Australia finds problems with child nude art exibition.
CHILDREN who posed naked for a controversial art exhibition will be interviewed today by police investigating whether a prominent photographer and Sydney art gallery breached child pornography laws. Labels: Austrailia, controversial, loli, nakedness, shota
Police last night raided the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery in Paddington, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, just hours before the opening of the exhibition by photographer Bill Henson.
The exhibition shows photographs of naked children as young as 12 in a variety of poses - some of which may have been taken up to a decade ago. Henson has said none of the children featured is a professional model.
He has defended his work as seeking to explore "something which is absolutely inviolate and unknowable". He has told The Australian: "You can't control the way individuals respond to the work."
Political leaders and child safety campaigners have responded with anger. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said the images are "revolting" and have no artistic value.
"Kids deserve to have the innocence of their childhood protected," he has said on Channel 9. "Whatever the artistic view of the merits of that sort of stuff - frankly I don't think there are any - just allow kids to be kids."
Henson has been called one of the "leading contemporary artists" by the Art Gallery of NSW and the Roslyn Oxley9 gallery's manager Amanda Rowell has called him a "master". She has said the reaction to this exhibition has been blown out of proportion.
"It has never been like this before. This is no different to any other exhibition he's had and he's had many exhibitions here," she said. "He's a master, there's no one in the world like him."
But his use of pre-teen nudity has been written off as little more than a fetish for child porn. "He has a tendency to depict children naked and that is porn," said Hetty Johnston of child protection group Bravehearts.
NSW Premier Morris Iemma has said the images are "offensive and disgusting". "I don't understand why parents would agree to allow their kids to be photographed like this," he said.
Sydney's The Daily Telegraph understands that a squad of police spent several hours yesterday examining the photographs of boys and girls believed to be about 12 years of age. Detectives from the Child Exploitation Internet Unit were also called in to investigate the contents of the gallery's website.
The web page displayed all 41 of the naked images, but they have now been taken down and a spokesman from the Australian Communication and Media Authority said the web link was being investigated.
Detectives interviewed gallery owners Roslyn and Tony Oxley and Henson over the content of the exhibition. It is believed the models will be spoken to today.
While the models are apparently Australian, the website appears to have been sourced from another country, making it hard for Australian authorities to act.
The Daily Telegraph has reported that the exhibition was never classified officially, as art is considered exempt. Ms Johnston has said that art should be classified.
Henson revealed the pictures were taken in his Melbourne studio and that the children were not professional models. He recently explained his obsession with the naked form in an interview for the industry magazine Art World.
"These portraits are much more connected to the suburban dimension of my work. Right down to the skanky fingernail polish she's wearing," he said.
"But I think the more you look at her the more she draws back. There's an incredible sense of displacement. The models seem to get in a trance. And the slower their movements are, the more interesting they become."
Many of the pictures do not work anymore, but to get an idea of what the exibition was like you can click here.
(Ed note: Ah yes, the naked = porn argument rears its puritan head.
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Heath Ledger has died at the age of 28.
Labels: Austrailia, boys, celebrity news, drugs, epic, movies, new york city, obituary
NEW YORK (CBS) ? Heath Ledger, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in the critically-acclaimed movie "Brokeback Mountain," was found dead -- possibly from a drug overdose -- Tuesday afternoon in a New York City apartment.
The Australian-born actor was just 28.
He was pronounced dead at 3:26 p.m. in an apartment on 421 Broome St. in SoHo.
Police say he was scheduled to have a massage in the apartment, and when the masseuse arrived, a housekeeper went to alert him, but instead found him in cardiac arrest and immediately called 911.
Ledger was said to be found naked at the time of his death.
The actor's death may be drug-related, and that there were pills, possibly a strong sleeping medication, found near his body. However, there was no obvious indication of suicide, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.
Police do not suspect foul play.
An autopsy was scheduled by the medical examiner for Wednesday.
Early reports said the apartment was owned by actress Mary-Kate Olsen, but a publicist for Olsen later refuted those reports.
Ledger had recently separated from actress Michelle Williams, who he met while filming "Brokeback Mountain" and became engaged to last year. The couple had an apartment in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn and had one daughter, Matilda, who was born in 2005.
Before marrying Williams, Ledger had also dated actress Naomi Watts and Heather Graham.
Most recently, Ledger was featured in the Bob Dylan biography film "I'm Not There."
He was slated to appear in the next installment of the "Batman" movies, "The Dark Knight," opposite Christian Bale as the infamous "Joker" -- becoming the first non-American to take on the role.
Of the most well-known 15 films Ledger appeared in: "The Patriot," "A Knight's Tale," and "Monster's Ball." He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in "Brokeback Mountain."
In 2001, People magazine named him as one of their "50 Most Beautiful People."
According to a quote from Ledger listed on his profile on the Internet Movie Database, the star enjoyed living life one day at a time.
"I'm not good at future planning. I don't plan at all," he said. "I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow. I don't have a day planner and I don't have a diary. I completely live in the now, not in the past, not in the future."
Ledger grew up in Perth, and began doing amateur theater at age 10. At 16, he moved to Sydney to pursue an acting career, quickly landing TV movie roles and guest spots on Australian television.
After several independent films and a starring role in the short-lived Fox TV series "Roar," Ledger moved to Los Angeles and co-starred in "10 Things I Hate About You," a teen comedy reworking of "The Taming of the Shrew."
Offers for other teen flicks came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he didn't like.
Ledger used to shop at a neighborhood home store and children's store owned by a company called Calypso. Michelle Vella, a buyer there, said she had frequently seen Ledger with his daughter -- carrying the toddler on his shoulders, or having ice cream with her.
"It's so sad. They were really close," said Vella. "He's a very down to earth guy and an amazing father."
She said Ledger once bought a bookcase at the home store, and purchased stuffed animals and dresses for his daughter at the children's store.
He would have turned 29 on April 4.
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Australia to censor the net. WTF Mate?
The Australian Government has announced that they will be joining China as one of the few countries globally that broadly censor the internet. Labels: Austrailia, controversial, internets, sex
The Labor Party’s policy was announced prior to the Australian Election in November and was justified on the basis that the previous Government’s policy of providing free copies of NetNanny to all Australian households who wanted it didn’t adequately protect children.
As recently as the week prior to the election, Labor Party candidates were telling those concerned about the proposed law that the censorship wouldn’t be compulsory, and that the “clean feed” would be opt-in, not opt-out. Today’s announcement by Telecommunications Minister Stephen Conroy states that the censorship regime will be mandatory, although people will be able to opt-out of it. The problem of course then becomes if you opt-out questions will be asked as to why you want out, which in itself may lead to Government monitoring.
To be censored by the Australian Government is “pornography and inappropriate material.” X rated pornography is illegal online in Australia, as are casino style internet gambling, certain forms of “hate” speech and R rated computer games. BitTorrent would be a possibility, even if certain downloads for personal use may be legal under Australian law, sharing those downloads would not be. How far “inappropriate material” may extend was not made clear, for example questioning Government policy where it comes to Aboriginal people could be deemed to be discrimination under Australian law and hence blocked by the censorship regime. Worst still, bloggers or those (such as forum owners) who allow users to comment or post could find themselves blocked under this proposal should someone say or post the wrong thing. If there is one certainty in any country that implements broadscale censorship, once they start blocking content it doesn’t stop, and certainly every do-gooder group and special interest lobbyist will be wanting the Government to add to the list.
There is also a potential cost involved to Australian Internet users. The previous Government regularly cited feedback from ISP’s stating that the cost of implementing a “clean feed” would be passed onto internet users, who already pay some of the highest internet access costs in the Western world for on average slow services.
Notably Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was a former Australian Diplomat in China, and speaks fluent Mandarin; given Australia’s boom is fueled by mineral exports to China, it would seem that Australian Government policies are now by China in return. This video from before the election may have foretold some of the future.
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Out of medical alcohol? No worries, mate!
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) -- Doctors plugged an Italian tourist into a drip-feed of vodka to save him at a hospital in Australia that ran out of the medicinal alcohol it would normally have used for treatment. Labels: Austrailia, bizzare news, health news
The 24-year-old Italian, who was not further identified, was brought to Mackay Base Hospital in northeastern Queesland state and was diagnosed as having ingested a large quantity of ethylene glycol, a common ingredient of antifreeze that can cause renal failure.
Pure alcohol is often given in treating such cases because it can inhibit the toxic effects of ethylene glycol.
Mackay Base Hospital Dr. Pascal Gelperowicz said the man was given pharmaceutical-grade alcohol when he arrived, but that the hospital's supplies soon ran out.
"We quickly used all the available vials of 100 per cent alcohol and decided the next best way to get alcohol into the man's system was by feeding him spirits through a naso gastric tube," Dr. Gelperowicz said in a statement.
"The patient was drip-fed about three standard drinks an hour for three days in the intensive care unit," he said. "The hospital's administrators were also very understanding when we explained our reasons for buying a case of vodka."
The patient, was believed to have ingested the poison in an attempt at self-harm, made a successful recover. The incident occurred about two months ago, though the hospital just released information on the case.
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The first rule of shota sex club is you do not talk about shota sex club.
The second rule of shota sex club is you DO NOT talk about shota sex club
Melbourne, Australia -- The Education Department has investigated claims a six-year-old student ran a "sex club" at an eastern suburban primary school, involving up to up to half a dozen grade 1 students. Labels: Austrailia, boys, crime drama, international news, nakedness, sex, shota
One mother said her son, also six, was asked to perform a sex act, and that the alleged perpetrator also exposed his genitals to students.
Following an investigation, the department has admitted that the student exposed students to sexual conversations and proposed activities, but denied the existence of a "sex club". The alleged perpetrator received counselling.
The mother has been unable to make a police report because the law states sexual assault by a child under 10 cannot be prosecuted.
"Victims of a perpetrator who is under the age of 10 should still have the same rights as any other victim of a sexual crime," she said.
The case puts the Brumby Government under pressure to address the problem, barely two months after releasing new procedures guiding parents, teachers and schools on how to respond to allegations of student sexual assault.
The woman is critical of the department's investigation of sexual assault and bullying in schools and has united with parents from four other state schools to form SWAG, the Student Welfare Action Group.
The group will lobby to have the department's Student Critical Incident Advisory Unit removed from the department and established as an independent body, such as the ombudsman's office.
Parents Victoria executive officer Gail McHardy said the case raised concerns about the ability of the current legislation to protect young children. "There's a whole lot of questions around the children who are under 10. If the police can't take a statement, then how can they report their incident and then who takes carriage of it?"
Shadow education minister Martin Dixon, who will meet SWAG next month, said that, while he did not think the critical incident unit should be removed from the department, any investigation should be fair and open.
"The culture (in the department) seems to be one of hiding the problem instead of fixing the problem," he said. There was a "gaping hole" in the regulations, which needed to be re-written.
But consulting psychologist John Cheetham said six-year-olds did not have a developed sense of right and wrong. "They are too young to put themselves into someone else's shoes," he said. "We've got to be very careful about putting an adult take on it, it's all about context."
A department spokeswoman said the school acted appropriately, and "counselling had been offered to the students".
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My humps, my humps, my humps!
A woman in Australia has been killed by her pet camel after the animal may have tried to have sex with her. Labels: animal news, Austrailia, bizzare news, raep, sex, women
The woman was found dead at the family's sheep and cattle ranch near the town of Mitchell in Queensland.
The woman had been given the camel as a 60th birthday present earlier this year because of her love of exotic pets.
The camel was just 10 months old but already weighed 152kg (336lbs) and had come close to suffocating the family's pet goat on a number of occasions.
On Saturday, the woman apparently became the object of the male camel's desire.
It knocked her to the ground, lay on top of her and displayed what the police delicately described as possible mating behaviour.
"I'd say it's probably been playing, or it may be even a sexual sort of thing," the Associated Press news agency quoted Queensland police Detective Senior Constable Craig Gregory as saying.
Young camels are not normally aggressive but can become more threatening if treated and raised as pets.
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No Hets Allowed! (Or lesbians either apparently.)
Melborne (AFP) An Australian hotel popular with gay men has won the right to refuse entry to heterosexuals and lesbians, officials and the owner said Monday. Labels: Austrailia, gay news
The Peel Hotel in Melbourne won an exemption from the Equal Opportunity Act to prevent insults and abuse directed toward gays in its bars and nightclubs, owner Tom McFeely told AFP.
"The hotel predominantly markets itself towards homosexual males, towards gay men and we want to protect the integrity of the venue as well as continue to make the men feel comfortable," McFeely said.
"When large numbers of heterosexuals or even lesbians are in the hotel that changes the atmosphere and many gay men can feel uncomfortable."
The landmark decision by a civil tribunal gives the establishment -- which does not offer accommodation -- the right to refuse entry to people considered a threat to the safety and comfort of its patrons.
McFeely said his aim was not to ban all straight patrons and lesbians but to limit their numbers so gay men could freely express their sexuality.
He said he expected a backlash from other patrons, but added: "I'm not worried about it because to be frank I don't really care what heterosexuals or lesbians think.
"My main motivation is to protect my gay male customers and I realise heterosexuals and lesbians may be upset. but I don't care about that.
"We are open at 8.00pm and we go all the way through till the morning. We have two dancefloors -- it is a nightclub environment."
McFeely said it would be easy to sort out desirable gays from undesirable straights and lesbians.
"It is particularly easy to implement with the females 'cause that is pretty obvious.
"With the heterosexual males, if they identify themselves as that at the door, or indeed we question their behaviour in the venue and if they come across as being heterosexual, then we will simply ask them to leave if the behaviour is unappropriate."
Human rights group Liberty Victoria supported the decision, vice-president Michael Pearce said.
"There are numerous places where heterosexual people can go," he said.
"I think what (the tribunal) has said is that there aren't that many places where gay people can go and meet without the risk of being harassed or vilified, and that they are entitled to have their own spaces to do that in."
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