By CATHERINE RAMPELL

Besides being a big day for eating, Thanksgiving is a big day for another American tradition: football-watching. A new working paper, however, makes this ritual a bit more ominous than turkey-stuffing.

The study, by the economists  David Card at Berkeley and  Gordon B. Dahl at the University of California-San Diego, looked at police reports of family violence on Sundays during the professional football season. (An earlier, free version of the study is here.)

The researchers were interested in what happened when a home team suffered an upset, which they defined as losses in games that the home team had been predicted to win by more than 3 points.

Economix.blogs.nytimes.com 

I often reflect and speak about one of my first interactions with a family accessing service at the Center Against Family Violence in El Paso, where I served as an Executive Director. The first time I saw Mary and her four children she was huddled in fear, overwhelmed with the circumstances that brought them into shelter and complexities that were emerging from seeking freedom from her abusive relationship.

Mary and her family soon became an interest to me, perhaps it was that I was so new in my role at the program that I clung onto this family’s story and followed their progress. And what I saw wasn’t quite what I assumed would be the reaction to the trauma that had foreshadowed.

Mary and her family held steadfastly to their faith while trying to comprehend how life could continue. They had lost their home, all their modest possessions, but above all their safety.  Continue Reading »

By BRIAN ROGERS Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office upped the ante against criminal Court-at-Law Judge Reagan Helm on Tuesday, asking him to remove himself from “any and all” cases involving accusations of domestic violence because of “deep-seated bias and prejudice.”

In motions filed Tuesday joining two earlier recusal requests, prosecutors asked the judge to remove himself from 74 cases that include 64 defendants, alleging that he makes “frivolous” comments that “trivialize the seriousness of the proceedings.”

“Judge Reagan C. Helm has created an environment of hostility towards victims of domestic violence that would cause a reasonable person to question his impartiality,” according to the motion.

Helm denied that his comments were inappropriate and said prosecutors should have approached him informally to address their concerns.

Chron.com

The Annual Executive Directors’ Conference focuses on the challenges leaders of Family Violence programs face. This conference provides a variety of capacity building workshops compiled to address various areas of interest organized into tracks that include Development, Human Resources, Financial Stability and options and Emerging Issues in Family Violence.

This two-day conference will include sessions on Framing Prevention Messages, Online Fundraising, Human Resources Legal Clinic, Intersections of Family Violence and Human Trafficking, Recovery Act Reporting, and Diversifying your Development Strategies. A continental breakfast and light refreshments will be served each day. Lunch will be provided on Tuesday, February 2nd.

A networking social will be held at the hotel on Tuesday immediately following the last workshop.
Continue Reading »

Just a few days after her stirring interview with Diane Sawyer aired on ‘20/20′ in which she revealed details about the assault she experienced at the hands of Chris Brown, singer Rihanna looked amazing tonight as she attended Glamour Magazine’s 2009 Women of the Year awards. Honored alongside Rihanna were Maria Shriver, Stella McCartney, Euna Lee and Lisa Ling, and Amy Poehler (to name just a few).

Clad in a stunning gown, Rihanna was presented with the Woman of the Year award by Iman. During her speech, which was emotional for the singer, she said, “Just to be mentioned in this group of women is overwhelming. I love being a part of a night where we’re celebrating women and such strong women. Thank you, Glamour, for giving me Woman of the Year.” She also acknowledged her mother and grandmother, saying “They’ve shown me what strong women can accomplish and achieve. Without their unconditional love and guidance, I wouldn’t be here and I hope I can be an example to young girls and women today.”

Examiner.com

On March 8, 2005 I was awakened by a phone call from my brother Joe in Houston.  My sister Nicole had been shot by John, her husband and then had turned the shotgun on himself.  Prior to shooting himself, John had called my dad and matter of factly said, “I have just shot your daughter, and I am watching her die.” John was dead; Nicole was clinging to life.  Dr. Red Duke, the world renowned trauma surgeon, had been on duty when Life Flight had brought her in and had given her a 5% survival rate.  Adrenaline surged through my body as I frantically called Todd, my brother.  Continue Reading »

LOS ANGELES – Rihanna says dealing with the media attention after being assaulted in February by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown was humiliating. But she now hopes to speak for young women who are afraid to talk openly about domestic violence.

The 21-year-old pop star told Glamour magazine in an interview posted online Tuesday that the police photo of her bruised face that was leaked to reporters added insult to injury.

After the assault, she awoke to find helicopters circling her house and reporters swarming her street. “I felt like I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears,” she said.

News.yahoo.com 

By Katie Burke

The Obama administration has recommended asylum for Rody Alvarado Pena, a Guatemalan woman who fled to the United States, after enduring domestic violence for over a decade.

In 1984, Alvarado married Francisco Osario. She was 16 years old, and he was 21. Soon after they married, Osario unleashed severe, unrelenting abuse upon Alvarado. This continued until 1995, despite Alvarado’s repeated pleas for help to Guatemalan police and courts, to which these authorities responded that they would not govern a domestic matter.

When these efforts failed, Alvarado tried to run from Osario within Guatemala. He found her and inflicted violence so pronounced, she lost consciousness. He later threatened that he would cut off her arms and legs if she tried to leave him again.

Examiner.com