Rick Neagle from Fathers Are Capable Too (FACT) sent me some more information about the pro-father conference at the University of Toronto which will be happening on June 3. Regardless of whether you're from the Toronto area, this conference will be a major event and is well worth attending. Note that the "early bird" registration fee lasts until May 25, and will go up after that - so register today! More information on this conference can be viewed by clicking "Read More" below, and you can register at this web site.

Spartacus sent in this link from the L.A. Times about the recent news that Japan's princess is pregnant, and writes "This time the you don't have to read between the lines to get the feminist agenda: "No announcement has yet been made on the sex of the child. But recent calls by the prime minister for legal changes allowing women to ascend the throne have fueled speculation that the child will be a girl. Women's groups and social critics say having an empress could help improve women's profile--and give Japan a better monarch. "Men always seem to be starting wars," said Midori Watanabe, a professor at Bunka Women's University and expert on the royal family. "So we definitely need a female ruler as a symbol of peace in the 21st century.""

Insight Magazine reports that the National Organization of Women has been lying about its annual budget and membership levels. A N.O.W. chapter from Virginia requested the IRS non-profit documents of the national group and found that while N.O.W. has claimed it has an annual budget of $10 million, the budget has been under $5 million in the past few years. Furthermore, its claimed membership of over 250,000 is also inaccurate. What I found most interesting is that the salary of Patricia Ireland was disclosed: "The filings suggest that NOW's top leaders enjoy pretty good incomes and lifestyles. The salaries of the top five, including Ireland, are at the level of Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. Ireland receives $143,252 for a 34-hour workweek. All five top officers also receive generous expense accounts and travel allowances."

Nightmist writes "Excite posted this story about a new drug which appears to slow the progress of prostate cancer to the bones. The article explains that the spread of prostate cancer to the bones is usually the most painful stage of the disease, and is a major cause of death among men with the cancer. The drug is no cure (it doesn't kill cancer cells), but it apparently does prevent them from growing."

The organization Human Rights Watch has completed a three-year study on the prison rape of men, resulting in a 378 page report on the topic. You can view the materials here. There are video interviews with some of the 200+ prisoners who took part in the study. This is by far the most comprehensive study I've ever seen on the topic of prison rape, and by including the accounts and recordings of inmate interviews, this site forces you to confront the personal reality of this issue. If you are doing research in this area, this is one report you must see.

frank h writes "I'm not sure how many folks already knew this. I did not, but I had suspected all along the feminist leanings of the YWCA. Hopefully, this will result in decreased funding from private sources, but it probably won't. They must've found a way to get VAWA funding by subscribing to NOW ideals. Look here for more info."

Here's a site all Men's groups and parents in general (even more so if they have sons in school) should read up on, regardless of what they're working towards. Peter Breggin has an excellent resource about informing people of the the undisscussed dangers of stimulants and other drugs (like Ritalin) and is also fronting several lawsuits against Ritalin. I'm sure you've heard the saying "no man is an island?" well he's the exception, so click this link to get going.

Andrew writes "Finally, the definitive answer to Freud's famous question: According to a national poll commissioned by Women.com in honor of Mother's Day, 'Most American women consider high-profile single mothers such as Rosie O'Donnell positive female role models, but 72 percent of women want two-parent households to raise their children.' Whew; it's good to have that cleared up. (Actually, read the article and it becomes clear that what they want is not the man, but the money.)"

The L.A. Times printed this story about a recent California court case which has ruled that biological fathers who have terminated their parental rights cannot be held liable for child support. Previously, even when a child was adopted, the bio dad could still be required to pay child support. "attorney...Patrick Reardon...said it is illogical for a father to have an obligation to support his son but be denied the right to visit him." Finally I see a court case which sees fathers as something other than a wallet! Perhaps this could also set a precedent that fathers paying child support have an intrinsic right to visit their children, and that violation of this right puts child support obligations in jeapordy?

The Bangor Daily News reports that a conference about male victims of domestic violence will be held in Portland, Maine this coming Friday, May 18. Noteworthy speakers will include Cathy Young and Mary Cleary (from AMEN). Myself and a few members of the Massachusetts Coalition for Men will be attending. The conference is one of the first of its kind and has drawn interest from all over the country. Click here for the story and more info on the conference.

Nightmist writes " This editorial on Excite describes new Ohio legislation which guarantees financial assistance for uninsured female victims of breast cancer, but not male breast cancer or prostate cancer. The author lauds the bill's support of uninsured women, but also decries its lack of attention to men. I'm not as sure as the author that the legislators' reasons for assisting uninsured females were sound (it was based upon women's alleged lack of equality in the workplace), but I am glad the problem of ignoring men was mentioned."

Marc Angelucci writes "Glenn Sacks, one of our top activists, published an article Saturday in the L.A. Times refuting the pay gap. Right on Glenn! It can be read at
this link. And here is the response from a local NOW president, who had the privilege of seeing the opponent's article, which Glenn did not have. Anyhow, fair enough - You be the judge. Anyone who even remotely knows the LA Times would probably agree this is a long-awaited victory."

Bill Kuhl sent in a short editorial about a recent episode of ABC's "Primetime," which interviewed Ellen Fein, co-author of the book The Rules, a guide for women on how to manipulate men most effectively when dating. Well, they've now released a second book, The Rules for Marriage, which explains how to keep husbands in the marriage (at least, until she wants to get rid of him). Click "Read More" below for Bill's comments...

Nightmist writes "Excite posted this story about the reappearance of a sexual assault awareness campaign in men's restrooms on college campuses. Many male students are offended by the campaign, which is why it was originally stopped in 1997. The campaign's slogan informs men that they hold the key to stopping rape "in your hands" (referring, of course, to our penises). Men opposed to the campaign said that it felt accusatory. It most certainly does."

Nightmist writes "USA Today ran this article detailing a lack of attention to male body-image problems on college campuses. More intriguing, however, are the final four paragraphs of the column, which claim that more campuses are beginning to include men in sexual assault awareness programs. Although it doesn't go into a whole lot of detail, the author hints at the wrongness of the male/female equals oppressor/victim mentality. However, she does focus more on men supporting anti-violence against women campaigns and less on violence against men."