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.

Although I know quite a bit has been written lately about the San Diego suicide of Derrick K. Miller, I felt that something from a media perspective needed to be added to the discussion. As a police reporter for a newspaper in Franklin, Tenn., I covered all kinds of horrifying stories, including one which is remarkably similar to Miller's. Here are my thoughts on how the media should follow up on Miller's story. This column will also appear on ifeminists.com. Special thanks to Wendy McElroy for continuing to run my column.

Marc Angelucci writes "The Los Angeles Times printed a long, front page article that focuses on the question of whether a child should stay at home when a mother is abused by a father - not one word about mothers abusing fathers and whether the kids should stay home in that situation. I'm so sick of this that I called the news editor, who surprisingly called back saying "you have a point" and said he'd speak to the editors. It would be nice if he heard from others too. You can leave him a message by calling 213-237-7000 and asking for news editor Dean Bachi. Also, the reader's representative is at 877-554-4000, and the editor's email is letters@latimes.com. Thanks!"

ronn pointed us to this story from the Ottawa Citizen. Dave Brown writes about the experiences of fathers in the family court system, and finds that for most fathers, you're better off avoiding going to court when it's at all possible: "The best way to deal with the legal industry is to avoid it. It should not be regarded as a justice system. It is an industry that provides incomes for its insiders and, as an industry, its raw material is us." Until the family courts regain a semblance of fairness, I have to admit that he's right.

DaveW writes "This editorial in The Women's Quarterly of the Independent Women's Forum thoughtfully discusses some the issues involved in the Supreme-Court-forced introduction of female cadets at Virginia Military Institute."

Luek writes "Here is a budding neo-feminist breaking gender barriers once the domain of males: "The elementary school student (9 years old) sic was charged last week with fourth-degree sexual assault, a misdemeanor, and three counts of risk of injury to a minor, a felony, said Manchester police Sgt. John Maston."" This isn't something you see reported on very often, and it's encouraging to hear that the police seem to be taking this seriously.