Young People Not the Only Ones to Fall Victim to a Cyberbully

Most people associate the word cyberbully with a disgruntled young person texting and emailing the object of his malice 30-50 times per day and setting up smear campaigns on social networks to destroy said object's social life. While this is the accepted portrait of the young cyber bully, there are also other, older people being victimized as well. Adults are reporting that they too have been victimized by a cyber bully in the course of their dealing online, on social networks and in electronic media. Many of these adults report a cyber bully "stalking" them from network forums and group discussion sites to Facebook and email. Others report that hateful, negative and derogatory comments have been leveled at them for taking a stand on issues such as animal cruelty, horse slaughter or other controversial topics. Another adult reported that she was in a domestic custody dispute over a child, and that she had to block access to certain parties from harassing her night and day. Another made enemies of a cyber bully who signed her up for adult porn sites and mail ordered items in her name, having them shipped to her home address. She is still getting intermittent messages through other channels, and proxy servers from this cyberbully.

Ways for adults to prevent cyberbullying range from closing forums to the public to making discussion group websites available by "invitation only". One of the only ways to prevent cyberbullying is to block the bully's access to these social forums. One woman stated" if they can't play nice and be respectful, they will not be allowed in". The woman in the domestic dispute was forced to cancel her email accounts and get all new account names, blocking the cyber bully from access to her phone, text and email accounts and reporting the cyber bully to the authorities and web carriers in an attempt to have that person banned from using these sites as they are in clear violation of the user agreements for the websites. The only true way to prevent cyberbullying is to have and enforce a zero tolerance for the cyber bully and his/her activities on all electronic media, websites, email and social networks. This is not only a youth problem, and must be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. Showing a zero tolerance will put a clear message to the culprit that this type of behaviour is not worth it.

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Young Libyan amputee treated in U.S.

Malaak Al-Shami, who arrived in the U.S. on Thursday, was injured when a rocket hit her bedroom wall in Misrata, Libya.Malaak's home was hit during an attack by pro-government forces in MisrataA rocket struck the house and exploded, injuring MalaakHer brother and sister died in the attackA nonprofit has brought Malaak to the U.S. to fit her with an artificial limb

New York (CNN) -- Five year-old Malaak Al-Shami arrived in the U.S. on Thursday evening to get fitted with a prosthetic leg after suffering injuries in Libya's raging civil war.

She landed at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport from Germany, the last part in a journey arranged by the Global Medical Relief Fund, a U.S. nonprofit.

The group aids children who have lost the use of, or are missing, limbs or eyes. It says it is funded almost exclusively by donations.

Malaak and her parents are being housed temporarily at The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island, which shelters families with sick children undergoing treatment at area hospitals.

"All the kids that come here, they're bewildered, reluctant; and once they're here, they open up," said Elissa Mantonti, founder of the nonprofit.

Malaak, who arrived in a wheelchair, initially appeared to be tired, but she quickly perked up when the other children housed in the facility came out to greet her.

She got off her wheelchair and started exploring a toy room and play space with the other children. She quickly befriended three Iraqi boys who, like her, speak Arabic.

They, too, were brought to the U.S. by the nonprofit. They suffered their injuries in Iraq's continuing violence, according to Mantonti.

Malaak's rebel-controlled neighborhood in the western Libyan city of Misrata was attacked by pro-government forces on May 13. A Grad rocket, which looks like an overgrown bullet about 9 feet long and 15 inches around, slammed into her bedroom wall and exploded, causing a gaping hole. Her 3-year-old brother and 1-year-old sister died in the attack.

Malaak's right leg was severed below the knee in the attack.

According to Mantonti, her organization helped arrange for the family to be ferried by boat from Misrata, which is still under siege from pro-government forces despite recent rebel advances.

From there, the family boarded a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, and continued onward to New York.

The girl's father expressed a mixture of hope and sadness upon his arrival in the U.S.

"I feel joy that my daughter will get treatment for her leg," Mustafa Al-Shami said.

"At the same time, I feel grief for the loss of my two other children. And, even though I feel that Malaak may never be the same after the attack, I'm so happy that she will be able to walk and run again one day."

She is scheduled for an initial fitting for a prosthetic leg at Shriners Hospitals in Philadelphia, with the fitting process taking up to seven weeks, Mantonti said.

The family plans to return to Libya once the treatment is complete.

Quoting : CNN.com