Good news on the fatherhood front - more men are trying for custody and winning (albeit with king sized legal fees). This article from the
UK Sunday Times tells us how fathers are starting to win high profile cases. What really gets me though, is how society devalues men's unique style of parenting (which is practical), and thinks women's style of parenting (which is emotional) is inherently better. I mean, how is a man who provides a house and a monthly income (practical parenting) for his wife and kids not considered a primary or equal caregiver?

Ed Bartlett from Men's Health America notified me of a team of men who plan to climb Mount Aconcagua in Argentina to raise money for prostate cancer awareness and research. Their goal is to raise one million dollars, and they need your help. Please see the Prostate Cancer Climb web site to see what they're up to and how you can donate to this effort.

Jim Castelli writes "Lisa Knight, field hockey coach of Martha's Vinyard High School Field Hockey team complained about Nate Coolidge playing on the girl's field hockey team from Sandwich. After losing to the Sandwich team coach Knight stated, '...Coolidge has no business competing with girls....I'm big on equality in women's sports...In this country, it's a female sport...Men are going to be bigger, stronger, faster. He's clearly the dominant player on the field. Without him Sandwich would not be the team they are.' But men and women are equal, aren't they Lisa?" You can read the Boston Globe article here.

An Anonymous User writes "VAWA's discrimination against men is denounced in an article by Philip W. Cook (author of a recent book about domestic violence toward men) that appeared today on the Op/Ed page of The Oregonian. The link is here." Philip Cook's book is Abused Men, and highly recommended to anyone interested in this topic.

Here's a continuation of our previous story on the "Lace Curtain." In the second part of his writings, Warren Farrell continues his story of the lace curtain. In this part he explains the workings of publishers when it comes to gender issues, and how 75% of publishers are feminists resistant to men's issues. All this and more can be read at this link.

The gendercide watch website deals with gender selective mass killing. While being imprisoned might not seem like gendercide, the nature of capital punishment and the death penalty is. This case study here tells us how gender-based prisons over a lot of the world are, and also how gender based the death penalty and capital punishment is. The article is very well written and even has a reference from Warren Farrell's book The Myth of Male Power as well.

There is a new conflict surrounding Title IX, and this one seems absurd. Schools are now starting to require private donation funds, such as booster clubs, to donate equally to men and women's sports, or not to donate at all. As it was put in the article: "'We're the ones who have been out here working to make money, and ... they're
now telling us how we can spend it,' says Mrs. Proctor, president of the booster club, whose son is a center and linebacker on the team. 'If we would like our boys to go to Louisville and be a part of a passing competition, and we have the money, why can't we send them?'" You can read the Christian Science Monitor article here.

Marc Angelucci writes "The UCLA Daily Bruin surprisingly printed my letter even though they just printed another of mine a week ago. You can read it here. There's also an interesting letter by a "pro-life feminist" just above mine that even asks "where are the father's rights?" regarding abortion. The elections are making gender a hot topic and we need to take advantage of the moment while we have it by writing to the papers." Marc, your success and enthusiasm are a great sign to me and encouragement to others. Thank you!

Voter.com news has this article, which outlines the public views of presidential candidate Al Gore regarding welfare, fatherhood, and child support. It's not particularly positive to men, to say the least. Note: The Men's Activism News Network does not officially endorse any political candidates.

Claude Saint-Jarre wrote in to inform me of this news article from China Daily. It talks about a disturbing rise in male sexual problems, including sterility, erectile dysfunction, and prostate hyperplasia. It is believed that these diseases are "increasing among men due to the growing stress of work and the family, and the fact that men are often reluctant to visit the doctor. Serious environmental pollution is also seen as a major reason for the increase."

According to this Excite news story, a conference will be held November 10-12 to "explore whether men have an inherent paternal instinct to maintain supportive and nurturing relationships with their offspring and, if so, how that basic drive can be harnessed for the benefit of their children." Warren Farrell will be a keynote speaker at this conference, so you can be sure it's going to be pro-male and pro-father.

This is an online book by Erin Pizzey who founded the first refuge for battered wives in 1971, the book is her personal story of all the struggles she had in getting the shelter set up, her encounters with DV victims and the men's side of the story and how she also set up a men's shelter, but it was closed down due to the grant being withdrawn. You can read it here. I remember hearing a rumor that Erin Pizzey fled Britain soon after publishing this book due to death threats from women's groups, I can't confirm this but would any of us be surprised? Scott's note: Murray Straus, a family violence researcher, has also received death threats and bomb threats at his speaking engagements. At times radical feminists act more like terrorists it seems.

Jim Castelli writes "An article by Alex Beam appearing in the Boston Globe today, is entitled Tom Sawyer and the End of Boyhood. According to the article, since the 1960's the natural spirit of boyhood has been turned into a psychological illness. The writing of William Pollack (Real Boys) is cited as one of the most egregious examples of pathologizing what had been considered normal boy behavior. From the article: "If Tom Sawyer were a boy in school today he would most likely be in therapy three times a week and jacked up on Ritalin." Is there a correlation between the rise of "male-bashing feminism" and the pathologizing of normal boys behavior? Let's see, most teachers in grades K-12 are women schooled in the contemporary "male-bashing feminism" begun in the 1960's. You decide!"

Paul Weller, a popular music artist in the UK, was recently accused of raping a woman during a party back in 1996. The police have finally said he will not be charged with rape. Weller described the ordeal as "one of the most depressing moments of my life," and also said, "I
understand the need for anonymity, [but] it should be extended to both parties in such cases, especially prior to any criminal charges
being brought." My sentiments exactly. You can read the Yahoo! Music news article here.

This is incredible - The Washington Post held an on-line chat on domestic violence, and a "DV expert" was on the program who told the typical distortions and lies about gender and domestic violence. Amazingly, enough supporters of battered men were participating that she was quickly put on the defensive. Best of all, the moderator of the chat seemed very supportive of men, and undoubtedly facilitated the turn of events. You can read a transcript of the chat at this link. Thanks to Marc Angelucci for sending me this!