Man loses testicle after random, vicious kick by women

Clark was walking along 200th Avenue in the Brookswood area of Langley one afternoon in early September when he passed his assailant on the sidewalk.

“I was looking down and then I took a passing glance and saw her walk up to me,” he said.

That’s when the young woman inexplicably kicked him in the groin hard enough to send one of his testicles into his abdomen.

Clark wasn’t aware of the severity of his injury until later that night when he “noticed something was missing.”

Clark wasn’t aware of the severity of his injury until later that night when he “noticed something was missing.”

He consulted his doctor and a specialist, both of whom believed his testicle could be brought down again in surgery.

It wasn’t until he woke up afterwards that he discovered the doctors were wrong — the force of the assault had caused his testicle to rupture. It had to be removed and will be replaced by a prosthetic before Christmas.

“My doctors say I will still be able to have children,” Clark said. “But at 22 that’s not something I want a stranger, this woman, to decide.”

Embarrassed by the situation, Clark didn’t go to the police until nearly four weeks after the attack.

Constables have told him there have been three or four similar assaults on other men, Clark said.

[3-4 similar assaults? And no one has been interviewed? Would that happen if a women was sexually assaulted? (These are clearly gender-based assaults, but a sexual assault on a male can only take place when penetration occurs.) I wonder if the Police issued a bulletin as they have when suspected rapists are in neighborhoods?]

A week of Filicide

The past few weeks have involved a number of horrific cases. In 2 of 3, it can not be ignored that actual or threatened family breakdown was a contributing factor. Obviously, mental instability was also present.

• On Friday Oct 24, Cathie GAUTHIER of Chicoutimi PQ was sentenced in the 1st degree murder of her three children - Joelle, 12, Marc-Ange, 7, and Louis-Philippe, 4 - and her husband, Marc Laliberte on New Years 2008. The murders and her failed suicide attempt were part of an apparent plan between her husband and herself.

• Allan Schoenborn, 41, is facing three first-degree murder charges in the April 2008 killings of Kaitlynne, 10, Max, 8, and Cordon, 5. His case began Monday Oct 26 in Kamloops BC. The man also made a half-hearted attempt on his own life after the massacre but somehow convinced himself that he had to survive or "the truth would not be told." His common-law wife admitted in initial testimony that he could be erratic, but she never suspected that he would be capable of such a horrific crime against his own children. She had made the decision to leave him in Vancouver and had moved to Merritt BC about 7 months before the murders took place, and while he was visiting after finally locating them all.

• On Oct 26, Seow Cheng Sin, mother of a 15-yr old severely autistic son Boon KHOR was charged his murder and is under suicide watch. Apparently she was depressed, distraught and had discussed divorce with her husband, Tony KHOR the day before she moved into a motel and took their son with her. She then took his life.
  

Mr. Big fails again - 14 years later

Yesterday, 39 year old Manitoba man, Kyle UNGER was exonerated for a murder he did not commit but spent 14 years in prison for. He was yet another victim in a series of controversial acquittals that have called into question the RCMP's use of the Mr. BIG "sting" operation. Unlike others, he was not offered any compensation for wrongful prosecution on the grounds that he filed a confession in an attempt to negotiate more favourable terms with the Crown during his trial long ago. Despite his professed innocence, that coaxed "confession" barred him from a suit for "malicious prosecution".

Undoubtedly, this acquittal will bring the "Mr. Big" practice under further review and perhaps require  limitations on it's use - like where there is real, corroborating physical evidence linking a suspect to a crime.

Failure to Launch - Part 2

Robert FULFORD of National Post wrote this piece entitled "The Teen-ification of manhood" which addresses delayed adulthood and the reluctance to accept the responsibilities of maturity - the lagging final installment of a series in triggered by new book "10 Reasons not to have Kids" .

He recounts some of his own adolescence development and states:

"It's hard to remember that, in previous eras, young people longed to escape their parents and set up on their own." and "What are we without real and urgent responsibility? Small and insignificant, useless.”

He concludes that:

"we made a terrible mistake by belittling the value of craftsmanship and manual labour" and suggests we "revive our ancient belief in “work that is meaningful because it is genuinely useful.”

Alberta Prime Time - Equal Parenting Debate

On Thursday Oct 15, 2009 the ACCESS Current Affairs Show "Alberta Prime Time" had a segment on new Equal Parenting Legislation (PMB C-422 in Parliament) sponsored by Saskatoon-Wanuskewin MP Maurice VELLACOTT.

The 15min segment was hosted by Jefferson HUMPHRYS and included Mr. VELLACOTT, Edmonton Lawyer Marie GORDON, Q.C and Calgary Child Psychologist Dr. Jon AMUNDSON.

Here are the two parts.





Here are relevant links:

YouTube Video - Part1 & Part2

Alberta Prime Time - ACCESS Alberta TV
Marie GORDON, Family Lawyer & LEAF Edmonton
Dr. Jon AMUNDSON, Child Psychologist

new email address

As this blog is starting to have a purpose/form - I have finally established it's own email (not unusually, fathers4fairness@gmail.com). This will allow me to keep track of Men's Divorce Issues all in one spot.

Mentoring Experience of Men

This female professional psychiatrist has some very insightful comments about the changing role for men and how we need to recognize, understand and uphold as real contributions of men to families.

Australian Dr Elizabeth Celi - Let Men Be Men - Hear about the Modern Roles of Men.

It is not as simple as not going to the doctor. Mr. Invincible vs Mr. Regular Joe.

Suicide is an indicator. Their strength is turned against them.

Men network for success. Gender boundaries are unclear - hits men harder.

Men get to the point - that is a strength.

Hidden Homeless in Lethbridge

A short series about Homelessness by the Lethbridge TV Station CHAT.

Ed STELMACH Interview

Tonight the Premier will give a "State of the Province" address - it is not live and has been taped and prepared. A few pundits last night claimed there was no way he could "meet expectations".

Here is an interview from only last week.



Energy points:

• $1 Nat Gas price change = $1.1bn (then $6.50, now $4.00)
  
• 1c in fx rate is $220 million (gone from 85c to now 97c).
• NG Producers need to sell gas, facing a surplus.

Healthcare Points:

• Women can't deliver babies in Brooks
• Can't get epidural in Lethbridge
• Long meandering answers - yes or no?
• Graduate 2,000 RN's /year, improve Doctor/patient ratio, primary care network
• Health Budget $13bn - has increased 10%/yr for last few years.
  

Polls support WildRose Alliance

Recent poll shows growing support for WildRose Alliance in Alberta. Here it is.

Here is Global - Edmonton interview of both Leadership Candiates, Danielle SMITH and Mark DYRHOLM. Mark does not come across well. Danielle is great. (I love it when she say's "Big Tent" Party). The PC has had 40 years to have learned how to deal with a boom-bust economy, fix Health Care and not vilify the Oil Industry. Is CSS a "boon doggle"? Program spending needs work.

Reduced Crime = Less Prisons

This article in NY Times entitled "The High Cost of Empty Prisons" caught my eye today. It is a surprise to see the prison population falling. Is this another demographic trend. Should New York be considering turning them into "retirement villas"? (that is only half as funny as intended).

After New York passed the Rockefeller drug laws in 1973, a mandatory sentencing movement swept the country, raising the nationwide prison population to nearly 2.4 million, from 300,000. This experiment in mass incarceration was a failure. There is no conclusive evidence that it enhanced public safety, and some research suggests that time in prison makes people more prone to violence. It wasted billions of dollars a year. And it has devastated the low-income minority communities where most of our prisoners come from.

Something to think about.

Bob Dylan on Woody Guthrie

For those of us who go back that far, both of these musicians were giants of folk music of their time. I ran across this wonderful recording (enhanced into pictograph video by an enterprising individual LymanChandler)

One may ask what has this to do with this blog? My answer is that this poem is a tribute from one man to another. Among men these are important, perhaps difficult displays of emotion. Praise, even faint praise between men is not easily given or sometimes received. In any event, I feel this particular performance is a study in genre to the "Beat Generation" that Woody was part of. It speaks to men and most importantly the journey of manhood. "Robert Zimmerman we never knew ye".



Here is the poem, transcribed.