Psychiatric disorder may have led boy to fatally shoot father

Rick James Lohstroh, a doctor at UTMB, was fatally shot this summer, apparently by his 10-year-old son.

ABC13 Eyewitness News, Houston, Texas, U.S.A., Dec. 29, 2004

The 10-year-old Katy boy accused of murdering his father this summer is now the face of an unofficial psychiatric disorder that may have lead to his father's death. More..

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Right decision, wrong reason

National Post Lead Editorial

Print edition A17  December 23, 2004

Irwin Cotler, the Justice Minister, announced on Tuesday that the federal government will hold off on reforming child custody laws. We can't say that's too much of a disappointment. If enacted, the expected changes would mostly have served to tilt the anti-father bias of Canada's family courts even further in favour of women.

First proposed by Mr. Colters predecessor, Martin Cauchon, the now-dormant bill would have scrapped existing provisions compelling the courts to grant "maximum contact" to both parents and severed the last remaining connections between payment of child support and access by fathers to their kids. Worse, it would have given judges the power to withhold all access to fathers with past histories of violent behaviour while permitting wives to raise allegations of abuse at divorce proceedings even if they had made no previous complaints of violence -- a recipe for false accusations in bids to win total custody. More ..

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Baby in good health after being ripped from womb

CBC TV, December 21, 2004, Written by CBC News Online staff

KANSAS CITY, MO. [U.S.A.]- A four-day-old girl who was cut from her mother's womb is doing well according to hospital officials in Topeka, Kan.

"She's in remarkably good condition for what has happened to her," said Tami Motley of the Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center. Motley did not say when the baby, Victoria Stinnett, might go home.

Meanwhile, the woman charged with strangling the mother and then taking the infant from her womb is expected to appear Monday in court in Kansas City, Mo. Authorities say Lisa Montgomery, 36, has confessed to strangling Bobbie Jo Stinnett. She is charged with kidnapping resulting in death.  More ..

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CBC TV, December 19, 2004, Written by CBC News Online staff

VANCOUVER - The B.C. government placed a newspaper ad Sunday requesting the parents of an abandoned newborn baby girl come forward and claim her.

If they fail to do so, Baby Jane Doe who was found abandoned at a city bus stop three weeks ago, can be put up for adoption.

"We give them [the parents] notice and that way they can come to court and argue, or tell the court why we shouldn't have custody of the child," said Deputy Minister Alison MacPhail. More ..

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Ad seeks parents of abandoned baby

Days-old infant found in plastic bag at bus stop in British Columbia

By The Canadian Press, various media throughout Canada, December 19, 2004

VANCOUVER - In a last-ditch effort to find the mother of a baby girl left at a bus stop, the B.C. government published an advertisement in a local newspaper today.

The ad is a legal notice for he parents of Baby Jane Doe found abandoned three weeks ago.

The baby was two or three days old when she was found. A woman at the bus stop noticed something moving in a bag. More..

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NATIONAL POST - By George Jonas, Monday, December 20, 2004

Police have arrested a suspect in the bizarre murder of a Missouri [.S.A.] woman last week. Lisa Montgomery, 36, of Melvern, Ka., has reportedly admitted strangling Bobbie Jo Stinnett, 23, of Skidmore, Mo., before removing a near-term baby from the victim's womb and presenting the abducted infant to her husband, Kevin, as her own. The baby girl survived the ordeal. News reports have her "thriving" in a Kansas hospital.

The authorities declined to speculate on a motive for the crime. U.S. Attorney Todd Graves is quoted saying that last Thursday, after killing Ms. Stinnett and cutting the baby out of her womb, Ms. Montgomery phoned her husband at work to tell him she had gone into labour and given birth. She requested Kevin to pick up her and her "newborn" from a restaurant parking lot in nearby Topeka, which her well-trained husband proceeded to do. More ..

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Last chance for Baby Jane's parents to come forward
ABANDONED INFANT: Police promise no charges will be laid

The Province, Vancouver BC, by Lena Sin,  Sunday, December 19, 2004

A last-ditch plea is being made today for the parents of Baby Jane Doe, abandoned at a Vancouver bus stop, to contact the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

A legal ad has been taken out in today's Province to give the parents of Baby Jane notice that the ministry will be making an application for permanent custody of the baby.

But Deputy Minister Alison MacPhail is urging the mother or father to come forward before the Jan. 13 Vancouver court date so they can be given help. More ..

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DADS SEEK EQUAL CUSTODY NATIONWIDE
Suits Say Childs Best Interest Violates Parent Rights

The American Bar Association E-Journal Report, BY STEPHANIE FRANCIS WARD, Dec. 17, 2004.

Seeking class action status in federal lawsuits filed in 46 states, an Indiana fathers rights group charges that gender bias against men influences custody and child support rulings.

Drafted by the non-lawyer president of the Indiana Civil Rights Council, the complaints argue that fit parents have a constitutional right to equal custody, but the "childs best interest" standard used by the courts often violates that right. Also, the complaints argue child support guidelines are unconstitutional.

"The state, as a whole, and by misusing the vague and inferior best interest notion, has been engaging in a standard practice of unlawful takings of the various rights to custody that should be constitutionally shared equally between natural fit parents who do not remain together," contends the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. More ..

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Fathers want to know if they're the biological parent of their child

DW-World, Germany, December 12, 2004

Father's rights groups in Germany are fighting to retain their right to have secret paternity tests without a mother's permission. They say it is the only way to combat "paternity fraud."

In a debate over paternity tests in Germany -- father's rights groups are lobbying to block proposed legislation banning secret tests without the mother's permission -- advocates are employing increasingly alarmist arguments. One group, the Network for Paternity Tests, claims on its Web site that making the tests illegal would lead to an increase in incest between half brothers and sisters who don't know they're related. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

GTHL bans flashing mother
Can't enter league arenas for a year
Woman apologizes for game antics

The Toronto Star, DONOVAN VINCENT, SPORTS REPORTER, Dec. 10, 2004.

It's an example of rink rage that has received nationwide publicity, and was even the butt of jokes on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno a few days ago.

But the Greater Toronto Hockey League sees no humour in the case of the Woodbridge hockey mom who lifted her blouse above her chest, exposed her bra, and shook her breasts from side to side while taunting parents of opposing players during a game in Mississauga between 11-year-olds.

The GTHL banned Sylvana Gatti for one year from all of its arenas. More ..

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96% of women are liars, honest

The Scotsman ( Scotland's National Newspaper),  EDWARD BLACK, December 9th, 2004

5,000 women were polled. Nineteen out of 20 women admit lying to their partners or husbands, a survey on attitudes to truth and relationships has found.

Eighty-three per cent owned up to telling "big, life-changing lies", with 13 per cent saying they did so frequently.

Half said that if they became pregnant by another man but wanted to stay with their partner, they would lie about the babys real father.

Forty-two per cent would lie about contraception in order to get pregnant, no matter the wishes of their partner. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

1 billion children in poverty
Despite promises, half of world's youngsters at risk
Action has fallen far short of lofty commitments

Toronto Star, PETER GORRIE FEATURE WRITER, Dec. 9, 2004

An emaciated 20-year-old woman panics when her niece, 12, leaves their squalid home in Mozambique for a couple of hours to buy food with money supplied by an aid worker. Unable to move, covered by a grubby blanket, she is afraid to be left alone

The woman is dying from AIDS, and several other ailments, including tuberculosis. She hasn't eaten for two days, and can't take her TB medication because on an empty stomach its side effects are too painful.

She dropped out of school at 15 to look after her parents, themselves sick and dying. She soon got married. She had no children, but was caring for those of three sisters who also died of AIDS. More ..

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Calls for Investigation into Why Man Was Ordered to Pay Child Support for A Non-Existent Child

U.S. Newswire, December 9, 2004
DALLAS, Dec. 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Steve Barreras paid child support for a 5-year-old daughter who his ex-wife claimed was his. Despite never being able to actually see the child, Barreras did pay $20,000 in child support as required by the court. The problem is -- the child has been declared nonexistent by an Albuquerque judge. "There is no child ...," she said. More ..

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Girl, 8, suspended over Jell-O shots

The Chronicle Herald, page A-4, December 8, 2004, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

NEW ORLEANS, U.S.A.(AP) --- An eight-year old girl was suspended for nine days for bringing to school what appeared to be about 30 "Jell-O shots" -- althought it was unclear whether they contained alcohol. More..

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Police: Woman hit teens after golf ball struck car

AP- Various newspapers in the U.S.A. and Canada, Tuesday, December 7, 2004

ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida (AP) -- A woman ran over two teenage brothers after they accidentally hit her sport utility vehicle with a golf ball they were bouncing in a parking lot, officials said. One of the boys suffered life-threatening injuries.

The 14- and 16-year-old boys were bouncing the golf ball in a shopping center parking lot Sunday afternoon when it went astray and struck the SUV driven by 47-year-old Kathy Feaganes Allen, sheriff's Deputy Greg Suchy said.

No damage was done, and the boys apologized and began to walk away, Suchy said. Allen started to drive away, but suddenly made a U-turn, ran over a median and struck the teens before knocking over a light pole, Suchy said. More ..

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Mother faces 22 boy-sex charges

The Age, Australia, By Selma Milovanovic, December 4, 2004

A female integration aide at a Victorian school has been charged with sexual offences against a boy in her care aged under 16.

The woman, 36, an integration aide at a government secondary school on the Mornington Peninsula, worked with the boy, who suffers from language difficulties, three days a week.

The student is not intellectually disabled.

Most of the offences are believed to have happened at the boy's home. The woman is believed to have lived with the student and his family for some time this year while going through a traumatic separation. The alleged sexual affair took place over eight months.

The teenager is believed to have recently confessed the details to his parents. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Hockey league shaken by mom's zeal
Complaints she lifted blouse at game
Taunted fans, parents of 11-year-olds

The Toronto Star, DONOVAN VINCENT, SPORTS REPORTER, December 4, 2004

The president of the Greater Toronto Hockey League says he's "aghast" over an alleged incident at a hockey game in Mississauga where an irate mother of an 11-year-old minor hockey player apparently taunted parents and fans of opposing players by lifting her blouse, revealing her bra and shaking her breasts "from side to side." More ..

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Israel Reviews Fathers Custody Rights

Israel News Agency, By Joel Leyden, December 4, 2004

Jerusalem----December 9, 2004....The Israel Ministry of Health and the Israel Ministry of Justice are now taking a hard, serious look at the benefits of joint custody in the Jewish state. Joint custody might very well be the best option for children of separation and divorce, an American family psychology study found.

Trekking from Mom's home during the week to Dad's on the weekend may seem like a hassle for some children of divorced parents, but it just might be best for them in the long run, concludes a meta-analysis, published in the March Journal of Family Psychology (Vol. 16, No. 1) More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Police: Woman killed husband, child

Detective said he wouldn't speculate on history of mental illness, post-partum psychosis

The Toronto Star, Curtis Rush, Staff Reporter, Dec. 3, 2004

Andrea Labbe killed her husband, Brian Langer, her daughter Zoe, 3, and critically wounded another daughter, Brigitte, before stabbing herself to death, police confirmed today at a news conference.

This is a tragic case. There are no good answers for the families, Detective Sergeant Chris Buck told reporters, but he wouldnt speculate on whether Labbe had a history of mental illness or whether she was suffering from some sort of post-partum psychosis. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Sometimes life breaks your heart

Toronto Star, JOE FIORITO, December 3, 2004

Brian Langer, described as a man of intense integrity who spoke glowingly of his wife and children, kisses daughter Zoe in this photo taken on Mother's Day, 2003.

And then one of the neighbours reaches for a knife and there is sudden terror and there is dark red madness. I don't pretend to understand, but this must be part of what it means to be human. We are weak, we are frail, and some of us snap like twigs.

I was coming home on the subway late the other night. I was immersed in a book, and got off at the wrong stop by mistake. I stepped onto the platform and saw two paramedics tending an old man who had collapsed. The paramedics were bandaging the man's fingertips. I have no idea what sort of accident would hurt just the tips of a man's fingers. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Mystery surrounds triple slaying
No outside suspects in family violence
Husband, wife, child dead; one injured

Toronto Star, BETSY POWELL AND TRACY HUFFMAN, CRIME REPORTERS, Dec. 2, 2004.

Twenty-four hours after the bloody death of a father, mother and one of their three young daughters, police, paramedics and neighbours are left with two questions.

What happened inside 516 Concord Ave.? And who carried out the attacks in the west-end home?

The only witnesses are now orphans: the wounded 2-year-old, Brigitte, who is recovering in hospital, and her 7-month-old sister, Margot, who appeared to be unharmed.

The violence inside the semi-detached brick house, on the quiet residential street near Dupont St. and Ossington Ave., left Brian Langer, 47, his spouse, Andre Labbe, 27, and their daughter Zo, 3, dead.

The early-morning 911 call came from a man in the house who reportedly said his wife had stabbed him in the stomach. Those who answered found a house of horror: Inside was man, fatally wounded, a woman lying dead, a dying 3-year-old, a wounded and blood-soaked 2-year-old and a wailing infant. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Kids unprepared for Grade 1
As many as 30% of Peel children lack needed skills: Study
English-as-a-second-language students aren't as ready

Toronto Star, TESS KALINOWSKI, EDUCATION REPORTER, November 25th, 2004

A wide-ranging assessment of senior kindergarten children in Peel Region has confirmed that as many as one in three don't have the physical, emotional and social skills needed to start school.

It showed Brampton students are least likely to be ready for school. About 30 per cent of Brampton children weren't prepared for Grade 1, versus 26 per cent in Mississauga and 16 per cent in Caledon, said Paul Favaro, chief of assessment and accountability at the Peel District School Board.

There is growing research that suggests children who struggle early on in school often fall behind permanently. More ..

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Ambitious daycare agenda unveiled
Plan will eventually offer full day care for all children 2 1/2 and older

Canadian Press, November 25th, 2004

The daily dash between kindergarten and day care could one day be a thing of the past for Ontario parents under a provincial plan unveiled today to dramatically increase the number of available day care spaces.
Children's Minister Marie Bountrogianni promised more space for kindergarten-age kids by next fall as the province takes the first steps towards establishing a full day of learning for preschool-age kids - a master plan that's expected to take more than a decade to fully realize.

"Our first priority is to create a full day of learning and care for four and five year olds," Bountrogianni told a child and youth conference at the Ontario Science Centre as she made the announcement.

"We're rebuilding the link between child care and education so that children make the transition into Grade 1 smoothly." More ..

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Ontario to revise Grade 9 math curriculum
Nearly three-quarters of students failed to meet provincial standards; minister blames 'system'for poor results

FROM Canadian Press, Toronto Star and various other newspapers, November 25, 2004

Ontario is revising its Grade 9 applied math curriculum after nearly three-quarters of students failed to meet provincial standards, the education minister said today as he blamed the system for dismal results.
Gerard Kennedy said theres no justification for about 37,000 applied math students to fail and said the program will change by the next school year.

This is not a true reflection of the potential that these students have, Kennedy said of the roughly 50,000 teens in the stream. More ..

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Pot use doubled in decade, study says
14% smoked up in the past year
Drug laws a minor factor: Researchers

Canadian Press, Toronto Star and various other newspapers, November 25th, 2004

OTTAWAThe number of Canadians who say they have used cannabis in the past year has doubled in a decade, according to a major new survey.

Data from the Canada Addiction Survey, the most comprehensive addiction survey ever done in Canada, presents a disturbing picture of a society increasingly dependent on mood-altering substances.

Fourteen per cent of respondents said they had used cannabis in the last year, up from 7.4 per cent in 1994. About a third said they had failed to control their cannabis use.

About 269,000 Canadians said they had used an injectable drug in the past year, up from 132,000 in 1994. Nearly 4.1 million Canadians reported using injectable drugs at least once in their life. That's up from 1.7 million in 1994. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

15 years on and still the children suffer
Opinion

Toronto Star, MARY CORKERY AND HARRY J. KITS, Nov. 25, 2004

We promised. It's time for Canadians to keep faith with our children.

More than 1 million children, one in six kids in Canada, live in poverty. Nearly three times more aboriginal, immigrant and visible minority children are poorer than the national average.

As leader of the New Democratic party, Ed Broadbent back in Ottawa as an NDP MP after a 15-year hiatus moved the 1989 parliamentary motion to end child poverty. A generation of children has grown up seeing that vow unfulfilled.

Canada is one of the richest countries in the world. Yet thousands of women, children and men during any given month, cannot afford adequate food or housing. That is a scandal that challenges the core belief of Canadians in our country as a caring nation. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Child poverty: setting new goals

The Toronto Star, CAROL GOAR, Nov. 24, 2004

Giving up is not an option. But clinging to a faded dream is not a solution.

So today, on the 15th anniversary of his parliamentary resolution to end child poverty by 2000, Ed Broadbent will set a new goal. He will challenge Canadians to reduce the child poverty rate to 5 per cent within 10 years.

The child poverty rate currently stands at 15 per cent. It was 15.2 per cent when Broadbent issued his clarion call 15 years ago. More ..

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Unborn Baby Snatched From Womb

Associated Press, BOGOTA, Colombia, Nov. 24, 2004

Police said Tuesday they have arrested a woman in the abduction of an unborn baby who was cut from its mother's womb while she was unconscious.

Sol Angela Cartagena said she was with her 2-year-old daughter when she had a drink at a hospital cafeteria in Girardot, southwest of Bogota, and suddenly felt lightheaded.

"When I woke up I was in the countryside with my 2-year-old daughter beside me," the woman told RCN TV, adding that someone had performed a Caesarean section on her and taken her baby. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario, November 24, 2004

A study by a federal agency suggests marijuana use in Canada has doubled over the last decade, with 14 per cent of respondents saying they smoked pot last year, up from 7.4 per cent in 1994. We asked readers why they thought this was. Here's what you had to say:
As attitudes have changed from those in 1994 and the substance gets closer to attaining a legal status, people who use it will feel less inclined to lie to anonymous federal pollsters/narcs on the phone. Thus, the numbers go up and reflect a more accurate picture of usage.
Dave Acey, Hamilton, Nov. 24 More ..

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Exploding Cell Phones a Growing Problem

Associated Press, U.S.A., By ELIZABETH WOLFE, November 23, 2004

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Curtis Sathre said it was like a bomb going off. His 13-year-old son Michael stood stunned, ears ringing, hand gushing blood after his cell phone exploded. Safety officials have received 83 reports of cell phones exploding or catching fire in the past two years, usually because of bad batteries or chargers. More ..

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Report finds native students falling behind

Canadian Press, Toronto Star and various other Canadian newspapers, SUE BAILEY,  Nov. 23, 2004

OTTAWA It will take aboriginal high school students 28 years to match non-native graduation rates and they're losing ground, says the auditor general.

Indian Affairs is dragging its heels on a troubling range of old problems, Sheila Fraser said in a report Tuesday.

These include jurisdictional squabbles, low teacher salaries and a lack of professional training.

Moreover, Ottawa can't say whether more than $1 billion spent each year on native education is too much or too little to meet required standards. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Adoption disclosure law backed
`We're moving forward': McGuinty
Bill not expected until next year

The Toronto Star, RICHARD BRENNAN, QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU, Nov. 23, 2004

Premier Dalton McGuinty yesterday vowed to bring in an adoption disclosure law that would make it easier for birth parents to find the children they gave up for adoption.

"We're going to move forward with this," McGuinty told the Legislature yesterday.

His response was prompted by questions from NDP MPP Marilyn Churley (Toronto-Danforth), who has tried unsuccessfully for years to get a private member's bill passed that would open up the process for parents and children. More ..

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Who's your daddy?

ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation, TV PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT
Broadcast: November 22, 2004

Reporter: Emma Algebraic
Last year, more than 3,000 DNA paternity tests were commissioned by Australian men, and in almost a quarter of those cases, the test revealed that not only had their partners been unfaithful, but the children they thought were theirs had been sired by someone else. More ..

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Baby Dies in Texas After Mother Reports Cutting off Arms

Associated Press Writer, By Lisa FalkenbergNov 22, 2004

PLANO, Texas (AP) - A woman with a history of postpartum depression cut off the arms of her baby daughter Monday, then called 911 and waited calmly until police arrived, authorities said.  "She wasn't trying to hide," police spokesman Carl Duke said.

Dena Schlosser, 35, was charged with murder after the girl died at a hospital in Plano, a Dallas suburb. Child-protection authorities said the mother had shown signs of postpartum depression in the past, but there had been no signs of violence.

Authorities said when they arrived at the family's apartment, they found the nearly 11-month-old baby in a bedroom with her arms severed. Schlosser, covered in blood, was sitting in her living room. More ..

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Mother Kills Baby: Charged After Baby's Arms Severed

Associated Press Writer, By LISA FALKENBERG, Nov 23, 2004

PLANO, Texas (AP) -- With a calm, dispassionate voice and a hymn playing in the background, Dena Schlosser confessed to the unthinkable, telling a 911 operator she'd cut off the arms of her baby girl.

The woman was sitting in her living room covered with blood when police arrived Monday. Her nearly 11-month-old daughter lay fatally injured in a crib in a bedroom of the family's apartment in Plano. The child died shortly afterward at a hospital.

Police have charged the 35-year-old mother with capital murder, but declined to reveal where she is being held. More ..

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Let's put Child Day on the map

Canadians must stand up for rights of children

By Rita Karakas, CEO of Save the Children Canada, a child-rights organization. Nov. 20, 2004

Can you tell me what day is Nov. 20? It must be one of our nation's most guarded secrets. Nov. 20 is National Child Day in Canada.
Internationally, it marks the signing of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child on Nov. 20, 1989. Nationally, it provides a forum for Canadians to focus on children's rights. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Judge lambastes five teens
Booby-trapped park equipment with glass, rocks
Pleaded guilty after placing children in `peril'

Toronto Star November 19, 2004

Five teenagers have been placed under house arrest for 30 days and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service for deliberately placing broken glass on slides and monkey bars in a Burlington playground.

Justice Richard LeDressay yesterday read the riot act to the youths, two of whom are brothers, telling them they were fortunate nobody was seriously injured or killed when they placed children in "extreme peril."

The teens, aged 14 to 16, admitted they used glue and silicone to stick broken glass, rocks and gravel to the playground equipment in Desjardines Park on the night of Oct. 9.  More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

McGuinty moves on electoral reform
Citizens will evaluate voting system
'People of Ontario will have their say'

Toronto Star, ROBERT BENZIE, QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU, Nov. 19, 2004

Ontario voters could see radical changes to democracy, including proportional representation, in time for the 2007 election, says Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Unveiling his much-anticipated democratic reform initiative yesterday, McGuinty said Ontarians should expect a transformation of their political system.  More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

'Drop the knife,'girl, 9, ordered
It was only plastic, family explains Oakville guard's actions questioned

Toronto Star, EMILY MATHIEU, STAFF REPORTER, Nov. 18, 2004

When Guillermo Mondragon heard the security guard scream, "Drop the knife!" his first instinct was to protect his 9-year-old granddaughter, Ariel.

Then he realized it was his granddaughter the guard was yelling at.

"She was stunned, she stood there frozen," said Mondragon, 55. "She was just pale and shaking."

The guard at Oakville Place Mall yelled at Ariel because she was playing with a plastic retractable knife, Mondragon said.

Mondragon ran over and wrapped his arms around his terrified granddaughter. The guard approached the girl shortly after, Mondragon said, and despite his presence, struck her hand to get her to drop the knife. More ..

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Canadian Press, Nov. 15, 2004

Dozens of young people from across Ontario are calling for an end to youth violence with a study released today that finds abuse to be widespread and on the rise.

The report, organized by Ontario's Office of Child and Family Service Advocacy and the group Voices for Children, was based on the stories of 80 young people who spoke about their experiences with school bullying, domestic assault, street violence and attacks within institutions. More ..

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Media / Media Bias

Media makes light of sexual assault on 8-year-old boy

Canada Free Press by Arthur Weinreb, Associate Editor, November 12, 2004

Earlier this week, a 29-year-old Connecticut woman, Tammy Imre was charged with one count each of sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. The charges stem from sexual assaults committed on an 8-year-old boy, who was a playmate of her 7-year-old daughter. Imre claimed that the little boy was her "boyfriend" whom she planned to marry some day and did not know how many times she had sexually assaulted him. On some occasions these assaults took place in front of the single mothers little girl. More ..

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Canadian Press, November 11, 2004

VICTORIA A national report on the use of food banks by children in Canada has put British Columbia on its trend watch.

The B.C. Liberal government said it's concerned about the results which found 41.7 per cent more children needed emergency food in B.C. in 2004 over 2003 - some 8,000 more kids. Human Resources Minister Susan Brice, however, said the conclusions in the Canadian Association of Food Banks'annual report reflect a North American problem.

The association's annual national HungerCount survey also found that in Saskatchewan nearly 2,000 more children needed food banks in 2004, an increase of 24 per cent from 2003. More ..

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Lack Of DNA Paternity testing abuses Dads and Kids

New Zealand Child Support Reform Network.
Press release: New Zealand Child Support Reform Network., November 10, 2004 For Immediate Release

"The Labour Government is abusing fathers and children by failing to legislate for free DNA testing to establish paternity", is how Jim Nicolle, spokesperson for the New Zealand Child Support Reform Network, responds to United Futures call for Family Court Ordered DNA paternity tests. More ..

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Rates are highest among young men

The London Times, UK, by STEWART TENDLER, November 9, 2004

SUICIDES accounted for 13 per cent of the 27,100 inquest verdicts in England and Wales last year, with 2,511 men killing themselves compared with 744 women.

The highest ever suicide numbers occurred around 1931, at the start
of the Depression, when rates for the older age groups were higher
than those of the youngest groups. However, since the end of the 1950s there has been a marked increase in suicide death rates in people aged 15 to 24 and a sharp decline in those over 44.

Last year's total figures were the second lowest since 1988, and since the 1990s the number has always remained below 4,000. Young men are the most likely to kill themselves, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Young women aged 15-44 had the lowest suicide rate between 1979 and 2001. More ..

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KID-SEX SHOCKER

New York Post, By LEONARD GREENE and DAN MANGAN, November 8, 2004

A 29-year-old Connecticut woman accused of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old boy for months says she considers the little neighbor her "boyfriend" and hopes to marry him someday, authorities said yesterday.
"I don't want anyone but you!" Tammy Imre allegedly wrote in a letter to the boy, who was a playmate of Imre's 7-year-old daughter. More ..

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Illinois Supreme Court will not hear appeal of custody ruling

Associated Press, Nov. 6, 2004

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois Supreme Court has decided not to hear an appeal of an appellate court's decision to grant a convicted child killer custody of her 3-year-old son.

The Illinois 4th District Appellate Court ruled March 10 that the parental rights of Sheryl Hardy, 36, should be reinstated and that she and her husband, Randy Hardy, should regain full custody of their 3-year-old son. More ..

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Whose Baby? - Who's your Daddy?

The Australian Magazine - Saturday, 6th November 2004, By Greg Callaghan

More and more Australian fathers are using DNA tests to check the paternity of their children - and getting results they don't want Greg Callaghan examines the plight of men who receive the heartbreaking news that the children they have raised are not biologically theirs.

In the thick golden light of a country sunset, Nigel Brown sat hunched on his front doorstep, sobbing uncontrollably. Glancing back with bloodshot eyes at his four children, aged 6 to 13, running amok inside, he was hit by the sudden, somewhat surreal recognition that life as he had known it was over. "It was like a punch in the stomach, the shock of accepting my children weren't really mine at all." More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Pair who caged sons get longer jail terms
Nine months `unfit'sentence, court rules
Mother now gets 5 years, father 4 years

The Toronto Star, TRACEY TYLER, LEGAL AFFAIRS REPORTER, Nov. 5, 2004

Nine months in jail is a "demonstrably unfit" sentence for a Blackstock couple who beat and caged their adoptive sons, crimes that were "shocking to the conscience of the community" and "cry out for a significant penitentiary sentence," the Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled.

"The facts as found by the trial judge unequivocally establish the horrendous abuse of two young boys by their parents for more than a decade," Justice Eleanore Cronk wrote on behalf of the court, which set aside the widely criticized sentences yesterday. More ..

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Dad files $6.3M B.C. birth certificate lawsuit

CTV.ca News Staff, October 29, 2004

Convinced British Columbia is unjustly preventing him from adding his name to his children's'birth certificates, Darrell Trociuk is suing the province for $6.3 million.

Backed by a Supreme Court of Canada decision that keeping his name off the birth certificates is unconstitutional, Trociuk says B.C. is blocking his attempts to be a dad. More ..

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Dad sues gov't for $6.3m in case of 'discrimination'
Father claims B.C. 'negligent'for not putting his surname on his triplets'birth certificates

The Province, Vancouver, BC, Jack Keating, Thursday, October 28, 2004

A father has filed a $6.3-million lawsuit against the B.C. government for "discrimination and or negligence" for not allowing his surname on his triplets'birth certificates.

Despite Darrell Trociuk's victory in the Supreme Court of Canada, which ruled he is entitled to be named on the birth certificates of his children Ryan, Andrew and Daniel, his suit says B.C. has acted in "bad faith" by not allowing that to happen.

"I feel that the B.C. government has blocked every attempt I've made to be acknowledged as the father of my children," said Trociuk of Delta.

Trociuk's lawyer, Dairn Shane, said the government "seems to be continuously thwarting him.  More ..

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Ministers to outlaw forced marriages

The Independent, U.K., By Nigel Morris, Home Affairs Correspondent, October 27, 2004

Immigration rules will be tightened and teachers and social workers advised on spotting child brides in a drive against forced marriages to be launched today. Ministers will also announce that a new criminal offence of compelling people to marry against their will could be created.

The Foreign Office has helped 1,000 British citizens to break out of forced marriages abroad since 2000, including 300 last year, but officials believe that could be the tip of the iceberg.

Most cases involve girls and young women forced into marriages in Pakistan and Bangladesh, but there have been cases involving India, Africa, the Far East and the United States. There is also a sizeable minority of young men made to marry abroad. More ..

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Collaborative Family Law

The Scotsman, by Campbell Deane,  a solicitor with Bannatyne Kirkwood France & Co, October 26, 2004

THE family court in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, was never the most bustling. But how many courts in the world have ever been closed because of a lack of business?

This unique achievement has been attributed to the success of a new method of dealing with family cases, which began in North America and is now being offered in Scotland. More ..

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"Six-year-old offenders will be sent to boot camps"

By Marie Woolf, Chief Political Correspondent, October 26, 2004

Shoplifters, joy-riders and tearaways as young as six are to be sent to military training camps under a government attempt to instil discipline in disruptive children, with those succeeding winning a place with a military cadet force.

Young offenders who commit crimes such as burglary, car theft or shoplifting will be sent to the camps as part of their sentence where they will be subjected to a gruelling regime which teaches punctuality, respect and physical fitness. The programme, designed by the Youth Justice Board and Ministry of Defence, will also be tailored to primary-school children showing early signs of aggressive or disruptive behaviour. Those who successfully complete the military programmes will not only win a certificate but automatic referral to a cadet force. The Army has a recruitment drive aimed at young people from all backgrounds. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Fewer youths behind bars

Toronto Star, TRACY HUFFMAN, CRIME REPORTER, Oct. 14, 2004

Fewer youths are being sent to jail for their crimes.
The incarceration rate for youths in Canada reached an eight-year low in 2002/2003, according to a Statistics Canada report released yesterday. About 90 per cent of young offenders were on supervised probation, 7 per cent were serving time in jail and 3 per cent were in custody awaiting a court appearance or sentencing.  More ..

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CBC News, Thursday, October 14, 2004

Drivers should not be allowed to smoke in their vehicles if they have children as passengers, says the Ontario Medical Association in a new report on the dangers of second-hand smoke.

The report, Exposure to Second-hand Smoke: Are We Protecting Our Kids?, looks at how second-hand smoke in vehicles and the home continues to harm children's health despite moves to reduce smoking in public spaces.  More..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Constables assault convictions reversed

Officers found guilty of assault
Judge erred in evaluating records
Toronto Star, NICK PRON, COURTS BUREAU, Oct. 13, 2004
Two Toronto police officers found guilty four years ago of beating up a teenager had those convictions overturned yesterday. One of the officers had been facing jail. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Toddler dies from head injuries
Mother charged in daughter's death
21-month-old hurt Friday night

The Toronto Star, by HENRY STANCU, STAFF REPORTER, Oct. 12, 2004.

A Toronto woman has been charged after her 21-month-old daughter died from severe blunt trauma to the head, police say.

City police and ambulance were called Friday at 11 p.m. to an apartment on Pape Ave. at Queen St. E. Inside, they found Starlin Waide, who wasn't breathing. She was rushed to the Hospital for Sick Children but died Saturday at 5:30 p.m., police said. More ..

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CYF project halves child suicide rate

The New Zealand Herald, BY LEAH HAINES, October 10, 2004

A three-year project by welfare and health agencies has halved the rate of suicide among some of the country's most at-risk children.
Researchers say the project has the potential to put a massive dent in New Zealand's youth suicide rate - currently the highest in the developed world.  More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Child care: Another option

Universal day care ignores millions of Canadians who would prefer home care instead,says Tom Wonnacott

The Toronto Star, Oct. 7, 2004, opinion section, by Tom Wonnacott

This week's Speech from the Throne proposed a universal day-care subsidy that shows that our government really cares about our young children. Unfortunately, it is not really universal. It leaves out the millions of Canadian families who, if they could afford it, would like to choose home care looking after their children at home themselves, or with a loving grandmother or friend.  [full story]

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Why Males Don't Go to College

By Glenn Sacks, Thursday, October 7, 2004, This column first appeared in She Thinks (11/13/02)

As the percentage of males on our college campuses continues to decline, many observers are finally beginning to ask questions. Much of the discussion has focused on the fact that boys at all levels K-12 have fallen seriously behind their female counterparts, and how our schools are not meeting boys'needs. This discussion of males'educational problemsparticularly the problems of low-income and minority malesis long overdue, and boys'sagging educational performance is one of the main reasons for the increasing disappearance of male students from our college campuses. More ..

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Start of School Very Different for Parents of Boys, Parents of Girls
By Glenn Sacks. This column appeared in the Washington Times September 12, 2004, the Albuquerque Journal September 10, 2004, and the Omaha World-Herald September 4, 2004.
We received the notices for my son's and daughter's school in the mail yesterday. My soon-to-be-first grade daughter jumped up and down, wanting to know who her new teacher will be, what room she will be in, and "when do we get to start?" My middle school son examined his letter, and optimistically noted, "the first week is mostly minimum days, except for a Friday, but that's almost the weekend, when there's no school. So the week will go by quickly."

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Mother confesses to sex with sons

Had intercourse with 2 teenagers
Pleads guilty to incest charges

The Toronto Star, Kitchener-Record, October 3, 2004

A Kitchener woman has pleaded guilty to having sexual intercourse with her two teenage sons on separate occasions.  More ..

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Acceptable Suspects?
Why Female Sex Offenders Generate So Much Less Outrage Than Males
Mary Kay Letourneau with Barbara Walters during her exclusive interview with 20/20.(Virginia Sherwood/ABC Photo) By Bryan Robinson, Sept. 30, 2004

Mary Kay Letourneau's plans to marry the former student she was convicted of sexually assaulting when he was just 12 years old are shocking, but have generated relatively little public outrage.

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Mistake for Love
Former High School Teacher Regrets Affair With Her One-Time Student
Heather Ingram says she now regrets having an affair with her former student. September 30, 2004

V A N C O U V E R, British Columbia, Until Heather Ingram met Dusty Dickeson, she never considered risking her successful teaching career for the attention of a boy, even if he embodied everything she desired during her own high school days.

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Parents without custody file suit
Montgomery Advertiser, Alabama, U.S.A. By Jannell McGrew, September 30th, 2004

More than a quarter million Alabama parents who don't have custody of their children have joined a class-action suit against the state, alleging rampant mistreatment, fraud and "abuse of powers" to discriminate against noncustodial parents.

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Homicide rate lowest in three decades

By ALLISON DUNFIELD, Globe and Mail, September 29, 2004
The national homicide rate in Canada dropped to its lowest rate in over three decades, a new Statistics Canada report said Wednesday. More ..

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T.O. mother abandoned toddler to go dancing

CTV.ca News Staff Wed. Sep. 29 2004 12:36 PM ET

A single mother in Toronto who danced the night away while her two-year-old daughter was dying of dehydration in a sweltering apartment has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Clara DaSilva, 24, admitted Tuesday she left her toddler, Adrianna Maria, at home for at least 33 hours while she went out on the town in September, 2002. When she returned, the temperature in the bedroom had reached 35 Celsius and the child was dead.

DaSilva pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday and will be sentenced in January. She faces a sentence of imprisonment for life, but sentences for such convictions are typically less.

Crown attorney David Wright says DaSilva was an irresponsible young mother who chose to go salsa dancing instead of tending to her responsibilities to her child. More ..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Mother danced as child died
22-year-old pleads guilty to manslaughter in girl's death
Left unfed 2-year-old alone in crib for weekend of partying
The Toronto Star, NICK PRON, COURTS BUREAU, Sep. 29, 2004.

A 22-year-old single mother who danced the weekend away, then watched movies at a friend's house, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, who was left at home alone.

Rescue crews found the tiny, lifeless body of Adrianna Dasilva lying face-down in her crib in a room that was "sweltering hot" at about 35C and reeked of vomit and cat urine, a court heard yesterday.

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Mom's death dance
SHE PARTIED AS DAUGHTER LEFT TO DIE IN HEAT

Toronto Sun, By SAM PAZZANO, COURTS BUREAU, Wed, September 29, 2004

SINGLE MOM Clara DaSilva admitted yesterday she danced the night away while her 2-year-daughter was dying of dehydration in a sweltering apartment. Tiny toddler Adrianna Maria DaSilva was abandoned for at least 33 hours in a 35C room before her mom discovered her dead on Sept. 9, 2002. More ..

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University of Washington Survey

Men more than women favor paternity testing at birth

Medical Research News, Published: Tuesday, 28-Sep-2004

Substantially more men than women favor routine paternity testing when a baby is born, according to a recent University of Washington survey, but the surprise to researchers is that the percentage of men favoring such testing wasn't higher.

"The amazing thing is that the guys are always split 50-50. Age and income groups don't seem to matter," said Lisa Hayward, a UW doctoral student in biology and lead author of a paper reporting the findings in the current issue of the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

The survey showed just 32 percent of women favor such routine testing. The difference in response between genders remained consistent in spite of marital and income status. More ..

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Supreme Court to hear case on 'no fault'divorce

Canadian Press, September 28th, 2004

VANCOUVER A man who the B.C. Court of Appeal found was "carrying on behind his wife's back''and must continue spousal support payments will contest the ruling in the country's highest court because it contravenes the Divorce Act and could have national importance, his lawyer said Monday.

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Picking Up the Pieces
Husband of Teacher Accused of Having Sex With Student Stunned, Confused

ABC NEWS Sept. 16, 2004

The estranged husband of a 23-year-old Tampa teacher accused of having sex with her 14-year-old student says he still loves his wife even after filing for divorce last week.

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Manitoba to sell CDs of court proceedings
Canadian Press, Sept. 6, 2004
Winnipeg They are not likely to hit the Top 40 charts, but compact disc recordings of courtroom proceedings will soon be available for Manitobans to buy and listen to in their home or office.

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Mother kills son with rod and hangs him

India By: Naveeta Singh, September 2, 2004

This story will shake your faith in the belief that a mother can never harm her own child.

On April 14, 30-year-old Dilip Bhosale was killed by his mother Kamlabai alias Kevlabai Bhosale (59) with an iron rod at Morarjinagar in Powai. She then hung his body from a fan. Dilip was staying with her for the past one year and was frequently unemployed.

All it took her to hit him on the head with an iron rod was his demand for money. One day, when he asked her for Rs 2,000, she got enraged and hit him with the rod, which killed him. More ..

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Vigil planned for baby Zachary

CBC News, Wednesday, August 18, 2004

A vigil for murder victims began Wednesday outside the Newfoundland House of Assembly.

It was organized by the grandparents of 13-month-old Zachary Turner, who died at the hands of his fugitive mother a year ago.

David and Kathleen Bagby have organized the support group Victims of Homicide and are pushing for changes in the justice system.

The loved ones of several other murder victims joined in Wednesday's vigil.

"What we're trying to do is take back some power for victims," Kathleen Bagby said Tuesday. "The accused have all the rights in the world and our beloved have none." More ..

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Lawsuit Planned in Arrest of 8-Year-Old
By Associated Press, various newspapers in the U.S.A. and Canada
August 31, 2004

ESPANOLA, N.M. -- The mother of a third-grader handcuffed and taken to the police station after hitting another child with a basketball has filed a notice that she intends to sue the Espanola school district, city police and the jail.

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8-Year-Old Handcuffed, Put In Jail After School Fight
Associated Press, various media in U.S.A. and Canada, August 31, 2004

ESPANOLA, N.M. , U.S.A.-- A New Mexico third-grader was handcuffed and arrested by police after hitting another student with a basketball, the child's mother and her lawyer say.

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10-year-old Texas boy fatally shoots his father at start of weekend visit

ASSOCIATED PRESS, various newspapers in U.S.A. and Canada, August 28, 2004

More..

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Canada's largest daily newspaper

Enough talk: Homeless must become priority ...

The Toronto Star, THOMAS A. AXWORTHY, Aug. 9, 2004.

Paul Martin put it best in his 1990 Liberal task force report Finding Room: "All Canadians have the right to decent housing in decent surroundings at affordable prices ... there is currently a vacuum in federal policy ... Only the national government has the financial resources to address the full dimensions of the needs of this country."

That long-ago Liberal task force was co-chaired by Martin and Joe Fontana, recently appointed Canada's new Minister of Labour and Housing. In the upcoming minority Parliament, Martin and Fontana will have the chance to do what they so urgently advocated 14 years ago.

Minority governments, in fact, have been important in establishing a national housing policy. More ..

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Divorced Parents Move, and Custody Gets Trickier

The New York Times, by LESLIE EATON, August 8, 2004

Not too long ago, Jacqueline Scott Sheid was a pretty typical Upper East Side mother. Divorced and with a young daughter, she had quickly remarried, borne a son, and interrupted her career to stay home with the children while her husband, Xavier Sheid, worked on Wall Street.

Early last year, Mr. Sheid lost his job and saw his only career opportunity in California. But Ms. Sheid's ex-husband, who shares joint legal custody of their daughter, refused to allow the girl to move away. So Ms. Sheid has spent much of the last year using JetBlue to shuttle between her son and husband on the West Coast and her daughter (and ex) on the East.

The New York court system, which she hoped would help her family to resolve the problem, has cost her tens of thousands of dollars in fees for court-appointed experts, she said, and has helped to prolong the process by objecting to her choice of lawyers. More ..

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A is for adult authority
As a Quebec town tries to rein in its restless youth with a controversial curfew, Christian broadcaster LORNA DUECK sees a lesson for all Canadian parents
The Globe and Mail, By LORNA DUECK, Thursday, August 5, 2004 - Page A15

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Letourneau released from prison
Teacher's ex-lover 'can't wait to see her'
CNN, AP, U.S.A., Wednesday, August 4, 2004

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Letourneau released from prison
Notorious teacher seduced preteen student
Associated Press, CNN various newspapers, U.S.A., Wednesday, August 4, 2004

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Teen depression on the increase

More and more teens are becoming depressed. The numbers of young people suffering from depression in the last 10 years has risen worryingly, an expert says.

BBC, UK, August 3, 2004

Government statistics suggest one in eight adolescents now has depression.

Unless doctors recognise the problem, more could slip through the net, says Professor Tim Kendall of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health.

Guidelines on treating childhood depression will be published next year. Professor Kendall says a lot more needs to be done to treat the illness. More ..

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Focus of Catholic sexual abuse suits now includes nuns
Associated Press, various newspapers U.S.A. and some Canadian newspapers, ELLEN R. STAPLETON, August 2, 2004

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New figures reveal hidden epidemic of self-harm
UK - Independent, by Maxine Frith, Social Affairs Correspondent, July 27, 2004

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Dad's 1m fight for his child
Coventry Evening Telegraph, City News, U.K. by Liz Hazelton, July 27, 2004

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Adoption Agencies Using Hard-Sell Tactics
Maclean's magazine, a magazine read across Canada,  July 26, 2004, by Sue Ferguson

ONE COLD, cloudy Monday morning last year, Esther and Tom Olfert woke up as usual to the 6:30 news. The voice on the radio was saying that in 2001, only 216 of 4,700 permanent wards in Alberta had been adopted. It also announced that Alberta Children's Services had launched a Web site featuring pictures, information and, in some cases, video clips of 90 kids waiting to be adopted. The Olferts went online that day. With the profiles just two clicks of the mouse away, they settled on an image of three siblings described as animal lovers who would do well on a farm. The couple, who run a mixed farm in the Lethbridge area and already had four older biological children and two adopted children, knew they'd found their match. This past February, those kids, 12- and 8-year-old girls and their brother, 10, joined the Olfert ranks. More ..

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LA Man Denies Killing Daughter to Avoid Payment
Reuters, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., July 26, 2004

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Sperm donor loses appeal on child support

The Patriot News, Friday,  BY REGGIE SHEFFIELD of The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA, U.S.A., July 23, 2004, More..

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Male circumcision may be abuse, new B.C. doctors' guidelines suggest; [Final Edition]
Daily Press. Timmins, Ont.: Jul 15, 2004. p. B.6

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Male circumcision may be abuse, new B.C. doctors'guidelines suggest; [Final Edition 1]
Daily Bulletin. Kimberley, B.C.: Jul 14, 2004. p. 5

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Male circumcision may be abuse, new B.C. doctors'guidelines suggest; [Final Edition]
Daily Townsman. Cranbrook, B.C.: Jul 14, 2004. p. 5

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Circumcision human rights abuse?; [Final Edition]
Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alta.: Jul 14, 2004. p. A.7

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British Columbia: Circumcision may be abuse: doctors; [Final Edition]
Examiner. Barrie, Ont.: Jul 14, 2004. p. A.8

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Circumcision rights violation: new guidelines; [Final Edition]
Prince George Citizen. Prince George, B.C.: Jul 14, 2004. p. 5

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Doctor says circumcision could be abuse under new guidelines; [Final Edition]
Sault Star. Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.: Jul 14, 2004. p. B.10

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Circumcision may be abuse: new doctors' guidelines; [Final Edition]
Standard. St. Catharines, Ont.: Jul 14, 2004. p. B.6

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Docs fear circumcision violates human rights; [FINAL C Edition]
Ethan Baron. The Province. Vancouver, B.C.: Jul 14, 2004. p. A.19

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Paternity: Innocence Is Now a Defense

July 14, 2004, by Wendy McElroy, www.ifeminists.net   More..

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Baby dies, guidelines change

CHBC Okanagan Valley Television, A CanWest company, B.C.
July 14, 2004
An Okanagan incident is being cited as new guidelines for BC doctors suggest that male circumcision may amount to abuse.   More..

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Male circumcision may be abuse, new B.C. doctors' guidelines suggest

Canadian Press, Toronto: Jul 13, 2004

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Unkindest cut of all could be human rights issue;
CanWest News. Don Mills, Ont.: Jul 13, 2004. p. 1

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More married women are cheating on their spouses than ever before and the infidelity gender gap is almost certainly closing,

NEW YORK, July 4 /PRNewswire/ -- report Contributing Editor Lorraine Ali and Senior Editor Lisa Miller
in the July 12, 2004, Newsweek cover story More..

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Out in the cold

SIX-THOUSAND children are homeless in WA (Western Australia) and nearly half of them are under 12.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates that a further 800 WA children aged 12 to 18 are homeless and without parents or guardians.
The Sunday Times, Australia,  July 11, 2004 More..

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Canadians answer sperm call

The Australian, Australia's national Newspaper, by Paula Beauchamp, July 9, 2004 More..

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Teen denies girl's murder

Canadian Press, July 8, 2004 Teen denies girl's murder

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Huntingdon needs help not a busybody MNA

The Gazette, Montreal, Quebec, July 7, 2004 More..

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B. C. college tightens its circumcision recommendations

VANCOUVER Opponents of circumcision are applauding a new policy statement issued by the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Medical Post, to all Canadian MDs. , By Lynn Haley, July 6th, 2004 More..

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'Mood' enzyme linked to suicide

BBC, UK, July 5, 2004

Protein kinase C activity was lower in teens who committed suicide. The activity of a brain enzyme thought to affect mood may be reduced in teens who commit suicide, according to US researchers.

Dr Ghanshyam Pandey and colleagues at the University of Illinois at Chicago examined the brains of 34 teenagers who had died - 17 by suicide.

Protein kinase C (PKC) activity levels were much lower in the suicide victims'brains.

The findings are reported in Archives of General Psychiatry. More ..

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While U.S. couples spend tens of thousands to adopt children from abroad, more and more U.S. birth mothers choose to place their infants with Canadian families. Issues of race, money and culture raise questions about

The Oregonian, U.S.A., GABRIELLE GLASER, July 4, 2004 More..

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Missing Girl Found

Police say Sophie Cayer, 30, fled with her daughter, Megane Ladouceurlate.

Canadian Press, July 4, 2004, LONGUEUIL, Que. More..

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"Quebec police issue Amber Alert for four-year-old girl"

Canadian Press, July 3, 2004

Longueuil, Que. Police have issued an Amber Alert for a four-year-old girl they say was taken by her mother. More..

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Landmark Ruling Grants Father Custody of Children

By Tom Whitehead, PA News (U.K.), July 3, 2004 More..

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Mom charged in death of baby left in trash bin

The state's "safe haven" law would have let the woman safely abandon the infant at a firehouse or hospital.
By Howard Pankratz, Denver Post, Denver, Col, U.S.A., July 2, 2004 More..

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Study finds girls molest young boys

THE PRESS, NZ, By TIM HUME, July 1, 2004 Study finds girls molest young boys

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DENVER - Police seek 2nd mom who put baby in trash

Denver Post, Col, U.S.A. June 28, 2004 More..

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Judge upholds female teacher's sex indictment

Details of Mendham Township woman's behavior toward boy, 14, called relevant

By Peggy Wright, The Daily Record, Morristown NJ, U.S.A. June 25, 2004 Judge upholds female teacher's sex indictment

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Teenagers do their own family planning

The Age (Melbourne, Australia), By Amanda Dunn, Health Reporter, June 21, 2004

Contrary to popular belief, not all teenage pregnancies are accidents. A Victorian study has found that about a third of young mothers plan their pregnancies, and many believe having a baby will be one of the most positive experiences of their lives.

The attraction, said Julie Quinlivan, a professor of obstetrics at Melbourne University and head of the Royal Women's Hospital's "Young Mums" clinic, is in part the chance to build a loving family life for themselves, which is sometimes in contrast to their own experience. More ..

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Problems plague Family Responsibility Office, forcing families onto welfare

Failures by Ontario's Family Responsibility Office to properly enforce court-ordered support payments are pushing some single parents and their children onto welfare, Ombudsman Clare Lewis reported.... men who've been meeting their court-ordered obligations have trouble getting the FRO to stop taking payments when it's supposed to..
National Post, Canadian Press, June 17, 2004 More..

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Nicole in hot water

From Strewth in The Australian, June 14, 2004 More..

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Toddler left alone 8 hours, police say

London Free Press, APRIL KEMICK, Free Press Reporter June 9, 2004

A young London mother is charged with abandoning a child after a 23-month-old boy was left alone for eight hours in a highrise apartment unit, police said yesterday. The woman, 25, was arrested Monday, nearly a week after a Children's Aid Society worker made an unannounced visit June 1 to an apartment on King Edward Avenue and determined the boy was alone.

London police were called and entered the residence. Officers found the child alone with a small dog in the highrise apartment unit, Const. Paul Martin said.

The child was taken into custody by the Children's Aid Society. More ..

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History teachers face an uphill battle

London Free Press, MARISSA NELSON, Free Press Reporter May 29, 2004

Teachers are the key to keeping our country's history alive, but at least one noted historian questions their ability to handle the responsibility. "It's a bleak picture . . . I wish they were up for the job," says Jack Granatstein, chairperson of the Council for Canadian Security in the 21st Century. "Many teachers think war is something that should be taught as a bad thing, which neglects the heroism."

Schools teach children their rights in Canada, but not the responsibilities that come with citizenship, he say