Thanks to Google Images

The typical family has four people.

Now pretend that is your family… and pick one of those family members, maybe even yourself.

According to a new study , that one (of four) family member will likely be beaten by an intimate partner.

The National Institute of Justice and the Department of Defense released a study, The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, that provided that statistic as a reality after an “exhaustive study”.

They also found another notable statistic:

1 in 5 women have been the victim of rape or attempted rape at some point in their lives

To put it mildly, this is not good. Think of the five most important women in your life. The idea that one of them have been a victim of sexual violence should be disturbing.

On the same day that this study was released, a Vermont fraternity was suspended after circulating a survey that asked it’s respondents: “Who would you like to rape?”

Please. Do. Not. Answer. That. Question.

The question we should all be asking…How can we  reduce domestic and sexual violence?

Psalm 62:5-7

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

my hope comes from him.

Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Reflection:

This passage in Psalms speaks of a self that is formed by God alone, and the psalmist’s security, honor and salvation depend on no one else but the Lord alone. The following is a quote by Julian of Norwich, relating a life that is dependent solely upon the Lord for forgiveness and salvation - “With this bare word ‘sin’ our Lord brought to my mind the whole extent of all that is not good, and the shameful scorn and the utter humiliation that he bore for us in this life, and his dying, and all the pains and sufferings of all his creatures. He gave me insight into all these things, along with all pains that ever were and ever will be; and compared with these I realized that Christ’s passion was the greatest pain and went beyond them all. All this was shown in a flash, and quickly changed into comfort; for our good Lord did not want the soul to be afraid of this ugly sight. It is true that sin is the cause of all manner of suffering, but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.  These words were said very tenderly, with no suggestion that I or anyone who will be saved was being blamed.”

Response:

Our culture today offers many a respite from strife and hardships. There are plenty of ways available to escape from struggles and problems. But even the world admits and our own experience attests, that this doesn’t even make a dent to what is ultimately a deeper issue of longing for what it means to exist – to have true rest for our souls. Our salvation depends on God alone. Being saved and formed by Him completes our experience above and beyond what we are hungry for, because we are created by our Father to follow Him and do His will in true freedom and forgiveness. Let’s worship Him alone! Let’s praise Him for He alone is our salvation, our mighty rock and refuge. Hallelujah!

The December issue of Maryland Family magazine features a unique article on seniors who volunteer in local K-12 schools — a practice that Judah Ronch argues has significant benefits for both children and adults. Dean Ronch of UMBC’s Erickson School comments, “Doing things you enjoy makes [your activities] meaningful, and that means you are more likely to remember them.” For seniors who enjoy interacting with kids and sharing their skills and knowledge, volunteering in a local community can have positive effects on their physical and mental health and well-being.

UMBC political science professor Thomas Schaller offered insight on the upcoming GOP primary election in two publications today. In the Colorlines article, “Why (Very White) Iowa and New Hampshire Mean So Much in Politics,” Schaller commented, “The prominence and first-in-nation position of Iowa and New Hampshire do elevate white primary voters over non-white ones, and in both parties.” However, the electoral process is beginning to change to better account for our nation’s diversity. According to Schaller, “Both parties, and especially the Democrats—who receive the lion’s share of the black and Latino vote in general election—have tried to address this inequality by moving Nevada and South Carolina up earlier into the calendar.”

Schaller also commented in a Baltimore Sun article that suggested for Maryland to have an impact on the primary, “Gingrich and Romney would have to come to a draw in several early battles.” For Schaller, “The real question is do they make it to March or do we have a clear winner by the end of February.”

UPDATE: Blackboard released a final support bulletin on Friday, December 23, regarding the performance of Safe Assign. They report that all of the backlogged papers have been processed and that processing times are back to normal (24-48 hours). If instructors have papers without SA reports generated in 48 hours, it is possible that the papers are corrupted, and Blackboard suggests that they should now resubmit those papers.
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UPDATE: Blackboard released an updated support bulletin on Monday, December 19, regarding the performance of Safe Assign. Though new submissions are on the decline, there is still a significant delay in processing papers, and faculty should expect reports within 3-5 days. As previously announced, they request that papers not be resubmitted unless they have verified that an error with them has occurred.
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On Wednesday, December 14, Blackboard released a support bulletin that provided an update on the Safe Assign paper processing delay that has happened over the past several weeks. They confirmed that there is still a global backlog of papers waiting to be processed, and that reports will take 3-5 days to generate. They reiterate that the worst thing instructors or students can do is to resubmit a paper, as that will move the paper to the back of the processing queue. If you have papers that have not received Originality Reports within 5 days of their submission date, please submit an RT ticket and include your name, the Bb course, the specific assignment, and the paper ID.

Thank you for your patience.