Healthcare and Financial Issues Essay Example

Healthcare and Financial Issues Essay Example Healthcare and Financial Issues Essay Healthcare and Financial Issues Essay Healthcare Financial Issues The history of the American healthcare system has experienced some form of distray. Despite the introduction of the managed care (sought to bring the cost of healthcare down), Americans have expressed fear that the costs of healthcare have continued to rise. The 2010s Obamacare was introduced to reform various aspects of the American health insurance industry, and to also improve the quality and access of healthcare services. The research paper aims at exploring Obama healthcare service and how the new requirements have transformed that nature of the health of the U.S. citizenry. The concern of the paper lies in examining how the quality and value of the American health care service has changed since the introduction of the Obama healthcare service. This research uses qualitative research method; qualitative method enables the researcher to dig deeper into getting finer details aboutthe non-quantitative aspects of the topic being studied. Through qualitative research, the paper will unearth how managed care, as an an initiative, addresses the escalating costs of medical care. The research is interested to investigate how managed care can lead to effective funding and offering referals. The researcher will unmask how this healthcare tool covers services that are experimental in nature (Babbie, 2016). The research will narrow down to utilize case study reseach approach, which refers to a research whereby where the researcher is suppopsed to give a comprehensive analaysis and cccount of more than one case. The leading (foundatonal) research in this case study research would thus be put as follows: What are the major characteristics of the Obamacare case? Since the roots of the case study are interdisciplinary, the research shall draw upon various other models can be incorporated to describe and explain the Obamacare case. As classified by Babbie (2016), a caqse study research can be divided into three: e Collective case study-where researchers interest is to study and compare multiple cases in a singular research sudy; e Instrumental case study-where the interest of the researcher is to understand something more general than the obviousness of the case; e Intrisc case study-where the researchers interest lies in understand particulars ofthe case. By setting research questions, the research will be centered on sourcing the answers to these questions. The three questions to be considered include: RQ1: How has Obama healthcare service and the new requirements changed the nature of health of the US citizens? RQ2. How can Healthcare services improve quality and value in the U.S. Health Care System? RQ3. How can adequate healthcare coverage ensure all people have access to quality health services without facing financial hardship? Some of the benefits the research will seek to investigate is the shared benefit with which Obamacare service allows Americans to access it from any part of America. Since this service requires all health insurance plans to cover crucial health benefits and rights. This healthcare plan favors millions of American patients together with the uninsured citizens by ensuring that they canaccess free and low healthcare costs. It consequently allows parents to cover their childrens health up to to the age of 26, a factor that gives more benefits and returns to insurance companies andproviders. Obamacare will detrimentally lead to low costs, since it will outnumber the insurance companies that havebeen having a good number of clients who take all sorts of insurance covers. This is because the service aims at offering high quality healthcare at relatively lower costs. It negatively affect Americans who may be unwilling to buy the insurance through Obamacare tax penalties. By setting research questions, the research will be centered on sourcing the answers to these questions. Some of the considerations involved in carrying out this research include the capability to seal the gaps in knowledge needed to be derived from the research. The research will be carried out ina natural setting and would involve a process of building a holistic and complex picture of the phenomenon of interest. There are many ways through which the researcher can collaborate and enrich their work while conducting a study on a certain topic, like the Obamacare, in this case. The capability to have several iterations of the study in different settings will provide a means of validating findings. Collaboration requires many forms, including crossing discipliness (Babbie, 2016). The practitioner research addresses the investigator, the purpose, and the setting. In this case, the research seeks rightful information from the practitioner who have insight regarding the Obamacare. Reference Babbie, E. R. (2016). The practice of social research. Belmont: Wadsworth Pub. Co.

Middle School and High School Intervention Programs

Middle School and High School Intervention Programs Intervention has become an important tool for servicing students who struggle academically particularly in reading and/or math. School intervention programs are very popular in elementary schools, but what about middle school and high school? The truth is that the older the student is, the more difficult it becomes to get a student who is behind back on grade level. That doesn’t mean that schools shouldn’t have intervention programs in place for their middle school and high school students. However, these programs should embrace the middle school/high school culture where motivating students becomes half the battle. Motivating students will lead to improvement and growth in all areas of academics. It is important to understand that what works for one school may not work in another. Each school has its own culture shaped by many external factors. Principals and teachers need to work together to figure out what aspects of a program are applicable to their school’s unique situation. With that in mind, we explore two different middle school/high school intervention programs. They were designed to motivate students to succeed academically to give those struggling students some much needed extra assistance 8th Hour/Saturday School Premise: Most students do not want to spend extra time at school. This program is aimed at two primary groups of students: Those students are below grade level in reading and/or mathThose students who often fail to complete or turn in work This  intervention program has been designed  with several strategies to help these students. Those include: Requiring students to complete incomplete or missing assignmentsProviding extra assistance on assignmentsProviding extra time to complete assignments when a student has been absentBuilding reading and math skills so as to prepare a student for state testing The intervention program should be run by a reading specialist or certified teacher and could be held during an 8th hour, or an immediate extension of the school day running every day. Students could also participate in this intervention by serving a Saturday School. This is not intended as student discipline but as an academic aid to success. Each of the four components is broken down below: Requiring students to complete incomplete assignments or missing assignments Any student who turns in an incomplete or a zero would be required to serve an 8th hour the day that assignment was due.If they complete the assignment on that day, then they would  receive full credit for that assignment. However, if they do not complete it that day, they should continue to serve 8th hour until the assignment is complete and turned in. The student would only receive 70% credit if they do not turn it in that day. Each additional day it takes to complete an assignment would also add to the count towards a Saturday School as discussed in point four.After three missing/incomplete assignments, then the maximum a student may  score on any missing/incomplete assignment thereafter is 70%. This would penalize students who continuously fail to complete work.If a student turns in a combination of 3 incomplete and/or zeros during a half-term period, then the student would be required to serve a Saturday School. After they have served a Saturday School, it would reset, and t hey would have 3 more incomplete/zeros before they are required to serve another Saturday School. This would reset at the end of each half term. Providing students with  extra assistance on assignments Any student who needs extra help or tutoring on assignments may voluntarily come in during 8th hour to receive that help. Students should take the initiative for this. Providing extra time to complete assignments when a student has been absent If a student is absent, they would  be required to spend the day that they returned in 8th hour. This would allow extra time to get the assignments and to complete them, so there is not as much to do at home.The student would  be required to collect their assignments the morning they return. Building reading and math skills so as to prepare a student for state testing After cross referencing state testing scores and/or other assessment programs, a small group of students could be selected to be pulled in two days a week to help improve either their reading level or math level. These students would be assessed periodically to monitor their progress. Once they reach their grade level, then they would graduate out in that area. This part of the program is intended to give students skills they are missing and needing to be more successful in math and reading. Fast Friday Premise: Students like to get out of school early. This program provides an incentive for students who maintain at least a 70% in all subject areas. The Fast Friday intervention has been designed to motivate students to keep their grades above a 70% and to provide extra assistance for those students who have grades below a 70%. Fast Fridays would occur on a bi-weekly basis. On Fast Friday our daily class schedule would be shortened from the traditional school schedule to accommodate an early dismissal following lunch. This privilege would be extended only to students maintaining grades of 70% or above. Students who have only one class in which they are below a 70% would be required to stay after lunch only for a short time, during which they will receive extra assistance in the class which they are struggling. Students who have two or more classes in which they have below a 70% would be required to stay until the normal dismissal time, during which they will receive extra assistance in each class they are struggling.

Corporate Governance and Compensation Research Paper

Corporate Governance and Compensation - Research Paper Example ance as â€Å"the system by which business corporations are directed and controlled†¦[specifying] the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants in the corporation such as the Board, managers, shareholders and other stakeholders, and spells out the rules and procedures for making decisions on corporate affairs† (OECD, 2004, 11). A third definition is articulated by economists: â€Å"Corporate governance is a field in economics that investigates how to secure/motivate efficient management of corporations by the use of mechanisms such as contracts, organizational designs and legislation† (Fernando, 2006, 13-15). More recent literature has expanded the coverage of corporate governance to include management and financial discipline, corporate social responsibility, business ethics, stakeholder participation in decision-making, and more recently, sustainable economic development in the country in which the business operates (16). Presented in the appendix is a figure showing the comparative descriptions of the OECD and UK’s Good Governance Standards for Public Service, as they measure up to the generic principles of good governance. Executive compensation as a concern of corporate governance Before the financial crisis, there was little reason for doubting the rising pay of chief executives as set by board. The general public perception is that the board acted in a regular and informed manner when they agreed in setting the compensation level of the CEO, and that corporate governance was implemented optimally from the top of the organization. The issues that arose out of the financial crisis, however, led to the belief that the process of determining CEO compensation is not as efficient as the public were led to believe, and that significant... This essay stresses that the case of Disney’s derivative suit involving Ovitz’s morally untenable compensation package highlights the huge discrepancy between what the law requires and what is required by good corporate governance, as far as executive compensation is concerned. Presently, in determining liability and propriety the law measures executive action by the minimum standard of due care and good faith, but this case shows that it is possible for a powerful CEO to meet the minimum and still cause severe pecuniary and organizational risk to the company and its shareholders. This paper makes a conclusion that the courts decided against the derivative suit filed by the shareholders, because the board of directors were deemed to have met the minimum standard of due care, and not to have acted in bad faith as defined by the law. This does not clear Disney executives, particularly its CEO and those directors who evidently connived with him, from meeting their moral and ethical responsibility towards their shareholders and stakeholders, and is an evident display of poor corporate governance. Executive compensation and the hiring of a successor must not be left to the whims and designs of a CEO who manipulates these matters in order to retain power for himself. The terms of executive compensation and succession should be considered as legitimate by social standards and the norms and cognitive impacts on the organization.

Latin American Literature (Marquez) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Latin American Literature (Marquez) - Essay Example When he enters the kitchen on the morning the Bishop is expected, both the cook, Victoria Guzman, and her daughter, Divina Flora, know what Santiago Nasar will not learn for some time--that two men are waiting outside the house to kill him. (Marquez, p.15-19) They, like many others Santiago will cross in the short time before his death, do not warn him. When the narrator's mother hears the news of what is to happen to Santiago, she immediately sets out to warn Placida Linero that her son is in danger, but is stopped in the street and told that "they've already killed him." The twins even reveal their plans to a policeman who passes on the information to the mayor, yet even that does not stop the murder. On her wedding night, Angela furious husband returns Angela to her family. This is seen as violence to her family, especially in the conventions of the time where such an act brings shame to both Angela and her family. As one might expect, she is now put under a lot of pressure to tel l her family who it was that took her virginity.

Employment responsibilities Essay Example for Free

Employment responsibilities Essay Understand employment responsibilities and rights in health, social care or children and young people’s settings. Outcome 1 know the statutory responsibilities and rights of employees and employers within own area of work 1 Health safety, minimum wage, working hours, equality 2 – Health Safety at Work Act 1974: An act put in place to look after the health, safety and welfare of people at work, for protecting others against risks to health or safety in connection with the activities of people at work. Equality Act 2010: This act legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace. Employment Rights Act 1996: This act explains what rights employees have in a place of work. For example, time off work, guaranteed wages, dismissal and redundancy. 3 – To protect employees against circumstances they may face in their working lives. Every person who works for an employer is protected from discrimination in the workplace, has the right to receive the national minimum wage, and to work no more than 48 hours per week unless they wish to. These employee rights apply regardless of whether the employee or worker is temporary, fixed-term or permanent, or how long they have worked for the employer. These laws provide rules and regulations that must be followed. 4 – Sources and types of information and advice available can be, speaking directly to managers, reading policies and procedures, looking on the internet (direct.gov.uk) , going to a citizen advice bureau or joining a union. Outcome 2 – understand agreed ways of working that protect own relationship with employer 1 – My contract of employment at Crown House covers the following : job title, probationary period, place of work, pay, deductions, hours of work,  overtime, time recording, short time working and lay off, annual holidays, public holidays, sick pay, alcohol and drug testing, pension, notice and garden leave. 2 – My payslip includes the following information: company name, department, payment method, payment period, payments, hours, rate, amount, deductions (PAYE tax, National Insurance, Pension), totals, week/month, date, department number, tax code, employee number, employee name and net total. 3 – If you have a grievance relating to your employment, you should in the first instance raise this with the manager. If the grievance cannot be settled informally, you must set out the grievance and the basis for it in writing and submit it to the Area Manager. 4- Personal information that must be kept up to date with own employer can include : change of name, marital status, change of address, any medical conditions that may affect work, any medication prescribed that may affect work and any altercations with the police must be admitted. 5 – Agreed ways of working includes policies and procedures, which may cover areas such as: Data protection – how confidential files relating to staff or service users are stored in cupboards where access is only given if needed. Conflict management – if there is any conflict between staff members this should be bought to the attention of the manager and he/she should try to resolve this professionally. Anti-discriminatory practise staff and service users will not be discriminated regardless of their age, gender, sexuality, religion, ethnic background or disability. Health and safety – staff should wear appropriate clothing, for example flat shoes and covered up. It is staffs responsibility to report any health and  safety issues they may come across, whether it be broken equipment or maintenance needed within the building. Equality and diversity – staff and service users must be treated equally but not all the same. Opportunities should not be missed just because somebody may need extra support to do something. For example, if a sensory room is upstairs and somebody cannot manage the stairs for whatever reason, help should be given (lift, stair lift) so that person can access the room. Outcome 3 – Understand how own role fits within the wider context of the sector 1 – My job description is to provide centred focused care to service users. To provide opportunities for service users to increase their knowledge and experience, to encourage them to maintain present skills and learn new ones, and to enable them to gain more control over their lives. To manage and minimise behaviours as best as possible. To ensure the four key principles of the ‘Valuing People’ document are adhered to at all times ‘Rights’ ‘Independence’ ‘Choice’ and ‘Inclusion’. General and administration duties. ** Important: this is not exhaustive and is subject to review in line with the changing needs of the unit and/or the needs of the service users. 2 Positive Negative Accessing community and participating in activities of enjoyment People may be at risk to themselves and others (staff, members of public) Gives the company a good name Service users not motivated, become lazy Improves service users development and remain stimulated Behaviours may be displayed often Keep service users safe Gives the company a bad reputation 3 – Other people in which staff need to communicate with will include, but  are not limited to, the following: Residential homes – to find out how the service user has been at home (behaviours, illness), let them of know of any lunch requirements (picnics, cooked lunch), ensure money is sent in for planned activities, make sure the service user is dressed appropriately for planned activities. Speech and Language Therapists – to assess, monitor and review a service users eating and swallowing if any problems have been noticed and reported, to offer help with communication aids and techniques. Mental health team – attend regular appointments with service users to see how they are, is medication working? Any new problems/obsessions? How mood has been? (agitated, confused, depressed) Any behaviour triggers? 4 – CQC are regulators for all health and social care services in Enlgand. A regulator is an organisation that checks services meet the government’s standards or rules about care. They also look after the rights of people who need extra support to stay safe. This includes people who are kept in care under a law called the Mental Health Act. The government’s standards cover all areas of care. These rules are about things like: respecting people and treating them in the way we all expect to be treated. making sure people receive the food and drink they need. giving people care in clean, safe buildings. managing services and having the right staff. CQC put care services on their register if they meet the standards, or act quickly if they do not. They continue to use different information to find out as much as they can about services. Information from the public about their experiences of care is very important to CQC. They also work with local groups and people who use services to find out what’s working well and what’s working badly in health and social care services in their area. Inspectors check services all over England to make sure they meet the rules for safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care. Care services, and other organisations like the NHS, also give CQC information about certain things that happen. For example, they will check a service if more people are dying there than usual. They act quickly to stop unsafe services or bad ways of working. They say what needs to change and go back to check things are better. CQC can also fine people or companies, give  services a public warning, stop the service caring for any new people, stop a service caring for people while they find out what is happening and even shut services down. Outcome 4 – Understand career pathways available within own related sectors 1 – To be a care home manager you would need the following qualifications * at least two years’ senior management or supervisory experience in a relevant care setting within the past five years * a qualification appropriate to the care you will be providing, such as NVQ Level 4 in Health and Social Care, a degree in social work or nursing (with live registration) * a management qualification, such as NVQ Level 4 in Leadership and Management for Care Services (which replaces the Registered Managers Award (RMA)) or equivalent like a Diploma in Management Studies, or a Management NVQ Level 4 . To be a nurse you would need the following qualifications – around 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) of Grade C and above including English Literature or Language, Mathematics and a science subject. to take a nursing degree courses you will normally need at least 2 A-Level s or equivalent. all nurse training is done by universities. They offer nursing diplomas or degrees which take three years to complete. The diplomas however are being phased out and most universities are moving to degree only in September 2011 – all universities must move to degree only by September 2013 to work as a nurse in the United Kingdom you must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The title Registered Nurse is only given to you when you have that registration. To be a social worker you would need the following qualifications – a three-year undergraduate degree or a two-year postgraduate degree in social work that is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Many university courses are full-time, although some work-based routes with part-time study may also be available. You will typically need the following qualifications in order to study for an undergraduate degree in social work: five GCSEs (A-C) including English and maths  at least two A levels, or an equivalent qualification such as a BTEC National  Diploma or NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care. You should check entry requirements, as colleges and universities may accept alternatives like an Access to Higher Education or substantial relevant work experience (paid or voluntary). If you already have a degree, you could do a two-year postgraduate Masters degree in social work. When you apply for social work training, you should ideally already have some paid or voluntary experience in a social work or care setting. You will also need to pass background checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Previous convictions or cautions may not automatically prevent you from this type of work. 2 – In order to become a Deputy Manager of a day service such as Crown House, I would speak to my current manager and find out all the information I needed to know. I could also get in contact with the companies head office and if need be any training providers. 3 – The next steps in my career pathway are as follows Any refresher training to update my knowledge and remind me what I learnt last time, this will include NAPPI training. Attend first aid course and SOVA course annually Complete NVQ level 3 by December 2015 Mental health training by June 2016 Outcome 5 – Understand how issues of public concern may affect the image and delivery of services in the sector 1 – The following are cases where the public have raised concerns regarding issues within the care sector: Winterbourne View Baby P Ash Court Fiona Chisholm Orme House 2 – Abuse took place at Winterbourne View, a hospital for patients with learning disabilities and challenging behaviours in Gloucestershire. A Panorama investigation broadcast on television in 2011, exposed the physical and psychological abuse suffered by people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour at the hospital. Local social services and the English national regulator (Care Quality Commission) had received various warnings but the mistreatment continued. One senior nurse reported his concerns to the management at Winterbourne View and to CQC, but his complaint was not taken up. The footage showed staff repeatedly assaulting and harshly restraining patients under chairs. Staff gave patients cold punishment showers, left one outside in near zero temperatures, and poured mouthwash into anothers eyes. They pulled patients hair and forced medication into patients mouths. Victims were shown screaming and shaking, and one patient was seen trying to jump out of a second floor window to escape the torment, and was then mocked by staff members. One patient was repeatedly poked in the eyes. A clinical psychologist who reviewed the footage described the abuse as torture. On 21 June 2011, 86 people and organisations wrote to the Prime Minister, David Cameron about the revelations, We are aware of the various actions currently being taken within and outside government – such as the DH review and CQC internal inquiry. We hope to make submissions to those both individually and collectively. However, on their own these will not be enough and a clear programme is needed to achieve change. The prime minister responded saying he was â€Å"appalled† at the â€Å"catalogue of abuses† Panorama uncovered. In June 2011 the Association of Supported Living issued a press statement, which was followed up in writing to every member of parliament in the United Kingdom, calling for community based supported living services to replace institutional services for people with learning disabilities. The Daily Mail said Without the investigation by the BBCs Panorama, given huge coverage in the Mail, the abuse of patients at Winterbourne View might be continuing to this day. As it is, the secure hospital and two other care  homes have been shut down, 11 guilty staff have been brought to justice – and a devastating report now exposes the serial failings of the local NHS, police and health watchdogs. For the past year, the Leveson Inquiry has focused relentlessly on the failings of the media. Never let it be forgotten how much this country owes, in the fight against cruelty and corruption, to its free Press. The Daily Telegraph said, It is impossible to read the details of what went on at Winterbourne View, a care home for the severely disabled in Gloucestershire, without feeling repelled. In the wake of an exposà © from the BBCs Panorama, 11 members of staff were convicted of almost 40 charges of neglect and ill treatment of those in their care. The national regulator, the CQC did a nationwide check on facilities owned by the same company, Castlebeck Care – as a result three more institutions have been closed. The CQC reported a systemic failure to protect people or to investigate allegations of abuse and said that Castlebeck Care had misled the health watchdog. The CQC also inspected 132 similar institutions and a Serious Case Review was commissioned. The head of the Care Quality Commission resigned ahead of a critical government report, a report in which Winterbourne View was cited. Mencap published a report warning that similar abuse could be going on elsewhere and calling for the closure of all large institutions far from peoples families. Eleven people pleaded guilty to criminal offences of neglect or abuse as a result of evidence from Undercover Care and six of them were jailed. Immediately after the eleventh person pleaded guilty, the Serious Case Review was published, revealing hundreds of previous incidents at the hospital and missed warnings. 3 The public seems to have lost faith in such regulators and companies as this has been reocurring for a number of years. The media have issued a lot of publicity stating how care companies, social services and regulators have let the victims down by simply not taking these cases seriously enough and ensuring the well-being and standards are being met. The public may feel  reluctant to use the care services to look after their family members. These issues also give the care sector a bad reputation. 4 – Recent changes in service delivery which have affected own area of work includes staff being supervised and appraised on a regular basis, changes to medication being administered, NAPPI training to prevent forceful restraining, ensuring incident/accident forms are completed correctly and signed by witnesses if needed and up to date training, policies and procedures.

The Berlin Wall :: European History Cold War

The Berlin Wall Throughout the history of the World, there are many great facts, and things to learn. There is an abundance of information out there not only about our country but about the rest of the world also. After researching the Berlin Wall, I was quite interested, and did not realize what I was missing out on about the past history of our world. I am going to share all that I learned about the Berlin Wall, and how it made a difference in our past and future times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Berlin Wall was built on the night between 12th and 13th August 1961. Everyone always asks why the Berlin Wall was built and what did it stand for. In 1945, following World War II, Germany was divided into two countries - East Germany and West Germany. East Germany was controlled by the communist regime of the Soviet Union while West Germany became a democracy supported by the United States. Berlin, the former capital city, although entirely within East German borders, was also split into two. On August 13, 1961, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) decided to block off East Berlin and West Berlin by means of a barbed wire. Streets were torn up, and barricades erected. Rail lines and the subway between East and West Berlin was torn up. People of East Berlin and the GDR were no longer allowed to enter West Berlin disrupting 60,000 commuters who were employed in West Berlin. Within the year, construction work began to build a solid wall separating the two cities. The German Democratic Republic along with 60,000 commuters, under the leadership of Erich Honecker. The Berlin Wall fell down on November 9th, 1989. In my opinion, the Berlin Wall was built simply because; Germany was controlled by Communist Regime, and by the Soviet Union. Those two groups are not going to get along, and that is why I believe they were split up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since I learned to read music, and play it well, it has been a large part of my life. I learned that just playing the note on the page perfect is not music. To play music well, you have to feel it in your body, spirit, mind, and soul. The music that has been picked out this year, in my opinion, is the best music I have ever played. My favorite is 2nd Dawning, and not just because I have to write about it, but it really is.

Kids should be monitored on the internet Essay

The internet is known for many miraculous advances in today’s technology. We have an unlimited quantity of knowledge on this so-called information super highway. Plus we can purchase merchandise, and talk to friends and family from around the world without leaving the comfort of our own homes. Seems great right? Sure, but if it’s placed in the wrong hands all of this can be spoiled. Particularly when a child is sitting behind the computer screen. This is why I believe children should be monitored while being on the World Wide Web. There are numerous dangers out there that both parents and children should be aware of. First, there is the subject of the â€Å"new and improved† way of shopping, on-line. If a child wonders onto a website of this sort then the child may be able to by something that cannot be afforded, or something the child is prohibited to own, but this is only the beginning of the problems your youngster will encounter if he or she is unsupervised or uneducated about on-line purchasing sites. They might reveal important information such as name, address, credit card, number etc., and if a website is not secure (make sure the website as a privacy policy of some sort) then a hacker -someone who illegally gains access to and sometimes tampers with information in a computer system- may use your personal data for things such as identity theft, and they might even want to learn the whereabouts of you and your little one. It ordinarily doesn’t get this extreme, but you should never take any chances when dealing with something this serious. This leads me to my most important issue. Pedophiles and pornographers on-line. This is an utmost danger for kids on the internet. Kids can find themselves on a pornographic website unintentionally while just surfing the web. For instance if they type the wrong characters into the address bar (Examples: typing .com instead of .org) you may be asking yourself â€Å"Why is this allowed to happen, shouldn’t there be guidelines?† Well in 1996 congress passed a provision known as the Communications Decency Act, (CDA) which was designed to protect children from indecent material on-line. In 1997 the Supreme Court ruled the CDA unconstitutional. It was said to be  against the first amendment, freedom of speech. Lastly, we are on the most critical of things. On-line pedophiles or â€Å"Internet Predators† These are people who prey on children and persuade them to do things that the predator desires. Usually without the child knowing or realizing what is happening is wrong. Predators try and find children on-line such as websites, chat rooms and even e-mail. Usually the predator will try and make friends with the unsuspecting child often pretending to like the same things or even to be the same age as the child. After corresponding with the child for a while the predator will usually want to talk on the phone or meet in person. This could lead to unspeakable situations where the child may be sexually assaulted or even killed. In a study done in 2000, it was discovered that nearly one in five youths had received an unwanted sexual solicitation or approach. It is extremely saddening to hear about these dreadful crimes. Although it is chilling to hear about these crimes, there are ways to protect yourself and your young-ones from the dark places on the internet. First, parents must educate themselves about cyberspace. Most parents don’t even know what a chat room or a screen name is. Another way to keep internet safe is to have your computer in a public place in your home such as the living room or kitchen area. You may be saying to your self that you can’t watch your child all day, but in cases like this you can always get some kind of software that allows you to block certain web pages and even sites with key words (example: drugs, sex, violence) Never forget though not to be too over protective, because if something does happen your kids might be afraid to mention it, in fear that you will be angry with them. In case of an emergency or you just have a question about online safety call the CyberTipline (1-800-843-5678)