Here's some more news on Fred Lane, who was shot by his wife early in July. Was he killed so his wife could collect $5 million from an insurance policy that was recently taken out for him? "'Fred Lane had no value to Deidra Lane while he was alive,' [the prosecuting attorney] said. 'The state contends this was first-degree murder. She laid in wait to kill him.'" Lane's wife could face the death penalty, so why was she jailed on only $100k bond? This is appalling. ESPN.com ran the story here.

George writes "This is the most recent development in the shotgun death of NFL running back Fred Lane. The wife, Deidra Lane, appears to be the major suspect. All of the facts are not yet clear, but this may be one to keep an eye on to observe how 'gender-neutrally' the case is handled. The judge has already granted a bond release despite the strong argument of the prosecutor. Click here to read the story"

Stephen Baskerville wrote an excellent article for DadsDivorce.com, entitled, "What We (Should) Want". In it, he discusses his theory on what divorce law should be, with the primary premise that "No one has the right to separate a child from a parent without compelling evidence of wrongdoing." His ideas go further than mandatory joint custody and the "best interests of the child", which is practically meaningless the way it is applied today. It's a good, thoughtful read.

I received a phone call from Kim, who's with the group demonstrating at the West Front of the Capitol Building to promote men's reproductive rights. They're picketing, handing out flyers, and informing passers-by about choice for men. They'll be there until 5 PM. I've called the Washington Post, but if anyone in the DC area knows anyone else to call to try to get some reporters down there, please do so! Thanks!

Okay, I don't think this is true for all women, but quite a few. The National Post printed this story on how women essentially use men for their money, and feel no guilt about it. Why? "When men hand you money, you're just being treated as you deserve to be treated...It's the new feminism to say, 'I'm expensive. I need lots of attention. I need men to bend over backwards for me'" If men would fully realize this and stop playing into this trap, we would be so much further ahead. Be sure to send this article to every man you know and observe his reaction. Thanks to Peter Dudley for submitting this news story.

The Denver Post printed this fact-filled story on the status of men in higher education. It includes a lot of statistical info and charts, and focuses primarily on Colorado's college system, but includes data on the national situation too. I've actually been pleasantly surprised that this topic has received so much attention from the media. I just hope something is done about it, too.

Vote.com is doing a legal poll on whether men should have the right to abortion. The results of the poll will be sent to Patricia Ireland of NOW and Sidney Siller, Esq. of the National Organization for Men. Click here to cast your vote and show your support of male reproductive rights! Update: The poll is now over. You can view the results by clicking here. Better luck next time, I guess. :(

I have no idea if this is intended to help women receiving money from the Child Support Agency, or men paying the organization, but this UK Times article (courtesy of IHF) reports that the compensation amount paid to victims of clerical mistakes made by the CSA should be increased from 250 to 1,000 pounds. This sounds like some sort of accountability system, but is it? I'm not sure, but it seems like interesting news.

This article from Newsday attempts to dispel myths about battered men. I almost sense a tone of restraint from the article's message, but perhaps it will be more effective in that people might be more willing to accept the message. Any recognition of DV against men is worthwhile. Here's a good quote: "In many ways, it is much
more difficult for the male victim of domestic violence because of the special stigma that
attaches to being a battered man...Abused men also find it difficult to get
out of violent relationships because they fear losing custody or even visitation with
their children...they must often deal with ridicule as well as lack of understanding."

Fredoneverything had a good opinion article on the current state of education - and, as you could guess, Fred's got a bone to pick with it. His recommendations are great common sense observations, though he seems to think that women are the ones fit to be teachers (but fathers, he also says, should offer assistance and guidance from home). Fred's generally a very pro-male commentator, so I felt this was appropriate to post considering the awareness of the educational problems boys face.

What? You haven't heard? There's going to be a public demonstration in support of male reproductive rights on Capitol Hill this Saturday. So pack a lunch, bring a sign or two, and head out to D.C.! For more details click here. Mensactivism.org will be reporting live updates from the event, so if you absolutely can't make it, check this site frequently on Saturday the 26th!

Here's a woman who certainly has some insight into the situation the men are in today: Heather Roscoe. In her recent article for SpinTech magazine, she outlines the catch-22 situation that men are in today, the contradictory expectations of men in modern society, and the fact that many women aren't entirely happy with taking on their new freedoms when they have to deal with the responsibilities which accompany them.

George writes "I found this editorial by Christina Hoff-Sommers at the Washington Post site. It was apparently sparked by an op-ed piece done by David Sadker criticizing her book The War Against Boys. A lot of the information she includes in this article comes straight from her book. She talks about the reality of boys' underachievement in schools in the US and the efforts of 'gender experts' like Sadker and organizations such as NOW to oppose any initiative to remedy this growing imbalance. She expresses hope that increased social awareness of the fallacies promoted by 'die-hard girl partisans' will begin to reverse this unfortunate trend. It's encouraging to see that major news media sources seem to be giving her a fair share of the airtime. Click here for the link."

Canoe printed an interesting story by a woman who confronts the double standards of when men and women kill. Her main example is the recent murder-suicide of Suzanne Killinger-Johnson and her infant son. From the article: "We're more willing to blame him and exonerate her because of another myth: that when women kill, they have a "good" reason, even if we don't understand it. The corollary is that when men kill, they're just being selfish jerks." Thanks to Rand for submitting this news article.

The American Coalition for Fathers and Children recently did a survey on people paying child support. The statistics they found were eye-opening, to say the least. Read on for the results of the survey, soon to be published through the University of California at Berkeley.