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The Bully Without a Face - Cyberbullying

Words can have powerful meanings to people. For example, if I mention the word alcoholic, most people conjure up a middle aged to older adult, sitting on a park bench, clothes disheveled and drinking out of a paper bag. If I mention the word bully, most people conjure up a middle school to high school student, of larger appearance, twisting other kids arms and stealing their lunch money.

This is a notion of the past. With today's technology, anyone can be a bully. It can be the 13-year-old cheerleader, the 15-year-old football player, the 17-year-old Valedictorian of the school, or it could be the boy or girl next door, who has never been in any trouble. With technology and the Internet today, there is a more treacherous and feared bully, the cyber bully.

The cyber bully will send someone cruel, mean, threatening and unrelenting messages to their target victim. They can spread rumors about the other person on the Internet, that others are gay, have STD's, are sexually promiscuous, etc. They can take another's picture in the locker room while getting dressed for gym and place it on the Internet. Cell phones now usually have the capability to take pictures, so this has become a more widely used tactic in harming others. Tricking a person into believing that you are their friend and then taking sensitive information and distributing it to others. The list of cruel things that can be done goes on. Kids are even receiving threats in text messages on their cell phones.

The old saying used to be "sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me". Unfortunately words are extremely powerful and have brought some children and adolescents to commit suicide, due to being ridiculed, made fun of and basically mentally tortured.

What can you do? There are lots of tips on how to help prevent or stop cyber bullying. You should keep the computer in a public area in the home, where others can see what is going on online. Talk to your child about never revealing private information such as their phone number or address, or other private information about himself or herself that can be used against them. Understand the websites that they are going to and be able to identify their friends that they are sending chats or Instant Messages to. Talk to your kids about telling an adult if they are being bullied. Discuss cyber bullying and how to keep safe on the Internet. Lastly, teach your child to tell the cyber bully to stop. If your child is being threatened or has vicious letters, pictures or any other form of cyber bullying about them online, first you need to save the evidence. You can find the ISP of the cyber bully, from your Internet provider. If the cyber bully is in the same school, you can contact the school to have a meeting with the cyber bully and their parents. Most school districts are now adopting policies regarding cyber bullying as this has become a very wide spread problem. One third of all teenagers are victims of cyber bullying. If the cyber bully attends another school, you can contact their parents and provide evidence of what their child is doing online. You can either meet with their parents or send them mail regarding their Childs' online activity.

There are some forms of cyber bullying that need more than face-to-face contact with parents and the need to have law enforcement involved. If your child is being sexually exploited online, threatened with physical violence, a victim of a sexual predator, or a hate crime. Contact the police immediately and have them investigate your case. Some parents have utilized monitoring software to understand what their child is doing online. Safe Computer Kids has monitoring software and an Instant Message Dictionary that parents find useful, in keeping track of what their child is doing online.

What Does Computer Law Cover And Why Is It Necessary?

A decade or so ago there was no such thing as computer law. This niche of the legal system has come into being out of necessity with the proliferation of the Internet and the issues that come along with the technology that makes worldwide communication and transactions possible.

Traditional law does not cover many of the issues that occur in the online realm. Therefore it is crucial that we have a particular branch of law that exists to deal with legal problems that may arise by the very nature of the Internet and are not able to be covered by local jurisdictions.

There may be disagreements over copyright or ownership of a domain or website which cannot be resolved due to the parties being in different states or even different countries. The problem that arises here is that there are complex problems in deciding what state or country's law and jurisdiction will have the authority to resolve the issue. In situations like this the area of law known as "Conflicts of Law" comes into play.

The increasingly complex area of computer law is exceedingly demanding in its educational requirements for attorneys who practice in this niche. The term "computer law" is kind of a misnomer since it is really the information on the computer such as software, personal info, and possible trade secrets that are the issue as well as the possibility of international disputes over domain names and copyright violations. For these reasons, those who practice computer law are usually the same attorneys who specialize in Intellectual Property Law, also known as IP Law, which covers trademarks, patents, copyrights, and trade secrets. The U.S. Patent Office requires attorneys practicing before it to hold a bachelor's degree in the areas of engineering or science at the very least.

Some traditional areas of law are evolving to include ever-changing computer laws. Early on it was declared that software would be classified as "goods", but the difference between normal goods and software "goods" is that one only owns the media that the software is stored on and a license to the use of the software which is now covered under the Uniform Commercial Code.

Those who hack into computer systems without authorization and use that computer's resources or steal information from it are guilty of pretty much the same thing as what traditional law would call burglary. However, since by definition burglary means entering an actual physical residence, specific laws were added to cover this offense.

One of the biggest problems with the Internet and one that grows even larger annually is that of copyright theft and piracy. Anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can easily steal the intellectual property of another. Additionally, the piracy of media such as movies and music is an enormous problem that is plaguing those industries today. It is a fact that the area of computer law will continue to expand and be used more in the future as the use of the Internet to commit crimes continues to grow.

To Domain Within the Law and Trademark Advice

To domain within the law, specifically with regards to trademarked domains, what is the exact position? What is cyber squatting? Should I be concerned about these issues? What is the general advice, regarding the registration of company and corporation trademark domain names? Need I be concerned about these issues and if so, why?

To domain successfully and profitably and to domain within the law, that is to register domain names via a names registrar, you will need to be aware of a few facts regarding the exact lowdown of trademark company and corporation domains.

Without going into indepth legal language, which will fly off over the top of many people's heads, here it is in a nutshell:

There is a lot of bad advice being bandied around these forums regarding the registration of other companies trademarked domain names.

Every experienced domainer will tell you the same thing.

You do not register trademarked domains - full stop!

A trademark company, corporate name is registered as such to protect a company or corporation brand.

If you register a domain name which has a trademark word within it, with the sole intention of making profit from that name, you are basically riding on the back of the company in question, their good trading name.

By diverting intentionally traffic away from their website, you are in effect stealing their traffic and damaging their business and reputation.

Hefty penalties can be leveled at you in the tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars for infringing upon the rightful ownership of a trademark domain name. This has happened before and no doubt, will happen again, many times in the future too. Cyber squatting is a HUGE no no, you just don't partake in it in the absolute slightest.

It would seem that this message has to be drummed into many new domainers heads, before they fully get the message and understand the possible consequences of their actions if they insist on partaking in this illegal activity.

If you have ever asked yourself, what is cyber squatting? This is exactly what it is.

This includes ALL typo's of a registered trademark. Your clear intention by using a typo domain is to steal traffic from the trademark company to benefit yourself financially or otherwise.

I've used this illustration before a few times.

Lets take the word, 'APPLE'. Apple is a registered trademark.

Now, if you registered a domain name: AppleComputersRus.com .net or .whatever, it would be committing trademark violation and the Apple corporation would be within every legal right to sue you for everything that you own, if you decided to use this domain to financially benefit yourself.

On the other hand, if you registered a domain name: AmericanAppleCider.com and on this domain you set up a website about U.S. apple cider producers etc, you should be ok.

If in doubt, always consult a lawyer / attorney / solicitor first who is experienced upon the subject and is in a proper position to advise you.

Internet Copyright Laws and Why They Don't Always Work

Laws and regulations are an integral part of modern society, and they have been with us for a very long time, many centuries to be exact, giving us a guide to follow and conventions to respect. Well, the Internet has also become an integral part of modern society, and it's no wonder that many countries all around the world are trying to create Internet or Cyber laws that will govern everything we do online. One of the most important Internet laws is in fact the Internet Copyright Law, and here will be discussed how it works in some detail.

The US Internet Copyright Law
Everything created on the Internet after the date of April 1 1989 is protected under the American Internet Copyright Law. This can in many cases probably be difficult to understand, but the fact is that if you come from the USA, and you have created something and uploaded it on the World Wide Web is the last 20 years or so, this work of your is protected, and it cannot be stolen by anybody. However, this is true only in theory.

The Problems with the Internet Copyright Law
Yes, it is true that you hold all rights to your work as the original author ever since your work has seen the light of the Internet day. Yes, it is also true that you have the right to take action if someone happens to steal your original work from the Web. However, the problem arises when there is more than one country involved in this process. Namely, if you are an American, and your work has been illegally downloaded by a person from let's say Albania, there's probably nothing you'll be able to do about it. The reason for this is the fact that most countries don't have any rules or regulations regarding the Internet, so even though you might know exactly who stole your work, in many cases you will not be able to act on this fact.

Another important issue related to the Internet Copyright Law is the fact that you often cannot know who violated the law, meaning that there are ways to steal your work from the Internet without you knowing who was actually responsible. For example, modern technology can, by tracing IP addresses, tell you where the person who stole your work was, but can never tell you exactly who this person is.

The Internet Copyright Law and Plagiarism
Plagiarism is another interesting subject related to the Internet Copyright Law, as in many cases it cannot be proven. For example, if you have taken a photograph and uploaded it to the Web, and if someone took this photo without crediting you as the original author, then you can make this person remove the photo, or even sue the person. However, if you have written an original article, for instance, and uploaded it on the Internet, you cannot do anything if someone read your article and steals the idea, even though plagiarism is actually defined as using someone else's words, quotes or even ideas as their own.

Essentials of HIPAA Exams: 5 Points

Privacy and security of patients' confidential records is an important function in every health organization. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) lays down the guidelines and rules that ensure the confidentiality of patient medical records. All employees who deal closely with patients and their medical records must be aware of these laws and understand them properly so they can adhere to them in the best possible manner.

For this purpose, healthcare organizations, clearinghouses and even health insurance agencies provide HIPAA training to their employees. There are levels of trainings and an employee is supposed to successfully pass an exam to be certified. Based on your work profile you can choose your specific certification. Certified Security Compliance Specialist, Certified HIPAA Professional, and Certifies HIPAA Administrator are some of the certifications you can choose from.

There are certain employees in hospitals who deal with access, use, and storage of the medical records. These individuals need special training so that there is no scope for any violations of the HIPAA laws. They are trained about the various safeguards to be kept in place to protect the sensitive information. As more and more hospitals are converting to electronic storage, training is essential in order for employees to understand the electronic, physical, and technical safeguards.

Here are five essentials of HIPAA Exams.

• HIPAA exams will introduce you the basics of HIPAA laws starting with the technical and physical safeguards that must be put in place and followed in order to protect the sensitive medical information of patients. The privacy and security laws will also be covered in the training.

• If you want to specialize as a security compliance specialist, there is a special certification you can do for it. Here you will be trained in detail about the security guideline and regulations, including cyber or online security.

• A basic HIPAA certification will teach you basics of HIPAA rules and regulations that every healthcare employee should know regardless if he deals directly with patient medical records or not. This course will help you understand the situations when disclosure of information is legitimate and when it is not.

• Nowadays, HIPAA certifications can be taken online as well as in a classroom setting. Online training is more convenient owing to flexible hours and you can complete the course as per your schedule. An examination is conducted once you finish with the study material. On successfully passing the examination, you become a certified HIPAA administrator.

• Non compliance and violations are not taken lightly by HIPAA. Any such report will lead to heavy fines and even imprisonment depending on the extent of the violation. Therefore, training is important as employees become more aware of every step they take. A small mistake on your part can lead to loss of license for you as well as the health organization.

Healthcare organizations are on the lookout for individuals who are already certified. When they know you are aware of the HIPAA rules and regulation, they feel confident about you joining their team. They also save resources as they don't have to take care of getting your certification done after you join. There are refresher courses available so that you can keep yourself up to date about any modifications in the Act.

The Law of the Internet is Like the Law of the Jungle and Right Now Your Freedom & Life is at Stake!

Most people assume that as Internet is not only here to stay but that there is more to come. We seemingly have created a Cyber interconnected globe that seeps into all aspects of our lives from business to personal to travel and education. Surely this barely 10 year old available technology as far are the general public is concerned, is the future not the past. Well recent discussion suggest, this may not be the case and the Internet could actually die!

These are 6 ways that many techno fortune tellers foresee the demise of this global behemoth,

1. Crack the Domain Name Service (DNS). DNS basically is the fundamental way we access a site. (i.e. when you type Google.com that it actually goes to the Google website). Essentially some people have been successful in spoofing this as you may have seen with some of the fake bank scam sites but is someone cracked this system they would essentially control the Net.

2. Zombie Attack! Robot computers and even highly organized groups of individuals have been successful in the past of simultaneously attacking a single site or business and essentially blackmailing them in exchange for the attack to stop. This also has been successful in manipulation search engine rankings as well. Such an attack in the future funded by an malicious and well resourced source could cause irreparable damage.

3. Physical Infrastructure Issues. A recent accident to a couple of cables in the Mediterranean effected hundreds of millions of people's access. Imagine if the attack was intentional. If the pacific cables between Australia and the US were hit, the entire country may well be cut off from the entire world. Furthermore viruses are being created every day and should people either from the outside or more scarily on the inside attack the physical router devices with hard connect the Internet, global communication would cease very quickly.

4. Island Communities. The Internet was supposed to bring us all together as a world and in many way it has but as it has groups have formed and have grown based on people's interests and world view. Now these groups are so developed and networks so vast that people who go online stick to areas and people that fit in with their perspectives that we have just reorganized into different type of divisive groups and hate is festering once again.

5. Net Neutrality. This is almost the phrase of 2008 as Facebook was for 2007 and You Tube for 2006. Basically this refers to the universal access to the internet free of a class or money based level of access. However already mobile phone carriers charge extra for Facebook or You Tube access, so much like Pay TV charges for premium channels maybe your Internet bill in the future may have a monthly Google Fee. Furthermore in response to endless lawsuits of the record and motion picture industry, ISPs are thinking of limiting access or speed to certain sites for fear they may contain pirated material. Once a person begins treating different information differently, then you invariably end up with a limitation of free speech on which the premise of the Internet lies.

6. Great Wall. Countries already subvert Internet access for their citizens. China is the obvious example of this even forcing search engines like Google to censor their results in China when it applies to sensitive area like 'human rights'. However countries like Australia are also exploring their own "walls" under the premise of censoring indecent materials. The problem is that these standards are arbitrary and each person has different moral standards and once each individual and nation implements these censor solutions, the Internet becomes nothing more than a propaganda tool for any particular government.

Email Marketing Campaign - Are You Spamming?

One particular slang term has made its way into the modern dictionary to become a word so officially used - spam. "Don't spam my mail box," has become one of the most common expressions of the internet world. Unfortunately, this was triggered by aggressive email Marketing Campaigns aimed off-target at those who do not subscribe to the products, services, ideas, etc.

Annoyed users complained, on those who sent bulk messages, to their mail servers and ISPs (Internet Service Providers). Even before you begin, just try to understand what falls under spamming and what not. Many of your mail servers have guidelines, terms of conditions, terms of service, etc. on what is called spam.

Major service providers as Yahoo, Rediff, Hotmail, etc. can identify and block spam from reaching your inbox. The problem with it is that bulk email marketing campaign in itself can be called spamming. There is a sigh of relief for internet and online marketers as email promotion is not crime as per the laws of many countries.

People simply mark such promotional messages as spam and send them to the bulk/junk folder. They are quite content with that though they are surely annoyed by the unsolicited messages. Even then, be careful about the law as new cyber laws are created each and every day. Hence, you must take adequate care and attention for your receivers to feel that you send only genuine and innocuous promotional advertisements.

When the laws are made tough, all that you are expected to do is to make your campaign a success by optimizing your content to cater to the needs of your receivers.

Find How You Can Be Benefited By Joining IGNOU Online Courses!

IGNOU Online Courses

Since its inception in 1985, the Indira Gandhi National Open University or the IGNOU has been in the forefront in imparting education in India. The 'People's University' has contributed significantly in disseminating quality education to the masses through the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode. Presently, the university, affiliated to the University Grants Commission, offers more than 3,500 courses to its more than 30 lakh students. The university also offers many online education courses to the benefit of the students.

Online Education Courses

In order to take education to the doorstep of the students, IGNOU has introduced many online education courses in recent years. It offers master's degree, post graduate diplomas, post graduate certificates and certificate programs through online. Few online courses are listed below.

  • Ph. D in Journalism
  • The course duration is 5 years. The eligibility criteria for this course is Master's Degree in Journalism & Mass Communication with 55% marks and M.Phil from any recognized University Or Master's Degree with 55% marks in any subject with 5 years experience in Media Industry/Teaching/Research in Mass Communication..
  • Master of Intellectual Property Law (MIPL)
  • This online program has been designed by IGNOU in collaboration with Queensland University of Technology.
  • MA in Journalism and Mass Communication
  • The program is aimed at imparting skills to the students so that they can join in newspapers, magazines, radio, and television.
  • PG Diploma in Legal Process Outsourcing
  • The aim of this course is to train the law graduates with the extant practices useful for the Legal Process Outsourcing industry in India.
  • Post Graduate Diploma in Radio Prasaran
  • This program is designed to impart skills such as radio presentation, radio management and radio broadcasting to the students.
  • Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication
  • It is an opportunity to the working journalists to upgrade their skills and enhance their knowledge.
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Cyber Law
  • This course is designed to help the students understands various issues related to cyber law and intellectual property rights.
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Project Management
  • This program has been designed by IGNOU, in collaboration with Project Management Associates (PMA) and Centre for Excellence in Project Management (CEPM).
  • Certificate Programme in Spanish Language
  • This program is jointly offered by IGNOU and the Instituto Cervantes, an institution under the Spanish Foreign Ministry.
  • Certificate Programme in Community Radio Course
  • This program is targeted to the 10+2 students who are interested in community level broadcasting.

Cyber Security - An Emerging Field of Study

Ever since the beginning of the internet, cyber crime has been an issue. What is cyber crime? Have you ever gotten a virus, or even gotten hacked? These are very common cyber crimes. Cyber criminals hack into networks, create virus, and can even steal your financial information. Though we are all aware that this is a possibility when housing our information on computers, we often think that it will never happen to us.

Though cyber crime could potentially be financially devastating to the average person, it is possible to cause catastrophic repercussions by political extremists that could misuse the Internet for acts of cyber terrorism. What exactly is Cyber Terrorism? It is when a person or persons use the anonymity and global reach of the internet for their own personal gain, such as, terrorist attacks on U.S. information infrastructure in attempts to seal money, identities and classified data. They can also use the internet as a tool to find like-minded extremists to help them attempt to hack their way into corporate and/or government networks.

Michael Alcorn, Branch Chief in the State Department's Office of Anti-Terrorism Assistance had this to say about cyber terrorism, "The problem we're all facing is a global borderless problem, where attacks can occur anywhere in the world and originate from anywhere else in the world."

Though he said this in 2005, it still rings true today. Attacks could happen at any time, in any location, against any person or institution. The only way to combat this is to have individuals that have cyber security education which are specialized in fighting against cyber terrorism and cyber criminals. These people are known as cyber security professionals.

What does a cyber security professional do? They coordinate an organization's information security preparedness, educate users on computer security, respond to sophisticated cyber attacks, gather data and evidence to be used when prosecuting cybercrimes such as credit card fraud, auction fraud, intellectual property theft, pedophilia, terrorism, hacking and they monitor the network for any security breaches. Normally they are employed by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. At times cyber security professionals may be called on to engage in computer crime investigations this is known as Cyber Forensics. This is an emerging field, and because of technology advances, this filed will ways be changing along with technology. Cyber security professionals must keep up to date with changes and technology and be lifelong learners within their field.

Best Distance Learning Programs For Criminal Justice

Over the past few years criminal justice has emerged as one of the broad fields in the United States that encompasses many functions in society's efforts to control crime. It is one of the few professions that have constantly demanded well trained specialists, who can enforce laws, prosecute and rehabilitate adult and immature offenders, assist victims, and prevent crime from occurring through successful security and deterrence. Consequently, in last few years the demand for criminal justice programs has boomed drastically. It is one of the few degrees that can start or advance your career in this exciting field by qualifying you for diverse profile like: Law Enforcement Officer, Criminal Forensic Specialist or Investigator and Special Agent at the local, state and federal level.

One of the best benefits with an education and career in criminal justice is the knowledge that you can contribute to protect your community and country. Once you make a start in this profession, you can be proud of the role you play in keeping this world safe every single day. There are many career paths available to those who go to school for a criminal justice degree. Apart from this, there are numerous online criminal justice courses and distance learning programs that are being offered from leading universities. The best thing about these courses or distance learning degrees is that they are affordable and comparatively easy to learn. These distance learning programs cover a broad spectrum of subjects. Here, are just few of them that can let you select:

Cyber Security Distance Learning Program -- This is one of the few programs that can provide you an exciting career opportunity in criminal justice. In recent times, the demand for cyber security has increased and will increase as per the FBI. Now selecting an online degree program of Cyber Security can help you learn how to be responsible for managing network information system security, including criminal investigation and database protection. Besides this, the program will help you gain skills on issues such as internet security assessment, security preparation and creating plans for the effective and rapid response to security breaches. This program will enable you to resolve security gaps, apply and use layered security models and investigate cyber crime.

Disaster Medicine & Management Distance Learning Program -- This program is meant for medical, public-safety and defense professionals working in the public and private sectors. Offered in a flexible and distance learning format, this program generally aims to prepare graduates with the skills needed to practice disaster mitigation, attentiveness, reaction and long-term recovery activities within a complex technological society such as the United States. The degree program also aims to train graduates with problem solving and management skills essentially required for the co-ordination of complex situations following technological and natural disasters. It is one of the few comprehensive online graduate-degree programs encompassing all facets of disaster management. Emergency & Disaster Management Distance Learning Program -- The nature of disasters and large-scale disastrous emergency events requires professionals with the background and education that deal with natural and man-made hazards. The degree in emergency and disaster management is just one of the few programs that can prepare you manage emergency and public safety properly. From the smallest incident to the largest catastrophe, this emergency and disaster management can introduce you to important areas such as emergency and disaster management phases, risk assessment, prevention and management, mitigation, and recovery. The unique feature of this course is its wider scope that includes both pre and post disaster event responses. Apart from this, today it is one of the few programs in criminal justice domain that let you enjoy good salary. Hence, if you are interested in disaster management career, it is a good opportunity for you to get start your career now.

Forensic Science Distance Learning Program -- In last few years, scientific advances, such as the utilization of DNA to decisively tie suspects to a crime scene, have expanded the applications of science and technology in law enforcement and private security. This in turn has increased the demand for a variety of forensic specialists. An online degree in criminal justice with a specialty in forensic science can help you qualify you to meet this demand. Once you attain a degree in forensic science you may work as forensic specialists or crime scene investigators who generally examine fraud and embezzlement. Apart from this, an online forensic science degree is not limited to a career in criminal justice. The courses also provide a strong background in chemical analysis, as well as biology, and anatomy. As such, you may even provide ideal preparation for work in medical examiner or coroner's offices, clinical chemistry laboratories, and the pharmaceutical industry as well.

These are few online criminal justice programs that can let play some of the important job responsibilities that may result in managing a crime or any disaster in an effective manner. Earning any of the above mentioned degrees through a distance learning program can be a good decision provided that you select a program from an accredited online institution.

Sexual Predators & Cyber Bullycides - Your Child's Internet Playground

If you have not checked lately the landscape of the internet for our children has made significant changes. You will find on their internet playground the likes of internet sexual predators, pedophiles, cyber-bullies and pornography.

Those of you who have kids who are online might want to know:

*There are 1.8 billion pornographic sites on the net accessible by your children. Most are extremely easy for underage children to view.

*Over 25 percent of our kids have been subjected to pornographic images while online unwillingly. They were not searching for it but were still exposed to it through no fault of their own.

*There are 5 million sexual predators that are online at any given moment, day and night. That is 5,000,000 sexual predators for your child to avoid!

*If your child posts in an online forum designed for youth, there is a 50/50 chance the kid your child is talking to is a sexual predator logged in with a false profile.

*The vast majority of our kids who are approached in a sexual manner on the net (approximately 75 percent) will not share that information with their parents or an authority figure.

*Over seventy-five percent of our children have no problems in sharing personal information with a stranger online. Over 75%, now that is something to be especially concerned about with regards to pedophiles.

*One of every three children who go online become victims to cyber-bullying. This is a serious danger to our children and has resulted in suicides, referred to as cyber bullycides.

*Over 40 percent of our children who fall victim to cyber-bullying never confide about the events with a parent, teacher, relative or authority figure. They keep it to themselves.

Now I am not making up these figures. They are published results that can be found on the web and were obtained analyzing surveys of our youth by, in most cases, law enforcement agencies.

So do we take our computers and lock them up? I do not think that will be the answer for several reasons.

*The internet and computers are still a valuable source of information to assist our children in their education. It does still provide a lot of positives, we just need to avoid the negatives.

*If your children are "addicted" to the web I am sure if you took away those privileges they would jump onto the net the first time they visited a friend or a place that offers internet stations for the public such as libraries or internet cafes.

So what do we do? How do we further protect our kids online so they can take advantage of the positives it offers?

This is a difficult question to answer. A lot will be determined by the social development of your child. Every child is different.

Getting Your Content In Order From A Legal Perspective

Google has announced a new algorithm change in which it is going to attempt to downgrade sites that scrape content or simply reuse what others are offering. It is rather ironic that in doing so, Google raises a legal issue many site owners don't even contemplate - content rights.

I am writing this article with the express intent of submitting it to various article directories and sites. In doing so, I will automatically agree to a non-exclusive license distribution agreement, to wit, I will agree to allow other sites to use this article so long as they meet some basic requirements such as including an article resource box with a link to my site.

Ah, but what if you don't have such a license. Most sites on the web will cite other sites and often copy part or all of their content. The question is do you have the legal right to do so? Let's consider a few examples.

Let's say you take this article and republish it on your site. You publish it without changing it and include the author box with an active link to my site. You've met the republishing license requirements and everything is good. Ah, but what if you don't include my author box? Now you've violated the license, a clear violation.

Then there are scrapers. These programs cruise the web and look for sites related to certain keywords. They then "scrape" off the content and it is republished on your blog or what have you. The programs all work a bit differently, but this is the basic idea. In doing so, the process clearly is a copyright violation. It would be akin to buying the latest Stephen King novel, copying the pages, binding them and then reselling them.

How many people run into legal problems because of this? The truth of the matter is not very many because hiring a lawyer to hunt down someone is expensive. Where the law has failed in some ways in this area, Google appears poised to provide a solution. The news that it will downgrade sites that use unoriginal content is a watershed moment.

Many of the trashy small microblogs and made-for-AdSense sites are in deep trouble. Without Google rankings, there is little need for them. Ultimately, technology will do what the law has failed to.

Digital Aches And Pains Increase Odds Of Data Loss For Today's Cyber-Retirees

North American retirees and seniors are embracing computers and technology in increasing numbers. It may be only to keep in regular contact with family and friends over long distances and share photos of their winter cruise. However, unlike their younger counterparts, they are less likely to take precautions against threats to their digital data.

In Canada, research by the federal government reveals that older adults are the fastest growing group of computer buyers and Internet users. In 1999, one quarter of households headed by a person 55-64 years old used the Internet from home. In the 65 and over age group, 10 per cent did. In fact, Internet use in the 65 and over age group is growing faster than in all other age groups.

Meanwhile, according to research by the PEW Internet & American Life project, 22 per cent of Americans 65 and older use the Internet, and the percentage of seniors who go online jumped by 47 per cent between 2000 and 2004. In January 2006, PEW found 34 per recent of Americans age 65 and older go online, up from 29 per cent in January 2005. That being, said, just 28 per cent of Americans age 70 and older go online - almost same percentage as the year before.

The most interesting and dynamic segment is the recent retirees or those approaching retirement in their 50s or 60s. They are unlikely to give up their wired ways and therefore will transform the wired senior stereotype. As this "silver tsunami" of Internet-loving Baby Boomers swamps the off-line senior population in the next 10 years, PEW predicts the demographic shift, paired with a rising tide of viruses, spyware, and other online threats, is cause for concern.

Retirees and seniors place themselves at greater risk of losing precious information stored on their computer. Just as many retirees who can't immediately recall something may blame it on a so-called "senior's moment", it's not just humans--young or old--who sometimes cannot recall the information stored in their "brains." When computers cannot recall or access the files electronically stored on them, computer users often panic.

That digital information could be e-mail messages sent and received, income tax returns prepared but not yet filed, the household budget maintained in a spreadsheet, a letter written to a municipal counselor protesting illegal parking on the street, research conducted on the family tree, or the expanding collection of photographs of grandchildren.

There are numerous causes of data loss:

o You experience power interruptions, power surges or a blackout causing your computer to shut down unexpectedly

o Your computer experiences a mechanical failure

o Your computer is contaminated with a virus or bug after a file is downloaded from the Internet

o Your software no longer works as it should

o Your saved information is deleted accidentally

o Your computer won't start up and only the infamous blue screen of death is visible on your screen.

Any and all of the aforementioned problems can cause digital information loss. These problems can be all but eliminated by taking a number of precautions to prevent the loss of important files:

o Regularly backup your data and check to make sure the backup information can be retrieved

o If possible, store your backups somewhere away from your home like a safety deposit box

o Buy USB drives for your kids or grandkids and save a copy of the photos to this small storage device and provide one to each of them

o Use anti-virus software and update it frequently to scan and screen all incoming e-mails especially those jokes that your brother-in-law keeps sending you with attachments

o Use power surge protectors since a power fluctuation can disrupt software, erase valuable data and damage the hard drive

o Maintain your computer in a dry, controlled environment free from dust

o Turn off your computer immediately if it makes any unusual noise.

If you're not comfortable with technology and prefer not to attempt recovery of your data with a Do-It-Yourself solution, you could ask your computer-savvy relative or friend to assist you. Or, you can seek the assistance of a data recovery specialist who can come to the rescue of your irreplaceable digital information.

Don't let digital aches and pains get you down. Enjoy the Cyber Years.

http://www.cbltech.com

Cyber Crime Definition

Today, definitions for cybercrime cross over multiple spectra. The following information is a collaboration of definitions built to answer your questions about this growing threat to individuals and organizations.

Many of the cyber crime articles available on the Internet today can appear outdated as they fall short of a uniform categorization or specific steps on methods for fighting cybercrime or even how to support cyber crime victims. These barriers also create difficulty for those attempting to report cybercrime. With today's rapid growth of technology, as well as updates to cyber law cannot stop cyber crime from growing and updating in kind. Internet fraud is certainly the area that most personal computer (PC) users are concerned about, and cyber crime study, continues to be left to amateurs or veteran criminologists. It is critical today that both users and organizations comprehend and teach what is cyber crime and how to stop it. The broad meaning of cybercrime can be narrowed down by looking at specific crimes that are most common.

Cyber Identity Theft and Computer Hacking, considered by experts as the most common forms of cybercrime, involve the theft of personal information that is attainable through computer systems and computer networks. Phishing and pharming seem to have the most success as potential victims of these crimes do not think twice when sites that veil their criminal intent, or even look identical to sites familiar to Internet users, which makes it easy for cyber criminals to collect critical online identity information:

  • Full Name
  • Phone Number
  • Address
  • Login
  • Password
  • Credit Card/Bank Account numbers

Cyberspace crime involves much more than Identity Theft, and, today, does not even require Internet use. The growth of interest in topics such as cyberbullying, commonly perpetrated through the use of cell phones, is on pace to achieve Identity Theft's level of notoriety. Current Wiki Leak and Hactivist news items have also shown the Global nature of cybercrime, while broadening the cyber crime definition. Protection from these and other cyberspace crimes are quickly becoming popular subjects.

5 Steps to Achieve What You Want

Everybody wants a great and successful life. Below are a 5 steps formula you can apply every day on a consistent basis.

Don't let the simplicity of these steps fool you.

Step 1 - You need to know exactly what you really want. Maybe you have heard this before but you just know what you really want. Here is a great way to find out. Who do you admire most in this planet or in your immediate circle of influence? Maybe a successful business, a dream home, an outstanding relationship. Just make a list as long as that it what YOU want. Put no restriction on your desire. This is a time to fantasy.

Step 2 - Add pictures and emotion to your desire. This can be a dream board with pictures or a movie you create or just an audio recording.
The main important point is that you have to add emotion to it, maybe a background music. Then watch it every day and practice visualization.

Step 3 - Make a plan to achieve the goal and work the plan.
The plan should show how you want to accomplish this goal. The plan starts with the vehicle you want to use to achieve your goal. Is the vehicle real estate investing? Internet marketing? Stock trading? Commodity trading? Consulting? What is it?

Then start working the plan.

Step 4 - Be consistent and persistent.
Without consistency you will achieve nothing. You should work the plan everyday in the direction of your goal. You should also visualize your dream board many times a day. This will program your sub-conscious mind and help you achieve your goal quicker.

Some of the questions people asked are: what is people laugh at me or who do you think you're anyway. Just ignore them and pursue your goal. If mockery and ridicule stop you then you don't have a strong desire to succeed.

Step 5 - Vibrate at a higher lever
This is the law of attraction in play. You should think about your goal and be happy about it. You should always be happy and feel good. If your goal excites you, you should feel good all the time. Feeling good all the time is one the most missing ingredient. Don't make that mistake.

Now see yourself of having achieved your dream. The rest will be guided by the cyber-psychology mechanism.

Now go for it. You cannot turn back.

Have a fulfilled life.

Cyber Bullying in School - An Old Problem With New Tactics

Back in the day, the school bully would lock you in your locker or pick on you on your walk home from school. Now a day, bullying is a lot less physical. Unfortunately, with the creation of the Internet, bullies are starting to mentally bully kids through online threats and constant negative communication through programs such as MySpace, Facebook, Formspring, text messaging, e-mail and Internet chats. The Missouri school boards association added Cyber Bullying to its school policy and has since seen a decrease in cyber bullying.

The schools are working on being able to punish kids who cyber bully others, even from their home. This has concerned a lot of people that say the school has no right to monitor kids at home. That is a pretty big power for the schools to take on. As the majority of cyber bullying does happen after school hours, when the kids get home from school and start to surf the web. They go on their MySpace, instant messaging and Facebook and get threatened by the online bully. This makes the kids scared to go to school and mentally worried and stressed everyday. This is a huge strain on the students and sometimes in extreme cases, leads to suicide.

The schools are trying to crack down on this because they don't want their students affected by cyber bullies. In a way, the at home bullying is directly related to school in that both of the students attend that same school and the student being bullied is fearful of attending school. Since this is so related to the school, why shouldn't the school have rights to monitor this outside of school? If this new law was started to protect our students and keep the safe from cyber bullying at school and at home, how does the school having more power really affect us negatively?

People are more concerned with the fact that they think the school has no right to monitor what the kids do outside of school hours. This would be a normal statement for anyone to make, but by punishing students for bullying others outside of school would only do good. The only thing that this use of more power might do is give the schools a feeling that they can start to control more of what the kids do outside of school. That would become a freedom issue and negatively affect the students by making them feel like they are always at school and constantly monitored, hindering their independence. Monitoring cyber bulling outside of school is not an abuse of power but a program designed to protect our children and bring cyber bullying to a reality. It does happen and sometimes it is fatal.

By adding anti cyber bullying into the schools policy it bring cyber bullying to peoples attention making parents, teachers and students more aware of it. At the very least, adding it into the policy might help a parent monitor their kid's online activities better and prevent cyber bullying from happening to their children.

Enticement and Incitement

Beware of the gremlin inside you before you cry wolf...

The strongest enticement ever is the act of enticement that leads to incitement.

The act of enticement has many facets and an abundance of means and tools but above all it requires the will of an individual to will over the will of another individual in order to perform a successful act of enticement.

Lure attraction, temptation, inducement and persuasion, to name a few...

As the case for everything in life, there is the positive and the negative in the act of enticement.

The good and evil colliding in a perpetual confrontation till the end of times and within the unfolded pages of history serving its purpose in the process of recycling and purification of energy within the order of the universal logos of creation...

There is a new form of enticement crawling on our door steps reaching every household through cyberspace, and it is called online enticement.

This type of enticement is the most dangerous of all due to its long reach and easy accessibility, most dangerous because it reaches adults and youth indiscriminately.

Enticement is extensively used in extremism, fanaticism, sexuality, and premeditated crimes such as terrorism. The art of coaxing have taken different forms to get its massages through cyberspace, also used extensively by spammers and crooks tempting us to use our credit card details to make an online purchase or trade.

Authorities and law enforcement agencies worldwide are therefore urged to pay more attention to our global needs in this age of internet and cyberspace and develop better laws to protect us from spammers who are getting away with their numerous thefts without any deterrent what so ever.

But the more important role actually lies upon the shoulders of global internet service providers such as Yahoo, Google, Bing and others alike. It should be obligatory by international cyber law for these providers to develop a more efficient service to its users, and should be held at least partially responsible for losses incurred due to hacking and spamming. Literally speaking, there is no effective law enforcement yet to deter such cyber crimes, and there seems to be a total ignorance to improve the internet services provided, while negligence by law enforcement agencies is at its peak.

Did any of us ever hear a politician or a presidential candidate ever mention or even show an intention to tackle cyberspace piracy ever since it sprouted alongside services and users utilizing it!!!

All one needs to become an invisible and untraceable thief nowadays is to take an online crash course in the art of hacking and unlock millions of windows of opportunities waiting to be seized, victimizing hundreds of millions of innocent internet users and bystanders without being burdened by any repercussions...

Then there is the commercial enticement professionally applied by thousands of dishonest insurance companies, banks, producers of make believe and pretence products related to health and wealth, tourism and wellbeing preying on who ever falls into their entrapments of acclaims and false promises of benefits and riches.

There is actually no difference in definition between demons of the past that we learnt and were cautioned of in Holy Books and religions and demons of the present lurking in the darkness of the matrix of global internet service providers. Both are invisible and mostly unidentifiable, and both possess their own viruses to spread into our souls and minds and our physical beings.

Enticement is most successful when we are not focusing. Whenever our neurotransmitters are opened due to a slight gaze or a light trance no matter how short is the absentmindedness phase, the inducement of an idea, suggestion or proposal becomes more effective in influencing our perception hence our judgment, it simply becomes easier to misjudge or poorly evaluate a situation that is why educating our needs and demand is crucial.

The less demanding, less consuming and less materialistic we are the less prone to fall victims to enticement.

When enticement is successfully achieved incitement becomes an inevitable end result and that is where the mind becomes bold and daring in exploring all sorts of option to solve an issue or tackle a problem. In another word terrorism of some kind is bound to happen.

Terrorism is not necessarily Bin Ladenish like. Terrorism could be through domestic violence in homes, at schools or among colleagues at work...

May the finally of this article lead the readers to another form of enticement, one of positive nature, aiming to initiate a social lobbying movement to urge internet service providers and authorities worldwide to consider implementing more effective regulations and laws to serve in making available a safer and more efficient cyberspace for the world at large.

Comments on this article and an exchange of ideas are greatly appreciated

Adam El Masri

United Against Cyber Crime

Why are people reluctant to report spam to the abuse departments of well-known e-mail and hosting service providers? Many people don't know that such departments exist and other are fed up with the ignorant approach of these departments towards reports from the public. What's the use of an abuse department if it doesn't do anything about the problems and abuse reported to it? But it is not only members of the public who experience these frustrations, anti-cyber-crime organisations have the same problem. These abuse departments eventually decide whether it is necessary to suspend the services of the guilty party or not, no matter how much evidence you provide to support your claim.

It revolves all around money, even the free services generate revenue for these companies. Free web site hosting normally involves adds of the hosting company displayed on the web site. Web sites involved in spamming activities bring in a lot of visitors which means the ads of the hosting company also gets exposure. Why would they want to terminate a web site that brings them a lot of revenue? This means that they are not enforcing their own terms of service, or you can even say their terms of service are only applicable to those who abuse the services without generating any revenue for the company. The problem becomes even worse when the abusing party pays for the services. Why would they want to cancel the account of a loyal client, it means revenue loss for them? What these companies don't understand is that they are making themselves less popular by being so reluctant to take action against these abusers and they will eventually only attract the criminals, effectively making them accomplices to these criminal activities. I believe most world-class companies will stare bankruptcy in the face if they terminate the accounts of all the spammers and unethical companies making use, or I should rather say, abusing their services.

Money is also the stumbling block for collaboration between cyber crime fighters. A web site owner will not want to refer visitors to a partner's web site without getting something in return. This is understandable to some extent because many anti-cyber-crime organisations provide their services free of charge and generate revenue mainly through advertisements. Without visitors they cannot make money from the ads displayed on their site. But is this enough reason to refuse a helping hand from a partner? A united force is much stronger than a divided force. The scammers love the fact that law enforcement agencies are not working together with anti-cyber-crime organisations to battle cyber crime. Spammers love it when e-mail and hosting service providers do not respond to the reports from anti-cyber-crime organisations and complaints from the public. Cyber criminals are laughing out loud at the divided force against cyber crime, battling to keep their heads above the flood of spam and scams reported to them on a daily basis.

The cyber criminals are constantly one step ahead of cyber law enforcement, it is time we turn the tides and stand united against cyber crime.

An Orthodox Report On Organized Cyber Crime

Nowadays, organized cyber crime has been emerging as a great threat to the computer and business world. There are lots of organized cyber organizations operating around the world. The goal of this report is to bring awareness among the people about the cyber crime and its operational procedure as well.

Cyber crime, Cyber terrorism and Cyber attack

Classifying a cyber attack as cyber terrorism or cyber crime is a bit difficult due to the complexity in the determination of the identity, intension, or the motivation of a cyber criminal. It can be very large in extent and could involve many other factors than a simple computer hacking.

Definition of Cyber crime

It is a kind of crime that targets computers and can involve a violation of patent, robbery of scholar property, copyright laws or trade secrets as well. However, it also includes espionage to produce unlawful copies of classified records. The commencement of cyber attacks by any terrorist group is also considered as cyber crime. Generally, the basic difference between a cyber crime and a cyber attack is found in the intention of an attacker.

Definition of Cyber terrorism

There is a lot definition exist for cyber terrorism like as the various definitions of terrorism. A security expert named as Dorothy Denning describes cyber terrorism as politically induced hacking operations projected to cause massive loss like as the severe economic breakdown or loss of life. Others denote cyber terrorism a massive substantial attack that tears down computerized infrastructures like as the telecommunications, electric power grid or the Internet without even touching a keyboard.

Usage of Botnets in Cyber crime

Nowadays, "Botnets" or "Bot Networks" are becoming a key tool for cyber crimes. It can easily be designed in a way that can effectively disrupt any targeted computer systems in many ways without possessing any especial technical expertise and can be immediately initiated in cyberspace by renting botnet services from any cyber criminal. Generally, a good number of compromised computers infected with malicious code are used to build up the botnets and these computers can be remotely monitored by the commands that are sent through the Internet. Moreover, hundreds or thousands of compromised computers can be used to block or disrupt the Internet traffic for the targeted systems or to distribute malware, viruses or spam as well. Because of the versatility of botnets it's often delineated as "the knives of Swiss Army of underground economy". However, the designer of botnets is generally called as the botmaster. A botmaster can easily make a handsome amount of money within a short time by rendering their exclusive technical expertise. Botnets are now the prime weapon to the fraud and extortionist for executing all sorts of cyber crimes. At present, the authors of various botnets software are trying to develop their software modules through the collaboration among them so that they can reuse their malicious code. This collaboration will make the future botnet more reliable and robust as well.

Cyber crime Organizations

We are often stunned about the strategy, operational vision, deployment and logistics of the highly organized online mafias. They not only act like the real companies, but they are also transnational organizations who are fervently operating throughout the world. Recently, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) has classified different professional positions that they have encountered in their cyber crime business. According to the report of FBI, every organization is well equipped with a good number of experts who are specialized in their own area. Here is an overview of the common positions within cyber crime organizations.

Coder-who develops the malware and exploit

Distributor-who trades with the stolen data

Tech expert- who safeguard the IT infrastructure of criminal organizations

Hacker-who seek and exploit the vulnerabilities of the targeted computer networks and systems

Fraudster- who encourage the potential victims through social business schemes like spam and phishing

Hosted system provider-who provide illegal content servers to the criminals

Money mule-who conduct wire transfer between the bank accounts

Teller-who transfer and legalize illegitimate incomes through the digital currency services

Organization leader- who organize the entire team and launch the attacks to the targeted victims

Now, it is high time to stand against all kinds of cyber crime and to protect our valuable documents, earnings and treasures as well. We must have to find an effective way to fortify the security of our computer networks and systems. Otherwise, the day will be not so far when our entire computer systems will be turned into the play ground of these ruinous cyber criminals!

Info 101: Cyberbullying Goes to Court

Being mean has gone viral, spreading from school yards and buses to the Internet, causing countless children to despair-even commit suicide-victims of bullying, cyber and otherwise.

As a result, forty-four states have now instituted their own anti-bullying laws, and New Jersey's "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights" only needs Governor Christie's signature. Said Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle (D-Bergen), "This legislation makes it clear that preventing and responding to incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying are not optional."

The need cannot be overstated, as victimized kids can no longer run home and find sanctuary. Cyberbullies circulate their maliciousness 24/7, and there's no escaping it. Indefensible, for sure, yet some parents consider spreading hurtfulness a protected right and are going to court to make their case.

They don't always win, though. Two heralded decisions stand out, favoring a school's right to discipline its cyberbullies:

J.S. ex rel. Snyder v. Blue Mountain School District: In February, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Pennsylvania school did not violate a middle schooler's free speech rights when she was suspended for posting a fake profile of her principal on MySpace describing him in lewd terms as a pedophile and sex addict.

Doninger v. Niehoff: Here, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a school district did not violate a student's First Amendment rights when it disciplined her for calling school administrators as "the douche bags in the central office" on her personal blog.

Meanwhile, a California federal court held that a student could be disciplined for posting a YouTube slideshow of her middle school English teacher's murder.

In another case, a Washington federal court upheld the 40-day suspension of a high schooler who videotaped his teacher in class, then posted it on YouTube with sexually suggestive graphics and music.

In other instances, however, rulings have found against schools taking punitive measures-all in the name of freedom of speech:

Layschock v. Hermitage School District: Here, a Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a high schooler could NOT be punished for portraying his principal as "a drunk," "drug user," and "big whore," ruling that such speech is protected by the First Amendment, since it wasn't proven that the profile was potentially disruptive.

J.C. v. Beverly Hills Unified School District et al: In this case, when a student posted a YouTube video belittling an eighth grader as "spoiled," "a brat," and "a slut," she was suspended for two days. Her parents, however, claimed that violated their daughter's right to be mean in cyberspace, and U.S. District Judge agreed because he found that it caused little disruption.

Stay tuned as more parents take their cyberbullying children's side by going to court, making headlines, and spurring officials to take more action. As it is, even the federal government is getting involved by developing anti-bullying strategies and highlighting effective programs on its BullyingInfo.org site.

And, while, to date, no case has reached the Supreme Court, that may very well change. In the meantime, officials, such as Virginia's Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli are weighing in. His stated legal opinion is that schools have the right to seize students' cell phones and laptops and can also read their text messages if there is "reasonable grounds for suspecting that the search will turn up evidence that the student has violated either the law or the rules of the school."

Parents can do their part, too, by practicing kindness and respect for others, monitoring their children's online activities and experiences, and making them mindful that mean-spiritedness is not just hurtful, it can have dire consequences. Remind them, too, that eventually, what goes around comes around...

Dating Scene Got You Down? Don't Despair

How do you meet the woman or man in your life if you haven't already done so? If you're tired of the same old dating scene, meeting at a bar or conversing on the Internet, then I have a few really great ideas that may help brighten your prospects.

If you don't already have a woman or a man in your life, it may seem extraordinarily hard to meet the right person. Maybe you've done the online dating scene and found that it isn't all that it's hyped up to be. Often, the people involved (men and women) don't measure up to their profiles or pictures. Because we have a select group of friends, we tend to see the same people at all the functions, B-B-Q's, parties and other events. Same faces with the same stories that become all too familiar. So where do you meet compatible and available singles?

Before I go any further, let me preface this by stating something I am certain everyone has heard. Before you can find the "right person," you must be the "right person." Sound familiar? You can be given all the information you need to find someone, but if you are the same person with the same values and belief's about yourself you have always held, you will attract the same. The law of attraction is: Similar kinds attract similar kinds. So first you must get your own life together and stop putting out the "I'm desperate to be in a relationship, and if I just found one, I would calm down and be happy." You need to calm down and be happy before you meet the right person or you will end up in the same cycle you have always been, "with the wrong person."

Enough of that...lets move onto the dating room. The dating room is a place I define where someone can go in order to meet other singles with similar interests. A good way to begin to find your dating room is to think about things that interest you (maybe you have always wanted to try skiing) or hobbies you already have. Once you do this, you can find a club that caters to people of that specific interest. All across America there are car clubs, sports clubs, dance clubs, checkers clubs, chess clubs, waterskiing clubs, snow clubs, dog clubs, you name it.

Once you have a few ideas written down, you can begin to gather the necessary information about the clubs or events that occur in your city or region. Look in your local newspaper for a variety of interesting options, including neighborhood picnics, fireman breakfasts, charity singles auctions (where dates with local men and women are auctioned off for charity), travel tours, public dances (ones not held in a bar or a pub, such as a beginner's square dance), charity events or even a beginners salsa dance night. For dances, make sure that it's not a "partner necessary" event by calling ahead.

Other search options are to type in your Internet Browser: http://www.citysearch.com to find out the local happenings in your area. Another effective way to meet someone would be to volunteer for a charity, such as the Special Olympics, Make-A-Wish Foundation, United Way or UNICEF, to name a few. It's important to participate with sincerity, but you may also meet your soul mate there. You may find someone who will most likely have the same philanthropic views that you do.

Finally, while I don't know anyone who has participated in the Singles International Club, I have heard of it. Check out your local chapter (search the Internet for specifics) as they hold dances and picnics for singles to meet. They also have the Singles Travel International Club. This is just a short list of good meeting places to get the ball rolling. However, no matter which place you choose to go, remember that in all of your approaches its best not to try to be "suave" or "debonair." Be yourself. Smile so that your eyes shine and be genuine. You will go much further if you behave in a kind manner than if you put on an act.

The point is to think outside the box. Here are a few more ideas for you to grab onto: Go to a super market at a specified time (I explain this technique in my book, Winning Points with the Woman in Your Life One Touchdown at a Time, but it's too lengthy to go over here), go to your local coffee shop, search your local newspaper for social events such as holiday hay rides, pancake breakfasts, library socials, etc.

A little side note for those of you who are bitterly shy: In a football game, "freezing" occurs when a player holds the ball for a long period of time without attempting to score points. You can't "freeze" if you want to participate in the game of love. You MUST forgo shyness. You will never make it onto the playing field until you do. There is nothing anyone can say or do, no magic potions or pills and no amount of coaching that will do this for you. Practice in the mirror or on a friend to help you overcome it. Join a theater group and get on stage. That will throw you into the spotlight and may help you overcome your fears.

Many of you are reading this article because you have had the same results in your dating experiences over and over again. How can you change that pattern? It's a very easy solution, but one that takes a lot of work when you have a pattern you have engrained in your subconscious mind and that is: If you want the same results, do the same things you have always done. If you want different results, you must do something different!

Copyright 2006 Jaci Rae

World's Biggest Hacker - A Challenge to the Financial, Technology and Corporate Sector Security

Ahmedabad, Gujarat (PRWeb) March 18, 2007 -- Born in small village of most famous Indian city known as Pink City of India. Mr. Sharma is in the field of security research from last 8 years. He has now full control over the global web security system. His life was full of struggle and overloaded stress. He mentions his strength and pride by specifying himself as a Full-stop on E-system. His aim was to perform unique tasks across globe, something which no one other then him can perform. He proved this through a LIVE ON AIR telecast on one of the most reputed news channel INDIA TV (http://www.indiatvnews.com). This telecast was aired in the Breaking News on INDIA TV and was the world's first longest hacking and security related news telecast. This telecast was shown from 9:00 PM to 12:30 AM and is one of the best serialized news programme of India. Minister of Information Technology, Technical Experts, Stock Exchange Experts, Cyber Crime Experts, Indian Star Editors Team and Corporate Profiles were all present during this telecast. Mr. Sharma had hacked several Internet Banking, Internet Trading and Internet Shopping websites all in a single attempt. Recently, Mr. Sharma had also announced about his new security firm Shubhlabh Technologies. He mentions hacking as an expert level work which is technical art of finding vulnerabilities in existing weak security of any online activity through Internet. Kalpesh Sharma, shows the LIVE demonstration on net banking and its loopholes. He proved that no bank is safe for your money. He challenged to all banks that he can hack any bank site because of their loopholes. However, his intention behind proving was to help out peoples become safe and aware of technical security.

First he reserved an airticket on indiatimes.com shopping website for free. The payment was done by hacking the site of IDBI Bank payment gateway. Secondly, he purchased a raincoat from rediff shopping website and payment was done through hacking of Federal Bank. From both websites he received the receipt with order number and confirmed payment that the payment is done and we will deliver it within 3 days...

Alongwith, Mr. Sharma also went for discussion through a debate in the same LIVE telecast with Mr. Dhrender Kumar (Stock Exchange Expert) and Pawan Duggal (Cyber Law Expert) and they felt shocked when they saw all these right in front of their eyes. Mr. Dhrender said that, " I am shocked to see this situation. Now our money is not safe and we could not take physical risk to keep huge amount of funds with us, because technical era is on it's way towards progress. In order to avoid this we are using Net Banking, but as seen there are several vulnerabilities in banking system also... "

Mr Pawan Duggal described about some clauses and sections of Information Security Act, and asked peoples who lost their money, can claim up to 10 Million INR. But you have to prove it in the court of law, which is almost very difficult to perform. You can't get help from consumer court as well, in this situation. No one knows what can be done? Mr. Sharma also hacked the so called safe website of shares and securities trading i.e Indiabulls.com and transferred 100 INR into his Union Bank Savings Account. Indiabulls database site reflected the balance fluctuations, immediately. For discussion on this, Mr Gagan Banga (President of Indiabulls) was called in this LIVE telecast. But instead of accepting his company's technical mistakes, he challenged against Mr. Sharma's claims. He fully denied though everything was seen by millions of peoples across nation. He said that, " It's not possible to hack our trading website". Then, Mr. Sharma challenged him to prove it right in that running LIVE telecast, and asked him for oral permissions. Mr. Sharma also added that let public viewers of this telecast give their decisions after he demonstrates it right now. Once Mr. Gagan felt nervous ! because by this they can loose the confidence of people. But at last he accepted that challenge and told to Mr. Sharma that he can come in his office and hack Mr. Gagan's account. I will give you permission to hack my account, but I can't give permissions for other hacking other's accounts. This shows Mr. Gagan have doubt about his website and was afraid of Mr. Sharma's Challenge.

For further discussion Mr. Shakeel Ahmed (IT Minister of India) came and he told that he is not a technical person, but he will definitely do well for people's of his country with his technical team... In short, none of our money is safe until and unless, online security vulnerabilities are not removed completely. In order to know more about Mr. Sharma's research activities and services please go through [http://kalpeshsharma.page.tl]

Cyber Crime Now Demands Bold Decisions and Actions

Staying ahead of crime on the internet has its own challenges and in fact staying ahead of the criminals is near impossibility. This is a challenge to the individual, to businesses and organizations and to even the government. Such has been the scope of the cyber attacks and issues concerning security. The internet and all other information technologies are a behemoth to deal with owing to their global nature. Cyber attacks are therefore seen from about all angles. The enactment of laws to curb the menace is sometimes defeated by the fact that the laws are only applied in a specific country and not globally. Again the rate at which cyber crime is growing leaves stakeholders in this industry well surprised and not really knowing what to do. Cyber criminals continue to exploit and use the convenience, the anonymity and the speed which is provided by the fast changing technology available today. The cyber crimes are for example the cyber attacks on computer data and systems,social engineering, internet auction fraud, identity theft, child pornography, cyber espionage, the infiltration of online financial services and the ecommerce sites, zombie computers, the more traditional forms of attacks of viruses and malware, botnets, denial of service attacks, email scams and phishing.

The approach to curbing the very problems associated with cyber crime and security needs to be revisited and has to be drawn all over again. Combating cyber crime may never be very easy but there are ways and means of cutting down on the risk and incidences of crime. For the individual, it is necessary to learn the basics and take the necessary precautions. The organizations and the businesses take even more drastic measures since the stakes involved are very high. There are whole departments which have been created to deal with cyber security. Here there are cyber security experts whose sole intention should be to ensure that the business or organization does not fall prey to the cyber criminals. The cyber crimes committed are so many and different and each may require it own unique approach to combat. Therefore, not just a single law is required to take care of this whole menace.

There are very important steps to take and which will certainly work to guarantee that an individual does not fall victim to the machinations of cyber criminals. The steps listed and discussed will ensure that safety is assured. The very first rule is that staying informed of happenings and all other new information and events drawn up from the cyber security field. The knowledge of what is happening and the release of security patches ensure that both hardware and software is kept security tight. The backing up of files and data should be a practice done regularly to ensure that in the odd occurrence of a cyber attack is eliminated. Antivirus software should be used to protect a computer and make sure any odd activity is flagged and appropriate action taken. The antivirus should be updated regularly and this guarantees full protection.

Other measures are the frequent changing of passwords to ensure that data and accounts are protected. The ideal passwords should have at least six characters and which should not be word contained in the dictionary. The ideal password should have a combination of lower case and upper case letters, special characters, numbers which are way better and offer good protection from any hacking activity. Passwords should be protected and should not be given out to other people. Another measure is that care should be taken to ensure that email attachments are not opened indiscriminately. Suspicious emails especially those that have extensions and are from unknown sources should not be opened. These file extension may carry viruses and when opened release their load into the system causing all manner of damage. Encryption is yet another way to go about protecting data and communication on the internet. Many different systems allow for the encryption and all that is needed is to turn on the encryption to protect your data.

The current status of cyber crime guarantees that by taking measures to secure your own computer and protect your personal information, you are not only preventing cyber criminals but also protecting others internet users.

Computer Forensics in Law Enforcement

Computer forensics is a field in demand. Computers have become valuable targets of theft. The information they contain can be stolen or altered for malicious purposes. The need for trained professionals in this field has never been greater.

In law enforcement, computer forensics professionals may work for local police departments, state police departments, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They may go to the scene of incidents, gather evidence, investigate the evidence, and write reports. They may also provide testimony for criminal cases in court. Individuals who specialize in the forensic study of computers may also be called "cyber investigators", "cyber cops", or "digital detectives".

Computer forensics experts investigate crimes such as identity theft, credit card fraud, intellectual property theft, threats/harassment, pedophilia, and unauthorized computer system intrusion. These computer crimes or "cyber crimes" constitute a significant risk to individuals, companies, and governments. Cyber crimes result in tens of millions of dollars of dollars in losses each year.

Computer forensics examiners need a wide range of technical skills and knowledge. They must have expertise in network security, protocols, software, computer file formats, routing, cryptology, reverse software engineering, password cracking, and diagnostic techniques. In addition to technical skills, professionals in this field must have good oral and written communication skills, understand and comply with investigation procedures, work under tight deadlines, have problem solving abilities and be creative and persistent in the pursuit of evidence.

Experts in this field may also be involved in crimes that were not directly committed via computer. There may be information stored on a computer or storage device that is important for the case. For example, e-mail evidence can be used in cases against robbery and homicide suspects. Computer forensics experts are needed in these cases, as there are very specific procedures that must be followed for digital information to be presented as valid evidence.

Instructor Led Virtual Training for IT Security Certification Courses

Hacking is taking its toll on the information security. In the last few years, the percentage of cyber crimes such as data thefts, data losses, viruses and other cyber crimes have increased exponentially. To protect the hardware, software and network from the external attacks has been the prime area of concern for the organizations. Hence, a dreadful need to have a certified Security workforce.

A trained and certified security professional has practical knowledge and skills in key areas of computer, network and software security. Plus, he is up-to-date with the latest practices of information security. The most popular and highest paying information security courses available are CEH, CHFI, ECSA, etc.

And if you think you are low on budget or do not want your work to get affected by attending training classes, you can opt for instructor led virtual training. The instructor led virtual training will allow you to learn at you own convenient pace while getting the same benefits as of live classes.

These courses enable the candidate to recognize IT security risks and vulnerabilities, strategize and take measures to avert cyber attacks of the hackers.The highly interactive discussions and the undivided attention in the instructor led virtual training helps the candidate understand the concepts of protecting confidential data, such as credit card and personal information/data at a fast pace. The candidate is also provided with the remote lab access so that he can get hands-on experience of all the hacking techniques.

The topics covered in the curriculum are:

  • Networking and Operating System Fundamentals
  • Firewalls, ACLs IDS
  • Cryptography
  • Incident handling
  • Steganography, forensics, threat/vulnerability assessment
  • Security standards
  • Cyber laws and ethics
  • Secure programming practices

The network security certified professionals can seek jobs roles such as:Network Security System Administrator, Data security expert, Web security specialist, Network Security Engineer, Forensics Investigator, Applications Security Executive, Administrator or Manager, IT Security Manager, Security Auditor, Ethical Hacker, Chief Information Security Officer, Computer Forensics Investigator, IT Security Consultant, Security Certified Programmer, and so on....

To know more about instructor led virtual training courses, follow...

How To Stop Your Child From Cyber Bullying

Is your child being bullied on the Internet? If so, you should take it seriously. Cyber bullying is the latest way that bullies torment their targets. These new forms of school bullies are using Facebook, My Space, Instant Messaging, chat rooms, and websites to threaten, humiliate, and belittle their targets.

What can you do if your child is a target on online harassment? Discourage your child from responding to cyber bullying. This type of behavior only encourages the Bully and can increase the torment. Instead encourage your child to ignore the bully. Be sure to save all messages and pictures that were used to harass your child. Sometimes it may be as simple as reporting the bully for using inappropriate language on the internet site on which the bullying is taking place. This type of behavior usually violates the terms of the service agreement and the bully may be banned from the online site permanently.

What can you do to protect your child from cyber bullying? Setting parental controls on most computers and mobile devices can aid in blocking most online attacks. Screen names and phone numbers can be blocked so that your child can longer receive attacking or inappropriate messages. Online Bullies can assume new screen or user names, however, most will most likely lose interest in harassing your child if access continues to remain blocked.

What can you do if your child is subject to cyber bullying at school? If your child's online bullying happens to occur at school, you should contact the schools administrator immediately. Most schools have a zero tolerance policy on any kind of harassment. Online bullying is considered to be harassment and the appropriate action will be taken again the tormentor.

If the cyber bullying occurs off school campus and you know the identity of the online bully, contacting their parents is one option. You should make contact either verbally or by letter and explain the situation in a non confrontational manner. If you have proof of the online bullying provide it the parents so they have a clear understanding of what is taking place online. The tormentor's parents may not be aware that their child is bullying others online and will more than likely step in and put a stop to it.

Teenagers are often not aware of the damage and the ramifications that can occur as a result of cyber bullying, and will continue if adults do not step in and put a stop to their harmful actions. Some teenagers know the damage they can cause, are doing it purposefully, and will not stop until adults take appropriate action.

In some instances cyber bullying is against the law. If cyber bullying is considered harassment, threatening, or pornographic in nature you should contact the authorities immediately. This type of behavior is probably against the law and you may be able to pursue legal action.

The most important thing is to take action as soon as you realize that your child is being bullied online. If not stopped, cyber bullying can get out of hand and can lead to serious actions or ramifications by both the victim and the bully.

Hackers Target Online Brokerage Firms In Latest Cyber Scam

Every time the public thinks it has a handle on cyber crime, hackers come up with something new to throw into the mix. Reports this week name the newest targets for cyber criminals: online brokerage houses, which have lost millions of dollars in an online fraud that is apparently the latest in the world of hacker couture.

Reports from online broker E-Trade Financial Corp state that the company has been compromised by hacker attacks originating from crime rings in Thailand and Eastern Europe. The hackers recently cost E-Trade clients up to $18 million through tactics that include hacking into customer accounts and making unauthorized stock trades. The scam starts with the hackers installing keyloggers either on a victim's unguarded personal computer or on a public computer station, such as those found in a library or hotel. The keyloggers are used to gain access to a customer's brokerage account, at which point the hacker will wait until the customer logs off, log himself in with the victim's user name and password, and use the account to sell the customers existing stock shares.

The money made from the sale of those stocks is used to purchase microcap stocks, which are low value stocks that are inexpensive and usually are not traded in large volume. The purchase drives up the value of this stock, shares of which the hacker has already bought at a lower price through another account. The hacker is then able to sell his own stock and make a profit. Meanwhile, the victim is left with an account full of unwanted, low value stock and has lost any money earned from their previous portfolio.

E-Trade and other companies affected by the scam, such as DT Ameritrade, plan to reimburse the money their customers lost, though the companies are not required by law to do so. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are investigating the issue, and many online brokers are stepping up to the plate and offering customers information on internet security and access to security software.

In the spirit of this gesture, the E-Trade Financial Corp website lists some tips that can help you protect your account and personal information both on and off their site:

  • Use anti-virus software.
  • Use a personal firewall package.
  • Use current versions of software and operating systems (and keep them patched/updated).
  • Secure your wireless network.
  • Use your own computer.
  • Choose strong passwords and change them regularly.
  • Use a unique ID and password.
  • Protect yourself against identity theft.
  • Use the strongest encryption available.
  • Empty your temporary Internet files or cache folder when finished.
  • Test your system for vulnerabilities.
  • Be prepared for problems.

Additionally, it is recommended that online traders avoid trading or checking brokerage accounts from public computers and avoid opening or clicking links in any emails sent from an online broker, as the email could easily be part of a phishing scam. If you think you have been a victim of online trading fraud, contact the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov/.

Divorce Cyber Style

Divorce has always been such an ugly thing. No one, even those who desire an amicable dissolution of marriage, emerges from a divorce unscathed. In one respect or another, after it's over, almost everyone feels like a victim because divorce makes a person feel like a failure. Even though a marriage takes two people to make a go of it, it still feels like a personal failure when it doesn't succeed.

By the time a couple decides to go their separate ways, there is so much anger, hurt, and bitterness, that they are beyond the point where they can be reasonable about the division of assets. They don't even care that most of their settlement will go toward attorneys' fees; they just want their day in court.

Hence, the high-priced divorce attorneys of yesteryear.

Divorce has always been a lucrative field for attorneys. There are no state or federal laws governing the fee structure an attorney can charge to handle a divorce. There is nothing to stop him or her from asking an exorbitant retainer fee before taking the case.

In the past, it wasn't unusual for a spouse to want to take the other one to the cleaners. That's how divorce attorneys made their money. They were often accused, and many rightly so, of egging their clients on to sue for more money, ask for more things, just so they could run up more billable hours.

But those days have come and gone. At least for now.

Today, many of those high-priced attorneys are scraping for a living because of the failing economy and the easy access that people have for handling their own divorces.

With unemployment at an all-time high, and the economy at an all- time low, people who are in unhappy marriages have found a way to extricate themselves from their misery with do-it-yourself divorce kits. Some of these kits are free of charge. Others cost anywhere from $95.00 to a few hundred dollars and come with a set of instructions for how to file for divorce in the state where you and your spouse are living.

And now there are cyber-divorce kits that are being called point- and-click splits because you can get the divorce forms online and fill them out in twenty minutes to a few hours. Since this is an uncontested divorce, you and your spouse can sit in front of a computer and just point and click your answers to the questions that are asked.

There are different kinds of services. With some of them, there is a legal team that goes over the answers to your questionnaire and they fill out the papers and mail them to you. Other services use a software program that uses your answers to fill out the documents, and then the program lets you and your spouse download these divorce papers, sign them, and submit them to a court.

Depending on the state laws where you and your spouse reside, you can fax or mail these divorce papers to the courthouse. However, some states require you to be there in person in case counseling is recommended.

But all divorces: do-yourself-divorce kits or cyber-divorce over the internet, fax the papers or mail them, or go in person to file them at the courthouse, all require a judge's signature on the divorce decree. Although a cyber-divorce is legal, many judges disapprove of them because they feel that the dissolution of a marriage is a serious matter and people won't give it the gravity it deserves if all they have to do is sit at a computer and click on some answers.

In spite of that, many couples feel that since they have been unhappy enough to consider a divorce, it is better to get it over with quickly while they are still capable of being civil to each other. Then, too, there are a couple of important benefits to consider in getting a cyber-divorce: they are more affordable than going to an attorney and they can be done without ever leaving the comfort of your home.

The important thing in getting a cyber-divorce is that you have to agree on all the issues. There will be queries on that questionnaire pertaining to child support, alimony, custody of minors, visitation, alternating vacations, education, medical and dental expenses, health insurance, and division of property and all your other assets, including who gets the family dog and visitation rights.

If you do decide to go this route, it will probably be the one time in your entire marriage that you will agree on everything. In fact, you have to agree on all the answers so that it can be an uncontested cyber-divorce.

Marriage and divorce are serious matters but Erin Monaghan injected a bit of graveyard humor into it when she wrote in her article, Online Divorce - Is It Legal?, "Marriage is a sacred union between two people who can get married at a drive through in Las Vegas and divorced over the internet."

Invisible - NOT CYBER - Bullying in School: Part II - The Cafeteria

The average adult, even those who work in the schools, cannot grasp the degree to which a bullied child's life during a school day can be a living Hell. Following President and Mrs. Obama's statements about bullying recently, we are already hearing disparaging comments being made to trivialize both their comments, and more importantly, a daily thing which is filled with fear and dread on the part of those being bullied- going to school, staying all day, and coming home. Having to just get to school, travel the hallways, eat in the cafeteria, dress in the locker room, sit in the classroom, and get home incident free each day is frightening to the child being bullied. We again assert that much of it happens completely in plain sight. As you read the article, keep a mental list of all of the ways in which bullying can occur in plain sight- you will be amazed at how the bad guys know the best time to strike- namely with people around. We mentioned in the first article of this three part series about Invisible Bullying. We asserted that much of the bullying occurs in plain sight of the people who have the responsibility to supervise and hopefully prevent most of the bullying. The reason given for the lack of success in controlling bullying in the school was that much of the supervision is performed in a decontextualized manner. Let's explain Decontextualized Supervision by providing an example. If you had brothers or sisters, you can see that your parents were guilty of this most of the time.

You are 12 years old and you are in your bedroom working on an important school geography project where you are gluing figures and trees and other scenery on, say, a shadow box. Alternatively, let's say you are working diligently with your stamp collection. Your little brother or sister sneaks up behind you and makes a fake sneeze and blows air from their mouth, perhaps bumping your arm, and causing your work to go flying all over the place. You turn around and punch your brother who runs out of your room screaming bloody murder to your parents who are downstairs relaxing after a trying day. Your Mother or Father screams up at you to "get down here!", and asks you, "what have I told you about hitting your brother", (who is standing there looking especially pathetic in front of Mom!)... you know the rest... you say, he messed up my project, which is followed by a string of "did nots" and "did toos."Your Mother/Father ends this "discussion" with the warning that she/he better not hear a peep out of either of you the rest of the night or you both will be grounded for a week, and you are told to go clean up your project and not to hit your brother and how you should know better since you are older- all of which goes in one ear and out the other- because its another language like when the adults speak in the Charlie Brown Special (Wanh-wanh wah). Your brother smiles at you as you both are walking away, and you shake a fist at him. This is an example of decontextualized supervision because your parents did not have the slightest interest in getting to the real facts of the story- they are tired and this is the last thing they want to make a federal case of.

Do you remember anything like that either when you were a child, or in your role as a parent- with fellow workers with your boss using the false equivalency tactic, or when you were a student in school? It is decontextualized supervision that may keep people from serious bodily injury and save you in the event of a fire, but because it ends with the ambiguity of the well-known lazy man's tactic known as "False equivalency", your problem goes unresolved. Recalling Bill Cosby's words from the 80's one man show he did on parenting, "Parents are not interested in justice, they are interested in quiet!"Unfortunately, this is the case with school supervisory people. Because this is the judicial process in schools- maintaining the appearance of law and order- victims concerns often go unaddressed, but quiet is maintained, and nobody get seriously, physically, noticeably, hurt.

In the school building, when a child is traumatized each day and comes to you the supervisor in the hallway, cafeteria, playground and tells you that someone is always, hitting- pushing- calling me names, you call the other person over and correct him. He says he was minding his own business and the reporter of the incident bothered him first. This is followed by the mandatory few minutes of "did toos/did nots, and the innocent party as well as the assailant are given the warning to behave properly in the hallway- classroom-cafeteria, or next time everybody gets detention. The concern of the person being bullied goes unaddressed, the bully lives to bully another day, perhaps pursuing the victim with even greater enthusiasm, and the teacher feels good about being loud and "right on top of things," just like a good supervisor of children is supposed to be. The victim soon learns that there is no real help to be obtained through the school process and therefore, he or she stops reporting it, choosing to suffer in silence. Besides, even if the victim does report it and a bully gets some school related discipline for his actions, the victim will become even a bigger target. In such a zeitgeist, how hard is it to understand a child reaching a decision to be sick, to be late for the bus or class to avoid the bullies, to never go to the lavatory, never eat by "helping" the librarian every lunch period instead of facing the daily gauntlet, or finally and sadly, to commit suicide?

Let's take things into the cafeteria. The first thing you notice about lunch time in, for example, a middle school, is that students run to the cafeteria. This causes pushing and shoving which is never seen because the supervising teacher is still 3-5 minutes from assuming their duty as cafeteria monitor. Butting in line also is a regular occurrence, but actual bullying generally has not started yet because even the bullies have food on their mind at this point. However, as students stand in line for lunch they are, on a daily basis, threatened, intimidated, hit, fondled, pinched, and being asked to "lend " someone money. The "lending" of money comes with the message that 1) I will be your friend if you do it, or 2) I WON'T beat you up if you do it, or 3) I will beat you up if you don't give me the money, etc. The person supervising the lunch period is supervising in a legal sense only. Most people find that job distasteful anyway. They usually are not looking for "mismatches" in the lunch line, meaning, identifying who the assailant and the victim are likely to be and how they always seem to be in the line together, and therefore separating them. They want quiet, not justice.

Next, the students are eating and food is always being thrown in the cafeteria, generally at the same person or group of persons. Desserts are squooshed, pizza is placed in a child's new Social Studies Book (Because, to save time, the student brings his books to a table then gets in line.) food is taken, with the warning that, "if you tell anybody you are dead", or, it is taken if the student goes to the lavatory and when he returns the food is gone and nobody says a thing-and when this is reported to a monitor (something that most victims are frightened about doing) the accused might say, "What dessert?", "It wasn't me?" "Aw, we were just kidding around..."

ALL of this can happen with a cafeteria person being a mere 5 feet away. Imagine you are on duty. A child tells you that his food was taken again by a certain student. You ask that student where the food is. He says, "I don't have it- what food?"Now what do you say? Probably some muted warning about how you will be "keeping your eye on this person and how this better not happen again, etc." To the exploited child, there is nothing you can say that will fix things. Often, a victim is given some heartless piece of advice like, "You need to stay away from these idiots anyway- why don't you sit somewhere else and this kind of thing would not happen..." the "you should know better admonition" is a familiar refrain- just ask rape victims from earlier times who "should have known better" or "What did they expect to happen dressed like THAT?"

Sometimes, the monitor's less than motivated approach to ending inappropriate behavior is to make the entire table stay after to clean the cafeteria for a day or perhaps a week. Once again, this does not bring any succor to the abused and bullied child. Things will continue as before with perhaps even more abuse occurring because the table being punished will pursue the victim or victims with even greater enthusiasm. The bullies are not stupid. In the cafeteria they know how to create distractions by making an apparent fuss in one place that distracts the free-from-context monitor who then turns his or her back on the place where the real issue is taking place.

Is there a solution? We offered some possible strategies in a previous article. All of them centered around getting to know your students and enlisting the help of some of the ones that are most likely to be on the wrong end of an incident. Not everyone will speak to you. However, some of them will tell you even more than you ever wanted to know about the things you are unable to see. Also, once a bully is identified, they must feel a bit of pain as well. No, we are not speaking about physical abuse, but if the child's parents (especially Mom) is willing to be involved, then she comes in and accompanies her child through the school day- especially at lunch where she sits next to her child. When other, would-be bullies see this, their ardor for picking on others will be somewhat diminished. Most students would rather have root canal than have their Mom or Dad accompany them through the school day.

Machiavelli, spoke of a leader "making a few signal examples" to affect people's attitudes. A signal example is one accomplished with as much of a spectacle as possible- thus making a "signal" to others that this type of behavior is not permitted. In a more gruesome example- there are countries in the middle east that execute people by cutting off their heads- this is a deed not done in secret, but with as many people watching as possible. Sometimes ending the bad behavior is the only concern. It's a signal to others who might be contemplating such a bad behavior. To reiterate, Mom coming to school is step one in the list of useful "signal examples.". The next level may involve the police coming to school and arresting the student, and escorting him out of the building with many people watching. This can be very helpful - like the police do in Law and Order where the speaker is taken out of a public meeting in handcuffs-if not done to excess. Students who see that the school will really have someone's Mom come in as an escort change their minds quickly about bullying. All the while, counselors and county mental health specialists can be doing what they do best to change behaviors and attitudes. The rules of golf allow a player to have 14 clubs in his or her bag. Similarly, the school needs more than the constant use of the Big Bertha Driver or the small innocuous putter. The bullies must always be kept guessing- their working environment needs many disruptions. What they do must be made less attractive to them with subtle as well as signal strategies. Standing there and scolding the whole table in general or telling the victim that he should be smart enough to move his seat is the stuff you parents usually did. It was only good for general peace and quiet- it did not solve the problem of the victim.