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."

This story in the University of Missouri Maneater reports on two professors who are studying the way men are represented in situation comedies on television. In 1998, the professors viewed 55 episodes from 11 top sitcoms. The study, released at an American Psychological Association meeting, revealed that each show illustrated positive instances of male disclosure. These instances were met with either positive or neutral responses.

This article, which recently ran in the University of Virginia's Cavalier Daily takes a stab at refuting the oft-media-cited "wage gap" myth perpetuated by groups like the National Organization for Women. It's refreshing to see this kind of column appear in a college media outlet (and by a female writer, no less).

Ched writes "MSN.com posted this article about men's health. It basically blames men for not keeping pace with healthcare options, and provided some "are men becoming extinct" examples before addressing some relevant points about men's health buried at the end of the article." What is it with these people? I'm getting the impression that masculist doctors weren't invited to this conference.

Kingsley Morse, Jr. sent in this article from the UK Times. It describes a man who received a bill from the Child Support Agency for 55k pounds. He never knew he had fathered a child, and it turns out that the child was conceived when he was statutorially raped when he was 15 years old by a woman two times older than him. He was quoted as saying, "I am being treated as a criminal, but I was a minor being led on. Presumably she has now reached a point in her life where she needs an easy meal ticket."

Uberganger writes "This is an interesting article on the kind of things that are printed in Women's Studies textbooks and taught in Women's Studies classes. A copy of it should be handed to every woman - and man - who parrots the usual feminist rubbish." Ah, you beat me to it - I've been meaning to post this for a few days now. Glenn Sacks is at it again, writing more articles of interest to men's activists.

Neil Steyskal pointed me to this UK Daily Telegraph article which mentions a new bandage that can be used to speed up the healing process for burn victims. The miracle material the bandage is made of?: foreskins from circumcised infants.

This week's Mensactivism.org on-line chat is on the topic of male
friendships, and how to promote friendship and brotherhood amongst men. Too often these days, men are isolated from each other, and don't create opportunities to meet with other men on a regular basis. What can be done to help change this, and what are some ways to establishing new friendships with other men? While this seems like an odd topic in and of itself, it's a very important one for the men's movement to consider. Our success depends on promoting meaningful relationships between men and getting men to see themselves as a group with common interests to act upon. You probably know the routine, click here at 9:30 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, Nov. 7, to log in and participate.

krob4399 submitted this link to a UK Telegraph story which describes the discovery of a "seat of temperance" in men's brains, which is used to censor sexual drive. Apparently this part of the brain has evolved over time, as it is much smaller and less developed in primates than in human beings. krob4399 thought it was interesting to contrast this discovery with this article, which is about pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, somewhat the opposite of the "seat of temperance" with women.

Neil Steyskal sent in another interesting link to an abstract about a study examining the policy implications of making divorce easier for parents, and how it affects children. While some common sense could easily answer this question, it brings to light issues that are starting to get some serious attention from state governments, including New Hampshire, which is considering whether to abolish no-fault divorce for parents with minor children.

Neil Steyskal sent in a mixed article about men's health and social status. The article raises the point that with men's health and longevity in such a poor state, combined with negative attitudes about men's roles in society, that men could literally become extinct in the not so distant future. On the other hand, there's a disturbing quote blaming men for starting and maintaining all of the major wars currently going on in the world. Perhaps these people need to realize that it's that kind of negative attitude about men's roles in society that's the problem.

Trudy W Schuett writes "This article in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette details the balanced viewpoint given by a female cop lecturing at Mount Wachusett Community College criminal justice classes. She says, "Do not ever make a domestic violence arrest based on gender."" I've heard a local story about some female police officers who questioned some of the training given by a local domestic violence shelter too - and I'm thankful for it.