A Washington couple falsely accused of raping a child has won a large judgement, according to the story in the Washington Times. Just as important, though, are the remarks their attorney makes about how easy it is for a case like theirs to get so far in the justice system. "There is no doubt that child sex abuse happens, and it is tragic," said John Stocks, an attorney who represented the Simses and three other defendants during the trial. "It is also tragic that people can be falsely accused of crimes and to go that far in the system without the checks and balances ferreting them out."

Bill Fortune from Domestic Solutions of New Hampshire, a consumer protection and advocacy group for people seeking solutions to relationship issues, is working on a project to get legislation passed in NH that would give people alternatives to divorce, particularly if they have young children. The idea is to refer couples to a form of relationship therapy friendly to both men and women, which is based on the work of Dr. Harville Hendrix (see this site for more info). The idea has received attention from UNH's Family Research Laboratory, which would be willing to study the effectiveness of the program if funding can be obtained. Bill is very interested in your input, and I'd encourage you to contact him if you have further questions. By clicking Read More below, you can view excerpts from a letter he wrote to President George Bush. Bill's e-mail is: indust.consult@rcn.com.

This story on Excite News not only reveals the surprising fact that men's gymnastics is the most successful sport ever on Southern Illinois University's campus, but also details the bittersweet tale of a reunion of the athletes who did the university so proud before Title IX destroyed the program more than 10 years ago. Mitchell is still baffled by the administration's questionable decision for a sport that costs little to run. "It was a dynasty." Mitchell said. "When you have a dynasty, it's unfortunate that the administration could not see the light.".

Not PC pointed me to this Washington Times op-ed printed today, which questions the recent inquiries into "male fragility" as reported on by U.S. News and World Report, among others. The essay points out that these days any form of masculine behavior is seen as a pathology, and that it's not boys that are "sick," but our culture which continually demonizes men.

The Sydney Morning Herald printed this story about a group of widowed women who sued their deceased husbands' employer for a monetary value of the housework that the men would have done in retirement. The men had died prematurely due to asbestos exposure. One would think that if a group of men had sued because of their wives' premature death for the value of their "housework," society would see this as treating women as property and house servants. But when women exploit the deaths of their husbands, no commentary on the degrading nature of the lawsuit is mentioned.

Not PC sent in this link to an on-line petition to stop paternity fraud - when men are deceived into having children against their will. The petition is from the PaternityFraud.com site run by Carnell Smith, so you can be sure he's going to follow through with it.

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."