NEW - Website Caution for Parents!! - Chatroulette

Today I was watching Good Morning American and this news piece came on about a disturbing new website that is gaining popularity very rapidly called Chatroulette. (I do not normally pass or forward info like this around because all of us get so much of these "scary"/caution emails all the time, but this one is for real and it is very upsetting.)

This could be very serious and dangerous for our kids and the experts saying that "our kids" probably already know about this site and have or are using it AND there are no restrictions on who or how it is used and it is free. This means that anyone from anywhere at anytime can go online with a webcam and go "live" with anything they want...no questions asked and it can be viewed...no questions asked nor any age restrictions required. The reporters that were involved with this news piece stated that a large number of the 'live chats' they encountered were sexually explicit, and other things that cannot be mentioned. One reporter mentioned that she saw kids that appeared to be as young as ten or eleven on this site.

Here is a quote from the ABC NEWS article from Feb 13, 2010 "Chat rooms are about as old as the Internet. Either strictly in text or, more recently, via video hookup, they've been used for years to solve problems, hold meetings, geek out over shared obsessions and, yes, sniff out anonymous sex. Enter Chatroulette. Suddenly, this ancient Internet activity has been retooled for the social-media-obsessed 21st century. Here's how it works: You don't need to sign on to anything, just go to the site with your webcam-equipped computer to find yourself face to face with a total stranger somewhere else in the world." http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/chatroulette-talking-strangers-internet/story?id=9822879

I have posted the GMA links so you can either watch the story or read the full article.
"Chatroulette: Talking to Strangers Is Cheap and Often Racy - While Promise of New Web Site Is to Connect Strangers, the Practice Can Be Something Creepier"
 http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/chatroulette-talking-strangers-internet/story?id=9822879

2009 Family Newsletter

This was done before Christmas, but things have been so crazy that I did not get it posted. Sorry for the Delay.


Special events in our family’s life 2009,

· January-Jintry and Simon’s Birthday’s

· February-Paul and Cherri get to go out for Valentine’s Day

· March-Spring Break! Loryn went with her boyfriend and his family to visit his relatives in Colorado

· April-Cherri Begins working for Dillon International as their Adoptive Family Outreach Coordinator. She writes a weekly article for their blog

· May-Landon’s Birthday, School’s out

· June-Sami’s Birthday, Paul and Cherri’s 20th Wedding Anniversary

· July-Family Fun Days, Paul goes to Branson for the Gospel Music Association Convention with The Boys of the Fort

· August-Jamison’s Birthday, Simon had more cleft palate surgery

· September-Sami’s Adoption Finalization and Loryn’s Birthday

· October-Sami’s 1st Gotcha Day, Paul and Cherri’s 40th Birthday’s

· November-Thanksgiving! Jintry gets a new kitten

· December-We celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Our Family went on a “Stay-cation” this year. We spent the day at Crown Center and Union Station in Downtown Kansas City. We ate at Fritz’s Railroad and took in the Chronicles of Narnia Exhibit.

Here are all of the Walrod Kids! (From right to left in the side bar picture)

Jamison (age 13, 7th Grade Eudora Middle School)

Sami (age 2, in June 2009)

Loryn (age 20, Sophomore Baker University)

Jintry (age 6, 1st Grade Eudora Elementary School)

Simon (age 5, Kindergarten Eudora Early Learning Center)

Landon (age 15, Freshman Eudora High School)

Cherri

Let's try this

I write a weekly blog post for Dillon International at http://www.dillonadopt.blogspot.com/ I think I will try to switch from our "adoption" blog at www.pckoreanadopt.blogspot.com I would like to make this truly our family blog. I would like to share some of our joys, drama, triumphs and trials. I hope you enjoy reading!

Cherri