I'm afraid I won't be able to make it to the chat session tonight - but that doesn't mean you can't do so! Most people meet at the chat page at 9:30 PM Eastern Time and go from there. Feel free to do so and discuss whatever topics you'd like. I'll try to drop in if I can.

This article and photo essay in the Christian Science Monitor tells the story of male inmates coming together and "transforming their lives" through acting. While females in prison are offered more in the way of social support, males are often left to their own devices (and survival). Shakespeare Behind Bars appears to be trying to break through all that. Not that it's been easy: Previous wardens were not all supportive of Curt's efforts, and the current warden admits his program probably wouldn't be around if it cost anything. Curt raises money to pay for costumes, and volunteers his time. He says he does it because acting can transform lives - particularly those of prisoners. The program is, of course, controversial, but the article does present it as bringing an element of humanity back to these men. Make sure you check out the photo essay.

This story on Excite News illustrates all too well the effect of male stereotypes on society, and their potentially deadly consequences. A Nashville, Tenn., man was murdered recently--I am not making this up--because he was holding his wife's purse and escorting a blind friend to the men's restroom after a short cruise on Nashville's Gen. Jackson Showboat.

In a shocking column on Fox News about how social services systems have a financial incentive to accuse parents of abuse and neglect, Wendy McElroy tells the story of a family torn apart so that the department could receive its "adoption incentive payment." According to the mother of the family, she was forced to accuse her husband of abusing her children so that DSS would have all the more reason to remove them from their home.

Rob Exeter writes, "I came across a rather one sided view of domestic violence stats on this webpage for the Kennebunk, Maine police. What is sad is that the "Mission Statement" of the Maine Police with respect to DV victims refers only to women and children. The crowning glory of the usual selective collection of "stats" is the attempt to compare the number of men killed in the Vietnam war with the number of females killed in the US during the same period. An interesting rebuttal to the figures can be found at this site, however.

Michael Snyder (a frequent poster on the newsgroup soc.men) wrote up a detailed analysis "comparing and cross-referencing the various DOJ reports on violent victimization, to show a pattern of bias in reporting, placing outrageous emphasis on female victimization and downplaying both male victimization and female offenders." I hope you'll take a moment to check this out, because it will blow your mind. Click here for his site.

Former Washington high school teacher Marty Barnes will only do 10 days of a traditionally 90-day sentence for second-degree criminal attempt of sexual misconduct with a minor (a misdemeanor) after she allegedly kissed one of her male students (twice). This story in the Seattle Times details the facts of the case. Barnes pleaded down from second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor, which would have meant she would have been required to register as a sex offender. Update: The author of this article (in an e-mail to me) says that several readers have written her asking why Barnes was given such a lenient sentence when a male would've received the max. You may write your letter to the editor to the Seattle Times here (opinion@seattletimes.com).

An organization calling itself "Men Stopping Rape" is once again distributing the offensive urinal splashguards with the slogan "You hold the key to stopping rape in your hands" to men's restrooms in Pennsylvania. The trend started in Ohio. The article is, of course, supportive of the measure, but does quote a few brave dissenting souls: "It kind of pissed me off. I know rape is out there and it makes you think, but this is State College, it's not like it's Philly. The splashguards aren't directed to me and so I'm going to ignore them. By putting those in there, you must think all guys are out there abusing women." Update: The first Men's Activism News Network post on this urinal splashguard fad (from back in May) is available here.

Chad from the Men's Movement Connection writes, "Recently Disney has released a new motion picture. "The Princess Diaries," targeted towards a younger audience, is rated "G," but the movie contains a scene where the character played by "Erik Von Detten" is sexually abused. This was shown in the theatrical trailer. We must try to stop the male bashing in at least Children's Cinema before it gets out of control." Contact info for Disney is listed in the Read More section of this story.

AngryHarry sent me this article which explains the all-too-common scenarios where 209A orders (restraining orders) are abused by women. What's even more important about the article is they have other pages on what to do about false accusations and methods of fighting back against the Massachusetts DSS. I consider this site a "must read" for any man who is currently in a relationship that is having some rough times. A small amount of time spent now could help you tremendously in the future.

Lance Armstrong, who overcame a very serious testicular cancer case about four years ago, has today won the Tour de France - for the third year in a row. Because of this I feel that Armstrong's victory is not just about a bike race, but about a man's victory over cancer and an inspiration to other men. The Lance Armstrong Foundation, which supports research, public awareness, and support to cancer survivors, can be found at this link.

This study conducted by a University of Texas professor and sponsored by the Independent Women's Forum indicates that the sharp drop of men on college campuses in the U.S. has had an equally dramatic impact on college dating culture. Women are finding it more difficult to find long-term partners, according to the study, while men are enjoying a preponderance of brief sexually charged encounters. The article does stereotype men as "only wanting one thing," but one brave soul speaks up and points out that men do seek out long-term relationships as well. It will be interesting, to me, to find out whether other men lament or laud this change in dating climate.

This article on Excite News purports to confirm an old stereotype that women are more likely to visit the doctor than are men. In spite of its headline, the article spends more word space focusing on how to "improve" women's health and relationships with the medical profession than men. In fact, men are only mentioned in three paragraphs of the 12 paragraph story. Most of the comparisons are made between white women and black women. Not surprisingly, women are diagnosed and treated for depression more often than men. It is my personal belief that this is because of the old stereotype in which men must "suck it up and tough it out" while women are too delicate to be allowed to experience any discomfort.

A study described on Excite News indicates that some pesticides and solvents may be to blame for a dramatic increase in male infertility. Dwindling sperm counts have been a cause of concern since Danish researchers reported in 1992 that sperm counts worldwide were declining. Many experts blame environmental factors for the decline, as well as an increase in testicular cancer.

Robert H wrote in about a situation he found himself in where he was being harassed at his workplace and accused of "making moves" on another employee's wife. After having left the job because of the stress, he has attempted several ways to get some sort of support, but found it nowhere. Robert's story can be read by clicking Read More below. I would urge you to contact Robert if you can suggest to him any resources and offer some moral support for another man who was mistreated and is being ignored.