The Men's Health America campaign to lobby the media to include news about the brutalization of Afghan men is about to enter phase II. A special thanks to everyone who participated in the first phase, it was a great success, and many letters were published in leading newspapers around the world. Click Read More for an announcement about phase II.

Neil Steyskal submitted this USA Today story about Michael Gurian's new book The Wonder of Girls. In the article, Gurian is credited with launching the "Boy Movement" after his previous book, The Wonder of Boys, drew attention to the shortchanging boys get in reading and writing versus the special attention girls get in math and science. In this book, Gurian challenges the gender feminist vision of girlhood: Feminism ignores scientific explanations for young girls' dilemmas, he says, in favor of saying the culture ''socializes'' them. He sums up his central message: ''Female biology has to be more important than feminist ideology.''

Neil Steyskal sent in this story from the Washington Post about Virginia's decision to allow SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) testimony in sex criminal trials. Although the courts will allow the testimony about the physical attributes of the victim's injuries, they have barred SANE nurses from testifying whether those injuries were caused by a sexual assault. In issuing its ruling, the court ordered a new trial for a Fairfax County man convicted of rape in 1999, saying that the jury heard improper testimony from a SANE nurse called by the prosecution. Eduardo V. Velazquez was found guilty of assaulting a 15-year-old girl.

Neil Steyskal sent in this column from WorldNetDaily about a new generation of female pop stars, all of them resentful and hateful toward men. The latest is Brandy, singer and star of UPN Network's defunct sitcom dud "Moesha." Her latest single, "What About Us?" plays out on a soon-to-be released video of Brandy lamenting a failed relationship, while standing on a hill. But, according to MTV News' Shaheem Reid, the hill is made of men. Nice messages they're sending to our youth. Fortunately, the columnist is also female, and she displays a significant amount of disgust at the hatred.

Steve Burke sent in a wonderful article from New Hampshire's Union Leader. It's about a single father and what he's done for his daughter, who needed two heart transplants before she was even three years old. The dad's dedication is praised several times, and it's clear that this is a guy who has really turned his life around for the better. It's amazing enough to see such a positive article on fatherhood, but this one is one of the best.

thrudd sent in this Fox News story and writes "A women's rights group is demanding a share of the $11 billion in federal disaster relief for the 9/11 terror attacks, saying it wants the money for affirmative action programs to help more women break into traditionally male fields like firefighting, construction and policing." Perhaps Wendy's recent article on this is drawing others at Fox to report on the issue?

According to this article, dads can expect no sympathy from anyone for their troubles and the discrimination they face. To quote, "More than a quarter of Australian fathers believe they are expected to sacrifice time with their children to put in more hours at work, but their female co-workers are not sympathetic, a survey has found." Where’s sensitivity when a man needs it? There’s never been a greater need for it, in my opinion.

We have a ton of messages submitted by the tireless Neil Steyskal which have yet to be posted, this one being from over a week ago. We are going to catch up with you, Neil! :) Anyway, the article is about the decline of marriage and is by noted author James Q. Wilson. Wilson believes that the decline of stable marriages is largely due to state benefits to single mothers (including, but not limited to, welfare policy) and cultural changes such as the rise of individualism, the loss of stigma related to illegitimacy and divorce, among others. Wilson also admits that there is little we can do to change the culture other than making our own decisions differently. The article is long and in-depth, and can be read here.

I almost fell over in my local independent bookstore the other day, when I saw a table display in the children's book section called Guys Read. Jon Scieszka is promoting literacy and boys' issues in general with his GuysRead.com web site, suggesting books that young boys will enjoy and offering information to readers about why boys' literacy is such an urgent issue. Update: Jon's e-mail is guysread@aol.com. Why not send him a note of thanks?

Tonight's (1/16) MANN on-line chat will be held on a topic related more to "personal activism," namely taking care of your own health. I know that as an advocate for men's health, I've sometimes neglected my own, or at least not prioritized it as I should, and I'm working on eliminating that contradiction. Nightmist will be hosting the chat, which starts at 9:30 PM EST at the MANN on-line chat page. Join us for an informal discussion on men's health in general and what you can do to better take care of your own.

Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse. First, Judy Mann blames men for terrorism. Other feminist writers soon follow suit. Now The Dept. of Women's Studies at California State University is offering a course titled "The Sexuality of Terrorism," according to this story from Pacific Research Institute. Most people never imagined that terrorism had anything to do with sexuality, but that’s not what those who study women think. But according to their materials, it would be more accurate to say that terrorism has a nationality, one that sounds a lot like American.

Glenn Sacks will be an in-studio guest on the Al Rantel Show on KABC 790 AM in Los Angeles this Thursday (1/17) at 8 PM. Glenn and Al will be discussing Glenn's recent column on the tragic courthouse suicide of distraught father Derrick Miller and the epidemic of male suicide in America. Anybody who would like to call in to the show to talk to Glenn and Al may do so at 1-800-222-KABC. You can listen to the show on the web at this site.

This story from equityfeminism.com details Ontario's efforts at tracking incidents of false accusations of rape. It would be an interesting experiment to deploy a computerized system like this in several U.S. states and see if rates of false allegations are similar to those in Canada. At the very least, it would be good to have solid numbers rather than just speculation on the false sexual assault allegations in the United States.

DanCurry writes "With what is already the highest child support award in the state of California, it's still not enough for this struggling mother. Lisa Bonder Kerkorian is currently seeking a monthly payment of $320k. Listing outrageous monthly expenses such as $144k for travel, $4,300 for food and $7,000 for charities. This clearly shows what her true objective is, taking all his money, not just what the child needs. Though this may seem extreme, many divorce cases, especially those of the poor, equal a complete transfer of income from the father to the mother." Update: I have removed in incorrect mathematical statement from the summary. Also thanks to Deacon for sending in this link on the same story.

Wendy McElroy's latest column warns New York against incoming Mayor Michael Bloomberg's efforts to get taxpayers to fund abortion training for medical residents. Is this, once again, government suggesting that women may make choices without taking responsibility for their actions? McElroy says: I believe the pro-life side has won the abortion debate in North America precisely because pro-choice advocates insist on tax funding, in one form or another, for abortions. That position is both morally insupportable and legally imprudent.