Story here. Excerpt:

'It is impracticable for the government to require students to obtain consent at each stage of a physical encounter and to later prove that consent in a campus hearing. Under this rule, implications would be that a student could be found guilty of sexual assault and deemed a rapist simply by being unable to prove she or he did obtain explicit verbal consent throughout a sexual encounter.

The kicker to this law is that the college administration will become the judge, jury and the executioner of those students accused — along with many colleges not allowing students to have due process rights during the process.

There have been cases where the accused have been denied legal counsel, the right to call their own witnesses or to cross-examine the evidence against them, and they are convicted on the “preponderance of the evidence” standard, which only requires administrators to be 50.00001 percent sure of the verdict.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Administrators are under intense pressure to hold students accountable for sexual misconduct. If that pressure results in eviscerated due process and ideological fact-finding—­basically, deciding cases before hearing them—aggrieved plaintiffs will turn to state and federal courts for relief. Early indications from several decisions this year suggest judges may be receptive to some of their arguments.

A decision last month in King v. DePauw University, for example, is especially instructive. The federal judge in that case issued a preliminary injunction requiring the fall-2014 reinstatement, "without restriction," of Benjamin King, a student suspended for sexual assault. The court rejected King’s argument that he was the victim of gender-based discrimination but concluded he was "likely to succeed in demonstrating at trial that DePauw’s decision to find him liable for sexual misconduct ... was reached in an illegal, arbitrary, or capricious manner."
...
Failures in addressing sexual misconduct run the gamut from a rush to judgment in the Duke-lacrosse case to many examples of inexcusable indifference to sexual misconduct by athletes. Furthermore, we’re subject to ethical questions too long swept under the rug. Are we creating "special" sexual-assault tribunals available to comparatively wealthy college students who want to avoid the indignities of the criminal-justice system? If so, do we help perpetuate those indignities for the less privileged?

Article here. Excerpt:

'But the Michigan study, published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, goes further than just reporting the top numbers. The authors of the report dissect male domestic violence as if it were a disease. In this view, surprising comparisons arise: Male violence against partners is more common than diabetes.

So if domestic violence is a disease, can doctors identify it in the patient? The Michigan study sought to correlate domestic violence with other health outcomes. Compared to the males who didn't commit such acts, those who reported violence against a partner were more likely to report symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and insomnia.

A big thanks to the International Business Times for their courage to buck the long-worn trend of looking the other way on certain issues. They've demonstrated it again with this article, and let me say in all sincerity that I'd be saying the same thing even if my name wasn't on the "by" line. Excerpt:

'A story dated March 27 suggests the NFL authorities had the tape, and Goodell was aware of it. As criminal evidence, the NFL says it was not allowed to view the CCTV footage. Yet if Goodell knew a copy had been received by the NFL, he should have reported it then.

Goodell's dereliction of civic/moral duty, assuming the above is true, is its own matter. Morally vacant behaviour from corporate officers long pre-dates this story. Instead, keep in mind that Rice's fiancee Janay was also arrested for assault for the same incident, the difference being that Rice rendered her unconscious in his response to her assault; for if they were both arrested and charged with assault, and she was knocked out by Rice with a single blow, must she not have thrown the first punch?
...
A study appearing in the May 2007 edition of the American Journal of Public Health reported that almost half of DV incidents in the US are co-mutual, with 70% of non-co-mutual assaults committed by women, not men. But you wouldn't know that listening to feminists, the US president, and US vice-president, who paint DV as largely, or exclusively, male-on-female.
...

Article here.  Excerpt:

'About one in four National Football League players are likely to end up suffering dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease or other cognitive impairments during their lifetime, according to a report filed in court by the league's lawyers.

The NFL submitted the summary of the findings of an actuarial study it had commissioned in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania on Friday as part of the ongoing litigation between former players and the league.

The study by the Segal Group, based in New York City, used a database of the medical history of retired players as part of its method.

The report appears to be the most definitive statement the NFL has yet made on the dangers of the sometimes violent sport, where players can develop concussions as they butt helmeted heads with those of other players.

Story here. Excerpt:

'Gigi Jordan showed no emotion as a New York prosecutor described to a jury a "chilling and horrifying scenario" in which the businesswoman who made a fortune in pharmaceuticals allegedly concocted a lethal cocktail of painkillers and anti-inflammatories and forced her 8-year-old autistic son to swallow it.
...
"His fate was sealed," Bogdanos said. "He didn't die fast. One by one, his vital organs shut down. It didn't take minutes. It took hours to die."

But on the first day of Jordan's sensational second-degree murder trial -- expected to last months -- defense attorney Allan Brenner painted a starkly different portrait.

Brenner described Jordan as a desperate mother ultimately driven to kill Jude Mirra by her two former husbands: One who had allegedly threatened to kill her, a crime that would have left the boy with his biological father, who she believed had sexually abused Jude.
...
The boy's father has denied the allegations and has never been charged, CNN affiliate WCBS reported.

Video here. (Possibly NSFW since it shows images of women's racier-style underwear, so use discretion if at work/in a public place.)

Despite my problem with the presumptions underlying the idea behind "explicit consent", one good purpose these could serve is to let a guy know he's dealing with a girl who, if he doesn't get "explicit consent" from her, she might later accuse him of raping her.  At that point he can decide whether he wants to chance it with her or not, but to be fair, if he's already alone with her, she could still accuse him of raping her anyway and there'd be nothing he could do to disprove it.  Best not to be alone with her at all, really, unless she signs a form of some kind first and agrees to have their fooling-around session at least sound-recorded so the fact that she is consenting at every moment is documented.

I'd like to suggest the practical strategy of her just repeating the same phrase: "Yes, I consent, don't stop," until they're done with however far they're going to go, right up through the completion of actual *gasp* heterosexual intercourse.

Article here. Excerpt:

'How happy a woman believes her marriage is has a direct impact on the quality of her husband's life, according to research in the Journal of Marriage and Family. And that holds "no matter how he feels about their nuptials."

Story here. Excerpt:

'The underaged boyfriend of a Calgary Catholic school board teacher was seen fleeing barefoot from a city hotel room window, as police banged on the door, court was told Friday.

Jennifer Mason pleaded guilty to breaching a no-contact order with the boy after she’d been arrested for having an illicit sexual relationship with him.

Crown prosecutor Vicki Faulkner said Mason, 30, was on bail last May 10, charged with sexually exploiting the teen, when the hotel tryst occurred.

Faulkner said Mason, who was handed a 30-day sentence and place on probation for three years, checked into a south Calgary hotel room around 3 p.m. that day.

She told provincial court Judge Catherine Skene that police were concerned Mason would try to contact the teen — whom she was prohibited from seeing as part of her bail conditions.

Around 7:15 police received a call indicating there were loud noises coming from the room Mason had checked into.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Several agencies are searching in Southeast Austin for 2-year-old Colton Brandt Turner.

Turner, of Cedar Park, was last seen in July by someone other than his mother, and police believe he may be the victim of child abuse.

Crews began searching on Friday morning at the intersection of Burleson Road and Felter Lane. Officials say they are searching after they were given a lead, but would not give anymore information.

Colton's mother, identified as 20-year-old Meagan Work (pictured below), is being charged with abandonment/endagerment of a child. The charge is a 3rd degree felony. She is currently at the Williamson County Jail awaiting processing.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'SEPTEMBER 12--A Seattle woman has been charged with raping a man who told cops he awoke in his bed to find his attacker sexually assaulting him while she had his hands pinned down, according to a police report.

Chantae Gilman, 26, was charged this week in connection with the alleged June 2013 attack inside the 31-year-old victim’s Seattle apartment. Gilman has prior felony convictions for attempted robbery and possession of a stolen vehicle, as well as several misdemeanor convictions, according to court records.

As detailed in a probable cause affidavit prepared by a Seattle Police Department detective, the victim told cops that while he did not know Gilman, she was an acquaintance of another man who lives in his duplex. He described Gilman as “a drug user in the area.”'

Article here. Excerpt:

'At Ohio State University, to avoid being guilty of “sexual assault” or “sexual violence,” you and your partner now apparently have to agree on the reason WHY you are making out or having sex. It’s not enough to agree to DO it, you have to agree on WHY: there has to be agreement “regarding the who, what, where, when, why, and how this sexual activity will take place.”

Article here.

'LANSING, MI — A small group of protesters decked in fake blood-stained jumpsuits gathered outside the Michigan Capitol on Friday, acknowledging their shock value as they urged parents to stop circumcising their newborns.

“It represents the mutilation that we, as children, had inflicted upon us,” said Norm Cohen, state director of NO-CIRC. “Somebody cut our penis. There was no disease. There was no risk, and yet somebody decided to cut this.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics, in its 2012 review of existing medical research, concluded that “the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks and that the procedure’s benefits justify access to this procedure for families who choose it.”

Specific benefits, according to the AAP, include prevention of urinary tract infections, penile cancer, and transmission of some sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Article here. Excerpt:

'This Sunday, September 16, is National Step Family Day. Christy Borgeld of Michigan founded the day in 1997 that is now celebrated every year. Her goal is “to support the stepfamilies of our nation in their mission to raise their children, create strong family structures to support the individual members of the family, instill in them a sense of responsibility to all extended family members.”

One in three Americans lives in a stepfamily and 30% of our children are currently growing up in a stepfamily, sometimes referred to as blended families.

While National Parents Organization is working hard to promote shared parenting and gender equality in family law, we understand that many of our children and members are part of blended families. In addition to raising your children you may also be raising the children of your new spouse or partner. Or, your new spouse or partner may be playing a major role in raising your children.

Story here. Excerpt:

'Nick Olivas became a father at 14, a fact he wouldn't learn for eight years.

While in high school, Olivas had sex with a 20-year-old woman. As he sees it now, she took advantage of a lonely kid going through a rough patch at home.

State law says a child younger than 15 cannot consent with an adult under any circumstance, making Olivas a rape victim. But Olivas didn't press charges and says he didn't realize at the time that it was even something to consider.
...
Then two years ago, the state served him with papers demanding child support. That's how he found out he had a then-6-year-old daughter.
"It was a shock," he said. "I was living my life and enjoying being young. To find out you have a 6-year-old? It's unexplainable. It freaked me out."

He said he panicked, ignored the legal documents and never got the required paternity test. The state eventually tracked him down.

Olivas, a 24-year-old Phoenix resident, said he now owes about $15,000 in back child support and medical bills going back to the child's birth, plus 10 percent interest. The state seized money from his bank account and is now garnisheeing his wages at $380 a month.
...
"Anything I do as an adult, I should be responsible for," he said. "But as a teenager? I don't think so."

Situations such as Olivas' are rare, according to fathers-rights advocates. But cases in several states have garnered attention. And while there has been some public outcry over charging a crime victim with child support, the courts have consistently said states have every right to do so.
...
Feit said if the roles were reversed and the woman was the victim, the scenario would be unthinkable.