Save a Life - Online Predators

You can save a life over the holidays!  No hype.  This was Spring Lake Park, Minnesota yesterday: “woman kidnapped, boundin trunk of car” after meeting man online. 
We can dismiss with a critique of the decisions of a 27-year-old, but the truth is the target of these predators is often children. 

During the holidays, many of us will see friends and family we don’t usually see.  Someone reading this now knows someone who is at risk online.  Is it someone you care about?  Talk with your friends and family.  We all need to make sure our kids are safe online.  Predators are ahead of us and it is time for us to catch up!

Here’s an easy start.  Share this important tip: Real Life before Online – Do you know all of your “friends”?  Mention this to a parent you know.  Sit down with your own kids and go through online friends one by one.  How do they know them?  Take a look at friend posts.  Is the conversation you would be comfortable with your kids having in person? 

More Resources

Facebook SafetyCenter – With 700 million members, Facebook’s “population” is only surpassed by two countries in the world (India and China).  Facebook has gathered some valuable references for parents of teens. 

Parents vs. Predators – InfraGard partner Fire Chief Ken and Rising Star studios present the movie Internet Safety: Parents vs. Predators, a personal story of near abduction.  See the personal story of Ken’sdaughter Chelsea here.  

NetSmartz411 - parents' and guardians' premier, online resource for answering questions about Internet safety, computers, and the web.  

Dedication and Inspiration

This video from the United State Marine Corps reminds me of the dedication and sacrifice our young men and women demonstrate every day in service to our country.  What inspires you?  

Potential Government Shutdown

Will the critical infrastructure and economy of the United States be impacted by a potential government shut-down?  


If the Federal Government were to shut down on April 8th, 2011, we can look to the last prolonged shutdown (from Dec. 16, 1995, to Jan. 6, 1996) and a report by the Congressional Research Service for potential impacts:

• Health - New patients were not accepted into clinical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical center; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ceased disease surveillance.
• Law Enforcement and Public Safety - Delays in alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives applications and cancellation of federal law enforcement hiring.
• Parks, Museums, and Monuments - Closure of National Park Service sites and significant impact to tourism.
• Visas and Passports -  Applications by foreigners for visas and U.S. applications for passports went unprocessed; and U.S. tourist industries and airlines reportedly sustained millions of dollars in losses.
• American Veterans - Multiple services were curtailed, ranging from health and welfare to finance and travel.

Beyond these clear impacts, there will be many ripple effects throughout the country:

• Planning - Lost productivity for planning for a possible shut-down
• Vulnerable Impact - There will be a variety of impacts on federal employees who will get furloughed and businesses who work with the federal government.  Those with the least resilience will be impacted the soonest.
• Trickle-down Effects - Further impact to the economy will be determined by the length of the shut-down and the interdependencies with impacted businesses and individuals.  

Now a bit of perspective; as I write this, the US Federal Government is threatening a shutdown as a result of disagreement over the 2011 budget. The reported dispute is 6 billion dollars. That is a lot of money until you put it in the perspective of a 3 trillion dollar budget. The disputed amount is 2 tenths of one percent.  

What will be the ultimate cost of a shutdown?  How will the economic ripples effect a US economy struggling to recover from a devastating recession?  

My update on InfraGard activities this week.  

Just 3 Steps to Surviving a Disaster

What disaster is 56% survivable?  Why is “Don’t Panic” bad advice?  Watch this 2 minute video for 3 simple steps that will make you, your employees and your family safer in an emergency.