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• Growing Up Online

  I tend to play down the effect of computers on kids, probably because my oldest is only 6. But she likes to do stuff on the computer -- take care of her Webkinz, check out PBS websites. I'm fooling myself if I think that's where it all begins and ends. Sooner than I know it, she'll be all over IMing, and Facebook and whatever else will no doubt come along to grab her attention, ask for her personal details, dumb down her education, etc. Tonight, a PBS Frontline airs the documentary Growing Up Online, which looks at all the different angles of kids and the Internet and their parents who are often in the background feeling (as I do) fully in control but actually are not.   Read More... Posted Jan 22 2008, 04:09 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: PBS, internet, internet safety, children and parents, children and porn, child development, kids health, child abuse prevention, children and media, children and education, documentary, internet goodness, internet scams, child rearing, child pornography, internet use, frontline, internet and kids

• When Art and Horror Meet

  I consider it part of my job as a parent to expose my child to the Arts, dahling. We have some books of famous paintings, and ever since my child was a toddler I've pulled them out and showed her famous paintings. "Can you find the apple in the still life? Isn't it interesting how the artist used that perspective to make the apple look so three-dimensional?"Crap like that. My husband, however, has to wait until she's older to give her his cultural contribution: A strong background in the finest horror films ever made. Somehow it just doesn't work as well to say to a six-year-old, "Look at how they built tension in this film using that cold daytime lighting. You really start to anticipate the zombie's attack."  So when the better half sent me this link, it seemed...  Read More... Posted Dec 02 2007, 03:32 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Photoshop, art, horror movies, internet goodness, famous paintings, renaissance

• Teacher Suspended for Being a Porn Star

  Anna Cirani is a teacher in Italy. She's also "Madameweb", an internet porn star. (No offense to Cirani, but the porn star name I came up with playing those porn star name games was waaaay better. Just call me Bootsy Santa Ynez.) The Italian press just calls her the "porno-prof". Anyhow, school authorities recently decided that her two jobs were not compatible, and suspended her. She says, "My behavior at school has always been professional and irreproachable...I am a normal woman, with my family and my work as a teacher. I am (also) looking for transgression and sex." Now there's a sentiment I can get behind! She used to teach Italian lit at a secondary school, but when students covered the toilets with naked photos of her from the internet, she was transferred and taught evening classes to foreign adult students. Okay, I don't think she should have been suspended for her film career.... Read More... Posted Nov 27 2007, 08:03 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: pornography, Italy, teacher, suspension, internet goodness, porno prof, porn star

• Serious Celebrity Photoshop Looove

  I'm addicted to lots of things: coffee, manny porn, those little animal crackers I put in my kid's lunchbox. And now I've got another one: Planet Hiltron. This site could not be updated often enough for me, though I'm sorta glad it's sporadic, since mama can kill lots of should-be-workin'-time on the internet. These are, of course, celebrities if they were less glamour and a little more, um, typical. Check out the Beckhams! Ms. Paltrow! And since Nicole Richie is pregnant, here's a guess at what her little progeny might look like.   Read More... Posted Aug 21 2007, 11:03 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: addiction, photography, internet goodness, nicole richie