Social Networking

Popular websites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, Blogspot, and Xanga make it easy to build a web of friends and acquaintances, and share with them your photos, whereabouts, contact information, and interests. But be thoughtful about what you post; don’t put your safety or your future at risk. Never forget: the words and images you post on the Internet may be available for years, and your profile may be viewed by future employers and school admissions officials, as well as identity thieves, spammers, and stalkers.

TEXAS COURT DISMISSES MYSPACE SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE

MySpace has won what may be the first of many lawsuits over its child-safety practices, with a Texas court dismissing charges against the social networking Web site in the case of a 13-year-old girl allegedly molested by a man she met there. Criminal charges against the 19-year-old accused assailant are still pending.

 

 "BULLIED TO DEATH"

Natasha MacBryde, a 15-year-old schoolgirl who committed suicide after a remorseless campaign of internet bullying.

But that was not all. The malice that had led to her death continued on the internet, causing more anguish to her distraught family.

A Facebook website set up in Natasha’s memory was invaded by a deluge of offensive comments, ranging from sick jokes about the manner of her death to spiteful remarks about her character. This form of cyber bullying is known as ‘trolling’. Sadly, Natasha MacBryde's case is not unique.

I think that there should be certain age required for a person to make an account for any of these social networking sites. The people that own these accounts should be mature enough to handle them. Of coarse they can be very useful but also very dangerous at the same time

http://www.schoolbullyingcouncil.com/tag/suicide-stories-due-to-social-networking-sites/

www.cmswire.com/news/topic/social+networking

Prostitution

        Prostitution is commonly known as the one of the oldest "professions" known to man. The background and history of prostitution is long with shifting attitudes towards the profession throughout all recorded history. Political and social attitudes towards sexuality, women, and infectious disease shaped societies responses to prostitution. Laws on prostitution are almost as old as the profession itself.  Even in young civilizations, like the United States, social and political attitudes towards prostitution have gone through dramatic changes. In the United States, prostitution has always been illegal but it has gone through periods of tolerance and intolerance over the last 230 some odd years of American independence.

        The White Slave Traffic Act of June 25, 1910, applies to any case in which a woman is transported in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution or concubinage; pecuniary. This act is highly active throughout the CAMINETTI VS. UNITED STATES court case 

 CHILD PROSTITUTION IN CAMBODIA FLOURISHES

An appalling number of girls are being sold into prostitution in Cambodia. These girls are not adults, but children. Some are as young as an appalling five or six years old. One child, hoping to earn money for her family, received a job at a café. After being given the job, it did not take long for the girl to find out that she was going to be a prostitute. Not only that, the place she was working was not a café at all, it was a brothel, or a house of prostitution. Understandably, she did not want to be a prostitute, but if she had refused, she would have been beaten by her employer. Families who are poor and struggling to survive engage their children in prostitution because, sadly enough, it pays off. Surprisingly, tourists, American and otherwise, are to blame for the success of prostitution in Cambodia!

         I think that is a very sad thing that people are being forced into this form of employment, especially children. This profession should not be as successful as it has become, not only in Cambodia but world wide. Once these women have joined this path, whether it was forced upon them or a last resort for survival, it seems that there is no way out. For the safety of themselves and the people that they interact with, prostitution SHOULD NOT be legal! ):

 

http://soc202events.blogspot.com/2010/10/prostitution-ukraines-unstoppable.html

http://soc202events.blogspot.com/2007/09/child-prostitution-in-cambodia.html

CHILD PORNOGRAGHY

Child pornography refers to images or films (also known as child abuse images) and in some cases writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child; as such, child pornography is a record of child sexual abuse. Abuse of the child occurs during the sexual acts which are recorded in the production of child pornography, and several professors of psychology state that memories of the abuse are maintained as long as visual records exist, are accessed, and are "exploited perversely." Child pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry and among the fastest growing criminal segments on the Internet. Producers of child pornography try to avoid prosecution by distributing their material across national borders, though this issue is increasingly being addressed with regular arrests of suspects from a number of countries occurring over the last few years. 
  
Court case
Michael Williams was convicted in federal district court of promoting child pornography. The PROTECT Act proscribes the pandering of "any material or purported material in a manner that reflects the belief, or that is intended to cause another to believe" that the material is illegal child pornography. The Act represents Congress's attempt to outlaw sexually explicit images of children - including both images of real children and computer-generated images of realistic virtual children. 

Current event

Although the British seem to do it better, we copy it just as well and in this case, a little too well. With the latest Brit TV series, 'Skins,' making it across the pond and landing on MTV, Americans are getting more than an eyeful of gratuitous teenage sexuality in all of its glory. But American teens better TiVo the first two episodes before network execs force producers to tone down the heavy petting and nudity. The show has been labeled by some, including The New York Times , as a flagrant display of child pornography. Featuring scenes that simulate masturbation, sex and drug use, it sounds like just another day at the 'Jersey Shore.' But MTV's other scandal-saturated reality shows all feature actors/reality stars who are at least 18 years old. 'Skins' boasts a bevy of fresh-faced actors, some as young as 15.

Is skins considered child pornography???

 

I do not believe that skins is actually child porn because although there are some explicit scenes, they are not as vulgar as porn is portrayed to be. For teens my age, this may be considered appropriate, maybe not but that should be a choice made by our parents not the state. There is no nudity so i don't think it is necessary to stop the show or take away the reality of the show...

Poverty

Information This growth of poverty level is largely due to misunderstanding poverty. Measures controlling poverty should be linked to the suitability of the country, as reasons of poverty changes due to social conditions of the country. For example, countries like India and other who has thick population and dominated by illiterates and semi- literates (semi-literate means with less literacy level which deprives them from employment in high tech or medium industries). This category does not fit into high tech industries. For them agricultural, small and cottage industries are most suitable. 

Court case In the court case of Pikangikum v Nault is a glimpse of an answer to the age-old Canadian question of how so many first nation communities in this country continue to suffer appalling conditions and ruinous poverty even as Ottawa throws millions and millions and millions of dollars at impoverished reserves.

Current event Almost half of the world-over 3 Billion people- has to survive with less than $2.50 per day. The current events unfolding in Thailand, India and Kyrgyzstan have a lot more to do with the problems of poverty and social injustice than conventional ideological issues. In Thailand, the Red Shirts are the poor from the rural areas fighting for a small share of the pie controlled by the urban elites and the military. In India, the economic boom has left most Indians behind, and the Maoists movement is getting a popular boost because of it. If, as a global community, we do not seriously reconsider our model of development and urgently address the issues of poverty and social injustice, it is likely that the social unrest unfolding in Thailand, Kyrgyzstan and India will become more widespread.

100$ for every child could end poverty

I think that it should become more than just a theory. if it can help those living in poverty, we should give it a try. Many of those poor children and adults only dream of having one hundred dollars which is a dream that we can make come true. The more we help, that happier they are.

Rape! :'(

Background info Rape is an act of violence by one person against another. It is an act of power that aims to hurt at the most intimate level. Rape is a violation, whether it occurs at the hands of a stranger or within the home at the hands of an abusive husband or partner. In the United States, state laws on marital rape vary. On July 5, 1993, marital rape became a crime in all fifty states. In thirty-three states, however, there are exemptions from prosecution if, for example, the husband did not use force or if the woman is legally unable to consent because of a severe disability. There is still a tendency in the legal system to consider marital rape far less serious than either stranger or acquaintance rape. An analysis of data from the National Violence against Women Survey, sponsored jointly by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimated that 1.5 million women and 834,700 men are raped and/or physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year.

Court case A case against Nicholas Morales was heard in front of the Supreme Court Wednesday. He's accused of raping his niece Tanya for years while she was a little girl. "He thought he got away with it for so many years" she said. As an adult, Tanya came forward. In 2005, prosecutors charged Morales with rape, more than 20 years after the alleged crime. However, there used to be a 15-year statute of limitations on first-degree felonies, like rape and murder. That means prosecutors only had 15 years to charge a suspect. The State Court of Appeals ruled that police and prosecutors hadn't charged Morales in time. Now, the State Supreme Court has to decide if the legislature intended for the new law to be retroactive.

Current event Football Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor, charged with rape and arrested in May of 2010. Taylor, 51, was charged with statutory rape and soliciting a minor prostitute, both of which he denies. The rape charge carries a four-year maximum prison term and the prostitution charge could add an additional year. Ramapo, N.Y., Police Chief Peter Brower told reporters that Taylor "engaged in sexual intercourse with a child less than 17 for which he paid the victim $300. "The alleged victim, a runaway from the Bronx, N.Y., was allegedly brought to Taylor's room at the Holidome Hotel in Montebello, N.Y., by a man police identified as Rasheed Davis, who has been charged with unlawful imprisonment, assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Current event 14 yr old declares herself raped and weeks before fer court date, commits suicide. Case is dropped because no testimony can be given!

Has accurate justice been served?

I, personally, do not agree with the court on this particular case. Although the victim has passed which makes it difficult, the defendant could very well be guilty. Something had to push this young girl to take such a drastic action as suicide, and the supreme court should realize that and further the investigation.

Read more: Rape and Sexual Harassment Around the World - Marital Rape - Women, Wife, Violence, Intimate, Reported, and Husband http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2057/Rape-Sexual-Harassment-Around-World-MARITAL-RAPE.html#ixzz1Ab6pimeN

Gay Marriage!

Same-sex marriage (also called gay marriage) is a legally or socially recognized marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Same-sex marriage is a civil rights, political, social, moral, and religious issue in many nations. The conflicts arise over whether same-sex couples should be allowed to enter into marriage, be required to use a different status, or not have any such rights. A related issue is whether the term "marriage" should be applied.
         Kristin M. Perry v. Arnold Schwarzenegger: A federal judge in San Francisco struck down California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, handing a temporary victory to gay rights advocates in a legal battle that seems all but certain to be settled by the Supreme Court. 

 

Current Event: Gay Public High School Opens!

The first stand-alone public high school for homosexuals in New York City will open this fall with 100 "gay" students. According to a report in the New York Post, the new Harvey Milk High School currently is undergoing a $3.2 million publicly funded renovation. The homosexuals-only program has operated with just two classrooms for two decades, but now is expanding.

                                                             I support gay marriage! I don't believe that it is fair for someone to judge another person for what they believe in, or limit that person to what they can do about their beliefs. Regardless of their sexes, if they love each other than that's all that matters. Would it be okay to you if people had to vote on whether or not you could marry your lover? I have gay friends and they are great people who don't deserve that :)

Marijuana

For most of human history, marijuana has been completely legal. It’s not a recently discovered plant, nor is it a long-standing law. Marijuana has been illegal for less than 1% of the time that it’s been in use. Its known uses go back further than 7,000 B.C. and it was legal as recently as when Ronald Reagan was a boy. The hemp plant has also been used for everything from fabric and rope to ethanol fuel. Hemp was such a critical crop for a number of purposes that the government went out of its way to encourage growth. The United States Census of 1850 counted 8,327 hemp “plantations” (minimum 2,000-acre farm) growing cannabis hemp for cloth and canvas as well. Marijuana has been used throughout history in many different cultures to change mood, perception, and consciousness - in other words, to get high! Its effects range from increasing creativity to provoking mystical experiences, to heightening the capacity to feel, sense and share. After alcohol, it is the most popular of what are called "recreational drugs."
Gonzales v. Raich, (2005), was decision by the United States Supreme Court ruling that under the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, the United States Congress may criminalize the production and use of home-grown cannabis even where states approve its use for medicinal purposes.

 

Californians vote on legal weed

Current event(2010): California residents are expected to vote this year on whether legalization should be approved to raise nearly $1.4 billion in state revenue. That's based on an estimate from the State Board of Equalization, a tax administration agency. This form of legalization is not restricted to medicinal use of marijuana. The bill proposes that marijuana be regulated and taxed in a similar way to alcohol. According to the bill, people would have to be 21 years or older to possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use. Californians would not be permitted to use the drug in public or within the presence of minors, and would not be allowed to possess it on school grounds.

I honestly do not believe that anything positive or constructive could come from legalizing marijuana. Why make it okay for people to damage their own bodies and minds, and then potentially the people around them? I mean sure the crime rate would be reduced if it becomes legal but the crime rate would also decrease if burglary and murder was allowed. And if the state of Cali would legalize marijuana as another way to take someone's money, then that's just selfish. What good can come of marijuana?

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2010/11/01/rowlands.ca.marijuana.vote.cnn?iref=videosearch