Moms Talk

Should Kids be Allowed to Have Facebook Pages?

You don't have to be a parent to know that there are very real dangers for young people lurking on the Internet.

Editor's Note: Mom is tired and she is going on a much-needed vacation. While she's at the spa, Moms Talk is going on hiatus too. Moms Talk is a Patch forum in which we ask members of Patch communities across the Lehigh Valley to weigh in on an issue that affects parents, children of all ages, and, quite frankly, people in general. You don’t have to be a Mom, or even a parent, to have an opinion on our Moms Talk topic of the week. And, we, in fact, encourage people of all genders, ages and life situations to share their thoughts on our weekly Moms Talk question in the comments section below so that our “discussion” can become as broad and, hopefully, as useful as possible. In this week’s Moms Talk, we’re exploring kids and Facebook: You …

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Facebook Fans Name New Klein Farms Cow

When Klein Farms welcomed a new cow recently, it turned to its Facebook fans to suggest a name.

Klein Farms Dairy and Creamery used social media to help name a new member of its animal family. A cow named Edna gave birth to a calf at the end of January and the farm folks posted a photo on Facebook asking for possible names. The post generated 177 comments. The winning name is "Ellie" and friends are welcome to come visit her at the farm's "moo-tel." Another new girl, named "Kupid," was born late Saturday night, according to the farm's Facebook page. The farm is Forks Township, outside of Easton.

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Crime News

Facebook Tip Helps Cops Bust Suspected Jewel Thief

Anonymous tip posted to Bethlehem Township Police Facebook page leads them to man suspected of stealing jewelry from Wal-Mart.

  Bethlehem Township police say an anonymous Facebook tip led them to the man who allegedly stole $80 worth of jewelry from the Wal-Mart on Nazareth Pike. Billy R. Inman Jr., 36, of the 700 block of Center Street, Bethlehem, has been charged with a third-grade felony count of retail theft. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $7,500 straight bail. According to court records, Bethlehem Township police were called to the Wal-Mart on Nazareth Pike (Route 191) on Jan. 15 for a report of a retail theft. Loss-prevention staff provided video surveillance, which showed a man taking merchandise from the jewelry counter. Bethlehem Township police posted two photos on the department’s Facebook page and asked for the public’s help in …

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Help! Bethlehem Patch Needs 10 Facebook Likes to Hit 1,000

Please "like" Bethlehem Patch on Facebook and help us hit 1,000 likes

100 More Facebook Likes Needed for Bethlehem Patch to Hit 1,000!

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Help Bethlehem Get 104 Facebook Likes to Hit 1,000!

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Four Reasons to Like Bethlehem Patch on Facebook

Join the conversation and get the news first at www.facebook.com/BethlehemPatch

  On Thursday, Bethlehem Patch marked its second anniversary as a source of local news, information and conversation for our great community. During those two years, our following and readership has continued to grow at a steady pace. We have you, the Patch readers and users, to thank for that. As Bethlehem Patch users, you all know what a valuable resource this website is to the community. Another great resource is the Bethlehem Patch Facebook Page, which like the site itself, is a place to get news, community information and conversation you can’t find anywhere else. We’d like to ask you to help us reach our goal of getting 1,000 Facebook likes by the end of the year. And if you already like us, please spread the word. 1) Real-time …

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Fake Facebook Profiles Could Be Criminalized

A proposed Pa. law would make it a crime to impersonate someone online through a social media account like Facebook or Twitter, or through a fake email address or text message.

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent HARRISBURG — Offending someone online isn’t a crime, but proposed legislation in Pennsylvania would penalize people who take it too far. This week, House Judiciary Committee representatives are scheduled to discuss House Bill 2249, which makes it a misdemeanor to impersonate someone online. But the bill has stirred up free speech debates for its potential chilling effect on online communication — or on pranksters. Now, the bill’s sponsor says specific changes will ensure people who are joking with friends, or exercising First Amendment rights, won’t be prosecuted. The sponsor, state Rep. Katharine Watson, R-Bucks, said the bill is targeted toward giving law enforcement a way to penalize online bullying. …

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Opinion: Can Technology Be Moral?

"You can't wait until after you've released technology to consider the ways in which it may be used, either for moral or immoral purposes," said computer scientist Michael Spear of Lehigh Univesrsity

Do companies have an obligation to prevent the misuse of the products they create? Or should technology's users bear all responsibility for its proper use? As a computer scientist, Michael Spear loves technology. But his wife's background is in ethics, and they often find themselves discussing morality and technology. Together they realized that while Lehigh can teach students to be experts in their professional fields, in college too often students are left to learn ethics on their own. From that realization, Spear has fashioned the seminar, "What Happens Online, Stays Online - Forever," which he presented at the Lehigh Seminar Series, part of Lehigh's First Year orientation program, Lehigh EvoLUtion. Through discussion of several …

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Bethlehem-Area Man Gets Jail for Facebook Threats

Anthony Elonis of Lower Saucon is sentenced to almost four years in prison for threatening his wife, an unidentified kindergarten class, an FBI agent and others on Facebook.

Anthony D. Elonis, 29, of Lower Saucon Township was sentenced Wednesday to 44 months in prison for posting threats on his Facebook page. Elonis made threats against his wife, the FBI, state police, the Berks County Sheriff's Department and an unspecified kindergarten class in the Bethlehem area, according to the FBI's Philadelphia Division. One of his posts said this: "That's it, I've had about enough I'm check out and making a name for myself Enough elementary schools in a ten mile radius to initiate the most heinous school shooting ever imagined And hell hath no fury like a crazy man in a Kindergarten class the only question is...which one?" According to a Morning Call story, Elonis told the federal judge that he never meant to hurt …

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