Finding the Best Laptop for Your Child

In the digital age that we live in, there are so many options in which we can be connected. And with smartphones so ubiquitous and just about everyone owning some form of a personal computer, it’s only a matter of time before your child will ask if they can get one. And depending on the age, this could be a simple “yes or no” type decision or it could be a little more involved (costs, parental controls, responsibilities, etc.). So if you are looking to find the best laptop for your child, we have a couple of tips that will help.

As a parent (and a cheap/frugal parent at that) my first priority is always going to be money. But that being said, there are plenty of cost saving options that provide affordable laptops that will keep the kids happy and last for a long time. One of the better brands that has emerged is Asus. Their Eee line of laptops have gained a reputation for being both affordable as well as high quality making them a great value.

Another more reasonable option is a netbook. These smaller, more streamlined computers resemble a laptop but have been optimized for music, video and internet surfing. What this does is cut out some of the higher-priced, raw computing power but optimizes the performance for stuff that kids are most likely going to be doing anyhow.

Another reason I like the netbooks is that there are options that are tailored to different age ranges. For instance, the Disney kid’s netbook (coincidentally designed by Asus) is perfect for younger kids who will want to get online and play games, maybe surf the internet and it also comes with a variety of parental controls that give you the flexibility to control where they go and who they talk to online.

And if you are looking for a netbook for a teenager, there are some really great netbooks that are designed for media consumption such as youtube and mp3s. And because many of these netbooks are optimized for portability they can be used on travel or even for taking notes and watching videos for classes.

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International Child Abuse Club Busted and Cooked Babies in the News

Casey Anthony has been booked into the Orange ...
Image via Wikipedia

With talk of the Casey Anthony case plastered all over the news and search results, it can be difficult to weed through the drama and find updates on real news concerning cases of child abuse, neglect and murder. Unfortunately, there are definitely more horrifying things going on right now than a drawn-out suspected murder case that everyone is tired of hearing about.

For instance, a sickening case of international child abuse was recently uncovered. As of today, August 3, 2011, a group of at least 72 identified individuals, including 43 from the United States, are being charged for circulating pictures and participating in an online forum used to promote child abuse and rape. The investigation is still ongoing, and it originally targeted 600 private members of this twisted, international child abuse network.

Participants in the network attempted to conceal their identities and locations by using proxy servers – unfortunately, authorities are unable to fully identify some of the participants, and now only have their user names with which to work.

However, it is now known that members were spread across at least 13 different countries, including France, Germany and Switzerland. So far, there have only been 43 arrests made in the United States, and a total of 9 spread across the rest of the 13 countries.

There were different levels of membership to the forum, including a “Super VIP” section that required participants to maintain their status by consistently uploading pictures and other content depicting children they had molested and physically abused. While the thought of such a large-scale child abuse operation is horrifying enough, some of the children posted on the forum were infants.

On a lesser scale, but just as sickening, a California mother is involved in an ongoing trial for allegedly trying to cook her baby in the microwave.

The case was opened in March, and the woman is now scheduled for an August 26 hearing that will determine if she is guilty of murdering her 6-week-old infant in a microwave. Although the proceedings are currently on hold due to lack of evidence, the injuries that killed the infant girl have already been identified as microwave burns.

According Ka Yang’s attorney, Linda Parisi, she may be suffering from psychological problems. In any event, the child was found in the suspect’s home already dead from the burns she sustained. The mother has already been charged with one count of murder due to the intentional and involved torture.

By Jacob Maslow.

Despite having five children, Jacob finds the time to be the editor of Rapid News Network and Marketing Director for a large ecommerce company that sells various items including allergy bedding and the popular Melissa and Doug toys

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