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!

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. 

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! 

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?

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! 

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.

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.

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