Online Sexual Predators Essay Example for Free

Online Sexual Predators Essay The Internet has brought a wealth of convenience and benefit to its users. Among its users though sexual predators and pedophiles that pose a very real threat to children particularly those who have unsupervised Internet usage. In addition to laws directed at protecting people from sexual predators, various taskforces from the local police to international level have been formed to deal with this rising problem. However, with every arrest made, there are new perpetrators and pornography rings to take their place. Parents are advised to keep vigilant and monitor the Internet usage of their children. People are also reminded that predators are not as easily recognizable and avoided as they may think. Online Predators: The Pedophiles Convenience and comfort†¦ These are just two things that the Internet has brought to todays modern lives. With just the click of a mouse, one can complete bank transactions, order groceries, download the latest music, connect with friends and business contacts and do all the research they need for school, work and personal use right from the comfort of their own homes. More and more people have come to depend on the Internet for most everything they do. In 2003 alone, estimates of Internet users peg about 56% of the American population as regular users of the Internet (Metzger Docter, 2003) and the numbers keep rising. The Internet has made life, work and education so convenient for quite a large number of people. Unfortunately, numbered among these people are those who utilize the Internet for more sinister and evil purposes †¦the Internet sexual predators and pedophiles. A pedophile is an adult who displays sexual preference for pre-pubescent children from age 13 and younger (Pedophilia, 2004). Sexual fantasies, fondling, sexual contact and collecting pornographic material featuring children are just a few ways pedophiles satisfy their sexual urges. While some pedophiles are content with just collecting and fantasizing with child pornography, some choose to indulge their fantasies and urges in a more serious and dangerous way. (Taylor and Quayle, 2003. p 75) For pedophiles, the Internet has become a virtual community where they can share tips, photos and videos with other pedophiles. The Internet also affords pedophiles and other sexual predators the chance to access online chat rooms and web groups that are frequented by children, teenagers, and other possible victims (Mahoney and Faulkner, 1997). The anonymity that the Internet offers its users veils the true nature and identity of the pedophile as they pretend to be children chatting up other unknowing children. An estimated 25-50% of these have already committed sexual acts with minors (Morgan, 2006. p53). Donna Rice Hughes, author of Kids Online and senior adviser to the web site Familyclick. com says that while most parents express concern about the openness of the Internet and may have an idea of the risks associated with online access, most are not aware of the degree of severity Internet threats can be for unmonitored children (Edwards, 2000. p14). Children can easily be exposed to pornographic material, not to mention be in actual contact with pedophiles through online chat rooms, peer support groups, and messaging systems (p. 14). Lt. Mike Harmony of the Bedford County Sherriffs office and member of Operation Blue Ridge Thunder, one of the nations leading task forces on crimes against children says: The exploitation of children on the Internet is a huge and growing problem. The public just doesnt realize how bad it is, (Blue Ridge Team Nabs 2002, B01) Lt. Harmony was part of the team that handled the case of a 13-year old girl whose former boyfriend pasted her picture onto a picture of a naked woman and posted it online along with her address and phone number. This attracted calls from several pornographers and pedophiles including one who threatened to come to her home and hurt her entire family if she didnt come out of state to make a home movie. Nowadays, there is a growing awareness of the very real threat that the Internet brings in the person of online predators such as pedophiles. According to an article that appeared in the August 2006 issue of Readers Digest, 1 in 5 children in computer chat rooms are engaged in conversation by a child sex abuser. Among minors between the ages of 8 to 18, 1 in 8 discover that the person they were chatting with online was an adult pretending to be much younger (Morgan, 2006. p51-52) Law enforcement groups in each state has started building up teams and file sharing systems specifically for the purpose of tracking and catching pedophiles and child pornographers. Even agencies such as the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are helping out by setting up a database of images of those they can prove are real children (Ryan, 2004. p1). In 2004, graphic artist and child pornographer Robert Earl Smith of Eugene, Oregon was sentenced to more than 53 years in prison after pleading guilty to 42 charges including first-degree sexual abuse and sodomy involving an infant who was less than a year old (Pedophile Gets Maximum Term, 2004, p. d1). Presented as evidence against Smith were a collection of email messages he exchanged with an undercover investigator who posed as another pedophile. Smith came to the authorities attention after police in Knoxville, Tennessee were able to trace child pornography on the Internet back to Smith. A search of Smiths home revealed explicit photographs showing Smith having sex with a very young girl that were also uploaded on the Internet. At the trial, Deputy Lane County District Attorney Debra Vogt detailed how Smith encouraged the undercover investigator to abuse young children even saying how he himself abuses very young children because they cant tell on him (p. d1) Smiths defense lawyer John Halpern blamed Smiths weakening and eventual pedophilia to the wealth and accessibility of child pornography on the Internet. He further stated that prior to the Internet, Smith could not so easily have yielded to any weakness for child pornography that he might have. (p. d1) The judge in the case however didnt buy the defense. What the Law has to Say: State law enforcement units as well as the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have each put in place their own task forces and programs in dealing with online predators and pedophiles. The Department of Homeland Securitys Operation Predator alone racked up 59 arrests for child pornography in Illinois, and 17 convictions in 2004. Among those that the Operation has been able to bring to justice were Barrington swim coach Joshua Delcore; John Roth, Carys village attorney; and Lawrence Swager, a swim coach and tutor for learning-disabled students at a Crystal Lake high school (Ryan, 2004, p. 1). Since they started operations in 1996, the FBIs Innocent Images Task Force have also had chalked up an average of 20 arrests per year with the numbers continually rising according to FBI special agent Ross Rice. Among those they have arrested was Scott Wolfers, a police officer in Aurora, Illinois who was charged with two counts of possession of child pornography (p. 1).

The Incredibly Usable Cattail :: Botany

The Incredibly Usable Cattail Is it possible that cattails were the reeds in which baby Moses was hidden? Their range does include nearly all the continents. And even though cattails are wide ranging, commonly known plants, few know of their versatility. Nearly the entire plant can be eaten, excluding the leaves. Cattails were used many different ways medicinally, from a topical ointment to an internal remedy. The plants have also been used in a wide variety of miscellaneous purposes. Mostly, they have been used for weaving, but they also have been used for filling and more (Coon 1960). Although taxonomists have historically had trouble defining a couple species, North American cattail nomenclature is fairly straightforward. Cattails are monocots of the order Typhales, subdivided into two families: Sparganiaceae or the bur-reed family and Typhaceae. Typhaceae, the cattail family, is comprised only of the genus Typha. Four species of Typha occur in North America. The four North American cattails are: T. latifolia, T. angustifolia, T. glauca, and T. domengensis. T. latifolia has a range including Europe and Asia (Mohlenbrock 1970). In North America, it ranges widely from Alaska, through Canada, throughout the U.S. and into Mexico (Hotchkiss & Dozier 1949). It is common in every county in Illinois (Mohlenbrock 1970). T. angustifolia grows in Africa, Europe, and Asia (Mohlenbrock 1970). In North America, it ranges from the Northeast to the Midwest and also California (Hotchkiss & Dozier 1949). In Illinois it occurs throughout most of the state (Mohlenbrock 1970). Besides North America, T. qlauca and T. domengensis are also found in Europe. These two however, do not occur in Illinois. In the U.S., T. glauca ranges from the upper Midwest and Northeast down the Altantic coast to Florida and into Alabama. It also occurs in California. T. domengensis, being well adapted to brackish waters, grows along the coast from Delaware to Mexico and also occurs in the Southwest. Many common names are used for cattails. T. latifolia goes by the name broadleaf cattail, common cattail and soft flag. T. angustifolia has been called narrow leaf cattail and nail rod. Blue cattail and blue flag describe T. glauca. T. domengensis is commonly known as southern cattail. Other names include flagtail, marsh beetle, blackcap, water torch and candlewick, cat-of-nine tails and reed mace (Coon 1960). Some Native American names have been translated as prairie chicken feathers, eye itch, and roof grass. Typha's wide range can be accounted for by several features both physiologically and anatomically.

Computer Games Advantages and Disavantages

In today’s modern world, computers are very essential part of everyday life. Children often use computer from very young age for computer games and internet. Computers are developing their computer skills. Although, this can also be seen that children are too much dependent on computer games. It has got both pros and cons which will be discussed in the following paragraphs. On the one hand, some types of games can be very intelligent and may contain huge educational potential which can encourage their skill, concentration and inspire them to learn new things.If children use computer game from their childhood age, they are familiar with most of the function of computer; this will be very helpful for their future career. Another advantage is that there are lots of interesting features in computer, no child feel bore and alone using computer. On the other hand because of interesting features and different types of games in computer, firstly children become too much dependent on i t. They spend their most of the time using computer games as a result they lose their interest on daily activities like their school homework and also forget to meet with their friend and colleagues.Secondly, some video games can be very aggressive in nature so these video games are usually highly addictive and easily available on internet. Moreover continuous use of computer game can be damaged both eyes and physical posture of the children. To sum up, there are lots of merits of using computer game however in my opinion; children don’t spend their whole time on computer. Parents should also care about their schedule for computer game. Computer games are indisputably popular among teenagers. Because of their widespread use, many studies provide data on the short- and long-term effects of regularly playing computer games.Some studies conclude there is a link between playing violent video games and tendencies towards violent behavior. Increasingly, the social element to playin g computer games affects how teenagers interact with peers. Playing computer games has also been shown to improve problem-solving skills and increase adeptness at using technology overall. But an addictive aspect to many games suggests that playing in moderation is critical. Related Studies An online game is a game played over some form of computer network.This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems. The expansion of online gaming has reflected the overall expansion of computer networks from small local networks to the Internet and the growth of Internet access itself. Online games can range from simple text based games to games incorporating complex graphics and virtual worlds populated by many players simultaneously. Many online games have associated online communities, making online games a form of social activity beyond single player games.The rising popularity of Flash and Java led to an Internet revolution where websites could utilize streaming video, audio, and a whole new set of user interactivity. When Microsoft began packaging Flash as a pre-installed component of IE, the Internet began to shift from a data/information spectrum to also offer on-demand entertainment. This revolution paved the way for sites to offer games to web surfers. Some online multiplayer games like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI and Lineage II charge a monthly fee to subscribe to their services, while games such as Guild Wars offer an alternative no monthly fee scheme.

John Stuart Mill And Thomas Hobbes - 1128 Words

Secondly, when we ask the question, what is freedom, we are not simply asking for a definition. We are seeking to find some truth in regards to liberty. We don’t ask this difficult question in order to get some sort of dictionary definition, we ask this question in order to gain insight. We ask this question to know how we should live our lives and how our government and other institutions should act in respect to liberty and our freedoms. Berlin’s two conceptions not only provide us with a definition, but also helps us determine how our society and laws should progress. Lastly, by the very fact that we are able to distinguish between two kinds of liberty reveals the significance of Berlin’s bisection. When looking through history it is quite easy to see that philosophers such as John Stuart Mill and Thomas Hobbes are talking about very different things than Immanuel Kant and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Hobbes proclaims, â€Å"Liberty, or freedom, signifieth properly the absence of opposition (by opposition, I mean external impediments of motion)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hobbes 136). While Mill describes liberty as â€Å"that of pursuing our own good in our own way† (Mill 14). Undoubtedly, these are both negative conceptions. In contrast, Rousseau often writes in The Social Contract citizens must be â€Å"forced to be free† and Kant, almost 200 years later, writes heavily on autonomy and the higher self. With obvious camps on both sides of the negative vs positive debate it is logical (and correct) to assume thereShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke And John Stuart Mill s On Liberty Essay1748 Words   |  7 Pagesliberty and the role the individual plays in society and to the state. Whereas, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill have developed a more modernized conception of liberty and the role of the individual to the state and society. 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