Fugitive polygamist arrested in Nevada

KEN RITTER,

Associated Press Writer

LAS VEGAS - After more than a year on the run and three months on the FBI's Most Wanted List, the charismatic leader of a polygamous sect was captured during a routine traffic stop and now faces charges he arranged marriages between underage girls and older men. Warren Steed Jeffs, 50, was arrested without incident just outside Las Vegas late Monday, the FBI said Tuesday. No weapons were found, but the 2007 red Cadillac Escalade he was riding in was filled with items including three wigs, 15 cell phones, $54,000 in cash and $10,000 in gift cards, authorities said.

Jeffs leads the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a group that broke away from the Mormon church a century ago. He is said to have at least 40 wives and nearly 60 children.

Church dissidents say that underage marriages — some involving girls as young as 13 — escalated into the hundreds under his leadership, and that he broke apart families by casting out married men and reassigning their women and children to others.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard told KTAR-AM of Phoenix that Jeffs' arrest marks "the beginning of the end of ... the tyrannical rule of a small group of people over the practically 10,000 followers of the FLDS sect." He predicted it will lead more people to come forward with allegations of sexual abuse.

Most of the church's members live in Hildale, Utah, and adjoining Colorado City, Ariz., but authorities have said they believe Jeffs had "safe houses" in four other states — including Nevada — and Canada.

Jeffs' vehicle was stopped on Interstate 15 for having a temporary Colorado license tag that wasn't easily readable, FBI and Nevada Highway Patrol officials said.

State Trooper Eddie Dutchover told The Associated Press he felt something was amiss.

"Something was obviously wrong," Dutchover said. "I even told him, 'You're making me nervous. Is everything OK?'

"He said, 'Everything's fine,'" Dutchover said. "He just stared straight ahead."

Dutchover called other officers. Even when Sgt. David Miller found letters in the car addressed to "President Warren Jeffs," Jeffs refused to give his name.

Jeffs identified himself as John Findley, using a contact lens receipt from Florida as identification.

"Once the FBI got there," Dutchover said, "he gave his full name, Warren Jeffs, and kind of gave a sigh."

Jeffs would not tell investigators where he had been hiding out, but he did say "that he was being subject to what he termed religious prosecutions," said FBI agent John E. Lewis.

Items inside the vehicle also included four laptop computers, a GPS device, a police scanner, and numerous unopened envelopes that were thought to contain more cash, Lewis said.

Jeffs was being held Tuesday in Clark County jail, awaiting a court hearing Thursday on a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

The two people traveling with him, wife Naomi Jeffs and a brother, Isaac Steed Jeffs, both 32, were released and will not be charged, FBI agent Steven Martinez said.

Jeffs is wanted in Utah and Arizona on charges of arranging two marriages between underage girls and older men. The charges include two counts of rape as an accomplice in Utah, with each count punishable by up to life in prison.

He had been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list since May, with a $100,000 reward offered for information leading to his capture.

The FLDS Church split from the mainstream Mormon Church when the Mormons disavowed polygamy more than 100 years ago. Warren Jeffs took over the renegade sect in 2002 after the death of his 98-year-old father, Rulon Jeffs, who was said to have had 65 children by several women. Warren Jeffs took nearly all his father's widows as his own wives.

Jeffs has been called a dangerous extremist by those familiar with his church. Church dissidents said that while the sect has long practiced the custom of arranged marriages, young girls were rarely married off until Warren Jeffs came to power.

People expelled from the community said young men were sent away to avoid competition for brides. Older men were cast out for alleged disobedience, and their wives and children were reassigned by Jeffs to new husbands and fathers, the former members said.

"If this will bring an end to that, that will be a good thing," said Ward Jeffs, an older half-brother of Warren. "We're excited for the people down there, but we're very concerned about who might step up and take the leadership role."

It remained unclear Tuesday what would happen to the leadership of the church while Jeffs was behind bars.

Federal and state law enforcement agencies will determine whether Jeffs should be sent first to Utah or Arizona, said Steve Sorenson, a federal prosecutor in Salt Lake City. Utah's charges are more serious.

___

Associated Press writers Paul Foy and Jennifer Dobner in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

Remember Me? Four Tips for Résumé Follow-Up

Robert Half International

You've sent your résumé to several companies and have yet to hear back. But just because they aren't calling doesn't mean they aren't interested. It's not uncommon for hiring managers to become so busy that they postpone notifying -- or even selecting -- candidates for as long as one or two months after posting an employment ad. Don't let this discourage you.

Instead, take action to see where you stand. In today's competitive market, following up after submitting a résumé is not only warranted, it's recommended. An overwhelming 94 percent of executives polled by Robert Half International said candidates should contact hiring managers after submitting application materials. Why? Because it demonstrates initiative and sincere interest in a position and can help you stand out in a crowd of other highly skilled candidates.

So, what's the best way to follow up with prospective employers? There's no one-size-fits-all formula, but it helps to know the basic rules. The following pointers will help you be more proactive without becoming a pest:

When should I make my move?

Following up too quickly may annoy hiring managers, but letting too much time pass can take you out of the running. Eighty-two percent of executives polled by Robert Half International recommend contacting the company within two weeks of sending a résumé. That's approximately the length of time hiring managers need to review application materials and get back in touch with candidates.

What is the best way to follow up?

An e-mail, phone call or handwritten note all are acceptable forms of communicating with hiring managers, according to executives surveyed by Robert Half International. E-mail can be a great tool for reminding recruiters that you've applied for a job and resubmitting your résumé without seeming too pushy.

If you have a name and number, you may have more luck with a follow-up phone call. Just make sure to rehearse what you will say beforehand and call when you think the person is likely to be free -- early in the morning or late in the afternoon, for example. Keep your conversation brief and to the point. Only leave a message if you've gotten his or her voicemail at least twice.

You also can write a letter to determine if the position for which you applied is still open. A personalized note is a great way to express genuine interest in the job and indicate that you're not submitting blanket résumés; just realize you may have to be a bit more patient in receiving a response.

What should I do if I applied for a job online and there is no contact information?

If you at least know the name of the company to which you applied and, perhaps, the department and job title, a little sleuthing may help you identify the hiring manager. Search for the company on the Internet and use the contact information provided on its Web site. When you reach the firm, ask to speak to the person in charge of the job opening for which you applied. If no contact information is available, you can at least send a follow-up e-mail to the same address to which you sent your résumé.

What key points should I communicate?

In addition to expressing continued interest in the position, job seekers should reiterate the value they can bring to the organization by citing specific professional accomplishments and in-demand skills they possess. These examples should relate in some way to the requirements of the open position.

Ultimately, the method for contacting a prospective employer is less important than the action itself. A short, simple message often is enough to motivate a hiring manager to take a closer look at your application materials. If you don't receive a response after all your efforts, it's safe to assume you may not be in consideration for the job. Unfortunately, some companies only respond to candidates they will be contacting for an interview.

Not every job will be a fit and not every hiring manager will get back to you. But you can at least take some consolation in knowing you did everything within your power to be a contender.

Robert Half International Inc. is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 330 offices throughout North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. For more information about our professional services, please visit www.rhi.com.

The Philippines could use a Superman

Maria Criselda G. Simbulan,

Sophomore student Ateneo de Manila University

THE movie Superman Returns was definitely a big hit in the Philippines. It is about an extraordinary being, actually thought of as a hero. But other than that, the movie, through Lex Luthor’s genius, portrayed one of the biggest problems that the world is facing now and will face harder as we look further into the future—land getting scarce. Don’t we all wish that it could be as easy as that? That once you get hold of the crystals from the Planet Krypton, you can create a new continent and more so, a new world?

In the real world, land is getting scarce by the second because of increasing population density. The Philippines is the 12the most overpopulated country in the world with 85.3 million people in 2005. And projected to grow to 94 million in 2010. Overpopulation is even worse in Metro Manila and other urban centers as evident in widespread squatting and its harsh effects.

Land is so significant a resource that people have fought, killed or died for it. In present times, the progressive way of addressing overpopulation is by increased infrastructure through the construction of high-rise buildings and the conversion of agricultural land to residential and commercial spaces. But time will come when these modern solutions will no longer suffice.

Because the problem is really overpopulation, it is precisely this that we should address. I believe that the key lies in education. Education is the perfect tool through which people can learn the proper methods of family planning. More important, education directly increases access to economic opportunities, improves family income, enhances standards of living and eventually results in smaller average family size.

It is evident that those who are unable to avail themselves of good education are the ones who are impoverished. They are also the ones whose families are continuously growing to the extent that the family can no longer support its members. This results in a deeper case of poverty that would definitely be passed on to next generations. And the vicious cycle continues into a worst and horrifying case of overpopulation in our country.

We, who are more capable, must reach out to the poor because they are really the ones who need help. Reaching out means letting them know what they can do to help themselves, the so-called empowerment. This translates to giving them access to education and sustainable livelihood. Doing this will not only ease the problem of overpopulation in the country but will give the underprivileged a chance to improve or even rebuild their lives.

Now we can see that overpopulation, poor access to education and poverty are three interrelated phenomena that reinforce each other. The problem of overpopulation in the Philippines can only be solved when those two other factors are minimized, if not eliminated.

The good news is that we can help. We can expedite the solution to the problem when we open doors leading to the empowerment of the poor. In the true sense, we can become “Supermen” and “Superwomen” to our less fortunate brothers and sisters. Let’s start reaching out, now!

Supermodel Tsunami Survivor Supports Children's Charity

Crystal Park Washington, D.C.

The tsunami that hit South Asia in December of 2004 claimed more than 230,000 lives and affected 12 countries. Before that, Petra Nemcova was known as one of the world's top models. She was vacationing in Thailand when the tsunami hit, and barely survived. Since then, she has become heavily involved in charity work to help children, around the world, who have suffered loss and devastation.

Petra Nemcova

Twenty-seven-year-old Czech model Petra Nemcova was a top model who appeared on the cover of the 2003 annual swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated magazine. That was before she lost her fiancé and nearly her life to the tsunami that hit South Asia in 2004.

Simon Atlee

Nemcova and fiancé photographer Simon Atlee were vacationing in Thailand when they found themselves in the middle of the tsunami. Nemcova held onto a tree for eight hours before being taken to a hospital to be treated for a broken pelvis and serious internal injuries. Atlee did not survive.

"The whole experience of the tsunami was a very hard experience,” Nemcova said, “and not just for me, but for millions of people, because millions of people have been affected and especially in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka and Thailand."

Nearly a quarter million people died during the tsunami

Her charity, Happy Hearts Fund, aims to help children who have suffered loss or hardship as a result of natural, economic or health-related disasters.

The model recently visited a Washington jewelry store to raise money for her charity. She was promoting a new "love" bracelet. Jeweler and watchmaker Cartier is donating 100-dollars to Petra's Happy Hearts Fund for each 500-dollar bracelet sold.

Cartier Boutique Manager Fariba Jaahanbani explains why Nemcova was chosen as the spokeswoman. Jaahanbani said, "She portrays the true meaning of love, commitment and passion."

Fariba Jaahanbani

The idea of the love bracelet was created in 1970 by Aldo Chipolo in New York City to celebrate universal love. Several celebrities have their own versions of the bracelets to raise money for their respective charities.

Nemcova started Happy Hearts a year ago, and is thrilled to see it is making a difference. She said, "In less than a year, we have raised more than $1.5 million, and supported 13 local charity projects in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand. And we're growing so much. I just came back from Pakistan, from the earthquake zone and other places. From a little thing, it's been growing and I can't say thank you enough to everyone who's been supporting Happy Hearts Fund, and so many wonderful people came aboard and donated time."

Petra Nemcova has released a personal memoir detailing her tsunami experience called "Love Always, Petra." She plans to travel to the tsunami-affected areas of South Asia later this year.

PlayStation 3 tackles world ills

The spare processing power of Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) will be harnessed by scientists trying to understand the cause of diseases like Alzheimer's.

Sony has teamed up with US biologists who already run the distributed computing project, folding@home (FAH).

The project harnesses the capacity of thousands of PCs to examine how the shape of proteins, critical to most biological functions, affect disease.

FAH say a network of PS3's will allow performance similar to supercomputers.

With 10,000 machines joined together the researchers calculate they should be able to do a thousand trillion calculations per second.

If that was achieved it would be nearly four times as fast as the world's most powerful supercomputer, IBM's BlueGene/L System, capable of 280.6 trillion calculations per second.

Complex problems

Distributed computing is a way of solving large complex problems by dividing them between many . . . .

Collapse kills 47 at India fair

At least 47 people have been killed and dozens injured in western India after a large water tank they were sitting on collapsed, officials said.

The dead were among 200 spectators who climbed onto the concrete tank to watch a wrestling match.

The accident happened at a village fair in Kama, Rajasthan state.

The victims fell into the tank, which had very little water in it, and were crushed by falling concrete, said a top local official, R Venkateshwaran.

The injured were taken to a local hospital.

The fair was called off for the day, one report said.

Village fairs are very popular in rural India, with local people flocking to watch mud wrestling, cockfights and drama performances.

Story from BBC NEWS:

Man charged with deaths of illegal immigrants is indicted

PHOENIX (AP)

A man accused of driving an SUV hauling illegal immigrants that rolled earlier this month while fleeing U.S. Border Patrol agents north of Yuma, killing 10 migrants and an unborn child, has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

Adan Pineda Doval of Guetamo, Mexico is charged with 10 counts of causing the death of migrants while illegally transporting them, a crime that carries a potential life sentence. He's also charged with one count of endangering the lives of other migrants among the 20 in the Chevrolet Suburban that rolled on Aug. 7. That crime carries a maximum 20 year prison term.

Officials with the Yuma County sheriff's office said the driver had swerved to avoid a spike strip set out by a Border Patrol agent.

Five passengers were pronounced dead at the scene and four more died that day at Yuma Regional Medical Center. A 10th victim later died at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix.

The Yuma County Medical Examiner also counts an 11th death, an unborn child of one of the victims. The indictment does not include that death among the charges.

Pineda remains in federal custody

Boy, Four , Hurt In Attack

20:13 Saturday August 26 2006

A four-year old boy suffered a fractured skull and a serious injury to his ear when he was hit with a brick, police confirmed.
The family of Charlie Davis have claimed the youngster was playing near his home in Hull when he was snatched by a local youth, pulled 200 yards along a path and tied to a tree by a railway line before being battered.
But officers say they have no evidence at this stage to confirm reports that he was abducted or tied up on wasteland at Hessle, Hull, near the Humber Bridge.
The youngster remains in Hull Royal Infirmary where a scan has revealed no damage to his brain - his mother Susan is by his bedside.
The family called the police after the boy was found at lunchtime on Thursday by a couple.
However, a Humberside Police spokeswoman said: "Clearly this little boy has had a nasty attack. He's been hit by a brick and he's got some horrible injuries.
"But at this stage there's no information that we have pointing to the fact that he's been abducted and, again, being tied to a tree is something that hasn't yet been clarified.
"We haven't spoken to the four-year-old and therefore we haven't got an account of what happened."

US investigates IAF bombing in Lebanon

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The State Department is investigating whether Israel misused US-made cluster bombs in civilian areas of Lebanon.
The United Nations said unexploded cluster bombs, which are anti-personnel weapons that spray bomblets over a wide area litter bombed-out homes, gardens and highways in south Lebanon.
"We are definitely looking into these allegations, and we'll see where they lead," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said Friday.
The inquiry will determine whether the munitions were used, and if so how, Gallegos said.
A spokeswoman for the UN Mine Action Coordination Center refused to comment on the investigation. She said it is not illegal to use cluster bombs against soldiers or enemy fighters, but the Geneva Conventions bar their use in civilian areas.
Relief organizations and the UN mine office have reported finding evidence that Israel used three types of American-made cluster bombs during its 34-day war with Hezbollah militants, during . . . . . . . . .

Wave of illegal alien gang rapes sweep America says report

While JonBenet Ramsey and the Duke Lacrosse team have become household names in the national media, a wave of gang rapes by illegal aliens has gone ignored by the national media. But today, the facts are breaking nationally in a report by WorldNetDaily that brings over 15 gang rapes of Americans by illegal aliens to light.
"We are tracking at least 12 since October of 2004 and the WorldNetDaily report includes even more." says William Gheen of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC. "We need this news in the national media otherwise our governmental systems cannot react accordingly to reduce the number of future gang rapes."
The article "Illegal Aliens Linked to Gang Rape Wave: The Crime Epidemic No One Will Talk About?" by Chelsea Schilling quotes Deborah Schurman-Kauflin, a Ph.D. researcher of violent crimes, William Gheen of ALIPAC, and several local news reports from across America. The facts are in that there is a clear association between illegal immigration and the rare crime of gang rape in America.
Deborah Schuman-Kauflin, who runs the Violent Crimes Institute in Atlanta, has completed a study which finds "approximately 240,000 illegal-immigrant sex offenders reside in the United States - while 93 sex offenders and 12 serial sexual offenders come across U.S. borders illegally every day."
William Gheen of ALIPAC warns "Many illegal aliens have a rape and pillage mentality toward America. The government has shown them they can break our laws on many levels without much fear of enforcement. Why should they think of rape or gang rape any differently?"
This story is being covered on many talk radio shows and websites across America today. Will the national media continue to keep the American public in the dark and thus conceal the illegal alien gang rape crime spree? If so, then we can certainly expect the number of victims to soar since these criminals can operate without fear of national media exposure or significant enforcement of our existing immigration laws.

Teen Advice - Let's Talk About Sex!

Your Body

1. You can get pregnant (and boys, you may not carry the baby, but you still "get pregnant").
2. The only forms of birth control that work with any reliability for the inexperienced are; condoms, birth control pills (taken for at least a month before), female condoms, sponge, spermicide, depro-provera (given by a doctor well in advance), norplant (minor surgery required well in advance), IUD and diaphram (both need a doctor).
3. Rythm and Cycles require some real experience and are NOT for first timers.
4. Standing up right away or jumping up and down will not prevent pregnancy.
5. You can get an STD, and even AIDS, the first time.
6. Only condoms (female and male), preferably with a spermicide, can give you any protection against STDs and AIDS.
7. The only 100% perfect protection against AIDS, STDs, or pregnancy (for adults and teens) is NOT having sex.
8. You probably won't know what you are doing or if you are doing it "right" - try not to worry too much about it, as long as it is consentual there is no one "right" way.
9. Your body may not cooperate, even if your mind wants to be having sex, your body will have an opinion too.
10. You can change your mind and say "NO" whenever you want to before doing it - just because you agreed to have sex doesn't mean you have to go through with it.

Your Feelings

1. It will NOT go the way you plan, it is best to plan only the birth control, time and place.
2. If you are a girl; it will not feel very good - if you are a boy; it will be over so fast you won't know for sure how it felt.
3. You WILL be nervous and maybe a little scared - not necessarily in a bad way.
4. You will feel different about yourself and the other person - not necessarily in a bad way
.
5. You will NOT suddenly be a woman or a man.
6. You may feel guilty that you are actually wanting to have sex - try to remember sex is perfectly natural and normal and not something to feel guilty about.
7. As long as you know you are ready, and care about the person you are with, you will enjoy yourself.
8. If you don't respect your partner, or you know they don't resepct you, you will have regrets.
9. If you love, or are loved by your partner, you may still have regrets.
10. Regrets are normal. You have lost something - your virginity - it is natural and normal to mourn that loss.

Aid Group Says Sexual Assaults Soaring in Darfur Camp

An international aid group says sexual assaults have risen dramatically at a large camp for displaced persons in Sudan's troubled Darfur region.
The New York-based International Rescue Committee says more than 200 women have been sexually assaulted in the last five weeks at the Kalma refugee camp. The committee says it is used to hearing about just two to four incidents of sexual assaults at the camp per month.
A committee spokesman says the figures are a sign of deteriorating security in the war-ravaged region. A civil war that began in 2003 has degenerated into chaotic violence that has killed an estimated 200,000 people and displaced two million others.
The United Nations Security Council is reviewing a resolution that calls for a U.N. force to take over peacekeeping duties from an overwhelmed African Union mission. However, Khartoum remains firmly opposed to allowing U.N. troops in Darfur.

How families rip off grandma

Marilyn Gardner

Christian Science Monitor

Aging philanthropist Brooke Astor's plight echoes that of many people her age. More seniors than ever are being financially exploited, often by family members. Plus: 7 ways to protect seniors' finances.

For decades Brooke Astor appeared regularly in the society pages of New York newspapers, a grand dame noted for her dual roles as a philanthropist and socialite. But last month she suddenly became the subject of front-page headlines. A grandson, Philip Marshall, alleges that his father, Astor's only child, has neglected her care and spent some of her money on his own business ventures.
Anthony Marshall has publicly and vigorously denied the charges, insisting that he continues to provide the best possible care for his frail 104-year-old mother. A court hearing seeks to replace Marshall, her legal guardian, with Annette de la Renta (wife of fashion designer Oscar de la Renta) and the J.P. Morgan Chase Bank.
Whatever the outcome of the case, the allegations deal with a subject that remains largely invisible: elder financial abuse and exploitation. No statistics measure the scope of the problem, but professionals who work with older people say . . . . .

Teaching with more than one age....

A good way to drive yourself crazy is to try to teach many different subjects at different levels at one time. RELAX. With the exception of math, you can teach the same topic to all of your children – be they 6 or 12! The trick is to have different expectations depending on the age of the child. Teaching American History? Your 6-year old will love reading books at his level about Paul Revere and other historical figures. He can draw pictures, tell you about what he has learned, and more. Your 12-year old, of course, can be expected to put more time and effort into researching, presenting, and sharing. Teaching writing? You can give the same assignment -- just have different expectations. What about language – grammar, spelling, punctuation? These are taught over and over throughout our school years – you will be surprised how this fits in.
Schooling with infants, toddlers, or preschoolers around
So you have a 6-month old demanding your attention . . . a 2-year old raising a ruckus . . . a 4-year old wanting to play . . . Can you still homeschool and keep your sanity? The answer, of course, is yes. It will be challenging, require flexibility on your part and that of your school-age child, but you will soon adapt.
You may want to adjust your schedule around a younger child’s naps. Arrange subjects that can be done more or less independently for the baby’s active time. Schedule subjects that require more direct interaction for baby’s sleep time. Use your weekends or evenings for some subjects and either have your husband help with the teaching, or have him take care of the younger children while you focus on your school-ager. Advance planning will really help here.
For older toddlers and preschoolers, provide them with their own “school” toys and a special place to play while you work with your older child. Alternate active teaching and child independent work so that you can interact frequently with the younger child. If available, ask for occasional help from family or friends.

How Fathers, As Male Parents, Matter for Healthy Child Development

Glenn T. Stanton

Fathers parent differently from mothers and that difference matters greatly for children.
Fatherhood is just as essential to healthy child development as motherhood. In some measures, father-love is more important. The professional journal, Review of General Psychology, finds “evidence suggests that the influence of father love on offspring’s development is as great as and occasionally greater than the influence of mother love.”1 Fathering expert Dr. Kyle Pruett explains in Fatherneed: Why Father Care is as Essential as Mother Care for Your Child, "fathers do not mother."2 Psychology Today explains, "fatherhood turns out to be a complex and unique phenomenon with huge consequences for the emotional and intellectual growth of children."3 Erik Erikson, a pioneer in the world of child psychology, explained that father love and mother love are qualitatively different kinds of love. Fathers "love more dangerously" because their love is more "expectant, more instrumental" than a mother’s love.4 A father, as a male biological parent, brings unique contributions to the job of parenting a child that no one else can replicate. Following are some of the most compelling ways father involvement makes a positive difference in a child’s life. The first benefit is the difference itself. Fathers Parent DifferentlyThis difference provides an important diversity of experiences for children. Dr. Pruett explains that fathers have a distinct style of communication and interaction with children. By eight weeks of age, infants can tell the difference between their mother or father interacting with them. This diversity, in itself, provides children with a broader, richer experience of contrasting relational interactions — more so than for children who are raised by only one .. . . .

The Truth About Domestic Violence in Marital Versus Cohabitational Relationships

Virginia Wing

You may have heard the daunting statistic that every nine seconds, a woman is a victim of domestic violence. Or perhaps you heard it was every 12 seconds, or every 14 seconds, or every 15 seconds. ... So which is it?
Domestic violence is a rampant problem and plague in our nation today. It’s a crime that must be taken seriously, and because of this we need to be sure we correctly understand the facts. These startling statements concerning the frequency of domestic violence can mistakenly send the ominous message to women and society that marriage must be a “dangerous place.” One study even asked the question in its title if the marriage license was a “hitting license.” With the use of the term domestic violence, the connotation of spousal abuse or “wife beating” is quick to follow. However, after considering the following you may actually find that “girlfriend beating” is a more appropriate term.How Safe is Marriage?• According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, of all violent crimes against women by their intimate partners between 1979 and 1987, about 65 percent were committed by either a boyfriend or ex-husband, while only 9 percent were committed by husbands.1 • Another study, published in the Journal of Family Violence, explains the following regarding the association between batterer and . . . . .

Predator Priest

Evidence suggests that many instances of child abuse by clergy were not one-time, isolated incidents. Shielded by a church culture of secrecy, some deviant priests preyed upon numerous victims during multiple parish assignments. Four priests in particular stand out for the number of abuse claims or the seriousness of the charges against them.
• Now-defrocked priest John Geoghan allegedly preyed on young boys in a half-dozen Boston-area parishes for decades. He is serving nine to 10 years in prison for fondling a youth at a pool in Waltham; a child rape charge and many civil claims are pending.
• Up until his death in 1989, the Rev. Joseph Birmingham allegedly befriended and then abused at least 50 boys over a 29-year career as a priest in the Boston Archdiocese, even as archdiocesan officials ignored numerous complaints against him.
• The Rev. Paul R. Shanley ran a "street ministry" in Boston in the 1960s and '70s, allegedly taking advantage of youths who came to him for guidance. He is awaiting trial on charges he raped four boys at a Newton parish.
• The Rev. Ronald H. Paquin is the only Boston-area priest who has admitted guilt in a criminal molestation case, and is serving 12 to 15 years in prison for rape. He also has acknowledged molesting several boys during his ministry at parishes in Haverhill and Methuen.
Church records have revealed stories of many other repeat abusers, including priests who traded drugs for sex with minors, fathered children, and physically assaulted their victims. In the case of almost every predator priest, church officials had reports of abusive behavior, but allowed the priests to remain in ministry, documents show. In many cases, accused priests were sent for brief periods of psychological evaluation, then returned to parishes -- where they abused again.
See the story list to the left for the latest coverage of the cases involving predator priests.

Parents and College Life

Julie Sierra

College is a time to spread your wings, learn independence, break free. But oftentimes, parents still have plenty of wisdom to offer. Don't write them off just because you're not living under their roof.
Goodbye Mom and Dad, Hello College
Do you remember the day you left for college? I'm sure for some of you it involved an adventure, like a road trip, or a flight across the country (maybe even overseas). You probably felt a mixture of emotions: uncertainty, anticipation, excitement.
My first day of college didn't feel quite as exotic, because I attend a university near my home. As a matter of fact, when I first began taking classes at Florida International University (FIU), it took me thirty minutes to arrive on campus — walking. It took me about four minutes to drive there — ten if it was rush hour.
Two years later I moved a little farther south, so now the drive to school takes 30 minutes driving during Miami traffic, and I'm not sure how long it takes without traffic (I've yet to experience that). My point is that, because my college is so close to home — well — I've never had to leave it. I didn't have to say my tearful goodbyes to Mom and Dad; they never watched as their baby girl headed off to discover new and . . . .

Buddhism and Sex

M. O'C. Walshe

This is an age in which sexual matters are discussed with great openness. There are many who are puzzled to know what the Buddhist attitude towards sex is, and it is therefore to be hoped that the following guidelines may be found helpful towards an understanding. It is, of course, true to say that Buddhism, in keeping with the principle of the Middle Way, would advocate neither extreme puritanism nor extreme permissiveness, but this, as a guiding principle without further specification, may not seem sufficiently helpful for most people.
In the first place, we must distinguish between the rules undertaken by Buddhist monks for their own conduct, and any guiding principles for lay people.
The Bhikkhu
A bhikkhu, or fully-ordained monk in the Theravada tradition, has taken upon himself a set of 227 rules of conduct. The aim of all of these is to enable him to conduct himself in such a way as is most conducive to the attaining of Enlightenment. The rules are voluntarily undertaken, and if a monk feels unable to live up to them, he is free to leave the Order, which is considered much more honorable than hypocritically remaining in the robe while knowingly infringing the rule. There are four basic rules, infringement of which is termed Parajika or "Defeat," and involves irrevocable expulsion from the Order. The only one we are concerned with here is the first, which deals with sexual intercourse.
Complete sexual continence is considered an essential feature of the monastic life. Intercourse of a heterosexual or homosexual character is automatically a Parajika offense. A monk who performs such an act is considered to have expelled himself from the Order, and is no longer in communion with the other monks. Any acts of a sexually unbecoming nature falling short of intercourse result in suspension . . . . . . .

Hindu Attitudes to Sex

On a recent TV programme ('Position Impossible'), it was noted that currently there is no sex education in India. This is due to religious and moral objections. It is also estimated that around 60% of men and 40% of women are virgins on their wedding night. In many ways Indian attitudes to sex can seem 'old fashioned'. For example, at the cinema sex scenes are not filmed or shown (unlike most 'western' films), and kissing is rarely seen. This is because Indians believe it is more important to leave it up to the cinema-goer to use their imagination (soft-core), rather than push 'hard-core' cinematic experiences in your face. Yet this 'self-censorship' has come from within the same culture which has produced one the most famous sex and relationship manuals ever written: the Karma Sutra (whose content was the theme of the programme 'Position Impossible'. Some even claim that there is no aspect of human relationships (both sexual and non-sexual), which is not discussed in the Karma Sutra.
Hindus will generally discourage sex before marriage (although the statistic above shows that this is not necessary the practice). This is because sex should be limited to the householder stage of life (called an ashrama), as this is where couples should have and bring up their children (for more details on this see Hinduism and Marriage). Thus sex and children form part of the duty (dharma) of this aspect of Hindu life. This means that adultery is also wrong because this would be going against the purpose of marriage and would betray one's partner (and would also affect one's karma and attempts to attain moksha). In many respects the place of sex for Hindus is idealised by the gods. Unlike the Christian God (who has no partner), Hindu gods get married and have . . . . .