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Show Opinion and Commentary 2 Vernal Express Wednesday, August 16, 200 JACK-STRAWS by JackWallls UUV REW PRODUCT JppNTO Internet safety nts. 4tKirtie ka AO ISC "TV TP) flf UAPD The Utah Attorney General's Office has issued a guide for parents who have children using the Internet. The Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has been formed as a partnership of law enforcement officials to help parents watch for misuse of the Internet. The Internet is a wonderful resource for our children. chil-dren. It can be used for education and recreation, allowing them to explore new places, keep up with their favorite hobbies and interests, and communicate with friends. But going online can also be very dangerous for children, and it is important that parents learn as much as they can about the Internet to protect their children from harmful material and ensure their personal safety- A recent survey regarding Internet use among youth revealed the following: -19 percent of the youth surveyed had received an unwanted online request to engage in sexual activities or to provide intimate sexual information. -77 percent of those propositioned were 14 or older. -66 percent of those reporting a sexual advance were female. -65 percent occurred while in chat room, 24 percent per-cent came by instant message. -70 percent of incidents happened on a home computer. com-puter. -In 15 percent of these incidents, the solicitor attempted to contact the youth in person. -25 percent of the youth surveyed had been exposed to unwanted online pornography. The Task Force tells parents to: -Talk with your child about online dangers, including includ-ing sexual victimization. -Spend time with your child online exploring positive posi-tive sites and teaching responsible use of the Internet. -Set limits with your child, determining when and how long to "surf the Internet -Protect your password, which should be required to go online, and enter it for your child each time the Internet is used. -Station computers with Internet access in the family fami-ly areas of your residence and not in your child's bedroom. bed-room. -Consider blocking soft ware or filtering services offered by many service providers. -Always maintain access to your child's online account and randomly check hisher e-mail. -Never give a child your credit card number, enter the number for your child if he or she is making an online purchase. -Find out what computer safeguards are utilized by your child's school, public library, and at the homes of your child's friends-all places where your child could encounter an online predator. Additional rules for safe surfing on the Internet should include: -Never assume that someone you meet online is who he or she claims to be. -Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone some-one you've met online without taking special precautions precau-tions such as having a parent go along and meeting in a public place. -Never post pictures of yourself on the Internet or e-mail them to people you do not personally know. -Never give out identifying information such as your name, home address, school name, or phone number. -Never download pictures from an unknown source. -Never respond to messages or bulletin board postings post-ings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing. -Talk to a parent, or other trusted adult about any information, images, or contact you encounter that makes you feel uncomfortable or seems inappropriate. If any of the following should happen while online, do not attempt to copy or forward any of the images or messages on your computer. Immediately turn the computer off to preserve evidence and call the Attorney General's Office at 1-800-244-4636. 1. You or a household member receives child pornography. 2. Your child has been sexually solicited by someone some-one who knows that your child is under 18. 3. Your child has received sexually explicit messages mes-sages from someone that knows your child is under 18. Going online by youth can be great fun, but without safeguards it can turn out to be disastrous, with life-lasting life-lasting wrong images. PUBLIC FORUM LETTERS TO THE EDITOR What is your opinion? The Express welcomes letters let-ters from its readers concerning any subject pertinent perti-nent to the Uintah Basin. There are no restrictions as to contents, if not libelous or vindictive and of reasonable length (two typewritten double spaced pages). Letters must be submitted exclusively to the Express and bear the writer's full name, signature, signa-ture, phone number and address. Letters for the sole purpose of expressing thanks to individuals or groups will not be printed in the forum. Letters may be mailed, faxed at 789-8690 or through e-mail at editorvemal.com. The name or names of those submitting letters must appear on all published letters. let-ters. All letters are subject to condensation. Letters express the opinion of the writer and are not necessarily nec-essarily the opinion of the Express Editor. Stolen horse tack Dear Editor: What would you do if you came across two horses out in the hills without riders, but saddled, bridled, sweating, winded, and skittish? Last Wednesday, my 17-year-old daughter and two friends, along with their three-year-olds, were riding at Doc's Beach. One of the horses became spooked, and the rider had to jump off along with her three-year-old to keep from being bucked off into a ravine. My daughter jumped from her horse to help the boy and his mother, who was injured, leaving the horses without riders. The commotion scared the horses into a bucking, running fit - and they took off. My daughter daugh-ter used the third horse to run back to the vehicle to call for help. As I drove toward the sawmill, I searched everywhere every-where for the two runaway horses, not seeing them wi Vernal Exp, (ISSN 0892-1091) Published every Wednesday lor $1 9.00 per year In shopping area and $30 per year out of shopping area within state and $33 per year out of state within USA by the Vernal Express Publishing Company, 54 North Vernal Avenue. Vernal, Utah 84078. Periodicals postage paid at Vernal, Utah 84078. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to VERNAL EXPRESS, P.O. Box 1000, Vernal Utah 84078. anywhere. I picked up my daughter, who was also looking for the horses until I could get there. She directed us down a very rough road to find the young woman laying in the hot sun - bloodied and in pain, and asking not to call an ambulance because of no insurance. We loaded everyone, including the crying three-year-olds, into the vehicle and slow ly headed back out to the paved road. Near the cattle guard by the water treatment treat-ment plant, stood our two horses. We got out and caught the two horses, and stood dumbfounded as two young people came from a trailer and told us they had been out trying to catch the horses, obvious that something was wrong. Some guy stopped, walked up to the horses, and calmed them down. The girls believed they must have been his horses. He inspected the horses, all of the equipment, saddles bridles bri-dles - breast collar, etc. He then proceeded to completely complete-ly strip my daughter's horse, loading everything into the back of his new, white, 4X4 pickup, let the horse go, then drove away. He took the saddle she uses for speed events at 4-H horse shows, he took the breast collar that she bought with" a gift certificate she won at a horse show last summer, sum-mer, he took saddle pads, bridle - everything she has worked years to acquire in order to do shows and queen competitions. I still had an injured young woman in my vehicle, but left my son to tend the horses until I could get back from the hospital. Writing this several days later, I still can't believe this happened and it angers me all over. It totally amazes me that this guy was so selfish, uncaring and heartless. He stole from a dedicated young teenager. teenag-er. There were people laying out in the hot sun, injured, needing first aid, and he could have cared less. Yes, there are witnesses, yes we have a description of the man and the truck, and yes the police were notified. But what are the chances of recovering our stolen property? prop-erty? Probably about the same as the chances of someone some-one stopping and stealing everything you own off of your horse instead of looking for the missing riders. DEBBIE and ASHLEY PFLIEGER Safety Jack R. WaBia Steven R. Wallis . Carol Jewart VlcW FekJt Tare Maytett Marie Yoder Jody Smuin Publisher ..Editor and co-publisher Lifestyle Writer Public Notices ...Advertising ..Advertising ..Circulation ft. Classified Ada Phone: 435-789-3511 FAX 435-789-860 Website: www.vemal.com e-mel: edltorOvemal.com DEADLINES ..... Monday 12 noon Display Advertising Monday 6 p.m. Classified Advertising Monday S p.m. Pubte Noticee Monday 3 p.m. Dear Editor, I am writing this letter because I am deeply concerned con-cerned for the safety of my own children and others who will be walking to and from school next week. When I took the Drive's Education course, in high school, I was taught that you always stop for a pedestrian. pedestri-an. On August IS, I was leaving Davis Jubilee. I was at the stop sign on 6th West and 1st North, waiting to make a left hand turn. I waited for ten minutes, not because the traffic was bad, but because there were two little girls on bicycles waiting to cross, and there were too many cars for them to safely cross. Finally, I saw a slight break, so I pulled out in front of a maroon mini-van, mini-van, and motioned for her to stop for the girls. She accelerated, and swerved around the girls and myself, and the girls finally decided not to cross. Have we become so busy and wrapped up in our own lives that these kids don't matter? They are our future. And to the lady in the van... you know who you are. I hope that you don't have to ever experience the feeling of guilt that would surely consume your life because you couldn't spare an innocent child's life and five seconds of your precious time. My kids mean everything to me, and I couldn't live AT STEINAKBR RESERVOIR. kfBW SUN TANKING LOTION INVTpUCTtQMI I I jv ' 1 "I I Hall tops Kings Peak with family At 83, David B. Hall's climb to the top of Utah's highest point, was a little more difficult than last year, but once on top. Hall found the reward the same. This year four generations of Hall were at the top for the annual climb: David B. Hall, Evan Hall, 52; Kelly Hall, 25 and his son, David Hall, who will be one in September. Since the early 1980s Hall has been climbing Kings Peak, usually with family members. This will be his 1 8th time to the top. This year Hall was flanked by other cancer survivors who climbed to the top. - "This hike serves to reinforce' the fact that many people diagnosed with cancer do survive and live to accept new challenges like hiking hik-ing to the top of a mountain or attain their "personal summit" as well as paying tribute to the courage and determination demonstrated by loved ones who do not survive the diagnosis. Hall was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1996 and after undergoing some chemotherapy, he climbed Kings Peak three months later. Survivors at the Summit 2000 marks the fifth year of this signature fundraiser for Cancer Wellness House, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free resources to anyone whose life has been affected by cancer. According to Hall, this year's climb to the top was perfect there was no snow, no wind and no hail. Hall's son, Larry Hall from Morgan, Utah, made a fly by just as the group was arriving at the summit. sum-mit. He was flying an aircraft he built a few years ago. "Larry flew by and dipped his wings a few times in honor of the cancer survivors. This made quite an impress on the members on the hike," Hall said. Will he climb Kings Peak next year? It all depends on how he feels. "If I feel good, I might climb it again," he said. August 19 Hall will be participating participat-ing in the Hidden Peak Hike. The 3.5 mile trail at Snow Bird is for everyone living with a history of cancer, their friends and families. Evan Hall, David Hall, Kelly Hall and David B. Hall, stand on top of Kings Peak, 1 5,528 feet. r t r. z f U ' k 2. 1 1 ft J ft photo by John Kay Bear cub found in Jensen Sunday was captured by DWR officers who plan to give him a new home in the Book Cliffs. without them. Come on, people, we need to slow down just long enough to think about somebody beside ourselves. our-selves. KRIS RICE Vernal Sirens Dear Editor, For over 10 years I used to work at H&R Block at 390 West Main in Vernal. I used to watch fire trucks, ambulances ambu-lances and police officers go by with their sirens blaring at a high speed towards fifth east and main with cars at the intersection. I used to think "one of these days tliey are going to hit someone." On Saturday when the fires were in progress up Dry Fork Canyon again a fire truck was headed to the ires. This time I was one of the cars at the intersection. The light was red, there were tow cars in front of me and can on the side of me between my car and Maverick. I was in the inside lane. I am not deaf. I could hear the siren. I knew I needed to get out of the way really fast. Then the truck starts blaring an even louder foghorn to retell me to get out of the way. As soon as the light turned green every car in the intersection got over to Fright Damaged Furniture as fast as we could. My question is: Could we have run that red light to get out of the way even faster? I would love to know the answer and request a response from someone who drives on of those vehicular units. I almost didn't send in my letter because I asked a cop what I should have done, and he told me I definitely shouldn't' haveturned into JB's or run the red light. If the light had remained red the fire truck was going to go around us by the left side. I had my daughter read my letter to see if she know the answer because she has had driver's education more recently than I have. She didn't know the answer because they don't cover this in class. So now you know. DcETTE SPENCER Vernal |