Effects of the Internet Harming Users

Here is the rest of my paper on Technology. If you missed one you can view it on previous posts.

The effects of using the internet for ghastly things guides the way for a countless number of lives falling victim to the crude cold world. Cyber bullying has escalated in the last few years and it shows no sign of stopping. We have lost an innumerable number of children, teens, and adults that have committed suicide because of the cyber bullies. We can never get those people back! But we can do something to stop it now. How many more kids will have to die before we see that technology has put us in a very tough position? Bullying isn’t stopping in schools. It is now coming home with the victims to continue to harass and torment them some more. Human trafficking, in particular, has increased rapidly with predators selling little children and women by using Classified ads on the internet. Predators make a lot of money off these victims, where they are trapped and held against their will. Victims are made to perform sexual intercourse in order for the predators to make money off them. Technology has permitted prostitution to amplify where hookers can make money easier than before. Hookers can be found on classified ads that are near you without you having to go out and find them. The internet has turned into a way to communicate with our friends and post updates on popular social media sites. We are constantly updating and telling all kinds of information that our friends really don’t need to know. Houses can be broken into easier if users were to update and tell people when they aren’t at home. Technology might have caused the world to learn more about each other in our daily lives, but is technology really a good tool to have? We are in continuous communication everywhere we go. But lives are being lost daily because of the World Wide Web and the harm it causes people to have to endure.


My mother and father brought me a CD for Christmas. The CD was entitled “Freedom: Artists United for International Justice Mission” and it is available at Family Christian Stores and their online store. Every CD purchased helps to rescue a victim of human trafficking. The CD includes a total of three CDs. The CD features 26 songs from Christian artists on two CDs. On the third CD, it has a DVD to watch on human trafficking. The CD includes songs from artists: Natalie Grant, Third Day, TobyMac, Tenth Avenue North, Brandon Heath, Jon Foreman, MercyMe, Phil Wickham, Jars of Clay, Sara Groves, Relient K, Sixpence None the Richer, and many more artists. You can help someone that has fallen victim to human trafficking get rescue and at the same time you get a wonderful CD to enjoy.

This CD has a song called “Arise” that I am praying and hoping people will arise and help one another out.

Here is a user made video to the song “Arise” By Third Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2-2XMIKmvI



If you would like to purchase a copy of the Freedom CD from Family Christian Stores check it out below:

http://www.familychristian.com/shop/product.asp?prodID=133165&name=Various+Artists-Freedom

Let's all come together and help put an end to human trafficking, bullying, and let's be a little bit smarter about what kinds of information we share on the internet.

Chazown by Craig Groeschel Book Review

Craig Groeschel teaches readers in his book called, “Chazown” how to find their vision for their life. For many readers they might be wondering what a Chazown is. Chazown (pronounced khaw-zone) defined in the Hebrew language is a dream or a vision. Craig leads us in defining God’s vision for your life. You have the power to choose what you do with your own life. He helps identify your vision and how to find out what God is telling you to do with your life. He provided examples from his own life about how he began his call to ministry. Craig will show you how to find your core values and what you stand for in your own life. He also teaches you how to find out your spiritual gifts that can be used to further Christ’s kingdom. He will lead readers to uncover and relook at what has happened in your past and how that works in determining your vision for your life. He will help you tie together your spiritual gifts, your past, and your core values to find your Chazown.

In Chazown, Craig will explore with you and encourage you to continue or gain a relationship with Christ. He will show readers how health has a big part to play in your vision. He will give you advice on your finances. He wants you to have good relationships with the people in your life.

He instructs you to write down and keep a journal after each section of the book. He provides exercises to help you find your vision, your core values, your past experiences, and your spiritual gifts. He encourages readers to make goals and stick with them.

I liked the book because it helped me to discover how to redefine my vision and continue on to what God has called me to do. I kept a journal and tried to answer all the questions that Craig listed after each section of the book. Sometimes the questions will make you stop and think and that is fine. You just need to have a vision for your life.

Craig strongly persuades you to read and listen to this verse from the Bible. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18 KJV

I would recommend the book to every teenager, college student, and adult. I would recommend this book especially if you don’t have a vision for what God wants you to do with your life. It is so important to know which direction of your life you would like to go. Even if you have a vision this book will help you to stay determined and keep following your vision. It will help anyone to tap into God’s will for your life.

The book also has a neat interactive website to help you in your process to finding your vision. This website has great resources for you to use.

Check it out below:

http://www.chazown.com/

Read Chazown Chapter One:

http://www.multnomahemails.com/wbmlt/pdf/Chazown_Craig_Groeschel_Chapter1.pdf?ref=BloggingforBooks_Chapter1Link

Check out Craig Groeschel Describing His Book Chazown:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc9cEE90YIg

Chazown by Craig Groeschel is available on Amazon.com for purchase:

http://www.amazon.com/Chazown-Define-Vision-Passion-Purpose/dp/1601423136/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293153445&sr=1-1

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

Please rate my review on WaterBrook Multnomah Blogging for Books Program:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/view/1147

Privacy Taken Away by Online Interactions

In fact, a big problem with the increasing websites and users is that we want to share all types of information online with everyone. We have no more privacy on what we share on our Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace statuses. Some people posts updates about where they are located at that present moment. For example, my friend Bryan posted, “I am at Wal-Mart”. If a robber saw that status update it would translate to “I am not home, come take all my things” and “Enjoy the big screen TV, my iPod, and my laptop; they are all FREE!” In other words, everyone on social media sites needs to think before they post and share information online. Once you put out a picture, status update, video, or a comment it is always there online. Users can’t take it back. You may be able to delete whatever you post, but someone may have already seen it and the damage can’t be undone. We tend to think everyone cares about our everyday life activities. Do we really need to know your whole life story, minute by minute, by what you’re posting? For instant, the social media raises the question that we all need to ask ourselves, “How much information is too much?” Do people really need to know you just ate Oreos and you dipped them in milk? I can’t help but think who cares. You can learn so much information about a person just from their Facebook page. Some users are even audacious enough that they share their home addresses on their Facebook page along with their home and cell phone numbers. I don’t think most people realize how dangerous that can be especially if they add random people they don’t even know.

Classified Ads Escalates Human Trafficking

Classifieds ads in the newspaper are a popular way to advertise for help wanted ads or items that you wanted to sell. The classified ads now have spread to the internet in another way. Now users can post information about what they would like to sell or offer services to people online. Popular classified ads websites include Craigslist and Backpage that allow human trafficking and prostitution to be offered on their sites. Craigslist “adult services” section on their site permits users to post ads offering to meet each other for sexual intercourse. More specifically, a human trafficking victim can be sold for sex a lot quicker and can go unnoticed by the police. Little children from all ages and women are being sold into human trafficking. Victims are held against their own will and technology and sites allow it to happen. Human trafficking victims are being forced to offer sex to make predators more money by using Craigslist and Backpage. The predators charge people who response to the adult services ads, but they fail to pay the victims any money for their part in the “services”. The predators continue to post the adult services ads on the sites over and over again. They are not going to stop selling human trafficking victims for sex, unless we put tougher internet laws into place. Another example is prostitution has become an easier way to make money by using the new technology out there. Prostitutes don’t have to secretly hide in the dark alleys to offer prostitution to people anymore. They can use Craigslist and post an ad to make money by selling their bodies. Classified ads like Craigslist and Backpage refuse to take down the adult services ads. With technology changing rapidly, no one knows how to handle the increasing sites or how to monitor everything on the internet. There are no government amendments on how to handle the increasing internet problems.

Life, In Spite of Me by Kristen Jane Anderson Book Review

Life, In Spite of Me Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice by Kristen Jane Anderson was a story about having hope in God always. Kristen went through a dark tunnel in her life and she made a dramatic choice that forever changed our entire life and the lives of the people around her. Kristen was determined that she had no place in life and that there was no hope for her. Kristen was run over by a long freight train and the doctors didn’t know how she survived the impact. Kristen tells the whole story about what lead her to lay down on the railroad tracks and why she tried to commit suicide. Kristen shares how to overcome depression and she explains in her book about how much God loves you. God can use anybody who will continue to let him.


I love the book and it has helped me to overcome depression in my own life. The book has helped me realize that God loves me. The book has taught me that what his word says about me is what is most important. We have all been placed on this Earth of a reason. God is always with us through whatever we have to endure and encounter if our lifetime on Earth. God is the one who holds the future we don’t. We can’t change our past but God is always there for us.

Kristen also adds encouragement notes throughout the book to let you know you are not alone in your struggles in life. God was with her and he still is! God is also with you! You are never alone!

One of the things, I adore is how Kristen has started a ministry called “Reaching You Ministries”. On her ministry’s official website, she allows people to email trained counselors if they are struggling with depression and they need someone to talk to.

This book will help you if you are dealing with suicide thoughts and you’re going through a depression. But if you need help I advise you to get help. Please make sure you find professions who know how to deal with depression. Please don’t ever take your life. Your life matters! God loves you!

Check out Chapter One from Life, In Spite of Me.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/36311584/Life-in-Spite-of-Me-by-Kristen-Jane-Anderson-Chapter-1

If you would like to learn more about Reaching You Ministers. Check out the link below:

http://www.reachingyouministries.com/

Kristen Jane Anderson talks about her new book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiaO-URnbsc



Life, In Spite of Me is available on Amazon.com for purchase:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601422520/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img

Please rate my review on Waterbrook Multnomah.

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/view/702

Cyber Bullying Leading Factor to Our Children’s Deaths

Cyber bulling, for example, is leading many children, teenagers and young adults to an endless pit of depression. Most teens are falling victim to bullies online, and they have no idea what to do about the harassment. We are in unremitting cycle of watching what our friends are doing online and what they are saying on popular social media sites. You can get a text message or check your social media account during class or at home from your cell phone. The cyber bullies can start groups or fan pages about the person to make fun of another person. Bullies can also post hate messages and sexual comments about someone else. Peers can sometimes gang up on a person online and they make the person feel like are worth nothing. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube have a hard time monitoring every single comment, group, fan page, or video that users create to share with one another. The website Formspring, for instance, permits users to create an account that allows users to ask any variety of questions anonymously. The questions are not censored so bullies can ask the victim anything they choose. The questions are not shown publicly unless the victim tries to answer the question. If the bully were to ask an inappropriate question, for example, “Why are you gay, weird, and stupid?” The victim could feel like they must answer the question. Failure to answer the question makes the bully think the questioned asked might be true. But the damage is already done when the victim reads the question; they are scared forever. The victims of cyber bulling are feeling like there is no hope out there for them. The teens feel that they are all alone in their battle against the bully. Technology has permitted the teenagers that get bullied in school to take the bullies home with them too! The problem is that most schools don’t even know how to handle cyber bulling because the bullying happens online. Schools can’t watch every student’s accounts on social media sites for cyber bulling or suicide threats. Cyber bulling is a leading cause of suicide deaths from teenagers and kids. Tyler Clementi, Phoebe Prince, Hope Whitsell, and Megan Meier committed suicide from being cyber bullied. Tougher laws will have to be in place in order to stop cyber bullying from happening to a countless number of our children, teens, and adults. We have the power to save lives and give these kids hope if we chose to.


So won’t you stand up and fight for change and for what is right. It only takes one to stand up and make a difference in someone else’s life. The question is will you be that one? Will you stand up? Would you stand up for someone else? Or will you join in with the bullies? It’s your decision.


Here is an inspiring video to encourage you to do just that “Stand Up”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkxnRbyR1c



Some of the lyrics of Sugarland – “Stand Up” are:

“All the lonely people cryin’ It could change if we just get started Life the darkness, light a fire For the silent and the broken hearted Won’t you stand up Stand Up Stand Up Won’t you stand up you girls and boys? Won’t you stand up Stand Up Stand Up Won’t you stand up and use your voice?”