Weekly News

Website should be monitored and material that promotes violent extremism should be removed. A nine-month inquiry by the Commons home affairs select committee concluded the internet is a fertile breeding ground for terrorism and plays a part in most, if not all, cases of violent radicalisation.

ISPs should be more active in monitoring sites and the government should work with them to develop a code of practice for removing material that could lead to radicalisation, the report said.

The inquiry found that the internet played a greater role in violent radicalisation than prisons, universities or places of worship, and was now one of the few unregulated spaces where radicalisation is able to take place.

But it added that a sense of grievance was key, and direct personal contact with radicals was a significant factor. The government's counter-terrorism strategy should show the British state is not antithetical to Islam, the committee said. Keith Vaz, its chairman, said:

More resources need to be directed to these threats and to preventing radicalisation through the internet and in private spaces. These are the fertile breeding grounds for terrorism.

The July 7 bombings in London, carried out by four men from West Yorkshire, were a powerful demonstration of the devastating and far-reaching impact of home-grown radicalisation.

We remain concerned by the growing support for non-violent extremism and more extreme and violent forms of far-right ideology.

He added that a policy of engagement, not alienation would prevent radicalisation and called for the government's counter-radicalisation strategy Prevent to be renamed Engage.

Nick Pickles, director of civil liberties and privacy group Big Brother Watch, said:

Whatever the reason for blocking online content, it should be decided in court and not by unaccountable officials.

There is a serious risk that this kind of censorship not only makes the internet less secure for law-abiding people, but drives underground the real threats and makes it harder to protect the public.

Kandi Barbour, the stunningly beautiful star of such notable adult films as Screwples, The Budding of Brie and Neon Nights reportedly died in late January in San Francisco at age 55. She was reportedly homeless at the time.

When contacted by AVN, a representative from the San Francisco coroner's office stated that nobody by the name Linda Jean Smith (Barbour's real name) had been found dead within the last week; however, he also indicated that attempts were being made by investigators to reach next of kin for an unnamed individual whom AVN believes could be Barbour, since at least one golden-age director had received a call from that office seeking information on Barbour's relatives. The spokesperson said that out of respect for the family, investigators must exhaust all possibilities for reaching next of kin before releasing any information about the individual.

Born in 1956 and originally from Kansas, Barbour was a popular actress during porn's golden age, appearing in 42 adult movies, several softcore releases and at least 20 hardcore compilations. The majority of her work appeared between 1978 and 1981, though she gave her final XXX performance in 1987 in X-Effect, directed by Ron Jeremy. She was perhaps best known as the poster girl for Cecil Howard's landmark 1981 film, Neon Nights, which was named by AVN as one of the 101 greatest adult videos of all time.

Barbour's other notable credits include Chuck Vincent's Bon Appetit, Richard Mahler's Pink Ladies and Warren Evans Pandora's Mirror. In 2009, Barbour was inducted into the Pioneers branch of the X-Rated Critics Organization (XRCO) Hall of Fame.

Legend is a 1985 US/UK fantasy by Ridley Scott with Tom Cruise and Mia Sara. See IMDb

The Director's Cut was passed PG uncut for:

• UK 2012 20th Century Fox Online
• UK 2012 20th Century Fox (+European Version) R0 Blu-ray at UK Amazon released today on 6th February 2012

The additional material is non-contentious but makes the film more coherent. See pictorial version details from movie-censorship.com

The new Blu-ray is region ABC. It features the European Version but has the Director's Cut as a 'Special Feature'.

The Erotic Films of Peter De Rome is a 1973 gay art house compilation by Peter de Rome. See IMDb

Passed 18 uncut for strong real sex for:

• UK 2012 BFI R2 DVD at UK Amazon for release on 26th March 2012

The BBFC commented in their 2010 Annual Report:

The Erotic Films of Peter De Rome is a collection of eight short films that date from the early 1970s, some of which feature strong scenes of real sex. The work as a whole has artistic, cultural and historical merit and, in tone and treatment, is distinguishable from a sex work.

From promotional material: Highly regarded gay art films

Amateur filmmaker Peter De Rome first started shooting 8mm films in 1965 producing a set of painstakingly crafted, atmospheric sexual scenarios for the amusement of himself and his friends. Pioneering producer Jack Deveau saw one of these at a festival and convinced him to collect eight of the shorts, blow them up to 16mm, and release them commercially as The Erotic Films of Peter De Rome.

The eight short films in the cycle take the viewer on a charged sexual expedition which exists at the intersection of artistry and eroticism. Here, de Rome explores the full experience of intimacy the longing, the pursuit, the passion, the afterglow, and in some cases, the aftermath. From humorous to sardonic, de Rome truly pushes the boundaries of filmmaking as his characters find themselves in surreal scenarios ranging from a wondrous garden to an underground subway. The Erotic Films of Peter de Rome showcase some of the most highly regarded gay art films ever made.

Guy Parker, the chief executive of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), has highlighted a 40%rise in complaints to the advert censor. He said in excess of 20,000 campaigns provoked complaints to the ASA in 2011.

Parker said the UK was now responsible for more complaints over advertising than the rest of Europe put together:

They say that British people don't complain. They don't complain face-to-face... but they don't mind complaining remotely. Now far more than half of all the complaints made to advertising regulatory bodies in all 27 EU member states are made by the UK public to us, it's 60-65 per cent.

Parker, giving evidence to Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry into media standards, said that it was not in the interest of British business for there to be mistrust in advertising:

Trust in advertising has been declining for a number of years and this is not good news. [If] people trust individual ads less...then companies' advertising spend is going to be less effective.

The surge in the ASA's workload in the past year has been due partly to an extension of the censor's remit on 1 March to include claims made on company websites. The ASA workload rose by 44%in the following seven months, and 36% of the cases related to websites. The ASA has taken on a dozen extra frontline staff to cope with the added complaints.

When new rules governing the way companies collect and use data about our movements online come into force, a little i symbol will appear on screen to reveal adverts generated by cookies. Many internet users find these digital devices, which are used by websites to create personal profiles based on use of the Internet, intrusive.

The data is used for Online Behavioural Advertising, allowing companies to direct their display adverts at individuals who, through the websites they have visited, have indicated an interest in certain goods or services.

The warning system, to be introduced by the European Advertising Standards Alliance and the Internet Advertising Bureau of Europe, will allow users to opt out of all Online Behavioural Advertising.

Similar measures introduced in the US had shown that users were often reassured about the use of cookies and chose to redefine their advertising profiles so they more accurately reflected their interests. Some web names, like Yahoo!, have already begun using the triangle icon on a voluntary basis in Britain but from June all ad networks will be required to display the symbol or face sanctions.

The South Korean government has written to a number of Sydney mayors asking them to snitch on Koreans found to be involved in prostitution.

The move comes on the back of figures suggesting at least 1000 of its nationals are working in the local sex industry.

A letter sent by Jin Soo Kim, the Sydney Consul General for South Korea, has requested them to advise us immediately of any information on Korean nationals involved in illegal sex practices, either as a victim or an offender. The letter says the consulate has a police attache ready to support enforcement activities where needed.

One mayor who received the letter, Hornsby's Nick Berman, said: It's not every day a foreign government writes to me about anything. So when I get a letter on something so disturbing, I take it very seriously.

South Korea is understood to be pursuing reprisals against its nationals who willingly participate in the industry here, including a year in jail and compulsory return to Korea. More serious offences, including sex trafficking, can lead to 10 years in jail.

South Korea sent its special ambassador for overseas Koreans, Moon Hayong, to Canberra in December to meet senior foreign affairs officials and federal police. There have been reports of tensions between the two countries over the sex issue.

Enjoying the services of a prostitute in Israel may cost you more than money - it may get you time in jail, under a proposed law that would criminalize buying sexual services.

A few people demonstrated outside of Israel's parliament on Sunday to lobby lawmakers to adopt legislation making the purchase of sexual services from prostitutes punishable up to five months in jail. They would also have to attend a two-day educational program, known as the School for Johns. Similar protests took place in New York, Washington DC and London. The demonstrations were organized by group called Atzum,

Every country that has put this in place, the Scandinavian countries, England, San Francisco has seen a rapid decrease in the amount of prostitution both because the criminalization itself sends a message to prospective clients and the publication of their names, the shame proves daunting, especially in a society this small, said Rabbi Levi Lauer, executive director of Atzum.

A woman's body shouldn't be for sale. Women aren't a commodity, demonstrator Rose Prevezer told The Media Line. I believe that this bill ... is the best way possible to reduce violence against women, to reduce the rate of sex trafficking in the country. In countries where they have instituted it, it has been proved to be a very effective deterrent.

On February 12, Israel's Ministerial Legislative Committee will be weighing a law containing these provisions proposed by MK Orit Zuaretz, who belongs to the opposition Kadima Party. From there it will begin its journey in the parliament until it becomes law.

If this legislation is passed we will see a radical decrease in the amount of prostitution and consequently an even more radical decrease in the amount of trafficking of women into Israel, Lauer told The Media Line.

An earlier attempt to pass similar legislation in 2009 was rejected for a variety of reasons.

Film viewers in India were in for some bad when Sony Pictures announced that the keenly-awaited The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, had been banned. An official Sony statement read:

The Censor Board (of India) has adjudged the film unsuitable for public viewing in its unaltered form. And while we are committed to maintaining and protecting the vision of the director, we will, as always, respect the guidelines set by the board.

News of the ban has not just disappointed viewers, it has also shocked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) who rather expected Sony to accept their long and unacceptable list of suggested cuts. CBFC CEO Pankaja Thakur said:

We are disturbed at the bad press it has generated, especially internationally. If they were unhappy with the decision, they should have brought it to the notice of the senior officers. We did not hear from Sony Pictures, nothing was brought to our notice, till we read about it in the papers.

The CBFC's proposed cuts for Dragon Tattoo include two graphic lovemaking scenes between journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Mara), a lesbian sex scene between Lisbeth and a barfly, a rape sequence and a scene in which she tortures her rapist, with a video of her being assaulted playing in the background. Thakur says the film was issued an A certificate, after extensive cuts, on December 19, 2011.

Sony didn't follow up the option of going to the revising committee to appeal against the cuts either, again to the annoyance of the film censors. Thakur ranted:

CBFC functions like a quasi-judicial organisation. From the lower court you go to the High Court and Supreme Court. So if they had a problem, the producers should have taken it to the next level. Filmmakers have a chance to be heard, cuts are discussed with them. They have lost so much time by not bringing it to our notice.

But Sony's spokesperson took a further dig at the squirming film censor and quickly dismissed the option as useless:

No appeal ever works.

Another issue irking the CBFC is that Dragon Tattoo had faced similar censorship problems in Malaysia and the Gulf countries. Japan rejected the original film too and okayed a revised version with pixellated scenes. Thakur lamented:

If they have accepted that in Japan, then why take such a stand in India?

The Mardi Gras Film Festival expects to be granted an exemption from film censorship laws so it can screen four films featuring real sex acts.

Despite the law prohibiting the public screening of (hardcore) X-rated films in New South Wales, the festival's director, Lex Lindsay, said:

We are confident the classification board will be satisfied with our rationale for screening these works ... and that the content in each of these works, whilst being sexually explicit, is of a nature and artistic standard suitable for public screenings to a group of educated and interested adults.

The Mardi Gras Film Festival opens in Sydney on February 16 at cinemas in Newtown, Parramatta and the Hoyts Cinema complex in Moore Park.

Two of the films, Homme au bain (Man at Bath) and Sagat, feature penetrative sex between men, and In Their Room: Berlin depicts a casual sex encounter during which the actors perform oral sex. Community Action Centre contains frequent sex scenes between transgender individuals, which Lindsay suggested in a submission to the classification board could lead to a possible X-rating.

A spokesman for the board, Brian Kent, said organisers of film festivals wishing to screen unclassified films in the festival must apply for an exemption:

If it is likely that an unclassified film will be X18+ or Refused Classification, the exemption will not be granted, he said.

[There may be a little hype going on here. Britain's film censors at the BBFC passed Man at Bath 18 uncut with the comment: Contains strong sex and nudity. If there is any real sex going on, the BBFC usually comment that it contains 'real sex' rather than 'strong sex'].

Studio Canal have teamed up with Hammer to restore the classic Dracula: Prince of Darkness. The film will be making its bow on Blu-ray and DVD (dual format) on 5th March.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness is a 1966 UK horror film by Terence Fisher. With Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley and Andrew Keir. See IMDb

UK: Passed 15 uncut for:

• UK 2012 Hammer/Studio Canal Restored Version R2 DVD/RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon for release on 5th March 2012

Extras:

• Commentary featuring Christopher Lee, Suzan Farmer, Francis Matthews & Barbara Shelley
• World of Hammer episode Hammer Stars: Christopher Lee
• Back to Black
• Super 8mm Behind the Scenes footage
• Restoration comparison
• Trailer
• Double bill Trailer
• Original USA Titles
• Original Print UK Theatrical Titles.

More to follow

Studio Canal and Hammer plan further restorations on such films as George Gilling's The Plague of The Zombies and The Reptile.

He may have triumphed over the world's greatest criminal masterminds, but in his early days James Bond suffered countless defeats at the hands of Britain's film censors.

Producers of the 007 movies had to cut scenes, redub dialogue and rewrite scripts because the British Board of Film Classification objected to some of the spy's more risque exploits.

...Read the full article

A small group of British MPs have signed up to an Early Day Motion voicing concern that Google are set to plunder user data for advert serving purposes.

The primary sponsor is Robert Halfon and the motion reads:

That this House

• is concerned at reports in the Wall Street Journal that Google may now be combining nearly all the information it has on its users, which could make it harder for them to remain anonymous;

• notes that Google's new policy is planned to take effect on 1 March 2012, but that this has not been widely advertised or highlighted to Google's users and customers, who now number more than 800 million people;

• and therefore concludes that Google should make efforts to consult on these changes and that the firm should be extremely careful in the months ahead not to risk the same kind of mass privacy violations that took place under its StreetView programme, which the Australian Minister for Communications called the largest privacy breach in history across western democracies.

The motion has been signed by

• Campbell, Gregory: Democratic Unionist Party Londonderry East
• Campbell, Ronnie: Labour Party Blyth Valley
• Caton, Martin: Labour Party Gower
• Clark, Katy: Labour Party North Ayrshire and Arran
• Connarty, Michael: Labour Party Linlithgow and East Falkirk
• Corbyn, Jeremy; Labour Party Islington North
• Halfon, Robert; Conservative Party Harlow
• Hopkins, Kelvin; Labour Party Luton North
• McCrea, Dr William; Democratic Unionist Party South Antrim
• Meale, Alan; Labour Party Mansfield
• Morris, David; Conservative Party Morecambe and Lunesdale
• Osborne, Sandra; Labour Party Ayr Carrick and Cumnock
• Rogerson, Dan; Liberal Democrats North Cornwall
• Vickers, Martin; Conservative Party Cleethorpes
• Williams, Stephen; Liberal Democrats Bristol West

Ofcom commissioned Ipsos MORI to survey audiences to understand attitudes towards content regulation; and how far, and in what ways, the public expects it should be protected in a world where content can be accessed in such a broad range of ways.

The report Protecting audiences in a converged world is based on findings from seven pairs of workshops conducted across the UK, each of which had around 20 participants. Fieldwork took place in June and July 2011.

Key findings include:

• Protecting minors, and protection from harm, were considered to be the most important areas for future regulation.

• Offence is very important to some, but not at all important to others.

• Impartiality, privacy and fairness were usually considered to be relatively less important. But a wide range of views were expressed, depending on whether participants considered the areas to be an important principle to uphold or personally relevant.

• Knowledge of current content regulation is high for broadcast services, but lower for other services like catch up and VoD (video on-demand).

• Viewers have high expectations of content regulation on broadcast television, and associated VoD and catch-up services.

• Other online audio-visual content is seen to be different from broadcasting content and people have generally lower expectations about regulation in this area.

• Converged TVs and devices, which incorporate broadcast, VoD and open internet services, are considered to be closer to a TV-like experience -- and have a higher expectation of regulation -- than the open internet. It is particularly important to protect vulnerable people in this environment.

• Technology use and social attitudes were found to be the most influential factors in influencing people's views on the future of content regulation.

Aseem Trivedi, a 25-year-old political cartoonist, has been charged with treason and insulting the Indian national emblems, according to local news reports and CPJ interviews.

Trivedi was inspired by the well-known social activist Anna Hazare's fight against corruption and graft. Trivedi drew cartoons criticizing the Indian government, some of which were exhibited while Hazare was fasting in Mumbai in December.

Trivedi faces another legal attack in Mumbai. There, lawyer R.P. Pandey has filed his own complaint, alleging that the cartoons are defamatory and derogatory and requesting strict legal action, according to news reports.

While Mumbai police have yet to file charges, the complaint has had repercussions: Big Rock, a domain name registrar, suspended Trivedi's website, www.cartoonistsagainstcorruption.com, citing the criminal complaint, The Times of India reported.

Speaking to CPJ from Mumbai, Pandey claimed that while parodying politicians was a legitimate pursuit, mocking national institutions like the Indian Parliament and national symbols was completely unacceptable.

Trivedi told CPJ that he sees the ban against his website as arbitrary and a sign of the government's growing intolerance toward dissent.

The Thai government becomes the first to publicly endorse Twitter's decision to permit country-specific censorship of content

Thai information and communication technology minister, Jeerawan Boonperm, called Twitter's decision a welcome development and said the ministry already received good co-operation from internet companies such as Google and Facebook. The Thai government would soon be contacting Twitter to discuss ways in which they can collaborate, she told the Bangkok Post.

Thailand has some of the most repressive censorship laws in the world, ranking it 153 out of 178 in Reporters Without Borders' 2011 Press Freedom Index. In particular these are used to target criticism of the monarchy. Lese-majeste laws include punishments by up to 15 years in prison, but under Thailand's 2007 computer crimes act prosecutors have been able to increase sentences.

Thailand's endorsement could have profound ramifications across the region, said Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch Thailand, while it already adds more damage to an already worrying trend in Thailand. Twitter gives space to different opinions and views, and that is so important in a restricted society -- it gives people a chance to speak up, he said. But if this censorship is welcomed by Thailand, then other countries, with worse records for human rights and freedom of speech, will find that they have an ally.

The Super Bowl is one of America's largest sporting events, and it is a time when nutters enjoy making ludicrous claims about thousands of girls, many under-aged that will somehow be trafficked to the event.

The award for this year's most inane nutter campaigner must surely go to Theresa Flores, founder of Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution (S.O.A.P.). She told The Christian Post that major sporting events like the Super Bowl generally have more men in attendance who are visiting from a different city, and often do things they wouldn't normally do at home. This creates a demand that traffickers and pimps are there willing and waiting to supply, she said.

Because of this, about 150 volunteers for S.O.A.P. are heading to Indiana before the event to pass out soap at Indianapolis motels.

Each bar of soap will have a label on it with phrases like Are you being threatened? or Are you witnessing young girls being prostituted? The soap provides the number for a human trafficking hotline so that those at the hotel, or young girls who are being trafficked, will see it and can call for help.

S.O.A.P. volunteers will distribute the bars Feb. 1-2, in conjunction with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship students who will hand out fliers to raise awareness for the trafficking issue with football fans.

Offsite Comment: Superbowl Sex Trafficking Increase? Super Nonsense

5th February 2012. See article from sexualintelligence.wordpress.com

An increasing number of groups are intent on persuading Americans that we have a terrible and growing problem with sex trafficking. Their data is virtually non-existent, elided with words like experts agree, a shameful epidemic, and enormous human suffering. The media reports their conferences and feral estimates, politicians grimly respond with vows of stricter laws, and the occasional wildly unusual victim is trotted out as proof of some enormous underground industry.

The favorite ploy of anti-trafficking groups is to grimly remind us that major sporting events are a central focus of this evil. Every year, the NFL has to deny that they're the center of an odious international sex slavery ring. NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy says the super bowl sex slave story is a simply an urban legend.

But that doesn't stop those who are feeding---and feeding off of---America's latest Sex Panic.

..Read the full article

The European Parliament rapporteur for ACTA, Kader Arif, resigned just hours after the EU signed the controversial intellectual property treaty.

In a translated statement, Arif denounced the process leading up to the ACTA signings as a masquerade.

I denounce in the strongest possible manner the entire process which has led to the signature of this agreement: failure to address civil society, lack of transparency since the beginning of the negotiations, successive reports of the signature of the text without any explanation, sweeping aside of the views of the European Parliament expressed in several different resolutions.

Arif said that he had come under pressure to rush through the ratification process so as to keep ACTA out of the public eye.

As rapporteur on this matter, I was contronted by unprecedented manoeuvres by the right of the Parliament to impose an accelerated timetable with a goal of passing the agreement quickly before public opinion could be alerted.

The rapporteur closed his statement by expressing the hope that his resignation would lead to greater public awareness of the treaty.

This agreement could have major consequences on the lives of our citizens, and yet it seems that everything is being done to ensure that the European Parliament will have no voice in this chapter. Thus, today, in handing back the report that I have been in charge of, I hope to send a strong signal to alert public opinion to this unacceptable situation. I will not participate in this masquerade.

Britain's game censors at the BBFC have awarded Twisted Metal an uncut 18 rating for strong bloody violence.

They kindly explain their decision:

Twisted Metal is a racing game in which drivers uses various weapons to destroy opponents. The game was classified 18 for strong bloody violence.

The game includes a series of cutscenes which use a mixture of live action and CGI to tell the back-story of each character. These include an attack on a family, a defensive attack on a character with a pair of scissors, and a dead woman lying on the road. Although the BBFC's Guidelines permit strong violence at 15, the dark tone of the stories and the involvement of a sadistic and predatory serial killer mean the game is more appropriately classified at 18.

The game also includes infrequent use of strong language.

The game in its original format is rated Mature in the US, which is basically a 17 age rating.

However the game seems to be causing problems in Europe, presumably with the German censors who don't care for violence in video games. The European version of the game has therefore been delayed in order to tone down the violent content. Whilst the US will be receiving the game on February 14, the European version has been delayed until March.

Explaining the changes on NeoGAF, series creator David Jaffe posted that:

To be fair, there have not been that many cuts.

For example, in the scene we've released on the net from the intro- where the girl stabs Tooth in the eye- the SCEE version has this but we cut away right before the scissors make contact with Tooth's face. It's CLEAR what she's doing and I think we even keep the sound effects in and such- but the last few frames are gone. The story itself tho totally works and- for some folks even who tend to think this kinda stuff plays better left to your imagination anyway- perhaps it even works better.

Only a few content cuts for the game- for example, I think the guy on the gurney from Meat Wagon is dead so you are exploding a corpse covered with TNT vs. a screaming man trapped to the gurney. Sucks on my end but at the same time, I get it and the game play isn't different and the intent is still there, as is the humor. In some ways, it's actually much more macabre when you think about it. Shooting a dude screaming out the back of an ambulance is pretty stupid and fun and cartoony in a dark, twisted way. Turning a stolen from the morgue CORPSE a missile? A bit more disturbing in some ways...not trying to sell you on it, just thinking out loud.

The game has been passed MA 15+ in Australia without cuts, but it is speculated that cut European Version was submitted. Of course it is also unsure which version was submitted to the UK's BBFC.

Zalman King, the producer, director and screenwriter of numerous erotic films, died this morning after a six-year battle with cancer. He was 70 years old.

King's credits include 9 1/2 Weeks, Wild Orchid and the well-known Red Shoe Diaries for Showtime, which spawned many sequels and became a staple of erotic late-night cable TV.

King is perhaps best known for his collaboration with director Adrian Lyne on the film 9 1/2 Weeks, which featured an incendiary sex scene between Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger. The scene has long been considered the hottest sex scene in a mainstream Hollywood film.

King was praised for his work by the Los Angeles Times, which said, Zalman King is the reigning auteur of erotic fantasy. Premiere Magazine called him the high priest of erotic filmmaking.

Fernando Di Leo's Milieu quadrilogy consists of Caliber 9, The Italian Connection aka Manhunt in Milan, The Boss and Rulers of the City.

Fernando Di Leo's films are claimed to be the  inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's early films.  And gushingly, a breathtaking crime collection that no lover of Italian genre-cinema could possibly afford to miss.

The collection is uncut and MPAA Unrated for:

• US 2012 Raro Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection RA Blu-ray at US Amazon just released on 31st January 2012
• US 2011 Raro Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection R1 DVD via UK Amazon and at US Amazon

At the BBFC

The Italian Connection aka Manhunt in Milan is a 1972 Italy/West Germany crime drama by Fernando di Leo. With Mario Adorf, Henry Silva and Woody Strode. See IMDb

It was last released in the UK when cut by the BBFC for its 1973 cinema release.

A regional press ad and a mobile poster ad for a glazing company:

a. The regional press ad was headlined Others Measure - We Fit and featured a photograph of a naked woman seen behind a window, shown from the neck to the waist. The woman's breasts were mostly covered by two large flowers.

b. A poster ad, seen on a mobile poster site situated in various locations including a field next to a main road was headlined Other Measure - We Fit. The ad featured a photograph of a naked woman seen behind a window, shown from the neck to the waist. The woman's breasts were mostly covered by two large flowers. Text underneath the image stated Massive deals!.

A complainant challenged whether:

1. press ad (a) was offensive because they believed the image objectified woman; and

2. poster ad (b) was offensive for the same reason.

The ASA challenged whether:

3. poster ad (b) was irresponsible because it could be seen by children.

1st Choice Glazing believed that the press and poster image did not objectify women and stated that they had been tastefully shot in order to ensure decency. They stated that the image was no more revealing than others that appeared in some ads for cars or drinks and believed that the tongue-in-cheek image was unlikely to cause offence. They agreed that children might have seen the poster but stated that they were exposed to far more explicit images whilst watching popular programmes set on beaches, or during pop star videos and TV shows.

Smartlocal stated that the image had been widely used in the advertising campaigns for a number of years and that to date they had not received any complaints from their 120,000 readers.

ASA Assessment: Complaints Upheld

The ASA noted the woman's breasts were partly covered by the flowers and that the image was not presented in an overtly sexual way. However, we also noted the woman's head was not included in the image and considered that consumers would understand from the ad that they were being invited to view her naked torso and, in particular, her breasts. We considered that, because the product being advertised was unrelated to the image, the nakedness was incongruous and the image was likely to be seen to be an objectification of the woman in the ads and therefore of women in general.

We further considered that the text Others Measure - We Fit and Massive deals! in conjunction with the images were likely to be seen as innuendo and contribute to that impression. We therefore concluded that ads (a) and (b) were likely to cause serious offence. We also concluded that ad (b) was irresponsible because it could be seen by children.

On these points ads (a) and (b) breached CAP Code 4.1 (Harm and offence). Ad (b) also breached CAP Code rule 3.1 (Social responsibility).

Another unlicensed Soho sex shop on Walkers Court has been warned to cease trading as part of Westminster Council's long-running campaign against unlicensed shops selling hardcore DVDs.

Westminster Council allows a limited number of vendors of adult DVDs, magazines and sex toys to trade in the West End, but such businesses are obliged to pay extortionate licence fees that cost about £30,000 per year.

Enterprise chief Councillor Brian Connell said licensing council staff were working hard to put the remaining unlicensed sex shops in the streets and alleyways around Brewer Street out of business. Connell told the West End Extra:

 In my view, cleaning up the worst excesses of this trade is good for London and good for Westminster.

It's what we said we would do prior to the Olympics, so it is delivering on a commitment, and it also has the effect of making sure that legitimate businesses don't run the risk of losing market share.

In 1999 Soho had 61 unlicensed sex shops. It now has nine, and of these, the courts are set to hear three closure hearings in the coming year. The council's declared intention is for no unlicensed sex DVD shops to remain operational by the start of the Olympics.

Update: Meanwhile in Islington

3rd February 2012. See article from islingtontribune.com

Islington's last unlicensed sex shop has shut after a council raid found unclassified DVDs on the premises. Trading SubStandards and licensing staff visited DJD Retail, trading as Bookshop, at York Way in May last year, and seized DVDs and videos.

The sole officer of the company, David Darbo, pleaded guilty to eight offences under the Video Recordings Act 1984 at Highbury Magistrates' Court last month.

Darbo was fined £3,150 and ordered to pay £1,449 costs. DJD Retail admitted eight offences and was fined £100 for one offence.

Visions of Ecstasy is a 1989 UK erotic short by Nigel Wingrove. With Louise Downie, Elisha Scott and Dan Fox. See IMDb

Passed 18 uncut for nudity and sex involving religious images for:

• UK 2012 4Digital/Redemption R2 DVD at UK Amazon for release 26th March 2012

Previously Banned

Previously banned by the BBFC for:

• UK 1989 Axel VHS

The BBFC decision was subsequently appealed to the Video Appeals Committee who upheld the ban.

DVD Features

Included with this historic film is a 40 page, booklet written by the films director, Nigel Wingrove, in which he explains how the film came to be made, the effect its banning had on his life and future work, and how his continuing battles against film censorship led eventually to the resignation of the BBFC's then director, JamesFerman, the legalisation of pornography and a general relaxations of film classification overall.

Also included on this DVD are the director s first erotic short film, Axel (1986) and his nunsploitation feature, Sacred Flesh (2000), in which a Mother Superior struggles with her sexual desires in a series of imagined dialogues with Mary Magdalene will her mind torments her with images of sexual perversion, lesbianism and sadomasochism. Sacred Flesh was cut by 25s by the BBFC when it was submitted in 2000.

Additional extras include extensive stills, press gallery and interviews.

Night Train Murders (aka Late Night Trains) is a 1975 Italian horror film by Aldo Lado. With Flavio Bucci, Macha Méril and Gianfranco De Grassi. See IMDb

US: Uncut and MPAA R Rated for:

• US 2012 Blue Underground R0 Blu-ray via UK Amazon and at US Amazon just released on 31st January 2012
• US 2004 Blue Underground R1 DVD at US Amazon

Blu-ray Features

Night Train Murders is presented in a brand-new High Definition transfer from the original uncensored negative!

Extras:    

• Riding the Night Train - Interview with Co-Writer/Director Aldo Lado
• U.S. Trailer
• International Trailer
• Radio Spots

Uncut in the UK

The BBFC passed the film 18 uncut for strong scenes of sexual violence for:

• UK 2011 Shameless Slasher Nasties Triple Bill R2 DVD at UK Amazon
• UK 2008 Argent/Shameless R0 DVD at UK Amazon

The BBFC commented about their uncut decsion:

• The development of media awareness and public knowledge of film styles were felt to have reduced the impact and potential for harm of the scenes of sexual assault in the film, which seem particularly dated now.

Video Nasty

Cinehollywood released an uncut video in November 1981 under the title Night Train Murders. This version was listed as a video nasty in July 1983. This was dropped from the list in March 1984

Previously Video Warehouse International released a cut video as Late Night Trains in 1981. This release was missing about 1 minute of violence and nearly 2 minutes of non contentious material

Banned by the BBFC

Banned by the BBFC for:

• UK 1976 cinema release titled Late Night Trains

Summary Review: Decent Acting

This film borrowed heavily from Last House on the Left, but Night Train Murders is the better of the two. Good production values, excellent cinematography, an Ennio Morricone score, decent acting and a tight script.

The first third of the film introduces the main characters, most of whom seem to be prone to indulging in one perversion or another.

The "defilement" section of the film is a gripping, harrowing affair that escalates in viciousness before climaxing in a very brutal fashion.

The final act does not live up to the scenes that precede it. The director's desire to keep from glamorizing violence is probably why the ending feels somewhat restrained.

A website and a leaflet, for Healing on the Streets - Bath, viewed on 10 May 2011:

a. The website home page stated Our vision is to :- Promote Christian Healing as a daily life style for every believer, through demonstration, training and equipping. We are working in unity, from numerous churches outside the four walls of the building, In order to :- - Heal the sick ....

A page headed What people have told us afterwards ... included five testimonials in which people stated that after receiving prayer their conditions had been improved.

b. The leaflet was available for download on the website under the heading Download a healing flyer by clicking below. The leaflet stated NEED HEALING? GOD CAN HEAL TODAY! Do you suffer from Back Pain, Arthritis, MS, Addiction ... Ulcers, Depression, Allergies, Fibromyalgia, Asthma, Paralysis, Crippling Disease, Phobias, Sleeping disorders or any other sickness? We'd love to pray for your healing right now! We're Christian from churches in Bath and we pray in the name of Jesus. We believe that God loves you and can heal you from any sickness. Issue

A complainant challenged whether:

1. the claim in ad (b) that the advertiser could heal the named conditions was misleading and could be substantiated;

2. the testimonials in ad (a) misleadingly implied that the advertiser could heal the conditions referred to; and

3. the ads were irresponsible, because they provided false hope to those suffering from the named conditions.

4. The ASA challenged whether the ads could discourage essential treatment for conditions for which medical supervision should be sought.

ASA Assessment: Complaints Upheld

1., 2. & 3. Upheld

The ASA acknowledged that HOTS sought to promote their faith and the hope for physical healing by God through the claims in their ads. However, we were concerned that the prominent references in ad (b) to healing and the statement You have nothing to lose, except your sickness in combination with the references to medical conditions for which medical supervision should be sought such as arthritis, asthma, MS, addictions, depression and paralysis, could give consumers the expectation that, by receiving prayer from HOTS volunteers, they would be healed of the conditions listed or other sicknesses from which they suffered. We also considered that the testimonials in ad (a) could also give consumers that expectation, and furthermore, noted that a video on the website also made claims that HOTS volunteers had successfully prayed for healing for people with cancer, fibromyalgia, back pain, kidney pain, hip pain, cataracts, arthritis and paralysis. We noted the testimonials on the website and in the video but considered that testimonials were insufficient as evidence for claims of healing. We therefore concluded the ads were misleading.

We acknowledged that HOTS volunteers believed that prayer could treat illness and medical conditions, and that therefore the ads did not promote false hope. However, we noted we had not seen evidence that people had been healed through the prayer of HOTS volunteers, and concluded that the ads could encourage false hope in those suffering from the named conditions and therefore were irresponsible.

We acknowledged that HOTS had offered to make amendments to the ads, and to remove the leaflet from their website. However, we considered that their suggested amendments were not sufficient for the ads to comply with the CAP Code.

On these points, ads (a) and (b) breached CAP Code rules 1.3 (Social responsibility), 3.1 and 3.6 (Misleading advertising), 3.7 (Substantiation), 3.47 (Endorsements and testimonials), 12.1 and 12.6 (Medicines, medical devices, health-related products and beauty products).

4. Upheld

We understood that HOTS volunteers were instructed to give a letter to the recipients of prayer which told them they should not stop taking their medication or following the advice of medical professionals. We also noted their offer to add a prominent reference along the lines of that letter to their website. However, we considered that, because both the leaflet and the website made claims that through the prayer offered by HOTS volunteers people could be healed of specific medical conditions for which medical supervision should be sought such as arthritis, asthma, MS, addictions, depression and paralysis, the ads could discourage people, and particularly the vulnerable or those suffering from undiagnosed symptoms, from seeking essential treatment for medical conditions for which medical supervision should be sought. We concluded the ad breached the Code.

On this point, ads (a) and (b) breached CAP Code rule 12.2 (Medicines, medical devices, health-related products and beauty products). Action

The ads must not appear again in their current form. We told HOTS not to make claims which stated or implied that, by receiving prayer from their volunteers, people could be healed of medical conditions. We also told them not to refer in their ads to medical conditions for which medical supervision should be sought.

HOTS Bath official response

From hotsbath.org

We are disappointed with the ASA's decision, and will appeal against it because it seems very odd to us that the ASA wants to prevent us from stating on our website the basic Christian belief that God can heal illness.

The ASA has even demanded that we sign a document agreeing not to say this, which is unacceptable to us - as it no doubt would be for anyone ordered not to make certain statements about their conventional religious or philosophical beliefs.

All over the world as part of their normal Christian life, Christians believe in, pray for and experience God's healing; our ministry, in common with many churches, has been active in praying for God's healing (of Christians and non Christians) for many years.

Over that time the response to what we do has been overwhelmingly positive, and we find it difficult to understand the ASA's attempt to restrict communication about this. Our website simply states our beliefs and describes some of our experiences.

We tried to reach a compromise, recognising some of the ASA's concerns, but there are certain things that we cannot agree to -- including a ban on expressing our beliefs.

Apple is censoring rap music and other explicit tracks downloaded using its iTunes Match service by replacing them with the clean versions of the same songs.

According to a report in Cult of Mac, confirmed in tests by Mashable, songs uploaded to the service with explicit lyrics are automatically replaced by the clean version of the song.

iTunes Match is an optional service that costs $25 a year. It matches songs in your iTunes library with high-quality versions on Apple's servers, and lets you play and download your choice of those songs to your iPhone, iPod or iPad.

In Mashable's test, a ripped copy of Jay-Z's The Black Album (with explicit lyrics) was uploaded to iTunes Match, where it was promptly replaced by the clean version. Cult of Mac found the problem affected songs by Jay-Z, Kanye West and Ice Cube.

The problem does not seem to affect music that was actually bought on iTunes.

According to 9to5Mac, a reader contacted Eddy Cue, Apple's Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, about this issue, and received a response from one of his engineers. The email acknowledged the existence of the problem, and said Apple was working on a fix.

Film posters for a new French film, Les Infideles, about adultery have been taken down in Paris because they are supposedly too provocative.

The adverts show Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lellouche implying sexual positions which campaigners have claimed degrade women.

On poster showing a girl with her head at the groin of a guy on a phone is captioned It's going to cut out, I'm just entering a tunnel

In the other advert a woman's legs are in the air and are being held by Dujardin. It says underneath I'm just going into a meeting.

ARPP, the French advert censor, has ordered that the billboards be taken down. Stephane Martin, who works for the censor, told French newspaper Le Parisien:

We already feel that this campaign is against the rules, even if it relates to the subject of the film, a comedy about adultery.As a preventative measure, we've already counseled JC Decaux, who are in charge of the billboards, to take them down.

ATVOD have announced a determination that all internet hardcore must be locked behind paywalls, that in practice can only be unlocked by credit cards, even debit cards won't do. I wonder percentage of customers are banned from watching porn because they haven't got a credit card or else would rather not use it).

And as far seriously impairing under 18's, I guess they will all have been seriously impaired already. And will continue to be seriously impaired to the benefit of foreign websites. The 'experts' are hardly convinced that the depiction of anything so natural to every person's life can be considered seriously impairing anyway. And the government seems to have asked ATVOD/Ofcom to bluff it out until more specific legislation can be drawn up. (See morally impaired plot).

And do any of these censors ever consider the serious impairment to our children caused by poverty. They seem so keen to add the mass of expensive state control freakery and yet it is suffocating Britain's ability to earn any money.

Anyway ATVOD have release the news article:

ATVOD Rules That Adult Website Must Block Access To Children

ATVOD publishes determination that adult video on demand website Bootybox.tv had breached statutory rules requiring video on demand providers to ensure that under 18s cannot normally access hardcore pornographic content

The Authority for Television On Demand (ATVOD) has today published its determination that the provider of the online video on demand service Bootybox.tv was in breach of a statutory rule which requires that material which might seriously impair under 18s can only be made available if access is blocked to children.

The Bootybox.tv website offered users access to explicit hardcore porn videos which could be viewed on-demand. The content of the videos was equivalent to that which could only be sold in licensed sex shops if supplied on DVD.

Responding to a complaint from a concerned father, who had discovered that his son had visited the site, ATVOD found that the website broke the statutory rules in two ways. Firstly, it allowed any visitor to the website unrestricted access to a selection of hardcore pornographic video promos/trailers featuring real sex in explicit detail and featured a large still image of explicit sex on the homepage. Secondly, access to the full videos was open to any visitor who paid a fee. As the service accepted payment methods -- such as debit cards and prepaid vouchers -- which can be used by under 18s, ATVOD ruled that the service had also failed to put in place effective access controls in relation to the full videos.

ATVOD followed up its ruling with an Enforcement Notification, requiring the provider of Bootybox.tv to either remove the hardcore porn content from the service or put it all behind effective access controls which will ensure that only adults can see it. The service has now ceased operating.

Speaking today at a conference at the House of Lords on ATVOD's role in child and consumer protection, ATVOD Chief Executive Pete Johnson will say:

UK providers of hardcore pornography on demand must take effective steps to ensure that such material is not accessible to under 18s. Asking visitors to a website to click an 'I am 18' button or enter a date of birth or use a debit card is not sufficient -- if they are going to offer explicit sex material they must know that their customers are 18, just as they would in the 'offline' world.

Last week, ATVOD followed up its ruling with a seminar for providers of adult content on video on demand services. The seminar was designed to ensure that such providers fully understood their obligations under the statutory rules and to make clear that ATVOD would take action in relation to any other providers found to be in breach of the rule.

The Tin Drum is a 1979 West German film by Volker Schlondorff. With David Bennent, Mario Adorf and Angela Winkler. See IMDb

Director's Cut

The Director's Cut was passed 15 uncut for strong sex and sexualised nudity for:

• UK 2011 Arrow Academy (also with Theatrical Version) RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon just released on 30th January 2012

The Director's Cut adds plot details that add depth to the film. It basically restores scenes that were removed when the distributors wanted the film to be shortened for running time reasons. See pictorial version details from movie-censorship.com

Uncut Theatrical Version

Previously the Theatrical Version was passed 15 uncut with previous BBFC cuts waived for:

• UK 2011 Arrow Academy (also with Director's Cut RB Blu-ray) R2 DVD
• UK 2003 Nouveaux Pictures R2 DVD

The cut's were waived when the BBFC decided that the disputed scene did not constitute an indecent image. You do not see Maria's pubes and it seems likely (from other evidence - eg the book about the making of the film) that Scholndorff made her wear masking tape at this point. The offending shot simply shows a young boy pressing his face against a woman's pubic region (not actually her vagina). 

It is  a serious film with little else to comfort paedophiles and expert views agreed that the scene was no more indecent (or vulnerable to misuse) than some of the other scenes in the film, such as the sherbert licking.

Cut Theatrical Version

Before that the Theatrical Version was passed 15 after 19s of BBFC cuts for:

• UK 1997 Disc VHS
• UK 1994 Connoisseur VHS
• UK 1980 cinema release (X Rated)

The BBFC cuts were:

• A shot has been deleted from the scene where the young Oskar is seen burying his head in Maria's pubic area.

Release Details

Arrow Academy presents Volker Schlöndorff s masterpiece in its original theatrical version and the Director's Cut, seen for the first time in the UK after its Cannes Film Festival premiere.

Extras:

• High Definition and Standard Definition presentation of the original theatrical version
• High Definition presentation of the Director s Cut [Blu-ray only]
• New restoration of both the theatrical version and the brand new Director s Cut approved by director Volker Schlöndorff
• Brand new interview with Volker Schlöndorff
• Comprehensive booklet featuring brand new writing on the film by George Lellis and Hans-Bernhard Moeller, authors of Volker Schlondorff's Cinema: Adaptation, Politics and the Movie-appropriate, as well as extracts from Volker Schlöndorff s diary, writing by Jean Claude Carrière and Günter Grass, illustrated with archival stills.
• More extras to be announced!

Following Salo, Ai No Corrida and Cannibal Holocaust, the BBFC has recently granted another notorious banned film, Visions of Ecstasy, an 18 certificate.

The film was outlawed for 23 years in this country for fear of its release breaking UK blasphemy laws, but following the repeal of those laws and the film's subsequent resubmission to the Board, it will finally be issued legally and fully uncut in the UK later this year.

One of the most puzzling things about censorship from the public's point of view is the apparently arbitrary way in which films are cut, banned and un-banned in Britain. For instance, the video nasties of the early 1980s were once the subject of media hysteria and bans, but today almost all of them can be bought entirely legally in your local DVD emporium. What's changed? Why are they no longer a threat to society?

[...er because 25 years is an awfully long time...]

...Read the full article

An Oklahoma lawmaker has introduced a bill in the state legislature that would impose a tax on violent video games. Oklahoma State Representative William Fourkiller introduced bill HB 2696, which would add a 1% tax on games rated Teen, Mature, and Adults Only by the ESRB.

Half of the revenue would be put towards a Childhood Outdoor Education Revolving Fund with the rest going to a Bullying Prevention Revolving Fund. Both of these things would be created as part of the law.

A leading music distributor has closed its Kuwait operations after claiming censorship of albums and artwork had made it impossible to run a full-scale operation.

Music Master, which distributes music from major labels such as Universal, Sony and EMI, said curbs on content from bestselling artists such as Lady Gaga and Beyonce had left it battling to maintain its profit margins.  Music Master is one of the Middle East's largest distributors with operations in the Gulf States, Egypt and Lebanon. The company sells into some 50 stores across Kuwai.

Saeed El Ajou, managing director of the Dubai-based company said:

It comes down to censorship issues. There is too much censorship to justify having a full-scale operation there. If you can't push your top-selling artists then it makes it hard to justify having a full-scale business. The avant-garde artists - Lady Gaga, Beyonce - who are the bestsellers, tend to cause a problem.

It is basically lyrics and artwork and anything that is seen as provocative won't go through. Anything which has any provocative lyrics or any innuendo.

It is purely Kuwait-specific, everywhere else we are very fortunate that there are no censorship issues. Even Saudi has been liberal in what they allow through.

From promotional material:

Nazisploitation! examines past intersections of National Socialism and popular cinema and the recent reemergence of this imagery in contemporary visual culture. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, films such as Love Camp 7 and Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS introduced and reinforced the image of Nazis as master paradigms of evil in what film theorists deem the sleaze film.

More recently, Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, as well as video games such as Call of Duty: World at War, have reinvented this iconography for new audiences. In these works, the violent Nazi becomes the hyperbolic caricature of the monstrous feminine or the masculine sadist. Power-hungry scientists seek to clone the Fuhrer, and Nazi zombies rise from the grave.

The history, aesthetic strategies, and political implications of such translations of National Socialism into the realm of commercial, low brow, and sleaze visual culture are the focus of this book. The contributors examine when and why the Nazisploitation genre emerged as it did, how it establishes and violates taboos, and why this iconography resonates with contemporary audiences.

 See review from irishtimes.com, Jan 2012

A key question is how exactly did a society as sexually repressive as Nazi Germany become a signifier of far-out sex and erotic adventurism?

Although this book ultimately struggles to provide a definitive answer, perhaps because the question is unanswerable, it does, over the course of some 300 pages, prove how potent and enduing the conventions of Nazisploitation have become.

Like the Nazi zombie monsters of the recent Norwegian opus Dead Snow, it is a phenomenon that has proved itself all-but unkillable.

Visions of Ecstasy is a 1989 UK erotic short by Nigel Wingrove. With Louise Downie, Elisha Scott and Dan Fox. See IMDb

It was originally banned by the BBFC for a 1989 Axel VHS. It was the only film banned in the UK solely on grounds of blasphemy.

The BBFC decision was subsequently appealed to the Video Appeals Committee, who upheld the ban. Then director Nigel Wingrove then took his case to the European Court of Human Rights, but again lost his case.

In 2008, section 79 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act abolished the common law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel. And now the film has been passed 18 uncut for a 2012 4Digital home video release.

But don't expect too much. Director Nigel Wingrove was a bit defensive when talking to the BBFC:

If I made the film now I would make it very differently, I was exploring areas of dark eroticism, but I had worked chiefly in prints, not films.

People say I should put it out, but on a personal level I have reservations. If I did release it, I would need to put it into context and perhaps release a documentary to accompany it.

The film has now been passed 18 uncut for nudity and sex involving religious images for:

• UK 2012 4DigitalRedemption R2 DVD at UK Amazon for release 26th March 2012

The BBFC have explained their decision to unban the film in a press release:

Visions of Ecstasy is a 19 minute short film, featuring a sequence in which a figure representing St Teresa of Avila interacts sexually with a figure representing the crucified Christ. When the film was originally submitted to the BBFC in 1989, for video classification only, the Board refused to issue a classification certificate. This decision was taken on the grounds that the publication of the film, which the issue of a BBFC certificate would permit, might constitute an offence under the common law test of blasphemous libel.

The Board is required, as part of the terms of its designation under the Video Recordings Act 1984, to seek to avoid classifying any work that might infringe the criminal law. Therefore, the Board had no alternative at the time but to refuse a classification. The Board's decision to refuse a classification to the film was subsequently upheld by the independent Video Appeals Committee.

In 2008, section 79 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act abolished the common law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel. This means that the BBFC is no longer entitled to consider whether the publication of the film might comprise a blasphemous libel.

The BBFC has carefully considered Visions of Ecstasy in terms of its current classification Guidelines. These reflect both the requirements of UK law and the wishes of the UK public, as expressed through regular large scale consultation exercises. With the abolition of the offence of blasphemy, the Board does not consider that the film is in breach of any other UK law that is currently in force. Nor does the Board regard the film as likely to cause harm to viewers in the terms envisioned by the Video Recordings Act.

The Board recognises that the content of the film may be deeply offensive to some viewers. However, the Board's Guidelines reflect the clear view of the public that adults should have the right to choose their own viewing, provided that the material in question is neither illegal nor harmful. In the absence of any breach of UK law and the lack of any credible risk of harm, as opposed to mere offensiveness, the Board has no sustainable grounds on which to refuse a classification to Visions of Ecstasy in 2012. Therefore the film has been classified for video release at 18 without cuts.

Google has quietly announced changes to its Blogger blogging platform that will enable the blocking of content only in countries where censorship is required.

Google's announcement three weeks ago, buried in a Blogger help page, went unnoticed until it was highlighted by TechDows.

Google wrote that it would begin redirecting Blogger traffic to country-specific URLs, meaning whatever country you're in, you'll get that country's domain for Blogger-hosted blogs. Doing that, Google wrote, means content can be removed on a per country basis. Google added:

Migrating to localized domains will allow us to continue promoting free expression and responsible publishing while providing greater flexibility in complying with valid removal requests pursuant to local law.

David Hunt, the new chairman of the Press Complaints Commission has unveiled a blueprint for a totally new newspaper watchdog which he hopes will eradicate bad journalism and practices that have brought shame on the industry.

He told the Leveson inquiry that he was, however, flatly opposed to statutory regulation of newspapers, arguing that it would open a Pandora's box which would give the opportunity to unscrupulous politicians to try to curb the freedom of the press.

The new regulatory body proposed by Hunt would have real powers to investigate allegations such as phone hacking, illegal computer hacking or general press intrusion by reporters or paparazzi. It would also have the power to impose fines and award compensation to victims of the press, he said, with newspapers signing binding contracts to adhere to its rulings for five years at a time.

The new body would be far more robust than the PCC and be independent of influence by present editors, according to Hunt, with a three-pronged structure involving units providing a swift complaints resolution service, a standards arm and an arbitration operation which would assess damages.

The ASA originally received four complaints about Urban Tiger's poster ad in August 2011. The ASA Council considered the ad in early September, and concluded that the ad was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence, would not be seen as objectifying women and would not be likely to cause harm to children.

On 7 October 2011, the ASA issued new [more restrictive] guidance on sexual imagery in outdoor advertising. In accordance with that new guidance, we are considering Urban Tiger's ad again in light of the new complaint we have received.

A poster, for a lap dancing club, viewed on 14 October 2011, was headed URBAN TIGER GENTLEMAN'S CLUB NORTHAMPTON'S FINEST LAPDANCING CLUB - Luxurious table dancing venue - Stag Parties & special events - Corporate entertainment. To the right-hand side of the poster was an image of a woman wearing a sheer white dress cut to the waist. Her hair covered her cleavage. She sat side-on, facing to the left, and leant back slightly on her left arm. Her right arm rested on her left knee. Her legs were exposed from the thigh down. Issue

The complainant challenged whether, given its content and the nature of the advertised venue, the ad was unsuitable for display close to a primary school where it could be seen by children.

Urban Crowd said that they believed the ASA might have received a complaint about the ad not because of its content, but because the complainant might object to the type of business it was advertising. They said they were very conscious of objections to the nature of their business and as a result were sensitive about the content of their advertising, and it was their policy to avoid using images which were too revealing or controversial. They said they believed the ad in question followed that policy; it advertised their business but the model was wearing a significant amount of clothing and was not in a pose that could be considered sexual. They said poster ads advertising products such as underwear and deodorant often featured models wearing less clothing. They added that they also believed there was nothing in the text of the ad which was offensive.

Urban Crowd said the ad in question was on a major road which was two streets, and approximately 400 metres away, from the entrance to the school the complainant had mentioned. They thought the location was not one where all the children would see it as they arrived or departed from school.

Clear Channel, who owned the poster site, said they had placed a restriction on the ad so that it would not be displayed within 100 metres of schools. They said that the ASA had reviewed the ad in September 2011 after receiving complaints, but had concluded that no further action was warranted. They said that for those reasons they considered the ad was in compliance with the newly established rules following the Bailey Report into the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood.

ASA Assessment: Not upheld

The ASA acknowledged that in the context of an ad for a lap dancing club, it was likely that most images of women would be interpreted to be at least mildly sexual because of the nature of the service advertised. However, we noted the Code stated that the fact that a product was offensive to some people was not grounds for finding a marketing communication in breach of the Code. We therefore considered the ad on the basis of the image, the text and the ad's overall impression.

We considered that the overall impression of the ad was that it was only mildly sexual. We noted the text that described the club used non-sexual language and considered that the woman's stance was not sexually suggestive. We noted that although the woman's dress was cut to the waist, her hair completely covered her cleavage and considered that although she was leaning back she was not arching her back in a sexually provocative way. For those reasons, we considered the ad was only mildly sexual and was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence or be seen as socially irresponsible. However, we welcomed the policy Urban Tiger had in place with regard to the placement of their ads, and Clear Channel's decision to impose a restriction to ensure that the ad would not be displayed within 100 metres of a school.

We investigated the ad under CAP Code rules 1.3 (Irresponsible advertising) and 4.1 (Harm and offence), but did not find it in breach.

The BBC has admitted it was overcautious in editing the word Palestine from an artist's performance on Radio 1Xtra and has said it is looking to learn from the way it handled the situation.

However the BBC Trust said the final content that was broadcast on the  music programme Charlie Sloth Hip Hop M1X, was not biased and therefore did not breach its editorial guidelines.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) has spent eight months trying to find out why the decision was made to censor the lyrics of a freestyle performance by the rapper, Mic Righteous. Appearing on the Charlie Sloth show in February 2011, he sang: I can scream Free Palestine for my beliefs.

BBC producers replaced the word Palestine with the sound of breaking glass, and the censored performance was repeated in April on the same show.

Amena Saleem, of PSC, said: In its correspondence with us, the BBC said the word Palestine isn't offensive, but 'implying that it is not free is the contentious issue, and this is why the edit was made.

Four Flies on Grey Velvet is a 1971 Italy/France giallo by Dario Argento. With Michael Brandon and Mimsy Farmer. See IMDb

A Restored Version/Rebuild Edit  was passed 15 uncut for strong violence for:

• UK 2012 Argent/Shameless 40th Anniversary Blu-ray at UK Amazon just released on 30th January 2012
• UK 2012 Argent/Shameless 40th Anniversary R2 DVD at UK Amazon just released on 30th January 2012

From promotional material:

This special 40th Anniversary Edition has been fully re-mastered in HD from the original negative and includes four inserts of previously missing footage, through print damage, known amongst Argento fans as the legendary missing forty seconds.

However the inserts are in Standard-Definition quality only. The Blu-ray will allow for seamless branching of the four inserts giving viewers two versions of the film: one all HD without the re-inserted scenes and one longer version including the inserts.

Previous Releases

The film's last appearance in the UK was X rated after BBFC cuts for the 1973 cinema release.

Summary Review: Argento's rarest giallo

A musician is stalked by an unknown killer who's blackmailing him for an accidental killing of another stalker. But is everything what it appears to be?

Argento demonstrates some very creative camera work in this one. Furthermore, he keeps a nice and steady pace, there is very little downtime in this one and Ennio Morricone gives a good, if not great score.

It also boasts some inventive deaths. Now, Four Flies on Grey Velvet certainly has its flaws. There is a bit too much comedy in for my tastes, which I feel distracted from the horror. Also, Morriconne's score is underutilized and there isn't enough nudity.

Undoubtedly Dario Argento's rarest giallo, Four Flies on Grey Velvet is none the less the weakest in his Animal Trilogy (which also includes The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Cat O'Nine Tails), but it is still a pretty entertaining entry in the giallo genre.

Supporters of an East End gay pub are battling to stop it being included in a hit-list of sex entertainment establishments the council wants to close down.

Around 750 people have signed a petition to exempt the White Swan in Commercial Road from Tower Hamlets Council's plans to ban any venue from offering lap-dancing, pole-dancing or sex shows.

Campaigners, who first presented the petition in November, now accuse town hall chiefs of ignoring their concerns as they have had no response despite being told they should receive one within 28 days.

The White Swan's popular Wednesday nights sometimes feature male strippers but the campaign group is arguing there are no advertisements that could offend passersby and no prostitution or sexual activity of any kind.

Daryl Stafford, leading the campaign, said:

If we live in a truly multi-cultural society where people truly respect the lifestyles of others this simply would not happen. The venue has run its comedy male amateur strip night for 26 years without a single complaint.

And with a touch of 'I'm alright Jack', he added:

The legislation was originally set up to stop women being exploited and coerced into the sex trade... But there are no women involved in this. It's a men only night and stripping is voluntary."

Jack Gilbert, of LGBT group Rainbow Hamlets, said:

If they are making an argument that something is a social nuisance or has a history of causing anti-social behaviour and exploitation then the White Swan does not meet any of these criteria at all.

A council spokesprat said:

There was a record number of responses to the consultation and it was clear that residents felt strongly about the matter. No decision has been made in relation to which premises would be deemed to be sex establishments.

And with a particularly inept piece of politically correct confused thinking, Conservative group leader at Tower Hamlets, Peter Golds told BBC London:

I, like most reasonably minded people, have concerns about scantily clad women being exploited....BUT...consenting adults looking for a laugh, a joke and comedy is not exploitation.

Two movie-goers had to be treated by paramedics after they experienced adverse and shocking reactions to graphic scenes in a new horror film at the world-renowned Sundance Film Festival.

One viewer was watching a midnight screening of V/H/S last week when he ran from the cinema screen, collapsed and began to suffer seizures, according to the film's co-writer Simon Barrett. He explained that while very funny in parts, the film is also quite intense and gory.

While he was being treated, his girlfriend also ran into the lobby and began to vomit. The night before, another woman reportedly left in tears because she could not stand the suspense.

The lurid accounts of movie-goers passing out will no doubt lead some to suspect that this may have been an attempt to court publicity - but the film's production team insist what happened was real.

The film features a group of misfits hired by an unknown third party to burgle a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape. The supernatural footage they find proves a bit scary.

We wrote last year, many times, about the discussions being hosted by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport between rights holders and various intermediaries - which to normal people means companies like Internet Service Providers and search engines. One of the most recent roundtables saw the group of rights holders present search engines with a paper on how they should help tackle copyright infringement.

After two Freedom of Information requests, we have received the proposals [pdf]. Here's the summary of what the rights holders were asking for:

• Assign lower rankings to sites that repeatedly make available unlicensed content in breach of copyright.

• Prioritise websites that obtain certification as a licensed site under a recognised scheme

• Stop indexing websites that are subject to court orders while establishing suitable procedures to de-index substantially infringing sites

• Continue to improve the operation of the notice and takedown system and ensure that search engines do not encourage consumers towards illegal sites via suggested searches; related searches and suggested sites

• Ensure that they do not support illegal sites by advertising them or placing advertising on them, or profit from infringement by selling key words associated with piracy or selling mobile applications which facilitate infringement.

The minutes from the meeting suggest that the search engines were not impressed, and promised to write their own proposals to be discussed at a future meeting.

...Read the full article

Offsite: Google grilled by parliamentary committee

31st January 2012. See article from blogs.ft.com

Google was dragged over the coals by a British parliamentary committee, as the technology company's approach to removing illegal content from its search results again came under scrutiny.

Several members of the joint committee on privacy and injunctions, chaired by John Whittingdale MP, repeatedly attacked Google's representatives as they set out how the search engine seeks to balance legal challenges with freedom of expression.

Ben Bradshaw, Nadim Zahawi, and Lord Mawhinney, all criticised Google for what they saw as its failure to help victims of invasion of privacy, by removing all links to content which a judge has ruled to be illegal in the UK.

...Read the full article

The MTV reality show Geordie Shore returns on Tuesday. Its first series caused a nutter outcry for having fun with flesh-baring, booze-fuelled debauchery

Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah has resumed her long running whinge against the programme for portraying Newcastle as the binge drinking capital of Britain. She spouted:

Geordie Shore is not representative of Newcastle or Geordies.

If people feel that the show does not represent Newcastle they should complain to Ofcom.

However it does seem that drinking is in fact going on in Newcastle and that the city has more female drinkers than most. The local paper, the Chronicle, reported a few days ago that more people in the North East are dying from drink-related illnesses than ever before. Figures from the Office of National Statistics showed a drinker dies every 18 hours, and the number of women dying from alcohol is the second highest in the country.

Colin Shevills, director of Balance, the North East Alcohol Office, said:

Geordie Shore is a perfect example of how drinking at dangerous levels is portrayed as normal. If last year's series is anything to go by, we will see a hand-picked cast of easily influenced young North Easterners who have been sold the lie that it is perfectly normal and acceptable to drink too much, too often.

Whether it is aware of what it is doing or not, the production and broadcast companies responsible for Geordie Shore are saying to our young people, you can't have fun, be successful or be popular with the opposite sex unless you drink to excess.

The Very Reverend Chris Dalliston, Dean of Newcastle, also branded the show a backward step for the city:

Going out and getting drunk is now the least attractive aspect of where we live and TV programmes like this do us a huge disservice.

Rolling Thunder is a 1977 action revenge film by John Flynn. With William Devane, Tommy Lee Jones and Linda Haynes. See IMDb

UK: Passed 18 uncut for:

• UK 2011 Optimum Online
• UK 2011 Optimum/Studio Canal R2 DVD/RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon just released on 30th January 2012

Previously Cut

The cinema release was passed X (18) after BBFC cuts for UK 1977 cinema release

The BBFC cuts were:

• A couple of uses of William Devane's sharpened hook hand being used as a weapon were deleted

Summary Review: Outright mayhem

Returning war hero  William Devane receives a generous local gift during ceremonies in his Texas hometown. Later on, a bunch of good old boys come to rob him of the gift. They torture him and off his family in the process.

The remaining 70 or so minutes of the film detail Devane's search for the killers and his revenge. He takes up with a lonely woman during the search while teaching himself to use a shotgun with his new mechanical hand (he lost the real one in the torture-robbery-murder back home.)

Anyone that likes either of the main actors (Wiiliam Devane or Tommy Lee Jones), high class violence, or revenge films will enjoy this movie.

Anyone that likes either of the main actors (Wiiliam Devane or Tommy Lee Jones), high class violence, or revenge films will enjoy this movie.

The Nude Vampire is a 1970 France horror by Jean Rollin. With Maurice Lemaître and Caroline Cartier. See IMDb

US: uncut and MPAA R Rated for:

• US Online Rent or Buy [US only] at US Amazon
• US 2012 Redemption Re-mastered R0 Blu-ray via UK Amazon and at US Amazon just released on 24th January 2012
• US 2012 Redemption Re-mastered R1 DVD at US Amazon just released on 24th January 2012
• US 2007 Redemption R1 DVD

At the BBFC

UK: Passed 18 uncut for:

• UK 2005 Redemption R0 DVD at UK Amazon
• UK 1993 Redemption VHS

Previously passed X (18) after BBFC cuts for:

• UK 1972 cinema release

Summary Review: Sloooooow

There's not a lot of nudity here at all. Instead of erotic lesbian vampires with no clothes on; we've got a cumbersome plot about a man who wants to unlock the secret to immortality.

The usual Rollin problems...which are: The subject matter would usually lend for a visual feast. However Jean Rollin manages to be an ultimate bore when it comes down to the cinematography in this production.

The editing is sloooooow. Do we really need to see a guy walk across a field until he disappears into the horizon? In an end sequence maybe, however not in the middle of a story that already tends to induce sleep.

What byelaws, specific to Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square, could our dear Mayor be drafting in such a hurry? So, I had a look.

I found that, buried among various rules making it a criminal offence to feed birds or fly kites, it contained some astonishing and highly undemocratic rules effectively stifling peaceful protest. No doubt Boris Johnson is thinking of the upcoming Olympics and what an embarrassment it would be to have poor people protesting near tourists.

The byelaws make it an offence to:

• erect or keep erected any tent or similar structure
• display any sign
• make or give any speech or public address
• fail to comply with a reasonable direction given by an authorised person to leave the square.

It is my belief that this is an outrageous and unprecedented attack on our freedom as citizens. The consulation notice explains that any objection to the confirmation of the Byelaws may be made by letter addressed to Carl Schnackenberg, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2-4 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5DH, or by email to: Carl.Schnackenberg@Culture.gsi.gov.uk.

The closing date for responses is 29th February 2012.

Two British tourists were refused entry into the USA after joking on Twitter that they were going to destroy America and dig up Marilyn Monroe. Leigh Van Bryan was handcuffed and kept under armed guard in a cell for 12 hours after landing in Los Angeles with pal Emily Bunting.

The Department of Homeland Security flagged him as a potential threat when he posted an excited tweet to his pals about his forthcoming trip to Hollywood which read:

Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?

Leigh was also quizzed about another tweet which quoted hit US comedy Family Guy which read:

3 weeks today, we're totally in LA pissed people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin Marilyn Monroe up!

After making their way through passport control at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). the pair were detained by armed guards. Despite telling officials the term destroy was British slang for party, they were held on suspicion of planning to commit crimes. They were held in cells for 12 hours and then put on a plane back home. The couple must now apply for a US visa should they ever want to travel to America again.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was recently criticised over false accounts it set up on Twitter. These are then used to scan networks for sensitive words and then for tracking the people who use them. Online privacy group, the Electronic Privacy Information Centre requested information on the surveillance, but this was not forthcoming. However words deemed as being sensitive by the DHS include: Illegal immigrant, Outbreak, Drill, Strain, Virus, Recovery, Deaths, Collapse, Human to animal, and Trojan.

The Philippines Senate has passed a bill penalizing cybersex and other online crimes.

Cybersex, under Senate Bill 2796, is defined as people engaged in the willful engagement, maintenance, control, or operation, directly or indirectly, of any lascivious exhibition of sexual organs or sexual activity, with the aid of a computer system.

Violators can be imprisoned for 6-12 years, or fined between $4,500 and $23,000.

The bill also covers spamming, hacking etc.

The National Cybersecurity Coordinating Council with members from enforcement agencies and government will implement the new law.

A coalition of women's groups have argued that such highly sexualised images presented as part of their submission to the Leveson Inquiry were ubiquitous in the UK media, and called for press censorship to tackle relentless sexism in some areas of the press.

Four nutter groups, Eaves, End Violence Against Women, Object and Equality Now called on Leveson to back a ban on sexualised images in newspapers, arguing they would not be broadcast on television before the 9pm watershed.

The groups also accused some media outlets of perpetuating myths about rape, which they argued could prevent victims reporting the crime, and called for a tougher regulatory body.

Papers including the Sun, Daily Star and Sunday Sport persistently objectified women, portraying them as a sum of sexualised body parts, claimed Anna van Heeswijk, from Object, a lobby group against the objectification of women. We have to ask ourselves what kind of story does it tell young people when men in newspapers wear suits, or sports gear, are shown as active participants, and women are sexualised objects who are essentially naked or nearly naked, she said.

The groups are want legislation banning pictures of naked or semi-naked women in newspapers, arguing the images would not be allowed in the workplace because of equality legislation, and should not be sold in an unrestrained manner at children's eye-level. Leveson said his powers were limited and such a change would require rock-solid legislation.

The groups also called on Leveson to recommend the replacement of the Press Complaints Commission with an independent body with teeth that women and women's groups could complain to directly. The reporting of violence against women and girls needs to be more balanced and more context needs to be provided about its frequency, they added. Journalists should also receive training on the myths and realities about violence against women and girls, and there should be a code of practice for the way case studies are dealt with, the groups said.

Jacqui Hunt, of Equality Now, said the groups did not want to curtail press freedom...BUT...wanted the media to behave more responsibly.

The ever censorial Harriet Hatemen claims to be a champion of press freedom

See article from guardian.co.uk

Newspaper proprietors need urgently to agree a common new system of redress and regulation to put to the Leveson inquiry, according to Harriet Harman, the shadow culture and media secretary.

She said the new system should be independent, apply to all newspapers and be citizen-centric. [Maybe just a slip of the tongue, she probably meant women-centric]. Harman said:

I balk at the notion of press regulation. There should be redress for complaints. I don't think there should be prior restraint, or general ruling on ethics. I also certainly don't think we need a register of approved journalists. Doctors and journalists are not analogous.

Despite the personal battering she has taken from the rightwing media over pursuit of women's equality, she said she was not interested in settling old scores:

My discussions and arguments have been with the public as much as newspapers.

I am going to be a champion of press freedom.

Offsite: Killjoy Clare Short revives anti-page 3 rant

26th January 2012. See article from independent.co.uk by Clare Short

Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry into the ethics of the press heard some impressive, if depressing, evidence this week from women's groups about the continued use of sexualised imagery in some newspapers and about a culture of relentless sexism in some sections of the press.

In response, he said that his terms of reference did not stretch to such issues. But surely the depiction of half the population in a way that is now illegal on workplace walls and before the watershed in broadcasting, is an issue of media ethics? Interestingly, the evidence put to the inquiry was censored before circulation to remove the images that are perfectly legal in millions of newspapers that spread across society.

The Leveson Inquiry should also take note of my experience to learn how the media can censor public debate. The deliberate bullying I endured was designed to stop me discussing an issue of public concern and to frighten other women off. This is not a question of phone hacking or intrusion of privacy, but in some ways it is worse.

Tabloid vilification helped kill off a debate that would have forced Page 3 images out of British newspapers and perhaps obliged the media to behave and report in a less sexist way. Twenty-six years on, Lord Leveson should seriously consider the case that has been made.

...Read the full article

Update: The misogyny of the anti-Page 3 brigade

31st January 2012.See article from spiked-online.com by Gabrielle Shiner

The prudes trying to strip the tabloids of topless pics belittle women far more than any male reader could.

With the Leveson Inquiry currently insisting that the press bares all, campaign groups such as Turn Your Back on Page 3 have spotted an opportunity to force the tabloid's topless ladies to cover themselves up. And all in the name of protecting girls like me from being terrorised by tits.

...Read the full article

Many democracies have allowed their ties with repressive allies to temper their support for human rights in the Arab Spring protests, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2012. For reasons of principle and long-term interest, governments should stand firm with the people of the Middle East and North Africa when they demand their basic rights and work to ensure the transition to genuine democracies.

The 676-page report, Human Rights Watch's annual review of human rights practices around the globe, summarizes major rights issues in more than 90 countries, reflecting the extensive investigative work carried out in 2011 by Human Rights Watch staff. On events in the Middle East and North Africa, Human Rights Watch said that firm and consistent international support for peaceful protesters and government critics is the best way to pressure the region's autocrats to end abuses and enhance basic freedoms. A principled insistence on respect for rights is also the best way to help popular movements steer clear of the intolerance, lawlessness, and revenge that can threaten a revolution from within, Human Rights Watch said.

The people driving the Arab Spring deserve strong international support to realize their rights and to build genuine democracies, said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. Loyalty to autocratic friends shouldn't stand in the way of siding with democratic reformers. International influence is also needed to ensure that the new governments extend human rights and the rule of law to all, especially women and minorities.

The World Report 2012 documents human rights abuses worldwide, including: violations of the laws of war in Libya and Afghanistan; the plight of political prisoners in Vietnam and Eritrea; the silencing of dissent in China and Cuba; internet crackdowns in Iran and Thailand; killings by security forces in India and Mexico; election-related problems in Russia and the Democratic Republic of Congo; mistreatment of migrants in Western Europe; neglectful maternal health policies in Haiti and South Africa; the suppression of religious freedom in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia; torture in Pakistan and Uzbekistan; discrimination against people with disabilities in Nepal and Peru; and detention without trial in Malaysia and by the United States.

Funhouse is a 1981 US horror by Tobe Hooper. With Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson and Jeanne Austin. See IMDb

Passed 15 uncut for moderate horror, sex, violence and threat for:

• UK 2001 ArrowDrome R2 DVD  at UK Amazon released today on 30th January 2012
• UK 2011 Arrow R0 Blu-ray at UK Amazon
• UK 2007 Freemantlemedia/Arrow R2 DVD

Video Nasty

Previously it was surprisingly labelled as a video nasty. It was added to the DPP list of video nasties in September 1984 but was dropped in June 1985. It is not a particularly violent film and it has been suggested that the video appears on the list due to a confusion with another film Last House on Dead End Street that is also known as The Fun House.

DVD Extras

From promotional material:

Something is Alive in the Funhouse

The carnival is a place for fun and laughter, but not for Amy and her friends. When their childish dare to stay all night in the spooky funhouse backfires, it leaves a trail of dismembered teenagers a mile long in Tobe Hooper's classic video nasty era slasher.

Will anyone escape the clutches of the stumbling madman that stalks to sideshow? Is there no end to the carnival barkers chilling sadism? The only way to find out is ascend into the funhouse, where the games have no rules and the only prize on offer is a grisly demise.

Join us in The Funhouse. So much fun that you'll never leave...Alive!

Arrowdrome is a fleapit selected library of cult films; violent, horrific, sleazy, exploitative.

DVD Extras:

• a reversible sleeve of original artwork

• a collector's booklet by author Kim Newman!

• an interview with director Tobe Hooper

• trailer

Fascination is a 1979 France horror by Jean Rollin. With Franca Mai & Brigitte Lahaie. See IMDb

US: Uncut and MPAA Unrated for:

• US 2012 Redemption Re-mastered Edition R0 Blu-ray via UK Amazon and at US Amazon just released on 24th January 2012
• US 2012 Redemption Re-mastered Edition R1 DVD at US Amazon just released on 24th January 2012

At the BBFC

UK: Passed 18 uncut for:

• UK 2002 Redemption DVD via UK Amazon
• UK 1994 Redemption VHS

Passed uncut but some versions omit 1:25s of the opening credits featuring 2 girls dancing on a bridge.

Summary Review: Stunning Visuals

This erotic horror film, set in 1916, tells the story of a thief who seeks refuge in a castle owned by two women,

The opening scene is classic and the film delivers many memorable scenes from start to finish. Plot and characterisation don't take up much time in the film, its more of a work of art than a conventional vampire tale. There isn't even all that much bloodletting, just enough to stop things being anaemic. In place of gore there's some fine eroticism and stunning visuals and its a fair trade.

An account of a middle class Dublin woman's venture into sex work could act as a spur to impressionable young women to enter a trade that is dangerous and detrimental to mental health, nutters have claimed.

The book, Between the Sheets, is an account of the alleged double life of a middle-class Dublin woman who lost her job and embarked on a life in prostitution to maintain her comfortable home and family lifestyle in the face of financial collapse. The author has adopted the pseudonym Scarlett O'Kelly.

Penguin Ireland, the publishers, claim it will be one of the most controversial books of the year and say they are satisfied that the woman's account is genuine, adding:

The book claims to be 'an illuminating and explicit account of a year spent working as an escort in middle Ireland, a gripping account of living a double life, and the high price it exacts'.

The author, Scarlett O'Kelly, said the sex industry was nothing like she expected it to be: I expected it to be seedy and awful and it wasn't. She said that during her time as an escort and prostitute, she had had sex with more than 150 men.

Ellen O'Malley Dunlop of the Rape Crisis Centre said:

It is what is happening in terms of young people being sexualised before they are ready. It's unreal what is happening out there in terms of young people being inured to it.

Nusha Yonkova, Anti-Trafficking Project Co-ordinator with the Immigrant Council of Ireland, expressed serious reservations about any work that sought to portray prostitution as in any way a suitable or easy lifestyle:

The book would be read by young people who may be at an unstable point in their lives and this could act as an encouragement. It is very disappointing that Penguin has done this. I think it is purely to gain profits. It is a poor choice.

The reality is that there are almost no middle-class, middle-aged women (in prostitution). The reality is that they are predominantly migrants from Eastern and Central Europe, poor central American countries and Africa. There are some Irish women, but the majority of them would also have addiction problems. That is the difference. They would not be people who have choices.

Former Garda Detective Superintendent PJ Browne, who led an investigation into Dublin's vice trade, said that, while he had not read the book, he was concerned about any impression that might be given that prostitution was a safe or lifestyle choice. He said:

We found that a large number of young women working in prostitution were from very poor backgrounds and from countries where they could get no work. It is sordid and it is dangerous. I have no idea what experiences this woman had, but the vast majority of women working in this trade in Ireland are young foreign women who are desperate for money.

Marriott International has announced plans to phase out pay-per-view adult movies from its hotel rooms. According to USA Today, the company said:

Changing technology and how guests access entertainment has reduced the revenue hotels and their owners derive from in-room movies, including adult content.

Joe McInerney, CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, added:

It is a hotel's prerogative, as well as a business decision, regarding what services it provides to its guests, including those striving to enhance their family-friendly image.

Porn will be phased out first in new hotels as old video systems are replaced with on-demand services.

Open Rights Group and Tor have established that UK mobile networks such as Vodafone, O2 and 3 are blocking UK users' access to Tor's primary website (meaning the  Tor Project website, rather than connections to the Tor network) on pre-paid contractless accounts.

Tor helps people stay anonymous online. Some examples of how it has been used include those trying to avoid oppressive state censorship in places such as Iran, through to abuse victims in the UK.

There is a blog post by Jacob Appelbaum with more technical details about the blocking on UK mobile networks over at the Tor blog.

Searching for torproject.org reveals that it is blocked because it falls into the category of anonymiser. (Orange also say that they block content that falls into the anonymiser category - but it does not seem that Tor is blocked on Orange.) It's unlikely that mobile operators are targeting Tor, and more likely that anonymisation tools generally are blocked.

It was initially established that Tor was blocked initially through the new tool blocked.org.uk. openrightsgroup.org are asking for help in monitoring how blocking on mobile networks works by reporting when you come across incorrectly applied blocks.

Open Rights Group will be meeting with mobile operators over the next few weeks to talk about making sure that they can both help parents manage their children's mobile Internet use and avoid clumsy implemented blocking. Some are better at aspects of this than others (Orange provide an overview of the categories they block, for example.) But none implement a transparent and clear policy that puts users in charge.

MP Andrea Leadsom has long been campaigning that kids are shown sex education material that is too mature for them. She is suggesting that BBFC should rate such material prior to its use in schools etc. She is probably onto a loser though, as the BBFC would surely give a well considered rating, with no room whatsoever for any moral/religious/decency angle  that Leadsom may be hoping for. It is hard to imagine that the BBFC would be far out of line with the education experts that are currently approving the material for school use anyway.

Nevertheless Leadsom has had a meeting with the BBFC to discuss the possibility of the body rating school sex education material.

The BBFC were reported to have expressed surprise that the BBC do not have their sex education material rated when they voluntarily have programmes such as The Blue Planet rated, despite there being no sensitive or controversial content and no requirement to have it rated as it is a documentary.

Leadsom said:

It seems bizarre that when some parents are so deeply concerned at what they consider to be sensitive material being shown to their children, the BBC and Channel 4 have chosen not to have their SRE material rated by an independent agency.

The Bangladeshi government has approved a repressive new anti-pornography law which would see offenders jailed for up to 10 years.

It is believed to be Bangladesh's first law specifically targeting the spread of pornography. The legislation, which is likely to be passed by parliament, bans making or selling of any kind of pornographic material. Those found guilty could also be fined up to $6,000.

The move seems to have come about after a string of sex tape scandals involving female celebrities.

Abul Kalam Azad, a government spokesman, claimed that the measures aim to protect young people and women from pornography, which he said, had spread like a disease through the internet and mobile phone technology.

Update: Passed by Parliament

30th January 2012.  See article from bdnews24.com

A bill was tabled in parliament with provisions of up to seven years of jail sentence for production, storage, marketing, sale, carrying, supply and exhibition of pornography.

Home minister Shahara Khatun presented the Pornography Control Act 2012 after which it was sent to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny.

According to the bill pornography is any dialogue, acting, posture, unclothed or partially unclothed dance in cinema, video, photography, graphics, audio-visual image or imagery otherwise captured and displayable, which causes sexual arousal and has no artistic or educational value. Also, such books, magazines, sculptures, cartoons and leaflets which cause the sexual arousal, and their negatives and soft copies would also be considered pornography.

The home minister claimed that pornography was spreading like a terrible disease across society and in absence of any law the crime and criminals cannot be stopped.

European Union Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has proposed a sweeping reform of the EU's data protection rules, claiming that the proposed rules will both cost less for governments and corporations to administer and simultaneously strengthen online privacy rights.

The 1995 Data Protection Directive already gives EU citizens certain rights over their data. Organizations can process data only with consent, and only to the extent that they need to fulfil some legitimate purpose. They are also obliged to keep data up-to-date, and retain personally identifiable data for no longer than is necessary to perform the task that necessitated collection of the data in the first place. They must ensure that data is kept secure, and whenever processing of personal data is about to occur, they must notify the relevant national data protection agency.

The new proposals go further than the 1995 directive, especially in regard to the control they give citizens over their personal information. Chief among the new proposals is a right to be forgotten that will allow people to demand that organizations that hold their data delete that data, as long as there is no legitimate grounds to hold it.

This is the so-called right to be forgotten. The proposal does not create a right to be thrown down the memory hole or rewrite the past; news reports and similar material would be a legitimate reason to retain personal information, and this would override a demand to have data deleted. But sites like Facebook---which has had difficulties with the concept of deletion---and Google would likely be required to purge any such personal data should someone demand that they do so.

...Read the full article

Offsite: Google exec questions Reding's Right to be forgotten pledge

See article from theregister.co.uk

Google's privacy policy counsel in Brussels, Marisa Jimenez, expressed concern about some of the passages written under article 17 of the proposed regulation. She said Reding's so-called right to be forgotten on the internet plans have, in part, been welcomed by Google.

But she noted that the current text submitted by the European Commission is incredibly complex and thereby open to any number of interpretations by data protection authorities and companies that could be expected to comply with the rules, if passed by the European Parliament in their current form.

Here's what Reding's proposed regulation currently states on the right to be forgotten:

Article 17 provides the data subject's right to be forgotten and to erasure. It further elaborates and specifies the right of erasure provided for in Article 12(b) of Directive 95/46/EC and provides the conditions of the right to be forgotten, including the obligation of the controller which has made the personal data public to inform third parties on the data subject's request to erase any links to, or copy or replication of that personal data. It also integrates the right to have the processing restricted in certain cases, avoiding the ambiguous terminology blocking.

...Read the full article

Google has announced that it was placing 60 of its Web services under a unified privacy policy that would allow the company to share data between any of those services. (Google Books, Google Wallet and Google Chrome are excluded due to different regulatory and technical issues.)

Any user with a Google account --- used to sign in to services such as Gmail, YouTube and personalized search --- must agree to the policy. Users who don't want to have their data shared have the option to close their accounts with Google.

The changes will apply from March 1st.

Data-protection agencies in Ireland and France said they would assess the implications of the push. At least one consumer-advocacy group fretted that the policy -- which makes it easier for Google to target advertisements to specific groups -- might tie users' hands and make it harder for them to limit what the company can do with their information.

This announcement is pretty frustrating and potentially frightening from a kids and family and teenager standpoint and an overall consumer privacy standpoint, said James Steyer, chief executive officer of San Francisco-based Common Sense Media.

...Read the full article