I wrote this column about the draft and the perceived expendability of men versus women a while back for my now-defunct The Guy Code column. Wendy McElroy at ifeminists.com graciously agreed to use it as a guest editorial on her page. I am also linking to it from MANN because the draft is, of course, a hot topic for us.

Amazing. This story on BBC News details the awarding of a "domestic violence" award to an Asian woman for "breaking the silence" about domestic violence against women. What did this Asian woman do that deserved the award? She murdered her husband rather than going to the police. In fact, she was jailed for life for the brutal murder, in which she set her husband on fire. Scott's note: Also thanks to an Anon User who submitted this story.

The Men's Hour, an internet radio program about men's issues, has released program number 7, which can be listened to with either the WindowsMedia or Real players. They also just registered a new domain name, www.menshour.com. This espisode was shortened due to technical problems but they discussed news about World Male Health Day, the proposed "Men's Day of Shame," and calls for submissions to the upcoming masculist anthology. Check it out.

nagzi writes "This is a game show from Japan which centers on the father. The point is the show gives the father a task to do. He has one week to practice the task, and then he does the task on tv. If he completes his task his family wins a total of 3 million yen in various prizes. It won the "Golden Rose Award" from Geneva, Switzerland in 2000. The show is available in the US (Hawaii only) via Kikutv, or the internet if you know where to look. The tasks range from completing a Rubic Qube in less than 3mins to memorizing the first 100 places of the square root of 3."

Although the timing is now pretty bad (it's 40 minutes until midnight), I wanted to post something about Veteran's Day. First of all, I hope everyone took some time out to reflect upon the sacrifices that war veterans have made for us, and what we owe to them. Ed Bartlett wrote up a short essay that relates to men's issues and the way war is often spoken of as an expression of masculinity - when the only thing particularly masculine about it is the body count. Click Read More for the submission.

Thomas writes "This is a recent report on the Boulder Public Library's display of hanging, ceramic penises. Apparently, the thief, Bob Rowan, hasn't been arrested yet. Note that Susanne Walker, who created the outrage, said "the the theft contradicts the values symbolized by the flag and 'makes a joke of the pain and suffering involved in this exhibit.'"" Thanks Thomas - keep us posted on updates to this story!

BusterB writes "Donna Laframboise, a controversial Canadian newspaper columnist who is sympathetic to men's points of view and who regularly takes feminists to task, has been laid off by Canada's National Post. She is asking readers to enjoy her columns to subscribe to her writings as one would to PBS. See her site for details."

nagzi writes "I got
this via the Menshealth a yahoo egroup. I'm not an American, but this is certainly good news for men everywhere. The press release mentions a few interesting facts, such as that prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer (with the exception of skin cancer)."

Marc Angelucci writes "The LA Times printed my letter to the editor on how the Taliban treats men. I've been wanting to get the word misandry in there for the longest time. This wasn't the best use of the term, but it still worked. Now let's see if we can get them to print the word "masculist.""

According to this story at bouldernews.com, the controversial ceramic penis display in a public library was torn down and stolen recently, and replaced by an American flag. The artist, library, and police are up in arms about the theft. The article makes a point of saying that the display was meant to help places which protect "women and children" victims of domestic violence. No mention of male victims. Those of you writing the paper, the artists, and the library, make SURE you mention that women and children are not the only victims of domestic violence. And make SURE you don't stop any planned protests. Just because the exhibit has been removed doesn't mean minds have changed. (I also do not advocate such illegal means as theft as a way of getting one's point across.)

plumber writes "The list of charitable organizations in the charitable giving campaign for federal workers illustrates distorted priorities for sex equity in the US today. The list includes a large number of organizations promoting reproductive rights for women...[but] no organizations addressing men's reproductive rights. The list includes a large number of organizations addressing women's health...[but] just one organization with a focus on men's health, the Prostate Cancer Research Institute. The list includes a number of organizations addressing domestic violence. While some of the entries refer to men or partners, others assume that only women are victims of domestic violence. What are some good 501(c)(3) organizations that care about the...problems of males? What can be done to encourage charitable donations to men's organizations?"

Neil Steyskal sent in a series of links about complaints that commentary on the war in Afghanistan is sexist because few women are seen as authorities on the subject. The Christian Science Monitor ran this story which was followed up with these letters, and Neil says that this Washington Post story exposes the fact that feminists as a group are working to promote the idea that few female commentators is sexist. What do you think?

I'm waaaay behind in posting news stories, and I apologize for that. Several people, including frank h, stevenpauljones, Steve
, and Acksiom sent in this story or ones similar to it. The article describes an art exhibit at the Boulder Public Library sponsored by a local domestic violence shelter, which features, "21 ceramic . . . ummm . . . men's appendages, which are displayed on a clothesline in the library. It's entitled "Hung out to dry."" The exhibit is meant to say something about domestic violence and gender, and you can guess it's not particularly positive. Steve suggested that we contact the newspaper and I think it's a good idea.

Ched submitted this Boston Globe story and writes "It seems that in order to get an article in a major paper relevant to men's issues today, the article has to denigrate men. This article compares men's brains with reptiles (lizards). States that when a pretty woman is viewed that men look like rodents bar-pressing for cocaine. No mention was made of a similar study done on women - probably because the results were about the same..."

Trudy W Schuett writes "Western Newspapers,Inc. has announced it will no longer accept letters to the editor and press relases by snail-mail. "These items should now be submitted only via e-mail, FAX or on floppy disks hand-delivered to the newspaper office outside an envelope," Prescott Courier Editor Ben Hansen said. The Prescott Courier is part of a chain of over 20 newspapers in the state of Arizona. A spokesman for the chain expects other newspapers and news-gathering agencies to follow suit. This is important news for activists and others who deal in publicity for their orgs or often send Letters to the Editor. Snail-mail was once considered the best way to get letters and releases noticed. FAX will now most likely take the lead as the most efficient way to send. Check the next issue of the DesertLight Journal, Wednesday, Nov. 14th, for more on how this change will affect the way groups and orgs handle publicity and promotions."