Little Boy Stops Suicidal Mom Even After She Cut His Neck

Mother Planned Murder-Suicide

On the morning of June 5, a Jiaxing city Haining county netizen reported that a mother prepared to commit suicide after slashing her son’s neck only to have the perceptive son, in order to save his mother, ignore his own injury, get up, and try to wrestle the knife away from his mother. During the struggle for the knife, the son’s hands were cut by the sharp knife. Perhaps as a result of love reawakening reason, the mother subsequently called the police. At present, after emergency medical treatment and surgery, both mother and son are out of life-threatening danger. READ MORE HERE

It is not known what caused the massive brawl. Cell phone videos recorded the huge fight that occurred on the last day of school at Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois in which as  many as 300 students took part and which required the Sheriff’s office and 40 officers from neighboring towns to handle; at least ten students were arrested — one handling a knife — and three were hospitalized. READ MORE HERE

Baby suffered 21 stab wounds to his head, 8 to his chest and his throat was slit.

A mother committed an unimaginable crime. Kimberlynn Bolanos, 21, is facing a first-degree murder charge after she brutally stabbed her 5-month-old son Issac to death. Bolanos is currently in jail held with no bond after police had to break down a hotel bathroom door with an axe to get to her and the infant she murdered. She had been staying at a hotel with Issac. Her boyfriend, also allegedly the father of the child, had visited them off and on during their stay, reports CBS Chicago. READ MORE HERE

A group of alleged thugs are behind bars after they attempted to have sex with two underage girls, record it on video and then put evidence of the alleged crime on the Internet, where one of the girls’ teachers at an Oregon junior high school saw it and reported it to authorities.  The video of the two girls – one of whom was a 12-year-old seventh-grader at Centennial Middle School in Portland – found its way to the Facebook pages of students at another middle school within the same district, where a social media-savvy teacher spotted it on one of his student’s Facebook pages, recognized one of the girls as an underage student and told the school’s principal. It didn’t take long for authorities to identify the adult men in the video, one of whom is a known gang member with the ‘Unthank Park Hustlers.’ READ MORE HERE

A mother already charged with selling her toddler to a man who used her to make child pornography has been accused of doing the same with another daughter. The Gary woman, 24, was charged in March for selling her 18-month-old daughter for an undisclosed sum to Christopher Bour, 39, allegedly knowing she would be used in porn films.  However an indictment filed on Wednesday against the mother adds a second count of selling a child and permitting her to participate in pornography. READ MORE HERE

Child porn teacher is allowed back in the classroom

A teacher who downloaded child porn has been allowed to resume his career by the Department for Education. Geoffrey Bettley, 36, was sacked, given a police caution and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register after  admitting viewing sickening images over several years. But a professional conduct panel said the married RE teacher could return to the classroom because of his ‘excellent teaching’. A senior official, acting on  behalf of Education Secretary Michael Gove, rubber-stamped the decision, saying there was a ‘need to be proportionate and to act in the public interest’. READ MORE HERE

Cyber-bullying 101: How to Recognize, Prevent and Deal With It

Lawmakers in Florida have taken steps to strengthen their already-stringent rules against cyberbullying. The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill that prohibits harassment of students or teachers through the use of computers on- or off-campus. It also increases the authority school officials have to punish students for bullying.

Fifteen years ago, there were no laws against bullying. These laws began to appear shortly after the 1999 Columbine shootings in Littleton, Colo., that left 12 students and a teacher dead. Today, Montana is the only state without an anti-bullying statute. Many states continue to strengthen existing anti-bullying laws by placing the burden of responsibility on schools to monitor for and take action against bullying.

New Jersey Steps It Up

New Jersey enforces some of the strictest anti-bullying laws in the nation, with 11,000 instances reported in the law’s first year alone. New Jersey school officials can take action after a single incident of bullying or in cases where the bullying occurs off school grounds.

However, the complexities of cyberbullying have begun to appear in the appeals courts. In some cases, defendants argued that school officials overreacted to a minor incident. Others maintained administrators did not understand teenage vernacular and had misinterpreted affectionate slang for intimidating language.

Since the New Jersey anti-bullying law went into effect in 2011, at least 16 students, parents and teachers have filed appeals with the state’s commissioner of education. In addition to concerns over suspension or expulsion, these defendants worry about the life-long implications of a criminal record over teenage antics.

The Intricacies of Cyberbullying

These appeals are the result of society’s struggle to define what a cyberbully is and measure the scope of the problem. A cyberbully uses technology to harass, threaten, embarrass or target someone else.

While bullying at school or during afterschool activities has been around forever, technology puts children in the path of cyberbullies every waking moment. Children have more exposure to TV and Internet than ever before. Home entertainment satellite packages alone come with 285 channels, says Slackware.org, making it difficult to control a child’s exposure to adult content, and children can be victimized any time they have access to a computer, tablet or phone.

The Signs

Signs of cyberbullying can be hard to detect. Victims often react passively, choosing to keep the problem a secret out of fear of further bullying. Many victims become afraid to participate in class or sports, causing a decline in performance and anti-social behavior.

The Effects

The anti-crime organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids conducted a nationwide 2006 poll on cyberbullying. The poll found that one in three teens and one in six pre-teens has been a victim.

The effects of cyberbullying include lowered confidence, self-esteem and sense of security, as well as diminished academic and athletic performance. Left unaddressed, cyberbullying can cause serious emotional distress, depression, and hopelessness.

Help Prevent It

Reducing cyberbullying begins at home on the family computer, tablet, or child’s cell phone. Parents believe they know what their children are doing online but teenagers disagree, saying parents know little to nothing about what kids do in cyberspace. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Cox Communications, most adolescents say their parents do not limit their online activities at all.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, or US-CERT, has some of the most reasonable suggestions to prevent cyberbullying. This group maintains that, while bullying can indicate a tendency to more serious or even violent behaviors, most cyberbullies grow out of this behavior.

On their official website for the Department of Homeland Security, US-CERT lays out several effective ways someone can protect themselves or their children online. The first suggestion is to develop good online habits and pass them onto children. Parents should strive to keep the lines of communication open and remain vigilant for signs of bullying. Limiting the amount of information available online is wise, such as pictures, interests and personal habits.

What To Do If It Happens in Your Family

Don’t escalate the situation. Document all activity by saving emails or text messages. Do not reply to angry messages and block the offender if necessary. Report the offender to school authorities or police where appropriate.

Author: Amanda Daniels

Florida child molester executed for rape and murder of 10-year-old girl

STARKE, Fla. –  A convicted child molester condemned for the 1990 rape and murder of a 10-year-old Florida girl has been executed at the Florida State Prison. Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s office said 56-year-old inmate Elmer Carroll was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. Wednesday at the prison in Starke. Carroll had been convicted of first-degree murder and sexual battery in the rape and strangling death of Christine McGowan. The girl lived with her family next door to a halfway house for homeless men where Carroll was staying in Apopka. READ MORE HERE

The Dodge City Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a man wanted for the rape of a child. Officers are searching for 50-year-old Hugo Baeza for rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Baeza is described as a Hispanic man, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs approximately 225 pounds and has brown eyes and gray hair. He may be driving a black 1991 Dodge truck with Kansas tag 774CLR or a green 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan with Kansas tag 328BNX. Anyone with information on Baeza’s whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (620) 227-STOP or (877) 424-4414, or call the Dodge City Police Department at (620) 225-8128. READ MORE HERE

Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins had his day in court today, after being formally charged with 32 counts including sexual offenses against children. The singer denied any involvement in all counts and plead not guilty. According to reports from local media, the 35-year-old performer had an hour-long hearing at the Cardiff Crown Court this morning where he made a statement through his attorneys. READ MORE HERE

In the United States alone, 20 percent of parents never supervise their child’s online activities, according to the District Attorney Report in San Diego County. After the age of 14, a reported 71% of parents stop monitoring their child’s Internet use entirely. These numbers are alarming, considering the Internet commonly exposes children to sexual predators and cyber-bullying. It’s time to understand how the world has changed and why parents must adapt their parenting techniques in order to protect their families.

Many of us were taught from a young age not to talk to strangers. We learned that men in uniforms could be trusted intrinsically and our teachers were our friends. The rules of safety were clear and defined. With the advent of the Internet, however, the line between strangers and friends has blurred. Online friendship is as simple as clicking a ubiquitous thumbs up “Like” button. On websites such as Facebook and MySpace, this opens up a link so that strangers you have “Liked” can view personal information and photographs, see your other online friends and make comments.

Kids Today

By opting into these social circles with just a click of a mouse, teenagers and pre-teens will typically freely share personal information about themselves to online strangers. A Carnegie Mellon University publication reports that these “shares” include real names, addresses (6 percent), phone numbers (5 percent), and names of schools (6 percent) -especially among students in middle school. It’s unclear why they would share these private facts, but researchers stress that this lack of discrepancy makes it very simple for online sexual predators to gain your child’s trust and take full advantage of them.

Resources and Support

In response to this assault on the most vulnerable of our society – our children – companies like Lifelock and government organizations like the U.S. Department of Justice have developed tools for us to fight back. Among other services, Lifelock can provide your family with advanced Internet surveillance, making sure that strangers do not have access to your private information. The U.S. Department of Justice takes a strong stance against sexual predators and prosecutes offenders to the full extent of the law. The National Sex Offender Public Website will disclose to you a full list of registered sex offenders in your area. Take some time to educate yourself on the dangers associated with sharing personal information on the internet.

Lessons Learned

On October 7, 2003, Ryan Halligan committed suicide at the tender age of 13. After years of physical bullying and a final bout of malicious cyber-bullying involving purposeful ridicule, Ryan felt he could fight no longer. His parents have aligned themselves with isafe.org to speak out about the crime of cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying is the practice of bullying online, usually among youngsters. Megan Meier was another young person who experienced cyber-bullying on MySpace. The mother of another teen had created a fake account for the sole purpose of humiliating Megan. After the postings, Megan took her own life shortly before her fourteenth birthday. New Jersey has created an anti-bullying law that is a good step in preventing online bullying. However, the first step has to happen in every parent’s home. Careful online monitoring and making use of the services of companies like Lifelock can help prevent cyber-bullying before it starts. Nearly 43 percent of kids have been bullied online. Don’t let it happen to your child.

Left unguided, our children could become victims of the Internet, rather masters. Install virtual boundaries in your home by considering protective measures. Most importantly, maintain the flow of communication between you and your children. For more advice on creating a safe communicative environment at home, try the websites of family professionals like Dr. Phil. Try to be nonjudgmental and accepting while steering them toward the better paths in life. When talking to your kids, try to listen more than speak. You might be surprised at what you hear.

Contributing  Author:  Jackie Moore

A former Coronation Street actor ‘used his status’ to ‘flatter and gain the trust’ of a 14-year-old boy whom he went on to indecently assault on a number of occasions, a court heard today. Andrew Lancel, 42, best known for his role as Frank Foster in the ITV soap, is accused of six counts of indecent assault of a child under the age of 16. The charges relate to one male victim and the offending allegedly took place between 1993 and 1994 when he was aged 14 and 15, Liverpool Crown Court heard. It allegedly occurred before the actor joined Coronation Street in 2010. READ MORE HERE

Specific Changes in Brain Structure After Different Forms of Child Abuse

Different forms of childhood abuse increase the risk for mental illness as well as sexual dysfunction in adulthood, but little has been known about how that happens. An international team of researchers, including the Miller School’s Charles B. Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D., Leonard M. Miller Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, has discovered a neural basis for this association. The study, published in the June 1 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, shows that sexually abused and emotionally mistreated children exhibit specific and differential changes in the architecture of their brain that reflect the nature of the mistreatment. READ MORE HERE

Boy, 8, was ‘tortured and murdered by his own mother and her boyfriend’ after six investigations by social workers went unnoticed

An eight-year-old boy who authorities say died after being beaten had remained in the house where the alleged abuse occurred despite six investigations by social workers during the past decade, a newspaper said. The boy’s mother, 29-year-old Pearl Fernandez, and her 32-year-old boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, have been charged with murder. They have not yet entered pleas. Social workers appeared to miss numerous warnings signs at the Palmdale, California, home, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday, citing county documents. READ MORE HERE