The WHYY FM station in Pennsylvania ran an on-air feature about male victims of domestic violence. The program was very high quality and sympathetic to battered men, and can be listened to on-line with RealAudio at this link. The fact that this radio program went on with so few detractors (there was only one negative caller, a woman who obviously had an axe to grind) is incredibly encouraging.

Neil Steyskal writes "Virginia's war on fathers is getting some media attention for dumping the outspoken non-custodial father on its child-support review panel." The "outspoken" man was none other than Prof. Stephen Baskerville, one of the most articulate advocates for father's rights I know of. The Washington Times article can be read here.

Australia's The Age reports here that a dialogue has begun on the need for prevention programs for adult men, who commit suicide at much higher rates than boys. The biggest event linked to older men taking their own life is a divorce, especially when they lose contact with their children. The article is very well balanced and raises a number of important points. Among them is the implication that advocating for men's contact with children after divorce could be part of a prevention program.

This report on Excite News reveals that the marketers of at least one unlikely product have recognized the extraordinary amount of shopping men now do for households in the U.S. Believe it or not, feminine hygiene products manufacturers are now trying to find ways to market those products to men, because they've discovered that many men are taking over the family shopping. The article, unfortunately, paints the picture of men as inept and "floundering," though.

This is just to let everyone know that the Men's Hour, episode no. 3, has been released at this page and is available in RealPlayer and Windows Media formats. In this episode, they interview Len Misulkin extensively, news of a hunger strike in Berlin, Richard Doyle about the Men's Defense Association, and Clayton Giles' journey for kids.

Japan's citizens are living longer than any other people on the earth, but Japnese women's lifespans are increasing at a greater rate than Japanese men, according to this article from Excite News. The article attributes the widening gap to Japan's ailing economy and an increase in male suicides.

A 25-year-old Pennsylvania woman has been sentenced to 1-10 years in prison after pleading down from statutory rape to statutory sexual assault for having sex with a 12-year-old boy. She will be eligible for parole after one year. Amazingly, she claims to have been "seduced" by the boy.

Neil Steyskal sent in an item from the Times-Dispatch about a new study which found that "one in five high school girls is physically or sexually abused by a dating partner." The article's highlight is the statement: "The study also suggests that a disturbing number of adolescent boys "have adopted attitudes that men are entitled to control their girlfriends through violence," said lead author Jay G. Silverman of Harvard University's School of Public Health." I'd encourage people to research this study and examine the methodology. It seems to me that the findings might be explained by an over-emphasis of poor men and women, but is certainly not representative of the population at large.

This story on Australia's news.com.au focuses on why fewer men than women go to the doctor. This issue has drawn considerable attention recently, especially after the study recently reported about on this Web site. Unfortunately, the main reason people seem to believe men do not go to the doctor as often is because of the old male stereotypes: men are afraid they'll be seen as "weak."

Neil Steyskal writes "USA Today published a feminist reply to Ann Coulter's column on Title IX. It claims that men's college teams are being dropped because they are expensive. Send your reply to: editor@usatoday.com."

This commentary posted on Excite News laments a court's decision to award a female walk-on kicker for Duke monetary damages under Title IX after she was cut from the team. The coaches and author of this piece assert that she was cut based on physical limitations in her performance, just as any male player is. Duke is appealing the decision.

An Anonymous User pointed me to a for-profit organization called Child Support Liberation. They claim to provide services for NCPs paying child support to help ensure they aren't being taken advantage of. I think this is a great idea, considering all of the resources devoted to the enforcement of CS orders that are too often unfair to the NCP. There needs to be some accountability in this process, and CSL appears offer it (for a fee, of course).

The Massachusetts based Fathers and Families organization will be holding a meeting on Monday, August 6, from 7 to 9 PM. E-mail Ned Holstien at NedHolst@aol.com for the location. "This meeting will be a good opportunity to review how the five hearings on the child support guidelines went, and to discuss what our follow-up steps will be. We will also be able to update members on the status of our legislation, and other current matters."

Spartacus sent in this article from dadi.org. It covers a number of related issues, including the decline of fatherhood, the rise of the welfare state, and the government programs which essentially reward mothers for eliminating dads from the home. It ends with a plea not to let further government intervention in family matters destroy fatherhood and our society further.

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.