Home Organization and Safety

After James Freeman was vetted and approved for membership in what police describe as a highly sophisticated child porn network, he expressed his appreciation by posting two folders online: one labeled “mild,'' the other “wild.''

“All I can say is that they are worth the download,'' wrote Freeman, known in the global porn ring as “Mystikal,'' according to court documents. “My thanks to you and all the others that together make this the greatest group of pedos ever to gather in one place.''

Freeman was one of 12 Americans indicted last week in a worldwide investigation that ultimately charged 22 people with participating in the porn ring – and intentionally blocking police from investigating it.

In all, more than 400,000 pictures, video files and other images showing children engaged in sexual behavior were produced, traded and distributed globally in the online pornography ring, according to U.S. and international authorities. The sting, which started in Australia, also netted accused pornographers in England, Canada and Germany.

Some victims were as young as five years old. Others were preyed upon for innocent characteristics such as wearing their hair in pigtails.

Full report: International Child Porn Ring Uncovered

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Hateful text messages, abusive e-mails and cyber-gossip are giving bullies new power over their victims — even in the supposed safety of their own homes, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

And most of the victims are themselves new, with two-thirds of children who report such harassment saying they had not been bullied before in other ways.

Schools and parents must work together to find ways to stop such behavior, without robbing children and teens of valuable Internet access, the resaarchers agreed.

"Internet bullying has emerged as a new and growing form of social cruelty," Kirk Williams and Nancy Guerra of the University of California at Riverside wrote in one of a series of reports published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

The reports, from researchers organized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show a 50 percent increase in the number of kids aged 10 to 17 who said they were harassed online — from 6 percent in 2000 to 9 percent in 2005.

Full report: Teens take bullying to the Internet

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The more money a married woman earns, the less housework she will do regardless of how much her spouse earns, according to a new study.

A researcher at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that big paychecks equal less cooking and cleaning in a study of 918 women in double-income families.

Married women who made $40,000 or more a year spent nearly one hour less on housework per day than women who earned $10,000 or less, according to the findings based on data from the National Survey of Families and Households.

"Up to this point, people have thought that the important thing was how much money a woman makes compared to her husband. But the only thing that matters is how much money she earns," Sanjiv Gupta, the study's author, said in an interview.

The study, which is published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, showed that for every $7,500 in annual income a married woman earned, she performed one hour less of housework each week.

Full report: Big paycheck means less housework for married women

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Nike Inc is recalling 235,000 football helmet chin straps after receiving reports of head and face injuries because the straps broke, the

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Tuesday.

The recalled football helmet chin strap was made in China and was sold at sporting good stores throughout the United States from April 2006 through October 2007, the safety agency said.

Consumers should stop using the chin strap immediately and contact Nike for a redeemable product voucher, it said.

Nike received 18 reports of the chin strap breaking and injuries that included two concussions, two facial cuts that required stitches and a broken nose, the safety agency said.

The chin strap consists of a plastic cup with a foam liner, straps and four metal snaps. The strap sold for about $20 and was offered in both youth and adult sizes.

The safety agency posted photographs of recalled chin strap and details on its Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08081.html.

Source: Nike recalls 235,000 U.S. helmet chin straps

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China-made toys seized in Hong Kong were being tested Thursday after scientists in Australia found that similar ones contained a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested, officials said.

At least five children – two in the United States and three in Australia – have been hospitalized after swallowing the toy beads, which are used in arts and crafts projects. They can be arranged into designs and fused when sprayed with water.

Australian scientists say a chemical coating on the beads, when ingested, metabolizes into the so-called "date-rape" drug gamma hydroxy butyrate. When eaten, the compound – made from common and easily available ingredients – can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.

The toys were sent to a laboratory in Hong Kong for tests, a customs official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of policy. If the tests come back positive for the chemical, suppliers of the toy in Hong Kong could face a year in jail and fines of $12,877, she said.

Full report: Hong Kong Tests Toys for Date Rape Drug

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