Tom Parker surprised me by sending in an updated version of our logo. He gave it a more beveled/3-D look, and I think it's great! Thank you, Tom! Update: Brad also just sent in new icons for for the following news topics: men's organizations, circumcision, and masculinity. They can be seen here. Thanks Brad!

Neil Steyskal writes "Here's a Baltimore Sun column on Afghan women. Isn't it curious how these media campaigns spread? Comment to: letters@baltsun.com." In addition, Neil sent in this New York Times article, which also fails to mention men. Comment to: letters@nytimes.com. The latest Men's Health America posting is a request for people to catch up with the background reading and to send in some letters over the weekend.

Marc Angelucci writes "To all who wrote the LA Times, thanks! They printed Neil Steyskal's letter responding to the articles that only focus on Afghan women but not men. These editors are of course quite biased. I know a number of people who wrote letters. But the editors printed only one and printed a letter on top of it that attacks men for having a back track record in Afghan leadership. No doubt they did this to send the subtle "but it's men who do it" message. Anyhow, nice job Neil!" Neil also was printed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Baltimore Sun. Way to go, man!

Claire4Liberty writes "www.malecontraceptives.org believes "that men can, and should, have access to contraceptive options beyond condoms and vasectomy. Male methods could potentially be safer, more effective, and easier to use than the best contraception available on today's market." More and better B.C. choices for men equals fewer unwanted children, and that's a goal everyone can support."

brad writes "Having recently read in my university's newspaper that a new major website on sexuality had been released, I decided to pop over to determine its male friendly status. All in all, it's not as bad as it could be. They acknowledge that men can be victims too. However, they seem intent on driving home the fact that men are the aggressors. On one page they admit that men are victims but the only reference they have available is for female victims. On another I came across the following tidbit: "Men commit 99% of all sexual assaults." No contact was listed on the site for feedback."

Neil Steyskal pointed me to this article by Debbie Schlussel, which asks the question, "Are men really back?" Her resounding answer is no - male bashing and degradation are just as pervasive in the media today as they were before the Sept. 11 attacks, which brought masculinity into favor briefly. She cites many examples to back this up, and the article is good food for thought.

DaveW writes "This article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution describes men who teach preschool. It also mentions the prejudice they face for being men." I happen to know several male middle school teachers in the area, and all of them have had incidents where they were "guilty until proven innocent" from an unfounded accusation by a student. Some are doubtful they will teach much longer, out of fear. It's sad, especially considering how much young kids (both male and female) benefit from having male teachers.

Neil Steyskal writes "Men's activist Woodrow Dick got a powerful letter about the draft into the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Congratulations, Woody!"

phil writes "I found this article in the UK Telegraph (referenced from www.angryharry.com). If anyone still doubts men are (knowingly!) discriminated against by the justice system, just read it. The quotes and opinions reported really made my jaw drop."

Nicola Papp writes "I read this article in the UK Times. It's a very detailed description of the heroism of the men on Flight 93 that saved hundreds of lives in whatever target the terrorists were directing the plane. I have not seen anything like this in our US press. Is this a case of 'passive' male bashing? Shouldn't these men be awarded a medal for their valor. Maybe is politically incorrect to give them a postmortem medal and not to the other women on board."

nagzi writes "This conference sounds like one with going to. Its about trying to understand what's happening to boys and young men in Canada today. It takes place in Toronto at the beginning of March. The one problem is that its somewhat expensive, early enrollment $295, and late enrollment $345. And yes, add in the GST (7% tax)."

If you're not already receiving Wendy McElroy's iFeminist.com newsletter, why not stop by here and sign up? (The weekly update subscription is on the top half of the page) Wendy's weekly newsletter features articles of interest to both men's and women's activists, and has featured articles recently by our prolific Mensactivism.org admin, Nightmist. As one of the only known pro-male feminist organizations, the Individualist Feminist movement has a lot to offer - stop by and check them out.

'disclaimer' of freerepublic.com sent in this link to a discussion about a recent Hefty trash bag commercial where a garbage bag is compared to a man and then dumped into a garbage can gleefully by a woman. I haven't seen it, but from the sounds of it, this is definitely a case where some activism is appropriate. Anyone have contact info for Hefty?

Neil Steyskal continues to send in so many news stories related to the Afghan men campaign, we can barely fit them all! Here's a summary: Good news! Carey Roberts again got a letter printed pointing out bias, this time in the Washington Post. This article from USA Today talks about land mines in Afghanistan - and that most of those killed or maimed by them are men: editor@usatoday.com. And this FrontPageMagazine article author is in need of some awareness: radioright@aol.com. The latest Men's Health America posting offers a sample letter to send to Amnesty International, demanding that the plight of Afghan men no longer be silenced. Keep the positive and negative feedback going to those news outlets!

Ched submitted this story from the Boston Globe and writes "Yet another false allegation gone bad. It seems that this woman knew that falsely accusing a police officer with rape might help her beat the attempted murder charges that she faced."