Fred Reed's latest column is a commentary on the recent news of a boy who could be charged with a felony for slapping a girl's butt. Fred provokes insight into the story with his usual humor and sarcasm. "Do you suppose Chief Salazar doesn't have enough to do?...The prissy confused in Espanola are teaching Sally that sexual attention from boys is sick, reprehensible, and a cause for calling the police. Gee, that'll make for happiness later in adulthood. And, dead serious, they may put the boy in juvie for two years, destroying his life forever. They're teaching Bobby that females are dangerous, that a man should never trust them."

A team of scientists in Japan have successfully cloned the embryo cells of mice and turned them into sperm cells. The UK Sunday Times reported on the story here. From the article: "The team, from the Machida district of Tokyo, also believe they will be able to reprogramme male cells into producing eggs so that men can both father and 'mother' children." The research is also controversial due to the use of cloning technology, and while the sperm haven't yet been used in creating a mouse offspring, it is widely believed among scientists that it would work.

CNN is reporting on the new Ohio law that allows men who were tricked into paternity to stop paying child support and sue to recover past payments in the event that a DNA test proves that they were not the father. It is great to see more coverage of this issue, and there are several anecdotes in the story from men who've been tricked into fatherhood and are still forced to pay. Interesting fact: "Lab directors say that in about one-third of the welfare cases and 10 percent of other cases, the father named by the mother turns out not to be the biological parent."

Bill Kuhl pointed me to this St. Louis Post-Dispatch article and writes, "My gut reaction to the article is that on the one hand it's good to see men coming together to try and help each other with their problems, and to hear about Latino men for a change, but on the other hand the support groups referred to in the article sound as though they were born out of a gender feminist ideology - perhaps these men should be reflecting on the word for Spanish word for 'hypocrite' instead of 'macho'." The article is about profeminist men's groups that subscribe to myths about domestic violence and try to "keep men in their place" by reinforcing the male workhorse role with chivalrous sympathy and subtle shaming. I share Bill's mixed feelings about these groups.

Bill Kuhl writes "On the NBC Nightly News on New Year's Day there was a segment debunkng the myth that following marriage, on average, the quality of men's lives improves while the quality of women's suffers. The recent study was done by sociologist Linda J. Waite of the Univ. of Chicago. Previously, as NBC pointed out, experts in the field had agreed that, after getting married, men's health tended to improve while women tended to become depressed. (I just can't help but wonder, how were they able to compare their sampling with a cloned group of unmarried men and women? There are too many variables that could have brought about the changes in the two groups' quality of life.) Nonetheless, kudos to Dr. Waite and to NBC for reporting on the politically incorrect study. I might add that the segment mentioned a number of areas in which the quality of women's lives tend to improve. A summary of Dr. Waite's findings can be
found at this link. Perhaps the nicest tidbit that NBC reported was that
only 4% of the married female respondants said they had 'unhappy marriages,' certainly not the picture of marriage that the media and academia would have us believe."

IHF sent in this link to a UK Independent story about the fact that Ministers are planning to have the DIY DNA testing kits regulated "to outlaw DNA testing by fathers using samples from mothers and children which are not verifiable or gained with consent." That's right - it's not being done due to civil liberties concerns, but because the kits can threaten the best interests of children. When are people going to go to the root of the problem, women who are tricking men into paternity, instead of forcing men to foot the bill for children who aren't their own? Do men simply exist to financially support women and children? With news like this, one has to wonder.

The Salt Lake Tribune printed this story about a court ruling which denied a full time college student exemption from paying child support. Judge Orme said that "A child's right to ongoing support should not be held hostage to a parent's desire to get a higher education...Contemporary college students are not forced to choose between earning an income and getting a higher education -- they can do both." This is more evidence that denying men reproductive rights has long term negative effects. I know too many men that can barely feed themselves and pay their child support, let alone attend a tech school or university.

This posting from Men's Health America gives an annual report of men's health issues in 2000, and what work the organization does. Ed Bartlett's group is very large and extremely active, and men's health is a fairly non-controversial issue that we can really hope to break some ground with. Join Ed's group to help "eliminate the life span gender gap and other disparities affecting men's health."

The National Post reported here that Boris Becker, three-time Wimbledon champion, is demanding that his wife return his two children now in the U.S. back to Germany, and is working to obtain sole custody of them. There are also financial issues why Beckher's ex-wife wants to stay in the U.S. - if the divorce proceedings are done in the States, she could receive up to $75M of Mr. Becker's fortune, as opposed to a mere $3.8M she'd get if they were finalized in Germany. There are lots of interesting dynamics involved in this case.

Speaking of activism projects. :) The NCFM letter writing committee this month is protesting the involvement of Patricia Schroeder, a feminist politician, who has recently joined the head of the Association of American Publishers, which puts out many public school texts. Schroeder is very active in promoting the wage gap myth and other issues in gender politics that have been harmful to men. Note that you don't need to be a member of NCFM to participate in the letter writing committee - all are welcome. Click here for more info on where to write and how to participate.

The Men's Activism News Network wishes everyone a great and prosperous New Year, and welcome to the new Millennium! ( yes, the 21st century starts this year, not last year, despite the media circus we had). Please consider making some resolutions to participate in activism projects and pay close attention to your health this year - let's use 2001 as an opportunity to make great strides for the cause of men's rights and dignity!

Salon.com printed this article about a Massachusetts court case that could expand the "Battered Woman" defense to include attacks against third parties. Before, the argument was only used in cases were the woman attacked her abuser. And as we know, there is no "battered man" defense, due to the lack of recognition of domestic violence against men. The legal trend toward creating these kinds of excuses for murder is also disturbing.

BusterB writes "Elizabeth Nickson of the National Post writes about how wonderful Canadian men are. Apologies to the fellows south of the border and over the ocean, who don't fare so well in her opinion piece. Although I can't vouch for what she says about men in other countries, I agree with her assessment of Canadian men. What she forgets to mention, though, is that Canadian men are so nice because Canadian women are, as an acquaintance once put it, so macha. We men are easy to get along with because we're surrounded by nasty women and are accustomed to abuse." Update: The link has been fixed.

There is good news to follow up to the recent story about Terry Johnson, who was convicted of sexual assault due a videotape of the victim's accusations, which was shown in court even though the alleged victim has publicly recanted the accusations. Thursday, the NH Supreme Court ruled that the videotape should not have been used as evidence in the trial. Johnson will get a new trial, and it is unlikely he can be convicted with the victim still recanting the accusations. Foster's Daily Democrat had the latest news here.

As sad as it is to say this, any man who is going through a divorce or will be doing so soon should read this. The Washington Post printed this article, which is a series of tips on what to do in the event of parental child abduction, and what information you'll need on hand to try to stop it before your children are taken abroad. With so much at stake in a situation like this, it is better to be safe than sorry, and to be prepared.