NightBlogger

BBC—Children growing up alongside the rise of social networking websites may have a “potentially dangerous” view of the world, says a leading psychiatrist. Dr Himanshu Tyagi said sites such as Facebook and MySpace may be harmful. He told the Royal College of Psychiatrists annual meeting people with active online identities might place less value on their real lives. And the West London Mental Health NHS Trust expert added this could raise the risk of impulsive acts or even suicide.

“It’s a world where everything moves fast and changes all the time, where relationships are quickly disposed at the click of a mouse, where you can delete your profile if you don’t like it, and swap an unacceptable identity in the blink of an eye for one that is more acceptable.” He said: “People used to the quick pace of online social networking may soon find the real world boring and unstimulating. More

Photo liberalmind

The Pentagon is setting up a global network of foreign-language news websites, including an Arabic site for Iraqis, and hiring local journalists to write current events stories and other content that promote U.S. interests and counter insurgent messages. The news sites are part of a Pentagon initiative to expand “Information Operations” on the Internet. Neither the initiative nor the Iraqi site, www.Mawtani.com, has been disclosed publicly. At first glance, Mawtani.com looks like a conventional news website. Only the “about” link at the bottom of the site takes readers to a page that discloses the Pentagon sponsorship.
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Photo Oimax

Since April, the number of websites has just jumped with writing examples that include “you can die easily and beautifully,” said Seiji Yoshikawa, deputy head of the Internet Hot Line, which reports suspect Internet sites to the police. Japan’s National Police Agency urged Internet providers to delete materials from websites showing readers how to mix household chemicals known to produce the deadly gas hydrogen sulfide. Some sites reportedly provide “poison gas” warnings that viewers can print out and hang outside their doors when they kill themselves.

Japan, with one of the highest suicide rates in the world, has battled a series of suicide fads over the years. Until this year, many cases involved victims who found each other on the Internet and committed suicide together, often by sealing themselves in a car and lighting a charcoal-burning brazier.
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See Video Suicide in Japan