This is a long, informative article from the Boston Globe about the alarmingly high suicide rate for students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Comparisons were made with several other top engineering schools and MIT had the highest suicide rate overall. Many of the deaths, of course, are men. There is an effort to increase counseling services at MIT and to try and do more to prevent suicide. Certainly, the stress and pressure on men to perform and achieve is very prevalent at such a prestigious school, and I also hope that steps will be taken at the other schools listed in the article which had disturbingly high suicide rates.

This UK Telegraph article was submitted by AngryHarry, and discusses the obstacles many men with erectile dysfunction have to deal with in order to obtain treatment. As the article says, "we should not lightly dismiss the significance of the condition by regarding it as trivial, or unimportant or a bit of a joke." Currently, drugs such as Viagra can only be administered in Britain to men with certain medical conditions, and doctors are lobbying to allow the administration of these treatments on the grounds of clinical need.

Charles E. Corry from the DV Against Men - Colorado group wrote up an informative article about what happens when 911 is called during a domestic dispute, and why this shouldn't be used (by either party) even if one is already in extreme danger. Dr. Corry believes that calling 911 can make the situation worse and has irrevocable consequences for both parties involved. Click "Read More" below to read this article.

David Byron writes "An article from the New York Times (free sub required) tells the story of a male gynecologist who was fired because of his sex. Women are demanding female gynecologists. Behind the usual male bashing put-downs the story describes a highly discriminatory field of medicine. What I found especially interesting was the legal angle. Apparently the issue "tests the limits of a longstanding tenet of employment law, namely, that customer preferences generally do not justify discrimination in hiring or employment". Well as you could expect the rules seem to have changed when the customer wants women, not men. It seems anti-male bias is routine in this field where female-only practices openly discriminate. Also interesting to see that the preference for female gynecologists is largely limited to middle class women. Overall a sympathetic article (see the last paragraph)."

David Byron writes "An article about Lynne Cheney in the New York Times (requires free subscription) compares her to Hilary Clinton as a political wife who may have considerable influence on the administration. She is a member of the Independent Women's Forum and although she's kept a pretty low profile so far didn't give the usual answer that so many public women opposed to feminism give when asked about feminism ("That depends what you mean by feminism"). Here's a quote from the article: "Asked if she considers herself a feminist, Mrs. Cheney, who is 59, said: 'In the early days I certainly did, though now that's identified with a political philosophy I don't agree with. I'm pro-life and think Clarence Thomas is a wonderful justice.'"

The UK Times reports that a new parenting law will by default presume that a man declared the father of a child by the mother is indeed the father if he refuses to take a DNA paternity test. This is a very serious civil liberties issue, as we should all have the ability to safegaurd our genetic information, and not relinquish that right simply because a person names you as the father. The potential for misuse of this law is staggering. Click here to read the article.

Salon.com just did an interview with Warren Farrell about his new book Father And Child Reunion to give us a small preview of what to expect in the book. While the interviewer did seem a bit condescending at times, it's a great personalized insight into Warren and his life, so click here to read it.

While this action is NOT TO BE TOLERATED OR CONDONED in any way whatsoever, it makes one wonder how things would be different if men did have reproductive choice - would there be any motive to do this? As the title suggests, a man had surreptitiously inserted pills into his girlfriend's vagina to induce a miscarriage when he discovered she was pregnant. And with the legality of new oral drugs such as RU-486, the potential for inducing abortions and/or miscarriages in women by their lovers is very real. The news story from Hartford Courant can be read here.

Tony put up a web site about the lies and manipulation he went through with an ex-girlfriend who frauded him into fatherhood. His story is a perfect example of the injustice done to men who have no recourse from being forced into paternity, and I can assure you his experience isn't all that uncommon. Please check out his site and drop him a note of support. He's particularly looking to contact others who have been in similar situations.

AngryHarry submitted this article from the UK Sunday Times about suicide prevention programs in Northern Ireland. As the suicide rate has increased, people are now viewing it as a social problem in need of education and prevention campaigns similar to drug abuse and other serious social ills. The article does mention the need to target young men specifically in their prevention programs, and offer resources to them. Hats off to the Times for helping to raise public awareness of this issue.

Doctor_Damage writes "ABCNews conducted this interview with Greg Bishop who created the "Boot Camp For New Dads" program. Gregs remarks "...we are swamped just trying to meet the demands from dads. There are alternatives for women in the form of many groups after the birth where new moms can gather and exchange information. And from my office window I often see up 30 moms with strollers on their way to just such class." Given the plethora of facilities for new moms to come to terms with the new responsibilities and tasks that go with becoming a parent, programs such as this with men in mind seem like a remarkably sound idea. More information about the program can be found at www.newdads.com"

Stephen Baskerville wrote an excellent general interest article about the state of fatherhood and the real problems behind fatherless children (the courts and uncooperative mothers). The Washington Post article can be read here. "Most of the absent fathers our leaders excoriate so mercilessly are kept away not by high-powered, globetrotting careers but by court orders. Contrary to public perceptions (and government public relations), very few fathers voluntarily abandon their children, and no scientific evidence has ever been adduced to show that they do."

This really eye opening story in WorldNetDaily is about Norma McCorvey, the "Roe" in the Roe v. Wade Abortion case. It outlines many surprising and disturbing facts about her life, including that she has never had an abortion, nor does she support abortion any more, that she lied about being raped and was used callously by her attorneys, and that she attempted suicide and resents many of the pro-abortion feminists. She says "Plain and simple, I was used. I was a nobody to [the attorneys]. They only needed a pregnant woman to use for their case, and that is it. They cared, not about me, but only about legalizing abortion. Even after the case, I was never respected - probably because I was not an ivy-league educated, liberal feminist like they were...My experience with pro-abortion leaders is that they are snobs."

Ed Bartlett and the Men's Health America team have now begun an action-oriented campaign to establish an Office of Men's Health at the DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services). Join the MHA list now and you'll receive daily e-mails with action items to take part in. The MHA campaigns are very well laid out and have proven their effectiveness in the past. If you want to make a difference in men's lives, do this! As Ed writes, "If a man's life isn't worth fighting for, then what's worth fighting for? This is our duty. We're starting Sunday. Are you ready?"

I received an anonymous pointer to an article from the Globe and Mail about a woman who gave her husband wine laced with antifreeze. Later, she had him on the telephone as he drank it "so that he wouldn't seek medical attention for the effects of the poison, it and kept the conversation going." The article makes no mention of domestic violence but in court there were several examples of the abusive and hateful behavior of his wife.