Katherine Ann Olson answered an ad in Craigslist for a nanny. She was later found dead in the trunk of her car. In another recent case, Lisa Montgomery is accused of killing pregnant mother, Bobbi Jo Stinnett and stealing her unborn baby. The two chatted online regarding dogs. There is no question about it; the Internet played a vital role in the deaths of these two women.
Today, the Internet has made chatting online simple and easy. People are quick to look up online classifieds for a wide variety of services ranging from employment to purchasing used goods. Yet many fail to initiate safety practices when they are online, and it is never a good idea to meet someone online alone.
The Internet is a predator’s playground, and though we often teach our children to beware of online predators, adults are often victims of sinister motives. There is never any way that one can be absolutely sure that the person they are speaking with is in fact who they claim to be. No matter how old you are, everyone needs to use caution when answering online ads and sharing personal information with strangers via the Internet.
What many people fail to realize is that it is incredibly simple for predators to track a person down. In fact, with very little information a predator can locate your phone number, address, and even find your relatives through various online search engines. Chatting is a fun activity and when someone joins a forum or message board, they may feel that their privacy is protected but the reality is that a seasoned predator can find out who you are with very little information.
Additionally, many people may think that they are keeping their personal information safe and may not even realize that they have been giving clues to predators as to where they live. By mentioning events that you participate in your local area, a predator can narrow down where you live. Even screen names can help give you away and if your real fist and last name are displayed online, it doesn’t take much more then knowing your state to pull up an address and phone number.
However, the real danger occurs when people agree to meet strangers online. Whether for a job opportunity, to purchase something through a want ad, or to meet someone whom you think may be a potential friend or date, once you take that step you are putting yourself in danger. Yet, it is obvious that people continue to meet strangers online. So you may be wondering what steps you can take to ensure that you are safe. Here are some tips that will help make certain that you are using caution when meeting people online.
First, trust your instinct. There has never been any better warning signal then your own intuition. If something about a situation sends red flags, go with your gut. Also, remember the rule, “If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” It is better to pass on that would be discount sofa then to put your life in jeopardy.
Next, if you agree to meet someone online, never go alone. Travel with several friends, bring your cell phone, and always leave the details of where you are going. In fact, tell the person that you are agreeing to meet that you will be arriving with friends. If the person has bad intentions, this will usually divert their interest.
If you are engaging in online dating, make sure that your first meeting is in a public place. Take your own vehicle so that you have a way to leave if things don’t work out. Again, suggest double dating and always let other people know where you are going.
Finally, use extreme caution when discussing any personal information online; this not only pertains to forums and chat rooms, but to blogs as well. You may want to consider using a fake name and location for your profile information.
It may come as a surprise, but many inmates have been called from the day-to-day routine of life as a prisoner to don the task as fire fighter in California’s latest blaze. When a person is convicted of a crime, one of the main goals of incarceration is to have that person pay their debt to society. However, when a grand scale crises ensues, inmates are often called upon to serve. In the past week, over 4,000 inmates have been doing just that.
There are certain qualifications that inmates must meet before they are selected to fight fires. First, both male and female inmates may be selected. Second, they must have no violent prior arrests or charges. They also must be in prime physical condition and able to handle the rigors of the job.
The California program that uses inmates to fight fires began after World War II. The prisoners receive a shorter sentence for the days spent fighting fires. The inmates are supervised by guards and are easily identified by wearing bright orange jumpsuits and protective gear. Regular firefighters wear yellow suits. The experience has a lasting impression on those who participate and many inmates report that they are changed for the better due to the experience.
Firefighters are also quick to sing the inmates praises, as they know how difficult it is to fight fires as well as work as a team. Many of the inmates have never worked traditional jobs and are taught on the job skills such as teamwork and partnership to ensure that everyone is working in unison to extinguish the fires. The professional fires usually select a foreman who is in charge of the prison crews, however there are financial bonuses and incentives given to those who manage the inmate firefighters.
Using inmates to fight fires is not without its risks. In fact, throughout the years inmates have suffered injuries including death. Two inmate firefighters lost their lives during 1999 and 2000 and already one firefighter has lost their life in the California wildfires.
Many people wonder if the inmates try to escape when they are selected for fire duty. Surprisingly, the inmates do not try to make a get a way. This is usually attributed to the fact that due to the extreme serious nature of the wildfires, there is no place to run to. Many of the inmates are set to secluded locations that are on fire and the situation is dire.
Most of the time the inmates are handed tasks such as removing brush and debris from burning zones in an effort to help contain the fire. There are also rewards in store for those who successfully fight fires and work with their teams as opposed to stiff sentences and penalties for those who try to escape.
In addition to adult inmate crews, juvenile offenders are also often selected for fire duty. Like their mature counterparts, juveniles must not have any violent offenses and earn the privilege to participate with the teams.
Global warming is a crisis that is faced not by one country, or one continent or one race of people, but by the entire human population. Do not sit on the fence thinking that the problem will go away or that somebody else will do the rectification; you have to contribute your part in the ongoing battle against global warming. You have to change your attitude and modify your lifestyle to bring about changes in the society. In a developed country like US, an average American contributes to 6.6 tones of greenhouse gases per year and since the nineties this has increased even further. As more and more countries are become developed e.g. China and India with their huge population, the crisis is set to worsen. So it’s time to get up and start your contribution in the battle against global warming; others will surely follow.
Your Contribution
Small drops of water make an ocean; similarly a single individual can make a huge impact. Look around you; there are so many ways you are wasting precious resources without even being aware of it. Does your electrical appliance carry the energy star rating? If yes, then you have already taken a step against global warming. If not, then next time you are buying one, look out for the rating. The higher the number of stars, the higher is the amount of energy that appliance saves in comparison to ordinary ones. Change your ordinary bulbs to CFL bulbs, which give more light in half the electricity. Water is another resource we carelessly use. Use low flow faucets in home and do not leave them running unnecessarily.
Cars and other transportation cause maximum pollution, but it is also true that we cannot live without them. So we have to make them more environment friendly. Take a job, if possible nearer home so that you can walk or cycle to it. Otherwise try to use the car pool or public transport. See that the car you use gives more mileage per gallon. Another important resource to save is the trees, our planet’s lungs. Do not waste paper; if possible use an alternative. Recycle whenever possible and not only for paper but other garbage also. Remember the rubbish generated will need a landfill or if burned will release harmful gases into the atmosphere.
Do More
Keep yourself aware with the problems of global warming. If you see any one flouting standard rules or an act that can cause more greenhouse gas production, protest against it. Pressure your government to bring changes in the policy regarding environment. Global warming will affect every one of our progeny, so join the battle now.
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Global warming has become synonymous with everything wrong in today’s world. Erratic weather, rising sea level, floods, droughts everything is being blamed on global warming. While some of the allegations are true, others are under investigation. But before we dwell on what are the effects of global warming, let’s see how this problem was created in the first place.
The First Phase
Global warming is not something new, it has been occurring for the last 400,000 years. The difference is that earlier, it was happening as a part of nature’s cycle. The greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, that came out naturally formed a blanket over earth keeping her warm for life to flourish. Trees took excess CO2 and turned it into O2 and water. But as the Modern Age started, the production of CO2 increased as a result of human activities. Now let’s see what these are:
- CO2 from power plants: Electricity has been the driving force behind human progress in the last century. The power plants that made it possible burnt coal to generate it. Coals have eighty percent more carbon per unit of energy than natural gas. Carbon dioxide is the main gas emitted from burning coal; so you can imagine how much CO2 is generated when you heat a room electrically in winter without proper insulation.
- CO2 from cars: CO2 from cars is the second source of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. People don’t bother about how many miles per gallon their cars are giving and so fail to save oil, a precious resource and pollute the air as well.
- Methane: The second important greenhouse gas, the production of which has gone up by 145% in the last hundred years is methane. It is deadlier than CO2 as it can trap heat up to more than twenty times. Fossil fuel is one major man-made source.
- Nitrous oxide: Another naturally occurring greenhouse gas that human activities have increased is nitrogen. Fertilizers, cars and burning of organic matter contribute in the formation of this gas.
- Deforestation: Had trees been there in adequate number, they could have cleaned the excess CO2. But 34 million acres of trees are cut down every year making that impossible.
The Next Phase
As the earth keeps getting hotter, “carbon sink” that had trapped carbon for years have started to release them. Major among them is Permafrost, a solid structure of frozen soil deep below earth. This is found in the Arctic and sub Arctic region. Already, thawing permafrost has started to release CO2 and methane in the air. Tundra, another carbon sink holding approximately 50 million tons of carbon has started to melt due to warmer temperature, releasing CO2 in return. Oceans too have started to release carbon. All these will accelerate the global warming process.
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Here we are going to discuss some first date ideas for married couples. Surprised? Married couples have had many dates together, then why are we discussing first date ideas? Simple answer, because after marriage, most of the husbands and wives forget how to date each other, and how to have fun as they did on their first date. Therefore, it is kind of revisiting the old days, to reinvent your married life, and put the spark back into it.
First Date Ideas to Rekindle the Magic
Do not try out routine first date ideas with your wife like: taking her to an opera, visiting antique shops, or going to your kid’s ball game together. Do something different. Take her to a vineyard and spend the afternoon tasting their wines. This is simple, fun, rural and relaxing as well.
Sing karaoke with her, on top of your voice. You may not be a great singer and she knows that, but matching tones with an old Beatles song will bring out the youth in you, and both of you will let loose yourselves. You can try another first date ideas, like, going to bike riding or a picnic like small kids. You can also take her to a live music concert or a nearby local ball game and cheer your favorite bunch of kids. You may also like to play some games together, games both of you love to play or at least watch. You may go for billiards, golf-putting, tennis or swimming.
The most exciting first date idea for her would be to recreate your first date together. Pick her or meet her the same way you met at that time, take her to the same place, and if you could remember, eat the same meal too. This could be fun as well as very romantic and she will really love it.
Another first date ideas with your wife could be going to a remote place for the weekend, camping in a forest, hitting the road, just like that, and deciding the destination afterwards. Just let your imagination run, you will find many exciting getaways with your wife.
Just remember, getting married does not mean you have lost your right to date. Date your spouse, make use of the first date ideas and find new innovative ways to plan your date. She will not only love you more for it, but also will look forward to more such dates, and may even plan a date with you herself, with something even more exciting!
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