Nightmist writes "Christian Science Monitor reports on a widespread protest of family court justice in America. The protestors advocated "shared parenting," in which both parents get equal time with their children. It also points out that in 85 percent of cases, the mother gets custody, even though some states already have shared parenting legislation (Massachusetts is apparently working on it)."

Nightmist writes "Along with Cancer-Option.com's breast cancer and lung cancer sites, Excite news reports that a new prostate cancer-specific site has been launched. ProstateCancerOption.com will focus solely on news and assistance for men suffering the disease. CancerOption.com, meanwhile, is still a general resource on all types of cancers."

Andrew writes "Remember that famous feminist slogan? Something like, 'To get respect in a man's world, a woman must do twice as much in the same time as a man. Fortunately, this is not difficult.' (If anyone has a more accurate version of this, and a source, I'd like to hear about it.) Gee, I guess this news story, Women find army training too tough must be some kind of anti-feminist plot. While the Western nations work to make their military training female-friendly, the Chinese are busy toughening up the largest army on the planet. 'Those who will not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.'"

bernee writes "There is no question that when it comes to the health stakes, men are often short changed, especially in rural areas. An initiative in Australia is hoping to address this. "Pit Stop", as it is known grew out of the observation that getting men to go to the doctor was often difficult but they turned up in droves to car races etc. "Pit Stop" is a mobile clinic that travels to organised car events doing check-ups and advising men on health issues. This initiative was featured on a national TV program, the transcript of which is available here."

The iFeminists.com web site had an article by Wendy McElroy about battered men. It discusses the uphill battle male victims of DV and their supporters have to climb in order to get help and recognition by society, and mentions the recent battered men conference which was held in Portland, ME. From the article: "For self-interested reasons, many women's shelters continue to deny that men comprise a significant portion of those victimized by domestic abuse. Their funding depends on the denial...The only right abused men seem to have retained in full is the right to remain silent."

John Leo's column in U.S. News and World Report covers the IWF's feminist myth-busting ad, and serves as yet more embarrassing coverage to colleges and universities which no longer tolerate free speech and open inquiry. Leo analyzes the attacks on the ad, noting that the tactics of campus feminists are to portray the ad as creating a hostile environment for women, and trying to shift the perception of the ad as an issue of free speech to one of violent speech. Leo then quotes Stanley Kurtz with, "Once words we don't like have been equated with acts of violence, there's no place left for free speech." I thought this was a great article for making this issue more explicit.

Nightmist writes "This foolish article in the Christian Science Monitor attempts to defend negative portrayals of men in modern advertising as a way of attracting male buyers to products, and that men aren't offended by such ads, but use them as excuses to be stupid. One moron quoted in the article says the ads resonate with women, too, because "Women know a lot of stupid men." Newsflash, jerk, I've known many a stupid woman in my time."

Terence Hallinan, who is considering running for mayor in San Fransisco, has explicitly stated that he wants the "charge count" on domestic violence cases increased - "We've got to do better even if it means tightening up the charging criteria" he said. In response, a police officer was quoted as saying, "It's B.S...the cases are just going to get tossed [out of court] anyway." What is most frightening about this is that due to the highly political climate around domestic violence, his chances of winning the mayor seat are benefiting from this. The story is the second topic covered in this column from the San Fransisco Gate.

Nightmist writes "This story on EurekAlert details how teachers for children in low-income, at-risk households were routinely ignoring the role and interest of fathers (or father figures) in the educational development of such children. After some study and sensitivity training for the teachers, they began to include fathers more. The misperception among teachers, according to the study, is that most of these children have no fathers."

Nightmist writes "The Washington Post is reporting in a news brief that "Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and a civil rights group announced the creation yesterday of a Commission on Black Men and Boys in the District to find services to combat joblessness, crime, illness and family dysfunction that disproportionately strike African American men." This program is reportedly the first of its kind for D.C."

Nightmist writes "This frightening article posted on Excite claims that a common treatment for prostate cancer is causing loss of bone mass to accelerate in men. Bone loss which would normally occur within 10 years occurs within one year of starting the treatment. The treatment suppresses testosterone, which is responsible for spurring growth of prostate tumors, but is also responsible for healthy bone mass."

Nightmist writes "LA's Second Annual Champions For A Cure Run/Walk is scheduled for the day before Father's Day. Says the article: "The event will be hosted by sports legend Wayne Gretzky and is expected to draw thousands of Los Angeles area residents to participate in the 10K/5K Run/Walk, the 1K "Kids Dash For Dad" and the Interactive Sports Festival."" Registration information for the event is included in the article - please consider attending or participating if you're in the area.

Nightmist writes "Research by Finnish scientists claims that eating fatty fish like salmon and mackerel may significantly reduce a man's risk of getting prostate cancer. "The men who ate no fish had a two-fold to three-fold higher risk of prostate cancer than those who ate moderate or high amounts," one researcher said. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Swedish men."

Nightmist writes "This column on Excite is no doubt meant to be humorous, but it also points out some very real frustrations for males who date females. As the author says, "And that's when I came to a shocking conclusion: We're not equal. Somewhere along the way, we poor men got the short end of the deal."" This was a great column to see being printed in a campus newspaper - a young man coming to the revelation that women and men are equal, until it comes to paying for dates, initiating relationships, etc.

New Hampshire's Portsmouth Herald printed a front page story about the proposed Commission on the Status of Men in NH, which has passed the House stripped of the program's funding and is headed for the Senate. The article outlines many of the findings of the research group which proposed the commission, listing several key areas where men are not doing well, including health issues, fatherlessness, and education. FYI, the legislative report can be downloaded here.