Watching the Congressional Hearing, Senator Blanche Lincoln went on a little long, but I must say I agree with what she had to say.  Parent's cannot do it alone.  The younger generation has grown up with the internet, where as the older people (even myself) did not grow up with this technology and it seems children are more familar and comfortable with the internet.  Senator Daniel Inouye made a point that technology has made it a difficult task to keep an eye and know what your children are viewing, and because of this I believe the government should get more involved and implement stricter laws.

Why arn't the filtering technologies working?  It seems that every day porn gets more popular and viewed online.  You can find anything online and that's great for us but not for little innocent eyes.  We all know porn can not be the classiest thing to watch!  I have younger sisters and I think because I have them to think about, my views have changed tremendously.  It makes me feel a little un easy to ever think that they even know what sex is and yes Dr. Halavais I know what your thinking…that I sound totally ridiculous but I guess you want to protect the people you love. 

The only way that this issue can be resolved is if stricter laws are put into effect and that the punishment for these businesses and people online distributing this information to children are fiercly punished.  Parents can only watch there children so much and a little help from others could go a long way in preserving our youth.  Well, in exhausted so I am gonna stop blogging.

 Talk to you soon.

Here it comes..Censorship that is.  This topic is so interesting, because of the 1st ammendment that gives people Freedom of Speech, that lets people express themselves and their views freely.  i looke the definition up inhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech  and it is described as: "freedom of speech is often regarded as an integral concept in modern liberal democracies, to outlaw censorship."  Censorship is defined as the control of speech and other forms of human expression often by, but not limited to governmet intervention. 

I am extremely torn by the idea of censorship.  I hate the thought of someone telling you what is and is not correct to say or think.  But on the other hand, I hate knowing that there are people out there who abuse the rights they have and can use it to be destructive and hurt others.  Dr. Halavais used Pee Wee Herman as an example with being tied to child pornography-basically saying that a person has the right to distribute "child porn tapes because that is there right.  I disagree with that more than anything else in the world.  Reason being that if a person has a right to distribute such tapes, we all know that this will pervoke another to go and perform those acts and just because you want to be that crazy person running around chanting freedom of speech- I have the right think of that child who will be ruined for the rest of their life because no one was allowed to take action.  In cases like this I am all for censorship. 

Wheither we like to accept the truths or not, people cannot be trusted and that really sucks because it hurts others who are trying to express themselves in harmless ways.  I have always been a person to defend peoples freedoms, especially freedom of speech but when I listened to Dr. Halavais's lecture it really bothered me and made me realize that freedom of speech that we would love people like Harry Flynt, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton (wheither we agree or not) to have we shouldn't allow others (child predators) to have.

This blog is hard for me to conclude with i used this blog to throw down my thoughts on this topic.  Censorship scares me because I can honestly say I DONT KNOW.  Just like everything there are positives and negatives,and in this case the United Statesis run on the positives of free speech, but the freedom of speech can also cause some serious problems.  I would love for someone to give me there insight because this topic really freaks me out!

Lecture 14, started off discussing Jill Kelly.  Jill Kelly who is a famous porn actress, retired from doing movies in January of 2002 because she wanted to start her own production company.  Just like any business person you want to go where the real money is, and that is exactly what she did.  A very successful Jill Kelly Productions started up in 2004. 

I spoke in a previous blog about working the AVN show, here in Vegas.  I got to see and meet many people and one of those people was Jill Kelly.  Not only was my boyfriend just so excited to talk to her, I was pleasantly surprised to see that she was actually a very intelligent woman, who knows exactly what she’s doing and just how to make some serious money.  Professor speaks in lecture 14 of how hard it really is to get going in any type of business, but to make some serious cash in the “porn” business is not as easy as it looks. Using Jill Kelly as an example of success in this lecture got me googling her name and I found this website http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0446483/bio that explains her coming from nothing to big time.  Professor Halavais explained that she had some help, since being in the business she had many contacts within the industry and that no one has ever managed to have Jill Kelly’s level of success. 

In this day and age, making a profit is getting easier and easier.  You have the cell phones now, where you can download porn. This website: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-5622471.html talks about how profits are estimated to reach approx. 5 billion dollars by 2010.  The $$ is continuing to increase in this business.  The best part about being involved on the other side (the business end) is that there will always be a demand for porn.  Sex is sex, it dosn’t get old, it will always turn people on and people will always pay- and that is why this business is a good business in this day to get into.

Hello All and Professor (ofcourse)..

I began evaluating myself and believe I have many strengths and things I can defintly work on.  Lets start with my strengths.  I believe that I am going outside the box.  My posts deal with topics and news that I find outside of the class.  I do not only respond to the lecture material, but I make sure that I am blogging about topics within the lecture as well.  I blogged about Heidi Fleiss, because I felt she was a great example for the lectures on prostitution.  I also blog about my experiences living in Vegas, and talk about the financial aspect that porn brings to this growing city. 

I make sure to blog atleast 2 times a week.  I do realize however, that I usually blog late in the week, and that is something that I should work on to improve my grade.  I watch every lecture and try to get involved as much as my little typing fingers allow.  My personal life has been getting in the way a bit, since I have just entered my career in the Public Relations world out here, and that I will work on also. 

I do believe that I am at a low B maybe even a high C.  I hope you agree.  I know I have room to improve, and I will.  I do want to say that this class is very interesting and I love the “music” in the beginning of each lecture..nice touch.  Hope to hear from you “professor” soon, with good news on my grade ofcourse. 

In the last couple of lectures, we have been discussing prostitution. The one person that comes to my head everytime prostitution or porn are brought up, is the one and only…Heidi Fleiss.  Heidi is doing something huge right now, and that is being the first woman to open the country’s first brothel serving female customer’s only!

The Stud Farm, is the name of this new “whore house” in Nevada.  It is explained to be a $1.5 million dollar sexual fantasy land. I find this to be extremely interesting, because Heidi is really bringing Prostitution out and making it more mainstream than ever.  I did some research on Heidi’s new project, and found her website http://www.heidifleiss.com/studfarm/ to have all the info on her new project, a store to buy merchandise (like t-shirts, sex toys and videos) and she even has a section where you can listen in on her wire taps with an undercover cop in 2003, before she was arrested.  She also writes on her website about her deal with HBO filming a documentary on The Stud Farm.  All of the controversy that she is creating, and the marketing she has done on herself and her product (of selling sex), is going to create a whole new target audience…WOMEN.

This type of “high class” prostitution is so much more accepted these days that this is the start of a whole new type of Pornography.  What I mean by that, is woman are going to start being the audience targeted.  Like I have said in previous posts of mine, women are rising up, making money and getting what they want-just as men have been doing for as long as I can remember.  I don’t think people realize that the opening of the Stud Farm is just the beginning to the change of the Pornography industry. 

Lecture 12, has my head all over the place, so bare with me if I jump around a little.  The professor made a comment how there are people who are forced into pornography because they have no other choices, that they were not able to go to Harvard and blah blah blah..When growing up, I never had a lot of money.  My parent’s could not put me through college or help me out financially at all.  I CHOSE to get myself into a community college, work as a waitress and struggle for a very long time, so when I hear that people did not have certain “opportunities” I say that is a weak answer and an easy way out!  I need money right now, but I choose not to go and have sex with somebody for any type of a financial gain.  However, I do understand that there are people out there (in other countries) who are forced into sex acts and become sex slaves, and for them I feel bad, but I do not feel bad for that lazy girl who figures not to go get a “normal” job because a blow job is easier.  I believe that if a woman want’s to have sex for money, than more power to her.  Prostitution is such a funny subject because there are so many people out there who have so much to say about why it’s not a profession.  A profession is something that someone is good at and makes money doing it, basically it is what a person does for a living.  The woman is choosing to use her body to make money, so why do other’s care so much?  If you don’t like it then don’t do it-As simple as that!  I defend Porn and Prostitution because they are both run on choice.  Now I am going to move off the subject a little, and onto the gay porn actors.  In lecture 12, I was introduced to Jeff Stryker, who claims he is not gay, but he cannot pass up the money that is paid to men on men porn actors.  I don’t care what anyone says that guy was GAY!  Prostitution is huge and another money making business.  Heidi Fleiss, who is a perfect example of just how huge this business is, is opening the “Stud Farm” in Vegas, which is an escort service, for women.  Now that times are changing and women are out there making money and being firm with there needs, there is a high demand for male prostitutes.  HBO and Heidi are working out a deal to do a “documentary” on this.  If HBO wants to get in on this, then you know it will be big.://httpwww.tv.com/heidi-fleiss/person/181819/news.html.  I just wanted to use that as an example, to show just how big porn and prostitution are, and even more now days then ever. 

The fact that Adelphia (once thought of an extremely conservative cable company), now offers “hard core” XXX porn movies does not shock me at all, and for so many reasons.  In lecture 9 the reasons that were given for why Adelphia was now offering this type of entertainment,  was explained that 1. Porn is available on the internet, 2. Porn on cable is more easily monitored.  Since you can set blocks for children and only make it accessible to adults, but in my opinion the main reason for this, as I have said in previous blogs of mine, SEX SELLS!  Adelphia is a large business, that we all know filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and what better way to make money, and get things rollin again than to offer what people want…Porn!   This was a smart idea “business wise” for Adelphia and I give them credit for providing people the choice, to watch what they want to watch in the privacy of their own homes, i mean isn’t that the “American Way” to let people have choices.  on the website http://www.cwfa.org/articles/7537/CFI/pornography/ which is a Concerned Women for America site, explains how exactly a year ago Adelphia put on hold airing the XXX porn channels because women were enraged by the idea.  The demand and want for these movies overturned and now they are provided to the people who want it.  I guess  a little controversy was expected-since we are dealing with pornography and all..  I agree with Adelphia’s decision and believe it to be a smart business move on their part!

I am very liberal when it comes to pornograhy, but when children either real or animated are put into this subject, is where I draw the line!  In lecture 9 it was discussed how the United States says virtual child porn, is not considered child pornography or illegal.  Give me a break people-that is weird and totally disgusting.  That statement seems extremely backwards and really makes no sense.  Pornography is used to turn people on, wheither it be real people or animated (which looks pretty real to the watcher).  Using a child’s shape and body is being put out there and designed to do just that-turn the watcher on sexually, This is gross!  People (men or women) who watch this and get turned on- who says that this won’t pervoke a person to want the real thing?  Many people want to experience for themselves their fantasies and what turns them on.  This can be dangerous, and I really think that this should be payed more attention to, and looked at on more of a serious level!  It is proven that nobody understands pedifials and why they do the things they do to children, so don’t you think that viewing child “animated” porn could pervoke an already sick individual?  http://incestabuse.about.com/od/inthenews/a/sexoffenders.htm

In lecture 7, the 1970’s was said to be the broadening of what’s acceptable for the “everyday” person with porn.  The 1970’s (in my opinion) was the beginning of independence for everyone from women starting to go off on their own, to not only the rich, being able to enjoy pornography but the “average Joe” getting involved, talking about sex openly and making pornography seem more normal.  The 1970’s is described as such a liberating time.  Larry Flynt popped up with Hustler in 1974 and I think we can all agree that, that’s when the controversy of pornography really got going among the public.  Lecture 7 also went on to explain the 3 Fold Effect on the Internet  (3 things the internet does to make porn more interesting).  The first being the wider availabilty for consumption.  Basically saying that porn is now everywhere!  The second, explaining the wider availablity for production.  Anybody can get a digital camera, film sex and “produce” a movie, and the third being the creation of new publics from hither to private matters.  This last one can be described as how little communities online, have been created for people to talk to one another and exchange thoughts and porn.   This lecture basically was about the coming out of porn and how easily accessible porn is now days, compared to previous years, like the years before technology and the internet came around.   

Could the acceptance of sex in Las Vegas be a reason why this state is boomin?  Everywhere you look is sex.  Every advertisment from restaurants to nightclubs to even selling of realestate.  I have been paying close attention, since I have started this class and I have noticed that pornography in Vegas is one of it’s top selling points.  There is a plethera of high rises being built and I did not see one advertisement for these properties without some sort of sexual content being tied in.  Pornography in Vegas is “welcomed” and accepted.  The energy here is much different than any other place, that I have been.  The economy (as we all know) is one of the best in the country!  Could this be because sex sells and Vegas sells sex?