ALKHOBAR, 6 August — The summer is hot and the little darlings are stuck at home with nothing to do except drive their parents crazy. So let me tell you about two really great websites for kids. I promise that these sites will keep your children busy for an entire afternoon and may even become family favorites.

The first site is VirtualFishTank.com where users can have a “NearLife” experience. This website is different from any other because it gives the visitor the ability to build a fish online and then release the fishy creation into the Virtual Fish Tank exhibit at the Museum of Science, Boston, Massachusetts (mos.org).

According to the website, this represents a new dimension for museum exhibits, because the experience is available in homes and schools everywhere. Creating a virtual fish helps children understand how simple rules can lead to complex behaviors. Most adults had to learn such ideas through books, but the online experience is a lot more fun.

The virtual fish creation is part of field known as “educational entertainment.” In this new educational experience, the children online are linked with the visitors at the museum. After the fish is created online, it is released into a gigantic 24,000-gallon virtual tank. The fish can then be watched interacting with other virtual fish in the museum’s tank. The Virtual Fish Tank exhibit teaches lessons about emergent behavior, group behavior and modeling. While these are serious topics, their presentation has never been so amusing.

The second website to visit is the wondrous location called muppets.com. The Muppet Show is celebrating its 25th anniversary and Kermit the Frog has never been greener. Upon arrival at the site, viewers on standard Internet dial-up should click the “slower browser” icon, which will quickly bring up a listing of Muppet Features, Fun & Games, Departments and Downloads. Take Fozzie’s virtual comedy tour, visit the Swedish Chef’s virtual kitchen, and try some of Gonzo’s worldwide weird sites. Play eat-the pizza and match-a-muppet. Sign Bobo’s guestbook, send an e-card and download some Muppet sounds. There is so much to do at this site, it’s simply amazing.

If the Internet is working well or you have a high-speed connection, definitely give muppetworld.com a whirl. This site is designed for children who have limited reading skills. It is packed with movie clips, animations and songs. I watched two youngsters interact with the Muppets’ sites for several hours one afternoon. Even after logging off at dinnertime, they were still excited about their trip to the Muppets virtual lands and were eagerly planning the next day’s Muppets adventure.

And we shouldn’t neglect all the adults out there who are bored and tired from too much heat and sun, and not enough fun. The next time it’s late at night and you can’t sleep, click to hawaii.com. The site is supposed to be a resource for those who are planning a visit or move to Hawaii, but it has some great extras. There are lovely slide shows of the natural beauty of Hawaii. There are also links to live webcams mounted on the islands. The time difference between Saudi Arabia and Hawaii is 13 hours. When it’s midnight in Jeddah, the sun will be shining on Hawaii’s Kuhio Beach. Every 30 seconds the webcam feed automatically refreshes, so sit back and enjoy the view.

Now we have to move on to some serious business.

One of my friends received a distressing e-mail, which she forwarded to me for investigation. The mail was from someone named “Shoba Shetty.” It read:

“Dear Friend,

“I just heard the news from my sister-in-law, Pushpa. I couldn’t believe it when she told me about the new invention in medical science. It was news for me and I thought to forward this to at least a few of my friends.

“Pushpa and my brother were classmates since college days and they married very recently. My brother loves her too much. She is very scared of hospitals and surgeries and they had decided not to have any babies. Accidentally she became pregnant and they were in a fix...”

The e-mail went on to explain how Pushpa’s “understanding” husband helped her find information on how to terminate her pregnancy. The mail even gave an address to write to so that others could get similar information. Of all the many unsolicited e-mails that I have ever seen, this was truly the most disgusting. I was determined to discover who could be pushing termination services over the Internet.

Readers of the mail were encouraged to write to a web address for further information and so I did. I made up a fictitious story and wrote to the specified e-mail asking for assistance. In that first mail that I sent out on June 22, I informed the “doctor” that I was six weeks pregnant and needed help desperately. I had to wait until June 26 for a reply from someone named “Sally Lewis.” In the mail from Lewis I was asked a series of questions about my condition, which I answered and returned.

I didn’t receive the next reply until July 4. At that time I was given a telephone number and told to contact Dr. Sunitha there. Not knowing where Dr. Sunitha might be located, again I asked for clarification and received my final answer on July 8. Dr. Sunitha had an office in India.

I was furious that people who knew almost nothing about me would be willing to provide me with information about pregnancy termination. There was no attempt to assist me in finding family counseling which might help me work out a way to keep my fictitious baby. There was neither curiosity nor care for my psychological or physical condition. It was just a blatant means to advocate for termination services.

Interestingly, the e-mail used to promote the termination services was a Hotmail address. I wrote to Microsoft asking them to close the Hotmail account. I felt that all religious considerations aside, providing such medical information over the Internet in a completely irresponsible manner was certainly dangerous if not illegal. After all, it had taken the “doctor” more than two weeks to answer my questions. During that time a pregnant woman would have been without psychological and medical care while waiting for the “doctor’s” advice.

Microsoft wrote back to me that they would not close the account because they don’t judge e-mail on content and are not responsible for the content of mail going through a Hotmail account. They explained that Hotmail works like a post office. It is for the sending and receiving of e-mail. Microsoft is completely unaware of content.

I went and checked the online agreement that every user signs when they join Hotmail. Interestingly, it states that Hotmail use is governed by the laws of Washington State, USA. I am certain that Washington State has laws that regulate medical practice. Outside of any religious considerations, I believe that the methodology in which the termination information was provided and the delays in making it available, would certainly violate those laws as it leads to needless endangerment of the lives of the women involved.

Before anyone can use a Hotmail account they must agree to the following condition:

“Microsoft has no obligation to monitor the Communication Services. However, Microsoft reserves the right to review materials posted to a Communication Service and to remove any materials in its sole discretion. Microsoft reserves the right to terminate your access to any or all of the Communication Services at any time, without notice, for any reason whatsoever.”

This means that if Microsoft so decided, they could terminate Sally Lewis’ Hotmail account. But they have made it clear that they won’t. I wonder how long it will be before a pregnant woman ends up alone, unaided and in a dire medical condition due to the irresponsible actions of Sally Lewis and her supporters.

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