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Youth Empowerment Center News

By ERIC STERN

BEE CAPITOL BUREAU - SACRAMENTO — January 3, 2005 - With a raft of new laws shielding children from soda, video games and other hazards of youth, parents on the Fox reality show, "Nanny 911," could call on politicians in the Sacramento area code to control their kids. Try "Nanny 916." California already has the nation's toughest helmet law for kids on bikes and skateboards, and calorie-laden soda pop was banned in elementary and junior high schools last year.

Saturday, laws went into effect to restrict kids from riding scooters or riding in the front seat of a car. They'll also be kept out of tanning salons and face costly fines for drag racing in the streets.

They won't get a seat on a proposed "Youth Policy Council" to develop legislation about gangs, teen pregnancy, drug use and other problems. Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed that bill.

But they will face fines for playing with toy and BB guns that look too much like the real thing, or e-mailing pirated music and movies to friends. "Taken collectively, they look like we've given up on parents raising children," said Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and Media at California State University, Sacramento.

O'Connor said lawmakers like to pass popular protect-our-kids legislation because it's easier than tackling the state's tough policy and economic issues.

But advocates, from law enforcement to health officials, argue that laws targeting childhood safety can't be dismissed easily. "I think the Legislature would be happy to let kids be kids, if the world let kids be kids," said Tim Hodson, executive director of the Center for California Studies at Sacramento State.

Yee: Parental control is lacking

Assemblyman Leland Yee, a child psychologist, said many parents don't have time to monitor their children's activities. "That's where the state needs to step in, when there is sufficient information when it suggests that kids are doing certain things that harm them," said Yee, D-San Francisco. "The state has an interest to protect them."

One example is a new law Yee wrote that requires video-game retailers to post a sign notifying customers that a rating system — which designates some games as M for "mature" — is available.

Yee said it's a "beginning step" to keeping violent video games out of kids' hands, like alcohol, cigarettes or pornography. "It would at least say to parents, 'Here is some information that is available to you,'" he said.

Even some kids think the laws are helpful. After all, they're responsible for the latest crackdown on street racing, an idea that came from a "There Ought to be a Law" high school essay contest by a Southern California lawmaker.

Street racing is violent, deadly

The proposal gained quick support in the Legislature, with the California Highway Patrol offering grim statistics that there were 26 deaths and 290 injuries from racing-related car crashes from 2000 through 2002. But in 2003, only four licenses were suspended for street racing out of the 2,042 citations given, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

"These statistics are ridiculous — street racing is growing, more children are getting killed and the penalties are weak," said Sen. Bob Margett, R-Arcadia, after Schwarzenegger signed his bill in September.

The law requires street racers to complete 48 hours of community services; repeat offenders will have their licenses suspended.

Often, bills affecting kids expose a philosophical split in Sacramento, with Republicans often taking a hands-off approach and arguing that well-intentioned ideas can harm businesses.

Merced native mocks laws

Many GOP lawmakers, for example, voted against a law to ban tobacco display cases at store counters — an effort to curb kids from shoplifting cigarettes. Store owners argued the plan was impractical.

Then there's Assemblyman Ray Haynes, a Merced native, who presents annual "Nosey Awards" that mock bills for overreaching, including one about tanning salons.

Children under 14 are banned from using tanning salons, unless they have a doctor's note, and those 14 to 18 need parental permission to receive a tan.

"If we spent more time in the Legislature working on our state's infrastructure and public safety, and less time poking our noses into everyone's business, our state would be a lot better off," said Haynes, R-Murrieta.

For parents, there can be a fuzzy line between politicians acting conscientious and overstepping their bounds when it comes to issues of common sense, said Jack Jacques, PTA president at Lakewood Elementary School in Modesto.

He supports many of the new public safety measures that deal with street racing, motor scooters and young children riding in front seats of cars. But he is skeptical of the Legislature's role in other areas that might be difficult to enforce — such as keeping kids out of tanning booths.

"Does this mean they're going to have undercover police at tanning salons?" he asked. "I don't expect the school to parent for me, and I don't expect the government to parent for me. That's my job."

Bee Capitol Bureau reporter Eric Stern can be reached at 916-326-5544 or estern@modbee.com.

Answer the Phone: Your Identity is on the Line

Beverly Hills, CA -- (ArriveNet - May 06, 2005) -- There hasn't been much good news in the battle against identity theft lately, with fraudsters staying one step ahead of the game. But don't panic, our old friend the telephone has come to the rescue.

We're all aware of the problem of identity theft, but did you know that your local pizza chain has had a solution for years? You recognize it as the system that prevents little Johnny from having twenty pizzas delivered to your door at midnight: the pizza chain calls you immediately after the order is placed to verify the validity of the order. Because little Johnny is afraid to be caught, he'll think twice about causing this pizza-related havoc.

TeleSign's patent-pending verification system has transferred this pizza concept to the high-tech world. It works like this: after filling out a form on a website, the user is prompted to enter his phone number. A robotic system then places a call to that number and speaks aloud a unique three digit code. Once that code is entered into the website, the authentication is complete. This system can be implemented at any point on a website: at registration, purchase, a specific time interval, or at the request of a user.

Email verification is the current standard for user authentication, but email may end up filtered, junked, bulked, or trashed. Because of spam, viruses, and phishing, email filtering has become so aggressive that even legitimate emails don't reach the inbox. But a telephone call cannot be stopped, making this the perfect time for the introduction of TeleSign’s solution.

The future of ecommerce is threatened by rampant fraud and lack of trust. TeleSign will force anonymous users to expose their faces by revealing their working phone numbers.

To try an interactive demo, visit (http://www.telesign.com/demo2/demo.asp) and have your phone ready.

For more information about TeleSign’s products and services, visit (http://www.telesign.com/demo2/) or email press2@telesign.com.

About TeleSign Corp.
TeleSign is a leader in innovative internet security solutions and provider of intelligent telephone-based verification solutions for any entity conducting business online where trust is essential and where fraud is a concern. TeleSign’s patent-pending Verification System provides a critical layer of security for the e-commerce world and is a proven deterrent against ill-intentioned web users. The company’s first product, the TeleSign Verification System, blends the latest internet, security and telephony technologies into a powerful new tool to combat fraud and enhance trust in e-business.

TeleSign Corp. seeks to provide simplified solutions for any company conducting business online where trust is essential and where fraud is a concern. TeleSign’s patent-pending Verification System provides a critical layer of security for the e-commerce world and is a proven deterrent against ill-intentioned web users. TeleSign’s Verification System is able to legitimize a web user’s claimed identification at a miniscule cost and with little inconvenience to all parties involved.

TeleSign’s Verification System is based upon the premise that ill-intentioned web users hesitate to disclose their working phone numbers. By placing a computer-generated telephone call coupled with a unique security code, we insist that a web user provide a legitimate telephone number or be rooted out. The company’s first product, the TeleSign Verification System, blends the latest internet, security and telephony technologies into a powerful new tool to combat fraud in e-commerce.

Visit http://www.telesign.com/demo2/ or call 310-276-5900 for more information.

TeleSign Corporation
Contact: Sam Gonen
Telephone: (310) 276-7843
Email: press2@telesign.com

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Youth Empowerment
Lorraine Bowman, President
4249 Manzanita Drive
San Diego, California 92105
info@empowering-youth.org