals who are interested in contributing
one or more chapters on these topics. Authors may remain anonymous or use their actual names. Contributors will be required to sign a release granting publication rights. Those who are interested can contact Dr. Hunter at MHunt689@aol.com.

I've found a book excerpt
you'll be interested in, it's taken from Not Guilty — In Defence of the Modern Man
written by David Thomas, and in it he gives us a look at Japan which is according to
many feminists "an un-deniable patriarchy" however, the rhetoric does not match
the reality (why ain't that surprising?) and it appears to be quite the opposite, which
makes it all the more worth reading.

Ray writes "This news story by Roger F. Gay at Men's News Daily, expounds on the alleged crimes of a man who became delinquent in his child support. He has been demonized by law enforcement and the media for his violent attempts to retain his freedom. The more troubling question that no mainstream journalist is asking is, “What role did an out of control child support system play in driving this man beyond the bounds of all reasonable constraints?” I find myself wondering, "What was this man like before his contact with the CSS?" More frightening still, we must ask, “How many more of these men are even now being manufactured by the current (FATHER UNFRIENDLY) legal system in America and the Western world?”"

Steve Imparl writes "I will host this week's MANN chat, Wednesday night, starting at 9:30 PM Eastern Time, at the usual location. The topic for this chat will be "Competition in the Men's Movement: Traditional Ally in Disguise?" Sometimes, men's activism projects can seem like games of one-upmanship. We try to outdo our fellow activists. We want our Web site, lobbying campaign, discussion group, or protest to be the biggest, best, or most effective. Getting cooperation can be difficult. Are these issues necessarily problems? Is there a place in men's activism for healthy--and even friendly--competition? Join the chat and let others know about it!"

scottAsinclair writes sent in this article from the Nando Times, about a man who fell behind $1,000 in child support. In order to try to get leniency from the court, the man underwent a vasectomy. It is not clear whether the man received any direct order by the court to get the vasectomy, but he apparently was under the impression that this would help his case. scotAsinclair writes, "I couldn't believe this. This is like China."

Trudy Schuett, one of the guiding stars of the men's movement, has announced the temporary suspension of The DesertLight Journal and much of her other activism. She explains that she must do this for personal reasons that involve serious land use issues. Trudy is one of the leaders of the men's movement, and we all owe her a great deal. Please let her know of your gratitude for all she's done. Hopefully for all of us, especially Trudy, this situation will be resolved soon.

Due to recent redistricting, New Hampshire state Rep. David Bickford is faced with a challenging campaign to be re-elected to the NH House this fall, with five new towns added to his district. Rep. Bickford is the original sponsor of HB 587, which passed and will establish a NH Commission on the Status of Men, the first such commission in the country. I know David personally, and have been involved in the activity here in NH and seen him at work. I have never met such a successful politician who was so focused on promoting men's rights, and I can say without a doubt that further legislative efforts in NH are heavily, if not fully, dependent on him being re-elected. He is in dire need of donations for signs and local efforts to help promote his re-election. If you are willing to help David in any way, please e-mail him directly at david1@worldpath.net. If there ever were a time that I would ask the Mensactivism.org community to do me a personal favor, it would be to help David out. He knows our issues, he's articulate and politically adept, and we need this guy, not only in NH but as an effort to show how men's activism can be successful in politics. Update: David is allowing me to include his address, which is in the Read More section below.

Raymond Cuttill writes "The Men's Hour August programme is out, and is over 3 hours long, including news about August protests in England, and the soundtrack from the NCFM, anti-NOW event on June 21st in St. Paul, Minnesota. The event called "Gender Feminism and the Voice Not Heard: Has America Gone Deaf In One Ear?" It includes Warren Farrell, Trudy W. Schuett, Wendy McElroy, Dianna Thompson and Deborah Watkins. Our next programme will be released on Sunday, 15th September"