2. November 2009 by student.

Most of us feel comfortable in our own homes, we feel safe and that no harm can touch us.  Most of us even feel safe when we are wondering around on the Internet too, we don’t think that there are people out there who are trying to get information about us and potentially harm us.  There are many ways in which people can get information about you and use it against you I’m going to look into online predators. 

Most of us have learned from a young age not to talk to strangers, and we all understand this and why we shouldn’t do so.  So why does it seem like a good idea to talk to strangers on the Internet.  One reason for this is because you feel that you are in control of the situation being that you are in your own home.  We don’t want to think that people that we meet online might not be who they say they are, and the scary truth is we just don’t know.  This is why predators use the Internet as a weapon to get children to tell them information.  Online these people don’t seem scary, or mean they come off as really nice and comforting.  They are there to listen to your problems and give you advice when in reality you really don’t know who you are talking to.  Once these predators have a sense of trust in their victims they then try to get more information such as where do you live, your full name, and if you would be willing to meet up in a private place.  The sad truth is many people do meet these people or give them their address and then they find out they aren’t who they say they are. 

According to Sensory PC 1 in 5 teenagers who use the Internet have received unwanted sexual soliciting emails.  This is a pretty shocking fact because if you think about a classroom of 30 children that means at least 6 of them have had this happen to them.  You have to believe that some of these kids will write back and it could turn into something horrible.  Sensory PC also reported that 75% of children are willing to give out information about themselves.  This is scary because once a predator knows information about you what is stopping them from harming you. 

One show that is really trying to bring knowledge about this situation is How to Catch a Predator.  This show is about police pretending to be children and meeting online predators.  Once they talk to the predators they agree to meet up, and the predators are surprised by the police.  Usually they are men who are awaiting the company of the children, in some cases they have alcohol and other gifts waiting for the kids, which is disturbing in itself.  Parents don’t want to think that they have to worry about their children when they are in their own home, they already worry about their children every time they leave the house.  Only about 25% of children tell a parent or other trusted adult when they are approach on the Internet.  I think this is because they either don’t think it is a big deal and they can handle it, another reason they don’t tell their parents may be because they are embarrassed or think that their Internet privileges may be taken away because of it.

At the end of the day you never really know who is typing on the other side of the computer.  They can say whatever they want, make up their appearance, their name, and their age.  Once you start engaging in a conversion with them you are giving up your safety and your power against them.  Even though you are in your own home and you want to feel safe, you may not always be.  Many times the police can detect who is on the other side of the computer but usually they don’t know it is a problem until it is clear their is a problem. 

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2. November 2009 by student.

Most parents would like to believe that they are the ones who have the most influence in their child’s life.  To help them make decisions and to let them know what is right and what is wrong.  The truth is that there are many other factors that will ultimately shape the child’s decision making skills.  One of these factors is the mass media.  Most people are fascinated by the exciting and glamorous life of the celebrities.  Some of the different things that we read in the magazines and see on entertainment television aren’t intended for younger children to see, although it doesn’t mean that they don’t.  To support the idea that it isn’t good for young children to see the way celebrities act and portray themselves in the media is supported by the research from RAND and the University of North Carolina it states that if children are more exposed to sexual talk and inappropriate behavior on TV then they themselves are more likely to engage in this behavior.

Another big topic that is in this category is violence on TV and in Video Games.  According to the National Institute on Media + Family in the United Sates 20-25 violent acts are shown in a children TV program every hour.  Considering all the children around the country that are watching it,you have to believe that some of them are thinking that they can imitate it and do it themselves.  This is a scary thought because everyone knows a children that is in grade school and you don’t want them going to school with kids thinking like this.  Youth between 8-18 years of age spend more time in front of the computer, Television, and playing video games then doing any other activity, on average they spend 44.5 hours a week, or 6 1/2 hours a day according the the National Institute of Media+Family.  With all of this time spent watching different forms of media we would have to be crazy to think that children don’t see any of the inappropriate things there are to see.  

There are a few reasons that children are affected by the media more then adults.  First they are more easily impressionable, because they haven’t really established a sense of themselves yet, they are still forming their personality.  Second they have a harder time seeing the difference between reality and fantasy, they can’t understand that Hollywood, television, magazines,and video games are not how normal people act in real life.  Another reason is they can’t determine motives for violence, they don’t understand why you get mad in some cases, and when something else makes you angry you let it go, but you never act in a way to hurt someone.  Lastly children at younger ages learn by imitating others, they see someone acting one way and they do the some thing and say the same things, which if they are watching something with vulgar languages or actions then they can repeat those too.  

As you can see parents really need to watch and be aware of what their children are watching.  What makes it hard is they can access things at friends houses and learn that way too.  You can’t shield a child forever but you really have to instill your own beliefs and morals into them at a young age so when they encounter some of these forms of media they know and understand that it is not how the normal person acts in real life,and it won’t be accepted by everyone. 

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2. November 2009 by student.

Coming into college i had very high expectations for myself. if you remember you first day of high school you can relate to this. you are on your own, for the most part you do not have too many friends at the moment. you walk into class not know who to sit next to or if they will even want to talk to you. you have to take the chance. you came to college prettty much starting over. people don’t know you or your past so they can not judge you on that. if you came to college and you live on your own this is most likely your first time away from your parents for more than a week. do you go crazy? you cant. you have to buckle down and tell yourself that you have priorities. you are becoming more independent and this is why the first semester of your college career is the hardest. you dont know what to do with so much time on your hands and then its gone like that. you dont do your homework and all you want to do is drink, stay up late, or hang out with your friends. you have to put things into perspective and become the person you now you can be. crack down and don’t mes things up because this could be your only chance.

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2. November 2009 by student.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said Friday that a U.S. travel ban against people infected with the HIV virus will be overturned early next year. The order will be completed on Monday, Obama said, finishing a process begun during the administration of former President George W. Bush. The United States is one of about a dozen countries that bar entry to travelers based on their HIV status. The ban has been in place for more than 20 years. Obama said it will be lifted just after the new year, after a waiting period of about 60 days.

“If we want to be a global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it,” Obama said at the White House before signing a bill to extend the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program. Begun in 1990, the program provides medical care, medication and support services to about half a million Americans with HIV or AIDS, mostly low-income people.

Officials from the Centers for Disease Control received more than 20,000 responses, about 18,500 of which were a form letter in support of the change. The others were individual comments, including some criticism of lifting the ban. Readers who want to review the remarks can go to http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/laws_regs/fed_reg/remove-hiv/index_hiv.htm and click on public comments.

Critics of proposal have said they were leery of the change, which could allow an average of 4,275 HIV-infected people into the country annually, with a lifetime medical cost of about $94 million for this admitted during the first year, according to early CDC estimates.
But health officials said the move brings the U.S. in line with current medical thinking.
“Good riddance to this discriminatory rule that had no basis in public health or sound science,” said Dr. Arlene Bardeguez, outgoing president of the HIV Medicine Association. “This long-overdue move brings the U.S. in line with current scientific and international standards of public health and will lessen the painful stigma and discrimination suffered by HIV-positive people.”

The bill is named for an teenager who contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion at age 13. Ryan White went on to fight AIDS-related discrimination against him and others like him in the late 1980s and to help educate Americans about the disease. He died in April 1990 at 18. His mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, attended the signing ceremony, as did several members of Congress and HIV/AIDS activists.

In 1987, at a time of widespread fear and ignorance about HIV, the Department of Health and Human Services added the disease to the list of communicable diseases that disqualified a person from entering the United States.

Tried to reverse ban in 1991
The department tried in 1991 to reverse its decision but was opposed by Congress, which in 1993 went the other way and made HIV infection the only medical condition explicitly listed under immigration law as grounds for inadmissibility to the country. The law effectively has kept out thousands of students, tourists and refugees and complicated the adoption of children with HIV. No major international AIDS conference has been held in the United States since 1993 because HIV-positive activists or researchers could not enter the country. Obama said lifting the ban “is a step that will save lives” by encouraging people to get tested and to get treatment.

Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, said the ban pointlessly has barred people from the United States, and separated families with no benefit to the public health. “Now, those families can be reunited, and the United States can put its mouth where its money is: ending the stigma that perpetuates HIV transmission, supporting science and welcoming those who seek to build a life in this country,” said Tiven, whose organization works for fairness in immigration for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and HIV-positive people.

Under a program begun by Bush, the United States spends billions of dollars annually to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

article from:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33553409/ns/health-aids/

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