A recent case in Melbourne involving 4 photos sent to an 18 year old from teenage friends as a text highlight the huge problems with the compulsory nature of these registers.

The man pleaded guilty and received a 12-month good behaviour bond without conviction. His name however will now go on the sex offendor registers for underage sexual activity. This will restrict his activities for the next 8 years. (See ‘I used to be outgoing; now I’m paranoid’: charged teen.)

Earlier this year a case where actual sexual intercourse occurred all four teenagers were placed on the sexual offenders list (one teenager filmed the event). Again they are placed on this list. (See ‘They were sacrificial lambs led to the slaughter’). Some of the comments on this story make you realise how some people have forgotten what teenagers are like or were “angels” when they were growing up.

Wikipedia has some details on the four countries which have registers and how ineffective these are. In all reality the abuser is generally known to the person and is a person of trust (e.g. Catholic Priest, family member, teacher).

Now one of the branches in his electorate have voted in favour of gay marriage.

John Murphy also claimed in his outburst to SMH

”People are questioning why we are going down this path – there are so many important things the Labor Party has to be dealing with. They do not include same sex marriage.’

and continued

”The bulk of gay people aren’t looking to get married anyway. Not even Bob Brown wants this for himself.”

He joins the Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the union boss Joe de Bruyn from the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) who seem to be out of touch with the general community on this issue.

Sadly Australia now like the USA is far behind other Western countries despite general community support for gay marriage.

More info:

• Shoppies union boss out of touch with rank-and-file
• Join Greens: Labor MP to gay marriage proponents
• Backlash over MP’s stand against gay marriage

Dunedin once again held it’s annual nude rubgy game.

This year there were a couple of differences. The opposition team was partially clothed and the nude blacks included one women.

This is annual fun event held in the middle of winter in Dunedin.

Read More:

• Previous Nude Rugby Stories
• ODT Story
• ODT Video
• The Press Story
• Stuff Newsite story
• TV3 Story – and here
• TV3 Video

Harry Sinclair’s New Zealand TV series from 1995.

Each episode is 3-4 minutes long and was originally played late at night on TV3. Each episode also featured a song from Flying Nun Records.

Definitely great to see some of the episodes on youtube now.
More information:

• toplesswomentalkabouttheirlives.com
• Harry Sinclair
• NZ On Screen

I am hoping that I will be able to post more regularly about politics, sex, men and all the things that make more interesting.

Sorry for the absence of posts in the past. Hopefully be a few more now.

The Nude Blacks faced off against the Welsh Leeks

TV3 reported:

“It’s well supported and it is just a bit of fun, and if you don’t like it, you don’t come,” says Dave Bourke, the Nude Blacks captain. 

It was one game that wasn’t going to be ruined by a streaker – so when one female spectator tried to join in, she ended up scoring a try.

It was a tightly fought match, the Nude Blacks just edging out the Welsh in the final minutes – possibly a hint towards tonight’s result.

• Video
• Pictures
• TV3 Story

I am not sure who decided not to open the gates until after 10pm (the first people who arrived off the parade must have been there by 9pm)

What was even more appalling was the patdown searches by ISEC Security on entry. Everyone was forced to have a pat down search.

When I questioned one of the security guards under which NSW Statue they were undertaking the search I was told “I am doing as I am told”. The male security guard at least looked embarrased.

What was worrying is these patdowns were been done regardless of gender i.e. Male security guards were patting down women, etc.

Even more disturbing is that in reading online after the event is what I thought was the case Security Guards have no power of search as copied below the legal aid website.

http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/asp/index.asp?pgid=507

In a column entitled, “Relics of another era: The winter Olympics and the mardi gras”, Tanveer Ahmed argues that both the Olympics and Sydney Mardi Gras are past their use by date.

In it he says:

“As for the gay mardi gras, what started as a fight for recognition and equality, with conservative society’s outrage prosecuted at the end of a police baton, has lost its political core. It is now a mere tourist event, the equivalent of an orchestrated traditional native dance in the guise of aimless partying.”

In other words we should stop any events which involve aimless partying e.g. New Year’s eve celebrations, Chinese New Year Celebrations, New Orleans Mardi Gras, etc.

In another column – “Mardi Gras parades very little” – Helen Razer writes

“In 1984, Patrick White was asked to lend his support to the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The nation’s most dignified poof angrily declined. Even hopping mad, the great man of letters couldn’t bear to end a sentence with a preposition. “A lot of screaming queens in Oxford Street will not help the cause for which we shall have to fight,” he wrote. Imperfect grammar was a thing up with which he would not put.

I am powerless to maintain White’s deference to the rules of English. His disdain for Mardi Gras, however, is something I can easily replicate.”

She goes on:

“For a minute or two on Saturday, I watched Mardi Gras on the telly. And there was another inane drag queen vomiting her fluorescent words direct into the lap of the “straight” population. Here was a little monkey giving mum and dad their dependable dose of Gay. This qualifies as harmless fun only if the sum of our queer hope is to be yanked back into a Danny La Rue chorus line.”

Well if she had bothered to watch she would have seen among other things

·        Sydney convicts – rugby team
·        The 100 Revs
·        Outworkers – GLBT Union members
·        Numerous sports groups
·        Clover Moore
·        The Greens
·        Mardi Gras Marching group
·        Plus of course numerous drag queens

I am unsure why she hates drag queens so much but if you read the rest of the article she then claims that the GLBT communities discriminate against intersex and transgender people.

What both are suggesting is that Mardi Gras has had its time and should be retired.

I think what they are also trying to say is that Mardi Gras isn’t serious enough, is too focussed on fun, has too many drag queens, isn’t political, is too much been there and done that then it should be shut down.

I don’t think however that reflects the wider community response based on the 10,000 participants, the thousands of spectators and unknown visitors to Sydney for the parade.

And just when I thought that was it one more person who just can’t stand Drag Queens in an column entitled Do you want Drag with that

While their are issues with Mardi Gras – it’s rejection of floats and control by sponsors – I don’t personally see what the deal is with people getting upset over Drag Queens – however from a historical point of view their has been from a long split between the “normal” gay men and those who wish to push the queer envelope so it isn’t surprising that this should continue into the 21st century. Of course we can’t forget Drag Queens were at he frontline in Stonewall along with other marginalised groups.

Oh well the comments on these articles make some of the best reading I have seen for a long time.

“Please note this mail box is not monitored and any replies sent to this address will not be received.”

There were some links on the attached pdf but instead of making them clickable one has to carefully cut and paste the links.

2) The second problem was the attached legal warning – so technically I can’t post or email the pdf to anyone

The information transmitted is for the use of the intended recipient only and may contain confidential and/or legally privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, disclosure, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited and may result in severe penalties.

If you have received this e-mail in error please notify the Security Advisor of the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, 38 Sydney Ave, Forrest ACT 2603, telephone (02) 6271-1376 and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments.

You have to wonder who didn’t actually think that a general circular email is intended for the recipient only is an idiot. And the comment not to rely on the information in the document sums up Conroy’s stupid scheme.

I have read the confidential attachment and what he proposes is extremely dangerous and he is been stupid to think it will actually stop anything – any child will be able to bypass the filter as well anyone else.

Check out the getup campaign for more details

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet&id=892