Bedtime thoughts

Privacy on the web is what we make of it. For every amazing anti-hacking program, there are countless people that can break the code. If you want you life to remain private, you must be careful. Be self-aware! Know what’s sights your on, know who your giving your credit card number to, and don’t you the same password (your street address) for your on-line banking and your subscription to pornolove.com. Technology and government has made it impossible for the average person to be completely private and safe, however we can take steps to decrease the vulnerability we expose ourselves to.

Living today is impossible with out constant education and knowledge. My mother never went to college, as was successful being an employee her whole life. Two years ago she became an insurance saleswoman and was lost in front of a computer. Pictures inside of email are still amazing to her. I guess my point is 20 year ago the world did not progress as fast as it does today. However if you do not stay educated and on top of the game today you will eventually fall behind and lose. Could you imagine a 25 year-old with their BA/BS interviewing for a job and telling the interviewer "I have no computer skills". That person would never get the job. Technological knowledge is power whether it is needed for vocational purposes, pleasure, privacy or protection it is necessary, and imperative in todays society. With out it you will be eaten alive. Thanks for a great semester!

My semester recap

Wow, this has been quite the class. When I registered for the class my honest hope was that it was going to be a blow-off online class. I figured with someone trying to teach 400 people how hard could the class actually be. Although, quite wrong about what I was getting myself into, I am 100% pleased that I had the opportunity to take this course.

  I was always aware of porn; basically I knew it existed, and that my brother-in-law has a lot of it. That was about all I knew 3 months ago. The knowledge Dr. Halavais has bestowed upon me, I shall never forget. 

 I am a mom, and I knew porn was all over the Internet, but the extent of the problem shocked me this semester. My son is only two years old, but by the age of four schools will introduce him to a computer. Heck, he doesn’t understand it, but he loves my computer now. I am glad that I have learned now, so that I can combat the problem in the future. I have learned that kids know more about the computer than we think, and that the best parental controls are not software. Communication about the scary things in life, as well as a computer in the living room is a good start in the fight against children watching porn. Dr. Halavais show me that the government is trying to control the problem, but for every person that supports him, 2 are combating him. The people that are fighting the system need to realize that their rights are not being taken away, but rather the innocents of our children are being protected. 

Well we wouldn’t have this problem if the Internet didn’t exist, right? Wrong the Internet exists because of porn, and to that we should thank it. However just because an industry is so powerful does not mea it has to be so obvious. I was shocked to hear that major companies like GM receive a ton of their profits from porn. Some say that they are ashamed and don’t want to lose business, however I think that they are being excellent role models. The impression that I get is of them saying “Yes porn exists, and yes we support it, but we don’t need to have naked women on our cars to make money”. This industry has and will continue to profit whether or not it is advertised, whether or not children stubble upon it and whether or not it is regulated.

 Porn is moneymaking company; maybe they should be the ones to advocate child awareness. I bet if they funded the campaigns and invented the hardware to keep kids safe they would make more money that they already do.  

There is a lot of debate about porn and it does not have to do with just children. One debate that I found interesting this semester was the topic of condoms. It seems like such an easy answer. I would assume that you want to wear them to remain safe, but most porn stars hate them. They say there is not room for safe sex in a fantasy. I personally would not risk my life, for any fantasy. I know other means of protected are always taken but it just isn’t enough for me.

 One of the wildest things that I heard this semester was the term “Gay for Pay”. I cannot believe that straight men will have sex with other straight men for money. I guess there is a price for everything. The part about that week of lecture that I thought was crazy was when the girlfriend was giving her man tips on how to give good blowjobs. Now, that is someone who is comfortable in her relationship! 

Although it is one of the most disgusting, sad topics the weeks that we spent on human trafficking interested me the most. I really enjoyed watching the frontline episode and got a lot out of it. It is a horrible thing that these women go through and I am glad that it has finally caught the public eye. Today, trafficked women are being helped in the US, instead of being kicked out as an illegal immigrant.

 My most favorite thing to debate about was the topic of porn vs. prostitution. This topic had a very diverse option and the blogs were quite interesting. The suggestion that women have no choice was supported as well as ripped to shreds. I think everyone one has the option to educate him or herself, even if it is at a community college. The quote “Well I can’t get in to Harvard, so I am going to sell my body!” still cracks me up, give me a break. You strip because it is easy money. 

In conclusion I got a lot out of this class. I worked hard, watched a lot of lectures (while in my PJ’s) and took tons of notes. This class opened my eyes to the world behind porn as well as the government’s points of view. The benefits and consequences of porn are amazingly interesting and with out this class I would have never attributed them to in pornographic industry. As a whole I liked the set up of the class, the lectures were a nice touch. I have taken at least 3 other online courses and this was the first one that entailed more that reading the text. For that I am grateful. The blogging was fun; I just wish the class was a bit smaller, so there could have been more conversation between all of us. All in all, I had fun and learned a lot. The next place you teach will be luck to have this course! Good luck!  

PS. Dr. Halavais, I was so stressed about all my finals, that I actually cried (real tears) when I read that our final was optional. I was prepared to take it, but scared to death. So thank you, I cant think of a better surprise to end a semester of hard work. Thank you and good luck at your new job!!!

Heather

Mommy, what is Barbie doing????

Good for Bush, at least he recognizes the problem and is trying to do something. I am definitely an advocate for porn censoring, but I do not think the government should be in charge of it all. I think rating is a great idea, however I think third parties and not the government should do it.

 Once the government starts to control our freedom to publish porn, the first amendment is brought in and the government is ripped to shreds. The first amendment is not being violated, porn is not being taken away forever, and it is becomes harder for children to access. I do not understand the problem with that. Demands such as don’t put graphical imagines on your home page, should not be that big of a deal. If an adult is there to see porn, one more click is not going to kill them, however it might save an innocent child. The word Barbie doll should not bring up porn sites. Kids today are growing up quicker than ever before, why may it any worse. Why should we have to explain to a 7 year old, why Barbie is naked with a penis in her mouth?

I think that the only freedom being violated it that of our children. My son should be able to go online and type in the words spider man, with out being presented with pornographic imagery.  The government has the right idea, however I think their success will be easier, fasted and more effective if they control the problem from behind the scene. They need to stay out of the media, or the public is going to fight good ideas, simply to despite the government.

Just plain sick

As much of the lectures this week disgusted me, they intrigued me the most. I am 100% against child porn, it is disgusting and wrong, but the topic as a whole interests me. I think that it needs to be taught about to aide in the prevention of it.  

The educated and uneducated general population all knows child porn exists, but I don't think anyone other that the victims and predators know how huge it is. Parents and children are clueless and this problem needs to be addressed. It is an uncomfortable thing to talk about, but if it is not talked about we will never be able to stop it. The lectures of this week opened my eyes to how scandals these predators are. These people are finding loopholes in every law possible to find children. "Teen modeling" and child wearing clothes are two disturbing ways for these men to get off "legally". 

One thing that disturbed me was the population of older women role-playing as children. I can understand a husband being turned on by his wife pretending to be a high school cheerleader or something like that, but I believe this genre of porn is a gate-way to actual child porn. Not a good idea. 

At the beginning of the lectures for the week Dr. Halavais stated that he didn’t like talking about these things, and wanted to get it over in one day. As unpleasant and the topic is, it needs to be discussed, this may be a personal preference, as children are my area of study, but I found these three lectured more interesting than most others and enjoyed watching them. 

SugarBank

While surfing the Internet I found a blog that gave the top ten reasons for porn. I decided to comment on http://sugarbank.com/2006/04/13/ten-things-to-thank-porn-for/ because his top ten reasons are well written, true to anyone under 25, and semi-humorous, and up for much debate. I think SugarBank has done a good job justifying, normal, legal porn.

A few of his points were centered on great sex and blowjobs. Most people in their twenties today seen porn well before they had seen or touched a real body part. He said that porn was a good teacher for all of us. I agree. Watching porn before you engage in sexual acts can make you feel more comfortable about what to do. SugarBank made me laugh when he said that before 1980 women did not know men could last for more than 12 seconds, and now we know ) His comments are very relaxed and point out humorous things that are so true. SugarBank's blog reminded me of one of those emails you get that are titled "You know you came from Buffalo if….”

 SugarBank also taught me a few things. I knew that porn was a major role in the development of the Internet, however I did not know that PayPal was created around porn, or that credit card companies count on porn fraud to be able up their security. His points on the first amendment pointed out that every time porn is in trouble the 1st amendment is used against them, porn usually wins. I agree that this is a good thing because it means that our first amendment is strong and our rights can’t be easily taken away from us in any case.

He also attributed some of our great loved HBO shows to porn. "Taxicab Confessions, Kim Catrall’s Sexual Intelligence, Pimps Up Ho’s Down, Family Business – it’s all softcore porn and it pays for the Sopranos. You’re welcome." Porn has made it easier to involve sex in regular TV. Having sex on regular shows makes them more realistic, and fun, but if porn was not so normal, watching people start to strip on NBC would be never heard have.

Porn has given us thing that most people would not accredit to the industry. Some reasons may be a far-fetched justification (like the Sopranos thing), however in a way it is all true. Yes, the Internet might be around today, but would it be what it is now with out the advancement in porn? Probably not. Pornography is not all good, and although it has aided in some great things, it has also gotten out of hand, and into the wrong hands. But nothing is perfect! 

question of Lucas

Mr Lucas,

My first question is reguarding religion. Religion plays a very important role in most people's lives, is it more likely for gay men and women to change from a strick religion that does not accept them, to more liberal one?

Secondly, I direct my attention towards George Bush. How can some one with a gay daughter be so publicly anti-gay, and do to think he takes it easy on the subject because he knows he will be eaten alive by the media, because of his daughter?

The dog ate the whole ButterLamb, then puked!

Porn in everywhere, and keeping it away from our children is becoming and increasingly big problem. However, I think a bigger problem is the things we are not trying to block from them.

Answer this –>

Why is it ok for a 15 yr old to get drunk, but not watch porn? 

Why is it ok for a 14 yr old to pick up prostitutes and kill cops on a video game, but not watch porn?

Why is it so easy for a 13 yr old to get their hands on weed, but not watch porn?

Why is it ok for 12 yr olds to smoke cigarettes, but not watch porn? 

Why is it ok for an 11 yr old to sing along to rap about crime, sex and drugs, but not watch porn?

Why is it ok for a 10 yr old to have a poster of a half naked celebrity on the wall to idolize, but not watch porn?

Why is it ok to take your 9 yr old boy to Hooters, but not watch porn?

Here is my answer–> None of these things are ok! However, they happen everyday with without us even thinking twice about them.

Music and video game are rated age appropriate, but does that actually work, and does it matter? What video game executive decided that it is ok for an impressionable 17 yr old to pick up hoes, rob stores, and kill cops, but a 16 yr old is way to immature? Give me a break! Most music is not even music anymore, as pointed out by http://bal8.wordpress.com/2006/04/17/music-indecency/. It is a bunch of cool rappers mumbling about how much ass they get, how many cars they have, and how much bling they wear. Some role models! Parents do not listen to cd's before their children, 16 yr olds are still very impressionable, are they are being targeted with musical garbage.

In fact I think that the older children are at a great risk to be damaged by these materials than the younger kids. Older children have cars, and jobs; they have their own money and the ability to make their own choices. The little ones can still be controlled. At 10 yrs old your mom can still say no, but at 17 it's not that easy.

Now do you still think porn is our greatest problem?

Today's society needs help. The sick people at the top of the corporate ladder that target kids need help. The cigarette executive that have the moral deficiency to think that a good advertising plan is one that targets 14 yr olds, need help. Porn might not be good for kids, it might damage them, and it might show them non-age appropriate material, BUT ATLEAST IT IS NOT TARGETED AT THEM. ATLEAST IT IS NOT MADE FOR THEM. ATLEAST THERE IS AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP IT FROM CHILDREN AND THATS MORE THAN I CAN SAY FOR OTHER INDUSTIRES.

Maybe music, video, and cigarette creators can learn a thing or two for the wide world of porn! 

260

One pornographic website for every person in the country, Sen. Frank Lautenberg really put things into perspective for me. That number and the other number he read off are out of control. He called it an explosion and that is the perfect word. 260 million porn sites is highly unnecessary, it is impossible to avoid those kinds of numbers even if you wanted to.

 

Internet pornography is fine, for the people that are old enough and responsible enough to watch it. Parents use filtering and blocking programs, but the senators brought up the fact that they don’t work. Senate wants to know why; well the reason is because children are more educated in computer technology than their parents are. I think another major problem is that parental control passwords, chosen by the parents, are something obvious to the child like their dogs name, or street they live on. When I was younger, I knew my parents password had to be simple; sure enough it was the name of our street. It took me know time at all, to do whatever I wanted.

 

Child porn, or child sexual abuse is a big problem on the Internet. Laura Parsky pointed out that child porn has became rougher, dirtier and nastier over the last few years. Although illegal child porn is growing and becoming more obscene that it was before the laws were enforced. The efforts to stop child porn seem to be awesome on paper, but with such a large and continuous community growing, I don’t think the current plans are enough. I understand you have to start somewhere, but if criminal do not get caught, they will not stop, “When the cats away, the mice will play.” Laura Parsky talked out all of the programs that are being used to enforce the federal laws, and I believe that they are doing everything that they can. I just fear the numbers grow, just as quickly as people are convicted. I feel it is a never-ending battle.

 

It was suggested by Sen. Mark Pryor that everyone is rowing in the same direction, but no one is in the same boat. If everyone trying so hard to stop child porn and to stop children from view porn were combined, their efforts might have a large pay off. It was said early in the congressional hearing that it is not just the parent’s problem, we all have to work together, I agree with that on all levels. Parents, teachers and community leaders should work to get to stop these problems, just as much as the FBI and all parts of government should work together as well. “Together we stand, divided we fall.” We need to stick together.

 

The Internet is a crucial part of today’s world. This technology is very important to the future of our children and will before years to come. There are so many good things on the Internet, that are important for education of the youth, it we be devastating to take them away. Parents are the first step, and will continue to be the key in keeping children safe. After watching this long congressional hearing, I now believe that the government is doing everything that they can, and basically these things are just going to take time.

 

Is porno taking over?

The Internet is full of porn, and as some children think; Porn is the only reason for the Internet. The radio show hit on some interesting points. How are parents suppose to block computers, when kids know so much about them? Most kids know more about computers than their parents, and know how to disable the blocks that their parents put up.

 

The show emphasized talking to children and making sure that they know porn is not how is really happens. It is important that kids know these people are actors that get paid. I could not agree more. The Internet is full of some pretty disturbing images, and children need to know that is not the real world. The need to know that rape is not fun, child porn is wrong and bondage is not how it happens. Love and love making needs to be emphasized more than ever.

 

I think another solution is to put your computer in an open room, like the living room. Children are going to look at porn if they are lock in another room unmonitored, but I doubt they would do it in the living room. The blocks that are put on the computer are not a substitute for good parenting, question asking and personal monitoring.

 In today’s world you can monitor things as much as possible, but talking is more important. Unless you lock your child in a bubble they are going to see it somewhere, I might not be in your house, but they will be exposed. It starts young and I think it is important that we get to children before the Internet does. We don’t wait for children to start smoking before we educate them on why its bad, porn is no different. I think it is important that the education starts young, better too early than too late. Too late and you might have a pregnant 12 year old or a porn addicted 13 year old.  Now I don’t know about you but I would do anything to prevent those things from happening to my child.

Howard Stern and the Sybian

Adelphia on demand, has recently added quite the obscene channel to their line up. The Howard Stern channel is offered to customer for $13.95 a month. With this fee, customers are allowed to view all of his shows that are now airing on Sirius Radio.My husband is a die-hard Stern fan. He is a sales man, so is always in the car, and he religiously spends his days listening to the "funny man". As you can probably imagine, we now pay the $13.95 a month, so that my husband can come home and watch the clips that he listened to all day. He loves this. He says he sits in his car all day just trying to imagine what he is listening to. Now when he comes home he can see it. Howard Stern does not offend me, I do not hate him, I think he is crazy and fun, But I am not a religious fan. Occasionally when we have friends over we watch the show, and boy have I seen some OBSECNE things in the last few weeks. Currently Howard’s Sterns "thing" is having porn stars come in to ride the "Sybian". The sybian is this device that a women sits on to get off. It have many different attachments, to suit everyone different taste. Women get on this thing like they are about to ride a horse and proceed to orgasm in the studio, while everyone around them is commenting.

In the last few weeks I have seen at least 5 women ride the Sybian, but while drinking last night I seen one of he sickest, most obscene episodes yet. Blue Iris, a very elderly (65yrs) porn star took it for "a ride". It was the most appalling thing I have ever seen. She talked about her movies, and I could not believe what I was hearing. She does films with oxygen masks on, getting "railed" in hospital bed, and occasionally is bent over her walker while performing. Who wants to see this? Who is buying these movies? Did I mention she is a grandma??????? Can we say role model!

I just need to know … Where does it stop?

Check out Howard Stern's web site to see what I am talking about!

Official Web site of Howard Stern

http://www.howardstern.com/rundown.hs?d=1144306800