Principal: "This Is More Horrific Than Bullying" • Domestic Violence Rates Jump During World Cup

• In response to the four New Hampshire teenagers who convinced a 14-year-old special-needs student to get an obscene tattoo on his butt, the school’s principal has called the incident “more horrific than bullying.”

A mother of one of the boys says they were “joking” about it. The principal says this is “the worst event that I’ve ever had to deal with.” • Scientists at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting are discussing the addition of a condition known as olfactory reference syndrome, a disorder in which people wrongly believe they smell unbearably bad. Suffers become convinced that their bodies are emitting horrible smells, but in reality, they smell absolutely fine. Dr Katharine A. Philips believes the disorder is under-recognized: “I would say it’s more common than we know. When I mention it to clinicians, they say, ‘Oh, I have a patient like that.'” • Researchers from the University of Aberdeen have found that women who were born prematurely or who have brothers or sisters who were are 50-60% more likely to give birth to a premature baby. Doctors believe this may indicate that premature birth is a genetic risk, and this information may help doctors better treat babies born too soon. • University of California researchers believe there was a spike in the fetal death rate for boys in September 2001 due to the “communal bereavement” caused by the 9/11 attacks. Researcher Tim Bruckner explained, “Across many species, stressful times reportedly reduce the male birth rate. This is commonly thought to reflect some mechanism conserved by natural selection to improve the mother’s overall reproductive success.” • 30-year-old Elizabeth Fitzgerald has been named the winner of a Queen Victoria look-a-like contest in Toronto. She says she won by “hamming it up” and that she plans to wear her crown around the house. • A recent study involving 900 participants from Baltimore and Los Angeles indicates that using lubricants during anal sex may increase the risk of rectal sexually transmitted diseases. According to Dr Pamina Gorbach, participants who used lube for receptive anal sex are up to three times more likely to have an STI. Unfortunately, when it comes to the relationship between lube and HIV transmission, researchers say we just don’t have enough information. • This week, the Guardian decided to tackle the issue of domestic violence – more specifically, Carole Jahme answers a reader’s question why do women stay in abusive relationships? The answer is more complicated than you might think. • Trinidad and Tobago has elected Kamla Persad-Bissessar as its first female prime minister, beating out two-term incumbent PM Patrick Manning. Persad-Bissessar told supporters at a celebration early this morning that she plans to “build on our collective strength and character and everyone of us will rise; no one will be left behind.” • Are raves a thing again? They must be, since there is no other explanation for the “Flashing Mouth Party Attraction.” Taste the rainbow, indeed. • The UK Association of Chief Police Officers has asked forces to being making warning visits to known domestic abuse offenders in preparation for the World Cup. In 2006, reports of domestic violence rose by an average of 25% on England’s match days, hence the need for increased vigilance. Deputy Chief Constable Carmel Napier said in a statement: “There is no excuse for domestic violence and perpetrators must be clear that the World Cup does not give them any justification for partaking in abusive behaviour.” • Pregnancy increased the risk of contracting HIV for both women and men, according to a new study. Several studies have suggested that women of reproductive age are more likely to get HIV while pregnant, but new research indicates that men are also affected by the changes that occur with pregnancy. Men are twice as likely to become infected from a pregnant sexual partner than one with an empty womb. • A HBO movie about the relationship between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair will not include a scene discussing Monica Lewinsky, according to Hope Davis, the actress who plays Hillary. “It felt very strange trying to shoot it,” she said of the scene, in which Bill confessed the affair. “It was a very uncomfortable feeling.” • Further evidence that BMI is BS: A new study found that there is no relationship between a BMI of 30 or above (“obese”) and current illness among adults under age 40. They also found that there was little difference across the board in the current health status in normal-weight vs. overweight people, which doctors say suggests that BMI may not be an accurate or valuable predictor of health. • Today a 21-year-old man from New Jersey pleaded guilty to simple assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment for sticking his finger down his throat and vomiting on an off-duty cop and his 11-year-old daughter at a Phillies game. • Sandy Herold, the woman whose chimpanzee mauled and blinded her friend last year, died on Monday of a ruptured aortic aneurysm at age 72. Her lawyer said she, “had suffered a series of heartbreaking losses over the last several years, beginning with the death of her only child, then her husband, then her beloved chimp Travis, as well as the tragic maiming of friend and employee Charla Nash. In the end, her heart, which had been broken so many times before, could take no more.” •