This story on Excite News delves a little deeper into the issues of war and the gender roles involved in it that have been discussed in so much depth on this site recently. According to the article, not every country is like the U.S. in its wariness about sending women into battle. In Sri Lanka, as a matter of fact, 35 percent of the combat forces are female. "Women have actively participated as perpetrators of violence," Eyango said. "Historically, women have been combatants because of their physique and ability to conceal weapons. Women make up 35 percent of the fighting force in Sri Lanka."

Breaking news just in, here's the lowdown: "A federal judge on Wednesday struck down affirmative action regulations that governed virtually every aspect of hiring in New Jersey's casinos, finding that they violate the 14th Amendment rights of white and male workers." I don't know about you, But all I can say is it's about time! this looks like it'll be the first of many cases, a small victory but in many ways a great one. Have a look at the full article to find out more.

Neil Steyskal sent in another article praising the virtues of masculine men. Peggy Noonan's Wall Street Journal editorial can be read here. "We are experiencing a new respect for their old-fashioned masculinity, a new respect for physical courage, for strength and for the willingness to use both for the good of others." Also a belated thanks to WasatchFrontMan for sending this story to us.

This Sunday @ 7 PM on 14 October, 2001, at the Newington, NH Town Hall, The New Hampshire Chapter of NCFC will meet to determine the possibilities for promoting and protecting the father/child relationship, and other men's issues. NCFC-NH also recently set up a web site at ncfcnh.org.

Dan Bollinger from Nocirc.org sent in a press release stating that a federal court has denied the request to dismiss a case in which a 19 year-old man is suing the doctor and hospital that circumcised him when an infant. "This landmark case brings into question whether a physician can legally obtain consent from a mother while she is debilitated by post-surgical pain and anesthesia, and also raises issues regarding removal of healthy, normal tissue from a non-consenting minor for non-therapeutic reasons." Click Read More below for the complete press release.

rparent32 sent in this short story from Ananova.com and writes "[The] Crown (Prosecutor) dropped charges against a woman because of the unlikely possibility of conviction. Any Canadians out there?" What is most disturbing is the fact that the man feels he "deserved" the assault and has been the butt of jokes over it.

DanCurry writes "Internationally noted forensic consultant and author Dean Tong
discusses his new book Elusive Innocence: Survival Guide For The Falsely Accused
as we explore solutions to violence and abuse in the home during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Dean reveals the differences between real and unreal child abuse and domestic violence allegations.
With over 1600 TV and radio talk show appearances, he delivers common sense advice for men (and women)
caught in the web of false allegations.
On the Dan Curry Show this Saturday at 2 PM Pacific Time.
Dan Curry hosts an Internet Talk Radio program focused
on mens issues. You can submit questions for the guest here, both prior to and during the show."

Funny Guise is an examination of the way men use humor in their day-to-day lives. Presenter Paul Ramsay uses jokes and commercials focusing on men in a program that celebrates the male sense of humor while challenging men to think about the pitfalls of some uses of humor. Paul suggested that the primary form of communication for men is through humor, and that within the broader male culture there is a subculture of humor which men are pretty dependent on. I attended Paul's presentation at UNH this past Tuesday night and I can't speak highly enough of it. If you're involved in any campus programming, please get in touch with Paul, as I'm sure he'd be glad to share notes. His e-mail is: pramsay@cisunix.unh.edu.

David Lubofsky from Guam wrote a great article about the correlation between visitation rights and child support compliance. He argues that the child support industry could save immensely by enforcing visitation rights along with child support orders, and that too often, "deadbeat dads" are the ones routinely denied visitation with their children. "Eloquently put by one parent, not seeing my kid and having to pay child support resembles taxation without representation."

More "Positive Discrimination" against White Men (the only group discrimination is positive against it seems) To quote Ford "Action include delaying the hiring, promotion and referral of white males unless there is a good business case to bring them in before year end. Actions also include the pulling ahead of any promotions, upgrades, referral etc of non-white males. " notice how they say "white males" to deny them basic humanity as much as possible. Don't forget to go here to see for yourself. Terms such as "terrorized by tolerance" and "silenced by sensitivity" spring to mind....

Rich Zubaty, a men's issues author and just an interesting person in general, had his latest book, What Men Know That Women Don't, put into print. You can still buy in in electronic form (for half the price), and if you haven't read it, I'd highly recommend it. I'd also welcome any book review submissions from readers who have read this book, or any other books related to men's issues. Click here to get a copy of Zubaty's book from the Virtual BookWorm store.

Stephen Baskerville wrote an article for the Washington Post several months ago in defense of fathers. However, his two biggest critics were David Blankenhorn, author of "Fatherless America : Confronting Our Most Urgent Social Problem" and Wade F. Horn, president of the National Fatherhood Initiative. I have to say, for father's advocates, their letters are quite surprising. I did some digging and found this interview with Wade Horn where he says "...Some are fathers' rights groups, keeping you angry and outraged. They give you excuses why you haven't been a good guy." That was said by the man who's the President of the National Fatherhood Initiative? You work it out.

There's an awesome article on DrKoop.com about the ways fathers interact with babies, and the benefits of dad's unique style of parenting. Everything from how dads hold and talk to babies to the way they encourage rough-and-tumble play styles, which actually makes children less aggressive as they get older, is mentioned. It's a great article to show others when discussing the importance of fathers even when a child is in its infancy.

I know it's a little late notice, but tonight's Mensactivism.org chat will be on how the media has handled domestic violence this month. Personally, I haven't seen a lot on the subject considering the current focus on terrorism. This could have both good effects and negative ones. Come to our chat by visiting this page at 9:30 PM Eastern Time tonight (10/10), and share your views.

Finally, after all the debate, here it is from the horse's mouth: Why women aren't required to register for the draft. A supplemental backgrounder document is also available. To draft women, military policy must first be changed to allow them into combat roles. The wording of the law must then be made gender neutral. Then funding must be provided for requiring women to register. Also from the backgrounder: The U.S. came close to drafting women during World War II, when there was a shortage of military nurses. However, there was a surge of volunteerism and a draft of women nurses was not needed.