Much in the same vein as “This Week in the News,” the Bulletin Board will list news stories and also blog and forum posts. It should be noted at I do not necessarily endorse or support the items linked. I simply find them to be interesting and/or relevant to the issues discussed on this blog. As the weeks go by, each new “volume” will be added to a page link, that way the way easily available without having to do a search or hunt through all my posts (not that I am suggesting not to hunt through the posts).
Boys as young as 12 abuse steroids to impress girls, warn drug experts — Boys as young as 12 are taking muscle-building anabolic steroids in an attempt to make themselves more attractive to girls, drugs advisers are warning. But many teenagers who regularly abuse the drugs – traditionally associated with athletes, bodybuilders and security guards – have no idea that they can make their testicles wither, enlarge their breasts or cause acne and sterility, experts say.
California woman pleads not guilty to rape — The California woman accused of having numerous sexual encounters with a 13-year-old Potsdam boy was arraigned Monday in St. Lawrence County Court. Kathryn Brauch pleaded not guilty to the twelve counts against her. Police say Brauch met the boy in an online interactive game. She is charged with second degree rape, second degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
Child abuse investigation leads to bizarre discovery in Detroit home — Two years ago, 1-year-old Deante Reid died in his parents’ care — and, to avoid funeral costs, his parents tried to cremate him in a barbecue grill, the boy’s mother told police. But the bones wouldn’t burn completely, so the couple hid what was left of the baby in the ceiling of a home on Dickerson in Detroit.
Exhibit chronicles Nazi abuse of gays — The Nazis cast a wide net when they set out to rid German society of everyone who didn’t fit Adolf Hitler’s vision of a “master Aryan race.” Targeted groups included not only Jews, but also Gypsies, carriers of hereditary diseases and anyone whose behavior was deemed “aberrant.” Homosexuals were among the last category, and the little-told story of their maltreatment by the Nazi regime is documented in a riveting exhibit now showing at the American-Jewish Museum in the Jewish Community Center, Squirrel Hill.
Former Neb. teacher accused of fleeing to Mexico with 13-year-old student pleads not guilty — A former teacher accused of fleeing to Mexico with a 13-year-old former student pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges of crossing a border to have sex with a minor. Kelsey Peterson looked nervous as deputy U.S. marshals led her into the courtroom in handcuffs, ankle chains and an orange jumpsuit. She bit her lip and started crying while flipping through court documents.
Former priest pleads guilty to sex abuse, avoids retrial — Former Roman Catholic priest Daniel C. Clark has pleaded guilty to two charges of sexually abusing boys in Bullitt County under a plea agreement that could spare him further time in prison. Clark was scheduled to face a retrial beginning tomorrow on two counts of first-degree sexual abuse after the Kentucky Supreme Court overturned his original conviction in 2003.
Larger number of boys than girls drop out by Grade 5 — In the developing world, getting girls through high school to complete their basic education is a major concern. In the Philippines, the reverse is the case. From Grades 5 through the end of high school, boys are dropping out 2 to 2.5 times more than girls. More girls are graduating from high school than boys. The real concern is how to keep boys in school.
McLeod: There’s an abuse double standard — Our society does not tolerate violence within relationships. From children, we are branded with the notion that hitting is bad, and most often when we think of spousal and relationship abuse, we envision battered women fending off fist-swinging boyfriends or husbands who failed anger management. The visions of men with slap-stained cheeks and puncture wounds from Jimmy Choo stilettos slip through the cracks as the number of male abuse victims soars unnoticed.
Not only women are domestic abuse victims — It must surely be the case that the figure of 5489 men who report domestic abuse by their female partners and 882 for abuse reporting in same-sex relationships is an even greater under-representation. With the years of campaigning and with networks of support services such as Women’s Aid and an awareness of domestic violence in services like the NHS, many women still do not report abuse. These supports are denied to male victims and victims in same-sex relationships. Research indicates many victims in same-sex relationships do not even recognise the sustained abusive behaviour of their partners as domestic abuse.
Shen Teacher Admits To Molesting 8 First Graders — As the jury selection in his trial was about to get underway Monday morning in Saratoga County Court, Shenendehowa elementary teacher Christopher Culver pleaded guilty to all charges against him, admitting that he had molested eight of his first grade male students.
Teacher sues boy’s parents over abuse claims — A gym teacher accused of mistreating a first-grader at Nelsonville-York Elementary School in Athens County filed a defamation lawsuit last week against the boy’s parents, claiming they are smearing him. Investigations by the district and Nelsonville police didn’t find any evidence to substantiate claims that Anthony C. Mollica verbally and physically abused the 6-year-old boy last month, yet his Athens attorney, Andrew J. Mollica, said the parents continue to make false, public accusations against him.
When Woman Hits Man — How do people typically react when hearing about or witnessing a woman-hits-man situation? Other than presumptively asking “What did he do?” they don’t seem to care. The implication is that the man deserved it, because women are naturally peaceful, and men are naturally violent. Besides, even if he didn’t deserve it, it’s just a woman hitting a man — a woman can’t possibly hurt a man, right? Such stereotypical nonsense insults both genders.
Woman sentenced to 9 years in death of disabled son, 14 — Angela Cheral Bernard, 34, of Rolando wept in the courtroom as San Diego Superior Court Judge David Danielsen issued the sentence. Bernard pleaded guilty in May to involuntary manslaughter and felony child abuse in connection with the death of her 14-year-old son, Brandon McClure.
Toy Soldiers 