Strollerderby : internet

Child Prostitution On the Rise on Craigslist

JeanneSager — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:29:00 GMT

Need another sad and horribly depressing story about kids? Sorry to have to oblige.

Craigslist, home of the great deals on couches and awesome hand-me-down sources for kids clothes, has become the go-to source for people trying to pimp out little kids. And numbers are rising.

The problem is particularly rampant in Atlanta, where A Future. Not A Past, a non-profit that works to fight child prostitution, says as many as one hundred seventy-six ads were posted on the free site in February trying to find a john for little girls.

The group released its findings last week, just as the FBI is working to prosecute two men they say pimped out a seventeen-year-old girl, passing her off as nineteen and using Craigslist to find men to have sex with her in an Atlanta motel. Last month, a Michigan man who called himself the Motor City Mink was sentenced to thirty-five years in prison for pimping kids out via the internet - with many of his ads on Craigslist. The man, Robert Daniels, was the first to be convicted in the nation under the Adam Walsh Law (named for the kidnapped and murdered child of America's Most Wanted host John Walsh), which requires federal penalties for running a child exploitation enterprise.

The fault isn't with Craigslist itself - the company has begun requiring all posters of ads that fall under the "erotic" category, and the company reached an agreement in November with the attorneys general of forty states to add a fee system for the erotic posters, including a valid credit card that could be tracked by law enforcement. Craigslist is also reportedly suing a group of software and Internet companies that allowed posters to circumvent its defenses and post illegal ads.

It's also not always adults doing the deed. Between 2005 and 2008, seventy teens were caught selling themselves on Craigslist.

Why the numbers are back up is anyone's guess, but I wonder how much of this is economic. Craiglist is free, which means people are turning to it more than ever now that the economy is bad. People are desperate, pushing a parent, a family friend, whoever, who might not have acted on an urge to sell a child's ~~soul~~ body for money are no longer held back by traditional mores. It's the same reason adults turn to it in hard times . . . and as a job, it's fairly recession proof.

As the economic picture gets bleaker, I can only wonder how many more horribly sad and depressing stories we're going to hear about things adults are doing to kids. If there is any good news out there it's this: courts are finally getting the picture that teen prostitutes need help not criminalization.

Image: American

Tennessee Public School Computers Block LGBT Websites

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Whoopsie! It turns out that the computers of the Tennessee public school system are inexplicably biased against gay rights. How the heck did that happen? School administrators are completely baffled by the embarrassing snafu, but say that it must be the fault of their filtering service, Education Networks of America.

But the ENA has clearly stated that they are off the hook. "The decisions on whether to block certain websites are made solely by the school districts,” the ENA attorney said. “ENA does not participate in these decisions in any way and is instead simply told which websites to block." Huh. Is it possible that homophobia had something to do with this?

Some of the blocked Web sites include Human Rights Campaign--with such inappropriate messages for kids as, “In a world defined by difference, our strength depends on our common humanity”--and the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, which creepily “envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people.” Not all Web pages dealing with gay people were blocked, however. Tennessee schoolchildren are more than welcome to peruse such sites as People Can Change and The Americans For Truth Against Homosexuality.

As Jezebel points out, the silver lining of this rather shocking homophobic agenda is that no one wants to take the blame for it, showing how much public opinion has progressed in favor of gay rights.

Photo: britannica.com

Forget Thank You, Teach Your Kids Netiquette

JeanneSager — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:33:00 GMT

Your kids finally have down when to say "please" and "thank you?" Looks like it's time for the next round of manners training: how to be polite on the 'net.

South Korea has launched a program in its schools dedicated to teaching little kids to be nice on the 'net. It sounds like they need it.

Not that South Koreans are particularly obnoxious! But according to research, South Korean kids are among the youngest internet surfers in the world. A group called the National Internet Development Agency of Korea, determined that by December 2007, Korea's "internet penetration rate" of people above age six was more than seventy-six percent. The international average is closer to twenty-two percent for kids six and up.

The nation's heads of education have taken a serious look at cyberbullying and its devastating affects on kids (including notable young TV stars who killed themselves after receiving threats online and a teenage girl who hung herself after her appearance on TV about her challenges with weight drew significant amounts of online snark). Here in America, cyberbullying is said to affect at least forty-two percent of our kids who use the internet. Fifty-eight percent of our kids have admitted to having had mean or hurtful things said to them while online. The same number said they didn't bother to tell their parents when it happened.

It seems smart to start the kids young on being respectful and using good manners despite the anonymity of the 'net. But is this something they really need to teach in schools? Check out this video of the little South Korean kids singing netiquette songs:

They're guardian angels to their internet friends, but what about their in-your-face friends?

Via Lemondrop

Worksheets Die a Green Death, Kids Celebrate

JeanneSager — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:34:00 GMT

Oh what I wouldn't have given to skip worksheets in grade school. The totally useless (in a kid's mind anyway) busy work handed out by bored teachers to get us to sit down and shut up.

I guess I was just born a few decades too early. Sigh.

Teachers are saying bye bye to the worksheet in an effort to both cut costs and cut their carbon footprint, and today's kids are loving it.

They write their papers on a computer, read books on the computer, even do their homework on scanned PDFs available via the Internet. The teachers are finding themselves spending less time at the copy machine (or less time sending their assistants to the copy machine) and more time for classroom instruction or preparation for instruction. And the kids, they say, are more engaged. Used to cell phones, Wiis and constant electronic connections, being plugged in inside the classroom has meant better student engagement.

And, of course, there's that cost issue - even in better economic times, schools across the country could always used more money. Now, the financial issues are dire in some districts - where teachers have sold ad space on testpapers, administrators have called for kids to bring their own toilet paper and all classroom appliances have been yanked.

With kids learning about Twitter and Wikipedia in England and these efforts, are you worried our kids will never be able to unplug? Or are you just happy to see a greener planet that costs you less green?

Image/Source: Boston Herald

Morning News - The Obama Bracket

Brett Singer — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Monday Monday… Can't trust that day…

Actually, you kind of can trust Monday. It's fairly reliable in that it always comes after Sunday. I don't think that's what Mama Cass and Co. were talking about, but then again, it was the 60's, so who knows?

Anyone make an NCAA bracket? I did. I know nothing about college basketball, and my picks are proving it, especially in the Midwest Conference. At least there's no money at stake for me. President Obama made one, which is being resoundingly mocked by many. Some were upset that he even took the time to make his picks, which is hilarious if you consider the amount of vacation time that former President Bush took while in office. (I know, it's a cliché, but it happens to be true.) Taking a few minutes to fill out a bracket is a pleasant distraction from the day's events for everyone, Leaders of the Free World included. If people want to complain about Obama's policies, fine, but his bracket? Let it go.

Damn those blasphemy laws -- a Pennsylvania man tried to register a limited liability company called I Choose Hell Productions, LLC but was told he had to pick another name because PA has an anti-blasphemy law on the books preventing such things. The laws were common the 19th century, but this one was enacted in 1977 when someone tried to register God Damn Gun Shop. The ACLU is suing the state. Heh heh. God Damn Gun Shop... (NYT)

A revival of "West Side Story" opened on Broadway with some of the songs translated into Spanish. Interesting idea but I can't imagine that makes the songs better. Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter saw the show and agrees, as did many other critics. (Note: I haven't seen this production. I'll probably stick with the movie.)

The post office is in trouble. They lost almost 400 million dollars last quarter and are offering early retirement to 150,000 employees, in addition to staff cutbacks and location closures. Not enough people mailing letters I guess.

Susan MacDougal (remember her?) can't have the transcript of her own testimony in the Whitewater trial. She was hoping to use it for a novel or screenplay. Whitewater looks pretty damn tame compared to all the nonsense going on these days.

Some governors, including Nevada's Jim Gibbons, are turning down federal money to beef up their unemployment funds because they don't like the 'strings' that are attached. The thing is, those strings disappear when the federal cash runs out. (This according to a New York Times editorial.) Nevada will run out of unemployment money by the end of the year if they don't take the government cheese. (Nose, you don't mind if I cut you off to spite my face, do you? Cool, thanks.) You can't play games like this when people are out of work. And unemployment money gets taken out of your check every week for a reason. You get it back if you're unemployed. Hence the name. So it's not unreasonable for people to expect to receive that money if they lose their jobs. In other Republican Governor news, Alaska's Sarah Palin (perhaps you've heard of her?) is only accepting Federal money for projects that are truly "shovel ready." Alaska Democrats are not happy, saying that she is playing politics with state residents. There's definitely a shovel needed for what's coming out of the mouths of both Republicans and Democrats these days, but it's not the kind you use to fix roads.

Eliot Spitzer is talking smack about Andrew Cuomo. Hey! Here's an idea, Spitzy. Shut up. You have no credibility anymore. Sorry. You screwed up. Apologize and go away. Although maybe you can blog for Huffington Post like Gary "Monkey Business" Hart. ("G'head! Follow me! You won't find anything! Wait, you thought I meant that? I was only kidding! Aw, crap…")

Responding to Sheri's comment: I hadn't heard about what the President said on TV, so I looked it up. Seems that while being interviewed by Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, President Obama said of his bowling skills, "It's like the Special Olympics or something." He apologized to the President of the Special Olympics before the show aired. Comments at ABC News' web site range from "who cares?" to "see? I told you he was an idiot." (I'm paraphrasing.) I can't say I agree with those who say that this is somehow on the same scale as other "gaffes" spoken by Republican politicians, or even "gaffes" from Democrats. Personally, I think the President is a little bit too much of a regular guy, at least in the way that he sometimes speaks in public. It was a dumb joke but hardly the worst thing ever. He also invited Special Olympians to the White House to do some bowling. There's one Special Olympic bowler who has three perfect games to his credit, so maybe he can give the Prez some pointers. By the way, Sarah Palin weighed in on the President's comments, because she's not all about politics like some politicians. This issue really effects Alaska, hence her very public reaction. Also: the President of the Special Olympics is Tim Shriver, Maria's brother, and therefore Ah-nuld's brother-in-law. That has nothing to do with anything except that I think it would be fun to have Arnold Schwarzenegger as your brother-in-law. The Governator, by the way, supports Obama's stimulus plan.

Tuesday, Tuesday… I trust that day… Nah, doesn't have the same ring to it. I guess John Phillips knew what he was talking about. See you tomorrow.

Image: WhiteHouse.gov via Washington Post

Morning News - Natasha Richardson Dies (UPDATE - Autopsy Information)

Morning News - March Madness or March Sadness?

Morning News - Cheney, Duct Tape, Outer Space

Open Letter To The Woman Who Pushed Me While I Was Picking Up My Kid

Back to the Third Grade for This 71-Year-Old

They Say: Old School Lice Checks Are All Wrong

UPDATE: Did M.I.A Really Name Her Baby Ickitt?

Why Teens Are Quick to Blame Rihanna

Keep This Kid Away From The Dog

Morning News - iPhone Gets Feature Other Phones Already Have

Brett Singer — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Updating yesterday's Natasha Richardson story: an autopsy reveals that she died of bleeding in the brain and "she might have survived had she received immediate treatment." The thing is, people with this sort of injury typically feel fine at first. So sad.

NBC is launching a show to compete with "American Idol." Simon Cowell probably thinks this is a "horrible" idea. ("Horrible" is one of the words he uses a lot, right?) On "Idol", Alexis Grace went home. She was shocked. Shocked. Why are they always so surprised? I guess you have think you're a major talent to get on TV and sing like that but just once it'd be fun to hear someone say, "Yeah, I suck. It was only a matter of time before I got the boot."

Why is Steve Wozniak on "Dancing With The Stars"? Based on this quote from his website, I guess the reason is because people said he wouldn't be able to do it. I wonder if Apple fans will keep voting for him the way football fans did with Jerry Rice. Woz has definitely been keeping in touch with his audience, accusing "Dancing" producers of rigging the voting in order to goose the ratings, then apologizing, all via his Facebook page. If this keeps up, I might actually have to watch the show.

Speaking of Apple, the new iPhone software will include bleeding edge features like the copying and pasting of text. What's that, your phone has been able to do that for years? Mine too. The iPhone is nifty but certain omitted features prove that Steve Jobs could probably sell water to a drowning Apple fan if it had that logo on it. (Personally, until the iPhone has an actual keyboard, I won't even consider buying one.)

Financial news update: stocks tanked and it wasn't CNBC's fault. Are you happy, Jeff Zucker?

Austrian monster dad Josef Fritzl was sentenced to life in a psych hospital. Life in prison would be better, but even though he could be paroled in 15 years, it's not likely to happen. The speed of the trial was kind of impressive; in the U.S., these things seem to take a lot longer. I'm sure there's a reason for that but I don't know what it is.

And finally, there were a heck of a lot of babies born in 2007. Madeline points out that it wasn't Octomom's fault -- "she only gave birth to one baby that year."

That's all for now. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday.

Image: Woz.org

New Baby Boom

Morning News - March Madness or March Sadness?

Morning News - Cheney, Duct Tape, Outer Space

Jimmy Kimmel And The Octomom

Morning News - Natasha Richardson Dies (UPDATE - Autopsy Information)

Brett Singer — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Starting on a sad note -- Natasha Richardson has died. UPDATE: according to this AP report, an autopsy revealed that "Richardson died from bleeding in her skull caused by the fall she took on a ski slope...The medical examiner ruled her death an accident, and doctors said she might have survived had she received immediate treatment."

She's one of those actresses that everyone seemed to absolutely adore on and off stage. I saw her perform in 'Cabaret' just before the show opened to rave reviews; she was amazing to watch. An appreciation of her life is here.

Pope Benedict XVI has folks up in arms because, speaking about the AIDS epidemic in Africa, he said, "You can't resolve it with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, it increases the problem." Cathy Lyn Grossman at USA Today has an intriguing post in their Religion section titled, "Could choosing condoms mean choosing life?" Interesting idea.

The way everyone is carrying about the Jon Stewart / Jim Cramer kerfuffle (and really, what is it if not a kerfuffle?) you would think that their "feud" actually had some effect on the world at large. Or that more than 2.3 million people actually watched it. I'm not saying that's not a good number, but it's not exactly Earth shaking. Anyway, Jeff Zucker, the head honcho of NBC Universal, is all up in Jon Stewart's grill, saying that Jon is like, being unfair and stuff when he blames the financial crisis on CNBC's reporting. (That's not an exact quote; you can read Zucker's full quote here.) The thing is, that's not really what Stewart was saying. To me, the most important line from the interview he did with Cramer was, "It's not a f**king game, man." Cramer seemed to be telling Stewart that it was perfectly OK to say something under the guise of financial advice that wasn't entirely accurate as long as it was entertaining. Frankly, that pisses me of as well. For Stewart to question the worth of a network's reporting is a good thing, or it should be. Disagreeing with him is fine as well. Sing it with me now -- ain't that America, you and me… Also, if Jeff Zucker wants to yell at someone, it should probably be Cramer. He's the one who turned a bit on The Daily Show into something that has dominated news cycles for several days now.

Continuing with financial news, the Fed is doing more things that I don't entirely understand. This time they're buying "long-term U.S. government debt." (Someday someone will explain to me why anyone would want to buy debt.) This causes many things to happen, including wailing and gnashing of teeth. One possible good outcome of whatever-this-is is that mortgage rates will be vewy, vewy low for now, so if you need one, this is a good time to get it. Also on the good news front: fears of economic deflation have decreased! Why? Because the Consumer Price Index rose by .04%! Whoo-hoo! (Disclaimer: If you are getting your financial news from me, stop. Right. Now.)

Last but not least (if you're into college basketball), the NCAA Tournament, aka March Madness, starts today at noon. You can watch every game online at CBSSports.com, which is good for fans who will be stuck in an office all day. Of course, these people should probably be, you know, working. But who are we to judge?

That's all for today, back on Friday. Quick, fill out your bracket!

Image: Famecrawler

Morning News - Cheney, Duct Tape, Outer Space

GMA Tweets Details On Levi Johnston And Son

Jimmy Kimmel And The Octomom

Oprah Gets It Right On Chris Brown

Natasha Richardson Dead

Morning News - Watchmen, Wiper Fluid and the World Wide Web

Brett Singer — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:30:00 GMT

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday! (You need to hear that in the voice of a 1980's era Monster Truck radio ad announcer. That reference either makes sense or it doesn't. Apologies if it doesn't.)

Quick comment: I have to say that when I said I would fill in for Madeline for a few days, the last thing I thought I would be writing about was former President George W. Bush. Not that I mind, but it seems strange. I had an item about him yesterday, and there's one today. I'm not looking for them, believe me.

And now -- the news!

Update from Nerdy Movie Land (which, surprisingly, is not located at my house): 'Watchmen' dropped to second place, losing the top spot to 'Race to Witch Mountain.' Proving... nothing, really. Personally, I want 'Watchmen' to do well so that studio executives keep greenlighting superhero movies. So far it's made about $85 million, which is pretty good for two weeks. Unfortunately, there are reports that many people are walking out of the film before it's over, which doesn't really help with that whole word of mouth thing.

The guy who pretty much invented the World Wide Web – Tim Berners-Lee, not Al Gore – once got scammed online when buying a Christmas present. He's also warning people against "website snooping" and talking about keeping your personal data safe. Good idea, Tim, but if even you got scammed, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Campbell's Soup is not planning to cut their prices. Got that? How is this a headline? Seems that the company feels that prices are low enough, and sales are growing anyway. Hence, no price lowering. I repeat -- why tell anyone this? I prefer the organic stuff, myself, and my kids wouldn't eat soup if they were starving, so it doesn't affect me. But if I did eat Campbell's Soup, hearing this might make me NOT buy it. Just saying.

President Barack Obama wants to block bonus payments to AIG execs, and NY State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo wants to know who is getting the money. This is not going to end anytime soon, methinks.

In other financial news, former White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says that her former boss deserves some of the credit for a recent bounce in the stock market. I didn't realize that being a Presidential flack was a lifetime position.

Lindsay Lohan will NOT, repeat NOT, be arrested. C'mon, you know that makes you happy. Her arrest warrant was recalled and she "enroll in a new alcohol education program." TMZ reports that she had a "personality conflict" with the program she was in before. What does that mean, that she wanted to drink while she was there?

The kids who drank the wiper fluid are OK, which is good. I'm still not clear on why this stuff tastes good. Wouldn't that flavoring have to be an additive of some kind? And if it is, why include it? Is it possible that wiper fluid just tastes sweet naturally? That would be, as my son might say, weird.

And finally, Shannon tells us about a new dinosaur, more specifically "a new species of pliosaur." The photo (above) is just flat out cool. Apparently this particular pliosaur was "more powerful than T Rex, with a head twice its size, a set of 12-inch teeth, and a weight of about 45 tons." Yowsa. Show this one to your kids, unless you think it'll give them nightmares. Heck, it might give me nightmares. Look at those teeth...

That's all for today - more tomorrow...

Photo: Guardian

Superman Comic Sells For Over 300k

Morning News - Cheney, Duct Tape, Outer Space

UPDATE - Austrian Incest Dad Pleads Guilty To Some Charges

A Safer Space for Kids Online: Hope or Hype?

Kate Tuttle — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:01:00 GMT

Concerned about the dangers of online predators, mom-of-five Mary Kay Hoal launched a social networking site that she hopes will provide a safe space for kids aged 9 to 18 to interact. But can places like Yoursphere -- which charges a monthly access fee and checks to make sure nobody on it is a registered sex offender -- really serve as alternatives to Facebook (or to MySpace, the Sodom and Gomorrah of Hoal's press release, although nobody really uses MySpace anymore)? And is an alternative even needed?

If you read Hoal's site or her press release (or watch the Nancy Grace Show), you are probably pretty worried about your child's Internet safety. You know that there are sex offenders on MySpace (even though that number, widely disputed, is only about half what you would expect, given the general population on MySpace), you know that "sexting" and other technologically-enhanced forms of teenaged sexual expression can get you killed, and you know that you want to protect your kids.

Well, I agree with you about the last one. As for the other two, it's fairly clear that the dangers of sexual predation online are vastly overstated and exagerated, both by shows like Dateline's "To Catch a Predator" segments and by the marketing for alternative sites like Hoal's. And when it comes to teenaged cruelty around issues of sex and reputation, technology hasn't changed things one whit: girls have been harrassed for sexual activity for centuries in our culture, which continues to both demonize and deny teen sexuality. The medium makes very little difference (except that now, if your teen is engaged in thoroughly consensual sexual flirting using cellphone pictures, she could get charged with child pornography).

As a new study out of Harvard's Berkman Center for the Internet and Society points out, worried parents are barking up the wrong tree here. It's not Facebook, MySpace (does anyone still use MySpace, seriously?), or the Internet at large that hurts kids; the dangers kids face online are the same as they face offline -- dating violence, sexual harrasment, social ostracism, bullying, and yes, sometimes (but very rarely) sexual predation by adult strangers. How to protect them? Funny enough, it's not from banning them from the Internet, or stealing their passwords, or spying on them. Just as in the offline world, kids are protected by having caring adults who talk to them, who make it their business to know where their kids are and what they're doing, who know their friends and are involved in their activities, and who let them know every day that their kids can always come and talk to them about anything. Those of us who have babies, toddlers, and preschoolers right now have no way of knowing what kind of technological advances and devices will flavor their world. All we can do is try to keep up, understand what they're up to, and remember that the more things change, the more they stay the same. It turns out that trust and respect -- not spying, forbidding, or trying to scare them (or their parents) to death -- is what really keeps kids safe.

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Dora Grows up—Stops Exploring, Starts Shopping

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Yes, that toothpick-legged, sexy-haired silhouette to the right is the new Dora the Explorer.

According to Nickelodeon, an older, more fashionable Dora line—“featuring fashion dolls and accessories” (sold separately)—will be released in the fall and marketed to tween girls.

The new Dora will go to middle school in the big city and have a “whole new fashionable look.” The keystone of the new doll will be online play, in which kids can change Dora’s clothes and accessories—and also solve a mystery if they feel like it.

It’s no mystery why Nickelodeon would team up with Mattel to expand Dora the Explorer (cha-ching!), but did they really have to shamelessly transform Dora from a fearless outdoorswoman whose best friends are talking animals into a materialistic fashionista? Tween girls are bombarded with enough worries about clothes and appearance as it is.

Considering most children’s obsession with “big kids,” I’m worried that even three- and four-year-old lovers of Dora will be turned on to this stereotypical fashion doll, rather than following Dora and Boots on bilingual humanitarian missions in the great outdoors.

What do you think about the new Dora line--sad makeover, or a way for kids to maintain their connection with a powerful female character?

Image: businesswire.com

Also on Babble:

Liveblogging Toy Fair: Everything You Need to Know About Tween Dora

Parents Just Don't Understand (Facebook); Stanford Aims to Help

Kate Tuttle — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:01:00 GMT

Everyone knows that all American teenagers – save those being raised on religious compounds or in hippie treehouses – are on Facebook. They go there to talk, laugh, share their intimate feelings – all the things they once did with us, their parents, and now do with 928 "friends" instead. For parents who consider themselves close to their kids, it can be a little hard to take, this feeling that while you're the one paying the bills and making their dinner and washing their socks, their true emotional lives are happening somewhere else, or nowhere at all. So, remembering the old adage "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," thousands of middle-aged parents of teenagers now find themselves on Facebook, stalking their own children.

In a first of its kind, Stanford University now offers an evening class to help these befuddled, yearning parents understand the new medium that plays such an important role in their children's lives. If along the way they become fans of beer, sleep, or Aretha Franklin's inauguration hat, so be it. And hey, knock yourself out with the "25 Things" meme (I wonder how many Stanford parents' "things" include an item about how badly the stock market has decimated their 401Ks). But don't try to friend your kids – or your kids' friends – or if you do, don't be surprised if all the kids leave Facebook for something the old folks haven't found out about yet. According to an article in the San Jose Mercury News, adults over 35 represent the fastest-growing segment of the Facebook population, but the backlash can be extreme:

Some kids say that a "friend" request from parent is like discovering Dad at your beer pong game. Or bumping into Mom in the dressing room of Forever 21.

When Facebook first opened itself to the public in 2007, students circulated an online petition called "Don't Let My Parents Onto Facebook!" to founder Mark Zuckerberg pleading for a reversal of the decision. Since then, there has been a proliferation of no parent groups, such as "For The Love of God — Don't Let Parents Join Facebook." One group is hosted by "The Bureau of Endangered Generation Gaps."

Offered free to all parents but particularly aimed at those with kids under 18, the course is intended to help parents learn about the world their kids navigate so that they can offer guidance and boundaries, enforce good etiquette and promote online safety. At the same time, the class tells parents what their kids want them to know -- don't push the boundaries, allow your teenager some space that's for her own friends, not your prying eyes. Above all, both sides say, a little balance goes a long way. As one recent college grad put it, when your mother joins Facebook, it's an opportunity for a teenager or young adult to include her in a new kind of grown-up relationship. Here's how she asked her friends to respond to her mother's presence on Facebook:

"Please make her feel welcome. Friend request her (she has no idea what that is though "... so be patient if it takes a while), and in true Facebook fashion get drunk and write on her wall."

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MySpace Mom Finds Long Lost Son

Cole Gamble — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:00:00 GMT

I know there are a few people out there who are still holds outs on MySpace and Facebook. I know, because I was one of them. “Why do I want to find people from my past?” I’d think. This story is an example of exactly why you would.

And the whole thing happened because of a crazy coincidence in typos.

Thirty Two years ago Terri Fuller gave up her two year old son, Rustin Hawver, because she "was young and just barely surviving.” For decades Fuller searched for the son she so painful had to part. Recently, she set up a MySpace page announcing her search for the boy, now a man. However, Fuller put a typo in his name, leaving the “w” out. It just so happened that Rustin made the exact same typo when searching for his own blog and came upon Fuller’s MySpace page.

"Hi, I'm Rustin Hawver, H-A-W-V-E-R," he wrote to her. "I think I'm the one you're looking for that you want to meet. Please let me know if I'm wrong,” he wrote. He wasn’t wrong.

The reunited mother and son plan to meet later in March. "If it wasn't for Google or that keyboard being messed up, I would have never have found [her]," Hawver said.

So maybe web 2.0 isn’t such a bad thing after all.

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They Say: Internet's Not Really That Bad for Kids

JeanneSager — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:36:00 GMT

The irony isn't lost on me here - I'm a writer on the Internet, and I get to tell all the folks who run around running down the Internet that somebody just shot a clip full of holes in their argument.

The number one danger to our kids isn't the Internet. It's themselves.

The Internet Safety Technical Task Force, formed by the attorneys general in forty-nine states in cooperation with Myspace, Facebook and a number of other Web companies, found kids who surf the Web are at a much lower risk for sexual predators than often reported. Of the kids who did report any type of sexual advances on the Internet, forty-eight percent of those advances reported in 2000 were made by other kids. In 2006, the number was forty-three percent of sexual advances made by kids under the age of eighteen.

Only nine percent of kids who reported having been solicited sexually on the internet in 2006 were actually approached by an adult over the age of twenty-one.

Interesting to note, the report also correlates the online risk to that of kids who are at a heightened risk off of the computer with those at a lower risk off the computer, noting, "Those who are most at risk often engage in risky behaviors and have difficulties in other parts of their lives."

It only stands to reason - kids who have it ingrained in their heads by their parents not to give out personal information to a stranger at the mall or walk into a dark alley when they're out with their friends would be more likely to be more cautious online, not giving out that same personal information or agreeing to meet with someone in off-line in a private place. As a parent, you have to be able to tell if your kid is a risk taker in a real life, and have suspicion they would live a virtual life on the edge as well.

This is the kind of news I like to see - and not only because I'm a parent. As a teenager, I met the (then teenage) guy who would one day become my husband. It's our dirty little secret! But we were also both teenagers and cautious (by the time we met in person, he was an adult, and he still brough his dad!), and neither of us ever saw anything un-toward - at least not anything we can remember. If some creepy guy talked to me on the internet, I ignored him.

What has made the internet so scary for parents? I'd wager the bet it isn't the teeny, tiny hint of a possiblity that there's a sexual predator out there. It's one less place parents can get to. It's one more time they have to let loose the reins and hope their kids have listened to all they've taught them. And they can't sneak into their rooms and slip their hands under the bed in search of a diary or root around in the drawers for the hidden pack of cigarettes.

This report proves teaching your kids to act appropriately in life and online is all you can. Otherwise, they just might put pics of themselves tea-bagging a guy friend . . . and you'll be hiding your head in shame.

Image: Daily Mail

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Georgia Sex Offenders Must Turn Over Passwords "For the Kids"

JeanneSager — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:26:00 GMT

Ever notice the words "for the children" make you feel really guilty? Vote "yes" on a ludicrous school budget; it's for the kids. Get a dog even though daddy's allergic - it's for the kids.

I guess I'm supposed to feel good that the State of Georgia has told every registered sex offender to turn over their internet passwords, e-mail addresses and screennames.

The law that went into affect with the new year was written by State Senator Cecil Staton, who says it will "keep the internet safe for children." With sixteen thousand sex offenders in the state, I can't see how the move will do much more than tax the already over-worked cops now charged with plugging random passwords into the 'net to track people who might or might not be committing a crime.

Don't get me wrong; pedophiles deserve to be strung up by their toenails in my eyes. Touch a kid, and you're worth less than pond scum. But how does requring a sex offender to pass over the information he uses to get into his online banking account making the internet safer for kids?

With the move, Georgia becomes only the second state in the nation to require pedophiles turn over their passwords (Utah was first); although there are about fifteen that require usernames and e-mail addresses be reported. If they don't do it, they'll face probation violations and possible jailtime.

Providing usernames to the police seems feasible; it allows for a Google Alert anytime "likessexygirls" shows up in a kids chat room. But what does a password provide? Free access to their private e-mails with family that haven't the hint of criminality, a look-see at their bank accounts when nary a crime has been committed. Sounds like the Patriot Act at work here folks, the state searching for a reason to charge someone with a crime. I think they call those witch hunts.

The law actually stretches to all sex offenders - not just those convicted of acts on children. So sickos who raped someone who is over age (and is less likely to have an interest in child porn or contacting kids) are being forced to give up their privacy "for the children."

The law also requires they turn over everything. Everything. So the state is now going to be responsible for keeping safe financial information that, if leaked, could potentially make these sixteen hundred people easy prey for identity thieves. Do they have the security measures to protect that? Do they have the money to put them in place?

Then there's this tricky thing called the Constitution. Like I said, pedophile = pondscum. But what ever happened to "I did the crime, I did the time"? The sex offender registry is in place already to protect people - kids - from sex offenders. Their addresses, pictures, type of vehicle, distinguishing characteristics - are already available. It's a price they're paying for their heinous acts. Should they now pay with their right to privacy?

Image: WRAL

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Aussie Firewall: Stepping into Parents' Shoes?

JeanneSager — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 19:48:00 GMT

The "Great Aussie Firewall" is supposed to make browsing the internet safer for Australian kids. It could also put the Australians one step closer to becoming the most western country to boast a state-run internet filter.

This isn't new news - the Aussies announced last year they'd spend $189 million on the project, but after the recent decision by an Australian judge, declaring drawings of Bart and Lisa Simpson having sex as "child porn," I'm wondering how far our friends Down Under really need to go.

The most recent tests on six of the proposed filters found they missed three to twelve percent of material they should have barred and wrongly blocked access to one to eight percent of sites. The most accurate filters slowed browsing speeds up to eighty-six percent. So - they're blocking a lot of "bad" stuff, and some good stuff too - and they're slowing down the access of information for everyone (child or adult). And this is progress?

An Associated Press report on the issue quotes an Australian ethics professor who complains "net libertarians" believe freedom of speech is more important than limiting what children can access online.

What ever happened to knowing what your kids are doing? If the babymaking Duggars can monitor eighteen different kids' access to the 'net, why can't average families with two point four kids get their hineys to the family room and keep their eyes on the screen?

Image: Daily Mail

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Fake Surrogate Mother Arrested

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:40:00 GMT

Soon after a New York Times writer unwittingly sparked a debate on classism over her article on gestational surrogacy, the news presents us with another potential pitfall of putting a price on fertility: con artists.

A Belgian woman was arrested yesterday for allegedly swindling infertile couples over the Internet by posing as a potential surrogate mother. Her male partner is accused of helping to orchestrate the con, and was also arrested.

The couple is also suspected of selling twin babies the woman gave birth to last spring. This and a similar case, in which a Belgian woman sold her baby to a Dutch couple who wanted children, have sparked a debate in Belgium and the Netherlands over the legality of surrogacy. It seems to me that the problem here is not necessarily with surrogacy; it's with people who are willing to go through dangerous, unofficial channels to obtain a child.

If convicted, the Belgians could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.

Photo: Her Daily News

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More People Cheating than Ever Before

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:30:00 GMT

Eternal monogamy: the beloved ideal that about a quarter of Americans find impossible to uphold. Marital infidelity is on the rise, according to the New York Times. Since 1972, the General Social Survey has consistently found that about 10 percent of married people cheat, with men cheating almost twice as often as women (12 percent to 7 percent).

But analyzing infidelity trends over the last two decades has shown some marked changes. In 2006, 28 percent of men over 60 reported cheating at some point in their lives, compared to 20 percent in 1991 (Viagra went on the market ten years ago). And among older women, incidences of cheating have increased triplefold—from 5 percent to 15 percent.

We can’t chock this increased infidelity up to boredom after a silver anniversary because the trend holds true for couples under 35 as well. 20 percent of young men and 15 percent of young women now report treating, compared to 15 percent and 12 percent two decades ago.

Theories about the reasons for increased cheating largely center on the advent of the Internet and cell phones, which have made it easier to coordinate extra-marital encounters. But the marked increase in women’s infidelity is harder to explain: are women cheating more now because they are more likely to go on business trips or stay late at the office? Or are they simply more likely to report their infidelities now that there is less (though still much) social pressure for women to be chaste while men are applauded for their sexual exploits?

Whatever the reason, I must admit that I’m looking on the bright side of this increase in female infidelity. I’m certainly no champion of extra-marital affairs, but it happened at these relatively high rates even in hunting and gathering societies. So, if cheating must happen, why should men be the only ones in whom it is expected and even, to do some degree, accepted?

Image: New York Times

They Say: Technology Keeps Families Connected

Amy Kuras — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:02:00 GMT

If you’re reading this, it’s no surprise to you that people use mobile phones and internet connections to reinforce their social ties. That’s borne out by a new study from the Pew Internet and American Life project.

And it’s the most traditional families, with two married adults and minor kids – that are most likely to have cell phones and net connections.

More than half of families surf the Internet with their children, as well. Of course – why else would there be so many Sesame Street clips available on YouTube? It can’t all be nostalgic Gen Xers and Ys, right?

Also, of couples with two mobile phones, 70 percent use it at least once a day to talk to their spouse, and 42 percent talk to their kids via mobile at least once a day – a figure which I find low, personally, since I don’t actually remember how I used to grocery shop without calling my husband about five times to ask him questions and update him on my whereabouts, and he does the same when he’s on kid duty.

More than half, 53 percent, of those questioned said that the quality of their contact with distant family members had improved thanks to technology, while 47 percent said it improved interaction with those they live with.

Where’s all that time to surf and chat coming from? Mostly TV watching – 25 percent of people say they watch less TV now. I’d have to agree – I am usually surfing and blogging and watching TV all at once.

So, to sum up – technology good. Who knew?

Photo: dvorak.org

Couple Asks Internet to Name their Baby

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Jason and Ann Morrison have far more faith in their fellow humans than I do. The couple is expecting a baby and have turned to an unlikely group of people to decide the name of their first child: complete strangers. Jason is a Google engineer who has set up an online poll with 17 name choices—plus, and here’s where it gets scary, a write-in option.

The Morrisons are aware of the margin of error inherent in this naming technique. As Jason writes on his blog, “This is a difficult decision that will have a huge impact on the life of an innocent human being. Naturally, we are turning to random Internet strangers for help.” So far, more than 4,500 random Internet strangers have opted to weigh in. (If you want to join the unknown, opinionated masses, vote here.)

Let’s hope these random strangers have a bit more discriminating tastes than the 150,000 people who voted to name a baby whale on the Greenpeace site last year. The winner, by an overwhelming margin, was Mister Splashy Pants.

Photo: The Sydney Morning Herald

Mom blackmails daughters ex with nude photos

Brett Singer — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT

The punchline? Her daughter, and the ex-boyfriend, are 13 years old.

This is all in "alleged" territory right now, but the basics are wacky: Police in Elgin, Illinois "are investigating whether a local woman used nude photos of her daughter's 13-year-old ex-boyfriend as blackmail to get the two back together." The mother and daughter live in Sleepy Hollow, Illinois. The Headless Horseman has not been charged.

The photos were on her daughter's cell phone, since the kids had been sending nude pics to each other. That's wacky enough but I guess not that uncommon these days. (By the time my kids get to be that age, thirteen year olds won't be doing that anymore, right? RIGHT? Hello, anybody there?) After the kids broke up, the girls' mother found the photos, and allegedly sent "hundreds of threatening e-mails and text messages" to her ex, saying that if they didn't start dating again, she – the mother – would post the pictures online.

Can you say, "much too involved in your daughter's life"? I knew you could.

Adding to the weirdness, the mother could potentially face the following charges: "intimidation, harassment…[and] possessing child pornography." It's that last one that makes me go "whoah." But, if you think about it, it's true, right? Hard to get your head around, but technically true since the boy is underage. The kids won't be charged.

Source: 9news
image: here

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5 Ways to Not Go Broke (with Kids)

Cole Gamble — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Having a family is a pricy pastime, like eating Faberge eggs or using antique bone china for skeet shooting. Instead of fantasizing about the kind of European sport car you could buy for the amount of money you spend on your kids, consider ways to cut those costs. Here are some budget trimmers:

1 Christmas in January

When is the best time to buy Christmas presents? Why after Christmas, of course. Stock up for next year. Just make sure you don’t buy this year’s fad. By next year that toy will be as cool as a Beanie Baby.

2 Pack up to Travel

Whether on a plane or in the car, buying food while on route to your destination is going to be expensive. Pack up snacks and lunches for the kids. Yes, airlines do allow you to bring food aboard.

3 Know When to Clothe ‘Em

The best time to buy kid clothes are February and August. That’s when most stores put their stuff on sale. The key here is to think ahead to the season you are buying for. Buying a coat will be cheap in the summer, but you’re kid will be bigger by the time they need it. Think about buying a size larger.

4 Don’t Wait in Line, Buy Diapers and Formula Online

Skip the store for baby needs and buy online. If you hunt around you’re guaranteed to get a better price.

5 A Home Cooked Meal

Dining out costs 6 to 10 times more than eating at home. Start treating a dinner out as a treat. Also try more ethnic food. It’s generally cheaper than, say, steakhouses, and it will teach your kids an appreciation for a broad range of foods.

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Awesome Photos Draw From Kid Art

Kelly Mills — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:03:00 GMT

One of my favorite things about the internet, aside from the easy availability of porn, is seeing how amazingly creative people are out there in the big wide world. I've found some of my favorite art ever this side of the Louvre by browsing through people's sites. And currently I'm very enamoured with Yeeondo Jung, who takes inspiration from children's drawings.

Jung stages photographs based on kid art, and the results are clever and wonderful. Bright colors and a faithful recreation of the shapes and textures in the original drawings make these pictures cartoonish and sweet and strangely touching. Check out my favorites, like "Modern Wedding" and "Rabbit Family Hopping Around". Good times!

MySpace Hoax Mom Indicted

Kelly Mills — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:27:00 GMT

Remember Lori Drew? How about Megan Meier? Megan, a thirteen-year-old, hung herself after her MySpace boyfriend, Josh, cruelly dumped her. This itself would be bad enough, but the real ugly part is that Josh didn't exist. He was the creation of Lori Drew, who was Megan's neighbor and the mother of a girl Megan was once friends with. Drew, with the aid of a nineteen-year-old employee of hers, created Josh, maintained a relationship with Megan, laughed abut it and let her daughter and daughter's friend in on the joke, and then had "Josh" tell Megan the world would be better off without her.

Since being a phenomenally evil creep isn't a crime, investigators didn't charge Drew in the case. But now a federal grand jury has indicted her on one count of conspiracy and three counts of using protected computers without authorization to get information used to harass and torment a teenage girl. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The indictment includes the fact that MySpace users agree to terms forbidding users from promoting information they know to be false, soliciting personal information from anyone under eighteen, and using the site to harass others. Drew of course did all of the above. Too bad there isn't really a punishment that can make up for what she did.

Photo: Tom Gannam / AP

Facebook Fighting: Kids and Online Bullying

Kelly Mills — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:32:00 GMT

In general, I'm suspicious of hysteria surrounding how kids use the latest technology--nine times out of ten, they just do the same things kids have always done, but in a more high tech way. However, I'm a little torn as to whether social networking sites are bringing changes to interactions on middle and high school campuses. The Washington Post had one piece on a few fights that started on Facebook, and later became physical confrontations, prompting the principal to ask parents to monitor their kids online.

Frankly, that doesn't seem much different than an argument starting in any off-campus physical space. But Facebook and MySpace have brought some changes to bullying. See, it used to be only the kids with social or physical power over other kids could do big-time bullying. But now, kids can post things about classmates anonymously, and that stuff can spread quickly across a campus. In some ways I suppose it creates more equal opportunities for cruelty, but I have to tell you, nowadays many kids who gets seriously picked on find some of the worst stuff comes from webpages that can be viewed by tons of people. Trust me, we'll be hearing about this one for a while to come.

Controversy: What To Expect In The Internet Age

Amy S.F. Lutz — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:01:00 GMT

Not surprisingly, Madeline's post on the impending internet version of What To Expect When You're Expecting generated a ton of comments. Would it be an exaggeration to say that every mom has read at least a part of this book? It's certainly no exaggeration to say that comments about this post, and this book, varied wildly, from ashers mom - who wrote, "I hated this book and kept it by my bedside so I could mock it," adding it was filled with "useless information" - to korinthia, who found it "reassuring."

For me, What to Expect was more important for its symbolic value than for the information between its covers. Walking into that bookstore, after trying for almost a year to get pregnant, was a real rite of passage for me, and I will always remember that trip. Finally, I was part of the club.

So, although Madeline feels that - because of the number of resources pregnant woman can turn to, for free, online - "What to Expect ISN'T on every pregnant woman's bookshelf anymore. It's been replaced by Google and the voices of sane mothers," I'm not so sure. After all, not one reader commented anything close to, "What to Expect? Never read it."